Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch
Encyclopedia
is a shōjo manga and anime
series created by Michiko Yokote
, with artwork by Pink Hanamori
. The manga
was originally published in the monthly shōjo manga anthology Nakayoshi
. There are 32 chapters published (including two special stories) and are compiled into seven volumes issued by Kodansha
.
A 91-episode anime series was produced by TV Aichi, divided into two seasons, aired in Japan from April 2003 to December 2004. The first season is composed of 52 episodes, while the second, entitled Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch Pure, lasted for 39.
Princess
of the North Pacific Ocean, sets out to land to find the boy she saved from a tsunami wave seven years before the beginning of the story, to whom she had entrusted her pink pearl
. She eventually finds the boy: a surfer named Kaito Dōmoto. But as the human form Lucia assumed, named Lucia Nanami, bears very little resemblance to her mermaid form, Kaito cannot recognize her. She cannot tell Kaito who she really is; otherwise, according to mermaid folklore, she would turn into sea-foam. She tries to convince Kaito into figuring out who she really is (since the legend does not say anything about the other person discovering a mermaid's true identity by himself).
At the same time, Lucia has been told that a group of water demons or suiyō (水妖) have invaded the marine world and she must gather the six other Mermaid Princesses and their pearls to bring back the legendary goddess, Aqua Regina, to stop them. To fulfill this, she joins forces with Hanon and Rina, Mermaid Princesses who came up to dry land, use their pearls, turn into singing idols
, and use their voices as an offensive power.
volumes by Kodansha
, the first six containing five chapters each and final one having two. They were released between March 20, 2003 and April 30, 2005.
Del Rey Manga
acquired the rights to publish the manga for the North American audience. It began releasing the manga on April 2006 under the title Pichi Pichi Pitch: Mermaid Melody. The English translations of the seven volumes were released from April 25, 2006 to October 30, 2007. The seventh volume, aside from the final two chapters, also contains two preview chapters from other manga.
ADV Films acquired the license to the anime on June 2004 for its North America
n release, but was eventually dropped due to difficulty in finding backers and securing a TV airing deal. While the acquisition of the license and the production of the English anime predated that of the manga, it is unknown if a release will occur. That is because as of 2009, the anime has been completely dubbed but is being held by TV Aichi.
A total of six theme songs were composed for the anime. The first opening theme, by Miyuki Kanbe
, and the first ending theme by Asumi Nakata
, are used in the first 28 episodes. For 29th to the 52nd episodes, "Rainbow Notes♪" by Kanbe and by Nakata, Hitomi Terakado, and Mayumi Asano
, are the second opening and ending themes respectively. For Pure, the opening theme is "Before the Moment" by Eri Kitamura
while by Nakata, Terakado, and Asano is the ending song.
Mermaid songs:
Other songs: by Miki Tsuchiya and Noriko Shitaya
by Miki Tsuchiya and Noriko Shitaya by Sanae Kobayashi
by Megumi Kojima by Masayo Kurata
's Game Boy Advance
console during the original run of the anime. All the games featured multiplayer capabilities, but required each player to have his or her own copy of the game in order to play.
's Melissa Harper managed to only review the second volume of the manga and commented that while it has good visuals, its story is too childish in some of its elements.
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
series created by Michiko Yokote
Michiko Yokote
is a Japanese screenwriter. In facts it's a team of screenwriters: they use this name because they are coordinated by a woman named Michiko.-Tokusatsu:*Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger*Mahou Sentai Magiranger*Jūken Sentai Gekiranger*Tensou Sentai Goseiger-Anime:...
, with artwork by Pink Hanamori
Pink Hanamori
is a Japanese manga artist known for illustrating the manga Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch which was written by Michiko Yokote. Michiyo Kikuta once worked under Hanamori as an assistant...
. The manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
was originally published in the monthly shōjo manga anthology Nakayoshi
Nakayoshi
is a shōjo manga magazine published by Kodansha in Japan. First published in December 1954, it is a long-running magazine with over 50 years worth of manga publication history. The target demographic for Nakayoshi is aimed at young girls between...
. There are 32 chapters published (including two special stories) and are compiled into seven volumes issued by Kodansha
Kodansha
, the largest Japanese publisher, produces the manga magazines Nakayoshi, Afternoon, Evening, and Weekly Shonen Magazine, as well as more literary magazines such as Gunzō, Shūkan Gendai, and the Japanese dictionary Nihongo Daijiten. The company has its headquarters in Bunkyō, Tokyo...
.
A 91-episode anime series was produced by TV Aichi, divided into two seasons, aired in Japan from April 2003 to December 2004. The first season is composed of 52 episodes, while the second, entitled Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch Pure, lasted for 39.
Plot
Lucia, MermaidMermaid
A mermaid is a mythological aquatic creature with a female human head, arms, and torso and the tail of a fish. A male version of a mermaid is known as a "merman" and in general both males and females are known as "merfolk"...
Princess
Princess
Princess is the feminine form of prince . Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or his daughters....
of the North Pacific Ocean, sets out to land to find the boy she saved from a tsunami wave seven years before the beginning of the story, to whom she had entrusted her pink pearl
Pearl
A pearl is a hard object produced within the soft tissue of a living shelled mollusk. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pearl is made up of calcium carbonate in minute crystalline form, which has been deposited in concentric layers. The ideal pearl is perfectly round and smooth, but many other...
. She eventually finds the boy: a surfer named Kaito Dōmoto. But as the human form Lucia assumed, named Lucia Nanami, bears very little resemblance to her mermaid form, Kaito cannot recognize her. She cannot tell Kaito who she really is; otherwise, according to mermaid folklore, she would turn into sea-foam. She tries to convince Kaito into figuring out who she really is (since the legend does not say anything about the other person discovering a mermaid's true identity by himself).
At the same time, Lucia has been told that a group of water demons or suiyō (水妖) have invaded the marine world and she must gather the six other Mermaid Princesses and their pearls to bring back the legendary goddess, Aqua Regina, to stop them. To fulfill this, she joins forces with Hanon and Rina, Mermaid Princesses who came up to dry land, use their pearls, turn into singing idols
Teen idol
A teen idol is a celebrity who is widely idolized by teenagers; he or she is often young but not necessarily teenaged. Often teen idols are actors or pop singers, but some sports figures have an appeal to teenagers. Some teen idols began their careers as child actors...
, and use their voices as an offensive power.
Manga
The original manga, created by Yokote with illustrations by Hanamori, began serializing in the September 2002 issue of Nakayoshi. There are a total of 32 chapters, with final one published on the April 2005 issue of the said magazine (released March 2005). There are a total of seven tankōbonTankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
volumes by Kodansha
Kodansha
, the largest Japanese publisher, produces the manga magazines Nakayoshi, Afternoon, Evening, and Weekly Shonen Magazine, as well as more literary magazines such as Gunzō, Shūkan Gendai, and the Japanese dictionary Nihongo Daijiten. The company has its headquarters in Bunkyō, Tokyo...
, the first six containing five chapters each and final one having two. They were released between March 20, 2003 and April 30, 2005.
Del Rey Manga
Del Rey Manga
was the manga-publishing imprint of Del Rey Books, a branch of Ballantine Books, which in turn is part of Random House, the publishing division of Bertelsmann. It was formed as part of a cross-publishing relationship with Japanese publisher Kodansha. Some of the Del Rey titles, such as Tsubasa...
acquired the rights to publish the manga for the North American audience. It began releasing the manga on April 2006 under the title Pichi Pichi Pitch: Mermaid Melody. The English translations of the seven volumes were released from April 25, 2006 to October 30, 2007. The seventh volume, aside from the final two chapters, also contains two preview chapters from other manga.
Anime
An anime adaptation produced by TV Aichi, We've, and Synergy SP and directed by Yoshitaka Fujimoto aired in Japan in two seasons. The first season, simply named Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch and covers manga chapters 1 to 20, aired between April 5, 2003 and March 27, 2004. They were compiled into 14 DVD volumes. The second season, Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch Pure, which adapts events from chapters 21 to 30, was aired between April 3 to December 25, 2004. Unlike the first season, Pure was compiled into two DVD box sets containing a total of 11 discs.ADV Films acquired the license to the anime on June 2004 for its North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
n release, but was eventually dropped due to difficulty in finding backers and securing a TV airing deal. While the acquisition of the license and the production of the English anime predated that of the manga, it is unknown if a release will occur. That is because as of 2009, the anime has been completely dubbed but is being held by TV Aichi.
A total of six theme songs were composed for the anime. The first opening theme, by Miyuki Kanbe
Miyuki Kanbe
was a Japanese model and actress from Kanagawa Prefecture employed by the talent agency Rouge.She is best remembered for her portrayal of Sailor Moon in the Sailor Moon musicals ; other credits include Battle Royale II , Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch , Kamen Rider Hibiki...
, and the first ending theme by Asumi Nakata
Asumi Nakata
is a female seiyū and a Japanese child model who was born in Tokyo, Japan. She is 173 cm tall.She belonged to the talent agency Crayon, subsequently to Five Eight and Switch 58...
, are used in the first 28 episodes. For 29th to the 52nd episodes, "Rainbow Notes♪" by Kanbe and by Nakata, Hitomi Terakado, and Mayumi Asano
Mayumi Asano
is a Japanese voice actress who was formerly part of Production Baobab.-Television animation:*Angel Sanctuary OVA *Angelic Layer *Armored Core: Last Raven *Bleach *Blood+...
, are the second opening and ending themes respectively. For Pure, the opening theme is "Before the Moment" by Eri Kitamura
Eri Kitamura
is a Japanese voice actress and singer, who was born on August 16, 1987 in Tokyo, Japan. She is primarily known for her role in Blood+ as Saya Otonashi and singing the third ending for the anime series Konjiki No Gash Bell . She is also known to be an amateur manga artist in Japan in her spare time...
while by Nakata, Terakado, and Asano is the ending song.
Other music
There are also other pieces of music used in the anime, either as battle songs performed by the Mermaid Princesses or their enemies or as insert songs. All songs listed below are compiled in several character singles, soundtrack, and vocal albums (which also include the theme songs listed above):Mermaid songs:
- "Legend of Mermaid" by Asumi Nakata, Hitomi Terakado, and Mayumi Asano by Asumi Nakata
- "Ever Blue" by Hitomi Terakado
- "Star Jewel" by Mayumi Asano
- "Super Love Songs!" by Asumi Nakata, Hitomi Terakado, and Mayumi Asano
- "Splash Dream" by Asumi Nakata by Ema KogureEma Kogureis a Japanese voice actress who works for Mausu Promotion. She was born in Osaka Prefecture, but was raised in Adachi, Tokyo.-Television animation:*Chrono Crusade *Codename: Kids Next Door *Gilgamesh...
- "Kizuna" (lit. "Bonds") by Asumi Nakata, Hitomi Terakado, and Mayumi Asano by Asumi Nakata, Hitomi Terakado, and Mayumi Asano
- "Return to the Sea" by Kana UedaKana Uedais a Japanese Seiyū employed by I'm Enterprise. She is best known as the voices of Yumi Fukuzawa in Maria-sama ga Miteru, Rin Tohsaka in Fate/Stay Night and Hayate Yagami in Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A's and Strikers...
- "Kodou ~Perfect Harmony~" (lit. "Heartbeat ~Perfect Harmony~") primarily by Asumi Nakata, Hitomi Terakado, Mayumi Asano, and Ema Kogure (second version includes Satomi AraiSatomi Araiis a Japanese voice actress from Saitama Prefecture affiliated with Yūrin Pro.-Television Animation:2003*Digimon Frontier *Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch 2004*Fafner in the Azure...
and Ryoko NagataRyoko Nagatais a seiyū who works for Vi-Vo.- Anime :*Azumanga Daioh *Black Blood Brothers *Canvas 2 ~Niji Iro no Sketch~ *Geneshaft...
; third version also includes Kana Ueda) - "Mother Symphony" by Asumi Nakata, Hitomi Terakado, and Mayumi Asano by Hitomi Terakado
- "Piece of Love" by Mayumi Asano by Asumi Nakata, Hitomi Terakado, and Mayumi Asano
- "Beautiful Wish" by Seira Eri Kitamura primarily by Asumi Nakata, Hitomi Terakado, and Mayumi Asano (second version also includes Ema Kogure, Satomi Arai and Ryoko Nagata; third version also includes Eri Kitamura)
- "Birth Of Love" by Seira (Eri Kitamura)
Other songs: by Miki Tsuchiya and Noriko Shitaya
Noriko Shitaya
is a Japanese voice actress who works for 81 Produce.-Anime television:2000* Hamtaro, Sumire-chan, Tsutomu-kun2001* Parappa the Rapper Gallery * Alien Nine , Kasumi Tōmine2002* Mirage of Blaze...
by Miki Tsuchiya and Noriko Shitaya by Sanae Kobayashi
Sanae Kobayashi
is a voice actress who was born in Shizuoka Prefecture. She is affiliated with Production Baobab.-Television Animation:*.hack//Liminality as Mai Minase*.hack//Roots as Ender*.hack//Roots as Pi...
by Megumi Kojima by Masayo Kurata
Masayo Kurata
Masayo Kurata is a seiyū from Yokkaichi, Mie.- Shows :* Kindergarten girl, Kyoko's follower, and others in Angelic Layer* Rakshata from Code Geass* Jill from Fushigiboshi no Futagohime...
- "Oh Yeah! Alala" by Masayo Kurata by Junko MinagawaJunko Minagawais a Japanese voice actress affiliated with Haikyo. She is well known for voicing young boys, although she has done "feminine" lady roles, as well as flirtatious women. She has also sang some of the openings and endings of the anime Prince of Tennis as well as vocal tracks and singles for this...
by Ryoko ShintaniRyoko Shintaniis a voice actress and singer from Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan. She is under the Lantis and Vi-vo Recording Label and famous as the voice of Milfeulle Sakuraba in the Galaxy Angel Series...
Video games
Three video games (developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Japan) were released on NintendoNintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
's Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
console during the original run of the anime. All the games featured multiplayer capabilities, but required each player to have his or her own copy of the game in order to play.
- Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch (released October 9, 2003) - Inspired by Dance Dance RevolutionDance Dance RevolutionDance Dance Revolution, abbreviated DDR, and previously known as Dancing Stage in Europe and Australasia, is a music video game series produced by Konami. Introduced in Japan in 1998 as part of the Bemani series, and released in North America and Europe in 1999, Dance Dance Revolution is the...
. This included eight songs from the anime. - Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch Pichi Pichi Party (released December 18, 2003) - A "virtual board game" similar to the Mario PartyMario Partyis a party video game for the Nintendo 64 game console, developed by Hudson Soft and published by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on December 14, 1998, in North America on February 8, 1999, and in Europe on March 9, 1999...
series. - Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch Pichi Pichitto Live Start! (released March 18, 2004) - Similar to the first Mermaid Melody game. This included fourteen songs from the anime, as well as several mini-games. Although this game (along with the first one) is a KonamiKonamiis a Japanese leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines, arcade cabinets and video games...
-developed music video gameMusic video gameA music video game, also commonly known as a music game, is a video game where the gameplay is meaningfully and often almost entirely oriented around the player's interactions with a musical score or individual songs...
, it is not considered part of the BemaniBemaniis Konami's music video game division. Originally named the Games & Music Division, or simply G.M.D., it changed its name in honor of its first and most successful game, Beatmania, and expanded into other music-based games.-Bemani video games:...
series.
Reception
Reviews for the English manga have been generally unfavorable. Robert Harris of Mania.com has managed to score all of its volumes Cs and below, even going insofar as to rate its 7th and final volume an F-, making it the only manga series on site to receive such a score. Meanwhile, Anime News NetworkAnime News Network
Anime News Network is an anime industry news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, Japanese popular music and other otaku-related culture within North America, Australia and Japan. Additionally, it sometimes features similar happenings throughout the Anglosphere and elsewhere in the...
's Melissa Harper managed to only review the second volume of the manga and commented that while it has good visuals, its story is too childish in some of its elements.
External links
- Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch: Official website of the anime at TV Tokyo