Finished the July 22 show!! All caught up before round 2!!!
This translation was on the shorter end and also weirdly easy? It’s so funny because the last one had so many tricky sentences, but this one didn’t give me too much trouble, haha.
First up was Mahiro vs Arisu! I always want both of them to do well, haha, so it was hard to say who was the biggest underdog here. But Arisu did manage to get revenge for her loss to Mahiro in the tournament before (there’s a bit of a theme this show…). And hey, I can’t complain about that!
Here are Arisu’s comments:
Endo: “I won! I finally won. In the tournaments up to this point… the first time I entered, I faced Mahiro-san in the first round. At that time, I lost and she left me a total wreck, but this time I was somehow able to win. This doesn’t mean that I’ve surpassed my senpai, but beating her was a huge confidence boost for me. I want to win the next one and go on to win the whole thing, and make this the era of Arisu Endo.”
(Your next opponent is Arai)
“Yuki Arai… Well, I was wanting to have a singles match. I want to get the win here… I lost to Arai-chan once (in a tag match), so I want to get payback.”
Kiryu: “I lost… I fought Arisu once in this tournament before, and I won that time. About two years have passed since then, and I don’t know what’s going to happen now. I watched Arisu get stronger and stronger, and I wondered how it was going to go… but I didn’t want to lose. I really tried to push through with my spirit, but it didn’t go so well. Not being able to get any results in a tournament like this, I’m really disappointed in myself, and to all of the fans who support me, I’m really sorry. I’m someone who progresses slowly… I’m glad that I have people who are supporting me. I want to make you all happy, so I’m going to pull myself back together and keep at it.”
Then the main event was Hikari vs Arai, which is also a rematch! I enjoyed this match, though I feel a bit bad for Hikari for losing in the first round after making it so far last time…
Here’s the post-match:
Arai: “I won! This is my third tournament, and last time, I lost to Hikari-san in this very venue… I felt really disappointed, and I really, really wanted to win the next one, so I’m very happy today. Thank you so much! In my third year as a pro wrestler, even though people have been expecting a lot from me, there have been a lot of frustrations, and so many times where I’ve lost matches. I’ve decided that I’m done losing, so everyone, please keep your hopes high! I will do my best to live up to your expectations, so on the 29th, Korakuen Hall, please come see me. I’m looking forward to seeing you. Thank you so much for today!”
Arai: “I won the first round! Last year, just like today, I faced Hikari-san. In this venue, I became very well aware of Hikari-san’s strength, but it was frustrating. After that match, I wanted to become even stronger. When it was decided that I’d be participating in the tournament again this year, and when the match against Hikari-san was set, I decided that I was absolutely going to get revenge, so I’m extremely happy. Getting a win over Hikari-san is a really big deal for me, so I don’t think it’ll be easy for me to lose after this. This year, I want to aim even higher, live up to everyone’s expectations, and make this a summer where I conquer even myself.”
(Your next opponent is Endo)
(Your next opponent is Endo)
“Arisu-chan was also an opponent in my debut match, and from that point on, her career was the closest to mine and we’ve gotten to train together a lot. Every time, Arisu-chan’s growth is just amazing, and I’ve seen it from up close, so I don’t want to lose to her. Even though the two of us are different in many ways, I’m happy because I wanted to do more matches with her. …But I don’t want to lose.”
(It was your first time closing a show on your own)
“My first time, huh? I wasn’t really thinking about it, and when the mic came rolling in, I thought, ‘oh no’.” (laughs) “So this is my first time winning a main event singles match, then? The weight of that… I fought without really thinking about that today. Next time, the pressure is really going to be on, but I’m not going to lose."
Hikari: “Last year, I made it to the second round, but every tournament, I’m really not good at them, or I should say that I get really nervous.”
I got a bit tripped up by these sentences: “またこうやって1回戦で敗退っていうのはすごい悔しいんですけど…なんか、普段も毎試合毎試合、そりゃ負けたくないし勝ちたいんですけど。タイトルマッチとかこういうトーナメントはいつも以上に自分自身を信じなきゃいけないからこそ、負けた時どうしようって思うくらい悔しいし…”
“And losing again in the first round like this, it’s really frustrating… but that’s typical in every single match, not wanting to lose and wanting to win. In title matches and tournaments and such, I have to believe in myself more than usual, and that’s why it’s so frustrating to think ‘what do I do?’ when I lose… Last year, too, I faced Arai-chan in the first round, and when I saw her express her frustration, I thought, ‘wow, she really doesn’t want to lose.’ Over this past year, I saw Arai-chan getting stronger and stronger… I didn’t want her to overtake me. I didn’t want to lose to her.”
I wasn’t sure about these sentences: “同じ肩書きを持ってる人が入ってきて、こうやって闘えることは私はすごい嬉しくて。私も今日の負けを悔しさに、また来年とは言わずに次の試合からもっともっと強くなっていきたいなと思います.”
“I’m very happy that someone with my same job came in and that we could fight like this. I also regret today’s loss, and without saying next year again, I want to become even stronger after the next match.”
(In the year after your match, what do you feel has changed in Arai?)
“Well, hasn’t she gained a lot of experience? I think Arai-chan’s ability to take action when she sees a chance is amazing, and I think the biggest difference was in all of that experience she’s gained.”
And that’s it! We’re caught up just in time for round 2! *collapses*
I did get a chance to see the PPV today, and it was a lot of fun! It’s similar to the pool wrestling show, though a bit more focused. Every time I see TJPW do a 路上 show, it makes me think about how many people on the TJPW roster had their lives changed by seeing one of those shows from another company… I wonder if someday one of their own shows will have that kind of effect on another wrestler 
.