Top 10 Facts about Naoko Takeuchi

Naoko Takeuchi between signing autographs following her panel at San Diego Comic-Con on August 14, 1998 photo by Christopher Fritz – Wikimedia commons

Top 10 Facts about Naoko Takeuchi

Anime fans used to get their fix of shows from videos and television before the emergence of streaming platforms. One of the places it came from was the Cartoon Network block called Toonami. This is where the popularity of cartoonist Naoko Takeuchi, a popular Japanese Manga artist got her start on Western screens. Here are the top 10 facts about Naoko Takeuchi that you need to know.

1. Naoko was born on March 15, 1967

Naoko Takeuchi was born on March 15, 1967, in the city of Kofu in the Yamanashi Prefecture of Japan, well known in that country as the home of the venerated Mt. Fuji, the nation’s largest mountain. Her parents are Kenji and Ikuko Takeuchi. She has a younger brother named Shingo. Takeuchi began drawing and dreaming of being a manga artist when she was a child, and she joined the drawing club in high school.

2. She was president of the astronomy club in high school

Takeuchi did not begin her career as a manga/anime artist. In truth, her favourite subject in school was science. She was president of the astronomy club in high school. She would also frequently dress in sailor suit uniforms. Her experiences later inspired the ‘Sailor Moon series. This reverence for the stars also had a major impact on Sailor Moon.

She finished her early education studies at Kofu Ichi High School before enrolling in university.

3. Naoko graduated from college with a degree in chemistry

Keio University Hospital photo by Waka77 – Wikimedia commons

She’d always aspired to be a professional manga artist. In case things didn’t work out, Naoko also has a degree in Chemistry from the ‘Kyoritsu University of Pharmacy.’ She enrolled in Kyoritsu Chemical University after graduating from high school.

Takeuchi began working as a pharmacist at Keio Hospital in Tokyo after graduating from college with a degree in chemistry in 1986. “Heightened Effects of Thrombolytic Actions Due to Ultrasound,” was the title of her senior thesis.

4. Naoko was once a shrine maiden at the ‘Shiba Daijingu’ shrine

During her youth, she did a lot of pretty great stuff. She worked as a Miko part-time at the Shiba Daijingu Shinto shrine; these experiences were eventually crucial for the art and character design of some of her most famous figures (including Sailor Mars.)

5. She started her career as a manga artist at the age of 19

Photo by Dev on Unsplash

Naoko Takeuchi began her career as a manga artist at the age of 19 when ‘Kodansha Ltd.’ chose her work ‘Love Call’ (1986). She subsequently continued to work on one-off projects, gaining expertise. Naoko Takeuchi grew up as a huge manga enthusiast. In an interview, she discusses her youth spent reading manga with her cousins.

6. Naoko is best known as the author of Sailor Moon

Logo of Sailor Moon photo by Naoko Takeuchi / Kodansha / Toei Animation – Wikimedia commons

Naoko Takeuchi is famous as the creator of the ‘Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon manga series (1992 – 1997). It has become a cultural phenomenon, spawning numerous anime series such as ‘Sailor Moon’ (1992 – 1997), (1995 – 2000), ‘Sailor Moon Crystal’ (2014 – 2016), and so on. It has also created millions of dollars in retail sales, movies, games, and so on.

Naoko Takeuchi is the author and illustrator of the Japanese comic series Sailor. From 1991 until 1997, it was serialized in Kodansha’s shōjo manga magazine Nakayoshi; the 52 individual chapters were published in 18 volumes. The story follows the adventures of Usagi Tsukino, a schoolgirl who transforms into Sailor Moon in search of a magical artefact known as the “Legendary Silver Crystal” or “Phantom Silver Crystal”).

It was revealed in 2022 that Takeuchi would serve as the chief producer of the Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Cosmos the Movie, the follow-up to Sailor Moon Eternal. The two-part movie, which will serve as the “fifth and final season” of the Sailor Moon Crystal television series, will cover the Stars arc of the manga (also referred to as Shadow Galactica in Japan). Summer 2023 will see the release of both movies.

7. She wrote Sailor Moon based on her real-life childhood growing up

Sailor Moon was based on Naoko Takeuchi’s childhood and upbringing. All of Naoko Takeuchi’s parents and siblings growing up share the same first name as Usagi Tsukino’s immediate civilian family. Ikuko and Kenji are the names of her mother and father. The younger brother of Takeuchi is also called “Shingo”!

There are many similarities between Usagi and Naoko Takeuchi’s childhoods. The neighbourhood in which Usagi lives was modelled by the one where Naoko Takeuchi grew up. She claims to have many similarities with her as well and has said that, of all the Sailor Moon characters, Usagi is the one with whom she connects the most. (She also asserted that, in terms of personality, she is the least like Sailor Neptune.)

8. She has won several awards

Naoko Takeuchi between signing autographs following her panel at San Diego Comic-Con on August 14, 1998 photo by Christopher Fritz – Wikimedia commons

In 1985, Takeuchi received the ‘2nd Nakayoshi Comic Prize for Newcomers for ‘Yume Ja Nai no Ne.’ ‘Love Call’ earned her the ‘Nakayoshi’s New Artist Award.’ For her work in Sailor Moon, Naoko received the prestigious ‘Kodansha Manga Award’ in the Shōjo category in 1993.

The Kodansha Manga Prize is an annual award presented by the publisher Kodansha for serialized manga released in the preceding year. There are currently three categories: shōnen, shōjo, and general.

9. She’s published short comics about her daily life in a monthly magazine

Naoko Takeuchi contributed a series of brief comics about her day-to-day activities to Shueisha’s monthly “Young You” magazine between 1999 and 2004. Each title in the “Punch!” series contains the word “punch” in its title. Princess Naoko and Prince Yoshihiro’s Baby Punch Round 2 and Princess Naoko and Prince Togashi’s Baby Punch Round 3 are two examples of the “Punch” series by Naoko Takeuchi that have been translated into English.

10. Naoko is married to Yoshihiro Togashi

At a ‘Weekly Shōnen Jump’ meeting, Naoko Takeuchi got to know manga creator Yoshihiro Togashi. On January 6, 1999, the couple tied the knot after having fallen in love. Together, the pair is the parent of a son (born in January 2001) and a daughter (born in 2009).

The two mangakas not only share the distinction of creating some of the best and most well-known manga and works of art of the 20th century, they currently live together in Tokyo with their two children. (A son and a daughter.)

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