Naoko Takeuchi (武内直子) born March 15, 1967, a manga artist (mangaka), lives in Tokyo, Japan. Takeuchi's works have a wide following among anime/manga fans. She has become a well-known mangaka worldwide. Her most popular work, Sailor Moon, rose to become one of the most recognized manga/anime figures to date.
Takeuchi is married to Yoshihiro Togashi, the author of the YuYu Hakusho series and Hunter × Hunter series.
Please note that anime related books are listed under Kōdansha.
What the hell, did my younger self not realize how creepy Dark Lady and Endymion's relationship was? Like gurl... I do not care you've magically grown boobs and are older now, but you're macking on your father and I am very very creeped out by this. But I said in the previous volume how I think Darien/Bunny/Rini's dynamic is weird and immature and the foundation is based on jealousy of Bunny to Rini which makes me want to slap her along side the head because girl get it together, she's your daughter why are you competing with her.
On another side, Bunny in the anime is WAY WAY WAY more annoying, as much as I love her. I prefer her in the manga because while she definitely has her moments she is much more proactive and admirable.
*Disclaimer for this series: The nostalgia is so real. I'm reading the '98 English translation versions because that is what I grew up with. So as I re-read this, essentially all of them will be 5-star because 7 year old Lainey won't allow me to rate them any less. So if you're looking for a critical review on these volumes, lol, you will not get it.
2009: The Dark Lady development was so much better in here than in the anime. I mean come on; the birthday blunder and not getting help when you fall down was beyond lame. Not being able to age or use the powers you were meant to have, way better moviation for turning the to the dark side. Though, I always cringed when I saw the Darien/Dark Lady scenes. That ain't right!
Sagas manga leídas: ''Sailor Moon'', y ''Sailor V'', de Naoko Takeuchi. Glénat, edición española. 18 y 3 tomos. Heroínas, superheroínas, magical girls, cómic, aventuras, acción, romance... Otro de los mangas que compré en cuanto se editaron en España. La serie de televisión la descubrí, en verdad, después... El dibujo es precioso, detallado, divertido y elegante... Entre el manga clásico y moderno de hace una generación. Debo aclarar que antes que ''Sailor Moon'', va ''Sailor V''. Una especie de 'episodio piloto' de 3 tomos, que ya avanza la trama de la serie. Quizás inspirada en una época en la que las mujeres se hartaron de ser consideradas las 'segundonas' en un mundo más bien lleno de mallas masculinas... En un Japón rodeado de seres malvados, unas estudiantes con traje de marinera, nos van a demostrar de lo que son capaces entre familia, amigos, colegio, chicos monos, gatos misteriosos, videojuegos, y que no se nos olvide el almuerzo... para que triunfen la paz, la justicia, la amistad y el amor. Aparecerán muchos personajes, con una historia personal cada uno: los buenos y los malos. La luna, siempre presente, nos mostrará sus varios rostros y secretos... Buenos que se transforman en malos y extraños que se transforman en familia. Y máscaras que ocultan rostros que a veces no pueden ocultar el amor. ¿Quién no conoce ''Sailor Moon''?
I am not going to be continuing on with this series. Between the whiny, teenage girl drama and the weird jealousy of her daughter mixed with horrible "fight" scenes and the plot being almost thinner than my patience, I will be DNFing this series for the sake of my sanity. I'm not honestly sure why so many people love Sailor Moon but it is definitely not for me.
Sailor Moon is a fundamental series of manga. Most manga fans and readers will have read it or at the very least be familiar with the character and plot. I was one of those who did not grow up with Sailor Moon; I never really saw the anime episodes and by the time I started to read the manga the Sailor Moon series was long out of print. Nonetheless, I had an idea of what the series was about, the characters and of course the fact that it was famous and very popular. By now I have watched the first season and have read the series. Prior to reading it my expectations of this series were not too high – sure, there must be something about it that so many people would love it. But I also thought that a lot of its high praise must come from that air of nostalgia that Sailor Moon will always have. Despite my doubts, after having read it I feel that this manga truly deserves all the praise it receives!
There are a few things that I did not like – but that holds true for most things. For one thing, Sailor Moon does, in no way, look or act like a 14-year old. I would have been much happier if she were just a few years older. Mamoru is a nice character but the poor guy is pretty much the only representative of males. All other male characters that appear are only around for a couple of chapters, villains, minor characters or women disguised as men. And then, although it is typical for magical girl manga, the name of their attacks. I do not mind them having hearts and whatnot all over their costumes – but all the spells with sugar heart rains and the like were too much for me.
However!
Sailor Moon was so much more than what I expected of a magical girl series. Magical girl types of series often leave me with a lot of disbelief and hardly ever do more than just provide a bit of entertainment. I always thought of Sailor Moon to be just like that but the author delivered such beautiful and logical explanations to all the events happening. I loved the whole concept of the story and it let the characters be true guardians of the earth rather than teenagers in sparkly costumes. I am no big fan of science fiction but I loved how the author played with time and space. Because she managed to make Sailor Moon's role so much more believable for me, it was so much easier to route for her and feel with her through all the hardships.
I loved the power of friendship in this work and the romance between Sailor Moon and Mamoru was beautiful. I watched the first season of the anime before reading the manga: the relationship between Sailor Moon and Mamoru was ridiculous but the manga version just made my heart feel warm. The beautiful artwork of the author helped, of course. But all scenes between Sailor Moon and Mamoru were so gentle and warm. I loved how their memories of their past lives slowly returned to them.
The other thing is the art. The artwork is one of the most important things for me when reading a manga and Sailor Moons is just so astonishingly beautiful. Sailor Moon as a character was also very nice – she grows so much throughout the series and she is nowhere as annoying as she was in the anime adaption. It is also nice how the author goes into the other characters dreams and wishes and does not only focus on Sailor Moon – another thing that many magical girl manga do.
The series delivers many lovely and also comical scenes which is good because it also has many (to me unexpected) dark scenes. I probably enjoyed the middle arcs the most. However, I was very interested in the final arc about Sailor Galaxia and was rather disappointed that it fell so short. I think there could have been a lot more about that arc and I would have liked to have learned more about Sailor Galaxia’s motives and origins as well as the purpose and system of the Cauldron and how it creates the stars and planets.
All in all: nothing but the highest praise for Sailor Moon! I liked this series so much more than what I always what I always thought I would and I think it is never too late to become a fan!
What an excellent volume for the series! Prince Diamond has captured Sailor Moon and revealed his obsession with her Thirtieth Century self. While in his castle, she meets Sapphire who reveals more backstory of the Dark Kingdom and the motivation of the Brothers. Sailor Moon harnesses the power of the Imperium Crystal and wakes up the fallen Sailor Scouts, but now that they're reunited, Sailor Pluto reveals that Small Lady has wandered off into the fourth dimension and Tuxedo Mask has run off to save her. Darien is once again possessed, and we are introduced to Black Lady, Rini's evil adult self. This volume was perfect. Great story-telling, great character work on Bunny and Sailor Pluto, and Rini's motivation and backstory was so much better here in the manga than the anime. Rini is upset that for some reason she never grows. She's 900 years old! She hasn't been able to tap into her powers either. The panels of her making out with Tuxedo Mask were still disgusting because, evil or not, that's still her father. It was a nice set up for the next volume as now Diamond has the Imperium Crystal of the past and present.
"Sailor Moon #6" es el sexto volumen, que recompila los capítulos del 20 al 22 del manga.
Ahora nos encontramos en un destruido Tokio de Cristal del siglo XXX, lugar donde se desarrollará la batalla final entre el líder del Black Moon Club: el Gran Sabio, quién ahora tiene a su lado a Black Lady, la versión adulta y maligna de Chibiusa que a su vez esta controlando la mente de Mamoru Chiba, y las Sailors Guardians, incluída Pluto entre ellas, quién abandona su puesto cuando se entera que la Pequeña Dama (Chibiusa) necesita de su ayuda.
Okey, están ocurriendo muchas cosas al mismo tiempo.
Las acciones de los personajes están yendo por lugares en donde comprendo lo que sucede, aunque al mismo tiempo están tomando rumbos bastante diferentes.
La introducción a la mitad del volumen, ese personaje, de una forma lo esperaba, pero mucho más adelante, ahora siento extraño verlo, pero se que tienen que dirigirse así las cosas.
Me gusta como va avanzando, y a ver como concluye este arco.
I enjoyed this one a lot more than the last volume!
~spoiler warning~ The introduction to the new characters kept me fascinated all over again I’m excited to know what happens next The last ones were not so interesting due to the introduction of Chibi Usa ( this is just for the fact I do not enjoy her character ) but with these new characters I am all happy again
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Plot wise, it's more interesting than the previous chapters. However, I find it really weird that a child keeps kissing her father just to hurt her mother. I'm sorry, but there's just no way to justify that. It is creepy and very common in Japanese media for mothers and daughters to fight for the love of the father. I don't know what the author was thinking but it is disgusting.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Nunca voy a entender los celos de Usagi hacia Chibiusa, ni la relación enfermiza de ésta con su futuro padre. Dejando eso aparte, este tomo está muy bien: mucha acción, plot-twists, las chicas otra vez reunidas, el Señor del Antifaz siendo inútil y dejándose manipular (como siempre)...
Sailor moon vs el estúpido sistema retrograda, una entrega más divertida que las anteriores, aunque empiezo a creer que la Celostina está inspirada en la egoísta de Serena.
It's no secret that *Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon* is my favorite anime, and that Black Lady is one of my absolute favorite villains. That being said, you can easily tell that I loved this volume. -------------- This volume is about when The Moon Kingdom is under attack by the members of Black Moon, who reside on planet Nemesis. It starts with Neo-Queen Serenity having been kidnapped by Prince Diamond. He was so "taken" with her and her powers, both of which he wanted, that he had to have her for his own. But, things do not goes as he desires, since she absolutely refuses to reciprocate his feelings, and instead feels nothing but hatred towards Diamond and his plans. Serenity feels even worse, when she learns that Diamond has imprisoned her fellow scouts--Mars, Mercury, and Jupiter--in a cell of darkness that she seemingly cannot penetrate to release them. In a moment of weakness of desperation--I am not sure which--Sapphire opens up to Serenity, and asks for her help, only to quickly turn on her and wish her dead. But, this does help her to rescue the imprisoned Inner Scouts as she transforms into Sailor Moon and has them transform as well. ----------- Darien is also sent to help Serenity out, but when he arrives, it is already too late to help his daughter. Small Lady has already become a part of the Black Moon Family--the beautiful yet deadly, Black Lady, Queen of Nemesis. Small Lady had arrived on Nemesis feeling left-out and unloved, and Wiseman preyed on these feelings, using her sadness to convince her that he--and only he--and the Black Moon Family care about her, and that no-one else does. Once she accepted that as fact, she grew into a woman and became evil. (But, I'm not complaining. I love this character!) Through most of this volume, we are shown the Inner Scouts trying to defeat Black Lady, Dark Endymion, and the Black Moon Family of Nemesis. At times, it is quite dragged-out, but I still enjoyed it. Anything that shows more of Black Lady is a plus in my book. This volume ends with the Silver Imperium Crystal of the future (30th Century) and the Silver Imperium Crystal of the present (mid-90s) being together in Black Lady's hands, but then being stolen by Prince Diamond. We are told that having the 2 Silver Imperium Crystals together will cause the total destruction of the entire world to occur, but do not get a chance to see it in this volume. It ends with the 2 crystals laying side-by-side.
Story: Like a fine wine Sailor Moon R gets better with time from it's predecessor Sailor Moon. The Black Moon Arc introduces the same cast of characters are back with new villains to fight. The series arc split in two with the first part having the Doom Tree aliens appear, Ann and Alan. The second part of the series introduces the Black Moon villains. This time there is a little surprise waiting for Serena and Darien, Rini, there are also three new scouts that are found: Neptune, Uranus, and Saturn.
Drawing Style: The drawing is in the same style as in Sailor Moon. Simple, realistic and for the time period.
Characters: The characters and story continue to be developed as the mystery of what happened in the Crystal Kingdom is revealed and the destiny of the characters is foretold. The new characters (Especially the corresponding villains) are a good foil for the characters that were already introduced.
Overall: I thought that the second series arc of Sailor Moon was better than the first. The whole entire plot development takes on a new step in the second series making the volumes irresistible and the characters more lovable that before.
Note: This review was completed after reading volumes 4-10.
To be honest, I didn’t think I was going to like this manga. In fact, I was expecting to loathe it. To my surprise, I didn’t.
To be clear, I didn’t love this manga. I don’t know what it is about this series but it’s a manga that I would love to bash but at the same time there’s this charm and likability to it that I just can’t bring myself to hate it.
Sailor Moon is the shojo manga that basically started the magic girl story in manga. It’s very predictable and cheesy. But that's part of its' charm. Since it is also a romance, it tends to have those romantic clichés such as the main couple being total opposites and not getting along.
While the main character is a bit whiny and a crybaby at times, I didn't find her so unbearable that I couldn't stand her at all. Her slightly annoying personality is a lot better than having no personality at all.
Regardless, no matter how many flaws this manga has, I have to admit that there is this charm to it that just makes it kind of likable. Some of the characters are likable and the plot did move surprisingly fast. Much like my review of Dragon Ball Z I don't love the franchise but I do admire and respect it for what it has done for the Shojo manga and magic girl genre.
Sailor Uranus and Sailor Mercury are a new ship confirmed. I couldn't help thinking the entire time that it was very, very gay. Sailor Uranus is genderfluid, as a man in normal Japanese society and a woman when transformed into a guardian, and hangs out with Sailor Mercury by themselves too much for it to just be a good friendship. Maybe I'm just biased because I want some good gay manga.
Update from a second read-through: There are a few sections that are mildly gross in a racist, implied threat of sexual assault standpoint. Still enjoyable but a little more questionable than I remember.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
One of my all-time favorite series. The gateway series to getting me into anime and manga! The artwork impressed me so much, and the story was fun. It is still one of my favorites both because it's well-done, and for nostagia reasons.
This is the version that came out during the middle age of manga: before they stopped flipping the artwork, but right as TokyoPop was starting to emerge, and the volumes got cheaper. Unfortunately you could see it in the quality, as there were a lot of typos and sometimes the edges of pages would get cut off.