Sailor Moon News Roundup February-March 2008!

Hey Moonies! Here comes the first of a few updates this week as we get back to our regular schedule! I saw the new trailer for Speed Racer yesterday and I wasn't impressed. Sure the graphics were great and all but the plot just didn't seem as fun as the original, and seemed a little darker than the original. Which is what has inspired our latest poll over there -->! Please vote, we're kind of curious what the fans would go for if Sailor Moon was given the same treatment. Without further ado...


New Book Looks At Truth Behind Myth!

Bill Brioux (a former staff writer for TV Guide Canada), published a book late last year that looks at some of the myths behind popular television shows. Truth and Rumors: The Reality Behind TV's Most Famous Myths looks at a few myths including: was Pamela Anderson really cast before Teri Hatcher in Desperate Housewives ? Was Jerry Mathers of Leave It To Beaver killed in Vietnam? Did Sailor Moon cause convulsions in kids? We've never heard that rumor before. We know that Sailor Moon and Sailor Saturn were notorious for fainting or seizures, but we never actually heard about the show affecting viewers! Though we do remember a lot of ruckus about a Pokemon episode that gave children in Japan seizures with its strobing screens, and that particular episode when dubbed was toned down a bit. Nonetheless, we are trying to track down a copy of this book and once we do we'll let you know if the myth was real or not!

Malaysian Students Go On Exchange to Japan!

When we read this, we wondered why none of our schools had any cool exchanges like this! Some high school students were honored enough to be picked as Malaysian Ambassadors to Japan for a two week exchange! This was made possible by the Japan-East Asia Network of Exchange for Students and Youths (JENESYS), a program of the Antarabudaya Malaysia (AFS). This exchange was fully sponsored by the Japanese Government to promote mutual understanding and trust among youths. A student, Lee Theng Ying recounted his experiences. They got to visit lots of cool places such as Naritasan Temple, the Yumenoshima Tropical Plant Dome, the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (Miraikan), and even visiting Hiroshima on a Pokemon-themed airplane! The even got to go behind closed doors to watch Sumo Wrestlers practice! Probably the biggest highlight was reading that they got to visit Toei Animation and got to meet one of the writers of Sailor Moon! Lee didn’t mention just who it was, but we’re still working to find out who he met! If any fans have any idea who he could be referring to (the writer also worked on One Piece and Dragonball Z) don’t hesitate to let us know! From what we have read, it looks like this experience was one to remember and we wonder if the Japanese Government would be interested to expand this program to North America.

New Zealand Actress Loves Sailor Moon Style!

Ride With the Devil was a New Zealand drama which aired last fall. It is about two guys who meet up and become friends because they share one thing in common - underground racing. However, one race goes horribly wrong and it is up to the two guys to keep their sport going without the cops coming after them. The show had lots of Asian stars, and among them was Caleigh Cheung (image: - who is now finding herself in lots of different clothes! To celebrate Chinese New Year in New Zealand, she wore a custom-tailored cheongsam. The New Zealand Herald interviewed her about clothing and beauty, and she made a very surprising admission! She loves to play dress-up with costumes, and especially wants a Sailor Moon-style school Uniform from Japan. It’s nice to see model-actresses that still have a soft spot for their favorite anime characters!

Disney Enters Partnership With Toei Animation

In recent years, considering the rise of Japanese Animation, Disney's animation has fallen short, and fans are not as interested in their movies as they were before. Disney has in particular had problems trying to gain popularity in the Asian markets. Over a week ago, Disney announced that they were partnering with Toei Animation to try to have a more successful presence in Asian markets. What we do know about this partnership is that it will combine the use of computer graphics along with graphics of local talent (in Japan). There are three TV shows in production, but what they are is still a secret locked up like Fort Knox! Disney is also working with Jinni Animation Co. and their first venture together is a 3-D animated series called Fireball about robots in the Future. We have read conflicting reports about when this is going to start, it may start in April or May of this year. Disney will also be working with Madhouse Ltd.- famous for the upcoming Batman: Gotham Knight, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Digi Charat, Paprika, and Nana among others. Their first venture will be a cartoon based on Lilo and Stitch, where Lilo is replaced by a Japanese girl named Hanako.

We have mixed feelings about this partnership, but what worries us slightly is the potential that if things go well with Toei and Disney, perhaps Disney might gain control of Sailor Moon? We can't even imagine what they would do to our beloved superhero!

Britney Spears' New Video is NOT a Parody of Sailor Moon

We don't like Britney much at Moon Chase. She was irresponsible with her family and her own life, and though it appears she is trying to change her life for the better, some of her behaviours are really unclassy. And her music still sucks just as much as it did when she first came out. Aside from our own opinions, we noticed a glaring error in The Times-Union as Diana Middleton called Britney Spears' new video for Break the Ice a "cheesy Sailor Moon parody". We barely see any similarities to Sailor Moon (or maybe we could if we really pushed the envelope). We think it's more of a rip off of Ghost in the Shell, Metropolis, and Noir. There are probably more anime that the animators drew influence from, but the video is still crap. Britney, please stop trying to be popular.

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