Touched by a Mermaid

Touched by a Mermaid (Japanese: 人魚のタッチ, literally "The Mermaid's Touch") is a Lenaporean television miniseries that aired on Sakura in September 2018. The series was a co-production between Mediacorp Studios and Okutawa Broadcasting, who provided filming assistance. The story is set between Kawayama and the Merman Kingdom around Ningyojima, and is a loose contemporary adaptation of Furuga literature from the 20th century, namely The Merman Above the Ocean. The series was a commemorative work for the 60th anniversary of both television in Lenapore and Okutawa Broadcasting's TV station.

Plot

Chapter 1

In ancient times, the Okutawan Dragon King (Ryujin) gave birth to Tomoko (ともこ). She has the appearance of a 14-year old and has the ability to travel far.

In 1950, a pharmaceutical company in Lenapore (under Nashlandian rule) is seeking DNA samples from merpeople who enter the shores of the Lenaporean islands for a supposed elixir that can cure ailments easily. The Dragon King scolds Tomoko, but the plan was accidentally "leaked" by the company, under the grounds it was kept as a secret for decades.

Chapter 2

2018. 68 years have passed. The Dragon King and his young subjects (including Tomoko) have remained unchanged, but the world above has. Jamie is an attractive 24-year old who has started his independent life, and had recovered from a small injury. He was cured with an ointment that had DNA of a mermaid. Little did he know that Jamie and Tomoko's love story began here.

Tomoko travels to Lenapore. While at the beach, ready for surfing practice, Jamie suffers from an accident and is saved by Tomoko. Waking up ashore, he finds out that he was saved by a mermaid (Tomoko). The following day, he tells about his unusual love affair to her friends, which they call "the Mermaid from Kawayama", which causes him to begin infuriating over the issue.

Authorities begin hunting for Tomoko and the only solution for Jamie to continue his life is moving to Okutawa, in the island and prefecture of Ningyojima in Orience.

Chapter 3

Exiled from the Lenaporean authorities, Jamie and Tomoko cement their relation. In Lenapore, the government is beginning to raid and investigate Yamada Pharmaceutical's offices thanks to its products involving mermaid DNA. Later, it is revealed that in low tidings, she becomes a human, but if Jamie marries Tomoko with legs on, Jamie is likely to become a merman.

News of the operation make it to television in Orience. Meanwhile in Lenapore, a scammer (Hayashi Ishizuchi) wants to take advantage of the product and believe that the company was a scam.

Chapter 4

Back in Lenapore, Jamie swims back to Kawayama, but is scolded by the Dragon King.

Production

The series was filmed in 2016 in Kawayama, with additional shots in Lenapore City at the Mediacorp Studios set lot, to represent Yamada Pharmaceutical, a company created for the series. For the Oriencian side, chapter 1 was primarily shot at professional studios in Nikkyo lent by NBS and the remaining Oriencian scenes were shot in Okutawa, the capital of Ningyojima Prefecture. The news report was filmed in a spare time between local newscasts on OHK, the prefectural commercial station (TNN affiliate) to provide a sense of accuracy. Mediacorp sent images of the finished product to OHK during filming to represent the investigations in Lenapore.

The project was budgeted at L$20 million, excluding travel fees.

Actors took mermaiding classes over the lack of professional mermaid actors who were mostly busy working for Cody the Merman Prodigy, which premiered the following year on another network.

Broadcast

In Lenapore, it was included as part of the TV60 celebrations, being shown over four consecutive nights.