Marina (TV series)

Infobox Television
show_name = Marina


caption = The logo of Marina
format = Fantaserye, Fantasy, Drama, Romance
runtime = 30 minutes
writer = Keiko Aquino, Agnes Gagilonia-Uligan
director = Wenn de Ramas, Andoy Ranay
executive_producer = Desirey Fernandez
starring = Claudine Barretto, Rafael Rossel, Cherie Gil
theme_music_composer = Raul Mitra, Cacai Velasquez-Mitra
endtheme = Kailan Kaya
country = flagicon|Philippines Philippines
language = Tagalog
network = ABS-CBN
related = April 2008
first_aired = February 2004
last_aired = November 2004
imdb_id = 0401032

"Marina" was the first fantasy series, a "fantaserye", of Philippine media conglomerate ABS-CBN. It was first aired on February 2004, starring drama actress Claudine Barretto.

ynopsis

Marina takes the viewer on the fairytale adventures of the mermaid "Marina". Born as Cristina to human parents Esther and Elias, Marina falls victim to a curse by Victoria, a sea deity disguised as a normal woman. Seeking vengeance on Elias, who spurned her love and married Esther, Victoria cursed their daughter. In the hopes that Victoria would lift her curse on the child, Elias leaves Esther but eventually falls into insanity. Esther, on the other hand, was left to raise Cristina alone. When the curse came true and the child turned into a mermaid on her seventh birthday, Esther realized that Cristina's life would be endangered in their superstitious fishing village, where mermaids are believed to be unlucky. As such, Esther is forced to release Cristina in the sea, where she is found and cared for by the mermaids headed by "Istah", their beauteous queen.

With the heart and mind of a human being, Cristina, now also known among the mermaids as Marina, dreams of nothing else but to walk again and live the life that was taken away from her. This is only possible through the sea witch Dugong. Marina seeks the help of Istah, who gives her a precious necklace to be offered to Dugong in exchange for her legs.

Marina became human again and returns to land to claim everything she has lost. However, she soon discovered that when the moon is full, she becomes a mermaid again and that only true love's first kiss can free her from the curse. Dugong, on the other hand, learned that the powerful necklace of Istah was a trap. Donning the necklace, she discovered that she cannot remove it and, worse, suffers the same injuries Marina does.

Meanwhile, Dugong's mother and Victoria's aunt, Tandang Ella, pays a visit to Victoria. She trades the power of the Aram for a chance to see her daughter again. Dugong, having been separated from her mother since she was an egg, harbored ill-feelings but, upon learning that her mother is alive and is looking for her, could not help looking forward to meeting her mother. Victoria, however, tricks the old woman and kills her the moment she met her daughter, believing Dugong hated her mother anyway. She kept the power of the Aram for herself.

On the eve of Marina's 25th birthday, Victoria and her daughter Luna paid a surprise visit to give her step-daughter her "gift". Using the powers of the Aram, she turned Marina back into a mermaid. Victoria then went to a circus where she made the poor mermaid the star attraction. When the circus master wanted more oddities to star in the circus, Victoria also used the powers of the Aram to capture Dugong and her slave, Pearly.

Rodge attempted to rescue her love but Luna had placed him under a curse, turning him into a kitten. Eventually, with the help of her newfound friends, Marina was able to get away from Victoria's clutches and eventually found her way into another fishing town, to a family of fairies.

The King of the Seas ordered to have Victoria and Luna arrested and placed inside a force field prison for them not to get away. Marina, on the other hand was now able to live her life as a human when she married Rodge and was now pregnant.

All things seems well except for Victoria. She wants to give revenge to the people of foiled her evil plans. She had heard of a meteorite stone that, once in the hands of its owner, can give out an enormous power. She escaped from her prison and got her hands on one of the stones that fell that night. By using its power, the evil witch had Luna and Marina switch places, with the latter's unborn child now under Luna's womb.

One day, Marina woke up and found herself inside a prison and the shokoy guards calling her "Luna". She eventually come into conclusion that Victoria will not rest unless she gets her way. By the help of many of her friends who see her as Marina beyond what they physically see, they were able to break Victoria's spell, although Marina's child was still inside Luna's womb (in later episode, Luna gave birth to Marina and Rodge's baby girl who seems to be inheriting Marina's curse).

Victoria still won't give up, that's why she had Marina killed but on the cost of her life. Marina's mother's began having dreams for which Marina is talking to her to get the Leafar, a magical liquid that can resurrect the dead. But Victoria was able to get into the gate connecting the world of the afterlife and the world of living, standing Marina in between. Ester was surprise to see that who she had resurrected was not her daughter but the ever evil witch.

Marina, lost bin between the two worlds got help from her father, who is now a spirit. The only way to revive herself again to finally defeat Victoria was to return herself into mermaid once more.

Eventually, she was able to defeat Victoria but the cost of it, her last chance of being human forever. She gave her child under the care of Luna and told her to take care of her child as well as her husband, Rodge. Marina, now forever a mermaid for eternity, bid goodbye to Rodge and their child and returned once more into the ocean.

Cast and characters

Human characters

*Esther Sto. Domingo - The mother of Marina and the wife of Elias played by Snooky Serna.
*Elias Sto. Domingo - The Father of Marina and Luna, played by Joel Torre.
*Pilar Balesteros - The best friend of Esther and the only person who knows all the secrets of Esther and Marina played by Debraliz Valasote.
*Sheila Coralles/Dugyot - Marina's best friend and the daughter of Dugong played by Agot Isidro.
*Raphael Sandico - The son of Esther's doctor who later became the husband of Sheila played by Bobby Andrews
*Isabel Balesteros - The daughter of Pilar who was cursed and became a monkey, played by Pauleen Luna. She had an everlasting vendetta against the mermaids since they (particularly Quiana (see below)) killed her father. She became also a mermaid.
*Carlitos Caballero - A son of a fisherman and the lover of Isabel played by Gabb Drilon.
*Lorelei - A crazy woman (formerly a wise and smart mermaid who also wished for legs from Dugong because of her love for a human) who cared for Elias when he was still insane, played by Eugene Domingo.
*Rogelio/Rodge - the true love of Marina; the only person capable of breaking Victoria's curse, played by Rafael Rosell IV

Mermaids

*Marina Aguas/Cristina Sto. Domingo - The main protagonist, daughter of Esther and Elias Sto. Domingo, played by Claudine Barretto. She was cursed by her father's spurned lover named Victoria; at the age of seven, she turned into a mermaid. As her mother released her to the ocean, she met other mermaids.
*Nanay Istah - Queen of all the mermaids who took care of Marina, played by Sunshine Cruz.
*Quiana - A mermaid friend of Marina who killed Isabel's father because of her deal with Dugong, played by Maoui David.
*Vixia - Another mermaid friend of Marina, played by Jenny Miller.
*Miria - This one is the new mermaid named Miria, also the friend of Marina. But she had only a short part in all episodes. Played by Its Saludo.
*Sheila - Friend of Marina, also the lawyer of Esther. Played by Agot Isidro.

Other Mermaids

*Lesley Leveriza
*Patricia Lopez- Neptuna
*Gigi Agustin
*Kathlyn Esguerra
*Patricia Marcelo
*Jennifer Ty

Other creatures

*Neptuna - The Queen of the Sea.
*Ninja - A creature with a turtle body and a green human head. Marina and him became friends when they met in the circus, played by Allan "Mura" Padua.
*Pearly - A gay "shokoy" and a slave of Dugong. He was enslaved when Dugong was looking for a man and thought Pearly was a man, played by Jon "Chokoleit" Garcia.
*Lirio - The prince of the male mermaids (mermen), also a love interest to Marina played by Diether Ocampo.
*Prinsipe Pinggoy - A prince of faeries, hiding in the mortal world as a human, played by Onemig Bondoc.
*Alice Dikya - A jellyfish, Dugong's slave.
*"Tandang" Ella - A powerful witch, the mother of Dugong and the original owner of the "Aram"; she has the power of Earth. Played by Luz Fernandez.
*Duglets - Little Dugong

Villains

*Victoria Raymundo - The main villain of the story. She fell in love with Elias, who married Esther instead. In rage, she cursed Elias and Esther's child. Played by Cherie Gil, she has been shown to have power over Air.
*Luna Raymundo - Daughter of Victoria and Elias; she has power over Fire, played by Meryll Soriano.
*Dugong - A powerful sea creature who is Victoria's cousin and daughter of "Tandang" Ella, she has been shown to have power over Water, among other things. Played by Malou de Guzman.
*Gurruto - A king of a group of black-skinned people inhabiting the underground, he gave Esther three wishes in exchange for her marriage to him
*Tutubina - Princess of faeries and fiancee of Pinggoy.

Cast

*Claudine Barretto as Marina Aguas
*Snooky Serna as Esther Santo Domingo
*Cherrie Gil as Victoria Raymundo
*Joel Torre as Elias Santo Domingo
*Sunshine Cruz as Istah
*Meryll Soriano as Luna
*Rafael Rosell IV as Rodge
*Diether Ocampo as Lirio
*Agot Isidro as Attorney Sheila Corrales/Dugyot
*Bobby Andrews as Raphael Sandico
*Malou De Guzman as Dugong
*Eugene Domingo as Lorelie
*Chokoleit as Pearly Shell
*Debraliz as Pilar
*Onemig Bondoc as Pinggoy
*Arlene Muhlach as the mother of Pinggoy
*Luz Fernandez as Tandang Ella
*Luke Jickain as Quintin Sandico
*Pauleen Luna as Isabel
*Gabb Drillon as Carlito
*John Barretto as Leon
*Deejay Durano as Manding
*Tess Antonio as Azon
*Jojit Lorenzo as Gaspar
*Jenny Miller as Vyxia
*Maui David as Quiana
*Alvin Fortuna as Randolph Rivera
*Mura as Ninja
*Dustin Reyes as Mario
*Robin Tolentino as Ronald Martinez
*Jane Oineza as Cristina Santo Domingo and Young Istah
*Kristel Fulgar as Young Luna
*Fraz Yap as Young Rodge
*Its Saludo as Miria

Magical objects

*"Aram" - a sentient stone with an orange glow kept in a small chest, this originally belonged to Tandang Ella. It was given to Victoria in exchange for helping the old witch find her daughter Dugong. It is capable of tapping into the power of the Earth or sealing other people within itself, among other things. It was eventually obliterated by Tandang Ella, who destroyed it from the inside when Victoria sealed her and Dugong within.
*"Latigo ni Luna" - a whip bestowed by the Aram to Luna, it contains part of the Aram's power.
*"Leafar" - a liquid that can resurrect the dead.
*"Batong Bignoy" - a greenish crystal ball that shows events, very much like a television, only, it has no sound. It has been used by Istah and, later on, Dugong.
*"Batong Malo" - Initially implanted in the eyes of Shiela, this gives its host the ability to fire beams of white light through their eyes, though these beams are fatal only to Dugong. It is also capable of increasing the amount of Samared stones a person may have.
*"Kwintas ni Istah" - A necklace that originally belonged to Istah. When it was worn by Dugong, it also served as a bond to Marina; whatever injury Marina suffers is also reflected in Dugong. It is a collection of stones, each with a peculiar power. The stones below were originally part of the necklace.
**"Batong Samared" - marble-sized stones that emit a green glow. It can grant wishes, allow its wielder to access the power of the seas and is capable of erecting dome-like shields. It is the only stone that can stand up to the power of the Aram.
**"Batong Okyet" - it has the power to turn a person into a mermaid.
*"Bituing Kasang-alam" - a fragment of a falling star, it has the power to grant almost all of its owner's wishes unlimitedly. After the Aram was destroyed, Victoria got one half of it, which can only be used for evil while Marina got the other half from Dugong's long lost sister: the half that was meant to be used only for good. Like the Aram, it is also sentient.

Production

The making

Three mermaid tails were made for Claudine Barretto to play her character, Marina: two for the water and one for land. The ones for the water were heavy for the actress to wear, and sometimes required four to six people to carry her. The one tail made for land was not as difficult on the actress: she was able to move, and was able to take it off if she needed to.

Ratings

This show started the "Fantaserye" (Fantasy series) mania in the Philippines.The pilot episode of Mulawin was 33% against Marina 35%, but Mulawin later rose to 38% and Marina fell to 28%. However, Marina continues to beat Mulawin after the said episode, rising up from a 28% to an impressive chunk rating of 32.2% [ [http://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/ent-111004-marina.aspx Magpapaalam na si Marina] ] It's highest rating was 40.8% while the average was 38.6%

Trivia

*Already a good swimmer before the show, Claudine Barretto still took a diving course before taping started. Her role required her to swim up to convert|60|ft|m|abbr=on. underwater, which reportedly caused her ears to ache.

*Claudine Barretto's double, certified diver Patty Lopez, used a mermaid tail similar in color and material to the one used by Claudine, except that Claudine's tail was smaller. Lopez was also later offered the role of the mermaid Neptuna on the series.

*Claudine Barretto's mermaid tail costume's colors ("orange/yellow-colored") were inspired by the mermaid Madison's tail colors from the film "Splash".

* Due to high public demand, this "fantaserye" is being replayed, which started last March 31, 2008 entitled "Marina: The Director's Cut".

* Marina will reunite Claudine with director Wenn Deramas, who directed her in such unforgettable projects as Mula sa Puso, Saan Ka Man Naroroon, Sa Dulo ng Walang Hanggan and Buttercup, as well as gifted young director Andoy Ranay.

Themesong

Sheryn Regis was chosen to sing the theme song of the series, a song composed by Raul Mitra and Cacai Velasquez-Mitra entitled "Kailan Kaya," which later became a big hit as part of Sheryn's debut album under Star Records entitled "Come In Out of the Rain".

References

External links

* [http://www.abs-cbn.com ABS-CBN website]
* [http://telebisyon.net/Marina-Philippines/ Marina] at Telebisyon.net