Love Village (2022-…): Season 1, Episode 1 - Episode #1.1 - full transcript
Please be the final man in my life.
-What?
-They look mature.
Out of nowhere?
Please play the starring role in my life.
FINDING THE LAST TRUE LOVE OF THEIR LIVES
Please leave Love Village with me.
A GROWN-UP LOVE STORY
I really like you,
so let's leave together.
-What?!
-What?!
Talk about grown-up!
HERE…
You should take it
to the limit during sex.
-Would you be able to have sex?
-Right.
Exhale, and down.
And when you breathe from your nose…
Wow! This is amazing!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY YUKORIN
…THEY WILL SOMETIMES LAUGH.
Stop. You're an adult, so sit.
THEY WILL SOMETIMES FIGHT.
Have you ever thought about
who you'd be happier with?
Falling in love is exhausting.
-Thank you.
-Sure.
AND THEY WILL SOMETIMES CRY.
She saw me as a person.
Huh?
"YOU ALWAYS THINK
YOUR FIRST LOVE IS THE LAST
AND YOUR LAST LOVE IS THE FIRST."
TOVE JANSSON
Wow. That was more grown-up
than I thought it would be.
-Same here.
-Right?
They're further along
life's journey than me.
It's just that I didn't think
they'd have so much fire and passion.
That older man was really crying.
He really was.
Wow! I'm really looking forward to this.
I really am too.
-Wow, so stylish.
-What a stylish clip.
My name is Totchan.
-Totchan.
-Totchan.
I'm a single mother
with a son in sixth grade.
I see.
I've been divorced for two years.
I should've already learned
the painful difference
between romance and marriage.
I see.
But now I want to fall in love again.
Yeah.
Then one day,
I received an invitation that read,
"You might find
the final love of your life."
Wow.
A car came to pick me up.
I don't know how many hours we drove.
The car came to a stop.
When I opened the gate…
Whoa.
…I saw an old Japanese-style house.
-Wow.
-It's bigger than I thought.
HERE IN THIS OLD JAPANESE-STYLE HOUSE…
-What a beautiful place!
-Lucky!
-The grown-ups are here.
-There's an older dude!
-And so it begins.
-Yes, it has.
Love Village.
TOTCHAN, 45
THERAPIST
BORN IN HYOGO PREFECTURE
MARRIED ONCE
She's cute.
HOLLYWOOD, 51
ACTOR
-There's a "Hollywood."
-"Hollywood"?!
OKAYO, 39
CONVENIENCE STORE CLERK
BORN IN OSAKA
MARRIED ONCE
-Some previous marriages.
-Yeah.
TABO, 35
BUSINESSMAN
NEVER MARRIED
Not him though.
YUKIEMON, 45
BARISTA
BORN IN AICHI PREFECTURE
NEVER MARRIED
MINANE, 60
PICTURE BOOK AUTHOR
BORN IN OSAKA
MARRIED TWICE
-Oh, she's got experience.
-Married twice!
JOHNNY, 60
PSYCHOLOGIST
BORN IN TOKYO
NEVER MARRIED
-Sixty years old!
-What?!
ANCHOVY, 46
ITALIAN CHEF
BORN IN TOKYO
NEVER MARRIED
-"Anchovy"!
-That's the best name ever.
A MATURE LOVE STORY
THAT BEGINS AT AN OLD HOUSE
Looks like it'll be fun.
-What's this?
-Wow, what a big house.
-Hello.
-Hello.
It's amazing.
-I bet they're nervous.
-Yeah.
Built in 1870, the house is 152 years old.
Can we open it here?
Let's open it together.
Ready? Open!
No way. Incredible!
The front entrance
leads to a Japanese-style main hall.
-Whoa.
-This is great.
-Keep our shoes on?
-No way.
Take our shoes off?
They didn't fix up the house?
-It's so dirty.
-Our feet will get filthy.
A sunken hearth?
It's like the house in My Neighbor Totoro.
-There's electricity, right?
-We gotta clean.
They have to make the house livable.
The house was vacant for a long time,
so it will require a lot of work.
They have to work together.
Whoa! Is this the kitchen?
Next to the main hall
is an earthen-floor room.
with a kitchen from an age gone by.
Whoa. Wow!
-Are your feet all black?
-They are. This is bad.
That's when…
Huh? They're here!
…the village gate opened.
-The village. They're here.
-They're here.
Oh no! They're here! Look!
The grown-ups are pumped.
They look so happy.
She's not holding back. Wow, it's like…
-Like young girls.
-Yeah.
Four male housemates have arrived.
Okay.
They're here.
What are you laughing at?!
My name is Anchovy.
Nice to meet you.
I'm Johnny, a psychologist.
-Johnny.
-Yes.
I'm Tabo from Fukuoka Prefecture.
I go by the name Hollywood.
Eight strangers age 35 and older meet
in front of the old Japanese-style house.
They have fallen
in and out of love in their lives
and will now live together
and bare their unvarnished selves.
Gotta remember their names.
As far as looks go, Tabo is good-looking,
and he seems cool.
-True.
-He's a young businessman.
Tabo is totally my type.
-Yeah.
-Makes sense.
His face.
First impression, Okayo is number one.
She has a nice smile.
A baritone voice.
I'd like to have a fiery romance
one more time.
It's low even for an actor.
Their number-one goal here is
to find the last true love of their lives.
If they find their sweetheart,
they'll ring the Bell of Love
behind the house and profess their love.
Wow! That's awesome!
They'll receive a reply the next day.
If they become a couple,
they will kiss and leave the village.
If turned down, the rejected party will
leave and a new housemate will be added.
Their life here at Love Village
will spark romances more intense
than the younger generation's.
Is that true?
No way. This is already so interesting.
-It really draws you in.
-Doesn't it?
The animation is so cool.
It is.
It's so cool that it's even better
than the actual people.
If they kiss, that's a yes,
and they leave the village, right?
Yeah.
It's pure excitement at this stage.
I agree, but when I saw you
on TV the other day, you said,
"I'm not very interested
in the love lives of others."
That took me by surprise.
I'm like, "We're about to do
a romance reality show."
No, I mean… How can I put this?
I'm not interested in lovers' quarrels.
It's like, I don't need to see that.
But I like the early stages.
So this is okay.
But when they start fighting later,
I might not be so into it.
You said you're not into fights,
but I love them.
I bet the production staff cast people
who are bad drunks.
It's very likely.
It's an old Japanese-style house
in the middle of nowhere.
-Yay! It's here!
-Eggs?
Milk.
Food ordered from an online store
has been delivered to the village.
The housemates each have
a budget of 30,000 yen a month,
and they order daily essentials
using a single computer
that has been provided.
-Wow.
-A single PC.
Their phones have also been confiscated
so they can focus on romance.
-That's important.
-Yes.
They must also spend
their days without a TV.
Whoa!
It's a swallow.
It's freaking me out.
Wow.
How cute.
Someone join me to get stuff to eat.
-I wanna go.
-Good idea.
Take off the suit.
They said we could take
what we wanted from here.
THE VILLAGE FIELD
There's a field next to the front gate.
They can grow vegetables
and live a semi-self-sufficient life.
I love this kind of thing.
Green onions.
If we pull from the bottom…
It broke off.
It came out.
It snapped in half.
What's so funny about that?
Back at the house making dinner is…
Sounds like serious knife work.
-Isn't that Anchovy?
-He's a chef.
…Anchovy, the Italian chef.
He has a restaurant in Setagaya
and lives alone
in a house he owns in Hachioji.
I can't do that.
He's got skills.
I'll use these in the broth.
No way!
Just for a little bit.
You know a lot about cooking.
Yay! That's amazing.
That's reassuring.
-Anchovy, are you a chef?
-No comment.
No comment?
For some reason,
Anchovy won't say he's a chef.
Why?
I feel like they'll always make me cook
if I tell them.
What's the big deal?
I want to do other things.
But you'll have to tell them eventually.
Right. Should I tell them?
-Were you gonna keep it a secret?
-I don't know.
I feel like women don't see chefs
as good marriage partners.
He has it backward.
We don't get weekends off.
THAT EVENING
Love Village housemates, cheers!
-Cheers!
-Cheers!
The party has started.
Cheers!
-Oh no, there's alcohol.
-Uh-oh.
-So yummy.
-Hooray!
AN HOUR AND A HALF LATER
After some drinks,
it's time for some anonymous questions.
What's your academic history?
High school graduate.
I graduated from vocational school.
-College graduate.
-High school graduate.
-College graduate.
-College dropout.
College graduate.
Graduate school with a doctoral degree.
KEIO UNIVERSITY GRADUATE
-Were you the one who wrote that?
-You totally wrote that.
-All right, next one.
-Okay.
What was the most exciting
sex you've had?
-What?!
-Whose is that?!
Who wrote that?
-Who'll start?
-Start here.
It was most exciting when I did it
with the person I loved the most.
That's the best!
But wouldn't your first time be the best?
Your first time?
Losing your virginity to a woman.
Wait, what? A virgin?
The night I was proposed to.
Like when you think,
"It's okay if I get pregnant."
-"It's okay to have a kid."
-Right.
And you, Tabo?
When I saw my girlfriend three months
after a long-distance relationship
between Japan and the US, it was crazy.
That's intense.
As soon as we met,
like, I can't even say it here.
What about you, Okayo?
I'm not sure.
When you're dating,
you like that person, right?
When I'm with that person,
I like to watch their face
when they climax.
Wait! What?!
Wow!
She likes the look on her partner's face.
But the guy usually shuts his eyes,
so I'm just staring.
-That's a lot to share with strangers.
-I couldn't do that.
What's with the swallow shot?
He invited me out and came on strong.
Are you easily seduced?
-Yeah.
-You are? I get it.
If a guy comes on strong, I go with it.
They're talking so loudly now.
I want them to be
that much in love with me.
You want them to go after you.
I think that's true.
Surprisingly, we're all…
-We are.
-Yeah, right? I know.
You stink of rice crackers.
Smells like booze.
Who cares?
Your breath reeks of rice crackers.
Hey, how old are they?
The next day, a carpenter comes
to kick off the renovation.
They've brought in a carpenter.
They will give the 152-year-old house
a wonderful new lease on life.
-Wow.
-Can't wait to see that.
Let's do the tabletop.
-That looks kinda cool.
-That's incredible.
A single board.
Just watching them
do the renovation is fun.
It's a single-board table
where everyone can dine.
This looks hard on the back,
but we have to do it.
And in the main hall…
That's incredible.
They're replacing the tatami?
Oh, they're airing them out.
Oh no. I'm gonna sweat like crazy.
They're changing the flooring?
When their work is done,
they can spend their time
however they want.
-There he is. Hollywood.
-Whoa. That's cool!
From what I know, or from what I've heard,
men who unexpectedly cheat
have a strong tendency to gravitate
toward women who are good in bed.
Men talk about that kind of thing.
When I ask, "And your wife?"
they say she's not very good in bed,
so they'd rather not do it.
Adult conversation.
I'm an adult, too, but I don't think
I'd go right to that topic.
Meanwhile, two people find themselves
alone in the women's room in the attic.
-Window screens would be nice.
-Yeah.
It's Tabo and Totchan.
Tabo is a young businessman
who runs two restaurants,
one in Fukuoka and the other in the US.
Totchan is a therapist
and single mother with a 12-year-old son.
All right, let's get this done now.
I'm scared of the bugs here too.
Actually, in the female housemates' room…
Is something there?
…there was a giant spider 10 cm long.
I can't even!
We have to deal with it.
We can't leave it like that.
It's like a Halloween decoration.
-It might fall.
-You got it.
That won't work. You gotta trap it.
-Get out of here!
-Go home!
Looks like they're having fun.
If you look closely at the walls,
there are gaps all over.
Scary. So scary.
That's why Tabo offers to help install
window screens to keep bugs out,
even if only a little bit.
I see.
-Are you on target?
-My bangs keep getting in the way.
That's when…
A hairband.
-Whose is it?
-Mine.
-Can I use it?
-Sure.
It's for women though.
Nice.
He's really good-looking.
I feel like an old carpenter.
-You are.
-Here goes.
Looks like something's starting.
Seems like it.
Right here.
It's a good match.
It looked great on him.
He looked really cool.
Just a little tighter.
All right.
Huh?
The look on their faces…
Yeah. And he's surprisingly muscular.
-Did that work?
-Yeah.
-Nice. Looks good.
-Is it okay?
Hooray!
Nice work.
Well done.
Now the bugs can't get in.
I'll return it after I wash it.
It's fine. I'm gonna use it today.
-You will?
-Did you sweat?
No. But wait a sec.
-It's fine.
-It is?
They have a natural vibe going.
THAT NIGHT
We interviewed Totchan.
I want a romance that makes my heart race.
With that in mind, out of the four men,
if I include sexual attraction,
Tabo is the only one.
-Huh?!
-What?
What?! Did I say something weird?
When I say "sexual,"
I mean I find him attractive.
But that's romance, right?
It's an important part.
I mean, that's what romance is about.
Romance is about sexual attraction, right?
And once you're a couple,
you stop having sex.
-But it's important, right?
-That's true.
Right? Sexual attraction
makes your heart race.
Yeah, you're right.
That's the difference
between a friend and a boyfriend.
It's a big difference.
-Yeah.
-Right?
Wow, everyone's talking about sex.
They didn't waste any time.
They sure didn't.
It's just different.
You can't watch this the same way
you watch other romance reality shows.
Right. This one's heating up quick.
-It's fast.
-The tempo's different.
-Johnny and Minane, was it?
-Yeah.
When they were on the bench,
he jumped right into talking
about women who are good in bed.
Will that get her revved up?
Totchan has her eye on Tabo.
She said she has only one choice.
It's sexual for her.
When I think how Totchan watched
his biceps as he held the hammer,
I can't help but laugh.
I'm a bit worried.
I wanna tell her not to rush it.
Yeah, she may get a taste of someone else
if she slows down and talks to them.
From her angle,
I think Hollywood would taste just fine.
You gotta chew hard to get
any flavor from Hollywood and Johnny.
-Is that right?
-Yeah.
-Go, if you've decided?
-I'll start.
-Me too.
-Okay, go ahead.
What's happening?
We asked the eight housemates
to vote for who they thought
would make the best village leader.
-A leader?
-Oh, a leader.
-I'll announce the votes.
-Okay.
First vote, Johnny.
-Another Johnny.
-Johnny?
Johnny!
It's Johnny.
Age before beauty?
It's all yours, Johnny.
Johnny is a psychologist
who runs a hospital and clinic.
His sixth car,
a bright-red Porsche, is his favorite.
Six cars?
Actually, there was a reason
why he had so many votes.
Convenience store clerk Okayo
asked for advice
on how to get along with her boss.
Who do you think is your customer?
My customer?
The people who come to the store
are the store's customers.
Right, I get it.
The one buying your time is the owner.
So the owner is your sponsor
and your customer.
So if you devote yourself to making
the owner happy, it will go well.
That's how it works.
Do that and your irritation will vanish.
-It'll get a lot easier.
-That makes sense.
WHAT DOES SATISFACTION
MEAN FOR WOMEN?
As for Totchan,
who has a son in sixth grade…
Here's what Freud's
Introduction to Psychoanalysis says.
When a woman has a son,
she'll finally find satisfaction.
At first, girls subconsciously
really like their father,
but they give up because they
don't want to clash with their mother.
When they get a boyfriend,
they finally have
a wonderful sweetheart of their own
and are finally satisfied.
But things never turn out
as one expects, right?
And it says when women have a son,
they finally get
their own darling little boy.
Women take great satisfaction from that.
Johnny is chosen for his wealth
of experience and knowledge.
Johnny's so cool.
He's their rock.
THE NEXT DAY
Wow!
Today, they're replacing the floorboards.
Like this.
-I want you to remove these boards.
-Okay!
They can only gather
in that dirt-floor room
until they do this.
That's true.
Totchan is working next to Tabo,
the guy she's into.
-She's always with him.
-It's like, "Dibs."
This might work better.
What fun. Look! He's touching her.
Did he have to hold her like that?
Meanwhile, the man getting
the most done is…
-Hollywood?
-It's Hollywood.
Yes!
…the hot-blooded actor Hollywood.
He can lift it with one hand.
-Hollywood's the real deal.
-Yeah, I know.
It's like, "He's a carpenter too?"
He's a natural. Seriously.
Next, you do it over there.
Yes, sir.
His baritone voice.
Let's take a break.
-Where are you going? Wait!
-We're taking a break.
-What the hell?!
-Come on, hurry.
A true actor.
The first starring role
in our Love Village story
is the rather overbearing Hollywood.
He's good.
At age 19, he set his sights on acting,
spending 30 years in the US and Australia
as an actor and stuntman.
He returned to Japan three years ago,
but there was little work due to COVID-19.
Moreover, he found himself single
at the age of 50 after his wife left him.
Oh no.
What is the ideal woman
he is seeking here at Love Village?
The next woman I'd like to be with
is someone sociable, family-oriented,
and who can generally enjoy the company
of people who are considered to be stars.
I'd like that. Yeah.
His voice is cool.
He wants to find a woman
he can walk the red carpet with
once his acting career takes off.
Hollywood is entering
the final do-or-die battle of his life.
He is more serious than anyone else
about finding a marriage partner.
I want to root for him.
-Let's go.
-Break time.
Yukiemon invites Hollywood
to take a break with her.
She's vulnerable to guys' advances.
Yukiemon welcomed the male housemates
with a smile.
-She's so cute.
-Yeah.
This jack of all trades can do anything
from barista work to event organizing.
-How's it going?
-I'm having fun.
That was… really great.
-What was?
-Like, how you really go for it.
-Manly and stuff?
-Yeah, that's great.
-You put your strengths to good use.
-I see.
What's your type?
Well, you know. Someone like you, Yukine.
Someone who is cheerful.
-It's Yukiemon.
-Right, Yukiemon.
He mixed it up with Minane.
I mixed your names up. Yukiemon, right.
Your cheerfulness is nice.
Thank you.
Having a gloomy look on my face
won't solve anything, right?
-So, why not just have fun?
-I agree.
Hollywood starts talking
about what happens
when you become the wife of an actor.
I have celebrity acquaintances.
Are you the kind of person
who's okay with that?
You have to go to fancy parties.
I love that kind of stuff.
-Yeah, okay. That's great.
-I seriously love that stuff.
I've never been to one.
But you have to present yourself properly,
not like a fangirl.
Of course. But you need
that fangirl sense of wonder.
But I'm not desperate
to go to events like that.
-I'm not.
-I see.
It's cute how he's trying to act cool.
-Sounds like a dream come true.
-I guess.
Well, it's been 51 years.
I've had the same dream since I was 19.
That's amazing.
-That's all I have.
-Yeah.
It's great you can say that.
I want you to always do what you love
and to keep dreaming.
That's the kind of person I am too.
I lead that kind of life.
-Well, then, we have that in common.
-Yeah.
As a career woman, she's quite appealing.
She's sociable, and she can cook.
And the ebb and flow
of our conversations is so natural.
In that sense,
we get along in a lot of ways.
When it comes to romance,
is it obvious when you love someone?
It's already showing.
I find Yukiemon attractive.
And I want to protect her if I can.
-That was quick.
-Really quick.
Life in Love Village has barely started,
yet Hollywood already found
his ideal wife.
What?!
Wait a sec.
That was quick.
-Hang on, Becky.
-Okay.
-They're moving so fast.
- Really fast.
There are already two arrows.
-He has already locked on.
-He has.
He's trying to act cool right now.
Yeah, that plastic water bottle.
He takes such small sips…
for such a big dude.
He probably has a cute personality.
He's nervous, a shy guy.
-He was drinking with just his wrist.
-Like this? That did catch my attention.
Yukiemon might fall for him
if he aggressively pursues her.
Yeah, she's vulnerable to advances.
But Yukiemon gave him a compliment
when he was tearing up the floorboards.
Yeah.
-Women start with compliments.
-I see.
Men fall for stuff like that.
When they're alone together,
women give compliments like,
"That move was amazing."
Right.
But guys get revved up
when that happens, don't they?
He's at full throttle.
That's true.
His collar was sticking straight up
during the interview that night.
Wasn't that crazy?
He's already saying, "I like Yukiemon."
It was like an interview
for a movie he starred in.
I bet everyone can't wait
to see what happens.
Atsushi tries to play it cool,
but in subsequent tapings…
-Wow.
-Atsushi's crying.
That's right.
-Can I get a tissue?
-Hold on.
You're crying every week. Every episode.
What is this?
Have my tear glands gone weak on me?
You okay?
Subtitle translation by: Jason Franzman
-What?
-They look mature.
Out of nowhere?
Please play the starring role in my life.
FINDING THE LAST TRUE LOVE OF THEIR LIVES
Please leave Love Village with me.
A GROWN-UP LOVE STORY
I really like you,
so let's leave together.
-What?!
-What?!
Talk about grown-up!
HERE…
You should take it
to the limit during sex.
-Would you be able to have sex?
-Right.
Exhale, and down.
And when you breathe from your nose…
Wow! This is amazing!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY YUKORIN
…THEY WILL SOMETIMES LAUGH.
Stop. You're an adult, so sit.
THEY WILL SOMETIMES FIGHT.
Have you ever thought about
who you'd be happier with?
Falling in love is exhausting.
-Thank you.
-Sure.
AND THEY WILL SOMETIMES CRY.
She saw me as a person.
Huh?
"YOU ALWAYS THINK
YOUR FIRST LOVE IS THE LAST
AND YOUR LAST LOVE IS THE FIRST."
TOVE JANSSON
Wow. That was more grown-up
than I thought it would be.
-Same here.
-Right?
They're further along
life's journey than me.
It's just that I didn't think
they'd have so much fire and passion.
That older man was really crying.
He really was.
Wow! I'm really looking forward to this.
I really am too.
-Wow, so stylish.
-What a stylish clip.
My name is Totchan.
-Totchan.
-Totchan.
I'm a single mother
with a son in sixth grade.
I see.
I've been divorced for two years.
I should've already learned
the painful difference
between romance and marriage.
I see.
But now I want to fall in love again.
Yeah.
Then one day,
I received an invitation that read,
"You might find
the final love of your life."
Wow.
A car came to pick me up.
I don't know how many hours we drove.
The car came to a stop.
When I opened the gate…
Whoa.
…I saw an old Japanese-style house.
-Wow.
-It's bigger than I thought.
HERE IN THIS OLD JAPANESE-STYLE HOUSE…
-What a beautiful place!
-Lucky!
-The grown-ups are here.
-There's an older dude!
-And so it begins.
-Yes, it has.
Love Village.
TOTCHAN, 45
THERAPIST
BORN IN HYOGO PREFECTURE
MARRIED ONCE
She's cute.
HOLLYWOOD, 51
ACTOR
-There's a "Hollywood."
-"Hollywood"?!
OKAYO, 39
CONVENIENCE STORE CLERK
BORN IN OSAKA
MARRIED ONCE
-Some previous marriages.
-Yeah.
TABO, 35
BUSINESSMAN
NEVER MARRIED
Not him though.
YUKIEMON, 45
BARISTA
BORN IN AICHI PREFECTURE
NEVER MARRIED
MINANE, 60
PICTURE BOOK AUTHOR
BORN IN OSAKA
MARRIED TWICE
-Oh, she's got experience.
-Married twice!
JOHNNY, 60
PSYCHOLOGIST
BORN IN TOKYO
NEVER MARRIED
-Sixty years old!
-What?!
ANCHOVY, 46
ITALIAN CHEF
BORN IN TOKYO
NEVER MARRIED
-"Anchovy"!
-That's the best name ever.
A MATURE LOVE STORY
THAT BEGINS AT AN OLD HOUSE
Looks like it'll be fun.
-What's this?
-Wow, what a big house.
-Hello.
-Hello.
It's amazing.
-I bet they're nervous.
-Yeah.
Built in 1870, the house is 152 years old.
Can we open it here?
Let's open it together.
Ready? Open!
No way. Incredible!
The front entrance
leads to a Japanese-style main hall.
-Whoa.
-This is great.
-Keep our shoes on?
-No way.
Take our shoes off?
They didn't fix up the house?
-It's so dirty.
-Our feet will get filthy.
A sunken hearth?
It's like the house in My Neighbor Totoro.
-There's electricity, right?
-We gotta clean.
They have to make the house livable.
The house was vacant for a long time,
so it will require a lot of work.
They have to work together.
Whoa! Is this the kitchen?
Next to the main hall
is an earthen-floor room.
with a kitchen from an age gone by.
Whoa. Wow!
-Are your feet all black?
-They are. This is bad.
That's when…
Huh? They're here!
…the village gate opened.
-The village. They're here.
-They're here.
Oh no! They're here! Look!
The grown-ups are pumped.
They look so happy.
She's not holding back. Wow, it's like…
-Like young girls.
-Yeah.
Four male housemates have arrived.
Okay.
They're here.
What are you laughing at?!
My name is Anchovy.
Nice to meet you.
I'm Johnny, a psychologist.
-Johnny.
-Yes.
I'm Tabo from Fukuoka Prefecture.
I go by the name Hollywood.
Eight strangers age 35 and older meet
in front of the old Japanese-style house.
They have fallen
in and out of love in their lives
and will now live together
and bare their unvarnished selves.
Gotta remember their names.
As far as looks go, Tabo is good-looking,
and he seems cool.
-True.
-He's a young businessman.
Tabo is totally my type.
-Yeah.
-Makes sense.
His face.
First impression, Okayo is number one.
She has a nice smile.
A baritone voice.
I'd like to have a fiery romance
one more time.
It's low even for an actor.
Their number-one goal here is
to find the last true love of their lives.
If they find their sweetheart,
they'll ring the Bell of Love
behind the house and profess their love.
Wow! That's awesome!
They'll receive a reply the next day.
If they become a couple,
they will kiss and leave the village.
If turned down, the rejected party will
leave and a new housemate will be added.
Their life here at Love Village
will spark romances more intense
than the younger generation's.
Is that true?
No way. This is already so interesting.
-It really draws you in.
-Doesn't it?
The animation is so cool.
It is.
It's so cool that it's even better
than the actual people.
If they kiss, that's a yes,
and they leave the village, right?
Yeah.
It's pure excitement at this stage.
I agree, but when I saw you
on TV the other day, you said,
"I'm not very interested
in the love lives of others."
That took me by surprise.
I'm like, "We're about to do
a romance reality show."
No, I mean… How can I put this?
I'm not interested in lovers' quarrels.
It's like, I don't need to see that.
But I like the early stages.
So this is okay.
But when they start fighting later,
I might not be so into it.
You said you're not into fights,
but I love them.
I bet the production staff cast people
who are bad drunks.
It's very likely.
It's an old Japanese-style house
in the middle of nowhere.
-Yay! It's here!
-Eggs?
Milk.
Food ordered from an online store
has been delivered to the village.
The housemates each have
a budget of 30,000 yen a month,
and they order daily essentials
using a single computer
that has been provided.
-Wow.
-A single PC.
Their phones have also been confiscated
so they can focus on romance.
-That's important.
-Yes.
They must also spend
their days without a TV.
Whoa!
It's a swallow.
It's freaking me out.
Wow.
How cute.
Someone join me to get stuff to eat.
-I wanna go.
-Good idea.
Take off the suit.
They said we could take
what we wanted from here.
THE VILLAGE FIELD
There's a field next to the front gate.
They can grow vegetables
and live a semi-self-sufficient life.
I love this kind of thing.
Green onions.
If we pull from the bottom…
It broke off.
It came out.
It snapped in half.
What's so funny about that?
Back at the house making dinner is…
Sounds like serious knife work.
-Isn't that Anchovy?
-He's a chef.
…Anchovy, the Italian chef.
He has a restaurant in Setagaya
and lives alone
in a house he owns in Hachioji.
I can't do that.
He's got skills.
I'll use these in the broth.
No way!
Just for a little bit.
You know a lot about cooking.
Yay! That's amazing.
That's reassuring.
-Anchovy, are you a chef?
-No comment.
No comment?
For some reason,
Anchovy won't say he's a chef.
Why?
I feel like they'll always make me cook
if I tell them.
What's the big deal?
I want to do other things.
But you'll have to tell them eventually.
Right. Should I tell them?
-Were you gonna keep it a secret?
-I don't know.
I feel like women don't see chefs
as good marriage partners.
He has it backward.
We don't get weekends off.
THAT EVENING
Love Village housemates, cheers!
-Cheers!
-Cheers!
The party has started.
Cheers!
-Oh no, there's alcohol.
-Uh-oh.
-So yummy.
-Hooray!
AN HOUR AND A HALF LATER
After some drinks,
it's time for some anonymous questions.
What's your academic history?
High school graduate.
I graduated from vocational school.
-College graduate.
-High school graduate.
-College graduate.
-College dropout.
College graduate.
Graduate school with a doctoral degree.
KEIO UNIVERSITY GRADUATE
-Were you the one who wrote that?
-You totally wrote that.
-All right, next one.
-Okay.
What was the most exciting
sex you've had?
-What?!
-Whose is that?!
Who wrote that?
-Who'll start?
-Start here.
It was most exciting when I did it
with the person I loved the most.
That's the best!
But wouldn't your first time be the best?
Your first time?
Losing your virginity to a woman.
Wait, what? A virgin?
The night I was proposed to.
Like when you think,
"It's okay if I get pregnant."
-"It's okay to have a kid."
-Right.
And you, Tabo?
When I saw my girlfriend three months
after a long-distance relationship
between Japan and the US, it was crazy.
That's intense.
As soon as we met,
like, I can't even say it here.
What about you, Okayo?
I'm not sure.
When you're dating,
you like that person, right?
When I'm with that person,
I like to watch their face
when they climax.
Wait! What?!
Wow!
She likes the look on her partner's face.
But the guy usually shuts his eyes,
so I'm just staring.
-That's a lot to share with strangers.
-I couldn't do that.
What's with the swallow shot?
He invited me out and came on strong.
Are you easily seduced?
-Yeah.
-You are? I get it.
If a guy comes on strong, I go with it.
They're talking so loudly now.
I want them to be
that much in love with me.
You want them to go after you.
I think that's true.
Surprisingly, we're all…
-We are.
-Yeah, right? I know.
You stink of rice crackers.
Smells like booze.
Who cares?
Your breath reeks of rice crackers.
Hey, how old are they?
The next day, a carpenter comes
to kick off the renovation.
They've brought in a carpenter.
They will give the 152-year-old house
a wonderful new lease on life.
-Wow.
-Can't wait to see that.
Let's do the tabletop.
-That looks kinda cool.
-That's incredible.
A single board.
Just watching them
do the renovation is fun.
It's a single-board table
where everyone can dine.
This looks hard on the back,
but we have to do it.
And in the main hall…
That's incredible.
They're replacing the tatami?
Oh, they're airing them out.
Oh no. I'm gonna sweat like crazy.
They're changing the flooring?
When their work is done,
they can spend their time
however they want.
-There he is. Hollywood.
-Whoa. That's cool!
From what I know, or from what I've heard,
men who unexpectedly cheat
have a strong tendency to gravitate
toward women who are good in bed.
Men talk about that kind of thing.
When I ask, "And your wife?"
they say she's not very good in bed,
so they'd rather not do it.
Adult conversation.
I'm an adult, too, but I don't think
I'd go right to that topic.
Meanwhile, two people find themselves
alone in the women's room in the attic.
-Window screens would be nice.
-Yeah.
It's Tabo and Totchan.
Tabo is a young businessman
who runs two restaurants,
one in Fukuoka and the other in the US.
Totchan is a therapist
and single mother with a 12-year-old son.
All right, let's get this done now.
I'm scared of the bugs here too.
Actually, in the female housemates' room…
Is something there?
…there was a giant spider 10 cm long.
I can't even!
We have to deal with it.
We can't leave it like that.
It's like a Halloween decoration.
-It might fall.
-You got it.
That won't work. You gotta trap it.
-Get out of here!
-Go home!
Looks like they're having fun.
If you look closely at the walls,
there are gaps all over.
Scary. So scary.
That's why Tabo offers to help install
window screens to keep bugs out,
even if only a little bit.
I see.
-Are you on target?
-My bangs keep getting in the way.
That's when…
A hairband.
-Whose is it?
-Mine.
-Can I use it?
-Sure.
It's for women though.
Nice.
He's really good-looking.
I feel like an old carpenter.
-You are.
-Here goes.
Looks like something's starting.
Seems like it.
Right here.
It's a good match.
It looked great on him.
He looked really cool.
Just a little tighter.
All right.
Huh?
The look on their faces…
Yeah. And he's surprisingly muscular.
-Did that work?
-Yeah.
-Nice. Looks good.
-Is it okay?
Hooray!
Nice work.
Well done.
Now the bugs can't get in.
I'll return it after I wash it.
It's fine. I'm gonna use it today.
-You will?
-Did you sweat?
No. But wait a sec.
-It's fine.
-It is?
They have a natural vibe going.
THAT NIGHT
We interviewed Totchan.
I want a romance that makes my heart race.
With that in mind, out of the four men,
if I include sexual attraction,
Tabo is the only one.
-Huh?!
-What?
What?! Did I say something weird?
When I say "sexual,"
I mean I find him attractive.
But that's romance, right?
It's an important part.
I mean, that's what romance is about.
Romance is about sexual attraction, right?
And once you're a couple,
you stop having sex.
-But it's important, right?
-That's true.
Right? Sexual attraction
makes your heart race.
Yeah, you're right.
That's the difference
between a friend and a boyfriend.
It's a big difference.
-Yeah.
-Right?
Wow, everyone's talking about sex.
They didn't waste any time.
They sure didn't.
It's just different.
You can't watch this the same way
you watch other romance reality shows.
Right. This one's heating up quick.
-It's fast.
-The tempo's different.
-Johnny and Minane, was it?
-Yeah.
When they were on the bench,
he jumped right into talking
about women who are good in bed.
Will that get her revved up?
Totchan has her eye on Tabo.
She said she has only one choice.
It's sexual for her.
When I think how Totchan watched
his biceps as he held the hammer,
I can't help but laugh.
I'm a bit worried.
I wanna tell her not to rush it.
Yeah, she may get a taste of someone else
if she slows down and talks to them.
From her angle,
I think Hollywood would taste just fine.
You gotta chew hard to get
any flavor from Hollywood and Johnny.
-Is that right?
-Yeah.
-Go, if you've decided?
-I'll start.
-Me too.
-Okay, go ahead.
What's happening?
We asked the eight housemates
to vote for who they thought
would make the best village leader.
-A leader?
-Oh, a leader.
-I'll announce the votes.
-Okay.
First vote, Johnny.
-Another Johnny.
-Johnny?
Johnny!
It's Johnny.
Age before beauty?
It's all yours, Johnny.
Johnny is a psychologist
who runs a hospital and clinic.
His sixth car,
a bright-red Porsche, is his favorite.
Six cars?
Actually, there was a reason
why he had so many votes.
Convenience store clerk Okayo
asked for advice
on how to get along with her boss.
Who do you think is your customer?
My customer?
The people who come to the store
are the store's customers.
Right, I get it.
The one buying your time is the owner.
So the owner is your sponsor
and your customer.
So if you devote yourself to making
the owner happy, it will go well.
That's how it works.
Do that and your irritation will vanish.
-It'll get a lot easier.
-That makes sense.
WHAT DOES SATISFACTION
MEAN FOR WOMEN?
As for Totchan,
who has a son in sixth grade…
Here's what Freud's
Introduction to Psychoanalysis says.
When a woman has a son,
she'll finally find satisfaction.
At first, girls subconsciously
really like their father,
but they give up because they
don't want to clash with their mother.
When they get a boyfriend,
they finally have
a wonderful sweetheart of their own
and are finally satisfied.
But things never turn out
as one expects, right?
And it says when women have a son,
they finally get
their own darling little boy.
Women take great satisfaction from that.
Johnny is chosen for his wealth
of experience and knowledge.
Johnny's so cool.
He's their rock.
THE NEXT DAY
Wow!
Today, they're replacing the floorboards.
Like this.
-I want you to remove these boards.
-Okay!
They can only gather
in that dirt-floor room
until they do this.
That's true.
Totchan is working next to Tabo,
the guy she's into.
-She's always with him.
-It's like, "Dibs."
This might work better.
What fun. Look! He's touching her.
Did he have to hold her like that?
Meanwhile, the man getting
the most done is…
-Hollywood?
-It's Hollywood.
Yes!
…the hot-blooded actor Hollywood.
He can lift it with one hand.
-Hollywood's the real deal.
-Yeah, I know.
It's like, "He's a carpenter too?"
He's a natural. Seriously.
Next, you do it over there.
Yes, sir.
His baritone voice.
Let's take a break.
-Where are you going? Wait!
-We're taking a break.
-What the hell?!
-Come on, hurry.
A true actor.
The first starring role
in our Love Village story
is the rather overbearing Hollywood.
He's good.
At age 19, he set his sights on acting,
spending 30 years in the US and Australia
as an actor and stuntman.
He returned to Japan three years ago,
but there was little work due to COVID-19.
Moreover, he found himself single
at the age of 50 after his wife left him.
Oh no.
What is the ideal woman
he is seeking here at Love Village?
The next woman I'd like to be with
is someone sociable, family-oriented,
and who can generally enjoy the company
of people who are considered to be stars.
I'd like that. Yeah.
His voice is cool.
He wants to find a woman
he can walk the red carpet with
once his acting career takes off.
Hollywood is entering
the final do-or-die battle of his life.
He is more serious than anyone else
about finding a marriage partner.
I want to root for him.
-Let's go.
-Break time.
Yukiemon invites Hollywood
to take a break with her.
She's vulnerable to guys' advances.
Yukiemon welcomed the male housemates
with a smile.
-She's so cute.
-Yeah.
This jack of all trades can do anything
from barista work to event organizing.
-How's it going?
-I'm having fun.
That was… really great.
-What was?
-Like, how you really go for it.
-Manly and stuff?
-Yeah, that's great.
-You put your strengths to good use.
-I see.
What's your type?
Well, you know. Someone like you, Yukine.
Someone who is cheerful.
-It's Yukiemon.
-Right, Yukiemon.
He mixed it up with Minane.
I mixed your names up. Yukiemon, right.
Your cheerfulness is nice.
Thank you.
Having a gloomy look on my face
won't solve anything, right?
-So, why not just have fun?
-I agree.
Hollywood starts talking
about what happens
when you become the wife of an actor.
I have celebrity acquaintances.
Are you the kind of person
who's okay with that?
You have to go to fancy parties.
I love that kind of stuff.
-Yeah, okay. That's great.
-I seriously love that stuff.
I've never been to one.
But you have to present yourself properly,
not like a fangirl.
Of course. But you need
that fangirl sense of wonder.
But I'm not desperate
to go to events like that.
-I'm not.
-I see.
It's cute how he's trying to act cool.
-Sounds like a dream come true.
-I guess.
Well, it's been 51 years.
I've had the same dream since I was 19.
That's amazing.
-That's all I have.
-Yeah.
It's great you can say that.
I want you to always do what you love
and to keep dreaming.
That's the kind of person I am too.
I lead that kind of life.
-Well, then, we have that in common.
-Yeah.
As a career woman, she's quite appealing.
She's sociable, and she can cook.
And the ebb and flow
of our conversations is so natural.
In that sense,
we get along in a lot of ways.
When it comes to romance,
is it obvious when you love someone?
It's already showing.
I find Yukiemon attractive.
And I want to protect her if I can.
-That was quick.
-Really quick.
Life in Love Village has barely started,
yet Hollywood already found
his ideal wife.
What?!
Wait a sec.
That was quick.
-Hang on, Becky.
-Okay.
-They're moving so fast.
- Really fast.
There are already two arrows.
-He has already locked on.
-He has.
He's trying to act cool right now.
Yeah, that plastic water bottle.
He takes such small sips…
for such a big dude.
He probably has a cute personality.
He's nervous, a shy guy.
-He was drinking with just his wrist.
-Like this? That did catch my attention.
Yukiemon might fall for him
if he aggressively pursues her.
Yeah, she's vulnerable to advances.
But Yukiemon gave him a compliment
when he was tearing up the floorboards.
Yeah.
-Women start with compliments.
-I see.
Men fall for stuff like that.
When they're alone together,
women give compliments like,
"That move was amazing."
Right.
But guys get revved up
when that happens, don't they?
He's at full throttle.
That's true.
His collar was sticking straight up
during the interview that night.
Wasn't that crazy?
He's already saying, "I like Yukiemon."
It was like an interview
for a movie he starred in.
I bet everyone can't wait
to see what happens.
Atsushi tries to play it cool,
but in subsequent tapings…
-Wow.
-Atsushi's crying.
That's right.
-Can I get a tissue?
-Hold on.
You're crying every week. Every episode.
What is this?
Have my tear glands gone weak on me?
You okay?
Subtitle translation by: Jason Franzman