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Published: 2012-12-07 03:50:10 +0000 UTC; Views: 2768; Favourites: 32; Downloads: 10
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So I watch a lot of magical girl animes. And I love mermaids. Like, I totally wanted to be Ariel as a kid. So when I heard about Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch? It was the Best Day Ever(tm). Until I started watching it. I have an entire rant about this show that would take way longer than my 15 minute posting rule, so I will just say that it was a hastily-made mahou shoujo created only to sell toys and absolutely NO EFFORT was put into the character and setting designs. The evil palace looks like they took a Roman building and ploppeditunderwaterandithasairinitWTFGUYSAUUUUUUGHOk, breathe, Sara… Back on track… I’m not sure why I care so much about this, since the creators obviously didn’t. But I’ve resolved to redesign the show as best I can, starting with the first 4 villains. The biggest offender is Yuri, who strikes terror into the heart of the oceans in… a giant fluffy goth-loli dress?! I just… No.
So here’s my idea: eel girl covered in seaweed.
Process shots on my Tumblr !
~~~
Mermaid Melody © Michiko Yokote/Kodansha
Art © Me
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Comments: 14
danparkerstudios [2013-01-01 22:13:45 +0000 UTC]
Hmm. Well, she'll defiantly be like Isuru, that's for sure.
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danparkerstudios In reply to SSJMihoshi [2013-01-03 18:22:01 +0000 UTC]
Well, she has a serpentine tail.
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SSJMihoshi In reply to danparkerstudios [2013-01-07 11:04:19 +0000 UTC]
I thought Izuru had a mermaid's tail? She stood on it like a serpent sometimes but the end was always so small I felt like that was physically impossible.
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thewottertrainer [2012-12-07 12:22:46 +0000 UTC]
Okay, i'm really not trying to be rude, and let me state now that i've been a Pichi fan for a good five years or so now, and when I read what your opinion on the show was, i was a little pissed off. Some people like your ideas, I understand, but I, having seen both seasons fully and read the manga at least a dozen times ( i own all seven volumes) am seeing it difficult to accept your ideas. I'm really not trying to be offensive, but if you'd see the whole thing, the Dark lovers are actually fish( which explains your whole “human that inexplicably breathe underwater” concept), and I believe Izuru is actually an eel ( i say believe because I haven’t glanced at them in detail lately) which would explain why she is the only mermaid-appearing suiyo. Yuuri is a fish, and this is important, because later on she meets Hippo, and they fall in love. obviously this can’t happen, because all of the dark lovers turn back into fish by the end of season one. While she does turn human for one more night in season 2, this is one of the things that I find a bit funny about your opinion on the show. I believe it would be best for you to at least finish season one, or go for the manga. while it is a little more teen-rated (for more revealing reasons, i should warn) it’s much faster to read than it is to watch the anime, which has a ton of useless filler episodes. While some of the filler episodes are sweet, and I wish they had been in the manga, they’re still just adding time onto the series, which is also aimed towards a younger, most likely pre-teen age group. I believe you might like the manga more because it is shorter, and actually a fair amount darker in some parts ( Kaito is stabbed in the shoulder by his brother, Gakuto at some point) but still overall pretty good. I myself like the manga more than the anime, and there are some episodes of the anime I simply refuse to watch for their stupidity. (for example, when Lucia visits Kaito when he’s sick( in the manga, she actually gets drunk on cola which i’m pretty sad they didnt find a better way to replicate), or the episode where they’re having a long dream on new years, that episode was.... interesting....) Again, I’m not trying to be rude, and it would be sort of interesting to see someone else’s opinion on what Hanamori could have done with her characters. I’m not saying you should give up on the whole thing, you have a nice art style ( better than me by a decent bit), but maybe next time, finish at least a season or read the first arc before giving such an opinion? i found it really offensive, to be honest... I’m sorry for ranting to you, i had initially started this in a question on tumblr, but right around where I got to the part of the whole “dark lovers are fish” thing, it cut me off, and I didn't want to spam your inbox. So I really hope I didn’t offend you, and I would offer to help you understand the series if you’d like. And no, this is not the only reason I followed you, your art’s really pretty interesting.
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SSJMihoshi In reply to thewottertrainer [2012-12-08 00:33:22 +0000 UTC]
Hey, thanks for your opinion. I did say on my Tumblr that I hadn't finished the first season, right? So my opinions are a bit premature, I'll admit. I guess what I have a problem with is that the Dark Lovers are supposed to be from the sea and thus be optimized to work in underwater environments. But even when in the water they retain their legs. And nobody wonders why they look mostly human. If this fact was questioned I'd have some faith that the design choice was made for a reason and that it would be explained later. Otherwise I'm forced to assume that it was just the designers and animators being lazy not wanting to make underwater versions of the Dark Lovers other than Izuru(Whose design I LOVE to death.). This assumption is further backed by the complete lack of risk-taking with the palaces, electing to use stock Roman-looking buildings with no water effects inside? Is there air in there? I guess so since we see Kaito having no problem breathing at all? (Of course this could be because it's a magic castle, or because he's Gaito's other half and thus magical himself, but again nobody notices this or chooses to question it so I'm working off the assumption that there is no explanation.)
Ugh. It really is a mess, and bound to polarize fans. Is more of this explained in the manga? Where would I go about finding it? I do read faster than I watch so it would be a benefit to me not having to sit through all the filler and hear the songs 50 million times. Again thanks for the comment and thanks for following my Tumblr! There won't be Mermaid Melody stuff all the time, but I have plenty more ideas for redesigns in the works. I'm sorry my opinions offended you, but remember it's only my take on the series and there's nothing saying it's better or that you have to like it. I'd love to see your ideas drawn out if you have any! I'd be willing to help you with art techniques if you're willing to help me understand Mermaid Melody.
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thewottertrainer In reply to SSJMihoshi [2012-12-08 01:50:44 +0000 UTC]
Yes you did, and that was one of the reasons i got sorta pissed off about it at first. But yes, Gackto ( Gaito) uses his powers to make four fish into human-like suiyo ( thats the term they use in the manga, basically water demons) and Ithink the palaces look much better in the manga, they're actually more open sea, and actually obviously underwater palaces, and I don't completly agree with the show's take on the palaces, but it does make sense, seeing as no one knows what Kaito really is, so they're not spoiling it for anyone. sand the only reason there's no explination is because it's explained at the end of the first season.
Yeah... it's a lot easier to understand in the manga, since it's shorter and overall makes more sense. ( if you've seen the one where Kaito gets sick and really hated that episode, it's okay, it's completly different in the manga. even I cant bring myself to watch that episode through completly, it's just insane.) and here's a link to the manga for you, you might like it more. [link]
I would love to get some help with anatomy, and if you'd like, you can show me your ideas and I can try to explain more in-detail some of the things behind the artist's reasoning to it. ^^ I really do hope the manga makes things easier to understand, and i'd love if we could be friends if everything works out.
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SSJMihoshi In reply to thewottertrainer [2012-12-08 04:25:50 +0000 UTC]
That's good to hear that the palaces make more sense in the manga. I just wish they'd hinted at explanations earlier (I think I'm 30-some episodes in? I can't remember.) because otherwise the audience is left trying to make their own sense of things. Of course they'd come to different conclusions than the creators because they don't have the same things in mind. Maybe it's just the fault of the genre or the fact that it's for little kids.
I think I want to read the manga first before hearing any more spoilers, if that's ok. It would help me make my own opinions of the story. I can see from the description that it's already significantly different from the show. Are there only 7 volumes, or is it still going? Where would you say is a good break in the story, that explains most of the points I'd need?
Sure, I'd love to be friends with you! I don't have much spare time, lol, but I'll help out when I can. I think you're doing very well with your art! You have a good sense of color and composition, and browsing through your gallery I don't find myself thinking any of your pieces are boring or hard to look at. Plus you're brave enough to try backgrounds, which I can never seem to summon up the effort for... <.<; I have some suggestions for improving anatomy right off the bat, but why don't you email me with the areas you specifically want to work on? I'll note you my email right after I post this. :3
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thewottertrainer In reply to SSJMihoshi [2012-12-08 17:09:09 +0000 UTC]
Yeah, they do. I guess it did t need to make much sense in the show since it's aimed at children.
Yeah, sorry >w< I get carried away with stuff I know about, but I'll keep mum so I don't ruin it. And technically the series is six volumes long, the seventh book has two side stories ( three if you count the three page one) one for Hippo and Yuuri, and one for Kaito and Lucia.
Hm... Well, the manga and anime have different storylines, seeing as the anime has more than 20 filler episodes. I know a handful of them are really cute ( like the ghost episode, which I think you've seen) and episode 44 I think it is. It's one of the last fillers before the end of the arc starts ( which is three episodes long, if I'm correct.) but that ones pretty cute. The manga's always straight to the point, so you could probably skim the first few books over to get a look at how it works. But you'd be in book three or four if you're that far in. I know the end of the book arc explains how Gaito has all of his power, as well as the dark lovers' reason for being there.
Ah, that's okay ouo I don't mind only chatting now and then, and I'm glad I'm doing good. I've been drawing for five years or so, and honestly, I tend to actually look off of Pichi for anatomy sometimes, which is why the legs on some of the characters are really long of the busts are bigger and sometimes the poses are more static. I'll start checking my email before bed now so I can make sure to reply a bit faster. .w. okay~
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TheJabberwokk [2012-12-07 04:59:30 +0000 UTC]
HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHA
I just couldn't. Not even the manga...
Now if only their was a decent version of like.. Last Unicorn crossed with Labyrinth and Flight of Dragons and then the REAL little mermaid story.. I'd be happy...
As a side note. You were a better child. I wanted to be a horse. Like... brown horse. Winny.
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Shirobutterfly [2012-12-07 04:47:52 +0000 UTC]
Now I'm tempted to watch this horrible anime to see what you're talking about O.o
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SSJMihoshi In reply to Shirobutterfly [2012-12-08 00:14:09 +0000 UTC]
It's... ok, in parts. I recently started skipping all the filler episodes because I just couldn't take all the preteen girl drama whilst supposedly in the ocean all their kingdoms are being ravaged by the big bad. When the next 2 villains appeared and were actually a THREAT to the girls I cheered.
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Shirobutterfly In reply to SSJMihoshi [2012-12-08 00:50:38 +0000 UTC]
Lool there's nothing like an actual plot and drama in a story.
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