AKA: Pichi Pichi Pitch

Genre: Shoujo / magical girl

Length: Television series, 52 episodes, 25 minutes each

Distributor: formerly licensed by ADV Films; currently unlicensed in North America

Content Rating: G (nothing objectionable)

Related Series: Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch Pure

Also Recommended: Sailor Moon, Tokyo Mew Mew

Notes: Based on the manga of the same name by Hanamori Pink and Yokote Michiko, currently running in Nakayoshi magazine (Sailor Moon, Card Captor Sakura). After episode 52, this series is covered as Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch Pure. Though this review predates Melissa's, hers is the first complete review we have, and it thus supersedes this one as the first opinion.

Rating:

Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch

Synopsis

Luchia is a young mermaid princess who is next in line to the throne. In order to inherit she must get the Pearl Tear, which enables her to become ruler of the sea. However the Pearl Tear is suspected to be on land. Luchia, her servant Nikora, and her Obligatory Cute Mascot(TM) Hippo go to investigate.

Luchia also wants to find a boy who she saved from a shipwreck many years ago named Kaito-kun. She finds the Pearl Tear (which, doh, was with Kaito-kun) and transforms into a singing magical girl, complete with microphone. To defeat the Obligatory Villains(TM), she sings. And so, along with her friends Hanon and Rika, she battles the eee-vil villains who want control of the ocean.

Review

Well, this one was a surprise.

I mean, the plot was a doozy. Mermaids? Singing mermaids? Singing mermaids who are magical girls? Singing magical-girl mermaids who sing to defeat their enemies? It smacked of a doinky combination of Full Moon o Sagashite, Sailor Moon and The Little Mermaid. But I had to see this title, because I'm a curious doink.

So it was with hesitation that I loaded the first episode of Pichi Pichi Pitch in my DivX Player. The first episode seemed to confirm my worst fears, as cliches were spouted through the screen.

And yet, I watched more of it, and ... I liked it.

Yes, I actually liked a cheesy magical girl show with singing mermaids. Then again, I like most magical girl shows except Wedding Peach, so that wasn't odd. In fact, it was probably the cheesiness of the show that made me like it. That, and the seiyuu are so convinced that they're not doing a doinky anime, that they want you to believe them! A couple of the seiyuu sound doinky (especially Luchia's), but overall, their job is OK.

That and the catchy OP and ED themes, along with the song that the girls sing to defeat their enemies, made me want to watch more. The animation is also bright and colorful, and average for a TV series.

The plot ... well, think of Sailor Moon with mermaids. However, there are a couple twists from the ordinary SM-ish plot, which made me enjoy it more.

Pichi Pichi Pitch is a nice, fluffy, kawaii anime to watch in between the more serious stuff...and I think most of you might be as pleasantly surprised as I was.

Though not groundbreaking stuff, it is at least more fun than Wedding Peach. Subtract two stars if you despise anything with magical girls. — Jennifer Berman

Recommended Audience: There is nothing objectionable in Pichi Pichi Pitch unless you don't like the idea of teenagers wearing skimpy clamshell tops. They're mermaids, after all. Aside from that, it's OK for a little kid to watch.