Tokimeki Tonight

Tokimeki Tonight (ときめきトゥナイト) is a Japanese manga series by Koi Ikeno. It was serialized in Shueisha's manga magazine Ribon from July 1982 to October 1994 and became a huge commercial success. The manga series had a circulation of 30 million copies in total, making it one of the best-selling manga series. An anime television series directed by Hiroshi Sasagawa was adapted from the manga and was broadcast on Nippon TV from October 7, 1982 to September 22, 1983.

Plot
15-year-old Ranze Eto lives in an isolated castle in Japan with her werewolf mother, vampire father, and younger brother, Rinze. Despite her lineage, she has yet to demonstrate any special powers of her own, and her parents are worried she might be a normal girl. One day, Ranze's innate power finally manifests itself when she, quite by accident, discovers that she can change herself into a carbon copy of any object she bites, whether it be a person or an inanimate object like a piece of bread, and can return to her normal self only by sneezing. Her parents are overjoyed, but Ranze's new powers make it difficult to continue living life as a normal teenage girl.

On Ranze's first day at her new school in junior high, she meets and falls in love with the brash yet handsome young athlete, Shun Makabe. The chief problem with this is that Ranze's parents will not allow her to date a human - although there may be much more to Shun than meets the eye. On top of this, she also has a bitter rival in the pretty but spiteful Yoko Kamiya (the daughter of a yakuza boss) who also likes Shun and doesn't take kindly to Ranze's intruding on her turf.

Eto Family
Ranze Eto (江藤蘭世)
 * The lead character, a 15-year-old girl, Ranze originally manifests no supernatural powers until she bites Yoko Kamiya and discovers she has vampiric powers that let her "metamorph" into whatever she bites a certain way.

Rinze Eto (江藤鈴世)
 * Ranze's 5-year-old younger brother, appears to not have any supernatural powers but seems to be the only one that can tell who Ranze is when she is transformed.

Mori Eto (江藤望里)
 * Ranze's father, a vampire.

Shiira Eto (江藤椎羅)
 * Ranze's mother, a werewolf. She forbids Ranze from liking human boys.

Peck (ペック)
 * A talking parrot born in the Spirit World. The Eto Family's pet.

Makabe Family
Shun Makabe (真壁俊)
 * The boy Ranze and Yoko fight over. He is training to be a professional boxer.

Hanae Makabe (真壁華枝)
 * Shun's mother.

Kamiya Family
Yoko Kamiya (神谷曜子)
 * Ranze's romantic rival, the spoiled daughter of a yakuza boss.

Tamasaburo Kamiya (神谷玉三郎)
 * Yoko's father. An enormous, bulky man who develops a crush on Shun's mother.

Others
Kunihiko "Shuusai" Takaba (國彦「酒斎」高場)
 * A bookworm who has a crush on Ranze.

Aron (アロン＝ルーク＝ウォーレンサー)
 * Prince of Demon World. He is in love with Ranze.

Sand (羅々)
 * The infamous "womanizer" who typically accompanies Aron.

Mr. Mitsuki (みつきさん)
 * Ranze's homeroom teacher.

Manga
There are 30 volumes in the original release of the manga series in Japan. By 2006, they sold 26 million copies, making Tokimeki Tonight the sixth best-selling shōjo manga.

Tokimeki Midnight
In 2002, a second manga series called Tokimeki Midnight (ときめきミッドナイト) lit. 'Exciting Midnight', also by Koi Ikeno, began serialization in Shueisha's magazine Cookie. The manga is an alternate retelling where the roles are reversed. The series was completed in 2009 with nine volumes.

Tokimeki Tonight: Sore kara
On May 26, 2021, a sequel, Tokimeki Tonight: Sore kara (ときめきトゥナイト それから), which takes place after the third arc where Ranze and Makabe's daughter Aira saves the world from crisis and centers on the lead protagonist Ranze as her 40s, began serialization in Cookie magazine starting from July 2021 issue.

Other books
There are several additional stories set in the Tokimeki Tonight universe that have been collected in the following volumes:
 * Tokimeki Tonight: Hoshi no Yukue (ときめきトゥナイト―星のゆくえ―) (2000, 1 volume, Ribon Mascot Comics, Shueisha, ISBN 4-08-856201-1). Contains:
 * Tokimeki Tonight: Hoshi no Yukue
 * Hoshi no Yukue (Kamiya-ke Hen) (星のゆくえ（神谷家編）)
 * Hoshi no Yukue (Etō-ke Hen) (星のゆくえ（江藤家編）)
 * Hoshi no Yukue (Ichihashi-ke Hen) (星のゆくえ（市橋家編）)
 * Hoshi no Yukue (Aoyagi-ke Hen) (星のゆくえ（青柳家編）)
 * Tokimeki Tonight: Makabe Shun no Jijō (ときめきトゥナイト 真壁俊の事情) (August 2013, Ribon Mascot Comics, Shueisha, ISBN 978-4-08-867290-8)
 * Tokimeki Tonight: Etō Mōri no Kakeochi (ときめきトゥナイト 江藤望里の駆け落ち) (April 2015, Ribon Mascot Comics, Shueisha, ISBN 978-4-08-867370-7)
 * Tokimeki Tonight: Etō Ranze no Takarabako (ときめきトゥナイト 江藤蘭世の宝箱) (July 2019, Ribon Mascot Comics, Shueisha, ISBN 978-4-08-867557-2)

Additional books released about the series include:
 * Tokimeki Manga Road: Ikeno Koi 40th Anniversary Book (ときめきまんが道　池野恋40周年本) (July 2019, 2 volumes, Shueisha)
 * Volume 1 (ISBN 978-4-08-792052-9)
 * Volume 2 (ISBN 978-4-08-792053-6)

Anime
A 34-episode anime television series adaptation, directed by Hiroshi Sasagawa and produced by Group TAC and Toho, aired in Japan between October 7, 1982 and September 22, 1983 on Nippon TV. Its opening theme is "Tokimeki Tonight" and its ending theme is "Super Love Lotion". Since Group TAC closed its doors as a studio, Toho has been the sole rights-holder of the series.

Since the anime series ended years before the manga, the staff had to craft their own conclusion. In the final episode it's revealed Shun has a star-shaped birthmark that proves he is the long lost prince of the Demon World. However, Shun denies this, saying it's actually a bruise and not a birthmark. The door to the Demon World is sealed, with the Eto family banished until they are able to locate the lost prince. Sometime later, Shun's mother reveals the star-shaped mark is in fact a birthmark. The following morning Shun tries to tell Ranze the truth but is interrupted by Yoko. The series closes with a special version of "Super Love Lotion" featuring the main cast.

Episode list

 * 1) Secret of étranger (October 7, 1982)
 * 2) Door to The Demon World (October 14, 1982)
 * 3) Bathroom Crisis (October 21, 1982)
 * 4) A Small Friendship (October 28, 1982)
 * 5) Ranze goes to the Demon World (November 4, 1982)
 * 6) Romance in the Foggy Night (November 11, 1982)
 * 7) The Terrifying Culture Festival (November 18, 1982)
 * 8) Action Camera of Love (November 25, 1982)
 * 9) Tamasaburo's Love (December 2, 1982)
 * 10) The Invisible Girl, Miel (December 9, 1982)
 * 11) Full Moon Birthday (December 16, 1982)
 * 12) Teehee. Ranze's Wish (December 23, 1982)
 * 13) White Sweethearts (January 6, 1983)
 * 14) I saw her! Ranze is a Tanuki! (January 13, 1983)
 * 15) Sorry I'm naked (January 20, 1983)
 * 16) The Youthful Runner of Love (January 27, 1983)
 * 17) The Flirtatious Magician (February 3, 1983)
 * 18) Title Match of Love (February 10, 1983)
 * 19) The Great Sentimental Giant (February 17, 1983)
 * 20) Chaos! Lots of Ranzes! (February 24, 1983)
 * 21) Love Letter from E.T. (March 3, 1983)
 * 22) Panic! Pajama Game (March 10, 1983)
 * 23) Sand's Love Story (March 17, 1983)
 * 24) Ardent Love! Great War in the Demon World (March 24, 1983)
 * 25) Transformation Revealed: Kill Shun (March 31, 1983)
 * 26) Execution Fleet! Space Wars (April 28, 1983)
 * 27) Clash! Rocky VS Shun (May 5, 1983)
 * 28) Delinquent Angel: Love Hunter (May 19, 1983)
 * 29) Shock! A Future Encounter (June 9, 1983)
 * 30) The Prince's Order of Assassination  (June 16, 1983)
 * 31) The Migratory Bird Returns (June 23, 1983)
 * 32) Venture! Island of Sweethearts (July 7, 1983)
 * 33) Tokimeki Folktales (July 28, 1983)
 * 34) Fall in Love! Be in Love! The Love Triangle! (September 22, 1983)

Reception
The manga had a circulation of 30 million copies in 2021.

On Anime News Network, Justin Sevakis said the anime was "a thirty year-old comedy that's still funny, with a setup that's still plausible and interesting, and animation that's still serviceable".