The Unlimited Possibilities of Japan’s Unscripted Content

From outrageous variety shows to unique dating formats, local unscripted television is beloved in Japan. It’s such a core part of our entertainment culture, that 70 percent of linear programming in the country is reality, variety and dating shows.

As the local content team for Netflix in Japan, we’re passionate about understanding local audience tastes and developing must-watch titles that appeal to our members here. While global success for our shows is exciting to see, we’re committed first and foremost to telling stories that Japanese viewers will embrace and share.

This week at our APAC Unscripted Showcase, I shared new details and titles from our upcoming unscripted slate. We’re excited to move into a new phase of our content strategy, ramping up our investments in unscripted and bringing new concepts to the screen. We want to elevate the unscripted category with great production values and storytelling from Japan’s most innovative creative voices.

We’re currently working on over 15 unscripted titles, and we’re excited to share more details about what’s ahead for this year.

Refreshing Romance

Finding love is the adventure of a lifetime, and although romance reality is a staple of unscripted content, we believe there are fresh new ways to explore the format.

Dating show Is She The Wolf? is a good example of how we work with our collaborators to unlock more potential from existing concepts. This series originated as Who Is The Wolf? on ABEMA, featuring some female and/or male contestants with secret identities as ‘wolves’ who were not allowed to fall for anyone. For Netflix, we worked with ABEMA to appeal to a broader audience and experiment with storytelling. The series has been embraced by Japanese audiences, and we’re excited to bring it to Netflix members worldwide on September 3.

In its first season on Netflix this year, dating show Love Village broke new ground by featuring ordinary people aged 35 to 60 searching for love — the first time a Japanese reality show focused on this demographic. We’re excited to share that this year we’ll return with Season 2, which will continue fleshing out this creative concept with new contestants and returning fan-favourite emcees Atsushi Tamura and Becky.

And, in Love Like a K-Drama, we are introducing an innovative hybrid where K-Drama romance meets acting competition, as four Japanese actresses and four Korean actors are paired up to try and land lead roles in six K-dramas, along with lively commentary from studio emcees Haruna Kondo (Harisenbon), Aa-CHAN (Perfume), Shusuke Fukutoku (Jarujaru), Hayato Komori (GENERATIONS), and Maria Tani. We know audiences in Japan and around the world are swooning for K-Romance, and we’re partnering with a local Korean production team to bring this new concept to life on November 28.

Looking for Different Laughs

Similarly, in comedy, we are continuing to explore new horizons to tap into the audience’s appetite for more authentic experiences.

Last One Standing has been described as the Squid Game of unscripted comedy. The first season on Netflix last year saw Japanese comedians competing to improvise funny stories in their own words, while they play roles in a serious drama series, and the concept really resonated with Japanese audiences. In the upcoming Season 2, a new group of Japan’s comedians will be sharing more of their own stories. This new season continues to be helmed by top creator-producer Nobuyuki Sakuma, and we’re excited to announce it will premiere on October 10.

Sakuma is also producing LIGHTHOUSE, which features musician-actor Gen Hoshino and comedian Masayasu Wakabayashi (from the comedy duo Audrey) embarking on a six-month conversation based on “single-line journal” where they share their personal stories, struggles, and fears with each other and the viewers. Gen Hoshino also created the opening song “Mad Hope” featuring  Louis Cole and Sam Gendel, as well as five ending songs inspired by his conversation with Wakabayashi in the episodes. This creative approach to comedy showcases two of Japan’s top entertainers as you’ve never seen them before.

And this is just the beginning. We will continue to pursue fresh ideas across genres, delivering a diverse variety of unscripted content all uniquely crafted for our Japanese audiences locally. As the landscape of unscripted television evolves, we are committed to being the go-to destination for immersive, authentic and must-watch unscripted experiences.

(Source: Netflix)