Series Name: In the Name of the Mermaid Princess
Volume #: 1
Author: Yoshino Fumikawa
Artist: Miya Tashiro
Translator: Junko Goda
Publisher: Viz Media
If I had to describe what my initial reaction to seeing the cover and title, it would be nostalgic. The cover takes me back to the days of 2000s era magical girl anime and manga like Tokyo Mew Mew. But hiding behind the cutesy cover is not just a story about a magical girl, but is also an allegorical story on discrimination.
In Mio's (main character) world, individuals possessing supernatural powers and physical animal traits (called unhumans), such as wings or fox ears, are seen by humans as disgusting and face discrimination like the mutants in X-Men. Mio is a mermaid. Unfortunately, her kingdom is unwelcoming and has a policy where they deport people with these special powers, including very young children. Only Mio is spared because she is a princess. However, her life is restricted and is forced by her father to be a human. But it is not all sadness, thanks to Prince Chika's letters, which give Mio a glimpse of the outside world and comfort. One day, a tutor named Yuri arrives at the castle, sparking a change in Mio's life.
When it comes to fantastical settings, using discrimination against fantasy creatures as an allegory for real life discrimination, the execution can be a mixed bag. Every so often it works. But other times, the allegory doesn't work well. Usually, this falls apart when the author explains the reasoning for the hatred towards a certain race or qualities because the latter have natural violent or dangerous tendencies, which has icky implications in a story meant to be anti-discrimination.
But so far in the manga, this topic is handled good compared to other works I've read. I was able to relate to Mio as an autistic person dealing with a world not made for people like me. I sometimes have feelings of self-loathing like Mio does. A scene that touched me is a flashback of Mio being made to drink fresh water even though she prefers salt water. This moment was relatable to me due to my sensory issues with certain types of food, and being forced to eat something that causes discomfort for me is an awful experience. The treatments Mio is forced to do to become “human” resembles real-world efforts to “cure” people from autism and other disabilities using stuff like bleach.
The themes in this story can seem ham-fisted for some readers, but that is due to the manga being aimed at younger readers. Not only is the story focus on the racism, but it is also about Mio finding her confidence. Mio is a likeable character that is easy to sympathize and empathize with her. There is also some relationship development between Yuri and Mio. The relationship, so far, is similar to other romance stories in other shojo manga stories. But I liked it because it gives me nostalgic 2000s vibes for me.
If you're looking for a manga that gives you 2000s vibes, then Mermaid Princess is the manga for you.
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