The book tells three stories that are similar in their sad tone, but unfortunately none of them left a deep impression on me. Ametsukigahara is about a girl living in a restricted world, trying to make her way in a high school environment. She doesn't know where to go to school, and even her best friend neglects her in this precarious situation because of her new pal. She becomes very lonely, which one of her classmates takes advantage of. Although the fantasies with her teacher had already foreshadowed the climax, I was still not prepared for it. In One Snowy Day, we follow the story of homeless people looking for a quiet corner in the local library. I liked the metaphorical nature of the shape-shifting, and the piglet in the opening scene is the best. The title story, Mermaid Prince, is about a bullied boy who is raised by his sister and her pal. He is very self-sacrificing, who would die to keep his family happy.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Kodansha Comics and the author for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a cover pick, I won't lie. But it turned out to be a cute little collection of short manga's that touch a good few heavy themes unlike what the cheerful cover suggests. The main theme of the book looked like 'feeling lost' or like 'not belonging'.

The 3 stories though had the same level of emotions was pretty varied from each other. The art was stunning however the stories left me conflicted with a bit of weird unexplainable aftertaste. The one I most enjoyed was the 'Mermaid Prince' which is also the overall title of the book.

Having read her previous works that were translated into english I was familiar with both her artstyle and writing style, both of which are immaculate and continues to be in this volume. I enjoy her focus on comming of age stories and her ability to pack so much emotion into small stories one volume stories like this.

A guy encountered a student while shoplifting, not knowing his dating her best friend led to their estrangement. A librarian ponders the winter chill while helping patrons find the books and space to wait out the cold. And two kids seek a mermaid not for themselves but to save a loved one.

While the stories are not quite my cup of tea except for the titular one, they talk about the little connections we make with acquaintances and strangers. Some of them end badly, like when childhood friends change too much. Others can change someone’s life for the better. A very emotional collection that makes a reader think.

This is such a beautifully illustrate graphic novel.
The art style really works well with the otherworldy elements of this story.
The pacing of the story is a little slow, but it so emotional at points.

The Mermaid Prince is wonderful collection of short manga that showcase just how the medium of Manga can be used to explore complex emotions, sentiments and experiences. I have to say it was heavy in points and at points it was so easy to connect with the characters and story. The artwork is beautiful as well and captured the emotion of each story. The layout of each panel worked well and I found the pace was well suited for the themes. Definitely one to read and enjoy.

As always thank you to Netgalley and Kodansha Comics for the copy to review, my reviews are always honest and freely given.

Summary:

Mermaid Prince is a collection of short stories created by Kaori Ozaki. The overwhelming theme of this collection is feeling out of place. Everyone knows what it’s like to feel like they don’t belong somewhere, and these tales are the embodiment of those feelings.

Review:

Let me start this review by stating that Mermaid Prince is not at all what I expected. Maybe that’s a little bit my fault, but the title, cover, and description led me to believe that I would get one type of story - one that was creative and playful. Instead, I got something that was fairly somber.

To be clear - there’s nothing wrong with a somber story. I just wasn’t emotionally prepared for it, so I want to help future readers protect themselves. I hope this helps.

Onto my actual review: Mermaid Prince is two stories in one, which is a nice treat. The first follows a schoolgirl as she adjusts to changes in life. It’s pretty heavy, truth be told. It’s a slightly darker coming-of-age story, one that leaves readers wondering if the main character was sexually assaulted (multiple times?) or not.

The second story is about a boy, and it is oddly touching but also a bit disjointed. The main character is a boy who hates everything except for his sister’s boyfriend, whom he likes a lot. The boy eventually goes on a quest to find a mermaid to fix everything in an oddly childlike and wholesome move.

So yeah, Mermaid Prince left me feeling pretty conflicted. Both stories were heavier than I expected and not what I anticipated when I picked up this book. While I didn’t dislike either story, I didn’t end up loving them the way I had hoped.

Highlights:
Shojo
Slice-of-Life
Collection of Short Stories

Trigger Warnings:
Sexual Assault
Trauma

I've previously read some of the author's work, so I definitely can recognize the similar vibe and uniqueness in these stories as well. The first story was executed the best in my opinion and I think it would make a great movie maybe? I'd definitely want to see it animated, I really liked it. I don't have much to say about the second story, it was really short and I feel like there was something missing? The third story was definitely the weirdest and I'm not even sure if I got the message correctly, if at all. I think it should have been at least a bit longer and more concise, it was all over the place.
It was definitely an interesting read though, I'll definitely be picking up more of this authors work.

This book was a great read! The story had a great pace and the characters were well developed. It was very easy to get sucked into the story and in just a few sittings, I was done reading the book!

The three stories were interesting, BUT the third one was my favorite and indeed it deserves to be the title of the manga.

I really wanted to enjoy this manga, but for me I was not a fan of the artistic choice in how the characters and scenes where drawn and that put me off.

I liked this book, however the first part confused me, the way it was split into two seemingly separate stories. However, I did enjoy both stories, and the illustrations were well done.

Had to DNF it because I could not get into any of the stories. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the free eARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

🧜‍♂️ A collection of three short stories, each connected by the feeling of "being out of place."

🧜‍♂️ Odd one out. The MC of the first story is perceived as the weird kid in class, and she's close friends with a peppy girl. When her friend starts dating, their friendship ends. To make matters worse, the timing coincides with the girl being groped on her way to school by some nasty middle-aged guy. She is enraged, of course. But being on her own, she tries to navigate the situation in her own way. This story kind of annoyed me, though. I didn't like how she suddenly ended up doing a one night stand with her close friend's ex (to be honest, it looked more like rape to me, but alas).

🧜‍♂️ Kindness or no kindness? The second story left me a little bit confused. I figured the duo was some sort of fantastic creature, and I was right, but what got me confused was how random the whole story was. It was too passive for my taste and unclear. I mean, okay, the duo was in the library, the young woman let them stay, then... nothing.

🧜‍♂️ Mermaid of true wishes. The last story is about a boy who is being bullied at school and his incipient interest in mermaids. After he spends the night at her friend's place, he learns about a mermaid who can grant wishes. He visits the mermaid after his brother in law goes missing.

🧜‍♂️ Same face syndrome. The artwork is nice, overall, but the characters looked a bit too similar to one another, which originally made me confused. I only realized there were actually three different stories once I got to the Mermaid Prince.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.

I will not be giving a full review as I could not finish this manga. I really did not enjoy what I did read and could not foresee myself finishing it or coming to enjoy it enough to want to. Thank you for the opportunity!

I liked this a lot! This was a compilation of shorter stories, with the third one being my favorite. I've read the author's previous work and so I'm a bit familiar with their writing style, but still found myself pleasantly surprised by how much I liked some of these stories. Some I definitely liked more than others by a long shot, which is why this gets a 3 star, I wish the quality of each story was a bit more balanced.

This is a lovely manga volume of short stories. The story telling is enhanced by the artwork. I think some of the stories could be described as magical realism in manga format and each story carries a whimsical and magical element which I enjoyed. I am not going to summarise each story because the blurb for the book does that, I just want to say that I enjoyed this volume so much that I have bought my own copy and I also need to explore other books by this author. Definitely one for my bookshelf.

Copy provided by Kodansha Comics in exchange for an unbiased review.

I appreciate getting a chance to read this book. But it was not for me. The third story (which was the mermaid prince) was by far the best of the three, but the second one was kind of bland and didn’t explain the “twist” at the end, and I truly have no idea what to say about the first story; several of the decisions in that story made me uncomfortable and could really upset people.

Two coming-of-age stories (and one little fantasy sequel), with tough feelings and lots of teen awkwardness. The first story, “Ametsukigahara,” starts with friends Fumika and Akari going ona small trip to the seaside, discovering that their once-strong bond is easily shattered. The focus goes to Akari, who deals with apathy over her future, the aftermath of an assault on the train, and social isolation, before eventually managing to have an emotional breakthrough.

The title story, “Mermaid Prince,” is about a boy who has moved to an island with his sister and her new husband, who feels like a third-wheel in the new family. One of his classmates grows interested in him, and the two bond, eventually going on an adventure to ask a wish of a mermaid.

My favorite story actually comes in the middle, and is a small sequel to “Ametsukigahara.” Akari, now a librarian, spends a day reading to a homeless child and his father, though the pair are more than they appear.

I don’t think I’d go out of my way for this book, but it would make a nice enough library pickup. It’s good if you want just a touch of fantasy. Not quite magical realism, but just a shade or two beyond.

Advanced reader copy provided by the publisher.

This is a collection of short stories in manga form. I found each of them interesting and compelling in their own way. The first story in particular was moving to me, as the girl went through a trauma and her reaction to it wasn't huge but accepting and moving on. I related to it. I wondered if each of the stories told by the author were connected in some way.