Sera Myu Fall 2010 Update (Part 1): Heroes and Enemies!

Only 7 actors from the beloved musicals are moving and shaking in Japan, so here comes your first of two updates!

First, we'll start with the heroes!

Anza Ooyama Continues to Rock!

Anza Ooyama (Sailor Moon from 1993-1998) continued to rock all through Japan with her band HEAD PHONES PRESIDENT this summer. On their recent "Fuse the Soul" tour across the country, one of their featured openers came from this side of the pond! That band was Canada's Domenica, another metal band fronted by a female singer (Bekki). The band commended HPP on their facebook page, telling their fans to check out the band and that "they are definitely a live show to be reckoned with." On the last day of this tour (September 12th), Anza wore a gold bustier with a brown skirt that was a little hard to see in the dark, and she addressed the audience a lot.The writer of this article also noted that Anza has definitely improved on her emotional expression skills and provokes the audience to feel a whole range of different emotions during her concerts. At the end of the show, she wanted a photo of her band with the audience, and even invited Domenica to join them on stage as well! On September 19th, they also played at another event called "Abstinence's Door", which was organized by another Japanese metal band called D'erlanger. The band released a statement to the press saying that they were deeply and greatly moved to be joining such a renowned rock band on stage, and that they had hoped to connect with other bands that are pulling the rock scene in Japan with all of their sounds to have a great time! HPP also just released their latest album Pobl Lliw on September 3rd, and fans can listen to tracks from the album via the band's official MySpace.


Manna in New Horror Film!

Many fans probably remember Kasumi Suzuki as the cute Manna from Tanjou! Ankoku no Princess Black Lady. Well, she has grown up! She is now starring in a horror movie called Kai-Ki: Tales of Terror From Tokyo. The movie's world premiere was in Los Angeles last July, and has since been going around the indie circuit. The horror movie is the last of 3 movies based on the TV show of the same name, all telling different horror stories. This movie in particular has two stories in it, "Possessed" and "Nozomi", both starring Japanese idol Erina Mano (but our Kasumi stars right alongside her). "Possessed" is a story about a hiccuping epidemic among college students turning them into enraged, murderous, monsters. "Nozomi" is about a young girl that is haunted by a ghost that may hold the key to a dark family secret. All of the press surrounding this movie is surrounding Erina's debut, but we're pretty sure that this is Kasumi's first time starring in a Japanese movie that is making it big across the globe. While we couldn't find any comments from her in the press, we were able to find a photo of her from the Japanese premiere in Shibuya on September 4th! She is in the front row on the left... see how Manna has grown?

Kimi no Todoke Premiere Makes Waves in Japan (and Moves Sailor Star Healer to Tears)!

The highly anticipated Kimi no Todoke (From Me to You) live-action movie finally premiered in Japan last week. Mikako Tabe (Yaten Kou/Sailor Star Healer from 2003-2004) plays the leading role of Sawako in this film alongside Haruma Miura who plays Shota (the guy she falls in love with). The press has been featuring stories about this movie for the last few weeks, and both have said that they were really proud of their work and this film, and hoped that the public would also be able to enjoy it. Mikako was also worried that she wouldn't be able to play the role, since after she saw the anime she wondered if any human could actually play these roles. At a test screening last week, both of them were asked what types of people they would like to fall in love with, and Mikako said she prefers guys that who have an abundance of knowledge, where Haruma said that he likes girls who are just like Sawako - black hair, with the motto to do one good deed every day. This screening was done for teenagers, and set in a classroom much like the one used in the movie, and everyone loved it! At the end of the screening, Mikako was moved to tears by the movie feeling touched by the music, and by the support so many had for her character. Mikako and Haruma were moved to tears again at the movie's premiere on September 25th at the TOHO Cinemas in Roppongi Hills! Mikako's eyes were red and swollen as she told the audience “I appreciate it all” in gratitude for the audience's support. We wish this movie continued success in Japan (and abroad too, since these movies are sometimes licensed for distribution here)! The movie's theme song "Reaching You" is performed by Japanese rockband Flumpool, and the single was just released a few days ago in Japan.

Tae Kimura Helps Out Some Very Special Causes (While Still Finding Time to Play a Rock Star)!

Tae Kimura (Fisheye) is still receiving a lot of buzz surrounding her movie from last summer, Tokyo Island (we covered this earlier here). And, she is also appearing at some events for some very special causes. On October 1st the famous manicure hotspot Nail Art Collection in Omotesando Hills, opened up a special auction as part of its pink ribbon campaign for breast cancer. Tae's nails are one of many celebrity nail works by the manicurist with all proceeds going towards breast cancer research. From November 26th-December 3rd, there will be a special Disability Film Festival which will feature her as a guest. Many Ghibli movies will be a part of this festival including Whisper of the Heart and The Cat Returns. Audience members will also be encouraged to express sound effects that are displayed in the subtitles!

Tae is also starring in a new drama special on WOWOW in Japan called Nazekimi. The first part aired on September 25th. Tae also has an upcoming movie next year where she plays an oddball divorcee who forms a rockband with 3 other moms at her kids' school! The movie is called Utahime☆ and the band will play "Smoke on the Water" at a school festival. Everyone had a lot of fun learning how to rock for this movie - and it looks like it will be a hit next summer!




Part Two features all men who have played the same role! It will be posted later this week. Who do you think is the character and which actors are we going to tell you about? Make your guesses below!

Megumi Ogata FanExpo Concert Update

The song list for Megumi's concert is now available. Here's what she'll be singing at the concert:

1. Hohoemi No Bakudan [Yu☆Yu☆Hakusho OP]
2. Homework ga Owaranai [Yu☆Yu☆Hakusho ED]
3. Moonlight Densetsu [Sailor Moon OP]
4. Yuzurenai Negai [Magic Knight Rayearth OP]
5. Platinum [Card Captor Sakura OP]
6. Agape [UFO Princess Valkyrie IMAGE]
7. Fly Me To The Moon [Neon Genesis Evangelion ED]
8. Komm, Susser Tod (Come, Sweet Death) [Evangelion AIR IMAGE]
9. THANATOS - If I can't be yours -　[Evangelion AIR ED]
10. Beautiful World [Rebuild of Evangelion ED]
11. ENDLESS LOVE [Ogata Megumi Original]
12. can't go back my mission [Ogata Megumi Original]
13. Hare Hare Yukai [Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya ED]
14. Don't Say Lazy [K-ON ED]
15. My Soul, Your Beats! [Angel Beats! OP]
16. Crow Song [Angel Beats! IMAGE]
17. chAngE [BLEACH OP]
18. Get Wild [City Hunter ED]
19. Unbalance na KISS wo shite [Yu☆Yu☆Hakusho ED]
20. + SPECIAL ENCORE

Additional details are available on the official event page for the concert on Facebook. Tickets are available for purchase online or at FanExpo (Line up and purchase your ticket while entering the concert or pre-purchase at the YOSHITAKA AMANO GOODS BOOTH).

More official details: concert tickets are $30 each (plus taxes and service charges). Purchasers of concert tickets who also purchase FanExpo tickets will receive priority seating at the event. This is a separate event from FanExpo and you do not have to purchase a FanExpo ticket to attend the concert. The concert starts at 7:30pm. Priority seating will be let in at 7:00pm sharp. The concert duration will be approximately 90 minutes.

We hope Toronto fans who attend the concert have a great time!

Megumi Ogata Appearing at FanExpo in Toronto

Megumi Ogata (Sailor Uranus) will be appearing at FanExpo 2010 in Toronto. Fans can attend her Q&A session on Saturday, August 28th at 1pm in room #206C. A deluxe/weekend pass is required to attend the Q&A session. If you have questions for Megumi, you can e-mail them to ogataqanda@punchgo.com

Autograph sessions with Megumi will be taking place on Friday, August 27th at 8pm in signing area BB and on Saturday, August 28th at 11:30 am in signing area AA. All FanExpo passes will allow you in for autographs.

Megumi will also be performing a concert on Saturday, August 28th at 7:30pm in the John Bassett Theatre. This is a special ticket event which costs $30. You do not have to buy a pass to FanExpo to get in, but FanExpo pass holders receive priority entrance into the venue. Tickets are limited to 1300 seats. If you would like to buy concert tickets in advance, you can buy them online here (scroll down to the bottom). Note that no food or drink is allowed in the venue and no photographs, audio, or video recordings are allowed during the concert.

This year's FanExpo will be held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in the North Building. All events featuring Megumi will be in this building, with the concert theatre in the underground level. The address is 255 Front Street West. Directions are available here. Deluxe/weekend passes are $59, basic/day passes are $29 (for Friday or Sunday) or $35 (for Saturday).

Fans may also be interested in the "Breakfast with the Stars" special ticket event. This breakfast with anime voice actors will take place at 10am on Sunday, August 29th at Manpuku Japanese Restaurant. Tickets are $40 each and will be on sale at the Anime Info Booth (next to the Masquerade Info Booth) during Friday and Saturday of FanExpo.

More anime events at FanExpo are listed here. The full anime schedule can be downloaded here.

Sera Myu Update - June 2010 (1 of 3)

Anri Onuki in Special Live Variety Extravaganza!

On July 19th, a special variety show will take place at the Aoyama Round Theatre, Tokyo. The show is called Pandora’s Ark Music X Paint Concert and will feature a harmony of live music, live painting, and story telling. There are a variety of different musicians appearing including guitarists, percussionists, a pianist and a signer, as well as an Erhu player! Among these, is Anri Ohnuki (Sailor Aluminum Siren in 2004) who will be performing a reading at this event. The release introduces her as appearing in Tokyo-Jima. She plays Mary Magdalene in the movie which also stars Tae Kimura (Fisheye from 1995-96) in the leading role! The show sounds like it should be a fun and interesting one to go to, so our readers who will be in Tokyo at the time should check this out!

Tae Kimura Shares Her Favorite Books and in New Commercials!

Speaking of Fisheye, she is sure up to a lot these days! In a recent interview with the Mainichi Shimbun, she was asked about what she likes on her bookshelf. She reveals that she likes to watch people in love, and by the way she talks she sounds like a real romantic! She watched a couple in a car lately, but she likes to watch lovers and surmise about their bond. She uses her observations and ideas when she has to act! Aside from romance novels, she also likes to read fantasy novels, especially those with heroes and heroines. When she reads these she likes dto dream of what the cast would be like! And thirdly, when it comes to classic fantasies, she has two favourites: Peter Pan and Mary Poppins. These are old childhood favorites of her, and she likes to feel like a kid again when she reads these. She especially loved these characters' ability to float and fly in the air. She especially loves how Mary Poppins could clean a room in a snap!

Softbank is best-known for their dog mascot Oto-san! This white dog is brave, smart, friendly, and the cutest mascot we've ever seen. In fact he is so popular that in Japan you can get cell phone themes and other goodies like charms and toys in the dog's likeness! In a recent series of commercials, Softbank has used the recent election as their inspiration for advertising some new plans. There are some mock debates and other situations featured in these commercials, and Tae Kimura can be seen in them. Look for the long-haired girl here in the commercials posted on June 3rd and 18th! This campaign will continue throughout the summer.

Sailor Moon Once Again Goes Pop Culture In Japan

Locations in Sailor Moon Featured in New Book of Anime Locales!

On April 26th, a few stores in Japan's famed Akihabara shopping area began selling a new book ahead of its official release. Pilgrimage NAVI is a book about varied sites in Japan that are featured in anime. Some of these are historic, while others are of varying importance. This complete guide features sites all over Japan, photos of the sites and how they were used, and even includes traffic tips. This book is the result of a recent boom in fan pilgrimages to these areas in the wake of such popular series such as Sailor Moon, Maison Ikkoku, Lucky*Star, Evangelion, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, and many more. This book was edited by Drill Project, and one of the writers said that this book is like finding different pieces you may not know about a destination or looking for places used in anime and manga that might be near your home. This is also a new way for Japanese people to enjoy Japan if they want to, he added. The book was released in May and sells for 1260 Yen or $13.63 USD. Sounds like this is a fun guide for any anime fan visiting Japan in the future and looking towards seeing some of the sites seen in their favorite anime! Fans can taste parts of the book here. The


Osaka has Anison Fever!

Not too long ago, we told you about Kotono Mitsuishi, Mitsuko Horie, Akira Kamiya, and Himeka being involved in Anison Grand Prix preliminaries in Osaka. On her blog, Kotono was excited to be going to Osaka to judge this contest and hoped that she could judge confidently. She reminisced too about listening to anime theme songs songs like the fans do now when she was younger and how much she loved them! One lucky cosplayer flattered Kotono when he told her that he liked her voice! On April 30th, an Anison Night concert was held in Osaka featuring four bands playing lots of favorite anime hits and lots of cosplayers attending. Hits from Sailor Moon, Slayers, and many more had the audience singing at the top of their lungs, and cosplayers were cosplaying from series old and new, from Gatchaman to Ar Tonelico! This was held at Beronica Entertainment Dining in Osaka, and one of the fans at the event was quoted as saying that having these newer bands bring in a new twist on older anime songs was unique. There was also a magic show and some open Anison auditions. The producer Masato Koga said that the recession has led them to really improve their performances and try to figure out how to entertain everyone across all generations of anime fans. He wants to try to continue these events to cater to everyone’s tastes! The General Manager of Beronica doesn’t want people to point at this “one dumb event” and hopes that by word of mouth, more people will attend. We hope so too, this sounds like a LOT of fun! The next Anison Night is scheduled for May 27th.

Sailor Moon Anime Seiyuu and Staff Update Spring 2010 - Part 3!

One Piece Celebrates Tenth Anniversary!

On March 27th, a special event was held at the 2010 Tokyo Anime Fair to celebrate the 10th anniversary of One Piece. Two Sailor Moon Seiyuu with roles in the anime were in attendance: Ikue Otani (U-Chouten and Sailor Tin Nyanko/Nyanko Suzu) who is the voice of Tony Tony Chopper and other characters, Kazuya Nakai (Oranja and Ittou Asanuma), and Mayumi Tanaka (Robert), who is the voice of Luffy! The thousand lucky people who were there to attend all got straw hats just like the one Luffy wears! The manga has sold 300 million copies to date, and the 57th chapter was just published. Here's to many more, One Piece!

Ikue Otani Thanks Fans!

In March, there was a second Fans' Thanksgiving event for fans of the popular gaming franchise Ar Tonelico. The latest game in the shojo RPG franchise Ar tonelico III: The Girl's Song that Pulls the Trigger of World's Demise was released in January for the PS3, and sold over 81,000 copies in its first week! Ikue Otani is the voice of the villain Mute, a girl with a monstrous and hideous appearance who still maintains her femininity. The first Fans Thanksgiving event was held in October, and Bandai-Namco games decided to do another one just a few months afterwards to celebrate the immense success of the latest game in the franchise. Ikue felt like she was playing a character half in her grave because of her character's grotesque bony and sinewy appearance. There was also a raffle at the event where fans could win prizes such as merchandise emblazoned with the game's logo and characters, and a book signed by the cast.

Arisa Mizuki Admired by Women, In a New Haircare Commercial, and Reprises Her Role in a Sequel!

In an Internet poll held in the month of January, single women were asked which female talent they admired most. Arisa Mizuki is best known to us Moonies as the singer of the last theme song of Sailor Stars Kaze Mo, Sora Mo, Kitto (The Wind, The Sky, Still), and she was chosen in third place with 5.9% of the vote! Arisa is also in a new commercial for a haircare line from Shiseido - Tsubaki Head Spa. Her commercial is the very last one on this page. This shampoo has a blend of essential oils to bring out the best in your hair. She was featured with 5 other actresses in these commercials and appeared alongside them at a special event to celebrate the product's launch in Tokyo (featured in photo here). And finally, Arisa is reprising her role as the namesake housewife in a second Sazae-san special to be broadcast sometime this summer. This special is being produced in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the popular manga about a Japanese woman striving to be the most modern housewife that she can be.

Many Seiyuu Cosplay and Sing at Sakura Taisen Concert; Out Soon on DVD!

Michie Tomizawa (Sailor Mars), Kazue Ikura (Natsumi Ichinose, Bonnone), Kikuko Inoue (Princess Rubiina, Reiko Aya/Sailor Aluminum Siren), Mayumi Tanaka (Robert), Taiki Matsuno (Pegasus/Helios), Kumiko Nishihara (Diana), Yuriko Fuchizaki (Cyprine) and Toshio Furukawa (Hawk's Eye) were all in full cosplay and singing hit songs from Sakura Taisen at Sakura Taisen Teito Hanagumi Live 2010 in Tokyo on March 6th. The concert was held in two parts, one during the day and one at night. This was the first Sakura Taisen concert event held in four years, and it was a wonderful reunion for the stars as well as for the fans. The show was so successful that it will be released on DVD in June. For more photos of the event, check out this post from Gamespot Japan. The one we have posted here features a few of the Sailor Moon Seiyuu - Michie Tomizawa is on the left, next to her is Kazue Ikura, and third from the right is Mayumi Tanaka!

Kikuko Inoue Flies Again in Radio Drama, and Shows Up in a Ton of Other Places Too!

Almost 7 years ago, Yahoo Japan embarked on an ambitious project to show English-dubbed anime shorts with Japanese subtitles. While we don't know how this turned out, one of those properties is experiencing a resurrection through a radio drama in Japan. Trip Teck is a story about a young girl named Zocco who is the daughter of a Mighty King and a simple human woman. Her mother has been gone out of her life for reasons unknown, and she begins a journey to look for her. Accompanying her are two animal companions, a rabbit named Mimime and a fly named Catherine, who is played by none other than Kikuko Inoue. Sailor Moon fans may remember Kikuko as the voice of Sailor Aluminum Siren/Reiko Aya and Princess Rubina. In a new interview with the stars of the drama, she thought it was difficult to have to play a fly that advises Zocco on her journey, because who listens to flies? ITMedia has also gone a step further and posted photos of the actors recording their lines, something we hardly ever get a glimpse of! We've featured a shot of Kikuko working hard here! She hopes people will tune in because the show takes listeners to a completely new world and she feels that people will think that this is their journey too, and not just Zocco's! For all you Metal Gear Solid fans, Kikuko also has a role as a new character named Chico in the upcoming game for PSP, Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker. All we know about this character is that the character Amanda is his older sister. Kikuko is also voicing a commercial for a computer store advertising some sort of Intel replacement program at their store. Trading in certain desired processors and motherboards gets you a lottery ticket to win store credit towards a new machine. And those of you planning to purchase a MAPLUS GPS system in Japan, Kikuko is one of 17 popular actors chosen to record voices for the navigator, so the next time you take a wrong turn and your GPS takes forever to "recalculate" the distance, at least you can imagine Sailor Aluminum Siren contemplating a new route for your evildoing trip. And our very last Kikuko sighting for now is an appearance of her at an event for Rio Super Carnival, an anime based on a popular pachinko character (who later appeared in a Dead or Alive game). And here we thought Toru "ToFu-san" Furuya kept us too busy when this blog first started, and now it seems that Kikuko is the new hot star that's out and about everywhere in Japan!

Dorothee is Back in France!

Thought this would be posted since a few of our readers in France enjoyed reading a past article about another personality associated with Sailor Moon there. When Sailor Moon was experiencing her first run in France, she appeared as part of a special programming block fused with a variety show known as Club Dorothee. It was hosted by a popular children's singer, Dorothee. There were songs, and sketches, and of course many cartoons for children. However, when the block was canceled in 1997, it was in the midst of the run of Sailor Moon SuperS, and Dorothee was barely seen or heard from again... until now. She has released a new album that hasn't been selling well, but is now performing her old hits to her fans who are now much older! And, her first concert at Paris' Olympia Hall yesterday was a resounding success - concertgoers were happy and marked that she had not changed a bit! They were happy to see someone that was such a huge part of their childhoods again. She has a few more shows in the next couple days, and for fans who cannot catch her in concert, the show is being live streamed on IDF1.

PGSM Update April 2010 – Part 3!

Dancing, Plays, Video Games, and Doramas make up this round of PGSM Actor Updates!

Aya Sugimoto Dances, and Teaches!

Aya Sugimoto (Queen Beryl) is not only known for her acting, modeling, "modeling", and "writing", but also for her great dancing ability. Last March marked the Japanese premiere of the popular movie musical Nine, starring Penelope Cruz, Nicole Kidman, Fergie, Marion Cotillard, Sophia Loren, Judi Dench, Kate Hudson, and Daniel Day Lewis (is it not sad that I know them all by heart). At the premiere, Aya did a re-creation of Fergie’s infamous "Be Italian" routine from the movie with another dancer, Steven Haynes. This drew rave reviews, not only for Aya’s immense talent, but for her "talent" as well. Fans can check out a video of her performance here! Aya also did her part to repair Toyota’s image with women. The disgraced car company launched a new car in Japan called the Passo + Hana. As part of a special marketing campaign targetting women, Aya hosted a class with newhalf idol Ai Haruna. Entitled the “Girl Power Improvement Course of the Passo+Hana Women’s University in Spring”, the two of them gave women dating advice. Aya noted that a woman on a date sitting in a car, needs to make her legs look beautiful. There was also something else discussed at this class, but this blog is rated PG-13, and we're not going to write about it.

Masaya Kikawada is a Detective!

Masaya Kikawada (Motoki) is starring as a detective in the new dorama Keishichou Shissounin Sousaka (The Metropolitan Police Missing Person Investigation Section) that just started on TV Asahi this past April 16th. This show is about a strange case that the aforementioned division of the police is called in to investigate. A physicist disappears into thin air during a supernatural show, and in their search to find him they uncover a lot more than they expected. And of course, there are always relational complications between team members. Masaya plays Junichi Morita (he's at the end on the left side) a mild, passive, and sincere detective with a strong sense of justice. He has one flaw, and that is that he has a constant tendency to say more than he needs to. He's also got a sharp mind and is very good with technology. Masaya also appeared at the Paul & Joe Fall/Winter 2010 fashion show in Tokyo just a few weeks ago. And to top things off, Masaya also appeared at the opening of Forever 21's Asian Flagship Store in Ginza on April 29th. Who knew our shy Motoki liked couture?

Akira Kubodera Voices Legendary Shogun Leader!

Capcom is going to release Sengoku Basara 3 this summer for the PS3 and Wii in Japan (it will be on its way here and will be called Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes). This is the latest in the popular game series set in feudal Japan where states are at war with each other. Akira Kubodera (Nephrite) will be playing Nobunaga Oda, but there's a twist. He has been one of the evil characters in the two previous games, but is killed sometime between the last one and this one, and will only appear in flashback sequences. Capcom may bring his character back in a future game, and this new one features all sorts of new characters from the North and South of Japan. The game was presented on April 9th at the Ikebukuro Sunshine Theater, and many of the game's seiyuu showed up in full cosplay. Akira dressed up as his character (first on the left). We almost couldn't recognize him until we read the caption! What do you all think of his cosplay?

Unfortunate Tale of a Betrayed Woman Features Mariko Tsutsui!

Youkame no Semi (The Cicada on the 8th Day) is a 6 part dorama airing on NHK as we speak. It is the sad tale of a woman named Kiwako, who has an affair with Takahiro, a married man. He gets both of the women pregnant, and forces Kiwako to get an abortion. Kiwako learns right after her abortion that Takahiro's wife was also pregnant and had a baby girl. She feels betrayed that she was not allowed to have a child of her own, even though Takahiro loves her more than his own wife. One night, she kidnaps the baby and spends the next 5 years on the run in Japan. The show picks up two decades later when the daughter (renamed Kaoru from her birth name of Erina) turns 20 and begins her own affair - Kiwako shares her story with her, finally. In the third episode entitled "Sad Women", Kaoru's first four years are shown. Kiwako has found a womens' commune (the House of Angels) to live in, and has started a new life there with Kaoru. Everything seems calm and peaceful, until she is forced to go on the run again after her face ends up on television and Takahiro spots her. Mariko Tsutsui appears in this episode as Dr. Sakakibara. From what's been seen of this dorama, it is pretty powerful and gripping.


Kaori Moriwaka in 80's Rock Band Battle!

Kaori Moriwaka (Ikuko Tsukino) will be one of the special guests at this year's Nexus Annexus festival at Japan's Studio Coast. On June 6th, there is going to be an "epic" rock battle of the bands with artists that were popular in Japan in the 80s. Kaori got her start in the entertainment industry as the lead singer and songwriter for the popular girls' rock band the Go Bang's back in the 80s and 90s, and she will be one of the competitors in this rock battle. This should be a fun show to go see, no matter who the winner is! If you're in Tokyo this summer and want to check it out, here's some more information!

Narushi Ikeda Tries His Hand at Directing!

Narushi Ikeda may have played Minako's agent Sugao Saito, and appeared to know everything that he was doing. But, this is not the case in his real life - he has always been an actor, never the director... until now! Playing at the Tokyo Globe Theatre right now is the play Hakurankai, presented by Parco Produce. It is about a team of artists getting prepared for a world's exhibition in the very tropical Taiwan during World War II when there is much tension all over. The comedy stars Narushi, and he also makes his directorial debut in the play. He said that it was tough initially, but it was something that he had aspired to do. He always got feedback from the other actors to make sure that his decisions were working with everyone! The play has been running since January and has been a resounding success! He is pictured here in the bottom left corner, and fans can check out an interview with him here.

Sera Myu Sightings Late March 2010 - Part 2

Not too much to report now, but we thought we'd still report these since these actors were all featured in huge roles during Sera Myu!

Kenji Urai is a Prince!

Fresh off his win at the 44th Kinokuniya Theater Awards, Kenji Urai (Tuxedo Mask from 2001-2002) will be making an appearance in a stage musical, and he wil get to play a prince! Bara to Samurai: Goemon Rock Overdrive (Rose to Samurai: Goemon Rock Overdrive) began on March 18th in Tokyo, and will travel through to Osaka in April and May. The play takes place in the 17th century, about two pirates named Goemon and Ann. Lured by a reward, another pirate tries to kidnap Goemon, but captures Ann instead. Everyone finds out later that Annu is the long-lost daughter of the recently deceased King, and is set to rule over his kingdom. At her first party, Annu meets a prince named Charles from another country who falls in love with her, but Goemon isn’t ready to give her up easily. Kenji is playing Prince Charles, and has received some rave reviews from fans already over his performance! At a promotional event held earlier this month, the two leading cast members playing Ann and Goemon (Yuki Amami and Arata Furata) were excited for the chance to cosplay as pirates on stage!

Tae Kimura Presents at 33rd Japanese Academy Awards After Winning Year!

2009 was a great year for Tae Kimura (Fisheye in Sailor Moon SuperS musicals). She won two awards for her role in the critically acclaimed film All Around Us (including a Japanese Academy Award), and became well known around Japan. A few weeks ago, she appeared to present an award at the Japanese Academy Awards, and was also nominated for a Best Supporting Actress award for her role in the Japanese film Zero Focus. This movie was about a mysterious disappearance of a woman's husband. We have a photo of her at the awards featured here (in the brown dress). Unfortunately, she didn't win, but we are still proud of everything she has achieved! Zero Focus will be released to DVD and BD this June. Fans can check out more information about the film in English here.

Maki Aizawa Goes Shopping and Has a Beauty Blog

Maki Aizawa (Loof Merrow in 2004) went for a little shopping trip with her friend, Yuko Ogura (another idol) before they had to go to work. This for some strange reason was covered by the tabloids (*sigh*). They went to one of the most trendiest stores in Tokyo called ISBIT DAIKANYAMA which is very popular among idols for the eclectic selection of clothing it carries. They tried on a few items and took some photos of themselves without makeup and went on their merry way (which included posts on both Yuko and Maki's blogs). Maki is the girl on the right side of the photo we have posted here. Maki also started a beauty blog a few months ago which is slowly gaining some steam with her fans. She reviews beauty products that she uses.

Tabe Mikako in New Lipstick Commercial!

Tabe Mikako (Yaten Kou/Sailor Star Healer) is currently being featured in a new lipstick commercial in Japan for Orbis Rouge Crystal. This lipstick has special shine enhancers in it to make your lips sparkle. Orbis has two commercials for this product, the first one features Tabe putting the lipstick on and talking about how it makes her lips sparkle. The second one, features Japanese pianist Alice Sara Ott playing a Chopin waltz off of her brand new album. Both aim to show that this lipstick will make you sparkle and shine at just the right moment! Fans can check out videos of both commercials here!

Anza Oyama a Matter of Weeks Away From South America!

Anza Oyama (Sailor Moon from 1993-1998) is the lead singer of Japanese metal band Head Phones President, and they are heading out for the first time to South America a month from now! They will be playing four shows in Brazil, and 3 of them are at anime conventions: the concert on April 24th will happen at Anime Hero!, then they will head off to Anime Osasco the next day, and then to Porto Allegre's J-Party Ballads on the 30th. On May 2nd, they will finish their tour playing in Rio de Janeiro. We know our friends at SOS Brazil are very excited about this and we can't wait to hear what they have to report! The band sings in English, and their style of music is definitely a departure from the cutesy songs fans know Anza best for singing in Sera Myu. Fans who want to give their music a listen can check out their MySpace! We wish Head Phones President the best of luck on their tour and we hope to see them perform in other places as well.

Sailor Moon Seiyuu Sightings January and February 2010 (Part 1)

Senshi Minus One Reunite With Naoko!

Naoko Takeuchi invited Kotono Mitsuishi, Aya Hisakawa, Michie Tomizawa, and Rika Fukami to her house for a New Years’ lunch. Emi Shinohara was probably also invited but wasn’t there. She posted a photo of everyone enjoying champagne and wine! From left to right in this photo: Rika Fukami, Naoko Takeuchi, Aya Hisakawa, Michie Tomizawa, and Kotono Mitsuishi. She writes:

Super Gorgeous!

This is a New Years Party at the house of the original author of Sailor Moon, Naoko Takeuchi~

Aya Hisakawa, Rika-chan Fukami, Michie Tomizawa and I had a wonderful lunch with Naoko Takeuchi!

It was too fun!

It was too delicious!

Do we ever get tired of talking about Sailor Moon?
Mitsuishi was in the best spirits after all that champagne and wine!

Kotono is so cute – and this is definitely a rare look inside Naoko Takeuchi’s house! It sure looks pretty regal to us – we wonder if she themed her house to be Princess Naoko’s palace? Did Yoshihiro Togashi take this photo?

The Seiyuu Also Invaded a Shopping Arcade!

The Shinmachi Shopping Arcade to be exact! The Machi★Asobi Vol 2. Exhibit opened in the arcade in January, featuring all sorts of anime and manga memorabilia from drawings, to autographs, and costumes. Some of the seiyuu involved with Sailor Moon had autographs that were featured in this exhibit, and they included: Michie Tomizawa, Rika Fukami, Mika Doi (Queen Serenity), Emi Shinohara, the late Kaneto Shiozawa (Prince Diamond), and Megumi Hayashibara (Himeko). Some Sailor Moon movie posters were also featured as part of the exhibit. To see more pictures, click here!

Going back to Kotono…

Kotono also appeared at a special press event for Kokkeko-san a little over two weeks ago with the entire cast of the show (she is front row and center, holding the Kokkeko-san doll). This article features an interview with them, and Kotono had a lot to say about her role! She spoke about how Kokkeko-san is a lovely mother who just wants the best of her kids, and just like many other mothers, has to deal with a husband who doesn’t always help her. She thinks that this is a great cartoon for mothers and children to bond to watching it together. She enjoyed and sympathized with this role, being a mother just like Kokkeko-san! All of the cast also wished that they had moms like Kokkeko-san! Kotono ended the interview saying how much she loved the arts, and asked for all mothers to watch it with their children.

Emi Shinohara Plays Piano For Peace!

Besides using the power of thunder to save the world, did you also know that Sailor Jupiter plays the piano? This is one of many talents listed on her official agency profile, and we were a little surprised to learn of this sighting! There is a piano that has traveled all over Japan, and is known for being a symbol of peace. This piano survived the bombing at Hiroshima, and has a very interesting story behind it (and we can even share it with you in English)! On January 23rd, a special concert was held at the Cultural Information Center in Hanoura, Anan City, in Tokushima, Japan. The piano still holds small amounts of radiation and shards of glass throughout its lacquer, but the piano tuner who restored it (Mitsunori Yagawa) commented that those who hear how good the piano sounds, they cannot tell that it was part of such a horrific event. Emi Shinohara accompanied singers at this concert which played to an audience of 300. This piano is one of four pianos which survived the bombing, and a different one that Yagawa has restored will be making its way to New York City later this year to mark the 9th anniversary of the September 11th attacks and International Day of Peace. There was even a special part of the concert where some very talented 7th graders played the piano as well. We have featured an image of Emi Shinohara accompanying soprano Miki Furumoto above.

Hear Sakura Tange in Video Games!


Sakura Tange is probably most famous for playing Sakura in Card Captor Sakura, and well known for singing that show's theme song. She also had a small role as Miharu Akiyama in episode 139 of Sailor Moon SuperS. Fans of Sakura can hear her voice in two video games this month! The first is Fate/Extra, where she plays Saber, the lead female warrior. This was not met without controversy as she is playing a role once played by Ayako Kawasumi. Fate/Extra is the fourth game based on the popular Fate/Stay Night series. The second game that fans can hear her in is Konami's Love Plus Valentine, which was just released last week. She plays Rinko Kobayakawa, a first year high school student. This game is a dating sim that is all about being in love when you are in high school!

Part Two will be posted a little later this week!

Bernard Minet to Perform Special Concert in France!

Bernard Minet is a children's singer in France who is known for singing many theme songs for several cartoons, including Sailor Moon and Dragon Ball Z. His career spans over 40 years! Tonight, at La Boudegon in Dax, France, he will be performing a special concert filled with his tunes he sung for cartoons in the 80s and 90s. He is featured in a special interview with SudOuest.com. He thinks that his songs aren't necessarily "kitsch" but they are appreciated by the public. When the public hears his songs, no matter what age they are, they become happy and have fond memories of what they would do on Wednesday afternoons. For many years, he sang his tunes on another children's music show: Club Dorothée. Performing in night clubs, he says, for him is not a way to make ends meet, but instead a way to live. He has another show coming up Saturday in Toulouse! He is asked among all of the characters in some of his most famous songs used for anime, who Juliette (of Maison Ikkoku) would be the most happy with. Of course, he answers Hugo from the same series, because he believes that she is faithful to him no matter what. But then he also says that women are charmed by superheroes! This sounds like it should be a fun show - est-ce que nos lecteurs <> en France vont voir ce concert?

Emilie-Claire Barlow's New Album Drops!

Emilie-Claire Barlow (Sailor Mars #2, Sailor Venus #2) just released her new album on Tuesday, Haven't We Met! We hope to be able to find her CD at a store nearby and post a review of it shortly. Last year was a big year for Emilie-Claire as she was nominated for a few awards in Canada - one for a Gemini "Best Performance or Host in a Variety Program or Series", a Juno for "Vocal Jazz Album Of The Year", and a National Jazz Award for "Female Vocalist Of The Year" - which she won! This album features jazz hits in English, French, and Portuguese, many complete with Emilie-Claire's signature scat singing, which has been coined "Emiliese"! We look forward to hearing You Must Believe in Spring - probably a song every Canadian needs to listen to after surviving this cruel and brutal winter! Emilie-Claire will be performing concerts all over Canada over the next two months, click here for tour dates and ticket information!

Emilie-Claire is also a rising jazz star in Japan, having performed at many prestigious jazz clubs there over the last few years. Her new album is being released simultaneously over there and she has been featured in a few news articles. Sankei MSN reports that Emilie-Claire has a hard-core fan-base in Japan, and that this new album is her "best workmanship yet" with her strong selection of tunes and arrangements! Yahoo Japan posts that this was a long-awaited album in Japan, as she received standing ovations at all three of her performances at the Ginza International Jazz Festival last November! The reviewer also remarks that her production and arrangements shine from her bossa novas to her strings. This is an album which features her high speed scat-singing, and her charming voice is lovely enough to heal the mind without reserve. He later recommends this album for anyone who wants to listen to some great jazz lounge music. Congratulations to Emilie-Claire on achieving success in Japan with her jazz music and also for being who we believe is the first person involved with the English adaptation of Sailor Moon to have a fanbase in Japan!

URGENT! If You Want A Dash Of Sugar In Ottawa This Weekend...

To our readers: we apologize for not getting this to you sooner. It seems Stephanie "Sugar" Beard (Rini #2) posted this on her MySpace just days ago and nowhere on her official website. She is appearing right now, as we speak, at Ottawa's Naru 2 U anime convention (which announced this back in August, but we can't keep track of every con). This morning, she hosted a Saturday Morning Cartoons Block, followed by an autograph session . Tomorrow afternoon, she will be hosting a Sunday Morning Cartoon Block, along with an autograph Session. The schedule is posted here in Microsoft Excel Format. We still don't know what she is up to in California, or where you all can see her next. Those of you who are going to this con in Ottawa, we would love to hear what happened and feature it on this site! Don't hesitate to contact us!

News From The Other Side Of The Pond #17

Editor's Note: Among the few files which I lost on my computer was the backup of a very important widget I used to keep tabs on all the stars of Sailor Moon. This means I have to build it up again from scratch. PGSM had the smallest cast and crew, so I thought that was a good place to start before hitting the behemoth casts that are the musical and the cartoon. So for now, this update will cover the stars of PGSM.

Keiko Kitagawa Ranked 7th Most Popular Teacher According to Oricon!

Japanese survey giant Oricon recently completed a poll asking people who they thought played the best teacher. Keiko Kitagawa (Sailor Mars in PGSM) came in 7th place! The article's writer said that of all the actors in this ranking, Keiko is "the new kid on the block". According to some of the surveyors' opinions, they found her cute and lovable, and that with time it was very possible she could be a wonderful teacher. Coming in first place was Nanako Matsushima, second place went to Misaki Ito, and third was Kyoko Fukuda.
And while we're talking about Keiko, we're going to sneak in another couple tidbits we came across. Keiko's new movie, Handsome Suit is just around the corner, and the Daily Cyzo web magazine is having a contest for ten pairs of tickets to a preview of the movie October 9th! For more details (you have to be living in Japan) click here. The contest deadline is September 19th. This picture we have here of Keiko was taken at a promotional event for the movie last week. When Keiko was 17 years old, she read a novel called Norwegian Wood, about a man who remembered his college experiences back in the 60s. The novel became one of her favorites, and as fate would have it, the novel is now being turned into a movie. She read it again after 5 years, and had a different perspective about it's meaning now that she is an actress and has a good idea of what her identity is. She called on all her blog readers to read it too. Keiko will also be endorsing a new cell phone in Japan, the Prada Phone by LG (we wish we had this!). And lastly, we'd like to congratulate Keiko Kitagawa upon finishing her degree in Commercial Science at Meiji University! She will graduate in the spring.

Kaori Moriwaka to Give Free Q&A and Mini-Performance in Harajuku!

Kaori Moriwaka (Ikuko Tsukino in PGSM) will be having a free Q&A session and mini-performance at the Harajuku KDDI design studio on September 20th. No other details have been released at this time, as the event is being shrouded in secrecy - what does she have planned, we wonder? One detail that has emerged is that this is to promote her new podcast being offered through KDDI. This has already been a big year for Kaori with the reunion of her old girl band, the Go-Bang's.

Narushi Ikeda Cast in New Movie!

Narushi Ikeda (Sugao Saito, Minako's Manager in PGSM) has been cast in a new movie called Don-Jyu. This movie is about childhood friends who are torn apart, and eventually reconcile. The movie will be released some time next year. Filming began on September first. It is based on the award winning Chinese movie from 2005 of the same name. The movie will be directed by Tetsuya Nakashima, and stars another star who has worked with someone else from PGSM! Tadanobu Asano plays a leading role in the movie, and he worked with Keiko Kitagawa on the Docomo 2.0 commercials!

Masu Takeshi Directing New Play!

Masu Takeshi (Rei's Dad in PGSM) is seen here first from the left on the bottom row. He is directing a new play Puzzling Sunday which begins on the 19th in Tokyo. This play is a revival of a play which was very popular in 1996. It's a comedy about the dwellers of a luxury apartment: a daughter who refuses to obey her father's wish for her to get married, along with other quirky visitors. Masu has had to overcome great obstacles to work on this play, just last year he underwent surgery to fight stomach cancer. He says that his health is good today, and that he can even drink alcohol now to celebrate his play. We wish him all the best with his new play and continued good health!

Jyoji Shibue in New Drama!

Jyoji Shibue (Tuxedo Kamen in PGSM) stars in a new drama starting September 26th in Japan! It's a tragic story called Romera Love Feud and it is about Nanase, a 39-year-old woman whose father died in a car accident when she was 15, and her mother later ran away. Nanase is trying to pick up the pieces of her broken life as she tries to fall in love. The show also tells his story by going back and forth from the present to when he was younger. Jyoji plays Satoru, Nanase's best friend from her younger years. He is pictured at a promotional event announcing the premiere third from the left.

And finally, we came across some Aya Sugimoto news that is definitely for our older readers only after the jump!


Aya Sugimoto Engages in Some Strange Business?!

Aya Sugimoto (PGSM Queen Beryl) has long been known to be in touch with her sexuality. Just a few days ago, Japanese ISP Biglobe announced a new partnership with her, wherein she offers advice for couples to get more sensual with each other. This is by far the strangest endeavor we've seen from Aya. We know during the time of PGSM she gained a lot of notoriety for what she said about her ex-husband during their divorce, but reading this new website of hers gave us the creeps. However, there are some other cleaner but still awkward productions of hers on the way. In November, she will be doing a Tango dance show exploring womanly desires (we've got the poster pictured here). She feels that she needs to express the feelings of a woman. She also has a recipe book out, and the title loosely translates to "Cooking That Will Capture a Man". She has also posed for the Japanese branch of PETA, sitting down on a white block, wearing only white stilettos and holding a sign over her chest that says "Fur? I'd rather go naked". That news alone is making headlines all over the world, and we can even point you to an article in English. We're not entirely sure what phase of life Aya is in right now, but if she's happy, then we're happy.

BREAKING NEWS: Michie Tomizawa Comes Out Of Retirement And A Slice Of Apple Pie!

A special event is going to be held very soon in Nakano, Japan! Anime Bunkasai is set to begin on September 20th and run until the 29th. It's a special festival where anime fans and people involved with anime (cast and crew) come together to celebrate anime! This year's theme is all about the heroes of anime! There are many neat events happening in this festival, including Anison Power, where fans get to attend concerts from their favorite anime singers! A free exhibition of the legendary mangaka Shotaro Ishinomori will also take place! There is also a Talkshow event for most days, where legendary Seiyuu and others involved with anime appear for special Q & A's with the fans. One of the lucky Seiyuu to appear at a Talkshow event is Michie Tomizawa, better known as the voice of Sailor Mars! Michie has been in retirement since she got married in 2002, but has appeared occasionally in small roles in other anime. One of her most recent roles was playing Akemi in one of our staff's favorite animes, Honey and Clover. Michie will appear for the last Talkshow on September 25th and the site also says that she has come out of retirement (but we're not entirely sure what she is up to as of this writing). Cosplay at this is welcome, and this is a must-see for anyone interested in being a Seiyuu! For more information and a link to getting tickets for this event, click here! We would love to hear from our Japanese readers (we know there are quite a few of you) who are planning to attend this event!

Also appearing at the festival will be the duo Apple Pie, who is most famous for singing Luna's image song, simply titled Luna. The song can be found on the Memorial Song Box, but a fan has kindly uploaded the song to YouTube and you can check it out here! Apple Pie also sang Ace Attacker from the PlayStation 2 game Super Robot Wars Alpha 2. Anison Power takes place on September 27th, and has been completely sold out! For more information click here.