Marianne Richardson

Marianne is an excitable, curious main character in Ensemble Mew Mew and is the final member of the Ensemble Mews. Her alias is Mew Meringue.

Audio clips only showcase speaking manner/tone and might not reflect story dialogue.

History

Life Before the Ensemble Mews[]

Marianne’s family life was disrupted by the Diaboliques’ hunt for the Rainbow Pearl in Lune City. She'd just moved to the city, like Willow, with her mother and father when she was only 13 years old. Both of her parents were astrologists and had come to the city because the atmosphere and job market appealed to them. Because the city also had such a clear sky and was full of terrain perfect for watching the skies, Marianne's family would often go stargazing or, on some days, watch the sunset together.

While Marianne's parents wanted her to pursue the same fields as them, she was far more drawn to orchestral music and dance, typically watching routines on television or going to small concerts using any money she was given. After not too long of a time living in Lune City, her parents discovered that alien life was approaching the planet. They were actually some of the first people who had made this information known to Viola Roth. Unfortunately, they could do little to stop the looming threat and only watched it from afar. Marianne’s parents were ultimately lost when the Danseur group arrived and started relentlessly tearing the city up looking for the Pearl—the couple had been in an accident while in the wrong place at the wrong time, mere byproducts of the destruction.

Marianne lived with an aunt for a little while, but was left alone a lot since the woman was far too busy and constantly left town on business trips. Marianne grew quite depressed after losing her family, not unlike some of the other girls in the series who also lost loved ones. The only solace she found was through dance—Marianne often watched routines of all different sorts and practiced various dances in order to distance herself from her negative feelings and eventually get over her loss.

After the Danseurs eventually stopped tearing the city apart, Marianne noticed a group of super-powered girls who were beginning to fight them off. She saw the team being reported on by the local news and had at some point witnessed a fight from a long distance away, which she got a better view of by using one of her parent’s telescopes. She was curious about these girls but never thought of trying to get a closer view, instead following coverage about them from afar.

At some point, Marianne noticed that the Mews stopped showing up, learning of their defeat when word spread from the Diaboliques that Lune City was now entirely under their control. She didn’t know that one of the girls had gotten away until she actually met her later on, after living under Danseur rule for a while.

Meeting Willow[]

Marianne encountered Willow at Lune High while she was a senior there at the age of 17. The former Mew had gone undercover as a student in hopes of accessing the laboratories and their supplies with more ease, but Marianne remained unaware of her intention. She sensed something in Willow that attracted her toward the girl, but wasn’t sure what it was until she got to talking to her more and more. While Willow rejected Marianne regularly, she only started talking to her slightly in order to alleviate Marianne's pressure to “come out of her shell”. Marianne understood without explicitly being told that Willow was someone who had struggled deeply in her life, and she latched onto her because she felt connected to her. Marianne had been through a similar kind of hurt before, and she could sense that Willow needed help. So even though the quiet girl refused to engage too much, Marianne insisted on helping Willow open up and getting closer to her.

One day after classes had ended, Marianne returned to one of the laboratories to get a textbook she accidentally left behind. It was there that she bore witness to Willow transforming into a cat. Before she could react to her, Willow ran away with a small bag of tools in her mouth. Marianne was unsure of what she saw at first and actually confronted Willow about it the next day. She didn’t keep her voice down, unfortunately, so staff heard the girls’ conversation and thought to report it. The next day, officers approached both girls with the intent of taking them to the Diaboliques, and before they could act, Willow “kidnapped” Marianne, grabbing her and running to the school’s main lot to steal a car. Marianne was utterly shocked, but realized the weight of the situation and went along. She was taken to a remote location, and the girls then abandoned the car and walked for a while back to Willow’s place. It was there that Marianne learned from Cadence and Celestia about the Ensemble Mew Project, the events that had led up to this point, and why Willow could become a cat.

Becoming a Mew[]

Both scientists opted to let Marianne stay with them, since she’d likely be in danger if she went back to school. Marianne gave them the suggestion of becoming a Mew herself in order to help Willow, but Cadence refused her. She did not want to use up the one fragment of the original Rainbow Pearl that they managed to get after Willow’s encounter with Étoile, once she’d grown stronger, led to her breaking off a piece of it. The women did try to see how the animal DNA would react to Marianne, but were surprised to find that her body did not accept it. The Pearl shard, however, seemed to react to her. Cadence tried to get her to keep a hold on her emotions so that she wouldn’t risk triggering it, as she was desperate to preserve it for research.

Seeing as she couldn't do much, Marianne ended up spending a lot more time with Willow, getting to know her more. She would regularly catch Willow writing when she wasn’t out and soon started asking about her stories. The girl was oddly happy to share her work despite being a bit bashful about it, since nobody really ever asked her. It elated her to have someone show interest.

She eventually let Marianne come with her to steal supplies after the excitable girl begged her enough, having her act as a lookout. This further cemented their bond, and Willow started to truly resonate with her. But on one particular mission, the girls were confronted by two of the members of the Diaboliques, Pas and Sissonne, who had been hunting them down after hearing of the incident that happened at the school. Willow, being accustomed to escaping by this point after numerous close calls in the past, knew how to get away, but Marianne did not. She was captured, and Willow knew she would not be able to fight the two while still securing her friend’s safety. So, she decided to turn into a cat to make it harder for the alien women to catch her, ran home and went into the laboratory. She surprised Cadence and Celestia, but did not waste time trying to explain anything. She grabbed the shard from the lab and ran to find Marianne. It glowed as she carried it, activated by Willow’s courageous act.

Willow found Marianne and the two Danseurs taking her to Étoile. When she saw her, Marianne grew excited to see her, both because she was safe, and because she had come back for her. Before their enemies could react, Willow desperately threw the rainbow peal shard at her friend. It embedded itself into her chest, but rather than causing her pain, it fused with her and began to react even more, glowing so much that it enveloped Marianne in bright light. When the light faded, she was a Mew. She did not seem to have animal traits, but discovered that she could create light from her very fingertips, and her powers were influenced by dancing. Given that the Danseurs fought with dance, they were utterly shocked at this. They realized quickly that she actually posed a threat to them with her abilities and elemental power, especially since she seemed so adept at dancing already.

Together, Marianne and Willow fought against the Danseurs and won, and the two escaped back to their base together.

About

Personality[]

Marianne is a Pisces, and she has a very bubbly, excitable personality. Like some of the other characters, she tries to be happy and focus on positive things, wanting to spread her positive energy. When she lost her family, things seemed to stop entirely for her, and she fell into a depressive state with lack of desire to do anything. She became hesitant and refrained from interacting with others. It wasn’t until she started trying to dance again that she was able to mend herself.

After she learns to be confident and overcomes her difficulties, Marianne figures out how to be clear about the things she wants and to pursue them without giving up. However, she can tend to be a bit of a worrywart for others and may be seen as clingy when really she is trying to make sure that the other person is okay. She is very loyal to those whom she trusts and will defend them at all costs.

Preferences[]

Marianne has a high love for dancing of all forms, but is specifically fond of classical dances that are showy and fun. Her favorite is the Can-Can, but she is known to do modern dances in experimental styles as well. She also likes constellations, as it was something her family loved and turned into an activity to do together by stargazing. She joined the astrology club in her time at Lune High, along with the dance club. Other than her pastimes, Marianne enjoys fruity foods and sweets, and orchestral music.

She dislikes salty foods with overpowering tastes, often avoiding many types of junk foods because they are too salty. She also does not like academics all too much, preferring the arts. She manages to get good grades, but finds things like math or English kind of boring. She’d rather be in something that allows her to move and stay active.

Mew Form

Powers[]

Through the power of the Rainbow Pearl, Marianne becomes Mew Meringue. Her associated food is Lemon Meringue Pie. Because of where the Pearl shard struck her, Mew Meringue has her Mew Mark over her chest—a yellow pair of thorns, similar to the trait most Danseurs have.

Mew Meringue is very different compared to the other Mews, and in fact is likely closer to Étoile than anyone else. She has no animal DNA, and instead has powers directly from the Pearl itself. She may potentially have Danseur DNA because of her ability to manipulate her element, light, directly and because she has a Mew mark similar to Étoile's. The powers of the Pearl within Mew Meringue are activated by excitement—not unlike Danny’s joy, but more akin to engagement or investment, not just pure happiness.

Dancing Style[]

Her dancing style is her favorite dance—the Can-Can. She typically will spin around and add extra steps, especially from contemporary ballet, for a personal touch, but she often will kick her legs into the air and dance happily in accordance to the traditional steps. She has to enjoy what she is doing in order to be able to effectively attack, so she always dances with a smile and makes sure to make the dance her own in some way in order to give it extra flair.

Fighting Style[]

Mew Meringue does not actually have a weapon—both because she is infused directly with the rainbow Pearl and because she potentially has Danseur DNA, she actually manipulates light and fights with it. She attacks with Ribbon Meringue Flash, and incorporates her dancing into her attacks. She has another attack that combines both her powers and Mew Parfait's called Ringing Dance of Light. It utilizes both of their elements to disorient enemies.

Her fighting style, despite the lavish dancing style, is actually quite elegant and graceful. She actually manages to impress the Danseurs sometimes, and they compliment her at times even though they remain enemies. Because she is so quick on her feet, she is able to outmaneuver some attacks.

Musical Themes

See the series song list for links to and elaboration on theme music.

Marianne's associated instrument is the French Horn, and most themes involving her use it (or sometimes horns in general) except her primary theme. This is due to the nature of her character and interests being so closely associated with dance more than music. Her instrument, however, is meant to reflect her more confident personality and the strength that she has.

Her associated theme is “Infernal Gallop” (or “The Can-Can Song”) by Jacques Offenbach, from Orpheus In the Underworld (See above).

Role

Marianne as Mew Meringue proves to be a perfect match to the Danseurs, endowed with their planet’s elements and being naturally rhythmic. She is respected by the Danseurs for her poise but they recognize her as an equal threat and thus fight even harder to try to stop her.

Not only does she prove a formidable foe to the Diaboliques, she works very well with Willow, and helps her to feel stronger and more supported after so long of feeling alone and in the dark. And, while she is strong, she does not take over most of their fights, instead trying to work with her partner rather than overshadow her.

⛔[SPOILER]⛔ As Willow acted as the central draw of her team before, Marianne acts as the center of the group later, meaning that she draws everyone back together, giving the other girls a reason to return. She sparks passion and happiness in Willow, and is the reason that all the other members from the first team actually come back to Lune City. She essentially acts as a device to spark the team’s emotional healing simply by circumstance. Because of her personality and how it resonates with most of the girls, she acts as a way for them to come back from their dulled emotional states, which were brought upon after they split up, left feeling powerless. This furthers her role as someone who is associated with the light element; she brings "light" back into the team.

Relationships

Cadence Harper: While the other girls are put off by Cadence’s sharp nature, Marianne is wistfully oblivious to it. She does obey the woman and what she commands, but does not let herself be put off or discouraged from trying to communicate with her like some of the others had once. She works with Cadence when she can, trying to understand her better and help her. While Cadence does not care much for this pushiness from Marianne, she appreciates that the girl tries her best amidst difficulty. Their relationship is somewhat casual, but not very much since Cadence still doesn’t open up to Marianne as much as she did with Klara.
Celestia Sweet: Marianne likes Celestia, gravitating toward her because of her unusual nature. She likes to teach her how to do some general dance moves when she isn’t working. They have a pretty friendly relationship and will sometimes gossip behind Cadence’s back (in a way that isn’t hurtful, of course. Marianne actually learns a lot about Cadence from Celestia).
Willow Roth: She admires Willow, but realizes that without help, she can easily fall into negative emotions. She knows that Willow can perceive her persistence as a pain, but she does so anyway because she wants her to be happy. Moreover, she understands how Willow is and how she reacts to things mostly because she has been where she was. While the other Mews had come to understand Willow as well, they did not engage in her passions or do much to consider her needs quite in the same way as Marianne, who found exactly what she needed most. Despite initial bumps in their relationship, the two become very close friends and partners.

⛔[SPOILERS]⛔

Klara De Jongh: Marianne is grateful to Klara. She is the first to respond when the original team is called and is the one who helps train Marianne in controlling and fighting in her form. Marianne admires how calm Klara is even when things are difficult and looks up to her.
Daniella Gillespie: Marianne likes to hang around with Danny, resonating with her upbeat personality and happy to have someone that shares the same energy as her. The two talk a lot when they are not busy, and have a kind of similar friendship that Willow and Marianne have.
Vianney Soubrette: Marianne and Vianney go hand in hand due to their interests. She admires Vianney’s operatic singing and Vianney loves Marianne’s dancing. They both love to share their passions with one another and can talk circles around each other, tiring some of the others out who might have to listen to them.

Trivia

Marianne was originally going to dance the tango. I'd planned for a dance partnership between her and Willow, but ultimately felt it would be out of character for Willow to agree to do this with her even when they become close.
Marianne initially had a second song associated with her: “L’Arlesienne Suite No. 2: Farandole” by Georges Bizet. The song was cut because it didn’t seem to fit anywhere and I didn’t want to make it her main theme. The instrumentation and the general energy, however, was fitting to her character.

Gallery

Created by AnnikaDoll

Ensemble Mew Mew
The Ensemble Mews	Willow Roth 𝄋 Klara De Jongh 𝄋 Daniella Gillespie 𝄋 Vianney Soubrette 𝄋 Marianne Richardson
Scientists	Viola Roth 𝄋 Cadence Harper 𝄋 Celestia Sweet
Danseurs	The Danseurs 𝄋 Étoile 𝄋 Pas 𝄋 Sissonne
Teams	The Diaboliques 𝄋 The Ensemble Mews
Other Pages	Objects and Weapons 𝄋 Locations 𝄋 Attacks 𝄋 Soundtrack 𝄋 Gallery