The good news is that Sailor Moon is back, baby! The bad news is that it's really only back in Italy.

Now, no offense to Italy, but when I first heard whisperings of a Sailor Moon revival, I was hoping for a new anime series or something- not just a re-broadcast of the original 200-episode series, in a country where I do not happen to live. Nevertheless, as a starving Moonie, I'll take whatever I can get.

Toei's Kanji Kazahaya had this to say about the Italian broadcast:

 “We are certain that strategically Italy is the ideal country to initiate a global re-launch of the classic Japanese animated series such as Sailor Moon.  The Italian public has traditionally been passionate about anime.”

Wait...did he just say GLOBAL re-launch? Maybe my hopes for a new anime series aren't so far-fetched after all. It's not like there have been a whole lot of breakout hits on the anime front lately, and SM certainly has a proven track record. I used to think that a new TV series- covering similar ground to the original, but adhering closer to the manga (and in higher quality!)- was a complete pie-in-the-sky dream, but when you look at what's happened with properties like Full Metal Alchemist, I wonder. Plus, there's been a huge trend lately of taking something that was big in the '90s and doing a Version 2.0, so chances may be better for my favorite magical girl franchise coming back than I had dared imagine.

Needless to say, I will keep you updated on the situation- in fact, I might just make up unsubstantiated rumors in the hopes that they will reach the ears of some higher-up, who will then gush "That's a brilliant idea!" Wait, strike that; I would never lie to Japanator readers for my own personal gain...unless Tuxedo Mask were involved. Oh well, the cat's out of the bag now....

[Via ICv2]