Currently watching: Ainori 2

I don’t remember hearing about the first series of this reality show, but if I did, I think I would’ve been put off by its 400+ number of episodes. Luckily, the new series started on Christmas Day, so I was able to catch up on the two episodes subbed so far, and then I used Wikipedia to read about the idea behind the show.











In this programme, four men and three women travel around a foreign country on a bus. They’ve all come on the show to find love, and it offers plenty of dating opportunities. With an imbalance in the number of men to women, there’s always someone left out, which adds to the competitive aspect. Once you feel confident enough, you can declare your love and if they agree, the two of you return home to Japan together. If not, you go home alone, and somebody new comes along.











This series starts in Bangladesh and as a travelogue it works surprisingly well. I’ve already seen a couple of things about the country that interested me. In particular, the crowds that quickly built up wherever they start filming. As a piece of entertainment, I can imagine me becoming quite addicted to this, and I’m already sort of hoping that one couple will get together. But I do find the voice over a bit distracting. He’s not annoying, but on a couple of occasions he’s talked about somebody facing a cruel twist of fate... and then nothing happens. Never mind all the flirting between the couples: he's probably the biggest tease on the show.