REVIEW: ‘Love Village’ Season 2 Loses Some of It’s Charm

Overall, the entire concept of Love Village is built on a credibility-pushing concept. In theory, it fits within the Netflix dating reality series model. However, Season 2 fully highlights the odd tonality of the dating show, which aims for idyllic and ends with something a bit more calculated, even cold, in its depiction of would-be love. It’s fun enough if we don’t dig too deep. But from the continued deployment of oddly timed flashbacks rendered as sketches to the shocking brevity of the episodic runtime and how the show sometimes seems to be laughing at the contestants rather than with them, something about the whole production sours.

Love Village Season 2 begins as its predecessor did. Four men and five women between the ages of 35 and 60 — older than most dating series — are chosen to live in a shared home in the Japanese countryside. The Netflix series requires the group in question to renovate the house they’re living in for an open-ended period to make it livable. At first, with its barren setting and inhospitable appearance, it’s worth wondering if Netflix uses the series as an excuse for cheap labor due to how low value the entire series appears (I jest.)

However, that low energy is part of the charm of Love Village Season 2. The contestants aren’t just asked to help build the home from the ground up; they’re seen leveling the foundation and installing light fixtures. They also forfeit their phones and laptops, completely cut off from the outside world. On top of that, they’re only given a small amount of money to spend each day, instead of having to live off of the garden they tend to nearby.

The idea itself makes sense. By removing these hurdles and unnecessary distractions, the contestants are forced to interact with one another and get to know each other beyond surface-level assumptions. By working and cooking together, the potential for relationships strengthens. However, there’s room to argue that this is the worst possible setup for love. With the drafty living conditions and their laborious days, they can’t always offer up the best versions of themselves. Who among us feels at their best and most desirable a night after trying to sleep while cold or ignoring someone’s trumpeting snoring? Or after a long day of physical labor? These are the moments when many of us would instead be left well enough alone.

But therein lies the draw to Love Village Season 2. This is truly an experiment — not unlike Terrace House — where, through proximity, people are forced to live, adapt, and grow through the influence of others. In the case of Love Village, the hope is love.

It’s interesting that, yet again, the favorites of the male cast remain the younger women in the group. Love Village is fascinating in how it highlights contestants of all ages, highlighting how worthy of love a woman in her 50s is just as much as a woman in her early 30s. But despite the intentions, it doesn’t ever stop the male contestants. In one of the series’ more awkward moments, the oldest male contestant sets his sights on the youngest female contestant, and her disdain is palpable.

The first breakout potential love story stems from the 44-year-old hair salon owner Akipon and the 40-year-old actor and photographer Chii. While how their potential romance unspools is sweet, there’s always a sense of foreboding due to their crucial difference. Chii is open about wanting kids and getting married soon but worried about her age and how that influences her timeline. Akipon, who has been married twice before and has three kids from previous marriages, is less concerned with marriage. He’s also, admittedly, not in his existing kids’ lives. But he glosses over his initial responses when Chii begins to spend more time with him.

Once the series finds a potential romance, it hones in on it, as with Akipon and Chii. However, the mean-spirited nature of the series rears its head when it involves the 52-year-old Gitarin, a music teacher who’s never been married. The editing of his sequences paints an enigmatic figure as he, too, vies for Chii’s affection, though it’s much more unrequited. Later, the oldest member, 59-year-old Manhattan, finds a likely suitor in manga artist Tamifull, whose story about being a cancer survivor is one of the series’ most poignant.

That slightly negative spirit isn’t the hosts’ fault, Becky and Atsushi Tamura. Season 1 had a wider cast of panelists, but scaling it down to the two is smart. The two remaining hosts have the stronger insights, and Becky, in particular, adds a level of charm to her realistic reactions. It’s purely the editing and direction that are at fault.

The low-budget and fast-paced speed of the series fails to maintain our interest, no matter the natural intrigue of the synopsis. So much of Love Village falls within the confines of a good ‘hang out’ reality series like the golden days of Terrace House or Hyori’s Homestay. There’s something soothing about watching these relatable and everyday contestants renovate a house and make simple yet appetizing meals together, drinking and reminiscing outdoors at night. It offers a sense of tranquility and normalcy, bringing the viewer closer to the subjects as we, too, can imagine ourselves in these situations minus the camera crew.

But the series falters due to beguiling decisions. From a nonsensical timeline to the awkward flashbacks, which are done through black-and-white sketches, Love Village Season 2 fails to maintain momentum. What it has, in theory, is undercut by sloppy execution. There are engaging, thought-provoking conversations about love, life, and our ability to find ourselves no matter the stage of life we find ourselves in. However, direction and stylistic choices fail to live up to potential.

Love Village Season 2 is out now on Netflix.