Here's how 'The Boyfriend' ends!
The Boyfriend | Official Trailer | Netflix
Editor's note: This article contains major spoilers about the entire first season of Netflix's The Boyfriend.
The last two episodes of The Boyfriend dropped this Tuesday, July 30 on Netflix. If you're asking us, this is one of the best LGBTQ+ dating shows of all time. It's also a groundbreaking TV series for a country like Japan, which is still making some slow progress in terms of queer visibility in mainstream media.
Over the course of 10 episodes, we fell in love with The Boyfriend cast featuring Alan, Dai, Gensei, Ikuo, Kazuto, Ryota, Shun, Taeheon, and Usak. It was an absolute delight to watch their flourishing relationships play out in the series — whether they evolved into romantic pairings or just stayed as friendships. Now that the grand finale is out, we can report how their journeys came to a close on the show.
Keep scrolling to find out how things ended for the cast members of The Boyfriend — which is now streaming on Netflix.
Usak
Usak was the first The Boyfriend star to leave the series before its actual conclusion. The official explanation for Usak's departure was that he had a pre-scheduled work trip and, therefore, couldn't stay on the show any longer. It's still unclear if this work trip was real or just an excuse for Usak to leave the show given that he had been feeling out of place. But whatever the case may be, Usak's heartbreaking departure was respected by his fellow costars.
Usak also delivered a wonderful and heartfelt goodbye speech that highlighted how he did get from the show what he had been seeking all along: more confidence to express his feelings, talk to other men, and interact in social circles. While we would've loved for Usak to stick around for the entire season, his departure did reinforce the "mission statement" of The Boyfriend : a dating show for queer men in Japan to feel more comfortable about exploring and discussing their feelings.
Gensei
Another early departure on The Boyfriend came from Gensei, who worked really hard on building a connection with Ryota. While there were some points in Gensei's journey that had us giggling at how he misinterpreted "signs" from Ryota, that didn't change the heartbreaking outcome that Ryota didn't reciprocate Gensei's feelings.
After one final conversation with Ryota in the penultimate episode, Gensei concluded that there was nothing left to be said or done. He announced his departure from the house (a.k.a. "graduating from the Green Room") in a heartfelt speech that had us all feeling teary-eyed. In a classic Gensei way, though, he also noted the silver linings from his journey and had a positive attitude while speaking with his costars. Gotta love Gensei!
Taeheon
Taeheon tried his best to find a love connection on The Boyfriend, but things ultimately didn't work out for him. He did forge very meaningful friendships, though, which allowed the series to tell a wider range of stories that weren't necessarily tied to love and romance.
Unsurprisingly, Taeheon was the first cast member to announce his departure at the finale. He shared his feelings about this experience in the living room, surrounded by the entire group, thanking them for the lessons they've taught him. He also discussed how doing the show will help him come out to his family, which is a huge deal in his journey as a queer person.
Ikuo
Ikuo was a late entrant to The Boyfriend, which proved to be a huge disadvantage. Most of the couples and friendships in the house had already been formed, and it was simply too late for anyone to drop what they had in order to start something new. Ikuo did have a potential fling with Dai, but as soon as Shun reciprocated Dai's advances, let's just say it was a wrap for Ikuo.
Nonetheless, Ikuo departed the finale episode with nothing but great things to say about the experience, his costars, and the lessons he learned along the way. He was a great addition to this cast, and we hope he's able to find love after the show!
Ryota
Let's be real: The Boyfriend was an experience of more lows than highs for Ryota. And yet, he kept pushing, trying his best, and putting himself out there, which is commendable. Ryota had a crush on Kazuto for most of this season… and at the finale, Ryota once again let Kazuto know how he felt.
Kazuto wasn't able to reciprocate Ryota's feelings, but he was honest and straightforward about it. As Ryota exited the house, it broke our hearts to see him crying, but it also felt like he did grow a lot from this experience, and that has to count for something.
Shun
Shun was one of the most fascinating — and, at times, one of the most frustrating — cast members on The Boyfriend. Especially in the early days, Shun had half of the cast wanting to pursue things with him but offered no explanation as to why he didn't like anyone back.
Dai was absolutely the most persistent of the bunch when it came to Shun… and while these two had quite the journey throughout the season, Shun ultimately declared that he had fallen in love with Dai at the grand finale. Shun and Dai also shared the most adorable kisses in the last episode, and our hearts MELTED.
Dai
Dai spent the entire season pursuing Shun and not getting anything in response. As Shun kept shutting down those attempts, Dai explored things with other cast members. One of those side journeys involved late entrant Ikuo, who joined The Boyfriend after Usak's sudden departure.
Shun was visibly jealous of Dai's potential connection with Ikuo (though he insisted to others that it didn't bother him at all). Thankfully, the season did wrap with Dai and Shun finding their way back to each other, professing their love, sharing a few kisses on camera, and even making plans to spend time together after the series.
Alan
The Boyfriend fandom was split when it came to Alan, particularly after Kazuto expressed how uncomfortable he felt about their hotel/sleepover date. While some viewers just turned against Alan after that episode, others felt like Alan did redeem himself in subsequent episodes and gave Kazuto plenty of space to figure out his feelings.
At the finale, Alan and Kazuto had several conversations about the future of their relationship, and Alan ultimately left it up to Kazuto to decide where they'd go from there.
Kazuto
There was a lot of built-up suspense around Kazuto's decision regarding his relationship with Alan. They were also the last two people to leave the house, which allowed them to have a final one-on-one chat in front of the cameras. During that last conversation, Kazuto expressed his desire to leave the house with Alan… and Alan couldn't be happier to hear it, let's just say that!
Kazuto and Alan took a few Polaroid pictures in the Green Room, and then left the house together, holding hands, as a potential couple. This was a fantastic first season for The Boyfriend, and we can't WAIT for this dating show to come back for another cycle.
