Total Eclipse Turns Partial?

September 5, 2004 - There have been a few developments since our May 3, 2004 report on the Total Eclipse of Sailor Moon in the United States. Toei and PNP do not seem to have come to an agreement concerning the reduction of fees to Naoko Takeuchi for overseas (outside of Japan) versions of PGSM. It appears that Toei is making good on its threat not to license PGSM outside of Japan. Regardless, the SOS would like to inform all parties that we have received an incredible amount of hits from mainland China to our pages with gifs of PGSM. China seems fascinated with this show. With the anime licenses expiring overseas Toei may use this opportunity to end its relationship with Cloverway, Inc. with all of its productions. Toei might open its own offices in the United States to license and maybe distribute its product. Such a change may not be good for fans. Most companies like Toei have had terrible experiences when dealing directly with the American market (Pioneer/Geneon being the exception). Geneon appears to be positioning itself to convince Toei to let it, Geneon, to continue to distribute Toei productions especially the Sailor Moon anime (since PGSM will not be distributed in English speaking markets as originally planned). Some executives with Geneon have been making (what some of us here consider to be) some rather outlandish statements concerning their rights. One executive has even inferred that their licenses to the television series Sailor Moon S and Sailor Moon SuperS will never expire--with which we take huge exception. When confronting a different Geneon executive making a similar claim they admitted that they hadn't actually read the contract and so did not know when their rights would actually expire. (In other words, their story changed instantly.) This would not be the first time a company with a Sailor Moon license interpreted its agreement in conflict with Cloverway and/or Toei. This situation will either get resolved or end like a train wreck (as it did with DiC). In 6 months or so, fans will learn the outcome by carefully trolling the Geneon website. Meanwhile (as we previously reported on June 23, 2004 via our now defunct tickertape), the total eclipse in Japan will end this Fall. DVDs and merchandise of the anime will return. But no new anime is planned.