One of co-creators that made anime Tokyo Mew Mew died on March 7th. The artist was 42 years old. The cause of death was a subarachnoid hemorrhage (stroke).
One of the largest Japanese manga publishers, Kodansha, which collaborated with Mia Ikumi, confirmed the information about the artist’s death.
We sincerely pray for her soul and would like to inform everyone about her passing – informs Kodansha. – Ms. Ikumi has been lovingly overseeing the anime for the past two years and was looking forward to presenting it in the new edition. We, the mourners, will continue to handle her works with great care, continue to carry them out, and apply ourselves to it, bearing our sorrow, so that we can continue her legacy.
Mia Ikumi started working with manga when she was just 18 years old. She was then responsible for writing The Sleeping Princess of Berry Forest . She developed her talent and finally, in 2000, she managed to release the Tokyo Mew Mew series with writer and screenwriter Reiko Yoshida. Ikumi’s new art can be found in her latest Tokyo Mew Mew Re-Turn series . Her soul and talent will remain in her works forever.