The series was quickly adapted into a fifty-two episode anime series by Studio Pierrot. It debuted in Japan on April 6, 2002, on both TV Aichi and TV Tokyo; the final episode aired on March 29, 2003. A two-volume sequel to the manga, Tokyo Mew Mew a la Mode, was serialized in Nakayoshi from April 2003 to February 2004. The sequel introduces a new Mew Mew, Berry Shirayuki, who becomes the temporary leader of the Mew Mews whilst Ichigo is on a trip to England. Two video games were also created for the series: a puzzleadventure game for the Game Boy Advance system and a role-playing game for the PlayStation.
Tokyopop licensed the manga series for English-language publication in North America and released the complete original series as well as the sequel. 4Kids Entertainment licensed the anime series for North American broadcast. Heavily edited and dubbed, 23 episodes of Mew Mew Power aired on the 4Kids TVYTV in Canada. 4Kids Entertainment was unable to license the remaining 26 episodes of the series, thus were unable to complete its broadcast. They have not released the series to home video. channel in the United States and 26 episodes aired on
Well received by English-language readers, several volumes of the manga series appeared in the Top 50 sales lists for graphic novels in their months of release. Critics praised the manga as a cute and entertaining series with free-flowing style and character designs. A la mode received praise as a good continuation of the series, but was also criticized for offering nothing new. The anime adaptation received high ratings while airing in Japan, resulting in numerous marketing tie-ins. Despite criticism for extensive editing that removed most of the Japanese elements, the Mew Mew Power dub became the highest rated 4Kids show during its broadcast. It was licensed for regional release in several other countries instead of the original Japanese series.
Plot
At the start of the series, a young girl named Ichigo Momomiya attends an endangered species exhibit with her 'crush' and future boyfriend, Masaya Aoyama. After an earthquake, Ichigo and four other girls are bathed in a strange light. A cat appears before Ichigo, then merges with her. The next day she begins acting like a cat and, after meeting Ryou Shirogane and Keiichiro Akasaka, learns that she was infused with the DNA of the Iriomote Cat. Ryou and Keiichiro explain that this allows her to transform into Mew Ichigo, a powerful heroic cat girl. She is ordered to defeat chimera animas—alien parasites—which infect animals and turn them into monsters. Ryou and Keiichiro instruct Ichigo to find the four other girls from the exhibit—the remaining Mew Mews. They are Mint Aizawa, a spoiled, wealthy girl who is infused with the genes of the Ultramarine Lorikeet; Lettuce Midorikawa, a meek but smart girl who endures constant bullying and absorbs the genes of the Finless Porpoise; young Pudding Fong, who receives the genes of the Golden Lion Tamarin; and Zakuro Fujiwara, a professional model infused with the genes of the Gray Wolf.The five Mew Mews battle the chimera animas and their alien controllers, Kish, Pie and Tart. Kish claims to be in love with Ichigo; he tries to gain her love despite the fact that he is trying to eliminate the other Mew Mews. Two more aliens, Pie and Tart, later join Kish in trying to destroy the Mew Mews.
As the fighting intensifies, the Mew Mews are tasked with finding "mew aqua," a material created from pure water that contains immense power for combating the alien attacks. During a battle with Kish at an aquarium, Ichigo is in danger of losing when the mysterious Blue Knight appears and rescues her. He returns periodically throughout the series, protecting Ichigo from various dangers; it is later revealed that the Blue Knight is in fact Masaya. Shortly after this discovery, Masaya collapses and transforms again, into Deep Blue—the alien leader who wants to destroy humanity. After explaining to Ichigo that Masaya was a false form for temporary use, Deep Blue attacks the Mew Mews. Masaya's personality briefly reappears and he uses a nearby mew aqua drop to destroy Deep Blue, killing himself in the process. Crying over his body, Ichigo pours her power into Masaya to save his life, losing her own in the process. Masaya kisses her, changing her back to a human, and revives her. Ryou gives Pie the remaining mew aqua to save the aliens' world, after which Kish, Pie and Tart say their goodbyes and return to their own world.
Sequel
In the two-volume sequel, Tokyo Mew Mew a La Mode, Ichigo and Masaya move to England to study endangered species. The remaining Mew Mews continue to eliminate the chimera animals left behind by the aliens. They also face a new threat, the Saint Rose Crusaders: humans with special powers who desire to conquer the world and create an utopia. Berry Shirayuki becomes the sixth Mew Mew and temporarily takes Ichigo's place as the leader. Berry is the first Mew Mew to be infused with the DNA of two endangered species, the Andean Mountain Cat and the Amami Rabbit. As one of the strongest Mew Mews, Berry is targeted by two of the Crusaders, who attack her at school. Ichigo returns to provide assistance during this battle. For their final attack, two Crusaders hypnotize the citizens of Tokyo and set them against the Mew Mews. Berry and her childhood friend Tasuku Meguro use their new-found feelings of love to reverse the hypnosis and cause a change of heart in the Crusaders.List of Tokyo Mew Mew characters
The Tokyo Mew Mew manga and anime series features a cast of characters designed by Mia Ikumi. The series takes place in a fictional version of Tokyo, Japan, where five adolescent girls, called Mew Mews, are infused with the DNA of endangered species to combat aliens attempting to take over the Earth. The manga series is followed by a short sequel series, Tokyo Mew Mew a la Mode, which introduces a new Mew Mew and a new threat.The Mew Mews are led by the main character, Ichigo Momomiya, whose first task is to gather the other four Mew Mews: Mint Aizawa, Lettuce Midorikawa, Pudding Fong, and Zakuro Fujiwara. As the series progresses, Ichigo goes from having a crush on Masaya Aoyama to becoming his girlfriend while trying to hide her secret double life from him. The series antagonists include three aliens, Kish, Pie, and Tart, and their leader, Deep Blue. Originally from Earth, the aliens were forced to leave long ago due to deadly environmental changes. They have returned to kill the humans, who they feel are destroying their planet, and reclaim the planet. In a la Mode, middle school student Berry Shirayuki is introduced as the sixth Mew Mew and, in the absence of Ichigo, the temporary leader of the Mew Mews. A la Mode also introduces new set of antagonists, the Saint Rose Crusaders, a group of human teenagers with various psychic abilities with a desire to create their own utopia. Led by Duke, they make several attempts to kill Berry, eventually turning the local populace against the Mew Mews.
Ikumi's initial vision for Tokyo Mew Mew was a horror story called Tokyo Black Cat Girl that featured a cat-girl battling alien invaders. After the story was transitioned to a more upbeat story of five female superheroes, the character designs were redone to have a lighter, more colorful feel. The main series characters were praised for being a perfect fit for the overall story, as well as for their cute appearances. The characters introduced in a la Mode were also praised for their visual appearances, but criticized as being repeats of the original series. The character Duke was also criticized for having a design reminiscent of the white supremacy group, the Ku Klux Klan.
Mew Mews
Ichigo Momomiya
Ichigo Momomiya (桃宮 いちご Momomiya Ichigo) is the series' main protagonist and the leader of the Mew Mews. Ichigo is merged with the DNA of the Iriomote Cat, giving her the ability to transform into Mew Ichigo, a powerful and heroic cat girl. The transformation also causes her to exhibit various feline mannerisms while in her human form. At first, her cat ears and tail appear when she is excited, but eventually her cat DNA grows strong enough that when she is very excited she turns into a small black cat. She remains in a cat form until someone – human or animal – kisses her.
At the start of the series, Ichigo has a crush on Masaya Aoyama. Although she believes that he is oblivious to her feelings, he later returns them and they begin dating. Midway through the series, Ichigo gains a mysterious protector, the Blue Knight. Throughout the series, Ichigo repeatedly rejects repeated advances by Kish and although she can not accept his final declaration of love, she cries over his death and holds him as he dies. Ichigo dies after transferring her own life force into Masaya after Masaya kills himself and Deep Blue. She is subsequently revived by the last of the mew aqua which was housed within Masaya. Before Masaya goes off to study abroad in England at the end of the series, Ichigo participates in a mock wedding with Masaya. Tokyo Mew Mew a La Mode reveals that Ichigo lost all of her Mew Mew powers and joined Masaya in England, but returned to Japan when her powers began to manifest again to aid in the battle against the Saint Rose Crusaders. In the anime adaptation, her voice actress is Saki Nakajima. In the Mew Mew Power English adaptation her name is changed to Zoey Hanson and she is voiced by Amanda Brown.Mint Aizawa
Mint Aizawa (藍沢 みんと Aizawa Minto) is the second Mew Mew to be introduced in the series. Infused with the genes of an Ultramarine Lorikeet, Mint grows a bird's tail and a pair of bird wings when she transforms into Mew Mint. Initially depicted as spoiled, snobbish, and self-centered because of her wealth, she is shown to be an empathetic person who cares deeply about her friends as the series progresses. Mint idolizes fellow Mew Mew, Zakuro Fujiwara. Mint's anime depiction is voiced by Yumi Kakazu. In the Mew Mew Power English adaptation her name is changed to Corina Bucksworth and she is voiced by Andi Whaley.Lettuce Midorikawa
Lettuce Midorikawa (碧川 れたす Midorikawa Retasu) is the third member of the Mew Mews formally introduced to the readers. Infused with the DNA of a Finless Porpoise, Lettuce's legs can change into a porpoise's tail while she is underwater, greatly improving her swimming ability. In the anime adaptation, this change can only occur when Lettuce is in the presence of mew aqua. Lettuce is portrayed as a shy The other members of the group consider Lettuce to be a kind and selfless person. As the series progresses, Lettuce becomes a more confident person through the other Mew Mews' regular encouragement. In the anime series, her voice actress is Kumi Sakuma. In the Mew Mew Power English adaptation her name is changed to Bridget Verdant and she is voiced by Bella Hudson character lacking self-confidence and is the subject of frequent bullying. She is afraid of her Mew Mew powers at first, causing them to go out of control until she is calmed by Ichigo and Mint.Pudding Fong
Pudding Fong (黄 歩鈴 Fon Purin) is the fourth Mew Mew introduced to the readers. Infused with the DNA of a Golden Lion Tamarin, Pudding grows a monkey tail and ears while transformed, and fights with a pair of rings. The other Mew Mews agree that her monkey DNA is a perfect match for her personality as she is full of energy and loves having fun, to the point Mint considers her very immature. Despite her age, Pudding is raising her five younger siblings and managing the family finances while their father is training in the mountains. The manga never mentions Pudding's mother, while the anime adaptation states that she died. Midway through the series, Pudding befriends Tart when he captures her and holds her hostage. Pudding kisses Tart at the end of the series and tells him she does not want it "to be goodbye." He replies by saying that he may return to see her. In the anime adaptation, the relationship between Pudding and Tart is expanded and the circumstances of their initial friendship changes – instead of being saved by the Mew Mews, Tart himself saves Pudding from a underground cavern when he realizes that she is suffocating from a lack of oxygen. She is voiced by Hisayo Mochizuki. In the Mew Mew Power Kether Donahue. She is reluctant to fight Tart during the final battle until he affirms they have no choice, and cries over him after he is defeated. English adaptation, her name is changed to Kikki Benjamin and she is voiced by Kether Donahue.Zakuro Fujiwara
Zakuro Fujiwara (藤原 ざくろ Fujiwara Zakuro) is the last of the main Mew Mews introduced. As with the others, she first appears at the endangered animal exhibit without being named. Zakuro tends to be a loner and initially refuses to join the other Mew Mews, but changes her mind after they come to her aid. Infused with the DNA of a Gray Wolf, Zakuro has a wolf tail and ears while in her Mew Mew form. Zakuro is a professional model and is presented as a mature character. As her biggest fan Mint effuses, Zakuro has "long, glossy, raven hair" with "dark, intelligent, yet sensitive eyes" and "long, strong and thin legs". Junko Noda provides her voice in the anime. In the Mew Mew Power English adaptation, her name is changed to Renée Roberts and her voice is supplied by Mollie Weaver Zakuro's background is more developed in the anime adaptation and she is said to be estranged from her family since leaving home two years earlier.Berry Shirayuki
Berry Shirayuki (白雪 ベリー Shirayuki Berī) is introduced in Tokyo Mew Mew a la Mode as the sequel series' main protagonist, the sixth Mew Mew, and, while Ichigo is studying abroad, the temporary leader of the Mew Mews. She becomes the first Mew Mew to be infused with the DNA of two endangered species: the Andes Mountain Cat and the Amami Black Rabbit. Like Ichigo, she is given a robot companion, Ucha, who gives her guidance and transforms into the staff Berry uses to fight. As the "second strongest" Mew Mew, Berry becomes the primary target of the series antagonists, the Saint Rose Crusaders. Throughout a la Mode, Berry comes to realize that she is in love with her close childhood friend Tasuku, which confuses her until she is able to come to terms with her feelings. Together, they use their warm feelings of love to release the city's citizens from the Saint Rose Crusaders hypnotism and to change the hearts to the Crusaders. At the end of the series, Berry and Tasuku, the "lovebirds” of the café, work side-by-side as the cafe's new door-to-door delivery service and celebrate being in love.Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/
