Not at all what I expected from a Rumiko Takahashi manga! Instead of her archetypal farcical light romance, this is a violent, dark story about immortality, greed, desire, and the ways in which our desires often hurt the ones we love. The bloody violence was more jarring given her usual soft art style, but once I got past my surprise, this is a very good manga with a nice "be careful what you wish for" theme. No one, even our protagonists, come off as pure and all good, which gave some unexpected depth to the story. Not a great manga, but an unexpected treat.

A reprint of older work by Rumiko Takahashi of connected short stories will be a treat for longtime fans but also enjoyable for those unfamiliar with her more famous titles that enjoy an unique horror tale. Having read Maison Ikkoku recently and, at least for me, found it didn't hold up well, this title stays fresh. If it weren't for the art style I would not have known it was the same author.

Mermaid Saga is a story of greed, power, wanting with a creeping fear and body horror. The mortal humans who are searching for the immortality of the mermaid flesh are just as much villains as the supernatural creatures. The art is engaging, especially in the action scenes and the monsters. There are a few instances of brief nudity, though not in a prurient way.

For horror manga fans looking for something new or fans of the author who want to complete their collection. Also for those just starting to read manga, at only two volumes it is less of a time investment than many of the long running manga series.

A spooky manga perfect for October! I really enjoyed reading it. I never heard about a legend that said if you eat mermaid meat then you will be immortal. So for me the plot was something new, different. The main characters were interesting. The drawing is pretty good. I don't know why but Mana reminds me of Kagome from Inuyasha.

Thank you NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and to the the publisher for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

As soon as I saw a manga by Rumiko Takashi I had to hit request. I grew up Ranma 1/2, the first manga I ever read, and from there went on to read Inuyasha and Maison Ikkoku. I adore her work.

Mermaid Saga has all the hallmarks of Takashi's other works, that distinctive art style and humour with the character range I've come to expect. However it's definitely a little darker than her other series, there's more blood and the violence is less slapstick. It is marketed as being a horror which whilst I don't necessarily agree with, does show that change in tone from some of her other works. I'd say it was closer to the Inuyasha, that dark occult style of world with dashes of romance, than an actual horror manga.

The story starts with Mana, a girl who lives in a village full of women but has never been allowed to walk or leave her home unless carried. And Yuta, a man who consume the flesh of a mermaid and thus cannot die. Yuta is looking for a cure for this as he wants to age and die like any mortal would. When he stumbles across Mana's village and uncovers its secrets. The book flits between present day and the past adventures of Yuta.

The original series was released back in 1984 and I believe this is a collectors edition due for release in the West in November 2020 that will bring the series together for new audiences. I'm really happy that this is happening as I'd love for new readers to enter the realms of Takashi's other works too as they had a big impact on me growing up.

If you enjoyed this or are looking for manga to read I highly recommend any of the series I've mentioned in this review as well as her other works.

I recently had an opportunity to review another of Rumiko Takahashi's classic manga. It was cute, a little flighty, light and fun... but it missed the mark for me a bit. Imagine my surprise when I came across Mermaid Saga and found it was nothing like the last title of hers I'd read. Comparatively, it's very dark, a bit moody, a tale of a man wandering the countryside looking for an end to his immortality. It hit the mark for me this time.

In this volume we're treated to multiple stories featuring our main protagonist Yuta, a five hundred year old man who has eaten mermaid flesh and become immortal. Many of the tales are backstory, explaining where Yuta has been all of these years as he searches for a mermaid to help cure his immortality, hoping for a natural end to his life. There is a sadness radiating through much of the volume, and the tone feels appropriate for the material.

The tales take the mythology of mermaids and pull it back into the more traditional depictions of older tales. The mermaids are not sanitized, they're often violent and bloodthirsty, but the volume (being a Takahashi manga) is still gorgeous. Honestly, I can't wait to see what this will look like as a physical volume- the first few pages of each story are painted with glorious watercolors and while they're lovely on a screen, they'll be breathtaking in person I'm sure. I can't wait to dip into later volumes as they come out!

Thanks to NetGalley and Viz media for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

An incredibly well drawn manga with captivating stories. Each chapter is its own story, some following the main characters Mana and Yuta and some about others who have eaten the flesh of a mermaid. What I loved is the first chapter really gave you a full look into the pros AND cons of eating mermaid flesh and the lengths people will go to in order to obtain it. The drawing style reminds me of the 90's manga I used to read. Soft lines, color blocking, and the mermaid chapter covers are really beautiful works of true art. Detailed story, fleshed out characters, and a lot of deep story and lore. If you have even a glimmer of interest in mermaids or lore I highly recommend this manga!

This horror title was very different for this mangaka.

This dark mermaid tale keeps your adrenaline pumping, while also delicately walking that line between horror and suspense. I am a TOTAL WIMP when it comes to all things horror. Thankfully for me, this title wasn't triggering.

In this series, if you eat the flesh of a mermaid, you receive eternal life. What no one tells you, is that if you are not a compatible host for the flesh, you turn into a lost soul, doomed to walk the earth until you are decapitated.

This one is definitely gruesome, but I really root for our main characters to find a way to live peacefully.

Thank you to NetGalley, VIZ Media, and Rumiko Takahashi for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really like how VIZ is making nice collector's editions of some of Rumiko Takahashi's older works. I am familiar with Maison Ikkoku, Inuyasha, Ranma 1/2, and of course, I am excited about the new Yasha-Hime anime. I had never heard of her Mermaid Saga manga before though and this story is quite interesting and unexpectedly spooky! While I was expecting some beautiful mermaid love story, Mermaid Saga is far from that.

Yuta is five hundred years old. He gained immortality when he ate the flesh of a mermaid, but most who try are poisoned and become "lost souls," gangly devilish creatures. Yuta wants to find a mermaid because he believes a mermaid can help him gain a mortal life once more, and he just wants to have a normal life: have kids, grow old, the works. When he happens upon a strange village will all women who have a similar face, Yuta finds that a girl was raised there to eat mermaid flesh on her 15th birthday so all the other creepy mermaids could eat her and restore their youth. I mentioned creepy, right? Now the girl, meant to be a sacrifice, joins Yuta on his journey, as they are both immortals.

This manga is a compilation of short story arcs that revolve around Yuta and Mana, and the various mermaid lore throughout the land. It was quite an intriguing manga series and I think I read through VIZ that the second collector's edition will complete the series. Short, not-so-sweet, creepy fun. This manga was quite a pleasure!

I am a big fan of Rumiko Takahashi’s work. Inuyasha and Ranma 1/2 are my favourites of her, so I had to check out this collection of her Mermaid Saga, and I was not disappointed.

Takahashi has an amazing imagination. Her stories blend well with unique ideas, great characters, with intense action and plot. I’m so used to the comedic Ranma series that I forget that she can create some horrifying imagery. Mermaid Saga isn’t a comedy, so it was refreshing to see Takahashi try something different in a new genre. The depictions of the mermaids and the transformations eating their flesh puts on people is bloodcurdling and scary. Before reading this it took me reading Inuyasha to realise how well Takahashi can create monsters.

The story centres on two characters who have gained immortality from eating the mermaid flesh, but after living for centuries, never having aged, Yuta wishes to reverse the effects and go back to being a regular human so he can age and die. He finds Mana along the way, who has also eaten the flesh, and they travel together to find a way back to humanity.

Since Yuta has lived for so long, we get a glimpse into his backstory. The story is split into short stories, do we got back and forth between the past and present. His past stories are very tragic, getting a sense of the loss he has experienced because of his immortality, and having to be forced away from the women he loved because they will age and he won’t, but also trying to save them from his fate, knowing immortality isn’t worth giving up their normal lives when that is desperately what he wants. It made my heart ache for him, but the manga balances out the tragedy with some intense plot related moments.

I liked how the mythology of the mermaids related to the murderous nature that has often become sanitised, acting more like a siren who often killed men. I loved the old school depiction, and it was refreshing to see this side that isn’t often explored in the books I’ve read. Their flesh can grant immortality, but can also turn people into monsters, but it was used to show the monstrosity of the people who are willing to do whatever it takes to gain immortality. I liked that contrast.

And I can’t talk about a Takahashi story without discussing her art. I miss this art style. It’s unique and her characters have very distinct designs. I have noticed some of her characters tend to look a little too similar to her others from previous works. I thought Yuta was Ryoga from Ranma for a second, but it didn’t bother me.

This manga is amazing. Everyone should read Takahashi’s work, and this is one I will definitely recommend to everyone.

I fell in love with Inuyasha. So when I saw that this was available, I jumped at the chance to read it for both myself and for the library collection.

We already have The Uresei series, which has been rereleased.

A man named Yuta and woman named Mana are special. I won’t say why.

They are traveling together and end up finding many dark stories that feature the same creature over and over again.

It’s very dark and gory. Frankly, you could make a drinking game of how many times people die. Also, as fair warning, this is uncut and uncensored so there are naked breasts. Definitely place this in the older teen section.

Thank you netgalley and viz for letting me review this for my library.

*copied from my goodreads review.

I adore Rumiko Takahashi's work. I never had the opportunity to read the Mermaid Saga manga before, and I can say it's one of my favourites now. Her artwork is lovely. The story is great

This first collection for Mermaid Saga is just fabulous! I love non-linear storytelling and Mermaid Saga is such a perfect example of how to tell interconnected stories while not adhering to a straight timeline. Each segment is almost a different genre unto itself, though they all have a feeling of melancholy throughout. I highly suggest this for all manga collectors and all libraries where adult graphic novels circulate (there are few too many nude bosoms for me to feel completely comfortable to suggest it for teen collections, though of course that will vary from community to community!).

"Mermaid Saga" is mostly valuable as a glimpse into Rumiko Takahashi's pre-Ranma 1/2 work. It is surprising gory! The basic premise: eating the flesh of a mermaid will give humans eternal life, and eating a human's flesh will give mermaids eternal life. It loosely follows the adventures of a human and mermaid who have both become immortal.

4.5 stars

I didn’t even know Rumiko Takahashi had other series other than Yuresei, Ranma, and Inuyasha. So this was a great surprise.

I enjoy this concept quite a lot. I love how this particular world of hers has a rich and well-known folklore. Rumiko has such great story telling skills. This series is definitely darker than some of her other works, but I love the intensity of it.
The plot flow reminds me a lot of Inuyasha in ways. I’m not sure what the end goal is though so I’m interested in reading more.

For now this series is great if you’re already a fan of any of Rumiko Takahashi’s works.

This is an exquisite picaresque-style manga about two immortal humans and the quest for immortality--or monstrosity--granting mermaid flesh that drives the people they continue to encounter and interact with. By turns grotesque horror, full-out tragedy, and (very occasionally) amusing teen dramedy, this collection deftly manages to run the gamut of tones, and Takahashi does it in a seamless way. The art is freaking gorgeous, and the stories are poignant and often moving to the point of tears. The final duo of issues in particular in this collection--damn, that story will linger for awhile. I can't wait to read the second collected volume (or get my hands on the earlier issues, as I know this is an older manga originally published from 1984-1994).

This book follows the adventures of Yuta and Mana, two people cursed to live forever after ingested the flesh of a mermaid. Yuta is over 500 years old and wishes to become a normal person again. He finds Mana in a village of mermaids who are about to sacrifice her so they can eat her flesh. Together they escape and travel together. Good stories. Good artwork.