Terrace House: Episode 1
I've been watching the Hills recently for...reasons... But I remember a friend linking me to the Japanese reality show, Terrace House, and I thought it would be interesting to mix it up. (I don't really have much to say about the Hills, anyway. I never watched it when it was first airing back in high school, and so I'm basically making up for it now, lol).
This is the very first episode, so this might be a good time to lay down my first impressions. I did hear a little bit about the show from my friend who is way more into Japanese shows than I am, so I will be going off of hearsay from her, as well, lol. As I watch on, I'll stuff my foot in my mouth for all the things I was wrong/judgemental about. Also, my Japanese is very limited, so I'm likely to miss things, as well.
Firstly, I am not a fan of AKB48 in any way, shape, or form. I don't like their sound, nor their image. The member participating in this show, Kitahara, thankfully, exudes none of the AKB ~essence~ and comes across as pretty down-to-earth and likable. (Granted, I understand that most of the members are putting on that same ~essence~ but in Kitahara's case, she mentioned AKB and that was the end of it. Her association with the band is a non-point, which is fine with me).
I'm wondering if there will be "drama" ala the Real World or Jersey Shore. As I recall, my friend mentioned that "Momo" was revealed to be a resident of a nudist share-house or something like that at one point by netizens, which I suppose could have been done deliberately to stir up publicity for the show. I'm seriously skeptical because of how the first episode went. Everyone seems overly polite and a little tense--I'll spare you the generalizations about Japanese people. What with the very Hills-esque opening sequence and atmosphere, it seems out-of-character to me that everyone is so chill and harmonious. I'd imagine it might be an interesting reality show for those who are interested in the share-house life, or those hoping to pursue the same fields as the cast members to see how the daily grind is for each of them, but it's a bit dull for those of use who have come to expect, if not quite Jersey Shore-level of conflict, at least some kind of clashing of personalities.
My impressions of the cast:
- Seina, the model, annoys me at this early point in the show. Her constant hair-flipping, mannerisms, and way of speaking translate to someone who is very aware of the cameras. The fact that she looks like she's playing up to the audience comes across as fake and try-hard.
- As I mentioned, Kitahara seems okay so far. I don't know what she's like within the context of AKB, but she seems relaxed and easy-going here.
- Momo is one of those cutesy girls, and her reaction to Kitahara was really over the top, but I don't have any gripes about her so far, so we'll see what happens.
- None of the guys stand out to me at all, actually. There's the shy one who's in training to become a firefighter, an art student, and a pro surfer. Apparently the art student has a girlfriend outside of the show, because he called them. Potential drama??? I'll wait to see more later.
My last little criticism is about the show's overall atmosphere. Not a huge deal, but I'm unimpressed that they chose to go with mostly, if not all, Western music for both the opening and the insert songs. I mean, really, Taylor Swift, Sublime? Not to dump on those artists, I listen to them myself--and they have every right to use whatever songs they want for the show--but it smacks a little of trying to imitate other shows. They're setting up this ~Western~ vibe with the dynamic overhead shots in the beginning, the American music, the luxury cars, and the spacious, resort-like apartment, but the cast are, in the end, Japanese, and that shows up in their behavior/ interactions with each other. It's not like Japan is lacking in talented groups, they would've been better off going with popular domestic artists. The fact that this show looks like it's trying to be an American reality show--but is so clearly not--comes off as fake, and it's sad, because why would you aspire to be like the petulant, privileged people who make for the typical reality TV star? I think that's what rubbed me the wrong way with Seina. She is no Heidi Montag, but the fact that she acts like she's trying to be is laughable.
Just my two cents.
This is the very first episode, so this might be a good time to lay down my first impressions. I did hear a little bit about the show from my friend who is way more into Japanese shows than I am, so I will be going off of hearsay from her, as well, lol. As I watch on, I'll stuff my foot in my mouth for all the things I was wrong/judgemental about. Also, my Japanese is very limited, so I'm likely to miss things, as well.
Firstly, I am not a fan of AKB48 in any way, shape, or form. I don't like their sound, nor their image. The member participating in this show, Kitahara, thankfully, exudes none of the AKB ~essence~ and comes across as pretty down-to-earth and likable. (Granted, I understand that most of the members are putting on that same ~essence~ but in Kitahara's case, she mentioned AKB and that was the end of it. Her association with the band is a non-point, which is fine with me).
I'm wondering if there will be "drama" ala the Real World or Jersey Shore. As I recall, my friend mentioned that "Momo" was revealed to be a resident of a nudist share-house or something like that at one point by netizens, which I suppose could have been done deliberately to stir up publicity for the show. I'm seriously skeptical because of how the first episode went. Everyone seems overly polite and a little tense--I'll spare you the generalizations about Japanese people. What with the very Hills-esque opening sequence and atmosphere, it seems out-of-character to me that everyone is so chill and harmonious. I'd imagine it might be an interesting reality show for those who are interested in the share-house life, or those hoping to pursue the same fields as the cast members to see how the daily grind is for each of them, but it's a bit dull for those of use who have come to expect, if not quite Jersey Shore-level of conflict, at least some kind of clashing of personalities.
My impressions of the cast:
- Seina, the model, annoys me at this early point in the show. Her constant hair-flipping, mannerisms, and way of speaking translate to someone who is very aware of the cameras. The fact that she looks like she's playing up to the audience comes across as fake and try-hard.
- As I mentioned, Kitahara seems okay so far. I don't know what she's like within the context of AKB, but she seems relaxed and easy-going here.
- Momo is one of those cutesy girls, and her reaction to Kitahara was really over the top, but I don't have any gripes about her so far, so we'll see what happens.
- None of the guys stand out to me at all, actually. There's the shy one who's in training to become a firefighter, an art student, and a pro surfer. Apparently the art student has a girlfriend outside of the show, because he called them. Potential drama??? I'll wait to see more later.
My last little criticism is about the show's overall atmosphere. Not a huge deal, but I'm unimpressed that they chose to go with mostly, if not all, Western music for both the opening and the insert songs. I mean, really, Taylor Swift, Sublime? Not to dump on those artists, I listen to them myself--and they have every right to use whatever songs they want for the show--but it smacks a little of trying to imitate other shows. They're setting up this ~Western~ vibe with the dynamic overhead shots in the beginning, the American music, the luxury cars, and the spacious, resort-like apartment, but the cast are, in the end, Japanese, and that shows up in their behavior/ interactions with each other. It's not like Japan is lacking in talented groups, they would've been better off going with popular domestic artists. The fact that this show looks like it's trying to be an American reality show--but is so clearly not--comes off as fake, and it's sad, because why would you aspire to be like the petulant, privileged people who make for the typical reality TV star? I think that's what rubbed me the wrong way with Seina. She is no Heidi Montag, but the fact that she acts like she's trying to be is laughable.
Just my two cents.