Ningyo Series

Synopsis

There is a legend that says if someone eats the flesh of a mermaid, they will attain immortality; but this myth contains a darker side, in that the devourer may die or become a monster. The youthful Yuta has been wandering Japan in search of mermaids not to become immortal, but to break his curse of eternal life. Over five hundred years ago, he ate a mermaid; now, Yuta is in search of a cure, hoping the mermaids know the secret. When he stumbles upon a hidden village, he quickly learns that it is full of mermaids that live in an underground society centered around the murder and cultivation of young human women to maintain their own youth and immortality. Their most recent victim, Mana, is given the flesh of a mermaid to eat in order to fulfill the recipe toward being a perfect candidate to be eaten. Yuta helps her escape, and they find themselves on a journey to live their lives as normal as they can. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

Background

Ningyo Series began publication in Shounen Sunday Zoukan and later moved to Weekly Shounen Sunday. It was published sporadically during its serialization. The original Japanese release was two wideband volumes and was incomplete; the second was complete in three small size volumes. The first two story arcs were serialized in English in the 1993 March issue of VIZ Media's Animerica—Anime & Manga Monthly magazine. The remaining stories were subsequently published in comic book format by VIZ Select Comics, with four issues to each part titled Mermaid Forest, Mermaid's Dream, Mermaid's Promise, Mermaid's Scar, Mermaid's Gaze and Mermaid's Mask, published from 1993 to 1995. The series was additionally printed in standard tankoubon format by VIZ Graphic Novels in three volumes titled Mermaid Forest, Mermaid's Scar, and Mermaid's Gaze, from December 6, 1994, to March 8, 1997. VIZ Media republished the title in four volumes as Mermaid Saga from July 14, 2004, to December 22, 2004, in the original right-to-left order. A two-volume collector's edition was later released. The series was also published in Argentina as Cuentos de Sirenas by LARP Editores from November 2008 to April 2009.

Characters

Related