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"Dignity is important, but winning is way more important"
If you are squeamish around a lot of bare skin, best to skip Sanctuary. This sumo drama abounded in nearly nekkid men as the sport requires. Big, bountiful butt cheeks and bellies everywhere. I knew very little about the sport so was interested in peering into their world. My review will show I still know next to nothing but it is up a step up from nothing.
Oze Kiyoshi had a troubled family life after his father lost their sushi restaurant. His mother ran off with other men and racked up enormous debt. His father who had physical limitations (maybe from a stroke?) was relegated to working on a road crew as the flag man. The Ensho stable master, Ensho Oyakata, recruits Oze after he quits judo telling Oze he can make a lot of money in sumo. Oze refuses to learn the sumo way, preferring his own bag of mostly useless tricks, he is pounded repeatedly in every practice. His unconventional approach to sumo will be sorely tested when he goes head-to-head with Shizuuchi, a mountain of a man with a more painful background than his own. In a similar vein, reporter Kunishima Asuka has been demoted from the news desk and reassigned to covering sumo. Sullen and sulky, disrespectful of sumo, she is a petulant thorn in her boss’ side. Can the two people on either side of the ring come to appreciate and respect the ancient sport?
The most difficult aspect of this drama for me was Oze. He was thoroughly unlikable. Rude, cocky, and violent, disrespectful to everyone, and on top of that, he often behaved stupidly. It helps to pick an unlikable trait-unrelentingly rude or stupid, Oze managed to be both. I was not rooting for him, in fact, was hoping someone would knock his block off. Boy, did I get my wish. Oze was not alone--devious stable heads, other wrestlers, parents (dear goodness his mother was cartoonishly awful)—all behaved badly. The hazing could be violent and there was also college frat boy childish hazing behavior that I didn’t find funny. Kunishima’s growth could at least be seen episode by episode, Oze became embarrassingly worse with each episode until his world view was shattered and he was forced to make a life decision the audience had been waiting six-and-a-half episodes for.
Sanctuary did give insights into the secretive sport with brutal hazing and masculine spaces that had invisible yet strongly enforced “no girls allowed” signs. Any criticisms were quickly swept under the rug, even Kunishima abandoned them as she became enamored with the sport and Enno. Side stories and characters were unceremoniously shoved under the same rug. The last couple of episodes were more entertaining and what I wouldn’t pay to see a gaggle of nearly nekkid sumos running through the streets Rocky style. However, the journey to redemption was just so slow and awful, perhaps more realistic, but not much fun to watch. The ending was also a bitter letdown after a huge emotional buildup. While I enjoyed learning more about the ancient sport with its intricate traditions, Oze/Enno was an irritating guide for much of the drama. I’m still glad I watched it for sumo educational purposes, but the drama itself was a challenge to wade through.
30 August 2025 7.25 could go either way on a coin flip, 7.0 or 7.5
Trigger warnings: bare derrieres, sexual content, lots of boob grabbing, numerous vomiting scenes, a suicide, and a very violent bloody scene.
SPOILER TRIGGER: Ended on a Cliffhanger with lots of dangling stories.
Oze Kiyoshi had a troubled family life after his father lost their sushi restaurant. His mother ran off with other men and racked up enormous debt. His father who had physical limitations (maybe from a stroke?) was relegated to working on a road crew as the flag man. The Ensho stable master, Ensho Oyakata, recruits Oze after he quits judo telling Oze he can make a lot of money in sumo. Oze refuses to learn the sumo way, preferring his own bag of mostly useless tricks, he is pounded repeatedly in every practice. His unconventional approach to sumo will be sorely tested when he goes head-to-head with Shizuuchi, a mountain of a man with a more painful background than his own. In a similar vein, reporter Kunishima Asuka has been demoted from the news desk and reassigned to covering sumo. Sullen and sulky, disrespectful of sumo, she is a petulant thorn in her boss’ side. Can the two people on either side of the ring come to appreciate and respect the ancient sport?
The most difficult aspect of this drama for me was Oze. He was thoroughly unlikable. Rude, cocky, and violent, disrespectful to everyone, and on top of that, he often behaved stupidly. It helps to pick an unlikable trait-unrelentingly rude or stupid, Oze managed to be both. I was not rooting for him, in fact, was hoping someone would knock his block off. Boy, did I get my wish. Oze was not alone--devious stable heads, other wrestlers, parents (dear goodness his mother was cartoonishly awful)—all behaved badly. The hazing could be violent and there was also college frat boy childish hazing behavior that I didn’t find funny. Kunishima’s growth could at least be seen episode by episode, Oze became embarrassingly worse with each episode until his world view was shattered and he was forced to make a life decision the audience had been waiting six-and-a-half episodes for.
Sanctuary did give insights into the secretive sport with brutal hazing and masculine spaces that had invisible yet strongly enforced “no girls allowed” signs. Any criticisms were quickly swept under the rug, even Kunishima abandoned them as she became enamored with the sport and Enno. Side stories and characters were unceremoniously shoved under the same rug. The last couple of episodes were more entertaining and what I wouldn’t pay to see a gaggle of nearly nekkid sumos running through the streets Rocky style. However, the journey to redemption was just so slow and awful, perhaps more realistic, but not much fun to watch. The ending was also a bitter letdown after a huge emotional buildup. While I enjoyed learning more about the ancient sport with its intricate traditions, Oze/Enno was an irritating guide for much of the drama. I’m still glad I watched it for sumo educational purposes, but the drama itself was a challenge to wade through.
30 August 2025 7.25 could go either way on a coin flip, 7.0 or 7.5
Trigger warnings: bare derrieres, sexual content, lots of boob grabbing, numerous vomiting scenes, a suicide, and a very violent bloody scene.
SPOILER TRIGGER: Ended on a Cliffhanger with lots of dangling stories.
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