ninja on mythbusters this week (4/25/07)

[Andy Moynihan]

I went in expecting a bad , hack job of an episode but came away pleasantly surprised

Dale as always did a damn fine job and I was glad to see they kept his segments mostly intact.

the single and only thing that irritated me was the part in the segment about water walking, where that dumbass puts on the mizugumo and jumps in the swimming pool and fails, then later goes on in a snippet about how they were not meant to be used in water deeper than rice paddies or similar....


....yet all the successive "tests" were still in the 4-5 foot deep pool.


LAAAAAAAAAAAAAAME

 

[Bigshadow]

I thought the bits with Dale were awesome! I expected his portion to be great, but I was not impressed with the rest of it actually. I had to go dig through my books and I found a pic of mizugumo being used, in Ninjutsu History and Tradition. It appears as though they work, but the mizugumo Mythbusters made didn't look like the picture of the one being used. In Ninjutsu History and Tradition, I thought I remember it being called a water seat.

Anyway, I thought the walking on water thing was lame. Although the walking on corn starch and water was pretty cool at the end.

Again, I think Dale's parts were great! The rest was ho-hum. That is my opinion.

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

I thought the bits with Dale were awesome! I expected his portion to be great, but I was not impressed with the rest of it actually. I had to go dig through my books and I found a pic of mizugumo being used, in Ninjutsu History and Tradition. It appears as though they work, but the mizugumo Mythbusters made didn't look like the picture of the one being used. In Ninjutsu History and Tradition, I thought I remember it being called a water seat.

Anyway, I thought the walking on water thing was lame. Although the walking on corn starch and water was pretty cool at the end.

Again, I think Dale's parts were great! The rest was ho-hum. That is my opinion.

That is pretty much were I fell on this episode as well. Dale did fine with his parts and I pretty much expected the rest of the episode to go as it did. Over all though it was entertaining and my wife thought it was hillarious watching him fall in the pool.

What is really funny is I remember a martial arts master Isshin Ryu doing a sword catching routine way back in the day. (by slapping his hands together just like on the show) He started out by claiming it was a real sword only to miss catching it and have it hit his shoulder. Fortunately it was not real. He did catch the next one but the person who swung it had taken some considerable speed off. It was a hillarious demonstration and looked as plausible then as it did last night. (not very plausible)

 

[Bigshadow]

That is pretty much were I fell on this episode as well. Dale did fine with his parts and I pretty much expected the rest of the episode to go as it did. Over all though it was entertaining and my wife thought it was hillarious watching him fall in the pool.

What is really funny is I remember a martial arts master Isshin Ryu doing a sword catching routine way back in the day. (by slapping his hands together just like on the show) He started out by claiming it was a real sword only to miss catching it and have it hit his shoulder. Fortunately it was not real. He did catch the next one but the person who swung it had taken some considerable speed off. It was a hillarious demonstration and looked as plausible then as it did last night. (not very plausible)

I never knew catching a sword (the way mythbusters were testing) was something associated with the Ninja. In my mind, I always associated catching the sword with what Dale did with the shuko. It just doesn't make any tactical sense to be under the blade, like they were trying to experiment with. IMO of course.

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

I never knew catching a sword (the way mythbusters were testing) was something associated with the Ninja. In my mind, I always associated catching the sword with what Dale did with the shuko. It just doesn't make any tactical sense to be under the blade, like they were trying to experiment with. IMO of course.

Well the only way it might be associated is with Hollywood's interpretation and the older Kung Fu Movies. You are absolutely right in that it makes no tactical sence at all.

 

[arnisador]

What is really funny is I remember a martial arts master Isshin Ryu doing a sword catching routine way back in the day. (by slapping his hands together just like on the show) He started out by claiming it was a real sword only to miss catching it and have it hit his shoulder. Fortunately it was not real. He did catch the next one but the person who swung it had taken some considerable speed off. It was a hillarious demonstration and looked as plausible then as it did last night. (not very plausible)

Was this the guy who also caught arrows?

 

[Bigshadow]

Was this the guy who also caught arrows?

I wonder. I was thinking when they were doing that test, they should have used Flu-flu arrows they probably would have been easier to catch under their circumstances. I thought I noticed the arrows on the video of the guy catching arrows, that the fletching was oversized and this of course induces alot drag and slows down the arrow (flu-flu).

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

Was this the guy who also caught arrows?

No it was not him. It was a badly thought out demonstration though.

 

[donald]

I thought it was pretty entertaining. Does anyone know who Dale "The Ninja" is?

1stJohn1:9

 

[Symbiote_X]

For those who wants to see it

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

I thought it was pretty entertaining. Does anyone know who Dale "The Ninja" is?

1stJohn1:9

Here is Dale's website link : http://www.bujinkansf.org/dale/

 

[saru1968]

Here is Dale's website link : http://www.bujinkansf.org/dale/

another link for the show, divided into 4 parts.

http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=hyundai1968

 

[KageMusha]

I would have to say that I was very disappointed by the episode. For one, the water shoes were not made that well and they were different than what I have seen in some books. Also, if they were to be used to go across a moat, you wouldn't "drop" in the water like he was doing. It would be level like a beach.

Catching the sword, that was an obvious outcome, but cool to watch them try. I was mostly disappointed by the catching arrows. I have seen it done with my own eyes. I dont' think they put enough effort or common sense into it. With their robot hand thing, the Bow was only about 3 feet away. With more distance, you have slightly more reaction time, and the arrow has begun to slow. Also, your hand can move "with" the arrow as you grab it. I am not saying I can do this, but it can be done with training.

As for Dale, I think you represented our art better than anyone I have seen in the media so far. Your part was awsome. I was hoping for more taijutsu to be exposed, but it guess it wasn't really what the episode was about. Cudos to you.

 

[MA-Caver]

The show was amusing at best, I think they need another show to recreate "other" myths... climbing vertical walls (no rope) and their ability to hide "in plain sight" and stuff like that. But most of the mythology was created by the movies and created by guys who specialized in FX.

enjoyable but (for me anyway) not very educational... some of the Mythbuster shows have had some educational value to them. :idunno: but that's just me

 

[Bob Hubbard]

I thought it was an ok episode, but not their best work. Too much comedy, too little science.

Nice to see Dale though, especially him tossing Adam around.

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

I thought it was an ok episode, but not their best work. Too much comedy, too little science.

Nice to see Dale though, especially him tossing Adam around.

I think we all would have enjoyed Adam being tossed some more.:rofl:

 

[Bigshadow]

I think we all would have enjoyed Adam being tossed some more.:rofl:

Oh yeah!

 

[Dale Seago]

I think it would have been nice if:

(a) They'd mentioned why they considered me a "real ninja" (e.g. the Hatsumi/Takamatsu lineage thing)

(b) There'd been more of a time-length balance on the shuko/sword bit between Kari and Joel Everett: The first run-through was with Joel and we were "doing it for real", yet they only showed a few seconds of that

(c) They'd pronounced "Bujinkan" correctly the single time the name was mentioned

But I really have no major complaints. This show is, after all, entertainment first and foremost and was never intended to be about the Bujinkan or to be much of a serious exploration of historic ninjutsu.

Predictably, though, plenty of people even among our own "community" didn't understand what they were seeing:

http://www.martialartsplanet.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1166948#post1166948

http://www.martialartsplanet.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1167109#post1167109

I recorded the show, of course, and I just replayed the stuff with Adam in slow-mo. Hmmm. I'm very relaxed, smiling, as I'm moving. Obviously I've totally lost control of the situation. . .

Regarding the shuko-vs.-sword bit with Joel, which actually was done before the part with Kari: There was no rehearsal before going on-camera, and in fact I'd never done that AT ALL before doing it with Joel. He didn't know how I was going to finish it -- and I didn't either until I was actually doing it. But I also knew he could receive what I did without getting broken.

 

[Zida'sukara]

Hey is that a link???

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

I think it would have been nice if:

(a) They'd mentioned why they considered me a "real ninja" (e.g. the Hatsumi/Takamatsu lineage thing)

(b) There'd been more of a time-length balance on the shuko/sword bit between Kari and Joel Everett: The first run-through was with Joel and we were "doing it for real", yet they only showed a few seconds of that

(c) They'd pronounced "Bujinkan" correctly the single time the name was mentioned

But I really have no major complaints. This show is, after all, entertainment first and foremost and was never intended to be about the Bujinkan or to be much of a serious exploration of historic ninjutsu.

Predictably, though, plenty of people even among our own "community" didn't understand what they were seeing:

http://www.martialartsplanet.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1166948#post1166948

http://www.martialartsplanet.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1167109#post1167109

I recorded the show, of course, and I just replayed the stuff with Adam in slow-mo. Hmmm. I'm very relaxed, smiling, as I'm moving. Obviously I've totally lost control of the situation. . .

Regarding the shuko-vs.-sword bit with Joel, which actually was done before the part with Kari: There was no rehearsal before going on-camera, and in fact I'd never done that AT ALL before doing it with Joel. He didn't know how I was going to finish it -- and I didn't either until I was actually doing it. But I also knew he could receive what I did without getting broken.

Hey Dale,

You did good and represented the Bujinkan well!

Clearly for anyone that studies this wonderful lineage your part was what we wanted to watch.

On pure entertainment in a Holloywood way mythbuster's is entertaining. My wife said the show was fun however she also enjoyed the real parts that you demonstrated as well.