On February 22, the first visual was revealed for Tokyo Mew Mew New, a new anime adaptation of Reiko Yoshida and Mia Ikumi's 2000-2003 manga Tokyo Mew Mew set to air next year. Tokyo Mew Mew was previously adapted into an anime in 2002, but the manga's 2003 sequel, Tokyo Mew Mew a la Mode, was never animated. Although nothing has been confirmed, the visual for New strongly hints that that may be about to change.
In December 2019 and March 2020, a new two-chapter Mew Mew sequel titled Tokyo Mew Mew 2020 Re-Turn was published, coinciding with the franchise's 20th anniversary. This short series included redesigned magical girl outfits for the Mew Mews, along with manga-only characters introduced in A la Mode. This lighthearted story lacked much plot significance but served as a way for fans to catch up with the characters after 16 years without new Mew Mew content. When New's first visual was revealed, fans were surprised to see that it depicted protagonist Ichigo Momomiya/Mew Ichigo in her Re-Turn design rather than her classic one.
While details on New are still scarce, it is believed to be a retelling of the original manga. The voice actresses for the original five Mew Mews, who also make up the tie-in idol unit Smewthie, have been announced, while there has been no mention of A la Mode's new character Berry Shirayuki/Mew Berry being cast. However, the use of Ichigo's Re-Turn design opens up the possibility that the manga's sequels might be included in this adaptation. Berry was present in Re-Turn, along with her boyfriend Tasuku Meguro; if the anime plans to adapt Re-Turn in the future, it would be necessary to first adapt A la Mode in order to introduce these characters.
There is another Mew Mew who has yet to be included in the anime - Ringo Akai/Mew Ringo, a character introduced in the Japan-exclusive 2002 Playstation game Tokyo Mew Mew: Enter the New Mew Mew! Serve Everyone Together. Mia Ikumi claimed that she would have liked to incorporate Ringo into the manga, and the Petite Mew Mew bonus story in the physical release of A la Mode does include a child version of the character. However, this story is not canonical, so it would be a big deal if she were to be included in New.
Another Mew Mew manga is currently running in Nakayoshi magazine. Tokyo Mew Mew Olé, drawn by Madoka Seizuki, is a spinoff following a girl named Anzu Hinata who becomes involved with a team of male Mew Mews. The series is still ongoing, and an anime adaptation is unlikely at least until after New has finished airing, but New's apparent incorporation of manga-exclusive elements seems to increase the likelihood of a future Olé anime.
This is all just speculation. The use of the Re-Turn designs could simply reflect a desire to adapt Ikumi's current art style rather than the one she used in the past. The voice actresses' promotion as an idol group may also make it difficult to add more Mew Mews to the cast without shaking up Smewthie's structure. However, adapting the sequel manga and video game would be a good move, since many fans have long expressed a desire to see Berry and Ringo in the anime, proving the interest is there. Hopefully, the new anime delivers when it premieres in 2022.
