Quick note!
Through the kindness of others, I was actually able to go and see part of the taping for SASUKE 31 when it happened in May.
Here we go!
1. Ryo Miyazaki! And that's it! Already! Champion ga!
That was on the Rolling Hill by the way.
2. Takahiro Ogata of Panther is up next! And heeeeeee...doesn't get the Rolling Hill! Everyone is losing it!
Abareru-kun and Ogata do some schtick.
3. It's Katsuhide Torisawa! And he kills a poor soda bottle. Here he goes! And he gets the Rolling Hill! Slowly down the other side. Or not! He hits a spinning roller and hits the water!
And NOW we get the opening! SASUKE 2015!
Tell us Jay Kabira! The rest of the people are just sort of there. Hey, fist bump.
9. Daijiro Kurokawa! And he gets the...NO! He was up and was down!
11. Abareru-kun's goal is the Final Stage! And he gets..a familiar song. Hey! Wataru Mori! And the water! Not quite the goal he was looking for.
12. Ryosuke Yamamoto next! Slowly down the other side of the Rolling Hill. Yes! Our first shown Log Grip. Yes! The Orgel is up next. And it has background music! And he's throu...no he's not! Tomoko Kaneda is shocked!
15. Koji Iwata! Drinks milk to power up! Rolling Hill is no prob! Now the Log Grip. Yes! Orgel next. And he's through! Jump Hang. NO! Not enough milk, I guess.
The man from Ehime had a good jump but just couldn't hang on.
21. Hey it's Kota Ibushi. Tensai Pro Wrestler! But before we see that, let's get a commercial.
Back.
Pro wrestler tsuyoi desu! Slowly down the other side. And he's through! Log Grip up next. Orgel...slowly. But he's.....through! And a roll! To the Jump Hang! Sasuga pro wrestler! Pro wrestler tonda! He doesn't have much time though.
Tackle is next! 140, 160, 180! Yes! Soritatsu Kabe up next. Time is running out though. Not even one chance. NO! (Behind the scenes! Ibushi tried to do a flip off the wall and almost killed himself).
22. It's Wataru Mori...wait...it's his wife! Tomko Kaneda! She...takes her time...to face plant the Rolling Hill! Ima no shippai! Mou ikkai yaritai!
23. Kazunori Goto! Haha. He dropped his hammer. Rolling Hill is no problem! Slowly down the other side. Yes! Log Grip up next. NO!
Let's get some words from Shimon. Ninki model!
30. Shimon Ookura! Last year he failed the Log Grip. Slowly. And he's through! Through the Log Grip! Orgel with music. And he's almost there. Slowly. Yes! Jump Hang next. Not much time left though. DOESN'T MATTER! To quote nico nico ああああああああああああ
31. Finally! Someone with actual potenti...oh dammit CMs.
Back!
31. Masashi Hioki! Rolling Hill is no problem! Log Grip too! Safe! Orgel is...cleared! Jump Hang. He goes the rare left. 140. 160. 180! Through! Soritatsu Kabe...first time. No! Yes! Needs to hurry though. Time is going red soon. Going red. Will he make it? YES! YES! YES! 00.12 left! Epic.
Hioki gets a chant from the crowd!
And we've got our first 2nd Stage Chair Sitter!
Oh hey. Katsumi Yamada. Let's see him "teach" his Black Tigers.
32. Shinj Matsubara and his snakes! Here he goes! Rolling Hill is OK. Slowly down the other side. Took a while but he's through. Log Grip. Yes! Orgel is no problem. Jump Hang. Nice jump! Tackle is no problem but does he have enough time? Up the Soritatsu Kabe on the first try! Needs to hurry though! Time is going red. Hurry! Hurry! NO!
33. Black Tiger Watanabe times up! Yamada takes issue with the time.
34. Hiroshige Yamamoto is up next! He's the only Black Tiger who has cleared the 1st Stage. No problem on the Rolling Hill. Log Grip. Orgel next. Whoa! Some trouble with the Jump Hang but he's through! Tackle is no problem. But his shoe is coming off! Katsu hake! Soritatsu Kabe. On the first try! Tarzan Rope. Lots of time left. Time goes red but he's through!
Yamada carries Yamamoto on his shoulders because Yamamoto has now cleared the 1st Stage two more times than Yamada had in the last ten plus times he was on the show.
Let's watch some fit people fail! (35, 36 and 39 to be exact).
40. Hanamoto! Rolling Hill is no problem! Log Grip. Yes! Orgel and Jump Hang are no problem! Could he be next? First time up the Soritatsu Kabe! Tarzan Rope. Yes! Needs to hurry! And he's through! That makes three!
41. Golden Bomber's Kyan Yutaka! Got a bunch of fluff only to fail the Rolling Hill! Sorry, got distracted.
43. TBS announcer and 45. Youtuber fail.
49. Wang clears!
52. Ayano Oshima would have cleared the Soritatsu Kabe if she had time!
Cecil Tanaka and Mika Watanabe fail the Orgel and some fail the Rolling Hill.
Slackline champion Yukimi Fukuda timed out on the Tackle.
63. Yuka Murofushi is up! Rolling Hill and Log Grip are no problem! Orgel is no problem! Jump Hang! But she's in the net! That's going to take up some time. Tackle. Is different for women. Soritatsu Kabe...and no! Time up!
64. Kenjiro Ishimaru! Times up on the Soritatsu Kabe!
72. Ragivalu Anasatase! Is a Tahitian dancer! And he leaps off the Rolling Hill! He's blasting through the course right now! Jump Hang. Tackle should be no problem! Soritatsu Kabe. And he gets it on the first try! Whoa! Almost overshot the platform. Lots of time left. And that's it! 35.68! Fastest time today? The other 2nd Stage Chair Sitters are impressed!
75. 76. and 79. Clear!
Damn it! I wanted to see at least two of those.
81. Ryoichi Tsukada is up next! He's in ABCZ a Johnny's Group! Tonda! Sorry, I'm doing like thirty different things right now. Log Grip is clear! Jump Hang! He goes left. Tackle. He has one, maybe two shots at the Soritatsu Kabe. Here he goes. NO! He had one hand on. One more. YES! Tarzan Rope. Needs to hurry. Time is going red. Lumberjack Climb. NO!
Yuuji gives him words of encouragement.
82. Golden Bomber's Kenji Darvish! Ratings time! He's through the Rolling Hill. Log Grip. Yes! Orgel next. No problem! Jump Hang up next. He goes left! Tackle next as Tomohiro Kawaguchi makes a cameo in the background. Soritasu Kabe. Maybe one chance. He got it! Does he have enough time! Time will go red soon. Needs to hurry. This is where he timed out last year. YES! He got it!
Kenji gets love from the crowd.
Let's go to Yuusuke Morimoto!
91. Yuusuke Morimoto! Whoa. Really fell behind. Let's say that he cleared. Because he did!
The chickens are revolting! Because they want you to go to 92. Shingo Yamamoto's new gym!
Whoops! Oh hey, was that an All-Star failing the 1st obstacle? Sure was! That was NOT a well thought out strategy.
13 have cleared! Although we haven't seen them all!
93. Toshihiro Takeda! Just did the same thing as Shingo! Asa says nande!
94. Drew "Doreschel"! Rolling Hill...going down he..almost loses it! But he jumps and forth between the platform and last roller and he save himself! Log Grip and Orgel are no problem. Jump Hang. Tackle and Soritatsu Kabe are no problem! And he's through!
CMs.
We are back and someone's getting engaged! On stage! Kazuma Asa gives his lady friend a ring! For once, he's not the one crying.
95. Kazuma Asa! SASUKE Tameshii. SASUKE Tameshii so much that I can't keep up! He's done! Ore ga Asa Kazuma jya!
96. Hitoshi Kanno is through!
97. So is Tomohiro Kawaguchi.
98. Makoto Nagano! Hey! He's throwing mochi from his house? New Casa Nagano! 97 have run! 17 have cleared!
Rolling Hill is no problem. Log Grip next. That's a terrible head shot of Nagano. Orgel. Is fine! Jump Hang next. Tackle. Lots of time left. He's...slowing down though. He looks spent. Soritatsu Kabe. Maybe one shot at this point. NO! Almost! And that's the time going red. The crowd is silent. The Chair Sitters are shocked.
Oh hey, Kongu
99. Yuuji Urushihara! He's our two-time champion! He looks nervous! CMs first.
Back. Rolling Hill. Slowly. Yes! Log Grip and Orgel are fine! Jump Hang is no problem! Tackle next. Lots of time left. Soritatsu Kabe next. NO! One more time! NO! Uh oh. He gathers himself. NO! NO! Time is going red. NO! Yuuji is heartbroken. He tries again after the timer has gone but still can't do it. Hioki is in tears.
We are down to one!
100. Ryo Matachi! Let's take a look at him overseas! Rolling Hill and Log Grip are no problem. Orgel. Is fine! Jump Hang! He goes left. Tackle Next. Slowly. Soritatsu Kabe. Taking a breather. Getting ready. One try. Maybe two. NO! NO! Uh oh. NO! Masaka! Masaka! NO! Time is going red. That's it! Asa and Yuuji are pained.
That's it for the 1st Stage!
2nd Stage
Let's talk to some celebs for a bit.
Masashi Hioki first! Cross Slider and the Salmon Ladder Kudari are clear! Spider Walk next. OK! Backstream. And he's through! Wall Lifting time. Time going red soon. Or not! 10.5 left!
That's one to the 3rd Stage! Hioki continues to be a Chair Sitter!
Hiroshige Yamamoto is next! Cross Slider. Salmon Ladder Kudari next. Yamada shouts encouragement. He's through! Spider Walk next. Through! Backstream next. And he's stopped dead by the jets! He's losing time! Time going red soon. He's through but...time is up!
40. Hanaomoto fails the Salmon Ladder Kudari.
49. Wang times up.
72. Ragivalu Anasatase is up next. Cross Slider. Salmon Ladder is no problem! Spider Walk next. Backstream is no problem! Neither is the Wall Lifting! 17.02 left! He's through! That's two!
75. Howng Kung-Cheen! He failed the Cross Slider last year! Here he goes...Wait. Again! His hand slipped! Something looked a bit off at the beginning though.
76. Yuichi Okada! He's through the Cross Slider and the Salmon Ladder. Spider Walk. Backstream. Wall Lifting....NO! He can't make it!
Lots of blather here that I forgot to do
97. Tomohiro Kawaguchi! He's our last man to run the 2nd Stage! Cross Slider. Salmon Ladder is no problem. Spider Walk up next. Yes! Backstream. He's through! Lots of time. Wall Lifting time. That's it! That's eight!
3rd Stage
Hioki Masashi will be first up. Baby Drum Hopper!
Drum Hopper. One more to go. Clear! Iron Paddler is no problem! New area coming up. Sidewinder-RRRRRRRRRRRR.
First. Yes! Holding on for dear life. 2nd. 3rd. Last coming up. Yes! Barely! And he's through!
Crazy Cliffhanger is next but we've got some ads first.7
Back.
Going for the jump. NO!
Ragivalu Anastase! Is up next! He's now in a rather modest t-shirt and shorts. Drum Hopper is no problem. Not exactly textbook form on the Iron Paddler but he's through.
Sidewinder-RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR next. And he's through!
Crazy Cliffhanger next. Here he goes. He's powering through. OR NOT!
Kenji Takahashi is next! Hey, they really haven't been showing much of him tonight.
Two have gone. None have cleared!
Drum Hopper is no problem. Iron Paddler next. Quickly through
Sidewinder-RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR up next. 1st. 2nd. 3rd coming up. Yes! And he's through!
Crazy Cliffhanger next. Here he goes. At the jump. NO!
Yuusuke Morimoto, future Prime Minister of Japan is up next!
Drum Hopper is no problem! Iron Paddler next. No problem there either!
Sidewinder-RRRRRRRRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrrRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR next. 1st and 2nd are fine. Whoa! Scary attempt on the 3rd! One more to go. YES! And he's through!
Crazy Cliffhanger up next. It's taken out everyone else so far. Here he goes. At the jump. YES! Everyone cheers! Even the celebs who have just been sitting there watching! Good job guys!
Vertical Limit Kai next. And he's onto the Pipe Slider! Yes! CMs first though.
Here we go. Can he do it? Swinging. YES! Perfect! He's through! SASUKE-Kun is going to the Final Stage!
Drew Dreschel is next! Already on to the Sidewinder-RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.
Crazy Cliffhanger up next. At the jump. NO!
Let's move on to Kazuma Asa! Whoops. Got distracted again. Bad year for me.
Anyway, he's on to the Crazy Cliffhanger. At the jump. NO!
Hitoshi Kanno is next up!
Drum Hopper and Iron Paddler are no problem. Sidewinder-RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR next. And he's through!
Crazy Cliffhanger next up. At the jump. YES! He did it!
Vertical Limit Kai next. NO! He used up all his energy on the Crazy Cliffhanger I guess.
One more. Can Tomohiro Kawaguchi join Yuusuke Morimoto?
CMs.
Back.
Drum Hopper is no problem!
Iron Paddler next. No problem!
Sidewinder-RRRRRR
RRRRRRRRRRRRR
RRRRRRRRRRRRR
RRRRRRRRRRRRR next. 1st. 2nd. 3rd! One more to go. Yes! Crazy Cliffhanger up.
CMs.
At the jump. NO!
Mariya Nishiuchi has the feels.
And only one is left. Yuusuke Morimoto! He has a long history with the show. This is the dream. He is living his dream.
Here we go.
Final Stage
12 meter Spider Climb. 12 meter Rope Climb.
Here he goes.
He's up to the rope! 15 seconds left! Can he do it? Time is going red. YES! 2.5 seconds left! YES! YES! YES!
COMPLETE VICTORY!
Everyone gets the feels. Hugs all around!
Well, we have no idea what the future holds for the show. According to sources, the show needs to break a 10 percent rating to stay on the air. If there is no future show, there is probably no one better to achieve a Kanzenseiha to close out the show than the boy who grew into a man watching, training for, being on and then conquering it.
Congratulations to Yuusuke Morimoto!
