Mermaid Forest

Mermaid Forest is a Manga of Rumiko Takahashi.

Presentation

Mermaid Forest or Ningyo No Mori is appeared in 1985. Rumiko had already two series in progress: House Ikkoku and Urusei Yatsura. It is black series, pessimist who poses the reflection of the eternal youth which is opposed to all the other series of Rumiko which are usually comic. Change of register which was worth a success to him. There is in very nine stories. This manga was adapts in a series which contains 13 episodes.

Yuta, a fisherman, ate flesh of siren with his/her friends. Some died in the atrocious ones sufferings of others transformed into monsters called “lost Heart”. But Yuta became immortal. The only way of killing immortal is to cut the head to him. In current Japan, Yuta (500 years old), meets in a village lost a girl called Mana, captured by sirens which want to devour it. To become again young people and beautiful, they must eat flesh of immortal young girl. Learning that, Yuta escapes with Mana, their goal being to find a means to become again mortals. With the wire of their adventures, they will meet the other immortal ones. Certain episodes will also report last life of Yuta, before its meeting with Mana.

----

Characters

Yuta is the main character and at 500 years with the first episode. He ate flesh of siren when he had a score of years and became immortal. He suffers from it perpetually, all those which he likes are condemned to die one day whereas remains to him. He had to give up his wife and its sorrow never left. It finds in Mana a partner and this one will give again the taste of living to him. He and Mana can die only if the head is sliced to them or if their bodies are in a sad state (flarings, crushed).

Mana is 16 years old at the beginning of the history. Child, it was made capture by sirens and was cut world. They forced it to eat siren so that they can in their turn devour it and become again beautiful and young people. Yuta will save it of this disastrous destiny and will decide to protect it because she does not know anything the whole of the outside world. She will accompany it in order to find a remedy for immortality and will fall in love with him to the wire with time.

Rin is an young girl that Yuta knew when it was 100 years old. His/her father is the chief of the clan of pirates of the island of Toba which it directs whereas this one is seriously sick. But its clan is in war against the pirates of the island of Sakagami. It is excellent fighting and fishing and everyone respects it in the village. But she hopes that Yuta will remain with her because she in love with him but he refuses to suffer again as with his wife (which one does not know the name) although he tests feelings for it.

the father of Rin is the chief of the island of Toba. Like its men, it is right and good. When the history takes seat, it is reached of una grave disease and is constrained to keep the bed while his/her daughter deals with the destiny of the village. It will be attacked by Isago and will die about it almost. At the end of the massacre of the Sakagami pirates, he will propose in Yuta to remain among them (because he sees well that his/her daughter fell in love from there) but Yuta says that he cannot, but that it will return to live here if it finds a means of cancelling his immortality. Thing which unfortunately will not be carried out alive contemporaries of Rin.

the chief of the clan of the pirates of the island Sakagami is about all the opposite of its counterpart of the island of Toba, and is, with the image of its men, true brutish lout. Instead of taking a percentage on the ships which they approach, they almost systematically massacre the merchants on his board and plunder the totality of the contents of the ship. It is also a man with the very impressive breadth, which will manage to support the flesh of siren during a few minutes before being transformed into lost heart; lost heart of considerable size besides. Even if it has a colossal force and that it inspires terror at its enemies like its own men, the chief of the island of Sakagami is not however very intelligent and is easily made berner by Isago which will have altogether used it.

Isago is an intelligent siren which took a human appearance in order to procreate its species. It Maria with human and fell pregnant. Whereas she travelled with him in boat, the pirates of the Sakagami clan attacked them and killed her husband. She was obliged to become the wife of the chief. Being given that it needed to eat siren to nourish her child who grew in his center, it handled the chief (he wanted to become immortal) and did not hesitate to wound the father of Rin to arrive at its ends. Its discussion with Rin can let to us think that it was in love with its first husband and that it seeks at the same time to avenge it.

Towa Kannagi was very sick in its childhood and was surely going to die. His/her sister twins Sawa wanted to test the effects of the blood of the sirèene because she wished being immortal. Pretexting that it was a drug, it made some drink in Towa. But the arm of this one was transformed into arm of lost heart and recracha the remainder of blood. but the pain was so large that its hair became white. She lived locked up, of appearance she is young but its body ages of the interior. She wishes to be avenged for her sister who could live normally while making him eat flesh of siren (knowing that it is stronger than blood) whereas she was only and abandoned of her family. Dr. Shina wanted to take it along with him but she refused: revenge being its only reason to live.

Sawa Kannagi is an old woman at the time of the history. It has lived happy contrary to her sister. She knew the risk pertinently that she made run in Towa because being the aînéee binoculars, she profited from the traditional knowledge of the family. When his/her father dies and that it is only found with Towa, it saw a hell because Towa badgers it to know where the siren is buried that the family had captured. Sawa does not have any idea of the intentions of Towa with respect to it because Towa makes him believe that it wants to reach the true immortality.

Dr. Shina is approximately 70 years old when Yuta and mana meet it. It was promised in marriage of Towa before it is locked up. Several times it tried to take it along with him because it liked it sincerely. But she refused. For the place, it is used it. It replaces the monstrous arm of Towa with arms of young women died recently in the great dislike of Sawa. It will let its beloved burn death in the heart.

Grand Eyes is man who ate flesh of siren. It was transformed into lost heart but kept a bit of human heart. But when it is in anger, it kills everyone with the passage. Several people died because of him. It falls in love with Mana which will succeed in remaking to leave even more its humanity. But Yuta will be obliged to kill it and Mana will remain with him until its last sigh before setting out again with Yuta.

Nae Kogure is a pretty young girl that yuta met before the 2nd world war. They became lover whereas it was promised in marriage to Eijiro and were often given return in the red valley where ashes of siren were dispersed and thus the flowers never die. But Yuta left because of its immortality and left Nae which was made assassinate then ressusciter by Eijiro with ashes of siren but there remained nothing of its heart safe of the made promise with Yuta: that to find itself with the red valley.

Eijiro , been engaged of Nae, killed it by jealousy. Then took regrets, it began the research of ashes of siren to make it live again. It arrived there only at age the 90 years. It holds Yuta for person in charge of the state of Nae which it keeps secretly in his so-called house to protect it. He will not hesitate to order the execution of Yuta and Mana.

Sokichi was the servant and confidant of Nae when he was child. He liked it enormously and will help Yuta (although 70 years old) to avenge it with the risk to be made kill. It is a very sensitive man and appreciates Yuta.

Masato is immortal 800 years old. he ate siren whereas he was 10 years old and made some eat with his/her mother who was sick but she transformed herself into lost heart. Since, there remains terrorized about it! The fact of having lost his/her so young mother and to be remained only a whole century made this character cold, intelligent and cruel. it made swallow flesh of siren has several women because it seeks an immortal mother who could deal with him. He does not hesitate to make the frightened child so that it is believed innocent. He will decide to keep Mana and to kill Yuta but will fail.

Natsume and an young girl who died very young person and that made her father insane of sadness. A priest will réssuicitera it with a faith of siren. It returned to the life and became immortal but systematically devoured the times of animals or even the human ones. His/her father uses his daughter to sell false pulpit of siren. Natsume is a very nice girl who wishes to leave with Yuta when she learns that he is immortal. But the priest decided to return it in the world of dead and its faith of siren tore off to him. His/her father, understanding that it remains in Natsume only a few hours with living, threw himself of a cliff with his daughter.

Akiko Kiryû was a time the employeuse one of Yuta. His/her brother was an assassin but it protected it unceasingly. When it killed its been engaged, it decided to die with him while making swallow poison of siren. She was unaware of all the effects of this poison. She died but his/her brother became immortal. Its situation is particular its body is always there but its heart left. She is as a headstock but its phantom does not cease badgering his/her brother (showing him that he is a monster) through his eye stolen by this one.

Shingo Kiryû is a mentally ill who kills out of the young girls for the pleasure. It tore off an eye with his sister become headstock to replace that which it had lost but that generated to him of the visions: he sees himself in the train of tears off the eye of his sister. More to see them, it will slice its head.

Nanao lives with his/her mother, at least it is what he believes. Its " mère" is actually his/her grandmother who ate siren with her son when it was small. It recracha and left whereas it became immortal with a scar on the face. She kidnapped her grandson when he was a baby and called it like his/her son: Nanao. It will steal the face of another woman and will try to make him swallow siren but Mana and Yuta will prevent some. It will put fire at its house and will be let die in the flames. Nanao will turn over food with his/her father.

----

History

a siren never smiles:

Yuta is in the search of a siren. Arrived in a village of high mountain it is made attack by several women and kill. Mana, which is attached to the feet, is made serve as the meat of siren and becomes immortal. But Yuta, which recovered, captures Mana and the hiding place in a cave. He learns that all these women are sirens (that the age did not save) which chose Mana for its beauty and its potential with becoming immortal. By devouring it, they will find their youth but they do not know any means of putting an end to immortality except if one cuts the head. The sirens, which have regained their true shape, do all what they can to catch Mana because as soon as the sun lies down, they cannot any more become human and become again young people. The chief was in fact human which became immortal. She entrusts to Yuta which she decided to remain with these creatures without feelings forever. Yuta sets out again with Mana. Their adventures do nothing but start.

the village of the Fishermen combatants :

This history proceeds at the medieval period of the Civil war in Japan and it is the first flash back of the life of Yuta before its meeting with Mana. The clan of the pirates of Toba are particular: they do not kill people and take a percentage of the goods contrary to the pirates of Sakagami who plunder all and massacre everyone. Rin, which replaces his/her sick father, is with the head of the clan of Toba. She discovers a corpse and decides to only bury it, it returns to the life and names Yuta. There decides to remain some time at the village. It meets Isago which is the woman of the chief of the Sakagami clan which guesses his immortality and attacks the father of Rin believing that Yuta hiding place a siren. The Sakagami clan succeeds in capturing a siren during this time and Isago lets them eat some knowing that they will be transformed into monster. As for it, it is a siren which needs flesh of its congeneric to nourish his/her child. To the end, it turns over to the sea and is confined of binoculars. Yuta leaves the village of Rin with regret because it tests feelings for it.

the forête of the sirens:

It is this history which gave its name to the series. while Yuta sleeps, Mana continues a cat and is made reverse by a truck. When yuta learns it, it precipitates in Doctor Shina who tells him qua Mana east left. Actually she died and shina account to cut down the arm to him to replace that of Towa its been engaged. But Mana awakes. Towa, after having imprisoned Yuta, makes use of Mana to make blackmail with his/her Sawa sister: if she does not say to him where she is the siren Mana will decapitate. Sawa accepts. Yuta succeeds in escaping and tries to convince Towa not to take some. A few years earlier, his/her sister had made him swallow blood of siren and its arm was transformed into arm of lost heart. the flesh would risk to complete it. but when Towa takes possession of it she wants to make it swallow with her sister with the great surprise of all. Commes they are twin, their body in the same way reacts thus Sawa would be transformed into monster. Towa wants to be avenged for it, it forever known happiness and Sawa knew which risk it ran while making him drink blood of siren. But Sawa dies of an cardiac arrest. Towa starts to cry: even its vengence will not have succeeds. She asks then Mana, Yuta and Shina all to burn and is let die.

the dream of a siren:

Mana and Yuta fall accidentally from a cliff. A monster recovers Mana and takes along it in its cave. Yuta is recovered later by villagers. Mana is surprised to see that the " monstre" seem human and decides to await Yuta which left to its research with determined villagers to débarassés Large Eyes. This one takes Mana and takes along it. She learns that it is human which ate siren like them. She proposes to him to come with but the chief of the village arrives and draws on Grand Eyes. That becomes insane and starts to strike everyone included/understood Mana there who tries to bring back it to the reason. At the end of the combat, Grand Eyes dies: its crimes and its hideous form made it insane. It calls Mana last once which takes it in arm and says to him: the nightmare is finished.

Random links: