Meet the cast of Sailor Moon at Toronto ComiCon this Saturday

Linda Ballantyne (Sailor Moon) Toby Proctor (Tuxedo Mask) Katie Griffin (Sailor Mars) Adam Gardner (Sailor Moon News web master) Susan Roman (Sailor Jupiter) and John Stocker (voice director)

This weekend, March 18th to the 20th, is Toronto ComiCon at the Metro Toronto Convention Center in downtown Toronto. In attendance on Saturday March 19th will be a ton of voice actors from the original English dub of Sailor Moon. This includes Linda Ballantyne, the voice of Sailor Moon, Katie Griffin, the voice of Sailor Mars, Susan Roman, the voice of Sailor Jupiter, Toby Proctor, the voice of Tuxedo Mask, Jill Frappier, the voice of Luna, and Ron Rubin, the voice of Artemis.

A “Meet the Cast of Sailor Moon” panel will be held Saturday afternoon at 4pm. The cast also has space at the autograph area near the food court, though it is not clear at this time what the schedule for autographs will be.

The English version of Sailor Moon Crystal Act 4, Masquerade Dance Party, is available now on Hulu

Sailor Moon Crystal Act 4 - Tuxedo Mask kissing Sailor Moon without consent

The latest English dubbed episode of Sailor Moon Crystal has been added to Hulu and Neon Alley. This week we get Act 4, Masquerade Dance Party. The Kingdom of D has a very impressive gem and everyone, Tuxedo Mask, the Sailor Guardians, the Dark Kingdom, wants to know if it’s the Silver Crystal so they all crash the party and check it out! This version of the dub has decided to refer to Princess D as “The Princess of D”, though she is also called Princess D in the episode. The Japanese reference of the name Princess D was likely a reference to Princess Diana, often called Princess Di, who was popular in the media in the early 90s. As her death in 1997 was over 13 years ago the reference is less relevant and so no adapting it certainly makes sense. The original Sailor Moon anime referred to her as Princess Dia, a mix between Princess Di and Princess Diana. The original English dub named her Princess Diamond.

Sailor Moon Crystal Act 4 - Princess D

This version of the episode features updated animation used in the Japanese Blu-Ray and DVD home video release. I had mixed feelings about this episode when it first streamed and my feelings haven’t really changed. The big moment in this week’s episode is when Tuxedo Mask kisses and unconscious, somewhat drunk, Usagi. This isn’t cool! A sleeping person can’t consent, even when you have an existing relationship in a past life. That excuse sounds absurd here, though we must consider that within the reality of the Sailor Moon mythos, this past life did exist so there some precedent for this kiss. There was a similar scene in episode 22 of the original Sailor Moon anime, Romance Under the Moon: Usagi’s First Kiss, but in the old English dub the dialogue was changed so that it was insinuated this was a dream. Certainly kissing in a dream is hardly the same kind of violation as the rape kiss featured in this episode.

Sailor Moon Crystal Act 4 - Masquerade Dance Party

New episodes are released every Friday evening at 9pm Eastern Time, 6pm Pacific Time. Next week is Act 5, Makoto – Sailor Jupiter, we will be introduced to Makoto Kino.

Sailor Moon Crystal Act 5 - Usagi stealing Makoto's food

Meet Linda Ballantyne, the voice of Sailor Moon, and Susan Roman, the voice of Sailor Jupiter, at Wintercon in New York December 5th and 6th

Lita and Serena, Susan Roman and Linda Ballantyne

New York City Sailor Moon fans will have a chance to meet two voice actors from the original dub of Sailor Moon at Wintercon next weekend, December 5th and 6th, at the Resorts World Casino New York, near the John F. Kennedy Airport. In attendance will be Linda Ballantyne, the voice of Sailor Moon for Sailor Moon S and SuperS, and Susan Roman, the voice of Sailor Jupiter for the entire series.

Linda Ballantyne, the voice of Sailor Moon, at Wintercon

Susan Roman, the voice of Sailor Jupiter, at Wintercon

Meet Linda Ballantyne, Toby Proctor, Katie Griffin and Susan Roman at Rhode Island Comic Con this weekend

Sailor Moon 20th Anniversary Cast Reunion Panel at Fan Expo 2013 featuring Susan Roman, Katie Griffin, Linda Ballantyne, Toby Proctor and John Stocker

This coming weekend, Novemeber 6th to the 8th, is Rhode Island Comic Con at the Rhode Island Convention Center & Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence Rhode Island. This convention has a massive number of guests in attendance including Linda Ballantyne, the voice of Sailor Moon, Toby Proctor, the voice of Tuxedo Mask, Katie Griffin, the voice of Sailor Mars, and Susan Roman, the voice of Sailor Jupiter.

The four voice actors, who all appeared in DiC’s English dub of the original Sailor Moon anime, will be having a “Voices of Sailor Moon” panel on Saturday afternoon at 4pm in Ballroom E. Be sure not to miss it!

4:00-5:00 The Voices of Sailor Moon

Fighting evil by moonlight, winning love by daylight, Sailor Moon has captivated viewers all over the world for over 2 decades and helped bring manga and anime to the shores of North America. Join voice actors Linda Ballantyne, Toby Proctor, Katie Griffin, and Susan Roman as they discuss what is took to bring English dialogue to these Japanese sensations.

Linda Ballantyne (Sailor Moon) Toby Proctor (Tuxedo Mask) Katie Griffin (Sailor Mars) Adam Gardner (Sailor Moon News web master) Susan Roman (Sailor Jupiter) and John Stocker (voice director)

Meet two voices of Sailor Moon, Linda Ballantyne and Stephanie Sheh, and Tuxedo Mask, Toby Proctor, at Anime Weekend Atlanta September 24th to the 27th

Usagi and Minako as Sailor Moon

Voice actors from the original and new English dub of Sailor Moon will be appearing at Anime Weekend Atlanta this weekend, September 24th to the 27th in Atlanta, Georgia. The event will include Linda Ballantyne, the third voice of Sailor Moon and Toby Proctor, the second voice of Tuxedo Mask, both from the original English dub of Sailor Moon. Also in attendance will be Stephanie Sheh, the new voice of Sailor Moon in Viz’s English dub of Sailor Moon and the upcoming Sailor Moon Crystal dub. When is the last time two voices of Sailor Moon were at the same convention? It was at Otakon 2014.

Sailor Moon - Linda Ballantyne

The 4 day convention starts today so if you are in the area be sure not to miss it. For more information check out the Anime Weekend Atlanta web site.

Toby Proctor, the voice of Tuxedo Mask

Usagi and Minako as Sailor Moon

Tony Daniels, the voice of Jadeite and Wise Man, joins others at the Toronto Sailor Moon Celebration on September 27th

Tony Daniels, guest of honour at the Toronto Sailor Moon Celebration

Another guest has joined the Toronto Sailor Moon Celebration taking place at the Ontario Science Centre this Sunday. Tony Daniels, the voice of Jadeite and Wise Man, also played a lot of smaller roles in the series. This one day convention will also include Roland Parliament, voice director of the first 65 episodes and the voice of Melvin, Ron Rubin, the voice of Artemis, and Jill Frappier, the voice of Luna and Susan Roman, the voice of Sailor Jupiter.

Toronto Sailor Moon Celebration banner

A tentative schedule has also been released which includes a number of panels, two of which I will be participating in. I will be on the Sailor Moon and Mythology panel at 11:30am and the Gender & Sociology Related to Sailor Moon panel at 5pm. Find a full schedule quoted below:

Main Room
11:00 am Opening Ceremonies
12:00 pm Screening: episode 1
12:30 pm Sailor Moon Merchandise Presentation (Emily)
1:30 pm Screening: episode 25
2:00 pm Cast Reunion
3:00 pm Screening: episode 34
3:30 pm Screening: episode 44
4:00 pm Panel: Sailor Moon Classic vs. Sailor Moon Crystal
5:00 pm Sailor Moon Singalong
6:00 pm Closing Ceremonies

Panel Zone
11:30 am Panel: Sailor Moon & Mythology
1:00 pm Ammie’s Bow Workshop Demo
1:30 pm Ammie’s Sailor Collar Workshop Demo
3:00 pm Ammie’s Boot Covers Workshop Demo
4:00 pm So You Want To Be a Voice Actor? Advice for Aspiring Actors.
5:00 pm Panel: Gender & Sociology Related to Sailor Moon

Game Center
11:30 am Sailor Moon RPG with Lindsey Ginou
2:30 pm Sailor Moon RPG with Lindsey Ginou

Voice Actor Tables
12:30 pm Autographs with the Cast
2:00 pm All actors unavailable
3:00 pm Autographs with the Cast
4:00 pm Roland Unavailable

Sailor Moon episode 13 - Jadeite illusion over the city

This event is looking to be a lot of fun and I hope to see some of you there. For more information check out Moon Chase! and the Facebook page for the event.

Sailor Moon - Wise Man

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Voice actors Linda Ballantyne, Susan Roman and Toby Proctor are at Amazing Houston Comic Con this weekend

Sailor Moon 20th Anniversary Cast Reunion Panel at Fan Expo 2013 featuring Susan Roman, Katie Griffin, Linda Ballantyne, Toby Proctor and John Stocker

Texas Sailor Moon fans won’t want to miss Amazing Houston Comic Con this weekend, September 4th to the 6th. In attendance will be Linda Ballantyne, the voice of Sailor Moon, Susan Roman, the voice of Sailor Jupiter, and Toby Proctor, the voice of Tuxedo Mask. The convention is being held at the George R. Brown Convention Center in downtown Houston. The convention web site does not list them on the guests page but the programming page does mention a Sailor Moon Spotlight Panel on Saturday afternoon at 11am.

Panel Room 1
Sailor Moon Spotlight
They fight evil by moonlight, and win the love of their adoring fans by daylight! Now you can meet the original voices behind the hit series Sailor Moon: Linda Ballantyne (Sailor Moon/Serena), Susan Roman (Lita/Sailor Jupiter), and Toby Proctor (Tuxedo Mask). They’ll be on hand to answer questions, act out scenes and more! Come meet the people who made Sailor Moon one of the most popular anime in North America! Autograph Signing will take place immediately following the panel.

Linda Ballantyne provided the 3rd voice of Sailor Moon for the 3rd and 4th seasons, Sailor Moon S and SuperS, of the original English dub. Susan Roman provided the voice of Sailor Jupiter for the entire first dub of the series. Toby Proctor was the 2nd voice of Tuxedo Mask providing his voice for most of the first 65 DiC dubbed episodes which spanned the first two seasons.

20 years ago today Sailor Moon was unleashed upon the English world

Luna waking Usagi

August 28th 1995, 20 years ago today, the Sailor Moon anime first aired on YTV in English in Canada. This marked the beginning of the popularisation of the series in North America, where it acheived a great amount of success, as it had been and continued to do throughout the world. As a Canadian I experienced this first hand as the show played repeatedly on YTV and Global many times a day in popular time slots. Sailor Moon was an instantly recogniseable icon amongst Canadian adults and children alike when the show was in its prime. The series first aired in US on syndication starting September 11th 1995 though many American stations relegated it to less desireable times than Canadian stations had done. I recall getting up to watch the show in the early hours of the morning weekdays on UPN 38 and WPIX as many other fans surely did. Though everyone’s personal experience with Sailor Moon may differ wide spread exposure to the series in the US was less common until Toonami began airing the show on June 1st 1998.

Sailor Moon SuperS episode 133 - Chibiusa is an old lonely cat lady watching Sailor Moon

Some of you may be wondering how we can be celebrating the 20th anniversary of the show in North America when we are also celebrating the 20th anniversary of the show in Japan. It took over 3 years for the show to be dubbed and released domestically, with the first episode being aired in Japan on March 7th 1992. The so called 20th annivesary celebration that has been going on in Japan has therefore been going on for over 3 years. The 20th Anniversary brand still appears all over the Japanese Official site which is titled the Sailor Moon 20th Annivesary Project Official Site and the Official Twitter account @sailormoon_20th. At this point we are actually closer to the arbitrary 25th annivesary of the show in Japan than the 20th.

Sailor Moon 20th anniversary logo

Whatever the case Sailor Moon, as most of us have known it, has been around for 20 years. Here’s to 20 more!

Sailor Moon episode 1 - Usagi runs into Mamoru

Meet Roland Parliament, Ron Rubin and more at a Toronto Sailor Moon Celebration September 27th at the Ontario Science Centre

Roland Parliament - Guest of honour at the Sailor Moon Celebration

Ron Rubin - Guest of Honour - Sailor Moon Celebration

A single day Sailor Moon convention will be taking place in Toronto next month on September 27th. Toronto Sailor Moon fans should be sure not to miss it. The event is being put on by Emily from Moon Chase! and will feature special guest Roland Parliament, the voice of Melvin and voice director for the first 65 episodes of the original English dub of Sailor Moon and Ron Rubin, the voice of Artemis the cat throughout the series. As described on Moon Chase! and the Facebook Event for the page, the event will include:

  • Q&A session with Roland Parliament: ask your burning questions about what it was like to be the voice of the geeky Melvin, the experience of voice directing Sailor Moon, or even find out more about his book Sailor Moon Reflections
  • Q&A session with Ron Rubin: ask your questions about what it was like to be the voice of a talking cat and how being part of the anime series and movies from beginning to end influenced his view of Sailor Moon and the role of Artemis
  • Autographs and photo ops with Roland Parliament and Ron Rubin
  • Sailor Moon merchandise: presentation on a selection of merchandise available in Japan and Canada, includes some real life merchandise that you can see up close!
  • Sailor Moon Classic versus Sailor Moon Crystal: open discussion of the two animes
  • Mythology and Sailor Moon: discussion of the influences of mythology in the story of Sailor Moon
  • Gender, Sociology and Sailor Moon: discussion of the aspects of gender, race, and socio-cultural significance of Sailor Moon (and Sailor Moon cosplaying) in North America
  • Sailor Moon singalong: It’s like a group karaoke! Sing along to various Sailor Moon songs, in English and Japanese. Lyrics will be on a screen so everyone can follow along.
  • Cosplay parade
  • And more!
  • Sailor Moon Celebration at the Ontario Science Center

    There will be a lot to keep a fan busy with a number of panels, a vendor area and craft area. Tickets are currently only $10. The price of tickets will be going up tomorrow, August 27th, so get your tickets now. If you didn’t get a chance don’t worry, they are only going up to $12. Entry into the Ontario Science Centre exhibits must be purchased separately for those who are interested in them. I visited the Ontario Science Centre last summer and found there were a lot of interesting exhibits there which are worth checking out.

    Along with your ticket you can order a $2 International Sailor Moon Day wrist band which is exclusive to this event. The event carries some Sailor Moon Day branding as it was originally planned for Sailor Moon Day earlier this month before being delayed.

    International Sailor Moon Day 2015 Wrist Bands

    Roland Parliament recently wrote the book Sailor Moon Reflections which recounted many memories from his time recording Sailor Moon. Though I never got a chance to formally review the book I did read it and found it to be fantastic. It is a very interesting take on the history of Sailor Moon that any fan of the original dub should check out.

    Terri Hawkes, the English voice of Sailor Moon, to appear at Ai-kon in Winnipeg July 17th to the 19th

    Terri Hawkes: Sailor Moon - Panel at G-Anime 2013

    This coming weekend Winnipeg Sailor Moon fans will get a chance to meet the voice of Sailor Moon herself, Terri Hawkes! She will be appearing as a guest at Ai-kon from July 17th to the 19th in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Terri Hawkes was the second voice of Sailor Moon, but likely the most recognisable to many fans of the original English dub having provided the voice of Sailor Moon for most of the first two seasons.

    Interview with Terri Hawkes, the voice of Sailor Moon, at G-Anime 2013

    Terri Hawkes recently co-authored Performing Motherhood: Artistic, Activist, and Everyday Enactments. Her contribution is the chapter “The Triple Threat” which deals with gender issues in theatre.