#tokyo mew mew new prologue recap
Tokyo Mew Mew New Prologue #11: Recap and Reaction
Let’s hop right into it! This episode recapped the auditions for each of the girls who will be playing the other four members of the Mew Mew team. (Video available on the official Tokyo Mew Mew Youtube Channel here.)
- Mirai Hinata as Minto Aizawa
- Ryoko Juni as Retasu Midorikawa
- Rian Toda as Bu-Ling Huang (Purin Fon)
- Momoka Ishii as Zakuro Fujiwara
Mirai Hinata (ADESSO): Age 17 at the time of audition. Mirai originally auditioned for the role of Retasu, but was cast at Minto in the end. She enjoys dancing, singing, mimicking (perhaps they mean voice impressions?) and kickboxing. Although this is her first time auditioning for a character voice role, she believes in the power of one’s voice and hopes to be an actor who can touch others’ hearts.
I find this an interesting role change, but I do think that Mirai will pull off a lovely Minto. Even listening to her readings for Retasu, there was something very formal and ladylike about her tone. She also has a pretty singing voice! It’ll be great to get a feel for how she will portray Minto in the future.
Ryoko Juni (Stardust Promotion): She calls herself the “waking positive machine” and hopes to make a lifelong career out of voice acting. She also lightly joked about her height, saying that she was tall enough to destroy the ozone layer and hoped everyone could feel the heat of her passion (for this audition) which is far beyond her 165.5 cm (about 5′ 5″).
I really enjoyed her sense of humor (”Juni warming” indeed! ^_^) Her acting and singing performances were both very strong, and she really sold me on her portrayal of Retasu! Out of all the performances, I felt that she was the most well-rounded and prepared.
RIan Toda aka “Rianchosu” (Platinum Production): Age 15 at the time of audition. She describes herself as a friendly person who looks forward to working with and befriending the other members. She has previously worked as an idol.
Rian is very cute! I was most impressed with the feeling she put behind her line readings, so much so that she shed tears while acting them out! With a little bit more energy and vocal practice, I think she’ll make a fine Bu-Ling.
Momoka Ishii (Box Corporation): Age 17 at the time of audition. As a fan of anime and voice actors, she hopes to be able to cheer up others. In the future, she says, she hopes to be active in multiple fields, such as an actor, voice actor and model. (Not unlike Zakuro-oneesama herself!)
Momoka does look the part of Zakuro with her long dark hair and fashionable ensemble. I quite enjoyed her dance performance and will be interested to see if she can pull off Zakuro’s aloof nature as well as her big sisterly role once she finally agrees to join the girls.
This episode, for me, also highlighted just how much care Kameyama-san puts into coaching the girls on the emotions and motivations behind each piece of dialogue. I felt once again that his direction is very in-tune with the characters themselves.
The next prologue episode on Monday, “Cat Day” (2/22), will be a live event on Youtube, “1st MEW♡ting”, beginning at 7PM JST (that’s 5AM EST). The episode will include information about the new anime as well as the first performance of all five girls joining together as a unit. An after party is scheduled following the event, at 500 yen per person. Details can be found here.And here. The live stream is scheduled to be ~25 minutes long.
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Tokyo Mew Mew New Prologue #10: Recap & Reaction
For as much as we’ve talked about Saki Nakajima narrating this docuseries and “passing the torch”, nothing could have quite prepared me for seeing Nakajima-san open a letter (complete with a strawberry seal!) containing the name of the girl chosen to be the new Ichigo. As she called up the winner on FaceTime and waited excitedly for her to appear, I felt a wave of nostalgia. And when Yuuki Temma accepted the role of Ichigo Momomiya, I found myself fighting back tears.
“We saw the strongest enthusiasm to be the role of Ichigo in you.“ Nakajima-san explained as she read the letter aloud from the production committee. “Many of the judges were attracted by your performance which showed your strong determination, and it made us feel that we should keep an eye on you.“
The letter went on to talk about, though Temma-san still has a lot of practice to do even now, how the judges and staff could see the way she worked hard at the lessons to learn as much as she could, and about the growth and potential they saw in her. The letter emphasized that she reminds them of Ichigo, who is always strong in a pinch.
Thinking back on the auditions process, and how personable Yuuki Temma was from the beginning, energetic, full of feeling, and not afraid of her own mistakes, I realized that she already possesses many of the same qualities Ichigo has. Ichigo, who, at the end of the day is just an ordinary girl doing her best at school, at work, in love, and - as it turns out - in saving the world.
Nakajima-san later confessed to an emotional Temma-san that she knew just how she felt. When she first received the call that she got the role of Ichigo in 2002, she was shaking, crying, and just couldn’t believe it. Nakajima-san went on to congratulate her and encourage her in creating her own Ichigo. Watching the video again as I make the final adjustments on this post, I’m struck by how warm and nurturing Nakajima-san is, and how genuine their feelings are. If the new Tokyo Mew Mew can carry those heartfelt feelings, I think it’ll be something truly special.
“I’m panicking now, I understand how much Tokyo Mew Mew is loved by so many people of various generations. It’s a big title,“ Yuuki Temma said. “I’ll work hard as the new Ichigo, and do my best for dear life! Thank you so much!“
(There’s another really sweet exchange between them on Twitter, too.)
[ Judges Comments: ]
Hidenori Sugai (vocal instructor): “I felt that she has the natural talent over the techniques, sort of a diamond in the rough. I like her free and darling expression, but without solid skills, it will be just antics. I think she will grow much more if she learns properly, and that growth will be clear. I hope she will grow more and more.”
Toshiki Kameyama (acting instructor): “In terms of voice quality, Temma-san needs a little more effort. However, she is the best in terms of facial expression. She was able to reflect her facial expression into her voice, which was a great thing. I can tell that she understands structurally what feeling is. I found she was making all kinds of faces. Actually, I liked it.”
SA.KANA (dance instructor): “I suppose Temma-san doesn’t have much experience in dancing, but I was very impressed by how much she tried to express herself with little experience. I could see her determination, and she will grow much more with more lessons.”
The episode continued into a Q&A session with the judges, discussing the auditions and the other finalists’ progress (subtitles have now been added for these, and it’s definitely worth a look!).
Afterwards, the cast of the remaining four girls was announced:
- Mirai Hinata as Minto Aizawa
- Ryoko Juni as Retasu Midorikawa
- Rian Toda as Bu-Ling Huang (Purin Fon)
- Momoka Ishii as Zakuro Fujiwara
The next episode (2/12) will introduce and follow the auditions process for these four girls. Delayed until 2/20!
The following episode on “Cat Day” (2/22) will be a live event on Youtube, “1st MEW♡ting”, beginning at 7PM JST (that’s 5AM EST). The episode will include information about the new anime as well as the first performance of all five girls joining together as a unit. An after party is scheduled following the event, at 500 yen per person. Details can be found here.And here. The live stream is scheduled to be ~25 minutes long, and it does seem that the after party on ZAIKO accepts overseas payments such as Paypal.
In addition, Yuuki Temma will be appearing on トミドコロのノゾキドコロ on 2/24 as a guest along with assistant MC Sappi (PATI PATI CANDY…☆) to discuss her successful audition.
The full video can be viewed on the Tokyo Mew Mew Youtube Channel here.
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Tokyo Mew Mew New Prologue: Cherry’s Thoughts Before The Final Reveal.
Having watched all parts of the prologue so far, I wanted to take this last opportunity to talk about the eleven remaining girls, which ones left the biggest impressions on me, and how those impressions have changed since the release of the final audition videos over the past three days.
While I do personally feel that the contestants have been something of a mixed bag of talent, and that many of the girls will need much more practice before they’re ready to debut, this post is not meant to criticize the girls. Instead, I’d rather try and focus on their strengths and areas where I feel they can still improve. They are all charming and cute and and have a lot of potential! I hope this experience will give them the motivation they need to push through to become better versions of themselves and shine even more brightly on stage and through the character of Ichigo.
So let’s take one final look before we find out who our new Mew Mew leader is!
(Check below the cut or click on “photos” for my personal opinion.)
All auditions videos can be found on theTokyo Mew Mew Channel on Youtube.
Note: Unfortunately KanN had to drop out of the competition for health reasons.
Rechoupa (Entry 358): Rechoupa gave a strong performance all around during the event screening! She maintained a “character voice” very well, though I did initially think that her pitch was a little high and would otherwise make a FABULOUSBu-ling (Purin/Pudding). She was a lot of fun to watch! During the training segments, she was encouraged to use a more natural voice during practice, which I felt much better fit how Ichigo would sound. She was always among my favorites, and after the training segments, I had a really good feeling about her! For the final audition, I didn’t feel that she quite reached the same level of energy she started out with, but I think she could be great with a little more practice.
Suisan (Entry 888):/mysta finalist/ I really liked her line readings during the event screening, and her whole performance felt very earnest. Even while singing, her honest, positive energy was infectious, and despite messing up part of the song, she continued to do her best and smile. For her final performance, I felt her dancing had a lot of energy and purpose! Like before, her feelings really shined through.
Momoty (Entry 1456): Of all of the finalists, Momoty has a really beautiful and calming voice. I loved the delivery of the more serious lines during the event screening as well as her singing. Though the judges gave her feedback about the “age” of her portrayal of Ichigo (ie. that she didn’t sound like a junior high school girl), I don’t feel that her approach to Ichigo’s voice has changed very much since then. Her singing remains lovely to listen to, and she looked confident as she danced for the final performance.
Ange (Entry 1543): How hard it must be to dance and sing in a small room for the event screening! Despite that, I felt she had great volume and energy during her performance of “bitter sweet darling”. So it’s very nice to finally see her able to give it her best on a much larger stage! What I like most about Ange is her voice. The quality is unique, and I think if she were picked, she could create an Ichigo that’s truly her own. Ange just needs to work on overcoming her nervousness, and I believe she’ll do well.
Shinonome Iku (Entry 1692): She has always been something of an underdog in this competition, and despite recognizing potential in her, the judges haven’t held back at all with challenging her throughout the auditions process. She has pressed forward irregardless of her anxieties and continued to try hard because this is something she deeply wants for herself and she doesn’t want to give up on her dream. Out of everyone, I feel that she has probably shown the most growth. The differences between her event screening performance and her final audition cannot be denied. She looks much more assured of herself as she dances on stage, and with more vocal and dance training, I think her transformation could become even greater.
Futaba Nana (Entry 1699): She also fought nervousness and breathlessness during the event screening. What stood out to me most was her ad-libbed “let’s go!” during “bitter sweet darling”. Despite all that, she kept the energy coming and I feel like her feelings come from a genuine place. After some judge feedback about finding a good balance between singing and dancing, her singing did in fact stand out more during her final audition. That said, what I noticed most was her dancing, which seemed more pronounced than before (in a good way). Each movement felt very decisive and she didn’t hesitate. If her voice can reach the same level of decisiveness, I think she could go far.
Harunyan (Entry 1719): Harunyan is just absolutely as cute as a button! Of all the performances, I felt hers was the most comfortably well-rounded in both the event screening and final audition phases. She carries just the right amount of energy and confidence, with a smile that makes you want to cheer her on, and a cute voice to match. Her dancing was enthusiastic and she looked very comfortable on stage, changing her expressions to fit each line of lyrics. The more times I revisit these videos, the more I like her as a contestant.
Karinto (Entry 2056):/mysta finalist/ Karinto has a cute laugh and a very youthful voice. Like several others, I feel there’s been a detectable level of growth between the event screening and her final performance. She looks more comfortable on stage, her voice has gotten a little bit “bigger”, and yet there is also a distinct sensitivity about her that makes her seem vulnerable. I’d like to see how much more she could grow with the right mindset, training, and confidence!
Temma Yuuki ( Entry 2117): From the beginning, she has seemed to be a very friendly and personable contestant, and someone easy to talk to. She gives it her all and doesn’t hold back – with movements, facial expressions, and a very charged line reading during the event screening that showed how she can tap into different emotions. The judges’ main critique has been to try and get her to rely less on her head voice when she sings. As of the final performance, it seems she is still having a bit of trouble with that, but there’s definite improvement. She continues to give it 110% while on stage.
Ryusaki Yuka (Entry 2641):/mysta finalist/ “I. love. her. confidence! She’s so enthusiastic, energetic, and keeps right on smiling, not to mention she was very professional throughout. I thought her acting and singing were both great. She captured the emotions really well.” …those were my initial impressions, so it’s been interesting to see that she doesn’t feel confident in herself, but strives to be that person. The training sessions seem to have come with a lot of personal growth for her, as she lays her feelings bare so that she can improve in voice acting. Though her singing voice may be a bit mature-sounding for Ichigo, and she’s struggled a bit to maintain a more youthful sound, she’s the type of person I would want to work with for how cheerful and entertaining she can be. For those reasons, she remains one of my favorite contestants and I really hope to see her seiyuu debut in the future!
Ai Aisa (Entry 2766): As the first contestant to appear on the event stream, she managed to leave a really strong impression on me and solidified her place as one of my favorites. Despite criticism from the judges about her use of vibrato, I really like the quality of her singing voice which I thought was both cute and unique. Her line delivery was also very good, with all the right emotion. Although she may not be the strongest dancer in the competition, she still brings a lot of positive energy to the stage.
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Tokyo Mew Mew New Prologue! Part Four: Recap
December 2, 2020 marked the release of part four of the Tokyo Mew Mew New Prologue series, an online documentary showing us a look behind-the-scenes into the audition process and casting of Ichigo Momomiya in the new animation project, “Tokyo Mew Mew New”, announced on April 2, 2020 for Nakayoshi’s 65th anniversary and the 20th anniversary of Tokyo Mew Mew.
The documentary is narrated by Saki Nakajima, the voice of Ichigo in the original 2002 animation and subsequent video games.
This episode focused on our final three of the twelve audition finalists, picked by judges and by fans on the “mysta” app out of the 57 entries that made it through all three stages of the screening process to attend the Event Screening. According to the documentary, there were some 3,000+ applicants in total!
The Event Screening consisted of two parts: reading lines on stage and singing and dancing to the new song “bitter sweet darling”. Judges for the event included opera singer and vocal director Sugai Hidenori, dancer and choreographer SA.KANA, director of audiography Kameyama Toshiki, editor-in-chief of Nakayoshi magazine Suda Shukuko and Yoshida Takeshi, a representative on behalf of Pony Canyon/Swallow.
Highlighted this episode were:
Entry 1692: Shinonome Iku.“Though I’ve always dreamed of being a voice actor or idol since I was a little girl, I couldn’t pursue it due to my family situation.” Despite being quite busy with her job, she managed to make time for the audition, even renting a studio so she could practicing dancing, singing, and smiling. Her strengths are her persistence and good posture, she said. “I’ve learned Sado (Japanese tea ceremony) for twelve years. I’m going to straighten my back and perform crisply. I’m so nervous that my body is even about to tremble, but I appreciate this chance and will do my best.”
Following her audition, Sugai Hidenori asked her if she had ever taken singing, dancing or acting lessons. When she explained that she never had, he wanted to know the reason she was there auditioning. After explaining that it was something she had decided for herself, he continued to ask why she had made that decision despite lacking the experience. When she earnestly explained her desire for the challenge and her family situation not allowing it, he seemed to be satisfied, saying: “you made me want to do lessons for you.”
Entry 2641: Ryusaki Yuka.“Here, I met so many pretty girls with nice voices. It brings out my heartfelt appreciation for being here out of 3,000 candidates. I’ll act Ichigo-chan in my way, with my appreciation.” Like many of the other candidates, she has been striving to become a voice actor since she was small. “One of my high school friends who knows my aspiration kindly told me about this audition,” she said. “I read Nakayoshi and loved Tokyo Mew Mew when I was little. This is a chance to engage in my favorite.” According to her, her strengths are bold actions and facial expressions. Cosplay is one of her hobbies, and she said that she has often been complimented for her ability to get into character. After practicing daily and revisiting the comics, thinking about Ichigo and the story, she said that she hopes she can cheer everyone up. She explained that because she was working, it was difficult to arrange her schedule so that she could audition. She expressed thanks to her colleagues for their understanding and enthusiasm. “I see all candidates are great, but I’ll try to be confident in myself and do my best!”
Sugai Hidenori asked her if there had been any changes in herself since she began singing the song a month ago. “I did not mean the technical progress,” he said. “I want to hear about your progress in understanding, like ‘now I can see this side of Momomiya Ichigo after singing for one month’. […] I believe there are more things you could do. Put more importance on what you have inside!”
The episode took a short break to show some candid footage of the girls backstage – practicing, eating, and taking a moment to relax and have fun.
Entry 2117: Temma Yuuki.“I was impressed by the Tokyo Mew Mew anime when I was a little girl. ‘How cool are the fighting girls!’“ Now 22, she said that this felt like fate and an opportunity to change her life. She talked about how impressed she was to encounter Tokyo Mew Mew once again after so many years. Her favorite character is Lettuce. “I’ve been encouraged so much by her, who is a very withdrawn character like me.” She also discussed how all-rounded the auditions process was. She admitted that she practiced every night, even asking her mother to record videos of her practice and to help coach her, because she didn’t have much dancing or singing experience. “She is not professional,” she admitted with a laugh, “but she helped me. Thank you, mom!” To her, passing through three stages of screenings feels like a miracle. “But I won’t let it be a miracle,” she said. “I’ll do my best to sparkle more than anyone today!”
Sugai Hidenori went on to criticize her for singing through her nose. He then gave her an assignment to make a cry like an Iriomote wildcat. “I don’t think they make such a refined cry,” he said. “The Iriomote wildcat preys on other animals, you know. Let’s try to use the whole back muscle. […] You can’t, can you? That is your current ability. You can’t afford to fool around. You should remember to use your back muscle.”
The next episode will be released on December 12, 2020 and will begin reporting on the final round of auditions which took place on September 20-21, 2020 where the contestants received singing, dancing, and acting lessons as well as recorded a new song “Resolution of colors” to be used in the final judging. The winner has already been decided and will be revealed in a later program. (The announcement details can be found here.)
Tokyo Mew Mew was first released as a manga in Nakayoshi magazine, appearing in issues from 2000-2003, and Tokyo Mew Mew a la mode through 2004.
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Tokyo Mew Mew New Prologue! Part Three: Recap
November 22, 2020 marked the release of part three of the Tokyo Mew Mew New Prologue series, an online documentary showing us a look behind-the-scenes into the audition process and casting of Ichigo Momomiya in the new animation project, “Tokyo Mew Mew New”, announced on April 2, 2020 for Nakayoshi’s 65th anniversary and the 20th anniversary of Tokyo Mew Mew.
The documentary is narrated by Saki Nakajima, the voice of Ichigo in the original 2002 animation and subsequent video games.
This episode focused on three more of the twelve audition finalists, picked by judges and by fans on the “mysta” app out of the 57 entries that made it through all three stages of the screening process to attend the Event Screening. According to the documentary, there were some 3,000+ applicants in total!
The Event Screening consisted of two parts: reading lines on stage and singing and dancing to the new song “bitter sweet darling”. Judges for the event included opera singer and vocal director Sugai Hidenori, dancer and choreographer SA.KANA, director of audiography Kameyama Toshiki, editor-in-chief of Nakayoshi magazine Suda Shukuko and Yoshida Takeshi, a representative on behalf of Pony Canyon/Swallow.
Highlighted this episode were:
Entry 1543: Ange.“Before I play [a role], I imagine the atmosphere, and read the lines to fit in it.” Ange was one of several contestants to attend remotely. Like many others, she expressed a dream to play a character as a voice actor which she has held since elementary school. “I’m good at switching my natural voice to the character’s voice,” she explained. “That’s my strength. On the other hand, I struggled with memorizing the choreography.” Though she worried the challenge of the audition might prove too difficult, she saw it as a chance to get closer to her dream.
“I see it’s your natural voice which rings true. You have the advantage in your voice,” Kameyama Toshiki told her. “[…] That means a lot. You should be aware of that advantage.”
Entry 358: Rechoupa. “I love play-acting. I’ve loved watching anime and imitating lines since I was little.” Rechoupa has wanted to be a voice actor since she was in the 4th grade. She explained that seeking out auditions has become a daily task as she’d hoped to make her debut in high school, but is now in her senior year. “I will enjoy myself and definitely show my appreciation,” she said. She admitted that she is not a good singer but has practiced hard. Because of all of the dancing and jumping around, she built up her physical strength to help keep her voice stable while singing. She currently attends a training school through a voice acting college.
“I see that your foundation has almost been built,” Kameyama Toshiki said. “I suppose you can see that you will make it with more training. Keep it up!”
The episode took a short break to show some footage of the team setting up the venue for the event screening as well as contestants greeting one another and going through the sign-in process.
Entry 1456: Momoty. “My appeal points are strong passion and healing power. My friends kindly tell me that their worries are blown away by just being with me. I’d like to bring happiness to all of the audience with my healing power!” She has wanted to be a voice actor since elementary school and also attends the concerts of her favorite idols. “I’m studying at voice acting college to be a voice actor idol who’s good at both singing and dancing,” she said. She explained that her heart was pounding with excitement rather than nerves. While she felt that she isn’t good at dancing, she started doing work outs and then practiced dancing in the studio and at night in the park. “I really like Tokyo Mew Mew. It brought me dreams when I was little. If I can play that heroine, there is nothing greater than that,” she said.
Kameyama Toshiki told her that he heard her lines clearly but questioned the age of the Ichigo she was playing. When Momoty said that her Ichigo was a teenager, he went on to say, “Well, it seems not perfectly based on the original story. The Ichigo you played.” (Note: Ichigo is 12-13 years old.) He advised her to find a way to get closer to the original setting.
The next episode will be released on December 2, 2020. With new episodes appearing on the 2nd, 12th, and 22nd of every month, we can expect the next episode to share with us the last three finalists. The winner of the audition has been decided and will be announced in a later program. Following the current trajectory of these episodes, it seems likely that we’ll learn something about the final round of auditions from the December 12th release, but only time will tell!
The Tokyo Mew Mew New twitter account is continuing to encourage feedback from fans outside of Japan, and has gone back to prior episodes to include an official translation of the lines the girls performed on stage. The most recent video can be found here.
Tokyo Mew Mew was first released as a manga in Nakayoshi magazine, appearing in issues from 2000-2003, and Tokyo Mew Mew a la mode through 2004.
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Tokyo Mew Mew New Prologue! Part Two: Recap
November 12, 2020 marked the release of part two of the Tokyo Mew Mew New Prologue series, an online documentary showing us a look behind-the-scenes into the audition process and casting of Ichigo Momomiya in the new animation project, “Tokyo Mew Mew New”, announced on April 2, 2020 for Nakayoshi’s 65th anniversary and the 20th anniversary of Tokyo Mew Mew.
The documentary is narrated by Saki Nakajima, the voice of Ichigo in the original 2002 animation and subsequent video games.
This episode focused on three more of the twelve audition finalists, picked by judges and by fans on the “mysta” app out of the 57 entries that made it through all three stages of the screening process to attend the Event Screening. According to the documentary, there were some 3,000+ applicants in total!
The Event Screening consisted of two parts: reading lines on stage and singing and dancing to the new song “bitter sweet darling”. Judges for the event included opera singer and vocal director Sugai Hidenori, dancer and choreographer SA.KANA, director of audiography Kameyama Toshiki, editor-in-chief of Nakayoshi magazine Suda Shukuko and Yoshida Takeshi, a representative on behalf of Pony Canyon/Swallow.
Highlighted this episode were:
Entry 2766: Ai Aisa. “This audition brought back the memory of my childhood watching Tokyo Mew Mew. That inspired me like ‘this is it!’ and I applied.” She admitted that her favorite character was Mint. The first entrant to appear in the audition stream, Ai Aisa said that she wants to be a “voice actor who cheers up children” and that Tamura Yukari is a voice actress she admires. “I’m excited to perform on the stage. With many thanks to all of you who gave me this opportunity, I wish to perform my best.” She spoke about how she really enjoys singing, and like many of the other girls, had begun taking voice lessons in addition to singing and acting. She also bought a posture correction belt to help her stand straight on stage.
Despite giving her best performance, Sugai Hidenori was quick to criticize her for focusing too much on scales and not enough on the lyrics themselves. “When you sing a song, you sing the words not just the sound,” he stated. “Emotion that cannot be covered by words will spill over and be expressed by the sound. That’s what I believe.”
Entry 1699: Futaba Nana. “Ichigo-chan cares about her friends so much, and acts first to help them without forethought. I like that kind of thing about her.” She spoke about how she has always loved girls’ comics and that she wants to be like one of the tough, cute girls she’s admired. Her idol is Morizono Wakana from “Pretty Rhythm” and she credited her for bringing her here. “My ideal heroine doesn’t run away from anything and makes people smile. I really want to be a cute, cool and tough heroine. I cannot stumble now and I cannot fail here. I’ll do my best today.” She confessed that sometimes her face gets stiff on stage. To help her smile naturally, her mother gave her a cue to laugh.
SA.KANA encouraged her and another entrant to find a better balance between dancing and singing, saying that her dancing stood out too much.
The episode took a short break to show some footage of the girls practicing backstage before moving on to the third entrant.
Entry 2332: kanN.“Since I could get here, I’m going to push my way forward towards Ichigo-chan.” According to kanN, she has always wanted to be a voice actor. “To make my dream come true, I took this chance,” she said. The support she received from family, friends, fans, and a jury award helped to boost her confidence, but she said that a challenge has been not being able to talk to her friends. “I talked to only one - my best friend,” she said. “She cheered me up. That helped me a lot. It reminds me of the importance of friends like Ichigo-chan.” Her approach was to figure out what sorts of things Ichigo would do, and she even filled out a profile paper as the character to understand her better. She explained, “I acted like Ichigo-chan rather than just studying for the role.”
Kameyama Toshiki complimented her on how genuine her delivery was. “You spoke straightforwardly,” he said. “It didn’t sound like you lied, and that was great.”
The next episode will be released on November 22, 2020. With new episodes appearing on the 2nd, 12th, and 22nd of every month. We can expect the next two episodes to feature the remaining six finalists. The winner of the audition will be announced in a later program, perhaps sometime in December? We’ll have to keep watching to find out!
The Tokyo Mew Mew New twitter account is continuing to encourage feedback from fans outside of Japan, and just like part one, part two is also available with English subtitles. The video can be found here.
Tokyo Mew Mew was first released as a manga in Nakayoshi magazine, appearing in issues from 2000-2003, and Tokyo Mew Mew a la mode through 2004.
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Tokyo Mew Mew New Prologue! Part One: Recap
November 2, 2020 marked the release of part one of the Tokyo Mew Mew New Prologue series, an online documentary showing us a look behind-the-scenes into the audition process and casting of Ichigo Momomiya in the new animation project, “Tokyo Mew Mew New”, announced on April 2, 2020 for Nakayoshi’s 65th anniversary and the 20th anniversary of Tokyo Mew Mew.
The documentary is narrated by Saki Nakajima, the voice of Ichigo in the original 2002 animation and subsequent video games.
This episode focused on three of the twelve audition finalists, picked by judges and by fans on the “mysta” app out of the 57 entries that made it through all three stages of the screening process to attend the Event Screening. According to the documentary, there were some 3,000+ applicants in total!
The Event Screening consisted of two parts: reading lines on stage and singing and dancing to the new song “bitter sweet darling”. Judges for the event included opera singer and vocal director Sugai Hidenori, dancer and choreographer SA.KANA, director of audiography Kameyama Toshiki, editor-in-chief of Nakayoshi magazine Suda Shukuko and Yoshida Takeshi, a representative on behalf of Pony Canyon/Swallow.
Highlighted this episode were:
Entry 1719: Izumi Haruna a.k.a Harunyan.“I’m good at communicating in English. So I hope to spread Tokyo Mew Mew New throughout the world if I passed.” She spoke about the most difficult parts of the audition process and how she tried to change her facial expressions to convey the meaning of the lyrics. Despite being an amateur, wanting to pass the audition has been a great motivation for her, and she admitted to having a crush on Yui Ogura, a voice actress and idol. “I’ve practiced a lot, but I’ve never reached 100% yet. I’ll do my best today.”
Entry 888: Suisan. “My reason for the application is to change myself. I never took a risk in my life, but I wanted to take this opportunity as my last challenge.” She spoke about having no prior singing or dancing experience and making time to practice during school. “I love to express things,” she said, “so I want to show my bold action, dance, and movements.” She mentioned having aspirations of pursuing an anime-related job, such as a voice actress. “Believing in myself and my fans, I want to perform with confidence.”
Entry 2056: Karinto.“Since the first screening I was greatly supported by my fans. They brought me here. To show my appreciation, I’ll try to reach their expectations.” She spoke about her preparations process which included doing sit-ups to increase her flexibility. She said that she thought her notable feature was the type of voice she has and that she will do her best to make use of it. “I’ll enjoy myself so much that I can make you smile, so please keep watching me!”
During the program, Kameyama Toshiki spoke of what he’s looking for in an applicant, and that is how much they have grown and changed throughout each step of the audition. “What I focused on was whether I’d like to work with this person. We’re sort of looking for a partner for the long span project, so I have that perspective.” He also praised those who have been working earnestly.
The next episode will be released on November 12, 2020. With new episodes appearing on the 2nd, 12th, and 22nd of every month (presumably to keep with the kitty cat theming). The winner of the audition will be announced in a later program.
This is the first social media announcement to be released in English regarding the project, and the first video on the official Tokyo Mew Mew Youtube channel with English subtitles. The video can be found here.
Tokyo Mew Mew was first released as a manga in Nakayoshi magazine, appearing in issues from 2000-2003, and Tokyo Mew Mew a la mode through 2004.
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