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Naoko Takeuchi was born on March 15 in the city of Kofu in the Yamanashi prefecture. Her blood type is A and she is a Pisces. She graduated from Kyoritsu Chemical University with a degree in chemistry.

In 1986 (while she was still in college), Takeuchi-sensei won Kodansha Publishing's second New Manga Artist award with a story called Love Call. She then went on to create more series for Kodansha, including The Cherry Project, Maria, Miss Rain, and Chocolate Christmas. Then, in 1991, she began a story that was intended to be a one-shot...Codename wa Sailor V. The story became more popular than expected, and when plans were made to make it into an anime, Takeuchi-sensei took the chance to start the series again. She expanded it and revamped elements and created Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon, with Sailor V jumping over to the new series as Sailorvenus, while the Codename wa Sailor V series continued as Venus' adventures before she joined the rest of the senshi.

Sailormoon began its run in Nakayoshi with the February 1992 issue and ended in March 1997 with 52 acts/18 volumes. The tv series began in March 1992 and lasted until February 8, 1997, running for a total of 200 episodes.Codename wa Sailor V ended in November of 1997 with 15 acts/3 volumes, thus ending the saga of the sailor-suited pretty soldiers.

Takeuchi-sensei's most recent series, Princess Takeuchi Naoko's Return-to-Society Punch!!, began in December 1998 in the monthly manga magazine Young You, and is a (sort-of) autobiography of her life in manga form. Takeuchi-sensei is married to Yoshihiro Togashi, the author of the series Yu Yu Hakusho.