[Summary]
The story is set in a country where imaginations are not allowed. One day a boy helps a small fish. Suddenly the fish becomes a mermaid and they become friends. However, other people sees the mermaid as just a normal fish so the boy gets arrested for having such imagination. At the end of the story the boy and the mermaid swim together in the ocean, away from land.
[Evaluation]
At first I felt confused because I couldn't understand what this story is trying to tell us. However, researching about the circumstance of Japan in 1964 helped me get it a little. It was almost 10 years since the war ended and Japan had been changing a lot. Economy and technology were improving dramatically and people tended to become more similar, not individual or unique. I think Tezuka was trying to tell people that we need to be more unique and creative.
The scene the boy being tortured was quite shocking. I guess Tezuka was trying to show us how strong the state power is and how horrifying it would be if the government starts to make everyone work in the same way.
I could not quite get what happened in the end but in my opinion, I think it is showing that imagination has won the authority.
I think this story is not only for people in 1964 but can be a message for everyone because it includes an important lesson for all of us.
Keywords: imagination, freedom, brainwashing, individual, authority
