User reviews

You simply cannot miss this gem of a show!

It's raw, gritty and a personal story that'll keep you glued to your screen. While it would've been amazing to see the 'foreigner's perspective', I'm hopeful that Netflix will greenlight seasons 2 and 3, so we can delve into more personal stories from both the US and Mongolia's perspective at the Yokozuna level. Yes even as foreigners they get the girls!

It's not just an entertaining watch, but hope future series will also sheds light on the business side of Sumo. How normal fans watch and how social media, along with the newer generation of fans, may threaten the future of this sport.

No spoilers here, but trust me, it's a fantastic study of the human condition, the hero's journey, and character arc that we usually find in great films and series, with a touch of comedy thrown in for good measure. In short, I highly recommend it!

First of all, I had no clue about Sumo as such... Secondly, if any episode can motivate as Rocky did, it it the seventh... What a feeling... For those, who do not know, Sumo originated in Japan, the only country where it is practiced professionally and where it is considered the national sport. It is considered a gendai budo, which refers to modern Japanese martial arts. Many ancient traditions have been preserved in sumo, and even today the sport includes many ritual elements, such as the use of salt purification, from Shinto.

The series has some slower pace and displays the lives of wrestler, highly regimented, with rules regulated by the Japan Sumo Association. As the series portrays well, most sumo wrestlers are required to live in communal sumo training stables, known in Japanese as heya, where all aspects of their daily lives-from meals to their manner of dress-are dictated by strict tradition. Eugene Ko is just great, believe he had to do much to even come to form and create a body of a Sumo... Shota Sometani, Two face (do not know his name in cast) and others are cast very well! Loved to see Koyuki from the Last Samurai everybody loved... Ladies and Gentleman, you do not have to be a Sumo fan or addict to love this. Try it and see by yourself. It is worth... The camera and fighting shots are never seen before and awesome :)

Who knew there were k.o's in sumo?

Who knew how prestigious sumo is in Japanese culture?

And who knew that a Sumo Sports Drama would be so good?

This drama has everything. Comedy, harsh reality, twisted truths, nail biting suspense. Everything.

I'm so invested in this story. Heck, even the characters in the story that just got into sumo are surprised how much there are into sumo.

What makes sumo so entertaining? Each bout is less than 30 seconds. As an MMA, boxing, wrestling fan, this is insane. No wonder the japanese watch it and gamble on it. It's complete tension and release in seconds!

Overall, the sport itself is great you'll love it. And you will definitely want to watch sumo live after this. It's so brutal. The knockouts, ringouts, tosses, strikes. Everything.

So, I shall start by saying I am biased towards traditional Japanese ideology and stylistic film/TV making. I grew up watching Samurai and martial arts movies (in the early 90's) and have since have been fascinated by the bredth and depth of Asian culture and philosophy. That said, I knew practically nothing about Sumo other than its existence and basic premise. It interested me still, but with little to no access I paid no attention.

Then this series landed yesterday and I finished it a day later. I am practically slapping my own chest like the ugly gorrilla at the cliffhanger in pure anticipation for the next series to land. I write this review because I feel the need to share that I have not been this entertained on so many levels in such a long time. I even watched the intro on every episode. Perhaps I am just starved from watching too much of the garbage that has been produced or I harbour a strange fascination for Sumo that I never got the chance (until now) to experience.

This series is a high quality production but not for the feint of heart. There are several story arches at work at the same time throughout, but to me they really added a level of depth to the characters and provided nothing but insight and empathy towards them. The last episode finally drew me to tears within the first 10 minutes to share that ceremony with the cast. I rated every performance and felt well fed by the writing at all times, despite parts being very hard to relate to personally (I am White, Male, British) there were characters within that felt like my neighbours. People I have known my whole life. Troubled and damaged young men, strong.oppressed women, sporting industries struggling with tradition and modernisation and this series really braught that all to life and put me in the ring with it.

TLDR: If you don't like any of the Rocky films, reading subtitles or seeing body fat then skip this. If you want easy to follow narratives about the same old basic drama, skip this. If you like some traditional Japanese style with some modern and whacky moments, than go all in on this series. I'm off to ytube some real sumo showdowns now just to see if it slaps me as hard as this series did.

I couldn't believe how fast this show crabbed my attention. It kept me guessing and questioning my thoughts on the different characters. I binge watched it with english dub. Now I'll watch it in its original language to get a much better feel for the show. .. .. I've been pulled in so fast, I can't wait to see what I missed first time around! I don't know why I enjoy foreign shows so much, especially japanese. I always watch first in englush to make sure I understand dully what I am watching- then in its original lingo so I get a better feel for what they are really saying from an emotional point.

GREAT SHOW! I hope I don't have to wait to long for the next season, omg, talk about leaving off in a cliff hanger!!

A masterpiece show about passion hardwork and will power . I didnt expect the show to be this raw and it didnt give a damm about my expectation. Its funny its raw its shameless and its powerful. Its an unadultrated show about sumo , sportmanship brotherhood and growing up . I absoultly love this show . The acting was top notch the cast was perfect the direction the screen play all was great . There have been other japanese shows like alice in borderland which was ok but this looks real the guy that ploay the lead just looked real in the part. If you are a fan of shows like hajime no ippo and other show like that this show is for you .

For those who can get past the violent, bloody, grimy scenes it's possible to forgive the sporting drama cliche of poorer/ outsider vs the establishment. It's possible to forgive the fact that many of the characters come across as unlikeable. It's also possible to forget you'll spend a good part of the show watching large, dirty, sweaty, sometimes bloody men slapping and throwing each other around.

The reason for this is that the show never forgets the basis that it is character driven. The characters have motivations (even simple ones for secondary characters) and the plot is driven around how they react to these. Many go on some form a journey and are changed by events.

This is ultimately what makes the show a compelling watch for me, though I suspect many people will not get past some of that.

I'm a huge fan of sumo and was thrilled to hear about a sumo-themed series (and Japanese-made too!). That said, I almost quit not long into the first episode because they chose to start it off with a series of gross-out farcical scenes (which I know some people love, but for me, they're a huge turn-off). But I kept watching and I'm very glad I did. There is some really good human drama underneath the over-the-top bits and that is the element that gets stronger as the episodes progress. It's also realistic enough to keep a sumo fan satisfied - of course you notice a few things that are off, many bouts are ovedramatized (which has to be forgiven in a film) and the behaviour of some characters (the main character especially but also some of the stablemasters) would never be tolerated in real life, but that aside it's stil a wonderful immersion into the sumo world. The gruelling training, the personal rivalries, the battle with injuries, the highly emotional retirement ceremony, etc. If you're not a sumo fan but like sports dramas in general, you will probably enjoy this one (and I highly reccommend getting into actual sumo - a dramatic sport if there ever was one!) Anyway, this series made me realize how much I would love a straight-up sumo drama, without any of the farcical, over-the-top elements, and I hope they make one someday - but until then, this is actually a pretty good watch. I'm looking forward to the next season.

A Rollercoaster of emotions... Impeccably done.. You will end up loving, respecting and understanding what Sumo is all about.

Made with the right amount of emotion, passion, laughter, cunningness and action where you'll end up being watching it in one night.

This sport contains much more than it appears to have. You can feel the historical value and importance of its deep rooted meaning in the culture of the japanese people

Honour respect devotion passion... This series has them all. Actors were excellent and the flow of events went smoothly and every episode went exactly where it was supposed to be. Simply put you'll end up cheering for the sport, the hero, as if it was a real time live event.. 9/10.

I did not know what to expect when I heard about Sanctuary. But after the first episode I was hooked. Enno plays a young "cowboy" making a mess in the traditional sumo Wrestling like an elephant in a porselain closet.

Acting is good. The elderly people who play villains are cringe worthy to watch. They are just bad and act without depth or emotions. In the Western society people talk more about emotions or they would not let an elderly treat them with disrespect, only because they are older. Eastern customs are so different, sometimes in a good way like Enno discovered, but sometimes the Eastern customs are different not for the better.

The episodes were ok to watch. From time to time exciting, but most of the time what we have seen before. I must support a fellow review writer, who wrote that the ending was weird. The ending, the final battle that did not take place, was a missed opportunity. We get to watch 8 episodes to get a crippled finally, what's up with that?

Overall I give this series a 7. People who rate it a 10 and dislike reviews which are lower, are as bad losers like the sumo wrestler who wrote bad postings on the internet about Enno. This is not a 10, but still I would recommend to watch it.

What a captivating show! The storyline is so well-crafted and the videography is simply stunning. I find myself on the edge of my seat, eagerly anticipating how the plot will develop in future episodes. One of the most refreshing things about this show is the absence of a clear-cut villain. Instead, the focus is on the complex and nuanced relationships between the characters, and how they navigate the challenges and conflicts that arise. I'm excited to see how the characters continue to grow and evolve as the story unfolds.

Overall, I cannot recommend this show enough. It is a true masterpiece of television, with an expertly crafted storyline, stunning visuals, and a cast of characters that will leave you wanting more.

I expect this series to be a big gateway for mainstream media and western viewers to gain a greater picture and respect for the art of sumo (as it did me!)

Aside from being a great representative of Sumo, its also a pretty damn good drama too! Aside from a few moments of overacting and cringeworthy gross-out humour, the series takes itself relatively seriously and has some good twists throughout.

Hilariously enough the choreography is also highly realistic and pretty great! The dub suffers from Squidgame-itus, so I'd recommend the sub.

This series was a pleasant surprise and I'd highly recommend it. Both as an entry point for those curious about Sumo, and already existing fans!

Sumo is what draws people into this show but they ruin it with overly dramatic whining!! Seriously, I could see this show being so much better but from what I saw it's an embarrassment to the sport and culture. As far as the story you're waiting and waiting and waiting for the guy to finally come out on top but the same repetitive silly things keep happening! It's overboard and overblown to the point of being predictable and hopeless. I honestly don't know how I finished it, the ONLY thing that kept me going was the sumo itself. I'm actually kinda shocked it got such good ratings. I would love to see another show about the sport though, it made me jump on YouTube and watch some videos.

This was such an incredible show! Everybody in the show acted their roles to perfection and it has so many moments that elicit various emotions. It has dramatic elements, sad scenes, happy joyous scenes, comedy, action, horror, thrills, etc! Enno has this boyish charm about him, and he is just such an oaf! You can learn pretty much anything you want to know about sumo by watching this show, and it will keep you coming back for more. It's one of the First shows that has really intrigued me on Netflix in a long time. The other 'Beef' show I recently watched that did the same was beef. Asians really know how to make art that will stand the test of time! Shizuchi was a terrifying character at first! If I ever saw that dude walking down the street I would run the other direction. Please watch this show, I promise you you will enjoy it very much.

The way the character and story elements were handled are borrowed heavily from Japanese manga and anime tropes, in that many of the premises and representations are larger than life and exaggerated. That can be good or bad depending on the viewer, and their familiarity with those storytelling devices and characterizations. In my opinion, it worked really well with Sanctuary in most instances to dramatize the story and embellish upon plot and character elements. This unique version of the anti-hero to hero origin story and progression hasn't been told in context of sumo before, and you'll be rooting for specific characters and empathizing with them as the season unfolds.

I watched this on a whim since it appeared on netflix home page and i've allways like japan and its culture.

The audio dubbing is annoying, the characters can be two dimensional, storylines can be transparent and stereotypical. Yet it somehow works. The vivid images, the cinematography, the juxtaposition between violence and tranquility enchants. I loved it.

The series looks on track for a 2nd season, hopefully it will follow more of the other sumo characters we're introduced to. The focus is on the hero, however the back stories of the secondary characters is often more interesting. I would try watching in original Japanese with English subtitles.

I must say that after long time I have seen something good on Netflix. The series is a complete blend of emotions, togetherness, passion for sport, politics, exploiters and what not.

This is the first time I have stumbled upon something related to Sumo wrestling and I am completely blown out by the dedication people have for Sumo.

It takes a complete group to create a champion but you must have faith and consistency in the process.

The retirement ceremony was so emotional and touching. Truly speaking, I was not expecting such good storyline and acting by I was wrong. Each and every character was just amazing but Enno is the best.. a must watch for everyone.

I've been to Tokyo and have seen sumo wrestling twice. Of course the show is dramatized and it's showing us an angle from someone that doesn't want to follow nor is interested in the etiquette that comes with sumo wrestling, thus giving people unfamiliar with the sport and culture more insight.

I loved the acting and the fights looked very real, like I've witnessed in Japan. There were some moments I could say: "Hey I've seen that!" which is always fun, but I love how I'm now able to see what happens in the training camps and close to the ring. The first season covers the start of a career in sumo, with some emotionally heavy themes. This show needs a second season, I'm hooked.

Fantastic series, it forced me outside my cultural comfort, only to discover values and virtues I can relate to. Great and compelling view and experience.

Boo for Netflix to leave me hanging out to dry. Hopefully greenlight for season 2 on a very short notice.

Start of the season 1 felt difficult, but Santuary needed to onboard the audience in this unique world of Sumo. The are layers and a lot of potential in the series, which can be further explored and I'm particularly interested in how japanese culture and Sumo shed light on their very closed environment. The mix of culture, sports and hoe experience grows...Simply unique.

I guess there are many Japanese features speaking of Sumo wrestling, but I also guess that those films barely emerge in the Western world. So this series is the perfect opportunity to discover the whereabouts of this pure Japanese sport, so close to Rising Sun Empire culture and tradition. The awesome reflection of the genuine Japanese spirit, as we see in Japanese movies in general, dramas, Yakuza, Samourai.... But here it also shows the behind the scene elements of the Sumo wrestling. The human relationships are so well described, analyzed, pulled by a powerful acting. It is moving, gripping, even if you are at first not that interested in this sport. I am not particularely but still jaw dropped by this exciting series. The peculiarity of this series is that the main character - or may I say one of the lead characters - is an arrogant, ruthless, nasty, odious.... No clichés here, at least from our Western Europe point of view.

The first Japanese sports-themed Sumo series is interesting in its own right, with unique content. However, the story itself doesn't make it feel significantly different from other sports-themed series.

Overall, it is a Japanese sports drama series that aims to create a feel-good and inspirational atmosphere more than being a serious Sumo wrestling drama as perceived from the outside. There are some enjoyable parts, such as the intense training scenes with beautiful slow-motion shots and details, but it is still far from the reality of actual martial arts fighting, making it less appealing to non-Japanese audiences. However, if viewed as a fresh and unique perspective, it can still be considered okay because this is the first Sumo sports drama series ever made.

I always wanted to know more about this unique sport and I am glad I watched this series. It provides you in depth knowledge of Sumo wrestling and Sumo wrestlers in a beautiful and entertaining way. Japan is full of culture and discipline and yet again they provided world wide audience a great experience by making this incredibly well crafted series which has everything in it like action, humour, mystery and emotion.

Being a fan of Japanese cinema, this show did not disappoint me in any way and I enjoyed each episode very much. Kudos to the director and all the cast and supporting staff.

I rate 10 stars for the show.

I don't watch any Japanese series. I've watched a few anime though and I tend to hate most, as they use the same tropes over and over, and I find the humour doesn't really translate. And the jokes are tirelessly repetitive. That being said, I can see many anime tropes and cliches in this show. The characters so far are quite one dimensional, yet entertaining. There's the somewhat reserved protagonist, with an "enduring spirit", a big boobed bimbo, a bully I'm the school, a mysterious sumo who seems very dangerous. At one stage they even call him monster, as they would a powerful enemy, often in anime. All Thai being said, despite my general dislike of most anime, I find this show easy enough to watch and I think because the characters are actually acted by actual people, the tropes are a little more believable. Nothing fantastic, but reasonabley original for Western audiences.