Danica Davidson
March 13, 2024 
In the Name of the Mermaid Princess stars Mio, a princess who is also a mermaid. There’s a problem, though — her parents are human, and she lives in a country where mermaids and other “unhumans” are discriminated against and made to leave the kingdom. Mio’s father keeps her hidden away in the castle and makes her take medicine that can turn her human-looking for periods of time. The goal is to have a better medicine that keeps her human, and her father doesn’t want anyone to know the truth about her. She’s engaged to the prince of another kingdom, whom she’s never met, and her father wants her to be fully human by the time of their wedding.
Things get stirred up when a boy named Yuri Ban arrives to tutor Mio on her fiancé’s kingdom. Yuri encourages her to be her true self, shows sympathy for the unhumans, and takes Mio out into the ocean for the first time, where she discovers the powers she has as a mermaid. These actions soon get Yuri in trouble, and Mio will have to rescue him.
After the main story is a shorter yarn titled “Eno’s Flight: Part 1″ which takes place in the same world. This time it’s about an unhuman who’s an angel. This little story also ends with a cliffhanger until the next volume. It’s not clear if the two stories are connected, or if the only association is that they’re in the same world.
In the Name of the Mermaid Princess reads like a fable about the dangers of prejudice. A tease for the second volume asks, “Is it true that mermaids are a menace to society after all. . .?” leaving open possibilities of the kingdom using propaganda to turn people against mermaids, or maybe there was something in the past that caused unhumans and humans to hate each other. There are a lot of ways that could develop. The first volume is mainly setting the stage, and it feels sweet, charming, and so far fairly simple. The pretty artwork goes well with the mermaid fantasy theme, helping make this an attractive and gentle manga.
Story: Yoshino Fumikawa
Art: Miya Tashiro
Publisher: VIZ Media
Translator: Junko Goda
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, plus its sequel, Manga Art for Everyone, and the first-of-its-kind manga chalk book Chalk Art Manga, both illustrated by professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.
