Takeshi's Castle

Takeshi's Castle was my favorite show back in the day, and I was thrilled to discover a new season on Amazon Prime. I highly recommend binge-watching it all in one sitting - it's still as awesome as ever! The production values are top-notch, and the games seem a bit more challenging, which adds an extra layer of excitement.

As I watched the German version, I couldn't comment much on the criticism of the UK commentators. The German version is quite similar to the original show.

Overall, it's an incredible show that evokes a lot of nostalgia. We even get some of the original characters and games back, which is a huge plus. And let's not forget the eye candy in the form of some models and bikini girls in some of the games - it's all part of the charm!

However, there's one thing that could be improved: subtitles for the Japanese banter. The commentary is great, but a lot of the time the contestants or Takeshi's army grunts say something in Japanese, and you never know what it means.

Despite this minor flaw, it's still a fantastic show. Don't you dare Amazon Prime cancel it!

I never thought this show would.be rebooted and the reboot is glorious! It's got the spirit, the energy, and over the top drama I didn't even realize I was missing. This is a bigger budget continuation of the original series, and what is loses in low budget charm it more than makes up for in energy and thoughtful redesign of events and a new award and make up challenge system. Overall it's a welcome development and I hope it gets multiple seasons!

Pros:

• higher budget
• more events
• new format is A+ good
• behind the scenes glimpses are super positive

Cons:

• season is short
• lost that "is this in someone's backyard?" vibe.

The games are too difficult for the contestants and become very boring for the viewer. The tempo of the broadcast is too slow. Too many cut scenes. Too much interaction with participants. Candidates who are eliminated are not eliminated at all, but simply participate in every game. The villains are also completely boring. Completely confused and pointless. I mean, the old Takeshi's Castle lived from its fast pace and clear camera work. N of that is here anymore. This show doesn't deserve this name. Clearly they wanted to make big money with no big efforts. Takeshi's castle is dead. We only can feast on the old days.

I wish there was a way to turn off the English commentators for the Prime version. Romesh Ranganathan and Tom Davis are about as funny as a root canal and unnecessarily mean about the contestants, who all look really nice and funny. I would have preferred an option for the original Japanese narration either with dubbing or subtitles. And surprise surprise the English script is written by Geoff Norcott, another terminally unfunny 'comedian'.

As for the games themselves, they look a blast and there is some genuine skill involved to win the rounds. Some of them are a little hard but there is enough of a mercy element not to be overly harsh. I'd be giving this 8 if it wasn't for the annoying English guys talking over it. Please consider adding an original audio option for the remaining episodes.

The entire history of reality TV has happened since the show's original run, and you'll see some of that regurgitated here. Expect audience reactions, endlessly repeated backstories and a highly curated group of quirky contestants who like being on camera. On top of that, expect plenty of nostalgia - it is, after all, the whole reason this reboot exists.

Higher production, less character - the usual. Same games with a different soul animating them.

But, somehow, it isn't completely terrible, so don't let me put you off a light watch to take your mind off things. I really enjoyed the guards this time around. However, I advise avoiding the English commentary as much as possible - not to idolise the just-about-okay OG commentary from Craig Charles, but Romesh Ranganathan and Tom Davis beg the question of just how bad the state of UK comedy must be for them to find continuous employment.