Before Hana Kimura's death, the abuse Terrace House stars received was considered par for the course

Los Angeles Times

It is "the trade you make in return for notoriety," says Aida Ylanan, in explaining why the Netflix reality show is considered toxic and may have led to Kimura's apparent suicide at age 22. Ylanan adds: "Try as they might to be themselves, it’s all but impossible for housemates to do so truthfully on the show — a rich irony given that Terrace House, with slice-of-life scenes that stand in contrast to the more obviously manufactured drama of reality series the Real Housewives franchise, has been hailed as one of the most 'realistic' entries in the genre. On Terrace House as on any unscripted program, editors sort through hours and hours of footage — most of which we never see — to select intimate moments or heated arguments that will help them build a narrative or shape our understanding of each 'character' on the show — even if the problem gets ironed out in level-headed discussions by housemates afterward. And there’s little they can do once they’ve been transformed into that episode’s hero or antagonist."