The Bubble Love of the Mermaid, Vol. 1

人魚のあわ恋 [Ningyo no Awa Koi] (Novel) #1

by Akumi Agitogi, Taylor Meskimen (Narrator), Nicole Wilder

A tragic mermaid’s tale deserves a romantic, happy ending! Asana Amamizu’s life was changed forever when a red, scalelike mark appeared on her wrist. Ever since, her family has treated her like she’s a monster. Now sixteen years old, she does her best to live normally and attends Yotsuru Girls’ Academy. One day, the school is suddenly abuzz with exciting The handsome new language arts teacher, Sakuya Shigure, has arrived. Unlike the other girls, Asana keeps her distance. After all, a guy like that wouldn’t have anything to do with a girl like her. That is, until an unexpected marriage proposal falls right into her lap! She and Sakuya may have more in common than she could have imagined.

Genres: Romance, Light Novel, Fantasy

Audible Audio

First published February 6, 2024

About the author

Akumi Agitogi is a Japanese writer and translator from Tokyo. She has published several works of fiction and non-fiction, including novels, short stories, essays, and translations of English literature into Japanese. Her works explore themes of identity, gender, and culture, and she has been praised for her lyrical and evocative writing style.

Associated Names:
* Akumi Agitogi
* 顎木あくみ (Japanese Profile)
* อาคุมิ อากิโทกิ (Thai Profile)

Reviews

[Sloane]

The whole of this book is just confusing. On the one hand, the author over explains obvious emotions and events for no reason. I was there, I recall that those two people spoke. And that they spoon fed me those emotions earlier.
On the other, I do not understand what these characters feel towards each other. She calls him professor THE WHOLE TIME. Yucky. They’re engaged. But she likes him? Loves him? Quite honestly your guess is as good as mine (you haven’t read this yet)
He cares about her but isn’t in love with her but eludes to maybe being but definitely isn’t.
She gives stereotypical anime girl who is innocent and timid and defers to men. Bleh.
Maybe it’s due to the translation and the writing style is different in Japan but I cannot imagine that is the case. It’s just bad. And I don’t understand the point of this book! Nothing happened! So many words and nothing!

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's striking - and a bit unsettling - how many similarities this has with Agitogi's series My Happy Marriage. The heroine has supernatural powers, her family abuses her horribly, she's put into an arranged marriage with a beautiful man with long hair...either Agitogi really likes this stuff or they're working through something.

As a note, the domestic abuse is much, much worse in this book than in MHM, in no small part because Asana can't die from it. So be warned - it's a lot.

[Zero · Rating 1 out of 5]

This... was terrible.

The abuse was just there to be there. Asana and Sakuya had flimsy 2D personalities and either her friends loved her or decided they hated her, no in between.

This cannot be the same author that wrote My Happy Marriage.

[阿近 · Rating 3 out of 5]

　　當初被畫風吸引而留意起這部作品，沒想到台灣有代理出版的一天。劇情架構上跟作者另一部作品《我的幸福婚約》類似，都是在家裡被父母手足虐待的女兒經由婚約，獲得逃離原生家庭的機會，一方面努力擺脫慘澹的家庭環境與多年累積成的身心創傷，一方面在這個過程受未婚夫相伴扶持，重新把自己養一遍，夫妻倆甘苦與共、滋生情苗。

　　在封面呈現出來的咲彌勾起略有邪魅氣質的微笑，讓我對其產生「咲彌或許是一切盡掌握在我手中的霸道家主？」刻板印象；女主角朝名則可能是「在家裡飽受欺凌、無處求救的柔弱裡帶點韌性的少女？」實際上閱讀後，發現作者筆下勾勒出來的他們跟我以圖／貌取人的第一印象不太一樣。

　　咲彌剛開始還在整理突然被告知的聯姻，以及審慎觀察未婚妻朝名的為人與處境，前半段比較像是收起所有具備攻擊性的模樣，只靜靜地觀察眼見耳聞的一切，等到整理到有一個初步結論，包括他要怎麼面對這段聯姻與未婚妻，以及接納朝名必須付出什麼代價，觀察到這個階段他才有更多明顯主動保護咲彌的舉動與決心，而不僅止於拉近兩人的距離、對彼此的瞭解等等。

　　我本來先入為主認為朝名可能會跟《我的幸福婚約》女主角美世一樣，是個心性被家人折磨到塵埃裡，宛如幽靈般的黯淡少女。沒想到，或許出於家人顧及外界眼光的考量，仍有安排朝名外出就學的機會，有了接觸外界與新知，朝名多數時候都比美世活潑有朝氣許多，也有處世態度較為明亮樂觀的時候，偶爾也會思考逃離家族的可能性。這讓朝名和咲彌比《我的幸福婚約》主角的初期互動多了幾分鮮活亮麗的色彩。唯獨一想起那無法剝離的人魚之血體質，以及被家人軟禁取血時，才會感受到朝名散發出的濃烈疲憊、萬念俱灰，以及無論怎麼掙扎都無法逃脫家人掌控的絕望。

　　「人魚之血女子」這個設定我不懂為什麼會變成家族的禁忌？竟連顯現徵兆的那刻起，會連家人的愛都變成刻骨的怨恨、打壓與忌諱？難道人魚之血女子因此不再是自己的女兒、自己的姊妹了嗎？為何昔日的親情能在一瞬間全數消失、一絲不存了呢？再說人魚之血能拿來為家族牟利，按理說該把這樣珍貴的女子供起來，好好珍惜、呵護她吧？畢竟除了是家族女兒以外，如今還有招財樹的功利性價值。

　　往後閱讀，發現天水家族對待包含朝名在內的人魚之血女子態度劇變係出於家庭教育，所有家族成員都被教育人魚之血女子是怪物，所以怎麼惡劣對待她、壓榨她都沒關係，不需要對此有罪惡感。一想到天水家族成員的冷血可能有半數被灌輸這樣的觀點而變得如此殘忍狠毒，頓時不寒而慄。只看表面，可能如作者所描述的那樣，他們既忌憚人魚之血女子可為藥亦可為毒的能力，又對這份特殊體質背後的龐大商機貪得無厭，才會表現出這麼矛盾的態度。

　　可往下深掘這份家庭教養的背後，或許更深層的理由是更徹底的掌控人魚之血女子能作為家族資源，從身到心此生都被天水家族牢牢地掌控在手裡隨意運用，直到失去利用價值的那一天為止，才能獲得名為死（解）亡（脫）的贈禮。歷任天水家的人魚之血女子無論身心被囚禁狹窄空間裡，也幾乎沒有受教育或外出交流的機會，說不定是為了箝制他們的思想，不讓她們產生反抗意識，乖乖地成為家族禁臠，任由族人宰制。

　　不讓天水家人對人魚之血女子殘留一絲對家人的親情，也是為了在犧牲女兒、姊妹時，不要有多餘的情感或良心而產生猶疑，讓家族失去藉由她們體質來為謀得滾滾財源的機會。為了人魚之血女子帶來的龐大利益，他們一方面貶斥覺醒人魚之血體質的家族女子是怪物，進而合理化自己對女性族人的殘忍行徑；一方面泯滅自己的良心，假裝人魚之血女子因他們而起的痛苦吶喊不曾存在、無須理會，來換取能家族藥品生意持續興隆。

　　「她們是怪物，用盡手段來禁錮她們的行動、壓榨她們的身心來換取利益沒有任何問題。」或許天水家是用這種方式說服自己的吧？讓自己不要有良心發痛或罪惡感竄上來的機會吧？

　　男女主角在第一集的相處淡淡的，比較像是雙方都略有好感，但小心翼翼接觸、瞭解彼此，直到後來相認童年時的短暫邂逅，咲彌的頑強守護與正式求婚，整個故事氣氛才瀰漫著濃烈的情意，劈散前半段兩人由於各自苦衷而揮之不去的陰影。

　　第一次閱讀時，很想再體會到如同《我的幸福婚約》裡描述和風景色或建物的恬靜中微微散發出惆悵的美感，但閱讀人魚花苑的敘述，卻沒能重拾近似那時的感動。我不禁疑心興許是當時將我曾經看過的日本建築物或景觀設計的照片或影片等影像資料套進流入腦袋的文字敘述，才會對景物描述產生感動，而非顎木あくみ的用字遣詞多麼上乘且深具美感。畢竟人魚花苑是作者虛構的場景，我無法從腦袋資料庫攫取出相對應的情景去對應景貌描述。但為了確認對這段人魚花苑情景的感受，寫感想時再度翻閱那些敘述，又覺得好像沒這麼糟？

　　對《人魚的泡沫之戀1：紅鱗傳說》封面萌生好奇而打開，但我應該不會再找續集來看。第一集朝名背景真的太虐了。被家族嫌惡又利用殆盡，連交到的好朋友也因為喜歡上同樣的男人而決裂，還被朋友恐懼自己受傷隨即痊癒的特殊體質，唯一可仰賴的對象是身為未婚夫的咲彌。在家庭中受虐的少女僅能依附男主角來重獲新生，除此之外原本以自己為核心延伸出去的人際關係都被斬斷。我對這樣的故事已經感到厭煩倦怠了。同時也感覺到這類型的少女小說在日本過於氾濫，目前正陷入審美疲勞，短期內應該不會再接觸類似男強女弱且實力差異極大的作品來讀。