Ningyo Ouji

I loved this manga. I mean I really enjoyed it, so I'll have a great time reviewing this one.

Be forewarned for those who are sensitive to such stories, this is heavily smut. So be prepared for a lot of sex for those who are planning to read it and for those who might be a bit more conservative.

That being said, these are three of the best romances I've read. All of them are a decent size from 59-66 pages, give or take and they have a great beginning, middle and end.

I'll break down each of the good and/or bad, if there are any in each of the stories.

First one-shot.
This was a great story. For those who are conservative and have issues with multiple lovers, yuri, or bisexuality this may not be the story for you. For those who have no such hang-ups and just love a great romantic tale you are in for a treat. I love the lead female character. She was uber cute and strong willed woman who knew where she stood. Of course like most she faced some insecurity but she learns to persevere and ends up finding love where she gets it. Whatever hang ups she may have had or had had, love was able to surpass all that she grew from it. As a character, she was refreshing from most females. There's always this sort of tsundere feel to females or their uber chaste and innocent without a clue. She's nothing like that. She's independent, relaxing and fun. Plus she's definitely a type of female who shouldn't be without love cause she deserves it. Her lover is a fun character. A bit token which takes away from the story. But at the same time when juxtaposed to her as is seen in the story it's great. It's a nice societal commentary type of story. Love is what you make it of it and can come in different shapes and sizes; and to love others is found by loving ones self.

Really great thorough romantic story. I would say art is definitely high and well done, great story even if it sounds a bit silly, and the enjoyment is gratifying. Also, I would like to mention that it has plenty of funny moments to go around. So you get angst, comedy, ecchi, smut, and all you could ask for in a short. The characters were a bit superficial but the social commentary made up for it and the lead actress (who wasn't the only main) made up for a lot of deficiencies in the male lead.


Second one-shot.
This one is not my fave. It talks about undying love and how far some will go to be with the one they love the most. It's a bit twisted in the avenue it takes but nonetheless a nice read. I personally found this a bit superficial character wise. The girl lead was a bit silly for me, and the male lead who I enjoyed was not given enough so we could understand him well. So overall it was disappointing when I compare the other two stories alongside it but none the less something to sink your teeth into and have fun with. Lots more smut in this one to go around. The art was of course exceptional and although I liked the story concept, however cliched it may be, I found the execution mediocre. By the way this also had some funny moments.


Third one-shot.
Another fave of mine. Another cute and funny female character. I thought it balanced the issues of good/evil along side funny very well. The sexuality was a bit weird but similarly to Akuma no Eros with Satan taking up an interesting direction, his servants, such as succubi's seem to be similar. So most definitely it was interesting and fun to read. The interaction between the two characters was more funny than not and the finale was fitting. I really enjoyed this one and I have to say out of the three it had the least amount of "smutty" scenes. However it didn't make it less to watch. Oh the male character was silly, think of a priest dealing with sex. Awkward.


All in all there was a high level of romance, great stories overall, and lots of sillyness broken in by bouts of excess smut. I think most will have a blast. I did score low on the characters because the two leads were NEVER equally developed except maybe in the final one. Otherwise very enjoyable with nice art.

Her characters remind me of Bridget Jones and Betsy Taylor. Funny, romantic, smart, and honest. Loved the writing and art.

Ningyo Ouji is a refreshing read with the limitations of being only one volume. Most short story mangas can't compare to long mangas on the count that character development isn't possible to some extent. Having said that, it is a good manga with three very different stories. My personal favorite is Ametsukigahara where you can see the struggle of becoming an adult in the world we live in were everyone has to have their future planned. It is a newly approach for me. The other two are refreshing and feel good stories.

Kaori Ozaki is a great mangaka with a great ability on story telling and a beutiful artwork. While not being the most detailed, her art has a lot of personality and it is a perfect fit for her stories. Overall, this is a good manga to add to your collection.

Romance doesn't necessarily exist in all 3 stories. Just a reminder.
Since there are 3, I'll do a short review for each.

Mermaid Prince:
Probably the best story out of the 3, with some actual plot going on. The story isn't that great itself but I still liked it. Seeing the title I guess you know what it's about. I liked the characters, especially Mugi, determined to achieve anything at the right time.

Snowy Day:
This story was pretty refreshing. Although it's the shortest story out of the 3, it presented a lot about the contrast between the calm library and the busy city. Decent.

Ametsukigahara:
Now this one was odd. It's either because I didn't really get the story or the story's just bad. Some scenes were inexplicable for me and I didn't really understand the female lead's goals. Some of the dialogue was appealing to some extent, but that was about it. Don't know why they included sexual acts in this story... The ending was probably the only good thing.

The art was very good. Ir reminded me of Taifuu no Noruda's art a lot. Simple yet the small details stand out. You could say it's cute as well.

I enjoyed the first 2 stories, but not the 3rd one, since I was left a bit confused. Overall a 7.

I was drawn in by the art, like I am for most of the shorter mangas I read. This art reminded me strongly of the Studio Ghibli artstyle--simple to the eye, but detailed enough to hear the background noises.

The writing in this series is very floaty in the sense that while ten or so plot lines are opened, only one is officially solved. The other plot lines are resolved subtly or in ways where the audience feels half-satisfied with the way things turned out. This idea applies to the first and third story the most, while the second story is a melancholy oneshot.

I don't think reading this would result in absolute hatred unless the reader desires truly satisfying endings, but you probably won't be satiated reading this because of how open-ended each of the stories are.

Well, enjoy either way whatever your choice is!