Lighthouse Review: Consisting of 6 episodes, runtime ranging between 30-38 minutes, the new Netflix original Japanese comedy talk show (灯台) stars musician, writer and actor Gen Hoshino and comedian, actor and TV presenter Masayasu Wakabayashi. Together they’ve dealt out a unique project, revisiting the genre of comedy.
The series has Nobuyuki Sakuma onboard as its general director and producer, who also nicknames the duo’s unit as “Lighthouse”, owing to their ability of standing tall like a beacon of hope for those who are struggling. Hoshino has even written and performed six original songs for the show, all inspired by his talks with Wakabayashi.
Lighthouse Netflix Japan Series Review Contains No Spoilers
Lighthouse Review: Discussion
Shifting from the common looks of the modern stand-up comedy scene, Lighthouse introduces a heartwarming concept by bringing in the renowned Japanese public figures and situating them in a friendly setting. With each episode we can see the two getting to know each other better, just as much we do too. Each episode has some common threads due to the inclusion of certain segments like them pouring out their thoughts via short journal entries, connecting with the anxieties of the youth of today, divulging about their own situation, career graph, creative slumps and even relationships with their families.
Even if you’re not familiar with either celeb or their works, the first two episodes still come across as interesting introductions without any pre-planned comedy episodes. As an old school revival of how comedy would flourish as part of talk shows, this show makes for an appealing breath of fresh air, delving deep into the duo’s past experiences, vulnerabilities and innate thoughts, but not in a stand up comedy format as has now become the norm. Meeting up once a month for half a year, Hoshino and Wakabayashi’s talks surface as relatable discussions mostly despite the cultural gap between them and their international audiences.
Each episode pulls in a change of scenery for the two, and one even allows them to stage a live talk show with audience present in front of them. And while in many stand-ups, though the comedian is directly interacting with the audience present, it doesn’t always feel like a two-way channel of communication between the speaker and listeners. However, here, despite these two people talking to each other, and us as the audience listening in on their conversation, it still feels as if we’re equally involved in the talks owing to the grounded relatability and humble and intimate settings they’re both situated in, except the live show scenario.
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First two episodes set the tone very well for the format of the show, as one can sense the initial palpable awkward energy surrounding the cast members (which gradually melts away), but even that makes for an intriguing watch as their discussions share a universal touch regardless of whether their opinions do or not. However, as the episodes progress, one may also start to feel disconnected from them due to the increasing allusions to their pre-established oeuvre. This correlates with the idea how many of us viewers often tune in for the vlogs of our favourite artists only. If it’s someone else’s content, we don’t necessarily feel the need to turn up for it.
Therefore, after a point, you may start sensing that gap between yourself and the artists leading this project if you haven’t made their acquaintance before.
Lighthouse: Final Thoughts
One of the biggest positive takeaways from the series is how Gen Hoshino expressively summed up each episode’s talks and theme in his songs. Moreover, the show brings the two renowned personalities to a more humane ground. Their genuine and grounded conversations truly emerge as a beacon of hope as suggested in the first episode, but unfortunately, if you don’t know much about their work, the series may turn out to be a slow-paced journey for you and you may not want to stay till the end especially due to the lack of connection with their inside jokes and references.
For me, the first two episodes brought in the most authentic talks centred around the new age youths, and even though the older cast members feel the tug of the generational gap, they still try their best to empathise with the people. This quote, “when i was a teen, being cringe or being outrageously different wasn’t attacked or crushed right away”, especially stayed with me along with their conversation revolving around the unsolicited remarks left by people on social media platforms.
Most of these issues are what millennials and early Gen Z commonly discuss about, so they’re likely to strike them again, but owing to people’s receding attention span, the show may not necessarily stay with the viewers in the long run, especially if you’re not familiar with these artists.
Lighthouse series is now streaming on Netflix.
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