Who is Naoko Takeuchi? 'Sailor Moon' creator was a pharmacist before selling 35M manga copies
When you think of anime and manga series, there are a few immensely popular names that always stand out. These titles stand the test of time and no matter how old they are, they also manage to have a growing fan base and serve as an inspiration for reboots.
If there is an anime that makes it to this list, it would have to be 'Sailor Moon'. Although created back in 1991, Naoko Takeuchi's masterpiece is truly an eternal one, seeing that it still has a massive fanbase even today. So, who exactly is Naoko Takeuchi?
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Meet Naoko Takeuchi
Although she now goes by Naoko Togashi, the artist and author is popularly known as Naoko Takeuchi, which happens to be her maiden name. She was born in Kofu, Yamanashi, Japan, to Kenji and Ikuko Takeuchi on March 15, 1967, and has a younger brother named Shingo. Takeuchi attended Kofu Ichi High School, where she was part of the astronomy and manga clubs. Takeuchi drew inspiration from her formative years while creating her manga.
Seeing that the manga industry in Japan is a highly competitive one, Takeuchi's father encouraged her to consider an alternate career path in case becoming an artist didn't work out. Takeuchi studied chemistry at Kyoritsu University of Pharmacy and graduated with a degree in the same. She is a licensed pharmacist. Togashi entered the manga industry after she submitted her work 'Love Call' to Kodansha, a publishing house. Her other works include 'Maria' and 'Cherry Project'. Takeuchi was later keen on doing a project that focused on outer space and a girl fighter.
After a discussion with her editor, Fumio Osano, they decided to put the fighters in sailor-suits and thus the one-shot 'Codename: Sailor V' was created. In 1999, Nakayoshi began serializing Sailor Moon and the series was an instant hit. She went on to produce 52 chapters which made up 18 volumes. The series was so widely loved, that it led to a 200-episode anime adaptation, animated films, video games and a range of merchandise. The series' success was not restricted to Japan alone as it has a massive global fan-following.
What is her net worth?
Seeing just how successful 'Sailor Moon' went on to become, it comes as no surprise that Takeuchi's net worth is an impressive $50M, as reported by Taddlr. As reported by the Japan Times, the series has gone on the sell 35M copies since its inception. With the new adaptations and release of the movie 'Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Eternal The Movie', the 'Sailor Moon' fanbase will probably keep growing.
She is married to the equally popular Yoshihiro Togashi
After Takeuchi left Kodansha for Shueisha, the popular publication house known for publishing Weekly Shonen Jump magazines, she attended a meeting for all the artists, where she met Yoshihiro Togashi, the author of manga Hunter X Hunter. The two of them began seeing each other shortly after and she even helped him with his manga, acting as his manager and later as his colorist. The pair tied the knot in January 1999 and have two children together, a son and a daughter.
'Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Eternal The Movie' premiere on June 3 on Netflix.
