Malaysian Mangaka Wins Prize From Kodansha!

Japanese manga giant Kodansha recently held it’s second annual Morning International Manga Competition, a manga competition for aspiring mangaka outside of Japan. The winners of the competition get their works published in their Morning and Morning Two magazines. One of the second place winners this year is Katheryn Chong, an 18 year old Malaysian Mangaka who has been drawing manga ever since she was 10 years old. One of the first characters she drew was Sailor Moon, and this inspired her to dream for a career in manga. Kathryn’s Puppet Eyes, a manga about puppets fashioned like real humans who think they might be real, won her $2000 USD. The MIMC judges were “impressed by the talent of a 17-year-old who creates this kind of story.” We read the manga online and were very impressed with it – she is still so young and has so much talent already! We have no doubt, she will have a future in the manga industry! When Kathryn learned of her win, she was so overwhelmed that her family suggested her reaction should have been videotaped and put up on YouTube. Kathryn began Puppet Eyes as soon as she had finished her SPM exams (needed before Pre-University) and it took her a month. She learned a lot about what it takes to make a good manga, such as character development and detail. To Kathryn , we salute you for achieving your dream and we wish you the best of luck for the future!

Is The Internet Changing How We Read?

Coming from the New York Times a few days ago, we read of a story that’s given us something to think about. Teenager Nadia Konyk is addicted to the internet – so much so that she doesn’t read books anymore. She’d rather be reading long stories on the internet. Like quite a few readers that we know, she spends her time catching up on social networking sites, YouTube, and Gaia online. When she was younger, her mother tried to read her the Harry Potter books, but she was more interested in anime like Sailor Moon. The article asks the question that with the advent of the internet, is it a good thing that it is inspiring kids to read and write, or a bad thing because kids aren’t interested in reading books anymore? We think that the internet is changing what people read about but at the same time we’re sad to see that books aren’t being read that often anymore. The internet has really opened up some doors in allowing us to bring you, the fans, content you probably wouldn’t find elsewhere very much. The debate this article gives is worth a read for anyone looking for more information.

Letter Wins State Competition!

前略 – 草々武内直子:

寒い日が続いておりますが、いかがお過ごしですか。どこにいるの? 2008年に再びあなたに会うことを願っています。

敬具,
月追

Of course, we would like to write more to Naoko Takeuchi. In the United States, there is a competition known as “Letters About Literature”, where readers write a personal letter to an author, living or dead, from any genre. The readers then go on to explain how that author’s work changed their way of thinking about the world or themselves. One state winner, Ashley Crossman, wrote a very moving letter to Naoko Takeuchi. We think it would be great if in the case of those authors who are still living, if the Library of Congress would pay for these letters to be sent to them. Ashley, you now join the list of Moon Chase’s Special People for your letter and your unwavering spirit inspired by Chibi-Usa!

Sailor Moon in the Top 10?

We came across this very interesting article today. Two weeks ago, the Sailor Moon S and the SS movies scored at #9 and #10 in anime DVD sales in Malaysia. These titles have been out of print for a very long time anywhere outside of Japan, and we are wondering why those two titles are so popular, and why now of all times. If any of our Malaysian readers has an answer, we would love to hear it!

Hey Moonies! Here comes the first of a few updates this week as we get back to our regular schedule! I saw the new trailer for Speed Racer yesterday and I wasn’t impressed. Sure the graphics were great and all but the plot just didn’t seem as fun as the original, and seemed a little darker than the original. Which is what has inspired our latest poll over there –>! Please vote, we’re kind of curious what the fans would go for if Sailor Moon was given the same treatment. Without further ado…

New Book Looks At Truth Behind Myth!

Bill Brioux (a former staff writer for TV Guide Canada), published a book late last year that looks at some of the myths behind popular television shows. Truth and Rumors: The Reality Behind TV’s Most Famous Myths looks at a few myths including: was Pamela Anderson really cast before Teri Hatcher in Desperate Housewives ? Was Jerry Mathers of Leave It To Beaver killed in Vietnam? Did Sailor Moon cause convulsions in kids? We’ve never heard that rumor before. We know that Sailor Moon and Sailor Saturn were notorious for fainting or seizures, but we never actually heard about the show affecting viewers! Though we do remember a lot of ruckus about a Pokemon episode that gave children in Japan seizures with its strobing screens, and that particular episode when dubbed was toned down a bit. Nonetheless, we are trying to track down a copy of this book and once we do we’ll let you know if the myth was real or not!

Malaysian Students Go On Exchange to Japan!

When we read this, we wondered why none of our schools had any cool exchanges like this! Some high school students were honored enough to be picked as Malaysian Ambassadors to Japan for a two week exchange! This was made possible by the Japan-East Asia Network of Exchange for Students and Youths (JENESYS), a program of the Antarabudaya Malaysia (AFS). This exchange was fully sponsored by the Japanese Government to promote mutual understanding and trust among youths. A student, Lee Theng Ying recounted his experiences. They got to visit lots of cool places such as Naritasan Temple, the Yumenoshima Tropical Plant Dome, the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (Miraikan), and even visiting Hiroshima on a Pokemon-themed airplane! The even got to go behind closed doors to watch Sumo Wrestlers practice! Probably the biggest highlight was reading that they got to visit Toei Animation and got to meet one of the writers of Sailor Moon! Lee didn’t mention just who it was, but we’re still working to find out who he met! If any fans have any idea who he could be referring to (the writer also worked on One Piece and Dragonball Z) don’t hesitate to let us know! From what we have read, it looks like this experience was one to remember and we wonder if the Japanese Government would be interested to expand this program to North America.

New Zealand Actress Loves Sailor Moon Style!

Ride With the Devil was a New Zealand drama which aired last fall. It is about two guys who meet up and become friends because they share one thing in common – underground racing. However, one race goes horribly wrong and it is up to the two guys to keep their sport going without the cops coming after them. The show had lots of Asian stars, and among them was Caleigh Cheung (image: – who is now finding herself in lots of different clothes! To celebrate Chinese New Year in New Zealand, she wore a custom-tailored cheongsam. The New Zealand Herald interviewed her about clothing and beauty, and she made a very surprising admission! She loves to play dress-up with costumes, and especially wants a Sailor Moon-style school Uniform from Japan. It’s nice to see model-actresses that still have a soft spot for their favorite anime characters!

Disney Enters Partnership With Toei Animation

In recent years, considering the rise of Japanese Animation, Disney‘s animation has fallen short, and fans are not as interested in their movies as they were before. Disney has in particular had problems trying to gain popularity in the Asian markets. Over a week ago, Disney announced that they were partnering with Toei Animation to try to have a more successful presence in Asian markets. What we do know about this partnership is that it will combine the use of computer graphics along with graphics of local talent (in Japan). There are three TV shows in production, but what they are is still a secret locked up like Fort Knox! Disney is also working with Jinni Animation Co. and their first venture together is a 3-D animated series called Fireball about robots in the Future. We have read conflicting reports about when this is going to start, it may start in April or May of this year. Disney will also be working with Madhouse Ltd.– famous for the upcoming Batman: Gotham Knight, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Digi Charat, Paprika, and Nana among others. Their first venture will be a cartoon based on Lilo and Stitch, where Lilo is replaced by a Japanese girl named Hanako.

We have mixed feelings about this partnership, but what worries us slightly is the potential that if things go well with Toei and Disney, perhaps Disney might gain control of Sailor Moon? We can’t even imagine what they would do to our beloved superhero!

Britney Spears’ New Video is NOT a Parody of Sailor Moon

We don’t like Britney much at Moon Chase. She was irresponsible with her family and her own life, and though it appears she is trying to change her life for the better, some of her behaviours are really unclassy. And her music still sucks just as much as it did when she first came out. Aside from our own opinions, we noticed a glaring error in The Times-Union as Diana Middleton called Britney Spears’ new video for Break the Ice a “cheesy Sailor Moon parody”. We barely see any similarities to Sailor Moon (or maybe we could if we really pushed the envelope). We think it’s more of a rip off of Ghost in the Shell, Metropolis, and Noir. There are probably more anime that the animators drew influence from, but the video is still crap. Britney, please stop trying to be popular.

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