The first self-produced Chinese-language drama series from Medialink 49 Days With A Merman (我家浴缸的二三事), launched on Netflix in Taiwan on 13 March. The 14-episode drama is a live-action adaption of the Japanese four-panel manga series “Orenchi no Furo Jijō” (オレん家のフロ事情), written and illustrated by Itokichi.

A Comedy to “heal” your heart

The only wish of cowardly high school student ZHAO, LONG-JIE趙龍杰 (played by Kent Tsai蔡凡熙) is to catch a break from all his bad luck. However, his life is thrown completely off course when a “merman”, LI, REN-YU 李仁宇 (played by Bruce Ho 禾浩辰) inexplicably appears in front of him. With Ren-yu forcibly occupying LONG-jie’s bathtub and inserting himself into his daily activities, it’s not long before life with the “merman” begins to have a profound effect on LONG-jie.

It turns out that there’s a fairytale stating that if a merman or mermaid cannot fulfil a person’s within 49 days, he or she will dissolve into foam. Ren-yu’s clock is ticking, can he return to the sea? And who will be “the one” for Ren-yu?

This charming story about the friendship between a high schooler and a merman has proved popular and has topped the drama ranking on the Taiwanese online platform “myvideo” for five weeks following its launch.

Six Years to bring the “Merman” to life

Medialink has been handling the Asian distribution of the anime series Merman in My Tub since 2014. In 2016, the company acquired the adaptation rights of the manga from its publisher. After more than three years of planning, script writing, engaging the crew and casting the actors, the production was completed in 2021. The series has been broadcast on EBC Drama Channel, Line TV, myVideo, Chunghwa Telecom MOD, Hami Video and KKTV in Taiwan since 6 February 2022. It has been premiered on Netflix in Taiwan on 13 March, marking Medialink’s first drama series to launch on Netflix.

The launch of the drama series demonstrates Medialink’s ability to present a well-constructed ecosystem and ensure IP (intellectual property) sustainability through its role of distributor of third-party owned media content.