Greeting Punch A woman with rabbit ears kneels and bows. Narration: How do you do. My name is Princess Takeuchi Naoko. Comment: Sorry, everyone. This has silly contents. Narration: I think there are a lot of people thinking, "Who is Takeuchi Naoko?", so for now I'm a single shoujo manga artist. As for this serial... She sits at a table with another woman, both holding drinks. Naoko: Saruko-chan, I'm thinking of marrying my boyfriend, but there's just so much inside of me... Comment: This is my editor for this serial, Saruko-chan. She has a side job as a detective. (She has a license.) Saruko: What if you wrote an essay with that material? You can write anything you want. Naoko: Saruko-chaan, Kodansha won't give me back my manuscripts! Saruko: You can write anything you want! Narration: As we were talking while drinking tea, it hit me just like that. Naoko: Suddenly I blasted the deadline! (Ohh, I caught a cold. No, really!) On the first piece of the serial, I missed the deadline. Sorry, Saruko-chan! Narration: Actually, I've been laid back on a break from work for about a year. But before my break... Sailor Pluto: Really? I can really write anything I want? I'll do it! Comment: Back then, in an anime this character was called Puu. ['puu' is a word she used for 'off work' in the previous sentence.] Narration: For about five years, I was drawing a manga that also became an anime on TV. Though they may not know my name, it could be everyone has heard the title of the manga. [Often in this piece, Naoko uses the word 'hime' (princess) to refer to herself. This doesn't really work in English, though, so I've changed it to an appropriate first-person pronoun.] Logo: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon Narration: ...is the name of the manga. There are... a lot of people who have seen the anime, right? --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Princess Takeuchi Naoko's Return-to-Society Punch!! Round 1 As appeared in Young You, December 1998. Written by Takeuchi Naoko. Translated by Alex Glover. Version 1.0, 11.98. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- There is a drawing of the ten senshi, Tuxedo Kamen, and Chibi-Chibi. Comment: This is the heroine, Sailor Moon. Besides her, there are ten sailor soldiers. Drawing them was REALLY hard and tiresome. Comment: She transformed with "Make up!", and with "In the name of the moon, I'll punish you!", she cutely and prettily (?) defeated the enemies. Narration: For the anime, videos and laserdiscs came out from Toei. They can also be borrowed from rental shops. Comment: The anime is: Sailor Moon Sailor Moon R Sailor Moon S Sailor Moon SuperS Sailor Stars The title subtly changed every year. (It was the idea of the sponsors and the station.) Every time in its foolish details, there were gags, action, love, seriousness, everything. It's an extraordinarily virtuous and enjoyable anime. Naoko: It's been a long time since I've drawn a picture like this. I tried to do it somewhat in the anime style. Narration: The original works put out by Kodansha are 18 volumes of Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon and 3 volumes of Code Name wa Sailor V. But... They're very rough and extremely poor! Comment: Even though they're so poor, being able to do a serial might be a good example, giving aspiring manga artists self-confidence when they read it. Comment: There are also volumes I-V of the original picture collections! They're full-color illustration collections. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sailor Moon Understood Punch Narration: Sailor Moon was a big hit as both a manga and an anime. Naoko: Sorry, Saruko-chan. I suddenly advertised Kodansha manga in a Shueisha book! You did say I could write anything... Saruko: ...... Narration: Anyway, goods from Bandai came out and sold like crazy, and a bunch of videos and laserdiscs were sold too. Comment: Right now five rooms in my office warehouse are filled with boxes of merchandise. A tremendous amount. Comment: And Naoko became Princess Naoko. Narration: I understand that at the time, the circulation of Nakayoshi, which was running the serial, went from one million copies to two million copies. Comment: In a recent magazine, it was written that the Sailor Moon comics are fifth place as Kodansha's all-time top-selling shoujo manga. I didn't know that! The editorial department wouldn't tell me that kind of thing. Narration: At that time, I was swarmed by people interviewing me, and what I was often asked was, "Why did it become a hit?" Comment: I knew that, it didn't worry me. Narration: It's because I put my life into it. The Sailor Moon serial began in the February 1992 issue, and after that for five years, every day I was punched by various things, and my brain was always in a shaken state. Naoko lies in bed as fists strike at her. Comment: Usagi punch! Sailor Moon punch! Nakayoshi punch! Anime punch! Especially, private punch! Comment: At that time I was often doing work. When I went to sleep, it felt like I was fainting. It felt like I was always delirious with fever. Comment: I was doping every day to endure the tension. My stomach was upset, and my skin was wearing out. Narration: To Princess Naoko, it felt like in the youth of my late twenties, I was living for Sailor Moon. At the peak, I managed to do the amount of work of a weekly serial. Naoko: That's strange. Even though this is a monthly serial, I have some kind of deadline every day. No matter how much I think about it, this schedule is just impossible. Comment: While doing about a 40-50 page serial, I have to do two books as special editions, 64 pages for a special issue supplement, 135 new pages for a tankoubon, 10 color pages a month, write the setup for the anime, do appointments and data collection, and between that I have to be sure to date (I was constantly rejected). I caught guys, and was traveling abroad, so at that time Princess Naoko had around three people... Narration: There was an amazing number of deep fans who, like me, strained their bodies and devoted their youth and life to Sailor Moon. Comment: In cardboard boxes I received all these fan letters, presents, and handmade goods! I was really happy! I couldn't reply to all of them, but thank you! They're important treasures! Even now I think of them fondly and occasionally read them. Comment: Even from abroad, fan letters reached me in cardboard boxes, and really surprised me! Even on the Internet, to this day they're rising. It makes me so happy! Narration: And it wasn't just me and the heated fans, but all the people working on Sailor Moon put their lives into it. Princess Naoko: This month I've only been able to sleep at home one day. I draw and I draw and it doesn't end. I'm sleepy... I want to go outside... I'm tired... Boss Osabu: Last week I wasn't able to go home even one day. Give me the roles! My stomach's empty! Give me the manuscripts! I want to take a bath! Bandai, strong on sleepless nights (always cheerful): We take morning baths in the sauna at Tokyo Station! We often take day trips to Osaka, or overseas. We'll see you again when we come back. Toei, always pale on sleepless nights of course: Sensei, give us the setup! This is dangerous! We're coming over there! Ashi-chan, always looking near death (sorry!): I'm tired! I want to go home! Comment: Everyone, I love staying together! Narration: With all that, it's natural that it's a great hit. During the five years I was drawing Sailor Moon, with the remaining fullness and feelings of loss, it felt like I lived ten years. Comment: Oh, it was an amazing period! I'm an old woman now. I had a valuable, good personal experience. Drawing of Usagi and Mamoru kissing under a full moon, as in the last scene of the anime. Narration: Then, since I was out of material, Sailor Moon ended in February 1997. Comment: Whenever I see the last kiss scene of the anime, tears pour. Naoko: All right! Give me lots of vacation! Comment: Really, my body and spirit were worn out, and I was in a daze. Narration: I thought I'd be able to rest for about a year... Chief editor: I'll give you five months. Narration: I only received five months. Here, at thirty, if I got five months vacation, I'd think it was great. But these five months, I was doing a short story, fixing up the printed comics, drawing color pictures for the picture collection, starting up a new serial, and working on supplements and research. It was hardly a vacation at all. On top of that, I had five years' worth of fatigue, and every day I got horrible injections for allergies and hives. Comment: My physical condition was bad anyway. When I woke up in the morning, my face was flushed red. Walking on the street, suddenly hives would appear all over my body. It's scary! Naoko: I wasn't able to rest at all! A new serial would be impossible! Narration: I cried and begged, but... Osabu: No! Do a new serial as scheduled! Ordinarily, going without a break is natural. None of us are resting. You'll be forgotten by the readers! Just because one book hit, don't take advantage of the situation. Narration: I was coerced by my boss Osabu. Comment: When I heard about things like this from other manga artists, I thought they might be joking. Could it be, I'm experiencing it myself... Osabu points to a light in the sky. Osabu: Keep at it, sensei! I'll be by your side! Comment: Aiming for true world conquest... Naoko: That's right. If you, the partner who pulled me this far, say to do it... Narration: As soon as I came up with the plot for the new serial, Osabu was hired away [crossed out] ran away to a weekly shounen magazine. Naoko punches Osabu into the distance. Comment: Punch! You heartless thing! Osabu: Then, keep at it by yourself! Narration: My head was blank. Now I didn't have any strength at all left. As I was still blank, the serial began. Drawing of pages from PQ Angels. Comment: From the first chapter, I broke the deadline, and had vibrant manuscripts. Naoko: I don't have any more material! This is too much! I'm worn out, so I can only draw strange names and pictures. Narration: For the new serial, PQ Angels, I was exhausted after four chapters, and ended part one. Saruko: Hey, hey, you always say you ended part one, but... What about part two? Naoko smiles nervously. Narration: I knew it would really be hard to keep enduring the tension and continue drawing the manga. One day in 1998 I went to the editorial department and was surprised by all the letters saying, "Why aren't you resuming PQ Angels?" Naoko: I cried a little. I was thinking not one fan letter would have come, so I was extremely, extremely happy. Editorial department, please send me the fan letters. (If I don't request them, they don't send them to me.) Narration: All my fans, thank you for the fan letters. I'm really sorry for the vacation. I'm sure you want me to draw the continuation. I was even scolded by Queen Ichijou Yukari-sama. [Ichijou Yukari is another shoujo manga artist.] Yukari: Takeuchi, you've got it easy! I've been writing in Ribbon for 25 years without a vacation. This isn't the time to show off and have fun! Naoko: I'm sorry, Queen. I didn't have willpower. Comment: I treasure the Print Club sticker she gave me even more than the one with my sweetheart. Scold me more, please! Narration: Well, this is something from before I started my vacation, but the book in the sale previews was never published. As I wondered what was going on... --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Manuscripts Missing Punch! Narration: In the fall of '97... Osabu: We looked, but they're gone, so we can't make a book. Narration: The crystallization of our blood, sweat, and tears as manga artists, the manuscripts I cut into my life to draw... They lost them! Osabu: I'm looking for them now. Comment: Every time he called it was like that. Osabu: I'll get in touch with you again. Comment: Never heard from him. Osabu: It's nothing to get angry about. Even though I'm busy at the magazine, I'm looking for them. Comment: Always so wonderful. Narration: Everyone was very optimistic. Kodansha: They just got mixed in somewhere. They'll turn up eventually. (Anyway, get to work.) Anime company: We gave them back to Kodansha. Comment: But there are like seven pages of manuscript lost. Toy company: Since a subsidiary lost them, we don't know. New boss and Nakayoshi: It's not our responsibility, we don't know. Naoko punches them all into the sky. Narration: Since it wasn't settled, I thought I'd go to the company myself and look for them... Osabu: Don't bother coming! Narration: I waited for a year, but there was no communication, there was no apology. Just when I consulted with the office chief (a great person in shoujo manga), they told me they'd give me an apology, but... Comment: In the fall of '98, the company building moved, and while they were at it, everyone was sure to look for them. Chief editor: But, we can't find them after all. Don't give up. Office chief: This happens quite often. Comment: This still sticks in my heart. Narration: There was nothing I could do about the lost pieces, but I wanted to deal with it clearly sooner. Comment: That's not a mistake. [Indicating the past tense of 'wanted'.] Comment: I got mad when they lost the seven pages and made demands. Nakayoshi is cold. *sniff* Narration: But it happens quite often, does it... To determine if it happens quite often, I decided to try working for Shueisha. Naoko: Saruko-chan, that's why I decided to take this job! Saruko turns red. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Holiday punch Narration: One day in '98, a girl at a club in Ginza asked... Girl: Oh, sensei, you're taking a year off? When I hadn't seen you in a long time (about half a year), I was often wondering if the manga artist had died! Naoko: I'm not dead, I'm alive! Narration: So, I'm sorry for having silly material from the start. Naoko: Saruko-chan, was it serious? Even though I drew it with a lot of restraint... Saruko: ...... Narration: I had a vacation from the manga job for about a year. So, you ask, what did I do to rest my tired body and spirit? Dates with my boyfriend. Comment: Going out to eat, shopping, going to see movies, driving (in my car of course)... The Izu hot springs, Australia, Kuroyume concerts... Oh, it was amazing! Just like ordinary people! Like an ordinary couple! Narration: And I had a house and office built. (Even though I'm off work.) Drawings of various materials. Comment: Stained glass samples. Gate end samples (strange design). Light design pictures. Changed handle samples. Huge blueprints. Comment: I got various design sketches and samples made. It was as fun as making the Sailor Moon toys. Narration: This was terribly difficult. I know that compared to building a house, drawing manga is a hundred times easier. It was a significant experience. Every month, I traveled overseas. Comment: At a Kodansha party in January '98... Girl: Sorry, the princess will be in Miami in the morning, and then she'll be meeting a friend in New York. Excuse me. Narration: In February I went to a carnival in Venetia with my mom. Comment: The party in Danieli was fabulous! There were people doing Sailor Moon cosplay! It was wonderful! Saruko: And in March? Narration: Every month I traveled overseas, and one time I collapsed. Comment: So I switched to domestic travel. I did that well enough. I had all kinds of appointments at home and at the office, and I didn't have any money, so... Money-managing Kenji-papa: When you're off work, you don't get any salary. Do some work! Narration: Then Hayashi Mariko-sensei came (it seems), and often took me for skin repair at a high-class body salon in Hiroo. [Hayashi Mariko is an author.] Comment: Oh, this is paradise! When I go here, the skin all over my body becomes silky. My sweetie will be surprised! (Seriously!) Narration: Kanda Uno-chan came too (it seems), and often took me for nail repair at a nail salon in Hiroo. [Kanda Uno is an actor.] Comment: The kelp tea they give me here is delicious! I get it when my nails are drying. Comment: A long time ago, at the award party when I debuted, I painted my nails fluorescent green, and Yoshida Mayumi-sensei was amazed by it. [Yoshida Mayumi is a manga artist.] Saruko: Is "often" every day? Naoko: When I was doing Sailor Moon, at the peak I could only go to a beauty parlor once a year. Am I really a girl...? Narration: I'm sorry. I just got my skin done once a year, and my nails done twice a year. Aside from that, I relaxed in my room and read manga. Comment: Being off work is great! I relax and do just what I like, I read just the manga I like, I eat what I like when I like, I go shopping and traveling and dating when I like, and I only go to sleep when I want to sleep! Comment: Oh, that's strange. It's no different from when I was doing Sailor Moon, except I'm not working! Comment: Manga I enjoyed during vacation: Monster Grappler Baki Matarou ga Kuru Blackjack Himitsu no Akko-chan Azumi Gallery Fake Yuke! Inachuu Takkyuubu GTO Berserk Hanagoromo Yumegoromo Rori no Seishun Honoo no Romance [indicates the last two] These bring back memories! They were my starting point. Narration: But during my vacation, the aforementioned manuscripts missing punch, or should I say Kodansha consultation punch, was working quite well. Comment: Thinking I'd draw some manga, I stopped at writing my name. I stopped writing and thought. I'm really a bad person. I felt so sad, like I was heartbroken. (Worrying and feeling bad is my hobby.) Comment: Was it a feeling of draw manga before I worry? During my vacation, reading it over again, I had to brace myself for a punch to my heart. Narration: Abandoned by my boss and my editorial department, even worrying wore me out. I went outside, and while I was lost by myself on the roadside... Naoko sits out in the rain, in a box labeled "Pick me up." A man with glasses and long flowing hair, wearing a crown on his head, bends down and picks her up. Man: This is a coincidence. Since I'm a manga artist too, I'll talk it over with you. It must be hard. Narration: I was picked up by a prince who happened to pass by, wearing glasses with a broken joint held together with tape. Naoko: Don't you think it's terrible? Isn't it such a pity? Don't you think it's unkind of them to lose my manuscripts? Come on, why are they so unkind!? Is it because their circulation dropped? Is it because I missed a deadline by a week? Because my actions were bad? The man holds her as she sobs. Narration: Every day, suddenly revived... Naoko carries a stack of papers. Naoko: I haven't slept for three days, but sorry, Kana-PP. Will you come with me now to the type-setter and apply the tone? (Incidentally, I used Sailor Moon in place of myself...) Comment: Chief-chan Kana-P. Kana-P: Oh no! Naoko: Yurika, stay here for a week. Comment: Manager Yurika. Yurika: No! I'm a newlywed! You devil! Let me go! Naoko: Osabu, I'm sorry. Since I don't have any material, I'm giving up this month. Osabu: No! I don't have a replacement! What about the Sailor Moon pages? There are two million copies of Nakayoshi sitting on storefronts for it! Naoko: I'm sorry. Perhaps my actions were bad. Comment: Now there's no use bullying me. Narration: I was inexperienced. And so, during my vacation, at the side of this man with glasses with a broken joint held together with tape, Prince Togashi Yoshihiro, I trained toward the proper way to be a true manga artist. Yoshihiro: I've lost manuscripts before. Although Jump doesn't do things like that... Naoko: Let me call you my teacher, Prince. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Original manga copyright © 1998 Takeuchi Naoko. English translation copyright © 1998 Alex Glover. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Manga of Takeuchi Naoko | Return-to-Society Punch!!