‘Sanctuary’ Review: The Hard Road to Yokozuna

The world of sumo wrestling has always been a bit mysterious for people on this side of the world. For most Westerners the only contact they have ever had with the sport is through the famous WWF wrestler named Yokozuna, which is the denomination of the highest rank a sumo wrestler can achieve, and also maybe through Street Fighter’s E. Honda, who is probably the most famous sumo character in all of fiction. With a tradition that goes back 1,500 years, Sumo is a thing of legend, and Sanctuary, the newest Netflix series, will try to bring a bit more light to the sport.

The series is developed for Netflix and stars Wataru Ichinose, Shota Sometani, Shiori Kutsuna, Pierre Taki, Willins Chung, and Tomorowo Taguchi. The series tells the story of Oze, a young sumo wrestler with a bad attitude who sees his rise to fame intercepted by his own personality, family issues, and powerful rivals. The series is meant to open up and teach a bit more about the sumo world to mainstream audiences and create a compelling narrative with nothing to envy with the best sports anime out there.

If anime has taught us anything throughout the years, there is nothing better than a good underdog story. Seeing someone come from the bottom and rise to the top is quite satisfying, especially if that growth is accompanied by external success and internal developments. Sports anime and manga such as Blue Lock, Slam Dunk, Eyeshield 21, Prince of Tennis, and so many more learned how to do this, and the formula remains as successful as ever.

This is why seeing a live-action TV series that takes on this formula and looks toward the world of sumo wrestling feels like a story with so much potential. Sumo is quite mysterious, so learning about the world where it takes place is quite interesting. Learning about the training, the ranks, the divisions, how the media cover the sport, and so many more details are fascinating. All that information would make for a compelling documentary, but if you add characters, personalities, and goals, things become much better.

Sanctuary does adhere to the formula of taking an underdog and making a chronicle out of his rise. However, the show risks doing things in a way that is not the most predictable. And the least predictable thing about the show is its main character, Oze. When other shows try to focus on a very good person doing their best, for example, Hajime no Ippo, Sanctuary goes the opposite way. The show introduces its protagonist, Oze, not as someone worth rooting for but as someone who can be quite awful to be around.

Of course, there is a reason why Oze is the way it is. It is not a justification but a reason, and it fits very well with how this type of story develops. Wataru Ichinose takes the role of Oze, and the actor kills it. He is not only doing an amazing job with the emotions; frustration, anger, and many others, but he is also putting his all into the role’s physical strains. For many actors in the show, the role is more than just emotional or intellectual. It is also quite physical, so seeing the commitment actors like Ichinose display on the show is quite amazing.

Ichinose might be the highlight in acting, but his performance is enhanced thanks to a great cast of supporting actors. They all give their grain of sand to make the project more layered and interesting than you would have thought. The writing also helps quite a bit. Of course, you will find tons of Japanese idiosyncrasies in this TV series, in the way they behave and face problems and so much more, but the writing also splits things into different subjects, so you can feel that the story goes beyond Oze and his goals.

In the end, you will feel like the wrestling world is so much more than two guys trying to take each other out of a circle on the ground. This is because it is. Sumo is so much more than the fight, the training, the traditions, and the media. It is all a very big machine that deserves to be explored. Who knows, maybe after watching the show, many viewers will start following Sumo as a sport instead of just some strange tradition from Japan.

The production values are quite nice. It is not like this show needs extensive CGI work or that they need to assemble impressive action sequences, but still, what they have accomplished here from a visual standpoint is quite solid and comes across as a plus in telling the story they want to tell. Especially during the matches, the editing is especially important in those moments, and I believe that the level of execution is quite good and makes those moments quite exciting as well.

In the end, Sanctuary is a very solid and entertaining show that will serve as the entry point for many people into the world of Sumo. The legendary sport will continue for many years to come, but thanks to shows like these, audiences will have a wider knowledge of the subject. Maybe, shortly, E. Honda won’t have to stand alone as the most famous sumo wrestler of all time. Maybe Oze can sit down by his side very soon.

SCORE: 9/10