I looked him up on Wikipedia and it states that he's been helping with people through the pandemic by using his own experiences of self-isolation. The fact that he could turn 15 months of torture into something positive for others is amazing.

I legit teared up when he was hugging the rice bag and crying. There's a special place in hell for the people who did these awful things to this man

“Hell is empty and all the devils are here.” ― William Shakespeare

through an interview he states that when the producer asked if he wanted to continue, he said no. the producer apparently pestered him until he gave in.

Even with consent, this is still fucked up. The way the producers treated him is fucked.

for real. that shot of the confetti cannons and audience cheering at the end while Nasubi sits there naked and confused is probably the most brutally dystopian thing I have ever seen

i heard that the way he was racking up prizes so quickly in Korea is a proof that the producers were doing shady things, withholding prizes, in Japan, because it would’ve been much harder for them to intercept in a foreign country

He was coerced into participating, he was desperate to make a living and the producers took full advantage of that.

Nasubi’s mental fortitude is fucking wild, shocked he didn’t go completely insane

The final scene of him being in front of an audience with him being scared and bewildered is straight out of dystopian film with a very cruel ending.

This show also did other challenges, forcing people to hike long distances, build a raft to get to land, starving people if their baseball team doesn't win, etc... Its sick as hell

19:48 you cannot watch this and not feel nothing. This is just sad and heartbreaking to push someone to the brink of crying over rice

He lived on rice, water, and dog food for over a year with minimal exercise. There’s no way he had a legitimate bill of good health

I wouldn't even treat my sims like this, let alone a real human being

What terrified me was the music, and the commentary in the background. It was a similar tone of voice and similar music to one of my fave japanese shows ever, Old Enough- which is literally about toddlers going on cute little errands. They weren't treating this like a tragedy- they saw it as COMIC.

The fact that I remember 1998 (the year I turned 11) as the greatest year from the '90s - all the while, *TOMOAKI HAMATSU* (call him by his *real* name), an incredibly intelligent and kind man, missed out on that ENTIRE YEAR because vile predators were profiting *_immensely_* by torturing him LIVE ON AIR to _MILLIONS_ of people, I just... I'm actually shaking right now with anger.

I swear the ending where the audience claps at a confused naked man has to be something out of Black mirror

Nasubi became gigachad, climbed Everest, opened a theater school, and now does charity at Fukishima regarding that nuclear incident, I very much admire people like him.

my heart broke into a million pieces when he was told to strip the 2nd time , he looked so sadd

19:46 the cut from him being ecstatic to win more rice to sobbing uncontrollably while holding the bag is... Probably one of the saddest things I've seen.

that “wrong address ramen delivery” definitely feels like a planned event by the producers, which would make it even sadder

They lucky he had a damn strong mind. Imagine choosing the wrong guy for this, would´ve easely become a murder case

This was the Real ''Truman Show'' - the real life inspiration that Hollywood created a movie after it.

This is quite horrid. I would pretend to go insane after 12 days so they have to kick me out.

If I remember correctly, the guy’s been doing a lot of mountain climbing in recent years, even scaling Mount Everest back in 2016. I’m just glad he’d been living his life after these events

Him taking the mask off in the room in korea to the realization he has to do it all again is legitimately soul crushing

30:55 i never get emotional..but this actually made me cry. what the actual fuck. that poor man has already been through enough:(

He climbed Everest 6 years ago, dude is a goddamn hero.

His real name is Tomoaki Hamatsu and he actually hasn't done that bad for himself. He's a local influencer in his area, eventually created his own acting stage group 'Eggplant Way' that travelled across Japan and he still gets on TV shows to this day. He's also climbed Mount Everest, which is pretty damn impressive. He also announced today (his birthday) that he'll be opening his own KZfaq channel... so Charlie making this video on his birthday is also kind of an unintentional promo for his new channel I guess.... even if the majority of us don't speak japanese and will have no clue what he's saying.

Glad to hear that a documentary is coming out soon about this…. More people need to hear this story and those responsible need to be thrown in the spotlight for the sick thing they have done to this man

I don't think I've EVER been so speechless in my fucking life. The fact this could happen to a Real person, let alone for the Entertainment Of Others, is genuinely mind-boggling. And, with so few, if ANY, consequences too?? Holy shit.

the clip of him being surprised by the live audience looks like it came straight out of a psychological thriller

The worst part is that Nasubi seems like a genuine, funny and amicable guy. It’s just sad that this was allowed to happen, let alone broadcast

as a child in the special ed program of a not-so-great elementary school, i was periodically locked in padded rooms for sometimes up to 2-3 hours. that fucked me up for life. even having that experience (which is admittedly not really similar), i cannot IMAGINE what being locked away from society for over a year would do to someone, much less being mocked on TV and starved in addition to that. holy shit

A documentary based on this is on Hulu now. It’s called “The Contestant”. It’s really disturbing

The show's producers should be charged with crimes against humanity.

That last shot of him sitting on the stage, shocked, naked and terrified surrounded by a giddy audience and being showered with confetti is so incredibly fucked up I can’t imagine how sadistic these producers were.

Just coming in here to say that there is a documentary on this on Hulu called "The Contestant". I can't believe that they made one about this guy and put it in Hulu.

Just in case it wasn’t clear already, Densha De Go! Is a train conductor simulator game. Nasubi was so deprived of entertainment that he played a train simulator for 4 days straight. Such a strong will on his end.

I agree with Charlie there's no way in 15 months he didn't win clothes the producers definitely had something to do with it.

He was a senior in college and this broadcast forced him to repeat a year, but his professor at the time happened to see it on TV and applied for his leave of absence. Thanks to him, he was able to go back to college and successfully graduate

This makes me so sad and sick to my stomach. I can’t even imagine. It’s just horrifying and it just kept getting worse.

Seeing the horrified look on his face when the walls collapse actually made me burst into tears

The fact that they took him to an amusement park and gave him a fun day right before sending him back in is heartbreaking

let’s not forget the heaviest thing here, which is that even while in the most f**ked up situation imaginable, with basically no contact with the outside world, and slowly growing insane, he was still trying to make people laugh with every single thing he did

this story makes me unbelievably sad, and makes me respect this man so much. because of the hulu documentary that came out recently about this, he did this interview for time magazine about how he felt. he felt like he couldn’t leave the room when they transferred him to korea, because his mental health was so deteriorated that he felt that he couldn’t give up. the producer said that tomoaki was so incredibly angry about this that he saw “anger coming out of every pore in his skin.” he said throughout the time he wanted to die and was losing hair along with weight. i’m glad that the documentary is well received, and tomoaki (nasubi) said that he was happy that his documentary helped people that struggle with loneliness and isolation. absolute legend of a man

As awful as it is that he had to resort to that, his companionship with Bi-Nasu was adorable

The fact he immediately strip his clothes off when entering the fake room even though nobody told him to strip was proof that the show broke this man

i love how they tortured a man in front of a live audience for months, but showing his genitals is where they draw the line

He didn't have no one , the guy should be remembered he only wanted to make people laugh but am so angry against the people who put him through that

Ok wait, so this man was tortured psychologically for entertainment AND money. Yet he managed to pull through without losing his mind, what a legend.

I don't believe the "prizes" he won were randomized. Somebody must have carefully planned what he would receive for the sake of entertainment.

The fact that Nasubi probably didn't even get a significant percentage of the show's earnings while he was the one being tortured for money is bloodboiling.

The thing that scared me the most is that people watching him felt OK with what's going on.

I seriously wanted to cry while watching this.

I believe the producers should be arrested 10000% the parcels was intercepted, they 1000000% they planted dog food

This feels like a horror movie and it’s insane this actually happened

The contract he must’ve signed for this had to have been crazy as fuck. The fact they change the rules of the game at any time and just prolong this is crazy.

I thought I was a sociopath who couldn’t feel empathy, until I seen Nesubi. Legend

this is truly one of the most horrific things I've ever seen.

He's a gentle soul. He didn't lash out on the producers once

The most sadistic thing is all the bright commentary and sound effects that are layered over this man’s suffering as it’s being broadcast to the world. If this isn’t a human rights violation, I don’t know what is

This feels like a black mirror episode

The fact that he could turn 15 months of torture into something positive for others is amazing.

the upbeat effects when he is literally suffering is so sadistic and sinister. this is so black mirror like, its actually insane to me that there wasnt intervention at any point.

I feel like Nasubi is by law allowed to beat the living shit out of the producers and everybody on the board with the show.

Netflix just realized a series called The 8 Show inspired on something like this. These Korean Hunger Games r wild

2:55 i love how the background completely changes at this point

I am 110% convinced that the Producers were intercepting the prizes, ensuring that Nasubi only received certain items. Possibly even distributing the prizes he DID win at specific times. 15 months, thousands of sweepstakes entered, and he never won a single T-Shirt? I call BS. This poor guy was purposely degraded, tormented, and humiliated for a global audience...

That ending honestly broke me. It's hard to believe that people can be so unapologetically cruel.

The real life saw trap, but it's only mental emotional pain

Update on Nasubi: He is doing quite well for himself and they made a Documentary on him called "The Contestant" and its all about what Nasubi suffered through from his side

Nasubi is too kind. The producers probably used that kindness and Nasubi’s will power to their advantage

My heart DROPPED when they put Nasubi back in a room after celebrating his win. That’s so so cruel

Him hugging the rice broke my heart

This man deserves everything, i really hope hes well

I stand by the fact that japanese gameshows have some of the worst and best things that humanity has to offer in them

This guy was living the real life Truman show. I feel so terrible for him, whoever made this should serve 10 years in prison just to see how he felt

And BTW when he said "he walked so that twitch could run" just sounded so damn good this man is a pioneer in the industry

Shows the strength he has, by himself for a year, nothing but respect for you my man, good lad

Those producers are literal sadists. This whole thing is just utterly depraved and beyond evil. This has to be the most disgusting and evil tv show of all time

I read the Japanese Wikipedia article about him and he actually has had a lot of accomplishments since the show, and is still working as a comedy actor and talent, and created his own theatre company. He also climbed Mount Everest and has acted in many big roles and variety shows, as well as voice acting and radio. He is the epitome of the Japanese spirit of perseverance and said that nothing in his life could be harder than what he had to go through on the show, and he lived so long doing what he did not want to do so now he will do what he wants to. This is not to justify what happened to him, and he opened up about suffering from mental illness after the show and wanting to d*e, but to say that he does not have a successful career/life after the show would be inaccurate and denying all the amazing accomplishments he’s been able to achieve through his own willpower

This was so disturbing. I hope he's doing alright today. I suddenly feel more fortunate to be a citizen of the United States.

One of the worst things about it, is that they made it seem all Cartoon-ish with text and voice actors over-exaggerating every little thing that happened to Nasubi just to keep the audience entertained. But the fact he was somehow able to stay optimistic and not give up throughout all of the pain, suffering, and overall torture of deprivation is insane, like how he was still mostly updating people about how his life was going. He is an absolute legend for that. But yeah, this entire series was fucked-up in every single way possible and I’m glad it ended.

The fact he immediately took off his clothes after moving into the fake apartment was real chilling. I imagine in that moment he believed that this was his life now, it was no longer a game.

What a fascinating piece of journalism. I hope you and your team get some sort of award.

They need to make a movie about this. This is some Black Mirror/Squid Game type shit, just unbelievable edit: well that aged well

When he won the 10kg bag of rice.... the way he held onto it and started crying absolutely broke me. The people who set this up deserve nothing but the absolute worst lives you could possibly imagine, I really pray they get what they deserve

This literally looks like something someone would do in the Sims, but in real life, super messed up

You did a great job with this. Thanks for making it. It's like some Big Brother shit irl.

Wow I found your channel and watch the evil preacher now this I am hooked ❤. Great content. This was a terrible what they did to this poor man.

The simple fact that he hasn't murdered anyone is a testament to his kind heart and soul. Horrible true life Truman show

Dude climbed everest in 2016. Dudes a champ in my opinion. His ingenuity saved his life.

Damn... What a cruel event, story, what a cruel country....

The most extraordinary thing about Nasubi's ordeal is that the door to his room was unlocked the whole time. He explained in subsequent interviews that he didn't leave because obligation and endurance are important values in Japanese culture, and because he didn't have any clothes to wear in the outside world.

this ending with the walls collapsing and him being on a stage in front of hundreds of people is so dystopian and makes this whole event seem like a black mirror episode

the amount of editing and pure man hours they put in to not giving this guy some boxers for "comedic" effect is insane

It's like the villain from "Old Boy" and AM from "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream" devised a reality TV contest show.

One of the saddest parts is he went into this to boat his career as a comedian and left unable to properly socialize enough to be a comedian anymore

out of respect to him, i dont think we should be calling him Nasubi, a cruel name the producers made up to make fun of him and utterly dehumanize him. i honestly think we should just call him by his actual name. Edit: a few of the replies have informed me that he actually embraced the name (good for him!), calling his stage troupe "Eggplant Way", so he probably doesn't the mind the name. I just commented hoping he wasn't being insulted/ being identified by a bad name by people like Charlie by accident.