Review: Mermaid Magic

It's been a bit of a wait, but Rainbow SpA has delivered on their promise of an original animated mermaid show! From the creators of Winx Club, Mermaid Magic premiered on Netflix a few days ago with ten fun-filled episodes. Although the show didn't have quite as much underwater content as I was hoping for, it's a solid new Magical Girl series with beautiful animation and a female-empowering plot. I was thrilled to dive into the world of Merlinda, Sasha, and Nerissa and learn about their incredible powers on their journey to save Mertropia (originally called Mertropolis) pirates, witches, and toxic waste. The first season ended on a satisfying note with the potential for new adventures in future seasons.

Merlinda is the sheltered princess of Mertropia who leaps into action when she overhears a conversation about her father using up his life force to protect the kingdom. If she can travel to the dangerous surface world through a magic portal and recover five Neptune Pearls, she can save her his life and the rest of her kingdom. It's like an easy choice for a compassionate and headstrong princess to make. Merlinda grabs her two besties, Sasha, an outgoing social media influencer, and Nerissa, a dutiful royal guard, and enters the portal to find that the ocean on the other side has become a trash-filled wasteland. She is rescued by a friendly human named Tyler and his sister, Celia, who run a marine life rescue center together with their father. They become fast friends with the mermaids and help them acclimate to human life.

This show has all the makings of a traditional Magical Girl series. The three friends regularly transform into magic armor that can activate above or below the sea and fight the wicked pirate Barbarossa and his witchy companion, Tempesta, to recover the Neptune Pearls. The transformation sequences are underwhelming because their armored forms don't look very different from their regular ones. The mermaid elements of the show are also underwhelming. The city of Mertropia, including the castle, is housed above the water with its residents walking around on land unless they want to go for a swim, in which case their legs seamlessly transform into tails upon submersion. Although the mermaid-themed architecture and fashion are aesthetically pleasing with its clamshell beds, pearl-encrusted tops, and shiny pants, it is odd that so much of this mermaid society exists outside of the water.

Many Winx fans are disappointed that this show was completed before the highly anticipated 9th season of Winx Club. However, Mermaid Magic serves as Rainbow's answer to fans who wanted more from Winx's Sirenix season, which replaced the fairies' planned underwater mermaid transformations with more generic-looking aquatic wings. Mermaid Magic is a love letter to everyone who wants more mermaid action from their Magical Girl shows. As such, it shares similarities with Winx Club but also stands alone as an original series. Unlike Winx Club, where Bloom traveled from the real world to a magical school, Mermaid Magic has the three main characters travel from the enchanted mermaid kingdom to a place that closely resembles the real world. It is more of a "fish out of water" story where they must learn to blend in with regular people who act differently from those in their mermaid society.

One thing that makes Mermaid Magic unique from other modern princess shows is that it features a love triangle. However, it does not have enough time to develop a full love story for Merlinda during its 10-episode runtime because so much of it is devoted to getting the Neptune Pearls from Barbarossa and Tempesta. Although Tyler, Merlinda's new human companion, and Alex, her merman guard, are shown to have strong feelings toward her. Merlinda's desire to save her father and kingdom overpowers any feelings she might have toward them other than friendship. As a result, their love triangle is more about Tyler and Alex learning to work past their jealousy of each other than it is about Merlinda. Hopefully, there will be more time for romance in future seasons.

Mermaid Magic is a mermazing new Magical Girl sea-ries that makes a splash with its beautiful animation, empowering plot, and lovable characters. While it may have yet to fully deliver on its underwater promise, it's a great addition to the genre. With its unique blend of magic, friendship, and adventure, it's a show that will delight both old and new fans of Rainbow SpA's work. Although the first season wraps up nicely, there's plenty of potential for future episodes to explore new depths. So, dive into the world of Mermaid Magic and discover the wonders of Mertropia for yourself! Have you seen the first season yet? Share your thoughts in the comments below!