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Hi! ^_^
This page is all about Cyber Idol Mink, the newest manga series from Tachikawa Megumi. Enjoy! =)
If this text is appearing over the left-side border, please enlarge the size of your browser window.
- Shiraishi Minku is an ordinary girl - she
loves spending time with her 2 best girlfriends and has a
crush on Illiya, the #1 idol who is a singer and actor.
One day Minku buys Illiya's newest solo album, but when
she takes a look at it, she discovers she actually has a
mysterious CD-ROM with a copyright date of 2099! Minku's
friend Kanoka pulls out her laptop and inserts the CD to
find that the program, WANNA-BE, can create a virtual
idol. She types in the data for Minku using the
English-letters name "Mink" and suddenly a bright light
shines from the Macintosh. A girl who looks just like the
virtual idol floats out of the screen and combines with
Minku! When Kanoka & Mahoko open their eyes Minku is
gone - she's now at the videotaping of an aspiring idol
named Azumi. Minku has been transformed into a cute idol
complete with pink hair and fancy costume. Mink ends up
on TV instead of Azumi, and at the same moment Motoharu,
a boy Minku ran into at the CD store, arrives on the
scene. Motoharu, slightly blushing, gazes at the
transformed Mink and is positive he has found the
"diamond" he's been looking for....
- This series continues on to tell the story of Mink's rise to stardom. Minku has to keep her transformation a secret, along with Omu, the CD-ROM's talking robot guide who comes out of the computer. Omu warned her not to use the software after he discovered that he is now in the 20th century - it's a major crime to use it in the wrong time! Minku, Omu, and her friends Kanoka & Mahoko (since they are also in on the secret) would vanish if found out! However, Minku has to save Motoharu from a very bad situation, and the only way is to transform into Mink. Minku's feelings for Motoharu, Illiya's feelings for her, a smart but jealous rival, and an annoying reporter intent on printing a scandal about Mink add to the challenge.
Mink is a mahou shoujo, or magical girl. For more information on magical girls, please read the History of Magical Girls article by Dave Endresak in the Guardians of Order Sailor Moon Role-Playing Game and Resource Book. You can order the book from Amazon.com using the link!
Like most mahou shoujo, Minku has a special phrase which she says to become her alternate identity, Mink. She uses a magic pasokon, a palm-size personal computer that looks sort of like a cute cellular phone, to henshin (transform), saying "'WANNA-BE' STAND BY...... Set Up!!" The software does the rest by combining her with the virtual idol. The transformation lasts for a maximum of 3 hours. =)
Kanoka, a pro at computer programming, updates Mink's software with lots of neat additions: Copy, Delete, Later, Protect, Repeat, Reset, and Reverse. Mink can use any of these to make a way out of a jam.... for example, Copy can make a cute Minku clone to fill in for her when she needs to be somewhere else as Mink. Mink even saves the shooting of a TV drama by transporting beautiful scenery when the setting is destroyed by a storm.
Tachikawa Megumi is my favorite mangaka (manga creator) because she is excellent at romance, drama, and cute comedy; her drawing style is light, pretty, and detailed. Megumi-sensei's characters are endearing and likeable. I was looking forward to seeing this story for 3 months and had every confidence that Mink's story would be just as beautiful & fun as her previous work. Even so, I was still amazed at what she did in just the first chapter. ^_^ She's going in completely new directions with this story, but continuing with her wonderous charm and innocence. As the story progresses, we see Megumi-sensei breathe magic into the paper. One such example is the truely magical scene of butterflies fluttering about Mink and Motoharu as the rain stops falling. It must be seen to be believed.
Mink has long pink hair and violet eyes. A number of anime idols have had pink hair also, such as Youko from "Idol Tenshi Youkoso Youko", Shiratori Nagisa from "CHOU! Kuseninarisou", and Aida Sachiko from "Debut". In Japan the color pink implies youth and innocence - the youngest, cutest, most childish idols are often portrayed with pink hair or pink accessories. It all adds to their image - for an idol, image is everything! Other pink-haired magical girls include Minky Momo from "Mahou no Princess Minky Momo" and Hanasaki Momoko from "Ai Tenshi Densetsu Wedding Peach". You can buy the Minky Momo anime movie in English on the Web from Amazon.com at a very inexpensive price: Magical Princess Gigi Dubbed VHS. I would guess that Megumi-sensei has been influenced by these girls' series. ^_^
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Cyber Idol Mink is running in the monthly shoujo manga magazine Nakayosi (a.k.a. Nakayoshi) in Japan. It began in the September 1999 issue. Nakayosi is available to you by mail-order from Sasuga Bookstore, The Place, or Nikaku Animart. Just go to their web sites for ordering information, or to order through the internet! You can also search for "Nakayoshi" or "Nakayosi" on eBay and see if anyone is auctioning off current issues. Nakayosi features about 9 large stories and 5 short stories & include little goodies such as stationery, stickers, diaries, posters, toys, and boxes with each issue. It also includes exclusive color manga artwork, video game reviews, manga previews, celebrity interviews, CD & movie news, manga-drawing technique, what's new and cool in Japan, fan art, and more. I highly recommend it if you like shoujo manga art. |
- "Love Witch" by Takeuchi Naoko (creator of Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon)
- "Shin Daa! Daa! Daa!" by Kawamura Mika (creator of Taiho Shite Mi~na!)
- "Oja Majou Do Re Mi" by Toudou Izumi (creator of Hello Spank!)
- "Tokyo Mew-Mew"
- "Musume. Monogatari"
- "Uru Q" by Akimoto Nami (creator of Miracle Girls & Les Mille Fluers)
- "BiBitte Muucho" by Fukushima Haruka
- "Ju-ni Miya de Tsukamaete" by Andou Natsumi ( creator of Smile de Ikou!)
- "Milk Shake" by Ezuki Himawari
- "Wankorobe" by Abe Yuriko
The first 5 Cyber Idol Mink manga books are out! Here's the info you need to special order from a local Japanese bookstore or certain websites.
Title: Saibaa Aidoru Minku
Mangaka: Tachikawa Megumi
Price: 390 en
Tachikawa Megumi's other manga series are all exceptional. Click on the title links for more in-depth manga intros. In order to help you buy them, here are the titles and ISBN numbers. Special order from a local Japanese bookstore or certain websites.
Click here for a list of bookstores in the U.S.: Japanese Bookstores - Kaitou Saint Tail
- By day Meimi is a normal schoolgirl, but at night she transforms into the mysterious thief Saint Tail. Aided by her best friend & nun-in-training, Seira, and chased after by the comical detective Asuka Jr., she steals from thieves and gives the items back to the rightful owners. A magical and sweet romance not to be missed.
- Mugen Densetsu Takamagahara Dream Saga
- After Yuuki catches a comma-shaped bead falling from the sky, she is transported to Takamagahara, land of the gods, whenever she falls asleep. As the legendary girl of the land, along with four others who she meets in both the "real" world and the dream world, she must use magical powers to rescue the Sun Goddess, Amaterasu. A beautiful fantasy epic.
- Hot Typhoon
- Chaki is the Son Goku of Chinese legend and attends a wacky martial arts doujou. She befriends a number of unusual guys and they fight against silly mysterious villains amongst slapstick comedy and cute situations. Funny and enjoyable.
- Yume Kui Annai Nin
- A series of short stories each about different characters who are visited by Bakuo-kun, the mythological dream eater and his human girl friend Marin. They will give a girl who has a dream a magical item based on a classic faerie tale in order to make her wish come true. Sometimes it works and Bakuo-kun gets a delicious meal, but other times... well, it's always a surprise. A delightful and whimsical series.
If you like or are interested in Mink, make sure to check out these other series as well. You can find out more about them by looking them up on the Anime Web Turnpike.
Kaitou Saint Tail
Mahou no Star Magical Emi
Mahou no Idol Pastel Yumi
Idol Densetsu Eriko
Idol Tenshi Youkoso Youko
CHOU! Kuseninarisou
Mahou no Princess Minky Momo
Idol Project
Debut
Thanks for visiting! E-mail me by removing the spaces: dioptase @ quixium .com
This page was created on August 17, 1999 by Stephanie TaylorThis page was updated on May 1, 2002 by Stephanie Taylor
Please visit my other websites on your way out!
- Energetic
Heartbeats: Japanese Entertainment 4 Girls
- Images, series introductions, fun downloads, and tons of info on shoujo (girls') anime, manga, live-action dramas, and more. Home of the Complete Shoujo Anime List and The Shoujo Manga Magazines List. A perfect place to learn about shoujo series: both world-wide fan favorites and amazing rarities, plus bishoujo series as well! Designed for the very knowledgeable shoujo fan as well as the newcomer with a myriad of content.
- Revue Sphere ~ Takarazuka
- Info and images of the Takarazuka Revue, Japanese all-female theatre troupes that perform musicals: Western, original, & manga adaptions. Performances include Versailles no Bara, Black Jack, Me & My Girl, Elisabeth das Musical, West Side Story, Gone with the Wind, Tale of Genji, & many others. The site contains ticket reservation info, directions, reviews, the Takarazuka Revue ML, and much more.
- Images, series introductions, fun downloads, and tons of info on shoujo (girls') anime, manga, live-action dramas, and more. Home of the Complete Shoujo Anime List and The Shoujo Manga Magazines List. A perfect place to learn about shoujo series: both world-wide fan favorites and amazing rarities, plus bishoujo series as well! Designed for the very knowledgeable shoujo fan as well as the newcomer with a myriad of content.
- Kuroi
Tsubasa: The Internet Access Time Shrine!
- Info, images, opinions, and links in a shrine to Access Time, a cute and cool character from the Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne manga.
- The PQ Angels Intro & Info Site
- PQ Angels is the newest manga series by Naoko Takeuchi (creator of Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon) about two alien girls who come to Earth in the year 1999 and the boy one of them falls for during her first day on the planet! A very cute and funny series. My web pages have information and tons of pictures of all the characters in "PQ Angels", plus profiles for main characters, 2 specialized graphics pages, & a links page to all of the "PQ Angels" stuff out there! =)
- Anime & Manga for Sailor Moon Fans
- A guide to finding the anime and manga series which were created for and targeted at the BSSM fan, easily and affordably! Read the descriptions, look at the pics, and click on a link to order any item from the world's largest bookstore, Amazon.com at discounted prices! The most easy, inexpensive, and secure way to get anime & manga - the way you want it!
- Small Lady & Elios: A Match Made in Manga
- "Small Lady & Elios: A Match Made in Manga" is a web page completely full of romantic pictures of Princess Small Lady Selenity (a.k.a. Chibiusa) and her love Elios, characters from the Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon manga! Plus, some information on their story and names!
- Stephanie's Anime Fan Fiction Collection
- Fanfics by Stephanie Taylor: Rurouni Kenshin, Gundam Wing, Sailor Moon, and Magic Knight Rayearth. Stories include Dreams, Gundam Wars: From the Adventures of Heero Starkiller, Junshin na Kare, and Tsubame & the Kaitou. No hentai, lemon, yaoi, or shounen ai.
- JediJ's Current eBay Anime & Manga Auctions
- Exciting and hard-to-find anime and manga merchandise for sale! eBay is a website for bidding on and selling just about anything! If you aren't a member, join easily at: http://www.ebay.com
- Info, images, opinions, and links in a shrine to Access Time, a cute and cool character from the Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne manga.