Courtesy of Apartment Therapy
On Friday, Nov. 1, “Queer Eye: We’re in Japan!” was released on Netflix. The series follows Jonathan Van Ness, Bobby Berk, Karamo Brown, Tan France and Antoni Porowski on their journey of transforming the lives of four new heroes in Japan.
Throughout the series, the “Fab Five” are joined by Japanese celebrities including model Kiko Mizuhara and comedian Naomi Watanabe. Mizuhara appears frequently throughout the series, serving as a helpful resource for the “Fab Five” by providing them with information about Japanese customs and culture. The first hero, Yoko, captured the hearts of viewers with her story. After the loss of her sister, Yoko decided to pursue a career as a hospice nurse to provide what she believed was quality end-of-life care. Yoko constantly works to take care of other people and often neglects to care for herself. The “Fab Five” quickly come to this realization and help Yoko to understand that she could provide even better help for her patients if she prioritized her well-being first.
The next hero highlighted in the series is a young gay man, Kan, who has trouble accepting his identity in Japan. In the episode, Kan describes how he feels pressure to look, behave and act a certain way, which has hindered his confidence and self-acceptance. Before meeting the “Fab Five,” Kan did not imagine himself staying in Japan for much longer, instead wanting to move to a place where he felt that he could be accepted. Throughout the episode, Brown, the show’s cultural expert, works to show Kan that he can be an out and proud gay man in Japan by introducing him to other LGBT people in his community. Brown introduces Kan to a well-known Japanese monk and makeup artist, Kodo Nishimura, who can relate to what Kan is going through and is a source of support. The episode works to prepare Kan to introduce his long-distance boyfriend, Tom, to his mother and brother. Mizuhara expresses to the “Fab Five” that coming out and introducing his partner to family members is not typical in Japanese culture, and Kan demonstrated a great amount of courage in doing so.
The third episode focuses on the life of 23-year-old illustrator, Kae. Kae is a manga (comic book) artist and has dreams of one day publishing her own book. In the beginning of the episode, Kae mentions how she lost a deal with a publisher that could have changed her life. In getting to know Kae, the “Fab Five” realize that Kae is not comfortable in her own skin and ruminates about what she wishes she looked like. Brown works with Kae to get her to a place where, by the end of the episode, she is able to draw a self-portrait that represents herself in a positive and authentic way.
The last episode in the series highlights Makoto, a 37-year-old man in the music industry. Makoto was nominated by his boss, Kazutaka, who wanted to help him become confident in more aspects of his life. During the episode, the “Fab Five” thought they were helping to set Makoto up to take his wife, Yasuko, on a date, but they actually ended up showing him how to effectively communicate. At the beginning of the episode, Makoto appears as a shy and kind individual, but by the end he is able to show his true colors because of the help of the “Fab Five.”
The next season of “Queer Eye” will be tackling new heroes in Philadelphia and is set to air on Netflix in 2020.
