I love Takahashi's Mermaid Saga and the two OAVs, they have a certain sense of morality that reminds of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and other gothic works. What I don't understand, though is why the original storyline, "A Mermaid Never Smiles," was never animated. It not only introduces Mana's predicament, but also the entire concept of the Mermaids being truly monstrous in a classical sense, not just victims fighting back as in the Mermaid Forest OAV. Mana, for those who haven't read the stories, was kidnapped at birth by a band of earthbound mermaids to be slaughtered at the age of 15 to regenerate their youth. Losing that somehow takes the bite out of Yuta's rage against all things Mermaid.
6 Reviews
A beautifully animated story about friendship
mosurataksaichan10 March 2021
There isn't so much to say about this OVA but it depicts the relationship of a girl and a boy who have attained eternal life by consuming the flesh of a mermaid. It seems simple and vague but delves into the difficulties and intricacies of the desire to live forever versus the reality of doing so. A simple story but nevertheless beautifully animated and entertaining.
A moral lesson
blackhawk.sc4 January 2001
The story concerns the struggle between a woman's self-preservation and ethics. What Mermaid Forest lacks visually is made up by its ability to convey a strong message. The fact that this film teaches is more apparent than most other animes I've seen. Whether you agree or not it shows how simple humans cannot escape their fate, the attempt to do so results in consequences for those around him or her. It's doubtful that watching Mermaid Forest will alter one's life forever but I appraise it for succeeding in what it tried to do. I'm only bothered by how Mana, the most obvious victim, cares very little about what happens to her. I find that unrealistic and somewhat annoying.
A fine work with a missing piece.
kunou-chan25 May 2001
This is a fine piece of work by any measure: even though the animation looks old now, and was not dazzling even in its day, it is well suited to the story: dark but stately, intense at points without letting the gore get out of hand or using it for simple shock value, and aptly conveying the tension as the story of the secluded mansion's residents unfolds. Fans of the manga(comic) will find it a special treat, with faithful renderings of many of the original's most memorable imagery.
But this serves only to frame the story itself, a tale of greed, love, obsession, and the perils of trying to change one's destiny. The mansion's residents and regular guest are portrayed simply but more than adequately, each coming to life as a real and sympathetic character in even their darkest moments. Yuta and Mana, as the protagonists and in many ways observers, are at least not bland in their role, but in their portrayal lies one problem that leaves the whole somewhat unbalanced. As mentioned this work is based upon the comic of the same name, which is part of an ongoing series. Yuta's background, explained earlier in the story, was included as a well-placed flashback as well as mentions in other places, but Mana's, the subject of the first story in the series, is never touched upon. To one who does not know the reasons for her personality and reactions, they can be confusing and even nonsensical: while some attempt was made to portray her more "normally" in order to sidestep the issue, it does not solve it.
All in all, it is a good film, but only an excellent one to those who have read the earlier stories of the series.
But this serves only to frame the story itself, a tale of greed, love, obsession, and the perils of trying to change one's destiny. The mansion's residents and regular guest are portrayed simply but more than adequately, each coming to life as a real and sympathetic character in even their darkest moments. Yuta and Mana, as the protagonists and in many ways observers, are at least not bland in their role, but in their portrayal lies one problem that leaves the whole somewhat unbalanced. As mentioned this work is based upon the comic of the same name, which is part of an ongoing series. Yuta's background, explained earlier in the story, was included as a well-placed flashback as well as mentions in other places, but Mana's, the subject of the first story in the series, is never touched upon. To one who does not know the reasons for her personality and reactions, they can be confusing and even nonsensical: while some attempt was made to portray her more "normally" in order to sidestep the issue, it does not solve it.
All in all, it is a good film, but only an excellent one to those who have read the earlier stories of the series.
Mermaid's Forest is about two immortals who find each other and together go searching for a mermaid that can turn them back into normal human beings.
girl_in_the_sublunary13 April 2006
Warning: Spoilers
I'm not a huge Anime fan, but when I heard about this series, my love of mermaid lore compelled me to watch all 39 episodes. The series is developed into thirteen (13) chapters, three episodes each. The similarities between The Mermaid's Forest and today's Anime shows and movies are few and far between; Mermaid's Forest animation is a bit softer and the girl's aren't quite as slutty as the female protagonists from shows like "Inuyasha" and "Cowboy Bebop." There were no sex scenes (except for one assumed rape scene, but it wasn't graphic), or scenes of intimacy. There is plenty of blood shed, but in the first eleven chapters, any spilled blood is colored brown and looks more like shades on the ground than puddles of circulating tissue composed of fluid plasma and cells. It gets gory in the end- although it helps to know that because of their immortality, the main character's wounds will always heal back to normal before the scene is over- but we are spared many details that would be considered vital in today's top Anime shows. The story lines could have been developed a little more, since some episodes are put together in such a way that we, the viewers, are left with gaping information holes. But visually, it's a masterpiece. The relationship between Yûta and Mana (our main immortals) might be displeasing to some who wish to see a romance evolve, but there is definitely some kind of a closeness and understanding between them. Either way, it's entirely up to your interpretation since this series doesn't really have an ending.
While I was a bit surprised at the amount of swearing, I absolutely enjoyed the Mermaid's Forest, and I recommend it to any Anime fan out there. This is definitely a classic: 10/10
If you wish to see the entire Mermaid's Forest series, go to You Tube (http://youtube.com/), which contains all 13 chapters of the series, and type in Mermaid's Forest into the search bar.
While I was a bit surprised at the amount of swearing, I absolutely enjoyed the Mermaid's Forest, and I recommend it to any Anime fan out there. This is definitely a classic: 10/10
If you wish to see the entire Mermaid's Forest series, go to You Tube (http://youtube.com/), which contains all 13 chapters of the series, and type in Mermaid's Forest into the search bar.
Not enough depth
WeAreLive14 May 2023
Warning: Spoilers
There is a legend in Japan that if one eats the flesh of a mermaid, one will become immortal. This anime recounts the story of Yuhta and Mana, an immortal boy and girl, and their experiences with a family struggling to achieve immortality at any cost.
On the actual OVA's themselves the one that came out in 1996 for most parts it was okay however, there were problems I had with it like we barely knew much about the two main characters aside from them being immortal and the fact that there was animal cruelty involved which I am not going to go into details on.
5.5/10.
It was dubbed by Manga UK, while the dub does have similar problems like their other dubs I.e poor translations, cheesy voice acting. However, this probably one of their better dubs.
On the actual OVA's themselves the one that came out in 1996 for most parts it was okay however, there were problems I had with it like we barely knew much about the two main characters aside from them being immortal and the fact that there was animal cruelty involved which I am not going to go into details on.
5.5/10.
It was dubbed by Manga UK, while the dub does have similar problems like their other dubs I.e poor translations, cheesy voice acting. However, this probably one of their better dubs.
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