Bandai announced a number of new anime releases for 2004 at the recently concluded Anime Expo, which give it a strong line-up for next year.  In addition to the previously announced Ghost in the Shell:  Stand Alone Complex (see 'Bandai Gets TV Ghost in the Shell'), Bandai has announced the Gonzo OVA aerial combat series Yukikaze, the ultra-cute Taruto (aka Magical Meow Meow), the Ah My Goddess-like Tenshi No Shippo (Angel's Tail), children's show Dragon Drive, Bones (Cowboy Bebop) production Wolf's Rain, and aerial dogfighting series Stratos 4.  Of these, Bandai's Jerry Chu told us that they expect Wolf's Rain and Ghost in the Shell:  Stand Alone Complex to be the biggest hits. 

Bandai is also releasing the soundtrack for the dot Hack anime later this year, probably in October.  Although the company has previously packaged anime soundtracks as part of special packages (for example for Escaflowne, Jin-Roh, and Cowboy Bebop), this will be its first stand-alone audio release.  'We've always treated [soundtracks] more as an ancillary item, something extra for the fans,' said Chu.  'So this is more or less a test to see how feasible the soundtrack business is for stand-alone releases.  We get kind of mixed reviews from what Animetrax is doing and what Pioneer is doing.  We just want to test the waters and see for ourselves what it's like.'  The music ranges from grand orchestral themes to fast-paced techno.