Tokyo Mew Mew Exposed Part 2 Analysis of Outfits
Manga
2003 designs
Bunny (Main Character of Sequel) outfit
Her design has the same inspiration as ichigo being a sleeveless sweetheart top (it is a dress inetead of a top and blouse like Ichigo) with knee high boots.
Reboot Designs
From the Manga and anime design thete are unifying elements that tie the team together:
- Garters
- Chokers with transformation pendent
- Musical Instruments as weapons
- Simple Colour scheme consisting of 1-2 colours
- Animal and Girl Hybrid (ears and tail) or turning into the animal (seen in Ichigo)
I will analyse every outfit and as reference put the redesign next to the old designs.
Ichigo is as of the 2003 anime 12 - 13 years old. Her design consists of a sleeveless sweetheart top with a poofy skirt, knee high boots, gloves and a cat ears and tail. Her garter is on her left thigh.
In some frames of the anime her chest is pronounced. When I watched the show I believed Ichigo became older by the way she was dressed in her Mew Mew form (a common trope in MG anime) but she was the same age like before just a different outfit.
As a civillian she looks to be her age.
I explained my reasoning in terms of oversexualized outfits already in previous posts and it also applies for these outfits.
Civillian form
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Mew Strawberry/ Ichigo
Manga (coloured version of her Mew Mew awakening for the first time)
She is ELEVEN YEARS OLD IN THE MANGA
Fan art
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Her appearance in the manga
NOTE: in the 2003 show when the cat goes inside of her body during the vision she is naked (with sparkly censor) and we often see her showering/ taking a bath. (Which is modest) but other characters like Shirogane (whom is a minor) also take showers in the show.
For her Mew Mew outfit along with the others there is a use of chokers and garters. Below are screenshots of research I did about the clothing item and will be applicible for the outfits. Anonother interpertation I have for the collars (other than used in BDSM) is they represent the collaring of their powers, in order to keep them in check so that they will not de-evolve into an animal (due to being half animal half human after being hit by the ray the mutated their DNA).
Mew Mint in the 2003 anime
Mint's civillian outfit
Mint in thr reboot (made the dress longer and added a triangle trim at the hem of the skirt)
Fan art
In TMM 2003 Mint is 12-13 years old. In her Mew Mew form her skirt is the shortest compared to Ichigo. Considering her age it is uncomfortable to see that design was was chosen for her.
I sadly found fan art of her in a promiscuious pose in the last image.
I believe with her being a ballerina, the Mew Mew outfit could have leaned into a ballet inspired look but her redesign makes her skirt poofier and longer for a change.
Mew Lettuce in the 2003 anime
Mew Lettuce in the reboot
In TMM 2003 Lettuce is 13-14 years old. Her outfit in her Mew Mew form is a leotard covered with an off shoulder blouse and skirt with boots and a garter on her right leg.
In some frames of the 2003 anime her legs are the focus. Along with her transformation sequence she is the most sexualized due to her being naked for a few seconds (other than Zakuro)
Her design was toned down in the 2022 anime to give a uniform look to the team (to match Ichigo and Mint)
Mew Zakuro in the 2003 anime
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Zakuro is 15 years old in the TMM 2003 anime. In her mew Mew form she wears a crop top, shorts and thigh high boots. With her design and maturity in the 2003 anime I thought when I first watched the show that she was 20. No she is younger than that!
Due to trauma and the adultification of her character she had to grow up quickly and focus on securing herself financially by being a model. (Adultification)
Now that I think about it, her circumstances and character is similar to Mamoru Chiba from Sailor Moon, both are teens that lost their parents and had to focus on their education/ work to survive. In Zakuro's case we do not know much about her or her parents so much of what we do know is a mystery.
Zakuro should also had her adolecence and not have to do this but in many MG anime the 'cool, older, aloof 'girl is a trope and usually in these shows is put in a parental, sisterly or in the few cases leader of the group which is responsibility placed on a minor to watch other younger girls. (Parentification)
Mew Pudding in the 2003 anime
Mew Pudding in the reboot
In TMM 2003 Pudding is the youngest of the group and wears a romper in her Mew Mew form. During the transformation she bends over and her tail appears which is weird for that to be the focus along with seeing her naked at the start .
Due to being an acrobat to support her siblings since her mom died and her father is overseas to work she is adultified and has to learn it is okay to be a child. This was expanded upon in the 2002l3 qnime and is a reality for many elder siblings with a larger set of younger siblings. The episode where she cried due to still greiving her moms death made me realise even when I was young that her circumstances was not right because Pudding is a CHILD. She does not need to be overworking herself. She also had to grow up quickly similar to Zakuro.
In her 2022 redesign, her outfit is modified to follow the theme of the group just like Lettuce.
With the redesigns of the Mew Mews I can see the creators were trying to make Lettuce and Puddings outfits more modest as well as leave out the sexualization from the old anime transformations which I give props for that.
The downside is in the 2022 reboot the girls are naked prior to clothes transforming (as seen in the previous post) and in Ichigos transformation it is sexuslized by the camera focusing on parts of her body.
Other images I found (outfits in the manga):
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