Netflix: The Hot Spot

"The Hot Spot" isn't a show that screams for your attention with dramatic cliffhangers or flashy effects. Instead, it invites you to settle in, like you would into a warm onsen (hot spring, naturally). The premise? It follows a quiet, unassuming alien named Takahashi who works at a rural Japanese hotel. He's not here to conquer Earth, or even to blend in seamlessly. He's just... there. And his alien superpowers? They're mostly used for mundane tasks, like flawlessly applying a screen protector to a phone, or perhaps, very efficiently cleaning a room.

The charm of "The Hot Spot" lies in its masterful subversion of alien tropes. We're so accustomed to extraterrestrial beings being either menacing invaders or benevolent saviors. Takahashi is neither. He's a bespectacled, middle-aged man who gets roped into everyday human problems by his no-nonsense coworker, Kiyomi. She discovers his secret, and instead of panicking, she sees an opportunity – mostly for him to use his powers to make her life a little easier, like getting free access to the hotel's hot spring after hours. Their interactions are gold: deadpan, understated, and genuinely hilarious. Kiyomi's utter lack of astonishment at Takahashi's alien nature is a running gag that never gets old. His confessions of alien anatomy, like sensitive teeth to cold food, are met with the most wonderfully mundane responses.

This brilliant blend of the ordinary and the fantastical is the signature style of Bakarhythm, the show's screenwriter. Hidetomo Masuno, known by his stage name Bakarhythm, is a Japanese comedian, actor, and now, a celebrated screenwriter. He's known for his unique brand of dry humor and his ability to find the extraordinary in the mundane. If you've seen his previous works like "Rebooting" (another Netflix hit) or "Fictitious Girl's Diary," you'll recognize his distinctive voice immediately.

Bakarhythm excels at crafting dialogue that reveals the subtle nuances of human (and alien) thought processes, especially the unspoken realities behind polite Japanese manners. His characters are relatable in their quirks and their everyday struggles, even when one of them can, say, teleport. He takes seemingly simple scenarios and imbues them with a quiet wit and an underlying warmth. "The Hot Spot" feels like a cozy, humorous meditation on coexistence and acceptance, wrapped in a blanket of beautiful Mt. Fuji scenery.

So, if you're looking for a show that will make you chuckle, ponder, and generally feel good, "The Hot Spot" is your perfect escape. And while you're enjoying Takahashi's understated alien antics, take a moment to appreciate the genius of Bakarhythm, the man who consistently proves that sometimes, the most extraordinary stories are found in the most ordinary places.