Yamada wants to return (yet again)

[casuallystranded]

http://instagram.com/p/CF6uAqvA_yF

It appears that Mr SASUKE himself is going to be returning yet again. We have now broken and reached another promise:

-SASUKE 8 (broken)
-SASUKE 12 (broken
-SASUKE 17 (broken)
-SASUKE 24 (broken)
-SASUKE RISING (broken)
-SASUKE 30 (broken)
-SASUKE 33 (probably broken)

[GlobalNinjaFan]

Oct 4, 2020 8:36:56 GMT -5 casuallystranded said:

http://instagr.am/p/CF6uAqvA_yF

It appears that Mr SASUKE himself is going to be returning yet again. We have now broken and reached another promise:

-SASUKE 8 (broken)
-SASUKE 12 (broken
-SASUKE 17 (broken)
-SASUKE 24 (broken)
-SASUKE RISING (broken)
-SASUKE 30 (broken)
-SASUKE 33 (probably broken)

At this point? I kind of accept and welcome Yamada's antics. It's pretty hilarious all things considered. 

Is it really a Sasuke era without Mr Sasuke and his endless career? It's not like the promises actually mean anything in the grand scheme of things, and I'm in the boat of: "the more All-Stars, the better". 

Granted, the ship of him clearing Stage 1 has long since sailed. His last chance was likely 27 or 28, and he is far too slow and aged to even stand a chance now. But I welcome any attempt, especially from older competitors, and if he can make it to the wall or Dragon Glider, I'd consider it a good effort. 

[ChiBiJKT48]

For the record, he never say he wanted to Retire for the last three occasions.

SASUKE 28, it was Forced Retirement. And in his SASUKE 29 interview, he said he wanted to be a 'Master' first until he feel he can compete again. He did in SASUKE 30 and he was banned, so I not really called that Retirement.

After SASUKE 33, he said he will comeback if he feel ready. And last year, he already said he wanted to comeback on 2020 which is the year of Olympics *but now postponed* because he now feel ready. Never he said wanted to Retire, he just wanted to rest for a while.

[zoran]

If it's next tournament, then more than 1 all star competing atleast.

[tns8597]

His last chance was realistically mid-to-late Shin-Sasuke, because after that he really started to show that he had zero chance of clearing Stage 1. As I've mentioned before, he has this inability to balance speed and technique. For example, in tournaments like SASUKE 15, 22, and 24, he had good speed but was caught off guard by mental errors, while in, say, SASUKE 28, he didn't have much trouble with any of the obstacles but only because he had gone painfully slowly.

Mind you, I haven't minded him competing since SASUKE 28, because I think he's accepted that his boat had sailed (at 47, which is a bit late I know) and that's why he took a back seat to train the younger generation. He wouldn't become a coach if he felt like he still had a good shot at actually doing well (he's that kind of selfish person where he'd want all the attention on himself and his own performance), and that's also why since then he's competed really sporadically. His personality ever since then has been much less delusional and grating, and he's also becoming more active on social media with the other competitors which he didn't do during his hay day, so honestly I'd welcome him competing again.

[Ninja Relaxer]

Being over 50, he would qualify for extra time on Stage 1, wouldn't he? I hope so, because he's gonna need it.

[Sasuke Mania]

Oct 4, 2020 8:36:56 GMT -5 casuallystranded said:

http://instagr.am/p/CF6uAqvA_yF

It appears that Mr SASUKE himself is going to be returning yet again. We have now broken and reached another promise:

-SASUKE 8 (broken)
-SASUKE 12 (broken
-SASUKE 17 (broken)
-SASUKE 24 (broken)
-SASUKE RISING (broken)
-SASUKE 30 (broken)
-SASUKE 33 (probably broken)

Ah, he first expressed wanting to return when he made his YouTube channel a few months back. According to a Q&A with Nagano on Takeda's channel, that was the entire reason his channel was even made.
Speaking of which, on the same Q&A, Nagano said he'd return for Sasuke 40, but of course, we have a bit of a way to go, so we'll have to see for both.

[m4tt3r0x]

Oct 4, 2020 14:26:35 GMT -5 Sasuke Mania said:

Oct 4, 2020 8:36:56 GMT -5 casuallystranded said:

http://instagr.am/p/CF6uAqvA_yF

It appears that Mr SASUKE himself is going to be returning yet again. We have now broken and reached another promise:

-SASUKE 8 (broken)
-SASUKE 12 (broken
-SASUKE 17 (broken)
-SASUKE 24 (broken)
-SASUKE RISING (broken)
-SASUKE 30 (broken)
-SASUKE 33 (probably broken)

Ah, he first expressed wanting to return when he made his YouTube channel a few months back. According to a Q&A with Nagano on Takeda's channel, that was the entire reason his channel was even made.
Speaking of which, on the same Q&A, Nagano said he'd return for Sasuke 40, but of course, we have a bit of a way to go, so we'll have to see for both.

Hearing this made my day Nagano will be around 50 for Sasuke 40

[BigT]

As much as I like Nagano (by far my favorite competitor), I wish he stays retired. The same thing as with Kane Kosugi - do we really want him back for the sake of it? From Sasuke 24-32 Nagano only cleared stage 1 twice. I think a return would just damage his reputation and invalidate the very emotional moment of Sasuke 32, where he beautifully ended career "on top". You have to stop at some point.

[m4tt3r0x]

Oct 4, 2020 16:20:28 GMT -5 BigT said:

As much as I like Nagano (by far my favorite competitor), I wish he stays retired. The same thing as with Kane Kosugi - do we really want him back for the sake of it? From Sasuke 24-32 Nagano only cleared stage 1 twice. I think a return would just damage his reputation and invalidate the very emotional moment of Sasuke 32, where he beautifully ended career "on top". You have to stop at some point.

What's the big deal? Nobody is expecting a 50 year old Nagano to likely clear Stage 1. It's still very admirable and enjoyable to watch an older competitor train and give it everything they have to push the limits of what's commonly considered possible. Sometimes some really special moments come out of it like when Yuuji almost got back to Stage 4 at 41 years old. Regardless, how does one's performance at age 50 taint their legacy in their prime? We all get older, we all get weaker. Everybody understands. Just let the guy come back and have some fun. His streak of performance ending in his awesome 32 Stage 1 run isn't going anywhere. Shingo really has the right idea of never planning on retiring.

[BigT]

Oct 4, 2020 18:18:05 GMT -5 m4tt3r0x said:

What's the big deal? Nobody is expecting a 50 year old Nagano to likely clear Stage 1. It's still very admirable and enjoyable to watch an older competitor train and give it everything they have to push the limits of what's commonly considered possible. Sometimes some really special moments come out of it like when Yuuji almost got back to Stage 4 at 41 years old. Regardless, how does one's performance at age 50 taint their legacy in their prime? We all get older, we all get weaker. Everybody understands. Just let the guy come back and have some fun. His streak of performance ending in his awesome 32 Stage 1 run isn't going anywhere. Shingo really has the right idea of never planning on retiring.

But the thing with Yuuji and Shingo is that they never retired. Let's imagine for a second that Yuuji failed to clear stage 1 in Sasuke 34 but then just decided to return in Sasuke 35 anyways despite promising to retire. Well, what's the point of claiming to retire then? You should stick to your word.

For Nagano in Sasuke 32 there was even a retirement ceremony (it's up on youtube as you probably know already). So in a case of return, the result remains but the whole ceremony and emotions back then seem worthless now. I have nothing against him trying for fun (hell, Takeda should try final stage for fun) but not an actual competition. 

As to tainting legacy - take Yamada as an example. His prime was from Sasuke 1-12 and he did reasonably well then. From 14-33 it's all stage 1 failures and many people associate that with him. And another Yamada thing - promising to retire, which is funny at this point.

I wouldn't have an issue if Nagano had say "I'll take a break, maybe I'll come back when I enjoy this again". But 32 was clearly a retirement. I guess it won't be surprising to See Kong return soon.

The whole emotional appeal for a retirement for me is knowing you'll never see a competitor again, at least not on course. If he backtracks on this promise later, it's a major disappointment for me. But maybe I'm in the minority here.

[tns8597]

I definitely agree with BigT's statement here.

Especially with such a ceremony (albeit one that was unforgivably shoved in at the end of the broadcast) for Nagano, it would just be an utter waste to see him return again as though all of those tears and fluff pieces meant s*** all. Also, similar to the whole Kane Kosugi saga, it would just be a bit pointless because if he does return in SASUKE 40, he'll be 50 years old so the chances of him actually doing well are very slim.

This fact has also been acknowledged in the past because Yamada's 'retirement' announcements never really got too much attention from the broadcast, because the producers knew it would be a waste to give him a huge amount of screen time and a ceremony just to see him return yet again. I'm certain had they actually thought he was going to retire after SASUKE 12, they would've probably shown his additional two Stage 2 runs in a desperate scramble for a memorable last stand, but no, they knew he'd return again so they figured there wasn't much point.

[ChiBiJKT48]

Know what, I totally agree to BigT's statement just because I'm about to subtitling that run *although I remember TBS does giving subtitle in their Facebook page? Can't remember* and I can't come up with another title if Nagano return later 😂.

[m4tt3r0x]

I disagree. Nagano retired in 32. A return after the fact isn't going against his word or will strip away the emotion and beauty of that retirement. It was a moment in time where he decided to step down due to getting older and probably other surrounding circumstances. Why does a retirement have to be permanent? People change their minds and so do circumstances.

[Paragus]

I have to disagree as well. If Nagano comes back for 40 and/or any other anniversary tournaments, it would be a one-off thing, there'd be no stakes, and he'd be competing just for fun. Why would that make his retirement less impactful? What's wrong with letting the guy enjoy himself? Think of it like when they let Yamada try out the third stage behind-the-scenes during 31 (I think), except it's part of the actual competition.

[m4tt3r0x]

Oct 5, 2020 16:00:25 GMT -5 Paragus said:

I have to disagree as well. If Nagano comes back for 40 and/or any other anniversary tournaments, it would be a one-off thing, there'd be no stakes, and he'd be competing just for fun. Why would that make his retirement less impactful? What's wrong with letting the guy enjoy himself? Think of it like when they let Yamada try out the third stage behind-the-scenes during 31 (I think), except it's part of the actual competition.

This. The fact he wants to wait until Sasuke 40/age 50 sounds more symbolic to me than anything. And I imagine a lot of it is for the challenge/fun.

[BigT]

Oct 5, 2020 16:00:25 GMT -5 Paragus said:

I have to disagree as well. If Nagano comes back for 40 and/or any other anniversary tournaments, it would be a one-off thing, there'd be no stakes, and he'd be competing just for fun. Why would that make his retirement less impactful? What's wrong with letting the guy enjoy himself? Think of it like when they let Yamada try out the third stage behind-the-scenes during 31 (I think), except it's part of the actual competition.

I get what you mean. I suppose we could say he'd be semi-retired then. But it does make retirement less impactful because him actually competing even on rare basis essentially makes the retirement non-existant and thus the whole emotional moment of Sasuke 32 is gone.

Let's take the infamous forced All-Star retirement in Sasuke 28. If it had actually happened, that might've been one of the saddest moments in history of the show. Now when we look back at it, it's...awkward. Why? Because apart from Akiyama, they kept competing so essentially this hyped up moment (a 2 minute intro before Sasuke 28, all the history of All-Stars shown etc.) was for nothing. Next tournament we pretended that nothing happened and things went back to normal. I don't want it to be a regular occurrence that there is an emotional heart-ripping moment that is deemed irrelevant later. I think it's plain disrespect towards audience.

[tns8597]

I suppose a competitor returning 'for fun' wouldn't tarnish the whole retirement scenario as much as someone returning for a few tournaments seriously, but that begs the question why they couldn't have just done a separate run like Nagano's Pipe Slider attempt or Akiyama attempting SASUKE 32's Stage 1. That would be a good way to incorporate a retiree's fun run into the show without it ruining the whole ceremony that was given to them.

As I stated before, Yamada was different because no one actually believed him anymore so he didn't really get a ceremony in most cases. SASUKE 28 as BigT mentioned was also a perfect example; 3 All-Stars came back the follow tournament, so the whole 'retiring the All-Stars' thing was sort of buried by the shame of them backtracking on such a big announcement, without any real explanation. They sort of just hoped people would forget, as though retiring them wasn't at all a big deal, especially as one of them made Stage 3 in literally the tournament prior....

But Nagano's ceremony was definitely the biggest last stand/send-off that we've ever seen on SASUKE. Not only would it undermine the producers' efforts, but it would also undermine the emotions and reactions of all the competitors in tears on the sidelines during Nagano's speech. If Nagano comes back, they'll look back on it and just think 'what was all this for?'... I personally think Nagano definitely fits the role of an analyst as he's a SASUKE legend who knows the course and nuances inside and out, but is too old/retired to compete at this point.

[Sasuke Mania]

Oct 5, 2020 2:29:21 GMT -5 BigT said:

Oct 4, 2020 18:18:05 GMT -5 m4tt3r0x said:

What's the big deal? Nobody is expecting a 50 year old Nagano to likely clear Stage 1. It's still very admirable and enjoyable to watch an older competitor train and give it everything they have to push the limits of what's commonly considered possible. Sometimes some really special moments come out of it like when Yuuji almost got back to Stage 4 at 41 years old. Regardless, how does one's performance at age 50 taint their legacy in their prime? We all get older, we all get weaker. Everybody understands. Just let the guy come back and have some fun. His streak of performance ending in his awesome 32 Stage 1 run isn't going anywhere. Shingo really has the right idea of never planning on retiring.

But the thing with Yuuji and Shingo is that they never retired. 

Not sure how many knew this, though it was stated in the broadcast, Shingo actually had the same case Yuji had, clear the 1st Stage or retire (Funnily enough given the topic, Yamada did this exact thing multiple times (8 (I think) and 24). He failed early, he formally retired, and then later proved himself by going through the trials.
I personally have no problem with Nagano returning. This isn't another Yamada case. As said before, he said on the interview there's a 99% chance of him returning for an anniversary tournament, but a chance close to none of him competing after. It's a one off, he's confirmed this himself. That said, he's in his late 40s by now, although I and others would love to see it happen, I don't see him clearing. But the fact that he'll be there to attempt the course, even if we don't see him clearing, "that alone makes the fans happy." (Takeda's words, not mine lol)

[tns8597]

To be fair he had failed Stage 1 in 8 out of his last 10 competitions (if you are referring to Sasuke 28), and dislocated his shoulder in one of the times he cleared.

That’s also why he got #36 because he wanted to be considered a ‘fresh, new trial qualifier’ rather than like Takeda who still wanted to be considered an All-Star and got #95. I think it was that pressure lifted off his shoulders that tournament which meant he did quite well, along with the fact that he’d clearly done some training.