Great news Pretty Cure fans! Toei Animation Inc. has signed a deal with Turner Entertainment Networks Asia, Inc. to bring the English dub of the first season of the show (49 episodes) to Cartoon Network in Australia and New Zealand! We’re excited that our fans down under can finally watch the dub of this show which was very well done (and we hope that you will see it too). This show was dubbed in Canada and was a joint effort between Toei Animation and Ocean Production. The show features a bunch of voices that you have probably never heard before and we think you’ll agree that the cast choices were just right for this show! There was also not a lot that was cut out of this series’ dub as far as content goes. Our readers who support Sailor Moon should also support this dub as much as they can. Showing the networks as well as the companies involved that this show is popular will go miles in convincing anyone to pick up a female superhero show. Congratulations for Toei Animation Inc. on finally having the chance to share Pretty Cure in English in a new territory (see fans, we told you a while ago that not all hope was lost for this series).

And remember, if fans want to see Pretty Cure on TV in the US, you can find contact information for Toei Animation in our forums (you have to be registered)! Send in those letters and convince them to bring us Pretty Cure (and Sailor Moon, of course! :P).

In the last few days, a few news stories have popped up – some highs, some lows, and another set of DVDs?!

Flashpoint DVD Boxset to Hit Oz!

Soon after we post a story reminding our readers in Britain the show is going to be released on DVD within weeks, we learn of an Australian release! A boxset will be released in Australia two days after the boxset is released in Britain (April 16th). We’re actually surprised to read this since we have read elsewhere that the ratings for the show in Australia haven’t been phenomenal (perhaps due to some fault on the Nine Network’s end for lack of promotion, airing of episodes out of order, and sporadic scheduling). The ratings in New Zealand are better, and we are hoping to hear soon that they will pick up the second season. We even found what we think is a fan-made bumper sticker for the show in NZ! This release has a different cover than the British one, and features the slogan used on Alchemy TV’s Sales Flyer. We like the British cover better – it’s a lot more elusive with it’s blue shadows. The boxset is a little more pricier than the British version, and it looks like this one is going to have episodes only over 4 discs without any extras. If any of our Australian or New Zealander readers manage to get a copy of this, we’d love to hear what you think of the release!

CBS Cuts Funding

The economic crisis is hitting everything and anything, and we’re getting a little tired. We on staff really hope this is fixed up soon. Canadian TV Broadcaster CBC dealt the Canadian and US TV industry a major blow last week when they announced major layoffs, reduced episodes of hit series, and the cancellation of their broadcasts of reruns of The Simpsons, as well as Martha Stewart’s talk show. CTV, Flashpoint’s parent broadcaster in Canada, has not announced any major national cuts, but has announced cuts for regional stations. CBS on the other hand, has asked all shows being renewed (unsure if Flashpoint is one of them as of this writing) to reduce their budgets for next year, and this may mean smaller writing staffs. Flashpoint has quite a writing staff, and from what we have read before, their work is always collaborative. We believe each writer on that show brings something unique to the table, and the show won’t be the same without them. It’s rumored that the show costs anywhere between 1.6-2 million dollars an episode to make, and since this is a co-production, we don’t know how the balance of the funds work on the show, and how funding would be affected from CBS’s end. This news is a little unsettling, and we can only hope that those in power around the world can come up with a solution to this crisis.

Other News Shots:

☽ Flashpoint along with other cop procedurals such as CSI and Law & Order has kept CBS at the top of the ratings for Primetime Drama. Two new shows are going to make an attempt to steal CBS’ thunder, The Unusuals on ABC in the US and Global in Canada, and Southland on NBC in the US and CTV in Canada (not that CTV really needs to worry since it is host to Flashpoint).

☽ Hugh Dillon’s official website has a lot of cool promotional videos posted in the media section, as does his other website.

Flashpoint started two weeks ago in Brazil on that country’s equivalent of the WB – and we are in love with the official site that they have created for the show! We think it’s even better than the ones CTV and CBS created! The show airs on Thursdays at 10 PM, in ER’s old timeslot. Some Brazilians have commented that they are angry with the channel’s decision to move ER to Fridays and they will not watch this show?! Please give this show a chance, you will not be disappointed! From the trailer on the site, it looks like it will be airing in English with Spanish subtitles. We encourage our readers from around the world to send us an email if the show is airing in their country – we would love to hear about it !

New Zealand to Get “Lost Episodes”!

And this here is breaking news! We have learned that the 10th episode of Flashpoint, Eagle Two, is going to air tomorrow on TVNZ. Out of respect for the Canadian and American broadcasters, we will not post a summary of this episode until it airs in North America. By all means though, if any of our New Zealand fans happen to catch the episode and would like to post in our comments how the episode was , we are sure our fans would love to hear about it! For those of you who want to check out the trailer for Eagle Two, click here!

This entry is just for our New Zealand readers – we just learned of a premiere date for Flashpoint on TVNZ’s TV2! Flashpoint will premiere at 8:30 PM on Wednesday September 17th! There is even a teaser trailer with a really cool sparkling purple logo. We’ve been reading some rather lukewarm articles from TV critics there, and some of the things we have read are really unfair to the show. So to our New Zealand Moon Chasers and their friends – please give the show a chance. There is a lot more to the show behind the banter which TV Critic Tom Shales deems is “bouncy and bonhomie”. We’d like to let him know the show worked very hard alongside retired members of the police force this show is based on to get their details right. And there is a lot more substance to “perky” Jules and “Stubble Boy” Braddock. The first episode is not as great compared to the rest that come, but the show will and does get better. It’s unlike most cop shows on TV. And it has done really well on CBS in the US with high ratings and lots of viewers. It’s one of the top rated TV shows here in Canada too. If ever at all you want to read a spoiler for an episode before you watch it, feel free to check out our detailed summaries on each episode – but you’ll get a lot more out of it if you catch the show. By watching the show, you’re also supporting Stephanie Morgenstern, who is a favorite among fans for her performance as the first Sailor Venus. You’ll even get to see the face behind the voice in the first episode as she plays the hostage! So please, give this show a chance. Normally we don’t care for shows like CSI, NCIS, and Law and Order, but we were all pleasantly surprised with this one and we hope you will be too.

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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