swicky
Harashima Masami
Posts: 14
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Post by swicky on Jul 20, 2015 8:38:30 GMT -5
Is it just me that realizes that, in the 31 Sasuke competitions, none of the five champions have been wearing start position #100?
Sasuke 4 - Akiyama #86 Sasuke 17 - Nagano #99 Sasuke 24 - Yuuji #93 Sasuke 27 - Yuuji #99 Sasuke 31 - Morimoto #91
I think there's some irony in this. #100 is given to the competitor who is thought to be the most likely to achieve Kanzenseiha. But nobody in 31 competitions over the course of 18 years has ever pulled it off. Let me know what you think.
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Amber
Yamada Kōji
Striker 2.0
"The Earth is round you square"
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Post by Amber on Jul 20, 2015 9:13:43 GMT -5
Well, the same could be for every other number that isn't 86,93,91, or 99...
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Post by Miko on Jul 20, 2015 9:19:28 GMT -5
Only one who has achieved near kanzenseisha with number #100 is Nagano Makoto in Sasuke 12. Yep, there is some kind of curse with this number.
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YGK
Paul Hamm
Posts: 220
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Post by YGK on Jul 20, 2015 9:26:07 GMT -5
I think in earlier tournaments it would have been possible. But over time and many tournaments later, #100 has grown to be a really big and significant starting position. All the expectations and pressure on the person to succeed probably increase exponentially from the previous tournament.
As for how people deal with the pressure, nagano has probably handled it best, but a lot of us know he doesn't enjoy it. Yuuji was really out of character the two times he wore it and even when he was wearing #99 the first time. Ryo's face on the competitor list was also an indication of his displeasure even before the tackle bombshell got dropped. Morimoto was surprisingly calm about it but I put it down partly to his temperament
Add in the pressure of watching #98 or #99 fail and it's one more person's hopes and expectations you have to carry with you through four stages. Exactly how ryo felt in 31.
Yes, one could just try to pretend it was any other number or feel like there is no pressure on them but it would not likely happen that way. Also they would probably take heat from the sasuke community for treating it flippantly and not giving it it's due respect.
#100 has profound effects no doubt.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Jul 21, 2015 12:42:09 GMT -5
Think of each number as a weight. Each number gets heavier because of the pressure of living up to that number. By the time it gets to the 90's people are freaking out in their heads. 100 being the heaviest, 100 being the number most have choked wearing.
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atat
Degawa Tetsurō
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Post by atat on Aug 1, 2015 0:01:46 GMT -5
I think the obstacles for next match usually targetted the weakness of the strongest competitors, especially the one carrying #100...
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Post by thatoneuser on Aug 1, 2015 0:06:13 GMT -5
There's no curse. Sure, there's a certain amount of pressure that's associated with wearing #100, but the idea of there being a "curse" just because it just so happens that none of the winners were wearing #100 is completely ridiculous.
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Amber
Yamada Kōji
Striker 2.0
"The Earth is round you square"
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Post by Amber on Aug 1, 2015 0:33:26 GMT -5
I don't think people realize that in the end, run order is just a run order... people honestly make a bigger deal out of it than they should
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arsenette
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Rambling Rican
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Post by arsenette on Aug 1, 2015 1:01:46 GMT -5
I don't think people realize that in the end, run order is just a run order... people honestly make a bigger deal out of it than they should I'd agree with that to a point. The numbers themselves mean nothing except the person running the course. In ANW the numbers are literally meaningless but in Sasuke.. it's what gives each person their stature. Over the years whoever was in the top numbers were considered the favorites or at the very least of value in the eyes of (then M9) and TBS. High rank celebs they paid for are in there along with certain numbers (like 1, 81, etc.) being honor numbers with their own level of prestige. In latter years, this is how competitors who didn't have any fame beforehand to rise in popularity. It is especially true for the STQ'ers who had to claw their way up. I find it interesting that the STQ'ers themselves are the ones that have had the BIGGEST problem with #100 to the point that even the 2-time champion (former STQ'er) doesn't want the number and even contemplated retiring because of the pressure with it. Heck, we even lost Kouji Hashimoto to the same pressure. So while in earlier years it was just a number since Sasuke was not as established, the same cannot be said for the current generation. The ones that have worn #100 the best have been non-STQ'ers. I do whoever agree that the number itself is not cursed. WHO is the one holding the number is just as important as the number itself. If it was completely cursed then everyone would have substantial issues with it and that is clearly not the case. If you see it narrowly from the point of who won with it.. there have only been 4 winners and 5 total wins out of 31 tournaments.. that's not quite a good sample. Overall throughout the history of #100 though the success rate (whether they last past Stage 1 which is the implied meaning of 100 to producers these days) has actually been pretty good.
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Post by Badalight on Aug 1, 2015 1:09:31 GMT -5
Run order is HUGE. If you've never competed in Sasuke or ANW, it's not something that can be properly conveyed. I can't even begin to describe the agonizing wait you have to go through until it's your turn. In ANW5 I was about competitor number 100 (counting walkons it's hard to say exactly when I ran) and it killed me. By the time I got up to the starting platform all of my energy was already sapped from the stress and the wait.
In ANW7 I was #50, and it was a lot better, but still that's the halfway point. I would have really enjoyed being around number 20.
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Amber
Yamada Kōji
Striker 2.0
"The Earth is round you square"
Posts: 1,112
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Post by Amber on Aug 1, 2015 1:11:25 GMT -5
I don't think people realize that in the end, run order is just a run order... people honestly make a bigger deal out of it than they should I'd agree with that to a point. The numbers themselves mean nothing except the person running the course. In ANW the numbers are literally meaningless but in Sasuke.. it's what gives each person their stature. Over the years whoever was in the top numbers were considered the favorites or at the very least of value in the eyes of (then M9) and TBS. High rank celebs they paid for are in there along with certain numbers (like 1, 81, etc.) being honor numbers with their own level of prestige. In latter years, this is how competitors who didn't have any fame beforehand to rise in popularity. It is especially true for the STQ'ers who had to claw their way up. I find it interesting that the STQ'ers themselves are the ones that have had the BIGGEST problem with #100 to the point that even the 2-time champion (former STQ'er) doesn't want the number and even contemplated retiring because of the pressure with it. Heck, we even lost Kouji Hashimoto to the same pressure. So while in earlier years it was just a number since Sasuke was not as established, the same cannot be said for the current generation. The ones that have worn #100 the best have been non-STQ'ers. I do whoever agree that the number itself is not cursed. WHO is the one holding the number is just as important as the number itself. If it was completely cursed then everyone would have substantial issues with it and that is clearly not the case. If you see it narrowly from the point of who won with it.. there have only been 4 winners and 5 total wins out of 31 tournaments.. that's not quite a good sample. Overall throughout the history of #100 though the success rate (whether they last past Stage 1 which is the implied meaning of 100 to producers these days) has actually been pretty good. Basically what I'm trying to say is that in the end, it's a number but it's look at as more than a number, I've always felt like having the vets run last (#80-#100 or so) was always just saving them as the best for last as a group.
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arsenette
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Post by arsenette on Aug 1, 2015 1:33:41 GMT -5
Run order is HUGE. If you've never competed in Sasuke or ANW, it's not something that can be properly conveyed. I can't even begin to describe the agonizing wait you have to go through until it's your turn. In ANW5 I was about competitor number 100 (counting walkons it's hard to say exactly when I ran) and it killed me. By the time I got up to the starting platform all of my energy was already sapped from the stress and the wait. In ANW7 I was #50, and it was a lot better, but still that's the halfway point. I would have really enjoyed being around number 20. This. Any athlete could tell you that order is both a benefit and a detriment for those who succumb to the pressure. Benefit because you can learn from other's mistakes while detriment where you are EXPECTED to do good and that doesn't always pan out that way. #100 is in a lot of ways an albatross around someone's neck. One could say that it gave Nagano that mystique that has yet to be equaled. No one could wear that number and be THAT consistently good than Nagano was and the reason why he's revered to this day. Basically what I'm trying to say is that in the end, it's a number but it's look at as more than a number, I've always felt like having the vets run last (#80-#100 or so) was always just saving them as the best for last as a group. To a point but the psychological impact of the number cannot be stressed enough. It is an intangible that is dealt with differently by each person who wears it and ultimately defines who they are as a top tier competitor. Also remember that #1 also has had in some tournaments just as much of an impact and that was to START the show. Not all vets run last and having a lower start number is not indicative of not having value (just look at Hioki who is given around the same number for a reason and he's hardly not a favorite). For the purposes of this thread though, 100 isn't cursed but it is weighty.
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YGK
Paul Hamm
Posts: 220
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Post by YGK on Aug 1, 2015 2:34:22 GMT -5
I've maintained that Hioki being in the 30s - 40s range is a win-win situation. For viewers it means not having to wait until the 60s/70s/80s to get our first clear since Hioki is capable of clearing stage 1, ie great for viewership, especially casual viewers. Also it brings excitement in a different vein, after all these wacky people whom we know have no chance to go anywhere but just give us great laughs, we have Hioki thrilling us with his close calls. For other competitors, I would think it's a confidence/morale booster and they can get some insights on the obstacles from Hioki himself. Pressure wise, I can't say for sure whether Hioki feels the pressure of starting earlier or whether he feels his most natural at that starting range.
As for #100, it's not a curse in itself, but if the competitor lets it become one to himself then it is. No doubt to me that it's a very respected number and it shows in the way and the tone the wearer takes on during the competition. But the reason it has become the way it is now is due to the way the SASUKE community views it as a whole. We have certain expectations on who will get the number and even how the person treats the number, to some degree. The wearer can deal with the situation however he wants, but there's no stopping the reactions the community will have towards his actions. There's no stopping our perceptions and expectations towards how he will act with that number. There will be threads before and after the tournament on whether he should have done X or whether or not he should have said Y or what he was thinking at Z with the #100 and that's the way it is and it will be.
Finally, about the situation that nobody has won while wearing #100, that's the way it is, and I'm perfectly fine with that.
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arsenette
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Rambling Rican
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Post by arsenette on Aug 1, 2015 2:44:57 GMT -5
Btw for those who are curious, Hioki being numbered that low after his success was on purpose. It was a test from Inui to see if he could handle the pressure of being EXPECTED to clear that low. That number is typically when the first clear is expected to come in. So if it hasn't, then Hioki is there expected to clear and that's why he has the number that is so low. I think he's handled it well considering how much pressure that puts on him especially given how close he was to failing this time around.
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Post by dudesky1000 on Aug 6, 2015 16:01:26 GMT -5
Nothing will beat when Kanno had number 1 and had to clear!
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Aug 7, 2015 0:06:20 GMT -5
Btw for those who are curious, Hioki being numbered that low after his success was on purpose. It was a test from Inui to see if he could handle the pressure of being EXPECTED to clear that low. That number is typically when the first clear is expected to come in. So if it hasn't, then Hioki is there expected to clear and that's why he has the number that is so low. I think he's handled it well considering how much pressure that puts on him especially given how close he was to failing this time around. I love how they keep putting him next to the Black Tigers.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Aug 7, 2015 0:07:13 GMT -5
Nothing will beat when Kanno had number 1 and had to clear! Koji Yamada clearing not only the First, but the Second Stage with 1 in his debut? I think THAT beats it.
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Amber
Yamada Kōji
Striker 2.0
"The Earth is round you square"
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Post by Amber on Aug 7, 2015 0:15:40 GMT -5
Nothing will beat when Kanno had number 1 and had to clear! Koji Yamada clearing not only the First, but the Second Stage with 1 in his debut? I think THAT beats it. Not to mention he had the 2nd fastest time on Stage 1.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Aug 7, 2015 0:49:38 GMT -5
Koji Yamada clearing not only the First, but the Second Stage with 1 in his debut? I think THAT beats it. Not to mention he had the 2nd fastest time on Stage 1. And that Balance Tank save.
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Amber
Yamada Kōji
Striker 2.0
"The Earth is round you square"
Posts: 1,112
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Post by Amber on Aug 7, 2015 2:01:30 GMT -5
Not to mention he had the 2nd fastest time on Stage 1. And that Balance Tank save. Nonetheless, it would've been interesting to see how Kanno would've done had he not been injured in 27.
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