Reader Sean sent us in a link to the Toei Animation official My Space page, which is interesting insofar as the company is trying (and from the size of the friends list, kinda failing) at a viral marketing campaign for its direct2drive service. They write there:

Toei Animation Inc. (TAI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Toei Animation Co., Ltd. established in Los Angeles in 2004, looks forward to spreading the world-renowned Japanese animation studio's extensive library and pursuing co-production in English-speaking territories worldwide.

With a rich catalogue of unique animated properties including such famous titles and franchises as Digimon, Dragonball, Sailor Moon, Saint Seiya, One Piece, Slam Dunk and Fist of the North Star, Toei Animation everyone the ability to dream.

TAI is committed to the challenge of marrying its various assets with cutting edge technologies such as VOD, the internet and mobile media to best deliver the company's message of unbound possibilities to this and future generations.

Direct2Drive, mentioned on that page, is their direct download service and related to the poll from last year where Toei was testing the waters for direct-to-consumer video.

Reader Stina sent us in a link to this MMO screenshot, featuring a certain sailor-suited heroine of justice, and reader Kamikaze noted in recent G4 coverage of comic con that there was at least one costumed Sailor Mars walking around... anyone get pictures?

Nikkei (Japan's WSJ)  is reporting that Kodansha plans to enter the US manga market from September. ANN has some info and commentary.

Like with Toei, Kodansha appears to want to fold all its rights back into its own subsidiary and pursue opportunities in the US marketplace directly. What this means for Sailor Moon is unknown, but as both rightsholder and publisher, they could attempt to republish the Sailor Moon manga, revisions, or even Sailor V.

I'm amazed by the efforts that Sailor Moon fans have made to get out the vote for the poll. Sailor Moon rose above all comers, getting two out of every three votes cast! The final results show Sailor Moon with 2535 votes out of 3979 cast, well ahead of second place winner "Digimon." If you voted in the poll, and/or told friends etc. to vote too, great job!

I hope that through this survey, Toei and other anime companies can get an idea of how strong the love for Sailor Moon is among English-speaking anime fans, and that we can see Sailor Moon's return to these (and other) shores in the near future.

Update: 8/16 - 5:30pm EST -  ANN bumped the poll back to the homepage twenty minutes ago.

Have you voted in the official Toei poll on which series Toei should make available for subtitled download? Sailor Moon is on there. Don't miss this opportunity!

Sailor Moon already has a huge lead thanks to the efforts of fans like yourself, with over 60% of voters checking the series. I'm awed by the efforts the Sailor Moon fan community has made to get out the vote. Great job!

The poll probably isn't going to last for much longer. Soon it'll be off the ANN front page, so Sailor Moon has an even better chance to blow the competition away. Keep asking other fans to vote in the poll if they haven't already. Toei is the poll's sponsor and are checking to see what market there is for their video-on-demand service, so this is the best chance to make sure Toei's staff knows how much Sailor Moon is loved outside Japan.

Also, Sailor Moon Channel has updated. The fifth act of their animated version of the Sailor Moon manga, "Prism Channel," is ready.

Check out this Official Toei Poll.

Toei wants to know which of its shows it should offer via download or Cable IPTV, subtitled, in the US market. Sailor Moon is on there. Go vote now!

The poll connects a number of curious dots. In March, Toei began offering the show as part of its AnimeBB package in Japan (and as we reported earlier in the week , it's also part of a new "unlimited" package.) In May, Geneon mentioned the license is on lockdown . Now Toei is looking to see which shows they should offer to US customers, and if this Sailor Moon is listed there, it's more then likely they've got the rights to bring it here. In addition, all five seasons are included as part of the poll. (See forum comment.)

So go vote! Tell every forum, newsgroup, friend, family member, etc., to check "Sailor Moon" on that poll. Watch the results here.

There are a number of questions left unanswered, such as whether it'd be a completely new translation. What's most important right now, though, is that fans make their voices heard.

Don't miss the update on the Wii game below. 

Lilly-chan received a response from the Yes Asia team as posted in this thread telling her:

Thank you for shopping at YesAsia.com!

Regarding your enquiry about the game "Sailor Moon (Working Title) (Japan Version)" YesAsia catalog number: 1004513672, please kindly note that it is relesase by Namco officially. The manufacturere's name is written in our product introduction page also. According to the supplier, this item is going to be released at December 31, 2007. You are welcome to place the order after the price is determined.

Once again, thank you very much for your continued support of YesAsia.com. 

We'll see how it goes. Great job, Lilly. 

Updated 7/28: 9PM EST (Links section) 

The latest story with TokyoPop is that they're trying to renegotiate the manga. As I wrote earlier in the week, and as others are saying around the Sailor Moon web, it ends up being something we've heard before, but it's important in that it shows companies like TokyoPop still see the series as having market potential here. I don't forsee further updates to the Otakon-related story.

Moving on, I hope to have the Otakon PGSM panel video available sometime next week. (I have to get my camera back from Yoshimoon then encode and edit it.)

Updated: 7PM EST 7/23/07

I'm now able to confirm/disconfirm news that came in to us from earlier today. I'm putting up information as I receive it, and making changes as people clarify what happened.

Word from the Otakon PGSM panel is that TokyoPop is still attempting to renegotiate the rights to the Sailor Moon manga.

Tokyo Pop Panel video is now available at ANN. Skip to the 28 minute mark. They mention the licensing issue is still a problem for them; whatever's been blocking TP for years now still seems to be in place, but they're pursuing. The video contradicts earlier word received; as the video is solid evidence, we're sticking with what the video says. We'll continue to bring you information as we hear it.

In some ways, this is a repeat of what they've said in the past, but it's good to know they're still active. Assumption is TokyoPop would want a new translation (now that DiC's not in the game anymore they don't have to stick with "Bunny.")

See forums thread for latest details.

The person who put the question to TokyoPop was PGSM panel chair Lilly-chan. Great job! 

I'd like to thank Solarchos and Senshi Guardian from Suburban Senshi and Yoshimoon and Moon Jump from the Genvid Forums for sending in details. If you know anything, contact us . 

I'm mentioning this just because people are bound to speculate. There was a bumper on Adult Swim earlier tonight which was a letter from a fan complaining about them showing Voltron. It said something like "Why don't you just air Sailor Moon? It would be as gay as Voltron."

Voltron used to air along with SM in the old Toonami blocks. But something tells me this isn't a hint they'll actually do that, just a joke. People at CN have stated repeatedly in the past that Sailor Moon does not match their current programming aims compared to those of some five+ years ago.