is a Japanese

manga artist A is a comic artist who writes and/or illustrates manga. As of 2006, about 3,000 professional manga artists were working in Japan. Most manga artists study at an art college or manga school or take on an apprenticeship with another artist be ...

. She is best known as the author of ''

Sailor Moon is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi. It was originally serialized in Kodansha's ''shōjo'' manga magazine ''Nakayoshi'' from 1991 to 1997; the 52 individual chapters were published in 18 volumes. The seri ...

'', one of the most popular manga series of all time. She has won several awards, including the 1993

Kodansha Manga Award is an annual award for serialized manga published in the previous year, the event is sponsored by the publisher Kodansha. It is currently awarded in three categories: '' shōnen'', '' shōjo'', and general. The awards began in 1977, initially w ...

for ''Sailor Moon''. Takeuchi is married to

Yoshihiro Togashi is a Japanese manga artist. He began drawing manga at an early age, before being recognized for his talent by publishing company Shueisha while attending college. Togashi has authored several manga series in different genres during the past th ...

, the author of ''

YuYu Hakusho is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yoshihiro Togashi. The series tells the story of Yusuke Urameshi, a teenage delinquent who is struck and killed by a car while attempting to save a child's life. After a number of ...

'' and ''

Hunter × Hunter ''Hunter × Hunter'' (stylized as ''HUNTER×HUNTER'' and pronounced "hunter hunter") is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yoshihiro Togashi. It has been serialized in Shueisha's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōn ...

''.

Early life

Takeuchi was born in Kofu, Yamanashi,

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

, to parents Kenji and Ikuko Takeuchi. She has a younger brother, Shingo. She gave the names of her relatives to the characters she created for ''Sailor Moon'', and mentions this in interviews and in several comic strips she produced, in place of author notes. Takeuchi attended Kofu Ichi High School. She wore a seifuku and joined the

astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies astronomical object, celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and chronology of the Universe, evolution. Objects of interest ...

and manga clubs. These experiences influenced her work for ''Sailor Moon'', in addition to her other pieces, such as ''Love Call'' and ''Rain Kiss''. Her formative high school experiences influenced her trajectory to become a manga artist. Takeuchi's father encouraged her to pursue other career paths, in case she wouldn't find success as a professional artist, which is why she attended university to study chemistry. Takeuchi graduated from the

Kyoritsu College of Pharmacy , abbreviated as or , is a private university, private research university located in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. It is the oldest institute of western higher education in Japan. Its founder, Fukuzawa Yukichi, originally established it as a school for ...

, where she received a degree in

chemistry Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...

and became a licensed

pharmacist A pharmacist, also known as a chemist (Commonwealth English) or a druggist (North American and, archaically, Commonwealth English), is a healthcare professional who prepares, controls and distributes medicines and provides advice and instructi ...

. Her senior thesis was called "Heightened Effects of Thrombolytic Actions Due to Ultrasound".

Career

1986–1997: Early work and success

After graduating from the

, at the age of 19, Takeuchi entered the manga industry by submitting her work ''Love Call'' to

Kodansha is a Japanese privately-held publishing company headquartered in Bunkyō, Tokyo. Kodansha is the largest Japanese publishing company, and it produces the manga magazines ''Nakayoshi'', ''Afternoon'', ''Evening'', ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' an ...

; Takeuchi received Nakayoshi's New Artist award for ''Love Call''. She worked steadily on one-shot pieces until writing ''Maria'', which was published in ''

Nakayoshi is a monthly ''shōjo'' manga magazine published by Kodansha in Japan. First issued in December 1954, it is a long-running magazine with over 60 years of manga publication history. Notable titles serialized in Nakayoshi include ''Princess Knight ...

'' from early to mid-1990. This work, Takeuchi's first serial comic, was loosely based on

Jean Webster Jean Webster was the pen name of Alice Jane Chandler Webster (July 24, 1876 – June 11, 1916), an American author whose books include '' Daddy-Long-Legs'' and '' Dear Enemy''. Her best-known books feature lively and likeable young female prot ...

's 1912 novel '' Daddy-Long-Legs'' and on her friend

Marie Koizumi is Japanese female novelist who currently lives in Tokyo, Japan. Works * (published in 1999/05) * (published in 1999/12) * (published in 2000/07) * (published in 1999/09) * (Co-writer. Illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi) * ''Mermaid Panic'' (Co- ...

, who helped write it. After completing ''Maria'', Takeuchi worked on the ice-skating series ''The Cherry Project'', which was serialized in ''Nakayoshi'' from late 1990 to 1991. While working on ''The Cherry Project'', Takeuchi wanted to do a manga on outer space and girl fighters. Her editor, Fumio Osano, asked her to put the fighters in sailor suits. This concept would later become a one-shot called '' Codename: Sailor V'', which would later begin serialization in ''RunRun''. When

Toei Animation () is a Japanese animation studio primarily controlled by its namesake Toei Company. It has produced numerous series, including ''Sally the Witch,'' ''GeGeGe no Kitarō,'' ''Mazinger Z'', ''Galaxy Express 999'', ''Cutie Honey'', ''Dr. Slump'', ' ...

planned to adapt her manga into an anime series, she reworked ''Sailor V'' and added four other superheroines. In December 1991, ''Nakayoshi'' began serializing ''Sailor Moon'', which became an instant hit. The success encouraged Takeuchi to work on both ''Sailor Moon'' and ''Sailor V'' from 1991 to 1997. However, ''RunRun'' was canceled with the November 1997 issue, and the planned ''Sailor V'' anime adaptation was canceled along with it. During that six-year period, she produced 60 chapters, which were collected in 18 volumes. The success of the manga led to a 200-episode anime adaptation, three animated films, numerous video games, and wide-ranging merchandising. At the series' end, Takeuchi worked on ''PQ Angels'' for ''Nakayoshi''. This gained a fair amount of popularity, but was canceled due to Kodansha losing seven pages of her manuscript. Takeuchi said that Toei Animation had the manuscript, therefore it would have been possible to create an anime adaptation of the series. Takeuchi's own studio is called "Princess Naoko Planning" (PNP). Takeuchi established PNP to manage her properties, mainly ''Sailor Moon''. The studio later encompassed

's work as well and appeared in the credits for such anime as ''

Level E is a Japanese comic science fiction manga series written and illustrated by Yoshihiro Togashi. The plot follows the misadventures of alien Prince Baka Ki El Dogra, who crash-lands on Earth and forcibly begins living with high school student ...

'' and ''

''. Its name also appears on the musical credits for ''Shin Kaguya Shima Densetsu'' and other projects.

1998–2009

Following the loss of seven pages of Takeuchi's ''PQ Angels'' manuscript, Osano departed Kodansha and the plans for the ''Materials Collection'' were canceled. Takeuchi departed Kodansha for

Shueisha (lit. "Gathering of Intellect Publishing Co., Ltd.") is a Japanese company headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The company was established in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The foll ...

. On August 13, 1998, Takeuchi made her first appearance in the United States at the

San Diego Comic-Con International San Diego Comic-Con International is a comic book convention and nonprofit multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California since 1970. The name, as given on its website, is Comic-Con International: San Diego; but it is co ...

convention for three days. That same year, she published the first ''Sailor Moon'' artbook since her departure from Kodansha, ''Sailor Moon Infinity Collection Art Book'' with limited releases. While working on her short comic strip ''Princess Naoko Takeuchi Back-to-Work Punch!!'', Takeuchi met

at a ''

Weekly Shōnen Jump is a weekly ''shōnen'' manga anthology published in Japan by Shueisha under the ''Jump'' line of magazines. The manga series within the magazine consist of many action scenes and a fair amount of comedy. The chapters of the series that run ...

'' meeting hosted by

Kazushi Hagiwara is a Japanese manga artist best known for creating the manga ''Bastard!!''. Biography He originally began as an assistant to hentai manga artist Dirty Matsumoto, and then as an assistant to manga artist Izumi Matsumoto in the production of '' ...

, and had a meeting arranged between them by voice actress Megumi Ogata. She collaborated with Togashi as an assistant (doing

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. It is also known by the common brand names Zip-A-T ...

) and as a manager on volume 1 of ''

''. However, the work and the demands proved more than she had expected, and as a result, Takeuchi left Shueisha. Around this time, Takeuchi conceived the idea for a one-shot called ''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 Takeuchi showed in ''Toki☆Meca'' volume 1. Togashi and Takeuchi married in 1999. From this marriage, the couple have two children: a son, born in January 2001, and another child, born in 2009. After Kodansha's rights to ''Sailor Moon'' expired, Takeuchi returned to the publisher in 1999 to develop and publish the ''Materials Collection''. She also began serializing ''Love Witch'', but it was cancelled. Takeuchi started to work on the reprints of ''Sailor Moon'' and ''Sailor V'', and published ''Toki☆Meca'' in ''Nakayoshi''. In 2003, Takeuchi became heavily involved in producing ''

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi. It was originally serialized in Kodansha's ''shōjo'' manga magazine ''Nakayoshi'' from 1991 to 1997; the 52 individual chapters were published in 18 volumes. The serie ...

'', a

tokusatsu is a Japanese term for live action film or television drama that makes heavy use of practical special effects. ''Tokusatsu'' entertainment mainly refers to science fiction, War film, war, fantasy, or Horror film, horror media featuring such te ...

television series based on ''Sailor Moon'', as she had an interest in learning more about the anime industry. This culminated in the creation of ''Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon''. The series displays a plot that is 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. After the production of ''Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon'' ended in 2004, Takeuchi continued to work on ''Toki☆Meca''. During the manga's serialization, Osano returned as her editor. Takeuchi also worked more closely with managing PNP and gave talks to college students. At the same time, she wrote a children's book titled ''Oboo-nu- to Chiboo-nu-'' as a birthday present to her son. (Togashi provided illustrations for the book; Takeuchi made mention of this in the back of the first volume of ''Toki☆Meca''.) She still works on the website, updating it about once a month with new flash animations or profiles.

2010–2019

In 2012, it was announced that a new ''Sailor Moon'' anime adaptation was in development. With it, Takeuchi started a '' Kanzenban'' version of the manga, which was announced by Osano, and will include fixed past mistakes and new covers for the manga. Color pages are also included for the title pages. There was also an artbook announced, and she has been working on merchandise, which was announced by Osano on his Twitter feed. The new

reboot In computing, rebooting is the process by which a running computer system is restarted, either intentionally or unintentionally. Reboots can be either a cold reboot (alternatively known as a hard reboot) in which the power to the system is physi ...

anime, ''

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Crystal ''Sailor Moon Crystal'', known in Japan as , is a 2014 original net animation adaptation of the ''shōjo'' manga series '' Sailor Moon'' written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi, produced in commemoration of the original series' 20th anni ...

'', debuted in July 2014. It streamed on Niconico bi-weekly, and ended in July 2015, spanning a total of 26 episodes, which cover the ''Dark Kingdom'' and ''Black Moon'' arc of the manga. Takeuchi wrote the ending theme song, , under her

penname A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen na ...

, . The series eventually gained its 13-episode third season, ''Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Crystal Season III'', covering the ''Infinity'' arc of the manga (known as ''Death Busters'' in Japan), and aired weekly on Japanese television from April to June 2016.

2020–present

In 2020, the two volumes of official of the ''Sailor Moon'' manga was released on June 29, with Takeuchi providing new illustrations for both covers. In 2021, Takeuchi chief supervised the production of the two-part anime film, '' Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Eternal The Movie'', which adapted the ''Dream'' arc of the manga (known as ''Dead Moon'' in Japan), and acted as a "fourth season" for the ''Sailor Moon Crystal'' series. Both films were released in 2021 in Japanese theaters, with the first film on January 8, and the second film on February 11. Takeuchi also provided the lyrics for the theme song, , under the name of "Sumire Shirobara". In 2022, it was announced that Takeuchi will chief supervise the production of the sequel to ''Sailor Moon Eternal'', titled ''Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Cosmos The Movie''. The two-part film will cover the ''Stars'' arc of the manga (known as ''Shadow Galactica'' in Japan), and will act as "fifth and final season" for the ''Sailor Moon Crystal'' series. Both films will be released in Summer 2023.

Works

Manga

Anime

''
Sailor Moon is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi. It was originally serialized in Kodansha's ''shōjo'' manga magazine ''Nakayoshi'' from 1991 to 1997; the 52 individual chapters were published in 18 volumes. The seri ...
'' (1990's series)

''
Sailor Moon Crystal ''Sailor Moon Crystal'', known in Japan as , is a 2014 original net animation adaptation of the ''shōjo'' manga series '' Sailor Moon'' written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi, produced in commemoration of the original series' 20th ann ...
'' (2014 reboot series)

Illustrations

* ''Mermaid Panic'' Volumes 1–3 (written by

) * ''Atashi no Wagamama'' (written by

) * ''Zettai, Kore o Ubbatte Miseru'' (written by

)

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 An image song or character song is a song on a tie-in single or album (often called an image album or character album) for an anime, game, ''dorama'', manga, or commercial product that is sometimes sung by the voice actor or actor of a character ...

s, they include a few

theme song Theme music is a musical composition that is often written specifically for radio programming, television shows, video games, or films and is usually played during the title sequence, opening credits, closing credits, and in some instances at so ...

s. These include: * ''Maboroshi no Ginzuisho'' ("Illusionary Silver Crystal") – background song for

* ''Ai wo Shinjiteru'' ("Believe in Love") – image song for

* ''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 , better known as , is a fictional character in the ''Sailor Moon'' manga series written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi. In the series, Rei is her sailor form's alternative human identity as part of the Sailor Soldiers, female supernatural fi ...

* ''Initial U'' – image song for

Sailor Uranus is a fictional lead character in the ''Sailor Moon'' media franchise. Sailor Uranus' alternate identity is , a teenage Japanese student. Haruka is a member of the Sailor Guardians, female supernatural fighters who protect the Solar System fro ...

* ''Katagoshi ni Kinsei'' ("Venus Over My Shoulder") – PGSM image song for

Sailor Venus , better known as , is a fictional character in the ''Sailor Moon'' and '' Codename: Sailor V'' manga series written by Naoko Takeuchi. Minako is her sailor form's alternative human identity as part of the Sailor Soldiers, female supernatural fig ...

* ''Kirari*SailorDream!'' ("Sparkling Sailor Dream!") – theme song for ''

'' * ''Luna!'' – image song for

Luna Luna commonly refers to: * Earth's Moon, named "Luna" in Latin * Luna (goddess), the ancient Roman personification of the Moon Luna may also refer to: Places Philippines * Luna, Apayao * Luna, Isabela * Luna, La Union * Luna, San Jose Roma ...

* ''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 of the first season of ''Sailor Moon'' * ''"Rashiku" Ikimasho'' ("I'll Be As I Am") – ending theme from ''

Sailor Moon SuperS The fourth season of the '' Sailor Moon'' anime series, ''Sailor Moon SuperS'' (originally released in Japan as , and later as ''Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon SuperS'') was produced by Toei Animation and directed by Kunihiko Ikuhara. It adapts the ...

'' * ''Route Venus'' – image song for Sailor Venus (''

Sailor Moon R The second season of the '' Sailor Moon'' anime series ''Sailor Moon R'' (originally released in Japan as , and later as ''Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon R''), was produced by Toei Animation and directed by Junichi Sato and Kunihiko Ikuhara. Accordi ...

'') * ''Sailor Star Song'' – opening theme song to ''

Sailor Moon Sailor Stars The fifth and final season of the ''Sailor Moon'' anime series, ''Sailor Moon Sailor Stars'' or simply ''Sailor Stars'' (originally released in Japan as , and later as ''Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon: Sailor Stars'') was directed by Takuya Igarashi ...

'' * ''Sailor Team no Theme'' ("Sailor Team's Theme") - background song for

* ''Senshi no Omoi'' ("Feelings of a Soldier") – image song for

Sailor Neptune is a fictional lead character in the ''Sailor Moon'' media franchise. Her alternate identity is , a teenage Japanese schoolgirl. Michiru is a member of the Sailor Soldiers, female supernatural fighters who protect the Solar System from evil. ...

* ''We Believe You'' – image song for

Sailor Jupiter , better known as , is a fictional character in the ''Sailor Moon'' manga series created by Naoko Takeuchi. Makoto is her sailor form's alternative human identity as part of the Sailor Soldiers, female supernatural fighters who protect the Solar ...

* ''Todokanu Omoi'' ("My Friend's Love") – song for Three Lights ( Sailor Starlights) * ''Gekkō'' ("Moonbow") – ending theme for ''

'' (under the name of ''Sumire Shirobara'') * ''Futtemo Haretemo -come rain or come shine-'' ("Whether It Rains or Shines -Come Rain or Come Shine-") – image song for Usagi Tsukino (''Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Crystal'') (under the name of ''Sumire Shirobara'') * ''Tsukiiro Chainon'' ("Moon Color Chainon") – theme song for '' Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Eternal: The Movie'' (under the name of ''Sumire Shirobara'')

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

for shōjo for ''Sailor Moon''.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Takeuchi, Naoko 1967 births Japanese female comics artists Japanese illustrators Japanese pharmacists Japanese Shintoists Living people Women manga artists Manga artists from Yamanashi Prefecture Sailor Moon Winner of Kodansha Manga Award (Shōjo) Women pharmacists