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!

ARIA the Origination has a Fiery Presence!

Michie Tomizawa (Sailor Mars) can be heard on the upcoming drama CD release which accompanies the popular Aria the Origination series. She plays the character Akamatsu and as of this writing it seems that she only appears on this drama CD and not in the anime. There will be two side stories about the futuristic gondoliers on this release, “Traghetto no Suteki” (Translation: The Nice Traghetto or Ferry) and “Ai Chanto Gondora” (Translation: Ai’s Perfect Gondola). These are described as “nice, tender stories”. The first one is about a visit from an aunt, and the second one is a day trip to take a gondola in for some maintenance. The drama CD will have a limited release on May 26th.

Toru Furuya Narrating a Show and Helping Out a Subway Line; His Old Show Being Released Too!

One of Toru Furuya’s (Tuxedo Kamen) earlier roles was that of Hoshi Hyuuma in the baseball anime Star of the Giants. Today over 30 years later, all 4 movies are being released in a complete collection. On June 23rd, the “Star of the Giants Complete BOX” will be released and will cost approximately 15,920 Yen (or 169.33 USD). Toru’s vpoce is also narrating Car Graphic TV, a weekly program comparing new cars in Japan. Car Graphic TV is currently being offered as part of TV Asahi’s VOD package through USEN’s N-NEXT service. And finally, Toru’s voice is being used in special cartoons for the Sendai Subway Line! The Subway line has produced some anime shorts to show to children to get them used to the subway and how to use it.

See Artemis Represent Russia with an Iron Paw!

Well, not really. He is Artemis after all! Yasuhiro Takato reprises his role as Ivan Braginski, the Representative of Russia in the just-released Hetalia video game for the PSP, Gakuen Hetalia Portable. This is a lighthearted RPG that features a new character representing Seychelles, and her quest to put together the perfect party. As of this writing, it is unknown if this game will come here, but we know that the anime is on its way and our readers will be able to hear Yasuhiro’s voice. FUNImation announced a license for Hetalia earlier this year.

Shin-Chan Keeps Moving Along With New Movie!

Out in Japanese theaters right now is the brand new Crayon Shin-Chan movie, Super-Dimmension! The Storm Called My Bride. Reprising her role as Misae Nohara, the mother of Shin-Chan is Miki Narahashi, better known to Sailor Moon fans as several one-off characters in the show. She played Gigaros in episode 52 (R), Chagama in episode 104 (S), Kotaro in episode 154 (SuperS) and Sonoko Ijuuin in episode 187 (Stars). At the premiere of this movie, much fun was had since Shin-chan is shown to be crashing a wedding in the trailers, and there is also a small army of brides shown. One of those brides, is played by newhalf model Ai Haruna, and she showed up with the other stars at the premiere wearing a wedding dress! Miki is spotted in this picture with the Shin-Chan kirigumi in the orchid-colored dress and white boots. We hope that in the wake of Yoshito Usui’s death that the show does continue to live on – The Me and I have caught several of the most recent episodes and they strike a great balance between charming and silly.

Unshou Ishizuka Inspires Shoko Nakagawa With Role in Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood!

Unshou Ishizuka (Tetsuro Yoshinogawa/Sailor Chef) once again plays the role of Hohenheim, the father of Edward and Alphonse Elric in the new Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood series, but did you know that a certain idol was very inspired by his portrayal of a father to write the show’s current ending theme? She was very excited to finally have the chance to write a song for a show she has been a huge fan of since the day it began, and she also has a special role in the 55th episode airing om May 2nd (right before her birthday on the 5th)! In a new interview, Shoko Nakagawa explains how she wrote the song “Ray of Light” all by herself. She was inspired especially by the relationship that Hohenheim maintained with his sons, even after he had left them for so many years. She also found a similarity in this relationship with another relationship she misses, having her own father around. He passed away when she was only 9 of cancer, and drew a lot from that experience. You can hear it in the song, which we think is one of the most powerful and emotional songs ever written by Shoko. Fans can check out the official music video and the lyrics here.

And Another Unshou Sighting With A Hint of Ryotaro!

Unshou is also playing the role of Craig Bernstein in the latest Vassalord Drama CD being released. Called Vassalord: The Misery of Addie. Vassalord is a manga about two very eccentric vampires named Charley and Rayflo. Charley can’t control his appetite for blood, and Rayflo is quite the player when solving crimes, stopping at nothing to seduce anyone for information. The two of them fight with each other along with other vampires as they work to solve crimes for the Vatican. Craig is known to be an angry and ruthless man with no respect for the law, he will smoke and use a cell phone wherever he wants. He is even able to talk to the dead! Also playing the leading role of Charley is another Seiyuu, Ryotaro Okaiyu (Tiger’s Eye, Yuuji, Achiral, and George)! This particular drama is based on two chapters of the manga, Chapters 5 & 6 (Misery of Addie and The Trial of Seth) along with two original minidramas, Date at Night and Small Trouble. The manga is in print by Tokyopop, and the drama CD was released on April 21st.

And speaking of Ryotaro, he is also going to be the only guy in the room in a brand new video game. In an attempt to appeal to girls, Capcom is launching a special tutorial for Monster Hunter Frontier. The “Frontier Girls” are four actresses that are going to teach Ryotaro how to play the game. There will be a total of 8 of these tutorial episodes that will serve as a guide for beginners, but those who are renowned players will also find these videos funny!

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!

We’re saving the best for last! Two translated entries from Kotono Mitsuishi’s blog!
EDIT: I started putting this post together a long time ago, but couldn’t get it finished until now. Sorry Moonies! And, as of this writing, it doesn’t look like there has been any footage of the event broadcast.

Sailor Event (posted December 6th, 2009)

She has an event to go to, but should she cut her bangs? I cut them last night during bathtime.

In the morning I looked in the mirror and thought I looked bad (*_*)!

I didn’t cut them straight, obviously. There is no time, so I am going like this! (T_T)

She wrote about an appearance on an upcoming episode of Idoling for the rest of the entry where she had something to do with an Evangelion snack contest. In the past, she has narrated segments on the show!

5 Sailor Senshi Together! (posted December 6th, 2009)

There was a large gathering at the DVD launch of Sailor Moon!

We were all so excited and pleased to see everyone!

When 5 soldiers are all gathered together, I wondered if it would distort the magnetic field.

They are the ones with all the power, right?

Uhehe (*laugh*)!

After all, it’s great!

Sailor Senshi Sailor Moon

That’s a girl’s bible!

And now, a compilation of all the photos from the event, but we’re going to show you them a little differently. There’s no video yet of the event, but we know what order that things took place in. So, we’re going to present the photos to you in that order! It’s the closest thing we can bring you to seeing the event!

Backstage, Naoko Takeuchi Came to Say Hi To Everyone!

Kyan Chiaki Cosplays and Performs as Sailor Moon!

(From Kyan Chiaki’s blog)

(From Mycom)

(From AV Watch)

(From Famitsu)

(From TV Life)

HIMEKA Sings Moonlight Densestu (Moonlight Legend, aka. theme from first 4 seasons and movies)!

(From Mycom)

(From Famitsu)

(From TV Life)

Seiyuu Come Onstage and Speak Of Their Time On the Series!

(From ANIMAX and AnimeAnime.jp)

(From Sankei MSN)

(From Mycom)

(From AV Watch)

(From TV Life)

(From Famitsu)

(From Cinema Today)

Top 5 Episodes Revealed!

(From Mycom)

(From Famitsu)

Everyone Gets Together For One Last Shot!

(From ANIMAX and AnimeAnime.jp)

(From Mycom)

(From AV Watch)

(From Famitsu)

(From TV Life)

The Event Ends, And Everyone Attending Gets Some Flyers.

(From Lunatic Circus)

Moon Chase’s Other Posts Covering The Reunion Are Located Here, Here, Here, Here and Here.

Happy New Year Moonies! Here’s to a successful return of Sailor Moon for the rest of the world in 2010! News is a little slow, so instead of splitting these stories, I’m going to put them all together. Yes, we know that there is a lot going on in Italy right now but we are getting back into the swing of things after a much needed Holiday vacation. We promise a full post later this week!

Sailors Moon, Mercury, Mars, and Jadeite Appear in Last Crayon Shin-Chan of the 2009!

Crayon Shin-Chan continues to play on in the wake of creator Yoshito Usui’s death. New episodes will continue to be produced and broadcast for this season at the very least. On December 4th, the last episode of the year aired, and featured Kotono Mitsuishi (Sailor Moon), Aya Hisakawa (Sailor Mercury), Michie Tomizawa (Sailor Mars) and Masaya Onosaka (Jadeite). In the first episode, Shin-Chan and Nanako through a series of unfortunate events are stuck together on the train, trying to follow Matsumi Ageo (played by Kotono), who is going out with a different man (played by Masaya)! They end up following them to a farm, where the man tries to teach Matsumi about farming, and how to plow a field. Nanako, being protective and angry with Matsumi, steps in, and shows them both how to plow. The man is so taken by her, he falls for her instead of Matsumi, and this is the last thing Nanako wants! But, it turns out that they are not on a date after all and he just admires her plowing skills – he is married and has a child! Michie also appeared in this episode playing Ume Matsuzaka.In the second episode, Shin-Chan’s school was having a carnival, and his mother Misae, had to knit something to sell. Unfortunately, she could not knit very well and her scarf had many snags and loose loops in it. We think Aya Hisakawa played a parent in this episode, but it was difficult to discern which one she played! No one bought Misae’s scarf, but towards the end of the episode she left the stall for a moment. A dark figure came up to buy the scarf, and Misae was the happiest person knowing that her scarf sold! The next morning, Shin-Chan’s father Hiroshi left for work, and outside the house took out Misae’s scarf from his briefcase, and wore it. Aww, what a sweet ending!

Kotono also blogged sentiments about Shin-Chan last November. During a meeting of cast and crew of the show, they shared the first few laughs they have had for a very long time. She finds her role as Matsumi Ageo to be a challenge, but it is also a secret weapon for her because it inspires her to set a new high for her performances! She regrets never actually meeting Usui, but hopes to continue to play the role as best she can for as long as she possibly can.

More Sailor Moon Themed Cooking on the Way in Japan!

ANIMAX along with IMAGICA TV’s Food and Travel Network Foodies TV to bring fans a little something special. Starting in February, the two channels are going to present specials to show viewers the art of making Bento (Japanese Lunch Boxes) for two months. If any of our readers aren’t familiar with what Bento is, here’s the short of it: they are home cooked lunches that are sometimes comparmentalized with a few small Japanese dishes. Some people get especially creative with their Bento boxes, fashioning them around an anime theme. YTV also attempted something similar years ago on their website. Sailor Moon will be featured as part of this special series, but we don’t agree with how the press release has labeled the show’s popularity. They state that it is popular with mothers and daughters in their 20s and 30s. Most recently, we’ve noticed a surge in blogs of newer teenage fans (and boys as well) talking about Sailor Moon. We are pretty sure that the show is a lot more popular with other demographics than this release suggests. The press release notes that it is not a common occurrence for two completely different companies to collaborate together, and handle all of their PR jointly (ANIMAX is owned by ANIMAX Broadcast Japan and Foodies TV is owned by IMAGICA TV). It is thought that the two companies working together on something like this will do a lot to boost their image in the public eye. If we find any clips of these specials, we will try our hardest to post them for you all!

Togashi Adds More Detail to Hunter X Hunter Volume 27 and Returns to Jump Magazine!

The Togashi World Blog has posted some images of manga frames from the latest volume published of Yoshihiro Togashi’s Hunter X Hunter and has compared them to frames published in Jump Magazines. When fans see these, they will see that there is a lot more detail added to the frame than there was in the magazine before. Not only have fans noticed that the quality of the comics in Jump Magazine aren’t what they used to be seeing from Togashi, but the press as well. We could understand why some minor details might be added to a frame, but somehow this makes us wonder if Shueisha is pressuring him to churn out stories, and then after the issues are published he takes his own time to put more effort into the manga. We may never know what exactly goes on between Shueisha and Togashim but nonetheless, it is nice to see some new work from him on this popular series – who knows when it will go on the back burner again? Fans can check out the images here. In other Togashi News, in this week’s issue of Jump, Hunter X Hunter made its return, and Togashi’s message to the fans in this issue was “Happy New Year. Sorry to keep you fans waiting. My goal for this year is to draw as much as possible”. Fans can only hope to see Togashi’s work for more than ten weeks this year! We expect to see volume #27 published by Viz sometime later this year as #26 has just been released this week!