The Boyfriend (2024)

Nice ideas, cast and place and awful cut, scripted and lack of showing emotional development

I loved the show overall, I wanted to see more. Sometimes I felt like "in medias res" I jumped into a random conversation. I would know better each person feelings, background, top or bottom and what they like or not. I felt like sometimes so many things was HAVILY scripted, like what they need to say , ask, react, we know sad backstories, but not the happy one. I hope if it will be a The boyfriend 2, they will show details like: if it's a month then witch day is it, when that thing happen (earlier, later), who is not in the house and who is, more deep conversation. It's strange just see what is happening and don't understand why, less CUT please.
I felt like His Man was more natural, "follow the flow".. not this drama seeking.
And the last thing is the audience/judges, they were 100% useless, waste of time and money.
I loved the cast, Taeheon was my bias but I can't see him as much as I wanted, but overall the cast was the best thing in the show also the idea they need to work and choose partner for the shift.
I hope we will see more BL show, drama and reality in the future in good quality.

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A Reality Dating Show Done Right

When it comes to reality dating shows, I usually find that they are too overly dramatic and so it makes it hard for me to watch them. But with this show I did not have that issue at all.

It goes without saying that to some there is some appeal to the overly dramatic reality dating show but the overall calm nature of this show in particular was really refreshing to see and experience as the weeks went on. I would say that the format of the show made it to where you really cared a lot about the participants and their individual experiences. And yes some did get less screen time but I do believe that they made up for it, especially in the later episodes.

I also find that usually through editing they try to make someone the "villain" of the season and I think that the show did a really good job in trying to maintain the true character of everyone in the show. And because of this it made me feel for them a lot more during their experiences, whether it was through the ups or the downs.

While I know that everyone may not like or empathize with Shun and his actions, I do still really appreciate the commentators in trying to go about and explain reasonings as to why Shun may be acting the way that he did and why he went about everything with Dai in such a manner. It didn't overly vilify or dehumanize him but rather made it to where you could possibly see where he was coming from. If we hadn't gotten to know Shun as much as we did, I think that editing could have made his actions seem much more dramatic and made him seem like worse of a person and so I have to appreciate the fact that it wasn't done for the sake of views.

Overall I think that this show was absolutely amazing and while it definitely could have been improved with some more run time, I think that the version we got is still enough to leave me feeling satisfied with the way the show left off. And I would love another season and also for Netflix to possibly make some other shows like this because this was definitely a breath of fresh air in the reality dating show space.

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A place where you can’t exactly call home but it definitely feels like it.

The Boyfriend definitely surprised me. It’s kind rare for me to like all participants in a reality show but in this one, everyone was likeable. They were so different from each other but in a way they respected each other and complemented each other. It was also kind refreshing seeing people with different nationalities and having different mindsets and jobs. Even the commentators were nice and funny.

I really enjoyed the scenes were all of them were together talking about their feelings, thoughts and about their sexualitys. Also I liked that we had two bisexuals in the house, loved the representation <3 The last episodes were really emotional and I don’t recall watching a dating reality show who gave me this kind of feeling. We could really feel how everyone was feeling sad and didn’t want to leave.

The only thing that I definitely disliked about the show is that the boys stayed in the house for 1 month but we had episodes with 30 minutes each, which was too short. I felt like we didn’t see a lot of important things and some conflicts or decisions that the guys had, seemed random, forced or out of context. I blame the editors for this because although they tried to explain some conflits, I had the constant feeling that things were rushed or didn’t happened exactly like that.

Talking more about the guys now: Shun was definitely a controversial participant and I think he’s the kind of guy who some people might like and others might hate. But I hope that although you can disagree with him or find him immature, you will still see him as a person who deserves care and love. Respect him as a person and understand that his life was not so good and he definitely still have some scars that needs more time to heal. Dai was also kind of controversial in the beginning and people were so unfair to him but I’m happy that later most realized he’s a great person who also deserves love. I’m glad he was a respectful guy until the end and proved everyone wrong. You might don’t approve DaiShun as a couple but I think Dai it’s a person who can help Shun deal with his issues. They were also entertaining and cute to watch and I hope that if they’re still together, both of them are happy and in a healthy relationship.

Kazuto is a handsome great and mature guy and I understand why everyone was chasing him. But I think he felt pressed and couldn’t really fall in love with anyone, although he tried with Alan. Alan was also a guy that I really liked and he was kind of a big brother to everyone. He helped and cared for all guys. Taeheon also had this big brother kind of vibe and he deserved so much better omg :( I couldn’t understand why no one liked him romantically.

Gensei and Ryota were soulmates in my mind and they made so much sense together but I understand that we can’t feel love with our heads so unfortunately Ryota didn’t feel the same for Gensei. Usak was kind of lost to me but I feel like he did his best and we could see that he respected everyone there.

Ikuo was the last one to came and I think this got in his way and he couldn’t be really close to anyone but I liked him and I think he’s really mature. But I must say that I found his letter to Dai kind of cringe because he did a whole ass speech when it’s very clear that Dai likes Shun and it also seemed kind of a shade to Shun. He was like “I’ll put your feelings first!!! I’ll care for you!!!!” lol but I understand that he wanted to be sincere about his feelings in the end.

In general I really liked the show, for me it was one of the best LGBT+ dating show. I wish to see more of the guys soon and I hope all guys are happy now, they really deserve <3. Hoping for a season 2!

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Netflix Really Outdoes Itself This Time

“How should I write this review?”


I contemplated on the answer to this question before diving deep into the oceans of “The Boyfriend”. Compared to most dating shows I had watched in the past, this one was unprecedented. And I’m not even talking about the contestants. When I first learned that the contestants would be running a coffee shop, I had doubts of my own.

Will this bring them closer? Will they learn more about each other? Will it be a simple cohabitation and nothing more?

Curiously enough, that wasn’t the case. The said coffee truck became a source of income and also a place to share their thoughts, opinions and most of all, their feelings. It was a “created opportunity” for the contestants to know each other better while working in close quarters; you can call it office romance with a bittersweet twist!

Read the complete article here-

https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/07/31/the-boyfriend-series-review-ep-4-to-10/

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The definition of a dating show

So this was my first dating show I’ve ever seen for a boy and boy and I have to say it wasn’t too bad for being a first, but there were a little bit of red flags in my opinion, but I don’t hate anyone really and please here me out about it. I’m first gonna talk about Shun and Dai I have to say they almost made me lose my mind watching them, when I first saw Shun in the trailers I was gonna root for him the whole time, but he is kind of a lot of work and I can’t really judge because I do think I also act like him, but I think the reason he acts like that is because he doesn’t know what love is since he stated that he was abandoned at birth and put into an orphanage until he was 18 when he left the orphanage then he started dating, but from what we hear his exs seems to ruin his confidence and makes him insecure because from his New York ex he said that he felt jealous once he finally saw what a normal family looks like, I feel that’s why he acts differently than others because he doesn’t know what love is and he is with Dai and I have to say I am not a big fan of Dai because from what we know he’s the definition of a player like he already slept with multiple men and even Alan, and when Ikuo joined the green room Dai suddenly was all over him and slowly left Shun, I feel that when they leave the green room they won’t last long because they kept getting into fights and even when shun said at the end I love you to Dai he responded with “I love you Shun for right now”which I feel makes it seem like their done right now, plus he likes both boys and girls so he’s could easily leave Shun. Also I hated whenever they got in fights Shun would always have to apologize when it wasn’t even his fault, while Dai would never have to say sorry, also when poor Ikuo got yelled at by Dai for talking with Shun about their problems because Dai doesn’t want to work through it himself, but brings everyone in the house to help him with the problem, while Shun has to work through it himself. I feel that if they were stuck in a house and it was only them then I would think they could last forever because when their alone they act like a couple, but when others are involved then they don’t act like one. I have to say that Kazuto had it hard in the house because basically everyone in the house liked him and he can only date one person, but what I didn’t like was whenever he would turn someone down they kept bugging him so it could conflict with his actual feelings for whoever he likes, but the only person that backed off was Usak. I have to say that Kazuto and Usak could’ve been the main couple if he did stay because Kazuto said he liked him, but thought he was to out of Usak’s league because he’s famous. I do feel bad for Gensei because he seems like the sweetest person ever and when he had feelings for Ryota, I felt he just used him for the date because he still liked Kazuto not Gensei, but if I were him I would’ve picked Gensei because he’s the cutest thing on earth. I hated that Taeheon was barely shown and I do think that him and Gensei could’ve been a couple because if you look at some clips of them together they would have their arms hooked together and holding hands, plus their hug when Gensei stated he was gonna leave, and Taeheon said that he wishes that Gensei would come back and say “Hi Tae” to him. I do also feel bad for Ikuo because he seems like a good guy and should’ve ended up with someone, but I’m glad that he will take what he learned from the house with him into the world of dating. I do recommend because their aren’t many dating shows, but it was a little toxic at times.

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Regardless of gender, all the feelings are differently same to be this relatable.

As I said, I did. I devoured all the episodes at once. I'm not a binge watcher, but for this one I had to, because now I know if I started it while it was airing, I would have gone insane by waiting. 
 
Before starting, I was and am still against dating shows because barely any couple stays the same after the shows; it's just for fame. But there's something unique about this one. I can't explain anything without spoiling the show, so I better stop here.
 
I couldn't skip any scene because each and every pause, gaze, and movement were speaking when everyone was silent. The cast had me giggling like a fool, but they also made me feel super frustrated at times. At the end, I found myself in a puddle of my own tears. I warned myself not to get too attached, but unfortunately, I did. I can't stop thinking, What are they doing now? 
 
So if you are still contemplating whether to start this one or not, I would say if you trust me and my words, you should definitely give it a try.

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Usak x Kazuto Romance deserves better

I'm sorry but I'm not a fan of Dai x Shun it's giving typical kdrama vibes between and I'm so sick of it. I love the concept of the cafe truck and the house itself it's really good but they are milking Dai and Shun all over the place they are overpowering the airtime of the show. They are giving less airtime to other members esp Taeyeon he deserve better maybe because he is Korean that's why racism is still part of Japanese culture huh hello it's already 2024 get over it. Usak and Gensei are my two favorite cuties in the show I love ther personalities I wish Usak shouldn't have leave in the first and should extended until end of the show I will really miss him so much. I don't know but compare to other dating shows from the west for me it's still the most polished , organized and not much drama bec most of them are all polite hehehehe except Shun lols. That's all thank you.

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A reality about friendship and love

I definitely loved this reality show cuz it's not only about dating but about discovering yourself as well. Everyone had their own reasons to join but at the end, they all became a whole family and learned with each other.
I'm sure there's a lot of things we missed but the pacing was very smooth and I enjoyed to see their differents point of view about love.
It was show that I surprisingly didnt hate anyone ? and I feel like they understood each other completely. They wanted to get to know someone but they never felt like it was their only purpose.
Like Kazuto mentioned - An month isn't enough to be 100% clear about their feelings but they all tried out their best to their future selves.
Speaking of the endgame couples:
About Dai and Shun - I feel like I can relate to Shun in some ways but I understand he isn't an easy person to handle with to the point that sometimes I felt like Dai shouldnt try this hard but I'm glad he did. Its noticeable how Shun wants to be loved but he has to be honest with other part to make it happen. Dai's patience and assurance is truly admiring. He waited for Dai and understood him until he felt comfortable to open up and that was so kind of him.
About Kazuto and Alan - Alan has such a great personality and way with words that I don't think this show would be the same without him. They seem to have different energies but somehow they understood each other. I felt like Kazuto was overwhelmeed with a lot of confessions over his head but Alan made all his efforts to leave a impression on Kazuto and at the end, he got his attention for the future. Kazuto is so gentle but it takes time for him to adress his feelings properly and thats so me of him. I hope they achieve some happy ending.

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X boyfriend O boy friends

quite the ride with this one. even though it's short it kinda felt a little too long. this felt more like a bunch of guys in a house for a few days than guys in a dating show. the guys felt a little too awkward throughout it but I don't know if it is more the difference in culture than awkwardness. there were also a lot of cuts when they went out with the coffee truck and there were not many opportunities to date with other guys which left me ?. people also came and went which didn't give much opportunity
for them to develop anything other than a friendship. as a brand new show I understand these are parts that may improve so i didn't dwell too much in it but i do wish we had seen more development between all the guys. still, big win for the community in japan. also kazuto??? I need to know what he uses to attract this many men.

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happy ending

When I tell you I was so pumped for every Tuesday, this show had my heart on edge for WEEKS. But we finally got that happy ending. Dai & Shun are end game ???I think a lot of people were frustrated with Shun but as someone who works with trauma clients, I understood him. He’s been through a lot, it doesn’t justify all of his behavior but it’s understandable that he’d be insecure and cautious and have trouble trusting Dai. Dai is the ultimate dream guy. So patient, so kind, excellent communicator. Dai and Alan were my favorites on the show. Wonderful humans. The only one that annoyed me really was Ryota, boy was too obsessed and needed to move on.

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Pretty good drama-free reality TV show

Everyone deserves a Dai in their lIfe; he was so understanding, so patient and committed. I love how truthful Shun was whenever he decided to express himself; he might not do it right away but he does not take long either.
i also like the differences of the two couples. Alan and Kazuto( more like Kazuto) wanted to take time in getting to know each other; they were less touchy( more like Kazuto again).
Everyone is so foccused on Shun and did not realize that Kazuto was doing more or less to Alan.
Alan and Dai are definitely head over heels over their reapective partners, and very patient and understanding.
i definitely shed a tear or two for Gensei and Taeheon. Ryota should have left right after Gensei. He was clearly rejected by Kazuto then. not sure why and how he remained hopeful.
I have only watched His Man season 2 but if you asked The Boyfriend was pretty good. i. Lastly, i really likes how the hosts were watching it as we were as well.

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