Dwale

Man, you've gotta give it to Ikioi, you could see on his face he was giving it absolutely everything. Kisenosato able to keep the pressure on and wear him down. Good match and shows how Kise can overwhelm his opponents...more of a riptide than a crashing wave in this case.

Oh, man, what a tense basho this is. Favorite win of the day was Gagamaru. It's moments like that I cheer for. My favorite match of the day was Mitakeumi v. Takekaze.

That's specifically what I was wondering. Usually they withdraw before this point. I think he might need to, this is getting to be embarrassing.

Well, that was fun. Favorite bout of the day was, of course, Mitakeumi v. Shodai. Figured Mitakeumi was going to win, but it easily could have gone the other way. Kakuryu's gonna be forced to retire if he keeps this up, ne? Kaisei just kinda crumpling again, third time this basho if memory serves. Hmm... Chiyoshoma: Karma's a *****, huh? XP

Needs a good hypnotist.

Ok, that was nuts. Great day of sumo excepting the part where I was screaming, "What the **** are you doing?" at Kisenosato. Enjoyed Kaisei v. Chiyoshoma a lot, had a "Shadow of the Colossus" thing goin'. Kotoyuki: Congratulations, you managed to get off a henka against the one person in makuuchi whose turn radius is even worse than yours. I think maybe Kotoyuki needs to start barking again. (I didn't realize Gagamaru's knee was troubling him. Hope he's not making it worse by fighting through it. T.T ) Takakeisho v. Chiyoootori was another entertaining match. Ichinojo's been wrestling a little harder than usual past couple of days. Maybe something lit a fire under his butt? Whatever the case, I hope it's something he can sustain. Ishiura getting another win. Well, what can I say? I like have a fast little fellow to cheer, and it makes a nice contrast to all the power sumo. Not gonna be in makuuchi long if he can't figure a way to win, though. Hokutofuji having a great tournament, looks poised for double-digit finish. Mitakeumi! Yeah, Tamawashi's not a pushover, but Mitakeumi is really hot right now. Go, go, go! Terunofuji reeeeeaaally needed that win... ^.^; Congratulations to Ikioi on his kinboshi. Hakuho succumbs to another rush. He was repositioning so quickly that Takayasu had to sprint to keep up with him! But he did, and racked up a win for his efforts. Good job.

Well! Well, well, well. Favorite win of the day was Takekaze, looking cool as hell with that. There were a number of good finishes today, though. Now it's gotten interesting. I'm worried about jinxing Kise so I'm just not gonna say anything. lol Mitakeumi still going strong. Yeah! I like both rikishi there so I was going to be happy either way. Terunofuji having a bit of a late rally, again. I don't know how he does it.

Perhaps!

Tamawashi looked to have bad jitters that match, came in all wild and sloppy. Sokokurai and Chiyoo was entertaining, really enjoyed that one. I like Takayasu and I'm glad he's having a good basho but he's had luck on his side thus far, too. That does take some of the sweetness out of it.

That is certainly true.

Chiyonokuni v. Sokokurai was an entertaining match. I always get distracted by how Chiyonokuni's jawline makes him look like he should be playing a gangster in a yakuza movie. Glad that the tachi-ai between Aoiyama and Kaisei didn't result in a singularity.

I think he's got the potential for more, sure. Do I think he will? I would say the probability is high.

Alright, so we're back in familiar territory, namely Hakuho and Kisenosato leading alone. No one else in upper sanyaku is wrestling well enough to stay in it. If Hakuho is near 100% then this may well be another zensho-yusho for his collection. Favorite win of the day was Harumafuji for that weird performance art finish (I can't wait to see the still images).

Yeah, you're absolutely right about that. He doesn't fare well against that sort of thing even when healthy.

Yeah, Mitakeumi made a good showing. I like him a lot and want him to do well, but I've liked Kisenosato for way longer, so... But it was an excellent match. Kinda understated, more a smolder than an explosion. Confident, patient sumo from Kisenosato, but Mitakeumi definitely giving him a run for his money. I can't believe Osunaarashi gave up a win to the Pillsbury mascot. -.- Come on, man. >.<

Finally thought of a good nickname for Kotoshigiku: "Potatozeki." However, given his performance of late, one does wonder for much longer that would apply.

Woo, Mitakeumi's on fire. Second kinboshi for him, and presumably on his way to a strong finish. I was surprised Ura managed to salvage that match. Amazing balance there. He's like a spring. Shohozan can be forgiven for trying that blitz; it would have worked on a lesser rikishi. I think the gyoji got into the ganja. Ishiura- about dang time! Yoshikaze v Endo is my favorite bout of the day (makuuchi, anyway) even though my boy lost. Exciting stuff, definitely worth another watch or two. Things are warming up. I'm hoping for some surprises with the leader board in the days to come.

Would love to see. I mean, at this point it seems like the law of averages would hold it comes down to one match and the other guy trips or passes out or something... I tease, but yeah, always cheering for Kisenosato.

So, Kotoyuki, about your crappy henka... XP Takayasu getting a win over the ozeki, uh-oh! If he's demoralized, he's not showing it. Fun match. Knew Shodai was in trouble as soon as he put his hands down. I was like, "Don't do it, don't...aww." lol. Think Satou is gonna change his name back after this tournament? He looks so doughy. Takanoiwa...was it that hard of a slap? Kaisei just crumpled, but he seemed to have his wits about him. Kinda strange. I hope Ishiura can pull something out, he's getting served like a tennis ball in there. Takekaze getting a win and having a good basho so far. I just like to see the older guys doing well. Is he senior-most in makuuchi at the moment? Mitakeumi made a valiant effort, and you can see Hakuho was taking no chances and went all out on him. Congratulations to Shohozan on his kinboshi!

Mitakeumi has the tenacity to be an ozeki, but does he have the ability? My feeling is, "Not yet." But I would not mind at all being proven wrong on that! And I do not have a hard time picturing him at that lofty rank in the future.

Woo, Mitakeumi! This is shaping up to be a good basho for him, let's hope he can keep it going. And of course, big congrats on kinboshi #1. Looking ready for the exact opposite of a good basho is Ishiura. Good luck, man... If you have any tricks up your sleeve, it's past time to start deploying them. You know, it used to be that with Osunaarashi, if you had him on the bales, he would defend with his leg strength as he has done the past two days, but unless he was able to get the action back towards the center, that more often than not ended with his losing. The fact that he's been able to recover in this fashion I think is indicative of his maturation as a rikishi. But, you know the Osunaarashi fan mantra: "So much potential, so many injuries." Chiyonokuni gets mention for looking cool against Aoiyama, and Chiyoshoma warrants mention because of...that... Well, at least we know his knee is good. Kotoyuki...hon, listen. Your henka blows. When your handling is such that they need to put a "this vehicle makes wide right turns" sticker on your butt, and your vertical leap is in the single-digit centimeter range... Congratulations on the win. Now stop it. XP Shodai looking more like himself today, good... Tamawashi's a solid wrestler, but Kisenosato just has his number apparently. Wasn't even in there long enough to break a sweat. Felt bad for Shohozan. Kak was in an irrecoverable position, but he did step out, so... Ah, well. Still, he's not looking bad.

Well, you might be right. I watched it again to check but still wasn't entirely sure.

Osunaarashi and Yoshikaze both had great-looking wins today. I couldn't choose a favorite. Osunaarashi gave a shove after the fact and probably got an ear-full from his oyakata. Not a whole lot to say, as is usual for day one. I was thinking, "Maybe it's Shodai's turn to beat Hakuho..." lol. Someday, but sure as heck not today. Mitakeumi getting a win, though, and good on him for it.

Well, it was a hell of a ride. Not much to say beyond that. Congratulations where it's due. Ishiura had better train like his life depends on it unless he wants to spend next basho getting served like an hors d oeuvre. It has been fun, guys. See y'all next year. Peace.

Oh my god, that little hoppity-hop bit with Terunofuji and Takayasu...it looked like they were dancing! XD