|
|
Post by darthvaderlim on Oct 31, 2022 2:44:21 GMT -5
Will there be a Final Stage attempt in Sasuke 40? For me I'd go with unsure, because on one hand, I'm optimistic that Yusuke might avenge his Warped Wall fail if there is no rain, but on the other hand, there might be some unpredictable results, like a simple error, etc. . Then again, considering how stagnant the course is, I could vote for yes. I just didn't want to raise my hopes too high like I did for 37, and Yusuke failed the wall due to bad weather.
|
|
|
|
Post by SRW on Oct 31, 2022 4:17:04 GMT -5
Yusuke clears stage 1 then yes!
|
|
|
|
Post by dakohosu on Oct 31, 2022 6:00:25 GMT -5
Assuming the course remains the same (which let’s be honest is more than likely….) then most likely yes.
It’ll probably be Yusuke again, given that he’s trained for the Swing Edge which is the only real new threat compared to what he’s used to, but I’m starting to get more confident in a couple of the other guys being able to make it too. Tada and Ryo I really want to see make the Final again, and given how close they’ve both come recently (in 39 and 36 respectively) I think it’s possible.
|
|
|
|
Post by cactustiger on Nov 8, 2022 21:34:31 GMT -5
Unless there’s a wet wall to stop Yusuke probably. Small chance Yusuke fails Swing Edge but he’s had time to train for it.
|
|
brz0ny
Jessie Graff
We need Ryo Fail Guessing Game for Sasuke 42
Posts: 1,034
|
Post by brz0ny on Nov 9, 2022 7:07:16 GMT -5
Actually now maybe not. We know about that new Third Stage obstacle and as that person said it made results "interesting". Now we dont know what that means but that could potentially mean Yusuke failed that obstacle, as he never really got to face a new Third Stage obstacle.
|
|
|
|
Post by dakohosu on Nov 9, 2022 8:42:54 GMT -5
Actually now maybe not. We know about that new Third Stage obstacle and as that person said it made results "interesting". Now we dont know what that means but that could potentially mean Yusuke failed that obstacle, as he never really got to face a new Third Stage obstacle. I’m really interested to see what this new obstacle is. Mainly because Sasuke has had a recent habit of taking inspiration from ANW, but ANW has used the Flying Bar for its entirety yet the Flying Bar is already on the course in its D-tier format. Obviously they could just take another ANW obstacle from the qualifiers etc but I don’t follow ANW so anything for me would be a surprise. Something very technical and do-or-die that can create a huge amount of suspense like the Walking Bar or Eyeglass Alley (the latter is probably too difficult but along those lines), I think would be a great addition. Like no matter how far you’ve come, one mistake can still screw it all up kind of thing. I reaaaaalllly just hope it’s not going to be another grip based obstacle, because now with the Swing Edge we now have half of the course based on fingertip strength as well as the Final having a rock wall. Like stop just playing to Yusuke’s advantages fgs. |
|
|
|
Post by ahzoo on Nov 9, 2022 10:19:34 GMT -5
Actually now maybe not. We know about that new Third Stage obstacle and as that person said it made results "interesting". Now we dont know what that means but that could potentially mean Yusuke failed that obstacle, as he never really got to face a new Third Stage obstacle. I’m really interested to see what this new obstacle is. Mainly because Sasuke has had a recent habit of taking inspiration from ANW, but ANW has used the Flying Bar for its entirety yet the Flying Bar is already on the course in its D-tier format. Obviously they could just take another ANW obstacle from the qualifiers etc but I don’t follow ANW so anything for me would be a surprise. Something very technical and do-or-die that can create a huge amount of suspense like the Walking Bar or Eyeglass Alley (the latter is probably too difficult but along those lines), I think would be a great addition. Like no matter how far you’ve come, one mistake can still screw it all up kind of thing. I reaaaaalllly just hope it’s not going to be another grip based obstacle, because now with the Swing Edge we now have half of the course based on fingertip strength as well as the Final having a rock wall. Like stop just playing to Yusuke’s advantages fgs.
I fully agree with this, but, at the same time, I think that it's clear from this indication that the only way that this obstacle can truly make things "interesting" results-wise is if it were placed as the Flying Bar replacement that's not really that necessary: - The Sidewinder and Swing Edge both are too new to be in any danger of replacement, doubly so given how they have both proven themselves to be a perfectly-pitched threat in the last tournament, and are yet to truly be that figured out by the competitor base to warrant any sort of replacement. - The Cliffhanger and Vertical Limit Kai will never ever ever be replaced, and in any case, if they were to be modified, they would've been done so last tournament, when the Kanzen Renewal impetus would actually be there.
- The idea of a new obstacle placed in addition to the 6 already extant is even more absurd than the one above, given the oft-cited excuses of "space restrictions" and "restrictive budget".
- The Pipe Slider is too late in the stage to truly make things interesting - the closest thing to an upset any replacement in that spot could create is a situation in which someone else other than Yusuke made it this far [which is already a rather implausible suggestion, let's be quite clear], but Yusuke was the only one of the pair to fail it.
This in turn worries me a fair amount - if it is indeed the opening obstacle being replaced, and it does indeed wreak havoc among the competitor-base, then we are looking at an even more egregious repeat of 33's Third Stage in terms of runs being predictably and repeatedly ended too early to be in any way, much fun to watch - At least in 33, the Drum Hopper was there to build up a bit of tension and excitement before the runs were indiscriminately snuffed out, but to have it be placed there as an opener designed to fail people before they even start to clear much of the course is just, well, too depressing of a prospect for me to get my hopes up about much of anything.
Ofc, this all assumes that the "new obstacle" in question isn't just the Swing Edge, and the person in question simply forgor that it was there last time, which honestly, strikes me as even more plausible than the Flying Bar being replaced lol.
Either way, it's becoming increasingly plain as day that S40 is basically going to end up S39, but dry and w/ an audience, with the entire course trajectory looking to be perfectly identical - the fact that the only "new obstacle" we're hearing about is that one in the Third Stage, it's safe to assume that the Second Stage is no more modified than the First, which in turn, if nothing else, sets us up rather nicely for another 3h First Stage, with an over-under of 19.5 clears, a Second Stage that's mostly there to pad the runtime even further, and a Third Stage curve-ball that messes up the results enough for people to mostly overlook the failures of the former two stages when the initial reviews for this time around come back.
Indeed, if the 50:1 ratio of spaces in the Sasuke Trials doth show, Inui is once again, content to simply pad out the run time with pointless joke competitors, as opposed to building up a compelling and exciting enough show where the joke competitors are limited enough in scope so as to get casual a**es in seats w/o eating into the competition, and where seeing a celebrity do well becomes a positive bit of surprise, as opposed to the only hook that can get the people interested, as has sadly become the case the last two goes round. This format has high hopes, and yet, Inui's either too cynical, or simply not confident enough in it to really fulfill them. He has every tool in his arsenal, and the signs of the show on social media and their tie-ins are proving that, yes, this show is growing again, but alas, Inui seems too afraid to disturb the "magic formula" out of fears that a million and one idol fans will tune out the moment Kato Shiho fails to scale the Salmon Ladder.
Oh well.
[forced smile] See you on New Years'!
|
|
|
|
Post by dakohosu on Nov 9, 2022 16:06:31 GMT -5
Ofc, this all assumes that the "new obstacle" in question isn't just the Swing Edge, and the person in question simply forgor that it was there last time, which honestly, strikes me as even more plausible than the Flying Bar being replaced lol. This was my initial thought, though the tweet which is now deleted stated that Stage 3 was blocked off, which only ever happens if there's an unknown obstacle to be introduced in that very tournament. On one hand I like the idea of a Pipe Slider replacement, which is the most likely as Inui alluded to such an action in a post-38 interview (which didn't happen in 39), the Flying Bar is also plausible though less likely imo purely because Inui flat out stated he wanted to change up the former, and as you mentioned everything else has been newly modified or just won't be replaced ever. It would be cool in isolation to see what new idea they come up with. But pragmatically it's an odd choice for two reasons. Firstly, we're only just getting to the point now where competitors other than Yusuke are starting to break through Stage 3 (e.g. Tada and potentially Ryo and Yoshiyuki) so for Inui to continuously keep preventing them from clearing Stage 3 after 8 years at this point (not counting 37 as the course was nerfed) is getting pretty frustrating. They've already done it with the Cliffhanger Dimension, again with the Sidewinder+Swing Edge, and now potentially a balls hard likely (another) grip-intensive final obstacle. If it stops Yusuke too then somewhat forgivable, but given how they seem to almost want him to win a third time it's unlikely. This is again assuming that it's a Pipe Slider replacement designed to stop the most 'worthy' competitors in their tracks at the very last moment which is much worse imo than a slightly harder first obstacle that'll take out rookies, but even so it still speaks to the wider issue discussed in my second point. Secondly, even if the new obstacle is some sick original concept, the fact of the matter is that it's another Stage 3 modification, a modification on the stage that's already way too hard as it is, while Stages 1 and 2 which are in their direst ever states at this point, will likely remain unchanged. I think you're right in that he likes the idea of the barrier to entry for clearing the first two stages being relatively low to facilitate celebrities doing well as that supposedly keeps consistently high ratings throughout the broadcast, while making Stage 3 OP enough to maintain Sasuke's reputation of being an incredibly tough obstacle course. But there's a difference between making Stage 1 manageable and designing it such that joke competitors can reach the halfway point and pad out the runtime to 3+ mostly unbearable hours. Like why can't we just have an early obstacle like the Wing Slider that filters out all the comedians and fodder competitors, but isn't so OP that guys like Snow Man etc. can still get past it and still clear the stage? There is a difference, but Inui is either too lazy or oblivious to realize this. Budget also isn't an excuse when he's motorizing half of Stage 3 and extending Stage 1 by 10 metres to accommodate another Warped Wall that NO ONE asked for. Stage 2 is also incredibly stale, but imo not as offensive as Stage 1. It's just stale, but at least we don't have to contend with hoards of joke competitors, and it's usually over after about 20 minutes. I am hoping for a decrease in time limit though, given that we did get a couple of 20+ second clears last time round. Ideally I'd want a new obstacle to shake things up, but at this point even suggesting such a 'ridiculous' prospect isn't even worth it. If I had limited resources I'd definitely prioritise Stage 1. |
|
|
|
Post by ahzoo on Nov 9, 2022 19:09:05 GMT -5
Secondly, even if the new obstacle is some sick original concept, the fact of the matter is that it's another Stage 3 modification, a modification on the stage that's already way too hard as it is, while Stages 1 and 2 which are in their direst ever states at this point, will likely remain unchanged. I think you're right in that he likes the idea of the barrier to entry for clearing the first two stages being relatively low to facilitate celebrities doing well as that supposedly keeps consistently high ratings throughout the broadcast, while making Stage 3 OP enough to maintain Sasuke's reputation of being an incredibly tough obstacle course. But there's a difference between making Stage 1 manageable and designing it such that joke competitors can reach the halfway point and pad out the runtime to 3+ mostly unbearable hours. Like why can't we just have an early obstacle like the Wing Slider that filters out all the comedians and fodder competitors, but isn't so OP that guys like Snow Man etc. can still get past it and still clear the stage? There is a difference, but Inui is either too lazy or oblivious to realize this. Budget also isn't an excuse when he's motorizing half of Stage 3 and extending Stage 1 by 10 metres to accommodate another Warped Wall that NO ONE asked for. Stage 2 is also incredibly stale, but imo not as offensive as Stage 1. It's just stale, but at least we don't have to contend with hoards of joke competitors, and it's usually over after about 20 minutes. I am hoping for a decrease in time limit though, given that we did get a couple of 20+ second clears last time round. Ideally I'd want a new obstacle to shake things up, but at this point even suggesting such a 'ridiculous' prospect isn't even worth it. If I had limited resources I'd definitely prioritise Stage 1. I fully agree with this point entirely, and that's exactly what caused me to be so incredibly frustrated in the latter part of my reply: The course is currently in a very paradoxical position where the first two stages are too easy to ever actually have any inherent suspense or excitement following their runs, as they're simply lacking in any jeopardy that naturally comes from seeing a difficult course be attempted by semi-athletically competent competitors, and the latter two stages are so difficult so as to make their outcomes be painfully apparent in advance to any and every competitors not named M. Yusuke.
So, when faced with this problem, what does Inui do? Simply create an even more extreme competitive disparity by padding out the runtime with too many joke competitors in lieu of actually buffing the course in the front half, while at the same time make the latter half even more egregiously difficult in the samey, repetitive fashion.
On the point of the former, I honestly feel as if the rumored 10-spots limit perfectly captures the issue and its scale - While I fully agree with your statement that 10 Third Stage threats > 50 SL fodder, the truth of the matter is, when it is clear to me that the 40 leftover spaces will go to celebrities whose skill level is best described as "would be Rolling Hill fodder, were that obstacle actually, physically, capable of taking anybody out at this point", even the SL fodder will end up looking like a breath of fresh air.
While it is true that celebrities are a very big part of the attraction of Sasuke, you do not need to include that many of them [in my very personal and honest opinion, any more than 40 of those, and you have gone too far] and whenever you do so, make sure that they are the Wakkys, Omori Akiras, Darvishes, and yes, even the Snow Men of this here world - celebrities who care about the show, want to do well, and go some way to have the ability to actually carry through with those plans.
Endless interchangeable idols and celebrities who even lack a gimmick to make up for the fact that they are the obvious joke competitors outside of the fact that they hold a calling card to prove they have sold their souls and lives over to a talent agency do not for a good show make, unless your target audience is that idol otaku, asopposed to the millions of people both in Japan and worldwide for whom this show once meant, or still means something, even if it's just how much better this show used to be back in it's mid-2000s glory days.
For the latter half of this same point, Inui continues to kill the competitive balance of the show in the competitor pool n spite of the fact that making the first two stages actually difficult is such an exceedingly trivial task that I can honestly do so right now, even with setting myself the stipulation that I cannot spend more than 50,000Y total on all of my changes:
1. Drop the time limits on the first two stages to actually better reflect the paces at which they can be completed - 82.5s for the First, 90ish for the Second. 2. Place the Quad Steps in such a way that each step is placed marginally higher up than the last [very trivial, as the steps are visibly mounted to a wall that can easily support the variable heights].
3. Place the Silk Slider far enough away from the platform to force competitors to have to run up and jump in order to grab the Silk, while the Silk itself stops short of the platform [simply a matter of welding on a piece of metal onto the track to serve as a stopper], forcing competitors to have to swing from it in order to dismount safely. 4. Shorten the Fish Bone's landing platform such that competitors cannot actually hope to skip the final peg as they run up. 5. Speed up the Reverse Conveyor.
It's that easy to create and wreak havoc on the competitors, but instead, let's just bolster the Third Stage again more needlessly.
Have we learnt less than nothing from 32-34? No run ought to ever be over before it began, at worst, it ought to simply be the type o run where the competitor does impressively and valiantly, but simply has their skill set run out when tasked with a very real and difficult challenge.
Never mind the fact that it's more expensive, ever more pointless, and honestly, doesn't really do anything more than serving as a band-aid for the near-fatal wounds inflicted on the other parts of the poor body.
Inui's priorities could not possibly lay in a more horridly backwards set of areas at the moment.
|
|
|
|
Post by dakohosu on Nov 9, 2022 20:06:39 GMT -5
Agreed on the celebrity point. Not enough people realise or speak out about this. Like surely past a certain point its a law of limiting returns, especially as you can't fit that many celebrity runs in full into the broadcast EVEN with a 3-hour Stage 1. Loads of celebrities in 39 got digested, which sort of defeated the point of their presence, which was to be fleshed out enough to appeal to their fans to drive ratings, which just didn't happen. Agreed on the types of celebs as well. The show was carried fine by ABC-Z and Darvish who both drove ratings due to their popularity but were also genuine competitors to get invested in; it killed two birds with one stone, and appeals to both kinds of fans. I wouldn't have cared whatsoever if Inui allocated most celeb spots to Kajiharas and Saikawas, but why he's chosen to allocate 90% of the celebrity spots to joke comedians all of whom fail in the same way is beyond me. The show was fine for the last 10 tournaments with a few jokes here and there, so his rationale for this change just seems non-existent? Like even if you watch Sasuke for entertainment, surely seeing 40+ competitors fail in the same way gets f***ing boring? Even Inui knows this which is why he's spread out the stronger competitors to avoid having 50 joke competitors in a row all fail the Rolling Hill in identical fashion. Sly prick he is lol. |
|
|
|
Post by SRW on Nov 18, 2022 18:09:44 GMT -5
{Spoiler}Yes there is thanks to the trailer bet its Yusuke! |
|
|
|
Post by dakohosu on Nov 18, 2022 20:08:46 GMT -5
{Spoiler}Yes there is thanks to the trailer bet its Yusuke! Hope not, or at least have him joined by someone else. We need some variety in Stage 3 clears like the old days lol. |
|
