Contributed by: kellyseal on Monday, July 29 2024 @ 05:38 pm
Last modified on Monday, July 29 2024 @ 05:44 pm
Netflix is debuting Japan’s first same-sex reality TV series called The Boyfriend starting July 9th. Japan is the only country among the world’s wealthiest democracies that hasn’t recognized same-sex marriage, so producers of the series are hoping to change mindsets.
According to The New York Times, the show will feature nine men ranging in age from 22 to 36 living in a luxury beach house outside of Tokyo, a similar setting to Japan’s most popular romantic reality show Terrace House.
The contestants will operate a coffee truck together by day and cook dinner together at night, and occasionally go offsite for dates. This is a cultural shift in perception for Japanese men, who typically aren’t expected to cook and clean, leaving those duties for women. The show wants to highlight that the men participating enjoy cooking and seem to be pretty good at it.
Sex doesn’t often come up according to The Times[*1] ; instead, friendship and self-improvement are a large part of building romantic interest. The Times points out that LGBTQ+ characters on Japanese TV shows are often exaggerated stereotypes and comic foils, rather than featured as complex and real human beings.
The Boyfriend is venturing into unchartered territory with its Japanese audience. Executive producer Dai Ota told The Times that he wanted to “portray same-sex relationships as they really are.”
The show will be hosted by a panel of commentators who analyze the contestants and give their own opinions about what is happening. According to The Times, the contestants themselves are “exceedingly polite” and “clean cut.”
According to Ota, he wanted to avoid the signature ingredient of most reality TV shows: cast members who are set up to cause trouble. Instead, Ota wanted to showcase the relationships formed among LGBTQ+ singles living in Japan. But despite the show’s intentions, there is very little talk of sexuality or LGBTQ+ issues.
The casting director, an influencer and model, said he auditioned about 50 people for the show when he put out a casting call via his own social networks. He said he avoided people who felt the pressure to “act gay” or “become a certain character” because they were going to be on TV.
According to The Times, 70 percent of Japanese public supports legalizing same-sex unions, but there is still discrimination and hate speech towards LGBTQ+ people. Some are worried that cast members will be subject to hate speech, so Ota and Netflix are ensuring that mental and emotional support is provided to cast members who might need it.
The series contains 10 episodes and will be available in 190 countries.