Hey guys,
I thought this might be deserving of its own thread. A couple of you asked for a translation of Naoko Takeuchi's interview with the French magazine Animeland from April 1999. It's a pretty long article followed by an interview. I'll start with just the interview and may go back to the article later. I don't have a scanner but I' can take some screencaps later if anybody is interested. As a side note, I was wrong about a wedding OAV planned. My memory must have mixed that up with PGSM. Anyhow, here's the interview:
Animeland: How did you react when you first learned that the Sailor Moon manga was becoming an anime?
Naoko: This news made me extremely happy seeing as I really like animation and, especially, the perspective of seeing my characters brought to life delighted me.
AL: Your comic was far from being finished when the anime first started. Did you watch it, and did it influence you to draw the rest of your manga?
N: The anime is very focused on comedy and humor, and because my drawings tend to be darker, maybe the series pushed me to do some lighter and happier things.
AL: In your opinion, what did the anime writers bring to the series, and what would you have never thought of?
N: You need to understand that most of the writers were men, and because of that, everything from the plot to the look of the heroines changed completely. A "feminine" look is not at all the same when treated by a man or a woman, and this new outlook brought a new tone to the story.
AL: On the other hand, did some things disappoint you? For example. the ending of the anime which isn't much of a conclusion?
N: Sure enough, I was more than surprised by the ending. What shocked me the most was the need to kill off the characters (even if they get revived later), cause it didn't seem necessary. Furthermore, the fact that the Sailor Starlights were men when they became the Three Lights, which was not the case in what I had done, seemed very different to me.
AL: Is it possible for the show to continue one day?
N: I've received many offers, but they were mostly for theatrical movies, live ones..
AL: A few years ago, a series of OVAs for Sailor V was announced. Since then, we haven't heard any news about it. Can you tell us more?
N: Yes, I had been told about this project for video. I don't actually know where they are with it today,
but I'd really like for them to start.
AL: As a kid, did you watch anime, and which ones influenced you?
N: I watched many, but I loved Devilman and Candy-Candy.
AL: And now, do you go see animated movies, in theaters, for example?
N: I try to go see most of the movies that come out in Japan, both the Japanese ones and Disney ones.
AL: There are so many websites dedicated to your works, do you have time to check them out?
N: Yes, I've visited a few. I'm always so impressed to see how much fans know about what we do.
AL: Is this the first time that you meet fans outside of Japan?
N: Not exactly since last year I was invited to a convention in San Diego in the US. Prior to that, I had been to Hong Kong, but this is my first time in Europe.
AL: What would you be if you hadn't been a manga artist?
N: I would be a housewife (laughs) !
AL: On that note, did your husband come with you?
N: No, he didn't come!
AL: Given that he's also a manga artist, do you give opinions on each other's work?
N: Yes, of course! We do it all the time! But actually, I always tell him that in his mangas, there are never any pretty girls with interesting personalities, and he always tells me that in mine, I never have male characters who are classy, who stick out.
AL: In the end, to avoid problems, you're both better off working separately...
N: (Laughs) It's true that we both have very different styles which would be hard to combine...
AL: Any plans for an anime adaptation of any of your other mangas?
N: I've received a few propositions, but at the moment, it's just the beginning stages and I can't tell you anymore.
AL: Thank You!
I thought this might be deserving of its own thread. A couple of you asked for a translation of Naoko Takeuchi's interview with the French magazine Animeland from April 1999. It's a pretty long article followed by an interview. I'll start with just the interview and may go back to the article later. I don't have a scanner but I' can take some screencaps later if anybody is interested. As a side note, I was wrong about a wedding OAV planned. My memory must have mixed that up with PGSM. Anyhow, here's the interview:
Animeland: How did you react when you first learned that the Sailor Moon manga was becoming an anime?
Naoko: This news made me extremely happy seeing as I really like animation and, especially, the perspective of seeing my characters brought to life delighted me.
AL: Your comic was far from being finished when the anime first started. Did you watch it, and did it influence you to draw the rest of your manga?
N: The anime is very focused on comedy and humor, and because my drawings tend to be darker, maybe the series pushed me to do some lighter and happier things.
AL: In your opinion, what did the anime writers bring to the series, and what would you have never thought of?
N: You need to understand that most of the writers were men, and because of that, everything from the plot to the look of the heroines changed completely. A "feminine" look is not at all the same when treated by a man or a woman, and this new outlook brought a new tone to the story.
AL: On the other hand, did some things disappoint you? For example. the ending of the anime which isn't much of a conclusion?
N: Sure enough, I was more than surprised by the ending. What shocked me the most was the need to kill off the characters (even if they get revived later), cause it didn't seem necessary. Furthermore, the fact that the Sailor Starlights were men when they became the Three Lights, which was not the case in what I had done, seemed very different to me.
AL: Is it possible for the show to continue one day?
N: I've received many offers, but they were mostly for theatrical movies, live ones..
AL: A few years ago, a series of OVAs for Sailor V was announced. Since then, we haven't heard any news about it. Can you tell us more?
N: Yes, I had been told about this project for video. I don't actually know where they are with it today,
but I'd really like for them to start.
AL: As a kid, did you watch anime, and which ones influenced you?
N: I watched many, but I loved Devilman and Candy-Candy.
AL: And now, do you go see animated movies, in theaters, for example?
N: I try to go see most of the movies that come out in Japan, both the Japanese ones and Disney ones.
AL: There are so many websites dedicated to your works, do you have time to check them out?
N: Yes, I've visited a few. I'm always so impressed to see how much fans know about what we do.
AL: Is this the first time that you meet fans outside of Japan?
N: Not exactly since last year I was invited to a convention in San Diego in the US. Prior to that, I had been to Hong Kong, but this is my first time in Europe.
AL: What would you be if you hadn't been a manga artist?
N: I would be a housewife (laughs) !
AL: On that note, did your husband come with you?
N: No, he didn't come!
AL: Given that he's also a manga artist, do you give opinions on each other's work?
N: Yes, of course! We do it all the time! But actually, I always tell him that in his mangas, there are never any pretty girls with interesting personalities, and he always tells me that in mine, I never have male characters who are classy, who stick out.
AL: In the end, to avoid problems, you're both better off working separately...
N: (Laughs) It's true that we both have very different styles which would be hard to combine...
AL: Any plans for an anime adaptation of any of your other mangas?
N: I've received a few propositions, but at the moment, it's just the beginning stages and I can't tell you anymore.
AL: Thank You!
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