The Boyfriend Episodes 9-10 have been finally released on Netflix on July 30, 2024. Marking the show’s finale, it is hosted by MEGUMI, Chiaki Horan, Thelma Aoyama, drag queen Durian Lollobrigida, and Yoshimi Tokui. Each episode has a runtime of about 40-45 minutes.
The show follows nine young men who spend a month in a beach house, operating a coffee truck and navigating the emotional rollercoaster of love and friendship. The cast of The Boyfriend includes Dai (22), Taeheon (34), Ryota (28), Gensei (34), Shun Nakanishi (23), Kazuto (27), Usak (37), Ikuo (22), and Alan (29).
Also Read: The Boyfriend Episodes 1-3 Review: Slow Burning Game of Push and Pull
The Boyfriend Episodes 9-10 Review
After the last overnight dates in the last episode of The Boyfriend, all the cast members return to the Green Room and update the others about their dates. Shun honestly shares with everyone that he slept together with Dai. While the others didn’t take them seriously, Dai was taken back by his upfrontness. Soon after, Taeheon and Gensei are seen talking with each other.
Gensei shares how he could sense that Ryota was still thinking about Kazuto when they saw him return with Alan. Instead of trying to show his feelings to Ryota, he thinks that he should take time to approach him. On the other hand, Taeheon reveals his fear regarding coming out to his parents and how it will be revealed to the mass public as well. They continue to share and comfort each other about their concerns.
While in the house, Shun seems to be acting indifferent and cold to Dai again. They are then informed about the Coffee truck shift with Gensei as the lead. He chooses Ryota to work with him and even does his makeup for the day. Back in the Green Room, the atmosphere is tense as Shun refuses to be in the same place as Dai and walks away to be alone.
Dai is somewhat clueless about what could have irked him. He shares with the cast members that Shun could be angry at him as he didn’t wear the t-shirt offered to him by Shun. Dai didn’t think much of it and wore something else of his choice but Shun seemed to be disappointed by it. Seeing the tensions between them, Ikuo vocalizes his concern to Dai and says, “It’s painful to see you get tossed around.” However, Dai responds that he won’t give up on Shun until one of them is worn out of the other.
Seeing how everyone was walking on eggshells, Ikuo strikes up a conversation with Shun, urging him to clear things out. Shun agrees to talk with Dai in front of everyone and hopes to get everyone else’s feedback on it as well. When Ikuo goes out to call everyone, Dai gets angry at him for unnecessarily interfering. Dai was looking for a moment to talk to Shun alone and didn’t want anyone else to meddle in it.
Dai refuses to talk at the moment and later seeks Alan for support. Alan kindly advises him that one way or another, he will have to talk to Shun and clear their issue. But it doesn’t have to be in front of everyone. Dai then asks Shun to talk in private. He asks Shun what irked him but also shares his feelings about the same. Eventually, they made up with each other. While Ikuo was feeling bad about meddling, he was comforted by others as his intentions weren’t bad.
Outside, Gensei and Ryota have a nice day working together but towards the end, Gensei reveals that he is leaving Green Room. He says that he has no regrets and is grateful to have met everyone. He shares the same at dinner with others and leaves the house. The next day, Ikuo is chosen for the shift in the coffee truck and he chooses Dai as his partner.
It’s obvious that he chose him to apologize for what happened previously but it turns out that there was much more. He wrote a letter confessing his feelings to Dai. He promises to never treat him badly and to make his happiness the utmost priority. However, Dai rejects him on the spot by saying that he did have a crush on him but he has only been focusing on his relationship with Shun and doesn’t want to pursue anyone else.
With only 3 days left, Kazuto is chosen for the shift next and he chooses Alan. Ryota also makes bento for them and they have a calm working day. Towards the end, Kazuto thanks Alan for being patient and teaching him so many things. While he doesn’t confess but shares that he is still figuring out his feelings.
On the last day, Shun is chosen to lead the shift and he happily chooses Dai as his partner. When Dai asks him if he realized any change in him while being on the show. He replies that his perspective has changed and doesn’t judge people as much as he used to. They were surprised by the other cast members, who came to help them on the last day. They all worked together on the truck for the first time.
Towards the end, they were invited to a dinner and were asked to dress up. Donned up in suits, they were picked up in a limousine and taken to a dance restaurant. While having dinner, they reflected on their journey so far. Once the sun broke the next day, they all packed up their bags and came to the living room. Taeheon was the first one to say goodbye to everyone, followed by Ikuo, who was grateful to others for making him comfortable despite joining late.
Then Ryota announced that he would leave but wanted to talk to Kazuto first. He confesses to Kazuto in private that he still has feelings for him and would love to leave together. Unfortunately, Kazuto refused his proposal and simply said that he couldn’t. Ryota is thankful to him and bids goodbye to everyone else. With only 4 people left, Shun asks Dai to leave together but wants to have a conversation first.
They bid farewell to Kazuto and Alan, moving to a seaside location to have a conversation. Shun initiates the talk and shares how he wasn’t feeling Dai in the start but his heart changed when he wanted them to be friends instead. He ends with confessing his love for Dai and wanting to continue their relationship. They kiss each other and go on their way, making plans to see each other every day.
Kazuto and Alan were the only ones left in The Boyfriend‘s Green Room. For the first time, Kazuto takes the initiative and tells Alan that their time together has been special to him. He further says that he doesn’t want to end what’s building between them and wants to know him better, outside the show. Alan reciprocates his feelings and they leave together, holding each other’s hand.
Final Thoughts: The Boyfriend
Compared to other dating shows, including queer and heterosexual ones, The Boyfriend has been quite a healing program. The best part was that there was no pressure on the cast to pair up with someone. They could take their sweet time to build connections or friendships. Initially, Shun and Dai’s blooming connection seemed like a firecracker that would fizzle out. Surprisingly, it presented a changed side of the couple. Dai seemed like a carefree college student but was emotionally quite mature enough to handle the hot and cold emotions of Shun.
While Shun was initially blocked off, stating that none of the people were of his type, he eventually created deep bonds with everyone. Although he does need to work out his issues stemming from previous trauma, his growth on the show was quite remarkable. Similarly, Alan seemed quite pushy in the beginning but his entry did help the other cast to be more honest and upfront. His openness and empathetic nature helped others to break out of their shells.
Kazuto was quite reserved from the start and much didn’t change for him, except that he became much more comfortable with his sexuality. Probably a self-confidence boost as well since he was getting confessions from everyone. Ryota also broke out of his shell but he was too fixated on one thing to look at what’s around him. Maybe Kazuto and Usak would have gotten together if he stayed but we will never know.
Ikuo could have had better chances if he had been from the start and he seemed to be in a rush to match with someone he likes at least a bit. Heart goes out to Gensei but he wasn’t that active in acting on his feelings. Similarly, Taeheon seemed to appear the least on the show. Probably because he couldn’t find someone but the cast definitely gave him courage and a support system for life.
Rating: 4/5
The Boyfriend is available to stream on Netflix.
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