The Boyfriend, Japan’s first gay romance reality series, is all set to premiere on Netflix this summer – and LGBTQ+ fans are already fangirling over the trailer.
"Located by the sea, the 'Green Room' beach house sets the stage for nine men to find love," the official description reads. "For a month, they live together and take turns working shifts at a peppermint green coffee truck, forging deep friendships and learning about themselves along the way."
The trailer does not reveal the identity of the nine singles, though we see them in various locations like the beach, coffee shops, and clubs with shirtless men. While some are more focused on the dating aspect, one man in the trailers wonders, "Why was I born this way?" The show seems like it'll be an intimate look at gay life in Japan.
Executive producer Dai Ota, manager of live-action originals at Netflix Japan, shared that they didn't originally intend for the show to focus on romance in a statement. "We started out wanting to highlight the young men’s friendships and personalities. Our focus wasn’t just on romance but also on spending time together and experiencing personal growth."
Chief Producer and Director Keisuke Hishida added, "I discussed with the cast how growth and valuable experiences stem from shared friendships, youth and struggles, not just romance. This led to many unexpected miracles on set."
The trailer quickly went viral on social media. "I do hope all this LGBTQ+ related Japanese content makes people realize how important is having Same sex marriage in Japan," reads one comment on X. Another comment ominously reads, "cancer season…"
The Boyfriend premieres July 9 with new episodes dropping every Tuesday in four weekly installments. Watch the trailer in the video below.