Emilie Barlow Nominated for a Juno

photo source:
Emilie Barlow's Flickr Album

Emilie-Claire Barlow (Sailor Venus #2) has been nominated for a Juno Award, for her latest album The Beat Goes On, in the category of Vocal Jazz Album of the Year. Her competition includes the late Jeff Healey (Last Call), Nikki Yanofsky (Nikki), Kellylee Evans (Nina), and Laila Biali (Tracing Light). According to Emilie's official newsletter, despite just being released this past October, her album was one of the top 10 best selling jazz albums of 2010 and the album continues to top the charts in early 2011.

This is Emilie's fourth Juno nomination, which she described as "icing on the cake. It's just that extra bonus that you get, that kind of recognition. I'm going to continue making records, regardless if I win [...] but it certainly gives you a boost." She also said that "It's great to be in a category that represents a lot of real musicians. People [who] are true consummate musicians."

Since Emilie will be performing a show on tour on the night of the Juno Awards, she'll be watching the television broadcast of the 40th annual awards show, along with other Canadians. The awards show will be airing from Toronto on Sunday, March 27th on CTV.
source: CBC.ca

And from Emilie's newsletter, here is a list of her upcoming tour dates:

• February 25, 2011 – 7:00 PM and 9:30 PM at L'Astral in Montréal, Québec
• February 26, 2011 – 8:00 PM at Centennial Theatre in Sherbrooke, Québec
  
• March 17, 2011 – 8:00 PM at Capitol Theatre in Moncton, New Brunswick
  
• March 22, 2011 – 8:00 PM at Park Theatre in Winnipeg, Manitoba
  
• March 24, 2011 – 8:00 PM at Yukon Arts Centre in Whitehorse, Yukon
  
• March 25, 2011 – 7:30 PM at The Arden Theatre in St. Albert, Alberta
  
• March 27, 2011 – 8:00 PM at Capilano Performing Arts Theatre in Vancouver, British Columbia
  
• May 14, 2011 – 8:00 PM at Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Toronto, Ontario
  

Idol's New Album Just For Mothers and Daughters!

Former Morning Musume member Nozomi Tsuji released her first solo album in Japan last week, geared especially towards mothers and daughters! Minna Happy! Mama no Uta (Everybody's Happy! Mama's Songs) is a cover album of anime theme songs from Nozomi's childhood. Included on the album is (of course) the Sailor Moon theme song, as well as songs from My Neighbor Totoro, Chibi Maruko-Chan, and Anpanman. She has also released her own song on the album, "Chibi Devil" and fans can watch a music video for that here!

While this news may seem like small potatoes, we're reporting this for the simple reason that we're a little irked. There's no Sailor Moon merchandise available in Japan except for the DVD boxsets and manga. When Sailor Moon's resurgence began in Japan, the Japanese press release all stated that this was going to be a chance for mothers to enjoy this with a new generation of fans - their daughters. All there was to celebrate this resurgence was a cooking class and a DVD launch event reuniting the 5 main stars of the show. Nozomi Tsuji's album with it's brief hint of Sailor Moon seems to be the only other thing that mothers can do to enjoy the series with their daughters (aside from watching the episodes on DVD or on ANIMAX). But where are the dolls? Where are the costumes and clothes? Somehow, we think that this lack of merchandise means that the kids of this generation won't be able to connect the same way that we did with the show, and that some of the experiences that the mothers probably want to share with their daughters related to Sailor Moon might be missed out on this time around.

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!

Monday Moon Tunes!

Hey Moonies! We thought you could use a little pick-me-up for the start of the week, and we happened to find these gems on nico video for you over the weekend!

First up, we have Ai no Senshi, played on an interesting little high tech gadget!

Link:

Next, we have a medley of several anime tunes at a high school concert! In addition to the first Pretty Cure theme right after it, at 3:05 they play the quintessential Moonlight Densetsu!

Link:

And finally, we have a much longer and larger high school band performing at the Shizuoka Hobby Expo 2010 about a month ago and playing a lot more anime tunes! Their rendition of Moonlight Densetsu is a whopping 15:50 in, but the whole video is definitely worth watching!

Link:

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.

Silly Stories About Sailor Moon!

In light of all the ugly incidents from the last week, we had to scrap our plans for our joke post this year - we may post it later after this all blows over! However, we were in luck and found a bunch of silly Sailor Moon related stories to share with you this weekend!

A Horse Named Sailor Moon Makes the Move from Germany to the United States!

No, Pegasus wasn't for sale. In Germany, just days ago at the 2010 Spring Elite Auction of Oldenburg Sport horses in Vechta, Germany , a beautiful dark bay colored horse named Sailor Moon fetched the highest price. He was sold for a whopping 140,000 Euros (almost $188,500 USD) to the lucky Marta Kaufmann of Los Angeles. The horse will make his way there, and be used in dressage competition. Sailor Moon has some pretty hefty lineage in his pedigree, he is the grandson of Rohdiamant of Oldenberg, Germany, and the son of dressage winner Sandro Hit. We're not quite sure what inspired the name of this horse as he does not have a crescent moon on his head, and Sailor Moon isn't a girl, but this was still a silly story to read - Sailor Moon never ceases to pop up in all corners of every day life! The photo we have featured here is from Ov-Online.De and the woman on the left petting the horse is Marta. Fans can check out his page in the auction guide here, and two videos here and here. This is not the only horse in the world named Sailor Moon. A mare, affectionately nicknamed "Moonie", lives in Australia.


Another Celebrity Professes Their Love For Sailor Moon!

Donald Glover has sure come a long way! Right after he graduated college, he was hired by Tina Fey to be a writer on 30 Rock. Then, he was cast in NBC's current comedy hit Community as the dim-witted Troy Barnes. On March 19th, his first special aired on Comedy Central. He was asked by AV Club in an interview why he thinks it's the best time to be a black nerd, and what his nerdiest quality is. In his answer, he gave a surprise answer about Sailor Moon!

Also, I was really into Sailor Moon as a kid, so that was pretty nerdy. I loved Sailor Mars. That was my thing. You know that weird teenage thing where you kind of dabble in, "What if you could make a cartoon real? Maybe she could be my girlfriend." It was sadness.

Sadness? How many readers of this blog wish Sailor Mars were their girlfriend? There's nothing to be ashamed of, Donald!

Marine-Style Fashion Popular Once Again in Japan?!

The spring and summer fashion season is upon us once again. Do you remember the warm feeling you got wearing a sailor suit or dress as a child? How about that navy blue coat with the gold buttons on each arms paired with a sharp pair of pants with that infamous sailor collar? The navy blue, white, and red color scheme is making a fashion comeback in Japan as we speak - Japanese people still feel the warmth and feel much younger when they wear Marine-Style fashion. This was highlighted just recently for an article in the Mainichi Shimbun, and also had a section talking about sailor suits! The article says that this Marine look is pretty familiar to women in Japan. As schoolgirl uniforms, the "sailor suits" or seifuku were introduced in Japan in the 1920s. They were typically thought of as only schoolwear and not playful at all until a certain franchise turned that notion on its head! Sailor Moon took off the sleeves, shortened the skirts a little, and put a spin on the classic uniforms for the Sailor Senshi's battle attire. This had such an influence on the seifuku culture that when the 2000s rolled around, there were all sorts of variations on the seifuku not just for uniform purposes, but for cosplay as well. We knew Sailor Moon was influential but we had no idea it had such an impact on fashion in Japan!

Can You Spot the Dub Music Sighting On Our Forums?

Our forums have this neat little arcade feature where members can pit themselves against each other for the top score (but you have to be logged in for your score to count). One of these games is 13 Phobia, a strange game with lots of smiley faces. You play against the computer and pick smiley faces from the group. The player that picks the 13th smiley face loses. Yes, it's a dumb game... but does anyone recognize the song that plays when the game starts? Here's a hint (or if you really can't hear it, here's a second)! We don't know if the game developers were fans of Sailor Moon, but what a wonderful coincidence that it's on our forums!

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.

BREAKING NEWS: Second Sailor Mars and Venus Nominated for Juno!

Canadians are all abuzz today since it's Juno Award Nominations day! And, we Moonies have extra reason to celebrate! Emilie-Claire Barlow's (Sailor Mars #2, Sailor Venus #2) hit album from last summer Haven't We Met has just been nominated for a Juno! She is nominated in the category of Vocal Jazz Album of the Year, and faces some tough competition from Diana Krall, Carol Welsman, Michael Kaeshammer and Ranee Lee. Congratulations Emilie-Claire, and sad to hear you forgot your Pepsi (if ever we meet, we will give you a Pepsi to compensate).

February PGSM News Update

Rika Izumi Gives Exercise Lessons

Rika Izumi (PGSM Sailor Mercury) recently made an appearance on the TV Asahi program Easy Sports. The purpose of Easy Sports is to make athletics and a healthy lifestyle accessible to women of all body types and ages. Viewers who were watching the program during the week of January 18 to January 22 would have been treated to some footage of Izumi performing various yoga lessons. Izumi, who lists Pilates as one of her favourite sports on her profile, showed viewers five different poses for the week long stretch that she was featured. We're also linking you to videos that we have been able to find! Monday's lesson was for a triangle pose, which enhances thigh flexibility and strength of physique. Tuesday's lesson was an Extended Side Angle pose, which helps the back and improves blood circulation. Wednesday's exercise was the Bound Angle Pose which strengthens the back and abdomen. Thursday's exercise was the Upward Dog Pose, which strengthens the back of the legs and improves posture. Finally, Friday's lesson was the Bridge Pose, which strengthens the abdominal and back legs. For pictures and descriptions of Izumi's lesson, visit here.

In other Rika Izumi news, the former PGSM actress will be appearing in a supporting role on "BeeTV", a station geared towards mobile devices and the internet. She will be making some cameo appearances on the omnibus love dorama, "Onna-tachi wa Nido Asobu". Aibu Saki, Koyuki, Hazegawa Kyoko, Yuuka and Misukawa Asami will be the full time cast members that Izumi will be acting with. A typical episode of this show will feature five different mini-episodes within its 24 minute run time.

Also Buzzing Around on BeeTV is A Turtleman!

Poor Masaya Kikawada (PGSM Motoki Furuhata), your infamous turtle antics from PGSM will live with us fans forever...He is also appearing on a dorama on BeeTV that is also a collaboration with FujiTV called Hidamari no Basho ~Hatsukoi~, which translates to "Place of Sunshine ~First Love~". He plays a supporting role in this show about a delinquent who falls in love with the most perfect girl at school. Fans can click here to learn more about the show and watch a trailer!

Masaya also posted something pretty quirky on his blog. Last December, he admitted to really liking the scent of Downy (y'know, the fabric softner?). He was the happiest person in the world when he discovered that popular Japanese laundry detergent Bold has a limited edition detergent out that has the scent of Downy in it (similar to the "Tide with a Touch of Downy" we have here). He thinks that now he is washing his clothes with this, that he will be more attractive. We couldn't help but laugh reading this entry!


Mew Azama Endorses Suntory Products

Suntory, a company which specializes in various drinks, has put together a special campaign for Jug-Nana, a popular line of beer. Suntory has gathered six young idols for its latest promotion, one representing each day of the week. Sharing Thursday for this promotion is none other than Mew Azama (PGSM Sailor Jupiter) . Some of the idols representing the other days of the week are Yuriko Yoshitaka (Monday), Sayo Aizawa (Tuesday), Airi Taira (Wednesday), and Inamori Izumi (Friday). All six idols will represent Saturday and Sunday.

PGSM Stars Reunite (Well, Almost...)

Special thanks to reader RB for sending in this sighting! Mew Azama and Ayaka Komatsu (Sailor Venus) hosted a combined birthday party for Mew and a New Years' Party a little over 2 weeks ago. The only one who couldn't make it this time was Keiko Kitagawa (Sailor Mars). Miyuu Sawaii (Sailor Moon), Rika, and Ayaka all posted images and a few thoughts on their blogs! Rika remarked that it was fun to get together with everyone again after a long time, and that they are so close that they can talk for hours. Ayaka also said that she was happy to see everyone, and that they were so restless when they caught up with each other! Miyuu just wrote that they had a great time and they talked a lot. Here come the photos:

From Rika's Blog:


From Ayaka's Blog:


From Miyuu's blog:


Keiko Kitagawa is Valentine's Queen, Journalist Offender, and a Hair-Raiser!

Keiko is too busy doing promotions for her new productions and filming others, but she still continues to make some quirky appearances in Japanese news. On February 3rd, she was voted a Valentine's Day Queen in the categories of Drama Heroine and Most Fascinating Female Celebrity. This was a survey done by 300 Japanese High Schoolers sponsored by both Oricon and Pocky. Valentine's Day is a little different in Japan - women give men chocolate, and then men return the favor giving women chocolate exactly a month later. So, Keiko was voted the woman that these High Schoolers would most like to receive chocolate from! Standing alongside her is Japanese idol Masuwaka Tsubasa (who is best known for her Gyaru modeling). Keiko was quoted during the event: "I attended a girls’ school for junior high and high school. Making homemade chocolates was not one of my strong points. Instead, I often received really cute chocolates made by other girls." Mishapen or lumpy Keiko, it's the thought that counts! Fans can watch some highlights from the event here. Keiko also wrote something that offended journalists a few days later on her blog (English translation here), ranting about how she finds it difficult to keep her answers consistent during interviews ahead of the March 10th premiere of her upcoming movie After the Flowers, and that she thought she put all the intense stress on her brain away after she graduated. We hope that this doesn't hurt the press because the movie looks really good (and could hopefully be picked up for international distribution). On the bright side, some critics have already lauded her performance in this movie "Hair-Raising","Trembling" and "impressive" at a preview screening held on January 26th.

Natsumi Kiyoura Releasing First Album!

Natsumi Kiyoura (Sailor M) is releasing her debut album, and boy has she come a long way since her days on PGSM. She is a singer, and has even sung the theme song for Spice and Wolf "Tabi no Tochu". The song is featured on her upcoming album "19 Colors", which is produced by many big names in the industry. It even has a song ("Anone Demone") produced by Yoko Kanno, who is legendary among anime fans for her work on anime movie and TV show soundtracks. This long awaited release will come out on February 24th, and fans should order it now from overseas retailers as it is predicted to be a hit!

Pictures Galore!

Just a short post with lots of pretty pictures for you all to look at!

SailorMoonWorld.it has posted an image of a poster hanging outside the building where the Backstage Licensing meeting happened last week. This is a great image - and this also marks the debut of Tuxedo Mask in a promotional image in Italy (but where are Luna and Artemis?).

Many Japanese online websites have just released images of the covers of the new CDs (Amazon.jp and Neowing/CD Japan). It looks like they will be exactly the same as they were before. These are still not listed on Columbia's official website (or Toei's for that matter), however we did find a news article in Chinese that seems to announce this re-release. There is nothing new on this in the article, but it still seems a little off that there hasn't been a whisper about this release in the Japanese news.

We'll have a very special update on Toei's recent dealings coming up on Monday - you may be surprised to read some of the things we have dug up!

Sailor Moon Seiyuu Sightings January and February 2010 (Part 2)

Tales of Festival Tickets are On Sale!

For those of you planning to be in Japan on June 5th and 6th of this year, you could have the opportunity to see Masaya Onosaka (Jadeite, pictured left) and Hikaru Midorikawa (Fiore, Ail/Alan, pictured right)! Tales of Festival 2010 tickets are now on sale, and those two seiyuu will be among a handful of stars from Bandai-Namco's Tales RPG series appearing at the special 2 day concert. Hikaru played the characters Lion Magnus in Tales of Destiny, and Judas in Tales of Destiny 2. Masaya played Zelos Wilder in Tales of Symphonia and Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World. Tickets went on sale earlier this month and are going for anywhere from 4800 Yen to 7800 Yen ($53-86 USD). There aren't too many details out about this event yet, but it looks like it will be a lot of fun for Tales fans!

Queen Nehelenia Turns Nice in Cobra: The Animation!

Yoshiko Sakakibara (Queen Nehelenia) reprised her role as Armaroid Lady, Cobra’s android sidekick, in a two episode Cobra: The Animation OVA which aired on Japanese TV just weeks ago. The entire Cobra: The Animation series which stretches all the way back to the 80s, is finally being released on Blu-Ray beginning this April in honor of Cobra’s 30th anniversary! Fans can learn more about the OVA from Mania.com, and also watch subtitled episodes on Crunchyroll!

Some Seiyuu Involved in Ghoulish ParaPara?!

Wataru Takagi (Rubeus, an MC, and Kobayashi), Daisuke Sakaguchi (various supporting roles), and Machiko Toyoshima (Palla-Palla and various supporting characters) are part of an enormous cast doing something special for popular Japanese ghost story franchise, GeGeGe no Kitaro. The cast happily volunteered for a special CD filled with their singing, and dancing - they are all going to be doing GeGeGe-themed Para-Para! They are all featured on the cover next to a monster with a giant eyeball for a head. This will be released on February 19th and looks like it will be a lot of fun!

New RPG Gives Characters the Chance to Have the Voice of Ryotaro Okiayu!

Square Enix's Concerto Gate Forte, a sequel to the hugely popular MMORPGs Cross Gate and Concerto Gate, has a very special item in it that players can collect. For two weeks as part of a special lottery, players could collect the "Power of Words Candy" and their character would be able to speak with the voice of one of 3 seiyuus. One of those is Ryotaro Okiayu (Tiger's Eye and various other supporting characters). The other two voices that fans could win are Jun Fukuyama (best known as Lelouch Lamperouge from Code Geass) and J-pop singer Nana Mizuki. Concerto Gate Forte has proven to be popular among Japanese game players for its very interesting art style: it combines 3D characters and maps with hand drawn map elements!

New Doraemon CD Features An Old Favorite...

Mitsuko Horie (Sailor Galaxia) is featured on a special Doraemon movie theme album! To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the first Doraemon movie, a special 2CD album is being released with the best-loved theme songs. Mitsuko Horie's "Aozora-tte Iina" from 1988 is featured on the compilation. To hear the song, click here!

..As Does a New Gundam Album!


Or rather, old favorites! On February 24th, a limited edition boxset with 145 Gundam songs will be released as a nice touch to the 30th anniversary celebrations which began last year. Chieko Honda (Tellu) and Megumi Hayashibara (Himeko) will be singing Tokyo Boogie Night on Disc 10: Another Story. The Boxset also comes with a 272 page book with a Gundam timeline, interviews, and comments on the music. This is quickly selling out on many online stores so Gundam fans who want a copy of this should go find it quickly!

And To End, Lots of Kikuko Inoue!

Kikuko Inoue (Princess Rubina, Reiko Aya/Sailor Aluminum Siren) is sure up to a lot these days! On February 2rd, she will be appearing at a special "Kodansha Comics Afternoon Festival" for a radio interview that will later be streamed online through NicoVideo. For more information on this event hit the Afternoon Festival blog here! Kikuko's voice can also be heard in a dating sim: Vector's Book Of Love. Kikuko plays a high school student in this dating sim for men. This is a dating sim built just for the mobile market, and men who want to play this game can try it for free. We can't find too much more about the nature of this game (if there is any hentai/ecchi themes involved). The last place that you can hear Kikuko this month is on a CD of music to accompany the popular Zero na Tsukaima series called Nemurenai Fantasy. This CD is full of character songs and dialogues, and is a must for any ZnT fans!

Shokotan to Cover Not One But Two Sailor Moon Songs!

New Album Full of AniSon Covers Coming Soon!

Set to be released on March 10th is a new album from Shoko “Shokotan” Nakagawa called “Shokotan☆Hip 3: Anison Connects Mankind”. This album is chock full of familiar songs from anime, and comes in two flavours, a CD-only version (SRCL-7220) and a CD+DVD version (SRCL-7218). For those fans who opt for the latter version, you’re in for a treat! Not only do you get videos and making-of clips on the DVD, but you get a bunch of additional tracks too! Two of these additional tracks are Moonlight Densetsu and Sailor Star Song, the two beloved openings of the Sailor Moon series! Shoko will also cover two songs sung by stars of Sailor Moon, Give A Reason from Slayers Next by Megumi Hayashibara (Himeko) and Don’t You…? from Himitsu no Akko-Chan by Mitsuko Horie (Sailor Galaxia). Shoko is even covering a song from Yoshihiro Togashi’s Yu Yu Hakusho, Smile Bomb! This release is just starting to pop up on online stores. You are better off just searching for Shoko’s name and working from there since the album’s name is probably going to change from what the stores have listed now. Here is the tracklist:

01. Angel Night ~ ~ You are an angel ("City Hunter 2")
02. GOD KNOWS ... ("The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya)
03. Interstellar flight ("Macross FRONTIER")
04. Unyielding wish ("Magic Knight Rayearth”)
05. Freckles (“Rurouni Kenshin”)
06. Rain-Kissed Bouquet ("YAWARA!")
07. Smile Bomb ("Yu Yu Hakusho")
08.Fuse of Excitement ("Fushigi Yuugi”)
09. Give a reason ("Slayers NEXT”)
10. Refrain of Soul ("Neon Genesis Evangelion")
11 Come Out, Incredible ZENKAI Power! ("Dragon Ball Z")
12. Precure 5, Full Throttle GO GO! (Anime "Yes! Precure 5 GoGo!" / Kudou Mayu with Purikyua 5)
Bonus tracks (CD + DVD)
13. Bit by Bit My Heart is Charmed, Opening Song -short ver .- ("Dragon Ball GT")
14. Don't say "lazy"-short ver .- (anime "K-On!”)
15. Moonlight Densetsu-short ver .- ("Sailor Moon")
16. Sailor Stars Song-short ver .- ("Sailor Stars”)
17. Wonderful Color Happiness -short ver .- ("Magical Emi, the Magic Star")
18. DON'T YOU ...?-Short ver .- ("Himitsu no Akko-chan”)

Shokotan always covers her anime songs vibrantly, and this album looks like it will be a lot of fun! Shoko has always loved to sing songs from Sailor Moon and cosplay as her. Here are a few links to video for you all to enjoy!

From 2009, singing with a bunch of dancers cosplaying as Sailor Mercury.
Cosplay Silliness on a Japanese Variety Show - 1
Cosplay Silliness on a Japanese Variety Show - 2

BREAKING NEWS: Columbia Music Entertainment Japan to Remaster and Re-release Old Sailor Moon Soundtracks!

A fan (who wished to remain anonymous) sent us an email a few hours ago telling us that the Sailor Moon soundtracks with the catalog numbers COCX-36146 to COCX-36157 were going to be re-released on March 17th. More importantly, we found out something even more interesting when we tracked these CDs down on CD Japan - these are going to be remastered into the HQCD format! We tried to look everywhere for an official press release but we were unable to find one - so fans, you're just going to have to trust the online stores for this one (but seeing as many stores are listing them, you can be sure that this isn't fake news). The price of these CDs is pretty reasonable too, at $25 each (this is about on par what you would pay normally for a J-POP album in Japan), so fans who may find the new boxset release to be a bit astronomical to afford, can probably get a few of these CDs! As of this writing, it doesn't look like the memorial collections are going to be re-released. Fans who wish to pre-order these can hit any of these links:

Amazon Japan
CD Japan
YesAsia
HMV Japan

Neko Jump Visits Japan and Records A New Song There Too!

Neko Jump, a duo we told you about not too long ago, is sure taking Japan by storm! This Thai Pop Duo (stage names Noie and Jaem) are becoming very known through the country for their music, moe (charm), and their cutesy idol clothing! They have even been named special ambassadors of Japanese Pop Culture in Thailand! On November 10th, they visited Japan for the fifth time to record a new song for Kiruminzoo, and met with some members of the press after performing at a fashion event. They had always had a dream to make J-pop, and are huge fans of Ayumi Hamasaki and Yuna Ito. And of course, they have been in love with anime since they first saw Sailor Moon when they were very young! On a side note, we've also learned that their father works for TIGA Co. which held a lot of anime copyrights - probably where they got their love of anime from! They also said they like Japan more than their native Thailand because the weather is a lot nicer (it's always too hot at home)! They want to visit in the spring and see the sakura (cherry) blossoms, and also see what real snow is like too!

Their song "Pu" which is used as the show's opening is a cute song about dreaming of crabs and then not meeting their soul mate. If they dream of a snake they will meet a man! It is based on a very old Thai myth. The ending theme "Chuai Mad Noi" did not translate well into Japanese. The song is a love song, but some how that ends up being "Don't touch" in Japanese. It was retitled to something happier - "Ohayo Goza-Imaszu"(Formal way of saying Hello). They found this a little strange! When asked what the secret of their happiness was, they said to eat lots of fresh fruits like strawberries! These girls will turn 20 on December 10th. We find these idols incredibly cute and good-natured, and are once again happy to read a story of where people's love of Sailor Moon has taken them in their lives!

Something Old and Something New

We Finally Get Around to an Old Sighting A Fan Sent Us...

A very long time ago, a fan sent us a Sailor Moon sighting in Getbackers Volume 27, however it was in the French version of the manga and it had yet to be translated in English. Not being familiar with the series, it wasn't until a long time after that we found out that the volume was part of the Infinity Fortress series, and then things with the site got extremely busy to the point that this poor sighting got put on the back burner, several times over. For this, we sincerely apologize to Boyce for how long it took us to get to this sighting. But, we finally got it!

This issue had a couple Sailor Moon sightings in it. The first story in the issue features the Getbackers on an unusual assignment: to recover a lost dog named Lucky. This is part of the Birth 2: Operation: Retrieve the Genius Dog arc! Lucky was taken away by some TV network executives and featured on many shows, but unfortunately when his owner, 15-year-old Natsumi Mizuki wanted him back, they refused to give him back to her. Lucky is a dog that has a crescent moon on his head, and is very good at math. However, the dog has more than just skin and bones under his fur! He reminded us of the cats in the series!

The second one, is a particularly hillarious scene involving Maria, Ban's Grandmother! She greets Ban and Ginji in Voodoo Child - Part 4 Mandrake Voodoo Coffee, and performs a very fitting tribute to Sailor Moon. Part of the humor in this is that even though she is very old, she looks very young. And, she is a little crazy. Here is the sighting from Boyce in French, which translates to (from the top, right to left):

Maria : "If you call me old one more time..."
Maria : "In the name of the Moon, I'll punish you! <3"
Ban : "Stop it with your 15 year old tributes... Crazy century old woman!"


And here is the sighting in English!

This is included in Tokyopop's release of GetBackers: Infinity Fortress Volume #2. Tokyopop has lost the license to GetBackers as it was a Kodansha title, however some copies are still available for purchase in stores. The license was pulled mid-release, and this is a title we expect Kodansha USA to announce a release for soon!





Neko Jump - First Inspired by Anime, Now Sings Theme Song!



Neko Jump is a very popular J-Pop inspired duo from Thailand. The twins, Warattha and Charattha Imraphon, are currently singing the theme song for the anime Animal Detectives Kirumin (or better known as Kiruminzoo) which premiered on October 5th. The girls have been interested in Japan for almost their whole lives, since their dad used to buy them anime when they were younger. Sailor Moon was one of their favorites! One of their biggest hits, "Pooh" is being used as the theme song for the anime, and is one of the few anime that has a theme song sung entirely in Thai! It's a very cutesy sounding song and we think it was a perfect choice for the anime! Moonies can check out the opening here! Another one of their hits, "Chuai Mad No" also serves as the series' ending.

Akihabara Cosplayers Turning More Conservative?! And Sailor Moon Featured on Massive Anime Song Compilation!

Sorry Moonies, news has been a little slow for the last few days. Today’s updates are small potatoes, but nonetheless we’ll give them to you so we have at least something new for you all to read!


Akihabara Girls Don’t Cosplay Quite Like They Used To!

Earlier this week we came across an interesting article out of Japan about current cosplay trends. The first sentence of this article read “Summer, which is commonly assumed to be the season of love, started to ring the death knell.” Women continued to fall in love, but not as much as usually expected because of bad weather this year. However, what about Akihabara girls? In Japan, Akihabara girls have a certain reputation to be these happy, lighthearted, people who are always experimenting with new fashion trends as well as cosplay. Usually they have no boundaries, and many angle their cosplay to find a boyfriend, but this summer, everything changed. We’ve posted a picture from th

The writer saw a 20-year-old college girl from Saitama cosplaying and posing for pictures, however she was not cosplaying to find a boyfriend, and was pretty conservative in her choice of costume. She participated in more indoor photo sessions over outdoor ones because she was too hot outside. While many people continue to cosplay in Sailor Suits, they aren’t as great as they used to be, leaving many wanting more. This can be seen as a positive thing because at least the girls aren’t being “eaten up like meat” anymore. However, there are some women who still parade dangerously – one woman who was alone at 11:00 at night was hit during a photoshoot. The writer joked that the women were more scared of droning cicadas than men! The trend more or less continued at the Otaku Summer Festival and Comiket. The writer also remarked that many young otaku boys like to watch the cosplayers because they think they are the 2-D characters that they have fallen in love with! Among the toned-down cosplays the writer observed was a 19 year old who dressed up like Sailor Moon. He finished the article by saying felt shy, and awkward, and wondered if the men weren’t being aggressive enough to bring out better cosplayers. Next year, he plans to dress up like Goku. This article was kind of silly, we’re pretty sure that toned-down cosplay is not a trend throughout Japan.

Sailor Moon Theme to be Featured on New Upcoming Mega-Compilation!

It seems that anime is destined to save Japan from recession, and that many companies in Japan are bringing back everything old in a new way so that the economy can recover. One of our good site friends who happens to be an industry watcher, told us in January that Sailor Moon would return – however, we didn’t believe him then… boy were we wrong! While the state of the Sailor Moon manga for the time being appears to be dormant, we’ve learned of yet another anime song compilation! Beginning on October 15th, and once a month afterwards, 10 albums will be released with 10 remixes of popular songs from anime series. Take7 Japan is releasing these albums under the series name Mega Denpa, and the songs will be arranged to brighter music and house mixes. Some Japanese vocalists will be spearheading these remixes, including Monalina, P☆B-Rw, and Maririn. @n-Guilla Sounds will be doing all the arranging! Included on the first album is a remix of the first Sailor Moon theme song, Moonlight Densetsu (Moonlight Legend). The name of this remix is the oddest one we’ve ever heard for a remix, ever - "Moonlight Densetsu" Heavy Metal⇔Lingerie Mix. Errrm… okay… we’ll wait to hear that one before considering buying the album. Also included on this first release is a remix of the first opening from Yoshihiro Togashi’s Yu Yu Hakusho - "Smile Bomb" the House ☆ ☆ Punch Mix, and a remix of one of our favorite songs from Slayers Next - "Give a reason" Meeting of High-Speed Confessions Mix. Fans can click here and scroll to the bottom for a preview of 4 of the songs.

DALI to be Included on New Anime Compilation in HQ!

Columbia Records in Japan will be releasing a second volume of favorite anime theme songs next month! Our Favorite Anime Songs 2 will be released September 18th, and will be in the HQCD format (no special player required). Included on this release are songs from City Hunter, Dragon Quest, Dragonball, Yawara, and DALI’s rendition of the Sailor Moon theme song, Moonlight Densetsu (Moonlight Legend). Fans may recall that DALI’s rendition was used for the first two seasons. Another person involved with Sailor Moon makes an appearance on this album - Mitsuko Horie's (Sailor Galaxia) performance of a memorable song from Candy Candy is also featured! the entire tracklist is listed below, and fans who are not in Japan can purchase it from their favorite Japanese online retailer.

1. Theme from Lupin the Third – Lupin the 3rd
2. City Hunter - Love doesn't disappear - - City Hunter
3. Miracle Girl - Yawara
4. I’ll Give You Romance - Dragonball
5. Believe in Dreams – Dragon Quest
6. Hello Sadness – Maison Ikkoku
7. Youth - Touch
8. Blazing Kinnikuman - Kinnikuman
9. Galaxy Express 999 Theme – Galaxy Express 999
10. Moonlight Legend – Sailor Moon
11. Riding the Boat of Dreams - Captain Future
12. Light Year Dream - Spaceship Sagittarius
13. 10% Chance of Rain - Miyuki
14. Ro Ro Ro Russian Roulette – Dirty Pair
15. I Caught Mr. Sun in a Bucket - Chie the Brat
16. Genius Bakabon Theme – Genius Bakabon
17. Gatchaman's Song - Gatchaman
18. Tomorrow’s Joe Theme – Tomorrow’s Joe
19. Yuke! Tiger Mask – Tiger Mask
20. Open Road – Dog of Flanders
21. I Love Tomorrow – Mitsuko Horie
22. Babel II Theme – Babel II

North American VA Update: July 2009!

Hi Moonies! We've got another North American VA exclusive for you all at the end (we always save the best things for last)!

The Death of Alice Blue to Finally Have Canadian Premiere!

A movie we have been following for a very long time is finally going to premiere in its home country! The Death of Alice Blue (part I - The Bloodsucking Vampires of Advertising) has been invited for its Canadian premiere to the Montreal World Film Festival. This one runs from August 27th to September 7th, and we'd tell you more except that as of this writing none of the films showing this year have been announced on the site. We wonder if any of the VAs in this one (Barbara Radecki, Katie Griffin and her husband Michael Kulas) are going to attend? Congratulations to Park Bench and Alex Appel for finally getting this movie a premiere in Canada and here's hoping it gets a distributor so the rest of us can see it soon!

A Sapphire Shines Again!

Lyon Smith (Prince Sapphire) shared some news and stories with us! He has his own official site now which we encourage fans to go visit - he posts a lot of really cool links to his works too! While his time on Sailor Moon wasn't as pleasant as many fans may think it might have been, he is also excited about a possible redub and if he was given the chance he would do it again! Hey FUNImation, are you reading this? Consider Canada for a re-dub! This is our second official VA that has confirmed to be interested in reprising their role for a re-dub of Sailor Moon (this is great news for Operation Moonrise)! Some fans may not know this behind-the-scenes story, but when Lyon was first cast he was called in to replace Tuxedo Mask. It was his first series that he had landed as a regular! At the time though, production was too intense (and we've heard similar stories from other actors from those first years). But the show did launch his voice career, and since then he has voiced memorable roles in other anime, cartoons and video games! He played Pythias in Mythic Warriors: Guardians of Legend, the Mysterious Guy in Biohazard 0, Kevin and Michael in Beyblade, Ed in Get Ed, Magma in Spider Riders, and he is currently appearing in Bakugan Battle Brawlers which has been a huge hit with the kids all over North America! In the first season he played Masquerade, and in the second season (which is recording right now) he plays Prince Hydron. And this prince's voice is based on none other, but the Japanese voice of Prince Diamond! We really admire Lyon Smith for watching episodes of Sailor Moon in Japanese - we're not sure how many others have (we know Roland Parliament did for sure). He will be reprising his role as Masquerade for the upcoming Bakugan video game. And there's even more Lyon to be heard in CBC's Magi-Nation - he plays the hero, Tony Jones! In another awesome coincidence, Lyon was also a student of Roland's!

Lyon Smith is also a budding musician - he writes his own music and also helps out with sound design for plays in Toronto. He currently composed music and worked sound design for the play A Singularity of Being, which is loosely based on the life of Steven Hawking. Lyon's music is really worth checking out if you're into alternative rock! He covered the song You Believe in Rock and Roll for a David Bowie tribute album (2.CONTAMINATE) which is on iTunes. He has his own site for fans to check out his music - and altrock fans will take a liking! There's even a bit of experimental and mashing in there too. And best of all, all the music is free! He is also on MySpace as well. We once again encourage all our readers to check out his music.

Special thanks to Lyon and best of luck on your upcoming works!