Sanctuary

The way the character and story elements were handled are borrowed heavily from Japanese manga and anime tropes, in that many of the premises and representations are larger than life and exaggerated. That can be good or bad depending on the viewer, and their familiarity with those storytelling devices and characterizations. In my opinion, it worked really well with Sanctuary in most instances to dramatize the story and embellish upon plot and character elements. This unique version of the anti-hero to hero origin story and progression hasn't been told in context of sumo before, and you'll be rooting for specific characters and empathizing with them as the season unfolds.

First of all, I had no clue about Sumo as such... Secondly, if any episode can motivate as Rocky did, it it the seventh... What a feeling... For those, who do not know, Sumo originated in Japan, the only country where it is practiced professionally and where it is considered the national sport. It is considered a gendai budo, which refers to modern Japanese martial arts. Many ancient traditions have been preserved in sumo, and even today the sport includes many ritual elements, such as the use of salt purification, from Shinto.

The series has some slower pace and displays the lives of wrestler, highly regimented, with rules regulated by the Japan Sumo Association. As the series portrays well, most sumo wrestlers are required to live in communal sumo training stables, known in Japanese as heya, where all aspects of their daily lives-from meals to their manner of dress-are dictated by strict tradition. Eugene Ko is just great, believe he had to do much to even come to form and create a body of a Sumo... Shota Sometani, Two face (do not know his name in cast) and others are cast very well! Loved to see Koyuki from the Last Samurai everybody loved... Ladies and Gentleman, you do not have to be a Sumo fan or addict to love this. Try it and see by yourself. It is worth... The camera and fighting shots are never seen before and awesome :)

I'm a huge fan of sumo and was thrilled to hear about a sumo-themed series (and Japanese-made too!). That said, I almost quit not long into the first episode because they chose to start it off with a series of gross-out farcical scenes (which I know some people love, but for me, they're a huge turn-off). But I kept watching and I'm very glad I did. There is some really good human drama underneath the over-the-top bits and that is the element that gets stronger as the episodes progress. It's also realistic enough to keep a sumo fan satisfied - of course you notice a few things that are off, many bouts are ovedramatized (which has to be forgiven in a film) and the behaviour of some characters (the main character especially but also some of the stablemasters) would never be tolerated in real life, but that aside it's stil a wonderful immersion into the sumo world. The gruelling training, the personal rivalries, the battle with injuries, the highly emotional retirement ceremony, etc. If you're not a sumo fan but like sports dramas in general, you will probably enjoy this one (and I highly reccommend getting into actual sumo - a dramatic sport if there ever was one!) Anyway, this series made me realize how much I would love a straight-up sumo drama, without any of the farcical, over-the-top elements, and I hope they make one someday - but until then, this is actually a pretty good watch. I'm looking forward to the next season.

For those who can get past the violent, bloody, grimy scenes it's possible to forgive the sporting drama cliche of poorer/ outsider vs the establishment. It's possible to forgive the fact that many of the characters come across as unlikeable. It's also possible to forget you'll spend a good part of the show watching large, dirty, sweaty, sometimes bloody men slapping and throwing each other around.

The reason for this is that the show never forgets the basis that it is character driven. The characters have motivations (even simple ones for secondary characters) and the plot is driven around how they react to these. Many go on some form a journey and are changed by events.

This is ultimately what makes the show a compelling watch for me, though I suspect many people will not get past some of that.

So, I shall start by saying I am biased towards traditional Japanese ideology and stylistic film/TV making. I grew up watching Samurai and martial arts movies (in the early 90's) and have since have been fascinated by the bredth and depth of Asian culture and philosophy. That said, I knew practically nothing about Sumo other than its existence and basic premise. It interested me still, but with little to no access I paid no attention.

Then this series landed yesterday and I finished it a day later. I am practically slapping my own chest like the ugly gorrilla at the cliffhanger in pure anticipation for the next series to land. I write this review because I feel the need to share that I have not been this entertained on so many levels in such a long time. I even watched the intro on every episode. Perhaps I am just starved from watching too much of the garbage that has been produced or I harbour a strange fascination for Sumo that I never got the chance (until now) to experience.

This series is a high quality production but not for the feint of heart. There are several story arches at work at the same time throughout, but to me they really added a level of depth to the characters and provided nothing but insight and empathy towards them. The last episode finally drew me to tears within the first 10 minutes to share that ceremony with the cast. I rated every performance and felt well fed by the writing at all times, despite parts being very hard to relate to personally (I am White, Male, British) there were characters within that felt like my neighbours. People I have known my whole life. Troubled and damaged young men, strong.oppressed women, sporting industries struggling with tradition and modernisation and this series really braught that all to life and put me in the ring with it.

TLDR: If you don't like any of the Rocky films, reading subtitles or seeing body fat then skip this. If you want easy to follow narratives about the same old basic drama, skip this. If you like some traditional Japanese style with some modern and whacky moments, than go all in on this series. I'm off to ytube some real sumo showdowns now just to see if it slaps me as hard as this series did.