Sasuke 25
I knew the course was going to get a major redesign after Yuji Urushihara won last time.
And I also knew that would spell doom for Makoto Nagano. He has a long history of wiping out on obstacles he's facing for the first time, and there were so many new obstacles this time that one of them was bound to get him. Too bad it was in Stage 1 again. It seems to be all or nothing with him. He either wipes out very early or very late in the competition. Not that many of the other regulars did that great either. But yay for Brian Orosco finally making it to Stage 3!
Did they really need to make the Cliffhanger harder? Wasn't it stopping enough people already? The new Ultimate Cliffhanger is so completely insane that nobody even made it past the start of it.
I liked the little profile of Levi Meeuwenberg and Makoto Nagano that ran before the show. Watching Levi holding Nagano's new baby was so cute. I'd love to see a profile like that of Nagano and Toshihiro Takeda.
Speaking of Levi Meeuwenberg, he has quite the Internet presence I somehow failed to notice. He has his own YouTube Channel, a blog, and a professional website for his performance group.
The 25 Reasons to Worship Ninja Warrior special was mostly a waste of time, except for reason #1--Makoto Nagano (or that could just be my bias talking). I had no idea he'd dropped out of school at 13 to go into the family business (his father and grandfather were also commercial fishermen). There were also some cute behind-the-scenes clips from the various competitions. Nagano seems to be the father figure of the All Stars. He cheers for people, and gives them advice, and puts an arm around them while they cry.
I've noticed myself having a weird reaction to Ninja Warrior lately. When I first started watching the show I was happy to see anyone do well, and how much I enjoyed an episode depended on how many people got to Stage 3 or beyond. Now that I've been watching it long enough to have developed favorites, how much I enjoy an episode seems to depend on how well my favorites did, which can be a bummer in years they don't do very well.
And I also knew that would spell doom for Makoto Nagano. He has a long history of wiping out on obstacles he's facing for the first time, and there were so many new obstacles this time that one of them was bound to get him. Too bad it was in Stage 1 again. It seems to be all or nothing with him. He either wipes out very early or very late in the competition. Not that many of the other regulars did that great either. But yay for Brian Orosco finally making it to Stage 3!
Did they really need to make the Cliffhanger harder? Wasn't it stopping enough people already? The new Ultimate Cliffhanger is so completely insane that nobody even made it past the start of it.
I liked the little profile of Levi Meeuwenberg and Makoto Nagano that ran before the show. Watching Levi holding Nagano's new baby was so cute. I'd love to see a profile like that of Nagano and Toshihiro Takeda.
Speaking of Levi Meeuwenberg, he has quite the Internet presence I somehow failed to notice. He has his own YouTube Channel, a blog, and a professional website for his performance group.
The 25 Reasons to Worship Ninja Warrior special was mostly a waste of time, except for reason #1--Makoto Nagano (or that could just be my bias talking). I had no idea he'd dropped out of school at 13 to go into the family business (his father and grandfather were also commercial fishermen). There were also some cute behind-the-scenes clips from the various competitions. Nagano seems to be the father figure of the All Stars. He cheers for people, and gives them advice, and puts an arm around them while they cry.
I've noticed myself having a weird reaction to Ninja Warrior lately. When I first started watching the show I was happy to see anyone do well, and how much I enjoyed an episode depended on how many people got to Stage 3 or beyond. Now that I've been watching it long enough to have developed favorites, how much I enjoy an episode seems to depend on how well my favorites did, which can be a bummer in years they don't do very well.