Shimizu Reiko - Moon Child, vol. 01-07 (Eng. trans.)

[oyceter]

I realized I should have written this up while rachelmanija was still here so I could pull direct quotes from the manga!

So. The planet Earth is the spawning ground for mermaids, who swim through space for light-years and only have a short span of time on Earth to birth their eggs, after which they turn into sea foam. Unfortunately, Seira, the Little Mermaid, screwed things up big time for the mermaids by falling for a human instead of the merman, and now there's a prophecy that her child Benjamin (female) must mate with merman Shonach to prevent Earth from being destroyed by ecological catastrophes.

Alas, Benjamin is still immature, meaning that she's currently walking around Earth as a twelve-year-old boy named Jimmy. Jimmy also has amnesia, thanks to a car accident, and the man who was driving the car, Art Gile, has currently taken Jimmy under his wing.

I am not even getting to most of the plot and how the mermaids are asexual and only the strongest mermaid gets to become a female and birth eggs and the dark side of the moon being inhabited by fish and lace flowers and the creepy twins Seth and Teruto and and and...

If you couldn't tell, the plotting is cracktastic and yet, strangely compelling. This is unfortunate because everyone is basically going after twelve-year-old Jimmy and mate with him! I am actually less creeped out by this than I am by Jimmy's relationship with Art. At least the other mermaids are operating with the knowledge of mermaid biology, whereas Art the human is just skeevy for being attracted to his twelve-year-old foster kid.

Also, he hits Jimmy! I suspect the mangaka was trying to go for a Sanzo-Goku vibe, but it does not work when one of the people in question is a young child!

The manga also has an incredibly offensive portrayal of a black woman, poor taste in using real-life tragedies, gorgeously surreal art, completely messed up gender politics, and fascinating world-building. I am not sure what to think.

Comments

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

The more I hear about this one, the more I think it must be the asexual alien spawn of Clamp and Kaori Yuki.

[oyceter]

It is SO WEIRD! I think even more than a CLAMP/Yuki Kaori combo would be, which is saying something.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

I just remembered that vol 1 is in the CMX Box Of Relatively Obscure Shoujo, which i shall now diligently resume plowing through, as I have finished The Historical Novel Of Doom.

Even weirder than a Clamp/Kaori Yuki combo is...concerning.

[takumashii.livejournal.com]

I don't know if it's a bad translation, or if I'm just completely irrational about this manga, but ... I don't even think it's strange.

I feel a deep urge to reread the series so I can quantify why I accepted everything in it as perfectly normal when I read it.

[oyceter]

HEE! I am more handwavy of anything mermaid, given the different species thing, but still boggled by things like how Art's human friend Holly comments that Art and Jimmy are as close as lovers.

[octopedingenue]

I just read volume 1 of THE BEST mermaid manhwa last night, Evyione by Kim Young Hee. It's a French-styled gender-swapped Little Mermaid, and oh my god it is gorgeous.

[oyceter]

I just read it Friday! It is so pretty!

[octopedingenue]

So pretty!! The flowers and clothes and snaky fish tails! And the agonizing merman-to-human transformation and the sympathetic portrayal of the "sea witch," I love them so much!!!

[octopedingenue]

I read about 3 volumes of this a few years ago and could NOT get past the skeeviness of the 12-year-old boy, even with the pretty art and wordbuilding. But I was totally amused by a sidenote in Meca Tanaka's Pearl Pink that Moon Child was her fave manga in high school.

[larryhammer]

*blink* *blink*

[octopedingenue]

Tokypop volume 3, sidebar on page 133. I do not lie!

[larryhammer]

I think I glazed over it without recognizing the significance.

Huh.

---L.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

But I was totally amused by a sidenote in Meca Tanaka's Pearl Pink that Moon Child was her fave manga in high school.

...

I find this makes perfect sense. Especially given the "OMG NO!!" short story in the last Pearl Pink whose characters are apparently the basis for the Pearl pink leads.

[octopedingenue]

Now to be fair, that short story only becomes OMG NO on the very last page; until then it is perfectly innocent and bittersweet and I love it. The next page after the last page surely has not!Tamako's stepfather dumping soup on her head for sheer idiocy.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

Yes! Until then (aside from the customer's shipping) it's all wonderful and sweet and they might as well be siblings and then you get to the last page and backpedal atthe speed of light.

[oyceter]

Yeeeeaaaah. I am sort of completely ashamed of myself for reading this.

[shewhohashope.livejournal.com]

So. The planet Earth is the spawning ground for mermaids, who swim through space for light-years and only have a short span of time on Earth to birth their eggs, after which they turn into sea foam.

...

I don't know what to think either. But I'll probably skip this one entirely.

I have started getting into Cantarella, though! I will update you all when I have time.

[oyceter]

Um, yes. I am not sure I would sic this on people, despite the cracktasticness. It's just so disturbing!

EEEEEE Cantarella!

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

I just read the first volume of this and am overwhelmed by the "OMG WHAT??? WHAT???"

[oyceter]

Yes, that is indeed the correct reaction! ;)

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

I must read more! More! Despite the fact that there will doubtless be trauma.

Do we think Kaori Yuki, Clamp, and You Higuri all read this in HS, and took notes?