![Zhen Long's Editing Magic [1] Returns: Japanese Version of 'Money, Guns, and a Merry Christmas' Set to Premiere](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftimebusinessnews.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fimage-2025-07-15T064123.055.jpg&w=3840&q=100)
Zhen Long's Editing Magic [1] Returns: Japanese Version of 'Money, Guns, and a Merry Christmas' Set to Premiere
Official Poster Released for Japanese Remake 銃と金とクリスマス
Zhen Long served as the editor for the English original Money, Guns, and a Merry Christmas . Specializing in reconstructing nonlinear footage into tightly paced, emotionally coherent vertical-screen narratives, she developed a rhythm-driven editing model widely recognized by the platform, now regarded as a key benchmark for ReelShort's hit projects. For this series, she spearheaded the editing strategy, pacing arrangements, and the deconstruction and reconstruction of footage, laying a unified and captivating foundation for the show's audiovisual language.
The Japanese remake 銃と金とクリスマス almost entirely adopts the editing system Zhen Long created for the English version. From the pacing of plot twists to the layered design of emotional escalation and the logic of multi-threaded narrative transitions, every aspect strictly follows the original. Key episodes mirror the English version's standards in shot duration, emotional transitions, and audio-visual synchronization, showcasing the maturity and cross-linguistic adaptability of her editing approach. The production team confirmed that no localized pacing adjustments were made; instead, Zhen Long's original editing system served as the template for structural development and post-production.
The English original series follows protagonist Damian, who conceals his wealthy identity and is mistaken for a mere salesman by his in-laws, culminating in a cathartic Christmas revelation where he unveils the truth and achieves a dramatic social status reversal. During production, Zhen Long processed over 100 hours of footage and identified pacing issues in the initial cut of Episode 6. She proposed moving a key plot twist originally planned for Episode 8 to Episode 6 and restructured surrounding scenes, significantly improving viewer retention. She also pioneered a rhythm-marking system and a visual template for editing timelines, enabling the post-production team to maintain stylistic consistency under tight deadlines. To optimize audience engagement, she collaborated with the platform's data team, analyzing user heatmaps and completion rates to refine the sequencing and duration of pivotal scenes, ensuring the editing served both narrative and platform performance goals. ReelShort later adopted this editing and delivery workflow as a standard practice for data-driven content production.
Editor: Zhen Long
Upon release, the English series amassed 233.8 million views and over 479,600 favorites, topping daily and weekly charts and ranking second on the platform's annual leaderboard. According to DateEye's annual popularity data, the show achieved a heat index of 35.267 million, placing third for the year. This global success helped Crazy Maple Studio, Inc. earn a spot on TIME magazine's 2024 list of the '100 Most Influential Companies,' with Money, Guns, and a Merry Christmas widely regarded as its breakthrough hit. As Crazy Maple Studio's flagship platform, ReelShort continues to lead the vertical short-drama trend, leveraging AI-driven content distribution and an industrialized production system to build a highly engaged user base in North American and Latin American markets. The app maintains a rating above 4.1 on both the App Store and Google Play, with its influence steadily rising.
The Japanese remake 銃と金とクリスマス not only follows the original's plot but also strictly replicates the English version's editing structure. The story revolves around Shu Nakaido, CEO of the world's top arms manufacturer, who hides his identity and is mistaken for a low-income salesman. After entering a contractual marriage with a female company president, he accompanies her to a Christmas gathering, where he faces disdain from relatives and rivals, gradually countering their prejudice before revealing his true status and winning love. The series employs the three-act pacing Zhen Long established in the English original: introducing the premise through identity misalignment, driving the plot with high-density twists, and resolving the narrative at an emotional climax. This editing logic not only sustains the drama's rhythm but also reaffirms the adaptability and impact of Zhen Long's system across languages and cultures.
According to ReelShort data, by early May, the Japanese remake's trailer had garnered 97,000 favorites and steadily rising views, ranking among the platform's top upcoming releases. Even before its premiere, the series attracted significant attention for its intense pacing, plot twists, and the buzz around its 'full replication of the English version's editing,' sparking widespread social media discussion and positioning it as one of the most anticipated remakes in the Asian market.
Official Trailer Drops for Japanese Remake 銃と金とクリスマス
The Japanese 銃と金とクリスマス is more than a multilingual remake—it's a global content experiment with editing as its core language. Zhen Long's rhythm-driven editing system is increasingly regarded as a key model for industrialized short-drama production. Through precise pacing and structural logic, she bridges narrative sensibilities across cultures, merging technology and artistry in a global context. As short dramas rapidly expand worldwide, Zhen Long is not just a shaper of rhythm but a boundary-pusher for the editor's role, quietly reshaping the international landscape of digital storytelling from behind the scenes.
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