Jump to content

Lighthouse (talk show)

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by IanTEB (talk | contribs) at 03:14, 13 October 2023 (→Production). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Lighthouse
The show's yellow text logo. It it spelled in all caps, with the sizes of letters getting smaller towards the center. There are two angled yellow lines towards the bottom left and top right.
GenreComedy talk show
Directed byNobuyuki Sakuma [ja]
Presented by
Theme music composerGen Hoshino
Opening theme"Mad Hope"
Ending themeSee #Music
Country of originJapan
Original languageJapanese
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes6
Production
Executive producerShinichi Takahashi [ja]
ProducerNobuyuki Sakuma [ja]
Running time30–38 minutes[1]
Original release
NetworkNetflix
ReleaseAugust 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 [ja] 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

[1]

Themes

Production

Hoshino and Wakabayashi had collaborated on several works prior to Lighthouse. Notably, on Hoshino's segment of radio program All Night Nippon, Wakabayashi (under the stage name MC. Waka) featured on a cover of Hoshino's song "Pop Virus", and they later together worked on a commemorative jingle for the program. Lighthouse director and producer Nobuyuki Sakuma [ja] became interested in creating a talk show featuring Hoshino and Wakabayashi in 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;[2][3]: 1  Hoshino had also developed a confidence about his and Wakabyashi's conversations during their radio work.[4] Inspired by stand-up performances by 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.[5][3]: 1  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 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 thought that "Lighthouse" was a perfect name for the duo, symbolizing Hoshino and Wakabyashi as lighthouses that shine light for many people, whilst their own footsteps remain dark.[2][3]: 1 

Filming for Lighthouse began in October 2022.[6] Sakuma thought that this period (late 2022), when the coronavirus pandemic began to calm, was important for Hoshino and Wakabyashi as creators, and would thus make it easier for them to open up on the show.[3]: 1  Though Hoshino had been interested in the show since its proposal,[5] 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.[7] 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.[3]: 2 

TokionSakumaInterview前編. TokionSakumaInterview後編. TVTokyoInterview.

Release and response

Music

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

Mad Hope - Rockin'on.

OriconInterview前編. OriconInterview後編. WiredInterview

Episodes

No.TitleOriginal 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 Wakabyashi 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.

Notes

  1. ^ Gen Hoshino to Masayasu Wakabayashi no One Year (星野源と若林正恭のONE YEAR, Hoshino Gen to Wakabayashi Masayasu no One Year, lit. Gen Hoshino and Masayasu Wakabayashi's One Year)

References

  1. ^ "LIGHTHOUSE". Netflix. Archived from the original on August 28, 2023. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  2. ^ a b "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.
  3. ^ a b c d e "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 [ja] (in Japanese). Interviewed by Kozue Suzuki. Blueprint. September 8, 2023. Archived from the original on October 2, 2023. Retrieved October 2, 2023. Has three pages; can be switched at the bottom of the interview.
  4. ^ Takimoto, Daisuke, ed. (September 8, 2023). "星野源が語る"対話からの創造"と、Netflix「LIGHTHOUSE」で挑んだ新たな曲づくりのかたち" [Gen Hoshino talks about "constructing from dialogue" and his new creation style attempted on Netlix's Lighthouse]. Wired Japan (in Japanese). Interviewed by Tomoko Hasegawa. Condé Nast. Archived from the original on September 25, 2023. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
  5. ^ a b "佐久間宣行、星野源＆オードリー若林は「根っこの部分は誰よりもファイター」" [Nobuyuki Sakuma: "At their core, Gen Hoshino and Masayasu Wakabayashi are stronger fighters than anybody else"] (in Japanese). Interviewed by Roman Satō. TV Tokyo. September 6, 2023. Archived from the original on September 16, 2023. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  6. ^ "星野源&若林正恭、新ユニット「LIGHTHOUSE」結成 悩める2人がNetflixでガチトーク【コメントあり】" [Gen Hoshino and Masayasu Wakabayashi form new unit "Lighthouse". These two worried people will earnestly talk on Netflix (includes comment)] (in Japanese). Oricon. July 11, 2023. Archived from the original on July 11, 2023. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  7. ^ Hoshino, Gen; Wakabayashi, Masayasu (August 22, 2023). "The Dark Age". Lighthouse. Season 1. Episode 1 (in Japanese). Netflix. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Lighthouse_(talk_show)&oldid=1179891688"