Terrace House - Tokyo 2019-2020, Part 1

Terrace House is back in Tokyo, yay! I finally caught up on Part 1 and wanted to record/share my thoughts on it while they're still fresh.

First off, I like that it's in Tokyo. The last series I finished was "Aloha State," where the language and physical barriers were a bit too much. More than half the cast couldn't find regular work because they can't speak English at a native level, even though Hawaii does have a good-sized Japanese-speaking population.

By having it in Tokyo, you can have normal* Japanese people who can go about their lives in between house/date segments. The density and transportation in Tokyo also allows for tons of variety in big-city places. So far, I've enjoyed all the different restaurants, bars, and venues they've gone to.

(*Normal insomuch a participant of a reality TV show could be.)

Second, I love the increased focus on the panel. The segments feel a little longer, so they have time to craft and show silly bits.

They've really hit their stride, and the rapport is great; Baba is talking now, Triendl/Torichan has taken on a leading role, and Yamasato is the butt of even more Virgin-at-Heart jokes.

Main Cast

Let's move onto my thoughts about the main cast.

Kaori Watanabe, 28, illustrator

Initial impression: shy, insecure, humble, driven.

Early on, I saw her deflecting and self-deprecating a lot, despite her achievements. She went to a great school and worked at a great company before giving all that up to pursue her passion: art.

She doesn't like to toot her own horn, but I think she does take great pride in her work. Hearing her old professor criticize her or work not meeting her expectations really cuts deep. I don't blame her though. The cultural implications and stress of making it on your own is probably overwhelming.

Overall, Kaori is a queen and only deserves the best.

Shohei Matsuzaki, 25, actor/writer

Initial impression: cocky, good listener, somehow gives the best life advice.

He's really opinionated in his ideas about work and living his own life that I really respect, but he's awful at articulating his arguments. I went into the tempura incident on his side, but the panel eviscerated him. He definitely clashes with cultural norms. Alas, he doesn't yet have the life experience to back up some of his talk.

Still, he's a good listener, and I constantly see him taking in what others are saying and giving really good life advice that aren't just pre-canned platitudes.

I also love how good he is at cooking! Notable dishes include his green curry and lu rou fan. They looked straight out of a restaurant. Maybe if acting doesn't work out for him, he can become a chef.

Haruka Okuyama, 24, actress

Initial impression: haughty, conniving, wears her heart on her sleeve.

For someone who's an actress, Haruka is really bad at hiding her emotions. Every time the camera zooms in on her face, her little mouth movements just give away what she's thinking so easily, which is really cute. She reminded me of Natsumi from "Boys & Girls in the City" (BGITC) based on appearances, but she pulled a Tap (also BGITC) and totally called Shohei out in the Tempura Incident.

Her moderate success in acting doesn't necessarily result in her directly bragging about things, but she'll definitely humblebrag or argue her views with others. I'm also not a fan of how she always tries to (even admits this in an interview) go after men who are already spoken for.

Kenji "Kenny" Yoshihara, 31, musician

Initial impression: cool, emotionally distant, kinda worthless and maybe self-serving.

Kenny definitely came off as the cool dude early on. His success as a musician made a big first impression.

However, as Part 1 went on, it seemed like he was coasting and just trying to promote his band. He said he was looking to be more open about his love and relationships on Day 1, but he hasn't been proactive at all with any of the girls.

The advice he gives is also so shallow, word for word: "Don't worry about it, everything will work out." He has zero chemistry with the women and is getting by on his (arguably) good looks and music.

It hurts me that I really like his music when he's such a trash cast member right now. In cases like these, I wish the producers could force people to leave sooner.

Risako Tanabe, 21, fitness trainer

Initial impression: sweet, hard-working, straightforward.

She came off as very fun-loving and hard-working initially. It wasn't until later that she revealed a cattier, more vindictive side. Despite the age difference, she's really good at getting under Haruka's skin and stirring the pot. She goes on the offensive a lot when it comes to date planning, but even she's starting to get annoyed by Kenny's uselessness.

She definitely reminded me that first impressions aren't everything.

Ruka Nishinori, 20, part-time retail worker

Initial impression: pure, cute.

He turns red whenever he talks to women, and really seemed to capture everyone's heart at first. But as the show went on, the sheen wore off, and everyone's over him. He's really one-dimensional at this point and truly aimless in life.

At first, he wanted to be a hero, then he clarified that to mean starring in a Marvel movie. But he won't take any steps toward that goal. Then he crushes on Kaori so he wants to learn how to draw. Just... get him off the show please.

He's the best argument against not having really young people who aren't established yet. There are obviously exceptions like Yusuke Aizawa and Risako Tanabe who are actually talented or know what they're doing in life.

Highlights

Tempura Incident was great. Two clashing ideologies of traditional versus new age. It totally reminded me of the Dream Police incident in BGITC, although Haruka didn't catch as much flak as Tap did.

Shohei's random gig in a softcore porno. Just WHAT. No one on the panel said a thing about that pretty explicit scene was wild to me. I'll just say... if that scene was indiciative of Shohei's acting chops... he should change careers while he can. I was watching this on a plane and had to hold my phone up to my face like a pair of blinders so people wouldn't see what was happening.

Risako versus Haruka, another iconic clash. Haruka may have the upper hand when it comes to work-related topics, but Risako deftly matched her when it comes to interpersonal conflict and trolling.

Ruka cooking carbonara and cracking an egg into a pot of boiling water was priceless. Haruka and Kaori just chuckling in silence was such a mood.

The return of Yusuke Aizawa and his ukelele was awesome. I love his music and how he just went for it with Haruka. I hope to see him back with Haruka on their rain-checked date.

Kaori's vulnerable scene where she questioned her ability as an artist was so heart wrenching. Her imposter syndrome is so relatable. I'm definitely rooting for her to come back even stronger.

Once again, every studio segment was great. I need to find a super cut, because they were all laugh-out-loud funny.

Final thoughts

In the early episodes, the cast had such great chemistry. Everyone was vibing and getting along. It wasn't until halfway through that the cracks really started to show: unrequited love, love triangles, and useless members.

The chemistry I thought was so great only goes as deep as friendship. Unfortunately, I can't really see any of them in relationships.

I was shipping Kenny and Kaori based on their great conversations early on, but now I see that Kaori is waaaay too good for him. Risako is doing well for herself and deserves much better than the guys on the show. She and Haruka are also a good source of drama, so they can stay. Shohei is the house cook, so he obviously can't leave. That means Kenny and Ruka need to GTFO.

It's time to bring in someone new. I can't wait to see what Part 2 brings!

Note to self: Get images in here, but not so many that Netflix will DMCA me.

Hi! I'm Jeff Chheng.
This is my blog where I ramble about web dev, video games, and TV.