I’ve waited 15 years to Cosplay as Ichigo, I first discovered the Tokyo Mew Mew series back in middle school. This was a time where Sailor Moon was popular but getting my hands on merchandise even a comic book was next to impossible for me where I lived and the money my family had for such indulgences (Being a Black girl into Anime wasn’t something I was celebrated for family wise). When I finally started to get an allowance ranging from $10-$20 borders bookstore is where those coins went.
I remember being able to easily find the volumes between borders and barnes and nobles in 2003. I can vividly see the manga’s on the shelves, each one with the same binding color that said “Tokyo Pop” publishing and the beautiful covers that were different colors to represent each member of the Mew Mew crew. Being able to collect this series meant a lot to me because it was more accessible to me than the sailor moon manga which to this day..I still haven’t collected. Having the books meant so much to me because at that time I had no idea what cosplay was or how I would ever get to dress up as the main character whom I loved so much.
Tokyo Mew Mew would eventually be brought over to be broadcasted in the United states in 2006 which I watched religiously on Fox 5 4KIDS TV every saturday morning after G.I Joe but just before Winx Club. I was hooked and I watched every single episode they dubbed in amazement.
Around 2009 is when I was finally able to buy Ichigo’s weapon, I remember finding it on Ebay for both the heart and the wings I paid around $150 USD which was a lot to me but worth every penny. There were many times during the purchase that I thought I may have fallen for a scam. This item was worth more than gold to me at the time and here someone was…selling the toy for only $150..was it a trick? or did they just not realize how valuable this item was?.
Whatever the case after a month of shipping from Japan the coveted Strawberry Bell + Season 2 wand attachment was in my possession. I now owned it and over all of the other magical girl items in my collection, it was my number 1. It’s still my number 1 but with the twist that now in 2020 the end of it I’ve finally had this cosplay dream realized through my own skill, time, and effort.
There is no demand for this character anywhere online and while we’re getting a new anime for it I consider this series to be super obscure and unknown to most. Despite that, it made up so much of my childhood and I wish I could tell myself all those years ago the wait for this cosplay was worth it. I’m happy to cosplay this character even if no one is checking for her, and I hope to suit up in this costume again at a con once we’re able!
If you made it to the bottom of this post, thank you so much for reading about what this series and this costume mean to me. It was a pleasure to share it with you. This costume was made in partnership with Fabric Wholesale Direct which is another testament to how far I’ve come in this cosplay journey.
Kasually Kia 