For all its centrality to Japanese culture, sumo wrestling doesn¡¯t lend itself to screen adaptations. There¡¯s an obvious physical requirement that precludes most actors from participating, at least without the aid of fat suits or a diet that would put Robert De Niro¡¯s ¡°Raging Bull¡± weight-gain regime to shame.
You could count on two chubby hands the number of Japanese movies that have been made about sumo, but now a couple of TV series have come along at once. ¡°Sumo Do, Sumo Don¡¯t,¡± released on Disney+ last autumn, played things safe with a reboot of Masayuki Suo¡¯s 1992 comedy about amateur college wrestlers.
Now there¡¯s ¡°Sanctuary¡± on Netflix, which takes on the more ambitious task of depicting the sport at a professional level. Directed by Kan Eguchi (¡°The Fable¡±) and written by Tomoki Kanazawa (¡°Sabakan¡±), it boasts the superior production values you¡¯d expect from the streamer¡¯s Japanese originals, though it also shares some of the same shortcomings.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.