Rambling Rican

American Ninja Warrior 4 Announced

2012-01-23T22:35:00.004-05:00

I didn't realize I haven't posted this year.. LOL Either way G4 announced the latest incarnation of American Ninja Warrior. For those counting this is ANW4 (or for those of us watching since the beginning ANC 8 :p). This year is completely different from all previous years. By far this is the biggest undertaking and for those who watch it in relation to Sasuke.. this is the most.. uhm.. interesting. Okay for starters it seems that G4 is finally listening to their fanbase and changed the format of the show. After placing 8th place in the overall television ratings last August on NBC, it's obvious someone got the gist that this is not working the way it was intended and totally changed the format. Boot Camp is GONE! YES!!! I hated boot camp with a complete and utter passion and I know a LOT of people who boycotted both Boot camp and the Finals on NBC in protest of how they tried to repackage Sasuke 27 into their own little playground. This year they can legitimately say it IS their own personal playground.

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Here is the application for ANW4.

G4's American Ninja Warrior is returning! Think you have what it takes to beat the course? For the first time ever, G4 will hold 6 regional tryouts in 3 host cities. For a chance to compete on American Ninja Warrior you must fill out the form below and submit your video before the deadline!

Regional Tryout Locations:
LOS ANGELES, CA (Northwest and Southwest Region)
DALLAS, TX (Midwest and South-Central Region)
MIAMI, FL (Northeast and Southeast Region)

For the first time ever, this year's entire competition will take place on U.S. soil. Through G4's partnership with Japanese broadcaster, TBS, the ultimate obstacle course will come to Las Vegas, NV where the top 100 regional finalists will attempt to conquer all four stages and earn the coveted title of American Ninja Warrior and a $500,000 cash prize.

Please note, it is the Producers' sole discretion to determine which host city and region you are allowed to attend. (Please submit your video and form ASAP as submission deadlines are fast approaching.)

Submission Periods:
LOS ANGELES, CA (Northwest and Southwest Region is now Feb. 14th)
DALLAS, TX (Midwest and South-Central Region is now Feb. 27th)
MIAMI, FL (Northeast and Southeast Region is now March 8th)

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REGIONALS: Finally they got it right!! People have been yelling for a looooooong time that for a country as large as the USA it should have a regional competition to help alleviate having always to fly to L.A. just for try outs. It also allows for a more varied group of people to participate and ultimately raise the amount of people being allowed to qualify for the following round. Still unsure how they are going to do 2 separate regional events at each of the 3 locations but hopefully this won't be a problem. Also no idea if they even have walk-ons this year.
NO BOOT CAMP: Sorry.. I can't stress this enough how happy that makes me.. I know there are fans of it.. but they are a part of the small 0.1% that tuned in on G4.. sorry but that's not enough people to justify it. They already have something like that.. it's called Survivor. NBC should stick to an obstacle course.
FINALS OF ANW - for ONCE I can say that they are not commandeering someone else's tournament. The last 3 times they kept saying it was the finals of ANW when it was actually the Sasuke tournament sans the Japanese even though they were all a part of the same tournament. Seems that there will be a legit final in the USA comprised of 100 finalists of each of the 6 regions. It will be held in Las Vegas, Nevada.
PRIZE MONEY FOR ANW - I have zero issues with the money. Why? Because all 100 competitors in the ANW final have equal access to it. If they pass all 4 stages plus their prelims they get $500k in cash. Unlike the past where the winner of Sasuke was denied the ANW prize money for winning the EXACT SAME TOURNAMENT just because he was Japanese and not American. I can't argue with this current incarnation of the prize money since everyone has equal access to it. I approve of this :) No word if ANW 4 will have a different sponsor though. All 3 of the previous ANW's had different sponsors.
TBS INVOLVEMENT: Unlike in the past where they just sent a camera crew seems they will be a lot more involved in how they do this Final. First of all it's 4 stages just like Sasuke. Second, TBS has done an obstacle course for another country - Sasuke Malaysia and upcoming Sasuke Malaysia 2 (May, 2012) is built by TBS. It's not confirmed but it seems TBS is more involved with the building of at the very least the final. in Vegas At least that is what I'm gathering on how they worded the announcement.

No word on whether this is going to be shown in full as a series on NBC or if the prelims only will be on G4 and finals only on NBC. No word also as to WHEN everything will be taped and broadcast on American television. Only time will tell. Also no word if any of these stages are open to the public to watch as spectators as previous ANW prelims have been. I definitely would be interested in seeing the final live but that would a) most likely be a closed set and b) I'm not famous to be invited to go watch for blog purposes. I just don't have the money to travel. /sigh.. a 4 stage course built by TBS.. yeah.. I'd like to see that :)

EDIT: Brian mentioned in the comments section about airdate timeframe:

The following article mentions that the airing will take place this summer, and that "Weekly episodes will air on NBC and G4".

Now.. one thing you might have noticed.. no word on Sasuke 28. THAT is it's own question. Now.. if you remember what I wrote the last time about the subject, I'm cautiously optimistic that there will be a Sasuke 28 in the future.. just not near future for now. Nothing is stopping G4 from sending top competitors from ANW4 to Japan in the future, but for right now this is what they can come up with while we all wait to hear the fate of our beloved show.

Sasuke related updates

2011-12-22T03:23:00.009-05:00

Allstar - Makoto Nagano 長野誠 - Kagoshima, December, 2011 ©Takasui Corp.

It's been a while since I updated the blog due to health reasons and just recently my video card frying.... Anyway I'm doing a bit better but not 100% by any means but I'm back up and running on my computer. Thanks to some friggin' awesome friends I've got a new computer. In the meantime I've have been getting inundated with questions.. especially given the content of my most recent blog entry about Monster 9 going Bankrupt.. Just wanted to do a quick update on what we know so far. For the record.. much of what is going on now in Sasuke-land is rumor so until we know for sure I'm refraining from posting rumors. Albeit the current rumors are actually positive for Sasuke.. I know everyone is anxious about what's going on but there is very little official information to be had recently. I ask everyone be a bit more patient. What I will post is what we know so far officially.

November 11, 2011 - Monster 9 filed for Bankruptcy (Not reorganization but "Liquidation" Ube posted: For those asking about the type of bankruptcy in this situation, refer to here. All the articles refer to 破産 (hasan) or more specifically 自己破産 (jiko hasan) which is voluntary liquidation. See section IV of the link provided.)
Creditors had until December 16th, 2011 to file (specially to announce their financial losses to the court) and there will be a meeting on March 12th, 2012 at 1:30 PM in Tokyo District Court. The lawyer who will act as the trustee is one Shuuji Kitagawa (北川秀二).
The current list of creditors (for Digital 9 - as of 12/22/11) is listed here and Monster 9 as of 11/17/11 is listed here) has been posted online for public record. As a reminder from Ube the numbers are listed in Yen in the 10,000's.

Founding members of Samurai Rock Orchestra ©SRO

In the meantime with Monster 9 facing full liquidation this directly impacts the fate of all Muscle Musical members as they are instantly unemployed. Remember they were a creation of Monster 9 and were not co-owned by anyone else (unlike Sasuke which was co-owned by TBS in distribution). That said.. seems the members are finding new lives creating other employment opportunities now that Muscle Musical マッスルミュージカル is now defunct. For those who remember co-World Record holder in Monster Box Naoki Iketani 池谷直樹 (he's in the center and creator of SRO) it seems life after Muscle Musical means creating a show called Samurai Rock Orchestra (SRO). Six other former Muscle Musical members have joined with Naoki in this venture which debuts in Japan on March, 2012. Complete information can be found on their website. Please remember it's still under construction and they are still auditioning members to fill out the cast.

Sasuke All-stars posing with Farid Isham during Sasuke 27
All-Star Toshihiro Takeda 竹田敏浩, All-Star Makoto Nagano 長野誠, Farid, All-Star Katsumi Yamada 山田勝己 and All-Star Shingo Yamamoto 山本進悟 with his Poodle "Kokona" (Coconut) ©Farid Isham

In the meantime I'm finally able to do my blog for Farid Isham. Questions have been sent to him (today in fact) and I should get this done fairly soon. Given the amount I sent him though it might be next year.. don't fret though.. it's on it's way!

Monster 9 files for bankruptcy

2011-11-14T13:17:00.011-05:00

I logged in late this morning to find news all over twitter about the inevitable train wreck that was going on in seemingly slow motion to me.. Lost in Ube reported this morning that Monster 9 (Creators/Producers/Owners of Sasuke) filed for Bankruptcy on November 11th in Japan. Follow Ube's blog on articles as he finds them as he's a hell of a lot better in finding those things than I am by a long shot.

Monster 9 President and CEO - Ushio Higuchi 樋口潮 ©Famitsu

Several things to point out from the onset. Monster 9 is the owner, creator and producer of Sasuke. It belongs to them and Mr. Higuchi specifically. TBS is a co-producer and co-owner of the already-recorded broadcasts but they themselves get their cues from M9 which owns the franchise outright. Sasuke (especially future Sasuke) does not exist without M9. It's just that simple. There is no " get another TV station to produce Sasuke".. that's just not going to happen without the expressed written consent of M9. Given Higuchi's history.. I would be shocked if that ever changed. Besides.. there aren't anymore television stations willing to work with Higuchi these days.

Most of us watching from the sidelines unfortunately have been seeing this entire thing implode in slow motion for years.. Those of you who don't obsess like I do over the business minutia might have been alerted back in January, 2011 when the first set of major problems arose and the article announcing the cancellation of several key TBS shows were canceled (which included Sportsman #1) and the announcement of Sasuke 27 being the last show came to be. Then again.. I got hate mail for posting "rumor" that even though the count of how many Japanese websites posted that was well over 50 by this point and TBS has never denied it. The only thing G4 denied was that Sasuke 27 was not canceled. The question was ALWAYS about 28.. not 27. I know a lot of people were just not ready to hear those words.. The only thing that hasn't happened in that article is the date.. they said Sasuke was ending in March but it was aired in October ultimately due to postponement especially given the Earthquake/Tsunami that happened in March. So if Sasuke is done after this news (it's not confirmed yet) then the article was 100% true despite the harsh emails directed towards Andy, Ube and myself (the messengers).

Let's analyze this for a bit now. First and foremost we have to throw out the notion that we know what's going on with Japanese bankruptcy laws. Already in discussion on SMF.. we can't assume the rest of the world has reorganization clauses in bankruptcy as they do in the USA. Even if they do (I'm told there are) we have to wait to find out HOW they filed. Here in the USA we can figure out by which Chapter they are seeking and it determines their fate. Some go for full liquidation with an end to all operations while other chapters are reorganization with intent to pay off debt to creditors and come back. Knowing how they filed would help determine the intent to continue. To my knowledge we don't know yet.

EDIT from SMF (Infimum):

Reorganization has a different name in Japanese law, not differentiated merely by chapter numbers like in the US. If reorganization is what they did, it's customary to mention that in Japanese news articles. But that's not the case.

EDIT again from SMF (this time Ube):

As Infimum has pointed out, the articles all point to liquidation (hasan or 破産). Specifically 自己破産 which I believe is voluntary liquidation.

A fuller explanation that the show article is sourced from (that the above is C&Ped from): http://www.jurists.co.jp/en/topics/others_4007.html

The relevant section is IV.

Aside from their main office and the Shibuya theater, I don't think M9 has much in the way of physical assets. Also, intellectual property and bankruptcy doesn't seem to have a clear set of rules to follow so who knows what will happen in the future.

Outside of the filing date of Friday, November 11, 2011, the only thing we do know is that in fiscal year ending March, 2011 M9 and Digital 9 (which btw is the same company...) were at a combined loss of 35億6600万円 (3,566,000,000 Yen = $46,358,000 US Dollars using current currency exchanges) in debt. The debt is split between Monster 9 (18億600万円) and Digital 9 (17億6000万円). To give you an idea.. that's 3.5 BILLION Yen in Debt which equates to $46 MILLION Dollars in debt. That's.. obscenely high.. Something that Ube was kind enough to research for us.. as a stark contrast: Monster 9 was first created in 2005 and in 2008 it's profits reached 31.5 billion yen. So they lost more this year than they ever MADE in a high year.. that's.. insane..

Official ribbon cutting ceremony. All-Star Toshihiro Takeda 竹田敏浩, TV Host Sato Hiromichi 佐藤弘道, Monster 9 President and CEO - Ushio Higuchi 樋口潮 (center) unidentified businessman (He might be the manager) and All-Star Kazuhiko Akiyama 秋山和彦 during the Grand Opening of Chitose's Muscle Park on July 18, 2010 ©Muscle Park Chitose

The writing on the wall has been going on for a while now. If you have been keeping up with the articles I've been writing since 2008.. you've seen a lot of ventures start and others just drop off the face of the earth. Just in the past couple of years we've seen Muscle Park Odaiba (Tokyo) close, Muscle Park Chitose (Hokkaido) open .. then close.. then change management altogether. We've seen Fanclubs in Japan start and end.. I didn't even get to write about the Fanclubs of Sasukefan and Ninjafan fail to start.. that was a blog I was hoping M9 would contribute but they never got back to me when I asked for specifics.. We've seen massive delays between Sasuke tournaments... we've seen Sasuke emphasis/priority change countries.. we've seen Muscle Musical shut down because of code violations.. We've seen shows completely disappear (Sportsman #1, Kunoichi) and that's not including the previous ones like Viking and Banzuke (and all the other Muscle Ranking spin offs that I lost track of) that predated this blog. We've also seen the international sales fiasco from different countries as G4 edited & ANW-tied programs have been omitted from programing sales in most countries. We've also seen Taiwan give up on the franchise after TBS spiked the prices for the latter seasons. And let's not forget the fiasco with Sasuke 26...

While not confirmed it is highly possible that Sasuke is over. With the admission of accounting fraud as well.. this case could go on for years barring M9 from producing anything until the terms of bankruptcy are reached. We don't even know if they intend to come back or not. We don't know how ANW4 will be impacted, or Sasuke Malaysia. There's still a lot of questions still to be answered.

Update from Ube: Update: Creditors have until December 16th to file and there will be a meeting on March 12th, 2012 at 1:30 PM. The lawyer who will act as the trustee is one Shuuji Kitagawa (北川秀二)

Dr. Timothy Coombs - Sasuke Philanthropist

2011-11-08T12:24:00.016-05:00

ティモシー・クームス Timothy Coombs (University of Central Florida Professor/Ebay Auction Winner)

It's been a while since I actually COMPLETED one of these.. LOL Either way, I enjoyed doing another blog about a Sasuke competitor! Each time I learned something new about someone else and adore sharing it with others so they are as enthused as I am :) Previous interview blogs on competitors from past Sasuke competitions (Michael Milner (Sasuke 20) and Luci Romberg (Sasuke 21), Brett Sims (Sasuke 19 and 20) and David Campbell (from Sasuke 22). This time it's Timothy Coombs whom most people remember as the ebay Auction winner from Sasuke 27! In my research about him I was stunned to find out how accomplished he is! Without further ado here is the interview/questionnaire with Dr. Tim!

RR: Having no idea who you are personally - Could you give me a brief biography. Things that someone who doesn’t know who you were on (Sasuke), or saw you on TV, you would want them to know more about you.
o Where are you from?
o How old are you?
o Are you married (Also, do you have any children?)
o What do you do for a living?
o Basic philosophy on life?
o Were you an athlete in school?
o Do you have any siblings?

TC: I was born and raised on Niles, Ohio. It is small town in the Northeast part of the state. I am a graduate of Niles McKinley High School. I did my undergraduate work at Bowling Green State University and my graduate work at Purdue University. I have a Masters in Organizational Communication and a PhD in Public Affairs and Issues Management from Purdue so I am a Big Ten person. (RR: So yes you can call him Doctor!)

Timothy and wife Sherry

TC: I have been married for nearly 25 years, we have no children and I am 51 years-old. We live in Orlando, Florida where I am a Full Professor in the Nicholson School of Communication at the University of Central Florida. Orlando is a great place to live because of the weather and many things to do. We have annual passes to Disney World and visit for special events. I also compete in the 5K races Disney offers. There are about five of those per year and are amazing events. My favorite it is the Everest Challenge, a combination 5K-obstacle course-scavenger hunt. I believe in trying to maximize human potential. In high school I ran track. I was a hurdler but also ran the 400 meters. I was the MVP of the track team my junior and senior years. I have two older sisters.

Dr. Tim Coombs: Research Youtube video

TC: My research area is crisis communication. I am one of the top three crisis communication researcher in the world. I have my own theory, “Situational Crisis Communication Theory,” (SCCT) and have lectured in Europe and Asia on the topic. I have written two books on crisis communication: Ongoing Crisis Communication and Code Red in the Board Room. Both have been translated into Korean. I have written a number of other articles and book chapters on the subject.

EUPRERA Congress 2010: Timothy Coombs Youtube Video

(RR: In my research I have run into a LOT of articles, videos and book reviews on SCCT and Dr. Coombs in general. Above is a video of an interview during the EUPRERA Congress in 2010 in Finland.)

RR: For those of us who followed the process when the eBay option became available this will be self explanatory but for those who didn’t know this even happened (like international viewers) - could you explain the process on how you got on the show?

o How did you first become aware of Sasuke/Ninja Warrior?

TC: I learned about Sasuke/Ninja Warrior from watching G4. One day I was scrolling through the on screen guide and saw the show “Ninja Warrior” and the description mentioned obstacle course so I watched and was hooked. I am always excited when they announce a new season to show and love the marathons they run. I always thought it would be great to see the show tape but never thought I would get a chance to be on the course. The competitors are amazing.

I heard about the auction during “Attack of the Show” I knew I had to bid on the prize because any other way of getting there is slim. The American Ninja Warrior competitors are very tough to beat. I immediately updated all by eBay information, we had moved the year before to Florida, and jumped in. I really did not even believe I had won it until the official information started coming in.

o Before the eBay auction, did you create an entry video for previous ANW’s and/or ANC competitions? If so, what was in the video? Do you still have the video?

TC: I had never entered the American Ninja Warrior but had thought about it. Just was not enough time with work. So I have no videos.

o How much time did you have to prepare for Sasuke 27?

TC: I did not have much time to prepare. They notified me around June 16th about when the competition would probably be. That date was July 18th. So I had less than a month to prepare. But two weeks of that time I had to be in Europe on business. I was giving a three different research representations in three different countries during the two weeks (Spain, Slovenia, and the UK). I had been running as part of 5K training. I added in some plyometrics and yoga as well. I even built some steps to practice the start.

o Many of us felt the auction should have had some concessions towards arriving at Sasuke and others not.. How difficult was it to afford to participate in Sasuke 27?

TC: Cost was not too bad. We used frequent flyer miles for the plane so the main expense was the hotel in Japan. Tokyo is expensive but I go to Europe frequently for business and that is expensive too.

o Did knowing how expensive it was going to be just to GET to Sasuke 27 did that affect how much money you donated to the auction to benefit the Japanese Red Cross?

TC: I knew I could cover the travel so those costs did not affect the amount I was willing to bid. Knowing the money would go to the Japanese Red Cross was the reason I was willing to bid so high. It is an important cause so the money was well spent.

o How long was your total trip to Japan?

TC: We left on July 14th and returned on 21st. Chicago to Tokyo was a long flight (over 12 hours) but I had done it once before.

o Did you manage to stay with other competitors or were you basically on your own?

TC: We stayed at the same hotel as the production staff of G4, the competitors were at another hotel.

o Did G4/TBS/M9 help in any way in directing you to the competition or suggest places to stay?

TC: G4 was very helpful. They suggested staying at one of the two hotels they were at so that we could ride over in the morning on their bus. They and the people from TBS took great care of us that day (my spouse Sherry went with me). We rode over and back on their bus, they had water and energy drinks with snacks, and bought us lunch and dinner. The G4 people, especially Kristen and Bryan, were wonderful to us.

o When did you find out exactly when you were going to compete? (day, etc.)

TC: I found out the exact day of the competition on June 20th. It was perfect that it was the 18th since that was my birthday. (Happy Belated :D )

o Did you have time to sight-see? Any photos or stories of interesting places you visited while in Japan?

TC: We did have a few days to sight see. One day we took a day-long bus tour to see a lot of the sights. The other days we wondered around, mostly lost, through various shopping areas. I am sending along some pictures including my favorite figure I bought on the trip.

Sasuke questions:
It is a very long day to tape Sasuke.
o What time did you get there (on competition day)?
TC: We left the hotel at 6am and arrived at the TBS site at 7am

o Do you still have your saddlecloth? What number was it?
TC: I was number 31. Unfortunately I did not have a physical number to wear.

Allstar - Makoto Nagano 長野誠 and All-Star Shingo Yamamoto 山本進悟 taking a break during a previous Sasuke

o Do you have any favorite competitors you like watching?

TC: My all time favorite is Nagano. I also like Shingo Yamamoto since he has been at every competition. I also was able to meet all of the American Ninja Warriors. A great group of competitors, they were very nice and extremely talented athletes.

Timothy meeting Allstar - Makoto Nagano 長野誠 and getting his autograph

• Did you get to meet any competitors?

TC: I was able to meet and talk with Nagano. He autographed a shirt for me. I cannot tell you how thrilling that was to get to meet him. I also met Octopus Man. He looks even stronger in person. You would not guess he was over 60.

Mr. Octopus (Tako Tencho (btw Tako is Japanese for "Octopus" and Tencho 店長 means "Store manager")) - Minoru Kuramochi 倉持稔

• How was your experience being part of Sasuke 27. Competitor and Spectator.

TC: It was a fantastic experience being on the course and getting to watch the event. I liked being a spectator because I was not nervous doing that and seeing all the great athletes in person was so impressive.

• Have you kept in touch with any competitors as a result of your participation in Sasuke?

TC: No have not been able to stay in touch with any competitors.

• Describe the wait for your turn.. I’m told it can be nerve wracking.

TC: The waiting is tough. You are out in the heat and dust waiting next to the starting area in a line. There is not a lot of room to move around once you get in that part of the line. They run people in groups of ten. I was in with a group that contained women and people over 40 so they make minor adjustment to the course. That added to the waiting. The nerves build as you see those in front you hit the water. I always wondered why people started slowly and now I know why. There is a camera person standing in front of you so you cannot really go until the camera person moves.

② Rolling Escargot ローリングエスカルゴ

• Before your run, how far did you expect to be able to go on the course?

TC: I thought I could as far as the Rolling Escargot. There is no way I could practice for that and had seen how many competitors it had taken out in the past. It was not a happy surprise to see that they had moved it up on the course this year.

• Were you surprised by the Rolling Escargot?
TC: I was surprised it was the second obstacle and by how fast it spins.

• How long did you stay? In the past, first stage competitors were asked to leave after their run. Were you asked to leave? About how much of the tournament did you get to watch? Any stories about watching Sasuke you want to share? Things that surprised you about watching it live vs. television?

TC: We stayed through Stage 3. In addition to a competitors pass, they gave use “all access passes.” We could go anywhere around the grounds. That gave us a chance to look at the later stages up close and to watch the other two stages. Stage 3 ended around 4:30am so it was getting late. Stage 2 is lit beautifully. It looks even more impressive in person. Stage 3 takes forever to get through. After each run they have the competitor watch his run on a large video screen and comment on the run. Then they begin the complicated process of re-setting the course. I think they do it this way to show respect for the competitors. But when it is that late you want things to move along. Sherry fell asleep standing up at one point during the wait between competitors. There were 10 people on Stage 3 so it must have lasted around 2 hours. Also the water on Stage 3 looked the most disgusting of all the water. Very slimy looking. They have people help you if you have trouble climbing up the muddy banks. And it is just mud. There are a few portable showers were competitors can wash off the mud. I used run after my swim. The fans are an important part of Stage 1. After that, there are still some people cheering but far less crowd for 2 &3. Also no stands for sitting except in Stage 1.

• Do you have a favorite obstacle? (One you tried or one that you wished you could try).

TC: I wish I could have tried the warped wall. I have always felt that would be a good for me and would like to see it that is true.

• Did you watch Sasuke alone or with friends/family? If so, did you watch live when it aired? Or waited until a copy was made available or still haven’t watched it?

TC: I have a DVD copy that I will share with my family during my next trip back to Ohio.

• Knowing what you know now about the experience.. would you do it all over again?

TC: I would definitely do it again, even with an early Rolling Escargot. It was a fantastic experience that I treasure. It was a great honor to be allowed on that Sasuke course.

• Will you try to enter another tournament?

TC: Yes, I have changed my training to more upper body and hope to try out for the nest American Ninja Warrior. It is a long shot but I would like the chance to earn my way back to Japan.

The following are questions from fans that have sent in their questions:
Questions from Sasuke Maniac Forums:

• Jordan, 19, Missouri
o How did you find out about Sasuke?
TC: I found out about Sasuke from watching G4. I like their information on video games.

o Why did you end up buying the auction spot?

TC: I love watching Ninja Warrior and could not pass up a chance to be on the course where I have seen all those great competitors in previous tournaments.

ブレント・ステフェンセン Brent Steffensen

o Did you meet anyone while you were there? This includes the Japanese All-stars, the Americans, or even the G4 crew.

TC: Yes, I met Nagano and Octopus Man among the Japanese competitors. I meat all 10 of the American Ninja Warriors plus Brian Orosco who was an alternate. Turns out Brent Steffensen and I share the same birthday, July 18th the day of the competition. (RR: Happy belated you two!) David Campbell is an amazing source of information about the course. I met the production staff I worked with, Kristen and Bryan. I also met Alison and the Haislip.

• Dom. 22, UK
o Did you get to speak to any of the other competitors?

TC: Yes, I was able to talk with the American Ninja Warriors. They gave me advice about the course. The advice was great, my execution was not. I was also able to meet and talk with Makoto Nagano.

• Colin, 16, Philadelphia, Pa
o Did they make you leave after your 1st stage run?

TC: No, I was able to stay and watch the rest of the competition. Stage 3 ended around 4:30am. I was there to cheer on all those who advanced. Amazing to see it all live.

• Patrick, 16, Chicago.
o What was running through your mind before starting?

TC: Don’t fall on the steps and keep your feet up when swinging on the rope. Tried to focus on one obstacle at a time.

• James, 24, Seattle

o Hi Tim, I was just wondering if you could give us some insight as to what your itinerary was during your trip and if you could share with us some of the things that stood out to you at Sasuke 27. Also, for what it’s worth, I think you could have passed the first stage.

TC: The day before I met with production people from G4 to go over the basics for the next day. The day of it was up early an on the bus by 6am. We arrived at the TBS back-lot about 7am. Waited on the bus until they were done filming reaction shows for the ANW competitors. They were so impressive in those K-Swiss outfits. They you walked down hill to the registration area. I had an interpreter for that part. I answered a series of questions and signed a few more forms—liability stuff.

TC: Then it was back up the hill for hill for and the shooting of the opening where everyone raises their hands. After that I did some shooting with the G4 people then it was warm up time. Prior to each stage they have testers show how each obstacle is done and prove that each can be done. I was able to see some early competitors since I was number 31. The second guy pulled the Rolling Escargot off the track and it landed in the water but missed him. My group went about noon. When I was at the start, the announcer was saying who I was and other stuff but I had no idea what he was really saying. No subtitles when you are on the course. After my run, I used a portable shower to wash off the mud and changed clothes. Had lunch as I watched the rest of Stage 1. I was very exciting. Too bad about Drew’s injury though.

TC: There was a break of around an hour then it was Stage 2. By then it was dark and the lights looked great on the course. There was another break of about an hour then Stage 3. By the time it ended it was 4:30 am. There was some lightning so they were unsure when the final stage would go. It was close to 6am when that happened.

• Brandon, 19, Chicago

o How intimidating was the course in person, or would you have a different word to describe how you felt upon seeing the course without the restriction of the television screen?

TC: Intimidating is a good word. It looks bigger in person and more difficult. In person you see how long the course is and get a better understanding of why people get fatigued by the stages. With no restrictions you could focus on the parts of the course you really wanted to see and at how carefully they reset the course to make sure everyone runs the same course. This includes drying off anything a previous competitors gets wet.

• Robert, Brooklyn, New York

o Are you going to tryout at the next ANW for another chance at Sasuke or was this just a 1 time adventure?

TC: I am planning to tryout for ANW. This has inspired me to work on upper body and to study parkour. I plan to build some obstacles this winter for extra practice.

• Matt, Long Island, NY
o For how long have you been a fan of the show?

TC: Since as long as it’s been on G4. I watch all the reruns and marathons as well as the new seasons. I find what many of the competitors can do to be amazing.

Question from G4 boards:

• Strawhat

o What was the most surprising thing about your Sasuke experience? The obstacles, the production team, the competitors, or something else?

TC: How long and punishing the day is by itself. This is one long day, and in this case, very hot day. It was well over 90 degrees. It was 4:30 am by the time Stage 3 completed. That is a long day for the competitors so they are fighting more than just the current stage. They have the fatigue and humidity as well so give them even more respect. It is a brutal competition without the time and elements so my respect for the competitors can do grew even more and it high to begin with.

Questions from KeshiHeads boards:

• Wipeout Star, 13, Sunderland!
o What was the hardest obstacle you tried?

TC: Rolling Escargot. It spins fast and it is hard to lock into place. I did not get close enough to the board and needed press out more firmly.

Questions from Rambling Rican Blog:

• Diviapaed

o Did you know you were going to fail the Rolling Escargot the second you started spinning? Thank You

TC: Yes, by a quarter of a turn I knew I would be in the water.

• Ad uk:

o Do you think the auction was right or do you think a world wide lottery would of been fairer?

TC: Auction was a great way to raise money in a short period of time. But I’m bias because it did allow me to go.

o P.s congratulations on getting as far as you did. My biggest fear would be going weak from being nervous and not making the first obstacle .

TC: My biggest fear too was not clearing the first obstacle. Saw a number who did not, including one rising star from Taiwan who let his feet drag. Little mistakes are costly there.

• Hdm_1 - G'day Tim, this is hdm_1 from East Coast, USA. Congratulations on making it to Sasuke! That in itself is a dream few of us could hope to achieve. A few questions for you:

o Did your fall from the Rolling Escargot come as a total surprise to you, or was this obstacle something that you had been worried about?

TC: That was the obstacle I feared. I mentioned that to the production staff at G4 before we arrived at the course.

o Had you made it past the Rolling Escargot, how do you believe you would have fared on the remainder of Stage 1, and what do you believe would have been the most formidable obstacles there?

TC: After that I think I matched up well. Next hardest would have been the jumping spider. But most in Stage 1 are jumping and balance and that works for me. The rolling balls looked cool.

o When did the eBay auction occur? How much training and prep time did this leave you prior to the competition?

TC: The auction was in April. I knew about a month in advance when the competition would occur so I had less than two months to prepare. But I lost two weeks training right before the event because I was on a business trip in Europe. Did some running but that is not enough.

Nagano holding the banner that they had during Trials as the announcer reads it "Thank you for Supporting Japan to you"...

o Did you have any time to socialize with the other Sasuke competitors? If so, do you have any interesting recollections or stories you would like to share?
TC: There were two meetings that really stand out. First, I had a chance to talk with Makoto Nagano, through a translator. I told him it was an honor to meet someone I had watched compete to well over the years. He thanked me for contributing to the Japanese Red Cross Relief. He then autographed a shirt for me. I was really stunned by it all. He is the competitor I idolize and to meet him was a huge bonus.

David Campbell デイヴィッド・キャンベル

TC: The second was a chance to talk with David Campbell before I went on the course. He knows so much about all the obstacles. He gave me fantastic advice, I wish my execution had been better. Such a nice person and incredible competitor.

o Could you talk a bit about pre-Sasuke your training routine? Do you feel it was sufficient for Sasuke?

TC: I wish I had had more time to focus on strength and agility. My travel right before hand made that very difficult. I now have a better idea of how I need to train. But that is always the case.

o What are your future plans for Sasuke? Will we be seeing you on a future ANW competition? If you do plan to compete again, will you be making any changes to your training routine? Again thanks for taking the time to entertain these questions, and best of luck to you in future competitions.

TC: I plan to tryout for ANW. I am doing a lot more upper body work. Started with a power tower to build strength and will shift to some obstacles I plan to build over the winter. Want to work on the bars and the salmon ladder. That is plan for now.

Thanks so much to Dr. Coombs for taking the time of his ridiculously busy schedule for this blog! It was a lot of fun and very enlightening. All of you know I adore knowing the back stories of competitors of Sasuke and seeing why they get on this awesome show :) I know I'm happy to learn more about him other than "the eBay winner". He's a really cool guy!

Post your questions for Farid Isham - The Malaysian Cat!

2011-10-26T07:49:00.004-04:00

モハメド・パリド・イシャム Farid Isham (Sasuke Malaysia Winner) with wife Nursyahida and Allstar - Makoto Nagano 長野誠 at the conclusion of Sasuke Malaysia in May, 2011

Interview time again! This time it's Farid Isham whom most people remember as "Cat" who is the very first Sasuke Malaysia winner! Here is a link to the blog entry with his run... Though we still don't know when the inaugural Sasuke Malaysia will actually air in Malaysia.. hopefully soon as there is another preliminary Sasuke Malaysia competition just in a month's time! Just like I did with Michael Milner (from Sasuke 20), Lucy Romberg (Sasuke 21), David Campbell (from Sasuke 22) and Bret Sims (Sasuke 19 and 20) I'm posting this here and on both the Sasuke Maniac Forums and G4 boards, and on Twitter. For this blog just use the comments section at the end of this entry. I'll only keep the questions open for a short time. I figured since everyone will be checking the site for Sasuke/Ninja Warrior stuff I might get a lot of responses really fast. Remember also that the Tim Coombs questions will be closed at the end of this week!

Guidelines - please don't get too personal. I also have the right to not include all the questions and he also reserves the right to not answer all the questions :P Also - please keep this thread to questions only. Once the blog is done I'll create another thread with the answers and of course the blog entry. Also please keep all of your questions in the same post and try not to ask too many multiple questions.

Feel free to state your name or username (especially if posting as anonymous), age (optional), City (or state, country, etc.) and your question and I'll send them over to Timothy to answer. Thanks again Cat!

Post your questions for Timothy Coombs!

2011-10-20T06:56:00.006-04:00

ティモシー・クームス Timothy Coombs (University of Central Florida Professor/Ebay Auction Winner)

Interview time again! This time it's Timothy Coombs whom most people remember as the ebay Auction winner from Sasuke 27! Here is a link to the blog entry with his run as we all know NBC has not shown his run and G4 whom I expect will cut his run won't show Ninja Warrior until March, 2012... Just like I did with Michael Milner (from Sasuke 20), Lucy Romberg (Sasuke 21), David Campbell (from Sasuke 22) and Bret Sims (Sasuke 19 and 20) I'm posting this here and on both the Sasuke Maniac Forums and G4 boards, and on Twitter. For this blog just use the comments section at the end of this entry. I'll only keep the questions open for a short time. I figured since everyone will be checking the site for Sasuke/Ninja Warrior stuff I might get a lot of responses really fast.

Sasuke 27 - Spoilerific Review - Part 14

2011-10-18T05:02:00.023-04:00

SASUKE 27!!

(PART 1) (PART 2) (PART 3) (PART 4) (PART 5) (PART 6) (PART 7) (PART 8) (PART 9) (PART 10) (PART 11) (PART 12) (PART 13)

Sasuke spoilerific review ;) Warning.. incoming blog of Sasuke 27.. if you don’t want to know.. you have been warned :D (Just remember.. the USA Broadcast of this.. will be.. well.. March, 2012.. Yes.. you read that right.. another 5 months after taping this event back in July... Thanks to everyone for being so patient. Got sick with headaches again this year and am still recovering from an inner ear infection.. yum.. Anyway.. For a preview of this event.. Please see SASUKE 27 NAVI 1 hour review of Sasuke 27 with fluff pieces of all the major players in the upcoming Sasuke and even a couple of runs that were cut from the official broadcast!. Oh.. and as Ube says: If you are from the G4 Forums, DON'T POST THIS THERE. They expect everyone to stick their head in the sand and pretend it doesn't exist.. P.S. I will NOT be covering ANW3 on this blog especially since it aired a couple months ago and I prefer to blog about everyone at once.. not in isolation! Thanks!

UBE'S Sorta-LIVE-BLOG FOR SASUKE 27 IS HERE !

(Massive thanks to Ube for his help on the names in English and Japanese of all the competitors!!)

Well this should be no surprise.. LOL They told us there will be a winner.

Will it be Yuuji?

Or Ryo?

Heck.. or both? You know there isn't a limit as to how many can win in Sasuke

Up first is our favorite house painter Ryo Matachi (Cliffer #2) 又地諒
Btw I'm cutting out the fluff pieces since they are just repeats

Interview

TBS reminding us what the previous Finals were like. The original Final was a 15 meter rope climb ① Tsuna Nobori 綱登り (15m)

This was defeated by All-Star Kazuhiko Akiyama 秋山和彦 in Sasuke 4

The next final was a Spider Climb followed by a 10 meter rope climb

① Spider Climb スパイダークライム (12.5m)

② Tsuna Nobori 綱登り (10m)

This was defeated by Allstar - Makoto Nagano 長野誠 in Sasuke 17

The next final was a Ladder climb to a 10 meter rope climb

① Heavenly Ladder ヘブンリーラダー　(13m)

② G-Rope Gロープ　(10m)

and this was defeated by Leader of the New Stars Yuuji Urushihara 漆原裕治 in Sasuke 24

Here is the current final - A 20 meter rope climb
① Tsuna Nobori 綱登り (20m)

This will be the first time it will be attempted since it's creation in Sasuke 25

Interview

Prerequisite Nagano interview

View from the top

Looking down onto our finalists

SHIFT CHANGE (Thank God.. ) Veteran announcer Keisuke Hatsuta 初田啓介 is back for the Final!

If you can't figure out that we are at the big thing on the left.. then you aren't paying attention :p

Oh.. there's a girl.. motivation dudes... motivation!

Okay! ALL UNCLI FINAL!!
Sasuke Champion Yuuji Urushihara 漆原裕治 (Cliffer #3)
and
Ryo Matachi (Cliffer #2) 又地諒

Who's cuisine will reign supreme?

LOL No words just hand shakes and a pat on the side

Go get'em Ryo!!

LOL that ramp is so dramatic..

There's Keita Tomino 富野恵太 on the left he's (Cliffer #4) and Ryo's Mom Miki on the far right.

Ryo getting buckled in to the safety line

Wedgie complete we begin the countdown

and he's off!

Do YOU have dirty teeth? Oh c'mon.. ya'll should know by now that they will put commercials in the Final..

okay.. we are back and through the magic of television he's at the start again.

okay here he goes!

Can't tell if he's going slow or not..

but I am noticing he's slowing down...

Oh.. that's not good.. He looks like he's running out of gas..

no way he's going to make it :(

Awwww even I know by now he's not going to make it

And that's how close he got.. Maybe another 5 seconds he might have? Still a bunch of people were complaining the time limit was too lenient..

and he's dropped.. LOL I'd die of a heart attack if it were me.. LOL

Everyone looking up at Ryo's climb

But he knows how long it takes to go up there and he looks at the clock

Oh yeah. there's no way he's going to make it..

Nagano yelling encouragement

yeah.. timer...

Gaaah.. he didn't make it

Family cam™

And he's being lowered down

and unbuckled off the safety rope

He had a fabulous tournament. I would have been sooooo happy if he won.. but I'm still VERY happy people FINALLY know his name :)

I see Kouji Hashimoto on the right there supporting the Cliffers

Ryo Matachi (Cliffer #2) 又地諒 - Death by Time up on the Rope Climb

Interview

Nagano showing his appreciation for a good attempt starts to clap

causing a round of applause to break out among the group watching

Ryo approaching Yuuj who's turn is up next.

Cliffers conferring as to strategy

if this doesn't show how close they are for real as friends.. nothing else will.

We all know he's a shoe salesman for Haruta Shoes in Tokyo

and our current Sasuke Champion

oh no.. they are bringing up that ridiculous rumor Yamada started about his footwear?? I swear TBS loves prolonging rumors for the sake of "drama".. HE DID NOT CHEAT..

anyway.. TBS is under the impression that he has to prove himself to gain respect.. yada yada..

He's been working his ASS off on the rope ever since he failed it in Sasuke 22!!

anyway.. enough of that invented footwear nonsense.. we are back to the present

Poor guy doesn't get the respect he deserves.. and we know he will win this simply because Ryo didn't and TBS has been saying since the original commercial that someone wins.

So far being 99 has been good for him!

Nagano getting excited for him!

He gets up to cheer for him!

ANW yelling encouragement as well

Leader of the New Stars Yuuji Urushihara 漆原裕治 (Cliffer #3)

LOL

Okay here we go!

You did expect this right? Good.. moving on..

here we start again

moving much quicker..

even I can see how much faster he's moving than Ryo

he's hauling...

LMFAO he's got an eternity to get up there!

HOLY CRAP how much time will he have left????

already past the opening and he's got a full 8 seconds!

And he's cleared!

OMG almost 7 full seconds! Even those complaining about the additional 5 seconds can't bitch.. he would have won that too!!!!!!!! YYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEESSSSSS!!!!!!

Leader of the New Stars Yuuji Urushihara 漆原裕治 (Cliffer #3)
完全制覇 - KANZENSEIHA!!!!

Ryo is ECSTATIC!

see? his last minute tips helped :) tehehhehe

waiting for the timer to go off and smiles all around

Nagano staring at the time

Brent taking a sneak peek..

And he's done it!!

ANW losing their marbles

and .. LOL Brian Orosco's mustache .. ahahahhahahahaha

This was the clip they showed in the commercial..

But now you see him in full view
2-TIME 完全制覇 - KANZENSEIHA

Yuuji overcome with emotion..

I don't think anyone really understand the ridiculous pressure put on these guys.. Especially him.. having to shoulder some STUPID rumor that Yamada invented and TBS perpetrated just so they can create drama on a television show.

Hopefully finally people will just STFU... he won the damn thing in SNEAKERS this time! And was more dominant than ever!

Crowd reacting to Yuuji's scream

massive congrats to a true champion. Hopefully NOW TBS will respect you for the Champion you are. I for one am THRILLED you won again!

Ryo getting emotional by the speech

and Nagano looking fab.. er.. yeah that too.. LOL

This has been a Monster 9 and TBS production.. NOT NBC.. /facepalm

Oh and to pour more salt in the wound.. Yuuji got what.. $4 mil Yen (that's like 30k folks).. Thanks to NBC and K-Swiss.. he's not worthy of that half million dollars USA for the EXACT SAME EVENT... /shakesfist

It's a shame how little respect this guy has gotten.. seriously.. well enough of my rant.. just damn tired of Comcast soiling things..

2-Time champion folks!
I pray we see a Sasuke 28!

Okay. Final thoughts on the tournament. I loved it! This is what happens when you give people at least 2 months to prepare.. not the half-butted attempt in Sasuke 26 that really caused issues to everyone. I'm still not happy it took so long for TBS to air it.. That has to change as we know ANW3's ratings was really low. It was not worth sacrificing this broadcast for bad ratings in the USA. If NBC decided to actually SHOW Sasuke that would have been different.. but they spent the entire time showing a show that no one wanted to watch. People tune in to see Ninja Warrior for all 100 competitors.. not just 10. They did awesome but it would have been better served if they showed the entire tournament to see them compete with the rest of the field. Purposefully removing everything Japanese about the show, the people, the announcer, the results.. did a huge disservice to the kick ass Americans who did ridiculously well in the tournament. Also K-Swiss only wanting to award an American in a field of 100 a prize for an event that wasn't segregated and refuse to award money and recognition to the actual winner just sucks all kinds of .. you know. It was in poor taste. I'd rather them award the money to the winner of boot camp than to discriminate on a foreign show who gets the prize. Either equally distribute the money for the winner regardless of country of origin or don't award it at all and leave it to TBS who has been doing it for 14 years.

Anyway... really really really want to thank a few people. Lost in Ube for oh geez.. the list is so long. Outside of my inspiration for even blogging in the first place back when I found Sasuke and found his blogs back in 2007 he's been a great online friend whom I can watch Sasuke and use candor and humor when watching without people hawking my every word :p And then of course his Live blog which I abuse constantly when creating my own. His time-consuming diligence in trying to update the wiki with scnoi by using his own sources and painstakingly going through each person to get the right kanji. I honestly believe a lot of people really don't realize how hard it is to do these things (especially his live blog). VxJasonxV for the Sasuke Navi and Sasuke 27 feed he provided from his paid subscription of WIST. Without that I don't think half the community would have even SEEN the tournament! Thanks to the streamers that helped our community see the event! Thanks for Jams for giving me a clear copy of the tourney for the blog since my VLC kept crashing during the broadcast the last time and I didn't want to risk it this time.... Thanks to the community for being patient when I FINALLY got the blogs up and for READING them! I'm happy people find enjoyment in them as much as I enjoy creating them. I'm ecstatic more people have used my blog as an introduction to such a wonderful show and it makes it even more worthwhile when I know my fangirling is actually to good use! I'm excited to see our small group grow to literally thousands around the world banding together to watch this show through tiny computer screens that often crash. Praying for another tournament so I can keep updating this blog with relevant information. Didn't think after all these years I'd still be doing this and enjoying it. Ya'll have made it worth the while :)

Hopefully we'll get news about a Sasuke 28. The 2nd place overall for the evening and a rating of 12.6% was great considering how low the other recent tournaments have been faring. Let's hope that TBS sees this as the good news I believe it to be!

Sasuke 27 - Spoilerific Review - Part 13

2011-10-17T11:18:00.055-04:00

SASUKE 27!!

(PART 1) (PART 2) (PART 3) (PART 4) (PART 5) (PART 6) (PART 7) (PART 8) (PART 9) (PART 10) (PART 11) (PART 12)

UBE'S Sorta-LIVE-BLOG FOR SASUKE 27 IS HERE !

(Massive thanks to Ube for his help on the names in English and Japanese of all the competitors!!)

Okay! Now with one through to the final we have another one lined up for his chance! Technicolor mohawk!

Terukazu Ishikawa 石川輝一 from Muscle Musical マッスルミュージカル

For those few that remember him.. he's actually a former 3rd stage competitor!

This is him on the Body Prop though sadly that's as far as he got.

now he's back for revenge!

You know.. with Naoki's smirk.. and a with the shirt folded like that.. he would be a &itch.. LOL

LOL Okay okay.. Naoki and the rest of MM are actually cheering!

Terukazu Ishikawa 石川輝一 from Muscle Musical マッスルミュージカル

Doing well on the Arm Bike

TBS throwing random clips of Nagano doing the arm bike in his chair..

though when you see him in this picture.. he's clearly not moving around.. LOL Damn TBS inventing stuff again...

anyway back to the Flying Bar which I actually like go figure

He's swinging awful hard...

HOLY CRAP!

Omg.. He at least was smart enough to save himself!

Yeah because this isn't instilling confidence in Nagano either..

Yeah I'm just as shocked!

Right about here Ishikawa is somersaulting

aaaaand Nagano is right back in his unhappy place™

LOL MM is totally going wtf was that??

Poor Ishikawa..

Okuyama is just .. stunned..

Yuuji just got sucked into the vortex of Nagano's unhappy place™ too

okay let's see wtf.. happened.. seems he was reaaaaaaaally swinging hard.. trying to get a good momentum to get to the 2nd landing area

but he put a bit too much OOMPH into it and literally rolled off the first platform and started heading backwards!

right about here the gasps could be heard

but he was thinking quickly and decided to shift his momentum away from falling face first into the water still holding the bar...

so he somersaulted forward in a way he can control and thus not get injured

really smart thinking on his part but sucked he had too much power swinging to cause the disaster in the first place :(

Terukazu Ishikawa 石川輝一 - Death by Flying Bar

aww.. he has a sense of humor though. Glad he didn't hurt himself.

meanwhile we are getting another FF

this is ポール・キャゼミア Paul Kasemir

also couldn't hang on to the small ledge

ポール・キャゼミア Paul Kasemir - Death by Ultimate Cliffhanger

Okuyama stretching

Okuyama familycam™

Okay! We should know who he is by now - Yoshiyuki Okuyama 奥山義行

He's been a very consistent competitor as we see him getting to the UCH with frozen fingers back in Sasuke 25

He got a bit further in Sasuke 26

agreed with Ube.. this really is precarious practicing with that much stuff underneath you...

and because he works long hours.. he has to train at night

oh and yes he is a Gym Instructor (or what we call Personal Trainer)

He usually learns from his mistakes and does much better the next time around advancing past where he failed before as evidenced by his beating the Shin-Cliffhanger in the past

also avenging his loss to the Spider Flip that ate him before!

Sasuke 24 he made it all the way to the final

yay he smiles.. sorta..

Yoshiyuki Okuyama 奥山義行

Wife Sachiko and kids Takaya and Lilia. Not sure if that's his or her sister.. I'm thinking hers.. but dunno

doing well on the arm bike

he chooses Sasuke Spray over chalk

now his turn on the Flying Bar

doooooooh he missed it!

seems he didn't have the bar straight on the right and it completely missed the platform

and yet another example on how to miss the obstacle..

yep.. Nagano sucked Yuuji into his vortex of despair™..

Family seems a bit confused..

okay this shot looks funny..

.. okay. I had it straight so wtf...

oooooh Nagano is sooooooo not having it today.. it's like you can SEE him visualize him failing in spectacular ways on the Flying bar..

meanwhile TBS replaying (take a drink)

yep.. left bar was nowhere near the platform to land on.. he was too busy trying to line up the right

Yoshiyuki Okuyama 奥山義行 - Death by Flying Bar

Yuuji looking nervous as he awaits his turn

Nagano not at all confident..

meanwhile David is told to sit and wait his turn

coming up next is the returning Stage 3 competitor from Sasuke 26

and if someone (coughs) would send in his responses to my interview (cough) we'd know what he was thinking right here...

anyway.. typical TBS.. You have one of these at home.. you shouldn't suck set ups

TBS milking the crane rental fee for every last yen..

and he's finally introduced.. Ogasawara adding the bit about him getting the 44 second fastest first stage clear and him being America #1 and best hope for Kanzenseiha

Oh yeah.. Ogasawara is adding like 14 paragraphs of expectations on David LOL

David Campbell デイヴィッド・キャンベル

No problems on the Arm Bike

LOL did he lie down??

Yuuji being told to get ready as well while Ogasawara is spouting about Japan vs. USA again

his turn at the Flying Bar

Fine on the 2nd rung

and clear!

Sasuke spray needs to be properly aired..

LOL did he put too much?

screw that he got chalk now.. LOL

fine going up to the 3rd ledge

LOL Ogasawara is reading a friggin novel..

Kongo Cross™ to the 4th ledge is successful this time

Ready to jump to the small ledge..

AMERICA NUMBAH ONE!

and landed on the last ledge!

Paul happy he cleared it!

and all he has to do is get off the obstacle..

DOSHITA!!!!!
yeah.. I saw that on NBC as well and I'm STILL heartbroken :(

Oh.. I don't even want to know how many expletives are in his head right now...

Paul is devastated

So is Lee and Nagano

and Nagano slithers back into unhappy land™

yeah.. no pressure there Yuuji..

No kidding.. I would be devastated as well

I just don't think people understand how utterly draining the ENTIRE day is plus the obstacles

we know he can do this sucker in his sleep!

Just was not happening that day.
David Campbell デイヴィッド・キャンベル - Death by Ultimate Cliffhanger

and now for wtf question of the tournament..
Chick: How did you feel being the number 1 US competitor?
wtf lady.. you ask that BEFORE he fails you blithering idiot..

I have to commend David for keeping his composure and answering the question. Levi would have blown this so badly I can't even imagine wtf would have come out of his mouth..
David: It's a big honor to be furthest of all the Americans to be you know the Number 1 American but.."

David: I feel like I could have gone so much further

you can hear more of David in the background

Nagano can't stop shaking his head.. he's just about given up if someone like David couldn't get through

Geez.. Yuuji looks like he's about to cry

Up next is the current Sasuke Champion

TBS really has done much disservice to him. While I have blogged the hell out of him most people really don't even know how long this guy has been competing. They see him only from Sasuke 22 and coming out of nowhere

back in 22 it was cool to have his (Cliffer #3) shirt on but I'm sure TBS asked him to wear the sponsored shirts from then on..

24 was his breakthrough tournament where he not only made it to the final he beat it on his first try while others failed it.

Hmm I don't think I've ever seen this room before

either way this is one way for training on the Cliffhanger

though for other obstacles he just goes to Okada's house

will he be 2 time winner?

Ryo is already there.. will his fellow Cliffer join him? Nah.. TBS didn't say that LOL I did!

geez.. Friggin' Ogasawara spent like 10 minutes just comparing Yuuji to how he's not like Nagano..

Leader of the New Stars Yuuji Urushihara 漆原裕治 (or for me (Cliffer #3)

and all Nagano can do.. is sit there and listen to Ogasawara spout nonsense again..

clearing Arm bike with no issues

.. Nagano's getting annoyed...

meanwhile Yuuji is kicking ass on the Flying bar as Ogasawara is talking about the Sasuke All-Stars during his run again...

and he clears

yay! we see more cliffers! Middle is Keita (Cliffer #4) (next to him in the orange clogs is Ryoma) and next to him in the UNCLI shirt is Matsuda (Cliffer #1) (to his right is Kanno)

Nagano's turn to get up and get ready for his run

must be annoying to listen to this idiot announcer.. I would be so irritated..

anyway seems Nagano now has a clear view of Yuuji on the UCH

and he's making this look.. friggin'.. easy..

Who do you wanna call?

.. apparently Bruce Willis....

anyway we are back from commercials and Yuuji is utterly raping this thing...

a fast and smooth run on this thing..

it looks.. so damn effortless!!!

and just like that the EASIEST looking clear of the UCH to finally shut up these damn forum children that the UCH is impossible.. It's fugly .. but not impossible.

STQ'ers are happy!

See? You just need Cliffers is all :)

Nagano happy

Ogasawara still badgering.. now bringing in the All-Stars again...

btw.. just for future reference.. THIS.. is a total Nagano annoyed look..

he finally just snaps to laughter because seriously.. this is friggin' ridiculous to keep bringing him up during Yuuji's run

he just has to shake his head and ignore him.. just.. ignore the stupid announcer..

speaking of ignoring it's obvious that Yuuji is doing everything he can to ignore the stupid announcer and concentrate on his run..

C'mon.. you can do it.. just.. stay.. focused..

Just one other person has passed this and he's a Cliffer.. so you can do this.

okay on the first ring...

Nice! 2nd Ring and immediately got the ladder

finally gets around

leans forward..

and quickly grabs the 2nd set of chains!

and immediately grabs the ladder on the other side to get off this damned obstacle!

STQ'ers are in awe of such display!

turns himself around and .. starts to go up the ladder.. really high

Hmm unsure why he's that high.. but whatever..

yeah.. you can't swing that far when you are crammed up so high there Yuuji..

manages to grab the 2nd rope

and finally on the green bar of safety

er.. wtf is he doing? LOL

Ryo intently watching

okay.. he sat down.. LOL Was getting worried there for a moment..

okay! off he goes!

approaching the jump up..

doh he gets stuck but powers through it

okay.. will he stay on the stopper? We've seen him fly off it before..

Nagano intently watching

YYYYYYYEEEEEEEESSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!! 3 time finalist baby!! WE GOT AN UNCLI FINAL!!!!!

waiting for the jump..

and he did it! LOL they are not as rambunctious as the last time he was there!

Nagano approves

Ryo is cheesing!

I'm flipping out just like Ube was at this time LOL We both got on twitter and lost our marbles ahahahahahha

Damn right!

and.. Ogasawara is at it again.. /sigh

say.. what?

oh.. Ogasawara is pissing of Nagano again....

Yuuji Urushihara 漆原裕治 - THIRD STAGE CLEAR!

sooooo happy for him!!!

replay of that easy looking clear.. it was just so effortless looking it was breathtaking honestly

This also shocked me how quickly he got through this.. I still don't like the obstacle though

and all those years practicing the pipe slider dismount at play here

He's back at the final and I'm sure TBS is not happy.. LOL

we've got 2 in the final..

will we have more?

he doesn't think so...

LOL sorry.. his faces with that spray is just priceless

but no he's not confident at all...

Here is our 2nd ever winner of Sasuke

Sasuke Ambassador around the world. Here he is with the Prime Minister of Malaysia

meeting fans in ANW2 last year in the USA

Meeting Levi

meeting Lee

meeting Ryo way back when all of UNCLI and the other STQ'ers chased the All-Stars around Japan in every event they did (and Bunpei actually competed...)

being bowed to when Yuuji won his final in Sasuke 24 showing how intrinsically linked the STQ'ers and UNCLI are to the All-Stars

TBS reminding us Ryo is in the final

and now is Yuuji. Both of whom he's seen grow and get better year by year

Nagano training at his boat

still in mourning

and raising his family

as we see Nagano and Asami has taught their child...

how to cane him.. LOL

My goodness how much time flies.. he's 2 now..

LOL Looks like they woke up Yamada and Shingo is cold?

LOL he's always got a mischievous grin on his face...

Damn.. he looks so damn lonely without Takeda there..

looks like Kaiou is finally out of gas and is asleep

Allstar - Makoto Nagano 長野誠

geez this intro is long LOL

well we know he won't need a step stool...

Ha! Clear without any issues

Lee pimping the Fanclub that doesn't exist yet..

Poor Asami looks worried..

doing okay on the Flying bar!

phew.. he clears the flying bar and immediately starts to look for the spray..

Yay he cleared!

Oh.. I see he has a Dad radar.. he woke up LOL

shhh.. go back to sleep..

hhmm... I was told that he said at some point that he wasn't going to pass this thing.

I assume it's here..

you can hear the other All-stars talking to him..

and he's just saying No.. shaking his head over and over and over..

See? They are trying to encourage him..

or at least trying LOL Look at Shingo cheesing...

Even Lee is trying to communicate to him with body language

but it's not happening..

he's already decided he's failing this..

with that established.. here we go..

first time on it.. so who knows right?

You know.. I did make a wisecrack about Kirin (beer) missing from the broadcast.. and of course.. NOW is when they come up..

anyway.. it's Nagano time so obviously all the sponsorship information gets plastered on his run

going up...

good he makes it!

and.. going for the small ledge...

Yuuji yelling encouragement while Ryo looks like he's enraptured..

Poor Asami...

he touches the ledge..

Gaaaah can't hang on!!

You can even see Lee losing it on the far right

he was really close too.. I wonder if he was in a better frame of mind he might have actually gotten this!

UNCLI hopes dashed as they wanted him in the final with them

contrary to some weird rumors.. they all really respect each other.. Hell these guys just about idolize him

waiting for the jump..

and the agony..

Shingo feeling it internally

and the jump...

And Asami gives her poor child a heart attack LOL

You know lady.. if you wanted me awake I can do it..

LOL Poor kid Poor wife

Allstar - Makoto Nagano 長野誠 - Death by Ultimate Cliffhanger

LOL and he's still cracking up.. raises his hand ...

to slap the water..

wish he had a better frame of mind though.. saying he was going to fail is almost like making it happen.. ya know?

LOL and so they fade off the Stage 3 with Nagano in the Septic Sludge..

All UNCLI Final coming up!

PART 14 HERE

Sasuke 27 - Spoilerific Review - Part 12

2011-10-17T07:03:00.044-04:00

SASUKE 27!!

(PART 1) (PART 2) (PART 3) (PART 4) (PART 5) (PART 6) (PART 7) (PART 8) (PART 9) (PART 10) (PART 11)

UBE'S Sorta-LIVE-BLOG FOR SASUKE 27 IS HERE !

(Massive thanks to Ube for his help on the names in English and Japanese of all the competitors!!)

Top 6 Japanese in the 3rd Stage:
Ryo Matachi 又地諒
Yuuji Urushihara 漆原裕治
Makoto Nagano 長野誠
Kouji Hashimoto 橋本亘司
Yoshiyuki Okuyama 奥山義行
Terukazu Ishikawa 石川輝一

Top Americans in the 3rd Stage:
David Campbell デイヴィッド・キャンベル
ポール・キャゼミア Paul Kasemir
ライアン・ストラティス Ryan Stratis
ジェームス・マクグラス James McGrath

We've got 10 in the 3rd stage today! (No it's not a record)

And the 3rd stage is changed again.. this time marking the return of the ① Arm Bike アームバイク

This one moved location and got shortened ② *Flying Bar フライングバー

This is what it looks like from a wide shot

Still one of the ugliest obstacles.. LOL ③ Ultimate Cliffhanger アルティメットクリフハンガー

It took out Kenji

and Kouji

and Lee

and Brent

and David

Strat doing jumping jacks

Paul stretching

same with James

and David

who has a UCH (what the Japanese call the AruKuri) and TBS expects for him not to suck

Chick: So are you ready for 3rd Stage?

David: I'm about as ready as I can be. I've been training hard and I'm feeling good. I think I can do it.

Ryo is stretching.. not flipping us.. LOL

more stretching pics from Ishikawa

and Kouji

and Okuyama

And Nagano

LOL Yuuji as well

and they only interview Nagano

Dammit.. he's back for the 3rd stage.. groan... really friggin' annoying announcer is back.. Wataru Ogasawara 小笠原亘

Okay we are in the white lit area of the course now

Okay! We start off with a Finalist from Sasuke 24 Kouji Hashimoto 橋本亘司

who is a Gym instructor (what we call personal trainers)

He was a gymnastics standout as early as high school where he managed to get into a prestigious school due to his talents. He went on to go to college also because of Gymnastics.

Sasuke 24 he was stopped by the debut of the UCH

Seems TBS spent time to visit him at home

where they recorded him watching his previous performances

Will he make it past the UCH this time?

Parents yelling encouragement! His father is Hiroyuki 広幸 and mother is Chihoko 千歩子

① Arm Bike アームバイク

doing just fine on the arm bike

so strange seeing Nagano alone.. I miss Takeda already..

Getting ready for the ② *Flying Bar フライングバー This one used to be at the end of the stage and on one had seen it actually in action (well .. aside from testers). It's also missing 2 from the original 5 rungs

Kouji doing fine on the 2nd one

This is an interesting obstacle. It's basically jumping bars hanging on to a pipe.. precise placement is a ridiculous must...

The rest of the 9 looking intently.. they are up next..

meh.. this obstacles is fugly anyway.. here we go.. ③ Ultimate Cliffhanger アルティメットクリフハンガー

taking his time waiting for the director to signal him to go

okay.. time for revenge..

already doing better than the last time..

about halfway...

oooh he caught the small ledge...

YES! He caught the last ledge!

and we got a CLEAR! No wonder NBC had to cut all this out to persist the illusion that no one passed...

Rebel Yell! First ever clear of the ③ Ultimate Cliffhanger アルティメットクリフハンガー

LOL this is kinda awkward.. hello camera man..

Mom having kittens right now

okay.. now we are in uncharted territory..

I'm convinced.. something is in the water...

already on deck is James

Ryo is impressed at the first clear of the UCH!

meanwhile the psychoanalysis starts .. new obstacle coming so everyone is watching intently..

This is a combination .. first are the ④ ^Jumping Ring ジャンピングリング (also shorter than it was before)

doing fine

and he caught the next one

okay here's the connection. The ladder belongs to the next obstacle

personally I hate this next obstacle but I'm horribly digressing..

Kouji now turning himself around to face the next obstacle

Mom anxious...

watching intently...

here it is.. I .. hate.. this obstacle.. ⑤ ^Chain See-Saw チェーンシーソー

you start off on the ladder on the left.. then grab the rope/chain thing that is on a pulley which you have to keep straight or you just fall off whatever side is not balanced..

from this set of rope/chain pulley thing you have to jump to yet another set then catch the rope ladder on the other side

No!!! He is not balanced and is falling on the right side...

see how the rope/chain thing just basically unravels..

each end of the chain has handles and he tried to grab the handles but he was leaning too much on his right..

and his left hand just ripped off then handle..

watching as he does the transition jump to the 2nd chain

yeah...

Nagano is now in an unhappy place™

parents reaction

Disappointed indeed..

Kouji Hashimoto 橋本亘司 - Death by Chain See-Saw

he's also trying to figure out how the heck he can do this...

more unhappy place™

while James seems excited for his run? Just seems out of place is all. I would think it's more "I'm giddy I'm here" rather than "I'm happy he fell" (and yes I have to explain this since I got some messages where people were angry he was happy about Kouji's fail)

replay of the very first UCH clear in history!

He should be proud to have cleared it. Especially listening to many online saying it was impossible...

Rebel Yell!

This was the Chain See-saw. He managed to grab them both

but became imbalanced as his right hand yanked down

so his left hand just couldn't hold on to the handle

I think that's why I hate this obstacle.. there's zero recovery from this..

basically stating the obvious that he lost his balance

Still though he did friggin' awesome and made history!

Reporter: How do you feel about that?

"I'm feel excellent" (I think he misunderstood the question as it's typical that TBS will ask not about their run but about what the previous person's run.. considering that I doubt he was saying he felt excellent about Kouji failing.. rather he was feeling excellent about his upcoming run) "Hopefully I can get to the ending point"

Ice Cream man is up!

here we go again with the Giant stuff along with Training videos

will this giant beat Stage 4?

ジェームス・マクグラス James McGrath

LOL Ryo's hands are caked in chalk already LOL

Up first is the arm bike

as the contestants cheer the clear

doing very well on the Flying Bar

LOL Strat is jacked

Looking for cues on when to go

Okay here we go on the UCH even though NBC already told me how he did over a month ago..

For the benefit of the other 150+ countries that won't even see this because G4 deletes it from the Ninja Warrior broadcast.. /sigh

Okay through the middle of the UCH

trying to set up a jump

but can't hold on to the small ledge

actually he wasn't going to really catch it with both hands anyway

Strat not pleased

Nagano still in his unhappy place™

ジェームス・マクグラス James McGrath - Death by Ultimate Cliffhanger

Strat getting the fast-forward on the arm bike

Strat on the Flying bar

and they FF'ed directly to the UCH

going up to the 3rd ledge

but he missed the transition to the 4th

he's NOT 37 TBS....
ライアン・ストラティス Ryan Stratis - Death by Ultimate Cliffhanger

Hmm they did a replay on his FF.. he did manage to grab the ledge

but couldn't hang on

meanwhile Mr. Cake hands..

Ryo is up next (I cut the repeat of the fluff pieces)

Mom Miki

Ryo Matachi (Cliffer #2) 又地諒 is up next!

we all know by now how long I've been following this kid through the years of training on this stage alone..

omg he really does have a lot of chalk on his hands.. it looks like a glove!

clear on the arm bike

Nagano approved™

doing well on the Flying bar

and now for the reason why he is a Cliffer .. Especially with Kouji passing this.. I expect him and Yuuji to pass this obstacle..

yeah.. now you can see Keita on the right of the screen - that's Cliffer #4!

dude.. you don't need more chalk.. LOL

still waiting for the director to tell him to go

up we go.. methodically..

no problems going up to the 3rd ledge

again methodically going across the UCH

catches the small ledge...

catches the last ledge!

and clear!!!!!!!!

Ryo celebrating as we got our 2nd clear for the UCH today!

Yuuji (Cliffer #3) is celebrating his friend's clear

LOL everyone is so subdued.. they expected Ryo of all people to pass this...

dude has a chalk fetish..

maybe Nagano has a chalk fetish as well...

lol sheepish rolling shoulders

okay.. time for the jumping rings

lol he's backing up.. because he's just as short as Nagano...

ROFL he's trying to go back even further.. now checking to see if he's going to fall off the platform!

huge running start to the first ring

catches the 2nd ring

an immediate foot catch to the ladder

took him a bit to get around it but he's now eyeballing the first set of chains

finally leans forward to grab them to feel how they move

he takes a leap for the 2nd set and he CATCHES THEM!

family losing their marbles

Nagano impressed

okay.. now to get off this thing.. he foot catches the other ladder

whoah.. that would have sucked if he fell backwards now...

Yuuji sending encouragement down the line.. (seems to Ishikawa)

okay.. now for another modified obstacle.. which looks like an even simpler version of the Rope Junction that had no function.. this is the ⑥ Rope Climb ロープクライム

yeah I figured as much as he just uses this to get to the bar

reached the green bar of safety!

Hoooo yeah...

Ishikawa just as sheepish.. he's up next..

lol and doesn't look as confident..

now trying to get some strength back as he's finally at a resting point..

yet another modified obstacle. It's basically a straight horizontal Pipe Slider but with a twist. This is the ⑦ ^Bar Glider バーグライダー

Still taking his time to get some wind back while analyzing the obstacle

Nagano anxious

here's the twist.. it angles up.. (yet another thing stolen from Supersheep's Sim Sasuke..)

okay here we go

yep.. pipe slider hold he's used to

LOL reminds me of the Pipe Grinder that was at the Maguro Festival.. approaching the slant up..

blew through it like it wasn't even there!

seems this one also has a small stopper since the entire length of the track is actually tilted backwards...

Nagano yelling encouragement

swinging...

and YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Friggin' FINAL for RYO!!!!

Yuuji yelling encouragement to his fellow Cliffer

and SUCCESS as Yuuji is over the moon!

So is Nagano

Pandemonium at the Family camp

I'm sooooooooooooooo happy for him!!!!!!!! About time he realized his potential!

All he needed to do get out of Trials.. then FINALLY get out of the first stage when he got there!! LOL

So we have our first? to the final.. we know someone wins.. I'd totally have a cow if he won... omg.....

LOL TBS is not going to show Yuuji freaking out more.. they are sticking with the All-Star.. TBS must not be happy a Cliffer is there.. LOL the implications! Oh my!

Ryo Matachi 又地諒 - THIRD STAGE CLEAR!!!

That's one happy (and exhausted) kid!

now to see if he can kick some butt on the final...

Now for the replay of the UCH clear

and the kids were right about all that chalk at the end of the last ledge.. Good eye!

replay on that 2nd grab..

and the final leap from the bar

I'm so happy right now..... I've always wanted this kid to get here!

ah! we have a Lee sighting!

whoops.. he notices he's going towards his mom so he just quietly leaves the area LOL

I'm so friggin' tired...

PART 13 HERE