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Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Rambling Rican update - Packages are out!


Packages ready to be mailed out! ©Arsenette

Btw while I'm thinking of it (as I do screencaps for the rest of Stage 1 of Sasuke 31), I wanted to let everyone know that the perks you selected for the fundraiser back in February/March have been mailed out! They officially left my Post Office on Saturday, July 25, 2015!

A small sample of the autographed photos received for supporters ©Arsenette

Some of you already have messaged me that they came in!  That's super fast!  And as far away as Texas at that! I am sure some of you internationals still probably have a week to go but I can finally say that it's sent!  I have custom receipts to prove it! LOL

Pile of different versions of Shirts and towels acquired for supporters ©Arsenette

Please let me know when you received it.  I know I'm nervous as this is my first ever crowd fund and I want to make sure that you got what you wanted out of it.  As for me, I'm still humbled by the fact that anyone donated to this fundraiser. I'm so happy and honored that all of you had so much faith in me.  Once my health calms down and I can stare at the screen longer than half hour at a time, I will continue to update the site with what was promised.  First is first is completion of the Sasuke 31 airing then I can tackle the trip videos and photos along with an interview I managed to get on the fly.

Thursday, July 23, 2015

Sasuke 31 Spoilerific Review - Part 2

Yay!  We got rid of the Rising! Whoot!
Sasuke spoilerific review ;) Warning.. incoming blog of Sasuke 31.. if you don’t want to know.. you have been warned ( ^ . ^ ) (Just remember.. there is NO USA Broadcast of this. NBC has renegotiated out of their contract to show Sasuke on USA soil. Yes.. you read that right.. Now with the death of G4 official and NBC not giving a damn about Sasuke Japan, we will never see Sasuke Rising on US television (or any overseas country for that matter unless everyone buys the original 4 hour broadcast from TBS). This is the 4th tournament in the Rising era (post Monster 9) and I'm happy that they got rid of the "Rising" part in the headlines!  For a preview of this event, please see SASUKE 31 NAVI a half hour preview of Sasuke 31 with fluff pieces of some the major players in the upcoming Sasuke. There were even a couple of runs that were cut from the official broadcast! Thanks for all of the support as I had a horrible past 3 weeks with my health.  I'm taking my time on the blogs as I have to limit how much time I can stare at a computer screen. I'm still getting cluster headaches but the cycle this time seems to be winding down long enough for me to work on getting these out!  I have a backlog of things to do but working through it slowly.
 
 
 
(Massive thanks to TBS for posting the names of all 100 competitors!  Thanks to Ube for his help on the names in English!!)
Masashi Hioki 日置 将士 with his daughter Miyuna 心結菜

And we are back in time to see Hioki's cute family and the ceremonial jacking of the fan.. yep.. that adorable little girl just totally jacked the fan from her adorable brother Ryusei 琉青 as mom Mayumi 真弓 watches and smiles. LOL
Meanwhile Dad watching and laughing as this is what he has to deal with all the time.. Oh btw this is from the Nico Nico broadcast that was streaming simultaneously during the broadcast on TBS.

 You may remember him as the Electronics Store Employee in Chiba Prefecture.

 Masashi Hioki 日置 将士

Long-time readers of my blog will recognize this wipeout.  For those with good memories .. we saw him briefly in Sasuke Trials during one of my very early blogs - Summer, 2008 for Sasuke 21 - He was in the group that represented the All-Stars - his was Bunpei.  He failed (middle) by missing the Gliding Ring.

Still the photo has an error.  this was from 2009.. Poor guy was also in the Sasuke 22 Trials where he got to the final only to miss the final jump!  This is when he failed and was comforted by his new bride Mayumi 真弓 . 

It was their wedding where I got the phrase "Lucky Bastard that got Bunpei Shiratori to speak at his wedding".  For a long time, this was the only way people even knew who he was. Luckily he has a record now and people can remember his Sasuke history rather than anecdotes from trials.

And who can forget the Geronimo jump that was in every commercial for in Sasuke 25.

He has cleared the First Stage twice.  First time in Sasuke 29

And then again last year in Sasuke 30

As we witnessed the growing of his beautiful family!
Hioki's wife Mayumi 真弓 and their daughter Miyuna 心結菜 and their baby son Ryusei 琉青.

Now his son is old enough to know how to make Daddy's push ups harder!

Hioki reminding us that no one has cleared and thus no one is sitting on those clear chairs!

Hioki mortified during the Nico Nico broadcast as they make fun of his interview! LOL

Suckitude Chart™ is out!  30 have gone and ZERO have cleared!

Oh!  Repeat announcer as well! Ryuusuke Itou 伊藤 隆佑 is the only person to both compete in and announce a SASUKE tournament. In fact I remember covering him as a competitor in Sasuke 24..

Inui again messing with everyone during Navi.  This is normal. LOL

Masashi Hioki 日置 将士

But wait.. here's some pretty sushi..

Now everyone getting in on the fun as they all make fun of Hioki and calling out Inui during the commercial break.

Wait.. they JUST got Avengers?  Really??

LOL Someone massaging a cat.. mmmm massage.. prrrrrrrr

 And we are back.. LOL his official photo is holding a light bulb!

Safely on the Rolling Hill

 And carefully over the other side..

Onto the Log Grip with no issues

Climbing very high on the Music Box 

Tomo making fun of Hioki's technique

Safely past the Music Box

Safe Geronimo onto the Jump Hang to the left!

 Very quickly across the cargo net

And we are at the Tackle as he's going head first into it

sloooowly trudging this over.. pppssstt.. technique is all wrong...

Finally gets to the end there.. as it seems the entire Sasuke Star map is in one spot watching him

Hioki reliving the moment...

After fixing his knee-pads he sits down to stare at the Warped Wall and desperately trying to catch his breath.

And promptly balks at it!!  All of the stars and even the announcer are counting down how much time he has left to get up that wall and utterly freaking out!

Running back to regroup as the time is running down fast.. and he's still sucking wind..

SQUEAKS that wall as everyone starts to scream that he is running out of time!

17 seconds and he's just grabbing the ⑦ Tarzan Rope ターザンロープ

Safely across as he is up to the ⑧ Lumberjack Climb ランバージャッククライム with 11 seconds to go up and across the bridge!

Dives head first into the end and LOOK AT THAT TIME!!!!!!!!

 Masashi Hioki 日置 将士 - FIRST STAGE CLEAR!!!!!

Family cam™ as they are jumping up and down so much I can't get a clear screenshot! LOL

Thanking everyone in the Nico Nico broadcast as he's RELIEVED he actually cleared.

More family and friends I can't identify all having kittens!

High fives everywhere!

Going back in time to see the All-Star reaction (the jumbo screen is right in front of Takeda and Nagano) while Shingo is the only smart one looking at the only clock in the place which is WAAAAY down on the Final platform at the end of the stage near the red button.

Nagano gets a clue and looks at the clock as well

And realizes he cleared

And all is well

Did I explain how hot it was that day? I was getting friggin' sunburned..

Yeah.. THAT hot and sunny (Even Kong got a sunburn..) ©Arsenette
And no I wasn't in the stands for this.. I was getting more sunblock and trying to cool off with a water ice and trying to find shade since I was getting loopy in the sun.

So that exhaustion is real!

Wife is happy while son is strangely unaffected (Sorry.. had to quote Ube here LOL)

This was cool. Now you get to see how the course is laid out and what happens when someone clears. If they failed they would go behind the grandstands (Walk of Shame).  However, he cleared so he goes in FRONT of the grandstands and everyone gets to cheer him on as he goes to take his seat behind the start line.  This is what we called the "Walk of Fame".

The 2nd grandstand filled with lottery audience members are loud in support for Hioki's clear. "HIOKI!  HIOKI!  HIOKI!"  He stops to bow and wave and bow as he passes them.

Now passing the Announcer booth

Stopping to bear hug his kids.

And the first time we see this!  Again.  In English!  Advance to 2nd Stage!  He waves to the crowd as he's the first man to sit down on the chairs.

Masashi Hioki 日置 将士 is marked on top left to denote the first person to clear.  Pretty cool if you ask me!

We cut to a Yamada fluff piece inexplicably outside of a restaurant?

Where he's doing some illegal advertising? LOL

Geez.. we are up to 8 hangers-on now? The official name is Black Tigers 黒虎 but also referred to as Yamada Gundan (not Gundam) 山田軍団 (or Yamada Corps.)

Line up of the Black Tigers as they do push ups. Only a few of them even got the invite to auditions.

Right on cue Inui making snide remarks as everyone laughs at Yamada (specifically).

Pretty sizable fluff piece included his front yard that he faked destroying magically still intact with competitors getting video'ed so they can learn from their mistakes. They are also making sure that people know that he won't ever be competing.. just training the future.

Up first is First up is snake eater Shinji Matsubara 松原慎治

You don't get me near those things.. well not completely true.. I didn't know until it was too late. LOL

Anyway he's cleared the first part of the Rolling Hill with some crazy chick screaming at the top  of her lungs.. (LOL no not me)

and caaaarefully down the back..

Yamada giving instruction.. not sure that's a good thing..

he clears anyway with the high  pitch scream again..

Log Grip with no issues

Approaching the Music Box and you hear the group and some girl screaming.. correction SHRIEKING hysterically.

For the record.. the music of the music box was added in post production. Not sure how anyone thought that was running all the time in real life. Giggles.

Safe on the Jump Hang!  OMG SHUT UP WOMAN..

 almost snaps his back as he bounces OFF the first Tackle box..

ffffffinally finishing the tackle as he wastes more than 10 seconds..

and another 10 seconds just climbing into this position..

He one shots the wall though as the girls shriek has reached supersonic!  Yuuji would be jealous!

Not coming from Yamada.. he's still yelling but not high pitch like that lady...

 Yamada yelling out instructions and more importantly.. time..

He's going to need a miracle.. 10 seconds and not even on the platform yet..

JUST starting to go up the Lumberjack and he hears the klaxon already blaring..

And.. he wishes he had that time back on the Rolling Hill and the Tackle

Apparently thinking the time is too strict by 10 seconds?

Shinji Matsubara 松原慎治 - Death by Time up on Lumberjack Climb

Next of the Yamada Corps is Yousuke Watanabe 渡辺陽介 who was fast forwarded up to this point of his run where he had very little time after clearing the Warped Wall.

Yousuke Watanabe 渡辺陽介- Time up on.. er.. not wall.. Tarzan Rope? Is that a thing?
 
Still yelling encouragement.. 

Followed by chastisement

AQUAFINA.. for happy bodies! Ehem.. yeah it does look like an advertisement. LOL  Btw, this I think is the only drawback of sitting in the hot sun for HOURS.. Seriously.. this was like what.. just before noon?  We didn't finish until almost 6 pm that I can remember could have been later.. I lost track..

Up next for the Black Tigers is Hiroshige Yamamoto 山本浩茂

Everyone remembers him as the SEGA employee

He's also the only one that actually cleared from the Black Tigers the last time.

Hiroshige Yamamoto 山本浩茂  (whoops I had his name wrong for the past two years.. ehem.. I corrected it)

Carefully on the Rolling Hill

Carefully over the other side..

not lingering though and you hear the spin of the roller but he safely makes it across

Yelling encouragement and luckily the high pitched lady either lost her voice or she was muzzled.

 Safely through the Log Grip

now for the Music Box

 Hey I don't need a translation for this one!! LOL

Veeery carefy off the Music Box

Lots of back and forth shots with Yamada since this is his last hope

Safely onto the Jump Hang

AND NEARLY FALLS OFF THE TRANSITION..

Oh that would have suuuuuucked.. but he's okay as he keeps his feet above the water.

Smashes INTO the tackle as he ALSO bounces off it with his body..

 Surviving whiplash he's starting to move it..

Head down and he's slooowing down..

Yamada trying to will his guy over... when..

HE LOST HIS SHOE??

Oh his shoe is coming off.. he's coming to a crawl.. and trying to keep his foot in the shoe at the same time!

Lost an eternity on this..

Takes time to put his shoe back on...

He has to pray to everyone he can to make it up the wall in one shot for any hope to clear this year..

Yamada praying his curse didn't hit him..

And he one hands it up the wall to save hope!

Words are literally coming out of his mouth! LOL (sorry thought this was a cool post production shot of the words exploding out of his mouth)

20 seconds.. at least he is about to jump..

sqqqqqqqqqqueaaaks on the platform..

 Flies up the Lumberjack! He has to teach the others!

And we have our second clear!!!

Yamada celebrating!

Hiroshige Yamamoto 山本浩茂  - FIRST STAGE CLEAR!

Faucet turned on..

in him as well

LOL Shinya looking like me going "oh good lord wtf is coming up.."

And we have Yamada hogging the spotlight again.. /sigh

list on the right is who's upcoming out of those being pushed by TBS

Immediately to a Fast Forward.. gaaaaaah poor guy.. right at the end..
 Shinji Matsubara? (not sure of name as I don't trust Google)  河野神樹 - Death by Time up on Lumberjack Climb

and another..
Masahiro Kobayashi 小林正浩 - Death by Time up on Warped Wall

LMFAO on that pose! Ahahahhahahahaha
 Tomoya Nagano 永野智哉 - Death by Music Box mishap... he had that landing...

Now at #40 with Riku Hanamoto 花本莉丘

Oh he's tall!  he looks lanky on the Rolling Hill

Geez.. his legs look like they could touch the bottom rung LOL

Towering over the Log Grip

And again on the Music Box

carefully off of the Music Box

Oh he caught the Jump Hang pretty high!!

Methodically going across the cargo net

Using his hands to prop himself on the tackle!

 Going a decent pace.

still surprised to see him use his hands on it for some reason

LOL he looks like he can just reach up and grab the wall and he's there. LOL

and he does!

Losing half of his knee pads..

herds of time!

baring disaster we got ourselves another clear as he has just under 30 seconds to go up 1 more obstacle!

wwwwwweird technique..

is he going to use all 30 seconds going up this thing?

what is he doing...

Geez.. 15 seconds kicking his legs backwards.. he's lucky he had enough time! LOL

Family cam™

Golden Bomber dude is shocked!  No one knows who this guy was and he cleared!

Riku Hanamoto 花本莉丘 - FIRST STAGE CLEAR!

Yutaka Can 喜矢武 豊 and Kenji Darvish 樽美酒研二 from the music group ゴールデンボンバー (Golden Bomber)

Seems he's the air guitarist? Not sure.. their group is kinda weird..

Yutaka Can/Kyan? Not sure.. 喜矢武 豊

Last year his buddy failed at the end of the course.. his 2nd fail overall

He thinks he can do it!

Darvish hasn't gotten into his makeup yet and so he's trying to go totally incognito here..

So let's see if this Golden Bomber what bombs at midnight! sorry.. wrong reference..

.... mmmmmmm meat...

Sorry back from commercials.. Yutaka Can 喜矢武 豊 (going with the translation on the screen which was totally wrong for some of them. LOL)

Got the first roller thing correctly

did.. he fall forward? I see him spinning his hands..

ooooooooh he's going to wish he could take that back..

Darvish not amused..

Yukata with a face of "wtf just happened there..."

 LOL he's cursing..

So apparently on his way up he inexplicably spun his hands when he jumped up from landing correctly...

So the momentum backwards made his hands try to spin the roller faster.. yeah.. that wasn't good..

Yutaka Can 喜矢武 豊 - Death by Rolling Hill

Meanwhile Darvish, whom we will see much later in the lineup, is asking the crowd if they liked the flailing hands... He thought it was pretty kawaii (cute)

LOL and there's comical post-production sound effects as Darvish impersonates the flailing.

Speaking of flailing we got another set of fast forwards!
Hasen Kuniyama 国山ハセン - Death by Rolling Hill

Shonosuke Peindante ペインダンテ将之介 - Death by Time up on Warped Wall

Zhang Wang Yan 張汪洋 also part of the Fast Forward

But he clears!
Zhang Wang Yan 張汪洋 - FIRST STAGE CLEAR

NOOOOOOOOOOO They Fast Forwarded HISTORY!!!!!!!  First woman ever to clear the warped Wall in competition! (not qualifying)

Dammit.. if she had the 15 minutes that everyone else had in ANW she would have cleared the First Stage... gaaaaaaaah.. (yes she trains on a much taller sized Warped Wall and not the shorter women's version that is this one now - also remember she just did the tackle and the Jump Hang to get here)

Dammit.. one obstacle away.. (and yes I was watching this live from the stands) and we lost our marbles!  Remember the name!  Ayano Oshima 大嶋あやの - Death by Time up after clearing Warped Wall

Cecil Tanaka 田中セシル is also part of the Fast Forward reel

Cecil Tanaka 田中セシル - Death by Music Box

Gah and so is Mika.. - First woman to ever clear the Warped Wall in Sasuke history (qualifiers)

Mika Watanabe (formerly Izumi) 渡邊美香 - Death by Music Box

Hoshina Midzuki? 星名美津紀 - Death by Faceplant Rolling Hill

Asuka Kawaura 川浦あすか - Ryo's Girlfriend btw.. Death by Jump Hang

Slackline Champion Yukimi Fukuda 福田恭巳 - A few of the women got past the Jump Hang today!

Yukimi Fukuda 福田恭巳 - Death by Time up on the Tackle

Stay tuned for ABCDEFG!!!!!

He's got Facepaint on and a SERIOUS face..

Naganooooooooo!!!!!

What are they shocked/annoyed about?