LIGHTHOUSE is a Japanese variety talk show, released on Netflix on August 22, 2023. Created by Nobuyuki Sakuma, the show brings together innovative singer-songwriter and actor Gen Hoshino and Masayasu Wakabayashi of the groundbreaking comedy duo Audrey to come together every month for some deep conversations about the life they have lived while dealing with various struggles.
The show was shot over 6 months, where the cast first met in October 2022 and were called again each month to new places with some new subjects to talk about and empathise with. They were also tasked with writing one-line journals in between the period of their next meet-up and then sharing their thoughts behind it.
LIGHTHOUSE Review
In the first episode, Gen Hoshino and Masayasu Wakabayashi were completely unaware of the concept of the show. They were called to the Koeji Asagaya area, where both of the cast coincidentally spent their early days, trying to make their name in the world of entertainment. Their personal anecdotes of how desperate they felt about succeeding and the setbacks that would disappoint them made the base of the show as they will be having similar personal conversations in each meet-up.
Both of them shared how could never imagine their future and only focused on living day by day, doing what they were passionate about. They also compare their struggles with those of today’s youth and even from public interviews, they get to see how many young people are also going through the same. The feeling of being lost, not knowing what to do in their lives leading to hopelessness, is something they also felt and through their own journey, one could realise that the future is not so bleak as it feels at the moment.
In the initial episodes, Hoshino and Wakabayashi also seem to be at a place in their lives where they are contemplating what their next steps should be. Talks of losing interest, quitting or finding a dream of their own often come up. With each episode, we also witness how the two personalities are also growing by sharing their concerns with each other and finding a solution if there could be one. It also ends up influencing Hoshino to create a song for each episode, highlighting the topics they talked about with a musical melody.
Also Read: Love Sex and 30 Candles Review: Strong Female Friendship Tackling Ageing Anxiety
For the first three episodes, they meet in places like a cafe, a luxury hotel in Tokyo or a traditional house on Christmas. But in the fourth episode, they challenge themselves and call upon a live audience without telling them about the show or who are the cast members. It also included another challenge for Comedian Masayasu Wakabayashi, as he decided to join Hoshino and sing a rap in the song titled Orange. This comes at the right time when Wakabayashi was contemplating the next goal in his career and doing something out of his comfort zone brought some new perspectives that kicked his slump away.
In the last two episodes, they drive to Mura Coast while having their conversation and end the show at the actual lighthouse, reflecting on what they learnt and hoping for the best for the other. While their meet-ups might not be as life-altering but by sharing their thoughts, they definitely came to understand themselves better and found a new way to look at life. Some of the subjects that were highlighted in the episodes were quite intrinsic in the Japanese culture, that many would relate with.
For example, not standing out from the crowd and going along with what the majority likes. Even something trivial like the choice of music one likes can become a source of concern. Like one live audience shared how she often hides the fact that she likes Metal music (so that people don’t think of her differently or make fun of her) and ends up listening and agreeing with her friends who like pop music. This concern (akin to peer pressure) seems to be the one concern that every Japanese faces, including the two hosts, as they ambiguously shared how they often have so much to say but aren’t able to do so freely.
Overall, the show is somewhat healing in nature, especially for people who are feeling lost in life. Listening to them gives you a perspective that life is unpredictable and there’s no right way to live it. What really matters is to follow what you would like to do. And if you are already doing that and feel like you are losing interest, then it’s important to rest or create another dream for yourself, to keep moving forward. Also, Hoshino’s songs at the end are really comforting to listen to.
Rating: 4.5/5
LIGHTHOUSE (2023) is currently available for streaming on Netflix.
Also Read: Mask Girl Ending Explained: Does Kim Kyung-ja Gets Her Revenge? What Happens to Kim Mo-mi and Mi-mo?
Leave a Reply