The return of SAILORMOON!
The International “relaunch” of SAILORMOON will take off from Italy.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Paris (January 25, 2010) -Toei Animation and Backstage ink a deal to re-launch the classic
‘anime’ SAILORMOON on the Italian market. The Italian agency will manage the exploitation of
the following rights for Italy: TV, publishing, merchandising and theatrical release. The feasibility
of this project also relies on a close collaboration with the original author of SAILORMOON, Mrs
Naoko Takeuchi.
«We are very happy» commented Kanji Kazahaya, Directeur General, Toei Animation Europe, «to
have Backstage as the licensing partner of SAILORMOON. It is one of the most important factor
of success. We are certain that strategically Italy is the ideal country to initiate a global re-launch
of the classic Japanese animated series, such as SAILORMOON. The Italian public has
traditionally been passionate about ‘anime’».
Toei Animation confirms the trust given to the Italian agency, which is already in charge of
managing other important Toei Animation properties such as Dragon Ball, Saint Seiya and One
Piece.
In Japan, SAILORMOON has been a real cultural phenomenon but also one of the biggest success
worldwide during the 90’s. With 5 seasons, a total of 200 episodes of 26 min. each, plus six
feature films, SAILORMOON managed to conquer a wide public, mainly female, thanks to its
uniqueness and a plot full of humor, actions and emotions.
«We are thrilled to manage SAILORMOON rights for the second time» said Gianpietro Peia,
Backstage CEO. «We are very proud of the outcome of the delicate negotiation with the author
and also of the trust gained by Toei Animation. SAILORMOON can rely on hundreds of passionate
and excited fans so we are positive about obtaining good commercial results. Many Italian
companies have already expressed their interest and they will be able to take advantage of a
totally new and redesigned Style Guide».
Mediaset have already purchased the TV rights and they should air the first series in Autumn
2010.
Credits:
Toei Animation Europe, SAS
With headquarters in Tokyo and sales offices in Los Angeles, Hong Kong and Paris, Toei Animation (Jasdaq: 4816) ranks
amongst the world’s most prolific animation production studios. Toei Animation’s operations include animation
development and production, and worldwide marketing and program licensing. Founded in 2004, Toei Animation Europe, is
in charge of the distribution and exploitation of Toei Animation’s animated series in Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
Among its most famous series: Captain Harlock, Dragon Ball, Saint Seiya, Sailormoon, Digimon Adventure, One Piece,…
http://www.toei-animation.com Backstage
Backstage is one of the first Italian independent agency that since 1991 has been active in the licensing business. It operates around
different main fields: Entertainment (from Tv animated series to movies), Brand and Art licensing. Backstage works with the most
renowned Italian companies building a relationship of mutual trust with Licensees and Licensors (Toei Animation, Marvel, Lucasfilm,
Artestar, etc.). The mission of Backstage is to provide its commercial partners with a complete service while developing effective
licensing campaigns. Backstage operates with the headquarter in Modena and one office in Milan.
Counting 15 employees divided in different departments, it guarantees a high level of service both to the Licensor and the Licensees
through sales, communication, marketing and Brand Assurance activities. The wide choice of characters allows the development of
diversified licensing plans, all customised to satisfy every single need of our partners.
http://www.backstagelicensing.com.
For further information:
Isabelle Favre
t. +33 175001552
i.favre@toei-anim.net Lorenzo Varrà
t. +39 059 340700
lorenzo.varra@backstagelicensing.com 
Necros, nice name for them. Is that the singular and plural, or is necro the singular?
I hope it hits the US. And it's 
