Two nights ago, a new article was posted on Sankei MSN about the event, and it featured a few new details. Of all the articles we have read, this one takes the cake for snappiest intro: “The Sailor Senshi who had the eyes of the world nailed to them in the 1990’s came back!” There were some interesting comments from Rika Fukami (Sailor Venus) saying that “the boys have become herbivores and the girls are becoming stronger and stronger” since Sailor Moon’s reign. Since then, anime featuring girls transforming into superheroes and fighting has become standard. This especially connects with the popular “Fresh Pretty Cure” that is taking Japan by storm as we speak! She is interested in the origins of that series. Aya Hisakawa said that before this role, she had many small parts playing babies and young children. Working on the very last post, with all of the photos compiled together, along with translations of the entries featured on Kotono Mitsuishi’s blog. This will be up soon, I promise!

This is probably going to be one of the final updates from the newsmedia (unless other articles show up). CinemaToday had the same quotes from Kotono Mitsuishi in their article and didn’t have anything new to say (except for a comment that HIMEKA felt like she was ready to die since she felt like she was in heaven seeing all the seiyuu!). But, that story did have a nice photo! In the next few days we’re just going to have a post with all the photos from the event we have been able to find. That way, you fans can see them all in one place! TV Life didn’t have anything new either, except for a quote which I think I forgot to translate in my previous article – Kotono joked that even when they are all fat and old, they would still be happy to have been known for a work that both adults and children can continue to enjoy forever and ever! AV Watch didn’t have anything new either. I am going to save 2Chan for a whole other post, later. Now, onto another interesting blog entry I came across! This blogger also went to the event, and she featured a photo (which we have uploaded here for you today) of two flyers the staff handed out after the event was over, advertising the mobile site and the DVD collection release (featured above). This blogger waited outside the hall after the event, and all of the seiyuu and Naoko walked in front of her! She was so in awe that she didn’t know what to say , and asked Kotono some dumb questions like “will this be broadcast on ANIMAX?” She said that she expected that it would be! We haven’t seen or heard anything about any plans to air this on TV, but as soon as we find any footage, we promise we will post a copy! The blogger was so in awe of Naoko’s presence, that all she wrote was that she looked beautiful in purple and that the Great Master had passed.

We’ve been noticing a few blogs have been slightly altering the pictures that we have posted and putting their own watermarks on them – it is a blog’s choice to do so, however please remember that these photos came from news articles which we linked to and referenced in our posts. It isn’t fair to claim them as your own! Also, it’s okay to reference us when posting about this event, but please also give the Japanese sites and blogs credits – they are where this all originally came from!

The first news outlet to break any news of the reunion was AnimeAnime.jp, and the second and third were Famitsu and MyCom. We’re going to fuse this with a blog entry of a fan that we found! This fan was so excited the night before that she didn’t know what to wear and thought about going early to buy as much Sailor Moon merchandise as she could from other stores around UDX! We probably would have done the same thing too! The fan noted that the first few rows were reserved for the media, and that to enter you had to have proof of either an e-mail saying that you had won the lottery, or a special postcard. Chiaki Kyan began the event pretending to be Sailor Moon, and acted out her infamous “Moon Healing Escalation!” attack! She seemed very excited to be performing as Sailor Moon – though looking at the closeup pictures posted on Famitsu, we have to wonder why she didn’t have a better wig or at the very least, red boots! Chiaki also revealed that during the commercials she would turn around just like Sailor Moon! The fan loved her cosplay, to say the least! Then HIMEKA came to perform two songs – Moonlight Densetsu, and announced her new single Hatenaki Michi from the anime Tegami Bachi. After HIMEKA finished performing, she told the audience that she learned Japanese after watching Sailor Moon, and it was a favorite among her and her friends back in Canada. She remembered learning her katakana cards with Sailor Moon!

Then, the Seiyuu came out one by one as each of them said their transformations – Moon, Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, and Venus Crystal Power – Make Up! The quotes being reported are much the same as before – but there’s a few more that I can add! Michie Tomizawa said that 1800 people applied for this event’s lottery and that she looked forward to seeing the fans after a very long time. Hold on a moment – 1800 applicants? This event should have been opened up to at least 500! Emi Shinohara was a little nervous she was going to walk into the wrong dressing room and also to meet everyone again, but as soon as she walked in it was like she went back in time and by the time she was on stage, she was too worn out already from laughing with the other stars! Rika Fukami added that while they were all excited to see each other, they were just as excited to see the fans. They began to speak about their favorite episodes. Kotono had two favorites – the episode where Neflite died (episode 24), and another episode where Sailor Moon wanted to save Hotaru but could not transform (episode 125 – thank you fans!). The former changed her perspective on her character, and the latter actually made her cry when she recorded the episode! Rika Fukami joked that she felt like she had graduated when she finally played Sailor Venus, since before that she played a youma! Emi Shinohara joined in saying that she played two villains before Rika did (Cyrene and Jumeau)! These sites are reporting that it was Rika Fukami who noted she felt like her castmates were classmates. Michie Tomizawa shared more about her confusion about what was starting, and that she was worried that this party might have been happening at someone’s house, joking that Aya Hisakawa wouldn’t have been able to clean it, and that no one should serve the caviar until she had arrived!

Rika remembered how their musical group Peach Hips had to sign 3000 posters and it was Aya who kept pointing out to her where she should sign because she kept signing her posters in different places! They also spoke of how Sailor Moon had aired all over the world, even in countries that have hosted the Olympic Games. Rika told a story of how Naoko Takeuchi used to joke of world domination, however she seemingly achieved it with this one cartoon. We still believe she should have been a part of this event. It was wonderful to read of what happened, but unfortunately we can’t help but feel like there is a hole that could only have been filled by Naoko.

Tomorrow, we’ll post the end of what happened at this event along with the top 5 episodes voted by fans that were screened at the show!

EDIT: Continued from last night, and two more articles have popped up, one from AV Life, and another from TV Life. It doesn’t appear that fans were allowed to take photos inside this event. The first few rows were occupied by media (and judging by how much media was there, we’re surprised that there’s only a few articles). Back to what happened at the event…

Michie Tomizawa revealed that the actors would often get together at her house for private Christmas parties not to discuss work at all and to chill out! Sometimes they did speak about Sailor Moon though, despite their best efforts. It was after this, that the results of a poll from ANIMAX were revealed to the audience. The 5 favorite episodes, chosen by the fans were:

5. Episode 25 (“Jupiter, the Brawny Girl in Love”)
4. Episode 1 (“Crybaby Usagi’s Magnificent Transformation”)
3. Episodes 34 & 35 (“The Sparkling Silver Crystal! The Moon Princess Appears” and “Memories Return! Usagi and Mamoru’s Past”)
2. Episode 24 (“Naru’s Cry! Nephrite Dies for Love”)
1. Episodes 45 & 46 (The very end of the first season, “The Sailor Warriors Die! The Tragic Final Battle” and “Usagi’s Everlasting Wish! A New Reincarnation”)

Then the five actresses shared their sentiments on the series and answered some questions from the fans. Kotono Mitsuishi said that the show was a treasure in her life. Aya Hisakawa said that this was the first children’s anime that she had ever done and she was so happy that these characters were so well-loved. Michie Tomizawa said that she was proud of this show and listed it first on her resume because it had such a leading presence! Emi Shinohara also agreed with Kotono’s sentiments that this was a treasure, and noted that everyone behind the scenes worked very hard to make this work the best that it could be. She was happy to have worked on such a show, and she loved being able to fight and destroy enemies in so many different places! Rika Fukami said that it was this show that helped her to learn the true meaning of friendship. Kotono ended the talk saying that she does not feel old watching the show, and it is a show that both adults and children can enjoy. Sailor Moon, she said, will be loved forever and ever. And with that, the event ended. We could not agree with you more Kotono. Tomorrow, I will look at the other two articles and see if they say anything different.

And, as predicted, Naoko Takeuchi was absent. We have seen so many images of the actresses together, looking very happy to be speaking of their time on Sailor Moon, and this is more or less the same sentiment felt by the North American VAs as well. We wonder, if one day, Naoko will ever be happy about Sailor Moon again, just like the seiyuu.

Hi guys! Busy morning ahead of me so there will be a full post later (and hopefully over the next few days when more news outlets pick this up). Animeanime.jp has posted a press release covering the reunion! And, the 5 actresses and HIMEKA were not the only guests there – the master of ceremonies was gravure idol Chiaki Kyan who cosplayed as Sailor Moon for the event (really? Shoko Nakagawa wasn’t available?). HIMEKA sang the theme song, Moonlight Densetsu (Moonlight Legend) and opened the show. Then the 5 actresses appeared! HIMEKA was the only person not dressed in colors that were matched to the characters! Kotono looked at the other actresses as her classmates from that time so long ago, and when they got together, it was like nothing had changed. You could not even tell that they were once some of the world’s most beloved superheroes! HIMEKA was in awe of their presence and admired them. Fans may recall that she first fell in love with Sailor Moon at the age of 15, growing up in Canada! Kotono said that she was happy to be Sailor Moon again after a long time, and Emi and Rika both felt they had gone back in time for a moment. Aya couldn’t believe that they were all on the stage together after more than 10 years! The actresses spoke about how this reunion was a complete surprise to them, that they didn’t know anything about it until very close to this event. Michie Tomizawa had nothing booked, and she suddenly had a “Christmas Party” to go to and she didn’t know what to expect months ago! They each introduced favorite and memorable episodes, and spoke about their roles. At the end, Kotono finished with a beautiful quote that I really hope someone uploads some video of soon – “Usagi-chan is a girl who wants to run away from everything even if she is a klutz and becomes a crybaby during her fights. However, she fights for the people she loves and for the friend until the very end.” Well said, Kotono.

There’s a whole other blog entry I have to translate, but I will hit that later today! For now though, here are your much awaited pictures, courtesy of AnimeAnime.jp!

EDIT: This release was first posted at ANIMAX!

Kotono Mitsuishi (Sailor Moon) has been getting a lot of press lately with the recent resurgence of Sailor Moon in Japan. Her latest movie Rebirth of Buddha, is proving to be a huge hit as it debuted at the #2 spot! But this begs the question: What are the others up to now? We’re going to briefly answer that question!

☽ Aya Hisakawa (Sailor Mercury) played the character of Shizuku in the first four episodes of Aoi Bungaku. This horror series retells 6 famous stories of Japanese literature, and the story that she played this character was based on Osamu Dazai’s No Longer Human. These four episodes were just released on DVD, and are also going to be reworked into a longer movie set to open in Japanese theaters on December 12th! Set to open in Japanese theaters on January 23rd, is Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha The MOVIE 1st, the first movie based on the hugely popular Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha franchise. Aya will reprise her role as Lindy Harlaown, the commander and motherly figure, in the movie. She is pictured here at a recent promotional event second from the right in the back row! Upon learning of rumors that the series might be made into a movie, she said “When I heard a rumor that it was going to be made into a film, I did not know if I was going to be chosen! When I got the script I was surprised to read it!” Aya also felt that she has to play many kinds of women all rolled into one with her character.

☽ Michie Tomizawa (Sailor Mars) is still in retirement but occasionally comes to speak at events and perform one-off roles in anime.

☽ Emi Shinohara (Sailor Jupiter) has not been in too much recently, but continues to play the role of Katsura and Yukiji Hinagiku’s stepmother in Hayate the Combat Butler (one of our staff favourites).

☽ Rika Fukami (Sailor Venus) has been involved in voiceovers for many variety shows and TV networks, and most recently dubbed the voice of Jennifer Aniston in Japanese in the movie Marley and Me. She has also reprised her role as Myung Fang Lone in the new Macross Plus Ultimate Frontier video game for the PSP.

☽ Keiko Han (Luna) was deeply missed by fans during this year’s Animazement! It is unfortunate that Swine Flu continues to affect us months later, but hopefully she will return next year (and we will get the chance to interview her). She has a voice role as a narrator on the space opera anime Tytania which began late last year and finished at the end of March. The show has been released on DVD and Blu-Ray in Japan. She continues to be a special guest instructor of drama at Tokyo Media Academy, as well as keeping up with her astrology hobbies!

☽ Yasuhiro Takato (Artemis) has had a variety of roles in the last few years playing Gluttony in Full Metal Alchemist, Bamboo in NANA, and is now playing Geld in Dragon Ball Kai and numerous characters in One Piece.

☽ Toru Furuya (Tuxedo Mask) is still our beloved ToFu-san and is just as active as ever! He just appeared at one of the last celebrations for Gundam’s 30th anniversary! “Soul-G”, or otherwise known as “Gundam 30th Anniversary Commemoration Music Live”, was a music festival dedicated to the warriors from the anime. He read some excerpts from Gundam light novels.The event also featured readings from other stars, and performances of many of the Gundam theme songs. However, it doesn’t look like Two-Mix was there to sing Just Communication. There was a special “unit” there to sing the song: singers Akira Asakura, Kawazoe Tomohisa, and Hitoshi Aya Ushima. He also continues to show his geek side, and appeared at an event launching Windows 7. He is still maintaining his own homepage – but we think he needs to get with the times and make use of some new web technologies. His page looks like it’s from the nineties!

☽ Kae Araki (Chibi-Usa) hasn’t been up to anything this year, unfortunately. Even her fans are wondering where she is – and her birthday is coming up pretty quick!

We have to wonder why Keiko, Yasuhiro, Toru, and Kae are not being included in the 20th anniversary celebrations. Sailor Moon is not Sailor Moon without the cats, Chibi-Usa or Tuxedo Mask! Next Week, we will take a quick look at the Outer Senshi and Starlights!