Naoko Takeuchi started drawing short stories from the second year she was in the university.After having won a contest for new talents organized by the magazine "Nakayoshi" in 1986, she decided to turn into a professional even if she didn't have any special formations because "it's drawing that we learn how to draw, how to create a personal style". Many authors begin through the "D�jinshi", a japanese form of fanzine, but she preferred to take her works directly to the editor houses.
The rythm of production of Sailor Moon was so high she had to employ two assistants to help her in her work.The japanese mangaka usually work alone, but it is usual to have a team of assistants at the US or Hong-Kong to help with the translations to other languages. Some mangas are done with the help of computers but Naoko Takeuchi refuses to do so. Her favourite character is Sailor Moon, because she created her to be the closest to her own personality.
Naoko Takeuchi sometimes glues perls, newspapers or real flowers on her illustrations. Her latest publication "Punch!!" appeared in December in the magazine "Young You". She made this story because her marriage to Yoshihiro Togashi (Yu Yu Hakusho, Level E, Hunter X Hunter ... ) didn't give her time to make a longer series. When things get calm again she intends to do a longer series, maybe a continuation to "PQ Angels".Her first series were "Sailor V" and "The Cherry Project".
At the time of her first publication in "Run-Run", her editor specially liked the "sailor fuku", the famous sailor costumes of japanese college girls. She loved the magical girls and sentai, so she made a short story that combined all of them: "Code Name Wa Sailor V". Its success ended in a tv adaptation and the creation of the manga "Bish�jo Senshi Sailor Moon" ("Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon"). This series have known great success during five years and a lot of fans still ask a continuation for the series.

For those of you who know french,the two first images are notes from Naoko Takeuchi herself found in the first volume of "Sailor Moon" from 1992.