Information
The plot: The story centers on Ichigo Momomiya, a young girl who, while dating her boyfriend, Masaya Aoyama, is "infected" by the DNA of a red iriset and turns into a cat-like creature. She quickly learns that she is one of a select few girls, known as "Mew Mews," who have DNA linked to an endangered animal species and are tasked with protecting the Earth from a threat from another planet. In the fight against the "aliens" and their monster, Chimera Anima, the girls use magical items and powers.
Main characters:
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Ichigo Momomiya: The main character of the series, who turns into Mew Ichigo. Her DNA has been fused with red iris.
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Minto Aizawa: One of the Mew Mews whose DNA has been linked to the blue lorikeet.
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Retasu Midorikawa: Another of the Mew Mews, whose DNA has been fused with a dolphin of the order Pinnipeds.
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Bu-Ling Huang: Mew Mew, whose DNA has been combined with the golden lion tamarin.
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Zakuro Fujiwara: The last of the Mew Mews, whose DNA has been fused with the gray wolf.
Adaptations:
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Anime: "Tokyo Mew Mew" lived to see an anime adaptation, which premiered in 2002. The anime consists of 52 episodes and is slightly different from the manga.
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Games: There are several video games based on "Tokyo Mew Mew" that have been released on various platforms, including Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS.
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Sequels and Spin-Offs: The series lived to see a sequel titled "Tokyo Mew Mew à la Mode," which focuses on new team member Berry Shirayuki. There are also various spin-offs and novellas based on the series.
Topics: "Tokyo Mew Mew" combines elements of magical girl, science fiction and romance. It also touches on topics such as environmental protection and endangered animal species.
Trivia
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Inspiration Names: The name "Tokyo Mew Mew" is a play on words. "Mew" is an onomatopoeia for a cat's meow in English, and also refers to the species of animals with which the characters' DNA has been linked.
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Changing Names in Adaptation: In the American version of the anime, many characters had their names changed. For example, Ichigo Momomiya was renamed Zoey Hanson.
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Other Anime Direction: The anime "Tokyo Mew Mew" has several differences from the manga, including a different ending, which is quite typical for anime adaptations.
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Attempting to Create a Spin-off: Mia Ikumi, one of the manga's creators, once created a pilot episode for a spin-off called "Tokyo Mew Mew in Love," but the project never materialized.
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Sequel: "Tokyo Mew Mew à la Mode" is a sequel to the original manga that focuses on new team member Berry Shirayuki, as well as the lives of the remaining team members after the original series ends.
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Adaptation for the Musical: "Tokyo Mew Mew" has been adapted into a musical in Japan. The musical premiered in 2020.
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New Series: In 2020, it was announced that "Tokyo Mew Mew" will receive a new anime series titled "Tokyo Mew Mew New," premiering in 2022.
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Various Versions: The manga "Tokyo Mew Mew" has been translated into many different languages and published around the world.
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Competition: Prior to creating "Tokyo Mew Mew," Mia Ikumi won a manga contest organized by Kodansha Publishing House, leading to the creation of the series.
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Inspiration for Other Works: "Tokyo Mew Mew" has influenced many other works in the magical girl genre, including such series as "Pretty Cure."