~Sailor Moon Obsession Blog~

Schedule books from Japan!

2013-05-15T11:34:00.002-07:00

Ooo! We have an interesting one this time Moonies!

A few days ago, Jlist tweeted they had gotten a catalog with new anime merch and it included some never-seen-before Sailor Moon schedule books/calendars!! At this point new merch isn't exactly *new* to us because we've been getting new merch for about a year and a half now! Namely all those goodies from GE Animation, the Hot Topic shirts, the mangas (with a confirmed art book on the way too!), and the recently released S.H. Figuarts. It's been a pretty exciting ride for the fandom! Here are a few pics of the merch that is available now for pre-orer on Jlist! and yes, these are 2014 calendars.

Aren't those sparkles soooo Moonesque!? Also, LOVE LOVE LOVE the locket on the vinyl notebook!! However, the rest of the images raise a bunch of questions and throw mixed messages all over the place. What's the hell going on here? First and foremost, the question we're all asking is: Why are they using old artwork!? Granted, we've been getting a bunch of "already seen" images coming from Marco Albiero's illustrations, many based directly off the art books, and many of his own creation. But Marco has his own style and flare. We enjoy his rendering and the colors he uses are so bright and wonderful, but the images seen here are really old and the design is less than attractive. We have been joking around on Twitter that they look like a poorly sourced fan made notebook.

Secondly, Why are they all mixed? Seriously! We have artwork from SM Classic, with the Crystal Brooch from SMR, mixed with images of the Outer Senshi from SMS. IT'S ALL OVER THE PLACE! Why?!?! So weird.

Thirdly, Why is it written in English? Is this destined only to international markets or do they think English just looks cooler on their stationery? I dunno what they're thinking, but I've seen them use better fonts and designs than what we have here. Yes there's some Japanese in there too, but the English is like RIGHT IN OUR FACE OMG Dx

The obi has the 20th anniversary logo, so this is a 20th anniversary release. I just hope they improve on the quality of this merch cause it leaves much to be desired. The colors are poor, the design is lacking and we want NEW ARTWORK! Today, the new merch has also made an appearance on the official site. The Sailor Moon channel posted it and clearly, they're a big deal because they never update the site for this kind of random merch. So yeah! Happy hunting!

Talk Box Mars Launch Event!

2013-05-03T19:31:00.001-07:00

Moonies de habla hispana: El contenido traducido está al final de esta entrada. ;D!

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Hi Moonies!

So, we finally have a bunch of news about Sailor Moon DVDs progressing nicely in other parts of the world. Thailand has recently published volume 2 of their release with gorgeous artwork and unique style. Chile has been steadily releasing their volumes of Sailor Stars (weekly releases with 9 volumes planned) using very colorful covers with tones of blues, purples and pinks! Sooo cute! Also we have recently learned that Germany, France and possibly other countries will be getting their of DVD sets soon. Everywhere we look, Sailor Moon this, Sailor Moon that. Who ever says nothing is happening in the Moonieverse is dead wrong. So much going on everywhere! The only country noticeably missing out on Sailor Moon is the US and other English speaking countries that got the series with the DIC dub.

Source: Sailor Moon FC Thailand

Source: Sailor Moon Chile

Here at the SMObss, I've been closely following in particular the Mexican edition of the DVDs called Talk-Boxes because that's the version I grew up with and the one I'm interested in acquiring. Also, Capital 8/Towers Entertainment have done a wonderful, wonderful job designing these sets, from the mechanism on the DVD box that has a speaker which makes the box "talk", to the gorgeous graphics on the DVD menu, to the recording of the episode intros that were not there before, to the amazing parties and special guests they invite to the launch events. Each new volume in kind of a big deal. Not only do they hand out the DVDs, but also a bunch of other extras, like postcards, posters and even a collectible mug for those who bought it in pre-sale.

Last Saturday, April 27th, the launch event for Talk-Box Mars (the third of the Talk-Boxes and the first half of Sailor Moon R) took place in Mexico City. At first, the plan was to gather the Moonies at a local restaurant in celebration of their Facebook Page reaching 10 000 likes (congrats to them!!), but the launch date of the new boxset was pushed forward to make these two events coincide, so unlike previous occasions, the party did NOT take place at the Capital 8 storefront at the Pabellón Cuauhtémoc mall, this time the decided to move the event to the restaurant as well. This time, the event itself had its own name and marketing. They called it "The Silver Millenium Party" and this is the banner they used to promote the event:

This isn't their first event though. Lately they've been having a series of smaller Moonie events where fans get together and have fun with trivia and karaoke. Marisa de Lille (singer of the Spanish intro and ending) has been interacting with fans and selling copies of her SM inspired music at these events, so we've seen her around a few times (she likes to come out in cosplay! So cute!). This event was initially going to be just another get together as the ones they've been doing up to now, but with the launch of the Talk-Box deadline approaching fast, they decided to just merge the two events together.

I don't know if marketing-wise this was a good or a bad move (I'm unaware of how sales for the Talk-Box Mars went) but I do know that pre-sales for the DVDs were a little bit rushed. My previous experiences with them is that Capital 8 announces the pre-sales a few weeks before hand, then they do the pre-sales for about two or three weeks, and then the actual launch event is scheduled for after another week or two after that. It sounds like a long process, but this gave a reasonable amount of time for word to spread out amongst Moonies and give the ones who live outside the city a chance to drive in or contact someone who could buy it for them.

This time, they only gave a few days notice for the pre-sale, and this one lasted only for like a week and a half. Then, only a few days later the launch event took place. This process was so quick I almost missed out on my order because it was hard to get a hold of someone on such short notice!

It seems to me they weren't fully prepared to make the "10 000 Likes Celebration" into the official Talk-Box release event because –typically– they invite the the voice actor of the character on the cover (who in this case would be Mónica Manjarréz, VA for Sailor Mars) to give a little talk about her experience dubbing the anime and sign posters for attendees, but she wasn't even at the party at all. However, the Sailor Moon fandom is a force to be reckoned with, because in spite of Mónica not being there, a horde of Moonies showed up at the restaurant and filled the place with giddy, excited people. According to sources about 150 or 200 fans were cramped into the small restaurant space. They definitely weren't expecting so many people to show up, but it's always nice to see there is still this much enthusiasm for the series. I personally wasn't in Mexico to describe exactly how the events occurred, but I tweeted back and forth with @mitellezr who is part of the staff and he gave me a general idea of what happened.

The restaurant was a small place close to downtown. The staff and hosts adorned the walls of the place using their own personal posters and wall scrolls in order to set the mood. The first order of business was to hand out the Talk Boxes. It took a about an hour and a half to hand out the pre-sale TBs to those who had bought them before hand. This time around there were only a mere 50 mugs made, so this item was really really limited (and bound to be highly desired by collectors) and two different posters were given out (no postcard this time T.T). Afterwards, when all the DVDs were delivered, Marisa de Lille and Rossy Aguirre (VA for Sailor Mercurty!) arrived. Marisa was briefly interviewed by the fans and then she began doing what she does best: SINGING SAILOR MOON THEMES!

Marisa sung "Melodía Estelar" (SailorStar Song), "Legendaria luz de Luna" (Moonlight Densetsu), "Ilusión de Amor" (Tuxedo Mirage), "Heart Moving" acapella with the fans, "La Política de una Doncella" (Otome no Policy) and "Maravilloso Cristal de Plata" (Maboroshi no Ginsuisho). Pretty amazing themes as you can see :D Whoa! So sad I missed out on this! T.T

Marisa and Rossy received a certificate of attendance for accepting the invitation to the event and a Talk-Box Mars (hey I'm sure they're making they DVD colection too! Teehee!). They held a karaoke contest and a cosplay contest as well. Prizes for the winners included a Talk-Box Moon, posters and cards. Of course the coolest gift they all received was the chance to meet and hang out with other Moonies and the free concert! I'm sure this was an amazing event, and I look forward to Talk-Box Jupiter (presumably out in December of this year), and I really hope I can attend 'cause this one looks like a lot of fun!

Here is some video of the event. I did not take this video, I only found it on YT, so I can't really explain everything that's going on or why the quality is so low, but it's okay for illustrative purposes :D!

And here are some pics of the DVD box, posters and mugs they gave away. That R poster is breathtaking *0*!!

Source: PakoSalazSodi

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Español:

Hola Moonies!

Por fin tenemos un montón de noticias sobre los DVDs de Sailor Moon progresando muy bien en otras partes del mundo. Tailandia ha publicado recientemente el volumen 2 de su box set con que tiene hermosísimo arte en la caratula y su propio diseño en las cajas. Chile también ha estado muy puntual con el lanzamiento de sus volúmes de Sailor Stars ( 9 volúmenes previstos) con portadas muy coloridas con tonos de azules, púrpuras y rosas! SUUUPER CHIC MIL!! También nos hemos enterado recientemente de que Alemania, Francia y posiblemente otros países tendrán su s propias versiones de DVDs pronto. Dondequiera que miremos, Sailor Moon esto, Sailor Moon aquello. ¿Quién dice que no pasa nada con Sailor Moon estos dias? Totalmente equivocado. Estan sucediendo muchísimas cosas en el mundo ahorita. El único país que notablemente se está perdiendo de Sailor Moon en DVD es los EE.UU. y en otros países de habla inglesa que recibieron la serie con el doblaje DIC, aunque no sabemos por que es asi.

Fuente: Sailor Moon FC Thailand

Fuente: Sailor Moon Chile

Aquí en el SMObss, he estado siguiendo de cerca la edición mexicana de los DVDs llamados Talk-Box por que esa es la versión con la que yo crecí y la que estoy interesada en adquirir. Además, Capital 8/Towers Entertainment ha hecho una inigualable labor con estos sets, desde el diseño del mecanismo de la caja de DVD con la bocina que hace que la caja "hable", a los magníficos gráficos en el menú del DVD, la grabación de las intros episodio que no estaban allí antes, hasta las increíbles fiestas e invitados especiales que tienen en los eventos de lanzamiento. Cada nuevo volumen no sólo se reparten los DVDs, sino también un montón de extras, como tarjetas postales, pósters e incluso una taza de colección para aquellos que ordenaron sus DVDs en pre-venta.

El pasado sábado 27 de Abril la presentación del Talk-Box Mars (el tercer TB que es la primera mitad de Sailor Moon R) se llevó a cabo en la Ciudad de México. Al principio, el plan era reunir a los Moonies en un restaurante local en celebración de que el Facebook de Sailor Moon México llegó a los 10 000 likes (Felicidades chicos!!), pero la fecha de lanzamiento del nuevo boxset fue adelantado para que estos dos eventos coincidieran, por lo que a diferencia de ocasiones anteriores, el evento no tuvo lugar en la tienda Capital 8 en el centro comercial Pabellón Cuauhtémoc, en esta ocasión se decidió trasladar el lanzamiento al restaurante también. El evento en sí tuvo su propio nombre y marketing. Lo llamaron "Fiesta del Milenio de Plata" y este es el arte que utilizaron para promocionar el evento:

Pero esta no es la primera fiesta que han organizado. Últimamente ha estado teniendo una serie de eventos Moonies más pequeños donde los fans se reúnen y se divierten con trivia y karaoke. Marisa de Lille (cantante del intro y saildas en español) ha estado asistiendo a estas fiestas e interactuando con los fans, ofreciendo también copias de su CD de SM, por lo que la hemos visto ya un par de veces (a ella le gusta salir en cosplay! Es taaaan linda!). Este evento solo iba a ser uno mas como los que han estado haciendo hasta ahora, pero con la fecha de lanzamiento del Talk-Box Mars acercándose rápidamente, decidieron simplemente fusionar los dos eventos juntos.

No sé si (mercadotécnicamente hablando) fue buena o una mala idea juntar el lanzamiento con la fiesta (no sé como van las ventas) pero sí sé que la pre-venta de los DVDs fue un poco apresurado. Mis experiencia con los TB anteriores es que el Capital 8 anuncia la pre-venta unas semanas antes y luego hacen la pre-venta durante unas dos o tres semanas y después el lanzamiento se planea para dentro de una o dos semanas. Suena como un proceso largo, pero esto le daba oportunidad que la noticia se extendiera entre los Moonies y dar tiempo para los que viven fuera de la ciudad se prepararan para conducir o para ponerse en contacto con alguien que pudiera comprarlo por ellos.

Esta vez, sólo se dio unos cuantos días de aviso para la pre-venta, y éste duró como una semana y media. Tan sólo unos pocos días más tarde, el evento de lanzamiento se llevó a cabo. Este proceso fue tan rápido que casi pierdo la oportunidad de hacer mi pedido porque me fue difícil conseguir a alguien que me ayudara con tan poco tiempo de anticipación!

Me parece que no estaban preparados para que la celebracion de los "10 000 Likes" en el evento de lanzamiento oficial Talk-Box porque por lo general invitan a la actriz del personaje en la portada (que en este caso sería Mónica Manjarréz, voz de Sailor Mars) para dar una plática sobre su experiencia en el doblaje del anime y firmar los pósters de los asistentes, pero ella no estuvo en la fiesta. Sin embargo, los fans de Sailor Moon son como una fuerza de la naturaleza, porque a pesar de Mónica que no fue, una horda de Moonies se presentó en el restaurante y llenaron el lugar con mucha gente muy entusiasmada. Me dicen que unos 150 o 200 aficionados se apretujaron en el pequeño espacio del restaurante. Definitivamente no esperaban a tanta gente, pero siempre es agradable ver que todavía hay tanto entusiasmo por la serie. Yo no pude estar personalmente ahí para poder describir exactamente cómo sucedieron el evento, pero platiqué vía Twitter con @mitellezr que forma parte del staff de Sailor Moon México y me dió una idea general de lo que sucedió.

El restaurante era un pequeño lugar cerca del centro. El personal y los anfitriones adornaron las paredes del lugar con sus propios pósters y mantas para ambientar la fiesta. Lo primero fue para entregar las Talk-Box. Tomó cerca de una hora y media para entregar las cajas que se habían vendido en pre-venta . Esta vez sólamentese mandaron a hacer 50 tazas, osea que ese extra es muy, muy limitado (y será muy deseada por coleccionistas) y regalaron también dos pósteres diferentes (sin postal esta ves T.T). Después que se entregaron todos los DVDs, llegaron Marisa de Lille y Rossy Aguirre (la voz de Sailor Mercury). Marisa fue entrevistada brevemente por los fans y luego empezó a cantar temas Sailor Moon!

Marisa cantó "Melodía Estelar" (Sailorstar Song), "Legendaria Luz de Luna" (Moonlight Densetsu), "Ilusión de Amor" (Tuxedo Mirage), "Heart Moving" acapella con con los fans, "La Política De Una Doncella" (Otome no Policy) y "Maravilloso Cristal de Plata" (Maboroshi no Ginsuisho). Como verán, son canciones bastante icónicas! Lloro por que me perdí de todo esto! T.T

Marisa y Rossy recibieron un reconocimiento por haber aceptado la invitación al evento y unTalk-Box MArs ( Seguro que ellas están armando su propia colección de DVDs, verdad? Hahhaa). Llevaron a cabo un concurso de karaoke y un concurso de cosplay también. Los premios para los ganadores fueron un Talk-Box Moon, pósteres y tarjetas. Por supuesto que el mejor regalo que recibieron todos fue la oportunidad de conocer y reunirse con Moonies y el concierto gratuito! Estoy segura de que fue un evento increíble, y espero ansiosamente el Talk-Box Jupiter (probablemente salga en Diciembre de este año), y realmente espero poder asistir porque estos eventos parecen divertidísimos!

Aquí hay un vídeo del evento.Yo no grabé este video, lo encontré en YT, así que realmente no puedo explicar todo lo que está pasando o por qué la calidad es tan baja, pero sirve para fines ilustrativos.

Y aquí están algunas fotos de la caja de DVD, póster y taza que regalaban. El de Sailor Moon R es impresionante *0*!

Fuete: PakoSalazSodi

Si aun quieres adquirir tu Talk-Box Mars, haz click en AQUI.

Figuarts and where to pre-order them.

2013-04-29T14:11:00.001-07:00

Check out this amazing preview video! SO AMAZING! CANNOT WAIT!

Hey Moonies!

It's been really rough for me these last few days, been sick and work and boring stuff, also trying to get the podcast out on time, but I HAVE been following all the news through Twitter and other venues, so I'm not totally disconnected! And as *ALL* of you might have heard already from aaaaaaall around the internet, there's a lot of excitement in the Moonieverse because we now have official info about the highly anticipated S.H. Figurarts and also a bunch of official pics! Most of you might have seen these already but they're still an eye candy and worthy to re-post. Not only that, but we also have a release date!! This is a huge huge deal because it is the first official figure to come out of Japan for the 20th Anniversary. I mean, they even updated the always neglected Sailor Moon Channel for crying out loud! XD Check out the Channel ad! Doesn't Usagi look ahmazing?

The Figuarts Facebook and other sources have confirmed the figure will be officially for sale in August of 2013, priced around 4410 yen, (roughly about $43 USD) but many Japan toy sites who deal figures in international markets are starting to offer pre-orders as of right now. Here is a list of places that will offer or are currently offering the Sailor Moon S.H. Figuarts. Keep in mind that I personally have never ordered from these sites, so I cannot speak of the reliability of these shops. You'll just have to go with your instinct and check around to see the store's reputation. As far as I know, all of these are honest, but I don't know about shipping times and costs. Good luck Moonies!

Places to pre-order the Sailor Moon S.H. Figurarts:

http://fantasticplastictoys.com
www.manofactionfigures.com
www.toytards.com - Canada!
www.justactionfigures.com
www.anime-island.com
www.gginfinite.com
www.urban-collector.com
www.image-anime.com
www.poweranime.com
www.robot4less.com
www.gundamplanet.com
www.tfaw.com
www.toywiz.com
www.amazon.com
www.toyslogic.com
www.tsinc99.com

More will be added as the appear. Here are a few other pics of the figure that have been popping up in various hobby magazines and other sources. Below also appear pics of Luna who will be included in the set, and also a couple of Usagi's interchangeable face plates, a winky face and a crying face that will only come in the first edition of the figures. So hurry and pre-order yours if you want the little extras! This doll is amazing and I'm sure none of us want to miss out!

Good luck Moonies!

MoOnie Tunes - Episode 18!

2013-04-25T19:32:00.000-07:00

Hi Moonies!!

So.. yeah, the podcast is late. AGAIN! Hahaha, but there hasn't been much info about the new anime anyway so we mostly focus on answering Moonie questions and get into other topics like the censoring on the Dic version. Also, we talked a bit about the fan-funded Sailor Moon artbook that was shut down (presumably) by Kodansha. Was this a legitimate move on their part or was it a low blow to the fandom? Discover our points of view on this subject!

Notably absent: Comments about the new S.H. Figuarts doll. We now have more pictures and a release date for it, but at the time we recorded this, there was still no announcement. I will update the blog on that topic soon, but for now, enjoy the podcast! :D

Moonie Tunes Episode 18!!

A look a the new Talk-boxes!

2013-04-04T07:36:00.000-07:00

OMG!!! TALK-BOX MARS AND TALK-BOX JUPITER!!

ALL OF MY EXCITEMENT! AAAAALL OF IT!!!!!

For now there is no information yet on when it will be available and if there will be an event at their store for the launch of Talk-Box Mars with the voice actress, but I will share the dates as soon as they come out. I'm assuming Jupiter won't come out until the end of 2013 or early 2014, but it's still exciting to see these DVDs for Latin America have been consistent and the designs are amazing! At least the anime is moving forward in SOME places (looking your way, Japan!). More info as it comes out.

Via: Towers Entertainment

UPDATE: We have a video preview! :D! Mars' voice actress Monica Manjarrez is speculatively providing her voice for the "talk action" on the box. Her voice has changed a bit, but you can still hear the Rei Hino in there. YAAAY! :D

Via: Talk-Box Facebook

Sailor Moon animator by episode.

2013-03-27T13:59:00.000-07:00

Know your Sailor Moon animators!! :D!

(click for large version)

Original source unknown.

via @Aokamidu

Sailor Stars in Chile + thoughts.

2013-03-25T14:19:00.002-07:00

Post en español disponible abajo.

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Sailor Moon DVDs coming to Chile!

Yes! Even more fantastical news rolling out from the Moonieverse! Sailor Stars is coming out for sale in Chile!

Now, this may seem strange and a bit and random to English speaking fans who aren't quite familiar with how the Spanish Dub is being published so I'll give a brief explanation:

Sailor Moon in Spanish was dubbed in two countries. Spain has their own, exclusive version in Spanish as well as in Catalan and Galician (other dialects spoken in that country). This version had a few changes in names (using "Bunny" as Usagi's name, "Armando" as Mamoru's, "Guerrero Luna" as Sailor Moon's, etc) and it was pretty much the only country that had that version.

It was also dubbed in Mexico where it was initially acquired from the U.S. (DIC) for season Classic and R, thus giving us the names "Serena" and "Darien" for Usagi and Mamoru, then Seasons S, SuperS and Stars were purchased directly from Toei, giving us the rest of the names in Japanese like Haruka, Michiru and Hotaru. This version was not exclusive for Mexico though, many other countries in Latin America (Peru, Guatemala, Venezuela, Colombia, Chile, Argentina, etc) aired it on TV and is referred simply as the Latin-American dub.

For many years, there was no way to actually buy the LA official version in either VHS or DVDs until a few years ago. The revival of Sailor Moon in Latin American markets began with the announcement of the Talk-Boxes by the companies Towers Entertainment/Capital 8 in Mexico, where –for the first time ever– the series could be acquired legally. This version was also a huge undertaking for the companies; the small episode summaries at the beginning of each episode were never recorded before, so Capital 8 brought in Patricia Acevedo (voice of Usagi) to return to the franchise after almost 20 years to do the voiceover for all 200 of the episode intros. Not only that. The entire design of the boxes was made as a deluxe collector's edition that features amazing quality of images, printing and a bunch of extras (Limited edition mug, postcards, posters) and to encourage fans to buy official merch, the box itself was given a cute extra: At the base of the tin case, there's a button that when pressed, a recording of Usagi introduces herself and thanks fans for buying the box-set. The DVDs themselves have the best possible quality as well. The raw video files come directly from Toei in Japan with the the original audio in Japanese. The audio in Spanish is average to good. At the time these episodes were recorded, the dubbing industry wasn't quite up to standard yet, so there is an audible difference in the quality of audio for the first half of the episodes. Still, it was cleaned and incorporated to the video as closely to the original as possible.

The down side to the Mexican Talk-Boxes is that all these extras with the quality boxes, re-recording of the intros, the button on the box, etc come at a very high price. For fans living in Mexico, the price is around $50 dollars for each half-season box, but prices skyrocket for those living in Central and South America as shipping prices to those countries is two or three times the cost of the product. Another down side is the release of the Talk-Boxes has been very, veeeeery slow. They have released only one volume per year and with about 10 potential box sets, we still have a good 8 years to go before we can have the entire series, which is kind of ridiculous. I will always be a fan and will buy as many as they make, but in reality, not many fans will be that interested in waiting 10 years. Fans are gonna move on to the new anime eventually, right? In ten years the new anime and even the DVDs for it will have come and gone and we will still be waiting on the Talk-Boxes. :/

So why Chile? And why Sailor Stars?

Well Chile, it seems, has a very active and vocal fanbase. They were huge fans of the anime when it came out and they followed the release of the Talk-Boxes as closely as we have in Mexico. They frequently invite the Mexican voice actors to their anime conventions and hold Moonie reunions just to celebrate it! They even had a recent re-airing of the entire series that ran though last year (which is more than we can say about the U.S!). There was great demand for the DVDs but of course they are not very happy to have to pay so much for shipping and navigating the complicated process of acquiring them internationally.

The company Chilean LUN sought out the rights in order to license the series for that country, however, as shown on their website, Towers Entertainment currently holds the rights for all Latin-America up to season SuperS, so they were unable to secure it, however, Towers did not buy the rights to Sailor Stars because they wanted to see how sales panned out, thus Stars remained unlicensed and available for LUN to buy it.

The upside to this new production is that it is way more Moonies will have access to it as the price is (speculatively speaking) much more affordable. Fans in Chile are very very happy to be able to buy it at local magazine stands or bookstores. The artwork on the cover and inside is made by the amazing Marco Albiero, who has been in charge of the restyling of the series' merch. Also, the publication rate is MUCH MORE frecuent than the Mexican Talk-Boxes. Chile will get one DVD a WEEK with 4 episodes each for total of 9 DVDs. No more waiting 8-10 years for those who are anxious to watch the final season. At the moment, we have no info on price or availability for international Moonies. Presumably it's a limited market for only Chile, but hopefully all interested parties can find it online eventually. The downside is that the episode intros have not been dubbed and the boxes are regular plastic cases with no extras included like cute recording, the mugs or the postcards. LUN is mostly known for producing unlicensed anime DVDs, but this is their first attempt at doing something licensed with original artwork and content. It is said that Naoko Takeuchi is very strict about how her series is presented, but she might have given LUN a break in order to make it more affordable for the LA market, but this is purely speculation on my part.

It is my personal opinion that we are going to have some kind of cross-version LA DVD sets here. Sources have confirmed that because of the type of contract they have, Capital 8 will still be able to acquire Sailor Stars in the future if they decide to do so, and if sales continue to go well, we most likely WILL get Talk-Boxes up to Stars. However we still have a loooong way to go before we get them. I also believe that once Capital 8's rights expire, LUN will pick up the first seasons and make more affordable versions. Regardless of how this all pans out, it's great news that Sailor Moon is still hot amongst companies willing to distribute it and many more fans will soon be able to buy the DVDs in one form or another.

SO, YAAAAAAAAYYYY SAILOR MOON DVDs!!!! :D

Source: Sailor Moon Chile Fan Club.

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ESPAÑOL:

DVDs de Sailor Moon llegan a Chile!

WOW!! Aun más noticias fantásticas para los Moonies Latino Americanos! Sailor Stars sale pronto a la venta en Chile!
Esto puede parecer extraño para los que no están muy familiarizados con el proceso que han seguido las publicaciones de los DVDs en Sudamérica, así que daré una breve explicación:

Sailor Moon en español fue doblada en dos países: España tiene su propia versión exclusiva, así como en catalán y gallego. Esta versión tenía algunos cambios en los nombres (utilizando "Bunny" como nombre de Usagi, "Armando", como Mamoru, "Guerrero Luna" como Sailor Moon, etc) y que era prácticamente el único país que tenía esa versión.
Sailor Moon también fue doblado en México, donde fue adquirido inicialmente de los EE.UU. (DIC) para la temporada clásica y R de donde obtuvimos los nombres de "Serena" y "Darien" por Usagi y Mamoru, Las Temporadas S, SuperS y Stars fueron comprados directamente de Toei, de donde vienen el resto de los nombres en japonés como Haruka, Michiru y Hotaru. Sin embargo, esta versión no fue exclusiva para México, en muchos otros países de América Latina (Perú, Guatemala, Venezuela, Colombia, Chile, Argentina, etc) salió al aire en la televisión y se conoce simplemente como el doblaje latinoamericano.

Por mucho tiempo no había manera de comprar la versión oficial en VHS o DVDs hasta hace un par de años. El renacimiento de Sailor Moon en los mercados latinoamericanos comenzaron con el anuncio de los Talk-Boxes por la empresa Towers Entertainment / Capital 8 en México, donde –por primera vez– la serie podría ser adquirida legalmente. Sacar estos DVDs fue una tarea enorme para la empresa: Los pequeños adelantos al principio de cada episodio nunca se graban en español, así que Capital 8 llamó a Patricia Acevedo (voz de Usagi) para volver a la franquicia después de casi 20 años para dar voz a todos los intros de los 200 episodios. No sólo eso. El diseño de las cajas se hizo como una edición de lujo para coleccionistas que ofrece una calidad asombrosa de imágenes, impresión y un montón de extras (taza de edición limitada, tarjetas postales, pósters) y para animar a los fans a comprar mercancía oficial, a la caja se le dio un lindo extra: En la base hay un botón que cuando se pulsa, una grabación de Usagi se introduce y dá las gracias por haber comprado el box-set. Los DVDs tienen la mejor calidad posible. Los archivos de vídeo proceden directamente de Toei en Japón con el audio original en japonés. La calidad del audio en español es promedio. Cuando estos episodios se grabaron inicialmente, la industria del doblaje aun no estaba a la altura que tenemos hoy en dia, por lo que se nota una diferencia en la calidad de audio en la primera mitad de los episodios.

Lo malo de los Talk-Box es que todos estos extras que dan mayor de calidad (la re-grabación de los intros, el botón de la caja, etc) tienen un precio muy alto. Para los aficionados que viven en México, cuesta alrededor de $50 dólares por cada caja con media temporada, pero se disparan los precios para los que viven en América Central y del Sur, por que el envío a esos países es dos o tres veces el costo del producto. Otro inconveniente es que la publicación de cada Talk-Box ha sido muy, muuuuuy lento. Han lanzado un solo volumen por año y con unos 10 volúmenes potenciales, todavía tenemos unos buenos 8 años antes de que podamos tener toda la serie, que es un poco ridículo. Siempre seré un fan y seguro compraré todos los TB que salgan, pero en realidad, no muchos estarán interesados en que esperar 10 años. Los aficionados van a pasar al nuevo anime que sale este año, ¿no es así? Dentro de diez años, el nuevo anime e incluso los DVDs del anime habrán ido y venido y todavía estaremos esperando los Talk-Boxes. :/

Y la pregunta es: ¿Por qué Chile? ¿Y por qué sale a la venta solo la última temporada, Sailor Stars?

Pues al parecer, Chile tiene unas Sailor-fantánicas increíblemente activas! Han sido grandes fans del anime desde que salió en la TV y han seguido todas las noticias de los Talk-Boxes al día. Con frecuencia han invitado a los actores de doblaje mexicanos para sus convenciones de anime y celebran a Sailor Moon con muchas reuniones. Incluso tuvieron una reciente re-transmisión de toda la serie que concluyó el año pasado (lo cual es más de lo que se puede decir de los EE.UU.). Hubo gran demanda por los DVDs, pero con mucha razón, están molestos de tener que pagar tanto por el envío de los paquetes y lo complicado que es el proceso de adquisición a nivel internacional.

Así que la empresa LUN adquirió los derechos de la serie para Chile, sin embargo, como se muestra en su página web, Towers Entertainment actualmente ya posee los derechos para toda Latinoamérica hasta la temporada SuperS, por lo que LUN no pudo comprarlos, sin embargo, Towers no compró los derechos de Sailor Stars porque dependen de las ventas asi que aun estaba disponible para que LUN pudiera comprarlo.

La ventaja de esta nueva producción es que las Moonies sudamericanas tendrán más acceso a los DVDs ya que el precio es (especulativamente hablando) mucho más asequible. Las fans en Chile son muy, muy felices de poder comprarlos en los puestos de revistas o librerías locales. El arte en la portada y en el interior se ha realizado por el increíble Albiero Marco, quien ha estado a cargo de las ilustraciones nuevas para el merchandising de la serie. Asimismo, la publicación es mucho más frecuente que los Talk-Box mexicanos. Chile recibirá un DVD por semana con 4 episodios cada uno, un total de 9 DVDs. No hay que esperar 8 años para los que están ansiosos por ver la última temporada. Por el momento, no tenemos información sobre precios o disponibilidad para Moonies internacionales. Puede ser que estén planeando dirigirlos a un mercado limitado, pero espero que todos los interesados puedan encontrarlos en línea eventualmente. La desventaja es que los intros de episodios no han sido doblados y las cajas son cajas de plástico normales, sin extras incluidos como las tazas o las tarjetas postales. LUN es conocido por producir DVDs sin licencia, pero este es su primer intento de hacer algo bajo licencia con arte y contenido originales. Se dice que Naoko Takeuchi es muy estricta en cuanto a cómo su serie se presenta, pero quizá haya relajado las restricciones a LUN con el fin de hacerlo más accesible para el mercado de América Latina, pero esto es pura especulación de mi parte.

Es mi opinión personal que vamos a tener una especie de encrucijada de versiones de DVDs Latinoamericanos. Me han confirmado que, debido al tipo de contrato que tienen, Capital 8 podrá adquirir Sailor Stars si deciden hacerlo en el futuro, y si las ventas siguen bien, es muy probable que SI tengamos los Talk-Box hasta Stars aunque ya exista la versión Chilena. Yo creo que una vez que expiren los derechos para Capital 8, LUN obtendrá las primeras temporadas y hará versiones más asequibles. Independientemente de como termine este enredo, es una excelente noticia que aún haya muchas empresas interesadas en distribuir Sailor Moon y muchas mas fans podrán comprar los DVDs de una forma u otra.

REGOCÍJOME TODA POR DVDs DE SAILOR MOOOOOON!!!!! :DDDD

Fuente: Sailor Moon Chile Fan Club.

ACTUALIZACIÓN:

Los DVDs de Chile ya tienen fecha de lanzamiento! Salen el 11 de Abril y estarán disponibles en kiosos de ese pais! El primer disco incluirá de regalo el disco "Eterno Resplandor Lunar" de Salomé Anjarí! Wow! Y que hermosa publicidad le han hecho a estos DVDs! Que vibrantes colores y mágicos brillitos! También podemos ver un adelanto de como serán todas las portadas que publicarán. Cada DVD tiene el costo de $2.990 Pesos chilenos, (creo) que equivale a como $6.30 dólares americanos y cada uno trae 4 episodios. Por ahora no es posible comprarlos internacionalmente en una pagina web, pero si quieren ordenarlos, pueden enviar un correo electrónico a sailormoon.chile(@)gmail.com y alguien podrá ayudarlos a conseguir sus DVDs!

Sailor Moon Challenge (fan vid)

2013-02-27T12:33:00.000-08:00

Presented without comment because LOOOOOOOOL!!!

More figures on the way?

2013-02-15T15:10:00.000-08:00

Oh my God! Please let this be true, please let this be true!!

Marco Albiero has shared with SMW.it a very interesting find from a friend of his in Asia: A sighting of some probable new articulated figurines!! At the moment they only have these cut outs standees as placeholders, so we have to use our imagination. We can clearly see the marks on knees, legs, wrists and elbows that indicate articulation points, also on the wall behind them is a 3-D rendering of what the model and construction of the dolls will be. No word if they are pre-assembled or come in pieces so that the customer can assemble them themselves. It's noteworthy that these figs don't have the Bandai logo but instead, it's a LEGEND one. This is the first time this company produces Sailor Moon stuff, and it's good! I love that different companies are jumping on the Moonie wagon because that mean we get more stuff!! According to the label under them, they are scheduled to come out in MAY 2013!! That's SO CLOSE you guys!!

This is not only cool because SAILOR MOON TOYS, but also it is a complete set! Other than the Sailor Moon World dolls/gashapon I don't think we have any other complete collection that includes all of the senshi in a single set (Irwin dolls don't count, the boxes are all different!) At this point, this might only be a rumor. We have no confirmation from any official sources, but let's keep our hopes up. Sailor Moon is a HUGE franchise and I'm sure they wouldn't drop the line.... right?

More info as it becomes available!

Source: Sailor Moon World Italy
Thanks Yue!

A closer look at the S.H. Figuarts!

2013-02-15T08:32:00.002-08:00

Atamaii posted a great video of the Sailor Moon S.H. Figuarts and she is looking great y'all! She was spotted at the New York Toy Fair going on this week, where all major toy industry representatives are bringing in their new toy lines for 2013. The fact that Sailor Moon is at this event speaks a lot, because even though she will be an import product, they're still marketing her internationally, meaning there will be plenty of access for AAAAALL teh Monies who want to get their hands on this one. AWESOME!

She's coming so close, I can ALMOST smell her! No, we don't know exactly when she'll be out, but be patient Moonies, we're gonna have plenty of opportunities to purchase her. The SMObss will have all the info on where and how to purchase her as soon as info becomes available.

vía OchibaWolf and Atamaii

S.H. Figuarts also posted a few pics of this lovely item on their Facebook page:

We've already seen plenty of images of the figure, but it's still great to see her from different angles and finally on American territory XD

M°Onie tunes - Episode 17

2013-02-04T19:29:00.000-08:00

Long time no podcast! Guess what?

It's Moonie Tunes' SECOND ANNIVERSARY!!

Can you believe it!? TWO years we've been making this show and it's been awesome! We've had boy Moonies, collectors, big big news and tons of lawls on MT, but we still have so much more to do (specially getting more interviews and stuff!) Moonie Tunes started with only Eku and I at first, but Brad soon became a permanent host (and pretty much the star of the show!) and we've had non-stop fun and adventures since then!

On this episode, we address the non-news we've had for the last three months! LOL YES! There haven't been many happenings these last few months, but westill find plenty of topics to talk about, like the @Osabu8 twitter account and such! Also we answered some your questions from Facebook and Twitter, and engage in a kind of serious discussion about "Fake Geek girls". Keepin' it real yo!

Enjoy!

Moonie Tunes Episode 17!!

DOWNLOAD FILE HERE (right click, save as). We put a lot of effort and passion into each episode, so if you enjoy it or would like to help us spread the word, go ahead and click the "Like" button to show us some Moonie love on Facebook!

Love,

Eku, Brad and Cycyn.

Links to the stuff we talked about after the jump!

- Official Sailor Moon Website
- Moonkitty.net
- Sailor Moon World Italy
- Sailor Moon German
- Sailor Moon manga vol. 9 for sale now
- Sailor Moon Short Stories vol 1 for preorder
- Osabu's official Twitter
- Osabu's English Twitter (translations by Elly)
- HotTopic new senshi t-shirt
- Interesting Fake Geek Girl article

Sakky's Sailor Osabu drawing xD!

Source

Quick Post

2013-02-02T23:13:00.000-08:00

CrunchyRoll shared this fanart a few days ago and I couldn't stop thinking how amazing it is and I wanted to share it with you guys on the blog. This amazing drawing was made by RadioMaru AKA Bryan Lee O'Malley, creator of the Scott Pilgrim vs. the World series as a tribute to Sailor Moon. I LOVE Scott Pilgrim so this crossover of fandoms is an explosion of AMAZING. He shared this via his Twitter a few days ago. Just a small celebration from one comic artist to another. Love love love it.

Just a quick Post I thought was cute and worth sharing.

I saw and didn't buy it on Ebay. Volume 22

2013-01-27T11:43:00.000-08:00

Time for a very frustrating but fun new edition of "I saw it and didn't buy it on eBay", where I scream and rant about rare, hard-to-find or incredibly desirable Sailor Moon collectibles that I see on eBay, Y!J or any other store and I DON'T buy. Reasons for not acquiring the Moon shinnies range from high cost, to a last second outbidding, to OMG I TOTES FORGOT, to it's cute but it doesn't exactly fit the type of collectibles I'm after.

Such is the case with these next ADORABLE items I found on Ebay, and I'm sure a bunch of you guys saw or were watching the auction for them as well. These super adorable paper lanterns are –needless to say– pretty rare and seldom do they appear up for sale. For that reason, their prices sky rocketted. The Jupiter and Venus sold for around 70 dollars, and the Sailor Moon one fetched over $150 dollars! wow!! Talk about a hot collectible!

Just a great find that some very lucky Sailor Moon fan acquisitions (whoever managed to get it), but I love to post and share rare finds like this so that we're aware of what kind of collectibles are out there! So cute x3

Seller: MitsueJapan

Happy New Sailor Moon Year from the SMObss and news!

2013-01-10T09:32:00.001-08:00

It's 2013, year of the New SM anime!!!

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!

I realize we are well into the month already, but vacation season and other compromises have delayed the updates on the blog. But no worries! I have followed closely any and all news that have appeared on Twitter. It's so strange that the Sailor Moon anime is only half a year away and we still know absolutely NOTHING about it. But it's not just us. I've asked Yoichi Fukano (Illustrator for the original Sailor Moon anime) AKA @hoypoykoy on Twitter why we don't have any more information about the series, but he pointed out that it's not just international fans that don't know anything, but even Japanese fans have been kept in the dark. Very odd, but it is what it is and we will have to stay put to catch any new happenings.

One of the biggest news to hit the Moonie World is that Fumio Osabu (Naoko hime´s editor, OSA-P) AKA @osabu8 has joined twitter! Luckily for us, he is trying his best to tweet in English (and Elly from MissDream is translating for us too @OsabuP_English ) and sharing tiny bits of information, like this EXTREMELY INTERESTING piece:

Well, I don't know about you, but I LOVE house music too! It's nice to know they're human after all and we share tastes in common. It's very nice of Osabu to interact with us and answer our very annoying questions. Some other things he has shared with us is that the re-re-release of the manga (Aizouban) is not necessarily a "new edition", it's just a reprint with some of the details corrected and it's getting digitized and cleaned. The color artwork and cover pages have also been reworked. He compares this process as going from analog to digital format, a transition that has become more and more common with the shift in technology. We know from previously released info that the contents will span 10 volumes, but no mention as to whether it will contain the "Short Stories" or not. As with all the previous versions of the manga, this reprint will have an obi around it containing information on how to win special prizes. Finally, he points out that this version will be slightly more expensive due to the increase of paper and ink costs. He teased us that the new anime is NOT THE ONLY THING to expect for the new year! We're not sure what he means, but I can only guess "COLLECTIBLES TOO"! :D

So this is all good news apparently, except for the fact that we're not getting any new artwork on the covers, which is something most of us were looking forward to. This morning, @Ochibawolf shared with us on Twitter quite an interesting picture that Gracekansai uploaded to her Instagram. Clearly this is a new Obi marking the 20th anniversary of the anime but unfortunately it is not the hardcover we were promised. Maybe it's just the continuing release of the shinzouban and we still have to wait for the real aizouban? WHO KNOWS!?

Anyway, I have exchanged a few words with Osabu san and if things go well, I hope to have him guest star on Moonie Tunes sometime this month! If he agrees, I have already lined up a few questions on the topic and maybe he's in the mood to share insider info! Cross your fingers Moonies!

In other news, there is a small portion of an "intro video" going around YouTube that some are claiming is a teaser for the new anime. Of course, nothing has been release officially, so there is no reason to believe so in the first place, moreover, the clips from this video have been taken from the classic anime so that's a dead giveaway, but because they have used the new logo, there is room to create unfounded speculation. It's a very pretty video indeed, but it's FAN MADE guys, even the description of the video says so. This is just a reflection of just how very talented fans are out there ! We are all excited about the new anime and we celebrate with awesome works of art! :D

Finally, I haven't been able to get my hands on this one, but Marisa de Lille, the singer of Moonlight Densetsu for the Mexican dub of the anime has recorded a FULL CD tribute to Sailor Moon. All themes are in Spanish and have been recorded in studio, so it's no mere fan recording with their computer microphone (although it IS a fan production). The CD is only available in Mexico and can only be purchased through Marisa de Lille's Facebook Page. Here is a look of what the CD looks like and what soundtracks are on the CD.

Legendaria Luz De Luna - Moonlight Densetsu

Movimiento Del Corazón - Heart Moving

Princesa De La Luna - Princess Moon

La Política De Una Doncella - Otome no Policy

Ilusión De Amor - Tuxedo Mirage

Quiero Estar Contigo Siempre - Watashi Tachi ni Naritakute

Ser Como Soy - Rashiku Ikimasho

Melodía Estelar - Sailor Star Song

El Viento Y El Cielo - Kaze mo Sora mo kitto

Destino De La Luna - Moonlight Destiny

Maravilloso Cristal De Plata - Maboroshi no Ginzuishou

Canción Eterna - Eien no Melody

Las Mismas Lágrimas - Onaji Namida wo Wakeatte

As you can see, Marisa has chosen some pretty epic themes for her CD. This is definitely a MUST BUY for LatinAmerican Moonies or fans that love different versions of the iconic music of the anime! Again, it can only be purchased through her Facebook page, so if you know someone who can speak Spanish, get them to buy it for you xD!

Anyway, I will keep you updated if anything awesome pops up so keep checking back Moonies!

M°Onie tunes - Episode 16.

2012-12-09T15:12:00.002-08:00

Hello Moonie Lovahs!

Yes, I know this podcast is late. We recorded it at the beginning of November and it is already December, but you know, life happens. But worry not! Not much has happened since then so it's pretty much up to date! This episode we have a guest who has been with us before. Ramses from Plastic Joint is here to tell us all about those AMAZINGLY DIVINE HS FigurArts and ChibiArts figurines. He's a collector and expert in the line, so he'll fill you in on all you need to know about them. Also we answered a lot of your questions from Facebook and Twitter, so hang around to see if we answered yours!
Hope you LAWL! :D

Moonie Tunes Episode 16!!

Love,

Eku, Ramses, Brad and Cycyn.

Links to the stuff we talked about after the jump!

- Official Sailor Moon Website
- Moonkitty.net
- Plastic Joint
- All boy Moonies Moonie Tunes episode
- SailorMoon in Spain

Mistakes on the Spanish mangas, via Sailor Moon España.

-Sailor Moon airing in Germany
- SailorMoon artbook announcement by Kodansha
- Sailor Moon manga vol. 8 for sale now
- HotTopic Silhouette t-shirt
-GEAnimation Tuxedo Mask body pillow

- SailorMoon manga boxset for sale here.
- SailorMoon Toon Makers Animation Cels

- Saban Moon intro video
- SH Figuarts and ChibiArt Sailor Moon figures

Brad's video at the Tamashii Nations event.

- Places to pre-order the figurines (not available yet):
- Hobby Link Japan.com
- AmiAmi.com
- Bluefin

Dead Moon Circus fan Movie (Australian production)

Sailor Moon the Movie

-Sakky's fan senshi website

-SMfanfiction.net

SM vs. Real Life Volume 11: Spiral Heart Moon Rod vs. Royal Scepter!

2012-10-31T17:08:00.000-07:00

If you've seen this section of the SMObss before, you know the SM vs. Real Life are random entries where I post pictures of places or situations and compare them to other "Moonesque" things. It's one of my favorite sections of the blog because I love to find things that are totally unrelated and link them back to our favorite series! I LAWL so much. Hope this one's fun for you too xD!

This time, I found the Queen of England's Crown jewels to have a matching equivalent in the Moonieverse! Of course, all queens need teh shinnies, and Queen Elizabeth II has the biggest and sparkliest of them all but..... HER SHINNIES HAVE NO POWERS! Lawlage. Anyway. I'm specifically talking about her scepter. It has a slightly familiar profile, which we can see in the picture below.

What's that? You can't see it?

HOW ABOUT NOW!??!?! :D!

Right??? RRIIIGGGHHHTT???

The Queen of England is totally a Moonie. (No she's not but let my imagination fly freely :D!)

Anyway, just a fun little post. XD! I love to live in the Moonieverse :3

Sailor Moon Figuarts!!

2012-10-25T01:00:00.003-07:00

Yes! Yes! Finally! We have official Japanese merch coming out soon!!

Real, official Japanese figurines for the 20th Anniversary of the Sailor Moon anime!

Source

And not just ANY merch. FIGUARTS no less! This gawd-amazing Sailor Moon figurine was presented during Tamashii Nation 2012, a Bandai’s collector show in Tokyo last night! This event is taking place RIGHT NOW through Sunday in Akihabara, a well-known district full of anime and game shops, also known as "Meca Otaku".

For those not familiar with Figuarts: They are a very famous and sought after line of collectible toys that feature articulated figures made out of high quality PVC plastic, painted in bright colors and almost always include stands and props (or in this case a LUNA!!!!! seen in picture below). These are fully assembled figures but it is possible to swap pieces around (like hands or face plates). Figuarts are known for the wide range of poses the dolls can adopt, and the fine details in their painting/clothing. These are mostly made for collectors and not recommended for small children because of the small pieces. Some of the other series they produce include Power Rangers, Kamen Rider, Dragon Ball, One Piece, Pretty Cure and many more!

Prices range between ¥2,000~ ¥4,500 Yen ($30~$60 USD), but this one in particular is barely being announced, so we don't have a set price or release date for it yet. There are also rumors flying around about more figures coming out (which seems fairly logical for this franchise), but nothing confirmed yet. If you would like to have a better idea of how Figurearts move and display, you can see this video from a Dragon Ball toy, just to get a general sense:

Also, in this following picture, we can see another very interesting toy: A Chibi-Arts figurine! YES!! A super adorable Chibi Sailor Moon (not to be confused with Sailor Chibi Moon) in the "Oshioki yo!" pose with a tiny Luna beside her too! Chibi-Arts are super adorable toys that are only partially poseable but have infinite "kawaii" factor to compensate for that! They sometimes come with interchangeable hands or faces for the collector to choose which one they prefer to display. Prices for Chibi-Arts figures are in the $25~$35 USD range.

Here's a higher quality pic of what OTHER Chibi-Arts figures look like, just to give you an idea, and these are of Momoiro Clover Z! (the girl-band set to compose the new 2013 anime intro). HAHAHAHAa! Talk about cute coincidences! I hope we get A FULL SET with ALL the sailor senshi like this!! :D

Keep checking back for information on when they'll come out and how to order them once they do! I hear Sailor Moon Figuarts have been highly requested, so they will probably make it easy for us to get these. Hopefully.

Many many thanks to El_Ramses and Plastic Joint for the picture and all the info of Figuarts and Chibi-Arts! Follow the Plastic Joint blog for lots of other amazing articles on toys and collectibles!

Update: a number of sources have posted even more pics!

Quck Post: Box set pics.

2012-10-17T15:06:00.000-07:00

Kodansha's official twitter shared these earlier today! Amazing shots of their warehouse receiving a HUGE shipment of the new Sailor Moon manga boxset! I normally don't blog just random pics, but I really think this is something special. It is very seldom that big companies share behind the scenes pics (specially Kodansha) so these are a particularly interesting little jewel for us to enjoy! Plus OMG SAILOR MOON EVERYWHERE! *0*!!!!!

You can order the box set from Amazon and Right Stuff.

I'm now thinking I want in on this ¬¬.....

Sailor Moon artbook on the way!

2012-10-13T13:49:00.000-07:00

Oh my!! What wonderful news have we here!? Things just keep getting better and better for us Moonies!! I've said it before and I'll say it again: What a wonderful time to be Sailor Moon fans! All our wishes are being granted one by one! :D

Barely two years ago, we were going through a horrible dry spell in the moonieverse. Over here in the States we were just watching with envious eyes how Italy got all the awesome stuff like the re-airing of the anime, a Sailor Moon magazine, the manga and a bunch of toys! But then, out of nowhere, Hot Topic starts selling shirts, GEAnimation starts productions of MASSIVE amounts of Sailor Moon merch (keychains, mugs, backpacks). Then we start getting a new version of the manga in English. This past July, we had amazing news that a new anime would come out in the summer of 2013 as a worldwide release. On our general wishlist, there are a bunch of things listed, and today we get another one checked off!

The NewYork Comic-Con 2012 is in full swing this weekend. Just as usual, Kodansha is attending the event to promote their various manga titles being published, including Sailor Moon. At their table, they gave out super cute pins and 2013 calendars for those who demonstrated they follow Kodansha on Facebook or Twitter.

Source for pin pic: Athenia45 on Twitter

Later on, Kodansha held a special panel to announce their plans for next year. Like in previous presentations, they introduced several new mangas coming out and omnibuses for other manga series, and then switched their attention to OUR HEROINE. Boy! did they share a LOT of AMAZING news with us Moonies! This just hot of the press:

THERE WILL BE A WORLD WIDE RELEASE
OF A SAILOR MOON ARTBOOK!

Image source: Athenia45 on Twitter

YES, YES, YEEEES!!!! A Worldwide release artbook! This is a first for the U.S. and any other English speaking country. The originals were printed in Japan, and reprinted in some countries of Europe and Asia for a limited market more than 10 years ago. But finally, we're getting one officially on this side of the pond!

Unlike what they showed in the picture above, Kodansha's twitter and Kodansha's Official blog announced they will publish only ONE volume with selected works from the five previous Japanese books and it will also include NEW unpublished art! We also have confirmation from the panel that each country (Japan, US and other 5 undisclosed countries) will also include their own special artwork for each! The edition is a trade paperback with dust jacket in full color. The size and page count is roughly the same as the previous editions.

Then Kodansha went on to deliver another very nice surprise! They showed fans a couple of slides with a message from Naoko hime!! Don't you love it when we get messages from her!! AWWwww...

Image source: Ghoulkitty on tumblr

Letter reads as follows:

"Hello American Sailor Moon fans, it’s Naoko Takeuchi.

Thank you for all the support you’ve given Sailor Moon! It makes me very happy that so many people are caring for my precious baby, Sailor Moon, after she has crossed the sea to America. I’ve seen pictures of American fans cosplaying as Sailor Moon characters and heard that all of you are collecting lots of manga and merchandise, and it makes me happy and moves me deeply that Sailor Moon and I have received so much love, even in another country.

This is the 20th Anniversary of Sailor Moon, and there are lots of plans I’m sure you will enjoy. First, for the Thanksgiving Day season on Nov 20, 2012 there will be a Sailor Moon box set, and also an art book will be released simultaneously worldwide in 2013. I’m sure they will both be wonderful. I know we’ll continue to come up with even more fun things in the future. Please look forward to them!

Naoko Takeuchi"

Isn't this just faboulous news!?! Kodansha also mentioned a few updates concerning the release of volume 1 Box Set. According to what they said in the panel, the blue box (seen below) is indeed the final design. They've made a few changes though. They've changed the type of paper they use and have resized the mangas to this particular format, so the volumes inside cannot be sold separately and previous manga issues will not fit into this box. No mention about the translation, but lately a few revised editions have been popping on shelves of bookstores, so maybe all the volumes in this boxset have the revised translations? We'll know for sure soon enough.

There is still no official date for the Artbooks, but I will share as soon as it is announced. I personally think they will come out at the end of the manga run, maybe after the second bookset is publised (The first box set will come out in November, the second box is still unknown), and it will coincide with the new anime.

Ahhh! YES! This is amazing news for us guys! Things are looking pretty great for us and now we have to do the hardest thing for a few months, and that is WAIT. WAIT VERY PATIENTLY. :p

M°Onie tunes - Episode 15!

2012-10-02T18:14:00.003-07:00

Hello Moon hoarders!

OMG do we have an AMAZEBALLS M°Onie tunes episode for you this time!! It's the mysterious phantom "Collector Special" episode I've been promising foreverrrrr! As most of us know, the Sailor Moon series goes hand in hand with cool role playing toys and adorable cute dolls. Of course, lots of Moonies like to own these items to feel like heroines themselves! So I've invited some *HARDCORE* collectors who have been in this business for a long time and know exactly what they're talking about when it comes to Sailor Moon merch.

We talk about pretty intense stuff guys: How the girls started with their collections and advice on how to begin your own. How to keep track of and clean your items. How to spot '1000 edition' posters, Toei gold-versus-sliver stickers, hard-to-find items, how to order stuff from Japan, our most wanted toys and –hold on to your top hats– a huge revelation that Sailor Moon was ABOUT to get a stage production!!

I KNOW RIGHT!?!?!?

So sit tight and arm yourselves with TONS of patience because this episode is TWO HOURS LONG of Moonie goodness, and we didn't even finish talking about all we wanted to cover! LOOOOOL xDD

Moonie Tunes Episode 15!!

Love,

Sakky, Ochi, Serena and Cycyn.

Links to the stuff we talked about after the jump!

Link list graciously provided by Tina, aka @MoonieAddict

-Sakky's Blog - http://blog.sailorastera.com/
-Sakky's Sailormoon Toys - http://sakkyssailormoontoys.deviantart.com/gallery/
-Sakky Attack - http://sakky-attack.deviantart.com/
-Senshi Stock - http://senshistock.deviantart.com/
-Ochibawolf's Toy Box - http://ochibawolf.blogspot.com/
-Serena's Sailormoon Review - http://sailormoonreview.blogspot.com/

-Kodansha Comics USA - http://kodanshacomics.com/

-PGSM Manga First Edition Stickers - http://www.sailordream.com/PGSM/Multimedia/GalleriesMangaVol1.php
-Sailormoon Manga Original and Renewal Versions - http://www.flickr.com/photos/dollstore/3581233677/
-Sailormoon Manga Tokyopop, Kodansha and French Sailor V - http://www.flickr.com/photos/babelglyph/6141240614/in/photostream/
-A4 Size Sailormoon Manga - http://www.sailormoon-obsession.com/2012/09/confirmation-of-new-sm-releases-for-2012.html
-Nakayoshi - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nakayoshi
-Sailormoon in Germany - http://wikimoon.org/index.php?title=Sailor_Moon_in_Germany
-Sailormoon in Italy - http://www.wikimoon.org/index.php?title=Sailor_Moon_in_Italy
-GE - Great Eastern Entertainment - http://www.geanimation.com/InfoOnly/characters_list.aspx?CharacterID=236
-GE Animation Twitter - https://twitter.com/geanimation
-GE Tote Bag - http://www.geanimation.com/InfoOnly/ProductDetails.aspx?ItemID=11004

-GE Messenger Bag - http://www.geanimation.com/InfoOnly/ProductDetails.aspx?ItemID=81031
-Toei Stickers http://static.lowyat.net/uploads/attach-16/post-352416-1310524749_thumb.jpg & http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs052.ash2/35972_1373069336070_1511886854_30959863_3868687_n.jpg )
-Sera Myu - http://wikimoon.org/index.php?title=Sera_Myu
-Geena Davis - http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000133/
-Clueless - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112697/
-Saban Sailormoon - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3scSHk4h2g
-Alicia Silverstone - http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000224/
-Batman & Robin - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118688/
-Sakky's Spreadsheet - https://twitter.com/i/#!/SailorAstera/media/slideshow?url=pic.twitter.com%2FC5bOX3Ra
-Anime Boston - http://www.animeboston.com/
-Difference between Hoarding and Collecting? - http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/tv/hoarding-buried-alive/hoarding-collecting.htm
-Todokanu Omoi - My Friend's Love Japanese and English Lyrics - http://sailormusic.net/lyrics/todokanu-omoi-my-friends-love/
-Starry Sky Orgel - http://sakkyssailormoontoys.deviantart.com/gallery/11336395#/d2ar3hd
-Eternal Article - http://sakkyssailormoontoys.deviantart.com/gallery/?q=Eternal+Article#/d38rtzq
-Cosmic Heart Compart - http://sakkyssailormoontoys.deviantart.com/gallery/?q=Cosmic+Heart+#/d2qwqhw
-Sailormoon World Mini Crisis Bow - http://www.flickr.com/photos/50239724@N06/6480727173/
-Bendy Doll Sailormoon - http://www.hlj.com/product/ban912154
-Eternal Sailor Moon Excellent Model - http://sakkyssailormoontoys.deviantart.com/gallery/?q=esm#/d3jrcu4
-Crescent Jewel Box - hhttp://sakkyssailormoontoys.deviantart.com/gallery/?q=jewel#/d2z4beb
-Sailor V's Compact - http://wikimoon.org/index.php?title=Compact
-Moon Cycle - http://sakkyssailormoontoys.deviantart.com/gallery/?q=cycle#/d350mth
-Sailor Locket - http://sakkyssailormoontoys.deviantart.com/gallery/6582212?offset=24#/d2vxdzm
-Life Size Sailormoon Poster - http://shinjiasuka4ever.deviantart.com/art/Life-Size-Sailor-Moon-Poster-114678171

Our most wanted toys:

Sailor Myu Gashapon

-Excellent Team Sailor Moon S -http://www.sailormooncollectibles.com/dolls/s-dolls/
-Talismans are in these sets http://www.sailormooncollectibles.com/rpg-toys/s-toys/
and http://msmariamassacre.livejournal.com/805.html
-Volume Infinity - http://sakkyssailormoontoys.deviantart.com/gallery/6582200#/d2nqj0w
-Signed Luna P - http://sakkyssailormoontoys.deviantart.com/gallery/?q=luna#/d2op3bl
-Sakky's Starry Sky Orgel Comparison Guide - http://blog.sailorastera.com/2011/04/starry-sky-orgel-aka-star-locket.html
-1000 Edition Eternal Sailormoon Posters - http://sakkyssailormoontoys.deviantart.com/gallery/11336395#/d3ikyzl

1000 series poster (from Sakky's DA)

-Goo Gone Spray Gel - http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.asp?pid=284264&catid=184274&aid=338666&aparam=284264
-Light Damaged Crescent Wand - http://sakkyssailormoontoys.deviantart.com/gallery/26653181#/d4gg936
-Yahoo Japan - http://www.yahoo.co.jp/
-Exchange rate calculator - http://fx-rate.net/USD/JPY/
-What is a 'deputy service'? - A deputy is a person or organization who you authorize to act on your behalf.

-Celga

-Rinkya

-From Japan

-ShoppingMallJapan
-Paypal calculate exchange rate - https://www.paypal.com/webapps/helpcenter/article/?currentIssueID=12900&m=SRE
-Chibi Moon Baby Doll - http://www.flickr.com/photos/26423670@N08/7380116904/
-Beauty Change Eternal Sailormoon - http://sakkyssailormoontoys.deviantart.com/gallery/6582204#/d5g03ar
-Chatterbox Friendly Luna - http://sakkyssailormoontoys.deviantart.com/gallery/?q=luna#/d2ooixb
-World Chibi Moon Crisis Compact - http://www.flickr.com/photos/50239724@N06/7874499828
-Stallion Reve - http://sakkyssailormoontoys.deviantart.com/gallery/11336395#/d2xt93g

Confirmation of new SM releases for 2012.

2012-09-30T18:31:00.001-07:00

Many thanks to Ochibawolf and Peter for sharing the image with us!

Well what do you know! The news I was starting to seriously doubt was true came back to bite me in the butt, because here it is: Confirmation that we are indeed getting a Japanese re-release of the mangas in a 11 volume set (one senshi per volume) and a Memorial DVD set (also one for each senshi). I was able to read some of the contents, particularly the part that mentions they will be coming out in NOVEMBER, not in October as we previously thought, but our way more talented friend Elly from MissDream.org was able to translate it pretty fast! (SHE IS SO GOOD!) These are her tweets:

"Manga and DVDs being released on special edition collector sets, each will have 11 volumes. New manga box set will feature updated artwork and "bonus" material (probably meaning stickers or furoku items). The Sailor Moon Channel will be updating with news related to the production work for the new anime and other news items related to it.

New Sailor Moon anime is currently in production, SCHEDULED for a release in summer 2013 (which makes me think the release date isn't final).

Then there's a recap of what the series is about, and then adverts for the shinsoubon editions of the manga and codename: Sailor V.

That section about Momoiro Clover Z is a pain in the ass because the picture is so small, BUT...The blurb is just a recap of a line from the 20th anniversary announcement video, just abridged:

"Ever since I was little I wanted to be in anime. I always wanted to be just like Usagi. This new anime makes me so happy!"

So basically, the girls from Momoiro Clover Z are just dressing up for fun. Pic is probably from Japan Expo if I had to guess.

And there you have it Moonies! It might not affect us directly in the US or World market because we won't be officially getting any of this, but we might be seeing some MUCH NEEDED new artwork and of course, hardcore collectors will want to get some of these sets as well, so I'm sharing all the info we have. Will keep you posted when we know more.

PGSM - Behind the scenes!

2012-09-27T02:30:00.000-07:00

Ooohhh!! Haven't seen this one in a LOOOOONG time! So glad it popped up again because I hadn't been able to find it! I remember seeing this back when PGSM was airing, but it had been so hard to find, I was starting to worry if I had hallucinated the whole thing 8D!

Here is a look at the process of casting, presentation and behind the scenes recording of Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, including episode 1, opening theme and transformation sequence. I'm not even sure where this video came from but I'm thinking it was a special program that wasn't included in any of the DVDs because it was recorded directly from the TV before the actual show aired.

Just wanted to share this because I always loved all the bunnies in Usagi's room. x3 There are lots of other specials and live events at Shadow Vampira's profile so be sure to check them out too.

My three Star Lockets!

2012-09-26T12:20:00.000-07:00

Even though the SMObss is now mostly a news and curious finds blog, it is first and foremost a personal collecting blog, but it doesn't seem to that way anymore because there aren't anywhere as many collecting posts as I'd like there to be. That's because I have a plan. Oh, yesss! THE plan. I plan to have a nice set-up in a Sailor Moon themed room or area, and I refuse to let that vision go, and until I'm able to complete it, all items are in lockdown in boxes away from the terrible, never-ending dust and damaging sunlight.

I do complete a bunch purchases online, have online trades with other Moonies, and bring my older collection items back from my home in Mexico. I'm finally beginning to unify all the shinnies in order to complete my vision for own personal Sailor Moon Room of Doom :p

Anyway, before these go into a dark box in the closet, I want to show off my three star lockets really fast. First, the Korean locket. I actually got this one back in the day, around 1999, so I've been with it for a while. It cost me about $30. THIRTY DOLLARS can you believe it? Of course back then I was still in school and it was super expensive. I remember seeing a pink Star Locket too, but that was around $200, waaaaay out of my reach as a student.

Next there's the recent release of Usagi's Carillion by GEAnimation, which I ordered from RightStuf. I'm a little disappointed in the RS's speed of their transaction. I had no problems ordering the wallscroll from them before, so I thought the rest of the merch I wanted would get here soon, but it took almost three weeks. Plus, they only shipped half of my order, the rest is still pending. But there's no rush for my other things so I'm just going to wait. They have been good with communicating with me about the status of my delivery though. The GEA twitter mentioned some of the lockets had factory flaws like discoloring, dark spots or scratches, and looking around other Moonie's pieces, it seems I got lucky, as mine doesn't have *terrible* scratches or spots. There's some, but not too bad...

And finally, the acrylic laser-cut Star Locket from Japanophile on Etsy. This is a fan artist who makes laser-cut items, much like Kumacraft's necklaces, but still needs to perfect his/her technique because the edges are a bit rough. Sitll, I'm actually kind of happy with it (except the chain which I'm changing ASAP). The lid opens and closes easily, and while the moon inside doesn't move, it is still a cute item to show and collect. I like :D!!

NONE FOR SALE GUYS! Maybe next time XD

That's it for now!

Wheee! All my happies ^^!!

Moar Sailor Moon Socks!

2012-09-23T18:53:00.000-07:00

This is just short entry to share some pics of my most recent Sailor Moon sock haul. I really love going to this shop and find hidden Moonie treasures! The Doobalo shop is located in MEXICO CITY, right behind the main square (Zócalo) in downtown. It's super hidden in an area where there are many outlet stores. This is a factory store that sells socks in wholesale, so prices are quite affordable and they're 100% official as you can see by the tag that has the Toei logo and the ©Naoko Takeuchi /PNP inscription.

So much fun shopping for these! They only had a few designs left, and there were only these three new designs left. AWww u.u Apparently what they told me was true: Sailor Moon socks sell out really freaking fast! :D

If you happen to visit Mexico City or you live in there or know somebody who does, all the info is available on where to buy them and a map to get there is available HERE.

I do have some for sale but I will no longer offer them here. They will be up in my eCrater store later this week. It's just easier for me to keep track of who wants what and when orders have been placed. I bought everything they had in stock, but quantities are low so this will on a first-come-first-serve basis. Stay tuned :D!

More Talk-Boxes Confirmed?

2012-09-23T13:04:00.001-07:00

Hello Moonies of the world (although this entry might only interest Latin-American Moonies)!

As I have shared with you before, Sailor Moon in Latin America has been getting something of a revival of the 90s series, same as the rest of the world. Specifically, I'm talking about the Talk-Boxes from Mexico that are the official DVD release of the Spanish dub. The first box set (Talk-Box Moon) came out late last year and had a really slow start. About 70 fans attended the first launch event where Capital 8 handed out the DVDs and limited release mugs for pre-orders. The set was later available for purchase at select stores such as Sanborns, Mixup and Tower Records. At the time, there was also a tentative idea for an official magazine release (along the lines of the Italian one) that was starting to take off.

Sadly, there was very little diffusion through the mainstream media and little-to-no awareness within the fandom. The idea of the magazine quickly faltered, resulting in an online only magazine that has had little care from the managers (how could they not notice their site's title on the browser window is wrong?!) and practically no interest from Moonies. The Talk-box itself received very little attention and was in great danger of failing. Luckily enough, sales picked up after the new year and the product sold out in Spring of 2012. By then, the second box set (Talk-Box Mercury) was in the late stages of production and was launched in Summer 2012 with surprising and unexpected popularity! Finally! Word about the DVDs coming out had spread and Sailor Moon is starting to get the recognition she deserves, specially since this dub was so widespread in Mexico and Latin America. Still, there was much doubt if the sales were enough to start producing the third Talk-Box (Talk-Box Mars).

Well, worry not Moonies of Hispania! It all seems to point that not only will we get Talk-Box Mars by late 2012, but according to their site, the rest of the series up to Sailor Moon SuperS is *pretty much* confirmed! It's the first time we even have a look at the logos for later seasons of the series.

Pretty exciting for us Spanish-speaking Moonies as well as collectors who are looking to complete all sets :D!

More info on future Talk-Boxes when official sources share info ;)

Español:

Hola Moonies LatinoAmericanos!

Como ya he mencionado antes, Sailor Moon ha estado teniendo una especie de renacimiento de la serie noventera en Sudamérica, a la par con el resto del mundo. Hablo en específico de los Talk-Box de México que son el lanzamiento del DVD oficial con doblaje español.

El primer set ( Talk-Box Moon) salió el año pasado y tuvo un comienzo muy lento. Aproximademante 70 personas asistieron al primer evento de lanzamiento en la tienda de Capital 8 donde se repartieron los DVDs y la tazas limitadas que se ofrecieron en pre-venta. Mas tarde, los DVDs salieron a la venta en tiendas seleccionadas como Sanborns, Mixup y Tower Records. En ese entonces, también había una iniciativa para un lanzamiento tentativo de una revista oficial de Sailor Moon (como la que produjeron en Italia en el 2010).

Lamentablemente, hubo poca difusión a través de los medios de comunicación y entre los fans. La idea de la revista colapsó muy pronto, resultando en sólo una revista en-línea que ha tenido poco cuidado por parte de los creadores (¿Cómo no se dan cuenta de su título en la ventana del navegador está mal?) y prácticamente ningún interés por parte de los Moonies. El Talk-Box en sí recibió poca atención y estuvo en grave peligro de fracasar. Por suerte, las ventas aumentaron después del año nuevo y el producto se agotó en tiendas. Para entonces, el segundo set (Talk-Box Mercury) ya estaba en las últimas etapas de la producción y fue lanzado en el Verano de 2012 con una popularidad sorprendente e inesperada!

¡Por fin! Se había corrido la voz acerca de los DVDs y Sailor Moon está empezando a obtener el reconocimiento que se merece, especialmente por que este doblaje fue extensivamente difundido en México y América Latina. Apesar de todo esto, aún había muchas dudas si las ventas fueron suficientes para comenzar a producir el siguiente volumen (Talk-Box Mars).

Pues hay buenas noticias Moonies! Todo parece indicar que no sólo vamos a tener el Talk-Box Mars a finales de 2012, pero de acuerdo al sitio oficial de Capital 8, el resto de la serie hasta Sailor Moon SuperS está *casi* confirmado! Es la primera vez que podemos echar un vistazo a los logotipos para las temporadas posteriores de la serie. Suuuuuper emocionante para nosotros en que hemos seguido la serie por años y que queremos acompletar la serie! Waaah! :D!!!

Mas noticias sobre los futuros Talk-Box en cuanto la publiquen los medios oficiales ;)

Mil 8 mil gracias a DANICHUY por la info!