With the Heisei retro boom in full swing, nostalgic shoujo manga from magazines like Ribon and Nakayoshi are getting a lot of attention. But for me, the first title that comes to mind is Mirumo de Pon!.
I’ll admit it: this is the very first manga I ever bought as a complete volume. I was in first grade when my mother bought me an issue of Ciao, and I was instantly hooked. A little while after the series started, I begged her to get me the collected volumes so I could read from the beginning.
As a child, I loved the cute fairies and the slapstick comedy. That hasn’t changed, but now that I’m older, I see so much more in the story. So let me talk about why Mirumo de Pon! remains so special to me.
What is Mirumo de Pon!
Mirumo de Pon! is a shoujo manga by Shinozuka Hiromu, serialized in Shogakukan’s Ciao starting in 2001. It won the 27th Kodansha Manga Award in the children’s category and the 49th Shogakukan Manga Award in the children’s category, with cumulative sales exceeding 3 million copies.
The story follows middle school girl Kaede and Mirumo, a mischievous love fairy who appears from her mug. Together they get into all sorts of comedic situations, surrounded by a cast of colorful characters.
The TV anime aired from 2002 to 2005, reaching a peak viewership of 9.4% and even moving to prime time. Later, stage adaptations and sequels followed, and in March 2026, a new serialization titled Mirumo de Pon! New began after 21 years, drawing even more attention.
A Childhood Full of Dreams and Laughter
What I remember most is the idea that a fairy could come out of a mug. If you pour a drink and make a wish, a fairy appears… For an elementary schooler, that was the ultimate fantasy. I tried it with my own mugs many times.
The fairies themselves—Mirumo, Rirumu, Yashichi, Murumo—were adorable, fluttering around with fans and using instruments to cast spells. I was also into the romance between Kaede and Yuuki, but I loved the fairies so much that I’d mimic them with maracas and tambourines in the school music room.
Even now, the slapstick still holds up. From their first meeting, Mirumo calls Kaede “ugly” and she calls him a “monster.” Rirumu, despite her cute looks, has terrifying strength that shocks Yuuki. Yashichi gets flushed down the toilet every time he messes up, and Murumo, Mirumo’s younger brother, is even more scheming than his big brother.
The romance between Kaede and Yuuki alone would have been enough, but the addition of the “otomo fairies” and the laugh-out-loud comedy is what made me so obsessed as a young girl.
What I Noticed as an Adult
As a kid, I just laughed at Mirumo and Kaede’s fights. Now, I still find them funny, but I see something deeper.
Mirumo is a love fairy, but he doesn’t grant wishes unconditionally. In the first chapter, when Kaede tries to use him to get closer to Yuuki, he refuses, saying, “I won’t use magic for someone who tries to use me instead of trying on their own.”
Back then, I thought he was harsh. Now, his words hit home. Mirumo teaches that you have to take the first step yourself before magic can help. Kaede learns this through her failures, slowly understanding what he means.
Their relationship is precious precisely because they didn’t start out as a perfect match. They clash, fight, and grow closer over time. Even while being snarky, Mirumo watches over Kaede’s growth and sometimes gives her a push. He’s truly her one-of-a-kind partner.
The same goes for the other pairs: the serious and cool Yuuki with the destructive Rirumu, the beautiful and queenly Azumi with the henchman-like Yashichi, and the innocent rich boy Matsutake with the sweet-but-scheming Murumo. Each pair works because they balance each other perfectly.
As a child, I was all about the cute fairies and the romance. Now, I’m moved by the way they build trust and become irreplaceable to each other.
Still My Favorite, Still My Origin
Sometimes when you revisit a childhood favorite, you wonder why you were so into it. But Mirumo de Pon! is still just as fun.
And the character designs are still incredibly cute. Those round, squishy forms are irresistible even now. Writing this has made me want to collect the merchandise I never had back then.
It’s a love comedy full of gags that make you laugh out loud, but it also carries life lessons that resonate with adults. The manga is available on Ciao Plus, and the anime is streaming on the YouTube channel Ciao Channel. If you’ve never experienced it, now is a great time to dive in.
（C）篠塚ひろむ／小学館・ShoPro・テレビ東京
（C）篠塚ひろむ/小学館
