The Future Diary is a dating reality TV series starring Daigo as the MC and focuses on the relationships between complete strangers. Season 1 was released in 2021 while The Future Diary season 2 episodes 1-4 was released on May 17 and episodes 5-6 will release on May 24. The episodes have a runtime of around 30 minutes.
Netflix describes the series as:
In this reality series, complete strangers meet and receive a diary holding the script to their very own love story. Will true romance follow?
– The Future Diary season 2 review does not contain spoilers –
The Future Diary season 2 starts quite differently from the first. Of course, there is the obvious difference of there being three participants instead of two from the previous season. However, the way the three meets is absolutely magical and I must say that this season has done a great job with the lights to guide Moka to her two prospective suitors.
Talking about the participants, the three people whom we follow this time around are Sumimoto Akimitsu (24 years), Nozoe Moka (23 years) and Momota Koyo (23 years). Why two men would be vying for one woman’s attention is beyond me but the presenters do mention that it’s straight out of a TV drama and love triangles are always juicy, so I guess it makes sense in a weird way. Either way, the participants turn out quite sweet and feel like a couple of teenagers out on a date. It’s great that we get three people who are in their mid-twenties, unlike last time when it felt a bit too off.
It’s pretty relatable and realistic to watch The Future Diary because these people are just so awkward with each other on the first meeting. Like, you see it on their faces as they start making awkward small talk to get to know each other. It’s such a surreal experience at first – the series starts putting on the pressure on Moka in the first episode and you know you’re in for a cruel ride from there on out.
The drama is just too damn much from the first minute and considering these are really nice people, I don’t understand making them go through the cruelty on the path of finding love – is that necessary? It definitely brings out their genuine reactions to such a messy situation but just makes me feel bad for all the three participants.
Either way, as they start going on dates together, the producers start getting weirder with the situations that they put the participants in. These are the moments when the series starts becoming extremely unrealistic and forced. At one point, you see the pictures of Maai and Takuto on a giant screen in front of a building which just feels like overkill and unnecessary.
Plus, they also, for some reason, push one of the participants out of the game a bit. I hope there’s a reason for that in the long run, but with the episodes that we have, it just feels sad and a little one-sided. The other person, meanwhile, has no idea that something like this is going on which also feels manipulative on his account. As the episodes go on and you fail to see the point of the cruelty, you also feel a little angry on behalf of the participants. Although this was the whole point of the show, the manipulation seems very Disney villain-isque.
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However, the studio guests were delightful to sit with this season. They just discuss different situations in such a cute way and talk about the exact feelings that the audience is sure to have. You get at least some sort of respite from the awkwardness and downright cruelty from their interesting and funny commentary. Most of the time they express displeasure or shock when a diary says something weird – resonating your exact feelings at the moment. At least you’re not alone in the madness!
Summing up: The Future Diary Season 2
The Future Diary season 2 is dramatic, cruel and extremely watching. Unlike the previous season, the love triangle adds a delicious twist to the tale that will make you squirm in your seat but also make you want to keep watching with bated breath – whom does Moka choose?
The Future Diary season 2 is streaming on Netflix.