(May be slightly biased, as this was one of my very first anime. This review only applies to the original japanese version of Tokyo Mew Mew, and not the absolute horror that is Mew Mew power/The unholy English dub)
I thought this show deserved a review, considering how many positive memories I have of it. That being said, in order to chuck off the rose-tinted glasses, I rewatched all of it - but I still had a blast.
Tokyo mew mew (TMM for short) is just a lot of nostalgic, light-hearted fun. It isn't something to go into for epic battles, realism, and complex dilemmas. It's ... a show full of pink, sparkles, and blushes, and it very much sticks to that the whole way through. Think of it as a "turn your brain off" kind of anime; though they attempt to give it some depth, and... it doesn't quite work.
The story itself is very basic, and follows a 'monster of the week' formula. There are, of course, a fair amount of twists and turns along the way, but the enjoyment of the show relies heavily on the characters - so if you don't like those, the whole story will just seem pointless and without much substance. That's why I can't say it stands up well on its own, despite how much I enjoyed the environmental aspect and how they defined magical girls.
The art is a big yes, though! Expressive, saturated, with bold, fun details, cute outfits, and adorable animations. It's pure eye candy the whole way through. Only thing that gets a little tiresome is how much they reuse all kinds of animations, both for transformations and for attacks. The transformations are so important to the magical girl genre, yes, but I found myself skipping through a lot of these.
The sound is a bit of a mixed bag. I adore the soundtrack as a whole, but I think a lot of it was also just not very memorable. Neither was the voice acting, while we're at it...although Masaya's voice was especially bad, imo.
Speaking of which, let's talk about the characters. They are such a defining feature of this show, and *have* to shine to make up for the lack of complex storytelling. And you know what? The main girls kind of do. They're very digestible clichés with a lot of heart, and a clear common goal. Except for Zakuro - I thought her edgy spiel was a bit overdone and I tired of her really quickly, especially since she never seemed to truly fit in with the rest of the cast.
Their banter with Shirogane and Akasaka was great, and the hints of romance between the former and Ichigo were a lot of fun.
And then there's Ichigo's main love interest...Masaya. I can't list any defining features because the boy is so bland and empty and devoid of humanity that most of the times it feels like Ichigo is just simping over thin air. This is probably the most frustrating aspect of the show, because she spends half her time fawning over this character that you don't find appealing in the slightest, and the show also expects you to enjoy him to a similar degree that she does.
To make matters worse, she has more interesting romance, tension, and banter with the main antagonist of all people. Kisshu literally saves this show's boring romance by offering a twisted, almost bordering on yandere kind of love that, although one-sided, still gives the audience little bits of hope to latch onto. He frequently shows conflicting emotions and inner dilemmas due to him loving the one person who's in the way of his plans. If it were realistic and he were the only love interest, the audience would be disgusted because he's rather unethical in his advances, but because you're stuck with a bland cardboard cutout and another poor lad that has no chance, you find yourself rooting for Kisshu in this strange way...if you enjoy villain characters.
Kisshu has great banter with his two fellow antagonists too, who also happen to have some kind of interest in two of the other girls. Their side of the story is just so much more interesting!
Despite not really enjoying the way things turn out in the show, I still thought TMM had a lot to offer, and I couldn't help but binge this with a good cup of tea and a switched off brain. If this is something you think you could enjoy, even if just a little, I'd recommend this wholeheartedly, even if just for the sake of watching a cute classic.
Alternative Titles Japanese: 東京ミュウミュウ Information Type: TV Episodes: 52 Status: Finished Airing Aired: Apr 6, 2002 to Mar 29, 2003 Premiered: Spring 2002 Broadcast: Saturdays at 08:00 (JST) Licensors: 4Kids Entertainment Studios: Pierrot Source: Manga Theme: Mahou Shoujo Demographic: Shoujo Duration: 24 min. per ep. Rating: PG-13 - Teens 13 or older Statistics Score: 7.111 (scored by 75,545 users) 1 indicates a . Ranked: #41952 2 based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded. Popularity: #1500 Members: 156,041 Favorites: 1,659 Available AtResources |
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