Takeshi's Castle (partially found pilot of Japanese game show; 1986): Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 16:44, 7 March 2024

For the pilot, Takeshi Kitano was the General.

Status: Partially Found

Takeshi's Castle is a Japanese game show that was broadcast on Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) between 2nd May 1986 to 19th October 1990. It involved contestants attempting to complete exceedingly difficult obstacles in order to storm Count Takeshi's Castle, controlled by Japanese comedian Takeshi Kitano. Prior to the inaugural episode, a pilot was known to have been filmed.

Background

The premise of Takeshi's Castle is that a large number of contestants were "forced" by General Tani (Hayato Tani) to storm Takeshi's Castle.^[1] Beforehand, they must complete a number of difficult physical challenges standing between them and the Castle.^[1] Each challenge would eliminate a considerable proportion of the contestants, resulting in a few individuals being the only ones to challenge Takeshi and his Gundan in the Cart Battle.^[2] Often, the remaining contestants would be unsuccessful, although on rare occasions a few have defeated Takeshi by deactivating his cart.^[3]^[2]

Prior to the first episode, a pilot was filmed. As noted by the photos and description provided by a television magazine, Takeshi and Tani's roles were reversed, with Takeshi leading the contestants into storming the Castle, controlled by Tani.^[4]^[5] The narrative according to the magazine stated Tani and Shingo Yanagisawa launched a rebellion against Takeshi, the former taking over his Castle in the process.^[6] Takeshi therefore used the help of subordinate Saburo Ishikura and the public in an attempt to retake the Castle.^[6] It also provided Takeshi's motivation for creating the show, stating he wanted to promote games out in the fields, and being against the growing usage of the Famicom.^[6] This perhaps humorously explains why Takeshi came up with Takeshi's Challenge.^[6]

Aside from Cart Battle, the games consisted of The Scaling Wall, The First Fortress, Dragon God's Pond, Devil's Domain, Second Fortress, The Gibraltar Strait, and the Man-Eating Holes.^[4]^[5] According to an English translation of the magazine, The First Fortress and The Man-Eating Holes had contestants be eliminated if they were "covered in paint".^[7] The photos also indicate that the original version of Dragon God's Pond would be played by at least two contestants.^[4]^[5]^[7] Similarly, Devil's Domain would have a contestant guide another through it, comparable to special episodes involving families, Takeshi also providing assistance via a monitor.^[4]^[5]^[7] Additionally, a game referred to as "Sprinkler Mine Zone" was also included, which never appeared beyond the pilot.^[8] The magazine states that 80 people participated in the pilot.^[4]^[5]

Availability

Ultimately, the pilot never aired internationally, although the magazine stated it was aired in Japan sometime in 1986.^[8] At least three and a half seconds of footage from First Fortress was included in a trailer promoting the first episode. However, the pilot has yet to fully resurface.^[8] Nevertheless, several photos, including from magazines,^[4]^[5] can be viewed online.

Gallery

Images

Scaling Wall.
First Fortress.
Dragon God's Pond.
Devil's Domain.
Second Fortress.
Gibralter Strait.
Final Fall.
Castle Battle.
Takeshi and his Guards.
Black and white photo of Takeshi and his Guards.
Magazine scan.
Another magazine scan.

External Links

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present detailing the premise of Takeshi's Castle. Retrieved 2nd May '22
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 Keshi Heads detailing the Show Down. Retrieved 2nd May '22
↑ Keshi Heads About Section, also containing a FAQs section noting the few times there was a winner on Takeshi's Castle. Retrieved 2nd May '22
↑ ^4.0 ^4.1 ^4.2 ^4.3 ^4.4 ^4.5 Magazine detailing the pilot and providing photos of it (links to magazine scans can be found on the linked Keshi Heads post). Retrieved 2nd May '22
↑ ^5.0 ^5.1 ^5.2 ^5.3 ^5.4 ^5.5 Magazine detailing the pilot and providing photos of it (links to magazine scans can be found on the linked Keshi Heads post). Retrieved 2nd May '22
↑ ^6.0 ^6.1 ^6.2 ^6.3 The first two pages of the magazine translated into English (courtesy of Keshi Heads user DuffDan, links in the post). Retrieved 2nd May '22
↑ ^7.0 ^7.1 ^7.2 The final three pages of the magazine translated into English (courtesy of Keshi Heads user DuffDan, links in the post). Retrieved 2nd May '22
↑ ^8.0 ^8.1 ^8.2 Keshi Heads discussing the pilot. Retrieved 2nd May '22

[complete-1] 1.0 ^1.1 The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present detailing the premise of Takeshi's Castle. Retrieved 2nd May '22

[show-2] 2.0 ^2.1 Keshi Heads detailing the Show Down. Retrieved 2nd May '22

[wehaveawinnerontakeshiscastle!!!-3] Keshi Heads About Section, also containing a FAQs section noting the few times there was a winner on Takeshi's Castle. Retrieved 2nd May '22

[magazine1-4] 4.0 ^4.1 ^4.2 ^4.3 ^4.4 ^4.5 Magazine detailing the pilot and providing photos of it (links to magazine scans can be found on the linked Keshi Heads post). Retrieved 2nd May '22

[magazine2-5] 5.0 ^5.1 ^5.2 ^5.3 ^5.4 ^5.5 Magazine detailing the pilot and providing photos of it (links to magazine scans can be found on the linked Keshi Heads post). Retrieved 2nd May '22

[magtranslate-6] 6.0 ^6.1 ^6.2 ^6.3 The first two pages of the magazine translated into English (courtesy of Keshi Heads user DuffDan, links in the post). Retrieved 2nd May '22

[magtranslate2-7] 7.0 ^7.1 ^7.2 The final three pages of the magazine translated into English (courtesy of Keshi Heads user DuffDan, links in the post). Retrieved 2nd May '22

[pilot-8] 8.0 ^8.1 ^8.2 Keshi Heads discussing the pilot. Retrieved 2nd May '22

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[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

@@ Line 2: / Line 2: @@
 |title=<center>Takeshi's Castle (pilot)</center>
 |image=Takeshiscastlepilot1.jpg
-|imagecaption=For the pilot, Hayato Tani was the Count.
+|imagecaption=For the pilot, Takeshi Kitano was the General.
-|status=<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''</span>
+|status=<span style="color:orange;">'''Partially Found'''</span>
 }}
-'''''Takeshi's Castle''''' is a Japanese game show that was originally broadcast on Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) between 2nd May 1986 to 19th October 1990. It involved contestants attempting to complete exceedingly difficult obstacles in order to storm Count Takeshi's Castle, controlled by Japanese comedian Takeshi Kitano. Prior to the inaugural episode, '''a pilot was known to have been filmed'''.
+'''''Takeshi's Castle''''' is a Japanese game show that was broadcast on Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) between 2nd May 1986 to 19th October 1990. It involved contestants attempting to complete exceedingly difficult obstacles in order to storm Count Takeshi's Castle, controlled by Japanese comedian Takeshi Kitano. Prior to the inaugural episode, '''a pilot was known to have been filmed'''.
 ==Background==
-The premise of ''Takeshi's Castle'' is that a large number of contestants were "forced" by General Tani (Hayato Tani) to storm Takeshi's Castle.<ref name="complete">[https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=w8KztFy6QYwC&pg=PA922#v=onepage&q&f=false ''The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present'' detailing the premise of ''Takeshi's Castle''.] Retrieved 2nd May '22</ref> Beforehand, they must complete a number of difficult physical challenges standing between them and the Castle.<ref name="complete"/> Each challenge ultimately would eliminate a considerable proportion of the contestants, resulting in a few individuals being the only ones to challenge Takeshi and his Emerald Guards in the Show Down.<ref name="show">[https://www.keshiheads.co.uk/games/showdown2 ''Keshi Heads'' detailing the Show Down.] Retrieved 2nd May '22</ref> Often, the remaining contestants would be unsuccessful, although on rare occasions a few have defeated Takeshi by deactivating his cart.<ref name="wehaveawinnerontakeshiscastle!!!">[https://www.keshiheads.co.uk/about ''Keshi Heads'' About Section, also containing a FAQs section noting the few times there was a winner on Takeshi's Castle.] Retrieved 2nd May '22</ref><ref name="show"/>
+The premise of ''Takeshi's Castle'' is that a large number of contestants were "forced" by General Tani (Hayato Tani) to storm Takeshi's Castle.<ref name="complete">[https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=w8KztFy6QYwC&pg=PA922#v=onepage&q&f=false ''The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present'' detailing the premise of ''Takeshi's Castle''.] Retrieved 2nd May '22</ref> Beforehand, they must complete a number of difficult physical challenges standing between them and the Castle.<ref name="complete"/> Each challenge would eliminate a considerable proportion of the contestants, resulting in a few individuals being the only ones to challenge Takeshi and his Gundan in the Cart Battle.<ref name="show">[https://www.keshiheads.co.uk/games/showdown2 ''Keshi Heads'' detailing the Show Down.] Retrieved 2nd May '22</ref> Often, the remaining contestants would be unsuccessful, although on rare occasions a few have defeated Takeshi by deactivating his cart.<ref name="wehaveawinnerontakeshiscastle!!!">[https://www.keshiheads.co.uk/about ''Keshi Heads'' About Section, also containing a FAQs section noting the few times there was a winner on Takeshi's Castle.] Retrieved 2nd May '22</ref><ref name="show"/>
-Prior to the first episode, a pilot was filmed. As noted by the photos and description provided by a television magazine, Takeshi and Tani's roles were reversed, with Takeshi leading the contestants into storming the Castle, controlled by Tani.<ref name="magazine1">[https://bkeshiheads.runboard.com/t3173,offset=20 Magazine detailing the pilot and providing photos of it (links to magazine scans can be found on the linked ''Keshi Heads'' post).] Retrieved 2nd May '22</ref><ref name="magazine2">[https://bkeshiheads.runboard.com/t3173,offset=40 Magazine detailing the pilot and providing photos of it (links to magazine scans can be found on the linked ''Keshi Heads'' post).] Retrieved 2nd May '22</ref> The narrative according to the magazine stated Tani and Shingo Yanagisawa launched a rebellion against Takeshi, the former taking over his Castle in the process.<ref name="magtranslate">[https://bkeshiheads.runboard.com/t3173,offset=30 The first two pages of the magazine translated into English (courtesy of ''Keshi Heads'' user DuffDan, links in the post).] Retrieved 2nd May '22</ref> Takeshi therefore used the help of subordinate Saburo Ishikura and the public in an attempt to retake the Castle.<ref name="magtranslate"/> It also provided Takeshi's motivation for creating the show, stating he wanted to promote games out in the fields, and being against the growing usage of the Famicom.<ref name="magtranslate"/> This perhaps humorously explains why Takeshi came up with [[Takeshi's Challenge (lost prototype of Famicom action-adventure game; 1986)|Takeshi's Challenge]].<ref name="magtranslate"/>
+Prior to the first episode, a pilot was filmed. As noted by the photos and description provided by a television magazine, Takeshi and Tani's roles were reversed, with Takeshi leading the contestants into storming the Castle, controlled by Tani.<ref name="magazine1">[https://bkeshiheads.runboard.com/t3173,offset=20 Magazine detailing the pilot and providing photos of it (links to magazine scans can be found on the linked ''Keshi Heads'' post).] Retrieved 2nd May '22</ref><ref name="magazine2">[https://bkeshiheads.runboard.com/t3173,offset=40 Magazine detailing the pilot and providing photos of it (links to magazine scans can be found on the linked ''Keshi Heads'' post).] Retrieved 2nd May '22</ref> The narrative according to the magazine stated Tani and Shingo Yanagisawa launched a rebellion against Takeshi, the former taking over his Castle in the process.<ref name="magtranslate">[https://bkeshiheads.runboard.com/t3173,offset=30 The first two pages of the magazine translated into English (courtesy of ''Keshi Heads'' user DuffDan, links in the post).] Retrieved 2nd May '22</ref> Takeshi therefore used the help of subordinate Saburo Ishikura and the public in an attempt to retake the Castle.<ref name="magtranslate"/> It also provided Takeshi's motivation for creating the show, stating he wanted to promote games out in the fields, and being against the growing usage of the Famicom.<ref name="magtranslate"/> This perhaps humorously explains why Takeshi came up with ''Takeshi's Challenge''.<ref name="magtranslate"/>
-Aside from Show Down, the games consisted of The Great Wall, Slipped Disks, Skipping Stones, Square Maze, Boulder Dash and Uphill Garden, Rope, and the Final Fall.<ref name="magazine1"/><ref name="magazine2"/> According to an English translation of the magazine, Slipped Disks and Final Fall had contestants be eliminated if they were "covered in paint".<ref name="magtranslate2">[https://bkeshiheads.runboard.com/t3173,offset=40 The final three pages of the magazine translated into English (courtesy of ''Keshi Heads'' user DuffDan, links in the post).] Retrieved 2nd May '22</ref> The photos also indicate that the original version of Skipping Stones would be played by at least two contestants, while Square Maze would have a contestant guide another through it in a similar fashion to special episodes involving families, Takeshi also providing assistance via a monitor.<ref name="magazine1"/><ref name="magazine2"/><ref name="magtranslate2"/> Additionally, a game referred to as "Sprinkler Mine Zone" was also included, which never appeared beyond the pilot.<ref name="pilot">[https://bkeshiheads.runboard.com/t3173,offset=0 ''Keshi Heads'' discussing the pilot.] Retrieved 2nd May '22</ref> The magazine states that 80 people participated in the pilot.<ref name="magazine1"/><ref name="magazine2"/>
+Aside from Cart Battle, the games consisted of The Scaling Wall, The First Fortress, Dragon God's Pond, Devil's Domain, Second Fortress, The Gibraltar Strait, and the Man-Eating Holes.<ref name="magazine1"/><ref name="magazine2"/> According to an English translation of the magazine, The First Fortress and The Man-Eating Holes had contestants be eliminated if they were "covered in paint".<ref name="magtranslate2">[https://bkeshiheads.runboard.com/t3173,offset=40 The final three pages of the magazine translated into English (courtesy of ''Keshi Heads'' user DuffDan, links in the post).] Retrieved 2nd May '22</ref> The photos also indicate that the original version of Dragon God's Pond would be played by at least two contestants.<ref name="magazine1"/><ref name="magazine2"/><ref name="magtranslate2"/> Similarly, Devil's Domain would have a contestant guide another through it, comparable to special episodes involving families, Takeshi also providing assistance via a monitor.<ref name="magazine1"/><ref name="magazine2"/><ref name="magtranslate2"/> Additionally, a game referred to as "Sprinkler Mine Zone" was also included, which never appeared beyond the pilot.<ref name="pilot">[https://bkeshiheads.runboard.com/t3173,offset=0 ''Keshi Heads'' discussing the pilot.] Retrieved 2nd May '22</ref> The magazine states that 80 people participated in the pilot.<ref name="magazine1"/><ref name="magazine2"/>
 ==Availability==
-Ultimately, the pilot never aired internationally, although the magazine stated it was aired in Japan sometime in 1986.<ref name="pilot"/> However, the pilot has yet to resurface.<ref name="pilot"/> At least three and a half seconds of footage from Slipped Disks may have been included in a trailer promoting the pilot, although this trailer also remains missing. Nevertheless, several photos, including from magazines,<ref name="magazine1"/><ref name="magazine2"/> can be viewed online.
+Ultimately, the pilot never aired internationally, although the magazine stated it was aired in Japan sometime in 1986.<ref name="pilot"/> At least three and a half seconds of footage from First Fortress was included in a trailer promoting the first episode. However, the pilot has yet to fully resurface.<ref name="pilot"/> Nevertheless, several photos, including from magazines,<ref name="magazine1"/><ref name="magazine2"/> can be viewed online.
 ==Gallery==
 ===Images===
 <gallery mode=packed heights=200px>
-Takeshiscastlepilot2.jpg|The Great Wall.
+Takeshiscastlepilot2.jpg|Scaling Wall.
-Takeshiscastlepilot3.jpg|Slipped Disks.
+Takeshiscastlepilot3.jpg|First Fortress.
-Takeshiscastlepilot4.jpg|Skipping Stones.
+Takeshiscastlepilot4.jpg|Dragon God's Pond.
-Takeshiscastlepilot5.jpg|Square Maze.
+Takeshiscastlepilot5.jpg|Devil's Domain.
-Takeshiscastlepilot6.jpg|Boulder Dash/Uphill Garden.
+Takeshiscastlepilot6.jpg|Second Fortress.
-Takeshiscastlepilot7.jpg|Rope.
+Takeshiscastlepilot7.jpg|Gibralter Strait.
 Takeshiscastlepilot8.jpg|Final Fall.
-Takeshiscastlepilot9.jpg|Show Down.
+Takeshiscastlepilot9.jpg|Castle Battle.
-Takeshiscastlepilot10.jpg|Tani and his Guards
+Takeshiscastlepilot10.jpg|Takeshi and his Guards.
-Takeshiscastlepilot11.jpg|Black and white photo of Tani and his Guards.
+Takeshiscastlepilot11.jpg|Black and white photo of Takeshi and his Guards.
 Takeshiscastlepilot12.jpg|Magazine scan.
 Takeshiscastlepilot13.jpg|Another magazine scan.
@@ Line 35: / Line 35: @@
 ==See Also==
-*[[Takeshi's Challenge (lost prototype of Famicom action-adventure game; 1986)]]
+*[[Takeshi's Castle (partially lost original TBS episodes of Japanese game show; 1986-1990)]]
+*[[Takeshi's Castle: Extra Edition (partially found TBS spin-off of Japanese game show; 1987-1988)]]
 ==External Links==
-*[https://keshiheads.fandom.com/wiki/Pilot_Episode ''Takeshi's Castle Wiki'''s article on the pilot.]
+*[https://drive.google.com/file/d/150N1SzQHJVzwHLIrideRw7s0OMvXFsJz/view The original trailer for Episode 1 featuring 3 and a half seconds of ''First Fortress'' from the pilot].
+*[https://takeshi.fandom.com/wiki/Pilot_Episode ''Keshipedia'''s article on the pilot.]
 *[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0375466/ IMDB page for ''Takeshi's Castle''.]