#ichisaya analysis

[xion92]

TMMN: Masaya/Ichigo relationship analysis, episode 13

And after 6 and half months, I’m ready to continue TMM couple relationship analysis! This episode is full of things, so it will be a looong post.

Let's start with the opening. Masaya and Ichigo have a single scene, but what a scene! Cat Ichigo is running away from the fat cat and finds safeness in Masaya's arms, with a kiss she returns to normal, with a nice elegant dress on, and while he holds her in his arms like a bride they exchange a happy expression (I suppose it’s a metaphor for Masaya who saves her and protects her from danger). It is the first time in New that I see Masaya so happy. I'm sure S2 will give us a lot of stuff!

The very first scene depicts Ichigo crying. But be careful, not that she just cries, it seems to be a very specific scene, only that being blurred you don't understand what it represents. It’s obviously one of the nightmares that Masaya is beginning to have. In the manga they started much later and didn’t herald a specific scene, instead they heralded that he would be the cause of her suffering. Obviously at this point Masaya can't know it, and I think this is one of the various reasons that trigger his transformation into the Blue Knight.

This is the face I had the morning after episode 13, after not sleeping a wink from brooding all night. 🤣

Masaya dear... never ever wonder what Ichigo is doing, trust me, lol

Yes, we understand that they insert foreshadowing all the time, I’m sure this recalls the fact that Masaya from lover will become the enemy and he and Ichigo will have to fight each other.

So, the first part of the episode focuses about ichisaya relationship, one week after their confession. This is only the point of start, it’ll surely evolve from here throught the series. Here is a nice change that we already see in Masaya: contrary to what happened in S1, he is no longer ashamed to confirm his bond with Ichigo, and goes straight to her friends to make them understand the news (indiscretions say that in the next episode he will even with the other girls). Sure he's still shy, they've been together for a very short time. But I'm sure he'll unlock as the series progresses. Masaya is a character who has no leaps in characterization, but proceeds slowly and steadily. This, of course, unlike the old series, where this poor man was treated only as a plot twist, and not as a real character. In that series, he and Ichigo remained quite distant, sometimes they didn't even seem engaged, while I have the impression that with New things will be very different.

Girls... even in ep 7 he called her by name in front of you. Have you forgotten?

And here is a scene that overturns, in a certain sense, the first episode of the series, although I will be cautious in this part of the analysis, because a report from a Japanese fan seems to confirm that this part will be explained better in the next episode. So what does Masaya say here? As with S1, watch out for subtitles! When there is any doubt about the actual characterization of a character, the first thing is not to trust the subtitles. And in fact… even here they are wrong! Masaya here doesn't say at all that he fell in love with her on that occasion. First he says she's been on his mind since he first saw her, because he'd seen her "smiling so happy." Then he says "mitore chattanda", which means "I was fascinated". Fascinated, but he absolutely didn't fall in love, in the truest sense of the word, that time. And even the fact that he is impressed by Ichigo's character does not lead to an infatuation like Ichigo's when he saw him. Masaya is only slightly blushed, certainly not like Ichigo. So we understand that he was just captured by a detail of Ichigo, the first that he noticed, and this has remained impressed in his mind. So from this flashback we understand a few things.

First, ep1 was NOT Ichigo's first day of school, but she had started high school for at least a few days. Second, he noticed her even before she noticed him. Third, both have a parallel and a contrast. Both are captured by something about each other the first time they see each other. Except that Ichigo, who is a normal person, is fascinated by his appearance and by his "winning genes", to put it in reproductive terms. Masaya is not captured by her appearance, but by a trait of her personality that strikes him, as it is something that he lacks at that point in the story, her cheerfulness and her happiness. This is a very different flashback from a similar scene in episode 39 of the old series, where he said, superficially, the same thing. There he said that he simply noticed her, and that's not good for Masaya's character. He is captured for the first time by something emotional, which must be specified. Without specification one might think that the first thing he noticed was that she was pretty, and this would go against his character. He first notices and is impressed by personality and character, then, if these "pass the test", by the appearance, which comes later. Obviously he couldn't know then that he was captured by her, he only understands it later, when he realizes he loves her and is able to reconstruct in retrospect how he started to like her.

It must be said that, when in episode 1 the two of them collide and talk, it doesn't actually seem that Masaya has ever seen her before. But let's remember that it is Masaya we are talking about. When he first saw her, he probably didn't even mentally realize that he was fascinated by her. So, partly because of this, partly because he is used to behaving in a kind and detached way with everyone, he went back to behaving as usual even with her, until he… saw the ticket. This is a scene that can be re-interpreted. Without episode 13, one might think he was just happy with the subject matter of the show. But by episode 13, his thought, obviously unconscious, may have been this: "The girl that fascinated me has the same interests as me!" And in fact it is only at this point that he, in the first episode, lets himself go a little more with her, and he seems really interested in her, as well as in the exhibition itself. I'd say it all adds up. And also, maybe in the next episode we will know something more about it…

Just excuse me...

...they’re gourgeous! Notice how in this episode, now they stay together (yeah, I say that because in my language we say “stay together” to mean two people are boyfriend and girlfriend 😁) they have often the same expressions. It’s another hint or their deep bond.

How cute in this scene, walking side by side to get home, clearly happy but still embarrassed and still not bold enough to holding hands. They are still awkward, like two real fifteen year olds in their first (and only, in their case) love experience.

Here we can see that when Masaya talks to her about volunteering at the aquarium, she is fascinated by it. I've already said it: in my opinion these two will end up working together on these issues.

He’s adorable, period. Like her, he’s ashamed to say she's his girlfriend. However, unlike episode 9, he easily manages to invite her this time. It's even little things like this that show his progression. And besides of that, I don’t think the employees asked him first to bring his girlfriend. I mean, how could they know he has a girlfriend only a week after their “getting together”? To me, it’s clear that Masaya asked them first if he could bring his girlfriend, and they answered yes. He’s only too embarassed to admit it 💙

And here THE SCENE starts: poor Masaya, his faces clearly show he’s thinking to be ended in a house full of crazy people!

Here he’s thinking “that time, when Ichigo invited me to the museum, I should have invented another commitment”. 🤣

However I really like that after his initial shock, he quickly recovered and introduced to her father, holding his gaze, and Shintarou accepts him almost immediately. Basically they represented in a few minutes scene a concept that in the old series took a whole episode!

Here Masaya has just realized that Sunday lunches, from here until his death, he will have to spend with them. Amazing how he has to hold back not to laugh. How can you not laugh in such a situation? 🤣

More mirroring expressions 💙💖

Later, it’s so good to see them doing normal teenage couple things: the little goodnight chat! Of course, for Masaya it must be unusual to see such an spontaneous family, when his is practically absent.

Oh, and Ichigo was fast to buy a new cellphone, huh?

Another mirroring expression. They’re adorable.

So, here we have a scene where he gets through his 2 different sides: his happiness, because he’s with his girl, in a place he loves, doing with her a thing they both love and they’re passionate about, but then he becomes sad, like in ep1, and says this.

I must admit that this scene is not very clear to me. Is it Deep Blue speaking through him? Or rather, does Masaya's personality come into contact with his and says between the lines that the planet belongs to aliens and not to man? On the other hand, it is a sentence in accordance with what Quiche will say later. I'd love to read the opinions of other fans!

And here something happens that I really wanted to see again: the concept of the first episode is resumed, in which Ichigo wonders why Masaya sometimes seems so sad. It is actually a theme that had not been touched upon since the first episode, it had to be resumed. Probably, clumsy as she is still with him, she is ashamed to ask him. She doesn't even have the courage to hold his hand, she certainly can't go and ask him something so intimate and personal. But over time she will understand for herself the reason for these occasional moods.

At this point, the plot arrives to bother, Masaya and Ichigo get separated, and Masaya begins to go into severe stress over losing her.

Ehm, she WAS having a fun time, before you arrived 😂

And here Ichigo does something he should never have done. Something for which I had written a post praising her, precisely because she had kept silent so far. But now… she clearly tells Quiche her boyfriend's name. Girl, have you lost your mind?? You are dealing with a dangerous madman, psychopath, armed and obsessed with you. And you, instead of keeping quiet, are you going to tell him that you're in love with someone else, a normal guy who can't defend himself? Now you think Quiche won't go looking for him? Congratulations for being so clever… And in fact…

...dear Ichigo, what did you hope to obtain by telling him so? (btw, wrong subtitles again. Quiche just says he gets in the way).

However, I really appreciated that Ichigo decides to transform when Quiche threatens Masaya, and, despite her being the first to be in danger, always thinks of him, and when the Mew Mews arrive, the first thing she does is ask them about him.

I adored this scene, it’s another introspection that wasn’t in the manga. Masaya really gets frustrated because he wants to find Ichigo, but he can't because he is blocked by the crowd. The Mew Mews arrive and, having superpowers, jump over the crowd and reach her, while he is forced to stand there, powerless. It is precisely the last straw, which triggers the transformation.

We arrive to the Blue Knight scene, which has been changed a bit from the manga, as usual for the better.

1. Ichigo manages to defeat the monster by herself, it is the recoil that makes her fall from the building; however I don't understand why falling from a height would be a problem for her… can't she just turn around and land on her feet?

2. The BK has long pants, and a pink ribbon clearly placed there to call Ichigo; as a hint to his true identity there is also the structure of his hair; the tufts on his head and forehead are exactly those of Masaya, no other character has those particular tufts;

3. The BK doesn't kiss Ichigo on her chest, so Ichigo doesn't feel that he is cold, and he doesn't tell her that stupid sentence that Ryo had told her, which had nothing to do with BK and Masaya’s personality;

4. And there's a reason for that: viewers immediately learn that the BK isn't Ryo, or even Kei, although tant doesn’t mean Ichigo won't suspect it. Actually the series, by showing us the previous scene of Masaya (which Ichigo didn't see) and not showing him during the BK scene, immediately makes it clear to the viewers that he is the BK. Whether or not the characters will have this dilemma remains to be seen;

5. The BK doesn't put Ichigo down before attacking Quiche, but hits him with her in his arms, thus with a weight that slows him down and having to do without a hand. What a great warrior! And speaking of that, is the BK so skilled with a sword because Masaya is skilled at kendo, or is Masaya so skilled at kendo precisely because he was created by a god who uses a sword as a weapon? Hmmm…

6. While Quiche loses his mind, the BK, very imperturbable, doesn't even turn his head, but casts his eye backwards just as if to say "you're really nothing". He really took his revenge from episode 9!

7. Thank God (actually, to the authors) there is no scene where Ichigo looks at the point where Quiche disappears saying his name, and the BK hugs her from behind to get her attention. In New Ichigo absolutely doesn't care about Quiche, her attentions are instead all for the BK, as it should be.

8. Did you notice this? In ep 3, he says to her, basically, “you’re mine”. 10 episodes later, “I’m yours”. 💙

9. The kiss he gives her on her forehead is so sweet! It's really a transformation dragged by his feelings. Even in his unconscious, Masaya can't help but show his love for her, always in a delicate and respectful way. It's a very different forehead kiss than the one Quiche gave her last episode.

Masaya, sweetheart, who never stops looking for her. Of course, because contrary to episode 9 in which he only waited for her calmly, having seen that the monsters had been killed and therefore she was safe, here he has no confirmation even if he saw the other Mew Mews arriving, therefore he continues his research until he has confirmation that Ichigo is okay.

What a beautiful hug they give each other, him keeping his chin on her head as a sign of protection and care. I love how they are so spontaneous in their interactions, even though they are still shy. In the manga, when they found each other it was only him who embraced her, here instead they literally rush into each other's arms.

But isn't something missing? Well, the whole manga scene where Masaya interacts with Mew Ichigo. But I noticed that in the anime they redistributing the various events to not rush everything, so I'm sure this scene will be reinserted later, in a different context.

And that was ONLY ep 13. Ichisaya fans, be prepared, because we’ll get fat, very fat, with this season!

[aspureasamelody]

pure what are your top 5 favorite ichisaya moments

5. Masaya's last moments before his sacrifice

When Masaya just takes a moment to hold Ichigo close, run his fingers through her hair, hug her and pet her and be with her for a little while longer.

Masaya's never felt very attached to his life. He always felt like the world would be better without humans, and he included himself in that when he spoke. I think some part of him was always subconsciously ready to give up the ghost and hand himself off to Deep Blue.

But here, in this moment, where he's about to sacrifice his life to heal the earth in a similar way to how he's always thought he should, he hesitates. He's found this precious feeling he wants to hold dear. He's scared to die for the first time, because for the first time, he feels like he has something to lose.

But he'll do it. For her. He just wants this last moment.

And afterwards, even as Deep Blue tries to claw back control, Masaya holds back a god and either kills himself, or holds them down to let Ichigo finish them off. And he dies with a smile, because at least he knew her, at the end of it all.

4. Masaya encouraging Ichigo to fight in A La Mode

Masaya had a character arc throughout Tokyo Mew Mew about how scared he was when Ichigo put her life in danger to fight. He went from worrying about how she's holding up out there and feeling utterly useless to do anything, to unlocking Blue Knight to protect her, to fully awakening as Blue Knight and vowing to fight by Ichigo's sides as equals who uplift and support each other.

And now, when Ichigo's powers are slowly coming back to her after they've both died and come back to life for each other, Ichigo is the one who's worried that she's not sure what she can do, for her friends or for the Earth.

And Masaya pulls her aside, and reassures her that he knows she's strong. There's plenty she can do, and the others need her. He trusts her to fight, believes in her power and her might, knows that she's strong enough that even if they have to part ways right now, they'll still find each other when he comes back for her.

He helps her remember her strength at her lowest moments. He helps her awaken this confidence she deserves.

3. Ichigo and Blue Knight fighting together side-by-side

This one doesn't really need a full analysis to go with it.

They're a power couple, and probably the two most powerful beings in the entire verse of Tokyo Mew Mew, and I love that for them.

2. The confession in the rain

Classic moment, beautiful in all forms.

Ichigo's run all this way in the pouring rain. Her phone is broken, the concert is practically over, she's so late that she's sure he's already left. She's terrified that he'll hate her forever.

But Masaya's there. Masaya stood in the rain all night, for hours, waiting. Because he told her they'd meet there, and he was worried about the fight at the tower, but all he could do right now was wait for her.

We get to see Ichigo's determination, her raw emotions, her conflict in her double life. It's so good to see just how overjoyed Ichigo is when this finally goes right, and she finally gets to hear him say that he loves her. She's been through so much all day, she deserves this joy.

We even got to see the emotions in this scene broken down from both their perspectives, and it's just... perfect. Every moment of it.

And it's even better in Tokyo Mew Mew New, because in that one, Masaya notices the ears and expertly plays dumb by placing a handkerchief over her himself! That added touch elevates an already awesome scene to new heights!

1 Ichigo taking the lead in Tokyo Mew Mew ReTurn

This is a culmination of Ichigo's character arc.

She's confident, straightforward, knows she's powerful, knows what she wants.

She's passionate about the earth, and proud of her passion and love in all departments. She's not deterred or embarrassed by the cat ears and tails popping up anymore. She knows who and what she is, and she loves it. She's found this amazing depth of self-actualization and self-love, and it shines in this little moment.

Masaya is afraid of things changing, but he sees this, sees how Ichigo has changed and how happy she is for that growth, and suddenly, his fear of change is abetted. Because in whatever ways they change, whatever the future holds for them, they'll just come closer and closer together.

[dentos-wife]

Tokyo Mew Mew New is done and what are my thoughts? I think it’s better than the original and I LOVE the original, it’s one of my favorite magical girl shows and introduced me to the genre. I also rewatched it while this was airing to get a better feel on the simulators and differences

Almost every single problem I had with the original has been addressed in New

The mews were more characters then the stereotypes they were in the 2002 show, Mint and Ichigo especially. Lettuce got some of very concrete development along with Mint who reached her goal. The ending felt more solid to me. Masaya finally was the character he was meant to be and what a difference! It’s amazing how bad the 2002 anime did him seeing this.

More detailed and in depth analysis under the cut but if tldr

In almost everything so let’s get to it

-I fully admit I didn’t like Ryo in the OG he felt like he took screen time solely to make a love triangle. Could have focused more on how he felt about the other girls, the project, his goal. They did that. Here Ryo took responsibility for his actions and felt guilt over putting the girls in this mess becoming more than part of a love triangle (and even that was toned down a lot) which is ironic because yes he did get less focus and I would understand why Ryo fans would prefer the OG don’t blame them at all especially if they’re shippers. He got a lot more content in 2002. But I finally got what I wanted from him; responsibility

-Zakuro of all the girls got the shaft for sure I wanted to see her past like the rest but the more equal footing with Mint? Good shit, I love equal ground in things and they finally sold me on Zakumint too. In 2002 it just felt like unhealthy idolization on Mint’s end. I like how Zakuro loves and cares about her friends too and even wanted them in the video with her to show the real her. It's no longer just Mint idolizing her while she does her own thing, she feels connected to Mint too. And I LOVED how Mint was her reason for joining. They were cowards for not canonizing Zakumint after all this because it was 100% the parallel to Ichisaya

-Speaking of Mint while I do like the environmental push they gave her in this one I do miss the ballet aspect and imo her transformation was nerfed probably the one one I'd say worse then 2002 but I would throw that away any day for the character she was in this compared to the rich rude stereotype she was in 2002, very 90’s. She was of course friends with the Mews there but she actually felt closer to this group compared to how she used to be. However she was also one of the biggest character changes so if you really liked 2002 Mint I can see you not liking the Mint she is here, I’d say the most striking character change of the girls from 2002 is her.

-Lettuce! I adored how she picked up on the emotions of Deep Blue and how she had her little romance arc that was meant more for growing her character and left her open ended, don’t get me wrong I now like Ryo with her, good job New, but the point was show her growing confidence. Along with her going back to the museum and her episode there about alien society in the past I loved it all.

-Pudding and Tart felt the most similar to their og selves so I don’t have much to say on them they cute though

-Pai also felt the most similar up his og and then the ending took a turn; that put him too above og Pie for me, liked that a lot more then killing Tart then sacking himself. His whole life was dedicated to restoring his planet. He was told Deep Blue was the one to do that. And then Deep Blue who he put all his hopes on changed his mind it’s very easy to see why he acted the way he did. And it was a really neat parallel to Ichigo snapping and turning on her friends when Deep Blue first appears. Deep Blue just brings the worst out of you huh? No wonder he was seen as some kind of god.

-And even Deep Blue! At first I was miffed he wasn’t a psychopath and just kind of there while Ichigo had her own mental battle but when you find out why…he’s just a normal guy er alien. Yeah he doesn’t like humanity and blames them for destroying the planet but that’s it. He’s not out to get ultimate power or anything like that he just feels at war with humanity and wants his home back for his people. But through Masaya experienced the same feelings and thoughts resonating with Ichigo’s emotions on how things could change and shockingly seemed willing to work things out. Which probably would have ended with dying to release the Mew Aqua anyway but…Pie sped the process up. And I loved this I loved there was actually no true big bad it’s very different from even the manga but the true evil is selfishness toward the environment, cherish the planet work to protect it; all planets.

-Mayasa is my new second favorite character (Twas originally Zakuro but now she's 3rd), but others have said better so I’ll just say 2002’s main issue was taking away his character he’s a huge multi dimensional character all with reasons for how he is but because this was the early 2000’s and following on tropes he was just the typical “pretty boy” love interest, to parallel Ryo being the typical “bad boy” love interest. And it’s a goddamn shame, I enjoyed him in the manga but seeing him in motion really allows you to get into him and see him for who he is. Dislike is fine but if you still hate Masaya after this and call him bland bread and boring (I lived through the 2002 fandom I know) when he’s gone beyond that; you’re probably a bitter shipper and should try to see beyond that. Also this face was gold

-Ichigo my fav my beloved! Had an arc! Before she was your typical magical girl protag and there’s nothing wrong with that she’s a cute cat girl; what more do you need? She was still very much a duo with Masaya so if you don’t like that that didn’t change. What did though was her growing into becoming a Mew Mew finally deciding she was happy it happened then turning to wanting to be useful wanting to find out her future while everyone else around her figured it out. And her answer? She doesn’t know and that okay there’s things she wants to do, lots of ideas she has on everything she wants to accomplish but she hasn't picked yet

She even gained two more ideas at the very end

But she has time to decide on all of them because:

That’s a really good and wholesome message. If we do get a adaptation of ala mode since she stuck around I could see her mentoring Berry now while still working on figuring out her future. It's a more subtle form of development then say Lettuce or even Mint but it's there and appreciated.

Okay that was all I liked, now for what I didn’t.

-The pacing did suffer a bit a times like Ryo’s backstory feeling rushed or Pudding and Tart feeling like enemies to lovers on crack with so few episodes with more it could have been drawn out longer for sure. But really most of my issues could be fixed with more episodes

-There’s also the idol segments normally it was fine but it really took me out in Puddings episode

-I still don’t like Kish, if you like him more power to you I have no idea how you feel about this version but it’s been three iterations now and he still gets on my nerves; sorry Kish. The one thing I wanted was why he likes Ichigo and still don’t know that maybe if he didn’t start out liking her immediately? Dunno but he’s the only one my feelings didn’t change on at all, so felt like I had to note it. I do think if you ship Kishigo you're going to prefer the 2002 no epic scream in this one

-Cat Ichigo was cuter in the 2002 (this is a nitpick)

Anyway! Just because something is a classic doesn’t automatically mean it’s better all the time. I keep hearing how the classic is untouchable and…it was an anime made to sell toys, I hope you don’t think OS Pokémon is the greatest thing ever too lol. It’s just a different take from a different time this isn’t like comparing a soulless Disney remake. This was made both with and as a tribute to Mia Ikumi and I think it shows.

All are good but as for me if I’m ever introducing a friend to tmm this is going to be my go to

Red haired Mew Ichigo will be my choice every time.

[firefaerie81]

I read your live blogs for each episode of Tokyo Mew Mew New, and I enjoyed every one! The running joke of the harassment counter, your analysis of the characters and moments, your predictions, all the ichisaya! I just want to say, it's been a blast!

Aww, thank you so much! ❤️

I certainly had a blast, and I’m glad you did too!

[xion92]

TMMN: Masaya/Ichigo relationship analysis, episode 18

And with this episode we are at ¾ of the series! This is a particular episode about Masaya, because although he doesn't appear much, it gives clear indications about the change in his character. This was the first episode where Masaya gave me some feelings of discomfort and anxiety, let's see why.

Masaya appears in five short scenes. This is the first. His nightmare is becoming clearer, it's not as blurry as in episode 13, and when he wakes up, for the first time he's alone. Alone in his room (his dog isn't with him either), a gloomy and gray room and the light that shines on him from behind is quite sinister. We also begin to see his fear and anxiety, unlike episodes 13 and 14 where he took this nightmare apparently calmly. From how his irises pulsing and how sweaty he is, you can see that he is starting to feel more and more worse from these nightmares, and this isn’t the only problem. As can be seen from episode 13 and the previous ones, even the fact of having to continue to pretend with Ichigo that he doesn't know who she is, his concern that she might get hurt and his frustration of not being able to help her (as far as he knows ) are starting to affect him, and this is starting to reflect on his mood as well.

Second scene: he sees a bad situation on TV in which Ichigo will surely find himself, and once again he is full of anxiety for her.

My godness, here the Blue Knight doesn’t say “you stay back”, he says “don’t fight anymore”! Why, why change the line in that way? It gives a completely different meaning!

However, third scene: Masaya's anguish and concern for her are also starting to manifest in his alter ego. His line is actually what he would like: that she no longer takes risks, given that every battle is potentially deadly. Ryo speaking to the BK… never seen such a thing in the whole franchise, great! He obviously silently replies “kiss my shoes” and walks away.

Fourth scene: Masaya's face is saying: "... how am I here?". Another element that is starting to affect his mood is the fact that he randomly loses consciousness and then finds himself in places where in theory he shouldn't be. It's okay if it happens once, but this is already the fifth time. This, added to everything this boy is going through, can only affect him in a negative way.

And in the last scene, the authors made a brilliant choice: they took a situation that in the old series happened very frequently without a reason, i.e. Masaya who randomly started talking about environmental problems to Ichigo ruining the mood, and they inserted it here to make us understand his state of mind, increasingly down due to recent events. Before now, Masaya had never behaved like this with Ichigo (only in the first episode, in which he still wasn't in love with her, and in the 13th, where however he wasn't down like here and he did it because the speaker of the event was talking about the same thing and he just made a comment). In the previous episodes he was happy with Ichigo, to be with her and to enjoy every moment with her, but now there is this contrast whereby, despite the atmosphere being definetely romantic, despite Ichigo telling him something that he could have pick up, he doesn't pick it up and lets himself go to a moment of discouragement and sadness, despite being with her in such a moment. Even the shadow on his face and his downcast expression make it clear that he feels bad for all the reasons explained, and these reasons are being reflected in his daily life, even with his girlfriend. Among other things, it is understood that if he is so depressed it is not really for the reason he is saying. The environmentalism topic is only the one used by him to externalize the problems that he cannot, does not want and is unable to say. He expresses frustration and pain for man who ruins the environment, but in reality, as we have seen, these problems are quite different, he would like to express them, but not being able to do so, he externalises them by masking them with an acceptable topic.

In the meantime, Ichigo is having an existential crisis, thinking that, despite being happy with Masaya, she still hasn't found his way in her life, unlike her friends (and here I would say... girl, not even at 30 sometimes people haven't found their way, what do you want to find at 15?). So he has his onset of depression, she has her existential crisis. Unlike all the previous episodes, in which they gave a feeling of great harmony every time they were together, this was the first time I felt them separated despite being physically together. Even when they walk away, with him trying his best to ignore his bad feelings and act cheerful again, they walk apart, he in front and she behind. And Ichigo feels a strange wind, and sense something strange coming from him. I don't want to be wrong, but in my opinion it's because she perceives a similarity between that wind and the one that accompanied the BK in episode 13 when he disappeared. So here she "feels" that the BK could be Masaya. But I'd like to read your opinion.

And I noticed something else... do you remember when, in ep 8, he hoped to go to Tokyo Bay with her? Well, finally it happened, but non in the way he hoped...

The care and attention that the authors are putting into Masaya’s character always lets me speechless. They spill details, hints, undertones, which give his character great depth, and you're starting to feel that he's falling into a nightmare that will surely get worse in the next few episodes. Now let's get ready, because next will be a great, great episode!

[xion92]

TMMN: Masaya/Ichigo relationship analysis, episodes 14-15

Hi everyone, I’m doing an analysis of two episodes together, because the space for ichisaya relationship is very limited in these eps.

In episode 14 there are few things to say, but as happened in the episodes of S1 in which Masaya appeared little, every appearance, even small, serves to tell us something more about him and his relationship with Ichigo.

So, the first thing to note is this: In S1, Masaya had Ichigo's name saved on his phone with her last name (Momomiya Ichigo). But now, after they “got together” (yeah, I prefer this term over “dating”, sorry. It’s warmer), he left only her name, a sign of his growing intimacy with her.

It’s also a very welcome addition that his brief appearance makes us understand that Ichigo doesn’t do things without his knowledge, but always keeps him updated, even if by sending him information without context Masaya doesn’t understand exactly what’s happening. But it's very sweet that, no matter what, he's happy that she's having fun.

And Masaya, poor thing, keeps randomly falling asleep (not fainting. Wrong subtitles again!) while sitting and having those weird dreams. He still is either underestimating them, or trying to ignore them. In the last episode he seemed more worried, now instead he tries to act as if nothing had happened, probably because his kendo mate asked him if everything is fine, and as always he tries to act as if nothing really is wrong.

As for the BK: I noticed Ichigo is wondering who he is, yes, but… that's all. I mean, at this point in the story she should already be wondering if it's Ryo or not. Now, it's true that we viewers know it's not him, but she doesn't. So the question is, in New, does the dilemma whether Ryo is the BK exist at all?

As for the BK himself… his battle with Pie and his soundtrack are epic! And I love that when it's shot with Ichigo on the ground behind him, they’re in the same position and shot as in episode 9, roles reversed this time.

As for Ryo and Kei here... they’re literally predicting the final boss. Nice touch!

Now, episode 15! In this episode, the scene with Masaya lasts less than a minute, but it’s very, very important.

First of all, we can see Masaya and Ichigo sharing their passion, which is volunteering for the environment. So, in this episode they have re-inserted the same scene from chapter 1 of the manga, only here the two of them are truly in harmony and bound by the passion for what they are doing. I also love that she continues to keep him informed about her friends, a clear sign that she wants him to be a full part of her life and relationships.

Masaya continues to seem to be very interested in Ichigo’s parents, and that’s no wonder, considering how his own parents are. And here, for the first time, Ichigo asks about his parents.

Notice he stays like this for at least 3 seconds before saying, obviously lying and with closed eyes to avoid to look at her,, that they are always nice. I'm really happy that they've already hinted at his family at this point in the story, instead of waiting for his later monologue. Masaya is really surrounded by a thick aura of mystery in New, and this short scene really makes us wonder why he's not happy to talk about his parents.

The scene with the BK… I love how this time, yes, he gets in the way and takes the acid instead of Ichigo and with a few sword hits he kills some monsters, but then she's the one to save him, also telling him not to exaggerate, because he’s injured. We see the BK touched by how much she cares for him, this is one of the many characteristics that made Masaya fall in love with her after all. And for the first time, we see them really fight together, team up and we see them in harmony even during a fight.

Special metion for this: in the manga, the scene where BK got burned existed to give Ichigo a chance to suspect Kei, as they both get hurt in the same spot. But in the anime, later Kei plays the guitar without problems, so he didn't hurt his arm. So the BK burning scene isn't meant to confuse Ichigo's ideas like in the manga, but to show how willing he is to sacrifice himself for her.

And another thing I noticed: if you read the same scenes of BK in the manga, you can see Ichigo is a bit... into him? I mean, she seems infatuated with him. In the anime, on the other hand, yes, she is grateful to him, thanks him and worries about him, but she doesn't seem to feel any infatuation for him. After three episodes, it’s clear. The fidelity that this girl is showing in New is truly remarkable, she never lets herself be distracted or “captured” by other guys. Neither from the BK, nor from Quiche, nor from Ryo, and that one time that with the latter she was at risk of letting something happen, she stopped and immediately walked away as soon as she realized it. I don't think there’s a woman more monogamous and fidel to her partner than her, Masaya can be really proud of her!

[xion92]

When the new Ichimasa relationship analysis post for New is coming up? I love those

Hiiii! Actually I stopped to do them at the episode 18, because after it Masaya and Ichisaya had so so so many things to analyse that I couldn't keep up with the episodes. But I want to finish the "series" because now there's the Italian dub that motivates me more. The ep 19 is almost finished (I stopped during the writing), so thanks for reminding me, I'll do my best to complete it!

[xion92]

TMMN: Masaya/Ichigo relationship analysis, episode 17

In this episode the ichisaya scene is only at the end and lasts less than 30 seconds, but there is a lot to say about it. That's why I'm still going to treat this post as an analysis.

First of all, a terminological clarification that made me a little perplexed. In English, I always see fans refer to Masaya and Ichigo's "status" as "dating." Not being an English native, I thought “well, that's their way of describing a stable couple”, even if it always gave me a strange, superficial and not serious feeling. Dating gave me a bit of the impression of two people who start to go out together but aren't a couple yet, in the sense that they are not officially a couple, but maybe I was wrong. But then, by chance, on Wikipedia, I read this: “Dating is a term coined in America to signify that stage of romantic relationships in which two individuals engage in an activity together, most often with the intention of evaluating each other's suitability as a partner in a future intimate relationship.”

Then no. Absolutely not. Dating was the right term for the two of them in season 1, and it perfectly reflected their status: a boy and a girl who like each other and go out together to consider starting a stable relationship. But from season 2 they are in a stable relationship, they are not dating, they are no longer considering whether to choose each other as a partner, they have already officially chosen each other in episode 12. So, what can be a more suitable term, in English, to define their status? I also found this on Wikipedia: “In Britain, if two people are 'going out together,' it may mean they're dating but that their relationship has advanced to a relatively long-standing and sexual boyfriend-girlfriend relationship although they're not cohabiting.”

Oh, that's a much more fitting term for Masaya and Ichigo. So if we want to use an English term to define what they do, they go out together in the British sense, they don't date in the American sense. However, in Italian “going out together” is still a weak term for a stable relationship with a strong bond like theirs, we understand it as “they like each other, they go out together, but it's not serious, and she or he can for example going out with other people, they don't have a duty of fidelity and devotion like in a real couple, etc.”. In short, it’s their situation in the S1. For the state of Masaya and Ichigo in S2 we say, in the moment they declare their love "they get together", and from there on "they stay together". This is the same British concept as above, but more seriously defined. They don't just date, but in life in general they are united by an intimate bond as a couple, even if they are not yet living together.

Now, as for the episode itself, here's a handy bullet list:

- First of all, I really appreciated that Masaya was included in a "friendly" moment among all the other characters and could enjoy a moment of common leisure with them, instead of being relegated outside and being framed only with Ichigo; I also really appreciate that it was a moment between him and Ichigo that triggered her transformation instead of her bumping into Kei, like in the manga;

- Furthermore, even in a short scene like this, it is shown how the relationship of these two gradually evolves and grows. Although short, this scene has a crazy passion, similar to the episode 10 scene, but with a substantial difference. There, Masaya had acted on impulse, driven first by jealousy of her and then by the resulting desire to be closer to her. It's evident that here he has not acted on impulse at all, but everything he does he has thought and decided, among other things despite the fact that they are together with other people. This means that Masaya is gradually losing the shyness towards Ichigo, which he still displayed in episode 13, becoming more and more loose with her, showing her the passionate side of her without the need for a trigger. In fact, then we see him completely satisfied, with himself and with the effect he has had on her; and by the way I love her expression while he compliments her, simple but very much in love. You can see that he is really into her;

- Speaking of the scene itself, I think this is the first time ever in the entire franchise where Masaya compliments Ichigo on her appearance. I don't think she's ever told her before that she's cute or adorable. I'm really soooo happy that in New he does it, like a real boy complimenting his girlfriend telling her she's beautiful and pretty;

- And speaking of what he does… is it just me or does it seem that his whole attitude hides a marked passion/desire/sexual charge? That is, let's talk about it: she whispers to Ichigo with a persuasive voice, takes the popcorn from her cheek, eats it and before eating it she looks at her in a way that… I couldn't better define. Then assuming a satisfied expression. Now... I can't define well the symbology behind taking a piece of food from the body of your girlfriend and eating it, but it gives me the impression that it hides something strongly physical (a bit like the girl who licks and sucks her boyfriend's fingers. I'm not going to tell you what that means, I think you know very well too). In fact, I think that if Ichigo gets so excited that she turns into a cat, she has definitely caught this allusion;

- But in the anime, does Masaya know that Ichigo can transform into a cat or not? In the manga he doesn't know, but here I’m not sure. Does he keep his eyes closed because he wants to pretend he didn't see her, or does he spontaneously stay like that because he's, um… aroused and caught up in the moment?

- And finally: I know this won't happen in the next episode, but it makes me laugh to think what could happen if Masaya went out to look for Ichigo and saw her lying down with Ryo on top of her. 🤣

There's still one last thing to say: with this episode, it seems completely clear to me that the final scene that took place in the manga at the aquarium won't be in the anime. And this, unlike other scenes, cannot be moved later, because its stong point is precisely the fact that Ichigo doesn't know that Masaya knows, and if the picnic episode will take place between two episodes as I assume, it won't be possible to insert it again. Am I disappointed? Well yes and no. Let's say that that scene has been partially replaced with the scene of Masaya looking for Ichigo and being frustrated because he can't protect her (which wasn't in the manga). In the manga the next scene was necessary because we, until that moment, never see Masaya worried about her or that he wants to protect her but he can't. So there's that scene where he talks to Mew Ichigo where he says all those things, "retrieving" what he's never shown before. In New this scene is not there, but there are many other scenes where he shows his concern for her and how much she means to him, even if he doesn't say it. And in the manga, up to that point, it wasn't clear whether Masaya knew whether or not Mew Ichigo was her, so that scene served to further confuse. In the anime, however, it is very clear that he knows. For all these reasons the authors have surely considered that scene no longer necessary, replaced by many other previous scenes and therefore eliminated. Unlike the manga, in the anime Masaya is a character who speaks little but does and shows a lot.

[xion92]

TMMN: Masaya/Ichigo relationship, episode 12

 Hey people, I'm alive! Well, yes. I just had a lot of things to do and every time I started watching the episode for analysis I inevitably got lost in it, unable to write anything. But now, after two weeks, my heartbeat has passed a bit and I can write an analysis as it should be.

So where to start? This episode represents ichisaya culmination, as well as showing us imo the most beautiful scene of the season as a worthy ending. And did you notice this? in the rain scene they wear the same clothes of the theme song!

So, guys, in this episode I’ll have to make comparisons with the manga, because it’s something inevitable. Let's go first with the scene where he’s waiting for her. But before…

Lol. Masaya has Rau as a whatsapp profile picture. Hahaha! Ichigo, give up, Masaya has already chosen between you two! Nobody can separate a man and his dog!

And even in the middle of the battle, Ichigo can't avoid putting him first. So, RiP her smartphone. I guess she’ll have a new one with a new design in season 2.

Now let's go into this scene. In this episode a scene was reported that in the manga will only appear via flashbacks in volume 5. Not the whole scene, just a part. In the flashback it’s also shown what Masaya does and thinks after discovering that the Mew Mew are fighting, but here it stops before of that. However, we can understand why the authors have made this addition (in the manga at this point it only shows that he calls her and she doesn’t answer): to make us understand his state of mind when she reaches him at the end. Even if we’re not shown the whole scene, what we see is more than enough, the rest will probably be shown in the second season.

I also really appreciated this little detail. The series is full of details like this about Masaya, and that's why I repeat myself: best male character, very well written. Here we see him interacting with Moe and Miwa, they tell him that something strange is happening at the Tokyo tower, and he immediately gets alarmed. However, since he is still talking to them, here we see him trying to keep his mask of imperturbability and education, making one of the tight smiles he often did in the first episode even with Ichigo, thanking them, and then returning immediately to himself, worried, as soon as they leave. Yes, because, Masaya as a character is growing and changing, but let's remember that for now the change in his behavior has it only with Ichigo. It's not that while he opens up to her and becomes human with her, he becomes human with other people at the same time. With the others, for now he always remains the same, for the moment only with her he changes, and for him only she exists. Ichigo represents a bridge for him, first he changes with her, and only after her will he begin to open up more with others as well.

Here, even before having verified that the Mew Mew are involved, he immediately calls Ichigo to find out if she's okay, also a detail that I appreciated. And since she doesn't answer and he sees the photo of her fighting a monster, we can immediately understand the feelings he'll have for the next couple of hours: fear and anguish that something bad might happen to her. After all, he had already seen, in episode 9, her being badly hitten in front of him, and this battle is even more dangerous. Unlike the manga, where he had never seen her fight and therefore he couldn't even really realize the danger she was in.

Oh, I was almost forgetting: blue smartphone! Only after all these episodes in which every time he shows something blue do I understand why they didn't give him blue eyes like in the manga: because he already had so much blue that even the eyes would have been too much (and maybe it would have been too much similar to Mamoru).

And here we skip to the last scene. I really liked this change that was made with respect to the manga. In the manga, Ichigo forgot about the appointment after the battle, she even happyly said to go back to the café with the others, and it is Minto who reminds her of Masaya. In New, on the other hand, Ichigo never forgets about him, even once the battle is won she is not as happy as in the manga, she remains sad and aloof because an hour has already passed, she couldn't warn Masaya and she's sure it's useless to go because he would have already returned home and from now on he won't want to speak to her anymore. But thanks to her friends, she takes courage and goes anyway, presumably arriving an additional hour late, because when she arrives it's dark (so she probably arrives at 20:00 instead of 18:00).

Wonderful that they put My Sweet Heart in the form of a ballad for an important scene like this, but then the scene where Ichigo runs to reach Masaya has a great meaning: it shows her full of guilt for her constant lying to him despite him has shown several times that he cares about her, and when she slips and falls she remains a bit on the ground in her dark thoughts before getting up. She is already sure first of all that he has gone home, and in any case that he will no longer want to speak to her. Arriving at the stadium, she at first doesn't see him and she's about to start crying, seeing her fears confirmed. But anyway she, going all the way, she wants to at least tell him how she feels about him before ending their relationship. Poor thing, how much pain this image gives me. In these two days everything happened to her, yet she always puts him first.

Small thing: I believed that at this point something would happen that in the end did not happen. Do you remember this scene from episode 7? In which she thinks the same line that she says out loud in the rain scene in the manga. I believed that they had chosen the path "she first thinks it, then here she says it". But no, they didn't do that, they just moved that line. But that's okay, she doesn't need to say goodbye to him thanking him. Her worried look is enough.

Now… I could write an essay on this scene, analyzing every little detail. Let's start by putting ourselves in his shoes. How does he feel here when he sees her in front of him? Masaya had been in distress for her the whole time of the battle. As the manga shows us in a flashback later, his concern for her was so great that he even wanted to run up to the tower to help her, but then he stayed there because he realized he couldn't do anything for her. The only thing he could do was waiting for her, not knowing anything if something had happened to her, if she was injured or even killed. Think how difficult it can be for a guy with as strong a protective instinct as him to realize that he can't actually do anything for her (by the way: it started in episode 9 and here it reaches its climax. First requirement for the Blue Knight checked). When he finally sees her coming, imagine what weight he feels lifted off him. But in the meantime the feelings of fear, anguish and worry have worked in him, he finally sees her arrive so eager to meet him despite the tiredness and the rain, that at first she doesn't even understand what to feel. And from the initial non-expression of him we see it. He doesn't know how to behave or what to think concretely.

But reality snaps inside him when she looks at him in this upset way. At this very moment he manages to shift into rationality what he felt for her all season, which tormented him not understanding what it was and which has grown continuously (second requirement for the Blue Knight, checked: he is ready to enter the scene next season). The moment he realizes it, he doesn't wait any longer and doesn't leave her in doubt and fear, he snaps and hugs her. He finally realized how much he loves her and how precious she is to him, knowing that he could have lost her that day.

It is wonderful that when he embraces her, the greyness disappears and the lights come on with their colors. Blue above and pink below, mixing and merging. We can actually see him for the first time with blue hair. I've already said it, but I love their difference in height and size. That she is so small compared to him and he has to bend his back and knees to be able to hug her.

Small digression: when you’re translating a work for a foreign audience, the dialogues shouldn’t be translated literally, they have to be adapted to convey to the aforementioned audience the same feelings that the original dialogue would transmit to native speakers. In such a context, "suki da" literally means "I like you" but actually it means "I love you". Take this Quora answer as an explenation. Our case is clearly the third one. This is the meaning that is conveyed to Japanese viewers, and this is what a translator has to convey to Western audiences when he adapts the dialogues.

And also ... no, here Masaya doesn’t say "I knew you would come", but "zutto matteta", "I have always waited for you". What was done here instead isn’t an adaptation, it’s a distortion that also contradicts his character and what actually happened. Masaya had absolutely no idea if Ichigo would eventually arrive or not, that's why he got so anguished and scared, but he still decided to wait for her anyway.

Among other things, the dubbing of this scene is something spectacular: he talks to her in a hoarse, almost rigid tone, you can feel how much he had been in anguish all that time, how shocked he is to have seen her in front of him and for realizing he loves her.

Let's realize for a moment what it means, for him, to hug someone. He has probably never hugged anyone in his life, but his love for her has become so strong and the feelings he feels at that moment upset him so much that he no longer has any barriers. She can't even believe it at first, and in fact, before hugging him in turn, she hesitates a moment, but then her expression is wonderful: she believed that between them it was over, that he would not even want to see her anymore, that the last thing she had to do before parting was to find the courage to tell him what she felt for him, and instead not only he isn't angry with her, but he precedes her by declaring himself first. She no longer thinks about seeking justification or wondering why he's not mad at her, she just enjoys the moment. What a sense of relief transpires from this image.

And there’s the big change from the manga, a change that I really liked: in the manga, at this point Masaya says that Ichigo's hair is all wet, and this is clearly an excuse to be able to start touching her. In short, we understand that in the manga he wants to go further with her, maybe even kiss her if she gives him the chance. But Ichigo, who is nervous throughout the scene, runs away from him as soon as she feels her ears have popped up. There's the scene of the misunderstanding, as in the manga Masaya doesn't yet know about her ears, and he, showing great respect for her feelings, thinks he has scared her and is willing to leave, despite having just realized how much she's important to him. She stops him just in time using her handkerchief to cover her head, declares herself from a distance remaining afraid and fearful, when he hugs her again she simply leans on him, praying the rain to not to stop for fear of being discovered. It's at this point that Masaya realizes that she has cat ears, but he decides to ignore it. Furthermore, he begs her not to go away again and to let herself be embraced. It's clear at this point that his intention was not just to hug her, but he would have liked to go further with her, but he must be content with this to not scare her. It was a scene that had always left me with a sense of dissatisfaction, a "it could have gone a certain way, but no, these two poor lovers, due to external circumstances never manage to go through with it ..."

In the anime, the scene has been rewritten, as it has happened for many scenes between the two of them, eliminating any sense of dissatisfaction in me. Here, Masaya notices Ichigo's ears before her, and quickly, before she gets too nervous, puts the handkerchief on her head himself to make her feel calm and prevent her from running away from him as happened the day before (among other things, looking at that scene several times, I think Masaya realizes right here about her ears, in episode 10 he still hadn't noticed them). Telling her that her hair is wet here is an excuse to put the handkerchief on her head, not to start touching her and going further with her. What a sweetheart anyway, with this excuse... he just said the first thing that came to his mind hoping that she would believe it (and you can hear it from his uncertain tone), because it's clear that as an excuse in itself it doesn't hold: they're continuing standing in the rain, her hair is already soaked, and his handkerchief will get wet too, but the excuse works and she calms down. At this point we have a wonderful scene, and beautifully drawn.

Now she is ready to declare herself as well, and he shows that he is a bit worried and does not know what to expect. "Maybe she wants to tell me the truth about her identity?", he thinks probably. He's so uncertain that he even takes his hands off her shoulders. And here we see her tears, so important that they are mentioned in the title of the episode. "Me too ...", she begins to say, looking at him with intensity. He doesn't understand immediatly. "Me too what?". He clearly doesn't expect a declaration from her too, he has the same expectant expression that he had at the end of episode 9, it's clear he still expects she wants to tell him the truth.

Here Ichigo has a slightly different expression from the shot from before. She has an even more intense look, with a love in her eyes that she had never had before. "I love you too," she tells him, but notice the way she tells him, in a very poetic way. Using "watashi" instead of "atashi", "anata" instead of "Aoyama-kun" (yes, as you may have noticed, Japanese often use the person's first name instead of the second person singular even while they are talking to said person, such as if they were talking about a third person) and "desu" instead of "da". She uses the formal, this means that it's a very serious declaration of love, and for her it's of great importance. And the way she says it… Yuuki Tenma really let herself go in this scene, with that trembling, soulful voice. And unlike manga, she can tell him fearlessly, in front of him and looking him into his eyes.

Wonderful. Absolutely amazing. Masaya crying for joy as he watches her after she confessed to him. Look what a wonderful expression he has. Happy, relieved, moved, in love, especially considering how important she is to him, how her love warmed the cold heart he had at the beginning of the series, making him acquire that humanity he didn't have and making him discover those feelings that he didn't even think he had. Masaya has no one else in life but her. Ichigo is the only deep bond he has, the only person he loves and who really matters to him, so we can remotely understand his feelings for her when we see him with this face. The tears of the title are not only Ichigo's, but are also his. And also the sigh that he lets go ... of relief because he reciprocates him, happiness, emotion. This sigh says a lot. I also wanted to point out one thing: did you notice that the last time he blushes with her is in episode 9? In this scene, she blushes, but he doesn't. Even in this he has grown up, his relationship with her has changed and he's no longer ashamed and insecure with her. Now he's sure and certain of their bond, he transmits his emotions in other ways, with expressions and tears, but, as we have also seen in episode 10, he's no longer shy and no longer feels embarrassed with her.

For the first time, as I mentioned earlier, I didn't feel dissatisfied in this scene. It is true, in a normal context, with such a declaration, a kiss would have been a must, but with the two of them, everything is perfect this way. Why? From Masaya's point of view: he just isn't ready to kiss her yet. In this scene he realized that he loved her deeply, he hugged her tightly, something that before now he probably hadn't done with anyone, and for the first time he cries with joy, letting go of his feelings, welcoming them without trying to hide them (as had happened in episode 3). For him there's a lot of stuff that happens in a few minutes, he's changing and becoming more and more human, but it happens step by step. He needs more time. A kiss would have been too much for his current development. He has already satisfied his desire for Ichigo that he had in episode 10, in which he wanted to be close to her and at least be able to touch her. And here he can do it, he can hug her and feel her hug without her being nervous and rejecting him. This is enough for him for now, he still can't go further. He will kiss her, sure, but that will happen later, when he'll be ready.

She, too, doesn't seem to expect a kiss at all at this point, and she isn't disappointed that he doesn't kiss her. She had arrived there, exhausted after two intense days of misadventures and fighting, thinking first of all that he wasn't there, then that he hated her and didn't want to see her anymore. Now he has embraced her for the first time, telling her that he loves her. She doesn't need anything else right now. She is tired, relieved because the situation has been resolved in the best way, after two intense days she has finally found peace in the arms of her love, and for now this is enough. It was the first time in which, in front of this scene, I did not really perceive that something was missing, unlike the manga where unfortunately it was clear that both could not let themselves go, she for fear, he for fear of frightening her.

And after the declaration, they hug again. Under the monsoons. A little longer there and Retasu would have passed by swimming next to them, in the same way as Snoopy here (seriously, I would have laughed so much if it actually happened 🤣)

They don't even think about going to take shelter somewhere before hugging each other again. At that moment there is no rain for them, there are only the two of them. They stay there, and their hug is different from both the manga and the previous hug. In the manga, Ichigo doesn't is in the moment, hugging him, but she stays leaned against him, here instead she hugs him tightly to make him understand even more how much she loves him. The way Masaya hugs her is different from how he did before. It's no longer a hug full of fear, anguishes of losing her. Now they have declared themselves, they are a couple, and he hugs her in a warm, tender and loving way. How much I love this screen. How much warmth and love it gives off. She who even stretching can barely reach his shoulder and hug him, and he who, in order to hug her, has to bend both his body and arms. Even if their faces are partially hidden, their expressions are clearly visible. Full of relief and happiness for having found each other and being together, now as boyfriend and girlfriend. She thinks "Please, please I need you to know how strongly I feel about you", and he is clearly feeling it.

His face is framed, eyes closed, completely lost in her, relieved, this time he whispers "suki da yo". "Yo" is a particle that serves to emphasize, so it’s a stronger "I love you" than before. It can be translated and adapted with "I love you so much". And he tells her in a really calm and happy tone, he has probably never been so happy in his life. And in a safe, loose way, without any shyness. By now he’s sure of the value he has for her and of the love that binds them, and he repeats it again. He too, like her, wants her to understand how strong he feels about her. Ichigo understands this very well, and emits a satisfied sigh and smiles happy and serene, close to him. Unlike the manga, there’s no nervousness from them, but they completely let themselves go to each other, without anything being able to interrupt them.

Think that this girl at the beginning of the first episode wanted to find a boyfriend only because she wanted to live an "high school love" experience. She certainly hadn't imagined that she would find the love of her life instead.

Another thing to point out: the fact that we have no way of seeing what happens after this scene. It's something I've always been curious about, I've always wondered: "but after the declaration of love, what happens? What do they do?" But the point is precisely this: whatever happens between them after the declaration, it is a private thing, which belongs only to the two of them. We don't have to see what they will do next, it's not our business.

A wonderful scene, a wonderful couple, a wonderful season. After so much effort, struggles, obstacles that have tried to separate them, these two lovers can finally be together and seal their relationship. I have no words, this TMMN has given me everything I wanted most, both for Masaya and for his relationship with Ichigo. I can't wait for April to arrive to be able to see what will happen in the second part of the story, which is so juicy and full of twists about the two of them.

[xion92]

TMMN: Masaya/Ichigo relationship, episode 11

Here I am, 2 weeks after ep 11 lol. But I hope you’ll enjoy this analysis, I’ll try to write the last episode one soon.

In this episode Masaya appears very little, but it’s interesting to analyze the development of the relationship from Ichigo's point of view. But first…

He doesn’t let her go neither when he’s asleep 😂

And by the way, it seems to me that this thing of "turning into a cat if you get excited" is something done a little ... randomly. Here, to transform herself, Masaya just needs to hold her while he sleeps. In the next episode, he hugs her, tells her “I love you” in the rain, and conveniently only her ears pop out, not even her tail. Mmmmh ...

However, as for Ichigo, I really appreciated that in this series her relationship with Masaya is made much more balanced. She loves him, and she loves him very much, as she proves over and over again, but she isn't completely obsessed with him as she appeared in the old series. In any case, her love for him is always very strong and is never questioned.

Poor thing, she has no idea how to go back to being a person, and in any case she cries thinking about their date that she risks losing.

Small digression: I really appreciated that, compared to the manga, this change has been made. Ichigo who, at Ryou's joke, quickly pulls back calling him stupid (yes, wrong subs again, she says “baka”, “stupid”, not “are you crazy?), instead of remaining confused and still as she did in the manga. In this series, she’s very loyal to Masaya and she practically never has doubts about the relationship with him. As well as the other scenes in the manga with her and Ryou have been watered down and it’s made clear that they’re nothing important. Let's all remember: the point of TMM's romance is not to find out who the protagonist will end with, but to see the love story start from the first episode and watch it grow and develop overcoming obstacles. It's something I really appreciate about this series.

Even once she’s going to fight, Ichigo thinks of Masaya, for the first time she thinks in the concrete that she loves him, and tries to mentally communicate to him that she’ll arrive in time, even if of course we know that she won’t. At the same time, however, I greatly appreciated that her relationship with him is balanced and healthy: for her it’s important to be a Mew Mew and her mission, not just to be with him. This is very fair, because even in real life, our life doesn’t have to completely revolve around our partner. In this way the relationship would be unhealty, their relationship instead is healthy and both of them have something else in life apart from the partner. Especially Ichigo. Masaya also has his interests and his life, but for him Ichigo represents something more also because he’s becoming a human person thanks to her, so that she’s a central point of his life is perfectly justified.

Here, what I had already pointed out in the analysis of episode 8 is reconfirmed: the series shows us the most important parts of their love life, but it certainly doesn’t show them all. Masaya and Ichigo are regularly together even off-screen, in episode 8 we learn that at school they meet regularly to chat and get to know each other better, in episode 10 they now go out together without their dates being treated as a special event anymore because now for them to hang out has become normal, and here we discover that in episode 9, after the end of the episode, they spent more time together walking along the river, again to talk and get to know each other more, as Masaya wanted to do in episode 7. I’ve already said but I repeat: it’s a relationship built very well, healthy and solid, and at this point they know each other very well, and it has laid all the conditions and foundations for their declaration of love at the end of the season.

Poor love that will wait in vain ... but let's take the opportunity to make a comparison. Let's compare Masaya in two similar situations, who is waiting for Ichigo for a date, but one is at the end of episode 11, the other is in the first episode. Do you see the difference in expression and mood? On the right, he has just seen Ichigo arrive and gives one of the tight smiles that he usually gave at the beginning. On the left, Ichigo hasn't even arrived yet, yet look at what a spontaneous expression, how happy and excited he is at the thought of seeing her. Without a doubt, she is the best characterized male character in the series. A slow but continuous growth that continues episode by episode. A true and worthy male protagonist.

[xion92]

A honest Quiche analysis (in Italian)

Today is Quiche's birthday, sooo it's the right time for me to write down my thoughts about him. He's not exactly my favourite character (euphemism), but I've never written anything about him so far. I've written a lot about Masaya and Ichisaya, in every sauce, but never about Quiche. Going against my habits, I'll post this analysis in Italian (I know, I'm lazy), but you can use google translate. First and last time I write about him, because, as you will read later, there isn't really anything else I could say about his character.

Vorrei soffermarmi ora su Quiche, e vorrei trattarlo in maniera approfondita, perché ho sempre un grosso punto interrogativo sulla testa quando si arriva a questo personaggio. Per essere chiara, non riesco a capire perché sia un personaggio che gode di così ampio consenso in una certa parte del fandom. Chiaramente non può essere per la sua costruzione, perché Quiche soffre di tanti problemi quando si arriva a questo punto. Certamente il suo più grosso problema è l’essere stato praticamente copia-incollato dal manga. Tutti i personaggi del manga avevano dei difetti di caratterizzazione più o meno grandi, ma nella trasposizione gli autori si sono curati di correggerli e ampliare i personaggi. Gli unici che potevano essere lasciati così com’erano erano quelli che anche nell’originale si reggevano bene, come Tart e Keiichirou. Quiche invece com’era nel manga l’hanno preso e l’hanno trasferito nell’anime, aggiungendo solo qualcosina che però non corregge nulla degli enormi problemi che aveva nel materiale di base, e anzi in certi casi lo peggiora.

Iniziamo dal principio: Quiche è un personaggio che ha la caratteristica di ruotare quasi interamente attorno a un altro personaggio, cioè Ichigo, e non lo dico esagerando. Dal momento in cui la vede si ossessiona all’istante e non fa altro che pensare a lei, sia durante le battaglie, sia sull’astronave, sia quando fa qualunque cosa, lascia le battaglie anzitempo quando lei non c’è perché senza di lei non si diverte, addirittura passa dall’ossessione per Ichigo all’ossessione per il Cavaliere Blu per gelosia (non lo dice chiaramente ma il motivo è facilmente intuibile). Okay, è un personaggio satellite di un altro e ci può stare, il problema è che non viene mai spiegato né mostrato in alcun modo il perché. Soprattutto perché per tutta la durata della storia non ci interagisce praticamente mai e quindi non arriverà mai minimamente a conoscerla, come è quindi possibile una cosa del genere? Semplicemente Quiche trova Ichigo divertente, ma è questa una giustificazione e costruzione accettabile e profonda? Un ragazzino infantile che trova un giocattolo con cui divertirsi? E perché solo lei e non le altre Mew Mew? Nulla ci viene mostrato e nulla ci viene spiegato. Ma ci rendiamo conto di che gigantesco difetto di caratterizzazione sia? Un personaggio che ruota attorno a un altro senza un perché?

E questo non è tutto: Quiche ha dei problemi psicologici evidenti che gli altri due alieni non hanno, il che significa che questi tratti caratteriali sono peculiari suoi, e non sono la norma per la sua specie. Viene forse spiegato o mostrato qualcosa sul suo passato che possa averlo fatto diventare così folle? Una backstory che lo approfondisca un po’, qualcosa? Assolutamente no. Quindi abbiamo un personaggio che non ha un fondamento e non ha una motivazione per il suo modo di comportarsi, e già si parte molto male. Vabbè, ma magari anche se parte senza basi, potrà comunque avere uno sviluppo adeguato, no? No. Quiche è un personaggio statico (o meglio, che “cresce” a scatti solo nell’ultimo quarto di storia) che considera Ichigo semplicemente il suo giocattolo, senza uno straccio di evoluzione o cambiamento per i tre quarti della serie, e poi, dal nulla, in uno degli ultimi episodi, si mette a piangere perché Ichigo non lo ama, in perfetto stile incel. Così. Senza una costruzione, una crescita, qualcosa che giustifichi questo cambiamento. È un cambiamento appunto a scatto, totalmente casuale e non supportato da alcunché. Certo, ci può sempre essere la possibilità che in quella scena stesse fingendo e stesse solo cercando di manipolarla, visto che in questo sembra essere bravo (lo fa con Minto e anche con Masaya), ma a me non sembravano affatto lacrime finte, il che, paradossalmente, è molto peggio. Se fosse stata una finta sarebbe stato quantomeno coerente con la caratterizzazione avuta fino ad ora. Veramente, a meno che questo alieno abbia problemi di personalità multiple, la cosa non ha alcun senso. Aggiungiamo anche il fatto che questo povero cristo cerchi di indagare sul Cavaliere Blu per un quarto della serie, e poi non è che “arrivi” a capirne l’identità tramite ragionamento, raccogliendo indizi e prove, ma ha letteralmente, semplicemente una visione, anche questa non giustificata e che di fatto annulla tutti gli sforzi che aveva fatto prima per arrivare a capire chi fosse, in quanto non c’è nessun collegamento con ciò che ha osservato prima su di lui e quello che ha “capito” poi. Quindi niente, accantoniamo anche le sue capacità di indagini e deduttive.

Oltretutto la sua improvvisa ribellione a Profondo Blu alla fine della serie è ugualmente senza senso e tirata fuori dal nulla, perché: PB è un dio, dal punto di vista degli alieni, positivo e che li voleva davvero aiutare; inoltre Quiche, per tutta la serie, è fedele a PB tanto quanto Pie, senza mai uno sprazzo di dubbio, quindi, per la seconda volta, che cambi all’improvviso idea solo per difendere una terrestre che neanche conosce e con cui non ha quasi mai interagito, senza un’indagine psicologica, un’evoluzione, niente, che lo giustifichi, quando fino a poche ore prima la avrebbe ammazzata perché non voleva stare con lui, dimostra ancora una volta la sua scrittura povera. L’unica giustificazione che potrebbe avere è il classico pensiero malato “se la ammazzo io va bene, ma se lo fa qualcun altro no”, che non sarebbe neanche lontano dalla realtà, visto che aveva provato a strangolarla poche ore prima, e se non era riuscito ad ucciderla era solo perché Masaya era intervenuto, non certo per un suo ripensamento all’ultimo. Ha infine un ultimo scatto di crescita “a caso” nell’ultima puntata quando, tornato in vita, dopo una serie intera passata a imporsi su Ichigo, dichiara che tutto quello che desidera è la sua felicità. Anche questo cambiamento, che dovrebbe rappresentare la maturazione del personaggio, viene fatto senza nessun approfondimento, spiegazione o giustificazione. Perché così all’improvviso? Forse perché si è reso conto che è stato proprio l’amore di Ichigo e Masaya a guarire il suo pianeta? Potrebbe essere, ma non viene accennato nemmeno uno straccio di spiegazione. Ironicamente, potrei pensare che questo improvviso cambio di idea l’abbia avuto perché l’esperienza di morire e poi resuscitare gli ha fatto bene alla testa, in fondo non è una cosa che ti capita tutti i giorni. Lo so che probabilmente la spiegazione non è questa ma, per quello che la serie ci ha mostrato, avrei tutto il diritto di pensarlo (d’altra parte, quando hanno fatto lo sforzo minimo di dargli uno straccio di motivazione con una battuta aggiunta lo hanno affossato ancora di più, considerando che tale battuta è “è la prima volta che una ragazza mi abbraccia”. Se non avessero aggiunto niente del tutto al suo personaggio rispetto al manga ne sarebbe uscito meglio e con più dignità).

Ora, fatta questa analisi, mi si può spiegare come mai questo personaggio piace così tanto? Veramente basta che un cattivo abbia un buon design e faccia delle facce da psicopatico per avere un consenso così grande? Cavoli, ma allora non mi stupisco affatto che lo staff di New non si sia minimamente preoccupato di caratterizzarlo e ampliarlo rispetto al manga, e quando ci ha provato lo ha di fatto peggiorato. Se alle sue fan basta così poco per apprezzarlo, perché sforzarsi di dargli una base, una backstory e delle motivazioni? Io me li vedo durante la scrittura del terzo episodio, in cui si era accennato a uno sprazzo di profondità del personaggio che poteva essere ben sviluppato, ma che non è stato toccato mai più. “Ragazzi, ho appena inserito questa frase aggiunta a Quiche che si incuriosisce che Ichigo salva le sue compagne, quando credeva che i terrestri fossero egoisti. Ora nelle prossime puntate dobbiamo sviluppare questo tema.” “Ma no, non serve. Basta che compaia in scena e le sue fan fanno la ola, non stiamo a sprecarci tempo.” Mi pare accurato.

[xion92]

No analysis this week for obvious reasons, I only want to report an accurate reconstruction of a staff dialogue about this episode.

Staff: “uff, so much stuff in this episode! We also had to get rid of the eyecatch, but we managed to get it all in!” Director: "...but you haven't even put in an ichisaya moment!!" Staff: "but sir, there wasn't enough space... and then it's not an important thing for the episode..." Director: “I don't care, even if it were 10 seconds, but there must be a moment for them, insert it!!” Staff: “yessir!”

Got it? This episode is so full of stuff that they had to remove the eyecatch because otherwise they couldn't fit everything in it. And yet... they still wanted to insert a few ichisaya seconds, even if they weren't important to the plot of the episode, because yes. Because they care about them and want us to see that, even when they're not together, they talk to each other on whatsapp and always make the other know what they're doing. These little things that define better their relationship and make us clear they're always in each other's mind.

Accurate translation:

Masaya: are you working today too?

Ichigo: yeah, that’s right. Do your best at club activities! (it’s “ganbatte”, so she’s cheering him, not saying “have fun”, which was odd)

Masaya: thank you

And obviously Bu-ling always minding Ichigo’s private business. I can imagine her when Masaya and Ichigo make love for the first time. “Then, who started stripping who?” lol

[xion92]

Will you do a singular Lettuce/Ryou relationship analysis for episode 16?

I'd like to do it but I don't think I'm the right person for it. @wotcherangie has already written many analyzes very well and I agree with all of them, I wouldn't be as good as her, probably because I'm not into ryotasu as much as ichisaya.

However, if I have to give my opinion, ryotasu is one of these couples I'd absolutely love so much if it concretised. It has all the possibilities and potential, but... it didn't even begin. I usually don't care about couples that are couples only in fans' head and don't exist in the actual story. So when I finished watching the episode I felt very bittered and sad (and even angry with Ryo), because I'd have liked for ryotasu to become real, but... it lasted for a night. Next day, I was already back to my beloved Masaya/Ichigo, hoping and rooting for them for the next episodes.

A fun thing I have to tell: about the other "possible ship" with Retasu... a few days ago I was rewatching episode 2. I was at the point where BK defeated Pie, and he said "combat analysis complete". And in that moment I, who never cared or even thought at all about pietasu, realised something and said (not thought, I really said loudly in front of PC): "what did Retasu do so wrong to be shipped with a guy like this?"

And this, in a nutshell, is my opinion about the "other ship" with Retasu 😆

[xion92]

I literally have no words after the last episode...

I’ll write a complete review of the series soon, and I’m happy I paused the ichisaya analysis, because I wanted to have a complete view of the series before going on. But now I can reprise to write and publish them.

I can only say, for now, that Tokyo Mew Mew New fulfilled a wish I had for 20 years. I couldn’t have asked for nothing more.

[xion92]

Do you think the subbers don’t like Ichigo and Mayasa? From Kish supposedly calling him a third wheel, when it’s just you’re in the way the confession scene translated wrong and now using crazy instead of stupid to Ryou watering down the insult gotta say I’m now slightly suspicious I feel like the og anime didn’t like him and highly preferred Ryou from rewatching and comparing how both characters are treated or I’m just seeing something not there either way thanks for all the analysis!

Mmmh, honestly I don't think she has anything in particular against them. I noticed those mistakes bc I mainly focus on ichisaya relationship, but I'm sure there are others scattered through the episodes. But the important thing are not the subs, but the actual anime.

I agree in the old one the writers preferred Ryou over him, but it's not the case in New. In New, he's the best written male character of the series, every episode, even those where he appears little, show us something different about him, the different sides of his personality, his flaws and difficults, and he's frequently put to the test to overcome his obstacles, and his growth and change are very clear. They expanded his scenes to show him better, they clearly care for him and his relationship with Ichigo. I'm completely satisfied with him in the first season, and I'm sure he'll be great even in the next one!

Thank you for your support!

[xion92]

Will you write any “ichisaya” analysis about episode 12? I really like them! :))

Thank you for your question! I've just posted the analysis of ep 11. The episode 12 is arriving soon! 😁