Awareness Post Q3: Naoko Takeuchi

Naoko Takeuchi, is a Japanese manga artist and writer. She is the creator of Sailor Moon and another famous work of hers is Codename: Sailor V. She is one of the most influential manga artists because Sailor Moon, a popular magical-girl series, is not the first magical show ever, it helped shape global anime and manga culture in the 1990s. She went to Kyoritsu College of Pharmacy and got a degree in chemistry.

Official Sailor Moon site: https://sailormoon-official.com/

Gallery Representation

• Published mainly through Kodansha in the magazine Nakayoshi

CV Highlights

• Won Nakayoshi Comix Prize for newcomers with Love Call in 1985

• Created Codename: Sailor V in 1991

• 1992~1997: Created and illustrated Sailor Moon

• Won the Kodansha Manga Award for shoujo manga in 1993 for Sailor Moon

• Her work has been adapted into multiple anime series, films, and merchandise worldwide

The first three images are from official artbooks, and the final image is a more recent piece made this year for a Sailor Moon store in Japan. Takeuchi's art draws inspiration from high fashion, Art Nouveau, and Theater. Takarazuka Revue is an all-female theatre company in Japan where women play all roles regardless of gender, which may influence Takeuchi's androgynous character designs. Despite having already covered Japanese manga/anime artists, they all are quite different. I researched Takeuchi because I want to make a comic inspired by the magical girl genre. I also like her heavily stylized art rather than realistic art, as it shows how illustration can create a strong visual identity without being restricted into traditional realism.