I finally finished translating TJPW’s August 12 show (the semi-finals for the Tokyo Princess Cup)! The next two are also decently long (ironically the Inspiration show translation is more characters than either Korakuen show)… There’s some good stuff in there, though!
This show had a match featuring all of the 2023 rookies: Toga teamed up with Wakana and Runa against Shino, Himawari, and Haru. It’s fun to see how far they’ve all come, especially Toga, I feel, who already has a few super solid moves. Her finisher is apparently called ロックボトム (according to the recap), so Rock Bottom, I guess! Her relationship with Shino is a bit interesting. On social media, at least, they seem to be pretty close. I’d love to see them become a tag team some day… Right now, though, Shino mostly just seems upset that Toga beat her, haha.
Toga: “I got my first victory!”
Uehara & Okubo: “I’m glad! You did it!”
Toga: “But Shino-san’s sleeper was really strong, and when Runa didn’t break it up, I almost gave up, but thanks to Wakana-san and Runa, I was able to win this time. Thank you!”
Uehara: “I was also getting nervous, and I thought that sleeper might be it. I’m glad that you won! How many months has it been since your debut?”
Toga: “Five months… no, not five. But at the very end, Shino-san’s gaze, the look in her eyes was like she was determined to win the next one even though she lost, so if we have a singles match, I’m going to do my best to win and not let her get revenge. Thank you.”
Shino: (crying, unable to speak)
HIMAWARI: “Hey, you did your best.”
志乃「（号泣しながらも）一緒の、デビュー日だったのに、こんなに、私が、一生懸命頑張っても、負けちゃうんだ。まだまだだなぁって。同じリングでやり合ったのに、いつの間に差がついたんだろうって思うけど、これを糧にもっともっと頑張ります。ごめんなさい」
Shino: (crying heavily) “Even though we debuted together, on the same day, even though I tried my best with all of my might, I still lost. I still have such a long way to go. Even though we’ve been competing in the same ring, I wonder when there started to be a gap between us. I’m going to use this as motivation to work even harder. I’m sorry.”
HIMAWARI: “Let’s work hard, from here on out. It’s alright, hey, hey, you did your best!”
Shino: (crying) “I’ll do my best.”
HIMAWARI: “I couldn’t help you. I’m sorry.”
Shino: “That’s not true.”
HIMAWARI: “Let’s all get strong together!”
Shino: “Yes, we’re all going to get strong. Thank you very much.”
I think I got Shino’s main comment there, but it was a bit broken up because she was crying so hard, so I included what shupro had transcribed just to make sure I was putting it together alright. It was basically impossible to make out much through listening alone, haha.
The next match with comments was Sakisama and Mei vs Mizuki and Mahiro, which was a whole lot of fun! Sakisama was a bit taken with Mizuki, which activated Mei’s jealousy, haha. Sakisama even ended up giving Mizuki a rose…
Sakisama spoke on the mic afterward! I had a bit of trouble with her first few sentences: “みなさま、ごきげんよう。なあに、アナタたち。なんだか今日はとっても寂しそうに、欲しがってるように見えるけどワタクシの気のせい？” The 欲しがってる in particular was tricky to translate.
Sakisama: “Good day, everyone. What’s with you all? You seem a bit like you’ve missed me, like you’re wanting, or is it just my imagination? Well, alright. Good thing you are all Biishiki-gun Babies. That means that I am your mother. That’s what it means. Do you think a mother would leave her children and go off somewhere? Right, Mei-san?”
Mei-san: “Oui. Sakisama. So that means that Mei-san is… Mama-sama!”
Sakisama: “What a cute and concerned Mama-sama. That’s right. You can also think of us as your mothers. That’s what it means. We will meet again next time. Excuse us.”
After their exit, it was announced onscreen that Bi-gun would be participating in the show on September 23 in Yokohama, and on October 9 in Hachioji (along with Martha and Yukio Saint Laurent).
Here’s Mizuki’s and Mahiro’s comments:
Mizuki: “Mahiro!”
Kiryu: (looking at the rose that Mizuki received) “She gave you that? …Oh, I’m disappointed.”
Mizuki: “But you were so cool at the end.”
I think maybe I got this? I tried looking up ピロピロ, but didn’t really understand, though I think I was able to put it together from Mizuki’s gestures during the comment: “けど、ちっちゃいさ、ピロピロ走る子にさ、なんか気がいっちゃってさ、助けに行けんかってさ、ほんとにごめんなさい.”
“I’m really sorry that I couldn’t go help you because I was so preoccupied with the little girl running around.”
Kiryu: “Those two are really strange, aren’t they?”
Mizuki: “They were strange, yes. Strange, but… hmm. I did get this rose…”
Sakisama: “Hey, Mei-san, I’ve decided that I won’t enter any saunas outside of Finland. Well, that’s fine. This heat and humidity comes along with Japan. This current season in Japan, it has a name, if I’m not mistaken. I wonder what it was. Mei-san?”
I wasn’t quite sure how to interpret what shupro had for Mei’s response: “はっ！（おぼんをポンポンと叩き）オ、ボン（お盆）でございますわ！！”
Mei: “Ah!” (tapping “obon”) “It’s O-bon!”
Sakisama: “Oh-hohohoho! So that is what it is. That’s it. Please enjoy the Japanese Obon Festival, everyone.”
(You said that you would come again)
Sakisama’s answer here was a bit tricky: “あなた何を見ていたの？私が言ったことがすべてなわけ。いいこと、わたくしがこの、赤いバラを黒と言ったらこれは黒いバラなわけ。私の言うことがすべてルールで法律なの。それがすべてよ、他に何かある？”
“What are you looking at? What I said is everything. Listen, if I say this red rose is black, then this is a black rose. Everything that I say is the rule and the law. That’s all. Is there anything else? I can’t do this. Mei-san! Today, that’s right, there was a festival at Kanda Myojin.”
Mei: “At Kanda Myojin!”
Sakisama: “That’s what I heard. If we leave now, we might still make it in time.”
Mei: “Festival!”
Sakisama: “Yes, I have to eat geso-yaki! We’re going to go eat geso, Mei-san!”
メイ「（慌てながら）とうもころしですわ！」
Mei: (hurrying) “It’s tomokoroshi!”
That last part didn’t make it into the video, which bummed me out haha because I looked at the transcript first and got totally distracted trying to figure out what on earth was going on there, and after a bit of googling, I stumbled onto something really interesting!
Mei is mispronouncing the word for corn, which is とうもろこし. According to this article, apparently in the Japanese version of My Neighbor Totoro, the 4-year old Mei also mispronounces that word in that exact same way. This transposition of sounds is called metathesis, and apparently this particular example often happens with children because it’s easier for them to say. According to the article, in the English subtitled version of the film, Mei’s mispronunciation “とうもころし” is subtitled as correctly pronounced “corn”, but the subtitles have her say “polliwog” as “wollipog” instead.
I think I’m going to keep it in my translation, haha, along with a translator’s note accompanying it, because I think that’s cool!
The last match before the tournament matches was Miu and Shoko vs Arisu and Moka, which was a neat way to highlight the group that didn’t quite make it into the semis. Sadly, I believe Arisu got injured here, though I stepped out of the room when it happened, so I didn’t catch it myself… Other than that, the match was really exciting! Hopefully Arisu will heal up and be back soon.
Shoko and Miu were the only ones with comments:
Nakajima: “Yes, we’re the group of wrestlers that couldn’t win this summer. Throughout this summer, I’ve really felt that my juniors have been gradually catching up to me in ability. That’s totally how I feel today.”
Shoko’s line here totally lost me, haha: “だから今日は手堅くいかせていただきました.”
“So that’s why I was so firm today. It was fun.”
Miu: “Wonderful, having fun is the best. I also, this summer, last… last week? I think? We’re the tournament losers, but strangely enough, I feel like these are the people I see the most at the dojo. But being able to fight each other in a situation like this, it was a lot of fun, that’s number one. Though I could see some issues that I want to work a little harder on, so I’m going to do my best even more than before. Summer is over, isn’t it?”
Nakajima: “Yep, it is. Wait, is it over?”
Miu: “Yes.”
Nakajima: “No way!”
Miu: “We’re approaching the latter half of August…”
Then Shoko said: “敗者復活戦が”. Yomichan had this one! I moused over it and it helpfully told me: “repechage.” …Wait, what? I ended up having to google that, and it’s a sports thing, apparently, which explains why I don’t know it 
. I guess it’s well-known enough to have a wikipedia page, so I’ll just leave it as is?
Nakajima: “Repechage.”
Miu: “Huh?”
I wasn’t quite sure what Shoko meant by this remark: “ま、敗者復活なんて言ってられないな.”
Nakajima: “Well, we can’t call it repechage.”
Miu: “Alright, well, a new season, autumn, is coming soon, so I’m going to do my best as we head into autumn!”
In the Tokyo Princess Cup semifinals, Yuki Arai faced Miyu in a valiant effort, which unfortunately didn’t work out for her, haha. Maybe next year, though! I could totally see the 2024 finals being something like Miu vs Arai…
Here’s Arai’s comments:
Arai: “I couldn’t beat Yamashita-san… I’m so frustrated…”
I read this line a bunch of times but still struggled to parse her meaning: “1年半前に名古屋でシングルでやらせてもらった時とは肩を上げられなかった時の気持ちが全然違くて.”
“When we had that singles match in Nagoya a year and a half ago, that was totally different from how I felt when I couldn’t lift my shoulders. I thought I’d grown. But Yamashita-san was so strong, and I want to become even stronger myself. There were so many people who had high expectations from me, more than I imagined, so that made me really happy, and if we get another match, I want to win the next one.”
(Last year and the year before last, each time you’ve moved one step up)
“Yes, I’ve gone up a step each year, and this year I made it into the top four. While I wasn’t even realizing it was happening, I’ve come this far… Of course, next year I want to aim even higher than this year, and I want to make people think that I have also grown in terms of my matches.”
Shupro’s transcript (as well as the one in the official recap) had this for the start of her last sentence: “すっごい自分でも実感が沸かないうちにここまで来れていて…” I was like “what on earth is 実感が沸かない?” So I googled it, and google was like: “did you mean 実感が湧かない?” . That does make a bit more sense…
The main event was Kamiyu vs Rika, which I thought was great! Except I was so bummed to see Rika lose. Noooo 
. Someday we’ll get that Rika vs Mizuki match finally 
…
Kamiyu closes out the show, but first Miyu shows up to make a statement:
Yamashita: “To be honest, I didn’t think Kamifuku would make it this far, so I’m a bit surprised. But the fighting style that Kamifuku has shown in the tournament up until now, and in her match with Rika, the way she has been fighting… I could really feel her strong feelings. So, tomorrow, I am going to hit Kamifuku with everything, with all the things I’ve gained from all that I’ve done in TJPW up to this point. I look forward to tomorrow.” (Yamashita shakes her hand and then leaves)
I thought her second to last line there was incredible: “だから明日、私がこの東京女子プロレスでずっとやってきたものを、すべて上福にぶつけます.” I tinkered with it quite a bit to try to capture the weight of how the Japanese felt, but wasn’t fully happy with my attempt. I feel like that line really conveys the inevitability of Miyu in such a cool way. She’s reminding us that she truly is the ace, that she’s been here for all ten years of this company’s history, and to get past her, you must somehow find a way to overcome all of that.
Kamiyu used “ヤバい” so many times here… As soon as I heard her promo, as the person who was going to have to figure out how to translate each of those, I was just like “…ヤバい！” One of my several eternal translation nemeses
Kamifuku: “Oh, that’s not good… that’s bad, isn’t it? Hang on.”
This line was a bit tricky: “普通に考えていまヤバくね.”
“I’m really in trouble now. About six years ago, I made my debut here in TJPW, and who at that time would’ve thought that six years later, I’d be getting a win over my senpai, saying stuff like ‘I’ll see you in the finals tomorrow’? I think it’s really bad. Everyone on commentary agrees, right? I think you do. Even the referee thinks so. I know it. I know it’s bad. I have serious respect for my senpai. And now I’ll be in the finals tomorrow.”
I’m pretty sure the ボス in this was like a video game boss, so I slightly embellished it to make that sense of it a bit clearer: “私の先生みたいなボス、山下実優さんとシングル.” This next sentence was also a bit tricky: “こんなところで闘っちゃうことになったんだけど…私は私のポリシーで生きるから.”
“I have a singles match with the final boss, Miyu Yamashita, who’s like a teacher to me. I’m going to be fighting in a place like this, but… I’m going to live by my own policy. I’m gonna go home, paint my nails one more time, do a hair treatment, and show up back here. I’m gonna up my beauty and win, so everyone please watch me!”
I had a bit of trouble figuring out a not-clunky translation for this: “真夏の夜が味方してくれたところで、カジュアルにピースで、みんなでピースして今日はとっとと帰ろうと思う.”
“With the midsummer night on my side, I think I’m going to casually peace out, so let’s all get the hell out of here. Don’t drink too much, everyone.”
She closes with: “Let’s live casually!” “Peace!”
Kamifuku: “It’s bad. How should I put it… I was in a singles main event for the first time in my life, and not only that, I won and got to close out the show. I think my life has gotten interesting again. Right now, I really don’t want to think about tomorrow. When I debuted, people said a lot of things like, ‘it’s just a gravure idol’s side gig’ and ‘a girl like that is just going to quit immediately,’ and I think it’s partially thanks to those people that I’ve made it this far. Of course, I love and appreciate the people who support me more.”
I had trouble translating the quote in this: “でも、あの時ゆきに『ふざけんなよ。お前見とけよ』って思わせてくれた俗にいうアンチのみなさんのおかげでここまで来れた分もあるので.” That “ふざけんなよ” is trouble every time, haha. I never know exactly how hard to go with the translation, since all of the options yomichan presents are pretty harsh…
“But, the ones at the time that made me think, ‘Don’t fuck with me. Just you wait and see,’ it’s thanks to those haters that I’ve been able to get here. Whether you hate me or are rooting for me, I want you to keep watching me.”
(Your opponent tomorrow is Yamashita)
“Uh-huh. Yamashita-san… I think she’s amazing.”
I wasn’t sure about this chunk: “だってさ、毎回あんなようなことやってるじゃない。チャンピオンになって、海外でもチャンピオンになって。だから、いつもこんなことやってんのかなって思ったら、ちょっと下に出ちゃいそうなところを…ゆきの方がこんなとこもあるんだぜって部分を出して.”
“Because she does that kind of thing all the time. She’s a champion. Overseas, even. So, when I thought about her always doing this sort of thing, there’s a little bit emerging from underneath… I also have a bit of that in me, too, and I showed that part of myself. I don’t want people to think of me as just an underling forever. If I beat Yamashita-san here, I’ll be able to challenge the champion straightaway.”
This sentence was tricky: “ちょっと今くすぶってるグラドルたち、みんなざわついてんじゃないの？って気持ちですね.”
“Those gravure idols living in obscurity right now, wouldn’t it get everyone talking? That’s what I’m feeling. Can I go now? I also have to wrestle tomorrow. Thank you very much.”
Tatsumi: “Ah… it’s over. My summer is over. But today I faced a version of Kamiyu I’d never seen before. Before this point, when I lost an important match, I’d feel empty, like I wanted to press reset and do it all over again. But even though I lost today, I don’t feel empty. I think this summer, I’ve definitely achieved rapid growth. Fortunately, I have belt-chan, so I’m going to make good use of my experiences this summer, and go all out as I walk the defense road yet again. Thank you so much for today.”
This question and the start of her answer were confusing to me: “（もうベルトに気持ちを切り替えた？）いや、まだ試合です。いまのいまなので（笑）。今日だけちょっと振り返って。でもポジティブなので、切り替えていけると思います.”
(You already switched focus to the belt?)
“No, it’s still the match. It’s the now.” (laughs) “I was just looking back a little bit today. But I’m optimistic, so I think I’ll be able to switch. Also, I really wanted to win this year at any cost, so I can’t entrust my feelings to her, but I would like to tell Kamiyu to do her best. Good luck, Kamiyu!”
I think maybe I got the first chunk of Miyu’s comments?
Yamashita: “Arai-chan… It’s been about two years since we fought. I really think that over the past three years, Arai-chan has had experiences that no one else could have. And as I fought her today, I could see how she has fully absorbed those experiences and fought with them in mind. Of course, the feelings she had invested in this tournament, and her feelings as she struck me, there was a lot of passion there. To be honest, she almost beat me. There was a moment where it seemed like I was going to lose to myself. But I’d always lose tournaments because I lose to myself there. At that moment, I remembered the people I’ve fought so far, the people I’ve defeated, and I thought of how when Yuka-chan won last year, she expressed all of those feelings on the mic. As I fought with all of those memories swirling in my head, that’s what got me the win in the end. I’ve made it this far, but it’s not over yet. I didn’t expect Kamifuku to make it to the finals… I think that’s what’s scary about tournaments, and what’s interesting about them. So the finals tomorrow will be against Kamifuku, but I, who has not won in ten years, know the horrors of tournaments better than anyone. That’s why I’m going to push aside my fear of tournaments and my fear of Kamifuku herself, and I am going to fight with everything I have up to this point and get the victory. I want to win the tournament and challenge Mizuki for the belt that she has.”
(It seems like there’ll be a lot of people cheering for Kamifuku tomorrow)
“Yes. I’m used to that kind of atmosphere, and I’ll just have to do my best in it. Surprisingly, and it’s not that I didn’t believe it would happen, but there were unexpectedly a lot of Miyu Yamashita cheers.” (crying)
This sentence was a bit hard: “自分の中ですごいそれが…信じてないわけじゃないんですけど、すごいそういう気持ちを感じて.”
“It’s not that I didn’t believe, but… I really had a lot of those feelings inside of me. I fought Arai-chan today, and when I entered, the fans called out ‘Yamashita!’ and I could really feel their emotions. It really touched me. With that as my foundation, regardless of the atmosphere tomorrow, I am going to hold onto that feeling and enjoy tomorrow with Kamiyu to the fullest. And then I’m going to win the tournament."
I honestly felt pretty moved listening to Miyu break down into tears here. Like she totally expected to be sort of the de-facto heel here, the big bad taking down everyone’s fave underdog hero, so she didn’t expect anyone to be actually wanting her to win… It made me feel a bit bad for cheering against her, haha.
That’s it for this one! Next up, the finals!