NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Entertainment

Calum Henderson: Terrace House is a gentle but compelling watch

Calum Henderson
By Calum Henderson
Entertainment reporter, NZ Herald·Weekend magazine·
23 Mar, 2018 04:00 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

The cast of Terrace House.

The cast of Terrace House.

Terrace House, the Japanese reality franchise that has built a cult following since arriving on Netflix a couple of years ago, is a surprisingly difficult show to describe.

Your first instinct might be to call it "Japanese Big Brother", but that only holds up insofar as its stars all live together in a big house. There are no challenges, no eliminations, no winners or losers. Housemates are free to stay as long as they like and can leave whenever they want.

The romantic subtext is important - the housemates are generally young, attractive and eager to couple up (the crude Kiwi aphorism "don't screw the crew" clearly doesn't have a Japanese translation). But here it unfolds at such a slow pace that it feels relaxing to watch, about as far from Love Island or Married at First Sight as TV could possibly get.

Despite the barrier of subtitles, it is a genuinely funny show. The missing link in explaining its appeal, weirdly enough, might be Seinfeld. If that was the original "show about nothing", then Terrace House is the reality show about nothing. Its magic lies in the observational way it elevates everyday social interactions to high comedy as much as high drama.

The latest series, Terrace House: Opening New Doors, arrived on Netflix last week in typically low-key fashion. After arriving at the house in the picturesque resort town of Karuizawa, the housemates introduce themselves around the dining table. Later, they go to the supermarket to shop for ingredients and cook dinner. The episode's climax comes when 19-year-old Yuudai shocks his roommates by revealing that he sleeps with two stuffed toy pandas from Ikea.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

This particular type of nothing, it turns out, is one you can watch for hours.

At first it all feels so polite and formal, but once you become more attuned to the show's rhythms it becomes clear that everyone is just as manipulative and shady as anyone on any other reality show - they're just way more subtle about it. Sometimes it takes the panel to explain how a seemingly innocuous conversation was in fact loaded with tension.

The panel is Terrace House's biggest point of difference, its secret weapon: every 10 or 15 minutes the show cuts back to the studio, set up like a living room, where six comedians, actors and celebrities are watching the action.

Their reaction and analysis, happening in close to real time, is the highlight of every episode.

The trip to the supermarket, for example, introduces us to the "hot pot sergeant" - the oldest housemate, 31-year-old snowboarder Taka, earns this designation for taking control of the shopping trip, despite the fact that Yuudai is a trained chef.

Discover more

Lifestyle

Stranger Things cast's response after no one turned up to boy's party

21 Mar 05:13 AM
Entertainment

'When you realise Ben Affleck's back tattoo is real...'

21 Mar 06:21 AM
Entertainment

How Netflix show makes teens more empathetic

23 Mar 04:00 PM
Entertainment

Is Netflix's 'scariest' movie actually that scary?

22 Mar 04:30 AM

After watching aspiring model Ami badmouth Yuudai's breakfast soup to her friend, bespectacled comedian Ryota Yamasato takes a sudden, vitriolic dislike to her. A hacky joke from goofy Yoshimi Tokui earns a mocking response from Azusa Babazono: "What are you, a comedian from the Edo period?"

The panel's specialty is romantic speculation.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

By the end of the first episode they are already wondering if Yuudai might get together with Ami, or if tomboyish ice hockey player Tsubasa, the popular favourite, will find love in the house.

Who wouldn't want to watch along with them and find out?

Lowdown

Terrace House: Opening New Doors (Netflix)

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Entertainment

Entertainment

Celebrity Treasure Island and radio star diagnosed with cancer

08 Jul 11:48 PM
Entertainment

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs to be sentenced in October

08 Jul 09:34 PM
Entertainment

Gary Coleman’s ex-wife fails lie detector test about circumstances surrounding actor’s death

08 Jul 08:58 PM

Sponsored: Get your kids involved in your reno

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Entertainment

Celebrity Treasure Island and radio star diagnosed with cancer

Celebrity Treasure Island and radio star diagnosed with cancer

08 Jul 11:48 PM

The mother of three will start chemotherapy this week to treat acute myeloid leukaemia.

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs to be sentenced in October

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs to be sentenced in October

08 Jul 09:34 PM
Gary Coleman’s ex-wife fails lie detector test about circumstances surrounding actor’s death

Gary Coleman’s ex-wife fails lie detector test about circumstances surrounding actor’s death

08 Jul 08:58 PM
From the top 10 blockbuster movies to Lewis Capaldi's NZ tour: Entertainment on Herald NOW

From the top 10 blockbuster movies to Lewis Capaldi's NZ tour: Entertainment on Herald NOW

Sponsored: Why heat pumps make winter cheaper
sponsored

Sponsored: Why heat pumps make winter cheaper

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP