Naoko Takeuchi Designed This Character to Subvert Shonen-Style Love Interest Tropes
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Naoko Takeuchi penned one of the most loved and enduring shojo romances, Sailor Moon. It follows Usagi Tsukino and Mamoru Chiba, who were reborn as humans on Earth. They fight for love and justice under the superhero guises, Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask, and their interactions are one of the most integral facets of the series.
Usagi and Mamoru fell in love in their past lives on the Moon Kingdom, when they were Princes Serenity and Prince Endymion. Not only is their romance the backbone of Sailor Moon‘s story, Naoko Takeuchi wanted to write a very thoughtful and specific kind of romance. She wanted to play around with common anime tropes of the time, subverting them with the dynamic between Tuxedo Mask and his love, Sailor Moon.
Sailor Moon fans love to poke fun at Tuxedo Mask, calling him relatively useless. To be fair, there are copious scenes where Tuxedo Mask shows up while Sailor Moon is mid-battle, just to give her a word of encouragement. He doesn’t contribute much beyond waving his cape and sometimes, a sassy quip. Sometimes he even does something clumsy.
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