Novala Takemoto is the professional name of Toshiaki Takemoto, a Japanese author, essayist, and fashion designer born in Uji, Kyoto Prefecture, in 1968. He emerged as a distinctive voice in Japanese pop literature in the late 1990s and is best known as the creator of the novel Shimotsuma Monogatari, which was adapted into the manga and film known in English as Kamikaze Girls. His work is closely tied to Lolita fashion and subculture, and he has been recognized as one of the most active promoters of that lifestyle.

Takemoto dropped out of Osaka University of Arts in 1987 and spent several years involved in various artistic, musical, and theatrical activities in the Kansai region. His literary career began with a series of essays published between 1992 and 1997 in the free arts newspaper Hanagata Bunka Tsūshin. These essays were collected in 1998 as Soleilnuit: For Becoming a Proper Young Lady, a work that gained wide recognition and helped popularize the Japanese term otome, meaning a young maiden. His debut novel, Missin, was published by Shogakukan in 2000. He received nominations for the Yukio Mishima Literary Award twice, first for his novel Emily in 2003 and again for Lolita in 2004.

As an original creator behind anime and manga works, Takemoto is primarily the author of the source material that later inspired adaptations. His most famous work, Shimotsuma Monogatari, was published in 2002. The story centers on an unlikely friendship between Momoko, a high school girl obsessed with Rococo aesthetics and Lolita fashion, and Ichigo, a rough-and-tumble member of a biker gang. The novel was adapted into a manga illustrated by Yukio Kanesada, which was serialized in Shogakukan's Betsucomi magazine and published as a single volume in 2004. That same year, a live-action film adaptation directed by Tetsuya Nakashima was released, starring Kyoko Fukada and Anna Tsuchiya. The film was subsequently released internationally under the title Kamikaze Girls and received several awards, including Best Film at the Yokohama Film Festival. Another of his novels, Twins: A Variety Store Named The End of the World, was also adapted into a film in 2001.

Recurring themes in Takemoto's work include a deep fascination with the Rococo period, the celebration of Lolita fashion, and the formation of identity through personal style and subcultural affiliation. His protagonists are often young women who reject mainstream social expectations in favor of highly curated, individualistic aesthetics. This artistic identity is inseparable from his public persona. He has claimed to have been born in the year 1745, during the Rococo era, and is known for his own gothic and华丽 fashion sense. Beyond writing, he collaborated with the Lolita fashion brand BABY, THE STARS SHINE BRIGHT, designing a clothing line under the name Novala Takemoto Pour Lolita, and also worked as a producer for Hello Kitty merchandise. His essays and public statements have led to him being referred to as a maiden's charismatic figure or the Lolitas' bard within Japanese subcultures.

Novala Takemoto has faced legal issues that have impacted his career. He was arrested in September 2007 for violating the Cannabis Control Law and was later convicted. He was arrested again in April 2015 on suspicion of possessing banned substances under the Narcotics Control Law. Following his first arrest, his collaborations with fashion brands were suspended. Despite these events, his literary work, particularly Kamikaze Girls, remains a significant touchstone in Japanese pop culture and is credited with bringing Lolita fashion to a wider international audience through its film and manga adaptations.