History Manga / MermaidSaga

** In ''Mermaid's Gaze'', Akiko gave her brother and herself mermaid's flesh as a poison in order to kill themselves, although Shingo didn't know this. Akiko did so because Shingo was an uncontrollable sociopath who often relied on Akiko to get him out of trouble, until Shingo killed her fiance. [[spoiler: It didn't work though, as Shingo became immortal and Akiko's corpse was perfectly preserved, though it's implied that she's fully conscious yet locked in her own body.]]
** At the end of ''Mermaid Gaze'', [[spoiler:Shingo cuts off his own head when he realizes he'll continue to see visions of himself reaching for his sister's eye even after her corpse has been decapitated]].

It is said that eating the flesh of a mermaid can give one eternal life. Yuuta, a poor fisherman, didn't really believe the tales, but when the rest of his friends tried some, he ate some as well. Less well-known is that mermaid's flesh is fatal to most, and almost all those who don't die are transformed into hideous mindless immortal beasts called Lost Souls. Within days, Yuuta was the sole survivor of his friends. 500 years later, he is physically no older, but has grown weary of his lonely existence, and seeks the one creature that might be able to restore his mortality -- a mermaid.

->-- '''Livin' and Lovin' In The Anime Universe: A Basic Guide.'''

* AdultFear: ''Mermaid's Mask'' is full of it. [[spoiler: A woman force feeds her son mermaid's flesh in an attempt at double-suicide, though both survive with scars. The mother stops aging and watches her son from afar, who grows up and has his own child. The mother proceeds to kidnap her grandchild and raise him as her own, giving him powdered mermaid's flesh as medicine for years, just so she can feed him the flesh itself when her grandson is at the age her son was during the first incident.]]

Created by Creator/RumikoTakahashi, of ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'' and ''Manga/InuYasha'' fame, it is far darker in tone than most of her works. There are no romantic hijinks or over-the-top comic antics here, only the terrible consequences when humans seek immortality. Two {{OVA}}s were made of individual stories back in the 80s -- ''Mermaid's Forest'' and ''Mermaid's Scar''. The former name was used as the title for a TV series which covered almost all the stories [[note]]with the exception of ''Mermaid's Gaze''; the ''Mermaid's Scar'' episodes were not broadcast, and were on the video release only)[[/note]]. Most of the stories took 2 episodes.

Created by Creator/RumikoTakahashi, of ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'' and ''Manga/InuYasha'' fame, it is far darker in tone than most of her works. There are no over-the-top comic antics here, only the terrible consequences when humans seek immortality. Two {{OVA}}s were made of individual stories back in the 80s -- ''Mermaid's Forest'' and ''Mermaid's Scar''. The former name was used as the title for a TV series which covered almost all the stories [[note]]with the exception of ''Mermaid's Gaze''; the ''Mermaid's Scar'' episodes were not broadcast, and were on the video release only)[[/note]]. Most of the stories took 2 episodes.

Created by Creator/RumikoTakahashi, of ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'' and ''Manga/InuYasha'' fame, it is far darker in tone. There are no over-the-top comic antics here, only the terrible consequences when humans seek immortality. Two {{OVA}}s were made of individual stories back in the 80s -- ''Mermaid's Forest'' and ''Mermaid's Scar''. The former name was used as the title for a TV series which covered almost all the stories [[note]]with the exception of ''Mermaid's Gaze''; the ''Mermaid's Scar'' episodes were not broadcast, and were on the video release only)[[/note]]. Most of the stories took 2 episodes.

Created by Creator/RumikoTakahashi, of ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'' and ''Manga/InuYasha fame,'' it is far darker in tone. There are no over-the-top comic antics here, only the terrible consequences when humans seek immortality. Two {{OVA}}s were made of individual stories back in the 80s -- ''Mermaid's Forest'' and ''Mermaid's Scar''. The former name was used as the title for a TV series which covered almost all the stories [[note]]with the exception of ''Mermaid's Gaze''; the ''Mermaid's Scar'' episodes were not broadcast, and were on the video release only)[[/note]]. Most of the stories took 2 episodes.

The manga was the creation of Creator/RumikoTakahashi, famous for creating ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'' and ''Manga/InuYasha,'' but is far darker in tone. There are no over-the-top comic antics here, only the terrible things that happen when humans seek immortality. Two {{OVA}}s were made of individual stories back in the 80s -- ''Mermaid's Forest'' and ''Mermaid's Scar''. The former name was used as the title for a recent TV series which covered almost all the stories (with the exception of ''Mermaid's Gaze''; the ''Mermaid's Scar'' episodes were not broadcast, and were on the video release only). Most of the stories took 2 episodes.

* FanDisservice: There is quite a bit of nudity in the series, some of it sinister: sometimes it's juxtaposed with blood and guts or characters in major peril.

* DrivenToSuicide: In ''Mermaid's Gaze'', Akiko gave her brother and herself mermaid's flesh as a poison in order to kill themselves, although Shingo didn't know this. Akiko did so because Shingo was an uncontrollable sociopath who often relied on Akiko to get him out of trouble, until Shingo killed her fiance. [[spoiler: It didn't work though, as Shingo became immortal and Akiko's corpse was perfectly preserved, though it's implied that she's fully conscious yet locked in her own body.]]

* EyeScream: [[spoiler: ]] Masato pokes out Yuuta's eye.

* AdultFear: ''Mermaid's Scar'' is full of it. [[spoiler:A woman force feeds her son mermaid flesh in an attempt at double-suicide, though both survive with scars. The mother stops aging and watches her son from afar, who grows up and has his own child. The mother proceeds to kidnap her grandchild and raise him as her own, giving him powdered mermaid flesh as medicine for years, just so she can feed him the flesh itself when her grandson is at the age her son was during the first incident.]]

In the first of the linked stories, he meets a new immortal (the first he's met in his life) -- a beautiful 15-year-old named Mana, who's been raised in utter seclusion from childhood while being groomed for immortality. The two travel together, in search of a cure that may not even exist -- after all, what else is there for them to do? It's not as if they don't have all the time in the world. The other tales are divided among Yuuta's reminiscences of his past adventures over the centuries, and their new adventures in their quest for mermaids.

The manga was the creation of Creator/RumikoTakahashi, famous for creating ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'' and ''Manga/InuYasha,'' but is far darker in tone. No over-the-top comic antics, but the terrible things that happen when humans try and seek immortality. Two {{OVA}}s were made of individual stories back in the 80s -- ''Mermaid's Forest'' and ''Mermaid's Scar''. The former name was used as the title for a recent TV series which covered almost all the stories (with the exception of ''Mermaid's Gaze''; the ''Mermaid's Scar'' episodes were not broadcast, and were on the video release only). Most of the stories took 2 episodes.

It's important to note that these are Japanese mermaids, with fangs, fish-eyes and an appetite for human flesh, rather than the siren-like western version. The mermaids are also immortal and (in the manga version at least) can likewise only be killed by beheading or poison. Some can take on human form, but this does mean slowly aging, and they need to feed on an immortal woman to take on a new human form (that of the woman they feed on).

It's important to note that these are Japanese mermaids, with fangs, fish-eyes and an appetite for human flesh, rather than the siren-like western version. The mermaids are also immortal and (in the manga version at least) can likewise only be killed by beheading or poison. Some can take on human form, but this does slowly age, and they need to feed on an immortal woman to take on a new human form (that of the woman they feed on).

* AndIMustScream:

** [[spoiler: That's assuming she did die - there's a suggestion that she may have actually been [[AndIMustScream paralyzed and fully conscious.]]]]

* OffWithHisHead: The traditional way of disposing of immortals and Lost Souls. Others get more creative.

* RazorFloss: Shows up in ''Mermaid's Scar''.

* ChickMagnet: Not played for any laughs. In fact the story behind ''Mermaid's Promise'' was that [[spoiler: Nae was murdered by her jealous fiance when he realized that she was in love with Yuuta instead of him]].

* CreepyDoll: There appears to be a life-sized one of a girl Yuuta used to know. [[spoiler:Turns out, it's the ''actual body of that girl''. Which, thanks to the mermaid's flesh she used for poison on herself, hasn't rotted at all since the day she died]].

* DrivenToSuicide: In ''Mermaid's Gaze'', Akiko gave her brother and herself mermaid's flesh as a poison in order to kill themselves, although Shingo didn't know this. Akiko did so because Shingo was an uncontrollable sociopath who often relied on Akiko to get him out of trouble, until Shingo killed her finance. [[spoiler: It didn't work though, as Shingo became immortal and Akiko's corpse was perfectly preserved, though it's implied that she's fully conscious yet locked in her own body.]]

* EyeRemember: In ''Mermaid's Gaze''.

* IsItSomethingYouEat: When Yuuta asks Mana if she is jealous, she is unfamiliar with the concept and thinks he was asking if she wanted Jello and asks if it tastes good.
* LockedIntoStrangeness: Towa Kannagi.

* LoveDodecahedron: Averted, unlike most of Takahashi's other works. Yuuta had been married once when he first ate the mermaid's flesh, and over the span of his lifetime he's met other women who've fallen for him, yet none of this has had an affect on his standing with Mana since they were all dead before he met her. And even then, it's not clear as to whether or not Mana's feelings are platonic or not.

* NoNameGiven: Masato's [[spoiler: current]] mother and the old woman from ''Mermaid's Gaze'' weren't given names. In the ''Mermaid's Scar'' OVA, Masato's mother was called Misa.

* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: Probably about half the characters, thanks to the premise. Yuuta is about 500 but looking about eighteen.

* SelfMutilationDemonstration: Yuta does this several times, to the point that he is ''told'' to do it to prove his immortality or he [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] it when Mana hands him a pair of scissors to give another demonstrationbwithout being asked.

* WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove: When Yuuta outright asks Mana if she's in love with him, she answers she doesn't know what being "in love" means.

* AndIMustScream: While most Lost Souls are mindless beasts, [[TragicMonster at least one of them still had a conscious mind]].

* GoodThingYouCanHeal

* SelfMutilationDemonstration: Yuta does this several times, to the point that he is ''told'' to do it to prove his immortality or he [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] it when Mana hands him a pair of scissors to give another demonstration.

* ToBecomeHuman: The main goal of the recurring characters.

* NamesToKnowInAnime: Creator/KoichiYamadera (Yuuta) and Creator/MinamiTakayama (Mana). Also Creator/MakikoOhmoto as Masato, and Creator/ReiSakuma as his mom.

!!!This show provides examples of:

* ClingyJealousGirl: Mana's actions around Yuuta when he is with another girl seem to come off as jealousy, which she herself appears to be unaware of. Yuuta even asks if she is jealous, to which she is unfamiliar with the concept and thinks he was asking if she wanted Jello.

* WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove: When Yuuta directly asks if she's in love with him, she asks him what being "in love" means.

* NamesToKnowInAnime: Creator/KoichiYamadera (Yuuta) and Creator/MinamiTakayama (Mana). Also MakikoOhmoto as Masato, and Creator/ReiSakuma as his mom.

* LoveDodecahedron: Averted, unlike most of Takahashi's other works. Yuuta had been married once when he first ate the mermaid's flesh, and over the span of his lifetime he's met other women who've fallen for him, yet none of this has had an affect on his standing with Mana since they were all before he met her. And even then, it's not clear as to whether or not Mana's feelings are platonic or not.