Lighthouse (talk show)
Lighthouse | |
---|---|
Genre | Comedy talk show |
Presented by | |
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 | |
Producer | Nobuyuki Sakuma |
Running time | 35 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 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
Themes
Production
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 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. The original idea of the show was titled Gen Hoshino and Masayasu Wakabayashi's One Year,[a] 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 areas such as scheduling, 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 when he wrote the proposal for the talk show. He subsequently recalled a line from the 2019 film The Lighthouse – whilst a lighthouse shines light for many people, its own footsteps remain dark – which he felt perfectly fitted Hoshino and Wakabayashi.[1][2]
TokionSakumaInterview前編. TokionSakumaInterview後編. TVTokyoInterview.
Music
OriconInterview前編. OriconInterview後編. WiredInterview
Episodes
No. | Title | Original air date | |
---|---|---|---|
1 | "The Dark Age" Transliteration: "Ankoku Jidai" (Japanese: 暗黒時代) | August 22, 2023 | |
On October 17, 2022, Hoshino and Wakabayashi meet for the first time in several months at a cafe in the Koenji area of Asagaya, Suginami, Tokyo, 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 "Toudai". | |||
2 | "Tokyo: Light and Darkness" Transliteration: "Tōkyō: Hikari to Yami" (Japanese: 東京〜光と闇〜) | August 22, 2023 | |
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 | |
4 | "Surprise Live" Transliteration: "Sapuraizu Raibu" (Japanese: サプライズライブ) | August 22, 2023 | |
5 | "Drive and Determination" Transliteration: "Doraibu to Ketsui" (Japanese: ドライブと決意) | August 22, 2023 | |
6 | "Lighthouse" | August 22, 2023 | |
Notes
References
- ^ "佐久間宣行が語る若林正恭と星野源 「2人が抱えている苦悩は、日本社会全体の問題です」 『LIGHTHOUSE』インタビュー前編" [Nobuyuki Sakuma talks about Masayasu Wakabayashi and Gen Hoshino: "The problems the two face are problems with the Japanese society at large." Lighthouse Interview, Former]. Tokion (in Japanese). Interviewed by Ryūji Ogura. September 13, 2023. Archived from the original on September 14, 2023. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
- ^ a b "佐久間宣行が星野源&若林正恭との『LIGHTHOUSE』で感じた"セルフケアの重要性" 「共感性が高いことは大事だが、この時代に生きるのは大変」" [Nobuyuki Sakuma felt the importance of self-care in Lighthouse, starring Gen Hoshino and Masayasu Wakabayashi. "Though it is important to have a high level of empathy, nowadays it's gotten to a point where it's hard to live]. Real Sound Tech (in Japanese). Interviewed by Kozue Suzuki. September 8, 2023. Archived from the original on October 2, 2023. Retrieved October 2, 2023.