An iconic series that brought the five-girl team of Magical Girls into the 2000s, Tokyo Mew Mew started as a Nakayoshi artist's desire to do a series about a Cat Girl, and ended up as a sweet tale of choosing the right guy, protecting the environment, and throwing some sparkly Stock Footage around to solve the world's problems.Momomiya Ichigo's only care in the world is getting kendo idol Aoyama Masaya to notice her, and since he's into protecting endangered species, she figures she should ask him to an exhibit on them at the museum. Little does she know that she's one of five Tokyo schoolgirls "chosen" by the Earth — that is, she has a unique DNA pattern that matches perfectly with the Iriomote Mountain Cat, a critically endangered wildcat. While she and Aoyama-kun are separated, Ichigo is shot by an injection gun from a mysterious cat statue atop a cute cafe.Now the DNA of the wildcat is running through her veins, and she's gained very odd habits, like landing perfectly on her feet when she falls and ravenously devouring fish. She's quickly recruited by the operators of the gun, who tell her that she now has the power to turn into a magical catgirl and turn alien monsters called Chimera Anima into harmless Earth animals. Ichigo finds four other girls, each with a different animal side, and they become a team of waitresses by day, Magical Girls by night, as they meet the aliens that created the monsters and discover their purpose for invading the Earth. Ripping off the Sailor Moon page here, the team consists of:
Blue Knight (Ao no Kishi), a strange alien that sides with Ichigo against his own kind.
Akaii Ringo: Mew Ringo (apple), the Mu Aqua-fueled Humboldt penguin. A healer and the second Kid Appeal Character . She appears only in the PS2 game. And no, despite her resemblence, she is not related to Ichigo.
There is also a manga-only sequel written by the head illustrator after the head writer left. Tokyo Mew Mew a la mode renders Ichigo utterly useless (no, really) so that a shiny new character named Shirayuki Berii/Mew Berry (Tokyopop name: Berry) can take her place. Many fans like to pretend it doesn't exist.The manga was licensed by Tokyo Pop and the anime by 4Kids Entertainment (where it's known as Mew Mew Power). Only the first half of the series has been released in the United States so far, and because of Fox's odd airing schedule, you're usually likely to only see the first twelve episodes. More recently, it was given the Gag Dub treatment in Tokyo Mew Mew In A Nutshell. In addition, Kodansha USA has re-licensed the the original manga in omnibus form, coming this fall.4Kids recently lost the rights to the first half of the show, and has been unsuccessful in attempting to purchase the rights to the second half. It was popularly assumed, but not proven, that a relicensing like One Piece had would hang on the success of the English release of Mamotte! Lollipop.This series now has a character sheet. Ikumi Mia loves puns, and Tokyopop's translators are not purists. These factors together create a lot of confusion as to what things are called. Regarding names in the original version:
The Japanese characters have Japanese names, sometimes based on English loanwords. ex. Minto instead of Mint.
The Chinese character Bu-ling has a Chinese name based on a Japanese version (purin) of an English loanword (pudding).
The alien characters have English food names. Tokyo Pop mistranslated Gateau du Roi and Quiche as Gato du Rowa and Kish; they are not supposed to be a Spanish cat and some dude from The Bible.
The Mew names for those characters named for English words have the actual English word. ex. Mew Mint instead of Mew Minto.
The attack word "riboun" is not a cognate of the English word ribbon; it means reborn.
Whatever is written as "myuu" may be either "mew" (as in, a cat sound), "mu" (as in, the Greek letter used by geneticists) or both. "Tokyo Mew Mew" and "Mu Project" have been vindicated by on-screen text (though Tokyopop called the latter the Mew Project) but nobody's quite sure whether the MacGuffin in the second half of the series is Mew Aqua or Mu Aqua.
Animal Stereotypes: This was even lampshaded in manga extras, as well as one scene where the Mew Mews talk about their similarities and dissimilarities with their Red DNA animals.
Anti-Villain: The alien antagonists are upset about humans polluting and want to reclaim their homeland, Earth. Unfortunately, their plans involve killing people to do so. Deep Blue just wants the planet for himself, though.
Arranged Marriage: Bu-ling, in one episode, to Long Yuebin, one of her father's students.
Art Shift: Later episodes make the characters aged 14 and up look more noticeably older, and colours get deeper and shinier.
Back from the Dead: The entire cast in the finale. Mew Aqua is powerful stuff.
Best For Last: Ichigo's Mu Aqua, and only in the manga.
Berserk Button: Zakuro always seems calm, even when she is in battle. Mostly she casually fights off enemies with her Zacross. However, when she sees Kish harming a child, she screams in his face, Keeps him from escaping and DECKS him right in the face, giving him a cold stare afterwards. This leaves Kish stunned that even Zakuro can be physically violent.
The Chosen One: Although the injections are initially presented as an "accident", it becomes clear that the girls were singled out after a search because they were the planet's chosen protectors.
Clark Kenting: Although they do change quite a bit more than the classics did.
Creator Provincialism: Especially prevalent when we learn that the Mu Aqua only exists in the waters of Japan. Attack something else and they can't fix it!
Executive Meddling: The series was originally going to be a horror, with a short-haired catgirl in pink being the only thing in common with its current incarnation. Execs at Nakayoshi pressured the artist to do magical girls instead.
First Kiss: Ichigo sulks about having hers stolen by her stalker for a whole episode.
First Name Basis: Beginning in episode 13, but only on Aoyama's part. Ichigo fantasizes about him insisting that he call her "Masaya," but keeps calling him "Aoyama-kun" to the end of the series. In a filler episode, Lettuce knows that the boy she's interested in is in a relationship because he's on a First Name Basis with the librarian.
Hurricane of Puns: The characters' names, attacks, appearances... Everything is a pun.
I Have Your Wife: Pai and Taruto threaten to have the Monster of the Week kill Ichigo if Aoyama/The Blue Knight retaliates or avoids their attacks in Episode 47.
Love Obstructing Parents: Ichigo's father disapproves of Aoyama at first and challenges him to a kendo match. Ichigo intervenes, and convinces him to accept Aoyama.
Meaningful Name: All the main characters' surnames have their theme colours in them. So why is the "ai" in "Aizawa Minto" "dark blue", while "blue" is the "ao" in "Aoyama Masaya"? Well, there's a reason for that, too.
Meido: Minto has her own personal maid squadron, although none of them are fetishy.
Mr. Vice Guy: A lot: Ichigo is a glutton who accepts the call only when Shirogane offers her free samples of his cafe's sweets; Aoyama is such a sloth that, unless Ichigo is involved, he never does what he wants because it's easier to just smile; Zakuro's full of wrath and reacts with violence (physical and psychological) to any problem and her mere eyes are enough to scare the cafe's customers; Minto is a textbook example of Pride, treating everyone but Zakuro and Shirogane with disdain; Shirogane is so greedy he asked for money to help Ichigo with her homework and never paid the ticket of the Tokyo Dome. If they were heroes, we'd even have Lust (Kisshu) and Envy (Pai)...
Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Mew Pudding encases a Mew Aqua droplet in a Puringring Inferno, which accelerates its destabilization and makes it harder for the other Mew Mews to get it under control.
No Guy Wants An Amazon: In the beginning, Ichigo constantly frets that being a catgirl superheroine will scare her boyfriend off. He doesn't mind, actually.
Non-indicative Name: That's the trouble with weird puns for weapons and attacks... What's a Reborn Lettuce Rush got to do with shooting water at your enemies?
Not So Harmless: Kisshu, Taruto and Pai start out unleashing chimera anima on the heroes and running away when they fail, but their schemes become more effective over time and present a real threat to the lives of the Mew Mews and other civilians. They never completely succeed, but the heroes have to work harder to stop them each time.
Parental Abandonment: For all we've seen Ichigo's parents as "overprotective", they seem to come out of the equation when she has to save the city. At least she still has them, though, unlike Bu-ling, Zakuro, Ryou...
Romantic Two-Girl Friendship: Minto, though she's bi, and Zakuro. Mostly anime-only, though. In the manga, Minto's affection towards Zakuro was nowhere near what it was made into for the animated series, though that might be because they get more screentime.
Science Marches On: According to the IUCN Red List, gray wolves are listed as "least concern". A couple of subspecies are endangered, but that's it. Finless Porpoises aren't considered endangered anymore, but are still vulnerable.
Secret Test of Character: Zakuro attacks Minto during her 10-Minute Retirement when she claims to have stopped caring about the fate of the earth. She turns to attack her dog, but when Minto goes to protect the dog, she notes that Minto really does care. Zakuro does it again in Episodes 42 and 43 to test the Mew Mews’ commitment to the fight and faith in each other.
Something We Forgot: Episode 24, the one with the jewelry show, Bu-ling takes on one of the aliens to buy the rest of the team time. Fast forward, the fight is won, the jewelry show finishes and everyone is happy right? But wait, where's Bu-ling? Oh, she's still fighting with the alien Lampshaded By the the aliens 'they seem to be having fun, lets leave them alone'
10-Minute Retirement: Minto in one episode, as a result of being discouraged over the chances the Mew Mews have of saving Earth (although the 4kids dub indicates that she's angry over Ichigo's attitude towards work).
Edible Theme Naming: Might be a bad idea to watch this series when you're hungry.
Colorful Theme Naming: All the main characters' surnames have their theme colours in them. So why is the "ai" in "Aizawa Minto" "dark blue", while "blue" is the "ao" in "Aoyama Masaya"? Well, there's a reason for that, too.
Two Timer Date: With the other party being a monster of the week...
Unspoken Plan Guarantee: Averted in Episode 41; the Mew Mews besides Mew Lettuce completely describe their plan to deal with the fish Chimera Anima, and the plan works.
Verbal Tic: Ichigo occasionally nyas, and Bu-ling says "na no da".
Villainous Breakdown: Quiche has one after discovering that the Mu Aqua does not generate power, but merely stores it. He was already on thin ice with Pie and Tart before then, and they’re not pleased when they learn this. He also becomes increasingly emotionally unstable over time as a result of Ichigo rejecting him, failing his missions, and the aliens suffering in their temporary home.
Later, over the course of the five-part series finale, Deep Blue gradually loses his composure as Aoyama starts to fight back against him from within. The more Aoyama fights back, the more Deep Blue loses his cool, until he is finally dead and Aoyama is therefore free.
Villains Out Shopping: Kisshu, Pai and Taruto eat parfaits near a fan while complaining about humans causing global warming.
Vitriolic Best Buds: Ichigo and Minto often bicker, but are willing to help each other when necessary.
You Have Failed Me: Kisshu is replaced by Pai and Taruto for failing to kill the Mew Mews, and after Deep Blue begins to awaken, Kisshu is cast aside.
You Killed My Father: Ryou's parents were killed by a chimera. Goes farther in the anime, where the actual monster responsible is brought in near the end.
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