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.
