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Post by m4tt3r0x on Apr 6, 2022 15:07:42 GMT -5
Agreed with 34. I swear I sometimes think that tournament never existed because it felt like 33 on a different day.
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Post by m4tt3r0x on Apr 1, 2022 18:20:22 GMT -5
...on an opportunity to become an owner in a 2nd pub in Edo but thankfully he's still doing great! Happy April Fool's! You actually got me. I was 5 hours from being fool free today too. Let my guard down... (my face seriously put on a frown)
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Post by m4tt3r0x on Mar 16, 2022 14:39:44 GMT -5
As far as celebs go, I think he's the best the show's seen in every way.
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Post by m4tt3r0x on Mar 14, 2022 19:30:21 GMT -5
Heh true, the final stage is literally scaffolding.
And yeah Stage 3 is pretty bland, but the UCH's reveal definitely was an intimidating feature.
For Stage 1 I'd say I also like the shade of red they used for the mats in 26 the best. Was kinda like a wine red.
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Post by m4tt3r0x on Mar 14, 2022 19:25:46 GMT -5
It never fails to get a laugh out of me each time I remember that video of Shunsuke's theme being the digest theme
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Post by m4tt3r0x on Mar 14, 2022 14:53:36 GMT -5
Which tournament(s) have the best look to each respective stage in them to you? Consider mat colors, decorations, lighting, and other details.
For me, I really like Sasuke 16's Stage 1. I think it may be the only tournament that had every other stages' lighting on while Stage 1 runs were taking place during the night. That on top of the black mats and strong white lighting really gave the course a professional night time sporting event vibe to me, and the film really looked solid because of it. Otherwise I love the green and red mats in other tournaments anyway.
Stage 2 I'm a bit partial to Sasuke 25's warm colors replacing the cold colors from 18-24. The construction tape was also nice touch. Of course any Stage 2 with the fire shooters is good in my book.
Stage 3 I actually liked the purple look in like Sasuke 29.
Stage 4 I would say the modern one, but like 17-24 looked great too.
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Post by m4tt3r0x on Mar 14, 2022 14:41:52 GMT -5
It just blows my mind that Yuuji is almost 44, and yet the guy is still not off the table for a Stage 4 appearance. I really wanna see him make if there again dang it.
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Post by m4tt3r0x on Mar 14, 2022 14:34:02 GMT -5
Shunsuke isn't part of the golden boys anymore, guys like Yusuke, Tada, and Yoshiyuki. If we're being real he has no shot at being a finalist in his current state, and perhaps a very slim shot even if he was dedicated, similar to Sato Jun. If he thought he had a legitimate and at least a moderately facile chance at succeeding at an elite level I think he'd be gunning to do so, and/or another explanation is he just doesn't care as much about Sasuke anymore. Seems to be a similar sentiment shared with his most common cohort of him, Tomo, and Kanno.
He doesn't train a very dedicated amount like even Yuuji does who is like a decade older. Should he retire because he's not Stage 4 material? I think that's a no because he seems to be among the pool of competitors content with reaching Stage 3 as a (highly respectable) goal, like Darvish, Suzuki Yusuke, and Isa. Should he retire because he's bombing on Stage 1 year after year, and it tarnishes his reputation? Eh, I used to think that way when I was younger and was jaded about the All Stars deteriorating after M9's bankruptcy, but I think differently now. If someone has the humility to not save face then I find that commendable. I don't believe failing when you're older takes away from your reputation when you used to succeed at all, leaving his legacy unchanged. I imagine he believes he trains an adequate amount for what he's going for, and that he doesn't want to give up a rare opportunity to annually compete on such a great show even if he isn't amazing.
Unlike Hioki, who is very similar athleticism wise currently, I don't think Shunsuke cares that much. The only reason I would expect him to retire is if it actually affects his work or his connection to his talent agency.
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Post by m4tt3r0x on Mar 11, 2022 19:14:24 GMT -5
So this is a pretty off topic question but I don't know where else to put it:
Did Yuuji keep the car he won in 24? Does anyone know if he still has it?
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Post by m4tt3r0x on Feb 26, 2022 8:40:18 GMT -5
Just to clarify I wasn't saying to put chalk before the Metal Spin, but a towel because the standard has been to give competitors the best chance as not slipping possible before intensive grip obstacles. But yeah, like I said the obstacle would be outrageous, but I wonder if it'd be truly impossible without a towel. I think it'd at least partially depend on what material coats the chain on the Metal Spin.
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Post by m4tt3r0x on Feb 26, 2022 1:13:32 GMT -5
I think one of the two reasons I would have wanted to see the Metal Spin after the Backstream would be to have competitors weighed down by the water in their shorts and shoes, and on their person overall. I'm not even sure how much weight that would even be. The second reason would be that competitors surely would be spent after having faced the Backstream right before, and it'd just be cool to see those two obstacles in succession. I don't think it ever even crossed my mind (well possibly when I was younger) to expect them to have to grab the "chain" (which correct me if I'm wrong, was a chain engulfed by rubber as to protect the hands of competitors) with wet hands not dried off with a towel on the ground.
It would seem inconsistent that you get access to chalk and sticky spray on Stage 3 and not to a towel before a serious grip obstacle on the stage before. If it were the case that you couldn't dry off your hands before the Metal Spin, assuming the jump was the same as 27's, I'd say it'd *may* still be possible to do, but you'd need some Crazy Cliffhangable grip to do so. But yeah, it'd at the very least be an outrageously difficult ask, if not an impossible one, on the second stage no less. After seeing guys get up the wet warped wall in 39 I'm not calling most things impossible anymore.
I don't see what'd be stopping you from at least wiping your hands off on the ground somewhat at least. :=P
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Post by m4tt3r0x on Feb 23, 2022 15:38:51 GMT -5
Best? I actually don't think it's best to be a climber, gymnast, or parkour athlete. Reason being is when you come from a dedicated field you usually already have athletic obligations to that area and you end up sacrificing something else in training. See Sato Jun for example. Guys who train strictly for Sasuke are almost always the ones outperforming.
I would say the best profession we've seen is Japanese fishermen lol and I don't think that's a coincidence. They toughen up their grip strength tremendously man handling those nets and what not every day, and the pair of sea legs probably come in handy off the boat as well. Nagano had time to train creatively on his boat as we saw as well. So how is that different from being a professional athlete? Like I said athletes always have to become freaks at whatever discipline they're in and it comes with a cost in other areas. Rock climbers have no idea how to navigate Stage 1, guys like Mr. Handball had way too much mass being ball players to be effective on Stage 3, etc. Of course there are exceptions, but I think this is generally true.
Obviously rote professions like desk jobs have no advantage when it comes to Sasuke. Jobs with decent off time like gas station jockey or even manager at least give you some time to train at work. One other profession up there with fisherman is probably gym trainer like Kouji Hashimoto. I imagine you could easily tailor your own training while doing that.
As for the worst profession? Probably doctor or something where you have no time to do anything but work lol
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Post by m4tt3r0x on Feb 21, 2022 20:13:20 GMT -5
Akiyama cleared with almost exactly 0 seconds.
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Post by m4tt3r0x on Feb 20, 2022 16:09:43 GMT -5
I'd like to see one of the "second class" best friends of the champion actually win myself. Like Takeda, Ryo, or Tada, who have always been a bit overshadowed by their friends. Right now Ryo seems to be a lot more serious and his attitude has changed much of late as well. If either him or Tada seriously put in the work I'd like to see one of them as champion as it'd be unexpected and cool to see the underdog finally get chosen. Otherwise, yeah, I think the obvious answer is Yoshiyuki because of his ability and connection to Yamada.
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Post by m4tt3r0x on Feb 18, 2022 13:31:39 GMT -5
Hashimoto Kouji. God, he's 38 now. Can't believe he retired at like not even 30 years old.
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Post by m4tt3r0x on Feb 17, 2022 18:04:11 GMT -5
I'm still surprised Ryo through Tada cleared the wall. Granted it wasn't raining that hard when they tried it, but I've tried wet warped walls before. You might as well be running up ice.
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Post by m4tt3r0x on Feb 11, 2022 13:31:40 GMT -5
He kind of was an All Star without the title, so maybe they didn't want to deviate emphasis from the core 6.
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Post by m4tt3r0x on Feb 10, 2022 18:32:57 GMT -5
Tough call because Jessie has shown that it's possible for a female to be faster and stronger than male competitors on the same course, yet females are automatically given the time bonus without considering their individuality. I think Japan has plenty of strong women like Ayano who could potentially clear without the time boost, but on average realistically even a joke woman competitor versus a joke male competitor the woman is gonna be weaker most of the time. It's just biology. So I agree the time limit should be increased for them but not as much as it is. Maybe you can even give each female the option to wave the bonus time away if they want.
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Post by m4tt3r0x on Feb 7, 2022 17:35:34 GMT -5
Good topic. My top 3 excluding Ketairo who is easily in the top 5 at least:
3. Takeda. As my favorite competitor since I was a middle school aged kid, he was one of my childhood heroes, but let's be real. The guy has one of the most atrocious gas tanks on Stage 3 ever. I wouldn't be surprised if he failed the Gliding Ring in 23 or 24 had he cleared the Spider Flip. On top of that you always hear, "Takeda would have flown up the Final Stage's rope climb had he just ever gotten there." Please, please, PLEASE, give me a break. I think I have seen him climb a rope ONCE in Sasuke's style ever and it was at a Maguro Festival, and while it wasn't bad, it wasn't as fast as Nagano's climb on the same day and it wasn't anything special lol.
2. I hate how obvious of an answer it is, but Tomohiro is overhyped, but not on this forum. I haven't seen any indication that he was even equipped to come close to beating Sasuke 31's final, let alone 38 or 39's. Still a great athlete.
1. This is gonna be controversial on here, but I think the most overlooked underwhelming competitor was Kongu. Was the guy a beast? Absolutely. Was he a great competitor and a great guy on top of that? I believe so. Was he gonna clear Sasuke 24's Final Stage had he not gotten tangled up in the safety rope... this is where I have to hop off the Kong Express. I honestly can't say I remember perfectly, but I don't think it was obvious at all he was gonna Kanzen in 24. On top of that, while he actually was very strong on Stages 1 and 2 and quite adept on Stage 3 for someone of his size, even on the Crazy Cliffhanger in 31, I think it was obvious he was never gonna be anywhere near any of the former champions' levels, barring Akiyama's, for Stages 3 and 4. On top of that he had a fairly inconsistent track record on Stage 1 for a long duration of his career.
Honorable mention is Bunpei. Would have been a top 5 with him in it, but I wanted to open this post with a roast of Takeda for some reason.
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Post by m4tt3r0x on Feb 5, 2022 13:13:11 GMT -5
Maybe they now fear there are too many competitive 40 somethings nowadays to be giving out giant chunks of time to 50+'ers. Imagine a 50 year old Shingo or Yuuji doing better than when he was 45 just because he has time to burn and not rush on the course.
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