Review: Netflix's "Rea(L)ove"

CW: Mentions of transphobia, homophobia, sexism

My entire life, all my feelings, thoughts, and conversations have to do with Terrace House (*cough*Shion*cough*), whether people want that or not. Because I’ve watched Terrace House for the last year, I’ve been getting a bunch of Japanese reality show recommendations in my Netflix suggestions. So I’ll branch out, I thought. I’ll watch Rea(L)ove. This dating show is simple enough to follow, but twisted enough to be original. The drama unfolds over three days, and is jam-packed with too much stimulation and too many rules. Eighteen people in total, ten men and eight women, have signed up for this speed dating show. The catch is every contestant has a deep dark secret that they will be forced to reveal before the three days are up. All of these hidden secrets burden them and are the likely cause of their singleness. Throughout the next three days, the contestants participate in mixers, group dates, and one-on-one dates. But at any moment, the ominous bell could chime, and that means it’s time for Real Face Time. One person is “randomly” selected to confess their secret either in front of everyone. These deep dark secrets are all over the map: contestants reveal that they are porn stars, sex addicts, a divorced mother of three, 2.5 million yen in debt, a plastic surgery addict (no one was shocked by this), or an animé collector that enjoys having naked animé figures in his room. Anything and everything is on the table. Some secrets hurt their chances at love with other contestants, but most contestants were fairly open and honest with each other. By the end of day three, it’s time for them to make confessions of love and ask for someone’s hand in beginning a relationship. The premise itself is kinda wild. These deep dark secrets that eat at you, that people reject you for--that camaraderie really brings the contestants together, but there’s an understandable apprehension to jump into a relationship, making the final episode and confessions of love feel a bit forced. And those final confessions weren’t the only forced part.The show might sound cute and quirky, but in reality it’s offensive, mean spirited, and downright repulsive at times. The two hosts offer their harsh and offensive criticism any chance they get. Atsushi Tamura, one of the cohosts of Rea(L)ove, is a popular Japanese comedian - half of the duo London Boots. According to the internet, London Boots is a basic comedy troupe where “one person in the duo criticizes and abuses his partner who in turn plays the part of a stooge”. London Boots is a duo built on shaming, and these comedians emotionally abuse and manipulate each other and unsuspecting people in hidden camera television shows. If I had heard of Atsushi Tamura before I might not have watched at all. But the absurdity and crassness of the show was so unbelievable I felt I had to stick it out- much like one has to watch a car crash. Atsushi Tamura’s co-host Mari Yaguchi, according to many Reddit users, was famously caught red-handed cheating on her husband and hasn’t worked in the industry in many years. Mari Yaguchi’s return to the spotlight was definitely noted by contestants and her co-host. Being two secret-holders themselves, the two made for controversial and entertaining hosts. Until they spoke. Many of the contestants’ secrets had to do with the number of individuals they have slept with or their careers in the sex industry. When these secrets came to light during the show, Atsushi Tamura made sure to always throw them back into Mari Yaguchi’s face, slut shaming his co-host and all of the woman at any chance he got. Both hosts were also openly homophobic and transphobic toward contests on the show. They would belittle the contestants, sometimes making them cry and then laughing at them. The hosts and the show quickly became unredeemable in my eyes. By the end of episode one I wanted to stop, but for probably the same reason as other viewers, I just didn’t. I was complacent in my viewing, maybe thinking that the translations were off, we didn’t have the same words, or no way this could be put on television if this was what they were saying. It was extremely disrespectful and disgusting to watch. There is so much production involvement in the contestants’ few days that many contestants break down in tears saying, “a producer told me to do that." It’s very clear that none of this is organic. The hosts talk over actual conversations that are poorly translated (if at all), hardly anyone is mic’d up, and the crass and rude behavior only gets worse as the show continues. The hosts and production laugh as every secret is revealed, and cross over into blatant misogyny at several points. Men who have lots of sex are deemed sex-obsessed and painted in a good light for it, but women who have sex-related secrets are automatically labeled sluts, whores, and even in the case of one contestant, “athlete-eating slut.” In one scene, two women choose the same man for a date and hold hands; as they all walk together Atsushi Tamura berates them, telling them never to hold hands again. He hates when women do that. It’s disgusting, he laughs. Some women bare their souls about their experiences with abuse and how it has affected them, and it’s simply glossed over. They’re portrayed as sluts and referred to as nothing else. Every contestant gets a foul nickname, but when you compare “Scarf” and “Mr. Nobody” to the “300 Bitch” and “Athlete Eating Slut”, it’s impossible not to see the blatant sexism on and off camera. Not only are the hosts and production disrespectful to the contestants and their feelings, but the show is executed poorly overall. The three day premise makes it all happen so quickly but forcing three days into eight episodes is drawn out and excruciating. The show could have easily been cut in half; instead, it feels clumsy and overdrawn. In a few scenes, you notice the camera on the side or so much overexposure it’s hard to make out the scene at all. Overall, it seems cheap and lazily put together. In addition, the subtitles were poorly timed and translated - even without speaking any Japanese, I could tell that it was clunky. According to host Atsushi Tamura, they had a few people drop out last minute, making the numbers a bit wonky. A bit different than reality shows in the United States I’m used to watching, where they have at least two dozen waiting on standby in case anyone drops, and likely a bit telling about the extent of this show's appeal. I can’t find any redeeming qualities to this program. I’m ashamed I watched the whole thing' in a way, it means I am filled with as much trash as them. It was deeply upsetting to see an original idea of a show executed so horribly. I hope the contestants are happy and minimally-harmed. I truly wish them the best luck at love.