Welcome

to "Fragile Bird," a one-page shrine belonging to Megan, dedicated to Retasu Midorikawa from the anime/manga series Tokyo Mew Mew. This fansite has been up and running since March 29th, 2013. This is the first one-paged shrine I have ever created. Scroll down and read the header of each section to find the information you are looking for! There are UNMARKED spoilers through out the whole page, so please be careful of reading if you aren't too familiar with the series as of yet! All of the information below will be based on the manga version of Tokyo Mew Mew unless stated otherwise. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to send me an email and I'll try my best to get back to you as soon as I possibly can! Thanks, and enjoy your look around. :)

MEGAN x JULY 2016

for starters; a glimpse at the basics

NAME: Retasu Midorikawa (Lettuce)
ALIAS: Mew Retasu
MEW MEW POWER NAME: Bridget Verdant
NAME MEANING: Green River Lettuce
AGE: 13 (13-14, in the anime, 15 in Mew Mew Power)
HEIGHT: 5'3 (161cm)
WEIGHT: 47 kilos (103.4 pounds/lbs)
ANIMAL FUSED WITH: Sunameri (Japanese Fin-less Porpoise)
BIRTH DATE: April 29th (Taurus) **"Day of Green" in Japan
MEMBERS: Third member of Tokyo Mew Mew
Retasu is first seen as a really shy and clumsy girl, always spilling things and mixing up peoples orders. However, it was really because she was being bullied that she messed up a lot. Due to the mean girls that picked on her, Retasu had little to no confidence left in herself. She starts out being very hesitant of her new mew mew powers that she had received, but after a little convincing, from Ichigo and Minto, Retasu tries to start over, reevaluating her life and herself. Through out the manga and anime series, Retasu rebuilds herself and becomes less of a clumsy shy girl, and more of a determined and happy friend.

Tokyo Mew Mew is the name of the manga series written by Reiko Yoshida and illustrated by Mia Ikumi. It was first released as an official manga on February 1, 2001, and it was serialized monthly until the final volume was released on April 4, 2003. TokyoPop licensed the manga and released the first volume in English on April 8, 2003. Volume 7 was released May 11, 2004. The first volume of Tokyo Mew Mew a la Mode was released about a year later on June 7, 2005. Recently, Kodansha USA required the license for the manga after the TokyoPop's license for it expired. Their version of the manga will have a whole new English translation than TokyoPop's version. Volumes 1 and 2 are scheduled to be released in Omnibus(big book) edition on September 13, 2011. The series follows five girls, Ichigo Momomiya, Minto Aizawa, Retasu Midorikawa, Purin Fon and Zakuro Fujiwara, who are infused with the D.N.A of endangered animals that give them special powers and the ability to transform into a "Mew Mew". Led by Ichigo Momomiya, the girls protect the earth from aliens who wish to "reclaim" it.

endangered species - mew mew project

After the death of Ryuu's father, Ryuu and Keiichiro grow up determined to finish his plan to create the Five Mew Mew Girls in order to save the world from the aliens and destruction. Ryuu's father predicted an alien attack in the future that would wipe out the entire planet. Ryuu was the true "genius" however, always being able to go one step further than his father. Keiichiro was a family friend who always helped Ryuu out as a child. Once a fire broke loose at Ryuu's home, destroying Ryuu's parents, dog, and a lot of the research, he made it his life goal to complete the operation for his father. Ryuu promises to dedicate his life to protect the Mew Mew's as well as make them strong enough to defeat the aliens. Ryuu infuses the DNA of five different endangered species into five random girls at the Endangered Species Museum (Volume 1). This allows each of the girls to transform into a Mew Mew and fight the chimera animals who are controlled by the aliens Kissu, Tarto, and Pai. Retasu is the third Mew Mew to have been discovered, having been infused with the Fin-less Porpoise. The Fin-less Porpoise is a fresh-water mammal that can be found in the Yangtze River in China and around the waters of Japan. In the waters of Japan, this is known as the Sunameri. There has been a digress of taxonomic uncertainty surrounding the species. They are reported to eat fish and shrimp in the Yangtze River. In the Japanese waters they are known to eat fish, shrimp, squid, cuttle fish, and octopuses. However, they are opportunistic feeders and therefore will mostly eat anything available. These Porpoises tend to not be as energetic as other water mammals such as dolphins. In some areas they seem to be shy of boats, but do occasionally leap from the water and perform "tail stands." After World War II, a large number of these were killed by entanglement in gill nets and also from hunters. In the 1930's it moved to the list of protected animals. The primary danger for this species is environmental degradation. At the end of 2012, there is still an increasing decline of these species in the Yangtze.

Retasu's transformation in the manga is very brief, and it tends to only focus on the transformation of Mew Ichigo. However, in the anime, they give the spot light to Retasu for her transformation. Retasu's transformation begins with a kiss on her Mew Pendant that she always wears around her neck, while declaring her metamorphosis. Her pendant begins to glow as her DNA morphs, initiating her sequence change. She begins to part her hands from the Mew Mew Mark on her chest and twirls into a flurry of bubbles around her. Her Mew uniform then appears as she completes one final spin that allows her antenna to sprout from the top of her head, clapping as she poses in her new Mew Retasu form. The cool thing about Retasu is that when she goes under water, she is able to breathe and transform her legs into the Porpoise's tail, greatly improving her ability to swim. She is seen doing this in both the manga and anime when she saves a young boy/saves Ryuu from falling off a boat into the water at a party.

Retasu has one major weapon in both the manga and anime versions of Tokyo Mew Mew. This is called Retasu Nunetto! (Lettuce Nets/Lettuce Castanets). They are sometimes also referred to as her Lettustanents as well. They are two flamenco castanets that she holds in each hand. In the anime you can see that they have a dark and light green pattern with a golden trim. There is a pinkish ribbon tied to the top of each castanet. Inside the heart of the left castanet you can see Ichigo's Mew Mark in the middle, while the left castanet has Retasu's Mew Mark. In the manga version, Retasu's castanets are more plain, with no ribbons nor golden marks. They still have the hearts in the middle. In Tokyo Mew Mew A La Mode, Retasu's weapons look more like the anime version's weapons.

Retasu's main attack is called Riboon Retasu Rasshu! (Ribbon Lettuce Rush!) Before she starts to attack, she rises up into the air with her arms crossed over her chest. She then summons her Castanets, and begins her attack. In this attack, she throws bursts of water at the enemy. In the anime version it looks more like bubbles than water. She twirls around and throws them at her targets. Once Retasu gets a hold of the Mew Aqua, she is able to swim and summon her tail like a mermaid, and has a more powerful attack that she uses to save the Mew Mew's from the alien powers.

There is a great significance of Retasu being the endangered species of a Fin-less Porpoise. She, like the Porpoise, are both shy at nature in the beginning. The Porpoise does not enjoy being around boats nor loud objects. Retasu is first seen as a shy easily picked on girl, never wanting to be the center of attention, and very uneasy about herself. But, like the Porpoise is able to do flips in the water and show off once and awhile, Retasu builds up the confidence that she needs to perform for her companions. This is all thanks to Ichigo, Minto, and Ryuu during the manga series, as she becomes a true Mew Mew and helps her friends save the planet from the Alien powers.

appearance of retasu - where & looks

Retasu first appears in the manga in this outfit to the right. She is wearing a dark semi-low cut shirt, with a pendant around her neck. At the rim of the blouse you can see a small dark bow that covers her cleavage as well. She has a small apron around her waist, and what appear to be either dark leggings or tights, to pull off the outfit. Her hair is still long and goes down her back in two sets of braids. She is wearing her normal glasses as well. This outfit is the first of two work outfits. In this one, she is working at a cafe in the museum at the Endangered Species Exhibit, where the five girls are infected with the animal DNA's by Ryuu. This pose is also very significant because it shows Retasu falling. This is right after mean girls are picking on Retasu and making her feel like an idiot for doing their orders. Thankfully, the super model Zakuro comes in and tells the girls to leave Retasu alone. Retasu still feels as if the incident was her fault and that she needs to apologize for her wrong-doings.

The second time we see Retasu is when she transforms into her Mew Retasu in order to fight off the chimera animals that are attacking her. When Ichigo and Minto run into her, they are surprised to find out that Retasu is also one of them. Although she looks very confident in this outfit, she actually is not. In her Mew Mew stage, Retasu's hair appears significantly shorter than it is when she is in her human form. However, her hair is now in one single braid rather than two separate ones, and hands down her back, mostly unseen. She has a choker around her neck that is white with an outer dark green lace. Her Mew pendant hangs down from this choker, which she uses to transform and attack. She has long antennas that sprout out of the top of her head and go down well past her legs, often intertwined with one and other. She is wearing a short green and white dress that flails out at the ends, sort of like an octopus. On her left thigh, she has another band that is once again white and green like her choker. To pull off the outfit she has long dark boots that come up to just below her knee caps. As the series progresses, she starts to become more confident in her Mew Mew stage, and is able to fight strongly with no fear alongside her friends.

These next two photos are outfits that Retasu wears when she is with her friends and having a fun time. The first one is when Ichigo and Purin decide that they want to cheer up Minto because her idol, Zakuro, refuses to join the Mew Mew squad at first. They decide to have a slumber party. Therefore, the first one is Retasu's night time clothing. She is wearing a long green night gown. The top rim by her neck is low cut and scoops down onto her shoulder blades. It has a fluffy-like texture to it as it covers her skin. She wears her hair up even higher when she goes to bed, and continues to wear her glasses. This is presumably her first sleepover, and Retasu has a lot of fun exploring life with good friends. The second photo is a picture of Retasu in her formal ware. Ryuu tells the girls that they are going to a party on a boat. This is the first time that we actually see Retasu with a huge grin on her face. She is confident in her long gown, showing a bit of cleavage for the first time. It is a green tube top dress, followed by white arm sleeves and nice shiny heels.

This is the outfit given to Retasu as well as the other four Mew Mew's who work at Ryuu's Cafe Mew Mew. This outfit is maid-like, wearing a short dress that barely seems to cover the butt. Seeing as how short outfits are seen as "cute" for males, this is an appropriate way to bring in business. The girls do like the outfits however, so it is a win-win situation. Retasu's outfit is obviously green. The sleeves are cuffed with white around the ends. She wears a white cap on her head that maids would wear. The outfit has a green bow-tie attached to the neck part of the uniform. In the back, a big white bow can also be seen around the lower waist area. The apron that hangs down in front of the outfit is in the shape of a heart. The bottom of the dress also has a white line going around the base. The outfit is a bit scandalous, not containing any type of stockings nor leggings. It is finished off with a pair of boots.

relations - those who really matter

Ichigo is the first person that actually reaches out to help Retasu. When Ichigo witnesses the three girls bullying Retasu, making fun of her, and blatantly asking her to do things only to call her stupid for doing them, Ichigo starts running to go help the poor girl. Thankfully, super-model Zakuro steps in and saves the day. After Ichigo sets out on her journey to find the rest of the Mew Mew's, Minto and Ichigo go to the sea-line to search for the chimera animals that are present in the area. Once one of the girls who was earlier seen bullying Retasu, Satsuki, appears laying on the ground before them, she tells the Mew Mew's that Retasu was the one who did the damage to her. Ichigo rushes in to find the shy girl with glasses, transformed into a Mew Mew like herself. She is shocked, but happy to have found the third member. Retasu starts attacking everyone, including Ichigo and Minto. She admits that she is frightened and does not want to have these powers. Retasu is the type of character that enjoys being out on the outskirts of the crowd. She did not want the attention that fighting would give her. With some encouragement, Ichigo is able to get Retasu to calm down and accept that she is destined to fight alongside her and Minto as a strong Mew Mew. Ichigo then tickles Retasu to "punish her" for her crimes, and says she wont stop until Retasu promises to be a good Mew Mew and never attack them again. Ichigo builds up Retasu's trust in people again. Ichigo continues to be supportive and cheers on Retasu in both the manga and anime versions of Tokyo Mew Mew. It is pretty certain that Ichigo is Retasu's best friend.

The only other Mew Mew that really sticks out to be a significant part of Retasu's life is Zakuro. When Retasu was being bullied by the females at the cafe in the Endangered Species Exhibit at the Museum, (refereed to in the anime as "The Three Beckies"), Zakuro was the first person to arrive on the scene. Not only did Zakuro physically grab the girls hand who was about to strike (physically slap Retasu in the face), but she also verbally put the females in their place. Once the super-model arrived and had a say, the girls ended up running away from the scene of the crime. Retasu was very appreciative of Zakuro and all that she did, but she also was very apologetic to make anyone waste their time on her. Zakuro and Ichigo both attempted to assure Retasu that what the girls did was not her fault, but she continued to doubt it. Zakuro leaves and goes on with her day. Once Zakuro is found out to be the fifth Mew Mew, Minto becomes disappointed to find out that Zakuro refused to join the team. Retasu sticks up for Zakuro and tells Minto that she has her reasons and will eventually come around. Once Zakuro is an official member, Retasu is often seen in pictures, on the field, or just in general standing next to Zakuro and Ichigo. Zakuro becomes a big influence on Retasu, which is often not seen due to Minto's clear-cut obsession with Zakuro's beauty, dance, and style.

The relationship between Ryuu and Retasu is played with way more in the anime version of Tokyo Mew Mew than in the manga version, but there still is a few significant moments that brings the two together. In the manga, Retasu wishes that she was as strong and as brave as the other Mew Mew's. Feeling out of place, she sits alone for awhile before the party on the outside of the boat. She is also in distress because she does not know how to swim and she is very uneasy on the boat Ryuu shows up, giving Retasu a drink that will make her feel better and more at ease on the boat. After the party began, Ryuu stepped outside for a few moments. Retasu went outside after him and told him she appreciated him bringing her medicine earlier in the daytime. Ryuu smiles at her and admits that it was just juice, stating that "you'll always get better if you just believe you're going to. Have more confidence Retasu. You've earned it." Retasu looked shocked at first, turning bright red at the words that Ryuu had spoken to her. After the aliens attacked the ship, a young boy falls off into the water. Retasu jumps into the water after him, without knowing truly how to swim. She finds the Mew Aqua and her Porpoise tail sprouts out, helping her swim. She fought of the chimera animals and saved the young boy. Once back on the boat, she looks over to Ryuu as he gives her a big grin. Her face lights up as she giggles and smiles back at him. She truly feels happy, and Ryuu was the final tool to building her confidence once more.

The thing that makes me semi-like the anime more, however, is the emphasis that they put on Retasu and Ryuu. In the second picture, Retasu is saving Ryuu after falling off the boat during the anime, unlike the manga where Retasu saves a little boy who fell off the boat. Retasu kisses Ryuu under the water to give him air long enough to save his life. It is more like a mermaid story rather than a story based on the Mew Mew's. I guess it makes me happier that not only Ichigo has a love life during the anime where she's the only one who does in the manga version. I personally think that Ryuu would be the perfect match for Retasu, where they both could learn a lot from each other. (This is going to be my only true anime vs. manga expression on this page!)

my opinions on retasu and why i like her

This is probably going to be more of a rant/opinionated response rather than factorial but... The first time I read Tokyo Mew Mew, my heart was set on Minto's character. I liked how she was strongly opinionated and her character stuck out more to me. However, rereading the series made me really appreciate Retasu's character. I liked how she actually developed as a character throughout the manga. I did not feel like any other character progressed besides for her. She started off being picked on, bullied, shy, dorky, and had no true personality. As the series progressed, she did too. I felt myself building with her as the story unfolded. She had a lesson within her character, showing that if you can not do it alone, just ask for help from your friends and you can do whatever you set your mind to do. I liked how after Ryuu helped her, she did not just thank him in her mind, but she only mentioned her friends. She did not put boys before her true friends, and that showed that her character was truly kind and considerate of people who mean the most to her. I felt like the rest of the characters stayed the same through out the whole manga because they were never really talked about that much. Though Ichigo was the center of the whole series, she never grew. She was a girl in "love" with a boy who she just started talking to, willing to let her friends die just so she did not have to fight him. I love the relationship between Ichigo and Masaya, don't get me wrong, but her character was the same and rather boring. Retasu is not a character I normally go for, and definitely do not normally pay attention to, but for some reason I really connected to her during my latest read-through of Tokyo Mew Mew. Some day I will watch the whole anime series and figure out how I feel about her character prolonged throughout the animation, but for now, this is mostly just based on her appearance in the manga version of Tokyo Mew Mew.

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sitely stuff & where you can go after this

The following sites/fanlistings below are affiliates/link exchanges to this one-paged shrine dedicated to Retasu from the series Tokyo Mew Mew. All of the links below are good quality websites that you should definitely check out! Please feel free to link me back with one of the Fragile Bird buttons below as well.

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