Attention Sailor Moon fans in the US! If you’re attendance at Anime Expo Los Angeles is still unsure, well this might seal the deal: the official website of the Sailor Moon franchise has announced that the editor of the Sailor Moon manga, Fumio Osano (also known fondly by fans and Naoko Takeuchi herself as Osabu and Osa-P), will be a special guest at Anime Expo this year! Joining him is none other than the actress for Usagi Tsukino in Sailor Moon The Super Live herself, Kanae Yumemiya! How cool is that?
Osano and Yumemiya will be present at the Kodansha Comics/Vertical booth for a special panel discussion as well as a photo session with lucky fans.
To refresh your memories, Sailor Moon The Super Live was the first-ever Sailor Moon musical—and the first 2.5D stage musical as well—to be performed in the United States. It premiered on March 24 at the Warner Theater in Washington D.C. and ran in New York’s PlayStation Theater as well. Sailor Moon The Super Live was a massive success, selling out all four of its runs in both cities.
The Super Live was directed and choreographed by Takahiro, with book by Akiko Kodama of the famous (and Takeuchi’s favorite) Takarazuka Revue Company and music by HYADAIN (AKB48). Note however, that Kanae Yumemiya was not the Usagi Tsukino for The Super Live’s American run, as it was Tomomi Kasai who played our favorite magical girl. Yumemiya, however, is one of the three rotating cast members in Japan for the role of Usagi, the other one being Koga Natsuki.
Sailor Moon was first launched and serialized in 1991 in Nakayoshi. Naoko Takeuchi’s work has since earned critical acclaim, numerous accolades, and has become one of the most lucrative and enduring anime franchises, selling over 35 million manga copies worldwide and earning an estimated $5 billion from merchandise sales alone. Sailor Moon was also one of the first anime to make headway in the United States.
Anime Expo will be held at the Los Angeles Convention Center on July 4-7, 2019, with a pre-show night on July 3.
Source: Anime News Network