In its first update since the tragic passing of series co-creator and artist Mia Ikumi, the upcoming Tokyo Mew Mew New anime has released a new trailer both confirming the series’ release date and revealing two more members of its cast.
Related: Bandai Namco Releases First Ten Minutes Of Upcoming Mobile Suit Gundam: Cucuruz Doan’s Island Film
First announced in 2020 in commemoration of both the 20th anniversary of the manga’s release and the 65th anniversary of the publication in which it appeared, Kodansha’s Nakayoshi magazine, Tokyo Mew Mew New will serve as a brand new adaptation of Ikumi and author Reiko Yoshida’s popular 2002 magical girl manga, Tokyo Mew Mew.
On May 28th, the Yumeta Company and Graphinica-animated series released its second and latest trailer, therein highlighting the transformed versions of the five Mew Mews.
The trailer begins with Ichigo’s date with Masaya Aoyama prior to the earthquake whose destructive force heralds a mysterious light that fuses her and her teammates DNA with that of various animals, in the process bestowing upon them a bevy of powerful abilities.
Standing next to a very bizarre looking CGI rendition of the animal she now shares half of her DNA with, an Iriomote cat, the trailer next cuts to Ichicgo as she undergoes her first transformation sequence, after which she appears as the Strawberry Bell-wielding Mu Strawberry.
RELATED: Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero Leaks Reportedly Reveal Identity Of Film’s Final Villain
As the group’s leader, her transformation is unsurprisingly the most elaborate of the group, beginning with her Mew Pendant bursting over with pink link before transforming into a gate, through which a bright pink Iriomote cat then proceeds to jump out of.
The cat then envelopes Ichigo as she undergoes a usual magical transformation sequence, covering her body in what looks like the cosmos while her Strawberry Mu gear appears on her person.
After her transformation, the trailer then shows a brief glimpse at her signature Ribbon Strawberry Check! attack.
Aligning the heart-shaped jewels on both of her gloves with the StrawBell Bell, the attack sees Mew Strawberry blast enemies with a bright pink energy blast – a change from the manga, where the energy is originally rainbow-colored.
RELATED: KONOSUBA Anime Officially Announces Third Season, Megumin Prequel Adaptation
Next, we see Minto Aizawa, whose recent merging with the DNA of a blue lorikeet grants her the mantle of Mew Mint, as she wields her MinTone Arrow weapon and releases her Ribbon Mint Echo attack towards an unseen enemy.
In another change from the manga, Mew Mint’s arrow blade is depicted as light blue, whereas it was first depicted as pink.
Following Mew Mint comes Retasu Midorikawa, whose finless porpoise DNA allows her to become Mew Lettuce.
Charging up her Lettustanet’s signature attack, the third member of the team proceeds to unleash a powerful blast of water.
RELATED: Crunchyroll To Release Fruits Basket -prelude- In Theaters This Summer
Taking her teammates’ leads, Bu-Ling Haung, otherwise known as the golden lion tamarin DNA-infused Mew Pudding, then takes center stage.
Spinning her PuRing Rings on her fingers, the chipper street performer proceeds to launch one of her signature PuRing Ring Inferno attacks.
Last but not least, the trailer shows Zakuro Fujiwara, whose merging with gray wolf DNA transformed her into the vigilante-turned-Tokyo-Mew-Mew-member Mew Pomegranate.
Charging her ZaCross whip, Mew Pomegranate cracks her weapon to let fly a Ribbon ZaCross Pure Attack.
(Fun Fact: the 4Kids version of the 2002 Tokyo Mew Mew anime removed the cross from Zakuro’s whip due to concerns over the symbol’s religious associations.)
RELATED: New Urusei Yatsura Anime Confirms Release Window With First Trailer And Key Visual
Drawing to a close, the trailer then confirmed that the series would begin airing on July 5th, 2022. For overseas viewers, it will be made available for streaming exclusively on Sentai Filmworks’ HIDIVE service
In a post-credit teaser, the trailer gave fans their first look at the Tokyo Mew Mew New appearances of the series’ main antagonistic alien trio, who appear on Earth wishing to ‘reclaim it’ from humanity.
First up is the group’s most dedicated and stoic teammate, Pie (CV: Yuuchirou Umehara, Goblin Slayer, Goblin Slayer):
Followed by the team’s youngest member, Tart (CV: Daiki Yamashita, Izuku Midoriya, My Hero Academia):
And finally, Quiche (CV: Nobuhiko Okamoto, Katsuki Bakugo, My Hero Academia), their de facto leader who secretly pines for Ichigo’s affections:
RELATED: Kamen Rider Fuuto Pi Anime Adaptation Announces Official Premiere Date, Reveals New Key Visual
Originally published between 2000 and 2003 – with its first Studio Pierrot-produced, 52-episode anime adaptation running simultaneously between 2002-2003 – Tokyo Mew Mew, as summarized by Kodansha, opens on Ichigo’s “first date with the cutest boy in school, where she is exposed to a mysterious ray that meshes her DNA with that of the endangered Iriomote wildcat.”
“She soon discovers that she has developed superhuman abilities and enhanced agility,” it continues. “Her new powers are put to the test when she leads a team with four other girls, each endowed with special abilities of their own. Together, they must now protect the Earth from an alien menace known as Deep Blue.”
Kodansha re-released the manga in 2011, updating its translation and publishing the story across a three omnibus volumes.
As noted above, this new trailer stands as the series’ first update since the tragic passing of Ikumi, who suffered a sudden subarachnoid brain hemorrhage at the age of 42 earlier this year.
Prior to passing away, it was announced that Ikumi would be drawing the covers for a new re-release of all 10 volumes of the Tokyo Mew Mew manga, commissioned to commemorate the new anime, as well as providing supervision on the anime.
According to an obituary for the mangaka posted by Kodansha Nakayoshi Editorial Department (via DeepL), Ikumi had “already drawn the cover illustrations for all the new editions,” as well as “some, but not all, of the newly drawn manga there were to be included in each volume”.
“Ikumi had been lovingly supervising the anime for two years now, and we are very excited to be able to deliver the new edition to you,” the publisher continued. “We, the surviving members of the family, will continue to treat her works with great care, and we will continue to produce them with great care while enduring our grief, so that we can carry on her legacy.
Are you excited for Tokyo Mew Mew New? Does the fact that its airing on HIDIVE over Crunchyroll have any influence on your decision to watch the series? Let us know your thoughts on social media or in the comments down below!