Most people have a bittersweet quality Kaori Ozakiworks, at least those translated into English— fairy rain, gods lieand golden sheep – and Mermaid Prince No exception. Composed of three short stories, this book draws on Japanese folklore and explores how we interact with the world. a snowy day The title focuses on how events impact the choices we make in these three areas. Even though they initially don’t seem to have any actual unifying theme, they still feel representative of Ozaki’s work, and fans of her manga shouldn’t miss this single volume.
The most unusual of these three pieces is a snowy day. It’s also the shortest and hardest to discuss without spoiling its most interesting elements. Thematically, however, it looks at libraries and what they mean to the people who use them. The unnamed protagonist is a librarian, apparently working at a small local library during the winter. On a snowy day, a father and his young son took refuge in the building, much to the horror of an older female customer who apparently believed they were homeless and should not be allowed to be with “better ” people together. The librarian scolded her, pointing out that they were reading a picture book and gently interacting with the little boy’s father while he slept. This kindness embodies the story’s ending, pointing out that libraries are quiet and safe spaces, a refuge from literal or metaphorical storms, and perhaps even a source of inspiration for many. A touch of folk customs, a snowy day “more” features in two of the book’s chapters, and it’s the story I thought about most after reading the book.
On the same folklore front, the title story, Mermaid Princerooted in Okinawan legend. The story takes place near (and in) a real cave in Okinawa: Mermaid Grotto. In Ozaki’s version, the grotto, which is accessible primarily only to divers, is associated with a legend that a mermaid frequents the place and grants a wish to anyone who can see her. This may be related to a legend on a nearby beach where there is a statue of a mermaid. She is said to have saved a village from a tsunami in the 1770s. (Mermaid comics fans may recognize this as a similar folktale Mermaid Scales and Sand Town.) Mugi, a boy in early high school or late middle school, recently moved to the island where the grotto is located, and he’s not so excited. His sister, who is his legal guardian, recently married a local diving instructor, leaving Muggy uprooted. although Tory PartyMai, a girl in his class, tries to connect with him, but Mai is never happy, and with his sister worried about his asthma and the humid heat of the island, he feels trapped. This two-chapter story explores the workings of belonging to a time and place and discovering new situations, and it makes good use of the dynamics of moving to a small town. (I admit to being a little surprised that the translation used “mainlander” rather than “off-islander” to describe Mugi, but the latter might be more in my place than I thought.) What’s more, the mermaid element is very well done. , Ozaki’s take on the aquatic creature is a captivating blend of horror and fantasy imagery. Mermaids are both beautiful and terrifying, which sums up how Mai feels about his new situation and the creature itself.
TianyueyuanThe first story in the book is, if not the most powerful, then at least the best distillation of its theme. It’s also the only film without fantasy elements, and sometimes takes a harsh look at a teenage girl trying to figure things out. The story begins in the third grade of Akari Middle School, where her teacher is clearly disapproving of her career choices, which include careers such as “One Piece.” Her best friend Fumika plans to go to a high school where Akari doesn’t think she’s smart enough (or at least not motivated enough to apply), but the final blow is when Fumika starts dating Kaji. Suddenly, Fumika starts to pay attention to Kaji, which makes Akari furious, especially when she has a horrific experience on the train: she groped where Fumika and Kaji were only a few seats away.
Akari’s reaction to being attacked is an excellent study in anger. After a violent attack on Fumika, she hides in a bathroom stall and viciously cuts her underwear into pieces with a utility knife before flushing the pieces down the toilet and standing proudly in front of the Japanese contraption. Her rage is palpable, and with every cut of the knife, every tear in the fabric, she seems to be destroying a part of a society that, in her mind, values good girls who date smart boys more , instead of the awkward girls who get harassed and go unnoticed. Before Fumika started dating Kaji, Akari protected her because she was afraid of molesters. Fumika then sits with her boyfriend giggling while Akari is being harassed right next to her.
Looking at it in order, these three stories Mermaid Prince All display different types of emotional outbursts. Akari was furious, eventually leading her to find a safe way to express her feelings. The librarian has a strong heart and treats marginalized groups with kindness when others look down their noses. Mugi breaks out of his wounded shell and does something selfless and at least tries tryeven if his first instinct is to get angry at those who reach out to him. Ozaki never suggested that one path was better than another. She simply lays out the stories, paints them cleanly, and leaves us free to choose. Letting readers draw their own conclusions, just like her characters, might be the perfect theme for this series.