This Boy Caught a Merman

Izumii Dec 9, 2014

8

  Let's dissect. Story - 7 When you look at the raw story, it's a pretty simple set-up. Except for the merman part, there's nothing out of the ordinary going on and the plot itself is not particulary original. But let's not forget it's only an OVA of barely 30 minutes, so for that amount of time it certainly delivers. The story could be simply described as cute, touching and fullfilling. And a bit gay. Animation - 9 At times, the actual animated parts (characters and surroundings) are not as fluent as you're most likely used to. If it weren't for this 'visual novel'-like feeling, the animation would get a well deserved 10. The unique art and the astonishing colors make you forget about the spoken words, just to gaze at (or even stroke) the screen. I strongly recommend watching this anime in the highest possible definition, in order to experience this effect to the fullest. For this reason I even decided to watch the dubbed version as well, so the subtitles would not be in the way. Sound - 8 There are certainly better soundtracks out there than this one, but the instrumental music played through the OVA couldn't fit better. The Japanese voice actors were great, especially Yuuki Kaji (being one of my favorite), and the English-spoken version wasn't a complete disaster either. Characters - 8 Both the boy and the merman are incredibly cute in looks and behavior. They both experience utter loneliness because they hide their true emotions in order to keep the ones they care about happy. On the surface it may appear like their personalities clash, but they soon figure out they're struggling with the same insecurities.   Conclusion A beautiful piece of art. But with this kind of anime, an opinion couldn't be more subjective. It's your thing or it is not.       

LadyPsychic Jan 26, 2016

7.8

Story Basically the story is about a lonely boy who meets a merman and takes him home with him.  The boy and the merman's relationship develops over the course of the OVA as they deal with various issues.  While the story isn't particularily groundbreaking (and can be a bit melodramatic at times), it is a cute and sweet story that has a good balance of funny moments and serious moments. It's also well paced and has a satisfying conclusion.  Animation  Like it's predeccesor, the animation is a little choppy (due to the low budget) but makes up for it in being stylish and colorful.  In fact, I think the artwork is slightly better in this one than it's predeccesor. Sound The background music and the ending song are quite pleasant. Characters Both of the main characters are well developed (given the short running time) and have good chemistry with each other.  Overall This is cute OVA that will definately appeal to shounen-ai/BL fans.  And even if you aren't a shounen-ai/BL fan, you should still consider giving it a chance (the shounen-ai is mild and doesn't go beyond a kiss).

cthulhumythulhu Feb 17, 2015

10

 This was a very sweet and very cute story. It packed a lot in for its short run time, and it actually made me feel emotions. The art style was very unique and otherworldly i really enjoy it, they did a fantastic job with what they had. I would recommend it to anyone who loves sweet emotional stories.