The Contestant

We all know that Japanse game shows are insane but this?? How has one never heard of this before? I guess the fact that it was this early and basically "before" the true WWW taking of made it only really well know in Japan after all... but wow. What absolute insanity. I think I never watched ANYTHING before that I had to pause for a minute and just... cry. And this wild ride was not even 2/3's done.
A must watch in my opinion and I will go listen to some THE BRILLIANT GREEN now....

Crazy and mind-bending story. 10+ for Nasubi 🍆 HE'S TOTALLY NINJA!

This actually made me cry, absolutely worth a watch

Watched The Contestant with Iva in my room. Crazy to see what he was pushed to. I can’t believe someone would endure that. So evil to put someone through that. I wish they went more into his struggle on the show the decisions the producers made. Also some more accounts from people who watched the show during the time. I didn’t care too much about the Everest thing. But I’m glad he found solace in helping people. Connor 10, normal 8.7.

Poor man terrorized by Japanese television's Hitler

Nasubi is a sweetheart. This documentary is worth the watch.

A documentary that exposes a real televised crime and reveals the most inhumane side of reality shows. In a shocking way, it addresses the total absence of limits, using a Japanese experiment to highlight the complete lack of ethics in this type of program. It is disturbing to follow the exploitation and humiliation imposed on Nasubi, who is subjected to extreme situations for long periods of time, all in the name of ratings.

Such a wild documentary, cannot believe so many people found Nasubi's struggles funny. I get the heavy editing but even that doesn't cover up how skinny he becomes! The effects of solidary confinement weren't as well studied at the time as now where a setup like that show would 100% be classified as torture. I felt awful for him, a young kid who was taken advantage of so thoroughly, it really reminded me of family vloggers who film their children's meltdowns and other private events. The connection between Nasubi being freed from his predicament and finding meaning in his life in the aftermath of the 2011 Tsunami was a bit tenuous tho with the 10+ years being glossed over a lot. A bit extra detail on that would have tied this together more cleanly. Still, what a deeply affecting viewing experience this was!

They really did a number on poor old Nasubi huh?

A disturbing documentary that sometimes seems to fall short in its depiction of a reality show that was clearly an exercise in psychological torture. Leaving only a small space for the reunion between the contestant/tortured and the producer/torturer, who seems to want to show the capacity for reconciliation that human beings can have, it is disappointing that the film doesn't really delve into the psychological effects. But it is such a surprising story about the "Truman Show" effect that it raises a reflection on the terrifying power of television in the hands of ruthless producers.