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Synopsis

In the coastal community of Hinashi Town, Kai Ashimoto lives under the weight of a family stigma: his grandfather and other residents insist merfolk haunt nearby Merfolk Island and prey on humans. Music is largely absent from Kai’s home because of accusations that his mother’s death was linked to attracting mermaids. Despite this, Kai quietly composes looped tracks on his laptop and shares them online. Two upbeat classmates, Kunio and Yuuho Ebina, discover one of his uploads and invite him to join their rock band. Though outwardly indifferent, Kai accompanies them to a rehearsal on Merfolk Island and encounters something he cannot readily explain. That night a mermaid appears while Kai is making music; she calls herself Lu and responds to his sound—moving water with remarkable control and growing a set of usable legs when music plays. Unlike the fearful tales circulating in Hinashi, Lu is gentle and seeks acceptance. Through their emerging friendship, Kai and Lu begin to reveal their true natures to each other, slowly confronting the long-held suspicions and emotional barriers that have kept the town from listening to a different kind of harmony.