TV-Series
Description
Baba is the elderly leader of a secluded mountain village where the population consists of identical-looking young women and identical-looking old women. She is a woman of immense age who identifies herself as either a mermaid or someone who has consumed mermaid flesh, making her an immortal human. In this remote community, Baba holds the position of the village elder and is responsible for maintaining its dark traditions. She was directly responsible for kidnapping a young girl named Mana and has kept her confined within the village for years.
In terms of personality, Baba displays a striking duality. On the surface, she appears as a pampering caretaker who treats Mana with great formality and respect, even addressing her as Manasama, a highly honorific title. Despite Mana's constant rudeness, which includes calling her an old witch and throwing food at her, Baba endures this treatment with notable patience and continues to care for her captive. However, this seemingly gentle demeanor masks a more sinister purpose. Baba is the one who keeps Mana physically restrained, having kept her shackled to a bed for years, and she ultimately feeds Mana the flesh of a mermaid as part of a larger, darker plan.
Baba's primary motivation is tied to the secret of her village. The identical women in the village are all mermaids, and the aged mermaids require the consumption of young, immortal women to regain their youth. Mana was raised specifically to be sacrificed for this purpose. Baba's role in the story is therefore that of an antagonist who perpetuates this cycle. She is the architect of Mana's imprisonment and the orchestrator of the village's ritualistic consumption of immortal flesh. Her actions set the primary conflict of the narrative into motion when the traveling protagonist Yuta arrives and discovers the village's secret.
Baba's key relationships are defined by this dynamic. Her connection with Mana is the most complex, characterized by a mix of genuine care, manipulation, and exploitation. She treats Mana like a lady and protects her, yet she is also her jailer and intends to feed her to the other mermaids. Her relationship with Yuta is adversarial; when he learns of the village's ultimate plan for Mana and attempts to escape with her, Baba opposes them directly. During the escape attempt, the other villagers revert to their mermaid forms and lose the ability to become human again. In a moment of development, Baba chooses to remain behind as Yuta and Mana escape, accepting her fate in the village while the two immortals continue their journey.
Baba possesses the notable ability of immortality, having lived for an unspecified but extremely long period as a human who ate mermaid flesh. She also seems to possess significant knowledge about the nature of mermaids and the effects of consuming their flesh, making her an authority on the very curse that afflicts characters like Yuta. Beyond this, her authority as village elder grants her control over the other women in the community, allowing her to enforce the village's secret rituals.
In terms of personality, Baba displays a striking duality. On the surface, she appears as a pampering caretaker who treats Mana with great formality and respect, even addressing her as Manasama, a highly honorific title. Despite Mana's constant rudeness, which includes calling her an old witch and throwing food at her, Baba endures this treatment with notable patience and continues to care for her captive. However, this seemingly gentle demeanor masks a more sinister purpose. Baba is the one who keeps Mana physically restrained, having kept her shackled to a bed for years, and she ultimately feeds Mana the flesh of a mermaid as part of a larger, darker plan.
Baba's primary motivation is tied to the secret of her village. The identical women in the village are all mermaids, and the aged mermaids require the consumption of young, immortal women to regain their youth. Mana was raised specifically to be sacrificed for this purpose. Baba's role in the story is therefore that of an antagonist who perpetuates this cycle. She is the architect of Mana's imprisonment and the orchestrator of the village's ritualistic consumption of immortal flesh. Her actions set the primary conflict of the narrative into motion when the traveling protagonist Yuta arrives and discovers the village's secret.
Baba's key relationships are defined by this dynamic. Her connection with Mana is the most complex, characterized by a mix of genuine care, manipulation, and exploitation. She treats Mana like a lady and protects her, yet she is also her jailer and intends to feed her to the other mermaids. Her relationship with Yuta is adversarial; when he learns of the village's ultimate plan for Mana and attempts to escape with her, Baba opposes them directly. During the escape attempt, the other villagers revert to their mermaid forms and lose the ability to become human again. In a moment of development, Baba chooses to remain behind as Yuta and Mana escape, accepting her fate in the village while the two immortals continue their journey.
Baba possesses the notable ability of immortality, having lived for an unspecified but extremely long period as a human who ate mermaid flesh. She also seems to possess significant knowledge about the nature of mermaids and the effects of consuming their flesh, making her an authority on the very curse that afflicts characters like Yuta. Beyond this, her authority as village elder grants her control over the other women in the community, allowing her to enforce the village's secret rituals.