
Rakuten TV is now streaming The Giants, a new documentary from NEO Studios telling the story of four Hawaiian sumo-wrestlers – Konishiki, Musashimaru, Takamiyama and Akebono – who travelled to Japan as outsiders and became icons of the country’s national sport.
NEO Studios’ crew filmed in Hawaii and Japan, delving deep into one of the world’s oldest and least understood sports through a combination of in-depth interviews, behind the scenes filming and access to previously unseen archive footage.
The three-part series is available to stream for free exclusively on Rakuten TV in 43 European markets.
Anouk Mertens, NEO Studios MD & The Giants’ Executive Producer, said: “In close partnership with Rakuten TV and our US team we have been working to do justice to the amazing story of The Giants. We think the result is a special one and we’re excited to share it with Rakuten’s audience.”
Teresa López, EU Content Director at Rakuten TV, said: “The Giants is a valuable new addition to our catalogue.
“It takes us behind the scenes of an ancient but little understood sport and gives us an insight into the lives of four sumo legends; their successes, struggles and daily sacrifices. This is the kind of empowering story that defines our Rakuten Stories channel.”