Hulu’s new documentary The participant is a lively watch, but also a very nerve-wracking one. In 1998, Nasubi (meaning ‘eggplant’, a personal nickname turned stage name) agreed to live in a small one-room apartment, completely isolated from the world, for a part of the Japanese extreme game show Susunu! Denpa Shonen. He was not allowed to receive food, clothing, or other personal belongings, except what he could win through magazine contests. When he was told to stay in the room until he won 1 million yen worth of prizes, he slowly starved, naked and alone, as his physical and mental health deteriorated. When he finally reached his goal, the show’s producer, Toshio Tsuchiya, told him he had to do it all again, this time in Korea.
In a real-life spin-on The Truman ShowToshio was secretly filming and broadcasting footage of Nasubi, who gained a worldwide following of 17 million fascinated viewers, while being completely unaware that he was being watched. Director Clair Titley tells its story through archive footage and new interviews, with Nasubi and Toshio both exploring what they remember from this early exercise in reality TV from 25 years ago, before Titley moves on to Nasubi’s attempts to reclaim his life in the years that followed.
Nasubi’s situation became worldwide news in the late 1990s, but the news stories left many questions. The participant answers many of them, such as “How did Toshio find Nasubi for the show?” and “Why didn’t Nasubi just leave since his door was never locked?” But the documentary creates some mysteries in itself. Polygon sat down with Titley and Nasubi to ask some questions we were still wondering about after watching.
Why did Nasubi agree to be on Denpa Shōnen?
Image: Hulu/Everett Collection
Nasubi: I have this distinctive, different face. So I was bullied as a child. But instead of seeing my future as something negative, I realized that I can make it fun, and use this as a weapon, as a tool to make people laugh. And that’s something I learned, to survive. So I wanted to be an actor-comedian who makes people laugh, but not just with my facial structure.
There’s an actor named Kiyoshi Atsumi – he holds the Guinness World Record for the longest film series with one actor, called Otoko wa Tsurai yo. So I really looked up to him. And he has a square face. He always played the same characters, and he brought laughter and tears. So I imagined myself being that kind of person.
Has Nasubi never won clothes?
Nasubi: In the beginning, I entered competitions for T-shirts and so on. But in that room you don’t really need clothes to survive, you know? You won’t die from lack of clothing. So I focused on coming in for edibles. Plus, I had to reach the prize goal of 1 million yen, so I entered competitions for more expensive items that I didn’t necessarily need.
Polygon: At some point during your stay in Korea we see you win a pair of pink shorts and try them on, but you never seem to wear them again. Were they uncomfortable?
Nasubi: They were woolen trousers! Usually you need underwear before putting it on, so it was very uncomfortable to wear it. And in the Korean room they had a warm floor, so there was no real need to wear anything warm.
Clair Title: You won the panties too.
Nasubi: In Japan I won a pair of panties. I was trying to fit my body into that little thing, and I saw myself in a video, and it was really humiliating. I said, ‘You know, I don’t have to put up with this thing. I do not need it.”
How did Toshio convince Nasubi to continue the show after achieving his goal?
Image: Hulu/Everett Collection
Nasubi: The TV edited the footage to make it look like I had suddenly flown to Korea, but in reality we were discussing for hours. He didn’t change his mind. He just wanted me to keep going. I kept saying, “No, no, no.” But in the end, because he never gave in, I understood that the only way I could send him out of the room was to say yes. Because otherwise he would continue to pursue me.
So if I couldn’t get rid of him by saying no, I had to say yes and put myself in a hellish situation again. It was just one way to send him away. In other words, his passion, his determination to keep going, was much stronger than my feelings or my opinions.
Title: I also keep thinking that he was so worn out at this point. He was malnourished.
Nasubi: The strength of my heart was gone. Everything in me was broken. So I wasn’t really myself. I was in another world. Physically and mentally I was completely broken.
Why does The Contestant never bring Nasubi and Toshio back together?
Title: The first ideas for the film were that we would bring them together. We were going on a road trip – all kinds of ideas. Ultimately, it didn’t feel like it was part of the story. We were done with the story at a certain point and it didn’t feel like there was going to be some sort of cliché moment where all would be forgiven. It’s not really that kind of relationship.
They’ve seen each other on and off, so it wouldn’t have been a big reveal. They met each other because they are both in the entertainment industry. It was obviously something we thought about, but it didn’t feel like it would have the impact we expected.
How does Nasubi feel about watching The Contestant and reliving these events?
Image: Hulu/Everett Collection
Nasubi: I never expected there would be a documentary like this. Facing my past because I had to deal with its trauma was not an easy task. For me it was difficult. But I feel like by using my past, that’s a way I can find and save people. I can encourage people in a difficult situation. So of course it took time, but my past was never wasted.
That’s how I feel now. Because Toshio, the producer, apologized to me. Instead of holding anger and hatred within myself, instead of holding on to this negative energy, I could free myself from it, and that will give me a new sense of freedom. And I found a way to save people who are in a difficult situation like me.
I also want to tell people: people can change. People do change. Being kind to people, even those you have problems with, can give you hope.
How does Toshio feel about what he did to Nasubi on the show?
Title: I don’t want to speak for him, so this is largely my perspective. In the movie he doesn’t come right out and say: “I’m sorry for everything that happened, I regret it” – not in so many words. His participation in the film, I think, was somehow part of his apology, perhaps part of his redemption.
We didn’t have to convince him to be in the movie. It was actually Nasubi who approached him and said, “I would like to make this film, and I would like you to be a part of it.” While I don’t necessarily agree with the way Toshio behaved on that show, I do have a lot of respect for the way he was so honest and so open with us. He is a TV producer himself. He is a documentary maker. He’s not crazy. He knows very well how a Western audience will interpret everything he has done. He knows the power of media manipulation, and how we can do something with his editing. And he was brutally honest with us. He didn’t hold back. And I certainly felt like there was nothing I couldn’t ask him that was off limits at any point. I am very grateful to him for that.