Yesterday, just in time for Christmas, Anime Expo announced that they’ll host Sailor Moon‘s dub cast as guests of honor at their 2014 convention. Linda Ballantyne (Sailor Moon, seasons 3 and 4), Susan Roman (Sailor Jupiter), Katie Griffin (Sailor Mars), Karen Bernstein (Sailor Mercury, seasons 1 and 2), and Stephanie Morgenstern (Sailor Venus, seasons 1 and 2) will be present at the event. The actresses will host a Sailor Moon panel, in addition to individual autograph sessions.
It’s always something of a marvel to see when a convention is able to host the entire cast of an older series like this. Due to the nature of the entertainment industry, whether it’s conflicts with work, or even an actor’s desire to maintain personal privacy, there are many factors that can ensure that such a gathering would be borderline impossible.
Because of this, such appearances become the stuff of legends among fans, and enviable bragging points for the conventions themselves. The Anime Boston higher-ups, for example, still beam when discussing their 2003 event, when the main cast of Gundam Wing came together at a con for the first and last time. Similarly, Arizona’s Saboten Con made waves when they announced that they would host the voice actors for Shinji, Asuka, and Rei from Neon Genesis Evangelion. As a show ages, it becomes harder to track many of these folks down, as they either leave the industry or find employment in other areas of entertainment. So, for a convention to actually schedule and host a cast of this caliber can be seen as akin to herding cats.
Because of this, kudos are definitely owed to Anime Expo. The work that’s gone into signing and scheduling the cast was undoubtedly immense, given that Karen Bernstein hasn’t been active in the anime community in ages, and Stephanie Morgenstern hasn’t attended an anime convention since 2001. Their appearance will be one that will linger with fans for year to come. At the same time, it will be yet another feather in the cap of the nation’s largest anime convention.
