（本文英文部分選自《經濟學人》網站20200422日）
HUNCHED OVER a long white table, Ruka Nishinoiri cracks eggs into a bowl and methodically stirs them together with flour. After several months of living in an apartment in Tokyo with five others, he has decided that it is time for him to leave their shared residence.
白色長桌前，西野入流佳俯身將蛋打進碗裡，有條不紊地攪拌著蛋和麵粉。流佳在東京這幢公寓與5名室友共同生活了幾個月，現在他決定離開他們共同居住的公寓了。
Ruka rolls the dough into pasta, blanches and fries broccoli, chops ham and prepares a handsome dish. (It is a redeeming moment for the 20-year-old, who once revolted his companions by combining raw egg, dry pasta and fresh broccoli in a pot of boiling water.) After serving dinner, Ruka nervously presents a speech in English about what he has learned while living in the house. 「I』ll do my best in the future,」 Ruka says. 「Please continue to watch over me.」 His housemates begin to cry.
他將麵團做成義大利麵，把西蘭花拿來焯水再炸，接著切火腿，準備一道華麗餐點。（對20歲的流佳而言，這是一個彌補室友的時刻。他曾經為了反抗室友，把生蛋、幹義大利麵條、新鮮花椰菜全扔進沸水裡滾。）晚餐上桌後，流佳緊張地用英文發表了一段演說，闡述他在這棟房子裡生活的期間學到了些什麼。流佳說:」未來我會努力做到最好，請繼續做我的後盾。」其他人紛紛紅了眼眶。
The scene, which takes place in the fifth and current season of 「Terrace House」, exemplifies why the Japanese reality-television show has become a cult hit around the world.
這一幕是《雙層公寓》（Terrace House）最新一季、第五季中的場景，彰顯了這個日本真人秀節目成功席捲全球的原因。
Produced by Netflix and Fuji TV, 「Terrace House」 is the television equivalent of comfort food. Kind and hopeful, it emphasises personal growth and friendship. Many of the elements that have made other unscripted dramas such as 「The Bachelor」, 「Big Brother」 or 「Love Island」 successful are missing here. Where they are fast paced, 「Terrace House」 proceeds at a crawl. Where those shows delight in blistering arguments, 「Terrace House」 prefers calm resolution.
《雙層公寓》由Netflix和日本富士電視臺共同製作，可說是一個療愈系節目，內容既良善又充滿希望，聚焦個人成長與友情。《單身漢》（The Bachelor）、《老大哥》（Big Brother）或《愛之島》（Love Island）等著名的無劇本戲劇有許多成功元素在《雙層公寓》中都沒有。他們腳步快，《雙層公寓》卻龜速爬行；他們樂見猛烈爭執，《雙層公寓》卻偏好平穩解決爭端。
The premise of the show, which arrives on Netflix in instalments throughout the year, is simple: three women and three men from different backgrounds or countries, usually all in their 20s, cohabit in a house (and they all speak Japanese).
這部全年在Netflix上分期播出的節目設定很簡單：背景不同的3名男性與3名女性一起搬進房子裡，通常全員都是二十來歲，所有人皆以日文溝通。
They live their regular lives as the cameras roll, working, meeting friends or studying. Slowly, personal dramas unfurl. Someone develops a crush and ponders how to express their affection. Someone else falls for the same person. A romantic gift is delivered: cosy flannel pajamas or a set of towels. Hints are dropped, and some are picked up. Confessions are made. A kiss will happen, at most, once or twice a season. The love triangle intensifies, then collapses.
他們在鏡頭前照常過生活，上班、和朋友見面或讀書，人際間的劇情就此逐漸開展。有人喜歡上另一個人，思忖著要如何展現情意，卻有另一個人喜歡上同一個人。有人開始送浪漫禮品：舒適的法蘭絨睡衣或一套毛巾。對方偶爾會接收到暗示，也有人選擇直接告白，一季最多可能會出現一到兩次接吻鏡頭。戀愛三角關係更加緊張，之後就潰堤了。
Most of the narrative arcs take weeks to develop. Characters spend months agonising over and preparing for work events (an up-and-coming illustrator, for example, focuses on a forthcoming gallery exhibit). Housemates leave and new ones replace them.
故事大多需要好幾周的時間發展，劇中角色為了籌劃一場工作上的活動，可能就得花上好幾個月的時間苦苦思索。舉例而言，一名前途看好的插畫家就專注地準備即將到來的畫展。有些成員會選擇離開，由新人頂替。
Though the same themes that occupy other shows, such as young love and the search for identity, are often explored on 「Terrace House」, the lurid gratification to which viewers are accustomed on more intense reality shows is rarely offered. Appreciating this one means giving it time.
《雙層公寓》和其他節目一樣，也經常探討年輕人的戀愛、自我認同等議題，但很少像其他較緊湊的實境節目一樣大灑狗血。要好好欣賞這個節目，意味著要給它時間。
The action, so to speak, is slowed down even more by the presence of hosts. Every few scenes, the show cuts to a panel of commentators: Reina Triendl, a model and actor; Yukiko Ehara, a former singer and actor who goes by the name of 「You」; and three comedians, Azusa Babazono, Ryota Yamasoto and Yoshimi Tokui.
《雙層公寓》還有主持群的設計，因此故事推展速度更慢了。每演幾幕，畫面就會跳到主持群的評論。主持人包括：模特兒兼演員玲奈、前歌手和演員江原由希子，還有馬場園梓、山裡亮太、德井義實這三名喜劇演員。
They joke about the castmates, dissect their behaviour and make predictions. As a viewer, you might find yourself joining in, reflecting on their habits and considering the meaning of small gestures, such as a hand lingering on a knee. This adds to, rather than distracts from, the slow-burn drama.
主持群會拿劇組成員開玩笑、分析成員行為並做預測。身為觀眾，你或許會發現自己跟著主持人一起反思成員的習慣，開始思考各種小動作所代表的意義,比如把手放在膝蓋上。這樣的安排非但不會使人出戲，反而有加乘效果。
「Terrace House」 is full of heart-warming moments. Peppe, an Italian whose full name is Giuseppe Durato and who moved to Japan to draw manga, openly expresses his admiration for his roommate, Ryo Tawatari, a professional basketball player who dreams of playing in the Olympics. After being rejected by the woman he is interested in, Peppe decides to leave the house, but on a happy note. After all, he has Ryo.
《雙層公寓》充滿暖心時刻。佩佩（Peppe）是從義大利來日本工作的畫家，他大方向同寢室友、夢想出戰奧運的職業籃球選手田渡凌表達欣賞之意。佩佩向心儀的女生表白遭拒之後，決定離開公寓，但並非不歡而散。至少他還有田渡凌。
「Even when this is over, I hope we can meet again and we can become friends who are even closer,」 Peppe tells Ryo. 「For sure」, Ryo says before hugging Peppe. 「I think you’re my best friend」.
佩佩對田渡凌說：「就算這一切結束了，我希望我們還是可以再相會，然後成為更親密的朋友。」田渡凌回道：「當然。我覺得你是我最好的朋友。」接著給了佩佩一個擁抱。