Evyione: Ocean Fantasy 1
Posted: October 24, 2008 Filed under: Evyione: Ocean Fantasy 13 Comments »So, there are some things that I am weak for. And other things that I am secretly weak for. Mermaid fantasy is one of those things I would beat people up if they accused me of liking to my face, but that I secretly read whenever I have a chance. Unfortunately, fantasy things starring mermaids usually aren’t that high-quality (see also: Pichi Pichi Pitch), but this is. This really, really is, and I’m a little sad it flew straight under my radar.
This is basically a retelling of Anderson’s “The Little Mermaid.” My only real complaint is that it sticks too closely to the structure of the story, and let me tell you that that’s not a real complaint. Countless details have been changed and made better, plus the art is absolutely to die for. It’s like if “Bride of the Water God” were actually “The Little Mermaid.” Anyone reading and enjoying that series would do well to check this one out.
The biggest difference between this and the original story is that the mermaid is now a man instead of a woman. All the stuff about the visit to the surface on the day of the birthday is set aside in favor of having this man be either the king or heir of the merpeople (details on the underwater civilization are sadly lacking). He saves a princess when she is tossed into the sea from her boat, and of course falls in love with her… apparently because she is warm and has a heart like a little fish. The somewhat unflattering comparisons he makes between her and fish are pretty hilarious just because he really wouldn’t have anything else to compare her to, but it’s played very seriously and not for laughs which makes it work.
Most of the detail in the first volume is spent developing the princess (the Evyione of the title). She is a princess, and after being saved by the merman, she is pulled off the beach by a handsome stranger who was going to commit suicide. She spends a day living as a commoner with him, keeping her identity secret, but she of course falls in love with him. Meanwhile, the merman is doing the whole curse thing to turn into a human, and the two meet at the very end of the volume. The whole “falling in love with someone else” thing promises to throw a wrench in the merman’s plans, and the merman himself looks like he will be a fairly alien being in society. He can’t speak, of course, but body temperature has so far played a big factor, and the first thing Evyione notices is that he is very cold, just as he noticed she was very warm when she fell into the ocean. It’s an interesting detail to focus on, to say the least, and I’m curious where it will go.
It is very, very pretty. The comparison to “Bride of the Water God” is not one I would make unless this had really gorgeous art. The male character fills in for the pretty character factor (he’s the one with the long flowing hair and is wearing nothing but what appears to be ribbons for awhile, and his tail is drawn particularly well), while Evyione is decked out in elaborate period costumes and has short hair for tucking into her fancy wigs. The author mentions the story’s supposed to take place in the 1700s, and the setting is a fictious European country that’s vaguely French/Italian.
I’m not sure when this came out. I thought it had come out earlier this year, but Udon’s site lists it as an August release. If you’re into pretty fantasy stories, they don’t come much prettier or more classic than this. Look for it, obtain it in any way you can, and hope that we’ll see a volume two release before the end of the year.
omg. i loved this so much! thE guy mermaid is so freakin’ HOTT.
Oh, this really sounds good, I have to check it out!
I’ve got a reccomendation: It would be really helpful if you could list some general infos about the Manga you review, like publisher, author etc. Masybe even a small picture. ;)
greets
btw, I like to read your reviews, even if i don’t comment as much. ^^
Suzu: I used to have all that information when I did the full reviews, so I left them out of these shorter ones and got into the habit. I’ve often thought about putting it back in. I try to mention at least the publisher when I’m reviewing something from a smaller press… I’m kind of surprised I didn’t mention this was published by Udon. The covers probably won’t happen unless I change the format of the site from a blog just because I have nightmares about uploading images to WordPress.
Thanks for the suggestions, and I’m glad to hear that you enjoy my reviews. I appreciate it ^_^
No, no, you mentioned Udon, and becuase of that I’ve got the idea to suggest it to you.
(god, it took me five minutes to write that sentence, I hope you understood ^^’)
Ah, I did mention it, great! I skimmed back through it when I posted the comment and didn’t see it. I really ought to start putting some header information at the beginning, though, you’re right. It’s a good idea. Maybe I’ll start with the older reviews and go through the back and get everything that way, which would also give me incentive to give all the older reviews heavy revisions so that they make sense.
I hace to get it somehow, yes I will have to live this story!
I finally got to read it. ‘Finally’ is a good word considering how long it took to ship. According to the retailer, they had trouble getting their hands on a copy.
I was sold on this after I saw the online preview at Udon’s website. The merman … the 1760s dresses … the art is indeed exceptionally pleasing to the eye. The story is also elegantly told. I completely agree with your review, and I must emphasize the Rococo of it all, because for me that is an important draw. I really, really like Rococo fashion.
Oh, I’m glad you got ahold of it! It’s still one of my favorite first volumes from last year. I liked absolutely everything about it, and it’s a shame it didn’t get a wider release. The attention to detail in the art concerning the period dress and setting was pretty astounding, and really did made the book something special.
The Udon rep let us know after I posted the review at Manga Recon that volume 2 is still in the works, though that was more than 6 months ago. I hope they get their manhwa schedule back on track soonish.
On the other hand, I can understand why they are behind schedule. Their manhwa probably does not sell as fast as their Street Fighter stuff. I might send them an email of encouragement.
I also really like the sea witch. The fact that she loves the merman herself … could go somewhere interesting.
That’s true about the sea witch. I wonder how closely this story will stick to the original. I ought to re-read the fairy tale, I’m having trouble remembering the storyline outside the Disney movie. I kind of like the idea of the sea witch disguising herself as a suitor, but it doesn’t work quite as well in this version of the story.
Son muy interesantes sus comentarios…no he podido leer nada mas que hasta el volumen 4, me encantaría poder leer el resto, pero me gustaria que la autora sea mas original y no se apegue tanto al cuento original porque de lo contrario todos sabríamos en que va a termina T_T…por otro lado, el arte de ilustracion es muy bueno (en especial del triton)…espero que esta historia siga y me llegue a sorprender porque hasta este momento me tiene enganchada n_n
I haven’t read anything past volume 1, I’m dying to see if the English publisher eventually releases more. Her art was a big part of why I liked the series too, I loved her attention to the detail in clothing and things like that.
I have a hard time finding information about this series (I think it’s published on the web in Korean?), but I’m glad to know it goes through at least volume four. Thanks for the information!
I heard about this first from you, and now that my guest post at Manga Bookshelf is finally up, I re-read this piece.
Heh, it does seem like Fidelis will thrown a wrench in the merman’s plans to win the princess, doesn’t it? However, he hardly appears at all in Volume 2-5, and I kept on wondering when the hell he was going to matter again, because there was no way he could be a minor character after Volume 1. Finally, in Volume 6, he’s back in the center of the action. And he recognizes the merman, though he can’t remember exactly where they first met or that he was in fact a merman when they first saw each other. I expect their future interaction to be quite interesting.
There are, however, as of Volume 6, a lot of potential wrenches which could mess up the merman’s plans (in fact, some of them have already messed up his plans, but so far he has not triggered the curse). Most likely they will all hit at once. I am still not sure whether this is going to have a happy or a tragic ending.
Anyway, once again, thank your for letting me know this existed. It really is a treat.