BREAKING NEWS: DVD Releases for Brazil and Mexico!

Hey Moonies! The Sailor Moon Licensing News train is showing no signs of slowing down! A new press release confirms new Latin American licensing deals from Toei Animation Inc. of Los Angeles. Brazil's "little known" CD & DVD Factory as well as Mexico's Towers Entertainment are both set to release the series on DVD. As of this writing, there are no merchandise deals being announced, however if you are a fan of DragonBall and Saint Seiya, we recommend reading the rest of the release here if you would like to learn of DVD and merchandise releases in Latin America. Toei is also predicted to have a much higher annual dividend this year than originally forecast. Enhorabuena a Mexico y Brasil! Viva la Sailormoon!

Random Monday Moonbit - Is There a Generation Gap When it Comes to Sailor Moon and PGSM?

So, we don’t know what surprises this week is going to bring in terms of licensing news. Maybe there will be nothing? Sailor Moon news of this kind tends to come in short bursts for a few weeks and then it disappears for a while. We came across an editorial in the Japanese news over the weekend that featured a very interesting thought about the Sailor Moon anime in comparison to PGSM. The article is called “Is Sailor Moon = Drama? How Do 20-Year-Olds Feel The Generation Gap To Their Juniors?” and is written by blogger Yae Onoda. She asked various people in their 20s about the fads of today that are popular with youth, and if they felt that things were any different for them when they were that age. A 26-year old was asked about Sailor Moon, and she definitely felt a generation gap. She watched the cartoon as a child, but her little sister was in high school when PGSM was broadcast. She thought that the drama was definitely a departure from the anime, and wanted to "punish it in the name of the Moon!" She likened PGSM to the Sailor Moon anime as new artists covering old songs that were popular. She felt that those fans who were attached to the anime, would likely be frustrated with PGSM. Fans, do you agree that there is a generation gap between PGSM and the Sailor Moon anime? Leave your thoughts below!

Sailor Neptune To Be Intervied on The Fan

91.8 The Fan’s radio talk-show, Kana's Korner, will be interviewing Barbara Radecki, the voice of Sailor Neptune on Jan 20 at 2:00pm (Pacific). They will ask her what it's like to be part of such an outstanding series as well as see how she's kept busy after Sailor Moon.

91.8 The Fan is a contemporary radio station for anime and manga fans that can be accessed internationally. The 24/7 live radio station features DJs, interviews, and contests. It promotes legal ways to consume the media via free releases, online releases, and more. Within the radio’s first six months of existence they have interviewed over a hundred and twenty industry icons.


Update: Here's the link to the podcast episode in iTunes.

(photo from IMDb)

BREAKING NEWS: Sailor Moon hits Pay TV in Portugal, and Makes Way to Africa for the Very First Time!

Toei Animation Europe announced that Portugal's Dreamia Group has a broadcast license for all 200 episodes of Sailor Moon in Portuguese! The show will be part of their Childrens' Pay TV channel, Canal Panda. The show will premiere on March 7th, airing at 1:00 PM and 8:30 PM on weekdays, and 1:00 PM and 9:00 PM on weekends. But the even more surprising part, is that Dreamia also has the rights to bring Sailor Moon to Africa's shores for the very first time! We here at Moon Chase are all very excited about this. The Portuguese speaking countries of Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, São Tomé and Príncipe, and the Republic of Cape Verde will all be experiencing Sailor Moon later this year in Portuguese. Finally, almost 20 years after first being broadcast in Japan, Sailor Moon will have touched every continent on Earth (minus Antarctica). Congratulations to Sailor Moon on your continued success worldwide!

Image Credit: Toei Animation Europe

BREAKING NEWS: Sailor Moon Finally (Officially) Announced for Eastern Europe, Minus Manga

Now, we can finally report this to fans since there is a press release! Sweden’s Plus Licens has renewed their friendship with Sailor Moon years later in a new partnership with Toei Animation Europe. From 1996-2002, Plus Licens held the license for the franchise and led Sailor Moon through Sweden, Finland, Russia, Poland, and Hungary. It also appears that for Sailor Moon’s branding and identity, they will be using the same style guide created in Italy under the guises of creator Naoko Takeuchi. Plus Licens is happy to work again with Sailor Moon, as Maria Ornyd (Category Head of Media) says that the series was the very first Japanese property in Plus Licens’ portfolio. The press release makes special note that they will be working with the series from the broadcast and publishing perspectives, excluding the manga. As of this writing, we are unaware of Kodansha and Princess Naoko Planning’s (PNP) future plans with the manga. Publishing (in Plus Licens’ case) includes television, merchandise, and DVD rights for all 200 episodes throughout their territories in Eastern Europe. Congratulations to Plus Licens, Toei Animation, and Naoko Takeuchi/ PNP, and we wish you continued success with Sailor Moon wherever she may be in the world!

Image Credit from Plus Licens

(And on another note to the companies, can we keep with the pretty press releases? It’s always nice to see an image or two of Sailor Moon rather than reading text with all-too-familiar shades of blue seen on nearly every licensing and release site we monitor!)

North American Voice Actor Update for January 2011

Here's our first update on the North American voice actors for the new year. They've been busy, so there is lots to report!

The Kevin Spacey film Casino Jack is said to include songs in the soundtrack sung by Emilie-Claire Barlow (Sailor Venus #2) and Cadence, an a capella group who even imitates musical instruments. Cadence was introduced to the film's composer, Jonathan Goldsmith, by Emilie. Together they were hired to work on 25 minutes of the score for Casino Jack. They spent two long days in the studio together, learning the music on the spot, with direction from the composer and music director. Readers may recall that we have reported that David Fraser (Grandpa Hino) plays Karl Rove in the film (pictured, left; photo from IMDb). This film is now playing in select cities, check your local showtimes to see if it's in your area.

Upcoming tour dates for Emilie-Claire Barlow (Sailor Venus #2) include: February 25th in Montréal at l'Astral at 8 pm; February 26th in Sherbrooke, Québec at Centennial Theatre at 8pm; March 17th in Moncton, New Brunswick at Capitol Theatre at 8pm; March 22nd in Winnipeg, Manitoba at Park Theatre at 8pm; March 24th in Whitehorse, Yukon at the Yukon Arts Centre at 8pm; March 25 in St. Albert, Alberta at the Arden Theatre at 8pm; and March 27 in Vancouver, British Columbia at the Capilano Performing Arts Centre at 8pm. Please visit the theatre websites for ticket information. (Photo from Emilie-Claire's Flickr album)

Canadian fans may be interested in catching Sidekick on YTV, an animated series about Eric Needles, the young sidekick of a superhero called Maxum Man. Although Maxum Man is mysteriously missing, Eric "lives in the superstar superhero's fabulous mansion with Maxum Brain, the super computer, and has access to the most amazing jets, cars, lasers, gadgets and teleportation devices ever invented." Familiar voices in the series include Tony Daniels (Jedite/Wiseman) as Maxum Brain and Ron Rubin as the villain Master XOX (pictured, left; photo from YTV). To find out more about the show, fans can check out the official Facebook page or the show information on YTV's website, which includes pictures and videos.

Also on YTV is the recently launched Almost Naked Animals, a comedic cartoon featuring animals wearing underwear. We've previously mentioned that Emilie-Claire Barlow (Sailor Venus #2) plays Bunny in the series. We've also recently discovered that Robert Tinkler (Rubeus) plays Howie in the series. Additional voices include Tony Daniels (Jedite/Wiseman) and Julie Lemieux (Sammy). (images from official website)

We've previously mentioned Vince Corazza (Allan/Tuxedo Mask #3) as being a part of Rock and Roll: The Movie. Interested fans can now watch a trailer for the film on IMDb here. We recommend that younger readers be cautious if following through to watch the trailer, as the movie includes mature themes and is described as "an off the wall, T&A, rock and roll comedy." Vince plays Bill, a friend of the alcoholic, has-been Steve Taylor whom a young man named David is attempting to assist gain a record deal, in order to win a bet. You can first catch Vince in the trailer at about 37 seconds in, and he has another line at about 1:18. It's unclear if this film has been released in theatres as yet, but we will let you know if we find any more details.

Tony Daniels (Jedite/Wiseman) can also be heard in The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That! in three different episodes. Other familiar voices on the show include the previously reported Robert Tinkler (Rubeus) as Fish and other voices, Tracey Hoyt (Rini #1) as Sally's Mom, and Jeff Lumby (Professor Tomoe) as Aiya and other characters. Additional cast we have noticed are Julie Lemieux (Sammy) as Bart in four episodes and Linda Ballantyne (Sailor Moon #3) as Katie and other characters (in a total of three episodes). Tony Daniels was also in an episode of Arthur in the fall, as Johnny/male announcer.

Tracey Hoyt (Rini #1) appears in Servitude as a lousy mom. The comedic Canadian film is about "A group of frustrated waiters at a kitschy steakhouse [who] take over their restaurant for one final, glorious, revenge-filled night when they discover they are all about to be fired." (description from IMDb). This film is currently in post-production.

Robert Tinkler (Rubeus) is part of a new television series called Mudpit. He plays Slime. "This CGI animated/live-action series follows four real-world teens and their rock band, MUDPIT, as they follow their dreams of fame and fortune. The series takes place in a gaming café and a fantastic, virtual world known as MUZIKA. Their online avatar rock band personas battle for a coveted record deal, while their real life selves engage in the daily comedy and drama of teenage life." (description from TV, eh?)

We previously reported that Tracey Moore (Sailor Moon #1) is in the cast of the Care Bears to the Rescue Movie. The movie is now available for pre-order on DVD and will be released on February 8th.

Dennis Akayama (Malachite) appeared in an episode of Being Erica entitled "Gettin' Wiggy Wit' It" in November, as Dr. Kotara. He will also be appearing in the upcoming Canadian film Hello October, as Oliver. this romantic comedy is currently in post-production.

Fans can now see Barney's Version in select theatres. Harvey Atkin (Bumboo/Pox) appears in the film as the second Mrs. Panofsky's father. A trailer is available for viewing on IMDb here. Currently the film is airing in the Toronto and Montréal areas, with an extended release to begin January 14th, across Canada. More details about the movie can be found on the official website.

Rino Romano's (Tuxedo Mask #1) voice was heard in an episode of CSI as Sqweegel (which was also the episode title), an episode first aired last October. The character was a serial killer who punished local heroes with hidden secrets.

Here is a promo for the episode:

Kirsten Bishop (Zoicite/Kaori Knight/Emerald) appeared in an episode of the new Nikita TV series, as Mrs. Harcourt/Irena. The episode was called "Phoenix" and a description is available on IMDb here.

As previously reported, Naz Edwards (Queen Beryl) played a tipsy ("drowsy") grand theatre dame in Drowsy Chaperone. Her character was assigned to keep a young star away from her fiancé, so that the star doesn't abandon her career in favour of getting married. It is described as a comedic and wacky musical, set in the 1920's. The play ran from November 11, 2010 through January 2, 2011 at the Performance Network Theatre in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo from The Detroit News, who gave the play a "grade A" review.)

Namco Bandai Announces Sailor Moon: La Luna Splende For The Nintendo DS (Updated!)

Months of speculation have come to a close. Namco Bandai Europe has finally released some details about the Sailor Moon Nintendo DS game they're developing for an Italian release. Sailor Moon: La Luna Splende, which could be translated to either "The Shining Moon" or "The Moon Shine", is an adventure game featuring environmental puzzles that takes place in Molly/Naru's dreams. Sight-unseen, this sounds like it could be similar to the Professor Layton series of games or perhaps the early Nintendo DS game, Trace Memory. For those who have never played any of those games, that's a good crowd to be compared to.

Other pieces of info about the game are that each of the Scouts will have their own abilities, Tuxedo Mask is in the game, there will be 3 worlds(Jewel Palace, Mystery Castle, & Flower Garden) with 20-30 puzzles each, and that the Scout's attire can be customized. The new planned release month for La Luna Spende is March and it will apparently be priced at €29.99(about $40). Sailordees will be importing and reviewing it for Moon Chase when it is released. Nintendo DS games(not to be confused with DSi or 3DS games) are not region-locked and can be played on any original DS or DS Lite. You can find Namco Bandai's Italian press release below.


Press Release: [Namco Bandai]
Logo(Added Via Sailordees) Credit: [Italian Gaming Website, Press Start]


EDIT: More to share with you all (Sailordees here)! Lots and lots of screengrabs are available on several Italian sites (our image credits go to everyeye), and we are featuring them here for you as well. It looks like they have fused a simple RPG with some of the aesthetics from the puzzle games of Sailor Moon's SNES days (S, SS, and Stars). And, we also have a cover image to share as well!

Happy New Year from Naoko!

With the coming new year comes a surprise appearance from Naoko Takeuchi on Sailor Moon Channel! It seems Naoko got creative with some plastic decorations of desserts and hearts, as well as an old Chibi-Usa figurine. Even though this is not a huge update from Naoko's Kingdom, still a fun one nonetheless. Our translation is featured below (click for full size), and many thanks to White Tiger King for his assistance. Fans can visit the original here.