I mean seriously, are the course creators obligated to commit sucide if anyone completes any one of these courses? Courses that would be hard on foot are done on pogo sticks, on hands, and one person sitting on a cart while another pushes? This is great stuff! And the hosts comments after “failure” are priceless- ‘Reiko, a sutdent from Gifu Prefecture, lost both her footing and her dignity on the first obstacle’. 
Is this a tv show or something?
I have NO idea what Seinfeld has to do with it. The show, however is extroardinarily entertaining.
Joe
ETA : Oh, I get it - “Could this BE any harder? What is the deal with this show?”
God bless those magnificent Japanese bastards. Unbeatable Banzuke, Ninja Warrior, MXC…Japan is just one big circus, isn’t it?
I guess. Sasuke is much better. Banzuke is like they took some of the individual challenges of the Sasuke courses and made them separate, yet not as interesting, events.
…and if I have to watch Hand Walk II one more time I’m going to shoot someone.
This I agree with. But I can watch some of those crazy, specialized courses repeatedly. How much pointed, specialized training must it have taken to unicycle that well, for example?
Joe
Is this really the only thread we have on Unbeatable Banzuke? Yes, the events look hard, but I get the feeling that the contestants know what they are getting into, before they sign up. More so than Ninja Warrior. ((The comments lead one to think that the contestants are semi-profesionals at the events they attempt))
The game I liked the most so far, was Extra Kendama. Of all the events I have seen, that one looked the most ““fun”” to me.
I like how G4 is dealing with their import shows over Spike. MXC / Tokeshis Castle(?) is fun, but the MST3K comments are too much, and I feel actually hurt the show. I would love MXC 1000 times more, if I could have the actual dialouge and not the bevis and butthead type humor.
However, I think it is different, just enough to warrant being a different show from Ninja Warrior / Sasuke. You can tell it’s by the same people, and G4 makes it a point to say so. However, Banzuke seems to be even more WTF?! than Warrior.
Has G4 even shown all the events yet?
Anyway, Good show, and I would wager, a milder show from Japan that has crossed over.
My random comments are:
I like UB better than NW mostly because I think the individual challenges in UB are more difficult than in NW.
G4 put WAY too many commercials on a half hour episode of both UB and NW. I’ve watched and there are regularly 2 commerical breaks in a 5 minute period. It makes it unwatchable sometimes.
Were these shows all filmed in the late 80’s early 90’s? Everyone is dressed pretty old school and has some old school hair doos.
I don’t like the female episodes of NW at all. The obstacles are nowhere NEAR the difficulty of the mens. I realize that they have to compensate for the inherant physical differences between men and women but they make the womens overly easy. There was one where I think every woman that made it to the 2nd stage made it to the 3rd except for 1 and I think there were over 30 women who made it to stage 2. It makes them boring because they aren’t really looking challenged.
They send him a royalty check for 12 cents each time the episode airs since he’s in the opening credits. Or maybe that’s The Super Terrific Happy Hour.
Ninja Warrior is current in Japan, Banzuke was 95 - 2002, according to the Wiki artcle.
Joe
Agree that the womens Ninja Warrior is waaaay too easy as compared to the mens.
I hope at some point they decide to air some of those wacky in-studio Japanese game shows- that would be heaven.