News from the other side of the pond!

Asian News Blitz: The Sailor Moon Crew in Japan and Malaysia!


Toru Furuya Appears at GACC in Malaysia!

Toru Furuya , best known as the voice of Tuxedo Kamen (Sailor Moon) , Yamcha (DBZ), and Ray Amuro (various Gundam incarnations), appeared at Games.Anime.Comic.Circle (GACC) in Malaysia on Saturday March 18th. He participated in a talk session, meet and greet, and served as a cosplay judge . Toru broke ground as the first Seiyuu (Japanese VA) to visit South East Asia, and was very popular with nearly all of the congoers! We were able to track down a few cosplay photos from The Star (Malaysia) and here . We recommend fans check out the second link, as it features a fan-captured video of Toru speaking as Tuxedo Mask!


Konosuke Uda to Direct New Anime Series, Love*Com!

The romantic comedy Love*Com (short for Lovely Complex), is set to premiere in Japan on April 7th. It is based on the shoujo manga of the same name by Aya Nakahara, and tells of the relationship between tall Risa Koisumi and her short boyfriend, Atsushi Otoni. The Toei anime is directed by Konosuke Uda , who directed some episodes from the S and SuperS seasons, and served as Assistant Director with the SS movie. The manga lasted from 2001-2006, and last summer a hit live action movie debuted.

The manga has been licensed in North America by Viz and the english translation will be released this summer.


Move Over Desperate Housewives, You've Got Nothing on Panchanne!

Bishoujo Celeb Panchanne is a new Live-Action Series set to premiere on TV Tokyo April 3rd . Yumiko Shinjo used to be a superhero just like Sailor Moon in her high school days, transforming into Bishoujo Kamen Florence. By day, she lives the life of a housewife, married to Kensuke (a businessman), and mother to their kindergartner daughter, Risa. By night however, she returns to her superhero lifestyle as Panchanne. The show is directed by Masataka Takamaru , who directed PGSM (Live Action Sailor Moon) , and stars up and coming idol Haruna Yabuki in the title role. We think the idea of a superhero housewife is absolutely hilarious and we will keep you posted if we find any clips! Fans can read an interview and watch a video of Haruna about the show here.