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?

Tokyo Game Show has recently taken place; the major Japanese video game companies were showing their upcoming releases. If there was a Sailor Moon game coming out for Wii and produced by Namco/Bandai, it would have been on the Namco/Bandai list of upcoming games at the show. To our knowledge, it it is absent.

While we have reported whatever information we've been given about about a possible Wii game coming out, right now all we have to go on is what Yes Asia has said, which is not a lot of evidence for its existence. Although anything is possible, if this rumor were try we would have expected the game to at least be mentioned as an upcoming release by the purported publisher.

 In other news, Geneon appears to be exiting the American anime scene. Last month they announced a deal whereby ADV would take over distrobution, now that deal has been cancelled. Geneon is letting go of most of its staff and is becoming an effective non-entity in the US anime market. While this is sad news for the anime industry, and while Geneon released the Sailor Moon films, Sailor Moon S, and Sailor Moon SS seasons on DVD several years back, we feel their absence is largely irrelevant to the potential for Sailor Moon's relerease in the US. Recent indications from Toei are that they're gung-ho on doing things themselves (and via broadband).

Regardless, this is a sad day for the US anime industry; one of its longtime stalwarts is departing. We wish Geneon's staff the best of luck in finding new positions.

Last, Sailor Moon Channel has updated with Act 6 of their animated "Prism Channel " Manga. 

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. 

Found this on the Sailor Moon News Portal's Japanese Google News feed.

http://bb.watch.impress.co.jp/cda/news/19125.html

Prepared a translation for you:

From September 1st, "Toei Animation's BB Premium 'All You Can Watch' Pack" will begin, allowing viewers on Plala Network's set-top-box video service for FLETs customers, "4th Media," to watch Toei's animation programming via a monthly subscription service [rather then pay for episodes individually].*

*The video service they speak of, 4th Media, is a television service that sends the signal via broadband and hooks up to a set top box. FLETS is a broadband provider.

The Toei Animation BB Premium 'All You Can Watch' Pack has some 15 titles and over 1,000 episodes in a monthly package, including "Fist of the North Star," "Ge ge ge no Kitaro," and "Sailor Moon." Each month, 2 titles and roughly 100 episodes will be rotated in.

The package is available for those subscribing to the regular and lite plans. The monthly cost is 1,554 yen [$13.10], with no application fees. 

Japanese newspaper Yomiuri has an interesting article on a global "TV chill." From the article:

I visited the Tokyo International Anime Fair today. It was big, bright, and noisy, and I have photos for you from it.

When contacted about the item in question, YesAsia has twice responded that the item is indeed shipping, per information received from "their supplier." One response you can see here at our forums, another one was given to sailordees at Moon Chase. At the very least, then, the listing is not a mistake in YesAsia's product directory, and they do believe such a game is going to be released this year.