Famed Tokyo Mew Mew manga artist Mia Ikumi passed away on March 7 after subarachnoid hemorrhage, Kodansha’s Nakayoshi magazine confirmed earlier today. Ikumi has been supervising the Tokyo Mew Mew Nyu anime for the past two years. The anime is set to release in July of this year, along with a special revised edition of the original Tokyo Mew Mew manga.
The notice made by the Nakayoshi editorial department also states that she drew the new covers for the revised edition of the manga. The new edition of the manga was announced earlier this year, as a way to commemorate the new anime announcement. In addition to this, Ikumi was also working on new panels that were meant to be included in each of the volumes. The announcement says that they received some, but not all of the finalized versions.
Mia Ikumi made her debut in Nakayoshi magazine with a manga adaptation of Super Doll Licca-chan anime in 1998. In 2000, Tokyo Mew Mew manga started serialization. The manga was written by Reiko Yoshida, while Ikumi provided the art. The manga ran from 2000 to 2003, with a sequel titled Tokyo Mew Mew a la Mode that started in 2003 and ended in 2004. The sequel was written and illustrated by Mia Ikumi. Tokyo Mew Mew: 2020 Re-Turn – a 2-chapter sequel to the original series, ran from 2019 to 2020, with Reiko Yoshida returning to write the story.
Other works by Mia Ikumi include Koi Cupid, Repure, Only One Wish, and K’.
Source: Nakayoshi’s Editorial Department
Featured image: ©Mia Ikumi, Reiko Yoshida, Kodansha / Tokyo Mew Mew Nyu Production Committee