Sailor Sightings October 2009 - Part 2!

Before we get started, twitter follower @MikeinGB pointed us to a sighting of Sailor Moon on IGN. In a list of the 25 top anime characters (put together by writer Chris McKenzie), Sailor Moon scored #9! She was chosen for her impact on American anime fandom... and on a special group of fans.


Can't Say Something in German? Call it Sailor Moon!

I debated sharing this article with you since it's really small potatoes, but I thought some of you might find it as humorous as I did. Akiko Lorenzo Oya (pictured left) is an automotive journalist who was born in Japan, and edited for the magazine SUPER CAR GRAPHIC for 7 years. Now he lives in Siena, Tuscany (in Italy), and writes for Japanese car publications. He really loves working with European cars. He visited the city of Zell am See in Salzburg, Austria, to do some research about the Porsche. The city is the home of the Ferry Porsche Congress Center and the Porsche Design Studio.He decided to stay in a Bed and Breakfast that cost 35 Euros a night, in the district of Zellermoos. Unfortunately, he could not remember what the name of the district was due to his bad memory, and called the town "Sailor Moon". Moreover, the Inn Owner's name became "Uncle Sailor Moon" (pictured right). I had a good laugh when I read this! He was greeted at the inn by an excited dog and a child, but he decided to bare this dog and stay here when he saw Uncle Sailor Moon calm him down. Uncle Sailor Moon does have a name, Jan, and he is Slovakian! Akio wrote that he had a silly time doing this even though he spotted Jan muttering to himself. Jan wondered why Akio had such a preference for cars being built outside his own country, but Akio said that he thought that there was no difference in quality control, and later mentioned that he really likes fast cars. The rest of the article goes into some Porsche and Volkswagen history and facts, but that's way beyond the scope of his blog.

Uchinanchu in Washington, D.C. Reflects on Classmate Exchange and Anime Conventions

Uchinanchu is a very specific Japanese name for Okinawans that are living around the world. In a feature for Japan's Ryukyu Shimpo, one Uchinachu in Washington, D.C., wrote about a classmate who went on an exchange to Japan, and thoughts on anime conventions. The writer says that anime is still a popular hobby among high school students, and that it is the top motivator for them to learn Japanese. A classmate said that his favorite anime was Sailor Moon, and Makoto (Sailor Jupiter) was his favorite character! This student had recently gone on a Japanese exchange, and shortly after arriving there, spent ¥10,000 on Sailor Moon merchandise. This more than surprised his homestay. When he came back, he came with suitcases of merchandise, even ten copies of a volume of manga to share with friends or sell. He compared this to students wearing long overcoats filled with merchandise! The writer said that he was enchanted by conventions, especially how fans go the extra mile to act the air of the characters that they cosplay. The writer asked one of the con sponsors why anime is so popular, and the person answered by saying that the characters are more psychologically complex, and the stories and animation are much richer. Animation from the U.S. just doesn't compare! The writer makes note that anime is now one of Japan's biggest exports to the United States, and hundreds of thousands of fans attend anime conventions each year in America's biggest cities.

For All Of You Wishing You Had an Anime Themed Car...

Annually there is a special festival in Japan celebrating car painting, and in recent years many have taken to anime characters. The writer of the article called for more Slayers and Sailor Moon cars to help cars sell in other countries, but unfortunately if there were any cars themed around those animes, there are no pictures featured! We're not going to say much else except that fans should give these links a look!

Introduction
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3