Manga artist and writer Mia Ikumi, best known for her contributions to Tokyo Mew Mew, has passed away at the age of 42.
Per Anime News Network, the artist died as a result of a subarachnoid hemorrhage on March 7. Her family held a private funeral thereafter.
Ikumi first forayed into manga storytelling with The Sleeping Princess of Berry Forest, which was published when she was just 18 years old. In the subsequent years, her work would appear serialized in shoujo manga magazine Nakayoshi, among other mediums. Ikumi's first serialized story in Nakayoshi -- later published in two volumes by Kodansha Comics -- was Super Doll Licca-chan, based on the 1998-99 anime of the same name.
Not long after Ikumi broke out with Super Doll Licca-chan, the artist teamed up with co-writer Reiko Yoshida to create Tokyo Mew Mew. The manga, which follows five girls with the ability to transform into powered hybrid beings based on various endangered animals, was a near-instant success. The manga debuted in Nakayoshi in September 2000 and ran until February 2003, during which the series was also released by Kodansha in volume form. By spring 2002, an anime based on the manga premiered on Japanese TV, running for 52 episodes. Shortly after the anime ended, Ikumi wrote and illustrated a sequel called Tokyo Mew Mew à la Mode, published in Nakayoshi through February 2004.
Tokyo Mew Mew made its way to North America as a result of its explosive popularity in Japan. The manga and its sequel were published in English volumes from 2004-05, with an updated omnibus released in 2011. German, Danish, Swedish, French and Spanish versions were also produced. The English-dubbed edit of the anime series -- re-titled Mew Mew Power -- aired in 2005 in the U.S. and became 4Kids TV's highest-rated show during its broadcast.
In the wake of Tokyo Mew Mew, Ikumi returned to solo manga work with Repure (2004), Koi Cupid (2005-08) and Only One Wish (2005). After a lengthy hiatus, Ikumi resurfaced as a mangaka in 2019 to produce a short Tokyo Mew Mew sequel story. The artist collaborated with writer Yoshida once again for Tokyo Mew Mew 2020 Re-Turn, which was also serialized in Nakayoshi.
A new Tokyo Mew Mew anime series, Tokyo Mew Mew New, is currently in development and is set to premiere in July.
