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“The Boyfriend,” Netflix’s first same-sex reality dating show, aims to foster understanding of the LGBTQ community in Japan, a country known for its social conservatism.
The show features nine men in a beach house seeking love. Still, notably, it avoids explicit sexual content, even keeping kissing scenes mild, distinguishing it from typical American dating shows, with casting director Taiki telling Variety: “It’s no different from the familiar reality shows we’ve seen before. The only thing that felt odd or questionable was that, while there have been plenty of heterosexual reality shows, there have been so few featuring same-sex couples, and none in Japan… We didn’t aim to create a special genre.”
The creators of “The Boyfriend” aimed to promote deep, meaningful conversations among contestants. They focused on personal stories like coming out rather than on sexual content to enrich understanding of the LGBTQ experience, with commentator Durian Lollobrigida, a drag queen, claiming: “I don’t think this show has caused a 90-degree shift in public opinion, but it might have provided a moment for those who felt distant from LGBTQ+ people to realize that everyone struggles, enjoys life, makes friends and falls in love just like anyone else… It could lead them to think, ‘Hey, they’re just like us.’”
“The Boyfriend” actively sought diversity, casting men from Korea and Taiwan, challenging Japan’s ethnic stigma. According to a Daily Wire report, the show focused on contestants sharing coming-out stories and engaging in profound life discussions rather than on sexual themes.
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