Since my last post about Theodore Jefferson’s upcoming book about Sailor Moon, I was able to reach him via email to get a few more details. We’re also planning an interview after his campaign closes, so any questions you still have about The Incredible Untold Story of Sailor Moon can be sent in and we will include them in our interview!

For those of you wondering how this will differ from Roland Parliament’s Sailor Moon Reflections, here’s what Theodore has to say about the focus of his upcoming book:

My thesis is that were it not for Sailor Moon, the entertainment market of the last 25 years would have been very different. I plan to interview many of the people involved in the show’s production, including Andy Heyward and Naoko Takeuchi (if possible). My book highlights DIC’s enormous risk in bringing Sailor Moon to the U.S. and how it paid off.

I want to trace the timeline of the show from the early 90s and the Golden Age through the early 2000s (silver age) up to the present day. My book is the story of how Sailor Moon influenced animation, games and comics, and what the show meant to American culture and how American fans influenced the Japanese version.

In short, Theodore’s book will focus more on Sailor Moon‘s influence on modern pop-culture and the entertainment industry, whereas Roland’s books focuses on how the voice cast and dubbing staff brought life to the characters as well as how the English dub was produced. There are definitely aspects in both books that will appeal to fans, so we recommend checking them out to see if they are of interest to you.

Theodore also sent me the link for his original Reddit thread, where he has added a draft of the first chapter.

And here is an audio clip of an excerpt of that prologue:

The Reddit thread also includes an extended chapter list:

• C’est La Vie is Japanese for Superhero
• Five is a Magic Number: Nakayoshi, TV Asahi and The Golden Age
• The Fuse is Lit: Nine Hundred Million Reasons To Read Backwards
• Never Running from a Real Fight: The Deal
• Grain Futures Don’t Sell Action Figures: Syndication
• Save Our Sailors: The Internet Wars
• Clash of the Titans: Carl Icahn Defeats the Negaverse
• The Lewis and Clark of Anime: How a Card Game Vanquished Denmark
• This One Goes Out To All The Ladies: Toonami and The Silver Age
• The Wait is Over: Sailor Moon Saves the World
• Along Came a Spider: What a Difference Forty Years Makes
• Honors and Privileges: Italian Sports Cars and a Plush Toy Cat
• That’s Teamwork: My Little Incredibles
• Avenged: The Senshi Initiative
• Forty Billion Dollar Tiara: From Princess to Empress
• The Undiscovered Country: The Queen has Returned
• Bonus Chapters:
  • Naoko Takeuchi: The Rabbit on the Moon
  • Andy Heyward: The World of DIC
  • Al Kahn: Monster Man
  • Brad Bird: Mister Incredible
  • Lauren Faust: The Power of Friendship
  • The Original Japanese Voice Cast in their own words
  • The Original American Voice Cast in their own words
  • The Original American Musicians in their own words
  • The Live Action Television Cast in their own words

And here’s a list of some of the key people Theodore would like to interview:

• Naoko Takeuchi – Creator of Sailor Moon
• Andy Heyward – CEO of DIC Entertainment
• Haim Saban – CEO of Saban Entertainment, bid for the Sailor Moon license in the mid-90s
• Sawai Miyuu – Actress who portrayed Sailor Moon in the live action series
• Mitsuishi Kotono – Voice Actress for Usagi Tsukino in both anime series
• Ryan Gagerman – Licensing Executive at DIC Entertainment
• Keiko Kitagawa – Actress who portrayed Sailor Mars in the live action series
• Paolo Casarini – Head of Backstage Licensing, Italian licensee for the original anime series
• Kenji Ebato – U.S. Executive at Toei Animation
• Al Kahn – CEO of 4Kids Entertainment (now 4Licensing Corporation), licensee of the Pokemon franchise
• George Irwin – owner of Irwin Toy
• Mark C. Mackinnon – founder of Guardians of Order (which had a successful Sailor Moon RPG game)

Canadian fans may also be interested to hear that there will be inclusion of some details about the history of the original syndication deal with YTV.

If you are interested in contributing to the crowdfunding campaign, you can do so at Theodore’s official fundraising campaign page.When there are 100 funders (only one more to reach that goal!), everyone gets a bonus perk and if $4000 is raised, there will be an audiobook version. The campaign is currently sitting at $3596. You can contribute as little as $5 to get your name included in the book as a thank you for your contribution.

We recently received this press release about a new Sailor Moon book in the making entitled The Incredible Untold Story of Sailor Moon:

For Immediate Release, November 6th, 2014

http://moon.sablewolf.net

The Incredible Untold Story of Sailor Moon will be the definitive history of the world-famous television series and manga in the United States.

The book is being written by author Theodore Jefferson, a professional journalist and former marketing consultant for DIC Entertainment.  A crowdfunding campaign for e-book and print versions reached its goal in 12 days.  It is now well on its way to funding an audiobook version.

Mr. Jefferson will bring together numerous sources, including interviews with animation industry colleagues, national correspondents, key entertainment executives and bestselling authors to paint a picture of Sailor Moon that will astonish even long-time fans of the show.

Everyone who reads The Incredible Untold Story of Sailor Moon, including Sailor Moon’s creators, will learn things about the characters they never knew before.

Sailor Moon changed the world.  This book will explain how and why.

Fans may also be interested in watching Theodore Jefferson’s promotional video about his take on the behind-the-scenes aspects of Sailor Moon‘s success:

The Indigogo crowdfunding page for the book includes some additional details:

• Author Theodore Jefferson is a former marketing consultant for DiC Entertainment and will be writing the book with editor Larissa Kayne
• The book will include interviews with various people who worked to bring Sailor Moon to English speaking audiences
• Contributors to the crowdfunding effort can get their name in the book and will be able to suggest a question for interviewees
• The crowdfunding campaign has reached the goal for a printed edition, but is still open and climbing toward the goal for an audiobook edition

Here is the proposed list of chapters for the book (this is expanding on the @sailrmoonuntold Twitter feed as more donations come in):

• C’est La Vie is Japanese for Superhero
• Five is a Magic Number: Nakayoshi, TV Asahi and The Golden Age
• The Fuse is Lit: Nine Hundred Million Reasons To Read Backwards
• Never Running from a Real Fight: The Deal
• Grain Futures Don’t Sell Action Figures: Syndication
• Save Our Sailors: The Internet Wars
• Clash of the Titans: Carl Icahn Defeats the Negaverse
• The Lewis and Clark of Anime: How a Card Game Vanquished Denmark
• This One Goes Out To All The Ladies: Toonami and The Silver Age
• The Wait is Over: Sailor Moon Saves the World
• Along Came a Spider: What a Difference Forty Years Makes
• Honors and Privileges: Italian Sports Cars and a Plush Toy Cat
• That’s Teamwork: My Little Incredibles
• Avenged: The Senshi Initiative
• Forty Billion Dollar Tiara: From Princess to Empress
• The Undiscovered Country: The Queen has Returned
• Andy Heyward: The World of DIC
• Al Kahn: Monster Man
• Brad Bird: Mister Incredible

And here is an excerpt from the book:

You can also follow updates about this book via editor Larissa Kayne’s Twitter account and the @sailrmoonuntold Twitter feed.

Fans interested in this book, which will be more industry focused (and primarily US centric based on the descriptions), may also be interested in Roland Parliament’s recently published Sailor Moon Reflections which is more focused on the acting, directing, and recording aspects of the first 65 dubbed episodes of Sailor Moon. Links for purchasing Roland’s book on Amazon are in the sidebar to the right.

We will be keeping an eye on this one and let you know more details as they come in about how this book can give you a more in-depth view of Sailor Moon‘s beginnings in the US and Canada.

In case you missed it in our sidebar, there is now an option to pre-order a hardcopy (soft cover or hard cover) of the Sailor Moon Reflections book by Roland Parliament using Paypal.

To get your autographed hardcopy of this behind-the-scenes look at recording the original Sailor Moon, you have two options:

• Mail in Pre-order form
• Paypal order page

When pre-ordering, please indicate whether you want softcover ($20) or hardcover ($30), and indicate your desired personalization/salutation. For Paypal orders, you will need to fill in the correct amount and your personalization desired. The shipping cost is extra and covers mailing it to you after it is autographed.

If you pre-order by mail, please send a $10 cheque or money order made out to Roland Parliament as your deposit.

E-books will be $4.99 and do not require pre-ordering.

*prices are subject to change, but Roland has asked us to list these prices for now*

As mentioned previously, the book is just about ready to go to print. Now is a great time to submit your pre-orders so you can be guaranteed to get a copy that Roland has autographed for you.

Happy reading!

Hello, Sailor Moon fans! We have received some excerpts for the Sailor Moon Reflections book from Roland Parliament that he would like us to share with you all, as a teaser for what you will get in the book.

The foreword of the book, by Terri Hawkes (Sailor Moon #2):

If you are a current or aspiring voice actor, writer, director, agent or producer, there is wisdom in the following pages. If you are interested in the history of Canada’s performing arts, consider this work an essential chapter. If you are a lover of anime, regard this treatise as a ‘must read’ — an important piece to the puzzle called ‘the gateway to anime’. If you are simply a fan of Sailor Moon, prepare yourself for an incredibly rare and delicious treat.

In this book, voice director, actor and teacher Roland Parliament has created a unique archive that touches on and contributes to the craft and
business of voice acting, Canada’s rich performing arts community and the legend of ‘Sailor Moon’ — in particular, the English dubbing of the iconic anime series.

I had the good fortune to provide one of the English voices of the anime character — Sailor Moon herself — in the series of that name. During that time I had the great pleasure of working with Roland Parliament, who taught me a great deal about directing and collaborating. My professional experience with Roland was stellar. The bonus was that he made work so much fun. It is a privilege to introduce him here.

As someone who has dedicated more than three decades working as a voice actor, director and teacher, Roland Parliament is well positioned to opine on the craft and business of voice acting and directing. Here he touches on his experience from both professional and academic viewpoints. He very practically merges two worlds that others might see as quite separate: theory and practice. In this book, Roland shares his vision in examining the importance of study (theory) and the practicalities of the business, which employs those who have honed their craft as voice actors (practice).

I know that Roland is very grateful to the Sailor Moon fan base.

This book is his gift to you.

Thus, I wish you all a delightful journey through the coming chapters — whether you’re reading for professional reasons, academic interests or for pure love of the Sailor Scouts and friends. I salute Roland Parliament in following through on this initiative. He has imbued these pages with facts, personal perspectives, varied voices and a combined wealth of experiences that provide a valuable contribution to the history of anime and the Canadian performing arts. Plus, this is an incredibly fun read!

Soldier on, Sailor Scouts. Keep fighting the negaverse, and remember:
“Moon, reading, power!!!!”

— Terri Hawkes (a.k.a. ‘Sailor Moon’)

Here are some quotes from the book that Roland asked us to share with you (bold text from Roland)…

This is the lead into the chapter “How I got started.” I wish this to be an inspiration to aspiring voice actors who may not know what is required:

“He who works with his hands is a laborer. He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman. He who works with his hands and his head and his heart is an artist.” — St. Francis of Assisi

This is a universal message to all who may feel that because of their colour, race, origins or other abilities may not qualify for this work. I want to dispel this notion and encourage us all to accept one another:

“The world is a vast stage on which many opinions and viewpoints should be exposed, for our global community to witness and experience. This not only expands our collective knowledge, but also gives us opportunity to understand our differences and commonalities, which can only serve to make a better world for all of us. We all share this one planet, and the more we can all work together for the betterment of all, the richer all of our lives will be.”

And here’s the cover!

The book is very close to being published, but it cannot go to print without more pre-orders. If you’ve been waiting to order – now is a great time for you to send in your pre-order. You just need to send a $10 deposit to Roland with a completed pre-order form. Don’t forget to indicate whether you want a soft cover or hardcover book!

We also encourage you to share this post and/or the pre-order form with anyone you think would like to order a copy of the book! We think it will be a great read and can’t wait to see it in print.

As we discovered at Unplugged Expo 2, Roland Parliament has been writing a book covering a behind the scenes look of the English language version of Sailor Moon. Roland has finished writing the book, entitled Sailor Moon Reflections, it has been edited, and it is currently with his publisher. According to Roland, a proof of the book “will be available near or at the end of the month. Then any revisions will be made, and hopefully it will soon be forwarded to the print queue .”

More Details About Sailor Moon Reflections:

• Approximately 21 chapters (there may be some editing)
• Includes quotes from the five major “Sailor Scouts”
• Includes 38 photos taken during the recordings
• will be available in hardcover, soft cover, and e-reader editions
• Will be sold at Amazon and other outlets (it will be available worldwide)
• Roland also plans to make an audiobook version for the visually impaired
• Retail price is yet to be determined

Fans can pre-order the book by filling in an order form and sending a $10 cheque (as a deposit) made payable to Roland Parliament. Pre-ordering guarantees you will be among the first to receive the book when it is published.

The ISBN numbers are:

• Hard Cover: 978-1-4602-4163-9
• Soft Cover: 978-1-4602-4164-6
• E-book: 978-1-4602-4165-3

The book is still in production, so it may take some time for it to be available in stores.

Roland was quite happy to hear that fans are interested in his book and had this message for you:

I can’t tell you how much I, and the other Sailor Moon voice actors appreciate your loyalty, dedication and love. We are nothing without you. We owe you for our success.

He also said that he hopes the book will do well and may lead to “other books that will explain even further the route to success in the voice industry.”

If you would like to pre-order Sailor Moon Reflections, here is the Pre-Order Form. You will need to send the form and your deposit to the mailing address on the form to complete your pre-order.

If you have any other questions about the upcoming book, please let us know and we will definitely work on getting the answers for you.

Update: new file for the pre-order form. I designed a PDF version with Roland’s permission. You can type in the fields and save before your print it to mail.