Studio Dragon has announced that a Korea-Japan co-produced Japanese drama created in collaboration with the Japanese broadcast network TBS is set to premiere in July.
On the 7th (Wednesday) morning, Studio Dragon and TBS, one of the five major Japanese broadcasters, stated that "the romance drama 'HAATZ Koi Dogs (Japanese Initial DOGs) [Original: Studio TooN]' will air every Tuesday for a total of 10 episodes over 10 weeks starting this July."
'HAATZ Koi Dogs' is a healing romance drama that depicts the process of a South Korean conglomerate heir and a Japanese veterinarian, who meet through a dog with a huge secret, building their friendship and healing their wounds amid conflicts.
Producing 'HAATZ Koi Dogs (Japanese Initial DOGs)' is 'Masako Miyazaki,' who produced 'Love Will Last Forever,' along with producers 'Saya Araki,' who worked on '18/40~ Dream Love Two Women~,' and 'Hyunji Cha,' who produced 'Eye Love You.' The screenplay is written by 'Arisa Kaneko,' a writer with a strong fan base in Japan who has penned numerous works, including the movie 'Train Man,' the Netflix series 'Mitarai is Burning,' and 'Love Will Last Forever.' Producer 'Gyeore Kim' from Studio Dragon is collaborating as a co-producer and part of the writing team. Additionally, director 'Shingo Okamoto,' who has directed TBS's 'Eye Love You' and 'Atom's Challenge,' along with director 'Youngseob Noh' from Studio Dragon, who directed tvN's 'It's Useless to Lie' and won a Silver Remi Award at the Houston International Film Festival for the tvN one-act play 'Stroll,' collaborates with co-director 'Yoshihiro Ito,' who co-directed 'Black Phantom Season 2.'
The role of 'Aiko Hamanura,' who works as a divorce attorney claiming that love is an illusion but deep down wants to believe in love, has been cast with actress 'Kaya Kiyohara,' who gained public attention through 'My Diary' and 'Youth 18X2: The Road to You.' The role of 'Kai Shirosaki,' a veterinarian who is kind to everyone but does not get close to people, is played by actor 'Ryo Narita,' who has showcased impressive performances through works like 'Lay Down, Lonely Death' and the film series 'Just Dropped My Smartphone,' which was remade in Korea. The role of 'Wooseoha,' the third-generation conglomerate who looks innocent but hides immense abilities and has moved from Korea to Japan, is played by actor 'Nainwoo,' who has starred in 'Marry My Husband' and 'Motel California.'
This co-production project was born out of a business cooperation memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed in 2011 between CJ ENM and the TBS Group. Since the MOU was signed, many creators from CJ ENM, Studio Dragon, and TBS have conducted creator exchange programs, introducing co-production IP and sharing production know-how while traveling between the two countries.
Meanwhile, Studio Dragon is also preparing for the release of the Japanese version of 'Marry My Husband' (私の夫と結婚して) through Amazon Prime Video, in addition to 'HAATZ Koi Dogs.' They are also preparing for the global release of the Japanese drama 'Soul Mate,' produced by their subsidiary Gtist, which is set to premiere on Netflix. By rolling out three Japanese language dramas consecutively within this year, they are establishing a system for simultaneous production of IP across Korea, the United States, and Japan.
A representative from Studio Dragon noted, "'HAATZ Koi Dogs' is the first drama created by the collaborative production team of both sides, and we plan to gradually expand co-production projects with TBS." They added, "Studio Dragon will continue efforts to extend the scope of the K-drama industry by combining K-drama strengths with capable overseas creators. Numerous follow-up dramas are also in planning and development to succeed 'The Big Door Prize,' which was unveiled in 2023 through Apple TV+ in collaboration with U.S. Skydance."
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