Thirteen-year-old Ichigo Momomiya is visiting an endangered animal exhibit with her crush, Masaya Aoyama, when she is struck by a mysterious beam of light and sees a cat merging with her body. The next day, she starts exhibiting cat-like behaviors. During an attack by a giant monster, Ichigo transforms into a pink magical girl with cat ears and a tail to protect Masaya.
A boy named Ryou Shirogane reveals that the monster she fought was a Chimera Anima—an alien parasite that infects animals and turns them into giant monsters. Ryou and Keiichiro Akasaka, the owner of a pink cafe called Cafe Mew Mew, had been working on the Mew Project, which involved injecting DNA from five endangered animals into humans to create biological weapons against the Chimera Anima. However, due to an earthquake the previous day, the DNA was accidentally injected into Ichigo and four other girls she met outside the museum instead.
Now considered a "biological weapon," Ichigo must battle the aliens while searching for her potential teammates—all while keeping her feline identity hidden from Masaya.
Tokyo Mew Mew was first published in English by Tokyopop from June 1, 2004, to December 15, 2005. Later, Kodansha Comics USA republished the series with a new translation as a three-volume omnibus edition from October 25, 2011, to April 24, 2012.
I was a huge fan of the original 2002 anime adaptation. I vividly recall collecting the manga as a child, but when I finally sat down to read it, I found myself unable to truly engage with the series in this format. Now that I've made time to revisit it, I'm not surprised by my initial reaction. The manga gets off to a notably rough start.
Comparing this to the original 2002 anime and the currently airing remake, I have to say that the manga is the weakest rendition of the story overall. It's almost astonishing that those early volumes even led to an anime adaptation. Both the artwork and storytelling fall short of what one would expect from a professionally published work. The illustrations speak for themselves, but the narrative is choppy and rushed, making me wonder if we were missing some panels or pages at times. Early conflicts are introduced and resolved so quickly that the story becomes nearly incomprehensible. Initially, the series seemed to rely heavily on its cute and somewhat meaningful premise rather than solid content.
However, around volume 4, things begin to improve consistently. A larger plot emerges, and backstories are revealed, giving the series more focus. Even this version does a commendable job with the final conflict. It's fascinating to see how manga artists develop over time, and the final volume is visually pleasing.
That said, there are elements that remain rough throughout. The romances, unfortunately, are the weakest aspect of the entire story, which is a shame because significant time and attention were devoted to the love story. This likely stems from one crucial issue: all the characters could have used more depth. They come close with Ryou, but his backstory reveal felt rushed even in the later volumes. If the manga had spent more time developing each character, it would have significantly improved the overall experience. This is especially true for the other girls. Each got a brief moment to shine during their introduction and recruitment, but afterward, they fade into the background, serving primarily as Ichigo's sidekicks. Consequently, the friendship element also feels somewhat underdeveloped.
This was the first manga I ever read, knowingly so. It brought me immense joy during my younger years, and I still cherish it today. Despite employing many familiar tropes, it executes them admirably. If you're an older reader, I wouldn't necessarily recommend it. However, for someone around 6-10 years old, it's a fantastic choice. I believe it serves as an excellent introductory manga, easing younger audiences into the community. I also appreciate its environmental message. My sole criticism is that I wish other characters had more time in the spotlight. For example, I would have loved to see more of Zakuro and Pudding.
Ichigo Momomiya is your average junior high school student: cute, energetic, and a bit clumsy. Like her classmates, she has a crush on the "cutest" boy in school. However, unlike them, Ichigo harbors a secret: her genes have been altered with those of the endangered Iriomote wild cat, granting her the ability to transform into a pink-themed cat girl superhero! Follow Ichigo as she teams up with four other girls: Minto Aizawa, the "richest" girl in Tokyo who can turn into a blue-themed ultramarine lorikeet; Retetsu [lettuce] Midorikawa, a shy bookworm who transforms into a green-themed finless porpoise; Purin [pudding] Fong, an energetic ten-year-old who becomes a yellow-themed golden lion tamarin; and Zakuro Fujiwara, a calm, cool supermodel who turns into a purple-themed wolf girl. Alongside the mysterious male alien hero "Blue Knight," they fight against evil aliens led by their commander "Deep Blue" in this shoujo, magical girl, science fiction manga written by Reiko Yoshida and illustrated by Mia Ikkumi!
As a personal review, I would say it loosely resembles the Sailor Moon series but remains a decent manga if you enjoy the magical girl genre. The characters are memorable, and Zakuro certainly embodies that "diva" personality seen in snobby stars [don't get me wrong though, I ABSOLUTELY ADORE Zakuro!].
Just a fantastic manga for newcomers! It's straightforward to follow and packed with humor. Plus, it features the sweetest romance scenes :3 An excellent manga! YOU HAVE TO READ IT! ^^
I started reading Tokyo Mew Mew (omnibus 1) a few years back and recently decided to revisit it. While I wasn't disappointed, the series does have its flaws.
The initial chapters are somewhat dull, but the story picks up as you progress. The concept of endangered species battling aliens is unique, though it could have been executed better. I wished they had expanded more on the combat scenes since they're usually resolved in just about two pages, which made me more invested in the romance than the actual fights. I saw potential in Ichigo's relationships with other characters in some ways (except maybe Kisshu), but not in others, leaving me unsure who to root for.
The art style, however, is fantastic. It remains consistent throughout the series, and I found the color choices and character designs very cute. Many people criticize the costumes as bland, but I appreciate their simplicity. Many magical girl series go all out with outfits, which is fine, but I really love these ones. The 2002 anime failed to capture this charm, making the manga superior. The colors in the anime, especially Mew Ichigo's hair, are harsh and hard to look at. The new anime went the opposite direction, making the colors too dull, which was disappointing. The art style in the new anime isn't bad, but it doesn't come close to the original. Plus, it went overboard with the outfits.
My main issue lies with the characters. Almost all of them either have weak backstories or none at all. When recruiting new members, the pattern is always the same: initially reluctant, then warming up quickly, and eventually fading into the background despite being one of the main girls. The character I despise the most is Pudding. She is incredibly annoying. Every time she spoke, it only increased my dislike. Her character trope is one of the worst, although it can be done right occasionally (like Yotsuba). Pudding is definitely not an example of that.
9/10 because Mint and Zakuro should have ended up together.
I believe this was many girls' first manga, and perhaps some boys' too, including mine (unless you count several I never finished and only read a few volumes of).
Tokyo Mew Mew blends romance, adventure, comedy, and the ever-popular neko characters. But instead of just nekos, they added other animals as well: birds, fish (I think?), wolves, and monkeys.
I'm glad the artist chose to use their own style, even if it's only slightly different from the standard shoujo style. It frustrates me that so many shoujo series have the same look. Without the same artist, I mean.
The characters were nice, but they could have included a tsundere or yandere. Ichigo isn't really cold enough to be considered tsundere.
It's a very nice series, even if shoujo has some... well... limits. I recommend it if you're into magical girls, romance, or shoujo.
This manga is fantastic for fans of Sci-Fi and animals! As someone who adores animals, I found it to be an ideal read. It perfectly matched my interests, making it a delightful experience. Don't hesitate to give it a try!
I'll be honest: Tokyo Mew Mew is not good.
The premise has some intrigue—magical girls genetically engineered to save the world—but the narrative itself is superficial, cheap, and uninspired. The stakes in conflicts are virtually nonexistent because resolutions come within a page or two.
The magic system is lackluster; there's no learning curve, and the girls instinctively know what to do. Their attacks offer no variety either—each girl only has one move.
The romance elements also fall flat. Ichigo's relationships with both Ryou and Masaya are unexciting. With Masaya, it's just pages of Ichigo staring at him, lovestruck, while trying to hide her cat ears and tail. We learn little about Masaya beyond his passion for environmental conservation. Meanwhile, the romantic tension between Ichigo and Ryou hinges on his inappropriate behavior towards her, which is distasteful, and his 'jerk with a heart of gold' persona, which is simply... dull.
As an added disappointment, the outfits lack creativity.
In summary, the story fails to make me care about any of the characters. If you're looking for something light and flashy, it might suffice, but it sorely lacks depth and substance.