As far as we know, Yoshihiro “Mr. Naoko” Togashi is still on his hiatus from Hunter X Hunter. However, Amazon Japan has released it’s top best sellers in manga for the first half of 2008 (December 2007-May 2008) and we were pleased to learn that volume 25 of the popular shonen manga ended up in 6th place. Volume 25 is the latest volume of the manga to be published, and it was released March 4th. For it to have sold that much in under three months and end up on this list is a feat in itself. Congratulations Togashi-san, and we hope you return soon!

For those of you who are wondering the other titles that made the list, we’ve translated it below.

1. Nodame Cantabile Vol. 20 by Tomoko Ninomiya.
2. Full Metal Alchemist Vol. 19 by Hiromu Arakawa.
3. Moyashimon Vol. 6 by Masayuki Ishikawa
4. Aria Vol. 12 by Kozue Amano.
5. Magical Teacher Negima! Vol. 22 by Ken Akamatsu.
6. Hunter X Hunter Vol. 25 by Yoshihiro Togashi.
7. Kyou no Nekomura-san Vol. 3 by Yoriko Hoshi.
8. One Piece Vol. 49 by Eiichiro Oda
9. Okiku Furikabutte (English: Big Windup) Vol. 9 by Asa Higuchi/
10. Pluto Vol. 5 by Naoki Urasawa.

Here we are again with another questionable fanart! Today’s comes from a forums signature I noticed on forums I frequent. Though I love Sailor Moon and the Spice Girls equally, this is one crossover that makes me shudder.

Caption 1: (To the chorus of Wannabe)
We really wannabe your heroes,
We wanna trash bad guys!
Over and over forever,
Our power never dies!

Caption 2: Upon learning that anime is the hit thing right now with the younger generation, the Spice Girls reunite as cosplayers to further their message of “Girl Power”.

While we’re busy writing up articles on the happenings in the Sailor Moon world, we thought we’d post up this craft we had been saving for a while. A few years ago, HP used to send me emails about different crafts you could make to enhance the printing experience. One of those ones that caught my eye was a real working clock you could make from an old CD. Though I wasn’t a huge fan of the clock design, it definitely gave me a template to work with. And now we’re sharing it with you all! Have you ever wanted a Sailor Moon clock, but you haven’t found one you liked on eBay? Or the ones you did like cost too much? Well fear no more, our clock fits a budget of 10-15 dollars! This also makes a great gift for that special Sailor Moon fan in your life!
Directions below abridged slightly from here.

Step 1: Find an old CD that didn’t burn properly, and find an old piece of cardboard. Trace around the CD (don’t forget the inside too) and cut out that circle and the hole within it. You should have a donut-shaped piece of cardboard. This is how big you’ll need to print the picture.

Step 2: Click on the image below, and save the large version that pops up in a new window or tab to your desktop. Open it in your favorite word processor of choice, and make it approximately half a page big. This may require a few attempts to get it right. I created this image using the template given by HP, and if you want to guess how big to make the image in your word processor, follow the template they have given as a rough guide. EDIT: Moon Chase reader Emily has made a wonderful PDF of the image so no resizing is required! Thanks Emily!

Step 3: Print out the image on some cardstock. Most office supply stores or craft stores might be able to sell you a few sheets rather than you needing to buy an entire package. We recommend white or off white, but if you want to choose a different color than so be it! This shouldn’t be more than 5 bucks. Use your stencil to cut out the right shape from the cardstock. You might want to print a few attempts on scrap paper to make sure you got the sizing right. Also, because the paper is thicker, you may need to fiddle with your print quality settings to high.

Step 4: Get a clock movement kit from your local craft or hobby store. These run anywhere from 5-15 dollars, and assemble it as it says in the package. You may need to purchase a couple batteries. Attach the CD to the front of the clock movement with some double-sided tape. The tape costs around a couple of bucks.

Step 5: Put a few pieces of double sided tape on the face of the CD and attach the picture you printed out on the cardstock to the CD. If more assembly is required, this is when you should do it.

Step 6: Adjust the hands of the clock as best you can and start the clock! You now have a Sailor Moon clock for your enjoyment! If you want, you could probably use a glue-gun to put a couple of moon charms on the hands of the clock.

Genvid reports that last Thursday (June 18th) that there was an entire category in the second round of the popular game show Jeopardy, devoted to anime. The fourth question in the round (worth $1600) read “This “lunar” Naoko Takeuchi creation is an example of a “magical girl” given powers to save the world”. Of course, we all know the answer is Sailor Moon! A contestant named Dave Simpson guessed the answer correctly. In fact, he was able to answer all but two of the questions in the round! To have a look at the questions and see if you could answer them, head over to the J! Archive!

EDIT: We found video! Fast forward to 52 seconds to see the Sailor Moon Question!

Last night, we discovered the blogs of many stars who worked with Miyuki Kanbe, and we’re going to share with you some of the highlights from what we read of their entries about her. Almost all of them remembered her cheerful spirit, her cute voice, and her charming personality. It’s almost like all the Sera Myu actors, whether they worked together or not, formed a kind of kindred with each other. A few stars who didn’t get the chance to work onstage with her, met her at many Sera Myu events. We also uncovered an old 2005 interview with Miyuki, which we are working hard to translate. It’s quite long, and it’s being worked on a little bit each day. At the earliest, it will probably be posted late next week.

There are a lot of pictures in this post, so we decided to slice it for the homepage. Read the rest of it after the jump!

Nao Takagi (Sailor Uranus #2 in Sera Myu) wrote that she thought it was a lie when she heard the news. To her, Miyuki had a beautiful and powerful smile, and the two were beru close. Nao thought of her as the younger sister she never had. Miyuki often called Nao “Nao-chan”, and one of these recordings will become her new ringtone. She finishes with “I pray her soul may rest in peace now, with a smile in heaven. I love you so much Miyuki, the princess who I will never forget. Thank you for all the love you gave me.”

Hikari Ono played many roles in her 477 show run with Sera Myu. She was Sailor Star Maker, Hawk’s Eye, Neo Hawk’s Eye, Loof Merrow, Prince Dimande and Bloody Dracul Vampir. In an entry simply titled Regret, she writes of her grandmother who promised to take her to the hot springs. Unfortunately, she died when Hikari was only 17, without ever fulfilling that promise. It was then that she learned the true meaning of the word “regret”. She finds it hard when she loses someone, to think of all the things that they could not do. It is hard to move forward without regretting the past. It would be better if in some shape or form after death if life could go back and do these things. She ends with telling everyone not to regret all the things that they could not do. Many fans think that she is referring to Miyuki in this entry.

Anza Oyama was the first actress to play Sailor Moon in Sera Myu. Now a nu metal singer, she writes on her blog, that she is very sad and truly heart broken. Miyuki had a lot of courage and hope and she put smiles on everyone’s faces! The two of them talked together about their role as Sailor Moon and they had the same realizations of the character and their experiences. She prays cute Miyuki-chan finds happiness in the next world.

Marina Kuroki was the fourth and last person to play Sailor Moon in the musicals. She wrote that she didn’t have very much contact with Miyuki during the transition from the third to the fourth sailor team, but that she had many memories of the times all the Sera Myu actors would come together. Miyuki was cute, gave her a lot of advice, and talked to her once in a while. Even she could not believe the reality of the news. From her heart she prays that her heart finds happiness in the next world.

Shibue Jyoji is best known to Sailor Moon fans as playing Tuxedo Kamen in PGSM, but he also worked with Miyuki on Kamen Rider Hibiki. He played Iori Izumi (Kamen Rider Ibuki). He posted that parting is really painful, and that there is no forgetting her cute voice once you heard it the first time. It is very painful for him to know he will never hear her voice again. He remembers how she used to say he was one of her best friends, and how it delighted him enormously. He was also in disbelief when he heard the news, and wishes he could have met with her one last time. He thanked her for everything and bid her a solemn farewell.

Nana Akiyama also worked with her on Kamen Rider Hibiki, playing Akira Amami. She wrote two entries. The first one says, “I heard the sad news two days ago from some people. I have lived for 18 years, and this is the most sad news of all. I still can’t believe it. She was a good person and I wished to meet her once again. That wish will no longer be fulfilled. Still, I want to keep wishing. Just one more time, she could come out from somewhere so we could meet. I’ll write more later, right now I want to leave my feelings here.” The second one, written four days later, says “Feelings that want to be conveyed do not become words. It was not possible for me to update easily. But it was also not possible for me to settle down after today. When I think of her, my feelings surely come. But now they can become something real (NOTE: this is the best translation, these three sentences were hard). I loved everything that Miss Kanbe did, and none of my love changes for her. I think that she is watching me somewhere, and I will not say goodbye. I look foreward to the day I can meet Miss Kanbe again. You were in this world. I will not forget for a long time.” Then she addressed a couple people who sent her email, “To (usernames). Thank you for your warm and gentle reassurance. We are together with the same feelings, and you have given me the green light to cry. Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you. From all the pain last week, it is not possible to remember every day that we spent together, but now I think I’ll be okay not to forget her. Tomorrow, I will update the blog. It was closed while there was so much going on, news of the tragedy a little at a time. I look forward to pleasing you. Now, it will be nice to see you tomorrow. Goodnight.

Emi Kuriyama played Sailor Jupiter from 1999-2000 in the musicals, and worked with Miyuki. She is very hurt and saddened by this news. In her entry Still now…, she couldn’t accept this news and has an empty hole in her heart. She attended the funeral, and can still to this day remember Miyuki calling to her “Kururin” in her cute and childish voice, in her healthy body. She is sad she can’t see her again, and rejected her death. She can’t come out with the words for her feelings, for the situation. But she feels that those left behind must live their lives with more strength. She got so much power, love, and kindness from Miyuki’s words , and she loved her very much. She wants to laugh hard again like fools until her stomach hurts with her again. She ends thanking Miyuki. In later entries, she expresses that she is still hurt but is doing a lot better.

Ayumi Murata played Sailor Venus in the musicals from 2001-2002. On her blog, she wrote that she was saddened and surprised to hear of the news of her co-star’s death. She sent her condolences, and prayed for her sincerely.

Chieco Kawabe played Sailor Mercury in the musicals from 2000-2002. She also played Naru Osaka in PGSM. She was also shocked by the sudden news, and was very sad. She sent her deepest condolences to those who were mourning her death. She is also praying for her.

Akiko Kosaka composed many of the Sera Myu musicals. She remembered Miyuki’s audition, how she seemed like she had stepped right out of the cartoon. Miyuki to her was sugary, lovelym and super-energetic. She was very shocked at this sudden news, and thought that Miyuki’s health had not been good for the last two years, leaving her in a lot of pain. She was certainly someone Akiko wished she had gotten to know more. She is sincerely praying for her third Sailor Moon.

Tomoko Inami played Mistress 9 and Sailor Neptune in the musicals. Though she never worked with Miyuki, she met her at many events. She sends her condolences and sincerely prays for her. Miyuki’s death in her youth of only 24 years was a true tragedy.

Fumina Hara was the third actress to play Sailor Moon in the musicals. Though she was followed by Miyuki, there were times that they got together for events. Miyuki used to call her “Fumina-chaaaaan” with a big, tense grin on her face, and lots of energy. Her death was very unfortunate, because she was very adorable, cute, and was a fantastic girl. She prays her soul will rest in peace.