<b>Review of Merman in My Tub #1 by Sarah</b>
“Another dream of mine has become reality! Peach-coloured bath!!!” Wakasa
Tatsumi, a high schooler, lives alone – until he rescues Wakasa, a merman, and brings him home. Blonde, beautiful Wakasa takes up residence in Tatsumi’s bath, costs him a fortune in water bills, bath salts, hair products, magazines and extra food, and acts as a magnet for his other ‘unusual’ friends who start to drop by. First of all, there's Takasu, the octopus (he’s the other gorgeous bishounen in the bath on the cover) whose presence gives Tatsumi something of an ethical problem: he loves to eat octopus. Next Mikuni the jellyfish arrives, a gentle soul whose transparent form has been giving rise to rumours of a ghostly presence haunting the neighbourhood. Last of all in this volume is the tiny hermit crab Maki, whom Tatsumi also rescues and who turns out to be a welcome guest for a rather unexpected reason.
Halloween offers the opportunity for cosplay (octopus cosplay!) and Trick or Treating in the bathroom. However, Christmas, which has become a special time in Japan for couples to spend together, raises the predicament for Tatsumi of explaining to Wakasa (who is as excited as a small child) about Father Christmas... And as time passes, Tatsumi (who really is a thoughtful, kind-natured guy beneath a rather dour exterior) begins to thaw a little under the influence of his half-human house-guest. Tatsumi may complain about the slime in the bath or making ends meet, but he seems to be becoming attached to his fish-tailed housemate.
It’s only fair that Seven Seas have brought us girls <em>Merman in My Tub </em>after their generous range of titles that are mostly skewed toward the male gaze: <em>Monster Musume, A Centaur’s Life</em>, <em>Nurse Hitomi’s Monster Infirmary</em>. I’m not saying that female readers can’t and don’t enjoy them but, well, you know, that kind of fanservice. Boobs. And, indeed, this charming series of 4-koma-based chapters should appeal to all readers, given its gentle humour, attractive drawings and daft but endearing underlying concept. Yes, there is definitely a subtext, with the bishounen on display, all very attractively drawn by Itokichi – but it’s very mild and the mangaka is obviously enjoying herself, seeing just how many cute scenes she can draw and how many gentle BL nudges she can tease us with.
There is only one drawback and that’s Tatsumi’s little (pre-pubescent) sister Kasumi who has a brother complex. Is it just that a culture-clash family and communal bathing is much more the accepted thing in Japan? There’s nothing really unsuitable here but these scenes are a little uncomfortable to read. In contrast, the growing friendship between the reserved Tatsumi and his effervescent, self-obsessed merman lodger/housemate is touchingly portrayed. And the fact that Wakasa has based his view of how to live as a human on reading discarded women’s magazines gives endless opportunities for gentle satire.
We’ll be covering the first volume of <em>Monthly Girl’s Nozaki-Kun </em>by Izumi Tsubaki on Anime UK News here very soon – and these are both 4-koma manga title that have found many fans in the West through an animated TV series. I saw both titles in their animated versions first on Crunchyroll – and I suspect it was their popularity amongst US viewers that led to the licensing of the manga. Which is a roundabout way of saying, it’s difficult for me to read this with a totally fresh eye without the anime quietly replaying at the back of the mind. In colour. With voice actors and music. The good news, however, is that – although it’s a different experience – it’s still just as delightful and entertaining. Angela Liu’s translation for Seven Seas skilfully and fluently conveys the deliciously laid-back and understated humour. I wondered to what extent the 4-koma format could sustain my interest, relying as it does on the necessity to deliver a punchline of sorts every fourth frame. But I need not have worried. Itokichi tells us in her Author’s Note at the end that this is her ‘very first comic’ but I imagine from her accomplished graphics and distinctive style that she got her career off to a good start in doujinshi.
<strong>In Summary</strong>
A charming start to this attractively drawn 4-koma comedy of a boy and his merman lodger. I’m eager to see how this develops in subsequent volumes (there are six so far) or whether Itokichi keeps it within the boundaries of the 4-koma formula, opting for infinite variations on the chosen theme.
http://www.crunchyroll.com/orenchi-no-furo-jijo
<b>Final score: 7 out of 10</b>
“Another dream of mine has become reality! Peach-coloured bath!!!” Wakasa
Tatsumi, a high schooler, lives alone – until he rescues Wakasa, a merman, and brings him home. Blonde, beautiful Wakasa takes up residence in Tatsumi’s bath, costs him a fortune in water bills, bath salts, hair products, magazines and extra food, and acts as a magnet for his other ‘unusual’ friends who start to drop by. First of all, there's Takasu, the octopus (he’s the other gorgeous bishounen in the bath on the cover) whose presence gives Tatsumi something of an ethical problem: he loves to eat octopus. Next Mikuni the jellyfish arrives, a gentle soul whose transparent form has been giving rise to rumours of a ghostly presence haunting the neighbourhood. Last of all in this volume is the tiny hermit crab Maki, whom Tatsumi also rescues and who turns out to be a welcome guest for a rather unexpected reason.
Halloween offers the opportunity for cosplay (octopus cosplay!) and Trick or Treating in the bathroom. However, Christmas, which has become a special time in Japan for couples to spend together, raises the predicament for Tatsumi of explaining to Wakasa (who is as excited as a small child) about Father Christmas... And as time passes, Tatsumi (who really is a thoughtful, kind-natured guy beneath a rather dour exterior) begins to thaw a little under the influence of his half-human house-guest. Tatsumi may complain about the slime in the bath or making ends meet, but he seems to be becoming attached to his fish-tailed housemate.
It’s only fair that Seven Seas have brought us girls <em>Merman in My Tub </em>after their generous range of titles that are mostly skewed toward the male gaze: <em>Monster Musume, A Centaur’s Life</em>, <em>Nurse Hitomi’s Monster Infirmary</em>. I’m not saying that female readers can’t and don’t enjoy them but, well, you know, that kind of fanservice. Boobs. And, indeed, this charming series of 4-koma-based chapters should appeal to all readers, given its gentle humour, attractive drawings and daft but endearing underlying concept. Yes, there is definitely a subtext, with the bishounen on display, all very attractively drawn by Itokichi – but it’s very mild and the mangaka is obviously enjoying herself, seeing just how many cute scenes she can draw and how many gentle BL nudges she can tease us with.
There is only one drawback and that’s Tatsumi’s little (pre-pubescent) sister Kasumi who has a brother complex. Is it just that a culture-clash family and communal bathing is much more the accepted thing in Japan? There’s nothing really unsuitable here but these scenes are a little uncomfortable to read. In contrast, the growing friendship between the reserved Tatsumi and his effervescent, self-obsessed merman lodger/housemate is touchingly portrayed. And the fact that Wakasa has based his view of how to live as a human on reading discarded women’s magazines gives endless opportunities for gentle satire.
We’ll be covering the first volume of <em>Monthly Girl’s Nozaki-Kun </em>by Izumi Tsubaki on Anime UK News here very soon – and these are both 4-koma manga title that have found many fans in the West through an animated TV series. I saw both titles in their animated versions first on Crunchyroll – and I suspect it was their popularity amongst US viewers that led to the licensing of the manga. Which is a roundabout way of saying, it’s difficult for me to read this with a totally fresh eye without the anime quietly replaying at the back of the mind. In colour. With voice actors and music. The good news, however, is that – although it’s a different experience – it’s still just as delightful and entertaining. Angela Liu’s translation for Seven Seas skilfully and fluently conveys the deliciously laid-back and understated humour. I wondered to what extent the 4-koma format could sustain my interest, relying as it does on the necessity to deliver a punchline of sorts every fourth frame. But I need not have worried. Itokichi tells us in her Author’s Note at the end that this is her ‘very first comic’ but I imagine from her accomplished graphics and distinctive style that she got her career off to a good start in doujinshi.
<strong>In Summary</strong>
A charming start to this attractively drawn 4-koma comedy of a boy and his merman lodger. I’m eager to see how this develops in subsequent volumes (there are six so far) or whether Itokichi keeps it within the boundaries of the 4-koma formula, opting for infinite variations on the chosen theme.
http://www.crunchyroll.com/orenchi-no-furo-jijo
<b>Final score: 7 out of 10</b>