Ningyo no Mori by DesignsByPsyreine on DeviantArt (original) (raw)

I feel like this is one of Rumiko's lesser known works but WOW it is one of my favorites (behind Inuyasha of course). I wish she kept going with it - I wanted to see more of Yuta and Mana

The story: According to an ancient legend, mermaid's flesh can grant immortality if eaten. One day, Yuta and his friends unknowingly ate pieces of mermaid's flesh. Yuta was the only survivor and became immortal. He doesn't age or get sick and if he dies (with the exception of getting his head severed from his body), he comes back to life. Now, 500 years later, Yuta continues to travel across Japan, looking for to find another mermaid with the hope that he can become a normal human again.

It's definitely one of her darker series but it's so good in my opinion.