Kiss Or Die Review
Director: Sakuma Nobuyuki
Date Created: 2025-09-09 19:30
3.5
Kiss Or Die Review: Sometimes, Japanese variety shows can be really unpredictable, and this show is one of their examples. Directed by Sakuma Nobuyuki, this Netflix reality program デスキスゲーム いいキスしないと死んじゃうドラマ features an interesting group of improvisational comedians and actors such as Gekidan Hitori, Tetsuya Morita, Takashi Watanabe, Crystal Noda, Kazuya Shimasa, Gunpee, and Mamoru Miyano. Hosted by Yamasato Ryota, Yahagi Ken, and Ikeda Miyu, who contribute in their own way with humour and reactions, the series puts the viewers in an unusual but hilarious game of temptation as the ultimate skill test. The series consists of six episodes roughly around the length of 50 minutes.
Kiss Or Die Review
My first thought while watching the Netflix series Kiss Or Die was “How in the world was this concept approved?” The concept is both ridiculous and tantalising. Comedians find themselves in outlandish situations in which the only means they will survive is through improvisational storytelling with outrageous roadblocks that often take the form of kisses that will be their death sentences. It’s more than an acting challenge; it’s the challenge of keeping one’s composure, of being funny on the spot, and of being agreeable with the final outrageous plot twists.
The series is disarrayed, but if you grasp the rhythm, the humour is presented in another manner. I was sceptical at the beginning, but ended up liking the experience because the unpredictability is what keeps you glued to the screen.
I’ve witnessed my share of reality programs, but there are far fewer that so brazenly venture out of the comfort zone. The Japanese reality series Kiss Or Die transcends the typical comedy sketches and generates its own half-structured, half-unintended world. The contestants are always in situations that push the envelope of how much they’re in command, and that’s where the humour is.
Most impressive of all is the commitment of the cast. No matter how absurd or awkward the situation is, they never break. Such dedication makes the program more than mere goofy humour; it translates it into a display of true improvisational talent.
Whilst viewing Japanese comedy show Kiss Or Die, I would find that I was laughing out loud, at the show, but also at the hosts laughing from the sidelines. Their banter creates another aspect of humour as if seeing one’s equals gossip as one’s equals endure on the stage.
The humour is always relative. Some of the bits are quite far enough out there that you will find yourself embarrassed, at least in part because the plotlines get nutty in directions you would see in no normal variety special. That’s what keeps this apart from other similar shows, though. If you’re the type that wants humour always-safe-but-never-risqué, this show’s got that in spades.
Working in its favour is the timing and the energy; the whole concept can just as easily fail. But in this, all the actors invest themselves in the absurdity with conviction, and they produce something that is real even when they’re over the top. The way that they play off each other, with the guest stars included, keeps that pacing.
Another reason I loved this is that the actors never let the episode’s eeriness interfere with their acting. They keep the balance of humour and insanity so tight that you find yourself believing in the out-there scenario that they’re in.
Then I would say I did enjoy the originality, but at other moments, the Kiss Or Die Netflix series was just too sexy. I mean, the concept is rooted in temptation. Male comedians are dropped into makeshift rom-dramas in which they would be challenged with resisting the temptation of the sexy co-stars, but somehow end up working out an actual kiss. Since the foundation is what it is, the sexual tension ends up at the centre of the series.
But the structure is always uneven in the way that this is accomplished. While they manage their role well enough, the format of the program at other points just reduces the extras to one-dimensional characters instead of letting the extras have the chance to contribute some of their own improvisational style. The unevenness damaged some of the comedy. I would have done better if the series had invested in its players more, so they would be capable of generating comedy that was less grounded in sexualization.
Netflix Kiss Or Die Review: Summing Up
Overall, Kiss Or Die is a series that survives off the absurd, but is also blessed with excellent improvisation. The production is chaotic, frantic, and completely unpredictable, but succeeds because the players commit themselves in earnest. My favourite part wasn’t necessarily the outlandish scenarios but the performers themselves in maintaining the story, no matter how outlandish the tale became.
I was reminded that comedy is all improvisational risk, and this show is a risky episode after episode. It’s broken but fearless, laugh-out-loud hilarious, and happily out of the usual mould of what we’re used to seeing on Netflix. Whether you enjoy Japanese variety specials or the idea of improvisational comedy pushed to the limit, this series is definitely worth watching.
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