「TERRACE HOUSE OPENING NEW DOORS」の新メンバー6人(C)フジテレビ
As a big fan of the “Terrace House” Japanese reality TV series, I was looking forward to the fourth series titled “TERRACE HOUSE OPENING NEW DOORS” which airs on Fuji TV, shown on Fuji on Demand (FOD) but also on Netflix Japan. And is a co-production between Fuji TV and Netflix.
For those not familiar with the series, the reality show provides a really awesome place for the houseguests (three men and three women) to live and provide them with two cars.
They have to get their own part-time job for spending money and be filmed for television.
Of course, there are things said by houseguests that may win them supporters (especially if they are celebrities or athletes) and new fans, but also some may draw the ire of the Internet by their actions.
With “Terrace House: Opening New Doors”, this latest series is set in Karuizawa in the Nagano Prefecture in Japan. Far from Tokyo, great for those wanting go skiing/snowboarding and wanting a chill place away from the concrete jungle.
The houseguests as of right now are:
- Komoro Ami – A 20-year-old university student who wants to be a fashion model. She tends to like guys who are not attracted to her and she is not into things that most women are into. She is the youngest female in the house and because she’s graduating from college, it’s a touchy subject of what she wants to do after graduating, because she is unsure.
- Arai Yuudai – A 19-year-old aspiring chef who is very immature. A mama’s boy who wants to experience freedom and grow up. Because of his childlike behaviour (like sleeping with two stuffed panda bears), he is seen like a kid. He talks a good game that he can cook but so far, it’s not looking like he can cook all that well, just yet.
- Haruta Mizuki – A 26-year-old freelance writer and interpreter who was living in Seoul, Korea before moving into the house. Mizuki is the most mature person of the house, she is also quite blunt.
- Nakamura Takayuki – A 31-year-old professional snowboarder. Very mature for his age and living among younger people. Often asked which woman he likes and struggles with liking women much younger than him. He doesn’t like conflict and tries to keep things cool. Owns his own snowboard clothing line and wants to become successful.
- Sato Tsubasa – A 24-year-old ice hockey player. Tsubasa is a woman with a kind heart, dedicated to her profession and wants to make it to the national team and because of how busy she is, she is not always at the house.
- Okamoto Shion – A 22-year-old fashion model who is half American and half Japanese. He hopes the exposure he gets from “Terrace House: Opening New Doors” will lead him to more opportunities to become a runway model in Paris. He is the level-headed, peacemaker of the group.
And the show is hosted by You, Reina Triendl, Yoshimi Tokui, Azusa Babazono, Ryota Yamasato and Shono Hayama. They give their comments about the show during the intro, the middle of the show (after the first half) and then towards the second half before the main ending credits.
And so far, after five episodes of watching, I have to say that this is the most surprising. While it may not have the glitz, glamour or coolness of “Terrace House: Boys x Girls Next Door”, it makes up in drama.
But it’s a different vibe and because it’s not typically common to see heated drama in Japanese reality TV shows (which is common in American, European and Australian reality TV shows), it’s surprising to see how things are getting heated up in “Terrace House: Opening New Doors”. So, it’s rather interesting.
It’ll be interesting when “Terrace House” fans in the US will think (“Terrace House: Opening New Doors” is supposed to air on Netflix on March 13th), because I think people will be surprised of how much of a different series “Terrace House: Opening New Doors” is compared to the others. Granted, it’s not Shonan nor is it Hawaii and it takes place in a ski resort area. But I’m looking forward to seeing how this show progresses.
Because if episode 5 is any indication, things are going to get interesting!
