Voices in the Sea Foam

by Kotarō

Can true love break a curse that crosses lifetimes?

Aito used to think he was an ordinary kid—until the day he fell in love at first sight with a boy at school. Suddenly, memories of his previous life as the tragic little mermaid came flooding back, leaving him unable to speak or stand without agonizing pain. The terrifying ordeal made him swear off love entirely, but a fateful encounter with his charming college classmate Toru now threatens to shake his resolve—and push him into dark waters that might drown him for good.

Genres: Manga, Romance, Fantasy, LGBT, Graphic Novels, Queer, Comics

226 pages, Paperback

First published December 10, 2024

Reviews

[Lily the Lilac ✦ · Rating 4 out of 5]

❀ 𝔸𝕥𝕥𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟: 𝕊𝕡𝕠𝕚𝕝𝕖𝕣 𝕗𝕣𝕖𝕖 ❀
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

🧜🏻‍♀️≋🫂≋🌊 𝓥𝓸𝓲𝓬𝓮𝓼 𝓲𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓢𝓮𝓪 𝓕𝓸𝓪𝓶 🌊≋🫂≋🧜🏻‍♀️

꒰➛ Stars: 4 ⭐!
꒰➛ Pov: N / A
꒰➛ Spice: 1 / 5
꒰➛ Content: No cws for this one!

꒰➛ Thank you to NetGalley for this e-ARC!

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✎𓂃 Mini Review! ✎𓂃

As a lot of people who read my reviews know, I'm an MM romance reader. So it's not surprising I read BL manga as well 💗 To all my BL lovers out there (and I know you're there), this was a really solid standalone! It's fast-paced, as most standalone mangas are, but leaves a sweet taste in your mouth near the end

The romance is super innocent, as in we don't even get to see them kiss, and I know it can be hard to find BL / yaoi on the more clean end of the spectrum sometimes!

The art? It's ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS, like I appreciate when a manga has good art, and this definitely did 🥰

Also just want to point out that the best friend of the first MMC (the reincarnated Mermaid Princess one) is very clearly transfem, and I like to see little inclusions like that <3

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[Krysta ꕤ · Rating 3 out of 5]

a BL little mermaid retelling with beautiful art, but i couldn’t get behind the instalove. i also feel like the reincarnation side of things was a bit confusing too. it is a standalone, but i don’t think it met its full potential.

⇨ thanks to the author, NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for the arc, all opinions are my own.

[✨ gabi ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

oh my god, this one was such a cute little fairytale, i wish it never ended! i picked it up because of the cover art, so i never imagined it was a mermaid queer story! <3

the “falling in love at first sight” annoyed me in the beginning (bc yk, you don't even know him!), but then, bang, destiny. loved it very much. m

[Liz ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

it’s like the little mermaid but make it gay (kinda)

[Bettina · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 ⭐️ This Little Mermaid inspired story was breath taking, and I loved every page! Aito can't fall in love without loosing hos voice, and ever since he was a child, he's avoided falling for anyone. Until one day he meets Toru who wants Aito to sing for him. This story was so beautiful, and I loved the inspiration form the Little Mermaid, the sea theme, and the art style was simply perfection. Overall, it was a great story, very interesting characters, and just a wonderful story. An absolute must read for anyone that loves mermaids, pining, beautiful art, and a cute love story.

A big thank you to Kodansha for giving me an arc of this beautiful manga!

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not only did Kotaro clearly read Andersen's original story, they understand it.

[gracie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't like the fantasy created very much and that didn't make for the best reading experience but I loved the art style. Toru and Aito were so cute omg, and I think the story did a wonderful job of showing how fear can be physically disabling.

Thank you Kodansha Comics and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review

[Spens · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very cute, straightforward, and queer retelling of The Little Mermaid! While it doesn't offer anything necessarily fresh, I loved the art style and I appreciate the angle of fear as something that prevents us from loving fully.

[Scientist's Reading World | Hugo Lapa · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS WAS SO CUTEEEEEEE OMG I LOVE ITTT A blend between fantasy and finding love. Everyone needs a BFF like the MC's one, who is there for everything, even the craziest things. And the MC's love interest is sooooo perfect, omg. I loved the conclusion, the art, and the pace. Everything was so cool! Top to Top recommend!

[Bibliothecat · Rating 2.5 out of 5]

Thank you Kodansha for providing me with the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am so sad to give this a fairly low rating - the cover is absolutely gorgeous and I like the premise; a reimagining, or almost sequel if you will, of The Little Mermaid set in modern times. The inside art is pretty and the idea really was neat. Unfortunately, this story lost me already around the first chapter. I realise this is a standalone and therefore quite condensed but I found this to be one of the worst cases of instant love I've ever come across. I can get behind instant attraction or infatuation, but the main character is cursed to feel miserable once he falls in love. He literally falls in love in chapter one simply by looking at someone for the very first time and immediately triggers the curse.

I just don't buy into that and it took away any form of tension and of things to root for. It also sadly continued that route as the story went on and it caused me to loose focus and ultimately I stopped caring about it one way or another. I can still see it appealing to some people and for those who mostly care about art - sure, why not? I really wish I had liked it more but it is what it is.

[Frank Chillura (OhYouRead) · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s May, the month of Mer and it wouldn’t be right not to fill my soul with the songs of mermaids. Voices in the Sea Foam isn’t a retelling of my favorite classic Disney movie, it’s a continuation of the original Hans Christian Anderson story. It asks the question: what would happen to the mermaid princess if she was reincarnated as a human?

Aito has known since he was in elementary school who he was in a past life. His memories flooded back after he came face to face with a boy that would be his first (and hopefully only) experience of love at first sight. The curse that was put on him in his past life is still in effect and when he sees the boy, he immediately can’t speak and walking becomes painful like his feet are being stabbed through with knives. He went home from school that day and his parents immediately removed him from school.

Now years later, he’s in college for fashion, having vowed to never fall in love. His family, as well as roommate/best friend knows the story and all about the curse, but he’s kept it to himself beyond that. That is until he meets Tachibana and immediately falls in love.

This was starcrossed lovers and fated mates all rolled into one incredibly romantic and beautiful story that evokes all of the fond memories I had pretending to be a mermaid as a child, while also wishing for a prince to find me and fall in love. I read this completely in one sitting while my husband drove us to a musical. I couldn’t put it down, needing to know how it ends.

I loved every moment of reading this.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the gifted eARC.

[WSY · Rating 3 out of 5]

* AN ADVANCED READERS COPY REVIEW *

=> Gay little mermaid
=> Reincarnation
=> Cursed love
=> Soft BL
=> Gorgeous illustrations

🌊 I rarely pick up graphic novels these days so i was actually really excited for this because gay little mermaid in modern day?? yeah that already had me interested immediately. and honestly the strongest part of this whole story was definitely the art. the illustrations were GORGEOUS. some panels genuinely carried more emotion than the dialogue itself and the whole dreamy underwater sadness vibe was done so well.

🫧 I also liked the overall atmosphere and the way scenes developed but at the same time… this story confused me a little 😭 everything moved emotionally SO fast that i never fully connected to the romance. like this man saw a boy once and immediately his entire body started collapsing from love. sir please relax for two business days.

🐚 The curse concept was genuinely interesting though and i liked the fairytale feel throughout the story. i just really needed more buildup because the instalove took away a lot of the tension for me instead of adding to it. i wanted to FEEL the connection more before the story expected me to emotionally invest that heavily.

🩵 Overall this was decent for me. not bad at all, not life changing either. just a quick pretty read with beautiful illustrations, soft tragic romance, and enough gay mermaid suffering to keep things entertaining. the art absolutely carried this for me though because wow those illustrations were stunning.

[Logan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and Kodansha for the ARC! The following is my honest review:

This was a lovely take on The Little Mermaid fairytale, or rather, a take on a sequel. The art was beautiful, the dialogue felt natural, and the pacing was smooth. For something as serious as a story about a curse, though, the tone was pretty unserious overall. This isn’t a bad thing, it’s just not what I was expecting. While I wish some aspects had been given more weight or depth—or that we’d been nicer to Ami lol—I still appreciate this queer take on (an already queer-inspired) fairytale for what it is.

[nene · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 ⭐️

Voices in the Sea Foam is a heartwarming and soft retelling of the story of the little mermaid with a young queer setting. Not only is the story beautifully written, with a nostalgic and almost melancholic feeling to it, but one thing that really captivated me were the drawings and illustrations, especially the ones related to the sea and the marine aspect of the story. I completely recommend it to people that love BLs and want a quick but meaningful reading.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kotaro and Kodansha Comics for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[selly rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 ⭐️

thank you netgalley for sending me this in exchange for an honest review!

This was so honestly so adorable omg romance manga will always be loved by me!! It had a cute twist to the little mermaid tale and it’s great if you’re looking for a palette cleanser read. A cute couple, fun side character, and a beach chapter?! Cliche but i loved it 🙂‍↕️

The reason why it’s not 4 stars is because some parts did feel a tiny bit rushed, but overall I had fun!

[Bin · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 ⭐️ Super cute little mermaidesque mlm romance with some classic manga tropes!

[Cee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very sweet~

[Mystic DreamClouds · Rating 4 out of 5]

Special thanks to the author(s), publisher, Goodreads and/or NetGalley for the review copy. All views and opinions expressed are honest and my own.

If the cover isn’t enough to convince you to read this, then know it’s a unique and intriguing retelling of The Little Mermaid. I absolutely enjoyed this one shot.

Surprise! This story is a reincarnation of the mermaid and prince. Without spoiling too much, our reincarnated mermaid, Kasugai meets his first love, which triggers his memory of his past life. His life becomes shadowed in the walls of fear; the curse of turning into sea foam and the pain of transitioning from mermaid to human. I absolutely loved the illustrations depicting both. I could feel the fear and the pain and it wasn’t exaggerated. It honestly depicted the right amount to leave an impact.

Tachibana, the prince, well let’s say I had my doubts originally. But people change and he was nothing but sweet and understanding towards Kasugai. I loved how Tachibana tried to get closer to Kasugai without violating his space. Everything Tachibana did, from texting to giving him space, indicated just how much Tachibana cared about Kasugai. I absolutely loved his character!

Mizuki is a noteworthy friend of Kasugai and I’m going to say that you’re in for a surprise. I loved how the author shaped their character, because Mizuki is nothing but sweet, caring, understanding and absolutely an angel. They are supportive and caring of Kasugai. It honestly made me a little jealous. Friends like Mizuki are rare but the ones you absolutely should treasure & never let go of!

The plot in this story heavily revolves around Kasugai trying to overcome his fears. I think it was depicted well and the gradual overcoming was relatable. Especially the moment Kasugai talked to his past self. Ugh, it was perfect and made me cry. The romantic feelings were obviously sudden but it gave the story a much needed push in pacing. I also think the plot was quite poetic in its execution. I don’t know how else to explain it, but it’s sometimes fragmented and vague. Though it all makes sense in the end.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one shot reimagining of The Little Mermaid with a reincarnation twist. The artwork and characters are amazingly beautiful and lovable. Also, the ending and bonus chapters were the perfect closure for this story. It’s definitely a read you should add to your TBR, if you haven’t already.

Read more reviews @ Mystic's Review Shelf

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the idea behind this one, but the execution wasn't quite there.

The premise is that The Little Mermaid - the original fairy tale, not the Disney version - was a true story, ending in heartbreak and the mermaid dissolving into sea foam while her beloved prince got his happy ending without her. As she was dying, she had one final wish: to be reborn as a human, with a soul and more of a future.

Aito discovers his past life at the age of ten, when he has a chance encounter with another boy whom he falls for at first sight. Just like the mermaid, he loses his voice and struggles to walk, so he drops out of school and never sees the boy again. Or so he thinks.

As a college student, Aito is studying fashion design and hanging out with his bestie, Mizuki, who runs a semi-famous crossdressing tiktok and seems to be casually trans. (It's not specified, but despite the crossdressing label in the posts, she seems to always present as female.) She also fully believes in Aito's past life and his curse; their friendship is the most solid dynamic in this story.

Aito, however, falls in love at first sight, again, with a handsome student named Toru, who - like the prince - is head over heels for Aito after hearing him sing. Through one of Mizuki's tiktoks, since Aito is unable to speak whenever he knows Toru is around.

That to me was the first indication that all of this "past life" stuff was just in Aito's head, which I think is a more interesting reading of the story. Mizuki even tests it out, by telling Aito that Toru is on the phone, then revealing it was Aito's older brother when he's unable to make any sound. So it's...obviously just in his head. And later on he does acknowledge that he's getting wobbly legs and a clamped-down throat because he's so panicky at the idea of falling in love.

But then it steers hardcore supernatural at the end, with ghost ships and talking sea turtles and a near-death encounter with the mermaid (who wouldn't exist even in a supernatural world because she was reincarnated after disappearing). So it's just kind of messy.

I also didn't find the central romance that engaging. I appreciated how kind and patient Toru was; he didn't see anything strange about Aito's inability to speak in public settings and even said he had a friend who struggled like that when she was away from home/safe spaces. But his confession just came too quickly for me. The two of them did communicate via text to some extent, but too minimally to get to know each other well enough to actually be in love. Toru still basically knows nothing about Aito because Aito gets too panicky to interact with him. But Toru's in love with him anyway? It just didn't really work for me.

Parts were very pretty, like the scenes with Aito and Toru in the sea together, and the "fate" ending was sort of an interesting twist, but this really didn't end up being that memorable of a story.

[Coco · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this fresh, gender‑bent reincarnation retelling of The Little Mermaid. The illustrations are gorgeous—Aito’s character design is especially striking, and even the more unsettling figures, like the Sea Witch, are beautifully done.


Aito’s past life and curse haunts his memories both mentally and physically- cursed to lose his voice and unable to use his legs whenever he falls in love. As a result, a decade ago he made a promise not to fall in love again.

But everything begins to unravel when a friend posts a karaoke video of Aito singing. The clip catches the attention of Toru, who wants Aito’s vocals for a soundtrack in his college film project. Unfortunately, being around Toru triggers Aito’s curse but thanks to modern technology, the two are still able to communicate through messaging.

One of my favorite moments is the swimming scene, when neither has their phone and Aito gently traces letters into Toru’s palm so they can “talk.” It’s intimate, sweet, and beautifully illustrated.


During the group trip when Toru is asked about his dating life he admits he likes someone and is waiting for their answer, everyone seems disappointed by his answer wanting him for themselves. When alone Toru reassures Aito he will continue to wait for his answer.
The story ends with a heartfelt HEA, and the final panel is absolute perfection.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for providing a copy of this manga!

This manga was a unique take on the traditional Little Mermaid tale. I liked the concept and was really engaged at the start, but the romance just fell a bit flat for me. I do not like "insta-love." however, I didn't really mind that Aito falls in love with Toru at first sight. Mainly because he is meant to be a reincarnated mermaid that also pretty much fell in love with a prince at first sight. I kind of like the idea of this mythical creature getting reincarnated and essentially doing the same thing after being reincarnated. That said though, I still wish we wouldn't gotten more romance and connection. The majority of this manga was focused on Aito stressing over his curse. I don't even think Toru is in the story that much. I did like the scenes where Aito and Toru were talking and bonding, but there just wasn't enough of this before Toru was declaring his love. I wish we could have gotten more scenes of Aito and Toru actually "talking" and getting to know each other.
I also wasn't a fan of the ending. Honestly, the ending was pretty bad. I was quite disappointed to be honest. It just felt like a cop out.
So overall, I liked the premise of the story, but I think the romance could have been built up more.

[Carissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

*3.75 Stars*
*Thank you to Kodansha Comics for the E-Copy!*

This was so cute ohmygosh!! The Little Mermaid but BL!

Aito is a former mermaid princess who died and became reborn as a human. He thought he was just a normal boy until he gets a little crush on a boy and gets flashbacks of his past life, where the mermaid princess gave everything up for a human prince only to be turned to sea-foam. Not only does he get his memories back, but he is suddenly faced with a curse where he cannot speak to the one he loves.
Flash forward a few years and Aito meets Junior Toru and instantly becomes enamored with him, problem is that Aito can’t talk or communicate with him. Despite this, they get closer and Aito has to figure out what it means to love someone, and how to break the curse.

This was such a cute story! The artstyle was stunning, especially with scenes featuring the ocean and the plot itself was simple but effective. While we only know these characters for a short time, their personalities are defined and I was routing for them since the beginning! Such a well done reincarnation story mixed with a retelling of a classic fairy tale. Definitely recommend!

[Adriana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aito is cursed with the memories of his past life. He's the reincarnation of the famous mermaid princess who died because her one true love married another. He's sworn off love ever since the day he fell in love at first sight with a boy at school and felt all the pain and trauma of his first life. He's convinced that he will live his life alone until a fateful encounter with charming Toru has him rethinking his stance on love and the impossibility of breaking that curse.

An adorably sweet and emotional new take on the story of the Little Mermaid that pays tribute to the original while being a wholly unique take. Aito is all attitude. He hides behind it to keep others away, although it doesn't work on his best friend or Toru, who is one of the most understanding and unrealistically perfect males in BL, and that's why I love him.

It's a very quick read that left me feeling happy. And the fact that the art is also cute is a very nice bonus.

Delighted thanks to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics | Vertical Comics for the cute read!

[I' · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this as an advance reader copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions my own.


Is it a Little Mermaid retelling? Yes. Is it gay? Absolutely.

Looking at the cover I knew the art was going to be beautiful but I was not prepared by how actually stunning it was. Definitely one of the highlights of the manga. But not only that, as it help it make it a stunning read in all aspects. The art is usually a deal breaker for me in the sense that if I don’t gel with it, it will impact my reading experience but in this case. Stunning does not cover it all.

The plot, knowing it comes from the Little Mermaid you can expect it is heavily inspired by it with a modern University twist. It is a single volume so you have to condense the whole story in 200 pages. With this in mind it did not feel rushed, as the pace feel consistent through the volume. I can also see how it may seem differently to some as you have a very limited space to tell the story but in this sense, I think adding the reincarnation part of the story fit very well in order to make it feel less instant.

It ticks both the sweet and dark boxes, at I feel it walks the line between them fairly well. In due homage to the original story. But also modernizing it in a way that does not feel forced or takes us out of what already is familiar to the reader.

[Becky (romantic_pursuing_feels) · Rating 4 out of 5]

There was a lot to love about this one but ultimately it wasn't 100% what I wanted. I did adore the art - it was really beautiful and there were a lot of little details I appreciated. I loved all the characters, they were all fun and so sweet. I think maybe just the evolution of how the plot went was just not what I wanted - maybe the way the past life was given out to the reader. Still fun though and I'd search out more from this author!

Give this a try if you want:
- M/M relationship
- past life
- college setting
- Little Mermaid inspired
- lots of yearning
- no spice on page

[Skirmantė · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grimm’s The Little Mermaid, but make it BL.

I liked that Aito could remember his past life as a mermaid princess, and his fear of the curse added an extra emotional layer that made his experiences easier to understand and feel more grounded.

The art style is just captivating, and all the characters have their own unique charm, but the love story itself fell a bit flat for me.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

[Awesome Ashley Renee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one a lot more than I thought I would. It gave me vibes of a darkish bl little mermaid but with a better story. The art was beautiful and this was overall a quick one shot that kept my interest since I really enjoyed the characters and learning more about the curse. This is a story that both the characters fall instantly in love but l personally usually like those stories.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha for the ARC.

[Maia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this retelling of the little mermaid with this BL love story. There is instalove, which I do struggle to enjoy sometimes, HOWEVER, there were barriers which I enjoy the storyline of overcoming to get to their happy ending 💖

Aito suffers from a curse from his previous life, stopping him from speaking to his true love, and then we meet Tachibana and a connection is formed!!

Beautiful illustrations and I plan to read more from Kotarõ

Reviewed as part of an ARC from NetGalley

[Kiana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha for providing me with this ARC.

AHHH I loved this BL retelling of the Little Mermaid! For some reason I thought this was going to be a series, which could have had more potential for more yearning and magical mermaid moments, but this was still so cute. I beg the author to make a sequel or something because I love these characters. And the art was GORGEOUS!!

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Little Mermaid but BL with beautiful art. Yes please and thank you very much.