Will NBC Ever Make A Female Ninja Warrior Like Japan?

[ninjafanchris]

I would love to see Kunoichi come to NBC. i personally like the course but I am not sure if NBC would ever make a FNW.

[m4tt3r0x]

I don't see it ever happening.

[TCM]

I wouldn't hold my breath, because ANW hasn't even thought about adjustable obstacles to accommodate like Sasuke has for a couple of obstacles (namely the Warped Wall, I personally feel you can't cut it down a foot for short/female competitors), but something tells me there would be people out the woodwork who would cry foul even for that.

I wouldn't mind it, though. Considering Kunoichi is more balanced-based, it probably wouldn't be accepted for being seen as "easier".

[kangaroo]

Aug 22, 2013 13:46:46 GMT -5 TCM said:

I wouldn't hold my breath, because ANW hasn't even thought about adjustable obstacles to accommodate like Sasuke has for a couple of obstacles (namely the Warped Wall, I personally feel you can't cut it down a foot for short/female competitors), but something tells me there would be people out the woodwork who would cry foul even for that.

I wouldn't mind it, though. Considering Kunoichi is more balanced-based, it probably wouldn't be accepted for being seen as "easier".

I was not that impressed when I watch Kunoichi but that is me.

[blah123]

I wouldn't hold my breath either, but I could see it happening some day. America loves seeing women succeed. As far as a primetime timeslot for a spinoff goes, not sure if NBC has ever done or will ever do such a thing. I could see it on a lesser NBCUniversal channel though (Syfy, USA, Bravo, etc.).

That being said, I would LOVE seeing any sort of Kunoichi rebirth, in America or in Japan.

[arsenette]

I doubt NBC will do it. I don't think TBS would give them the license either. Given how the popularity for women on ANW is only from this season I doubt that NBC will put them all in their own show. By that point it will put them all on a level playing field and the mystique will be gone. Kunoichi in Japan has always been a different show emphasizing on the boobs and them jiggling.

[Amber]

Kunoichi gets champions too often. Other than that I wouldn't mind a reboot, in Japan or USA.

[arsenette]

Keep fingers crossed. They are working on a reboot in Japan.

[a115331n6343]

The whole mystique this year with ANW was women succeeding on a course that didn't cater to them. For years we've relegated women to alternative leagues because they can't hang with the men and it's just not fair. To see a woman succeed without that special treatment is what people like to see. Make a woman's course and it will be the WNBA to American Ninja Warrior; i.e. it will fail.

[TCM]

Sept 12, 2014 15:46:05 GMT -5 a115331n6343 said:

The whole mystique this year with ANW was women succeeding on a course that didn't cater to them. For years we've relegated women to alternative leagues because they can't hang with the men and it's just not fair. To see a woman succeed without that special treatment is what people like to see. Make a woman's course and it will be the WNBA to American Ninja Warrior; i.e. it will fail.

There are some people who believe that making the obstacles adjustable to accommodate women/shorter people/older competitors is somehow unfair and ruins the spirit of the competition, completely unaware Sasuke has always done that (for women and competitors over a certain age, anyway) since including particular obstacles.  Although all ANW has done has been pushing the trampolines closer to the edge.      

[a115331n6343]

I don't like it. Too many variables to consider to make it fair. Being smaller makes you naturally more adept at carrying your own weight, for example. Change the distances, heights, you just can't say that so and so conquered the same course. They were catered to. Of course, ANW would probably not reveal the fact that they did this, because they know it would look bad, for the show as well as for the competitors. Still not a good look, and I personally would be offended if they scooted the trampoline further for me. What does that say? The only semi fair compromise I can think of in this regard is to modify obstacles like the jumping spider by wingspan, just as they did that other obstacle whose name escapes me.

Put it this way. I would love to be in the NBA. But I'm 5'10 and white. This doesn't mean that I couldn't be in the NBA, but i would have to work much harder than the average 6'6 player for everything I do. Maybe I'll make it if I'm sufficiently talented and work my whole life at it. Most likely I still won't. If I do, it's inspiring. If I don't, that's life. But nobody wants to see a league full of people under 6 foot, and nobody wants to see a league where people under 6 foot get trampolines and special rules. That's not inspiring. If it came down to that, I would rather see a separate league for women than I would see an ANW where people compete alongside, and potentially over, others who are playing without special rules.

[arsenette]

So you hate Kunoichi in principle. Got it.

[a115331n6343]

I don't hate it. It's just less interesting to me than seeing women compete on equal terms. It's not a gender thing; I rooted for Kacy all the way. In fact, she was one of my favorite competitors despite the fact that I knew she had little to no chance of beating stage 1. I like the increasing difficulty of the ANW course. I like that the idea that anyone who is going to beat it is going to have to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles, in spite of the fact that they had trained all year for what they imagined they were going to face. Kacy Catanzaro's qualifying finals, and Joe Moravsky's Stage 2 are exactly why I love this show, and Sasuke in general. If somebody ever beats this course, I want it to be like that. Where they leave everything they have behind them on the course, and when the audience thinks it is a foregone conclusion that nobody is going to pass. The obstacle SHOULD feel insurmountable, until one person is strong enough, or clever enough, or careful enough, or most likely all three, to conquer every obstacle in front of them, whether they be too slick, or too wet, or too difficult, or too far apart. Maybe it was an accident, maybe it's just the hand you were dealt, but that is YOUR obstacle, and you better be ready to beat it. If you are too old, or too small, or too unprepared, then maybe you aren't the one that is going to conquer this course, or maybe you'll just have to work harder on your vertical leap, your flexibility, your technique than the next guy. But modifying the course for people who are old or short? To me, that's like saying you climbed Everest, but you used handrails. Either you can or you can't, and that's what I prefer to see. Just my opinion.

That being said... a different type of course with less emphasis on upper body strength wouldn't be a terrible idea. So much of ANW is upper body strength. I will admit, I came into this thread when I saw the thread title from the main page, and didn't even realize it was in the Kunoichi section of the board. Realizing this, I feel kind of bad for knocking the idea so hard in what is essentially it's own home. As someone who has the above stated opinions, maybe it would be interesting to note that I would be more interested in a Kunoichi style tournament for women if the challenges were just as difficult as the men's course, but in other ways. If the balance obstacles were equivalent to the difficulty of a shaky tight rope with obstacles to jump over on the way, for example, and the success rate indicated the difficulty. That would be interesting (for men or women).

[TCM]

Until ANW came around, I heard literally no one cry foul over the adjustable obstacles. There's a difference between an obstacle being really difficult, but passable and physically impossible. There's a difference between reaching out a little farther than others and being given no conceivable chance. The Warped Wall is a difficult, but passable obstacle.  You can train to be able to climb up ANW's wall.  Sasuke's takes off the top bit to play it safe, but the obstacle is still difficult because if you don't have the technique, you won't get up no matter the height.    

SPOILER: Click to show

Kacy wouldn't have gotten as close as she did had the trampoline not been pushed forward for the female competitors, and some argue the walls were still too far considering she had perfect technique on her jump but her wingspan just wouldn't fit.  Her only competitor counterpart is Luci, and Luci barely hit far enough in 21 but she could fit. Kacy had much better form, got in further on a harder version and her hands didn't even touch, despite the logic stating the further in you are, the better chance you have of fitting.  The Jumping Spider? Walls are farther than in Japan (and the trampoline is always at the edge of the run-up, no matter who it is).  The Metal Spin? The landing is too small and too far away, that wasn't the case last season.  Joe and Elet passed due to mostly luck that their feet planted enough.  Not discounting their skills, but that particular obstacle was more luck than skill.  When it gets to that point, all that talk goes out the window. The Silk Slider?  The Venice region got screwed because the landing was over-inflated (it started to deflate after a while) which made it bouncy and slick because it wasn't wiped down properly.  David Campbell was feet away from being the first American in ANW to beating the UCH three years ago and yet slid off a landing? You are lying to yourself if you think it was because of poor form.  And since ANW insists on starting in the dead of night, they never got a chance to right that wrong.  

People who were there have mentioned that this season was marred by poor obstacle design. Not the Jumping Spider, granted, the only debate there was whether the obstacle was physically possible for Kacy (although I still think in general the walls were a tad far, if you're six feet, you should be fitting snug).  There are no parallels between the kind of show ANW is and the NBA, the NBA doesn't have that nuance an obstacle course has; the NBA courts have exact measurements every arena must adhere to.  Can those change, yes, but they don't change per arena. 

To bring it back, fair on ANW/Sasuke/Kunoichi to me means each competitor has an equal shake at the obstacle.  Remember Sasuke 2? Chie Nishimura had no chance at Stage 2 because she could not fit in the Spider Walk walls the proper way. Not because she didn't have the skill, because the walls were made too far for her wingspan to cover. That's why some obstacles should be adjustable.  The spirit of the show is affected way more by things actually being impossible instead of where something is positioned so a competitor has a better chance to complete it.    

[Oti]

The way I see it, the only thing that makes it unfair is when they change the course for some people, for some reason. Whether they feel it's too easy or too hard, or whatever. I don't like that. So in regards to Kacy's failure, no, I don't think they should have adjusted the walls for her. What I think is that the walls shouldn't have been so f***ing far apart in the first place.

I don't think having a separate course for women makes sense either, though. Maybe ANW should just be less focused on bro stuff and more focused on actual athleticism. Like when there are several upper body obstacles in the QUALIFIERS. I don't like that. I feel the qualifiers should be a well-rounded test for competitors. Some kind of serious balance obstacle would be fun, for example. Or something like the tackle machine to wear a competitor out before attempting the warped wall. Just thinking out loud here.

[TCM]

Sept 13, 2014 19:11:41 GMT -5 Oti said:

The way I see it, the only thing that makes it unfair is when they change the course for some people, for some reason. Whether they feel it's too easy or too hard, or whatever. I don't like that. So in regards to Kacy's failure, no, I don't think they should have adjusted the walls for her. What I think is that the walls shouldn't have been so f***ing far apart in the first place.

I don't think having a separate course for women makes sense either, though. Maybe ANW should just be less focused on bro stuff and more focused on actual athleticism. Like when there are several upper body obstacles in the QUALIFIERS. I don't like that. I feel the qualifiers should be a well-rounded test for competitors. Some kind of serious balance obstacle would be fun, for example. Or something like the tackle machine to wear a competitor out before attempting the warped wall. Just thinking out loud here.

For the record, I agree with you.  I don't think the Jumping Spider should be adjustable, I think the walls shouldn't have been far in the first place either.  Only when adjustable obstacles makes sense, like say the Wall or the Long Jump.  I also agree with you on the athleticism part.

[arsenette]

Ah I see why you guys don't like the concept. Given that the question is about NBC doing it I'm not thinking NBC would do it correctly either given their history with ANW in the first place.

[Oti]

I don't think making the warped wall or long jump adjustable is fair either, because it's not. Changes should be made between competitions, in my opinion. Between seasons.

[arsenette]

Sept 13, 2014 23:17:05 GMT -5 Oti said:

I don't think making the warped wall or long jump adjustable is fair either, because it's not. Changes should be made between competitions, in my opinion. Between seasons.

I'm confused. You guys are having a Sasuke discussion or having a Kunoichi discussion? Adjustable walls, etc. have been a part of Sasuke from it's inception. Can we talk about Kunoichi and whether or not ANW can duplicate that or not?

[Oti]

Anything at all. Sasuke, Kunoichi, ANW, Viking, you name it. You can have your topic back now.