BREAKING NEWS: Sailor Moon to Return in Italy?

There are rumors of a return of Sailor Moon in Italy. These rumors are entirely unconfirmed and we have little reason to believe they are 100% true. Still, some facts are promising when comparing these to previous rumors, including listing a higher-up at the supposed network as a source. On the italian forum AnimeFun, we found the original post, however to find the quote sites everywhere are posting we had to look elsewhere. We have confirmed that Fabrizio Margaria, the source that is being quoted, does in fact, work for Mediaset Italy.

Dopo lungo lavoro di convincimento, hanno sbloccato i diritti quindi confermo che dal 2010 l’intera serie sarà di nuovo in onda.

Translation: After a lot of work convincing, they have unblocked the rights. Therefore I confirm in 2010, there will be a new wave of the entire series.

We're not sure what this "New Wave" means. If the series returns, will it be a re-dub? Or everything that aired in the past will air again in a new showing? This is a very exciting time to be a Sailor Moon fan... in Italy at least. Last we heard FUNImation was still having issues with the creator (at Otakon). At least one site is reporting this news with anticipation!

We are keeping our eyes on this situation. Our readers in Italy - please send us an email at moonchasersNOSPAMPLZKTHXAPPLEPIE@gmail.com if you hear anything new!

Sightings in Fan Land: Lunch Edition

Hey Moonies, The Me here with some more fan creations that we've come across.

This first one was sent into us by an anonymous fan:

It's a very cute homemade Chibi-Moon doll and we thank the fan who sent it in for making it and sharing it with us! EDIT: The fan who created this is Sailor Mini Moon on our forums!

Now, onto lunch! Here are a couple of Sailor Moon related bento we found!

This Luna-P bento is a large colored rice ball, surrounded by pico de gallo with some provolone, nori, tomato and jalapeño to make up the face.


The creator of this Sailor Moon bento doesn't mention what it's made out of, but it looks very pretty and delicious!

South Korean Blogger Tells Of How He Knew Japan Aside From Government Influence.

In my efforts to bring you stories featuring Sailor Moon from Asian Media, I thought this was a good one to share for the weekend! Readers will have to forgive us because one of our staffers is just beginning to learn Korean and the majority of this comes from web translation (but we did compare it back to what the original news article said). Yuko Hashimoto wrote an interesting editorial for Searchina News highlighting an essay that she found on a Korean Blogger's site. The blogger's name is Annie, but she goes by the username Dochiani. She wrote a very long essay about how there has always been tension between South Korea and Japan and she tries to make her voice heard saying that each side should do more to learn about the other. She doesn't like how South Korea in the past limited imports of media from Japan leaving many to learn from whatever illegal bootlegs they could acquire. Annie shared her stories of discovering the "floozy" Sailor Moon in High School, Japanese fashion in the Green Zone, and of watching Evangelion and Studio Ghibli Films. They were just as enjoyable as Korean media, if not more. It was then, ten years ago, that she decided to read some books about Japan. And it was difficult to find any books that didn't paint a harsh picture of the country there. Later, she learned that Japan didn't have very much about South Korean history in their libraries. Tensions between the countries have only been resolved very recently. But it was through her discovery of anime that she was inspired to learn more about Japan and it's culture through means other than certain political restrictions would allow. The blog entry is here, but most translators (if you want to read it all) won't work on the site. Your best bet is to select the text downwards from the heading and pasting it in.

BREAKING NEWS: Yoshinori Kanada Public Memorial Details Announced

Moon Chase has just learned a few more details regarding a public memorial for Yoshinori Kanada. It will take place on August 30th at Suginami Kaikan Hall. Suginami Kaikan Hall is in part home to an "Animation Museum" since many animation studios have their headquarters in Suginami Ward. It has become known as the "Heartland of Anime". We think this is a wonderful place to honor such a legendary animator! It is expected that many famous animators will attend, and New Akiba Online reports Hayao Miyazaki will be there as well. Anido has also posted a guest list which includes not only Hayao, but another legendary director at Studio Ghibli, Isao Takahata. Hiroshi Takahashi, president of Toei Animation, anime producer Masao Maruyama, Tezuka Productions President Takayuki Matsutani, and Square Enix President Yochi Wada are also listed to attend. Legendary directors Rintaro and Hideaki Anno will also be there, as well many other animators which worked on Sailor Moon. These are Kazuhiro Ochi (a key animator on Sailor Moon S and SuperS movies), Hideyuki Motohashi (Animation Director of Sailor Moon R and S TV seasons), Keisuke Watanabe* (Key Animator Sailor Moon R TV), and Mamoru Kurosawa (Key Animator on the Sailor Moon R movie, and an Animation Director on Sailor Moon S TV). Some animators which also worked on Yu Yu Hakusho will be attending. As of this writing we cannot say for sure whether Naoko Takeuchi and/or Yoshihiro Togashi will attend. Doors will open at 6:30 PM and the service will run from 7 until 9. Fans are allowed to attend (and admission is free), however each fan which is lucky enough to get a ticket will only be given a maximum of two, as the venue capacity is only 1200. A website will be posted here with details. Children under 5 are not allowed. Events will include memorial addresses from a few of the special guests, and a presentation of flowers. There will be no collection of any kind for fans to send their condolences.

We have learned in the last few days, Kanada was a much bigger influence on anime than we ever knew. Yoshinori, we are glad to have had you work on Sailor Moon, even if it was only for one season, and your contributions to the anime and video game industry will last forever. We send our deepest condolences and sympathies to your family, friends, and colleagues across the anime and video game industry. You will truly be missed.

*Keisuke is a Key Animator on current hit Gurren Lagann, and recently spoke of how Kanada has influenced his animation, calling himself a heir of the "Kanada System".

Toei Continues to Drop Sailor Moon's Name in New Halo Venture

Yesterday at the San Diego Comic-Con, Microsoft announced plans to create a series of short anime films based on it's hugely popular Halo franchise. Halo Legends will feature the direction of legendary anime directors Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell) and Shinji Aramaki (Appleseed). Much like Batman: Gotham Knight, many animation studios are collaborating on this production. They are: Bones, Casio Entertainment, Production I.G., Studio 4 Degrees C, and Toei. Previews will be released on XBox Live in the Fall, with the series being released on disc and digital in 2010. Fans can check out the trailer here! Interesting to note here is how Toei in this press release once again drops Sailor Moon's name in a list of anime which were hits globally. Three out of four of those series are currently available in the North American market. Who knows why Toei continues to name a series we can't even see in their press releases?

Sera Myu Producer to Produce Mahou Shoujo Anime Musical Revival!

One of the first mahou shojo (magical girl) anime from the 1980s is getting a revival next year during Japan's Golden Week - in the form of a musical! Magical Princess Minky Momo has her 30th anniversary in 2012, and in anticipation of that, the anime is currently being rebroadcast, and a bunch of new merchandise is also available. There is also a 30th anniversary anime in the works for 2012, too! The title character, Princess Minky Momo is sent from the Land of Dreams in the Sky to help people on Earth remember their dreams when she transforms into various different people with occupations for special situations. When she makes a person happy, a jewel appears in her crown. Once she has earned 12 jewels, her kingdom will return to Earth and all happiness will be restored! Yesterday, it was announced that this revival will include a musical, which will make it's debut during Golden Week in Spring of next year. The crew announced so far includes screen and songwriter Hiroi Oji (best known for authoring Sakura Taisen), and producers Tomio Kanda (of theater giant Argo-Musical in Japan) and Toshiyuki Takezawa, best known for producing several Sera Myu musicals, and working as a producer on PGSM. They also plan to update the story for the 21st century! Auditions are currently being planned for girls of junior-school age in Japan, as well as a girl in the 2nd or 3rd grade to play Princess Minky Momo. The deadline for applications for auditions is September 15th, with application details being released on August 1st. Details will also be released through Puchigumi Magazine and Shogakukan.

Who knows what kind of treatment Sailor Moon might get on her 20th anniversary in 2012? Naoko, wouldn't it be nice if you could let the world remember her and let the show come back so something really big could be celebrated?

In Memoriam: Yoshinori Kanada

Moon Chase has just learned an animator on the SuperS TV series has passed away. Yoshinori Kanada suffered a sudden heart attack and died yesterday in Japan at the age of 57. Yoshinori was a legend in the anime industry, having worked on many prominent Studio Ghibli films, anime series, and was even a layout artist on the innovative US CGI masterpiece, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. He was known to many as a "Superanimator" having been an animator since the 1970s. Yoshinori began studying animation at Tokyo Designer Gakuin College, but later dropped out and began working for Toei Animation. His debut was a magical girl series called Mahou no Mako-chan. He also worked on the epic series Galaxy Express 999. He later left Toei and worked for a few years as part of an independent animator group under the leadership of Shingo Araki, before moving to Sunrise where he worked on mecha anime such as Getter Robo. Later in his career, he would return to Toei to work on a few series, including Sailor Moon SuperS. In the mid 80s he worked with Studio Ghibli on their biggest films, including Kiki's Delivery Service, My Neighbour Totoro, Porco Rosso, and Princess Mononoke. In 1998 , he worked as a layout artist on Square Pictures' Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, and it was during this time that he was given the opportunity to be in charge of video game production for Square Enix. He worked as an animation director on Final Fantasy XI, worked storyboards for Final Fantasy IV on the Nintendo DS, and directed two Egg Monster Hero games. He continued to work in anime as well, including the 2001 movie Metropolis and Great Sky Demon Dragon Gaiking in 2005. He was also an esteemed member of the animators collective ANIDO, and the Japan Animation Creators Association (JAniCa). Anime News Network has also posted an article, here.


He was most influential since his debut, always finding new ways to use animation to thrill viewers, despite the limits of technology at the time. He developed his own personal style, and this later inspired many other animators to do the same. His funeral has yet to be announced, but sources say it will be relatives only. A public memorial will be held at a later date - ANIDO writes that it may be on August 30th, with time and location TBA. Our entire staff sends out our deepest condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues. May he rest in peace.