Takeru has always felt like another cog in the wheel of corporate society, but things take a strange turn when he and his sister discover a mermaid inside a cosmetic lotion bottle. Memories of childhood; a brother and sister separated in the aftermath of a failed marriage; corporate money disappearing off the ledgers... Mermaid in a Bottle is Isaki Uta's tour-de-force first foray into self-publishing and features a unique story looking into the bitter-sweet relationship of a brother and sister with a shared, troubled past.
Utterly gorgeous, and at times experimental, "Mermaid In a Bottle" is a visual feast. The Doujinshi format of manga, which is a short independently produced by the mangaka, can present a challenge to many creators, being removed from a system reliant on publisher and editor, and self promoting an original work. Additionally, the shorter format pushes its creator to make an impact in as few pages as possible. Isaki Uta proves herself to thrive within these restrictions, with “Mermaid in a Bottle” balancing fantasy with the complexity of emotions tied to siblings within a broken family...
Heartfelt introspection on the life of two siblings
Isaki Uta's way of portraying the internal feelings of their characters is honestly very sharp, as readers of the work Mine-kun is Asexual, previously published by Irodori, can appreciate. This time, a phase in the life of two siblings poignantly unravels, with the help of the author's dynamic art style, which powers face expressions and environments in a way that make them feel alive. They joy and the angst that the rollercoaster called life brings us, channelled through Takeru and Ayumi. Bittersweet periods without which our nature as humans would be reduced.
The story is also sparkled with a supernatural and mystery element that helps the storytelling, allowing it to provide a complete story of great significance in fewer than 50 page... view mores, which is a feat on itself.
Maybe "Mermaid In the Bottle" picked your interest because you're a sucker for emotional stories or non-sugarcoated dramas, or maybe you are wondering what's up with this supernatural mermaid the title talks about, and how the mermaid even fits together with a story of brother and sister and the path they share together. In any of those cases, no matter why you start flipping though this work's pages, when you're finally at the end of the thread of creativity that this story slowly sews, you'll understand you've stayed for the whole picture, an unlikely but very on-point mix of realism, the supernatural, and, most importantly, artistic freedom. view less
