Story: One day, a boy found a small fish thrown on the beach when he views the sea. He brought it into pool to save it. Suddenly, mermaid appeared in front of him as if the fish became it. Then he and she saluted, went into the sea, played with, and spent happy time each other. After that, he asked her to go to his house but she refused it. He told her that it was OK for her to go because he had aquarium. He folded her and went to home. He let her go into aquarium, and showed her to his parent. However, they could not regard the fish as a mermaid, but just recognize it as a fish. He was taken by police, examined, and told that you should regard it as a fish, but he refused. He was taken to higher organization and told that again, but he never admitted. He was tortured so many times, and forced to read lots of books. Gradually, he became not being able to imagine mermaid. He escaped, went back to his home, and saw an aquarium, but he could no longer regard it as mermaid. He despaired. He took the fish to the pool, but police pursued after him. He took it again, went into the sea, and released it. At the end, Police could see it mermaid.
From his movie, I think there are two important issues.
Firstly, freedom of thought, imagination, and belief is so much significant for our life. We live in society and nation and can get services such as pension, medical fee support from government. However, there is fear that all of things related to our life would be controlled by nation. Because government, nation, is controlling our life, there is possibility that we are brainwashed like past Japan. I think Osamu Tezuka tried to insist or warn such fear for us. All over the world, such right is secured. That is why, we should be conscious of our daily life and society.
Secondly, majority is not always true. We are human being, and imperfect animal. Therefore we are sensitive to other people’s thought. As a result, the side of majority tries to force minority to obey their thought or, oppress them even though there is the possibility that their thought is wrong. This is the fear of majority. In this story, all people except a boy tried oppressing him. From this point, I think Teduka tried to tell us that.
