Plot: After Zakuro refuses to join their team, the Mews continue to try and persuade her into joining. Kisshu tries to manipulate Zakuro and Ichigo into fighting in order to pick them off one by one and ensure that one of them joins him.
Lettuce, Mint and Pudding are trapped in another dimension by Kisshu, and he’ll only release them if Zakuro and Ichigo fight. Zakuro is also persuaded by him stating that he can return her to normal if she wins and joins him. Will Zakuro defy what the OP and ED have been showing us for the past 12 episodes and not join the Mew Mews?!
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As usual, 4Kids gets the dialogue for this flashback (for the recap) completely wrong because it’s just so hard to rewatch that scene, grab the script or hey, here’s a crazy idea, just use the same damn footage.
Mint realizes that what she’s drinking from is a vase. Corina just says she loves herbal tea. I won’t fault them that much. I kinda like that joke, though the original scene is funnier IMO.
The scribbles on the food packages as well as a tag are removed.
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Dubbed: 
The girls accuse Akasaka and Shirogane of knowing that Zakuro was the fifth member from the get go, especially considering that they warned them that she was in danger when the girls weren’t certain who she was yet. Shirogane says in a blasé manner than he doesn’t know, which angers Ichigo.
In the dub, there’s this stupid line about Elliot saying ‘piece of cake’ and Wesley says that means that Corina will get over it easily. Elliot says he was really just asking if anyone wanted a piece of cake. Zoey then asks why Elliot didn’t tell them that the fifth Mew Mew was such a stuck up diva like Renee. Elliot responds ‘yeah…’ which doesn’t seem like that actually fits as a response and this angers Zoey.
The reason the old lines couldn’t be used was because they didn’t retain that part of the previous episode. However, if, in the dub, they didn’t know ahead of time who she was, why is Zoey mad that they didn’t warn them of how her personality was? Does she think Elliot and Wesley knew her personally or something?
Pudding just says Ichigo’s getting really mad now. Kiki says “The red mark? Now she’s about to explode!” See, in anime and cartoons, when a person gets upset, they’ll get little comedic marks on them like the traditional anger veins or little puffs of smoke. In this scene, Ichigo gets a little red crown shape near her face, which I do believe is meant to indicate a snap in the nerves or a tiny internal explosion of anger.
It seems 4Kids has taken this mark to be something in canon of the show even though it’s an average anime-ism and not a specific quality of Ichigo’s. They could also be breaking the fourth wall, but I doubt it.
This change is dumb because it fits in perfectly with the story change from the last episode, but whatever. In the original, Pudding says that if Zakuro is not a member of their team, she must be an enemy and vehemently states her point yet again. As they leave, Shirogane also warns them that Zakuro may indeed be an enemy, which Ichigo strongly denies.
In the dub, Kiki just says if they can’t convince her with words then they’ll use brute force. Zoey wants to convince her first in conversation anyway, and as they leave Kiki just repeats the stuff about brute force.
In addition, Akasaka comments on how strongly Ichigo was in her stance that Zakuro was not an enemy. Shirogane then says she’s just that type of person and that’s why she’s perfect for the Mew project. In the dub, Wesley says the girls are really fired up about Renee. Elliot says it’s because they can sense how important this is and the fact that getting Renee to join would mean taking their team to a whole new level.
They remove/shift a scene of Kisshu meeting with Deep Blue talking about his most recent failure and stating that he wants Ichigo to join their side, but will eliminate the rest.
HOLY CRAP THEY LEFT IN THOSE HUGE SIGNS! They even seem to have brand names on them. Wow, 4Kids, it’s not even my birthday.
Of course they erase the smaller ones once we pan down, but WOW.
They also change the signs of Zakuro to be in English.
Subbed: 
(Note: the higher quality subbers also edited the signs. They were originally purely in Japanese a la;
Dubbed: 
Obviously, they didn’t actually translate it as the original has it being a handshake session and the dub says CD signing. Zakuro’s not a singer in the original (to the best of my knowledge. She could be, but it’s never stated, and there’s no mention on her Wiki page of it.) like she is in the dub, so yeah. I really don’t know why 4Kids is pushing the singer angle. Is it because they don’t want to bring up that she’s a young model? Well, why not just focus on the actress aspect then?
Any mentions of the handshake session are also changed to reflect this.
Why would Kiki be so excited to get an autograph from her when she’s shown this whole episode that she’s holding a big grudge against her and even wants to beat her up to get her to join?
Zakuro’s wearing a different cross necklace today and it is also edited to be a stick.
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Dubbed: 
Japanese text is removed from the overpass.
They mirror the scene on the road, but only when Zakuro’s in the shot.
Ichigo screams for help when she falls and hangs from the sign. Zoey thinks the girls are holding her back for some reason.
Itty bitty text on the camera lens is removed.
Subbed: 
Dubbed: 
More text is removed from the camera HUD.
Subbed: 
Dubbed: 
Dub Photographer: “And scene!” Yes, you end photoshoots by saying ‘scene’. Because magazines and billboards are filled with scenes.
Pudding just reiterates that Zakuro’s an enemy. Kiki says her next plan should involve them jumping her and then tying her up. Isn’t Kiki…so…precious…??
Ichigo says Zakuro’s eyes were just like Mint’s eyes when they first met. Zoey says the same thing, but says ‘all of your eyes.’ Yeah, because all of the girls acted like cold snobs when you first met them, Zoey.
Zakuro tells Kisshu that she’ll call for help, and Kisshu teases her about calling her friends. Zakuro then states she doesn’t want to team up with anyone. Kisshu acknowledges this, but says if she teams up with him, she’ll get revenge.
In the dub, Renee asks how Dren got into her dressing room. Dren implies that he beat up her security guard. Renee then asks if he really believes she’ll join the cyniclons, he says he was hoping she’d reconsider and then states that they’re not really the bad guys. Yeah, because good guys beat up security guards.
Mint says that Zakuro should be at the studio since she just had a photoshoot. Corina says they’re at the TV broadcasting station since 4Kids is working off of the mention that she’d be doing a broadcast and not, ya know, the script they have.
Kisshu tries to convince Zakuro by stating that the girls are the people who made Zakuro into a Mew Mew, and if she joins them not only will she get revenge but Kisshu will also ensure to turn her back to normal again.
In the dub, Dren tries to convince Renee in a way that makes no sense by stating the cyniclons only want to live in peace with the humans but I guess the Mew Mews keep attacking or something. If she goes with him they’ll rule the world (because wanting to rule the world sounds totally peaceful, right?) and they’ll rule as king and queen or something.
The reason this really makes no sense is because she’s been fighting his monsters and him this whole time too. She’s been saving innocent people from his monsters and was attacked by him personally. Why would she ever have reason to believe that they’re peaceful from all that she’s seen from him?
Corina: “You’re with him? But he’s evil!”
Dren: “Mmm, yes I am!” Oh yeah, straight up admit that you’re evil. Surely that will make Renee really want to join you. Seriously, 4Kids – subtly. It’s what’s for dinner.
They don’t include the wager of whoever wins goes with Kisshu to be on his side.
Dren puns doesn’t make sense. He says thi is crazy like a fox and a kitty cat fight, but Renee’s animal is a wolf. Because of this unneeded line change and stupid joke, they change the next shot. Ichigo says she won’t fight Zakuro, and Kisshu says the others will remain gone forever if they don’t. Zakuro chimes in and says she won’t work with anyone either way. Kisshu responds that she’ll never return to normal if she doesn’t.
In the dub, Zoey doesn’t want to do it but Renee chimes in afterward to correct Dren’s mistake in her animal. Then she also refuses to fight, and Kisshu says the girls’ fate is sealed if she doesn’t fight. I don’t know why the wager of Zakuro’s powers being removed is not included. Is it just so she’ll be shown to be more focused on the girls than her own desires?
Also, stop shoving the ‘lone wolf’ stuff down our throats. We get it, she’s a loner who happens to be fused with a wolf. Haha, move on.
They remove the shot of Zakuro saying this situation has nothing to do with her and her leaving. Another shot of Ichigo alone in her dressing room with Lettuce’s glasses is also removed.
Shirogane says the line about not lasting long while Elliot says it looks like they’ll miss a few shifts at the restaurant.
Wesley: “Don’t forget, he also said the winner has to join him.” No…no he didn’t. You omitted that, remember? See, silly mistakes like that could be avoided if you didn’t try to rewrite everything for no reason.
Well, this is just stupid. Shirogane asks Ichigo if, even after this, she feels like Zakuro is still an ally. She says yes, and Shirogane says that their only option in that case is for Ichigo to tell Zakuro how she really feels and hope it works. If it does, it might create a pathway for them. Akasaka then says that he may have a point since Zakuro’s weapon can cut through dimensional gateways—Seriously, why is she not leader?
In the dub, Elliot says that their only option for help now is Renee, so Zoey has to convince her somehow, and the only way is to entrust her life to Renee and treat her like a sister who would rather fight than see her sister harmed. That is fine I guess, but then Wesley says this somewhat disturbing line.
Wesley: “He’s right, Zoey. If Renee sees that you’re in danger, her Mew Mew instincts will kick in, and she’ll be bound to protect you no matter what.”
…..What the hell is that about? It sounds like it’s ingrained in Renee’s DNA now to protect the other girls no matter what her own feelings are. That’s creepy – borderline mind control.
Zakuro asks if Shirogane was the one who bathed them in the ‘weird light’ too. Then as we see a flashback of her getting her powers from the red light, she says she has no interest helping selfish people like them.
In the dub, Renee says she doesn’t know if she should help because the last time she fought Dren it wasn’t pretty, and I guess the flashback with the red light is supposed to highlight that….Uh, yeah, you kicked his ass single handedly last episode, with a Chimera Animal alongside him no less, and you’ve had absolutely no trouble with him before. I don’t get this change at all. Was it just because they didn’t want to make Shirogane and Akasaka look bad? Also, this scene just makes the earlier stuff with convincing Renee that they’re peaceful even stupider.
The TV show’s name is original Ani Ani Animal. In the dub it’s the Wild World of Wilderness.
The title screen is changed to reflect this.
Subbed: 
Dubbed: 
The name plates in front of the hosts are removed. So yay pointless white pyramids!
Subbed: 
Dubbed: 
Name Change: Hiroshi Kusai, the male host, is changed to Guy Ramsey. Ya know, whenever anyone’s named Guy in a TV show, I can’t help but think the writers were lazy. I know Guy is a legit name, but I just feel like the meeting went “What should we name this guy?” “Well, he’s a guy….I got it! Guy!” “Brilliant!”
Name Change: The female host is named Yoshida Mia in the original (And she has an AWFUL Japanese voice. I think she was huffing helium) and in the dub she’s Elaine……I have no clue what she just said as her last name….Pennysinmalimb?
They ask her how she feels about animals, and Zakuro says she’s loved animals since she was a kid and she’s had a dog and a cat before. In the dub, they ask her what’s the wildest thing she’s ever seen an animal do, and she says she saw a rabbit attack another rabbit very viciously. This has been your 4Kids-making-stuff-violent-when-it-wasn’t-so-in-the-original moment.
The text on Akasaka’s computer is removed.
Most of the shots of Kisshu and Ichigo on the floor are removed because it’s a ‘suggestive position’.
Text is removed from the front of the podium.
So….Huh? Instead of showing the transformation mashup like they usually do, they include a couple of the clips of Ichigo’s transformation since she’s the only one here but also include completely random clips of the other girls for no reason whatsoever. I don’t get it. They’ve shown her transformation full out several times. What’s up with this? It just seems like 4Kids felt like making a clip show all of a sudden. I swear it’s like a new OP with the same mashup background pop music plus the clip show. After the first second they basically stop showing her transforming anyway. What am I watching?
And at the end, they still kept in the still screens of the girls all transformed despite the fact that three of them aren’t even there. Great Job, 4Kids.
Name Change: The Chimera Snake, Garara, is changed to Annie Conda. At least that’s what I heard, and if it is….ugh.
The reason for the shock on Zakuro’s face is because Ichigo called her a friend while risking her life to save her. In the dub, she gets shocked when Zoey says that she’ll be alright……..I really hope this wasn’t a throwback to that earlier line about her Mew instincts and helping whether she wants to or not…
They cut the scene of Kisshu and Ichigo short. In the original, he uses this opportunity to coax her into joining him. She vehemently refuses and then calls her Strawberry Bell to attack him, but her powers won’t work. He then laughs. This is all removed. Maybe they needed the extra time because of that much needed clip show.
After the girls are rescued but before the next scene with Kisshu, we see Zakuro doing her attack. This is removed.
The dimension that Kisshu makes has no name in the original. In the dub it’s the dimension of terror.
Wow and they cut out Ichigo’s Ribbon Strawberry Check entirely too. Geez were they pressed for time for some reason?
Zakuro just says she doesn’t like friends. Renee says she still doesn’t work with losers. She still ends up saying she’ll join them anyway, and in the dub she turns around and says they’re not losers but teammates, but why say that losers line anyway?
I’ve complained about the TV broadcast scene and how it would totally out them in real life, but I’m now realizing it’s especially dumb with Zakuro considering she’s not only famous but she was on this very broadcast in her untransformed state like five minutes ago. They even say the name of the place where they work. They’d be found out in milliseconds.
All of the signs in the city are removed.
Text on this guy’s shirt is erased.
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Dubbed: 
I don’t even understand what that could say….This……??
Another scene is removed where all of the girls pose and announce that their official name is Tokyo Mew Mew as a response to all of the questions about who they are. In the dub, they merely give Zoey all the spotlight and have her spontaneously say her motto because she’s too tempted to do so like when Team Rocket hears the word ‘trouble’. I don’t even understand what went on there, but so many things are confusing me in this episode and there are a crapton of cuts.
And of course they had to make this joke. “Guess the cat’s out of the bag” HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAGETITBECAUSEZOEY’SACATANDMEWMEWANDCATSHAHAHAHA!
God that was more of an annoying episode than the last one. Why did they cut so much? I mean some of it, like the scene on the floor, I can justify, but what the hell?
As an episode, this is a pretty okay but cliché way to get Zakuro to join. And I still think that scene with the TV broadcast was dumb. Oh well, at least the Mews are all together now and we can get to the better stuff.
Next episode is where things get complicated. See, the next episode is slated to be what became the first episode of Mew Mew Power, which means we’ll be skipping that and heading straight into the episode that follows it. So that means we have additional episode swaps, but technically episode 13 of the series now matches up with episode 13 of the dub.
In addition, they probably won’t acknowledge that this entire series up until now has been a flashback. I’d be really surprised if they did. I would imagine they’d have to because people watching probably forgot what the ‘first’ episode was about after 11 weeks, probably more. So, I guess it makes it both more and less complicated…..I hate this company.
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The Anime Madhouse 
One other detail I noticed, at about 17 minutes in when Ichigo is being crushed by Garara, Kisshu’s dialogue is different. In the original Japanese version, he orders it to kill her. But in the English dub, he says “That’s enough!” and then it lets her go. I’m not sure if it was a mistranslation in the subbed version I was watching or if 4kids just randomly decided to change it to be more kid friendly.
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