L;DR:
I've been a fan of Rumiko Takahashi for a while and I decided to read her mermaid series which I had heard so much on. It seems to have a pretty interesting reputation, with people either disliking it greatly or liking it a lot. After the first few chapters it was clear to me that I fell on the "like" side of the spectrum, so here's my review!
I can understand why Mermaid Saga is not one of Takahashi's more acclaimed works. It definitely has flaws, yes. But for some reason, I'm really quite attached to it. It's not particularly strong in any one area. Like, the characters. There isn't that much to say about the characters. Yuta is... a guy. And apparently a girl magnet too because holy crap homeboy has had a lot of side flings. Mana is... a girl. The side characters don't stay long enough to matter. But the characters are good enough, and what made me like this manga so much wasn't the characters, but the story itself.
It's not supremely original, or the most action-busting series out there. But it really has its moments. I found myself getting deeply attached to each of the stories in the Mermaid Saga, with a few almost making me cry. Takahashi takes the basic premise and manages to create interesting, haunting mini-stories with fair amounts of intrigue to keep my attention. There's also just enough suspense to make even these immortal characters seem like they are in danger.
I binged the entire series in about one sitting because I couldn't put it down. Oh, I wish there was more to Mermaid Saga than these few chapters. With more time, I think Takahashi could have built up the characters more and given the whole thing an overarching plot with a more conclusive ending. But, maybe it is for the best that it is as short as it is. Mermaid saga is short, sweet, and much more concise than Inuyasha ever was.
For the art, it's some of the more classic Rumiko Takahashi art. It reminds me of her art style in Ranma 1/2, which was my favorite era for her anyway. I also thought there were some really excellent character designs in here. Okay, Yuta and Mana were nothing special, but I liked the design of the Lost Souls as well as some side characters that appear (especially Shingo).
Should you read it? That's a tough question. If you're really a Rumiko Takahashi fan, I think you would find some merit out of this and perhaps enjoy it as much as I did. Or, if you're just looking for a short series to fill in the gaps of your long-running Shōnen, Mermaid saga is a good choice. You definitely don't need to binge it, each story is a few chapters and fits nicely in between arcs of other manga (I assume, at least. Like I said... I binged it!). I may not have come out of this experience as a new, enlightened being, but I certainly did enjoy my time with Mermaid Saga, and maybe you will, too.
