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Tokyo Mew Mew New
Episode 12

by Rebecca Silverman,

How would you rate episode 12 of
Tokyo Mew Mew New ?
Community score: 3.9

It's a good thing that a second season of this show has been announced, because otherwise this would be a very unfair place to end things. Or perhaps I should say that a second season has been confirmed, because I think most of us saw, or at least hoped, that this was coming; there weren't a whole lot of ways that things could have ended in a satisfactory manner otherwise. And while this still isn't perfectly paced and makes a lot of sometimes baffling choices, it is ultimately faithful to the original manga, and that's nice to see.

This season finale also fits under that heading; there are some moments this week that are, quite simply, nice to see. The big one is of course Aoyama and Ichigo's relationship. They've been sort of flirting around the idea of dating for the entire season, and while we know that their feelings are mutual, neither of them were particularly aware of the fact. For Ichigo, that's mostly come down to basic insecurity – Aoyama's something of a school heartthrob, and she's felt a bit like an imposter the entire time they've bene not-dating. In part that's because she initially made up an interest in the things he likes (although that resolved fairly quickly), but it's also because she's been hiding her superheroine identity from him from pretty much the moment they started getting closer. That nagging feeling that she's been keeping something major back has also preyed on Aoyama, but fortunately he's not an idiot. He may not have noticed her ears and tail popping out (at least, until this episode, when he definitely may have), but he saw the similarities between Ichigo and the pink Mew Mew. When she didn't show up for their concert date, he plainly put it all together – an attack at Tokyo Tower, Ichigo missing, and the Mew Mews filmed at the site of the problem all add up to “Ichigo is the pink one.” He may not be one hundred percent positive, but he's willing to give her the benefit of the doubt, and when he covers her head with his handkerchief, it looks an awful lot like he knows but is willing to let her tell him at her own pace. It's the sweetest gesture we've seen from him and it really sells their romance.

That's unlikely to sit well with Kish or Ryo, but right now that's not really a concern. While Ichigo's sudden elevation to the role of leader during the fight still doesn't feel entirely earned, watching the girls all band together to find a way to beat the giant moth monster is still incredibly satisfying. That goes double for Zakuro actively helping Mint, because she's been more on the side of avoiding Mint's crush. And Mint's the one who needs the push this time – her brother's kind insistence on her studying abroad is really preying on her, but being the one to get the Mew Aqua and make saving the day possible helps to clear her mind. There's more than one way to do things, she realizes, and that understanding that there's no one “right” way is what gives her the final push to break through her worries and make a choice. That that results in her getting the major power-boost from the Mew Aqua is symbolic of her having found her own inner strength, which seems to be what the Mew Aqua stands for – and it's also the impetus for the girls to lay the moth low with their combined attack.

At the end of the day, that's why the Mew Mews win: because they find the strength to believe in themselves and each other. Tart, Pie, and Kish may all be working towards the same goal, but they can't be said to be working together, at least not in the sense that the girls are in their final attack. And that's what makes magical girl teams so strong: they find themselves in the whole and use their individual strengths together to create something bigger than themselves. Their fight isn't over yet, but now they have the tools to carry on. That will have to hold us over until they return to our screens another day.

Rating:

Tokyo Mew Mew New is currently streaming on HIDIVE.


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