Takeshi's Castle | An IBC 90s Filipino-Dubbed Japanese Game Show Retrospective

Takeshi's Castle was a syndicated game show originally from Japan which was Tagalized (dubbed in Filipino) hosted by Anjo Yllana as Takeshi and Smokey Manoloto as "Iwakura" providing the commentary with a gravelly Japanese accent. Takeshi's Castle or Showdown! Takeshi Castle originally Japanese game show that aired between 1986 and 1989 on the Tokyo Broadcasting System which featured Japanese actor Takeshi Kitano a.k.a. Beat Takeshi as a count who owns a castle and sets up difficult challenges for players to get to him. Let's check out this comic and phenomenal game show that took the world by storm. Let us go down memory lane with Takeshi Castle Philippines.

Takeshi's Castle - The Show
About Takeshi's Castlet

Takeshi's Castle is a comic game show which involved between 100 and 142 contestants whom General Tani "forced" into a series of batch physical challenges, eliminating many who fail to meet its requirements. Each show finished with a "Final Showdown" where Count Takeshi will face the remaining contestants. In early episodes the finalists (contestants) would storm the castle itself and engage in a short-range water gun assault. Later episodes introduced carts with paper rings, and eventually lasers and light-sensitive targets. If the contestant's gun penetrated the paper ring or hit the sensor on Takeshi's cart, against such weapons as a large water gun and a laser-armed plane, Takeshi's cart was deactivated, the castle was "taken" and the game "won". The player who stopped Takeshi won one million yen which at the time, amounted roughly to 8,000 US dollars. However, because of the seemingly unbeatable challenges issued by the show, there were only a handful of nine winners during the show's run.
The series featured extensive landscaping of a fixed campus at TBS-owned Midoriyama The final regular episode aired on April 14, 1989 followed by several one off specials.

In the Philippines, Takeshi's Castle was first shown on the Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation TV network in October 1990 as a Tagalog-dubbed show. Later episodes contained interludes shot on a studio with actors Anjo Yllana as Takeshi and Smokey Manoloto as "Iwakura" providing the commentary with a gravelly Japanese accent, which was later dropped in favor of their natural voices. The Filipino production crew also developed on the relationship of the commentators, with Iwakura often trying to trick Takeshi on several occasions. The show was later re-run with with new commentators like in Takeshi's Castle 2006 QTV rerun featuring new characters giving commentary. QTV's Takeshi's Castle included fictional characters like Shogun Shintaro "Taru" Gokoyami (Joey de Leon) who is Takeshi's right hand man and sumo wrestler Kakawate Takehome (Ryan Yllana - brother of the original Filipino version of Takeshi's Castle, Anjo Yllana), the leader of the Takeshi Gundan.

Best of Takeshi's Castle
Takeshi's Castle Gameplay Series

As a kid growing up in the 90s I can still remember how the whole family was entertained by the localized version of Takeshi's Castle. Thanks to the power of the internet we can repeatedly go down memory lane and re-watch segments of the popular classic game show. Almost every challenges are hilarious in their own right. Avalanche throws the contestants in a big challenging climb where they should evade incoming boulders through a number of "crevices" or cracks on the side of this foamy slope. There was also the Devil's Maze which was also known with a few names (internationally) like the Square Maze or Honeycomb Maze where the participants need to pick the right door and to stay up their feet to evade the demons out to oust them from play. There is also the Bridge Ball which requires great balance and wits to overcome. Evade the rubber canon balls blasted at you while you make your way on a narrow wooden bridge. Then there is the very nauseous Flying Mushroom. The Final Fall before the Final Showdown is a game of chances to pick three right holes leading to the final showdown challenge with the risk of entering the wrong hole leading to a disqualification from the game. Then there's the Final Showdown.

I've always wondered if how did the show managed complaints from its participants or to whether they got sued or something for various physical injuries the participants received from the show, but I guess it was part of the contract the participants signed if there were any. Takeshi's Castle is still up to this day one of the best and hilarious game show where shows like Wipe Out draw inspirations from. How about you guys, what's your most memorable challenge or skit from the Philippine Takeshi's Castle? Share your thoughts about Takeshi's Castle in the comments section below: