Socially conservative Japan appears in no rush to take a leaf out of its East Asian neighbors’ book and roll out the pink carpet for LGBTQ people or recognize same-sex marriages. But where the Japanese entertainment industry is slowly heading, courts and municipal authorities are following suit.
The smooth arrival in July of the country’s first same-sex reality show, “The Boyfriend,” on streaming platform Netflix could be another sign that the normalization of homosexuality in Japan is on its way.
The Gift takes 9 men to a beach house as a way to discover love — or at least friendship. For a month, they stay together and take turns working shifts at an espresso truck, forging relationships with other housemates and learning about themselves along the way.
“It’s not completely different from the well-known reality shows we’ve seen before. The only thing that seemed strange or questionable was that while there were many heterosexual reality shows, there were very few that included same-sex couples, and none in Japan,” said casting director Taiki. Selection. “We didn’t intend to create a specific style.”
If the premise sounds familiar, the result is a light-year away from Western revelations akin to “Love Island” or “Love Is Blind,” by way of on-screen heat, extreme drama or surprise occasions. “The Boyfriend” offers little to no kissing or cuddling, not to mention any overt sexual exertion.
For more than half of the present, there may have been an on-again, off-again relationship between Dai (a younger, more enthusiastic student) and Shun (who is slightly older and more hot and cold). However, the housemates’ biggest drama seemed to be a disagreement over the value of raw chicken.
Sexual intercourse is not mentioned directly. However, sexuality and the issue of coming out as gay – one housemate, Taehon, has yet to tell his parents, even though being on a same-sex TV show means he inevitably should – are all subjects of incessant dialogue among the housemates. Basically, they are treated in a considerate and inoffensive manner.
Reviews of the 10-part present were mostly optimistic, admiring its restraint and warmth. The New York Times called it “wholesome and mostly chaste.” The UK’s Guardian praised it as “tantalizingly beautiful.”
It was clearly designed that way. The house’s residents inhabit a cloister in soft pastel colors, furnished with Roche Bobois furniture. The boys are informal and elegant, universally well-mannered and carefully chosen.
“We spent about six months gathering individuals. We asked for information on my social media, got suggestions from friends and acquaintances, and even searched the Shinjuku Ni-chome gay district,” Taiki says. “Although it didn’t seem particularly difficult, we did a lot of thorough interviews before finalizing the individuals.”
The troublemakers were eliminated, and the producers sought to steer clear of any repeats of “Terrace Home,” the (heterosexual) Fuji TV reality show that “The Boyfriend” closely resembles and that Netflix licensed. After that show’s fifth season, wrestler Kimura Hana committed suicide, having left behind several messages alluding to bullying.
The producers of “The Boyfriend,” however, sought to create ethnic variety among the house’s many residents by casting men of Korean and Taiwanese family backgrounds, components still considered social stigmas in modern Japan.
Despite the dearth of on-screen intimacy, producers say they were pleased with the depth of the housemates and their progress. “I mentioned to the cast how development and precious experiences stem from shared friendships, youth and struggles, not just romance. This led to many surprising miracles on set,” said Hishida Keisuke, the show’s director and chief producer at Kyodo TV.
“Our focus was not simply on romance, but also on spending time together and experiencing personal development,” echoed Ota Dai, executive producer of live-action originals at Netflix Japan.
The biggest fireworks of the day may have been those coming from the studio, a vigorous five-person show, resembling a viewing event. The commentators included central host Megumi, an artist; drag queen Durian Lollobrigida; Tokui Yoshimi, a veteran of previous reality shows including “Terrace Home”; Horan Chiaki; and beauty diva Thelma Aoyama.
“Since this was Japan’s first romance reality show to feature same-sex relationships, it was essential to have someone from that community on set,” Lollobrigida said. Selection. “While my impact may be limited, as a studio commentator who is a member of that community, I needed to act as an interpreter… to help lessen the limitations and deepen the understanding that viewers might have regarding LGBTQ+.”
Different elements of the Japanese leisure scene may be embracing LGBTQ tradition or becoming increasingly welcoming.
A seminar at the year’s TIFFCOM, part of the Tokyo Worldwide Movie Pageant, discussing the massively popular TV genre “Boys Love” felt like a competition for bragging rights. While Thai producers boasted about their Asian management and the dozens of “BL” shows they now produce annually, current Japanese executives were at pains to level the fact that “BL” originated as a subset of manga (Japanese comics) catering primarily to female fans and featuring tales of handsome young men falling in love with each other.
Likewise, last year, in his film “Kubi,” the venerable Kitano Takeshi rewrote one of Japan’s most divisive historical occasions, a 16th-century riot known as the Honno-ji incident, by portraying several of the male leads as lovers or ex-lovers. In response, Japanese audiences shrugged.
So while “The Boyfriend” is unlikely to be labeled revolutionary — and it has yet to receive a second season — it nevertheless represents a small step toward broadening and diversifying Japanese society.
“I don’t think this gift precipitated a 90-degree shift in public opinion, but it certainly may have provided a moment for people who felt alienated from LGBTQ+ individuals to understand that everyone struggles, enjoys life, makes friends and falls in love just like everyone else,” Lollobrigida said. “It may make them think, ‘Hey, they’re just like us.’”
“The Boyfriend”
Netflix
