Lighthouse (talk show)

Lighthouse (Japanese pronunciation: [ɾaitohaꜜɯsɯ]) is a Japanese variety talk show hosted by musician Gen Hoshino and comedian Masayasu Wakabayashi. The series sees Hoshino and Wakabayashi meeting monthly at different locations for half a year, discussing worries with aid from journals of their thoughts. Hoshino wrote six songs based on the talk show, which are used as opening and ending themes.

The concept for the series was conceived by television producer Nobuyuki Sakuma [ja] after watching Hoshino guest star on Wakabayashi's variety show Achikochi Audrey. Wishing to showcase the hosts evolution through episodes to almost mimick Japanese television drama, Sakuma conceived of Gen Hoshino and Masayasu Wakabayashi's One Year, similar to the final product but spanning a year's period. After changing the filming period to half a year due to scheduling constraints, Sakuma renamed the show to Lighthouse, also attaching this name to Hoshino and Wakabayashi's duo. Production began in October 2022, and featured a focus on preserving entertainment value via comedy throughout the heavier subjects.

Lighthouse was released worldwide via Netflix on August 22, 2023, with six episodes. It saw positive response from Japanese critics, who praised its style, theming, and Hoshino and Wakabayashi as presenters. Western reviewers commented that the show was potentially more tailored towards Japanese audiences. Hoshino's theme songs saw release as an extended play (EP) under the same title on September 8, which peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Japan Hot Albums chart.

Lighthouse is a talk variety show with comedy themes, hosted by musician and actor Gen Hoshino and comedian and television presenter Masayasu Wakabayashi. The show sees Hoshino and Wakabayashi meeting roughly once a month for half a year, discussing worries. The 1-Line Diaries, short notes written by the hosts in between episodes based on their present thoughts, serve to aid the conversations. The series features a change of location every episode, such as to a café, a hotel penthouse, or live stage featuring live viewers. Episodes end with a song by Hoshino, inspired by the conversations of the song's respective episode.

Hoshino and Wakabayashi had collaborated on several works prior to Lighthouse, spanning back to 2011. In June 2021, Hoshino guest appeared on Wakabayashi's variety show Achikochi Audrey, where they discussed what QJWeb described as their "ugly" or "murky" emotions. Hoshino's guest appearance inspired Lighthouse series director and producer Nobuyuki Sakuma [ja], who was working on Achikochi Audrey at that time, to create a show hosted by the two. He was impressed by their chemistry and thought that the duo's "synchronized" conversations resonated with the audience, which would make such a talk show a "masterpiece" with the qualities to be both binge-watchable and rewatchable.

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. Having observed that Hoshino made comments regarding the set in his Achikochi Audrey appearance, Sakuma planned a swap of location 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.

Under the production company D:Complex [ja], 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, as the presenters were 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 he assumed the show would cover 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 comic, but if the seriousness reaches him it would become "truly heavy." 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 insurance. Rather than long essays, he imagined that messages with a single punchline would reach more people.