What people are saying is that there is no definite way of doing anything. Openers can be deliberate or random, and it's generally not apparent either way. Madman replays are just about hitting Uke till he explodes, and there are a lot of ways to do that. There is a grand total of 549 trillion possible joint combinations in a standard 500-frame replay, so go hog wild. Don't worry if your first attempt doesn't work out, i have a ton of failed replays on reserve.
Some tips on getting past the first two DMs:
- Grab hold of Uke. All these people telling you that grabs are bad are quacks, it's an integral game mechanic. It can be hard to make it look good, but it's not impossible.
- Alternate your limbs when striking. Not only does it look better, it's also more effective.
- Make sure you either strike directly at or in between joints. Glancing blows rarely dismember anything, and hitting a non-joint limb won't do you any good.
- Try not to hit Uke too far away. Following can be tricky, though it looks good if you can pull it off.
also here's a comic