Welcome to my Saturday blog post where I give thoughts on dramas I’m watching, whether I’m at the beginning, middle, or end. Whatever I want, because I’m petty that way.
This week I recapped episodes 5-6 of Japanese BL I Hear the Sunspot, in which our happy extrovert and gloomy introvert go on a camping trip together.
I also recapped episodes 7-8 of Thai BL My Love Mix-Up, which takes us past the parts of the manga covered by the Japanese drama.
What did I watch this week? Actually, I’ve been watching and rewatching these for a few weeks:
His Man Season 2 – 남의연애 시즌2 – 2023 & The Boyfriend – ボーイフレンド – 2024
Guys, I rarely watch reality TV. The main reason reality shows don’t make the cut is they can be very competitive. My brain says “Oh, no, we don’t watch sports” and calls it a day.
But there are always exceptions to the rules and these two shows had me at “Hi roommate”. So let’s get into them.
Both are LGBTQ+ dating shows from the last two years. Both feature men living in a house together while trying to make romantic connections.
With His Man 2, we’ve got 8 gay men in a house in the winter in Korea. There’s a lot of heavy coats and down jackets. They come from various backgrounds and ages, with one of them being Korean-American. They’re only together for 8 days and 7 nights so there’s pressure to act quickly on feelings. At the same time, the show has 14 long episodes so while you aren’t seeing everything it can feel that way.
With The Boyfriend, we’ve got 9 men, mostly gay but a couple bisexual, living in a house in fall in Japan. The weather is warmer, they have a sauna, and sometimes walk around in underwear. They come from various backgrounds and ages, including several from other countries. They’ve got Netflix money so they’re together for a month and run a coffee truck. The relationships feel slower-paced and it’s harder to tell when things happen. There are 10 episodes of a medium length so you wonder what you are missing.
In both shows the contestants receive messages from the production that encourage them to spend time together – or create conflict. Both shows feature friendship and connection nearly as much as they feature romance. Each has an epic couple that gave me as many warm fuzzies as any well-done BL.
They give me nostalgia for a gentler time for reality TV
The truth is, once upon a time I watched reality TV. In the early days of The Real World, when the show was only about watching people from different backgrounds living together and learning from/annoying each other. Before it became about people working jobs no one cared about and doing outrageous things.
These shows brought me back to those carefree, non-competitive days of reality TV. Despite the romantic goals and production interference, the focus is on the men’s journeys and growth. Finding true love on a reality show is an iffy prospect, by focusing on the individual men and their experiences, even when confessions get rejected there’s a feeling of triumph.
While they’re all human beings with flaws who sometimes say and do things that hurt others, none of the men on these shows are mean-spirited or out to win for winning’s sake. They approach the other men and their relationships with a sweet sincerity and openness that is inspiring.
I could go on about these shows for days
Chicken breast cost issues. Clandestine cookie presents. Couples spoons. A fight over a shirt. But I can’t cover everything so here are my last thoughts.
First, one of the fascinating things about these shows is their differences. It would be a mistake to extrapolate any larger understanding of the cultural differences between Korea or Japan from just two shows. But let’s be honest, it’s also fun to see just how important age is in Korea and what a non-issue it is in Japan. Watching both these shows is a richer experience than watching just one.
Also, both these shows have plenty of fun extras with a lot of cast members creating YouTube accounts too. His Man 2 has cast commentary for all the episodes with more insights into what was happening and why people did what they did. The Boyfriend ended recently so there are fewer videos so far, but there’s a cast reunion/watch party, cast updates, and more videos showing up daily.
Finally, this is all to say that if you like the kind of shows I like, you should give one or both of these a try.