Final Draft (2025)

This is Soulful 25 (not Physical 100).

Yes, people may wonder if this is a Japanese version of Physical 100. Well, not at all (fortunately), in my opinion. Whereas the Korean show seems to focus in vanity, perfect bodies and ways to show off who is the strongest, here I found an exciting and heartwarming competition that goes beyond all that. It’s about 25 ex-athletes and their path bridging their successful (or not so much) past in sports into an uncertain future.

I absolutely loved this program. There are HUGE amounts of humanity and kindness, not only in the participants but in the producers as well. In the final of Physical 100 season 2, Beom Seok badly injured his knee and there is no mention about it (same as others, who I know, got hurt along the way). However, in Final Draft a person got injured and they stopped the competition right away and the recording was suspended for the day.

Viewers stretch the bond with these contestants because we watch them living and eating together, talking about their paths, families, etc. I’m so used to the social awkwardness in Korean shows when people gather around, that to feel the warmth amongst these participants from start to finish was incredibly touching and a balm for my heart.
I remember the news about the Japanese soccer team in the 2018 FIFA World Cup. They were the only team that cleaned the locker room after finishing each match and when they got eliminated left a beautiful thank you note for Russia, the hosting country.

Well, that kind of respect, humility, kindness and sportsmanship are everywhere in this show. And the ending is the perfect example of that. A beautiful wrap that moved to tears, taught me a couple lessons and left me heavily craving for more.

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“Together, we keep fighting.”

this was such a heartwarming series and definitely one of the best competition shows i’ve seen. when i saw this was upcoming i thought it reminded me of physical 100 but japanese so of course i had to check it out, but i was pleasantly surprised by how different the two shows are. while physical 100 focuses on outlandish challenges and sets to push the participants past their limits, final draft does the same while keeping the various tasks simple while still being entertaining.

the bond between both the participants and the crew as a whole was definitely the highlight of this show as we see the competitors living together and eating with one another, having late night talks about their journeys and their futures around a bonfire. there was definitely awkwardness but it was all very natural and endearing and seeing how close the contestants got was adorable. seeing them speak one on one to their families made me tear up a lot considering how basically all of the participants were able to continue on thanks to the encouragement from back home. near the end of the show somebody ends up injured and the competition takes a pause to make sure he was able to get proper treatment rather than forcing him to push through the pain while also giving him a chance to do his very best in the final few challenges. seeing how everyone genuinely worried for him and wanted to make sure he was okay is the best example of the kindness in this show.

i hope this ends up getting a second season with even more challenges because i’d love to see what other kinds of insane former athletes japan has and hear their stories.

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