On August 28, at the “2024 International Broadcasting and Video Market” held at COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Hot Stove League’s production company Studio S and the joint venture NTT Docomo Studio & Live, a collaboration between NTT Docomo and Yoshimoto Kogyo, signed a partnership agreement for the Japanese remake of “Hot Stove League.”
“Hot Stove League,” which aired in 2019, revolves around a baseball team called the Dreams, who were the worst in the league for four years in a row. The drama was beloved by fans, peaking at 20.8% in ratings.
The drama won several prestigious awards, including Best Drama at the 56th Baeksang Arts Awards, PD of the Month at the 241st PD Award of the Month, Excellence Award in a Terrestrial Content Drama at the 14th Media Awards, Best Art at the 47th Korean Broadcasting Awards, and Outstanding Korean Drama at the 15th Seoul International Drama Awards. Namkoong Min, the lead actor, also won his first Grand Prize at the SBS Drama Awards that year.
“Hot Stove League” has been praised for its ability to get viewers interested in baseball, even if they weren’t originally fans of the sport. Ha Do-kwon, who played Kang Doo-gi in the drama, expressed his excitement, “When it aired in Korea, it received a lot of love, and it is a meaningful work for me personally. I am looking forward to the Japanese remake and am curious to see how the character Kang Doo-gi will be portrayed in Japan. I hope the Japanese version of “Hot Stove League” will be successful..” Cha Yup, who played Seo Yeong-joo, added, “I couldn’t sleep after hearing the news about the remake. I hope it goes well.“
Baseball is immensely popular in Japan, with numerous official baseball stadiums and thousands of registered amateur teams. The national high school baseball tournament, known as Koshien, is a significant event in Japan, featuring 49 teams from 47 regions and broadcast live on NHK, often achieving ratings of 20~30%.
Given the widespread love of baseball in Japan, there is considerable industry interest in whether the Japanese remake of “Hot Stove League” will also become a success.
Source: Daum
