When the first season of “The Boyfriend” aired in 2024, it became the first Japanese first dating program to feature all-male relationships. Over the course of ten episodes, viewers followed nine male housemates living together for a month in Tateyama, a coastal city about five hours outside of Tokyo. They split their time working in a coffee truck and going on pre-planned dates, both designed to inspire connection among contestants. I would say ‘think MTV’s “The Real World” meets ABC’s “The Bachelorette,”’ but American viewers would quickly notice the lack of over the top, produced drama. Instead they’d find iyashikei, a genre of Japanese TV that is typically more atmospheric, wholesome, and low-conflict (iyashikei literally translates to “healing”).
While that may not sound as exciting as American dating shows, it actually allowed “The Boyfriend” to feel more authentic. The housemates seem to be there for the right intentions and not for fame or other ulterior motives. Contestants are messy, not in a “drinking too much” or “doing it for clout” sort of way, but instead in a “being vulnerable for the first time and figuring it out as you go along” fashion. This isn’t to say that season 1 isn’t without its growing pains. Some tropes of reality TV prove universal, with certain contestants inevitably dominating the airtime — in season one’s case, that was the courting of Shun and Dai, whose will-they-won’t-they romance was the closest the show got to drama. Several of the contestants sporadically come and go (as opposed to American reality TV where contestants are often isolated from the rest of the world during filming). And the show could feel repetitive at times, due to the lack of challenges and repeated work pairings.
“The Boyfriend” is rounded out with a panel of prominent Japanese celebrities, including actor Yoshimi Tokui, actor and drag persona Durian Lollobrigida, actress and news anchor Chiaki Horan, actress and idol Megumi Yamano, and singer Thelma Aoyama. These fab five serve as the show’s hosts, recapping some of the events of each episode, as well as providing cultural context — presumably both for local Japanese audiences who may not be familiar with gay culture, as well as LGBTQ+ audiences abroad who may not be familiar with Japanese queer slang (for instance: from the show I learned that in Japan, “princess” often refers to someone who acts in a demanding, high-maintenance manner, but is deemed endearing or worthy of intense devotion by their partner). Durian Lollobrigida, who appears both in and out of drag over the course of both seasons, proves to be particularly invaluable in contextualizing events in season 2.
Despite a few bumps in the road, season 1 of “The Boyfriend” still proved very popular and was critically acclaimed both in Japan and abroad, so it was no surprise when season 2 was announced. Airing at the beginning of 2026, Netflix has released the episodes in waves, with the final 3 episodes airing on Tuesday, February 3.
As with any sophomore effort, the general premise is the same if not bigger: Viewers will get to know 10 contestants over the course of two months and 15 episodes. They continue to split their time between the Green Room, the name of the house where they’ll be staying, and working the coffee truck — though the summer-beach vibes have been traded in for the cottage core of Hokkaido, Japan in the snowy winter. This season, more emphasis has been placed on dates and other group activities — which have been wisely expanded from last season, including several overnight trips. As with season 1, we don’t meet everyone right away; a few contestants join later in the show. Once again, several come and go due to work and other family obligations — though those migrations feel more natural and less abrupt.
The new season kicks off with seven eligible men, ages ranging between 20 and 40, moving into the Green Room. We first meet Izaya, William, Bomi, Jobu, Huwei, Hiroya, and Kazuyuki. One of the more exciting new twists is that it becomes clear right away that several of the Season 2 cast mates are already familiar with one another, having met prior to the show. This new development accelerates the pacing and the stakes of the show, with four of the seven contestants starting off the season navigating whether or not this reconnection is fate or another obstacle for them to overcome. The group will later be joined by Ryuki, Tomoaki, and a surprise return of a season one favorite (no spoilers!).
As we get to know the contestants, we learn where each one is in their coming out journey. Mixing them all together creates a microcosm of sorts, with all the ups and downs you’d expect. Several housemates admit to “The Boyfriend” being the first time they felt kinship with the queer community. Others have to confront and deconstruct their own internalized biases and homophobia. We see them expressing a desire for a future that includes marriage and even children (for context, Japan is the only G7 country — an informal moniker for the world’s leading industrialized democracies including Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States — that doesn’t recognize same-sex marriage nor, by extention, allow same-sex couples to adopt).
Seeing how these connections —romantic or otherwise — unfold, at times clumsily but never dramatically, really sets “The Boyfriend” apart from your standard reality show fare. There are no “we were all rooting for you” or “will you accept this rose” moments. Nothing in this show needs to be so overly produced. Going back to the concept of iyashikei, “The Boyfriend” instead feels like a warm hug you didn’t know you (or the contestants) needed. It is a real gift to get to watch a show that spotlights the universal truths of the queer experience and another culture’s relationship to that experience, all while still honoring each contestant’s lived truth.
And by the end of the season, the takeaway isn’t who chooses who, but how each person chooses their way forward. Yes, for some it is romance. For others it is choosing themselves and finding their community. Regardless of their choice, it is one they made authentically.
All episodes of “The Boyfriend” are now streaming on Netflix.
