“Nakayoshi” is the manga magazine for girls, which has the history of serializing many famous works, including “Sailor Moon”, “Card Captor Sakura” and “Ojamajo Doremi”. Even after the serialization and anime broadcast have ended, many manga experience movie adaption, new series production and goods production, and they are loved by fans for a long time.
This article will introduce “Nakayoshi” manga that have always been popular. This can be a good opportunity for both long-time fans and new fans to learn about manga and feel nostalgy from here.
■Starting the concert with pichi pichi voice! “Mermaid Melody Pich Pich Pitch”
The manga with the script originally written by Yokote Michiko and drawn by Hanamori Pink. It is a musical fantasy that experienced serialization from 2002 to 2005, and anime adaption from April 2003 to December 2004.
Back then, the setting of the manga, including the protagonist being changeable between a witch and a mermaid and fighting with the enemy by “singing”, was very new. Of course, important factors of girl’s manga are included as well, from school life, friends, to romance with a handsome hero.
On “Nakayoshi” September 2021 issue (released on August 3), the new story of “Pichi Pichi Pitch” will start its serialization. It is the new series after over 15 years, but fans responded with posts, such as “How nostalgic it is” and “I want read it”.
【Story】
The protagonist Nanami Ruchia is the mermaid princess in North Pacific Ocean. Ruchia transfers to the middle school in human world to look for a pearl that she gave to a boy of her first love.
She meets a boy called Kaito at school and learns that he is the boy that she gave the pearl to. However, she should keep it a secret of being “a mermaid”, because she will become the bubbles if a human learns about her true identity…
Also, the situation of the ocean world change drastically as well! Ruchia opposes Gakuto and his comrades, who seek to control the entire ocean, with “the power of pearl” and “songs” of the Mermaid Princess!
■Serving for the future of the Earth! “Tokyo Mew Mew”
The manga is based on the beautiful girls’ heroes and environmental problems that was originally written by Yoshida Reiko and drawn by Ikumi Mia (Her Kanji name has changed from 未亜 to 美亜, but both can be read ‘Mia’). The serialization was held from 2000 to 2003 and adapted into anime from April 2002 to March 2003. It is full of cute girls in colorful costumes with cat years and tails, and in waitress costumes at the café. In contrast to appealing outfits, the story mainly picks up environmental problems, and will invokes environmental destruction caused by humans and about endangered species, a finless dolphin and gray wolves that they combined.
In 2020, the male version of “Tokyo Mew Mew” called “Tokyo Mew Mew Olé!” started to be serialized. Shibuya Aoi, a high school boy who got injected Iriomote cat DNA and awakes as “Mew Mew”, a soldier to save the world, and other unique Mew Mew characters are featured. Furthermore, as a commemoration of “Nakayoshi”’s 65th anniversary, “Tokyo Mew Mew New~”, a brand-new anime of “Tokyo Mew Mew” will be produced. The casts and visual is completely renewed, and will be on air from 2022. The fans’ expectations have been growing.
【Story】
Momomiya Ichigo in the first year of the middle school gets involved in one scientific experiment when she was on a date with Aoyama-kun. She is shot DNA of an Iriomote cat (an endangered species) and suddenly changes to “Mew Ichigo” with cat ears and tails!?
Moreover, she is asked to fight and “save the Earth from the Aliens” as the hero Tokyo Mew Mew from a mysterious man Shirogane…
Can she find other 4 members and defeat the aliens to return to her original form?
■Return to the form thou should be! Crow Card! “Card Captor Sakura”
A magical girl fantasy by CLAMP, who is well known for “Magic Knight Rayearth” and “XXXHOLiC”. It was serialized from 1996 to 2000 and anime part 1 (Crow Card Arc.) and Part 2 (Sakura Card Arc.) were broadcast from 1998 to 2000.
The charm of this series is cute protagonist Sakura. She is a girl filled with cuteness, as her often says “Hanya~n” and “Hoe~”, while while being good at cooking pancakes. Moreover, she is very good at sports because she commutes to school with rollerblades and belong to a cheer leading club!
She is energetic and hard-working personality, and she overcomes difficulties with her mighty line, “It will be okay for sure”, and such figure will certainly make an impression on you.
Also, although it is a magical girl story, herself does not change. Instead, her best friend Tomoyo prepares her handmade costumes for Sakura and she creates it newly every time, so you always can see different costumes. It is exciting to see new outfit every time, and all designs are very cute. This is one of the features that you definitely should check out.
As the 20th anniversary project, the sequel “Clear Card Arc” underwent serialization from 2016 and also experienced anime adaption.
Casts are Tange Sakura-san (Kinomoto Sakura), Kumai Motoko-san (Li Xiaoran), Iwao Junko-san (Daidouji Tomoyo), Hisakawa Aya-san (Cerberus), Seki Tomokazu-san (Kinomoto Touya), and Ogata Megumi-san (Tsukishiro Yukito), and they are the same from the previous series.
【Story】
The protagonist is Kinomoto Sakura in 4th grade. One day, she finds a shining book in her home library and the cards inside fly away from the book.
What appeared from the book left was a mysterious creature calling himself Cerberus. Cerberus then orders Sakura to become a Card Captor to collect the cards again.
From the encounter, she fights with realized cards and strives to retrieve all the cards!
■ Punishment as the agent from the moon! “Sailor Moon”
It is a girls hero story by Takeuchi Naoko that was serialized and adapted into anime from 1992 to 1997. It experienced various media mixes, including movies, games, musicals, and TV dramas. It was so popular back then and effected the society and the trends in the future.
The author of this article was also affected by cuteness of sailor outfits and drawn into the story every time the girls fight until their costumes are worn out.
Every item released used to be sticks and make-up items inspired by planets and jewels, and they were so beautiful that contained the hope of girls.
The anime directors were handled by Satou Junichi from “Ojamajo Doremi” and “HUGtto! Pretty Cure”, Ikuhara Kunihiko from “Revolutionary Girl Utena” and “Penguindrum”, and Igarashi Takuya from “Ouran High School Host Club” and “Soul Eater”.
The popularity came back after the anime adaption of “Sailor Moon Crystal” and “Sailor Moon the Movie: Eternal” from 2014, which faithfully recreated the story depicted in the original comic. Goods began to target “grown-up girls”, who used to watch the original anime back at the time.
【Story】
Tsukino Usagi is a reckless, crybaby middle school student in 2nd year. One day, a black cat Lunar tells her that she is “a fighter from the Moon-Sailor Moon”. She is requested to “look for the princess from the Moon together with other Sailor Guardians ”, and Usagi changes to Sailor Moon. She struggles to fight with the demons from Dark Kingdom that assault the citizens, as she is not accustomed to it. However, other Sailor Guardians, including Mizuno Ami, Hino Rei, Kino Makoto, and Aino Minako, assembled, and…
■Pi-rika Pirilala Poporina Peperuto! “Ojamajo Doremi”
This is the original animation by Toei Animation. The anime was broadcast from February 1999 to January 2003. The manga illustrated by Takanashi Shizue was serialized at the same time at Nakayoshi.
Back then, the anime was supposed to be switched every year or 2 years in this slot, but it continued in 4 titles, “Ojamajo Doremi”, “Ojamajo Doremi#”, “Motto! Ojamajo Doremi”, and “Ojamajo Doremi Dokkan!”.
This is the story of becoming a witch, which all girls have admired (?), and busy slice of life without the battles with enemy is appealing.
In the scene of changing to a costume for a witch apprentice, and the changing stick are colorful and cute and magic lines are memorable, including “paipai ponpoi puwa puwa pu” and “pururun purun famifamifa”.
In “Ojamajo Doremi Dokkan”, fa ew episodes were directed by Hosoda Mamoru from “Belle” and “Summer Wars”, which are the must-see episodes.
As the 20th anniversary project, the movie “Looking for Magical Doremi” was produced in 2020. Setting 3 girls watching “Doremi” as a kid to be protagonists, the story was produced by director Satou Junichi and others, who assembled again, to set them on the journey.
Here at anime, we had conducted interviews to Chiba Chiemi-san (Harukaze Doremi), Akitani Tomoko-san (Fujiwara Hazuki) and Matsuoka Yuki-san (Imoo Aiko). Also, we conducted the readers survey asking for a memorial episode. A lot of “love” was delivered from the fans from different generations.
【Story】
Harukaze Doremi calls herself “the most unlucky beautiful girl in the world”, longing for magic. One day, she finds a mysterious shop called “Makihataya Marika’s Maho-dou” and reveals the master as a witch. Then Majorika changes into “a witch frog”! Doremi is forced by Majorika, “Become a witch with me!” and turns into a witch apprentice!?
© “Tokyo Mew Mew New~” © Ikumi Mia, Yoshida Reiko, Kodansha/”Tokyo Mew Mew New~” Production Committee
“Card Captor Sakura” Clear Card Arc © CLAMP, ST/Kodansha, NEP, NHK
“Sailor Moon the Movie: Eternal”
