"So remember: whenever love gets you down... a cup of tea might just be what you need!"
Pixie Pop (Gokkun! Pucho in Japanese) is the first manga series of Ema Toyama and is considered her best work. It was serialized in Nakayoshi from 2004 to 2005, and compiled into three volumes. The manga was licensed in English by Tokyopop.
After getting rejected by her middle school crush Shinya Amamiya, Mayu Kousaka decides to enter the new year of school forgetting about Amamiya and finding a new love. It's easier said than done, especially with Amamiya being in Mayu's homeroom class and sitting right next to her.
But when Mayu drinks a water drink that changed colors after her tears fell in it, the drink guardian spirit, Pucho, appears. She explains that the drink that Mayu drank had a rainbow drink element, and it was meant for Pucho so that she can turn into an adult and use special magical powers. Pucho tells Mayu that she cannot drink anything other than water, as the properties of other drinks will cause her to transform (ex: drinking cold milk will make her bigger; drinking warm milk will make her smaller).
Mayu decides to help recreate the rainbow drink element to help Pucho turn into an adult by finding the different colored water droplets needed for the drink. In return, Pucho decides to help Mayu win Amamiya's heart.
But is Amamiya still the boy Mayu fell in love with as a child, or just a jerk who rejected her?
Not to be confused with Pop Pixie.
This series provides examples of:
- Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder: Amamiya couldn't wait for Konoha.
- The Ace: Konoha. She's rich, beautiful, popular, smart and athletic. Mayu and Nazuna laments that she's too perfect.
- Alpha Bitch: Reika Kanemoto, to an extent.
- Anguished Declaration of Love:
- Prior to the story, Mayu confessed to her middle school crush Amamiya. His response was, "Who are you?"
- Amamiya towards his childhood friend Konoha before she left to study abroad.
- Animal-Eared Headband: Pucho's headband resembles bunny ears.
- Beta Couple: Ryouta and Nazuna.
- Betty and Veronica: Mayu and Konoha for Amamiya; Yuuki and Amamiya for Mayu.
- Cat Girl: In a side-panel, Pucho states that there are a lot of "cat-type girls" in the series (Konoha- "selfish kitty"; Nazuna- "fun kitty"; Amamiya- "antisocial kitty"). She averts this by saying Mayu is a "dog" because she's "faithful, devoted, and single-minded."
- Celibate Hero: Amamiya, who rejected Mayu because he has no intention of dating.
- Clingy Jealous Girl: Konoha.
- Cool Big Sis: Pucho more or less becomes one for Mayu.
- Curtains Match the Window: Nazuna.
- Defrosting Ice King: Amamiya.
- Dogged Nice Guy:
- Mayu is a gender-flipped one for Amamiya.
- Ryouta towards Nazuna.
- Yuuki towards Mayu, as it's revealed that he wasn't under the spell of the melon drink; he had loved Mayu for a long time.
- The Cutie: Played up to eleven when Pucho gives Mayu a chocolate drink in order to be a "sugary sweet girl" when returning Amamiya's coat to him; it makes her turn into a Smitten Teenage Girl without her control.
- Feud Episode: Mayu and Pucho in Chapter 10. They get better.
- The First Cut Is the Deepest: Amamiya turned into a jerk when Konoha, his first love, left for America.
- Girlish Pigtails: Mayu.
- Green-Eyed Monster:
- Mayu grows jealous of the history Konoha has with Amamiya; Konoha is jealous of Mayu's closeness to Amamiya.
- Amamiya towards Yuuki when he thinks Mayu and Yuuki are dating.
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: Mayu and Pucho; Mayu and Nanuza; Amamiya and Ryouta.
- Irony: Following Mayu's anguished confession, she decides that once high school starts that she'll forget about Amamiya and find a new love. Then she finds out that Amamiya is in her class and sits right next to her.
- I Want My Beloved to Be Happy:
- Mayu drinks green tea to turn into a ninja and rescue Konoha's Pamo-chan, in spite of the fact that doing this will stop the magic that made Amamiya fall in love with her.
- Yuuki, realizing Mayu's feelings for Amamiya, tells her to go after him.
- Konoha, realizing the person she was chasing after doesn't exist anymore, lets Mayu and Amamiya be together.
- Mayu is willing to give up Amamiya to stop Pucho from disappearing.
- I Will Wait for You: Subverted in that Amamiya couldn't wait for Konoha and so he didn't and so they didn't have a relationship when she came back
- Jerkass -> Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Amamiya.
- Keet: Ryouta and Yuuki.
- Love Confession: Mayu to Amamiya in a flashback in Chapter 1; Nazuna to Ryouta in Chapter 11; Yuuki to Mayu in Chapter 12.
- Love Potion:
- When Mayu drinks Darjeeling with a drop of the seven colored drink, it makes Amamiya briefly fall in love with her.
- After one of the colored water droplets appear after Yuuki asks Mayu on a date, Mayu thinks she's fallen for Yuuki, but it turns out that the water droplet is "green," which means "being loved" and only appeared because of Yuuki's feelings; it doesn't mean Mayu feels the same way.
- After drinking a zero calorie soda, it makes Mayu instantly fall out of love with Amamiya and in love with Yuuki. But with her feelings alone, Mayu is able to undo the transformation.
- Love Redeems: When Konoha left, it caused Amamiya to turn into a cold-hearted jerk. It is only through Mayu's love for him that Amamiya remembers what it's liked to be liked by someone and to want to like someone else in return.
- Love Triangle:
- Konoha, Amamiya, and Mayu.
- Yuuki, Mayu, and Amamiya.
- Magical Girl: Mayu's magic is used through drinking different kinds of beverages.
- Meido: Mayu's class does a Maid Cafe for the Cultural Festival.
- Memento MacGuffin: Pamo-chan, Konoha's stuffed elephant. It was a gift from Amamiya.
- New Transfer Student: Konoha Hiiragi, Amamiya's childhood friend, who returns from studying abroad in America for six years.
- Oblivious to Love:
- For the most part, Nazuna is oblivious to Ryouta's affections.
- Mayu towards Yuuki, as she never noticed him until he talks to her.
- Official Couple: Amamiya and Mayu.
- Ojou: Konoha.
- Operation: Jealousy: Mayu uses Yuuki, one of the boys of her Harem who fell for her after she drank melon juice, to make Amamiya jealous.
- Ordinary High-School Student
- Piggyback Cute: Amamiya does this to Mayu when she sprains her ankle in Chapter 7.
- The Promise: As children, Ayamiya wished that Konoha and he would be together forever. When Konoha returns from studying abroad, she is determined for him to keep his promise.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: Yuuki and Amamiya.
- The Rival: Konoha for Mayu; Yuuki Kakeru for Amamiya.
- Second Love: Mayu for Amamiya.
- Shōjo
- Single-Target Sexuality: Mayu towards Ayamiya, so much that she didn't notice Yuuki or the fact that he'd been visiting their class a lot because he has feelings for her.
- Spoiled Brat: Konoha is a bit of one.
- Sweet Tooth: Averted with Amamiya, who dislikes sweet food. Yuuki, on the other hand, has a sweet tooth.
- Troubled, but Cute: Amamiya.
- Ungrateful Bastard: Mayu transforms into a ninja to rescue Pamo-chan, who is rather rude to her and insults her. Even though she does this, he refuses to change his opinion of her.
- Unlucky Childhood Friend: Amamiya had feelings for Konoha, but she left to study abroad in America. When she returns, Konoha is determined to make Amamiya keep his promise to her.
- Unrequited Love Switcheroo:
- Amamiya used to have a massive crush on Konoha, who isn't interested in him. When Konoha comes back, she's the one chasing after him, but Amamiya have already moved on.
- When Yuuki and Mayu start growing closer, it causes Amamiya to realize his feelings for Mayu.
- Used to Be a Sweet Kid: Amamiya.
- Wish-Fulfillment: Mayu winning Amamiya's heart and Pucho wanting to be an adult. In the end, they both achieve their dreams.
