Benevolance

I'm hesitant to post this, because I don't want to jinx anything, but... I was having success watching AbemaTV in between bashos using the 'obfuscated server' option with NordVPN. I haven't tried it yet watching sumo, but I cannot imagine the results would be different based on program. Edit to add: It does indeed still work. You can find the toggle under the advanced settings. I watch with an incognito browser, as well, though I don't know enough about computers to know if that part is necessary.

But those guys are rolling in dough! Okay, they're making dough? Fine, they're making mochi. For free.

His pirouettes on the edge of the ring were always a thing of beauty.

Asanoyama wasn't seasoned enough to avoid putting his arm out to brace while Kakuryu went into that dive with both hands on his opponent's belt, trusting in shinto spirits and his little acorn bob to prevent severe trauma. Asanoyama was the aggressor up to that point. But in the final moments, it was clearly Kakuryu in control.

I'm genuinely surprised that Aoiyama is facing Hakuho.

If someone had told me at the start of the basho that Aioyama and Hakuho would be tied on day 12, I would have assumed they meant that Hakuho would have withdrawn from the tournament around day 6.

On a day of mediocre sumo, the mono-ii is often the highlight of the sumo party as my friends and I all take turns providing the over-dubbed dialogue. A close second is "Towel Watch", whereupon we opine sagaciously on the order in which a rikishi chooses to wipe themselves with their towel.

Mitakeumi does look like he's well on his way to his 7 wins.

Nope. Only immediate kyujo for both of them will suffice. And Hakuho has to give me a car, too.

When a yokozuna is performing no better than Aoiyama, it's clearly time for them to retire.

Ugh. Next you'll tell us the cafeteria won't be serving chanko.

I think the piece of information that flabbergasted me the most was: They have an orchestra there?!?!

!!

I really want to see a CGI crowd made entirely of Gold Hat guys.

Does anyone know a good VPN for attending physical venues?

Y Takakeisho O Asanoyama Mitakeumi level of ambition has convinced me that he can fill the void left by Goeidou's retirement, but it will take until the second basho of 2021 for him to get the mercy promotion.

Does this only apply to rikishi? Because a few of the stables/oyakata seem to have accounts and have kept posting all along..? Edit: To clarify, yes, I read that it says stable pages are unaffected previously, but several of the accounts for stables are more like oyakata pages, so this seems like a really blurry distinction.

The biggest failing of the OBSC is that they ran out of uninjured ozekis who could scratch backs.

It's also a favorite a parties.

As the self-appointed online president of the Western Canadian chapter of the Goeidou fan club, I have prepared the following statement: "This sucks." Thank you. The club is hereby formally disbanded.

Oh yes, I am definitely tongue-in-cheek here. It was a not-entirely-obvious reference to a negative post about the yokozuna performances about 15 pages back, to which I'd responded. I mean, this thread is only 45 pages long and I know everyone only checks the forums for my witless banter, so I expect everyone to keep up! Tut tut!

I cannot see either of them retiring before the Olympics. There are only three tournaments left. If each competes in at least one of those, they can both delay retirement until the post-August festivities. And given their lackluster performances last year, they'll each both win only one of those three tournaments, like the washed-up, dried-out, incompetent has-beens they are.

That farcical pairing took home half the yusho in 2019...

Assuming Asanoyama wins tonight, he'll have 31 wins over 3 tournaments. Not good enough for promotion. But with his yusho just two tournaments before that, and with Goeidou dropping down to Sekiozeki, is there a chance of some weird flex that sees Asanoyama promoted? P.S. Assuming, of course, that Goeidou doesn't get three wins tonight.

It's like nobody trusts Goeidou to finish off Takakeisho on senshuraku...