Japan’s First Gay Dating Show Gets it Right
By Christine Kinori
If you have been wondering why #TheBoyfriend has been trending on X formerly known as Twitter, well, that is because of Netflix’s latest hit show, The Boyfriend. The show follows nine hot young gay men as they move into a house together and run a coffee truck. Throughout they also try to forge new friendships and relationships. The Boyfriend is the first same-sex Japanese show and has received great reviews so far. After watching the show, it is obvious why this show is exactly what we needed.
The first thing that struck me as I watched this ongoing show was the cast members’ honest approach to the show. Unlike other dating shows where everything feels like a competition and all about not leaving the show alone, the nine cast members in this show appear quite serious about their hopes to find love or at least build friendships from their time on the show. This is refreshing after dealing with shows like Love Island and whatnot.
Even the conversations between the cast members are groundbreaking as they openly talk about their situation. It doesn’t feel forced and there is no drama created only for the shock value. It feels like a group of men just vibing and talking casually about their experiences and the lessons they have learnt in life. There is no judgment or trying to outdo each other. For them, this is an opportunity to share their journeys as gay men.
Given that this is the first time such a show is being created in Japan, these guys have done a good job talking about sexuality and being queer without turning the show into an activism tool. In his interview with The New York Times, the Executive Producer of the show, Dai Ota spoke about the deliberate choice to “portray same-sex relationships as they really are.” He is clear that the show doesn’t wish to bring any political or social revolution but simply shows the men’s truth. For this reason, the cast members were asked to refrain from making any political statements about the social challenges of being gay or bisexual in Japan.
Apart from the rawness of the conversations, this dating show offers a lot of anticipation of what will happen between the cast members. At the moment, viewers are eager to see if Dai and Shun will get together. There have been plenty of will-they-won’t-they moments with them and the sexual tension is something even non-reality TV shows rarely have. The other cast members are also bringing their A-game and viewers can’t help but tune in every Tuesday to see who wins a date with their crush. The slow pacing of the romantic relationships adds to the tension and sucks the viewers’ attention even more. It works perfectly in this show because who doesn’t love a slow-burn romance?
While The Boyfriend is not perfect, we can’t deny that it is the best dating show currently on TV. It is a breath of fresh air after dealing with shows where contestants only wanted a shot at fame and money. Netflix stuck to its guns and gave us a dating show about love and friendship. If you are looking for over-the-top theatrics, confrontations and fights, then you best stick to another dating show because you won’t find those here. However, just because there is no drama doesn’t mean the show is not entertaining. If anything, it is the opposite. The lack of drama allows us to see and witness as the cast members bond with each other and peacefully work out any conflict.
Although this is Japan’s first gay dating show, The Boyfriend has outdone itself and raised the bar further. The real connection and friendship of the cast members is the charm of this show and we hope Netflix will give us more seasons. It is a reminder that finding love can be as simple as walking into a room and meeting a random person who shares the same interests as you.
About the Author
Christine Siamanta Kinori grew up in a little village in Kenya known as Loitoktok near the border of Kenya and Tanzania. All she wanted to do when she grew up was to explore the world. Her curiosity led her to join Nairobi University to pursue a degree in Journalism and Mass Communications. She later got a job with an amazing travel magazine Nomad Africa which gave her the opportunity to explore Africa. She also writes for numerous travel websites about Africa and tries to create a new narrative in the media about our aesthetic continent.
