Malaysia-Japan drama production, Ku Tinggalkan Cinta di Okinawa (Leaving love in Okinawa), takes tourism board-backed content to a new level, sidestepping the usual travel format in favour of a 26-episode tale of love, family, friendship, passion and sacrifices.

The series, designed to promote Okinawa to Malaysians, follows 21-year old karate enthusiast Alisa (Hanis Zalikha) and her search for her long-lost mother. When Alisa falls in love with Shun (Shogen Itokazu), she has no idea of the shocking places to which her quest will lead.

Mimi Lana plays Riana, Shun’s girlfriend. Sharnaaz Ahmad stars as Alisa’s friend, Raykal, who keeps his feelings for her hidden because of her affection for Shun.

The RM1.1 million/US$252,000 Ku Tinggalkan Cinta di Okinawa is the first Malaysian TV drama series with a Japanese lead. 12 episodes were shot in Okinawa and the rest in Malaysia.

Ku Tinggalkan Cinta di Okinawa is the second co-production between Malaysia’s Double Vision and Okinawa-based Mabui Stone. The show is backed by the Okinawa Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The first Double Vision-Mabui Stone production was Ryujin Juwara, Malaysia’s first Tokusatsu (live-animated/special effects) TV drama series based on the original Ryujin Mabuyer Japanese format. The series premiered in January 2014 on national free-TV channel TV3.

Double Vision’s head of production, Lim Siu Min, said Mabui Stone suggested working together on a show for the Okinawa Convention and Visitors Bureau.

“They had wanted a show to promote Okinawa to Malaysians but instead of doing a traditional travel show, we thought that it would be a better idea to do this via a drama series, half set in Okinawa and the other half set in Malaysia,” Lim says.

“The idea was to set a show around karate – something that originated from Okinawa – and to use it as a backdrop for our story,” she adds.

The series, directed by Double Vision’s Amor Rizan, targets Malay viewers aged 15-40. Production started in June 2014 and completed in February 2015. The series premiered on 5 August on Astro Mustika HD and Astro Bella, airing Wednesdays.9.30pm-10.30pm. The last episode is scheduled to air on 23 January 2016.

Communication between cast and crew members from Malaysia and Japan was the greatest challenge, Lim says. Scripts were in three languages (English, Malay, Japanese).

Lim says drama, especially stories of love, relationship and family, continue to trend on Malaysian TV. Another notable trend in Malaysia is comedy, she adds.

This article first appeared in ContentAsia eNewsletter 221, published on 16 November 2015