This is an interview with Naoko Takeuchi that was
published in an Italian magazine (Kappa Magazine 51, September
1996). Q: You've been into shojo manga for a long time and you can be considered as the most famous author in Japan. What's the difference between the old love stories and the ones you write now, full of action and fighting? A: Love is essential in every manga I write. Even if in Sailor Moon I inserted a lot of fights, nothing has changed since my previous works. Q: Which Sailor senshi do you identify yourself the most with? A: There's a part of me in each of the ten senshi. According to the circumstances, each senshi speaks with my voice. No, there isn't a character I feel more like me. Q: The relationship between Haruka and Michiru is quite ambiguous. Can you tell us about it? A: The relationship between Haruka and Michiru is
quite special. Q: Haven't you had trouble for this choice because of your young public? A: In Japan, strong girls are very popular. The
tradition of my country has in the Tarazuka, the Japanese theater in which
only women take part, the maximum level of feminine emancipation. These
actress cover all roles of the plays, even the male ones.
Q: Differently than other shojo, Sailor Moon is followed by a lot of boys. An exception to the rule? A: Yes. The senshi are very sexy, and boys like it. In Japan, moreover, boys are quite weak and they search for a strong partner. They want to be dominated, and the senshi are ready to do it. Q: A winning choice. And a lot of authors have tried to follow your way, creating small and big clones of Sailor Moon.... A: Thank you. Maybe what a lot of authors don't understand is the masochistic component of boys. They write love stories that are now outdated. Q: Will there be a sixth series of Sailor Moon? A: I don't know, but for now I don't want to end it, since SailorStars has just begun being aired.
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