Mermaid Saga, Vol. 1

by Rumiko Takahashi

Book Overview

"Furst published by Shogakukan, Inc. in Japan."--Colophon. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1591163366
• ISBN13: 9781591163367
• Release Date: July 2004
• Publisher: Viz Media
• Length: 216 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.1" x 7.5"

Customer Reviews

This is good!!

I've only read a few pages but this book is good.It is basically about Yuta a man that ate the flesh of a mermaid and is now immortal.In his quest to look for a mermaid,he meets Mana, a clueless but good looking chick with no idea that she ate the flesh because of an older woman gave it to her and claimed it was a new fish they brought in,that's all i've read for now!Don't miss out on a great book!!

WELL WRITTEN CLASSIC

Men and women seek out the flesh of mermaids because it is said that if you eat it, you will be granted immortality. Of course, what they don't know is that there is also a chance of instant death, or even worse, of being changed into a horrible ghoul. Yuta learned this centuries ago when he and some of his fellow fisherman, curious to see if the legends were true, decided to eat the flesh of a mermaid. While some of his comrades died instantly, others changed into soulless beasts. Only Yuta was given the gift or curse of eternal life. Yuta doesn't want it. He wants to grow old and die like normal people. So he sets out on a quest to find more mermaids because he has been told that only a mermaid can reveal to him how he can become a mortal man again. During his wanderings he comes upon a village of murderous old hags who seem to have mermaids living among them. You see, they can also change into human form and walk on land. He learns that they are keeping a young girl named Mana imprisoned there her whole life and have fed her mermaid flesh for some dark reason, making her immortal too. It's up to Yuta to figure out some way to save both their lives. The second story in the book is a flashback to an earlier period in Yuta's life when he encounters some bloodthirsty pirates out to catch a mermaid for the sly wife of their chief. Left for dead, Yuta is found by a rival but much more civilized pirate clan and a love story develops between him and their defacto female leader. The last story in the volume, "Mermaid Forest" takes us back to contemporary times with Yuta and Mana. Mana, not knowing about automobiles and such because she has been a captive all her life, walks in front of a truck and is taken in by a nefarious doctor in the employ of a family who owns "Mermaid Forest", on whose grounds, a mermaid is alleged to be buried. This was a very well-written manga. I wouldn't say it was for kids because it has a lot of gore and more than a little nudity. There's a thread of sadness through the storyline when you realize that Yuta and Mana are truly alone in the world. I don't really get Yuta though. He has a chance to stay with the queen of the pirates but refuses simply because he doesn't want to settle down in one place. If he lives forever, what's wrong with living out a life with someone you love? This manga had a lot of elements to it: horror, love story, and adventure. Be warned that Volume 1 does leave you hanging at the end on a cliffhanger. I would also recommend Highlander on dvd. Also, similar themes are dealt with in Interview With a Vampire novel and movie.

Takahashi's "hobby"

The first three of the nine stories that has become known as Rumiko Takahashi's Mermaid Saga. Written over the course of about twelve years, while still working on her major series (Urusei Yatsura, Maison Ikkoku, and Ranma 1/2), this is Rumiko at her darkest--only her short story, Laughing Target, is as intensely frightening. While some of the later stories (especially the very last two) were more about the surrounding characters and are more plotted, these first three are all about Yuta and Mana, even while other characters plot and scheme around them. Even though these are horror stories, in the more literary sense of the word, there is also a great amount of comedy. My favorite--the first, "A Mermaid Never Smiles"--is practically a Swift-esque satire on the strive for beauty at any cost, and it sort of disappointed me that these themes weren't hit on more throughout the series. The best parts of the series, the thing everybody has come to wait for, are the little sections at the end of each story, when Yuta and (usually) Mana leave for the next town and talk to each other. Sometimes they moralize, sometimes they talk about how they feel, but it's always poignant.

Really Good

This is the first manga I ever read and it's still one of my favorites. People familiar with Takahashi's work will find her trademark humor and romance only not to the usual extremes. The story is a bit dark and very gory. It's like INU YASHA in the aspect there are bloody fights and cool demonic looking foes. The story is about a legend that if you eat the flesh of a mermaid you gain long life and youth (assuming you're young when you eat it). The sad thing is that most people learn the hard way that not everyone who eats the flesh gets like this. Only one in a thousand people have bodies strong enough to take the effects of this poisonous flesh. Those that can't either die right away or become "lost souls", terrible fish like creatures that have lost their souls and wander the Earth forever, mindlessly killing and whatnot. And some people get in betweeners. The beginning introduces one such guy that ate the flesh and did gain immortality. He meets a girl who has recently suffered the same fate and they journey together to see where their endless lives will take them. Oh and you'll never look at mermaids the same way after this book. I dont think they have ever been depicted as grotesquely as they are in this short but sweet series.

The best thing I've read!

I've had this GN for serveral years now. The story is very interesting. I've always thought it would be neat to live forever. I've never realized the disadvantages of immortality until I've read this novel. I guess you can get sick of life. That's basically what the main characters are implying since their quest is to find a way to be normal again. Along the way they encounter people who would love to be in their position. This is a very well written series. Be sure to read the other GN from the series. I can't enough of it.