Category Archives: Haruka Tenoh

[Lunar Logs] The Contest to Win a Date with Megumi Ogata

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Filed under Articles, Haruka Tenoh, Lunar Logs, Real World
Megumi Ogata plays with a Sailor Uranus keychain on her "date's" bag

Megumi Ogata plays with a Sailor Uranus keychain on her “date’s” bag

Lunar Logs is a weekly series featuring full translations of interviews with Ms. Takeuchi and others — such as the directors, writers, voice cast, and more — responsible for making Sailor Moon into the massively popular franchise we know it as today. Though not every interview will directly address or even mention Sailor Moon, I find it an interesting look into the minds of these influential figures.

Today’s article isn’t so much an interview per se, but rather coverage of a rather… unique contest Animage magazine held in 1995 titled “A Date with Ogata.” As the name implies, it was a chance for readers to submit their best date plans to the magazine and, upon careful consideration, three lucky winners would have their chance to go on a date with the superstar voice actress Megumi Ogata.1

If that doesn’t sound bizarre enough to you, well… okay, so you probably have just been exposed to Ikuhara’s madcap antics a bit too often.

Today we’ll be going into the story of Megumi Ogata’s doki doki de-to with one of her intrepid fans, a second year junior high schooler named Natsuko. Read on for the date coverage!

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Why Was There No Fan Reaction to the Deaths of Uranus and Neptune?

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Filed under Anime, Articles, Haruka Tenoh, Interview, Making Of, Michiru Kaioh, Outer Senshi, Real World
There's absolutely no way anything is about to happen

There’s absolutely no way anything is about to happen

There is perhaps no greater proof out there about just how much of an impact Sailor Uranus and Neptune had on young fans than the fact that the Sailor Moon S episode showcasing their death still ranks within the top 5 Sailor Moon memories even 25 years later.1

And yet, in stark contrast to the swift response flooded in from concerned fans and parents after the traumatizing penultimate episode in Sailor Moon‘s first season, fans were surprisingly quiet in the first few days and weeks following the deaths of our favorite Sailor cousins partners. What happened, and what can this tell us about how the Sailor Moon fandom grew as the series progressed?

Fortunately for us, Megumi Ogata (voice of Haruka Tenoh) and Masako Katsuki (voice of Michiru Kaioh) joined Animedia’s reporter2 for a behind-the-glass conversation about what goes on in the recording booth, how episode 110 (“The Death of Uranus and Neptune: The Talismans Appear”) came to be and their reactions to it, and more!

If you’ve always wanted to know more about this famous episode, now’s your chance!

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Happy Birthday Haruka Tenoh!

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Filed under Blog, Haruka Tenoh
Happy Birthday Haruka! (courtesy of patisserie DeCo)

Happy Birthday Haruka! (courtesy of patisserie DeCo)

If you were a North American fan of Sailor Moon back in the mid- to late-90s (and even into the early 2000s), your exposure to the… well, let’s say “deeper” parts of the series was limited at best. Nudity? None of that. Death? Make them unconscious instead. Homosexuality? Let’s try “cousins.”

Then one day, you were taking a trip down the information super highway — known to some as “the internet” — when all of a sudden you read that there was much more to Sailor Moon than you had been led to believe. Eternal Sailor Moon flew around naked. The Sailor Senshi died. Oh, and what’s this? Some of the Sailors were lesbians??

I think I speak for many of us in my generation of Sailor Moon fandom when I say that the exposure to Haruka and Michiru’s relationship was an incredibly eye opening experience. For that reason alone, these two characters will always be incredibly important to me.

In honor of Haruka Tenoh’s birthday, I’d like to take the opportunity to highlight five interesting facts about the Senshi of the wind and her role in Sailor Moon. Happy Birthday, Haruka!

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What Is the Correct Spelling of Haruka’s Last Name, Tenoh or Tenou?

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Filed under Articles, Fandom, Haruka Tenoh, Language, Michiru Kaioh, Setsuna Meioh
Wait, which one is it Haruka?!

Wait, which one is it Haruka?!

While I’m sure I’ve made quite a reputation for myself about being a stickler for the every little tiny detail in the Sailor Moon universe, I’m just going to say up front that I find it absolutely absurd that fans even argue about this.

And argue they do! As someone who’s been a part of the Sailor Moon internet community since the late 90s, I can say that I’ve seen this argument come and go since the earliest days of the fandom.

So, since this is a question I see from time to time in my inbox and DMs, I figure it’s time I throw in my 2.27 yen!1 What is the correct spelling?

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How Absurdly Expensive Was Haruka and Michiru’s Rent in Sailor Moon?

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Filed under Articles, Haruka Tenoh, Michiru Kaioh
Dreaming about all their money

Dreaming about all their money

Between the race cars, motorcycles, helicopters, violins, and other extravagancies, I’m quite sure we’re all pretty much on the same page that Sailor Moon‘s Haruka and Michiru are ridiculously wealthy. And we’re not even talking about Usagi “I Own a Million Dollar House” Tsukino style wealthy here, either. We’re talking about the kind of money you and I dream about while we eat instant ramen.

… or are we?

Today we’re going to take a look at just how out-of-this-world Haruka and Michiru’s rent really would be. I hope you brought your calculators, because things are going to get intense!

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How Were Haruka and Michiru’s VAs Told to Portray Their Characters?

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Filed under Articles, Characters, Haruka Tenoh, Making Of, Michiru Kaioh
Masako Katsuki and Megumi Ogata

Masako Katsuki and Megumi Ogata

Though the arguments have mostly settled down in recent years, discussions over the nature of Haruka and Michiru’s relationship was, at one time, one of the most hotly contested debates in the nascent days of the North American Sailor Moon fandom.

Today, we’re going to take a look at an interview conducted with Megumi Ogata and Masako Katsuki, voice actresses for Haruka Tenoh and Michiru Kaioh respective, and see how they approached figuratively, and literally, breathing life into their characters.

I hope you stick around!

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Why Didn’t Megumi Ogata Sing Sailor Uranus’ Song, Initial U?

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Filed under Articles, Characters, Haruka Tenoh, Making Of
Sailor Uranus transformation

Sailor Uranus transformation

When I was first getting into anime, the concept of “character songs” (or sometimes known as “image songs”) was something that was a little hard to wrap my mind around. They’re essentially songs written from the character’s point of view and performed in character. If done right, if gives you further insight into the character in a way that you don’t often hear them express themselves.

If done wrong…? Well, that’s what we’re going to talk about today. Join along for a trip down memory lane as we discuss what went wrong with Initial U!

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