Harassment of cast members is spreading around “Love, Bring It On! 2,” the dating reality show streaming on Netflix since August 4. Host MEGUMI had already called for the abuse to stop back in August, but after episodes 14–16 dropped on September 1, posts attacking cast members’ characters and appearances only increased. On 5channel forums, opinions split over who’s to blame: the producers for crafting inflammatory editing that stirs up conflict, or the viewers who take the drama at face value and pile on. Many pointed to the case of a “Terrace House” cast member who died after being driven to despair by online abuse, arguing this points to a structural problem with the reality TV genre itself.
Backlash grows over the latest episodes of Netflix’s “Love, Bring It On! 2” — attacks on cast members’ character and looks too… MEGUMI: “Please, just stop.”
“Love, Bring It On!” Season 2, the dating reality show streaming on Netflix since August 4, has seen a wave of harassment directed at its cast, with voices on social media growing worried about the toll on their mental health.
Talent and host MEGUMI called in August for people to stop the hurtful comments toward cast members. But after episodes 14 through 16 were released on September 1, posts denigrating their character and appearance only increased further.
Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Read the original article here
It's basically inciting the viewers — what are you even talking about?
True, but I do wonder about the viewers who take the show's editing at face value too.
Well yeah, fair enough (lol)
If the victims actually see this stuff, it does real damage.
If they want to protect the cast, fix it in post.
If anything, it's the people who despise these shows who get asked 'why do you even watch it then.'
I hate them too, though.
Something like 'go ahead and flame us' — they picked the fight themselves, so come on.
Do you have any idea how many people have died from reality shows overseas?
Got a source for that?
Which country's supposedly different, lol.
But I guess getting talked about for being 'bad' is part of the strategy too.
Even in fiction, stories work better with a villain.
It's calling it a 'reality' show that directs the hate at real cast members.
It's a rotten approach.
Expecting no criticism after that is way too convenient.
If anything, enjoying watching it is the weird part.
You can't take this stuff seriously.
Or is she actually a big deal and I just don't know it?
The word 'reality' isn't the same as 'real,' you know.
It doesn't mean there's no script.
Same thing over and over, totally sick of it.
They had someone die and still haven't learned.
When Fuji TV ran it solo, it wasn't this extreme.
It got way more extreme once Netflix got involved,
so I think Netflix's staff are the cause.
Sentencing already factors in social sanction as part of the punishment, so if that sanction isn't working, they should make the actual punishment heavier.
If a guy doing time for robbery can cause an uproar and still just laugh it off, something's wrong.
Background and Key Debate Points
This isn’t the first time a dating reality show’s cast has been targeted by harassment. In 2020, it was widely reported that a cast member of “Terrace House” died after being driven to despair by online abuse — an incident that helped spur legal reforms, including raising the statutory penalty for the crime of insult. The split in opinion on this thread reflects that history: one camp argues that since producers craft editing designed to stir up conflict, viewers’ reactions are essentially a built-in, expected outcome; the other argues that the show’s editing and reality are separate things, and that attacks on cast members are the viewers’ own responsibility. What’s easy for readers to misunderstand is that these shows can look like unscripted documentaries. In practice, editing and pacing choices can shape a particular cast member into looking like the “villain,” a point several posters in the thread raised. Keeping in mind that a show’s editorial framing is separate from a cast member’s actual personality can change how you read coverage like this.
*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5channel (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “[Entertainment] Backlash Grows Over Latest Episodes of Netflix’s ‘Love, Bring It On! 2′ — Attacks on Cast Members’ Character and Looks Too… MEGUMI: “Please, Just Stop”.”
