Japan’s first gay romance reality series, “The Boyfriend”, has returned to Netflix with the second season set in Hokkaido, where the Green Room is now surrounded by snow and ice. But just like the first season, “The Boyfriend” brings a cast of men to live together and operate a coffee truck as they share memories, foster friendships and relationships, and learn from each other in a way that only living together allows for.
Release Schedule of “The Boyfriend” Season Two:
- January 13, 2026: Episodes 1-6
- January 20, 2026: Episodes 7-9
- January 27, 2026: Episodes 10-12
- February 3, 2026: Episodes 13-15
Over two months, ten men will be joining the Green Room. During the first episode, which takes place at the Green Room in Hokkaido, we learn that some of the participants are already familiar with each other.
Some of this season’s participants:
IZAYA (age 32) is an IT sales worker from the Tokyo Prefecture who is described as “both sincere and strict” and is seeking a partner who thinks seriously about the future. He’s dated William in the past.
WILLIAM (age 34) is an IT project manager from Peru who “dreams of getting married” having grown up seeing the healthy relationship between his parents, but he was hurt in a past relationship and is struggling to move forward.
JOBU (age 26) is a marketer from the Osaka Prefecture who wears his heart on his sleeve and is very expressive, to the point of coming off like a puppy at times. When he sees William, it’s love at first sight for him.
BOMI (age 23) is a university student from the Tokyo Prefecture searching for his first boyfriend and describes his ideal romance as “pure and innocent.” Bomi’s sense of style from everyday sweaters to snowboarding attire stood out the most to me.
HUWEI (age 26) is a graduate student from Thailand who speaks multiple languages and has just as much brawn as he does brains as a nationally ranked athlete for his home country.
HIROYA (age 29) is an art director from the Hokkaido Prefecture who is highly considerate and has moments each episode where he goes above and beyond to care for his housemates. He’s come on the show to hopefully change his avoidant nature.
Catch “The Boyfriend” on Netflix.
