Merc Storia: Mukiryoku no Shounen to Bin no Naka no Shoujo

I don't know how it goes for kids these days, but when I myself was a kid, my parents made me watch a lot of shows and read a lot of stories that have a lot of educational moral lessons that I can use later in life. For example, the Rabbit and the Turtle tells us that those who think they're above all others will be humbled, as well as never giving up despite the overwhelming odds. You get my point. So when an anime combines, well first of all, the anime style of animation that I clearly love so much, and the essence of ... these stories that I consumed a lot in my childhood, the nostalgia that resulted from it is simply divine. Before I continue, I will be discussing many parts about Episodes 3 and 4, so if you haven't watched the series, please watch out for spoilers.

Based on the mobile game of almost the same name, Merc Storia: Mukiryoku no Shounen to Bin no Naka no Shoujo, or in English, Merc Storia: The Apathetic Boy and the Girl in a Bottle, is about a boy named Yuu who has the power to "heal" monsters, or in other words, tame them. One day, he receives a bottle from his father. Little did he know, there is a girl in that bottle named Merc, who has lost her memory. Now to help Merc regain her memories, Yuu takes Merc on a grand adventure around many places in the world, healing many monsters and putting an end to various conflicts in the countries they visit in their journey.

Sure, the plot might be quite simple, a guy meets a companion, and they go on a journey, helping people along the way. But because of this, the story is light and easy to digest, and the end results of each miniature arc are calming, wholesome, somewhat relatable, and the cherry on top would be the moral lessons I was talking about earlier. For example, the third episode takes us into a setting about a fairy kingdom under the threat of something that could destroy that same kingdom altogether. Here, we get a princess who's pompous, lazy, and naive, but for some reason, she wants to tackle this crisis head-on. This is a very, very obvious message that one should not bite off more than what they can chew, especially if it's life-threatening. But soon after, we come to know that the princess was the one actually responsible for the kingdom's crisis, and is trying to own up to her mistake in her own way. So that's another lesson, admit to your mistakes, and take responsibility.

So as the princess starts her journey, she meets our traveling protagonists, as well as two fairies who are in opposing clans. Not only did I end up shipping the two of them the first scene they appeared in, but that's one more lesson: sometimes, you might not know that one of your greatest rivals might be one of your greatest allies, well, as long as you aren't deathly hostile to each other, otherwise that would be a pipe dream. This is actually a staple in anime, and I will never get tired of this trope no matter how many times I see it. And at last, probably the deepest one for this two-episode arc, is when our motley crew is rescued by what seems to be a dark fairy that claims to be from a separate organization that does not follow the fairy queen. But despite this, he does help the group solve the issue at hand, which proves that even if their loyalty is not anchored on the same leader, they're still fairies in the end, and ensuring the survival of their homeland takes precedence over their differences. We humans could take a good example from these fairies for a lot of obvious reasons.

Now, it's a good thing to note that this is simply two episodes out of twelve, and the things that we can pick up from the story telling, while painfully obvious, and some might say as cheesy, cliched, or shallow, is actually good in relaying to us, the audience, thoughts and ideas that we might be forgetting. The story is so simple that I would even argue that this anime is one of the few that's very suitable for a child's gateway anime despite being PG-13.

Now for the art, in accordance to the claim I said that this anime is suitable for children, is cartoonish, starting with Merc's design, as well as the fluffy feel of the various monsters in the series, but it also complements the anime's nature as, well, a Japanese anime that I believe is a good indicator that it can be a nice introduction to someone most likely used to Western animation. Similar anime worked with me when I was kid, so I believe it can happen.

Music-wise, I am going to give props to how the opening theme completely captures the light yet journey-like essence of the anime as a whole with the progression from a solo piano introduction, to violins, then going electric guitar and drums in the first 20 seconds of the opening theme. Yes, this formula is staple in anime songs, but this anime's OP really feels upbeat that I feel happy listening to it, even though I don't really grasp the lyrics that much, maybe because of my hearing, but aside from that, the band, Mili's performance for this song is really exquisite. By the way, Mili is also the band that played world.execute(me);, which is a super good song on its own and one of my favorite charts in the game Arcaea, but I digress.

For the ending theme, however, the solemn feel of the song hits you right in the feels, as if it's reminding you that part of the journey is the end, but the bonds you form along the way are irreplaceable. Not to mention it's Minase Inori, Merc's voice actress, as well as one of my all-time favorite VAs and singers.

Atataka na tenohira ni tsutsumare (Wrapped in warm palms)
Mebuku hana kigi wa yure (The budding flowers and trees sway)

Add marching drums and more strings on that refrain and it would be suitable for an angelic choir to sing it in utmost harmony, as if you're in heaven.

And at last, character development. I want to focus on our protagonist duo, and I'll keep it sweet: an apathetic boy who learned to care not only for his friends but also for the people around him, and a loud boisterous girl who, despite losing her memories, has grown a little bit mature and knowing to think about the effects she might have to the people around her. Isn't that simply amazing?

Overall, a pretty solid anime that should be watched by children and adults alike. The value it has that goes unrealized due to being obscure is a big waste. The way personal relationships between people who are family, friends, and enemies alike are portrayed in this anime make it an unexpected gem that I didn't even see coming when I first watched this. Truly a Must Watch.

Merc Storia is one of those anime that at first sight doesn't seem to be anything special. It starts with a typical journey premise, then has a bunch of episodic adventures that involve the two leads helping people along the way and not really finding what they're looking for. There are a lot of series with this premise that unfortunately never really go anywhere. Merc Storia, on the other hand, knows what it is and doesn't try to be anything that it isn't: Just a sweet, fun romp that offers you respite in a difficult world. Let's jump in, shall we?

The story centers on Yuu, ... a young boy who lives with his parents in a village where people and monsters live side by side. Yuu is a healer, which in this case means he has the power to heal monster's angry hearts and calm them down. One day, his father brings him a present from one of his long journeys, a jar filled with water. At first, Yuu is angry with this...until the jar comes to life and a mysterious fairy named Merc appears, apparently the spirit of the jar. Over the years, Yuu and Merc become best friends, though they're as different as night and day. But Merc has no memories of her time before she met Yuu, so they decide to go on a journey to see if they can find Merc's lost memories. With the help of a traveling merchant, they travel all over the place, from fairy kingdoms to heavenly metropolises ruled by winged people.

In terms of production values, the character designs are very stylish, although some older characters look a little too cutesy looking for their own good, and the animation is fairly consistent. I will say though, the water effects on Merc's hair and the visuals for when Yuu is purifying the monsters are all just beautiful, perfectly matching the show's aesthetic. The music isn't much to write home about, but the soundtrack serves its purpose well. But the opening and ending themes are outright spectacular, both of them being soft, sweet songs that not only perfectly fit the show and its tone, but are just really relaxing. Merc's opening theme in particular is especially nice in that it shows you what you're in for and is unlike any other anime opening theme for a show based on a fantasy world. Oh, and did I mention that Merc's design is absolutely adorable? Look at her! Watery hair, sparkly eyes, and her house is a literal jar? Come on!

The characters themselves...are kind of a mixed bag. Yuu in particular just isn't a very interesting lead character. I mean, he's not bad or anything, but he's kinda vanilla. His motivations are very basic, he doesn't change much other than having used to be afraid of monsters and no longer being so by the series' end, and he's not very three-dimensional either. Merc is a little more interesting in that she's much more proactive and is the one pushing him to do things in the first place, but I can imagine some viewers finding her annoying because of this, and her high pitched voice as well. I liked her okay, though. The side characters actually have more interesting personalities and backstories, from an angel boy who's hated by his whole race because he was inexplicably born without wings, or a young bird man who's trying to appease a dark being in order to save his beloved's singing voice. We meet all sorts of colorful characters on Yuu's journey, since the show is very episodic in nature and the characters never stay in one place for very long.

I really want to praise this show up the wazoo, as it has a lot that I like about it, and I wish it was better than it actually is. But a lot of problems tend to hold it back. Some episodes feel a little overstuffed, resulting in some rushed writing and pacing. One episode in particular about a girl who's ostracized by her family because she was supposedly born under an evil star wants to find a magical beast, and there's a subplot about the characters trying to save the kingdom from a stampede of monsters. That one in particular suffered a lot because, 1. It tries to cram too many storylines at once, 2. The focus characters were poorly written and developed, never really getting a chance to grow because of those many plotlines, 3. The girl's tutor is really annoying and unnecessarily mean to the girl, and he admits he only puts up with her so he can be promoted, and 4. Literally nothing about the main plot of that episode has been resolved in any way. And keep in mind, this is all in ONE whole episode. Merc Storia's arcs mostly take up two or three episodes, so its usually well paced in this manner, but that episode in particular could have benefitted from an extra one or two. The storyline of the series itself is basic, and the anime mostly has the characters going on adventures and helping people. If you like this sort of thing, this can definitely appeal to you, but for those looking for something less episodic, look elsewhere, as this kind of thing will get on your nerves. The end of the show is rather open ended, and the main story never gets much resolution.

But despite this drawbacks, I still like this show. It's not like any other fantasy-based anime out there, where the main character fights and kills monsters and instead heals them. How often do you find fantasy anime where the main character doesn't fight? This would be the perfect anime to show to kids if I wanted to introduce them to anime for the first time. It's got a relaxing aesthetic, beautiful animation, great opening and ending songs, and the characters, as undeveloped as they are, are still pretty nice to watch. Sometimes we just need to kick back and relax, and Merc Storia is that kind of anime. It doesn't try to be grand or ambitious. It just comes and goes, like you're on a stroll, and sometimes, we need anime like that. Merc Storia isn't perfect by any means, and some parts of it could have been done way better, but it's a nice, comfy, relaxing anime that'll heal your tired heart if you're willing to go along for the ride.

Ever wondered what an anime made by Disney would look like? Well look no further, Merc Storia is the anime for you!

Plot (3/10):
The story is about a boy setting out on a journey to recover his water fairy memories. Well not really, it’s an excuse for them to travel around the generic fantasy world to help people because plot. As a result the premise is really weak and aimless.

The story follows a episodic monster of the week format, where each storyline revolves around some annoying, little girl or some misunderstood monster.

Characters (1/10):
I find all the characters to be annoying, one dimensional stereotypes, so ... I never bothered remembering any of their names.

The MC is a healer who’s a coward and afraid of monsters. He really needs to grow some backbone. He doesn’t have to help anyone if he doesn’t want to, however it feels like he’s being pushed into everything by the fairy.

The fairy in the bottle is annoying and useless.

Toto is useless throughout the series.

Animation & Sound (4/10):
The animation is subpar at best. The opening, ending and osts are forgettable.

There are no cool fight scenes. The choreography is bland. The healing sequence is a rehashed scene for every encounter against monsters. I’ve skipped it every single time after the first episode because it’s a waste of time.

There are no interesting villains in this series to look forward to. The lore behind magic is lame and it’s limited only to healing. While the side characters get some form of development in their little stories, the MC hasn't learnt anything and is still the same pathetic kid he was from the beginning. The MC suffers from a fear of monsters, but it doesn't lead to any interesting exploration and instead is more of a running joke. There isn’t even a reason given why he’s scared of them.

Overall (1/10):
I didn’t enjoy watching this show. Every episode felt like torture because it’s so excruciatingly boring. Had I not been several episodes in, I would have dropped this anime in a heartbeat.

One of the scenes that pissed me off was when the fairy could have gotten her star reading taken to potentially get her memories back, but decided not to because it would be ‘cheating’. So when is not cheating? It’s a convenient bullshit excuse the writer thought of to extend this terrible story because any sane person would want to have their memories rather than go on a stupid journey where you have no idea if you’ll be able to regain them.

Merc Storia is too cute and childish for me, like a Disney anime with cliche short stories.