TV hit Takeshi’s Castle is back

Kim Muntinga

9.8.2023

Translation: Eva Francis

Laugh-out-loud entertainment like in the old days or just a cheap copy? The TV classic Takeshi’s Castle is back. Here’s my first impression of the remake.

Who doesn’t remember the hilarious Japanese game show Takeshi’s Castle, a rather unconventional obstacle course that looked a bit like jump ’n’ run games such as Super Mario Bros., Crash Bandicoot or Sonic. The TV classic has conquered the German-speaking world from 1999 onwards. Hundreds of brave contestants tackled various games, hoping to reach the last stage, the castle of Prince Takeshi (Takeshi Kitanoi), where they’d attempt to topple him from the throne. In the 127 original episodes from 1986 and 1989, General Lee’s (Hayato Tani) team, consisting of the contestants, only managed to do so eight times.

This spectacular show has now made a comeback. And I’ve checked it out. So far, eight new episodes have been launched, all filmed at the original Midoriyama Studios near Yokohama. Much has remained the same – just a tad more modern or colourful. The reboot is very much based on the original, using the same familiar games and setups, among other things. Former adversaries Prince Takeshi and General Lee – both 76 years old – are also back in the game, although not in every episode. Prince Takeshi, on the other hand, has new illustrious fighters on his defending army – among them the two wrestlers Togi Makabe and Tomoaki Honma.

Same same or different?

At first, it feels like a déjà vu. The only difference is the German voice-over. Yet, the tone is still ironic and mocking. The new contestants – the team of online editors, housewives and anime illustrators – hardly play a role. They’re not really introduced and are quickly forgotten, too. It’s probably better that way. Having said that, one of them does stand out: Mister Sasuke Katsumi Yamada. Why? Sasuke is also a long-running game show, known as Ninja Warrior in the German-speaking world, which focuses more on the actual sporting competition and the individual participants.

So why’s it better that way? Well, between the challenges, there are consolation rounds. These ensure that candidates who’ve already been eliminated can participate again. In other words, being eliminated means very little, and I see some contestants, especially Mister Sasuke, being eliminated more often. He doesn’t seem to succeed in anything, and yet he’s still part of the game just before the last stage, the castle. Has it always been like this? I can’t remember. But I don’t like it.

Infectious enjoyment, but repetitive games

In general, I find the games quite repetitive and the show drags on too much. It takes two episodes of about 40 minutes to get to the final showdown. Admittedly, as a viewer you can tell that everyone involved, whether contestants or defenders, is having fun. And the show still doesn’t take itself too seriously at any point and tries to transport fun and schadenfreude to the outside world. However, the magic of nostalgia faded very quickly in my case.

Excited about Ninja Warrior

I’m much more looking forward to a new season of the aforementioned game show Ninja Warrior. Whether in Germany, with last year’s winner (the Last Man Standing) Max Görner, the two previous conquerors of Mount Midoriyama René Casselly and Moritz Hans, or in Switzerland, Austria or other European countries. Last year, by the way, the Swiss Joel Mattli won the Austrian version and was the first participant to climb the Mount.

Takeshi’s Castle has been available since 4 August on Amazon Prime. Ninja Warrior Germany is expected to launch on TV channel RTL in the fourth quarter of 2023.

What do you think of the Takeshi’s Castle reboot? Do you like it or are you, like me, more excited about the new Ninja Warrior season? Let me know in the comments!

Kim Muntinga

Editor

Kim.Muntinga@galaxus.de

My interests are varied, I just like to enjoy life. Always on the lookout for news about darts, gaming, films and series.

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