Improvements for S3, IMO
After watching up to episode 10 of season 2, there are things that I think the show can fix moving forward. I have seen through this subreddit that there are some people in Japan who have an issue with this show releasing, but just as someone in Canada who loves watching this show, there are some things I hope they think about moving forward.
1. Psych evaluations should be mandatory.
This show is casting people who have had dealt with serious things in their life, from law enforcement to personal trauma. I think some would agree that people such as Oto-chan and Maririn might not have been ready for a dating show like this where it seems as though finding love really matters to the core of who they are. I enjoyed seeing them both as a viewer but I really wonder if the show bares any responsibility in focusing on producing an appealing show rather than the mental health of its contestants. I can't speak for every reality show, but I know there are other ones that perform them for this very reason (ex. RuPaul's Drag Race).
2. Alcohol, even when allowed, should be limited to one-two drinks per person by the staff.
If anyone here watches RuPaul's Drag Race, you are familiar with the infamous Jujubee Black Velvet incident that caused the show to limit drinks from season 2 onward. (Perhaps Assun will be their Jujubee?) Personally, I think Assun was fully at fault for the first incident but the second, I think the staff bare responsibility for how much they allowed on set. I understand that there is a different drinking culture in Japan, but given that the staff who stock the kitchen/drinks are the ones who supply the alcohol, they might not want to supply so much moving forward.
3. The introduction of transfer students were weaker this season. The first season's were a lot stronger.
Having Ha-chan show up randomly at a lunch and Kazu just entering the classroom midday were poor ways to introduce them to the season, I think. It didn't give them chance to stand out, compared to Amo-chan and Tenten who got to show off their workplace and make a splash (sorry, Baby) when meeting the group to help usher them in. I feel as though, if you don't have a personality like Amo-chan's, you are left like Ha-chan who struggled to catch up. Letting the future transfer students present themselves more earnestly to who they are would probably help them, the other contestants and the audience feel the impact of them joining the cast more naturally.
(I promise I watch more than Drag Race for reality TV lol, but those are just the clearest examples I could come up with for the first two points.)
Something I don't want to change for S3? I hope they bring back AWICH! Her insight and thoughtfulness of the people on the show is really wonderful. She really made the season feel down to earth and it was funny when Megumi and Nagano started calling her sensei because of it. She's great to have on the hosting side because she never judges the contestants, only tries to understand them.