r/BadlyInLove

Badly in Love Season 2 (ラヴ上等 シーズン2) is finally available on international Netflix!

Netflix has English/etc. subtitles for Badly in Love Badly in Love Season 2 (ラヴ上等 シーズン2): https://www.netflix.com/title/81769466

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Synopsis (from Netflix Asia):

The baddest romance reality show ever returns — faster than you expected. Outcasts who have lived on the fringes of society, unbound by etiquette or rules, come together in pursuit of love.

Season 2 is set in a new school overlooking the blue sea of Okinawa and welcomes a lineup of new participants gathered through the audition across Japan, all of whom bring further drama and encounters to the table. They experience not just romance, but also regret, atonement, lifelong bonds and the readiness to face the future. These delinquents search for love and, through it, a fresh start in life.

The contestants’ commitment to their identities, despite being labeled as nonconformists by society, is breaking new ground for the reality genre.

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Cast

Asuka/Assun, Hikaru, Marina/Maririn, Ruru, Hazuki/Ha-chan

Taisei/Tai-chan, Leo, Ari, Bo, Masaya/Ma-kun, Kazuma/Kazu-kun

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Panelists

Megumi, Nagano, Akiko Urasaki/Awich

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Sources

Netflix | Badly in Love 2

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The redemption/etc. with everything, and yup, hopefully there'll be something like Terrace House back in a tropical/etc. setting again. Especially now that Netflix/etc. is focusing on Korean and Japanese dating shows (still waiting for them to get something like Heart Signal China Season 9, Twinkle Love Season 5/Twinkle Love in Winter, et cetera).

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^(My recap/commentary/etc. about Badly in Love Season 2 Episode 1 to Episode 10: https://www.reddit.com/user/MNLYYZYEG/comments/1sph5su/extended_comments_with_walls_of_text_6/p4deibu/)

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^(About Heart Signal Korea/China/etc. seasons: https://www.reddit.com/user/MNLYYZYEG/comments/1sph5su/extended_comments_with_walls_of_text_6/p2sar07/)

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^(New recentralized thoughts on most of the CJK/etc. dating shows from the 1st half of 2026: https://www.reddit.com/user/MNLYYZYEG/comments/1sph5su/extended_comments_with_walls_of_text_6/oxzo3l6/?context=3)

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^(Around 6 months ago [back in February 2, 2026] I spent like several hours or half a day recentralizing my long comments from 2025 about CJK/etc. dating shows (and Kpop), it'll have synopses/summaries/etc. of the shows: https://www.reddit.com/user/MNLYYZYEG/comments/1nyw4c4/extended_comments_with_walls_of_text_5/o34a2dj/)

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^(Chinese/Japanese/Korean/etc. dating shows housemates who would've been great newcomers, and other visuals-related info, alongside behind the scenes of dating/cohabitation/slice of life/etc. shows: https://www.reddit.com/user/MNLYYZYEG/comments/1k2wkcz/extended_comments_with_walls_of_text_4/nd1t1ni/)

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Badly in Love Season 2 Discussion:

terracehouse: E01-E04, E05-E07, E08-E10

BadlyInLove: E01-E04, E05-E07, E08-E10

Tai-chan

We see Tai-chan express affection to Ruru from the get-go during the first group cooking session, but redirects his interest to Hikaru when the elder Leo also expresses in her. Being the youngest male of the group, east Asian customs would have it that the younger person will give the way to the older, especially if they're not close. But when Kazuma came in and started openly pursuing Ruru, it was open warfare and Tai-chan felt justified to also pursue his true desire.

Ari

Deeply emotional, sensitive artist. A poignant man who shouts wassup as armor for his tender heart. What can you say about a boy who falls in love at first sight? Unrelenting foolishness, overflowing with youthful energy, he was prepared to do anything to convince Hikaru.

Leo

Man fumbled. He has a cute, kind of perverted side which at times complements his manly, resolute nature. But when Kazuma came in like a storm, he wasn't able to recover and Ruru stopped seeing his playful side. Just rock solid, "I haven't changed." Personally, I think he should've lightly poked fun at Kazuma's playboy character and more explicitly demonstrated hat he can take care of her, build stability, have a family, and live a happy life with Ruru. He's only 25 though, still has time.

Kazuma

Outside of the obvious, wasn't he surprisingly intelligent and sensible? Especially in the interviews. I guess you still have be pretty 'in touch' to know in which way to deck yourself out and fashion the best version of yourself (except the teeth wtf).

Bo

Honestly just happy for him because he emotionally processed so much of his troubled past actions.

Ma-kun

Physically, kinda elite. Must've had an aura to him when he moved, especially since he is a martial artist. But emotionally, kinda frustrating. Conflict avoidant and subservient to the alpha of the group. Felt so sorry for him when Assun kept acting so immature.

I’ve heard of a nut allergy, but an alcohol allergy?

Wow. I didn’t know such a thing existed.

Are these strange cups Japan’s answer to the Stanley Cup?

Also didn’t Assun say she drinks like a bottle of whiskey a night? I get it’s part of the job, but just casually decanting shochu into a tumbler feels like the production team should be asking “are you ok?” And thinking about an intervention?

It’s not like she just grabbed a can of asahi from the fridge, decanting a spirit is a bit excessive no?

I probably don't need an itroduction into this whole topic i just wanna share how i see the situation.

The Boys were talking about Maririn, sharing their moments with her and came to the conclusion that shes a "hoe". I was totally shocked on how they came to that conclusion because in what world is giving compliments a bad thing? Not one single boy had came to the idea that shes a positive human trying to be nice. It doesn't even have to be flirting to give compliments. I think the male ego was pushing this situation so much more than it had to because all the boys were like "nice story bro but i had this situation with her" they wanted to top each other not realizing she was just being nice. As the girls and boys sat together and one girl asked them if they are all virgins and i couldn't agree more. It seemd to me like the boys were all incels that mistake compliments for affection when in reality Maririn sincerely is trying to be nice and gets trashed for it.

I know the beauty standards and what’s considered beautiful is much different to the West — but can someone help me understand what the deal is with all the filtering on the girls’ instagrams?

After finishing the last episode, I looked that their instagrams and was just so perplexed at some of the filters. The women look strange and weird with very odd filters that change their faces in very extreme ways.

They all look 100% better on the show without the filters. Am I missing something here? Are these filters considered beautiful?

Note: this is not a hate post, just an analysis. Maririn is my fav character and I like her. This isn’t hate, I just wanted people who watch this show and resonate with her to understand that her behaviour didn’t fit with the cast. And its my opinion.
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In the first episode, I genuinely felt so bamboozled by her crying, but I didn’t really have an opinion on her yet. As the show went on though, she really started to shine. She has such a fun personality and actually feels like a real character rather than someone who’s just there to look pretty.

The main issue is that her unresolved trauma seems to affect the way she handles rejection and emotions. After a while, I started feeling uncomfortable whenever she would cry or get extremely emotional. And I’m NOT saying the guys are right in how they treat her, but she does come across as very anxious and emotionally unstable at times.

The situation with Taichan especially showed that. I understand the mindset of “I’m here, so I might as well give it everything I have” and I actually respect that she’s willing to put herself out there. But he was clearly uncomfortable and she kept pushing anyway. There’s a point where this starts crossing someone else’s boundaries. Like girl please stand up, he is not worth it.

And we also have to remember what kind of men we’re dealing with here. These are toxic, emotionally unavailable men. Of course they’re not going to be attracted to someone who comes across as desperate, anxious or pushy. If anything, that probably makes them pull away even harder. They’re much more likely to chase someone avoidant like Hikaru or Ruru because there’s distance, uncertainty and a sense of having to win them over. That doesn’t make Maririn wrong for being emotionally open, but the more desperately she pursues these particular men, the more it seems to work against her.

And yes, obviously she’s allowed to cry. But in a dating show, first impressions matter A LOT. Crying on the very first day is unfortunately going to shape how people see you, whether that’s fair or not.

Then add the fact that she’s mixed and doesn’t fit the very narrow beauty standard these men seem to care about, and I honestly think she was fighting an uphill battle from the beginning. Especially with a group of men who seem extremely conscious of status, appearance and what the other guys think.

The ironic part is that I genuinely think every single one of them likes Maririn as a person. They enjoy being around her, they think she’s funny, and she brings personality to the group. But would they actually choose her romantically and stand on that choice in front of everyone else? I don’t think they would. The same way most men in the world don’t go for women they actually like.

And I honestly think that’s part of why the guys gossip about her so much. It almost feels like a way for them to deal with their own discomfort around her. Some of them might genuinely like her and yes! even be attracted to her, but she doesn’t fit the type of woman they’ve been taught is desirable or socially impressive to date. Japan is still Japan.
So instead of questioning why they feel conflicted, it’s easier to turn Maririn into the problem. She’s “too emotional,” “too desperate,” “too pushy.” If they can convince themselves that there’s something wrong with her, then they never have to examine if their own attraction is clashing with societal beauty standards, their egos, or what they think their bros would approve of. And when you put a bunch of men like that together, they just reinforce it in each other.

I really think something good comes out of this experience for her though. I hope the exposure from the show brings her opportunities and brand deals, and allow her to enter completely new environments where she can meet people who actually appreciate her personality and enjoy being around her. (People like banana man)

But more than anything, I hope she finds a good therapist and gets the chance to work through some of the things that are clearly still hurting her. She doesn’t need to become less emotional or change who she is, but she deserves to reach a point where rejection doesn’t completely bamboozle her and she doesn’t feel like she has to desperately chase and beg for love from people who aren’t choosing her.

Because genuinely, I think she could thrive in a completely different environment. And I really want that for her. She really was the diamond of the season, and if she ever reads this (small chance), I want her to know that there’s nothing wrong or off with her. Other people just had a head start in life and she has to do it from ground -5.

He always tells the girls to stand up so he can hug them without asking them. >!Idk man, he's done it three times so far, the exact strategy to what three different girls?!< He just seems to not care about boundaries, and the hugs are like full body contact arms wrapped around her to prevent her from escaping. If he tried that with me I'd bite his head off. Tbh, overall I'm not a fan of most of the guys this season, they all just seem like they do not care about boundaries and think they can control women.

Season 1 theme song, I still sing it till today. This one doesn’t hit.

That is all.

I’m Japanese-Iranian like Marina, and I really see myself in her in the sense that I too have learned to be a people pleaser (to a frustrating fault) as a result of growing up around traumatic, turbulent situations. It’s a survival tactic. (Also, Ruru reminds me of my mom—and I love how she stands up for Marina haha.)

Watching Hikaru’s mean girl behaviour toward her, then seeing the guys pile up on her and act so degradingly, has triggered me so much. I’ve never felt so parasocially enraged watching a TV show lol.

Plus, I’m majorly side-eyeing the producers for allowing this type of environment for someone who is clearly very traumatized and only at the start of her healing journey.

This type of reality TV edit is what led to Terrace House being cancelled.

Anyway, just needed to vent. I see similar posts showing support for Maririn and it warms my heart to see the general public can see the situation for exactly what it is.

I hope she’s doing okay!

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.

Wait, why am i only seeing one person brought up about ma-kun saying "this girl is not gonna shape up unless someone teaches her a lesson" 「あの不良女1回教えてやらなきゃぁ分かんねぇな」 is scary and nails the coffin its a no go wtf. Even as a joke that's definitely- a questionable thing to say. He has said so many questionable things like "i'm much more mature than you" to assun. Or being the root problem that lead to maririn getting ganged up, he didn't even apologise either. Terribly immature expecting everyone else to grow up but himself.

Also i didn't even remember ma-kun has a child and he never mentioned or tried to discuss with assun on how her alcohol problem might affect his child etc. I hope they break up and assun finds a better guy. That guy barely showed any good sides to him and only showed red flags upon red flags.....

Personally, I think it's pretty impressive that all these cast members are able to come clean about their past like that.

Although some of the things that they have done are inexcusable, they have served their sentence and they have come to this show because they are looking for change.

Everyone makes mistakes in life and it's okay to condemn them for what they have done, but that's only meaningful if we also give them the space to grow and evolve.

Also, all of them being in the show only showed me how fragile human relationships are, how strong some friendships evolve and how much human beings can change and confront the evils of their past, how misleading the idea of love can be sometimes and how to be prudent about it (You know what two couples I'm talking about), and how to identify the red flag types of people.

I don't think kids are going to want to become a yankii by just watching the show 'cause ain't this show about overcoming that kind of life? If they want to become one, I'm sure they have plenty of inspiration next door in real life.

The only thing that came across as "off" to me about this show is that everyone was allowed to smoke and people might be encouraged to smoke thinking it seems cool. Active and secondhand smoking are the highest risk factors for almost all diseases ranging from heart-related and lung disorders to all kinds of cancer. I think the show should have placed prohibitions on that and asked the crew to adjust with nicotine patches or gums for the time being.

That said, it doesn't change anything to just go around criticizing shows just to gain some traction on the internet. If you think this is going to motivate people to get into criminal activities, then what about about all the violent action and thriller movies, and all the shooting games that plant the grain of violence in the minds of children? Will you fight to prevent their releases too?

So, stop being silly and please carry on with your work. People who are inclined to go down the wrong path will find inspiration anywhere, if not this show. And the ones who can recover will with all the support that they can get from their loved ones. If not anyone, MAYBE this show. Who knows?

(I apologize for the long post! If you got through it, 🙌🏻)

I noticed that Makun isn’t following Assun and some of the other cast members aren’t following each other as well. Wonder why?