Netflix’s new show-within-a-show, Kiss or Die, is a unique variety TV comedy title out of Japan that is undoubtedly unlike anything you’ve seen before. Over the course of six episodes, multiple comedians are thrown into a drama for which they have no script, relying solely on their improv skills and mental fortitude to stumble their way through the plot. As if that isn’t hard enough, they’ll also have adult actresses tempting them with a “death kiss” that will get them kicked off the show if they give in before the time is right. Through it all, a panel of entertainers will watch the events unfold and add their own insights, reacting to and commenting on the show’s incredible chaos alongside viewers at home.
Opening Shot: We see snapshots of beautiful women teasing and acting alongside very average-looking men as the words “Can these comedians resist temptation?” appear onscreen. “A cheap kiss means elimination… Who will become the male lead?”
The Gist: Ryota Yamasato, Ken Yahagi, and Miyu Ikeda are our panel of hosts who provide color commentary for this steamy and silly series that throws male comedians into an ad-libbed drama where they must fend off the advances of their attractive co-stars long enough to eventually successfully deliver the ultimate on-screen kiss. The comedians who give in to the urge to steal cheap smooches will be eliminated with their characters killed off, while those who stand strong get to progress the surprisingly action-packed (in more ways than one) plot.
Our first three protagonists are comedians Tetsuya Morita, Takashi Watanabe, and Gekidan Hitori, who all think that they’re being brought in to shoot a commercial. Instead, they’re each thrown into their own twisting storyline as employees of a fictional company called Dagon Pharmaceuticals, which is overseen by the corrupt President Ogawara (Tokuma Nishioka, of Emmy Award-winning series Shōgun).
Although each comedian is assigned a different apartment or role, with Morita as a new “mid-career hire” in sales, Watanabe as the chief of HR, and Hitori as a planning department chief named Shogo Kawashima, they are all similarly pushed to the brink by sensual adult actresses and gravure models who pull out all the stops to tempt them into some premature lip-locking. Can they play along long enough to get to the bottom of a murderous company conspiracy, or will they fall victim to their desires, perishing in the process?
What Shows Will It Remind You Of?: Kiss or Die is like if you took the resisting temptation competition aspect of Too Hot to Handle and mixed it with the mind-bending improv and controlled chaos of The Rehearsal, while sprinkling the commentating host panel aspect of other East Asian-based reality shows like Offline Love, Terrace House, and Single’s Inferno.
Our Take: Kiss or Die is undoubtedly a very hard (pun NOT intended) watch at times, with mostly just the moments of attempted seduction making you occasionally cringe or feel uncomfortable. Luckily, the panel of hosts serves as a somewhat reassuring reminder that we’re normal for feeling this way as they wince and laugh alongside us, maintaining senses of balance and reality that prevent you from being too turned off by the more inappropriate or embarrassing moments onscreen.
Generally, though, this show is laugh-out-loud funny and surprising enough to keep you invested and on your toes from start to finish. While Morita and Watanabe seem into it enough that they’re sometimes painful to behold, Gekidan Hitori is locked into his character from the get-go and provides numerous one-liners, impressive improvisations, and hilarious moments that transcend any potential language or cultural barriers for viewers from around the world.
Beyond the competition aspect of going with the flow and resisting the fatal “cheap kiss,” the actual drama that serves as a through-line for Kiss or Die is both ridiculous and oddly engaging. The whole thing is kind of a spoof of the drama genre, and is almost fan fiction-like in its commitment to throwing a ton of tropes and known Japanese names (including Tokuma Nishioka, Mamoru Miyano, Terunosuke Takezai, and Jun Hashimoto) at the wall to see what sticks. From otherworldly powers to elaborate fight sequences to childhood flashbacks and sad backstories, Kiss or Die somehow has it all, making it all work in a way that’s both self-aware and charming, pulling you in before you’ve realized it and getting you hungry for more.
Sex and Skin: Kiss or Die is rated TV-MA for good reason. There’s a lot of suggestive humor and sex-related content from the first episode alone, including one instance of simulated clothed sex and even some peeks at cleavage. Even if it’s all exaggerated and played up for laughs, this is definitely content for adults only.
Parting Shot: A detective (Jun Hashimoto) bursts onto the scene to investigate a crime scene, saying, “We got ourselves a troublesome case. This one’s gonna take a while,” as he gazes at a brutalized dead body. As we (and the panel) are left with that cliffhanger, Watanabe’s face is crossed out, then we see a teaser of the drama to come, featuring three more comedians, additional actor cameos, and snippets of the action-packed storyline ahead.
Sleeper Star: Gekidan Hitori was undeniably the star of the show when it came to his work in our pretend drama series, but perhaps the biggest MVPs of all were Nana Yagi, Mary Tachibana, and Kiho Kanematsu, the three actresses who committed to their over-the-top seductive roles and somehow never fully broke character despite the insanity occurring around them.
Most Pilot-y Line: Miyu Ikeda’s baffled, “What are they making us watch?” is something that you may also be thinking a lot to yourself as a viewer. And yet, much like the panel of commentators, we can’t help but keep watching, laughing, and cringing along to the insanity occurring onscreen.
Our Call: Kiss or Die is immature, goofy, and absolutely entertaining. It might not be to everyone’s sense of humor or taste, but if this is the kind of show that sounds funny or even just intriguing to you, it should be worth checking out. And after one episode, you can’t help but want to know what the heck will happen next. Satisfy your curiosity and STREAM IT!