| Mermaid
Forest Vol-3: Unquenchable
Thirst (2003)
Animation Production: Shogakukan Productions Co., Ltd.
Released by: Geneon
Entertainment
Running Time: 75 Minutes
By Jeffrey
Couto
Introduction
Today we’re following up on Mermaid
Forest, which is based on Rumiko Takahashi's popular manga
series from some years ago. Mermaid Forest has so far been
a surprisingly addictive show that manages to capture the
author’s work brilliantly while at the same time adding
some polish to it, making it shine even brighter in the process.
The story thus far has centered around the
travels of Yuta and Mana, two young people who have eaten
Mermaid Flesh and gained eternal life as a consequence. In
this third volume we continue right where we last left them
as Yuta reminisces about a past adventure and as our heroes
run into a strange family that appears to be under the curse
of the Mermaids.
Story
"Centuries ago, Yuta rescued a girl named
Natsume from being attacked by a monk. Natsume and her father
were street performers at that time, earning their keep as
miracle healers. Yuta is overjoyed to find fellow immortals,
or so he thinks. That night, Natsume attacks Yuta, ripping
into his organs. He narrowly escapes. The monk reappears and
reveals who Natsume really is ...a monster who survives by
eating the fresh livers of living animals. What is the world
coming to? " -- DVD Box Description
Review
The third volume in Geneon’s release
of Mermaid Forest contains episodes seven through nine in
the series, which include:
Episode 7: Bone Princess
While fishing with Mana Yuta gets caught in the memory of
a time long past, a time when he saved a young girl from a
violent monk. Following this timely encounter he meets with
her father and learns something about the young girl, she
is a fellow immortal, but there is something different about
her condition than Yuta’s. Just what is this young girl
and why was that Monk after her?
Episode 8: The Last Face (Part I)
While deciding on where to head next, our young immortals
run into a young boy by the beach shore. Curious about his
secret medicine that heal wounds instantly and his apparent
kidnapping the night before they decide to take him home and
learn more about him and the secret medicine he took in the
beach. Little by little different pieces of the puzzle come
into view that make no sense and our protagonists are forced
to investigate what’s happening in Nanao’s household.
What they discover will shock our heroes…
Episode 9: The Last Face (Part II)
Nanao loves his mother, but when he learns the awful truth
about her he will never be the same. Can Yuta and Mana help
him overcome this and at the same time put a stop to a mother
who loves so much that it’s killing her family?
I’m really surprised at how much I’ve
gotten into this show without realizing it. Despite its macabre
themes, the dark storylines and slower than normal pace the
characters and situations here are so well done and executed
that you can’t help but be drawn into this world that
Ms. Takahashi created so many years ago (amazing to think
she is also responsible for such light-hearted/colorful outings
as Ranma ½ and Inuyasha).
With volume three in this series what we are
getting is essentially more in the vein of what we have seen
in the last set of stories as we follow Yuta and Mana throughout
a number of travels and encounters with others who like themselves
have been affected by Mermaid flesh to some degree or the
other. In particular we get two separate storylines, one that
takes place several hundred years in the past as Yuta recollects
a past encounter and one that takes place in the present.
The first story has Yuta remembering a time
when he saved a girl from a monk that was about to kill her.
This leads to him learning more about her and her father,
both of whom work at a local market passing off carp and fish
as mermaid flesh that grants those who consume it eternal
life and good health. Interested in learning the secrets behind
the girl’s immortality and her ability to quickly heal
all wounds Yuta is quickly drawn into a dangerous situation
as he learns that she is in fact not a normal person, but
rather someone who had passed away and brought back after
being given a mermaid liver and a strange “back-to-life”
religious ritual. Her state of existence is a strange one
and her need to eat the livers of living animals is regarded
as harsh by Yuta, but nevertheless he thinks he can help Natsume
and asks her to join him in his travels, unfortunately this
is not meant to be.
This episode like an earlier one makes Yuta
and his past life experiences the focus of a self-contained
storyline. In this particular one, rather than a love interest,
his fellow immortal is someone that he looks at as a younger
sister or friend that he could watch over and help through
the course of her long life span. However, as before, he loses
this new friend to the hands of death, leaving him once more
to travel his endless cursed road alone.
With the next two episodes we are thrown back
to the present day and a more difficult situation that has
a young boy at the heart of a dramatic family situation and
the curse of the Mermaid flesh! Drawn into it partly of their
own curiosity Yuta and Mana quicky end up in the middle of
it all and by the time things are over a new immortal will
wander throughout the land in search of answers and meaning.
This two-part story is perhaps the best one
the series has seen yet as it takes the basic concepts we’ve
seen up to this point, expands on them and ads a healthy dose
of suspense that keeps you on your toes until the very end.
The idea of someone having the opportunity to live forever
is an interesting one, but when you mix it in with the love
a mother has for her children the initial concept is opened
up to new narrative possibilities that leave the viewer surprised
and thought induced, much like it does to Yuta and Mana. I
don’t want to go into too much detail with these episodes
as it might spoil some of the surprises, but suffice to say
that this is a gripping story.
Generally speaking both stories in this DVD
are mostly self-contained and don’t really do much to
advance the storyline, rather they focus on expanding on the
history of Yuta and his relationship with Mana. The people
that they come across and the different situations they find
themselves in essentially serve as a way for them to come
closer together, but whether they will lead to a place where
our two characters will finally regain human mortality is
yet to be seen.
On the technical side of things Mermaid Forest
is leaps and bound beyond the original OVA releases and really
benefits from some beautiful artwork and character designs
that are based on Takahashi’s originals. The animation
is fluid, colorful and sharp looking, with CGI enhanced visual
effects sprinkled throughout for good measure. The background
art is quite beautiful as well.
The music soundtrack is suitable for what
the show’s premise is and features some beautifu/atmospheric
instrumental pieces, but there is a noticeable lack of any
one memorable piece or defining theme however. The voice acting
was good on both the Japanese and North American tracks. Overall
the casts put in a solid performance.
The DVD package is well put together in typical
Geneon fashion. The exterior of the DVD case ports a nice
portrait of Yuta and Mana in a fashion similar to the first
volume's cover. Inside the box there’s a small insert
with the dates of all the other volumes in this release on
one side and a mini poster on the other that features the
same artwork as the box cover. DVD extras are limited to an
art gallery and previews for other Geneon products. The video
and audio transfers here are crisp and easy on the eyes/ears.
The video portion is particularly sharp and colorful.
Final
Thoughts
Like I said at the beginning of this review
Mermaid Forest is a dark tale filled with violence, macabre
situations and some heavy themes, but these are handled so
well that when they are mixed in with the characters and situations
that Takahashi has conjured up in her manga they add up to
one heck of a ride.
This series is highly recommended for all
anime fans or those who may be looking for something with
darker edge to it.
Jeffrey
Couto |
