This time Ozaki brings us an anthology of shorter works, but no less emotional than her other works. The short stories are full of the delicate and difficult parts of being human and growing up. I definitely recommend treading lightly in the first story if consent issues/SA are a trigger for you.

Thank you to NetGalley for an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this graphic novel collection from Kaori Ozaki!

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ | 3/5

A graphic novel with stunning art. and three short stories (with the title story have two parts), this graphic novel depicts of various themes of high school versus our understanding of what it means to like someone, family, and overall believing in someone else.

That being said...this was not my favorite. I was unsure at first if the stories inside were interconnected - to which I don't think they were - and then even when I had begun to understand what was going on, the story ended. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Mermaid Prince was my favorite. I feel like if this had ONLY been mermaid prince, and perhaps fleshed out a bit more, I feel I would have enjoyed it more. Additionally, some of the things that happened in the first story felt was too abrupt and then brushed over...it was rather jarring at times and then not getting an explanation or further context as to why it was necessary to include did not feel rewarding as a reader.

Overall though it was a fast read, and the art was really pretty! Probably would not read again, but it was an okay read the first time!

while this book was an interesting concept with great illustrations, it was difficult to follow and the story was disjointed. I spent most of it confused and wondering what on earth the second story has to do with the first.

First many thanks to NetGalley, the Author and the Publisher for this ARC.

The cover and the title were the main reason why I found myself being intrigued by it.
I didn't really understand how the story worked. I felt like I had missed something somewhere, at first I thought that the short stories where a build up to something bigger but that never happened, or I really did miss something.
The "main" story itself was short, sweet, hopeful and interesting in general, I thought that this was going to be a part of several volumes. Turns out it was just a one story, with a happy ending. Although I was left with some questions, but nothing major.

Overall, I enjoyed reading Mermaid Prince.

Thanks NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for this arc

2/5 stars

This was a lot darker than I expected, especially with how young the main characters were. I couldn't really get into it, it just gave me the big ick, this collection sadly was not for mmmeeeeeee

Thank you to Kodansha Comics and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this manga. This has three stories that are not related to each other, but they were still great on their own. Personally, the middle story didn’t make sense to me. Overall though I am curious to try more from this mangaka. 3.5 out of 5 stars

This was more mature than I thought it'd be based on the characters ages, but I do think a lot of our teen manga readers will actually appreciate that. Love the art and stories, just wish they skewed a little younger so I could use this in schools!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha for the e-book copy!

I was not anticipating this to be a short story collection but that could be an error on my part. I wasn't mad at this because this author has put short stories at the end of their other series that were equally compelling. This collection had three stories and I would say the one I liked the most was the first one. I felt like it could have gone further but as is it was well rounded. I felt like the overall theme for this collection would be friendship as each story had some form of it and its complexities. If you haven't read Kaori Ozaki before, I would recommend starting with this collection as it will give you insight into their writing style and themes. If you are a fan already, this is a nice addition to the collection and worth the read.

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!
2-stars

I won't be marking the actual rating I have on the book because I don't want to bring down the rating for something that is MY FAULT. I don't know if I didn't read the summary carefully enough or if I just misunderstood, but I didn't expect three entirely separate stories and was entirely focused on the Mermaid Prince storyline, so when it starts out with a strange young girl having a falling out with her friend and then later a very quick sex scene, I was just very ??? Where is the mermaid prince??? What is happening here??? Why does this cutesy looking shoujo manga have a random sex scene??

The first two stories didn't really do anything for me (with one of them being a single chapter long), but I did really like the last one. I'd have enjoyed that being the entirety of the manga, but alas xD It's my fault for not reading well enough.

There's definitely a bit of a "classic lit fiction" feel to the first tale, so if that's your type of thing, you'd likely enjoy it! That's just not my type of thing.

So I definitely say to decide more for yourself your feelings on this, because my opinion probably isn't the best to take on it xD

Just as The Gods Lie was a particular reading that at times left me bewildered and with a bitter taste, Mermaid Prince has achieved the same thing.

Here we find three different stories, the main and longest being, Mermaid Prince.

All stories have something to tell us, brief or longer, and many times the feelings that these stories transmit to us are... like a void, a pressure in the chest. Kaori Ozaki manages to convey very well what she wants to show us sometimes, and sometimes not. And one is left a little confused about what one is really reading and what the mangaka would like to tell us.

I don't understand why this manga has these little short stories, which I feel don't connect at all with the main story and what happens, I don't feel like they are linked or that they could happen at the same time or anything... I don't know what the reason is. line that they have wanted to follow, or if they simply wanted to compile some stories and that's it.

Thank you Kodansha Comics for the ARC I read through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Firstly, there isn't only the main story, but also some short stories at the beginning. The themes were really unexpected and mature, while the characters are really young which was unsettling.

The drawing style was pleasant, the stories were not that bad, but the themes really made me uncomfortable, especially at the beginning.

I absolutely loved The Golden Sheep so I was excited to see more manga by the same author. This one did not disappoint! Just as cute and I’m excited to read the rest of the series!

I don’t know the age range of this manga but I’m praying because they are high schoolers that it doesn’t get inappropriate but I’m happy that NetGalley sent me this 😭❤️
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Thanks to NetGalley for sending me the E-arc of this
Wth 😳 this is so confusing it’s like to deferent stories in the same book and it jumps from past to present and why are they banging in a YA book and what in gods name is this just no I’ll give it 2 just because I finished it in less than an hour but absolutely would not recommend .

This manga has 3 short stories in it, none of them are connected. Out of all story I liked the third story the most, I liked the plot and friendship between Mugi and Matori. I loved the artwork, it's beautiful.

Mermaid Prince is a collection of three stories. The first is about a boy named Mugi who recently moved to Okinawa to live with his sister. He has a fascination with mermaids, loving to paint them in school. However, he often gets bullied by the other boys at school and they ruin his paintings. Madori is his only friend, more emotional than Mugi - to the point of crying for him when his painting get ruined. Mugi desperately wants to swim and see mermaids but can't due to his health. However, Madori still views Mugi as her own mermaid prince.

This was my favorite of all of them and the longest of the three. Mugi is very emotional in his own way and has a lot of feelings about himself because of grief, often punishing himself when he doesn't do anything wrong. As someone who also has a fascination with mermaids/sirens and was in a similar place as Mugi as a teen, I really related to him. I also adored how the mermaids were drawn in this manga!

“One Snowy Day,” a tale of a librarian who encounters an unusual father and son seeking shelter from an unforgiving winter whiteout.

The shortest of the three stories. It was alright but nothing to really speak much about. If there was more chapters for the story, I think it would of been a great short story! But sadly, it was much too short for any development to even happen.

The last story is called Ametsukigahara . It follows a girl named Akari. Akari cares about nothing in this world other than her friend Fumika, who is afraid of boys. However, Fumika ends up getting a boyfriend and Akari gets more jaded about the world than before because she lost the only thing she cared about.

This was also not as strong as the first story but much stronger than the second. Akari does some things that are really messed up but you can tell its because of trauma. Doesn't excuse her actions but it does explain them. She is a very morally gray character which is interesting to read a short story about. And her ending of finally finding what she wants to do with her life is very nice. She finally learned to live for herself, and not for another person. She learned to care about the world she is in.

I'm not a keen manga reader, but I did try this one out. Sorry but didn't understand this at all ...

This was so cute I loved it. Having tiny stories as well as colored panels was amazing
Thank you for the opportunity to read. It’s been a while since I had read any manga or even short stories. It was brilliantly executed

I thoroughly enjoyed this collection of short stories/anthologies on the relationships & life. The first one is on the coming of age sort of story how friendship can be broken, love sparked at sudden moment. Its rebellious at times but equally charming. The second one felt more fairytale-esque(?) because I love the library became a solace for these father son duo whom homeless but maybe they are different than others (?), kinda magical realism too, its very short but I wished we get more. The last one is for the titular title Mermaid Prince and i think this is a fairly good story on exploration of loss of parents and how a boy struggled to fit in with his sister's husband despite him trying to welcome his as family member. Then, we have the legend of mermaid that helped to grant people's wishes if you ever see them. I love the fantasy elements in this story, it gave hope, and second chance in rediscovering life.

3 wonderful stories to tug at your heart and share or experience the pain and loniless of the world!
Mermaid Prince is a story following Mugi a boy new to Okinawa and Matori a shy girl who wants nothing more then to be Mugis friend. When Mugis sisters husband goes missing, the 2 runaway to find a magical mermaid who grants wishes.
Also featuring One Snowy Day and Ametsukigahara, i found these short stories beautifully heartbreaking and would love to read extended editions!
I definitely recommend for any vc andrews /gothic horror/supernatural genre fans

This manga contains two very short story and the slightly longer title-story.
They are not connected to each other, except by the general theme of feeling different and not fitting in.
The first two stories have female protagonists who are isolated but meet a person that brings them something new. I enjoyed these although I felt like I was missing some context to understand them fully.
The title-story, “the mermaid prince” is set on an island of Okinawa, with an outsider, a boy from the big city as its main character.
It reminded me a little of Satoshi Kon’s “Tropic of the Sea”. It is not about the mermaid herself, but more a symbol of mankind’s connection with nature and ancestral folklore.

Overall the stories explore interesting themes, but feel very short and disconnected.