Tokyo Mew Mew

    (Tokyopop, 2003-2004, 2011-2012)
™ and © Tokyopop

From the sparkles on the cover’s logo, Tokyo Mew Mew (as if the title alone weren’t a dead giveaway) lets you know this isn’t just a girls’ comic, it’s a girly-girls’ comic, one trying hard to be a slightly younger-skewing Sailor Moon replacement.

The plot is Magical Girl Manga 101: 11-year-old Ichigo and four other girls get powers from the DNA of endangered species to fight evil aliens.

But the real focus is on friendship, playing dress-up (the girls’ costumes look a lot like the homemade “cosplay” outfits seen at anime cons), and giggly pre-teen romance and animals. The only thing missing is the flying unicorns for them to ride. Drawn in a pleasant Clamp style, it’s prettier than Sailor Moon (meaning: no gigantic eyes full of stars) and has a well-intentioned environmental-awareness message, even if it is predictable and overly cute and has a character named “Lettuce.” But the bottom line is: Little girls should love it.

— S.A. Bennett
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  NotesWriterArtist
#2

June, 2003
Cover Price: $9.99
1 copy available for $9.99 		Reiko YoshidaMia Ikumi