Lighthouse (talk show)

Lighthouse
Genre	Talk show
Directed by	Nobuyuki Sakuma
Presented by	Gen Hoshino Masayasu Wakabayashi
Theme music composer	Gen Hoshino
Opening theme	"Mad Hope"
Ending theme	See #Music
Country of origin	Japan
Original language	Japanese
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	6
Production
Executive producer	Shinichi Takahashi
Producer	Nobuyuki Sakuma
Running time	30–38 minutes
Original release
Network	Netflix
Release	August 22, 2023

Lighthouse (Japanese: 「LIGHTHOUSE」〜悩める2人、6ヶ月の対話〜, Hepburn: Lighthouse: Nayameru Futari, Rokka Getsu no Taiwa, lit. Lighthouse: 2 Worried People, 6 Months of Discussions) is a Japanese talk show hosted by musician Gen Hoshino and comedian Masayasu Wakabayashi. Hoshino and Wakabayashi had collaborated on several works prior to Lighthouse: Wakabayashi, under the name MC. Waka, featured on a rap cover of Hoshino's song "Pop Virus", and they later together worked on a commemorative single for the 55th anniversary of All Night Nippon.

Hoshino and Wakabayashi had collaborated on several works prior to Lighthouse: Wakabayashi, under the name MC. Waka, featured on a rap cover of Hoshino's song "Pop Virus", and they later together worked on a commemorative single for the 55th anniversary of All Night Nippon. Show planner and producer Nobuyuki Sakuma first became interested in creating a talk show featuring Hoshino and Wakabayashi after Hoshino made a guest appearance on a variety show Sakuma was working on, Achikochi Audrey, presented by Wakabayashi. Sakuma was impressed by their chemistry, and thought that the duo's "synchronized" conversations resonated with the audience.

Format

Lighthouse is a talk show with comedy themes and elements of variety shows, hosted by musician and actor Gen Hoshino and comedian and television presenter Masayasu Wakabayashi. The show features Hoshino and Wakabayashi meeting roughly once a month for half a year, discussing worries. The recording location is changed every episode. The 1-Line Diaries serve as a basis for the conversations; short notes written by the hosts in between episodes based on their present thoughts. Episodes end with a song by Hoshino, inspired by the conversations of the song's respective episode.

Production

Hoshino and Wakabayashi had collaborated on several works prior to Lighthouse. Series director and producer Nobuyuki Sakuma became interested in creating a talk show presented by them around June 2021, after Hoshino made a guest appearance on Wakabayashi's variety show Achikochi Audrey, which Sakuma was working on at the time. Sakuma was impressed by their chemistry and thought that the duo's "synchronized" conversations resonated with the audience, which would make a talk show with the two a "masterpiece" with the qualities to be both binge-watchable and rewatchable; Hoshino had also developed a confidence about his and Wakabayashi's conversations during their radio work. Inspired by stand-up performances from American comedians such as Aziz Ansari, Sakuma wanted the series to showcase the presenters evolution throughout episodes, which would give it a style similar to Japanese drama. He planned a change of set every episode to change the emotions and contents of Hoshino and Wakabayashi's conversations. The original idea of the show was titled Gen Hoshino and Masayasu Wakabayashi's One Year, and would feature a similar format to the final product but instead spanning a full year. However, a one-year recording period proved too timely in regards to scheduling and translation, especially since all episodes were to receive a same-day release, and it was shortened to six months. It was renamed to Lighthouse, a name Sakuma had come up with for the duo of Hoshino and Wakabayashi. Sakuma had learnt the English word for lighthouse through short stories by Ray Bradbury and again saw the word in the title of a play he had viewed around the time of writing the talk show's proposal. He subsequently recalled the 2019 film The Lighthouse and then thought that the word was a perfect name for the duo, symbolizing Hoshino and Wakabayashi as lighthouses that shine light for many people whilst their own footsteps remain dark.

Filming for Lighthouse began in October 2022. Sakuma thought that this period (late 2022), when the coronavirus pandemic began to calm, was important for Hoshino and Wakabayashi as creators, and would thus make it easier for them to open up on the show. It was filmed with no strict plans, with the presenters being put in control of what to discuss. Though Hoshino had been interested in the show since its proposal, by the time of filming for the first episode, both he and Wakabayashi were still unsure of what the program would become; Wakabayashi commented that a talk show was unlike most other Netflix programming. Since the show covers heavy subjects, Sakuma wanted to preserve its entertainment value through comedy. Sakuma was the staff member located closest to the presenters during filming, which he commented put him in charge of important mood making. He said that when he laughs, the atmosphere becomes joking, but if the seriousness reaches him it would become "truly heavy." He would occassionally find himself intentionally not laughing at more old-fashioned jokes; he had found on other projects that if a scene with laughter is cut out in editing, it could lead to worse flow if the laughter continues on set. Though Sakuma believed that Hoshino and Wakabayashi's conversations alone would make the show a hit, he prepared the 1-Line Diary as a single quality ensurance. Rather than long essays, he imagined that messages with a single punchline would reach more people.

When filming concluded, Sakuma noted that the footage was "oustanding", but wanted to use it carefully in editing to prevent Lighthouse from appearing like a Hoshino and Wakabayashi "fan movie". Sakuma expected that viewers would find the talk show portions of the series simple, but did not have a problem with this due to his belief in Hoshino and Wakabayashi. Per direction from distributor Netflix, the more "rich" and "stylish" parts of the show were designated to Hoshino's opening and endings, which Sakuma put in charge to Yūko Yasunaga, noted for their work on music videos for Sakanaction. The production team experimented with what telop (superimposed text, such as subtitles) style to use; one iteration was pure white, without color coordination, similarly to movie subtitles. In cooperation with the representative from Netflix, they created four iterations before deciding on a terop style that they thought was easy for viewers to laugh to.

Music

Hoshino (pictured in 2017) created the opening and ending themes for Lighthouse.

Mad Hope - Rockin'on. Orange Review.

OriconInterview前編. OriconInterview後編. WiredInterview

Release

Around the time of seeing Hoshino's guest appearance on Achikochi Audrey, Sakuma was asked by streaming service Netflix if he was interesting in working with them on a second project, following his reality show Last One Standing. When Sakuma presented the idea of Lighthouse – a talk show centered on worries – to executive producer Shinichi Takahashi from Netflix, Takahashi immediately felt that it was a presently very needed program. Netflix revealed the talk show's title and Sakuma's involvement via Twitter on July 9, 2023, with a picture of Hoshino and Wakabayashi's silhouettes, urging users to guess who was pictured. They published a trailer on August 9 and formally announced the series and further details the next day alongside a line-up of four other original Japanese variety and reality shows. The announcement was part of an initiative to expand Netflix in Japan. The Japanese branch's content manager described it as "a new phase" in their content strategy, highering investments in unscripted and new concepts from the Japan's "most innovative creative voices", as he emphasized that unscripted content makes up over 70% of Japanese prime time programming. Lighthouse was released worldwide with six episodes on Netflix on August 22, 2023. From August 21 to 27, it was the fourth most-viewed Japanese series on Netflix. It left all of Netflix's top ten lists the next week.

When asked about a second season, Sakuma stated: "There are things that only those two can do, so I'm unsure if [a second season] is the best way to do things, but personally I would of course like to do it. Other than that, I would like to try new owarai with [Wakabayashi's comedy duo] Audrey and make something standalone from Lighthouse with Hoshino-san."

Episodes

No.	Title	Original release date
1	"The Dark Age" Transliteration: "Ankoku Jidai" (Japanese: 暗黒時代)	August 22, 2023 (2023-08-22)
On October 17, 2022, Hoshino and Wakabayashi meet for the first time in several months at a café in the Koenji area of Asagaya, a place they had spent much of their younger struggling years. They discuss these younger years and their pre to early careers, creative block and the uncertainty of the future, and societal expectations and public images. The ending theme is "Tōdai".
2	"Tokyo: Light and Darkness" Transliteration: "Tōkyō: Hikari to Yami" (Japanese: 東京〜光と闇〜)	August 22, 2023 (2023-08-22)
On November 14, 2022, Wakabayashi and Hoshino gather at a two million yen (approx. US$10,000) hotel room with outlook to the Tokyo Tower. They discuss lack of confidence in exceeding past works, sympathy, equality, and social media usage. The ending theme is "Kaitōsha".
3	"Christmas Present" Transliteration: "Christmas Purezento" (Japanese: Christmas プレゼント)	August 22, 2023 (2023-08-22)
On December 25, 2022, Christmas Day, Wakabayashi and Hoshino arrive at a Christmas-decorated cottage in Adachi, Tokyo. They discuss the evolution and future of their careers. The ending theme is "Nakama Hazure".
4	"Surprise Live" Transliteration: "Sapuraizu Raibu" (Japanese: サプライズライブ)	August 22, 2023 (2023-08-22)
On February 11, 2023, a hundred people are gathered in a theater in the Toshima ward for an unstated showing. It is revealed by Hoshino and Wakabayashi to be a live performance of the yet-unannounced talk show. They continue to discuss their early lives and futures, as they recap previous moments from the show to audience members. They also briefly touch on the rap jingle they created for All Night Nippon. Wakabashi, inspired by conversations from the first episode, reveals that he had written more rap lyrics in a similar style to the jingle. These lyrics are performed by Hoshino and Wakabayashi on the episode's ending theme, "Orange".
5	"Drive and Determination" Transliteration: "Doraibu to Ketsui" (Japanese: ドライブと決意)	August 22, 2023 (2023-08-22)
On May 6, 2023, Wakabayashi picks up Hoshino in Sendagaya, Shibuya, for a half hour car drive to Miura, Kanagawa. During the drive, they talk about their changes throughout the series, reflect on past episodes, and again discuss topics of creative block and society. They arrive at a beach in Miura and head to a café, leading into the final episode. There is no ending theme.
6	"Lighthouse"	August 22, 2023 (2023-08-22)
At the café, Hoshino and Wakabayashi continue to reflect on the series and their careers, talking about their futures and goals. They are finally brought to a real lighthouse, where they retrospect a last time before walking off in different directions. The final ending theme is "Shikatanaku Odoru", written from the conversations of all episodes.

Reception

[1]

Further reading

• "佐久間宣行が考える40代以降のクリエイティブと自身の未来　「40歳までにいろんなものを吸収しまくってきたからこそ今がある」　『LIGHTHOUSE』インタビュー後編" [Nobuyuki Sakuma thinks about his personal and creative future past his 40s: "I am who I am today thanks to the various things I have experienced." Lighthouse Interview, Latter]. Tokion (in Japanese). Interviewed by Ryūji Ogura. September 1, 2023. Archived from the original on October 14, 2023. Retrieved October 14, 2023.

External links

• Lighthouse on Netflix