isaac

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.