01x02 - Tokyo: Light and Darkness

[bunniefuu]

They think they have
decent self-awareness.

I hate people like that.

Comedians who hang out and get
photographed in Nishiazabu and Roppongi,

I think they are super lame.

WHAT HAPPENS IF TWO TOP CREATORS
CONTINUE TO TALK FOR A YEAR?

I remember thinking,
"I can live another day."

And you were ten?

Knowing it's impossible
to surpass their past work.

They still write, feeling that pain.

It made me cry.

Ah, but of course you did.

I didn't mean to, though.

So I want to make a song every episode.

So the show ends with a new song
by Hoshino every episode?

You are insane!

HOSHINO WILL COMPOSE A SONG
BASED ON THEIR TALK

NOVEMBER 14, 2022

TORANOMON, MINATO WARD

Wow, this is impressive, no?

Really? Jeez, wow.

GEN HOSHINO

Look, Tokyo Tower is so...

Amazing! Are you kidding me?

A room like this really exists.

Whoa. What?

-Oh, hello!
-Good to see you.

-The view...
-Isn't Tokyo Tower impressive?

Is this, like, a room?

Looks like it.

So it's a hotel room?

Probably the best one they have.

Right.

It's been a month already?

Wasn't it fast?

I was still absorbed
in the memory of Koenji.

MEET ONCE A MONTH TO TALK ABOUT
TROUBLES AND HOSHINO MAKES A SONG

-I know.
-But now, I'm suddenly brought here.

-This place has a strong Tokyo feel.
-Indeed.

Last time,

we were in Koenji, where both of you
spent your gloomy youths.

This time, we took the plunge,

we chose a location that screams "Tokyo."

This is a place that represents
the current Tokyo.

This is where we've brought you this time.

It costs two million yen
per night to stay.

-One night?
-Yes.

Two million yen a night.

There's no tie-up or anything, so...

We paid.

WE PAID (TWO MILLION YEN)

-So we're here because you paid...
-We did.

-Oh, man!
-What?!

The whole technical crew
should stay tonight.

That's true.

-It's big enough for everyone.
-Right?

It's finally starting to feel
like a Netflix show.

It didn't feel like that at all last time.

Hopes

Left brain

The child of meaning

Mobility

The three poisons

A moonless night

Come over here

Aspirations

Possibilities

God works in mysterious ways

A guiding light

Striking a pose

I celebrate

Love

A Window

TOKYO -LIGHT AND DARKNESS-

How does this type of world look to you,

the glittering Tokyo,
seen from a two-million-yen room?

-Ah.
-Okay.

-Hoshino, you're from Saitama, right?
-Yes, I am.

So...

Did it feel like you "moved" to Tokyo?

GEN HOSHINO
LONGING FOR TOKYO

When I was really small,
I lived in Kawaguchi, Saitama.

There is a big river called the Arakawa,
and beyond it is Akabane.

So on the other side
of the river was Tokyo.

But at the toy store near my house,

they didn't have Dragon Warrior III,

and FINAL FANTASY IV didn't come, either.

-So that river was the border.
-Exactly.

They had those
on the other side of the river.

So, I called the Arakawa "Deep River."

"Deep River."

It was so deep.

Anything cultural
didn't arrive in Saitama.

Driving over the Arakawa on a highway,

I do feel a big difference
between Tokyo and Saitama.

When you cross the Arakawa.

It's a really big river,

and the glimpse of Tokyo
on the other side is just...

You can see Tokyo just a little bit.

"That's where Tokyo is..."

I strongly felt that when I was small.

I'm in a show called
My Life in Your Textbook.

And I see that anyone who had scandals
and made mistakes,

they were addicted to
Nishiazabu and Roppongi.

-They were?
-All of them.

Without fail. And my partner,

he claims it was just "cheating"
and not "adultery,"

but he got addicted
to Nishiazabu and Roppongi.

So you know,

the comedians hanging out in Nishiazabu or
Roppongi, being photographed with AKB48.

I think they're super lame.

Comedians walking out of a bar
with AKB48 getting paparazzied.

I thought they were super lame.

No one has ever been
on my side when I've said this.

Oh, I think it's very lame too.

Very much so.

But I have this image of actors
renting out a room like this,

opening a bottle of sparkling wine
or something.

-I know.
-That's the image I have.

The thing is...

Many of the so-called
"good-looking" actors

can be so ******.

Oh, boy...

The poor choice of location
is what made Hoshino say such a thing!

Out of spite for this view...

That's why he said it, no?

Is there any other
uncultured Netflix show like this?

I might be affected
by the air of Minato ward.

This view is giving us
a bit of ressentiment, no?

I guess so.

In Koenji, the resentment
of your youth spewed out.

Now you resent party people
at a place completely opposite of Koenji.

Producer Sakuma,
you're doing it on purpose!

You deliberately picked this location
for that purpose.

With all that said,

speaking of the view of Tokyo,
especially from here,

I actually come to this hotel sometimes.

Obviously not a room like this,

but the smallest room they have.

But I come here sometimes to compose.

Really?

I composed the bridge of "Create" here.

Really? Here?

Yes, here. Not in this room,
but in this very building.

Let's create something

Suggestions that are out of the box

Directly from an empty place

I can't use a two-million-yen room,
so in the smallest room.

-To focus?
-Yes.

And...

I like composing at home too.

-But sometimes I want a change of scenery.
-Of course.

And inside a hotel room,
it's easier to concentrate.

So I bring in my computer, keyboard,
interface, and headset.

I won't play loudly,
but I program my music here.

That's what I do sometimes.

I see. So the change of scenery
helps you work better?

-That's right.
-Is that so?

HARDSHIPS THEY ENCOUNTER
AS TOP CREATORS

You once said on the radio
when you were talking about your manzai,

that you consider Itako Shaman
to be your best.

You said you felt
you created something good.

But after that, you had the feeling
that you couldn't surpass it.

So you were working hard to transcend it.

Do you still feel that way?

Does it come out?

Yes, it does.

-When will it come out?
-Coming out.

It's coming out, it's coming out, it's...

out.

Is that your soul over here?

So you're like a shell now, huh?

Then stop laughing!

ITAKO SHAMAN MANZAI THAT MADE
12K PEOPLE LAUGH AT BUDOKAN

TO TRANSCEND PAST SELF

Right...

So it's like,

I already know my materials, of course.

But for my fans, they're new and fresh.

So I get an extra
five points or so for that.

And they tell me, "I like this joke too."

But I'm talking about how I feel.

So it's...

In terms of my physical abilities
like stamina and reflexes,

I think nothing will ever come close to
the Itako Shaman Joke yet I still push on.

That just cannot be done.

-That's how I feel.
-Really?

That joke was made in such a way

to get 120% of
what Toshiaki Kasuga has to offer.

You know,

his talk won't improve out of nowhere.

-He won't be that type of a comedian.
-No.

An acquaintance of mine, a novelist,
also told me they felt the same.

Knowing it's impossible
to surpass their past work.

-They still write, feeling that pain.
-I see.

How about you, Hoshino?

I actually don't feel that too much.

I made a song called "Barabara."

In that type of music, I don't think I can
make anything better than that song.

But you have different types of music.

I could talk about the sound of it,

or the lyrics of it.

But given that length of time,

with that performance,

in that time of my life,

nothing else can transcend that song.

So I'm not interested in making
that type of song.

-Not the same kind of song.
-Okay.

But what I expressed through that song

still remains at the core of who I am.

So it does show up
in my other songs as well.

So,

I guess I can say that was the best song.

But I want to make
another best song elsewhere.

I think that a lot.

-Of course, I get stuck...
-I see...

And every time, I feel,
"It's all over for me."

You did mention that.

Even if it goes smoothly,

I give it a listen maybe
two days after I'm done,

and go, "This isn't so good."

And until I can find a way to fix it,

I'll feel, "It's all over for me."

But most of the time, I can find it.

So it's like throwing a ball
to my future self.

I throw the ball so high that I have time
to do stuff before it falls down.

So I can stop thinking about it.

Even if I feel it's over for me,
I've experienced that feeling many times.

And I have overcome them.

So I should be okay. I tell myself that.

I turn on this switch to be empty,
to not be responsible.

And continue to work.

You are just like an adventurer.

You think so?

You think, "This mountain is
impossible to climb," but you do.

Then you climb a higher mountain
or a different mountain.

-Ah, okay.
-So for you, Hoshino...

When you're at home working
and hit a wall.

When you're feeling stuck,

do you talk to your wife about it?

Or do you separate work from family?

In my case,

I ask her to listen to it,
halfway through.

-Halfway through?
-Yes.

But I'm not trying to fix something
based on her feedback.

I'm making a piece out of
what's inside me, so only I hear it.

So the act of listening to
what I made with someone else,

it helps me become objective.

-To listen together.
-Yes.

And listening with my wife
makes me more objective.

But it could also be with my manager.

Anyhow, it needs to be...

someone I don't have to lie to.

And they're very honest with me as well.

Then I can tell
what's not working in the piece.

Even if they compliment your work?

-Yes.
-I see.

And I thank them for listening to it.
I do that rather often.

I have a radio show on Saturdays.

But on Sundays, with my kid in a car seat,

I drive a bit far away
with my wife to wash my car.

-You said you do that every week.
-I do.

While we're driving, we listen to

my radio's opening talk, and we get home
at the end of my segment.

So we don't listen to Kasuga's segment.

-It's just...
-That's the perfect length.

But listening to you just now,

simply by having someone with you,
I can be more objective.

Like, "This was too long,"
or "That part wasn't necessary."

So it works with the talk
on the radio as well.

It made me wonder if that's why
I keep up with my weekly drive.

We have our one-sentence journals
again this month.

-Shall I start today?
-Since I went first last time.

Here's my one-sentence journal.

"Last time, I couldn't empathize with
youths with no hopes or dreams,

which made me sad."

-The troubles of youths we got to see.
-Right.

I also had times
when I had no hopes or dreams.

Like they did.

But then, I never expected to appear
on Netflix in a place like this.

I used to read manga by Minoru Furuya,

called Himizu, in my apartment
which cost 30,000 yen per month.

I also read HIMEANOLE too.

I assumed that young people nowadays
had more options.

But the country as a whole
doesn't seem to be growing.

And the demographic pyramid is shaped

like an inverted pyramid,
indicating the aging society.

So I can see how
it might be hard to have a dream.

I've been thinking about it ever since.

Since I grew up in a different time,
I can't completely empathize with them.

But many of my radio's listeners
are like that.

So I want to remember
what it felt like myself.

That's my wish.

I just think that it's very much like you

to say flat out that you couldn't
empathize with them.

You think so?

Normal Japanese people in showbiz
would lie that they empathize.

You think so, huh?

Especially on TV.

I see. You may be right about that.

I like that about you.

Unlike you, when I saw that video...

It's not that I empathized with them.

But I get it so much that I didn't have
any reaction to it whatsoever.

It's not the feelings I used to get
when I was young.

They're feeling what I am feeling now.

Wherever they go,
there are eyes of the other people.

And it's the same on social media.

You can see how many "Likes" you got,

or how many people viewed your post.

So wherever you go, there are always
other people watching you.

And basically, human beings have to...

always consider how we are viewed
by others to survive.

That's how we are as creatures.

It is all about how to survive
within a community.

It has been repeated since ancient times.

If you're an outcast, do different things,
then you die or get k*lled.

Humans have lived
in fear of that for a long time.

But that feeling... When I was young,

it was much more lax.

I agree with you there. Laxer about it.

It could stay hidden and unseen.

I see.

But nowadays, wherever you go,
it's impossible to stay hidden.

Of course, you can choose
not to engage in social media,

but everyone at school is doing it,
so you have to.

-They have the LINE group.
-And you have to join it.

They have no choice but
to engage in social media.

I think there are many people like that.

You know, right now...

In the novels that are written by people
in their teens and twenties,

I can see how they are careful

not to stir things up
within the LINE groups they belong.

Or even in their replies to other people,

I can tell... that they searched,
"How do I respond in this situation?"

and use the replies they found
in the search result.

Reading it,
I can tell that's what they did.

So they can't speak their minds, and
they know the others aren't honest either.

But they're chatting
in a Komeda's Coffee in a scene.

That's the type of writing
I see a lot these days.

When I was a teen, being cringe
or being outrageously different

wasn't attacked or crushed right away.

I agree.

Being different was a little cool.
Things were slow and chill.

But now, if you are even remotely
edgy, you get pointed out.

-You get a retort.
-And it happens all over the place.

So it's hard to speak your mind.

It might be hard to declare
what their dreams are.

-You're right.
-Yes.

It'd getting difficult
to exist with a range, I think.

Can you share
your one-sentence journal, Hoshino?

Let's see. Here it goes.

"When a person everyone praises
is someone I don't like,

how do I accept myself?"

Oh boy. Here we go.

Let me shake my head for a sec.

I gotta refocus, you know?

I'm not saying that I don't like
popular people in general.

When a person I have worked with
and thought was a scum

has a rather high reputation.

But the society doesn't know
how horrible this person is.

-They can't see it.
-Yes.

Anyone who's working together knows
how horrible they are.

And if that person...

Maybe they're considered
to be really nice,

or considered nice,
even though they may look scary.

But I'm here thinking,
there's no "nice person" hiding behind it.

Stuff like that happens.

But they don't know,
so what can they do, right?

Still, it's not my place to tell them,
"You should know that they're not nice."

And I don't know
how to handle myself like that.

So I keep telling myself,
"They have virtue too."

I tell myself that
to make it through the day.

Do you have an experience like that?

I totally do.

You do, right?

I have always been shy, to begin with,

and when I started to appear on TV,
I wasn't used to girls.

There was a famous person
I felt an affinity for

because he was also known
to be shy with girls.

But then, I saw him on a date
with girls in different places.

I did.

Back then,

I used to frequent this girl's bar.

So much so that I got invited to
a BBQ party meant for the employees.

I became really close to one of
the male workers there at the reception.

He wanted to do music,
and he was in a band.

And every time a new song came out,
he'd give me a copy.

Nice. I'd love to listen.

-His music was super hardcore.
-Hardcore.

And this guy,

told me this famous guy comes to the bar
once every three days with girls.

But I still felt an affinity with him,

thinking he went there
because he's not good with girls.

I was hoping to talk to him if we met.

And when I did, I said,
"I go to that bar all the time too!"

I thought it would be a good topic.

"Don't talk about it on your radio,"
was what he said.

I was like, "Really?! For real?"

Why can't you be
fair and square about this, huh?

But he's really...

he's popular with female novelists
and fashionable female celebrities.

They love him.

So I could never tell anyone about it,
so I felt so alone.

Please share your journal, Wakabayashi.

Here's my entry.

"Why must they use the cue card that asks
how many chores do you do at home?"

I guess they're concerned about diversity
and equality between men and women.

But I see that cue card all the time.

Is that so?

Like, all the time.

When someone gets married,

especially if it's marriage between
two celebrities, it's always there.

The goal is to hear
that they share chores,

so we can all be impressed.

Or, the husband doesn't do any chores,
and everyone ridicules him for it.

There are only two patterns.

Is that what diversity is?

There are only two possible outcomes.

That's how I feel. On top of that,

the viewers don't see the cue card.

so it looks like I'm interested
in asking that question.

I would rather ask,

"If you are working this much,
do you have time to talk to each other?"

I want to dig in and ask
that kind of question.

But on the cue card, it always asks
about if they split chores.

I thought that maybe they had conducted
a questionnaire beforehand

and found out that the wife had
complaints about her husband.

-I see.
-Maybe that was why we had the cue card.

But the woman would say they split chores
and she had no complaints.

And after that...

in that show, there was another woman
who was divorced.

She was in her forties.

The question for her in the cue card said,
"What type of man do you want to remarry?"

It was the same floor director
who showed me the "chore" cue card.

He wanted me to ask this question.

I thought,
"You have no idea what diversity is."

Forget diversity. What kind of a person
asks a question like that?

Exactly. I thought,
"Who would ask such a question?!"

But I had assumed they had spoken
with her beforehand.

Conducted a questionnaire
in the green room.

So I asked,
"What type of man do you want to remarry?"

She said she wasn't interested.

She was happy now, and her joy was
seeing her children grow.

Obviously, they didn't talk to her!

They didn't conduct a questionnaire.

I was...

-I looked like a total idiot!
-I can imagine.

So I choose to...

almost as an insinuation,

I'd say I don't do any chores
when they ask me that question.

And I do that because...

I need to keep on saying that

because that's what real diversity means.

I have to educate the viewers.

By volunteering to get attacked for it.

And that conversation went on air
on Achikochi Audrey.

So I was on the air, saying,
"No, I don't do any chores."

I was watching it with my wife,
and she said,

"You really don't do anything."

But in reality, splitting chores 50:50
between the couple can be tough.

So whoever is saying that
is probably lying.

Seriously, thank you.

I mean, the situation can change daily
in terms of who's busier, etc.

That's why some...

in some families,
one person can be the homemaker.

It's still not splitting evenly.

Splitting evenly
doesn't sound realistic, right?

Another thing I learned
after I got married is...

You know some have scary wives,
so they're always henpecked?

Those who declare themselves so on TV
are definitely lying.

You call your wife scary on air,
and she will see it on TV.

If your wife is okay with it,
then there's no way you're henpecked.

I know this to be true

because my wife is scary.

But you said it on air now.

And she's gonna watch this
because she's your fan.

-This is bad.
-You're in trouble.

Shall we go to the editor's together?

We'll ask, "Can you not use this part?"

But you're spot on about that.

And I see the remnants
of male-dominant society in it.

-We still have that.
-Yes, a lot.

What's left of it.

The husband feels a sense of superiority
being able to say that.

Like, "Boy, I'm henpecked all the time..."

They think they have
decent self-awareness.

I hate people like that.

You and I think so much alike!

DREAMING OF SUCCESS IN TOKYO,
NOW THEY GATHER ATTENTION FROM MANY

NOVEMBER 2022
TROUBLES OF YOUTHS

I can't tell others
what I do with confidence.

I'm a ballet dancer.

But it's not like
I'm very skinny or anything.

So I'm hesitant to tell others.

As I grow older, I'm losing my confidence.

Maybe I play the hypocrite.

I wish I could be more confident
about my opinions.

I upload videos on TikTok,
and I get comments from strangers

asking me if I've gained weight.

It does tick me off.

But my attitude is, "Who cares?"

So I'm not too concerned,
but I guess that's my trouble.

I'd say...

I have a secret private account on Twitter
where I'm not following anyone.

That's where I'd vent about
what truly bothered me on that day.

The real ones I can't say out loud.

I can rant to an extent,
but I can't go into it deeper than that.

I once had trouble
with interpersonal relationships.

I have trauma from that.

I can't help wanting to be liked.

I don't want to be disliked,

so I tend to maintain a façade.

Wakabayashi, are you on social media?

I am only on Instagram.

Only that, and with people's comments,

I've actually disabled
the comment function.

According to the advice I received from
someone who's versed in the Internet,

only 0,01% of the viewers
actually write comments.

After I learned that 99 percent
of the viewers don't write comments,

I found that to be pointless.

The sense I get when I listen to my radio
with my wife matters more.

I totally get that.

When it comes to comments and reactions,

you know how we used to have
surveys in theaters?

My actor friends used to say,

"Those who read the surveys are no good."

Actors who care too much
about surveys aren't good.

Some actors change the way they act
based on the surveys.

That's not good. What's more important is

for you to be objective.
That's more reliable.

Hoshino, how are you with social media?

The only one I have is Instagram.

She can only speak her mind
anonymously on social media.

Remember her? So...

while I can understand that,

it also made me think...

that it's wrong to think what you say on
social media are your true feelings.

I see.

And what you say on social media
is a form of expression.

Anything that can potentially
be seen by others

isn't your true feelings.

Anyone who can express
their true feelings in front of people

must have had
a lot of training and practice.

I think it's more of venting and
miscellaneous thoughts than true feelings.

Ah, I see.

And her true feelings...

I think, "I don't want to be disliked"
is her true feeling.

And I don't think it's anything
she should be ashamed of.

No one wants to be disliked.

She said she has a past trauma.

Doing certain things to be liked by people

is nothing to be ashamed of.

That is her honest feeling.

Maybe she can think of what she can
confidently do to not get disliked.

That way, she can focus on trying to be
liked by others with one less burden.

We discussed social media
at the beginning of the show,

and how it's taking away opportunities
to speak our minds to each other.

There's such a thing as optimal solutions
for communicating on social media.

So it's the dichotomy
between the optimal solution or a mistake.

But most everything exists
in the gray area.

Right, in its gradient.

So it feels like people can't stand
to stay in soft gradients.

That's the feeling I get.

"RESPONDER"

SONG, LYRICS AND ARRANGEMENT
BY GEN HOSHINO

In the middle of the night
That envelops the city

I ponder the meaning of myself

Mask my vanity
And feign sanity with a smile

The edges of my mind are breaking down

Just deciding which path is
The right one to take

Narrowed the road ahead

How long will I have to live
Through these days?

Sadness comes and goes

"There's joy too, you know?"
That's right

I know that for sure

But it's always like this

I don't know what I know

Shameless light from a cracked screen

I start comparing and lose my composure

The numbers are solid

How long will I have to live
Through these days?

Hatred comes and goes

"Just be yourself, you know?"
That's right

Can you please shut up?

I wonder if someday
I'll know

How long will I have to live
Through these days?

Sadness comes and goes

"There's joy too, you know?"
That's right

I know that for sure

But it's always like this

I don't know what I know

It's almost the end of
the Tokyo Night View episode.

I'm sure there were some topics
that came up because of this location.

The question is if they're
in the show after the edit.

I may not promote this #2 too much.

I'll say this on behalf of Wakabayashi
because it may be hard for him to ask.

Since you're composing for the show,

he wants to create something,
but all he got

is a manzai like Tetsu and Tomo.

Don't just repeat what I said!

You could have put it a bit milder.

Hold on a minute.

Am I playing a guitar in this duo?

Like Tomo.

Wearing a blue tracksuit.

Do a little spin,

and then I strum and strum like this.

And say things only relatable
to those in their forties.

CHRISTMAS 2022

I'm almost tearing up as I speak.

For three years,
I couldn't tell anyone about it.

These are people who truly love Audrey,
so I don't want to disappoint them.

Now you're making me cry.

Have I told you how much I love you?

CHRISTMAS PRESENT