12 replies to this topic

[Ditch]

So the January 2011 Futen show has finally become available. The reviews are quite favorable, and a large number of us greatly enjoyed their 2010 product.

However, because Futen is hard to get out of Japan, standard distribution of shows (ie. for free online/cheap DVDs) just means those who get the shows end up paying a bunch of money and getting little of it back. Right now it can be obtained online for a reasonable price, but the odds that everyone pays the money AND watches the show in time for the vote as scheduled seems small.

Some people have watched the show and are prepared to put it on their year-end ballots, but if only a few people see the show then it's doubtful any of the matches would do well in the final tally.

I see three options.

In the first, we just let the chips fall where they may, and trust that if the Futen matches are "all that" as the kids say, they'll get the hype they deserve.

In the second, we delay the vote a few more weeks in the hopes of getting more eyeballs on the show. PREFERABLY EYEBALLS PAYING FOR IT. With eyeball money.

In the third, Futen matches aren't eligible for the 2011 vote, but we'll figure something out down the line.

Or maybe someone has a better idea. Me, I'm tired and stressed.

[fxnj]

I like delay the deadline and make it legable choice because 1. It wouldn't really be best of 2011 if we're ignoring something great that's out there and 2. I'm kind of busy right now and the current deadline doesn't give me much time to rewatch stuff.

[jumbojustice]

Regardless of whether the January show is available or not, won't there still be a problem once Futen shows from later in 2011 come out? That being the case, maybe it's just better to leave it out, and deal with the whole issue later on?

Anyway, I don't have strong feelings one way or the other, so I'm voting "guh?" and will gladly follow the will of the majority. If Futen is included, I think an extra week or two would be enough for people to check it out, no? And if it's included, I'd be happy to give my hard earned eyeball money to see it. Who do I talk to about this?

[ダニエル]

Jumbojustice, PM sent!

I prefer #1 or #2 and voted #2 since it seems that I'm one of only a few folks who have seen everything they want to see.

It's a fair point about the rest of Fu-ten, but at this stage there is no guarantee that it will be online at all - let alone in the next few months. Futen have been really slow in releasing their DVDs and they appear to be uploading them to a Japan-only streaming service instead of DVDs which further complicates things.

[Crew]

The deadline has already been pushed to the 23rd, so why doesn't someone post the link to where we would pay to watch it, and then it's up to us to decide whether or not to do that?

[KillSteve]

Realistically I'm not going to be able to sit down and watch the Futen until after the 24th, so if the extention would be beyond that, I'd be fine with that. Either way, I don't see any reason it wouldn't be eligible even if only 1 or 2 people watch it in time for the deadline.

[ダニエル]

Now that everyone thinks I'm a scammer (and a woman - the horror!) the Futen had better be eligible Ditch! *shakes fist*

[Crew]

Yeah was that stuff in your post sarcasm or are you secretly Ishikawa using an elaborate front to squeeze every last dollar out of the smarks?

[Ditch]

It's definitely eligible.

[A.M.B.]

I really don't understand the fuss about postponing things for a company that barely runs or draws, has no TV or relevance in the puroresu scene besides a niche of a niche audience of hardcores, and barely anyone on here is even willing to pay a mere 3$ for this apparently amazing wrestling. It's good wrestling, I just don't think it warrants the hype it gets, and I thought some of the ballots last year were a little ridiculous, when there were guys who didn't participate in almost any of the yes/no threads, or keep up with other happenings in Japan, and they'd turn in an almost all Futen/shoot style ballot. It seems a little extreme.

I think these year end votes are typically very fair and balanced, and I know there's a lot of puro newbs who use them to help give them some recommendations on where to start, but when things get super Futen heavy like the 2011 ballot I think it gets a little ridiculous and skewed. Most average fans only care about the companies that have TV, roster depth and title scenes.

Of course, if you think they really do have some of the best wrestling in the world, go ahead and vote for their matches, that's perfectly fine. I just think people should watch every company, find a few matches that had good yes/no ratios from each company, and balance things out. And if you're watching all those top contenders from NOAH, AJPW, BJW, DDT, and still voting 75% shoot style, you should probably be on a Futentopia board, not Purotopia. I'm still debating on whether I should turn in a ballot, because I've done this, seen most of the great stuff from all companies, but would probably still have about 60% BJW on my ballot, which seems skewed, since it's the only promotion I actively follow.

And by the time we extend the deadline and watch January Futen, what if the Feb/March footage is out. And by that logic, we should extend the deadline even more if it does.

[Ditch]

I extended the deadline to the 23rd regardless of Futen.

And I think 2010 Futen was by far the best promotion on a match-by-match basis in the last decade; it deserves some deference. This is about finding the best matches, not just rating the big leagues.

The deadline extension at this point would be another week, tops. And said extension might have happened.

Part of the reason for this thread was to draw attention to the show for those who really enjoyed it in '10.

[ダニエル]

If there are even 3 or 4 ballots including Fu-ten matches that don't come secondhand via puroresu.tv members I'd be very (pleasantly) surprised, so you don't have to worry about the PuroTopia list being inundated with Fu-ten matches. There are only two nominations (plus another one if Milkman7 drops his list to Ditch) anyway. There are faaar more from other companies.

I get that not everyone's going to like Fu-ten, but not everyone likes the AJPW vs Big Japan March tag match (I don't). You don't see me jumping up and down complaining about PuroTopia being AJPWBJPWtopia. There's a culture here that has taste for anything from Dragon Gate through to BattlARTS and all the variation within that. Fu-ten is part of that, as is everything else.

I participate in the Yes/No threads. I watch a shitload of Japanese wrestling. I like Fu-ten. I think Suruga/Nagai was the second best match of the year and I think it also has broad appeal. The 'big leagues' fans that have seen it so far have loved it. Matt had it as his #3 match and I don't think he can be accused of not following or liking big league Japanese wrestling. The idea that the only people that like Fu-ten are anti-mainstream-puroresu or whatever is just not fair/accurate.

[JacquesRougeau]

My MEGA PURO DVD BOMB will feature a new FUTEN show!