It has been announced that the iconic “Monday 9pm” drama Long Vacation (originally aired in 1996) will receive its first-ever international remake, 30 years after its original broadcast.
The remake will be produced by Hong Kong PCCW Media’s MakerVille, and is scheduled to air and stream across platforms including ViuTV and other affiliated channels of PCCW Media.
Long Vacation originally aired in Japan from April 15 to June 24 (1996) in the coveted Monday 9pm time slot, becoming a massive hit. The story follows Minami (Tomoko Yamaguchi), a woman who is left at the altar on her wedding day, and unexpectedly moves in with Sena (Takuya Kimura), an aspiring pianist who was her fiancé’s roommate. What begins as an unlikely living arrangement develops into a heartfelt romance. The final episode, which aired on June 24, 1996, recorded a peak rating of 36.7% and a historic minute-by-minute peak of 43.8% (Source: Video Research).
While there has long been strong interest—particularly across Asia—in adapting Long Vacation, previous negotiations had not led to a formal agreement. Regarding this agreement with MakerVille, ViuTV is also marking its 10th anniversary. As this milestone coincides with a shared direction in leveraging a hit IP that originated approximately 30 years ago, the parties were well aligned—resulting in a smooth process following the agreement, including coordination of production and planned broadcast. The Hong Kong remake will star Edan Lui (member of Hong Kong boy group MIRROR) as the young pianist Sena, alongside Ali Lee as the bright and free-spirited Minami.
Within this milestone of ViuTV’s 10th anniversary, original screenwriter Eriko Kitagawa also referred to the first overseas remake and commented, “Thank you for discovering this work. I’m excited to see how it will be reimagined!” This agreement with MakerVille highlights the depth of Fuji Television’s IP portfolio and its distribution capabilities and is expected to accelerate the business development of its IP, including titles from previous generations.
■Original Long Vacation screenwriter Eriko Kitagawa commented:
“I’m truly honored that Long Vacation will be remade in Hong Kong. It’s a Japanese work from 30 years ago—times have changed. Back then, smartphones and the internet weren’t part of everyday life. Now, the setting will move from Japan to Hong Kong. This is a project I devoted myself to, writing the script day and night. The cast and crew brought it to life with equal dedication, and audiences across Japan embraced it wholeheartedly. Thank you for discovering this work. I’m excited to see how it will be reimagined!”