On August 28th, 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 named Dreams, which has been the worst in the league for four consecutive years. The drama was beloved by fans, achieving a peak viewership rating of 20.8%.
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” received praise for its ability to make viewers interested in baseball, even if they were not 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’s a personally meaningful work for me. I’m looking forward to the Japanese remake and am curious about how the character Kang Doo-gi will be portrayed in Japan. I hope the Japanese version of ‘Hot Stove League’ is successful.” Cha Yup, who played Seo Yeong-joo, added, “I couldn’t sleep after hearing the remake news. I hope it does well.“
Baseball is immensely popular in Japan, with numerous official baseball stadiums and thousands of amateur teams registered. The nationwide 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 garnering viewership ratings of 20~30%.
Given the widespread love for baseball in Japan, there is considerable industry interest in whether the Japanese remake of “Hot Stove League” will also become a hit.
Source: Daum
