A dreamy boy in a distant country saves a fish beached on the shore. When he lets it loose in a pool of water, the fish turns into a beautiful mermaid.
Direction
Tezuka crams more ideas into 8 mins than most features manage.
Director
Osamu Tezuka
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Made during Tezuka's experimental 'Animerama' period, this reflects 1960s Japanese anxieties about Westernization and lost identity.
The mermaid's design deliberately echoes traditional Japanese ningyo folklore — monstrous, not Disney-cute — making her 'beauty' deeply uncanny.
JP
