527 people broke their ribs, 1024 people's teeth crushed to powder, 685 people broke their legs..........where where where.......all in Takeshi's Castle
This is a sort of promo shown on POGO TV by Javed Jafery for a game show, which was filmed in 1980's, about 15 years back, in Japan. Not sure how many viewers got attracted to this kind of promo, but the show is amazing and stunningly adventurous!!! Not many game shows risk the safety of the participants as this show does.
What's the Show All About
The participants have to cross number of obstacles and finally attack a castle called Takeshi's castle at the end to capture it. This is the aim of the show.
The obstacles are in the form of some adventurous, funny, brain teasing games. There are 100 participants in the beginning of the show who gets filtered out gradually as they fail to complete a game. A guy dressed in a strange outfit known as ‘General Lee’ leads them.
The Broadcast
This is one of the most popular game shows all over the world. In India, it is voiced by Javed Jafery (JJ) and in UK by Craig Charles. The commentators make the show hilarious. Though the entire show is in Japanese, it is voiced in Hindi on POGO. The telecast time is normally in the evening at 7.30.
The Games
The most impressive part of the show is the variety of the games inducted in the show. In every episode, you would see some games, which you have not seen before. I have watched this show dozens of times and every time I find at least one game, which I have not, seen earlier.
The Starting Game
For example, the first game in the show is the only game where all 100 participants participate, of which, 18 participants get screened out. Just look at the type of games they have as a first game in this show:
# Bite The Bun – This was shown yesterday. In this, the participants are tied with a gunny bag from their ankle to neck and have to basically grab the bun using only their mouth, which is hanging above with a string and a clip. So, for 100 participants, there are only 82 buns. (JJ comments: see how these hungry guys and gals are dying for a bun)
# Knock Knock - This is where all participants have to run through 10 doors which have mud on the other side and they have to get a ball out of the white powder after the last door. The problem is you can't see where the door is so you have to run into the wall in different places until someone breaks through. (JJ comments: ye adhunik kitchad chandrabhushan pandeyji ke tabele se import kiya hein – this modern mud has been imported from the cow house of Mr Chandrabhushan Pandey)
# Match Maker - The participants have to pick up a shape and fit it on the blue mates. Out of 100 shapes, only 82 would fit. (JJ comments: Oh, she is so happy that her shape has fitted)
There are many more as the first game itself, just to give you a feel of how much variety you could see on this show.
The Main Games
Lets have a look at some of the interesting and my favorite games in the main course of the show:
Skipping Stones
You have to cross the water pond by running on the stones placed haphazardly in water. Some stones are fixed firmly, while others can move and if you place your foot on the moving stones, you fall down!!! Reminds of the movie, 36th Chamber of Showlin, where they cross the pond jumping on the wooden logs floating on water. Risky game in the sense, if you fall on one of the stones, could break your jaw or ribs!!!
(JJ comments: Playing skipping stones is a nice opportunity of getting reason to visit your dentist)
Skittles
This is similar to snow bowling, where you have to make the bottles fall by throwing the ball. But hey, here the bottles are the participants and a 100-pound ball is rolled at them to make them fall!!!!!!!! You can choose your position to stand in the set of 10 bottles, by picking up a card as a lucky draw. It’s a real fun to watch them falling over each other.
(JJ comments: Oh, she is so happy to get no. 10 which is so safe)
High Rollers
There are 7 cylinders at different heights across a pool of water. You have to run across to the other side of the pool without falling in. This is made extremely hard by the rollers moving when you step on them.
(JJ comments: This guy is even worse than the girls, he fell after the very first roller)
Bridgeball
My favorite!!! You have to cross a hanging bridge, carrying a golden ball and the guards would hit you with rubber balls to make you fall down. They hit the balls with the help of a machine, so the balls hit you hard and its difficult to cross the bridge.
(JJ comments: Oh God, she is hit at the wrong part of her body)– yeah at times he is vulgar in his commentary.
Wipeout
Get on the moving surfboard on a water pond and cross various obstacles like jumping on the plastic whale, cross a platform, again jump through a bigger whale and finally jump on the destination platform. Not very easy to maintain the balance.
(JJ comments: He took the whale along with him while falling)
There are many more games in the show, but as this review has already become very lengthy (I had to delete few games as the no. of characters had crossed the limit of 8000) I would stop here. At times they have participants in couples like a parent and a kid together. Sometimes they have international participants from various countries. Its always great to watch varied participants performing differently. At the end the players who successfully cross all the games go to final showdown.
The Show Down
This is the attack on the Takeshi’s Castle by the winners of the previous games. Each of them boards a car and is given laser gun. The participants have to fire at the opponent’s (Royal Guards) car with the laser gun. There are sensors on the cars. If the laser hits the sensors, a smoke is generated and you are out of the show.
Of all the episodes I have seen, there was only one episode in which the participants had captured the Castle. Otherwise, it is next to impossible to capture the GREAT TAKESHI’S CASTLE
JJ's commentary is vulgar at times, but makes you laugh most of the times. Its irritating to hear from him regularly, that as the participant said something in Japanese, he could not understand. They could have got it translated before the telecast.
I always wonder, why they don’t start something like this at Kishkintha amusement park in Chennai, or at Essel World in Mumbai. I bet the response would be amazing, if they start something like this. Lets hope someone takes the initiative of introducing Indianised version of Takeshi’s Castle!!!
