Official Sasuke 29 announcement!
Posted on 2013-Mar-21
This just in from the Rambling Rican (posted on Tuesday, March 19, 2013):
"Tonight we got confirmation for what we've been hearing brewing for the past couple of months. A new Sasuke tournament is returning! Director Masato Inui 乾雅人 is returning to direct another tournament. Returning to numbers after a break calling it Sasuke Rising, Sasuke 29 is officially slated for "Summer". At this early date we are still not sure when it will be recording in Japan. That said, it's good to confirm a few things. TBS created a page for Sasuke 29 on their website (http://www.tbs.co.jp/sasuke_rising/). The tournament name IS "Sasuke 29". There was quite a bit of confusion when Sasuke Rising title came out for Sasuke 28. They are not using Sasuke Rising for this but will be returning to "Sasuke". If history repeats they will just call it Sasuke 2013 in all of the saddle-cloths. TBS website officially calls it Sasuke 29 so all is good!"
SASUKE Rising - The end/beginning of an era
Posted on 2013-Jan-04
SASUKE Rising (also known as Sasuke 28) was aired in Japan on December 27th 2012 and is available for download through various online sources.
This tournament marked a turning point in Sasuke history. First, it was the first Sasuke to take place after Monster9 went bankrupt a year ago. Furthermore it was a Sasuke presented at a black tie dinner complete with two hosts (KABIRA Jae & KATASE Nana) and a table of various VIPs (including FUKIISHI Kazue). But by far the most important feature of this tournament was the retirement of the Sasuke All Stars (with the exception of SHIRATORI Bunpei who did not attend) being replaced by the New All Stars made of up from members of the Shin Sedai (New Generation).
Sasuke RISING Black Tie Dinner
It was kind of cool watching Sasuke from the dinner with the All Stars and the new All Stars and having the hosts comment during the competition. It was certainly different from all of the other Sasuke tournaments in that respect. The good news is that the host commented that there would be a Sasuke 2013 (so perhaps it will be an annual fixture now?).
Another curious thing was the absence of any American Ninja Warrior types or other foreigners (although Li En Zhi from Taiwan was there). This tournament was very much focused on the All Stars as their retirement party (of sorts since TAKEDA and NAGANO both said they would continue to compete).
All in all it was a very good Sasuke with many new obstacles including the "Crazy Cliffhanger" which lived up to its name.
Sasuke RISING Crazy Cliffhanger
SASUKE is BACK!!!
Posted on 2012-Sep-27
Lost in Ube is reporting that SASUKE may indeed be coming back (http://lostinube.blogspot.ca/2012/09/like-i-guess-phoenix-or-something-like.html).
Below is the news release from the TBS Program Catalog website (http://www.tbs.co.jp/eng/programsales/news/en2012092710.html):
SASUKE began as a special feature of another program back in 1997. It soon became a huge hit for TBS, and the 27th SASUKE tournament was broadcast in October 2011. Now it's back, and TBS has planned a highly anticipated special program for the New Year holiday break.
In the 15 months since the last broadcast, TBS has put a new production team in place, reconfigured the obstacles, redesigned the program, and provisionally given it a new name: SASUKE RISING (tentative).
In recent years, SASUKE has won fans not only in Japan but around the world. The US version Ninja Warrior and the spin-off American Ninja Warrior have achieved nationwide acclaim. SASUKE has taken off worldwide, with hit versions in Malaysia and Singapore created with local athletes, and popular localized versions in South Africa, Turkey, and throughout Europe. Today SASUKE content is broadcast in 157 countries and territories. Athletes from all over the world are expected to vie for a chance to come to Japan and compete in the new SASUKE RISING.
Plans are in place for large-scale auditions for the new program in Tokyo and Osaka in mid-October, with an all-new set of criteria for qualification. Details will be published on the TBS website.
In recognition of the international renown SASUKE has achieved, TBS is launching a global publicity campaign to share the news of the upcoming event. In addition to press releases, TBS will be connecting with SASUKE content broadcasters and fans worldwide through Facebook, Twitter, and other social networks.
Comment by Chief Producer Hiroki Kikuno:
"SASUKE began as the Olympics of the unknown. Many competitors are ordinary working people who dedicate themselves to building the enormous physical and mental strength required to take on this daunting obstacle course. Once again, in SASUKE RISING, we will tell the story of these brave warriors who come from every walk of life, showcasing the passion they bring to the challenge and the drama that emerges. Whatever you do, don't miss the action on SASUKE RISING!"
Sasuke Central was down!!!
Posted on 2011-Oct-16
Apologies folks for not being more up to date. I was in Japan since September and while there the web hosting company Sasuke Central is hosted on was hacked and we lost our homepage. I could not restore the page while in Japan so missed posting the countdown to Sasuke 27.
In other news, I was able to watch Sasuke 27 and record it to DVD!!! Once I get settled I work on getting all the pics and videos posted.
Monster 9 goes bankrupt!
Posted on 2011-Nov-14
This just in from Arsenette (Rambling Rican)
For those who forgot, Monster 9 are the Producers/Creators/Owners of Sasuke. TBS just does the in-day production and own the broadcast but they are just the distributor. M9 are the ones holding the cards. Either way...today they officially declared bankruptcy. Something that has been hinted at for a year now. Ube's been keeping up with the news and articles as they are found. http://lostinube.blogspot.com/2011/11/monster-9-applies-for-bankruptcy.html
Sad.. really sad. Questions still remain about the status of 28 though all the articles confirm that Sasuke 28 was never scheduled. Was hoping the ratings this time helped...but seems it was a little too late. Sasuke was literally the only thing left for M9 since they lost both parks and canceled all the other shows they produced last year and even had to shut down Muscle Musical. Unsure if bankruptcy laws in Japan allow for reorganization as "some" do here in the USA. We just have to wait and see if they survive this or if if this is full liquidation.
I'll get an article on it later today but definitely follow Ube's blog as he will get the stuff first.