Recently a TV channel here in the UK started showing an old Japanese game show called “Takeshi’s Castle”. If you are reading this it's probably because you already know what the show is about so let's not go into that; LOADS of fun to watch, thank you Challenge TV and Tokyo Broadcasting System, Inc. (for creating it).

But apart from the insanity and a few contestant’s broken ribs something else caught my eye… BOTH my eyes actually! Commanding the troupes that attacked Takeshi’s Castle was a certain GENERAL TANI. How can I put it as not to sound too crazy?? I jumped to attention! I fell off my chair!!

WHO was this hunk gorgeous handsome lovely oriental person???? Hey?  

So I have decided to find out everything I could and tell the Western World about the “General” whose real name is

HAYATO TANI

I frantically searched the Internet; ok I know the show was broadcasted 15 years ago or so but surely someone out there MUST know something!!!!!! Challenge TV did not help much; they replied to an email I sent to them by saying “If you find out who he is let us know!” NOT acceptable especially because the show is quite popular and so is the General (judging from chat rooms and message boards). And suddenly "strange" things started happening: I met a wonderful lady who is as crazy as me about TANI… and after hitting my head repeatedly on the bathroom wall I remembered I DO have a Japanese “correspondent” (thanks to another fan group I belong to)!

So the "Quest for the General" began... and it's starting to BLOSSOM!