The Boyfriend
Japanese	ボーイフレンド
Genre	Reality television Dating show
Directed by	Keisuke Hishida[1] Kazuhiko Kudo[1] Kotaro Nagayama[1] Riho Yoshida[1]
Starring	seeCast
Country of origin	Japan
Original language	Japanese
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	25
Production
Executive producer	Dai Ota[2]
Producers	Keisuke Hishida (C.P.)[1] Taiki Takahashi[1] Sae Yamanochi[1]
Editors	Kosuke Maeda[1] Masaki Okawa[1]
Running time	37–53 minutes
Production companies	Netflix Kyodo Television[1]
Original release
Network	Netflix
Release	July 9, 2024 (2024-07-09) – present

The Boyfriend (Japanese:ボーイフレンド,Hepburn:Bōifurendo) is a Japaneserealitydating show.^[3][4][5] It was the nation's firstsame-sex dating program. The first season premiered onNetflix on July 9, 2024.

Commentators areMegumi, Chiaki Horan,Thelma Aoyama,Durian Lollobrigida, andYoshimi Tokui.

The show features a cast of nineJapanese orEast Asian gay or bisexual men. They navigate their daily lives while cohabiting in a shared residence known as the "Green Room". Each day, one cast member is selected by the show's unseen producers to run acoffee truck; that cast member may select one other participant (with an additional option of choosing two others later on the show) to run the truck with him on that day. The coffee truck allows participants to deepen their relationship without interference from the rest of the cast, who remain at the Green Room and maintain the house, relax, or socialize. Periodically, the cast are allowed to indicate who they would like to take on a more conventional date; each participant gets only one vote, and only mutual matches get to go on a date. The show is not a competition, and no participants are eliminated.^[6][7]

Periodically, the show cuts to a panel of commentators chaired byMegumi, who discuss the cast's actions and relationships, and offer their own opinions on who should date whom. They also provide additional commentary and insight regardinghomosexuality in Japan andLGBT rights in Japan.^[6]

Filming started taking place in October 2023. The filming location was in the town ofTateyama, Chiba.^{[6][8][9][10]} The first season premiered onNetflix on July 9, 2024.^[11][12]

In December 2024, Netflix announced that the show had been renewed for a second season, with a new cast of queer men and all of the commentators returning.^[13] Set inHokkaido, the second season premiered on January 13, 2026.^[14][15]

The track "Dazed and Confused" fromBleach by the Koreanindie bandGlen Check is featured as the show's theme song.^[7][16] A second track by Glen Check, "4ever," is used as a leitmotif, or recurring refrain, to highlight key moments in the series when two cast members progress their relationship, or when an individual shows emotional growth. Other songs on the series include "Golden Hour" (Fujii Kaze remix) byJvke andFujii Kaze.^{[17][unreliable source]}

In 2026, Glen Check released the single "Bloom" through Netflix Music, in conjunction with Season 2.^[18] The track plays a role similar to "4eva" on the first season, with several recurring snippets playing during moments of dramatic tension, unexpected revelation, or relationship development.

• Sexual minorities in Japan
• List of Netflix original programming#Reality
• Terrace House

• The Boyfriend onNetflix
• The Boyfriend atIMDb 

• 2024 Japanese television series debuts
• 2024 LGBTQ-related television
• Japanese dating and relationship reality television series
• Japanese-language television shows
• LGBTQ-related dating and relationship reality television series
• Netflix original programming
• 2020s Japanese LGBTQ-related reality television series

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