REVIEW: ‘The Boyfriend’ Season 2 Leads With Friendship And Community

The Boyfriend Season 2 is a continuation of the Japanese reality TV series inspired by the Korean reality dating series His House. A Netflix Original, this same-sex dating series brings seven men into one house for two months (longer than in Season 1) as they work together in different chosen shifts on a coffee truck in a ski town. 

Their cottage is called the Green Room, which the series points out is a reference to the hollow space inside a breaking wave where the water curls over, where surfers are entirely surrounded by water. Aptly named, The Boyfriend Season 2 plans for the Green Room to be a space where men can be enveloped in support as they build new relationships. 

The goal is to find the boyfriend of their dreams. And if we look at the one couple that matched in Season 1, Shun and Dai, romance isn’t just a dream but a real possibility. More interestingly, the seven men aren’t all strangers. Some have dated each other only to be ghosted, and others are friends. But like most dating shows, watching the contestants meet and learn more about new people is a part of the charm.

The Boyfriend Season 2 is charming and extremely important. 

With Megumi, Chiaki Horan, Thelma Aoyama, Durian Lollobrigida, and Yoshimi Tokui returning as judges, I am reminded of how awkward the variety show-style insertion of hosts can be in emotional moments. However, their chemistry remains impeccable. And more importantly, Lollobrigida’s patience with the other hosts’ curiosity makes for teaching moments not just for the judges, but potentially for people at home.

The seven contestants are Bomi (23) and Izaya (32) from Tokyo, Hiroya (29) from Hokkaido, Huwei (26), originally from Thailand, who studies in Tokyo,  Jobu (26), Ryuki (20), and Kazuyuki (40) from Osaka, and finally William (34), who was originally born in Peru. The cast is diverse, and all of that crafts an experience unique compared to the first season of The Boyfriend.

That said, the most endearing element in The Boyfriend Season 2 is how quickly the men settle into their friendships. Yes, this is a dating show. Yes, they flirt and pair up, and even have a love triangle. But what makes this second season of The Boyfriend is that the focus on friendship has been moved to the forefront of the conversations, not edited to be secondary to romance. 

Ultimately, the men enter the Green Room to form meaningful relationships with other Gay (or bi) men. The conversations they have are vulnerable, honest, and for some, revelatory. The importance of a show like The Boyfriend Season 2 in a country like Japan, which has yet to legalize same-sex marriage and under its current Prime Minister is becoming more regressive around queer rights, can’t be overstated. 

Romance may be on the agenda, but friendship has an even larger spotlight in the second season of The Boyfriend.

With a wide age range from Ryuki, who is a 20-year-old college student, to Kazuyuki, who is 40, the life experiences in the Green Room are vast. Some have found acceptance in their families, others have yet to come out, others have had many romances, and one has yet to have his first. The men in The Boyfriend Season 2 span nationalities and ethnic backgrounds, but while the international appeal of this cast is intriguing, the conversations they have about life are what truly showcase how different they each are. 

Early in the season, the men discuss marriage. William explains that he had never thought about it, or rather, he never wanted to be married. Then, while living in Spain, he saw his friends introduce their husbands, and it clicked for him. Now, that partnership is something he wants in life. This is explored by each of the men, highlighting cultural differences among the contestants and their own life stages. 

Additionally, Huwei is a Thai national-team athlete, a doctoral student, and someone who can very publicly be dismissed because of his sexuality. But despite being one of the younger men in the house, he’s undeterred. In fact, early on, Huwei is one of the contestants we learn the most about because of how open he is with his ambition in life and his excitement to meet new people.

The cast’s diverse backgrounds and ages make for thoughtful conversations and bonding.

But even when the men are just talking about situations in the house or about their everyday life, their personalities shine. And that is due in large part to how open each of the seven men is. That openness comes from how much they each value the relationships they are building over the two months they spend together. 

In the first episode of The Boyfriend Season 2, the men share what they’re excited about. And it’s unanimous: they’re excited about the time they’re spending together. Quickly, it’s clear that this isn’t just about romance. As people begin to pair up, or at the very least try to, the bonds between the housemates just keep growing. 

While this has to do with the intentions that each man entered The Boyfriend Season 2 with, the ticking clock on their time together also makes the men shake off pretenses. We see rejections, we see confessions, and more importantly, we see men who move forward together while recognizing that friendship is best, but that it can be lifelong. 

Thanks to the accelerated timeline and the fact that the series’ casting brought together some men who already knew each other, this season feels much more natural. While some dramatic moments may have been thanks to production and their deft hand, the emotional resonance we see is purely thanks to the men. 

Openness is at the core of every conversation and relationship in The Boyfriend Season 2.

The best example of this is William and Izaya. Having previously dated, William ghosted Izaya years ago, and now, they’ve been put into each other’s lives again. The will-they-or-won’t-they isn’t the most interesting thing about the couple; their honesty is. 

Instead of beating around the bush the entire time, or trying to pretend like it never happened, Izaya directly confronts William about the past. While the exchange is awkward at first, the introspection we see on display shows that absent-mindedness can harm just as much as malice. 

Where Izaya saw them as developing a relationship, William saw only a couple of gym dates, so following up wasn’t on his mind. On his side, Izaya was left questioning their time together and eventually gave up trying to contact him. The way that this unfolds is heartwarming as the two begin to rebuild the connection they clearly had years ago, but given their past, their honesty in the Green Room can’t be understated.

The Boyfriend Season 2 captures the depth of relationships and the importance of finding community. While the romances are there, the heart of this series, like His House before it, is to bring men together. This series isn’t about drama or sexiness. Instead, it’s an emotional watch for those looking for acceptance and a home. This is a dating series that should continue. 

The Boyfriend Season 2 is streaming now, exclusively on Netflix.