Naoko Takeuchi
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese manga artist
Mangaka
is the Japanese word for a comic artist or cartoonist. Outside of Japan, manga usually refers to a Japanese comic book and mangaka refers to the author of the manga, who is usually Japanese...

 who lives in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

, Japan. Takeuchi's works have a wide following among anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....

 and manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...

 fans
Fan (person)
A Fan, sometimes also called aficionado or supporter, is a person with a liking and enthusiasm for something, such as a band or a sports team. Fans of a particular thing or person constitute its fanbase or fandom...

 worldwide. Her most popular work, Sailor Moon
Sailor Moon
Sailor Moon, known as , is a media franchise created by manga artist Naoko Takeuchi. Fred Patten credits Takeuchi with popularizing the concept of a team of magical girls, and Paul Gravett credits the series with "revitalizing" the magical-girl genre itself...

, rose to become one of the most recognized manga and anime products to date.

Early life

Naoko Takeuchi was born to Kenji and Ikuko Takeuchi. She has a younger brother named Shingo. She used the names of her family members in the manga of Sailor Moon, and mentions this in interviews and in several comic-strips which she produced in place of author-notes.

Takeuchi attended Kofu Ichi High School. She wore sailor suits
Japanese school uniform
Japan introduced school uniforms in the late 19th century. Today, school uniforms are common in many of the Japanese public and private school systems. The Japanese word for this type of uniform is .-Usage:...

 and joined the astronomy and manga clubs. This experience later influenced her work, Sailor Moon, as well as her previous manga such as Love Call and Rain Kiss. She wanted to become a manga artist at this age, however her father, Kenji, said that in case she did not make it she should find another profession, so she went to university to study for a degree in chemistry.

Takeuchi graduated from Kyoritsu University of Pharmacy, where she received a degree in chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....

. (Kyoritsu University of Pharmacy merged with Keio University in 2006.) the buildings still exist. She became a licensed pharmacist
Pharmacist
Pharmacists are allied health professionals who practice in pharmacy, the field of health sciences focusing on safe and effective medication use...

. Her senior thesis had the title "Heightened Effects of Thrombolytic Actions Due to Ultrasound".

While a tertiary student, Takeuchi did miko
Miko
is a Japanese term that anciently meant a "female shaman, spirit medium" who conveyed oracles from kami , and currently means a "shrine maiden; virgin consecrated to a deity" who serves at Shinto shrines.-Word:...

 work at Shiba Daijingu shrine not far from the university which she attended. This experience later became the ground-work for one of her characters in Sailor Moon, Rei Hino.

Working for Kodansha

Naoko Takeuchi then worked for Kodansha
Kodansha
, the largest Japanese publisher, produces the manga magazines Nakayoshi, Afternoon, Evening, and Weekly Shonen Magazine, as well as more literary magazines such as Gunzō, Shūkan Gendai, and the Japanese dictionary Nihongo Daijiten. The company has its headquarters in Bunkyō, Tokyo...

, starting at the age of 19 when she published Love Call, which received an award. She worked steadily on one-shot pieces until writing Maria. She based this work, her first serial comic, loosely on Daddy-Long-Legs
Daddy-Long-Legs (novel)
Daddy Long-Legs is a 1912 epistolary novel by the American writer Jean Webster. It follows the protagonist, a young girl named Jerusha "Judy" Abbott, through her college years. She writes the letters to her benefactor, a rich man whom she has never seen....

and on her friend Marie Koizumi, who helped her write it.

Takeuchi had another serial with The Cherry Project, which ran for three volumes and dealt with skating. Upon completing The Cherry Project she wanted to do a manga on outer space and girl fighters. Her editor Fumio Osano (nicknamed Osa-P) asked her to put the fighters in sailor-suits, and thus began Sailor V. When plans began to turn Sailor V into an anime, she reworked the series and added four other Sailor Soldiers. This became Sailor Moon, which proved a hit. While she worked on Sailor Moon she also simultaneously worked on Sailor V. However, the magazine that ran Sailor V was canceled. The project to turn Sailor V into an anime was canceled with the magazine.

After Sailor Moon ended in 1997, she then worked on PQ Angels. This gained a fair amount of popularity but got suddenly canceled due to Kodansha losing seven pages of manuscript. It is possible that it would have become an anime: Takeuchi has mentioned that Toei had the manuscript.

PNP establishment

"PNP" stands for "Princess Naoko Planning". Takeuchi established this company to manage her properties, mainly Sailor Moon. Later this encompassed Yoshihiro Togashi
Yoshihiro Togashi
is a Japanese manga artist. He began drawing manga at an early age; while he attended college, the publisher Shueisha recognized his talent. Togashi has authored numerous manga series in different genres during the past three decades...

's work as well. Takeuchi runs the company herself. Its name shows up on several musical credits such as Shin Kaguya Shima Densetsu.

Leaving Kodansha

Naoko Takeuchi felt upset at the loss of seven pages of the PQ Angels manuscript in 1997. Kodansha
Kodansha
, the largest Japanese publisher, produces the manga magazines Nakayoshi, Afternoon, Evening, and Weekly Shonen Magazine, as well as more literary magazines such as Gunzō, Shūkan Gendai, and the Japanese dictionary Nihongo Daijiten. The company has its headquarters in Bunkyō, Tokyo...

 had originally planned for the manga to become a tankōbon
Tankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...

, but with the loss of the manuscript pages this became impossible. Osano Fumio also left her for a shōnen magazine. Then the plans for the Materials Collection were canceled by Kodansha. Naoko Takeuchi left Kodansha: she went to the publisher Shueisha
Shueisha
is a major publisher in Japan. The company was founded in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The following year, Shueisha became a separate, independent company. Magazines published by Shueisha include Weekly Shōnen Jump, Weekly Young Jump,...

, hoping to find out more about the manga industry and whether manuscripts often get lost.

In 1998, Takeuchi visited the United States and attended Comic-Con. With assistance from Mixx Entertainment
Tokyopop
Tokyopop, styled TOKYOPOP, and formerly known as Mixx, is a distributor, licensor, and publisher of anime, manga, manhwa, and Western manga-style works. The existing German publishing division produces German translations of licensed Japanese properties and original English-language manga, as well...

 she answered questions—mainly about Sailor Moon. She also asked the audience if they liked the occult
Occult
The word occult comes from the Latin word occultus , referring to "knowledge of the hidden". In the medical sense it is used to refer to a structure or process that is hidden, e.g...

, which was most likely the beginnings of Love Witch. She also that year published the first Sailor Moon property since leaving Kodansha, Sailor Moon Infinity Collection Art Book with limited releases.

Working for Togashi and marriage

In her short comic strip Princess Naoko Takeuchi Back-to-Work Punch!!, Takeuchi states that she met Yoshihiro Togashi
Yoshihiro Togashi
is a Japanese manga artist. He began drawing manga at an early age; while he attended college, the publisher Shueisha recognized his talent. Togashi has authored numerous manga series in different genres during the past three decades...

 at a meeting and had a meeting arranged between them by Megumi Ogata
Megumi Ogata
is a female seiyū and singer from the Tokyo Metropolitan area. As a singer, she goes by the name em:óu. She attended Tōkai University, but left due to lack of interest. She is also best known for voicing Sailor Uranus, Kurama and Shinji Ikari....

, the voice of Sailor Uranus as well as of Togashi's character Kurama. She worked for Togashi as an assistant (doing screentone
Screentone
Screentone is a technique for applying textures and shades to drawings, used as an alternative to hatching. In the conventional process, patterns are transferred to paper from preprinted sheets, but the technique is also simulated in computer graphics...

) and as a manager on volume 1 of Hunter × Hunter
Hunter × Hunter
, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yoshihiro Togashi. The story focuses on a young boy named Gon, who discovers that his father, whom he was told was dead, is actually alive and well...

. However the work and the demands proved more than she had expected, so she ended up quitting.

Around this time Takeuchi conceived the idea for Toki*Meka, which eventually turned into Toki*Meca. Togashi had a similar idea at the same time as her, but never fully brought it to fruition. He helped somewhat with Toki*Meka at this point in developing the idea by drawing some concept sketches, which Naoko Takeuchi showed in Toki*Meca volume 1.

They dated, then married in 1999. They have a son, born in January 2001, whose real name they choose not to disclose, but whom they have nicknamed "Petit Ōji," which means "little prince
The Little Prince
The Little Prince , first published in 1943, is a novella and the most famous work of the French aristocrat writer, poet and pioneering aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupéry ....

" in combined French and Japanese.

Return to Kodansha

With the imminent expiration of the Sailor Moon license, Kodansha eventually made a deal with Takeuchi, and she returned in 1999 to make the Materials Collection. Her first serialized manga after her return started: Love Witch. Love Witch was cancelled by Kodansha for unknown reasons. Takeuchi also started to work on the reprints of Sailor Moon and Sailor V.

She also made a one-shot Toki*Meka.

PGSM involvement

Naoko Takeuchi became heavily involved in the live action
Live action
In filmmaking, video production, and other media, the term live action refers to cinematography, videography not produced using animation...

 Sailor Moon Series, Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon
is a Japanese tokusatsu television series in the Bishōjo Senshi Sailor Moon metaseries originally created by Naoko Takeuchi. It is produced by Toei, the same company that produces the Super Sentai Series and the Kamen Rider Series and of which their animation firm Toei Animation, produced the...

(PGSM). For example, she designed Sailor Luna's costume. Naoko Takeuchi in an interview had stated that she had an interest in learning more about the anime industry. This culminated in the creation of Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon. The series plot displays a plot heavily reliant on the manga and also explores many themes that the manga was unable to explore.

She showed up at the official conference with a fist up, meaning "good luck", in Act Zero.

During the time she worked on PGSM Takeuchi released no new manga.

Return to drawing manga

After the series PGSM had wrapped up, Takeuchi worked on Toki*Meca. During Toki*Meca Fumio Osano returned and became her editor. At the same time she worked more closely with managing PNP and gave talks to college students. Simultaneously she wrote a children's book titled Oboo-nu- to Chiboo-nu- as a birthday present to her son. (Her husband illustrated the children's book. She made mention of it in the back of volume 1 of Toki*Meca.) She still works on the website, updating it about once a month with new flash animations or profiles.

She had a child in 2009. It is not confirmed if it is a boy or a girl.

Manga

The following list contains Naoko Takeuchi's works, both major and minor, since her debut:
  • Chocolate Christmas (チョコレート·クリスマス Chokorēto Kurisumasu, 1987–1988):
    • A story about a girl who falls in love with a DJ over Christmas. It appeared collected into a single tankōbon
      Tankobon
      , with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...

      volume.
  • Maria
    Maria
    Maria is a female given name in many diverse cultures, including Mexican, African, Arab, Armenian, Bulgarian, Catalan, Croatian, English, Finnish, German, Greek, Italian, Maltese, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Romanian, Pakistani, Afghan, Serbian, Swedish, Spanish.In Roman Empire the...

    (ま·り·あ Ma-ri-a, 1989–1990):
    • A story loosely based on the book Daddy-Long-Legs
      Daddy-Long-Legs (novel)
      Daddy Long-Legs is a 1912 epistolary novel by the American writer Jean Webster. It follows the protagonist, a young girl named Jerusha "Judy" Abbott, through her college years. She writes the letters to her benefactor, a rich man whom she has never seen....

      by Jean Webster
      Jean Webster
      Jean Webster was an American writer and author of many books including Daddy-Long-Legs and Dear Enemy...

      .
  • The Cherry Project (Theチェリープロジェクト The Cherī Purojekuto, 1990–1991):
    • A figure-skating
      Figure skating
      Figure skating is an Olympic sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform spins, jumps, footwork and other intricate and challenging moves on ice skates. Figure skaters compete at various levels from beginner up to the Olympic level , and at local, national, and international competitions...

      -themed manga, spanning 3 volumes, involving the young skater Cherry's quests to become a professional skater and to win the heart of a boy. The series was released by Kodansha in 3 collected volumes between 1991 and 1992. One of its characters also appears in Sailor Moon.
  • Codename: Sailor V (コードネームはセーラーV Kōdonēmu wa Sērā Bui, 1991–1997):
    • This series follows the adventures of costumed "magical girl
      Magical girl
      belong to a sub-genre of Japanese fantasy anime and manga. Magical girl stories feature young girls with superhuman abilities, forced to fight evil and to protect the Earth. They often possess a secret identity, although the name can just refer to young girls who follow a plotline involving magic...

      " Sailor V. It directly preceded (and became something of a prototype for) Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon, introducing Minako Aino, alias "Sailor V," who would become a supporting character in the latter series. Takeuchi concluded the series she had already finished Sailor Moon; Sailor Vfeatured an ending that tied the two series together. Originally released in 3 volumes, Codename: Sailor V was re-released in 2004 in a deluxe two-volume "Renewal Edition" (新装版 Shinzōban) format.
  • Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon
    Sailor Moon
    Sailor Moon, known as , is a media franchise created by manga artist Naoko Takeuchi. Fred Patten credits Takeuchi with popularizing the concept of a team of magical girls, and Paul Gravett credits the series with "revitalizing" the magical-girl genre itself...

    (美少女戦士セーラームーン Bishōjo Senshi Sērāmūn, 1992–1997)
    • Known to American audiences simply as Sailor Moon, this manga became Naoko Takeuchi's most famous work, and spawned an anime, several films, stage musicals, a live-action television series and video games of various genres. A fusion of styles between the mahō shōjo
      Magical girl
      belong to a sub-genre of Japanese fantasy anime and manga. Magical girl stories feature young girls with superhuman abilities, forced to fight evil and to protect the Earth. They often possess a secret identity, although the name can just refer to young girls who follow a plotline involving magic...

      and sentai
      Sentai
      in Japanese language is a word for a military unit and may be literally translated as "squadron", "task force", "group" or "wing". The terms "regiment" and "flotilla", while sometimes used as translations of Sentai, are also used to refer to larger formations....

      genres, Sailor Moon tells the story of Usagi Tsukino, a girl who discovers one day her identity as the reincarnation
      Reincarnation
      Reincarnation best describes the concept where the soul or spirit, after the death of the body, is believed to return to live in a new human body, or, in some traditions, either as a human being, animal or plant...

       of a celestial heroine fighting for love and justice. This series was largely responsible for the late-1990s resurgence of "magical girl" anime and manga. The series was originally released in 18 volumes, but was re-released in 2003 and 2004 in a deluxe 12-volume "Renewal Edition" (新装版 Shinzōban) format, with two supplementary volumes containing side stories to the main work. Characters from her previous work, Codename Sailor V, return in this one.
  • Miss Rain (ミス·レイン Misu Rein, 1993):
    • A collection of 5 short manga, including the title work.
  • Prism Time (プリズム·タイム Purizumu Taimu, 1986–1997):
    • A collection of one-shot stories from early works to those from the late 1990s. It is available in 2 volumes, released in 1995 and 1997, respectively.
  • PQ Angels (PQエンジェルス PQ Enjerusu, 1997):
    • Features two alien girls, able to turn into cockroach
      Cockroach
      Cockroaches are insects of the order Blattaria or Blattodea, of which about 30 species out of 4,500 total are associated with human habitations...

      es, who are searching for their princess. The series was a complete disaster for Takeuchi: it was discontinued abruptly after only 4 chapters, and Kodansha lost the proofs of the portion that had been written. It has therefore only appeared in its original serialization, from September to December 1997.
  • Princess Naoko Takeuchi's Return-to-Society Punch!! (1998–?):
    • A collection of short strips detailing what Takeuchi did after Sailor Moon. It ran for a number of years under a changing title, giving details about her post-Sailor Moon slump and recovery, as well as her meeting, marrying, and starting a family with fellow manga creator Yoshihiro Togashi. The comic ran in Shueisha
      Shueisha
      is a major publisher in Japan. The company was founded in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The following year, Shueisha became a separate, independent company. Magazines published by Shueisha include Weekly Shōnen Jump, Weekly Young Jump,...

      's Young You magazine, rather than a Kodansha publication, and has not been collected since its original serialization. There are similar "____ Punch!" comic strips in the same format at the end of some of the Sailor Moon "Renewal Edition" volumes.
  • Toki☆Meka! (とき☆メカ! Toki☆Meka!, 2001):
    • A one-shot story about a robot (Mecha), her creator, and their adventures.
  • Love Witch (ラブ ウィッチ Rabu Witchi, 2002):
    • A story where a girl receives a perfume bottle and becomes a witch, but with a heavy price. It was discontinued after 3 chapters and one side story, with no explanation. It has yet to be reprinted in any sort of compilation.
  • Toki☆Meca! (とき☆めか! Toki☆Meca!, 2005–2006):
    • A serialized version of the original one-shot, begun after the completion of the Sailor Moon and Sailor V re-releases. The first portion ran from the January to April 2005 issues of Nakayoshi, after which the author went on hiatus, promising that she would return to the series later. The second phase of the series started in November 2005. One collected volume, released in August 2005, has been published thus far. The serialization officially ended in May 2006. This makes Toki☆Meca! the first series that Takeuchi has completed since Sailor Moon and Codename: Sailor V.

Illustrations

  • Mermaid Panic Volumes 1–3 (written by Marie Koizumi)
  • Atashi no Wagamama (written by Marie Koizumi)
  • Zettai, Kore o Ubbatte Miseru (written by Marie Koizumi)

Written books

  • Oboo-nu- to Chiboo-nu- (illustrated by Yoshihiro Togashi)
    • A children's book written for her son's birthday.

Song lyrics

Takeuchi wrote the lyrics for a number of songs featured in the Sailor Moon anime and live-action series. Though mainly character-based image song
Image song
An image song or character song is a song on a tie-in single or album for an anime, game or dorama that is usually sung by the seiyū or actor of a character, in character...

s, they include a few theme songs.
These include:
  • Ai wo Shinjiteru ("Believe in Love")_Image song for Sailor Moon
  • Chikara wo Awasete ("Combining Power")—Image song for Taiki/Sailor Star Maker
  • Ginga Ichi Mibun Chigai na Kataomoi ("Unrequited Love a Station Apart in the Galaxy")—Image song for Seiya/Sailor Star Fighter
  • Honoo no Sogekimono (Flame Sniper)—Image song for Sailor Mars
  • Initial U—Image song for Sailor Uranus
  • Katagoshi ni Kinsei ("Venus Over my Shoulder")—PGSM image song for Sailor Venus
  • Kirari*SailorDream! ("Sparkling Sailor Dream!")—Theme Song for Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon
    Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon
    is a Japanese tokusatsu television series in the Bishōjo Senshi Sailor Moon metaseries originally created by Naoko Takeuchi. It is produced by Toei, the same company that produces the Super Sentai Series and the Kamen Rider Series and of which their animation firm Toei Animation, produced the...

  • Luna!—Image song for Luna
  • Mayonaka Hitori ("Alone At Midnight")—Image song for Yaten/Sailor Star Healer
  • Over Rainbow Tour—PGSM image song for Sailor Moon
  • Princess Moon—Second Ending Theme
  • "Rashiku" Ikimasho ("I'll Go With My Looks")—Ending theme from SuperS
  • Route Venus—Image song for Sailor Venus (Sailor Moon R)
  • Sailor Star Song—Theme song to Sailor Stars
    Sailor Stars
    The following list of episodes of the Sailor Moon anime series covers , the fifth season of the series. Children's TV Asahi, Toei Agency and Toei Animation co-produced the episodes; Takuya Igarashi directed. The series originally aired on Children's TV Asahi between March 9, 1996 and February 8, 1997...

  • Sailor Team no Theme (Sailor Team's Theme)
  • Senshi no Omoi (Feelings of a Soldier)—Image song for Sailor Neptune
  • We Believe You—Image song for Sailor Jupiter
    Sailor Jupiter
    is one of the central characters in the Sailor Moon metaseries. Her real name is , a strong schoolgirl who can transform into one of the series' specialized heroines, the Sailor Senshi....


Awards

Takeuchi has won several awards, including the 2nd Nakayoshi Comic Prize for Newcomers for Yume ja Nai no Ne in 1985. She also won for "Love Call", which won Nakayoshi's New Artist award which debuted in the Nakayoshi Deluxe September 1986 issue. In 1993 she won the 17th Kodansha Manga Award
Kodansha Manga Award
is an annual award for serialized manga published in the previous year, sponsored by the publisher Kodansha. It is currently awarded in four categories: children's, shōnen, shōjo, and general. The awards began in 1977, initially with categories for shōnen and shōjo. The first award for the...

for shōjo for Sailor Moon.
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