A man was "tortured" for 15 months in Japan's Squid Game-inspired reality television programme

Reality TV programmes can help people become famous quickly, but occasionally things can go wrong, as they did in the case of this Japanese comic. It takes a strong mentality to persevere through the story of Tomoaki Hamatsu, aka Nasubi.

Nasubi joined the Susunu! Denpa Shonen, also known as "Do Not Proceed! Crazy Youth," which ran from 1998 to 2002 in search of fame. The idea behind the programme was to put contestants in life-or-death circumstances and document their struggle for survival. Nasubi was taken hostage at the start of the game show and imprisoned naked in an apartment with only a bathroom and an unoccupied kitchen.

The comedian was tasked with raising 1 million (about Rs 5 lakh), according to LadBible, using the little resources allocated to him, including a few publications featuring contests. For 15 months, Nasubi's arduous struggle to survive without food or clothing was broadcast live online. According to reports, the comedian received tiny bits of bread throughout the challenge's initial phase, but this practise ended after a few weeks.

Before he ultimately reached the desired amount, Nasubi spent 335 days inside the apartment building. To honour the achievement, the producers gave him a trip to Korea. After the trip, he was once more placed in the same flat to raise money. The comedian was tasked with raising 1 million (about Rs 5 lakh), according to LadBible, using the little resources allocated to him, including a few publications featuring contests. For 15 months, Nasubi's arduous struggle to survive without food or clothing was broadcast live online. According to reports, the comedian received tiny bits of bread throughout the challenge's initial phase, but this practise ended after a few weeks.

Before he ultimately reached the desired amount, Nasubi spent 335 days inside the apartment building. To honour the achievement, the producers gave him a trip to Korea. After the trip, he was once more placed in the same flat to raise money.

The comedian was put in another apartment when he first arrived in Japan. Having previously done this to raise money, Nasubi did it again without realising that his room was actually a box kept on the show's stage. Once the comedian was stripped naked and his performance was streamed in front of thousands of live audiences, the box's walls collapsed. The game show came to an end at that point. Nasubi spoke candidly with style Koriyama about his declining physical and emotional condition "Back then, everything was hard, and every day was like living in hell. To feel like this, I'd rather die."

After a TikTok user posted his experience online, internet users criticised the Japanese show's "torturing" style and many made comparisons to Squid Game.