The Editorial Department Speaks! How Thinking About the Brilliance of Netflix's "LIGHTHOUSE" Led Me to Natsume Soseki
Have you already watched the Netflix series "LIGHTHOUSE"?
I watched the first episode on the day it was released on Netflix, and it was so good that I stayed up late and binged all six episodes that same day.
Since then, I've been listening to radio shows and Spaces, learning about the behind-the-scenes stories, and rewatching it... it's a program that is so rich that the more you chew on it, the more flavor you get.
(From here on, I will be touching heavily on the content of the program, so if you want to watch it without any prior information, I would be happy if you could come back after you've seen it.)
※ This article is published as part of the "The SKY PerfecTV! Note Editorial Department Speaks!" series, where the SKY PerfecTV! Note editorial department freely talks about entertainment that moved or excited them so much that they "just had to talk about it." If you would like to see previous "Speaks!" articles, please click
here from there.
What is "LIGHTHOUSE"?
A six-episode program released as a Netflix series on Tuesday, August 22, 2023.
Gen Hoshino and Masayasu Wakabayashi, who are active as top creators representing Japan, have a serious talk just the two of them once a month.
It is a talk variety show recorded for six consecutive months, themed around the "worries" that everyone empathizes with in this era full of worries.
Given the unit name "LIGHTHOUSE" with the meaning that "while they are lighthouses illuminating the light for worried people, their own feet seem dark," they deliver energy and laughter to an era full of worries.
On "Gen Hoshino's All Night Nippon," he mentioned that he was working on something while saying "I can't say it yet," and it was clear that he was creating many songs.
When the information about the program content was released, and I learned that it was recorded for six consecutive months, and that he was surprisingly creating a song based on the talk of each episode, and that the performance was also included in the program, rather than happiness, I first fell into a situation where I couldn't immediately grasp the situation, thinking "A new song every episode??? Six songs (including the theme song)??? What does this mean???" and was unable to process the situation.
It seems it also overlapped with the production period of "Seimeitai," the theme song for the TBS "World Athletics" and "Asian Games."
I wouldn't dare complain about being busy with work in front of Gen-san...! lol
＊
Such is "LIGHTHOUSE," and it is also interesting that the conversation location is different every time.
It starts at Yonchome Cafe in Koenji, a place of memories for both of them from their days of struggling, followed by a 2 million yen (!) per night hotel in Minato Ward, a living room set up for a Christmas party, a surprise live show where Nobuyuki Sakuma, who handled the production of this program, called out on Twitter to gather an audience, and then various places such as inside a car as a drive, a cafe near the sea where they ended up, and a lighthouse, which is the meaning of their unit name.
(I saw Sakuma-san's call, but I hesitated, and I regret it so much. I enjoyed reading this viewing report note!)
The content of the program, as mentioned above, is themed around "worries."
As a "one-line diary," they each write down the worries they felt during the month leading up to the recording date, present them to each other, and the talk develops from there.
If you put it that way, that is everything about this program, and it is a very simple content.
But, from the moment I finished watching the first episode, I felt an excitement that made me want to contact people who had already seen it, saying "This is crazy!".
Why was I so moved by the dialogue between the two?
When I thought about that, the emotion that suddenly came to mind was the excitement I felt when I first read a novel by Natsume Soseki.
The "Worried Person" seen in Soseki's works
The protagonists who appear in Natsume Soseki's works seem to always live with conflicts.
In the first place, the pen name "Soseki" is said to come from the meaning of "stubborn and a sore loser," so from that, perhaps the author's own personality had something in common with the protagonists of Soseki's works.
For example, the protagonist of "Botchan" is no exception; he is straightforward and hates things that are crooked. At the same time, he is a person who looks at the world a little askew.
He is not the type who is obedient or can be a people-pleaser, so he is not a character who is "good at living" (rather the opposite).
But his straightforward way of thinking is logical, and it feels good to watch. That is probably why he is loved.
Takeshi Yoro, a medical scientist and anatomist who is also famous for his book "The Wall of Idiots," gave a lecture on "Botchan" to junior high school students and said the following:
Clashing and having conflicts happens because you feel a gap somewhere with society and the world.
And you think about various things within yourself to try to adjust that gap.
Soseki probably connected that to writing. I think the motivation for writing things lies there.
The "gap" between oneself and society.
Indeed, when you read the text of "Botchan," that dissatisfaction with the world seeps out in various places.
When I think about it, it seems that most people in society encourage becoming bad.
They seem to believe that if you don't become bad, you won't succeed in society.
Sometimes, when they see an honest, pure person, they find fault with them, calling them a "Botchan" (naive) or a "kid," and look down on them. (Omitted)
When Red Shirt laughed 'ho ho ho,' he was laughing at my simplicity.
It's hopeless in a world where simplicity and sincerity are laughed at.
Alternatively, in "Kokoro," the jealousy and confusion felt toward a friend due to love are depicted quite nakedly.
Even without that, I didn't have a very good feeling watching K and the people at my house gradually become closer.
If you ask why I would feel bad about things going exactly as I had initially hoped, that's all there is to it. I must be a fool.
Although these novels were published nearly 120 years ago, I was shocked when I first read both of them in school textbooks.
I remember nodding and thinking, 'I get it, I get it,' at the many worries, envy, and jealousy that I also had experience with, but would never dare to talk about with friends.
At the same time, precisely because no one talks about such things or empathizes with each other,
I felt thatit's okay to have these deeply human emotions and a sense of being 'out of sync' with the world, and it's okay to let them out.and,
I felt it was a source of hope that there are characters who honestly confront others with these feelings, and writers who write them down in text.
The year is 2023.
Perhaps "LIGHTHOUSE" was a program that became exactly that kind of 'hope' for us living in the modern age.
Worries and letting them out in "LIGHTHOUSE"
Gen Hoshino and Masayasu Wakabayashi—if you only look at where they stand on the front stage now, you might think they have no worries, or that they carry worries on a different dimension than us—I think it's understandable to think that way about the two of them.
However, when the two of them had their first conversation for this program in Koenji, the contents they wrote in their one-line diaries were,
Hoshino'Even as an adult, the stress never decreases at all'
Wakabayashi'(Omitted) People who say 'I value diversity' themselves don't, and people who say 'diversity is difficult' are the ones who value it'
Hoshino'I want to become someone who can live happily even when I feel I am not needed'
Wakabayashi'I can't come up with any material. It's already my 22nd year.'
They were so naked, relatable, and yet content that got to the core of things. (Suddenly faced with this negative emotion-venting session, Wakabayashi-san couldn't help but retort, 'Hoshino-san, what are you trying to do with this program! (laughs)')
Just as I felt when reading Soseki's works, this "LIGHTHOUSE" was not only a talk show between the two,but also a program that focused on and faced the worries deep in the hearts of each viewer.
In the midst of this, Wakabayashi-san undergoes a tremendous change from episodes 1 to 6.
The diary entry mentioned earlier in episode 1 about 'not being able to come up with material' leads to a more essential worry in episode 3,
and as Gen-san, who has gone through similar experiences first, responds to Wakabayashi-san's worries, you can clearly see Wakabayashi-san's worries and confusion gradually being sublimated.
(It is clear and interesting if you watch episode 6 immediately after watching episodes 1-2)
I would like you to watch the main episodes to experience the process and changes for yourself, but at the very least, regarding Wakabayashi-san, through facing his worries over these six months, he moved toward breaking through them.
Beyond the struggles we shared
"The treasure map for 10 or 20 years from now lies within your current worries."
Gen says this in Episode 6.
The same goes for Wakabayashi-san this time; these are words that could only come from two people who have struggled deeply and, to put it bluntly, have found a path to live only beyond such worries and darkness.
I used to think that the less you "worry," the better.
If I'm going to spend minutes just trying to pick lunch at a convenience store, I'd rather someone just automatically provide me with a variety every day,
and I'd like to stop staying up late worrying about an uncertain future or vague relationship issues, only to regret it the next morning.
But (setting aside trivial worries like "I can't decide on lunch!"), there are times when you inevitably fall into a "state of worry."
At times like that, you should try to understand yourself while you're struggling,
for example, by venting a little to a close friend,
or if you can't do that, by writing it down like Soseki or in a "one-line diary."
Through "LIGHTHOUSE," I've come to realize that acknowledging your worries and living with them in that way is surely a necessary process for moving on to the next stage.
Nothing has been
solved, but we came to the sea anyway
Even two entertainers who are at the very top in Japan are struggling every day,
and in the first place, we have been creatures who worry for hundreds of years.
I think I'll keep living with a "Hurray for worries!" attitude from now on.
Well, I need to decide on dinner for tonight soon...! (laughs)
▽ Stream all 6 episodes here.
▽ See the previous "The Editorial Department Speaks!" series here.
(Text by Tantan)