AniMania: MY BRIDE IS A MERMAID

It would be a disgrace to all Seto Mermaids if you don’t read this review, because “Honor among thieves is honor under the Seas.” You will hear the main female lead, Sun Seto, say this signature line at least once per episode in Funimation’s new romantic comedy, MY BRIDE IS A MERMAID.

The basic plot of the story is that Nagasumi (our hero) is saved from drowning by Sun Seto (the mermaid). However, Mermaid Law states that if a human sees a mermaid the mermaid (and/or the human) has to die. The solution to this problem is of course to have them get married!

Admittedly, from reading the plot summary, and just from the title of this series, one could assume that this was just another run of the mill harem show with a contrived plot that does not matter. While you would be right about it being a harem show, this is way more than just another boy has to marry fish girl to avoid death anime. Imagine The Little Mermaid combined with a Japanese yakuza family and a little dash of Azumanga Daioh, and you would have My Bride is a Mermaid. This review is for the first 13 episodes.

Nagasumi is visiting his Grandma at the Seto Sea and is being teased by his dad about not being able to swim. In the next scene, he’s screaming for help in the ocean, and sinking below the surface, where the last thing he sees is what seems to be a… mermaid? When he comes to, his dad is kicking him saying they’ve been searching for him for four hours, only to find him sleeping. Nagasumi tries to no avail to tell his dad he was almost drowned and was saved by a mermaid. His dad laughs and ignores him because we all know that mermaids do not exist!

He continues to try to persuade his parents, until the girl in question walks out of the shadows and asks Nagasumi to take responsibility for what happened between them. She asks him to marry her. His dad gets upset (since his son apparently has attracted a cute girl, while he’s stuck with his wife) and busts out his left hook. Then Masa (a dandy who’s a hit man), comes to “invite” them to the Seto home. Nagasumi’s mom instantly lusts over Masa. Then Nagasumi and his parents are pushed off a cliff into the ocean, in an apparent attempt to kill them. When he wakes up, Nagasumi pretends he is unconscious, which prompts Masa to give him mouth to mouth, taking his first kiss. This ends up being another running gag, for whenever either Nagasumi or his mother see Masa, they both go goo goo eyes for him. They meet the head of the Seto Gang, who just happens to be Sun’s father, and does not like the idea of a human marrying his sweet daughter (which happens to have been his wife’s idea), and tries to kill Nagasumi at every opportunity. And this was just the first episode!

From there the comedy ramps up even further as the attempted assassinations get even wilder. Poor Nagasumi cannot even take Sun on a date without worrying about his life (chocolate covered gun, anyone?). If that was all he had to worry about, he would have his hands full. On dry land a mermaid has legs just like human’s, but if they get wet (bad pun completely intended) their legs turn into fins. Turns out, Sun is a total water magnet. She’s clumsy and is always in the way of water. Nagasumi goes all out to try and hide her secret, and ends up buying her a ring, which she promptly loses, and her father finds. It’s amazing that Nagasumi makes it through the evening with just a full body cast! At this point not even half the characters in the show have been introduced yet!

Later we meet Maki the conch, a tiny assassin who shoots an unlimited supply of water bullets, and who’s also out to kill Nagasumi. Then in comes Nagasumi’s childhood friend, Mawari Zenigata, who unbeknown to her has a crush on him. Then we get the pop idol, Lunar, who is sweet to the public but is not very nice (and talks about herself in fourth person), and who is also a mermaid and childhood friend of Sun’s. Lunar wants revenge for being beaten by Sun in a kindergarten singing contest, so she sets out to take Nagasumi as her man servant. Throw in a cast of a walking Shark named Fujishiro, a boy named Chimp, an octopus named Nakajima, parents who blame him for everything, and you’ve got pure insanity. Will Nagasumi even survive to the wedding day?

The cast has some new talent while also having the backing of veteran voice actors. Nagasumi is voiced by Todd Haberkorn, who will be recognized as Watanuki from Holic and Death the Kid of Soul Eater. Sun Seto gets her voice from new comer Alexis Tipton, who plays Emi Kizaki in Linebarrels of Iron. Masa is Chris Sabat, a veteran actor who played Vegeta and Piccolo of DBZ fame. Maki the Conch is played by the ever insane Monica Rial, who is also the voice of Momoka in Sgt. Frog. Mawari gets her voice from Cherami Leigh, who was Tamaki in Bamboo Blade and Setsuna in Negima. Then top it off with the show being narrated by Linda Young who voices Genkai in Yu Yu Hakusho. This show has a ton of veteran and new talent, which brings out the best of both its comedy and emotion.

Don’t let the title or summary of this series put you off, like it did for me at first. This show is one nonstop comedy ride, the jokes never stop and this is only the first half! It also shows more heart than a normal harem series. I give it 7 octopus tentacles out of 8 (if you watch what Nagasumi’s mother is eating in episode 2 and what’s missing from Nakajima later, well, you get the idea).

If you do not watch this show it will be a disgrace to ALL Seto Mermaids, because as we now know: Honor among thieves, is honor under the seas!