Hello and welcome to the official thread for Terrace House, where we discuss the hit reality TV show from the Land of the Rising Sun!
What is Terrace House ?
Terrace House is a Japanese reality show that started back in 2012 on FujiTV. Three men and three women share the same house, and we simply follow their day to day life.The show quickly attracted viewers due to the concept of reality TV being somewhat new in the country, as opposed to the USA or European countries where the genre has been a huge money maker for decades.
The first season ended in late 2014, but people wanted more, and after one small sequel (as a « movie »), the show came back on Netflix when the service launched in Japan. Thanks to that, Terrace House became available to a worldwide audience, fascinated by this new take on reality TV.
Huh, so it's just another crappy reality show. Why should I care ?
If you're used to Western programs such as Jersey Shore or Big Brother, reality TV is bottom of the barrel trash with idiots arguing all the time, and you can tell the production often gets involved to create drama. This is where Terrace House shines. People are not caricature, stereotypes, they act like… human beings ? You will never see someone yelling at an other member, get physical… You can suspect that the production has a small influence, but even if it's the case you never feel that way. From a non-Japanese perspective, the show can also have an interesting anthropological value to it. How do they interact with each other ? It's obviously a tiny tiny sample of the population, but it definitely gives you some hints.Where do I watch it?
Netflix for the most part.The Seasons
TERRACE HOUSE TOKYO 2019-2020 (May 2019 - )
The 5th season of Terrace House will be back in Tokyo, 3 years after the In The City. WIth the Tokyo Olympics on the horizon, we can expect a few aspiring athletes to show up, as well as some good PR for the city.TERRACE HOUSE TOKYO 2019-2020 (May 2019 - )
TERRACE HOUSE BOYS×GIRLS NEXT DOOR (October 2012 to September 2014)
Where it all begins. Technically it was broadcast as 8 seasons on television, but it always kept the same name and location (it did change once), members carried over… so we can safely treat it as one big season.
An extremely long but really entertaining season in my opinion. For the longest time it hasn't be available for non-Japanese viewers, but a group of fans decided to sub this season. I'm not sure I'm allowed to link to that project but a quick Google search will lead you there.
This season got a « movie », CLOSING DOOR, which was just a 2 hours long episode starting right when Tetsuya, the last remaining member, was about to leave the house. We should note that Tetsuya stayed from the first episode until the end, he is the only member to ever do that.
TERRACE HOUSE BOYS & GIRLS IN THE CITY (September 2015 to September 2016)
Back in September 2015, Netflix launched in Japan, and to push the service in the country, FujiTV and Netflix worked together to bring back the acclaimed show (the show does air on television with a 1-month delay). This might be the most beloved season by Western fans since it's the one most people discovered the show with. A lot of great moments, great cast for the most part, just a blast to watch.
TERRACE HOUSE ALOHA STATE (November 2016 to August 2017)
It is still unclear if they decided to move to Hawaii to appeal to a growing worldwide fanbase, or if they just thought Hawaii was simply a cool location (Japanese people do like Hawaii after all) for the show. This one kinda stinks to be honest. Most people who loved the previous one were bored with this one : no chemistry between the members, weak starting roster, kinda dull location (no offense to people living in Hawaii). It's not unusual to see people recommending the previous season to newcomers unimpressed by Aloha State.
TERRACE HOUSE OPENING NEW DOORS (December 2017 - February 2018)
The 4th installment in the series took us to Karuizawa, a popular mountain resort among Japanese people. A pretty entertaining season, especially after the Aloha State disaster.
The Panel
Main members of the panel are young model/talent/actress Triendl Reina, veteran model/talent/actress YOU, Tokui Yoshimi (from the comedy duo Tutorial), Babazono Azusa (from the comedy duo Asian), Yamasato Ryota (from the comedy duo Nankai Candies). The sixth member of the panel regularly changes : young actors Mochizuki Ayumu, Kentaro, and Tokasa Hiroomi from the popular boys band Sandaime J-Soul Brothers.
Their reactions and comments can steal the show. They never hold back and hearing them either trash or rave about the participants is a treat. Excellent chemistry and group dynamic.
gifs by TarasHouse on Reddit
A Few Memorable Members
Sugaya Tetsuya (BOYS×GIRLS NEXT DOOR) - Stayed the entire season, very likable, seeing him overcoming (or not) the odds has been a great ride.
Shimabukuro Seina (BOYS×GIRLS NEXT DOOR) - The icon of Terrace House. Over the top personality but her occasional signs of weakness and doubt made her an endearing member.
Imai Hana (BOYS×GIRLS NEXT DOOR) - A strong personality, this gal also exposed her softer side to become a fan favorite.
Bitaraf Arman (BOYS & GIRLS IN THE CITY) - The chillest (maybe too chill) dude.
Handa Yuto (BOYS & GIRLS IN THE CITY) - Mr.Perfect, you will never find someone who disliked him. One of the nicest people on Earth. Tears were shed when he left the show (I cried)
Adachi Yuki (BOYS & GIRLS IN THE CITY) - The tap dancer obsessed with hard work and other people's dreams. One of the most brutal rejections in TH's history.
Saito Natsumi (BOYS & GIRLS IN THE CITY) - Don't mess with her or you might just get killed. One of the first members to really bring drama in the house.
Tamaki Taishi (ALOHA STATE) - In the search for "a love to die for", an hopeless (?) romantic who wants to become a movie star
Sato Guy (ALOHA STATE) - The pure and harmless surfer with a heart of gold, aka Winnie The Pooh
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