Ask John: Could Tokyo Mew Mew Be License Rescued?

Question:
Will Tokyo Mew Mew be relicensed by a another company?

Answer:
Interestingly, arguably prior to the 2004 debut of Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha, there was little if any need to distinguish the qualifying categorizations “bishoujo” and “shoujo” when discussing magical girl anime. With only rare exceptions like Cutey Honey and Nurse Witch Komugi-chan, magical girl anime were anime starring cute girls, targeted at a preadolescent female audience, thus simultaneously “bishoujo” and “shoujo” anime. However, the introduction of anime including 2004’s Lyrical Nanoha and 2005’s Okusama wa Mahou Shoujo introduced a new genre of magical girl anime not intended for the typical shoujo anime audience but rather for an older male audience. That new niche has expanded with anime including Cho Henshin Cos-prayers, Chikyu Shoujo Arjuna, Getsumento Heiki Mina, Nanatsuiro Drops, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Hokago no Pleiades, Kaito Tenshi Twin Angel, and Kore wa Zombie Desu ka?, to name a few. While shoujo magical girl anime have always been under-represented on the American market, they seem to have vanished entirely in America’s post-crash home video market.

Excluding titles limited to online streaming, provided my recollection is accurate, since 2008 a total of zero shoujo magical girl anime have been licensed for American home video release. FUNimation did license-rescue the 2001 Shin Shirayuki Hime Densetsu Pretear television series this past February, but considering that Junichi Sato & Kaori Naruse’s original manga was published in Asuka Magazine, the story arguably skews toward an older shoujo audience than typical magical girl anime. Over the past five years, contemporary shoujo magical girl anime including Fushigiboshi no Futagohime, Demashita! Powerpuff Girls Z, Shugo Chara!, Pretty Cure, and Sugar Sugar Rune have gone unlicensed for American DVD. Classic mahou shoujo anime including Akazukin Chacha, Maho no Yosei Persia, Maho no Princess Minky Momo, Hime-chan no Ribbon, Maho no Idol Pastel Yumi, Maho no Tenshi Creamy Mami, Maho no Angel Sweet Mint, and Himitsu no Akko-chan have remained unavailable in America. Expired American licenses for Card Captor Sakura, Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch, and Ojamajo Doremi have not been renewed or re-acquired. In light of these facts and the prolificacy of contemporary American DVD and Blu-ray acquisitions for anime from other genres, the probability of an American license rescue for Tokyo Mew Mew seems extremely limited.

These days, the majority of anime licensed for domestic home video release are either high profile shounen titles or otaku-oriented niche anime. There simply aren’t enough hardcore anime disc collectors left in America, and not enough mainstream distribution channels, to support the acquisition and physical distribution of conventional shoujo anime in America anymore. While titles including Card Captor Sakura, Corrector Yui, Full Moon wo Sagashite, Princess Tutu, Saint Tail, Ground Defense Force! Mao-chan, and Fancy Lala did get licensed and released domestically prior to 2008, the only variety of magical girl anime that gets licensed in the post-crash industry is male otaku-oriented anime including Papillon Rose, Madoka Magica, Uta Kata, Yumeria, and Kore wa Zombie Desu ka?