I deeply felt sad for one of the participants, though. Tohko gave it her all in an effort to discover what love is, only to end up with heartbreak. I sincerely hope she grew from the experience and that she can someday find someone that would love her back. 😔

I hope for a S2!!

That being said, I think it's worth a watch if you're after seeing personal connections form between strangers with a strong intention of romance or you are curious at the different ways people approach situations and enjoy how they unfold.

People are aware of the 10 day limit and of being in a place abroad which contributed to a feeling of "rushing" that pushes people to act and initiate somewhat unnaturally at times, which is a stark contrast to Terrace House.

Overall, I think this is a great watch if you enjoyed Terrace House— but if you are looking for a more "natural" setting where people get to sit down and just chat over dinner like how Terrace House was, then this isn't exactly it.

Speaking of the hosts, the scars of Terrace House are definitely felt. The hosts are much kinder now, careful with their words and considerate of how they portray the different participants. On the bright side, it still feels really nice having hosts watch alongside the viewers.

It gets extremely easy to get invested in each of the participants journey towards discovering love, but more importantly, I loved how the situation pushed them to introspect and learn to self actualize. We had such a great time commenting alongside the hosts.

No devices at all, In a foreign town, with the express theme of "Fate" to meet your destined one." The hook is strong, but I loved the way they added twists to that narrative thru inciting rules or conditions that keep the participants on their toes.

The show is impressive in how well it sells the town of Nice. Usually I am not one for old towns or cities but I was sold on how Nice was presented and would love to visit it someday.

Aside from the place, the show's premise was actually something really interesting too.

Watching it felt familiar, yet different. Like coming home after a long trip, after all the furniture gets slightly rearranged while you were gone.

The cinematography is still awesome, the participant selection still top tier, and the new hosts appealing in their own ways.

Introduced to me by a close friend, I've been holding back from watching it because I wanted to watch it with my mom.
We've always watched Terrace House together going through each season until it's cancellation and it only made sense to wait for an opportunity to watch together.

It came highly recommended by a friend, and I echo that sentiment: Watch if before you grow jaded.

Watch it before the mundane aspects of your life take over and consume your heart.

Watch it before you forget what it's like to be passionate about something.

Watch it.

There might be nuggets of relevant information for film making and editing scattered all over the movie, but at the end of the day, the most important aspects that I think it attempts to share is to find your Aria, and never lose sight of it. Even if you fail to fully achieve it.

There's a lot to unpack--potential analogies and metaphors for the creative process and pretty much anything related to the pursuit of a passion that might only come once a lifetime.
I could sit and dissect this film for hours on end, and be outright wrong but still enjoy it.

The editing, transitions, framing, and layering are all extremely well done and captivating. Everything guides you from one scene to the next with intent and purpose. Yes, there are so many jump cuts-- so many transitions, lots of timelapses but you never feel lost.

Ever.

It's an animated film about the love and making of a film. It's extremely unrealistic, idealist to a fault, but because of how much heart there is in it, I just couldn't help but love it. A nice feel-good slice of life oozing with style and substance that just draws you in.