Anyone Out There Speak Filipino?

From what I can tell, mermaids must be hugely popular around the world, especially in the Philippines, from what I gather. Two different "teleseryes", or what we Americans call a soap opera, are about mermaids who come ashore to live on land as humans. The first is called Marina, and it was the first of the fantasy-oriented teleseryes and launched a new trend for Filipino pop culture.


Marina is about a young girl who is cursed by the sea deity Victoria, because Marina's father spurned the woman's romantic advances and instead fell in love with the woman who would become Marina's mother. Marina was transformed into a mermaid and eventually her parents released her to the sea, where she was found by a group of mermaids who took her in and raised her. Years later, as a young woman, Marina seeks out the good sea-witch Dugong to gain legs and become human. And of course, mermaid-y adventures ensue.


The next teleserye is Dyesebel, which from what I've researched, it is hugely popular in the Philippines. Dyesebel is part of Filipino culture and mythology, kind of like the Philippines' equivalent of Ariel. The mermaid character first appeared in a series of graphic novels written by Mars Ravello, and several movie adaptations have been made. In 2008, a television series was created based on the character.


Dyesebel's story begins when an amnesiac mermaid-turned-human falls in love with a human man and has his child, who is born with a mermaid's tail rather than legs. Dyesbel goes to live in the sea, but she receives a necklace that allows her to come ashore and grow legs. She falls in love with the human Fredo, but there's a sort of love triangle between her, Fredo, and the handsome and royal merman Erebus. But the sea is also being corrupted by the evil sea-witch Dyangga, and Dyesebel might be the only one to stop her.

Both shows are in the Filipino language, so unless you know how to speak it, you might get a little lost. But if you're just looking for some more beautiful mermaids to watch and care little for the dialogue (I'm sure you'll be able to follow anyway) you might want to check out both Marina and Dyesebel's underwater adventures.