Yes, a very warm welcome to a new star seed, Chieko Ochi’s daughter! Chieko Ochi (nee Kawabe) was both the fifth Sailor Mercury in the musicals and Osaka Naru in PGSM!

Her name hasn’t been shared quite yet, but we do know that she was born at 10:02AM on May 21st and she weighed 2842 grams (6lb 4oz). This is the first baby for both of the happy couple.

According to her husband Masato, the labor was very short and he was full of praise for the doctor for ensuring a safe delivery! He says that his wife is always quick witted and was so even during birth. They were full of love and warmth when she finally arrived. Chieko says that she had no words, only tears of joy for her new daughter’s arrival. Both mother and daughter are doing quite well.

About a month ago, Chieko found an afghan with a chihuahua motif, an animal she has a fondness for, and was looking forward to putting it to good use (as she notes you can see in the picture). Her goal is to create a happy home environment and we wish her the best of luck!

We managed to find the particular afghan for sale here, and the company also makes several other similar items. (Just search for ‘チワワ’ here.)

We’ve been so busy behind the scenes, but out wonderful fan Kari tipped us off! Thanks Kari!

Chieco Kawabe Ochi Announces Pregnancy

Chieco Kawabe Ochi, who has portrayed Sailor Mercury in the Sera Myu musical events as well as Naru Osaka in Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, has announced on her blog that she is pregnant with her first child. You can view the entry at http://ameblo.jp/ochichieko/entry-10413490558.html. This child will also be the second for Masato Ochi, a renowned TV producer who Chieco married in 2008. Before posting the news on her blog, Chieco broke the news to her husband by making a child’s lunch box for him consisting of Shirataki sliced beef, vegatables, tofu, rice and a soft boiled egg (which you can view on her cooking blog at http://oixi.jpochichieko/archive/141). During her blog entry, Chieco states that while she has been packing her husband’s lunches for quite some time, the thought of packing her child’s lunch “swells her imagination”. Prior to the official announcement on her blog, some of Chieco’s friends have noticed that she was pregnant – fashion designer Ayano Fukuoji (seen in this picture) recently commented to Chieco about her growing stomach.

The child is expected to be born sometime in the spring of 2010. Chieco has previously stated on her blog that her marriage to Masato Ochi has led to newfound happiness in her life, and that she is now looking forward to having a new person in her family.

Last August, Chieko Kawabe married producer Masato Ochi. Last Saturday, the two held a wedding reception for close friends and family. On Chieko’s blog, she posted pictures and a few entries on preparations for the party, including some nail design inspired by the popular fashion brand Fendi! Unfortunately, there was a bit of a scuffle. The couple had hired a photographer to take pictures, and he was trying to take a picture of Sakura Uehara with the couple. Her husband, Noriaki Endo (a fashion producer) was in the way, and the photographer (who might not have known who he was) asked him to get out of the way. Endo got offended and punched the photographer in the stomach, and he was knocked to the ground. The papers are all reporting that Endo has since been arrested, and that the photographer has suffered minor abdominal injuries. We’ve posted this picture from her blog, and we have posted a picture from her blog of the party – they make such a happy couple! It’s too bad that such an incident happened on a joyous occasion :(. Noriaki has since apologized on his blog (twice – 1 & 2) and regrets what has happened. He wishes the photographer a speedy recovery. Sakura also posted an apology on her blog, wished the photographer a speedy recovery, and apologized to Chieko, Masato, and the staff at Fendi. Chieko didn’t mention the incident on her blog, but has devoted several entries on her official blog with pictures from the wedding. Any posts from April 4th onwards are good to look at!

And to the readers: she has changed her name to Chieko Ochi, however we are not going to change the tag on this website. We’ll refer to her as Ochi in articles, but leave the Kawabe tag just for convenience.

This was completely unexpected news to us! One of the hits on our radar just a few hours ago came from a tabloid article that briefly mentioned about the reunion all the PGSM stars had recently at Ayaka’s 23rd birthday party. It didn’t mention anything that we had already told you in our post, but at the end there was a kicker. The tabloid tried to jab the bunch to make it look like they left out Chieco Kawabe (Naru Osaka) who recently married TV producer Masato Ochi. We immediately read that saying “Are you kidding?” and quickly researched what we could. It’s true! Chieco married a TV producer who is 21 years older than her (twice her age as some tabloids report). We have a feeling they met in 2005 when Chieco appeared on the after school variety show Gakkou e Ikou! (Groovy Times After School!) which he was producing for the channel TBS. We are really busy behind the scenes, but fans can check out in more detail the announcements each of them made on their blogs (hers and his). They were married on 08/08/08 because it was a very lucky date for them, and they stand by each other despite their age difference (which means nothing to them). Both said that they think so much alike that they are almost like twins, and that they hope to be a creative couple and work together on many things. Chieco also said that he is the only one for her (awwh!). Her entry is also partially written in very good English for you all to understand! Congratulations to Chieco and Masato and we wish you the best of luck in this new phase of your lives!

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.