Has Sasuke jumped the shark?

[shunsukenumber98]

Simple question as it is, has Sasuke jumped the shark? What do you all think? If Sasuke has jumped the shark, then how bad has the jumping been? 

[zoran]

No not at all, if they begin imitating ANW and go down it's path then it will have jumped the shark.

[dakohosu]

Aug 11, 2024 20:44:50 GMT -5 shunsukenumber98 said:

Simple question as it is, has Sasuke jumped the shark? What do you all think? If Sasuke has jumped the shark, then how bad has the jumping been? 

Not at all. 

Yes, the aggressive celebrity focus can get a bit grating at times, but I don't consider that JTS, rather a necessary evil which is critical for the show's survival in an era of declining interest in game shows and the reliance on social media for traction. Because of especially the former, a lot of us don't realise how large a proportion of the ratings are driven by the "general audience" who tune in for the various celebrities. 

And for what it's worth, I'm actually a huge fan of their social media outreach. Drives continued interest in the show throughout the year which is necessary when we only get one tournament per year, covers a lot of competitor backstories, and pre-tournament material like competitor interviews drive suspense and interest. Beforehand it was just a competitor list and a Navi and that was it, nowhere near as hype.

I don't think any of these examples are JTS, rather adapting in a way that's necessary to keep Sasuke relevant, and it's worked. 

For me JTS is where they add complexities that unnecessarily dilute the core theme and vision of the show. As zoran mentioned ANW has done this with all of the added challenges, quirks, many of which go against the "person vs course" philosophy that Ninja Warrior was built off of. As well as the general editing emulating that of a reality TV show rather than a sport. 

As well as a brief stint in 28-30 with s*** like forcefully retiring the All-Stars, the dinner, only allowing one person to clear Stage 3, Stage 2B, etc. I believe this was due to Inui thinking that the show failed prior because the formula was stale, when in actual fact it was due to Monster9's bankruptcy as well as other things like too many tournaments in a short space of time, lack of marketing from Higuchi, not enough celebrity presence, etc. Then when all of these added quirks backfired he realised people just wanted Sasuke which is probably why for 31 he added back in a few vintage obstacles like Rolling Hill and Tackle.

Ultimately Sasuke is still 100 competitors, 4 stages, anyone and everyone has a chance at doing well, it's just person vs course. So in my mind that's not JTS, regardless of how they've adapted how they market themselves, who gets invited to compete, etc.

[azn]

I feel like spirit isn't necessarily the best word to use, but the original Identity of SASUKE is still very much present.

The premise has virtually remained the same. Clear 4 Stages, and don't get eliminated.

Edit:

Also, despite how other Ninja Shows *cough* *cough* ANW *cough *cough* have trended towards stages filled with upper body obstacles that have no business being anywhere near there respective stages, or are just way too over the top and too gimmicky to be part of the course, SASUKE hasn't really followed that trend. Stage Identity is still present in SASUKE which I feel certain other shows don't have and to me at least, that is a pretty significant factor when it comes to if they have jumped the shark or not.

[YourResidentKojiFan]

Aug 12, 2024 17:05:35 GMT -5 azn said:

Also, despite how other Ninja Shows *cough* *cough* ANW *cough *cough* have trended towards stages filled with upper body obstacles that have no business being anywhere near there respective stages, or are just way too over the top and too gimmicky to be part of the course, SASUKE hasn't really followed that trend.

Yeah, I'm not gonna lie, as soon as I saw this thing... sasukepedia.fandom.com/wiki/V_Formation where something like the Jumping Bars or Devil Steps used to be, in a qualifying course mind you, it was just wraps for me with ANW. I know people have issues with the First Stage being too easy, but if I ever see anything like that there, they've JTS.