Akira Ishida Likes to Watch a Travel Show, and Starring in New Animes!

Akira Ishida (Fisheye) in a recent radio interview spent 20 minutes professing his love for Roque Roque Roque Roque Mitsu, a Travel show in Japan. Most specifically, he loves when they show different parts of Kansai. The show is hosted by cosplay idol Saki Inagaki, and has a very interesting concept behind it. Fans can check out the interview in Japanese here! Akira is in 2 different anime on the air as we speak in Japan. The first is an anime adaptation of Sengoku Basara (which we will tell you more about in a future PGSM article), and he will be playing the major role of Hanbee Takenaka. He will also be playing the leading role of upperclassman Komugi Musashi in the anime adaptation of Hen-Zemi, a manga about an abnormal physiology class.

Sakura Tange Continues RPG Streak!

We told you in the last big update that Sakura Tange (Miharu Akiyama) is a voice in two RPGs. Well, we can add a third to that list! KoiKen is a dating RPG played thorugh Mobage Town, one of Japan’s largest Mobile-only social networks. KoiKen 2 will be released this summer, and the new heroine will be a character named Hotaru Yamabuki, and she will be played by Sakura! Also joining her will be Akira Ishida (Fisheye), who will play Mr. Sekiguchi, a 26 year old physics teacher at Hotaru’s school who has a photography hobby. We couldn’t find too much else about this RPG, but we hope that Sakura will return to anime too. A few screenshots have also just been released for Love Plus, another RPG that Sakura is voicing a character in. She also joins Yuko Minaguchi (Sailor Saturn) as Nene Anegasaki. The game features new enhancements in the stay and evolution systems, and character design. For fans who want to hear what she sounds like in the upcoming Fate Extra RPG for PSP, the official site now has a trailer up where she narrates as her character, Saber! Sakura is also joining Megumi Ogata (Sailor Uranus) in hosting NHK’s Anisong program on the radio. Megumi will host the first half, and Sakura will host the second half.

Megumi Hayashibara Narrating New Emotional Anime

Megumi Hayashibara (Himeko) is serving as the narrator in an anime that is hailed to be just as popular as Death Note is in Japan, in time. Rainbow – Nisha Rokubō no Shichinin (The Seven Boys of Dorm 2, Room 6) is set in the 1950s, and is centered around the recovery of 7 juvenile delinquents and their relationship with their mentor at a reform school. This series was a challenge for everyone to record, including Megumi who seems to have the simplest role of all. The series is based on the manga of the same name by George Abe and Masasumi Kakizaki which was a prize winner at the 51st Shogakukan Manga Awards. The show has been in development since 2006 and finally premiered on April 6th of this year.

In a Distant Time 3 Features Many Sailor Moon Seiyuu (But the New Anime Only Has One)!

The female-friendly RPG In a Distant Time 3 (Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 3) features four Seiyuu well-known to Sailor Moon fans. This RPG is about three friends who meet a strange boy who transports them to a different world. They learn, that they have special powers to seal off an evil force tearing this world apart, and return back to their own. Akira Ishida (Fisheye) plays Ridvan, a sword instructor for two of the kids, and the role of Hakuryu is split among Ryotaro Okiayu (Tiger’s Eye, Yuuji, Achiral, and George) and Ikue Otani (U-Chouten and Sailor Tin Nyanko/Nyanko Suzu) . Ikue plays the child form and Ryotaro plays the adult form. Hakuryu is a being that summoned the children from the other world, and grows into his own during the game. And finally, Maria Kawamura (Eudial) plays Masako Hojo, the wife of a clan member who has alterior motives. The games were released a long time ago, but a new anime adaptation only retains Maria in the new cast (pictured third from left in front row). The anime began in January, and Maria was very vocal about the cast changes, saying that she wished that everyone could be back together again. Back then, they all got along really well and would laugh a lot, and this recording cast doesn’t feel the same to her.

Ys: The Oath in Felghana Fans Get Interviews Included on New Drama CD!

Ys: The Oath in Felghana is a PC RPG where two heroes have to save their hometown from evil. Bin Shimada (Yuichiro Kumada) plays the Bishop Nicholas Garland, the governor of Felghana. He reprised his role in the accompanying drama CD released alongside the latest release for the PSP, which also came with a bonus – cast interviews! Of the drama CD, he says that listening to the CD will make the player really feel like they are in the 3D world of Felghana, and can’t wait for the fans to play the game and hear the drama CD. The game was released for PSP on April 22nd.

Akira Kamiya May Be Out of Latest Detective Conan Film, but Wakana Yamazaki is in it for the Long Haul!

The latest (and 14th) Detective Conan movie, Detective Conan: The Lost Ship in the Sky premiered in Japan on April 7th. This movie marks the first in which Akira Kamiya will not be playing the character Kogoro Mouri (he left the role last Fall), however Wakana Yamazaki (Koan, Child Queen Nehellenia) continues to play the role of his daughter Ran. She jokingly said that she wondered if this was the last movie at the premiere, but there are more on the way as the 15th movie was previewed at the end! Once again, she thought that the movie had the perfect balance of action, suspense, and of course love! She also thanked the fans for braving the cold weather to come to the premiere. In this movie, Conan faces his rival Kid the Phantom Thief, aboard the Bell 3, the largest airship in the world. There’s a little problem though, before Kid can even get on the ship it is hijacked by terrorists, and Conan and his comrades are also on the ship! There were plenty of jokes made connecting this to 24, as the new voice of Kogoro Rikiya Koyama, is also the Japanese dubbing voice of 24‘s Jack Bauer! The movie has been met with resounding success in Japan, but as of this writing it is unknown if the movie will ever make it to the English market.

New Anime Adaptation of Manga Features Sailor Moon Animator!

Lily Hoshino’s manga Otame Yokai Zakuro (Demon Maiden Zakuro), is getting an anime adaptation. This manga is about a different universe where Japanese society includes both humans and demons. There is a special Ministry that deals with conflicts between the two, and it is comprised of human and demon representatives, and one very special representative. Zakuro, is a half-human, half-demon girl, who faces challenges every day when her demonic tendencies collide with her human sensibilities. She is a fox-maiden paired up with a human who has been traumatized by demons! Days ago, the staff for the anime adaptation was announced, and Shinya Hasegawa will be in charge of character design. Shinya was a key animator and an animation director through the R movie, S, SuperS, and the S movie.

Mamoru Hosoda Wins Award!

Mamoru Hosoda has sure come a long way since his days as a key animator on Sailor Stars and the SuperS movie! Summer Wars was a big hit last summer in Japan, and has won a few awards worldwide. One more can be added to that list – and that is a Best Director Award at the 19th Japanese Film Professional Awards! The movie was also #2 on the top ten list of best work. The awards will be handed out on May 15th at a special ceremony at Ikekuburo’s Shin-Bungeiza, and will also feature some screenings and appearances by the award winners. As of this writing, only an English-language license has been announced by Manga Entertainment UK.

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!

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!

Hideo Ishikawa to Appear at Kawaii-Kon!

Honolulu’s Kawaii-Kon made their final announcement of Japanese Guests of Honor this morning, and on this list is seiyuu who has had much bigger roles in other anime, but did play some small ones in Sailor Moon. Hideo Ishikawa will be making his first non-Japanese appearance at this convention, and plays Itachi Uchiha in Naruto, Jushiro Ukitake in Bleach, Auron in Final Fantasy X, X-2, and Kingdom Hearts 2. He had a few one-off roles in Sailor Moon, playing a driver in episode 73 and a man in episode 79 (R-season), a reporter in episode 143 and Tobikiriyarou in episode 155 (SuperS-Season). Yes, these are smaller roles, but in our endless pursuit to bring you everything we possibly can to do with Sailor Moon, this does qualify. More than that, Hideo was also part of a band known as the Entertainment Music Unit (E.M.U.) which included other stars of Sailor Moon, Hikaru Midorikawa, Ryotaro Okaiyu, Daisuke Sakaguchi and Nobutoshi Canna (formerly, his last name was (Hayabashi). Kawaii-Kon takes place from April 16-18 and if any of our readers are planning to attend, we would love to hear from you!

For those of you wondering, here’s who everyone else in that group played:

☽Hikaru has played both Fiore in the Sailor Moon R-movie, and Ail in the first part of the Sailor Moon R season.

☽Ryotaro played Tiger’s Eye in the SuperS Season, Yuuji in episode 2 (first season), Achiral in episode 81 (R-season), and George in episode 108 (S-season).

☽Daisuke played a cat in episode 31 (First season), a boy in episode 105 and a young man in episode 93 (S-season), and Chibi-Usa’s classmate Kyuusuke Sarashina in the SuperS season.

☽Nobutoshi played a guard in episode 20 (first season) and an official in episode 50 (R-season).

Fans can watch a short concert of E.M.U here (Warning, lots of boyband cheeziness)

Naoko Takeuchi and Yoshihiro Togashi Dominate Mania’s list of Top 10 Anime Series that Need a Reboot!

Just a short sighting here, but Mania.com posted a list of Ten Anime Series that Need a Reboot (image credit: 10 Anime Series That Need a Reboot © Mania/Bob Trate ). Both of Yoshihiro Togashi’s anime series, Yu Yu Hakusho and Hunter X Hunter began the list at 10 and 9 respectively. We don’t think an OVA for either of these series would be such a bad idea, since the Hunter X Hunter manga has had some great stories published when Togashi was not on his hiatus, and Yu Yu Hakusho was just released on Blu-Ray. Yu Yu Hakusho also had a new picture drama instead of a full episode included on the first Blu-Ray boxset. Topping the list is none other than Sailor Moon! With all this great reception towards the revival all over the world, why not make a new OVA or a movie? We’re so pleased that Naoko and Yoshihiro’s animes are on this list! While campaigning for a new Sailor Moon production of any kind would probably be futile, we aren’t giving up on bringing what does exist back to North America. And maybe, we’ll have a different campaign coming…