The Most Important Matter

It's the annual charity drive, and the Mew Mew Cafe has set themselves up nearby. Mint is especially proud of the large cabinet from the Romanoff Dynasty that she donated. Too bad the price is much too high! Poor Lettuce is running late. In her haste, she falls dropping the contents of the large bag she was carrying. Once on her feet, she sets up a beautiful display of plush animals and dolls. Seems she made them in her spare time. The quality of her work is impressive. Masaya arrives just as everyone has taken notice of Lettuce's plushies. They're selling like crazy! Mint, on the other hand, can't get anyone interested in her cabinet. Ryou, too, arrives and compliments the quality of Lettuce's work.

Later that day, Lettuce has just one of her plushies left. A pretty young women arrives and asks if she could buy it. Imagine Lettuce's excitement when she sees that it is Ayano Uemura, a world famous doll maker. Ayano invites Lettuce to her workshop. That evening Lettuce tells her family what happened. They are very happy for her.

The next day Lettuce goes to visit Ayano's shop. The famous doll maker asks Lettuce if she'd like to design a doll together for an upcoming exhibition. Lettuce is honored and humbly agrees. The next few days the girls work together on a beautiful design that Lettuce created. Ayano admits that she's been in a slump lately and that Lettuce's ideas are fresh and new.

It's the day of the exhibition. The girls arrive very excited. Imagine their hurt and disappointment to see that Ayano is taking credit for Lettuce's design. Worse yet, she is acting as if she never met Lettuce at all!! How mean! Ayano runs off and Ichigo wants to give chase, but Ryou and Akasaka stop her saying this is between Lettuce and Ayano. When they attempt to find the deceiving doll maker, guess who they run into? It's Kish! Just being mischievous, he takes the spirit from Ayano and creates a spider-human chimera. Ryou orders Tokyo Mew Mew to suit up!

At first it appeared that this chimera has only one ability, but that was not true. She spread her web grabbing all of the beautiful dolls from the exhibition and then everyone close by including the Mew Mews. Lettuce can't forgive this creature for taking the dolls!

Ribbon Lettuce Rush!

Lettuce breaks through the webbing freeing everyone. She instructs Mew Ichigo to finish the job. The chimera is destroyed and Kish disappears like always.

Ayano wakes up slowly. You can see she feels guilty and admits what happened. She couldn't come up with anything new and then saw Lettuce's work. Lettuce forgives her saying that as long as the dolls make people happy, that is what is important. Besides....they did have a good time creating together. Ryou explains to the girls that Lettuce is an incredible person, because she knew what was most important all along.

NOTE: Did you notice how Ryou is taking notice of Lettuce? You'll see more in future episodes!

Don't Cry, Lonely Little Zakuro.

Ichigo is delivering a cake for a child's (Momoka) 6th birthday at the daycare nearby. She runs into Masaya on the way, and he accompanies her. Wanting to be like her idol, Zakuro, the child refuses the cake saying it has too many calories. When Ichigo and Masaya are leaving, they notice that Momoka is a loner.

Late in the day, Mint gives the girls a ride home in her limo. As they pass the daycare, Ichigo notices that Momoka has not been picked up yet. Mint then asks Zakuro to dinner but she must decline due to a staff meeting over her next movie.

That evening Zakuro arrives at a posh hotel for her meeting. She notices that Momoka sits alone....her parents are late due to their busy work schedules. Zakuro recalls her childhood of many lonely nights. While into the meeting, Zakuro sees Momoka leave crying after she is told her parents cannot make it. The beautiful model excuses herself and consoles the child giving her a special handkerchief.. Then the two have a wonderful dinner together.

Later into the evening, Momoka is sleeping when her parents come home. They bring her a beautiful necklace comprised of precious gems. They decide to give it to her in the morning. Outside Kish lurks....could that be mew aqua?

In the morning, Momoka is presented with the necklace. She is delighted! Then her parents promise that they will be there for her daycare picnic on Sunday.

Sunday has arrived, and the girls are sent out to search for mew aqua. It won't be too hard to find since it should react to their bodies, Ryou tells them. Meanwhile at the same park where the Mew Mews are searching, Momoka's parents are late. The disappointed child runs off, but soon gets lost. In her haste to find her way back, Momoka trips, and her precious handkerchief falls into a nearby stream. As Momoka is trying to catch it, Kish arrives. He says he'll get it, but in exchange she must give him her beautiful pendant. When she refuses, Kish threatens the child saying she won't see her parents ever again. Further down steam, Zakuro finds the handkerchief. She locates Momoka just as the child is giving her pendant to Kish. Zakuro orders him to stop, but Kish grabs the necklace and pushes the child down.

Mew Mew Zakuro! Metamorpho-sis!!

A Mew doesn't frighten Kish.....he warns Mew Mew Zakuro that if she tries anything, he'll hurt the child. Just then, Tart and Pie arrive. They begin to attack Mew Mew Zakuro. Tart uses a chimera attack that produces vines that quickly immobilize Zakuro. In the meantime, Kish tests the necklace and finds that it is not Mew aqua after all. Knowing that, Pie and Tart leave. The other Mew Mews arrive in time to free Zakuro before Kish disappears. She lassos him and strikes him with a crushing blow. Surprised and angry Kish disappears.

Moments later, little Momoka awakens in Zakuro's arms. The child tells of her dream and wants to be just as strong as Zakuro. Suddenly, Momoka hears her parents calling her. The child embraces them.....delighted they made it to her daycare picnic. Zakuro and the others are happy that everything worked out for the best.

Shirogane's Past!
The Secret of the Mew Mews' Birth

It's 7am and Ryou awakens to the sound of his alarm clock. Slowly he drags himself out of bed and opens the curtains of his small room. It's a beautiful sunny day. After a refreshing shower, Ryou returns to his room to dress. He can't help but gaze at the picture of his parents, himself, and Akasaka. "It's been five years....already." he thinks. Suddenly, Ichigo angrily bursts into his room. After an embarrassing fiasco from seeing him in just a towel (nice!), Ichigo expresses her unhappiness because she's been turning into a cat more often. Ryou just dodges the problem saying he needs to get dressed. Blushing, Ichigo leaves quickly saying she'll wait for him downstairs.

While Ichigo is waiting, in walks Akasaka. Ichigo is stunned when he says Ryou has already left. The frustrated girl heads to school, but encounters a child who dropped his iguana. It lands on her lips and "poof" Ichigo again becomes a cat! The small black cat (Ichigo) finds a bird to kiss and returns to normal. This happens again before she is able to get to school. This time, as a cat, she goes after a pretty Cocker Spaniel (dog). Wrong move. The dog's male dogfriend (errr...boyfriend?) attacks, but Alto arrives to protect her. Once they get to safety, Alto kisses her so she may return to normal. Before Alto can get away, Ichigo grabs him saying she wants to treat him to a can of cat food for saving her all the time. Alto, in the meantime, is going nuts trying to get lose. It's no wonder....as the time hits...Alto transforms into......Shirogane, Ryou!?!?

In school, Ichigo can't stop thinking about what happened. Even at work, Ichigo is spacing out. She can't even look Ryou in the eye. Akasaka notices this and takes her inside their computer room to talk. He's says he's sorry for hiding this from her and begins to tell her of Ryou's past.

Five years ago he was working in America as an assistant to Dr. Shirogane (Ryou's father).  He was a famous archaeologist,  but after he found a certain ruin, he secretly started researching to unravel the technology of the unidentified species. (As a youth, Ryou wanted to follow in his father's footsteps and become a scientist. Ryou is a true genius with an IQ of over 180.) Dr. Shirogane was very concerned. "If we didn't learn that a civilization other than humans existed and created things such as a "chimera," and we hadn't realized the danger that they can still inflict on us, maybe my research would have been different," he would think.

At school, a young Shirogane gets in another fight. His mother lovingly cleans him up. Dr. Shirogane says being a genius can be lonely and asks Keiichirou (Akasaka) to be his friend. Keiichirou says they are already friends.

One evening, Keiichirou and Ryou were returning home when an explosion rang out. When they arrived home, the house was engulfed in flames. They were unable to save Ryou's parents, but from within the flames a sinister chimera was seen ... it was the same one as the doctor's ruin! It stares at the two of them and disappears.

After the fire dissipates, Akasaka says it looks as if everything has burned. Ryou says not everything...."I'll go to Japan, where I'll prefect my father's project...the Mew Project. I remember everything in researching his father's log." And so the two returned to Japan and completed the Mew Project. To make sure it was safe before using it on the girls, Ryou tested it on himself. (You must have a specific gene type to use this, or you'll just be turned into an animal.) The experiments were completed Since then, Ryou has been able to transform into a cat and back. Although, if he stays a cat for more than 10 minutes, he can never return to human form.
"He became the test subject himself to verify your safety in the Mew Project. Ryou always wants to protect his girls." Akasaka added.

Ichigo is in tears when the story ends. She tells Ryou (who had walked in) that she didn't know and feels sorry for him. He leans over and kisses her knowing she would transform into a cat. "Idiot! Now isn't the time to feel sorry for me!" he says snidely. Akasaka wants to help her transform back, but that would be too embarrassing. Outside the girls have been listening in. When Ryou opens the door unexpected, they all fall in...that's when the Ichigo-kitty steals a kiss from Pudding.

A moment later, Ichigo passes Shirogane in the hall. She says she'll never feel sorry for him again, but.....she'll do her best as a Mew!