Pixie Pop

"So remember: whenever love gets you down... a cup of tea might just be what you need!"

—Narration Ending

Pixie Pop (Gokkun! Pucho in Japanese) is the first manga series of Ema Toyama and is considered her best work.

After getting rejected by her middle school crush Shinya Amamiya, Mayu Kousaka decides to enter the new year of school forgetting about Amamiya and finding a new love. It's easier said than done, especially with Amamiya being in Mayu's homeroom class and sitting right next to her.

But when Mayu drinks a water drink that changed colors after her tears fell in it, the drink guardian spirit, Pucho, appears. She explains that the drink that Mayu drank had a rainbow drink element, and it was meant for Pucho so that she can turn into an adult and use special magical powers. Pucho tells Mayu that she cannot drink anything other than water, as the properties of other drinks will cause her to transform (ex: drinking cold milk will make her bigger; drinking warm milk will make her smaller).

Mayu decides to help recreate the rainbow drink element to help Pucho turn into an adult by finding the different colored water droplets needed for the drink. In return, Pucho decides to help Mayu win Amamiya's heart.

But is Amamiya still the boy Mayu fell in love with as a child, or just a jerk who rejected her?

Tropes used in Pixie Pop include:

Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder: Amamiya couldn't wait for Konoha.
Alpha Bitch: Reika Kanemoto, to an extent.
Anguished Declaration of Love:
- Prior to the story, Mayu confessed to her middle school crush Amamiya. His response was, "Who are you?"
- Amamiya towards his childhood friend Konoha before she left to study abroad.
Animal-Eared Headband: Pucho's headband resembles bunny ears.
Armor-Piercing Slap:
- Reika Kanemoto, a girl from Mayu's class, delivers one to Amamiya when she receives the same rejection.
- Nazuna towards Ryouta while confessing to him.
Beta Couple: Ryouta and Nazuna.
Betty and Veronica: Mayu and Konoha for Amamiya; Yuuki and Amamiya for Mayu.
Catgirl: In a side-panel, Pucho states that there are a lot of "cat-type girls" in the series (Konoha- "selfish kitty"; Nazuna- "fun kitty"; Amamiya- "antisocial kitty"). She averts this by saying Mayu is a "dog" because she's "faithful, devoted, and single-minded."
Celibate Hero: Amamiya, who rejected Mayu because he has no intention of dating.
Clingy Jealous Girl: Konoha.
Cool Big Sis: Pucho more or less becomes one for Mayu.
Curtains Match the Window: Nazuna.
Defrosting Ice King: Amamiya.
Dogged Nice Guy:
- Mayu is a gender-flipped one for Amamiya.
- Ryouta towards Nazuna.
- Yuuki towards Mayu, as it's revealed that he wasn't under the spell of the melon drink; he had loved Mayu for a long time.
The Cutie: Played up to eleven when Pucho gives Mayu a chocolate drink in order to be a "sugary sweet girl" when returning Amamiya's coat to him; it makes her turn into a Smitten Teenage Girl that Tastes Like Diabetes without her control.
Hair Decorations: Mayu, Pucho, Nazuna, and Konoha.
Feud Episode: Mayu and Pucho in Chapter 10. They get better.
The First Cut Is the Deepest: Amamiya turned into a jerk when Konoha, his first love, left for America.
Girlish Pigtails: Mayu.
Green-Eyed Monster:
- Mayu grows jealous of the history Konoha has with Amamiya; Konoha is jealous of Mayu's closeness to Amamiya.
- Amamiya towards Yuuki when he thinks Mayu and Yuuki are dating.
Hair of Gold: Mayu.
Happily Married: Eight years later, Mayu and Amamiya in Chapter 15.
Heroines Want Redheads: Amamiya.
Heterosexual Life Partners: Mayu and Pucho; Mayu and Nanuza; Amamiya and Ryouta.
Hime Cut: Pucho.
Instant Awesome, Just Add Ninja: Mayu turns into a Ninja after drinking green tea to rescue Pamo-chan.
Irony: Following Mayu's anguished confession, she decides that once high school starts that she'll forget about Amamiya and find a new love. Ironically, Amamiya is in her class and sits right next to her.
I Want My Beloved to Be Happy:
- Mayu drinks green tea to turn into a ninja and rescue Konoha's Pamo-chan, in spite of the fact that doing this will stop the magic that made Amamiya fall in love with her.
- Yuuki, realizing Mayu's feelings for Amamiya, tells her to go after him.
- Konoha, realizing the person she was chasing after doesn't exist anymore, lets Mayu and Amamiya be together.
- Mayu is willing to give up Amamiya to stop Pucho from disappearing.
I Will Wait for You: Subverted. Amamiya couldn't wait for Konoha.
Jerkass -> Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Amamiya.
Keet: Ryouta and Yuuki.
Love Confession: Mayu to Amamiya in a Flash Back in Chapter 1; Nazuna to Ryouta in Chapter 11; Yuuki to Mayu in Chapter 12.
Love Potion:
- When Mayu drinks Darjeeling with a drop of the seven colored drink, it makes Amamiya briefly fall in love with her.
- After one of the colored water droplets appear after Yuuki asks Mayu on a date, Mayu thinks she's fallen for Yuuki, but it turns out that the water droplet is "green," which means "being loved" and only appeared because of Yuuki's feelings; it doesn't mean Mayu feels the same way.
- After drinking a zero calorie soda, it makes Mayu instantly fall out of love with Amamiya and in love with Yuuki. But with her feelings alone, Mayu is able to undo the transformation.
Love Redeems: When Konoha left, it caused Amamiya to turn into a cold-hearted jerk. It is only through Mayu's love for him that Amamiya remembers what it's liked to be liked by someone and to want to like someone else in return.
Love Triangle:
- Konoha, Amamiya, and Mayu.
- Yuuki, Mayu, and Amamiya.
Magical Girl: One of the more original entries in the genre.
Meido: Mayu's class does a Maid Cafe for the Cultural Festival.
Memento MacGuffin: Pamo-chan, Konoha's stuffed elephant. It was a gift from Amamiya.
New Transfer Student: Konoha Hiiragi, Amamiya's childhood friend, who returns from studying abroad in America for six years.
Oblivious to Love:
- For the most part, Nazuna is oblivious to Ryouta's affections.
- Mayu towards Yuuki, as she never noticed him until he talks to her.
Official Couple: Amamiya and Mayu.
Ojou: Konoha.
Operation: Jealousy: Mayu uses Yuuki, one of the boys of her Harem who fell for her after she drank melon juice, to make Amamiya jealous.
Ordinary Middle School Student
Piggyback Cute: Amamiya does this to Mayu when she sprains her ankle in Chapter 7.
The Promise: As children, Ayamiya wished that Konoha and he would be together forever. When Konoha returns from studying abroad, she is determined for him to keep his promise.
Red Oni, Blue Oni: Yuuki and Amamiya.
The Rival: Konoha for Mayu; Yuuki Kakeru for Amamiya.
Rose-Haired Girl: Pucho and Konoha.
Second Love: Mayu for Amamiya.
Shojo
Single-Target Sexuality: Mayu towards Ayamiya, so much that she didn't notice Yuuki or the fact that he'd been visiting their class a lot because he has feelings for her.
Spoiled Brat: Konoha is a bit of one.
Sweet Tooth: Averted with Amamiya, who dislikes sweet food. Yuuki, on the other hand, has a sweet tooth.
Troubled but Cute: Amamiya.
Ungrateful Bastard: Mayu transforms into a ninja to rescue Pamo-chan, who is rather rude to her and insults her. Even though she does this, he refuses to change his opinion of her.
Unlucky Childhood Friend: Subverted. Amamiya had feelings for Konoha, but she left to study abroad in America. When she returns, Konoha is determined to make Amamiya keep his promise to her.
Unrequited Love Switcheroo: When Yuuki and Mayu start growing closer, it causes Amamiya to realize his feelings for Mayu.
Used to Be a Sweet Kid: Amamiya.
Wish Fulfillment: Mayu winning Amamiya's heart and Pucho wanting to be an adult. In the end, they both manage to achieve their dreams.
Yamato Nadeshiko: Konoha.
You Gotta Have Purple Hair: Nazuna.