A Little Mermaid in Love – The Little Mermaid Anime Series

October 15, 2025

A little mermaid in love is one of those expressions that, for those who grew up watching TV in the '90s, immediately turns on a light bulb. The reference isn't just to Andersen's great classic, nor to the 1989 Disney version, but to an anime that found a devoted audience in Italy, bringing a breath of romance and adventure to a sea then full of memorable cartoons. We're talking about Ningyo Hime Marina no Boken (人魚姫マリーナの冒険), which arrived in the West as Saban's Adventures of the Little Mermaid, and in Italy known precisely as "A little mermaid in love." A simple title, yes, but capable of immediately conjuring up a world of coral, sunken castles, tenacious princesses, and promises of love.

Plot: Between Andersen and afternoon TV

While we're all familiar with the plot of "The Little Mermaid," here the story unfolds in an episodic form, drawing inspiration from the original but allowing for the narrative freedom of a television series. The protagonist is Marina, a curious and courageous young mermaid, ready to brave the unknown to follow her heart. Her encounter with the human prince—often called Justin in Western versions—is the spark that ignites the romantic arc and sets the series' engine: two worlds colliding, a love struggling to find its place amidst enchantments, intrigue, and differences between species.

Each episode is a little journey: sometimes it involves saving the prince from a court plot, other times overcoming the traps of a sea witch determined to put her fins between the two lovers. There's no shortage of trusted friends in the depths, lovable supporting characters who ease the tension, and that "never-ending fairy tale" feel that keeps you coming back the next week. Compared to Andersen's tale, here the melancholy gives way to hope. The romantic element remains central (romantic anime teaches us), but it's accompanied by an adventurous tone and a positive message: love requires courage, but also patience and compromise.

Production: a bridge between Japan and Europe

Born in the early 90s, Ningyo Hime Marina no Boken (Ningyo Hime Marina no Boken) is set at the heart of the golden age of animated television. The series is a Japanese production with a strong international reach, especially due to the widespread distribution ensured by the Saban version, which brought the work to numerous countries with ad hoc adaptations. It is a prime example of how, at the time, anime intended for family audiences managed to travel easily thanks to careful localization: slightly altered character names, replaced or re-orchestrated music, and a dubbing tailored for that afternoon of television where children fell in love with the characters and adults ended up staying on the couch for "just five minutes."

Technically, it's a product of its time: cel animation, a light palette for the seabed, overlays of bubbles and aquatic reflections to recreate the underwater sensation, and a soft character design, with large eyes and rounded lines that immediately make Marina and her companions friendly. The pacing alternates static moments (close-ups, "suspended" poses typical of the era) with well-balanced action shots, especially in the magical sequences or chases among rocks and shipwrecks. Nothing overly elaborate, but an effective balance between a TV budget and fairytale ambition.

In Italy, its arrival on private networks in the early 90s helped make it a small, mid-afternoon classic: the catchy theme song, the immediate title, and the marine imagery worked perfectly in the schedule, easily connecting with the contemporary giants. And for many viewers, that "Saban's Adventures of the Little Mermaid" in the credits of the international version is one of those trademarks that trigger instant memories: worn-out VHS tapes, sticker albums, summer afternoons, and reruns that returned like waves.

Curiosity: Between sea witches and love at first sight
– The Japanese name, 人魚姫マリーナの冒険 (Ningyo Hime Marina no Boken), immediately puts Marina at the center: she is not a generic little mermaid, she is a princess with an identity and a will, which shifts the narrative from tragedy to a path of growth.
– The series is often remembered for its recurring antagonist, a sea witch who, with transformations, spells, and a plethora of comical sidekicks, embodies the perfect serial foil: each episode a new gimmick, but a strong common thread that keeps the tension high.
– In the Western localization, the soundtrack benefited from arrangements designed for European and American audiences: catchy tunes, romantic leitmotifs and musical breaks that tangibly underline the “fairytale TV” atmosphere.
– The relationship with Disney's 1989 film The Little Mermaid is curious: its close release and overlapping imagery have created inevitable comparisons, but this series takes a different path, more episodic and less “musical,” while still maintaining a strong romantic element.
– In many versions, the sacrifice of one's voice isn't the price of love: the series prefers a continuous conflict between worlds, with alternating spells and obstacles, rather than a single dramatic sacrifice. A choice that opens up more episodes and developments.

Cultural impact: why it left its mark
Among the romantic anime that arrived in Italy in the 90s, Marina's story holds a special place. Not so much for its stylistic revolutions, but for its ability to combine international fairytale flavor with a Japanese touch of emotional consistency, recurring characters, and everyday micro-epics. It's animation that teaches you to root for a love story over time, not just at a climactic finale: episode after episode, the audience becomes attached to the small progressions, the whispers between Marina and the prince, the stolen glances between a storm and a court ball.

In terms of imagery, the dichotomy between sea and land remains powerful: two spaces with different rules, where water represents warmth, family, and magic, while the shore represents promise, risk, and freedom. This dialectic is classic, yes, but here it is interpreted in a more televisual and domestic key: no definitive tragedies, but rather trials, winks, and that comfortable pace we would now call "comfort viewing." It's no coincidence that even today, in online discussions, the title comes up as "that little mermaid from childhood, not Disney": a gentle and persistent presence in the memory.

From a circulation standpoint, Saban's signature helped broaden the show's international reach: many generations in Europe and America experienced Marina in accessible time slots, with meticulous dubbing and familiar sound. And for those who look back at animation with a technical eye, this series is a perfect snapshot of early 90s television: saturated colors, functional layouts, clear storytelling. A precious piece of that ecosystem where fairy tales became serials and serials became home.

Why (re)discover it today
Those who love romantic anime will find a treasure trove here: a simple yet honest love story, with appropriately over-the-top antagonists and a lovingly depicted marine world. Those seeking a historical gem will see how television of the time crafted "episode-specific" adaptations, without losing the heart of the original myths. And for those who collect memoirs, well, Marina and her prince are a pastel-colored postcard: watching them, you can almost smell the afternoon in the living room.

Sure, these days we're accustomed to full-bodied productions, complex narrative arcs, and surgical tearjerkers. But the charm of Ningyo Hime Marina no Boken lies in its sincerity: a little mermaid who refuses to give up her childhood and princess persona, in love and adventurous, capable of transforming emotion into a series. And then, let's face it, there's always room for a sea witch with a bizarre plan and a cliffhanger at sunset.

Final reflections
In the vast sea of '90s animation, A Little Mermaid in Love is a shell that still rings clear: it doesn't scream, it doesn't try to shock at all costs, but speaks to you of love, friendship, and stubbornness with the grace of a continuous fairy tale. Like all works that stand the test of time, it doesn't live on a single "wow" moment, but on many small, gentle moments. And the real curiosity is precisely this: decades later, just listen to a line again, see a turquoise blue seabed again, read "人魚姫マリーナの冒険" on an old programming card, and you find yourself there again, happily apnea, cheering for Marina. Because some stories, when told with heart, never end: they return to shore, as the waves always do.