Only 7 actors from the beloved musicals are moving and shaking in Japan, so here comes your first of two updates!

First, we’ll start with the heroes!

Anza Ooyama Continues to Rock!

Anza Ooyama (Sailor Moon from 1993-1998) continued to rock all through Japan with her band HEAD PHONES PRESIDENT this summer. On their recent “Fuse the Soul” tour across the country, one of their featured openers came from this side of the pond! That band was Canada’s Domenica, another metal band fronted by a female singer (Bekki). The band commended HPP on their facebook page, telling their fans to check out the band and that “they are definitely a live show to be reckoned with.” On the last day of this tour (September 12th), Anza wore a gold bustier with a brown skirt that was a little hard to see in the dark, and she addressed the audience a lot.The writer of this article also noted that Anza has definitely improved on her emotional expression skills and provokes the audience to feel a whole range of different emotions during her concerts. At the end of the show, she wanted a photo of her band with the audience, and even invited Domenica to join them on stage as well! On September 19th, they also played at another event called “Abstinence’s Door”, which was organized by another Japanese metal band called D’erlanger. The band released a statement to the press saying that they were deeply and greatly moved to be joining such a renowned rock band on stage, and that they had hoped to connect with other bands that are pulling the rock scene in Japan with all of their sounds to have a great time! HPP also just released their latest album Pobl Lliw on September 3rd, and fans can listen to tracks from the album via the band’s official MySpace.

Manna in New Horror Film!

Many fans probably remember Kasumi Suzuki as the cute Manna from Tanjou! Ankoku no Princess Black Lady. Well, she has grown up! She is now starring in a horror movie called Kai-Ki: Tales of Terror From Tokyo. The movie’s world premiere was in Los Angeles last July, and has since been going around the indie circuit. The horror movie is the last of 3 movies based on the TV show of the same name, all telling different horror stories. This movie in particular has two stories in it, “Possessed” and “Nozomi”, both starring Japanese idol Erina Mano (but our Kasumi stars right alongside her). “Possessed” is a story about a hiccuping epidemic among college students turning them into enraged, murderous, monsters. “Nozomi” is about a young girl that is haunted by a ghost that may hold the key to a dark family secret. All of the press surrounding this movie is surrounding Erina’s debut, but we’re pretty sure that this is Kasumi’s first time starring in a Japanese movie that is making it big across the globe. While we couldn’t find any comments from her in the press, we were able to find a photo of her from the Japanese premiere in Shibuya on September 4th! She is in the front row on the left… see how Manna has grown?

Kimi no Todoke Premiere Makes Waves in Japan (and Moves Sailor Star Healer to Tears)!

The highly anticipated Kimi no Todoke (From Me to You) live-action movie finally premiered in Japan last week. Mikako Tabe (Yaten Kou/Sailor Star Healer from 2003-2004) plays the leading role of Sawako in this film alongside Haruma Miura who plays Shota (the guy she falls in love with). The press has been featuring stories about this movie for the last few weeks, and both have said that they were really proud of their work and this film, and hoped that the public would also be able to enjoy it. Mikako was also worried that she wouldn’t be able to play the role, since after she saw the anime she wondered if any human could actually play these roles. At a test screening last week, both of them were asked what types of people they would like to fall in love with, and Mikako said she prefers guys that who have an abundance of knowledge, where Haruma said that he likes girls who are just like Sawako – black hair, with the motto to do one good deed every day. This screening was done for teenagers, and set in a classroom much like the one used in the movie, and everyone loved it! At the end of the screening, Mikako was moved to tears by the movie feeling touched by the music, and by the support so many had for her character. Mikako and Haruma were moved to tears again at the movie’s premiere on September 25th at the TOHO Cinemas in Roppongi Hills! Mikako’s eyes were red and swollen as she told the audience “I appreciate it all” in gratitude for the audience’s support. We wish this movie continued success in Japan (and abroad too, since these movies are sometimes licensed for distribution here)! The movie’s theme song “Reaching You” is performed by Japanese rockband Flumpool, and the single was just released a few days ago in Japan.

Tae Kimura Helps Out Some Very Special Causes (While Still Finding Time to Play a Rock Star)!

Tae Kimura (Fisheye) is still receiving a lot of buzz surrounding her movie from last summer, Tokyo Island (we covered this earlier here). And, she is also appearing at some events for some very special causes. On October 1st the famous manicure hotspot Nail Art Collection in Omotesando Hills, opened up a special auction as part of its pink ribbon campaign for breast cancer. Tae’s nails are one of many celebrity nail works by the manicurist with all proceeds going towards breast cancer research. From November 26th-December 3rd, there will be a special Disability Film Festival which will feature her as a guest. Many Ghibli movies will be a part of this festival including Whisper of the Heart and The Cat Returns. Audience members will also be encouraged to express sound effects that are displayed in the subtitles!

Tae is also starring in a new drama special on WOWOW in Japan called Nazekimi. The first part aired on September 25th. Tae also has an upcoming movie next year where she plays an oddball divorcee who forms a rockband with 3 other moms at her kids’ school! The movie is called Utahime☆ and the band will play “Smoke on the Water” at a school festival. Everyone had a lot of fun learning how to rock for this movie – and it looks like it will be a hit next summer!

Part Two features all men who have played the same role! It will be posted later this week. Who do you think is the character and which actors are we going to tell you about? Make your guesses below!

More Connections to Sera Myu in Minky Momo Musical!

Two actors involved with Sera Myu have just been confirmed to be a part of the 30th anniversary Minky Momo musical! Yoshiya Yukimura (many characters from 2000-2004) and Takayo Ooyama (Sailor Neptune 2004-2005) will be starring as Mocha the Monkey (middle) and Pipil the Bird (right) in the musical. The two of them starred in only one musical together, and we wonder if they spent any time reminiscing about Sera Myu in rehearsals. Along with Sindbook the dog, the three of these animals serve as Minky Momo’s companions. And to remind you, the show is produced by Toshiyuki Takezawa, who produced the Sera Myu musicals and also worked as a producer on PGSM. Yoshiya and Takayo were revealed at a special performance and talk show that took place at the Tokyo Anime Fair on March 28th. They were not there, but images were shown. The other big piece of news about this series at the TAF? There’s a new anime series in the works! Perhaps this is something we can look forward to from Sailor Moon in another ten years?

A New Movie for Mikako Tabe!

Way back in January, it was announced that popular manga title Kimi ni Todoke was going to get a live action movie adaptation. KnT is a shojo romance about a girl named Sawako who unfortunately earns the nickname Sadako because of her resemblance to the character of the same name from the popular movie, The Ring. Everyone at school thinks that Sawako can also speak to the dead and see ghosts. Sawako feels so alone, until she meets the very popular Kazehaya, and the two of them fall in love. Mikako Tabe (Yaten Kou/Sailor Star Healer) will be playing the role of Sawako, alongside the very popular Haruma Miura as Kazehaya. The film is set to open on September 25th in Japan.

Fumina Hara Appears with Salaryman!

On April 8th, NHK began to rebroadcast season 5 of the popular Japanese sketch comedy show, Salaryman Neo. Fumina Hara (Sailor Moon from 1998-1999) appears on the show, and also appeared at a promotional event at the NHK Broadcast Center on March 30th. Here she is posing with the rest of the cast – don’t you hear her saying “I am the business-suited pretty soldier of love and justice, formerly known as Sailor Moon!” At the event, NHK revealed that there is going to be an addition to this rebroadcast – each episode will have a new short story. It makes mention of a skit where Aki Nakada dresses up like a member of the Takarazuka Revue, and played her role very convincingly.

Tae Kimura Gets Fashionable and Controls Men in New Movie (and has a new book too)!

Tae Kimura (Fisheye) has a leading role in the upcoming movie Tokyo-Jima (Toyko Island). She plays Kiyoko, a 43-year-old housewife that suddenly finds herself in an icky situation when she is the only woman of 24 people stranded on an uninhabited island. Her character is tough, and she uses her charms as well as her body to control the men of the island. Even with all of the accolades that Tae has received in the last few years, this must be a challenging role for her to play! In the movie, she cooks for everyone and even caught a sea snake. She told everyone at a recent promotional event that she didn’t worry, because she likes snakes! Tae thinks that the women in the audience will sympathize but isn’t sure what the men in the audience will think. She hopes that everyone will wonder just what they are at the end of the movie. This movie also has a nice bit of a Haute Couture edge to it – French Luxury brand Hermes is the brand of choice for many of the cast members, and is featured prominently. Kiyoko wraps herself in a Hermes scarf during the movie. Japanese women who want the same scarf can purchase it in Hermes stores in Japan for the “affordable” price of ¥48300 (just shy of $520 USD). Fans can check out the R-rated Trailer at the official site (don’t watch it if you are under 18).

Tae also just released a new book of essays about her life as an actress, a daughter, a wife, a mother, and other personas. Entitled Kakato (Translation: Heel), these essays highlight many of her ups and downs in life from her career to her family. She isn’t much of a computer user, but really used it a lot to put this book together, staying up all night in hotel rooms just to get her thoughts written out. But, that isn’t to say that she didn’t write anything in longhand – in fact just to get the right meanings for the words, for some of her essays she wrote them out first. Despite her hardships, she knows that acting is her dream job and she is happy to be an actress, even though she is known as a very emotional and dramatic actress in Japan. As far as the title goes, there’s a very interesting reason why she chose it. It is a symbol of a part of the body that is often neglected to people, so she thinks. We kind of understand it since she feels that she has to show a lot of herself to the public and is always on her feet, never really having the time to lie down and reflect on life. This book is available from Kodansha and costs ¥1350 (or $14 USD).

Yuu Shirota to Dub Voice of Popular Dorama!

IRIS aired from last October to December in South Korea (information in English here), and was a huge hit. So much so, that TBS decided to purchase the dorama for broadcast. IRIS is about best friends Hyun Joon Kim and Seung Hee Choi, who are brought in to work for the NSS, an intelligence organization. The two of them fall in love, but things take a wicked turn when Hyun is sent to Hungary for a solo mission, and he learns that Vick, an assassin from a top secret spy organization known as IRIS, is looking for him. As this mysterious and unpredictable series progresses, Hyun Joon learns what IRIS is. This show has shot episodes all over the world, including the United States, China, Japan, and Russia! Yuu Shirota (Tuxedo Kamen from 2003-2004), will be dubbing the voice of Hyun Joon Kim in Japanese. IRIS will start on TBS on April 21st, and run for approximately 6 months. This show has been renewed for a second season in South Korea, however the actor that plays Hyun Joon Kim (Lee Byung Hun) is unable to return to his role.

Yuu was also featured in another article about singer Jin Akanishi, who just announced that he will be playing two concerts in LA this June. Everyone knows that Jin and Yuu are best friends, but did you know that Yuu considers Jin to be like an older brother to him? The rest of the article goes into other friends of Jin and how they have been caught partying by the tabloids.

Kousei Amano Starts Nightclub Tour!

Hot on the heels of the success of Tough Times at Club Indigo, Kousei Amano (Tuxedo Mask in 1999) is joining some cast members in a special night club tour of 22 Japanese cities to promote the show. They are going to also serve as the club hosts! The first of these party dates happened on March 31st at the Shinjuku Kabukicho Host Club called Club Acqua. By the way, if you are trying to spot him in the photo, he is second from the right in the gray suit. The boys of the Indigo Club sure looked sharp that night, as they partied with clubgoers and poured champagne. Kousei was quoted, saying that he only hopes that he can work hard to please everyone at these 22 cities, and that he understands how hard these hosts have to work to please everyone at the club. Here’s one last picture for all you fangirls to see these “dream hosts”.

Maki Aizawa Represents the Typical Resident of Niigata Prefecture in Japanese Variety Show!

Himitsu no Kenmin Show (Translation: Secrets of the Character of Prefectural Residents
). This show aims to find out what makes the residents of each prefecture in Japan different from one another by looking at these local customs and attitudes in depth. On April 22nd, Maki Aizawa (Loof Merrow in 2004), appeared on the show representing Niigata prefecture. We couldn’t find any more about Maki’s involvement in the show, but did learn a little bit about the episode’s features. There is a new way to enjoy Soba in Toshigi, every February 1st, the people of Aomori look forward to a day of bargain sales, and in Sapporo, the 1972 Olympics inspired a large part of their population to take up the Bobsled! To learn even more about the show and the products seen, visit the other official site of the show here.

And for our Anza Ooyama (Sailor Moon from 1993-1998) fans, she is currently touring in Brazil with her band Head Phones President. Head to SOSMP BR for more, including a video of her band performing a moving, acoustic version of their hit song “Chain”!

Not too much to report now, but we thought we’d still report these since these actors were all featured in huge roles during Sera Myu!

Kenji Urai is a Prince!

Fresh off his win at the 44th Kinokuniya Theater Awards, Kenji Urai (Tuxedo Mask from 2001-2002) will be making an appearance in a stage musical, and he wil get to play a prince! Bara to Samurai: Goemon Rock Overdrive (Rose to Samurai: Goemon Rock Overdrive) began on March 18th in Tokyo, and will travel through to Osaka in April and May. The play takes place in the 17th century, about two pirates named Goemon and Ann. Lured by a reward, another pirate tries to kidnap Goemon, but captures Ann instead. Everyone finds out later that Annu is the long-lost daughter of the recently deceased King, and is set to rule over his kingdom. At her first party, Annu meets a prince named Charles from another country who falls in love with her, but Goemon isn’t ready to give her up easily. Kenji is playing Prince Charles, and has received some rave reviews from fans already over his performance! At a promotional event held earlier this month, the two leading cast members playing Ann and Goemon (Yuki Amami and Arata Furata) were excited for the chance to cosplay as pirates on stage!

Tae Kimura Presents at 33rd Japanese Academy Awards After Winning Year!

2009 was a great year for Tae Kimura (Fisheye in Sailor Moon SuperS musicals). She won two awards for her role in the critically acclaimed film All Around Us (including a Japanese Academy Award), and became well known around Japan. A few weeks ago, she appeared to present an award at the Japanese Academy Awards, and was also nominated for a Best Supporting Actress award for her role in the Japanese film Zero Focus. This movie was about a mysterious disappearance of a woman’s husband. We have a photo of her at the awards featured here (in the brown dress). Unfortunately, she didn’t win, but we are still proud of everything she has achieved! Zero Focus will be released to DVD and BD this June. Fans can check out more information about the film in English here.

Maki Aizawa Goes Shopping and Has a Beauty Blog

Maki Aizawa (Loof Merrow in 2004) went for a little shopping trip with her friend, Yuko Ogura (another idol) before they had to go to work. This for some strange reason was covered by the tabloids (*sigh*). They went to one of the most trendiest stores in Tokyo called ISBIT DAIKANYAMA which is very popular among idols for the eclectic selection of clothing it carries. They tried on a few items and took some photos of themselves without makeup and went on their merry way (which included posts on both Yuko and Maki’s blogs). Maki is the girl on the right side of the photo we have posted here. Maki also started a beauty blog a few months ago which is slowly gaining some steam with her fans. She reviews beauty products that she uses.

Tabe Mikako in New Lipstick Commercial!

Tabe Mikako (Yaten Kou/Sailor Star Healer) is currently being featured in a new lipstick commercial in Japan for Orbis Rouge Crystal. This lipstick has special shine enhancers in it to make your lips sparkle. Orbis has two commercials for this product, the first one features Tabe putting the lipstick on and talking about how it makes her lips sparkle. The second one, features Japanese pianist Alice Sara Ott playing a Chopin waltz off of her brand new album. Both aim to show that this lipstick will make you sparkle and shine at just the right moment! Fans can check out videos of both commercials here!

Anza Oyama a Matter of Weeks Away From South America!

Anza Oyama (Sailor Moon from 1993-1998) is the lead singer of Japanese metal band Head Phones President, and they are heading out for the first time to South America a month from now! They will be playing four shows in Brazil, and 3 of them are at anime conventions: the concert on April 24th will happen at Anime Hero!, then they will head off to Anime Osasco the next day, and then to Porto Allegre’s J-Party Ballads on the 30th. On May 2nd, they will finish their tour playing in Rio de Janeiro. We know our friends at SOS Brazil are very excited about this and we can’t wait to hear what they have to report! The band sings in English, and their style of music is definitely a departure from the cutesy songs fans know Anza best for singing in Sera Myu. Fans who want to give their music a listen can check out their MySpace! We wish Head Phones President the best of luck on their tour and we hope to see them perform in other places as well.

Last night, we discovered the blogs of many stars who worked with Miyuki Kanbe, and we’re going to share with you some of the highlights from what we read of their entries about her. Almost all of them remembered her cheerful spirit, her cute voice, and her charming personality. It’s almost like all the Sera Myu actors, whether they worked together or not, formed a kind of kindred with each other. A few stars who didn’t get the chance to work onstage with her, met her at many Sera Myu events. We also uncovered an old 2005 interview with Miyuki, which we are working hard to translate. It’s quite long, and it’s being worked on a little bit each day. At the earliest, it will probably be posted late next week.

There are a lot of pictures in this post, so we decided to slice it for the homepage. Read the rest of it after the jump!

Nao Takagi (Sailor Uranus #2 in Sera Myu) wrote that she thought it was a lie when she heard the news. To her, Miyuki had a beautiful and powerful smile, and the two were beru close. Nao thought of her as the younger sister she never had. Miyuki often called Nao “Nao-chan”, and one of these recordings will become her new ringtone. She finishes with “I pray her soul may rest in peace now, with a smile in heaven. I love you so much Miyuki, the princess who I will never forget. Thank you for all the love you gave me.”

Hikari Ono played many roles in her 477 show run with Sera Myu. She was Sailor Star Maker, Hawk’s Eye, Neo Hawk’s Eye, Loof Merrow, Prince Dimande and Bloody Dracul Vampir. In an entry simply titled Regret, she writes of her grandmother who promised to take her to the hot springs. Unfortunately, she died when Hikari was only 17, without ever fulfilling that promise. It was then that she learned the true meaning of the word “regret”. She finds it hard when she loses someone, to think of all the things that they could not do. It is hard to move forward without regretting the past. It would be better if in some shape or form after death if life could go back and do these things. She ends with telling everyone not to regret all the things that they could not do. Many fans think that she is referring to Miyuki in this entry.

Anza Oyama was the first actress to play Sailor Moon in Sera Myu. Now a nu metal singer, she writes on her blog, that she is very sad and truly heart broken. Miyuki had a lot of courage and hope and she put smiles on everyone’s faces! The two of them talked together about their role as Sailor Moon and they had the same realizations of the character and their experiences. She prays cute Miyuki-chan finds happiness in the next world.

Marina Kuroki was the fourth and last person to play Sailor Moon in the musicals. She wrote that she didn’t have very much contact with Miyuki during the transition from the third to the fourth sailor team, but that she had many memories of the times all the Sera Myu actors would come together. Miyuki was cute, gave her a lot of advice, and talked to her once in a while. Even she could not believe the reality of the news. From her heart she prays that her heart finds happiness in the next world.

Shibue Jyoji is best known to Sailor Moon fans as playing Tuxedo Kamen in PGSM, but he also worked with Miyuki on Kamen Rider Hibiki. He played Iori Izumi (Kamen Rider Ibuki). He posted that parting is really painful, and that there is no forgetting her cute voice once you heard it the first time. It is very painful for him to know he will never hear her voice again. He remembers how she used to say he was one of her best friends, and how it delighted him enormously. He was also in disbelief when he heard the news, and wishes he could have met with her one last time. He thanked her for everything and bid her a solemn farewell.

Nana Akiyama also worked with her on Kamen Rider Hibiki, playing Akira Amami. She wrote two entries. The first one says, “I heard the sad news two days ago from some people. I have lived for 18 years, and this is the most sad news of all. I still can’t believe it. She was a good person and I wished to meet her once again. That wish will no longer be fulfilled. Still, I want to keep wishing. Just one more time, she could come out from somewhere so we could meet. I’ll write more later, right now I want to leave my feelings here.” The second one, written four days later, says “Feelings that want to be conveyed do not become words. It was not possible for me to update easily. But it was also not possible for me to settle down after today. When I think of her, my feelings surely come. But now they can become something real (NOTE: this is the best translation, these three sentences were hard). I loved everything that Miss Kanbe did, and none of my love changes for her. I think that she is watching me somewhere, and I will not say goodbye. I look foreward to the day I can meet Miss Kanbe again. You were in this world. I will not forget for a long time.” Then she addressed a couple people who sent her email, “To (usernames). Thank you for your warm and gentle reassurance. We are together with the same feelings, and you have given me the green light to cry. Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you. From all the pain last week, it is not possible to remember every day that we spent together, but now I think I’ll be okay not to forget her. Tomorrow, I will update the blog. It was closed while there was so much going on, news of the tragedy a little at a time. I look forward to pleasing you. Now, it will be nice to see you tomorrow. Goodnight.

Emi Kuriyama played Sailor Jupiter from 1999-2000 in the musicals, and worked with Miyuki. She is very hurt and saddened by this news. In her entry Still now…, she couldn’t accept this news and has an empty hole in her heart. She attended the funeral, and can still to this day remember Miyuki calling to her “Kururin” in her cute and childish voice, in her healthy body. She is sad she can’t see her again, and rejected her death. She can’t come out with the words for her feelings, for the situation. But she feels that those left behind must live their lives with more strength. She got so much power, love, and kindness from Miyuki’s words , and she loved her very much. She wants to laugh hard again like fools until her stomach hurts with her again. She ends thanking Miyuki. In later entries, she expresses that she is still hurt but is doing a lot better.

Ayumi Murata played Sailor Venus in the musicals from 2001-2002. On her blog, she wrote that she was saddened and surprised to hear of the news of her co-star’s death. She sent her condolences, and prayed for her sincerely.

Chieco Kawabe played Sailor Mercury in the musicals from 2000-2002. She also played Naru Osaka in PGSM. She was also shocked by the sudden news, and was very sad. She sent her deepest condolences to those who were mourning her death. She is also praying for her.

Akiko Kosaka composed many of the Sera Myu musicals. She remembered Miyuki’s audition, how she seemed like she had stepped right out of the cartoon. Miyuki to her was sugary, lovelym and super-energetic. She was very shocked at this sudden news, and thought that Miyuki’s health had not been good for the last two years, leaving her in a lot of pain. She was certainly someone Akiko wished she had gotten to know more. She is sincerely praying for her third Sailor Moon.

Tomoko Inami played Mistress 9 and Sailor Neptune in the musicals. Though she never worked with Miyuki, she met her at many events. She sends her condolences and sincerely prays for her. Miyuki’s death in her youth of only 24 years was a true tragedy.

Fumina Hara was the third actress to play Sailor Moon in the musicals. Though she was followed by Miyuki, there were times that they got together for events. Miyuki used to call her “Fumina-chaaaaan” with a big, tense grin on her face, and lots of energy. Her death was very unfortunate, because she was very adorable, cute, and was a fantastic girl. She prays her soul will rest in peace.

Yesterday, a review of Head Phones President’s concert at the Pacific Media Expo was posted to Asia Pacific Arts. Head Phones President is described as a band that is experimental/rock, but after hearing some of their music we’d almost compare them to Evanescence. They’ve got that dark, emotional, rock aspect to their music.

We’d never imagined someone who grew up in the idol industry completely go in a different direction from what they started with. Anza Oyama, the lead singer of the group, is best known for appearing in 13 Sera Myu (Sailor Moon Musicals) playing Sailor Moon. Later she appeared in Japanese productions of Les Miserables, Miss Saigon, When Harry Met Sally, Mr. Holland’s Opus, and Three Sisters. In 2000, Head Phones Presidents was formed, and since then they have released a few maxi-singles, mini-albums, two albums and a DVD. Anza last year released a single, Kanata e which was used as the second ending for the anime, Glass Feet.

The reviewer described the show as intense, with each of the band members in their own zone for the whole concert. They were really able to project their feelings of pain and trauma towards the audience – so much so that the band collapsed to the floor at the end because it was emotionally and physically exhausting. But backstage, they were really friendly and ordinary compared to the personas they have on the stage! The article goes on to mention how the songs are written from personal experience, Anza had a rough time during her teenage years and kept a diary, which influences a lot of her music. Anza is half South-African, and would always get teased and harassed at school.

For more information on Head Phones President, go visit their official site or MySpace page!