*Review is for the entire Mermaid Saga series*

Mermaid Saga was written over the course of many years: one chapter here, and one chapter there. Therefore, since it was not a constant publication, Takahashi did not face the same pressures that she did with many of her other works wherein she had to publish the next installment before a deadline. This translated into a very concise and well written short manga that properly does its job of offering the reader a glimpse into the strange and ultimately sorrowful lives of Mana and Yuta.

Mermaid Saga is a story set in Japan and jumps timelines from time to time. For the most part, the story takes place during 1980ish Japan (the time period during which this manga was published), however there are flashbacks and entire stories set in other historical periods, like during the Tokugawa Shogunate era. In this series, there is a legend: he/she who eats mermaid flesh is granted immortality. However, as we learn in the first volume, not everyone survives the transformation. Only one person in many will be granted full immortality. Some may be granted it on a temporary basis, meaning that they may wither away eventually and die. Others may not even survive the transformation; the mermaid flesh corrupts them and they turn into a "Lost Soul", a grotesque animal-like being with no soul. Additionally, the legend also applies in the reverse: A mermaid who eats the flesh of a human will be allowed to live on land as one (and consequently also takes on the likeliness of the human whose flesh she has eaten.)

The story focuses on Yuta and Mana, two immortals who are traveling together. They stumble upon various cases where the myth of the mermaid flesh has ruined people, bringing them great pain and sorrow. Whether it was the mermaid's ashes or the mermaid's blood - they all had some effect that ultimately caused pain for whomever consumed them. I think the most disturbing story for me was one of the last ones, the story of Masato. Seriously, it has many twists and turns and by the end not only was I severely disturbed but I understood the impact that desiring something so impossible can have on people. Overall, it was a short but very enjoyable read.

A full review including spoilers can be found here: http://intersomniaindiem.blogspot.com/2015/02/mermaid-saga.html

I came to read Mermaid Saga as part of the April 2011 Manga Moveable Feast focusing on the series' creator Rumiko Takahashi. I'm ashamed to admit it, but before the Feast I had never read any of Takahashi's works except for Ranma 1/2, which I adore. Mermaid Saga is one of Takahashi's shortest series and she completed it between 1984 and 1994. Also in 1994, Viz Media began publishing the entire work in three volumes: Mermaid Forest, Mermaid Scar, and Mermaid's Gaze. In 2004, Viz re-released the series in a smaller sized second edition under the title Mermaid Saga, this time in four volumes. Mermaid Saga, Volume 1 contains all but the last chapter of Mermaid Forest. Once again, the Manga Moveable Feast has given me the excuse to read something I've been meaning to get around to for quite some time.

Mermaid Saga is told in a sequence of related short stories. The first volume collects "A Mermaid Never Smiles," "The Village of the Fighting Fish," and frustratingly only the first half of "Mermaid Forest." There is a legend that eating the flesh of a mermaid will bring a human eternal youth and longevity. However, it is just as likely, if not more so, that the person will be poisoned by the flesh, either killing them or transforming them into a monster. Yuta, who has eaten mermaid flesh, is arguably one of the lucky ones. Although immortal, he is tired of the suffering and pain of dying only to return to a life where he is lonely and ostracized. And so he searches for the mermaids, believing that they are the only ones who know how to return his body to normal, allowing him live his life, grow old, and die.

I was happy to find that Takahashi executes dark and creepy in Mermaid Saga just as well as she handles comedic and absurd in Ranma 1/2. Her mermaids are not gentle and kind supernatural beings. Instead, they are vicious and selfish creatures, not only towards humans but towards their own kind as well. (Not unlike humans, actually.) They are also somewhat of a mystery--other than the fact that their flesh and blood has strange and powerful properties when consumed, very little is actually known about the mermaids.Still, whether out of obsession or desperation, mortals pursue the mermaids and immortality. But without complete knowledge or understanding of the circumstances, this can lead to severe and dire consequences for all involved. Unfortunately, because the details regarding mermaids are only slowly revealed, it sometimes feels like Takahashi is making them up as needed for the story rather than having a coherent and consistent vision to begin with. But even if that is the case, the mood remains the same throughout Mermaid Saga and the stories are effectively disconcerting.

I really enjoyed the first volume of Mermaid Saga. My favorite story, despite some over the top dialogue, was "The Village of the Fighting Fish." The chemistry between Yuta and Rin is excellent and the development of their relationship over such a short period of time is completely believable. While I find Yuta to be the most interesting character at this point, they all have distinctive personalities and well developed backgrounds. This is true for most of the minor and secondary characters as well. I've come to expect dynamic and exciting action sequences and fight scenes from Takahashi and Mermaid Saga doesn't disappoint in that respect either. The art is skillfully done: the backgrounds and landscapes are wonderfully detailed, water and spray look wet, the mermaids are terrifying and beautiful in turn, and the panel and page layouts show effective variation. Overall, I feel that Mermaid Saga is off to an excellent start with engaging stories, art, and characters. I look forward to reading the rest of the series--I may have found a new favorite Takahashi.

Experiments in Manga ( )

The esential story is 1. Legend says if you eat a mermaid's flesh, you will be immortal. 2. A long time ago, the main character unknowingly ate mermaid flesh and he cannot die. 3. The main character wants to find a mermaid to tell him how to reverse the effects so he can live like a normal person, grow old, and die.

In the first story, we learn that in order to keep themselves young, mermaids must eat a person who has become immortal by eating a mermaid's flesh. The catch is: mermaid flesh is poison to most people and turns them into monsters. The mermaids can't have their 'fountain of youth' off of the monsters.

Immortal Guy saves Immortal Girl from vicious mermaids. From there, the main character's quest keeps getting thwarted by all kinds of people who are also looking to become immortalized by mermaid flesh, or people who already are immortal from same. For a supposedly legendary occurance, I have to say-- there are tons of people who know all about it!

The battle scenes are all right and they get really bloody. I'm sure it's because the immortals just heal and get up off the ground again. Unfortunately, a lot of the characters look too much alike to me. The story is not anything 'new' or different. If Takahashi exhibits her tried-and-true formula in later volumes, you can expect a love triangle on the horizon. Although this series was written before Ranma 1/2 and Inuyasha, I've read the latter two and this story just came off as incredibly stale. ( )