History Manga / MarvelousMelmo

The anime was later rerun in 1998 on a WOWOW as ''Marvelous Melmo Renewal'' which redubbed the show a new voice cast, music, sound effects as well as new theme songs including a cover of the 1971 series' opening, ''Renewal'' is the version of the show that's currently in circulation [[note]] Due to the original 1971 audio masters having parts of the audio missing as was revealed in the 1993 laserdisc release [[/note]].

The anime was later rerun in 1998 on a Japanese satellite channel with a new voice cast and new theme songs including a cover of the 1971 series' opening [[note]] Due to the original 1971 audio masters having parts of the audio missing as was revealed in the 1993 laserdisc release [[/note]].

The manga ran from 1970 to 1972, and the anime, co-produced by Yoshinobu Nishizaki of ''Anime/SpaceBattleshipYamato'' fame, lasted 26 episodes in 1971-72 on the [[Creator/TokyoBroadcastingSystem TBS]] network (produced by affiliated station Asahi Broadcasting (ABC) in Osaka) and was later aired in Italy as well. Being the first production of the then newly established Tezuka Productions [[note]] And shortly before Creator/MushiProductions went bankrupt and Tezuka Pro inherited their assets [[/note'', it was the first magical girl anime to not be produced by Creator/ToeiAnimation. The anime was later rerun in 1998 on a Japanese satellite channel with a new voice cast and new theme songs [[note]] Due to the original 1971 audio masters having parts of the audio missing as was revealed in the 1993 laserdisc release [[/note]].

The manga ran from 1970 to 1972, and the anime, co-produced by Yoshinobu Nishizaki of ''Anime/SpaceBattleshipYamato'' fame, lasted 26 episodes in 1971-72 on the [[Creator/TokyoBroadcastingSystem TBS]] network (produced by affiliated station Asahi Broadcasting (ABC) in Osaka) and was later aired in Italy as well. A [[Creator/MushiProductions Mushi production]], it was the first magical girl anime not made by Creator/ToeiAnimation. The anime was rerun in 1998 on a Japanese satellite channel with a new voice cast and new theme songs.

''Marvelous Melmo'' is an early MagicalGirl {{Manga}} and {{Anime}} created by Creator/OsamuTezuka about a nine-year-old girl named Melmo, who must raise her two younger brothers after their mother Hitomi is killed in a car accident. To help with this, her mother briefly returns as a ghost and gives Melmo a bottle of magical candies: the blue candies will make her older, and the red ones will make her younger. The story follows Melmo as she attempts to take care of her brothers and navigate the confusing world of adults, despite still being mentally nine years old.

%% * BarbieDollAnatomy: Melmo is the Prime Example of this trope.

%% * DistantFinale

** Apparently when Melmo ages up, she looks exactly like her mother Hitomi and she has used this to her advantage.
** [[spoiler: Melmo's daughter is a reincarnation of Hitomi, so she's another example.]]

* HappilyAdopted: [[spoiler: In the final episode, Jivaro's parents offer to take Memo and her brothers in.]]

* LimitedAnimation: The anime uses of that Limited animation in the 70's , in which it has some stiff movements, fast-paced scenes aren't time properly and character's mouths not moving when talking or having the character's lip sync look odd. in which Americans poke fun of the anime's animation style back then.

* MissingMom: Melmo's mom is hit by a car and dies in the first episode.

* {{Reincarnation}}: The final episode shows Melmo, now a married woman, using her last candies [[spoiler: to find out that her mother had somehow reincarnated in her own granddaughter, thus reuniting both women but with swapped roles]].

%% * TsurimeEyes: Alnitak, the resident AlphaBitch.

* TheTalk: Thw=e whole show was intended to function as TheTalk for Japanese children, educating them on reproduction, pregnancy, aging, gender differences, etc.

The manga ran from 1970 to 1972, and the anime, co-produced by Yoshinobu Nishizaki of ''Anime/SpaceBattleshipYamato'' fame, lasted 26 episodes in 1971-72 on the [[Creator/TokyoBroadcastingSystem TBS]] network (produced by affiliated station Asahi Broadcasting (ABC) in Osaka) and was later aired in Italy as well. A Creator/MushiProduction, it was the first magical girl anime not made by Creator/ToeiAnimation. The anime was rerun in 1998 on a Japanese satellite channel with a new voice cast and new theme songs.

The manga ran from 1970 to 1972, and the anime, co-produced by Yoshinobu Nishizaki of ''Anime/SpaceBattleshipYamato'' fame, lasted 26 episodes in 1971-72 on the [[Creator/TokyoBroadcastingSystem TBS]] network (produced by affiliated station Asahi Broadcasting (ABC) in Osaka) and was later aired in Italy as well. The anime was rerun in 1998 on a Japanese satellite channel with a new voice cast and new theme songs.

The manga ran from 1970 to 1972, and the anime lasted 26 episodes in 1971-72 on the [[Creator/TokyoBroadcastingSystem TBS]] network (produced by affiliated station Asahi Broadcasting (ABC) in Osaka) and was later aired in Italy as well. The anime was rerun in 1998 on a Japanese satellite channel with a new voice cast and new theme songs.

The manga ran from 1970 to 1972, and the anime lasted 26 episodes in 1971-72 on the [[Creator/TokyoBroadcastingSystem TBS]] network (produced by affiliated station Asahi Broadcasting (ABC) in Osaka) and was later aired in Italy as well. The anime was rerun in 1998 on Creator/{{WOWOW}} with a new voice cast and new theme songs.

* AlphaBitch: Nitako, who comes complete with a GirlPosse and is appropriately cast as the wicked stepmother in the school's production of ''Literature/SnowWhite''.

* EducationMama: Komori's mom, who makes him study all day, never letting him play to the point where he's about to snap

* BattleOfTheSexes: The plot of episode 5, "Beating the Boys". After the boys are [[AfterSchoolCleaningDuty punished for messing with the girls all day]], they start a prank war with the girls, leading Melmo, who simply wants the prank war over, to report it to her teacher, but this only results in her [[NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished getting ganged up on by some of the boys with dodgeballs]]. Ultimately this ends when [[spoiler: Melmo intercepts a prank and turns it into a peace offering with her candies.]]

* BattleOfTheSexes: The plot of episode 3, "Beating the Boys". After the boys are [[AfterSchoolCleaningDuty punished for messing with the girls all day]], they start a prank war with the girls, leading Melmo, who simply wants the prank war over, to report it to her teacher, but this only results in her [[NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished getting ganged up on by some of the boys with dodgeballs]]. Ultimately this ends when [[spoiler: Melmo intercepts a prank and turns it into a peace offering with her candies.]]

* AlphaBitch: Alnitak, who comes complete with a GirlPosse and is appropriately cast as the wicked stepmother in the school's production of ''Literature/SnowWhite''.
%% * AttractiveBentSpecies: Memo, sometimes.
%% * BarbieDollAnatomy: Memo is the Prime Example of this trope.

** Apparently when Melmo ages up, she looks exactly like her mother Omit and she has used this to her advantage.
** [[spoiler: Melmo's daughter is a reincarnation of Omit, so she's another example.]]

* AlphaBitch: Nitako, who comes complete with a GirlPosse and is appropriately cast as the wicked stepmother in the school's production of ''Literature/SnowWhite''.
%% * AttractiveBentSpecies: Melmo, sometimes.
%% * BarbieDollAnatomy: Melmo is the Prime Example of this trope.

* FakedRipVanWinkle: in the episode "3,650 Days of Terror," Melmo and Professor Waragarasu do this to two unsuspecting thieves, making them think they've been asleep for 10 years when in reality, it's only been an hour or so. This goes south fast when the larger thief believes his daughter died due to not receiving a life-saving surgery

** Apparently when Melmo ages up, she looks exactly like her mother Hitomi and she has used this to her advantage.
** [[spoiler: Melmo's daughter is a reincarnation of Hitomi, so she's another example.]]
* HalfDressedCartoonAnimal: Totoo still wears a red coat and sometimes a hat when he gets stuck in frog form.
* HappilyAdopted: [[spoiler: In the final episode, Jiro's parents offer to take Melmo and her brothers in.]]

* MixAndMatchCritters: In the ChristmasEpisode, Melmo tries to turn into a dog, but makes a mistake and ends up becoming a kitten with the lower half of a puppy. This form is sufficient for her purposes, however, and she assumes it again later in the episode.
%% * MrExposition: Professor Waragarasu.

* PantyShot: One of the first anime to make use of it. Happens every time Melmo turns into her OlderAlterEgo, since her clothes remain their original small size.

* {{Sexophone}}: Adult Melmo's fanservicey scenes are accompanied by a sexy saxophone leitmotif.

** As soon as Melmo discovers the shapeshifting powers of the candies, her younger brother Totoo shapeshifts himself into a small frog. Too bad he's then unable, for almost half of the series, to eat the required candies (that now are bigger than his mouth and stomach).

* TheThreeFacesOfAdam: Jiro is the Hunter, and his brothers Ichiro and Saboro, The Prophet and The Lord respectively.

%% * TsurimeEyes: Nitako, the resident AlphaBitch.

* AlphaBitch: Nitako, who comes complete with a GirlPosse and is appropriately cast as the wicked stepmother in the school's production of "Literature/SnowWhite".

* BattleOfTheSexes: The plot of episode 3, 'Beating the Boys'. After the boys are [[AfterSchoolCleaningDuty punished for messing with the girls all day]], they start a prank war with the girls, leading Melmo, who simply wants the prank war over, to report it to her teacher, but this only results in her [[NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished getting ganged up on by some of the boys with dodgeballs]]. Ultimately this ends when [[spoiler: Melmo intercepts a prank and turns it into a peace offering with her candies.]]

* FakedRipVanWinkle: in the episode '3,650 Days of Terror,' Melmo and Professor Waragarasu do this to two unsuspecting thieves, making them think they've been asleep for 10 years when in reality, it's only been an hour or so. This goes south fast when the larger thief believes his daughter died due to not receiving a life-saving surgery

%% * JapaneseDelinquents: Shogo in the episode 'Melmo the Bride'

* ReplacementGoldfish: In one episode, a mysterious man seems to bring Melmo's mother back from the dead. "Mom" turns out to be [[spoiler: a doll implanted with a snake's soul. But then the snake-doll actually [[DoAndroidsDream develops motherly feelings]] towards the children and ultimately [[TearJerker commits suicide]] by immolation to keep them warm.]]

* ShapeShifting: Early in the series, Melmo discovers that, by consuming both types of candies at once and thinking to a certain animal, she could de-age herself to embryonic stage and re-age as the animal she was thinking to, as, according to the evolutionary theory, a human embryo is genetically connected to every other lifeform. That's [[YouFailBiologyForever not exactly how science works]], but for Melmo is close enough.

* AttractiveBentSpecies: Melmo, sometimes.
* BarbieDollAnatomy: Melmo is the Prime Example of this trope.
** Well, occasionally in the anime you do see nipples, but only in bathing scenes and in one instance when she tries to breastfeed Touch, her youngest brother (who is a baby).

* DistantFinale

* GenerationXerox: Apparently when Melmo ages up, she looks exactly like her mother Hitomi and she has used this to her advantage.

* JapaneseDelinquents: Shogo in the episode 'Melmo the Bride'

* MrExposition: Professor Waragarasu.

* RichBitch: Nitako

* ShapeshifterModeLock: As soon as Melmo discovers the shapeshifting powers of the candies, her younger brother Totoo shapeshifts himself into a small frog. Too bad he's then unable, for almost half of the series, to eat the required candies (that now are bigger than his mouth and stomach).

* ShonenHair: Jiro

* TheTalk: Actually the whole show was intended to function as TheTalk for Japanese children, educating them on reproduction, pregnancy, aging, gender differences, etc.

* TsurimeEyes: Nitako, the resident AlphaBitch.

* DisappearedDad: Melmo's father is nowhere to be found, though her mother does mention he died, fairly recently, given her youngest child is a baby.

* MrExposition: Professor Waragarasu

** When Melmo starts abusing the power of the candies, by using them for selfish reasons, the ''angels'' responsible from empowering them withhold their blessing. Too bad Melmo [[DisproportionateRetribution had just transformed herself in a dog]]. After refusing to change her back for a whole episode, eventually the angels settle for giving Melmo her powers back, but with a finite number of candies (before, they used to renew themselves in the jar).

* TheThreeFacesOfAdam: Jiro is the Hunter and his brothers Ichiro and Saboro and The Prophet and The Lord respectively.

* TsurimeEyes: Nitako, the resident AlphaBitch

* CoolBigSis: Naname, an anime exclusive character, to Melmo. Melmo's school has an older sibling/younger sibling system, so they are together a lot at school, with Melmo being in third grade and Naname being a six-grader. Naname buys her snacks and defends her from bullies.

* HiddenDepths: Melmo can play the flute very well for a nine year-old.

* BattleOfTheSexes: The plot of episode 3, 'Beating the Boys'. After the boys are [[AfterSchoolCleaningDuty punished for messing with Melmo and her friend]], they start a prank war with the girls, leading Melmo, who simply wants the prank war over, to report it to her teacher, but this only results in her [[NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished getting ganged up on by some of the boys with dodgeballs]]. Ultimately this ends when [[spoiler: Melmo intercepts a prank and turns it into a peace offering with her candies.]]

* ChristmasEpisode: Episode 13 of the anime is this. The plot involves Melmo finding a baby abandoned in a train station. She and her friends help reunite the boy with his parents before they [[DrivenToSuicide die in the mountains]], and Melmo uses her aging candies to teach a lesson to a [[CorruptCorporateExecutive greedy executive]] (who shut down the father's division of the company).