The cross-pollination between the Cartoon Network and the Kids WB continues as Sailor Moon arrives on the Kids WB for a two week run starting September 3.  Both the Cartoon Network and the WB Network are parts of the giant AOL/Time Warner media conglomerate.  In fact the two networks have been corporate 'sisters' ever since Time Warner acquired Ted Turner's media empire, but it wasn't until a reorganization of AOL/Time Warner's cable television networks under the control of Jamie Kellner that the various AOL/TW cable units really started working together (see 'AOL/TW Combine WB Network & Turner Broadcasting').  Kellner has been experimenting by scheduling the top shows from the Cartoon Network's Toonami Block (Dragonball Z and Sailor Moon) for short runs on the Kids' WB to provide these popular anime titles with some exposure to new audiences.

 

Sailor Moon will be broadcast on the WB from Monday through Friday at 3 pm (ET & PT) for two weeks beginning on the third of September.   This should expose a new audience to the exploits of Naoko Takeuchi's teenage crime fighting Sailor Scouts.  Sailor Moon has been the most important single vehicle in the introduction of shojo manga (see 'Sailor Moon Explained') to America.  Sailor Moon remains the top selling shojo anime title in the U.S., and the series of Sailor Moon graphic novels from Tokyopop may well be the bestselling group of graphic novels in any genre in the U.S. (see 'Sailor Moon Graphic Novels Top Bookstore Sales').

 

The additional exposure of Sailor Moon on the Kids' WB provides retailers with yet another reason to experiment with adding shojo titles and, in particular, Sailor Moon titles to their product mix--and, for those that already are selling shojo titles, perhaps some additional incentive to join in ICv2's Shojo Manga Display Contest.