Finally finished the translation for the TPC final, which was on August 23.
The first match on this show was a battle royale for the Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship, guest starring Juri Suzue, who was the champion initially before losing the belt in a definitely fair arm wrestling match with Ram Kaichow. Juri ended up getting her belt back at the end, though (before losing it to Pokotan in another arm wrestling match after the wrestling match). For me, the most interesting part of this one was (predictably) the Raku/Ram drama, as the match kind of ended up pitting them together and introduced a bit of strife into their marital life… (I was a bit sad they didn’t have comments afterward…)
Juri was the only wrestler person in this one to have post-match comments:
(First, can you tell us what you thought when you first stepped into the ring?)
I was really confused by what she meant by 貸し取る in this: “初めて今日リングに立ってドキドキしましたし、こうやってまたベルトを貸し取ることができてよかったです.”
Suzue: "Today was my first time stepping into the ring, so I was really nervous, and I’m glad that I could 貸し取る the belt again like this.”
(Before the match, you lost an arm-wrestling match and had the belt taken from you?)
Suzue: “I’m the top of my class among the girls in elementary school, and I had 100% confidence, but I think there was a bit of foul play there.”
(You also struck a ballet-like pose and hit an axe kick?)
Suzue: "That’s my signature move, called Juri Power. I’m glad that I was able to unveil it today.
(Now that you’ve defended your belt, you’re likely going to face a constant stream of challenges. How are you feeling about it now?)
Suzue: “I’m going to ward them off with Juri Power, and I’m going to give it my all both in my studies and with the belt. Thank you very much. Please look forward to my signature move next time, too.”
Then Toga fought Yuna Manase, which was fun! I like them as a duo. It’s nice to see a little story unfolding here with them. Toga got slaughtered, but she put up a fight.
Both of their comments:
This sentence was a bit tough: “けっこう気合を入れて挑んだつもりなんですけど、全然…すべてを受け止められたうえで、ねじ伏せられたというか.”
Toga: “I really went into it with everything I had, but… she took absolutely everything I threw at her, and wrestled me to the ground. Or rather, when we first faced each other at Ota City, I thought that maybe fighting spirit could get me through it, but there was such a huge gap in ability between us, determination alone didn’t cut it. I’m frustrated, but I still haven’t given up. If we ever have the chance to fight again, I’m absolutely going to win.”
At this point, Manase comes over, calling, “Toga!”
Manase: “Toga! Toga! I had so much fun! How about you?”
Toga: “It was frustrating, but more than that, it was fun.”
Manase: "Yeah, I think pro wrestling is so much fun. So when you said that you were really looking forward to it before today’s match, it made me really happy! At Ota City, and today, too, we stood in opposite corners, but next time, how about fighting next to me?”
This was a bit tricky: “悔しいかもしれないけど、私東京女子離れて５年経ったの。東京女子離れる時にね、東京女子にとって刺激的な女になりたいと思って離れる決意をしたの。きょう私は凍雅にすごい刺激をもらった！ この５年間、離れてからのこと伝えたいし、私も凍雅から学びたい.”
“You might feel frustrated, but for me, it’s been five years since I left TJPW. When I left, I went away with the resolution to become a woman who could inspire TJPW. And today, you really inspired me! I want to convey what I’ve learned over the past five years, and I want to learn from you, too. So, for our next match, how about standing next to me and making the TJPW of today an even more interesting place together?"
Toga: “Please!”
Manase: “Alright! Then, Toga, since it’s come to this, I’ll share everything I know with you, so teach me all kinds of things, too! Then let’s do our best together! And with that, Toga, go ahead.”
Toga: “I want to absorb a whole lot from Manase-san, and I also want to get stronger beside you, so the two of us are going to aim for the top!”
Manase: “Way to go! Toga, you rock! Toga, attagirl! Toga! Toga!” (she chants while leaving)
Then Rika, Suzume, and Konatsu teamed up, which was a fun team because Suzume joined TJPW because she admired Rika, and Konatsu joined because she admired Suzume (and was a Yuki Arai fangirl on top of that). Things didn’t exactly go the smoothest for them, though… Aino, Haru, and Uta defeated them.
Rika/Suzume/Konatsu’s comments:
This was a bit tough: “おかしいな。おかしい。なんか、気がついたら子供たちが増えてて。おかしいんですけど、気がついたら増えてて。今日もなんで、何してたんだよ、お前たち。フォローしろよ！ フォローしとけよ。何逃げたりしてるんだよ！ダメぞ、そういうとこだぞ！”
Rika: “It’s strange. Really weird. Somehow, before I even realized, there were more kids around. It’s odd, but before I even knew it, there were more of them. Today, what were you guys even doing? Back us up! You have to support the team! Why are you trying to evade responsibility?! It’s no good, doing that!”
Suzume: “No, I’m sorry.”
Konatsu: “If Rika-san hadn’t choked me…”
Rika: “Huh, what was that?”
Konatsu: “If Rika-san hadn’t choked me…”
Rika: “Stop making excuses! That’s just an excuse. You lost. Try harder! So that you can win.”
Konatsu: “I’ll try harder!”
Rika: “We also kept losing and then got stronger that way. So do your best. You, too. Do your best, too.” (she pats Suzume’s back)
Suzume: “I’ll do my best!”
Had a bit of trouble translating the そんな感じで here: “お前も頑張れ、私も頑張るから。そんな感じで、頑張ります.”
Rika: “You do your best, and I’ll do my best, too. In that way, we’ll do our best.”
Suzume: “Next time, we’ll win.”
Rika: “We’re gonna win!”
All: “Yes!”
Yuki/Haru/Uta’s comments:
All: “Yay! We did it! We won!”
Yuki: "I’m so happy! It’s our first Korakuen in a while, like half a year? Has it been half a year? Getting a splendid victory at our first Korakuen in a long time makes me really happy!”
Had trouble with this (doesn’t help that my memory of this match is hazy at this point… Maybe they’re talking about something Rika did?): “でも嬉しいんだけどさ、最後あれちょっと意味わかんない、やばかったよ。なに？ あのよく回避したね.”
“But even though I’m happy, that bit there at the end, I don’t really understand, but that was dangerous. What was that? You dodged it so well.”
汐珠 みなさんに怒られました。あなたのせいだよ！
Uta: “Everyone got mad at me. But it’s your fault!”
ユキ なんかさ、ちょっと、私はもうとっくに回避してたんだけど、夏のホラー映画、子供向けホラー映画見てる気がするんだった。怖かった。
Yuki: “Y’know, I’d already dodged it ages ago, but it felt like I was watching a summer horror blockbuster, a horror movie aimed at kids. It was scary.”
ハル 防御本能があった。
Haru: "My defense instinct kicked in.
Yuki: “No but it was fun; fighting along these two rookies. It was a lot of fun.”
Then Mizuki faced Pom, which I remember being fun, though I don’t remember many details besides Pom’s pool toys… (Mizuki won.)
Mizuki’s comments:
Every single one of these sentences had something I struggled a bit to translate: “はい、ぽむちゃんすごい癖のある子なんですけど、私はそんなぽむちゃんらしさが大好きだし、ぽむちゃんは私に勝ったら飛び級って書いてるの見たけど、ずっとずっともうここまで来てると思ってて。だから、そんなぽむちゃんと今日戦えてすごい楽しかったし、何度だってぽむの不思議なところを私が食べて飲み込んでやろうと思いました.”
Mizuki: “Yeah, Pom-chan’s a girl with a lot of quirks, but I absolutely love that about her. I saw that she wrote that if she beat me, she was going to skip a grade, but I feel like she’s already been this far along this whole time. So getting to fight her today was a lot of fun, and I thought, ‘I’ll eat up Pom’s weirdness and take it all in time and time again!’”
Pom’s comments:
Pom: "Aaah, aaaah! My tummy hurts! Does it hurt so much because of Mizuki-san’s foot (stomp), or because I really went to town munching away at the center of this watermelon to make it into a swim ring? Yeah, well… Mizuki-san is the champion now, right? Getting a rare chance to have a singles match with her, I thought this was my golden opportunity. I haven’t done my summer homework, so I figured I’d make up for that here. But I still couldn’t measure up! I’m disappointed.”
This next part with シャチノスケ was confusing to me because I had no idea who she was talking about and searching for that on google didn’t really help, but then I connected the dots and I’m pretty sure she’s talking about the inflatable dolphin she had with her during the match? Then the question became what pronouns do I use for the dolphin… I wasn’t sure if the name came across as a more masculine or feminine name… I think the only names I can think of with “suke” endings tend to be masculine? So I went with he/him, but I dunno.
“But Shachinosuke isn’t here, right? Where’s Shachinosuke, my tag partner today? Huh? Where’d he go? Do you know? Do you know? You know, Shachinosuke! Where is he? I think I’m going to head out and go looking for Shachinosuke. Might a bit of an endless summer. Bye-bye. Shachinosuke!"
Then Arai faced Maki Itoh…
Going into this match, I wanted Itoh to win because I thought they should save Arai getting her big win over Itoh for a match with higher stakes (like, a Princess of Princess title match, for instance…). So I was kind of surprised and a little deflated to see Arai beat Itoh here. Then the news came out about Itoh’s TJPW contract running out and the result made more sense… It was interesting because I remember commentary talking about how the crowd likes to cheer for the underdog, and it occurred to me that some people were viewing Itoh as the underdog, which was a surprise to me.
I was also surprised that Itoh didn’t really have a proper farewell tour, though maybe she didn’t want one. In hindsight, her last few months had kind of an odd vibe to them, in that she basically fought every single notable rival she had and revisited old story hits (even with Raku, for instance), so I wonder if she actually did do a quiet farewell tour, we just didn’t notice at the time…
Even though Itoh has kind of been a part time wrestler in TJPW as of late, I’m still shocked that she’s gone, and I’m going to miss her. Part of me will always wonder if the original plan for 2024 was for her to win the PoP belt (instead of Miu) if she hadn’t gotten injured then… I’ll always be sad that she never fully finished her story in TJPW.
It is very fitting of Miyu and Itoh, though, that they basically made the exact opposite career decisions at the same time. Miyu fully re-committed to TJPW, basically swearing her life to the promotion when announcing her new backstage job as the “Leader”, and at the same show, Itoh fully left the promotion… Ah, it’s so them, but also so bittersweet… 
Honestly, I don’t remember anything else about that Arai vs Itoh match now.
Here are Arai’s comments:
Arai: "Finally… I defeated Maki Itoh!”
This was a bit tough: “プロレスをするにあたって色んなきっかけとかタイミングがあったと思うけど、そういう全部のタイミングとかに伊藤さんがいて。最初は舐められたりとかそういうのが辛くて、全然うまくできない自分が辛くて、あんまり伊藤さんと闘うことも横に立たせてもらうこともしんどかったんですけど…伊藤さんから学んだこと、試合とかその他でもいっぱいあって.”
“With me doing pro wrestling, there were various things that led to it and timings that happened to line up, but at all of those points, Itoh-san was there. At the start, being looked down on and all of that was really tough, and it was hard not being able to do anything well, and fighting Itoh-san or standing on the same side were both draining… but I learned so much from Itoh-san, both in matches and beyond that. TJPW has a lot of wrestlers, so opportunities to do a singles match like this one, especially one with Itoh-san—up until now, we’ve just had the one title match. I always feel like I don’t know when (the next one) will be.”
This was a bit tricky: “今回は絶対にデビュー戦の時に伊藤さんが荒井に言った『何年かかっても伊藤麻希を潰しにこい』って、その言葉をここでしっかりと伊藤さんに成長を見せる形でぶつけたいと思っていたので今日こうして伊藤さんに初めて勝てて嬉しいし、やったー、終わったーっていうのも全然なくて。これからも荒井優希は伊藤麻希の背中を追い続けるんだろうなっていうのをあらためて感じました。これからもそんな大切な存在の伊藤さんの背中を追っていきたいと思います.”
“When I debuted, Itoh-san said to me, ‘No matter how many years it takes, come crush Maki Itoh’. And this time, I wanted to take those words and face her properly here and show her how much I’ve grown, so I’m really happy that I beat Itoh-san for the first time today, but I don’t feel at all like, ‘Yay! It’s over!’ It just reaffirmed that I’ll still be chasing after her going forward, too. I want to keep chasing after Itoh-san, who is a really important presence to me. I’m really happy that I was able to beat her today."
(How did you interpret the pinky promise after the match?)
Definitely want to double-check this because it feels liable for people to read into: “そうだな…まず、荒井に対して同等というか。いままでは上から見られることしかなかったような気がして。そういう目線で合ったり指だったり、色んなメッセージがこもってたのかなって思って。まずいつもと違った空気が荒井はとても嬉しかったので、幸せでした.”
“Well… it’s probably that she sees me as an equal. Or rather, up until now, it felt like she was looking down on me. I think exchanging a gaze like that and the pinky promise and such, I think it carried several messages. At any rate, the different atmosphere made me really glad, so I’m happy.”
Itoh’s comments:
(I’m just gonna include the Japanese for the same reason as above.)
伊藤「もうコメントなんてないよ。伊藤麻希はリングの上に全部置いてきたから、各自で考えろ！ それが伊藤麻希のコメントだ。以上」
Itoh: “I don’t have any more comments. I put it all out there in the ring, so reflect on it yourselves! That’s Maki Itoh’s comment. That’s all.”
Then the semi-main was Kyoraku Kyomei, Himawari, and Kaya vs Aja Kong, Kamiyu, Wakana, and Mifu. I don’t remember a whole lot about this match now, but the notable thing that happened was Wakana got a shock victory over Misao, which naturally led to Ober Eats challenging for the tag belts afterward.
Here’s the in-ring:
Uehara: “Misao-san, Nakajima-san, we won! Please let us challenge for your belts one more time!”
This was a bit tricky: “（上原に）ちょっと待って、図々しいというか、好きなんだけど、マジで図々しい。先輩やし、あ、すいませんホント.”
Kamifuku: (to Uehara) “Wait a minute. That’s a bit brazen, or rather, I like it, but you’re seriously shameless. They’re senpais, and, ah, sorry, truly.”
Misao: "The two of you combined are 200% shameless! Wakana just went and said it, but you already challenged us once in April in America, and you lost, right? Only a few months have passed since then. What’s changed? To be honest, I thought Ober Eats had already disbanded.”
This was a bit tricky: “だけどきょう8人タッグとはいえ、たまたま8人タッグで勝利とはいえ、アンタたちオーバーイーツに負けて、私、チャンピオンとしてこのまま引き下がれません.”
“But today in this 8-woman tag match, even though it was just a fluke win in an 8-woman tag match, I lost to you guys, Ober Eats, and as the champion, I can’t just back down like this. So, fine. At September 20th in Ota City, let’s fight with the tag belts on the line. We absolutely won’t lose! Is that alright with you?"
Nakajima also gives her the OK.
Uehara: “On September 20 at the Ota City General Gymnasium, Kamifuku-san and I, as Ober Eats, are definitely winning those belts! Please support us!”
Kamiyu/Wakana/Aja/Mifu’s comments:
Kamifuku: "Today, it was the three of us plus Aja-san teaming up.”
Uh oh, here’s a new TJPW translation challenge… pachinko vocabulary… “私のなかではスロットとかパチンコで言ったらパーンと保留玉に金が来たみたいな勝ち方って感じだったんで、まあ気持ちはすごいおおらかな感じで挑みました.”
I did a bit of searching and found someone’s random 2009 pachinko term translation document from a 2012 pachinko forum post. So that helped a bit, though I still really don’t know…
“For me, if you think of it like a slot machine or pachinko, it felt like winning by getting a payout with a reserve ball, so I went into it feeling really relaxed."
This was also a bit tricky: “まあ最初にね、アレでよけい火がついた。何がチャンピオンだから私は変わりましただ、姑息さがより増してたじゃねえかよ.”
Aja: “Well, right from the start, that made me even get even more riled up. What’s with all that, ‘I’m a champion, so I’ve changed’ nonsense? Isn’t that just even more underhanded?”
Ashida: “I’m happy that we won, but…” (looks at Aja)
I also struggled a bit with this (I’m guessing they’re referring to a spot with the 18-liter can? But I don’t remember well enough…):
アジャ「ちゃんと持ってないからだよ。自分で呼んだんだから！ でも、あれで普通負けパターンだけどきょう勝った。勝てばいいんだよ」
Aja: “It’s because you didn’t keep a proper hold on her. I announced it myself! Well, that’s usually a losing strategy, but today we won. Winning is all that matters.”
上福「（上原に）あんたちょっと何してくれてるのよ」
Kamifuku: (to Uehara) “What the hell are you doing?”
Also struggled a bit with this: “でもホントに４月のラスベガスで享楽共鳴に負けて、私はもう次オーバーイーツで対戦になった時には絶対に勝って、ベルトを狙うというのをずっと虎視眈々と狙っていたので、きょうはカード決まった瞬間から、もう絶対に勝ちにいこうというのは決めてて。というのも私、すごい上福さんに助けられて、なんかホントに一回プロレス向いてないんじゃないかとか、東京女子にとって自分の存在意義ってなんだろうってすごい悩んだ時期があって。その時にすごい夜な夜な相談乗ってくださって.”
Uehara: “Well, after losing to Kyoraku Kyomei in Las Vegas back in April, I’ve been watching them like a hawk, planning to beat them the next time we faced them as Ober Eats and then aim for their belts. So the moment today’s match was set, I was absolutely determined to win. Because Kamifuku-san, you really helped me, and there was a time where I really struggled, wondering if pro wrestling was a good fit for me, and questioning my purpose in TJPW. During that time, you’d listen to me and give me advice night after night. And I haven’t been able to pay you back for that at all…”
Kamifuku: “No, no.”
Uehara: “And I really like our tag team, and I think we’re the strongest team, so I want to team up and fight for the belts again together.”
In classic Kamiyu fashion, she gave me a hard time with this: “私はちょっと照れくさいのが出ちゃうから、あんな感じなんですけど、まあただ後輩とかあんまり接しないんですけど、わかなは初めて東京女子に来てしっかりいろんな話を…厳しいことも、何度も泣かせてるぐらい厳しいことも言ってて。でも、それこそ自分にもこういう先輩がいて、全然違うんですよ。大先輩がいて、やっぱ先輩ってちゃんと叱ってくれるしアドバイスもくれるし。そのカッコいい背中を見せつけられるんです。東京女子の先輩たちもそうなんですけど。だから自分もわかなに叱ってばっかじゃなくて、ここはカッコいいところを見せて自分も先輩にならないといけない、自分も腹くくらないといけないと思ってるので.”
Kamifuku: “I get a bit shy, so I get like that, but I don’t really have much to do with my juniors. But even so, when Wakana first came to TJPW, we really talked about everything… I said some harsh things, too, and I’ve made her cry more times than I can count with how strict I was. But for me, having a senpai like that, it’s totally wrong. Being a veteran—a senpai is someone who properly scolds you and also gives you advice, and shows you just how damn cool they are. TJPW’s senpais are like that, too. So I don’t want to only be scolding Wakana. I have to show her my cool side, too, and become a proper senpai myself. I have to strengthen my resolve. So if we win the tag belts, take us out to dinner.”
Aja: “What!? Then if the two of you win the belts, me (and Ashida) are going to challenge you.”
Ashida: “Hooray!”
Aja: "Yay!” (everyone leaves)
Kyoraku Kyomei’s comments:
Misao: “I ended up getting pinned by Ober Eats and it’s super frustrating. I really can’t let it end like this. So on a grand stage, I really want to show everyone just who the strongest tag team is. We’re going to defend our belts on September 20.”
Nakajima: “We’ll pay them back a hundredfold!”
Honestly, I wasn’t super excited about this development… I’m not a big fan of rematches in general (I feel like they really need to justify themselves), and I was hoping to see Kyoraku Kyomei get a really outrageous title challenge like they talked about wanting… Maybe Ober Eats will surprise me lol and bring something really wacky to the match, but at the moment, it’s not especially exciting to me.
Then the main event was Miu vs Arisu for the TPC final! I really enjoyed this match! I was totally rooting for Arisu, and she did amazing here (Miu did well, too). I ended up being kind of crushed to see Miu win… She’s a deserving wrestler to win this tournament, and I’m sure the match with Mizuki will be awesome, but it’s another rematch, and I’m at a point where I’d rather see Mizuki’s reign continue than see another Miu reign so soon…
Honestly, I’m kind of dreading Wrestle Princess a bit because of the PoP and tag title matches both being rematches, and I really like both of the current champs… I feel like either Miu or Ober Eats (or both) is probably going to win, because otherwise what’s the point of doing a rematch if nothing changes? And I’m not ready to see Mizuki or Kyoraku Kyomei lose just yet… 
. I dunno, maybe the press conference will change my mind on things once I get around to looking at that…
In any case, here’s the post-match:
Miu: "I won the tournament! For the first time since the tournament final three years ago, here in this very place… I was able to win! I’m so glad, from the bottom of my heart, that my opponent in the final was Arisu.”
This was a bit confusing: “有栖はいつだってキラキラしてて、ずっとずっと強くて、一緒にいっぱいきっと同じ気持ちになるタイミングも多い仲間なんじゃないかなって思う大切な人です.”
“Arisu is always sparkling, and she’s always, always strong, and she’s someone dear to me, a friend who I know I’ll share many moments with where we feel the same. Beating Arisu like this… this trophy was made the time I fought Yuka-san in the final.”
Also struggled a bit with this: “そこから決勝戦、「あの夏」ってワードがすごい普通にあの試合中は楽しかったのに、どこか悔しさみたいなトラウマみたいなものが残ってて.”
“From that point on, that tournament final, even though during the match I had fun as usual, the phrase ‘that summer’, that became something like a trauma, a regret that lingered for me. I thought that if I could just get my hands on this trophy, that would surely go away.”
Struggled to come up with the best way to translate “プリンセスの頂点” here: “本当の意味で強くなれるんじゃないかなって思っていたので、いまさらにプリンセスの頂点で強くなれました！”
“I thought I could become truly strong, and now here at the Princess summit, I’ve gotten even stronger! The fact that I’ve reached the Princess summit this summer, that means… there is one more thing that I want to do this summer. Mizuki-san, please come out."
Mizuki: (entering the ring with the belt) “Miu…”
Miu: “I’ll be the one to say it. Please let me challenge you for that belt.”
Mizuki: "I’ve realized once again that you’re an absurdly strong princess, both in ability and spirit. And I’ve realized once again what a monster you are.”
This was a bit tricky: “でもね未詩、私がこのベルト、未詩から取った時よりも、ずっとみんなと一緒に叶えたいこととか、やりたいこと、もちろん未詩とも一緒に叶えたいこと明確にハッキリ自分の中で決まってて。プリンセスになりたいって思ってたけど、私がプリンセスやから、このベルトがいまここにあるって思えるぐらい、私はいま意味わからんくらいプリンセスやで.”
“But y’know, Miu, when I took this belt from you, I had things that I wanted to achieve with everyone, things that I wanted to do—things I wanted to achieve with you, too—and those things have become even more clear to me and more defined. I wanted to become a princess, but now I feel like it’s because I’m a princess that this belt is here with me now. That’s how much of a princess I am, to an almost incomprehensible degree."
Miu: "Yes. Mizuki-san is really, really strong and pretty, and I think she’s an amazing princess. But this summer, the number one princess is me.”
This was a bit tricky: “結局こうやってプリンセスとして返り咲いた私、きっとその私が持ってた時よりも高まってるベルトの価値、追い越せると思ってます.”
“After all, I’ve finally made my comeback as a princess, and even with the belt having a higher value than when I had it, I’m sure that I can surpass it."
Mizuki: “Understood. To determine which of us is the princess most befitting of this belt, on September 20 at Ota City General Gymnasium, let’s fight with it on the line.”
They each strike princess-esque poses, then shake hands, and Mizuki exits.
Miu: "All of you at Korakuen Hall, I’m a princess right?”
The 白馬に乗って part was a bit tricky: “そんなプリンセスの私が大田区総合体育館、再びあのベルトに返り咲くために頑張るので、みなさんは大田区総合体育館に…白馬に乗って、是非来てください！”
“This princess is going to fight hard at Ota City General Gymnasium in order to reclaim that belt once again, so everyone… please come to Ota City General Gymnasium, riding a white horse! I’m counting on you!"
Princess Miu closed the show with: “Do you like TJPW?” “I love it!”
(Shupro had “最後は「東京女子プロレスのこと、好きかー？」「大好きだー！」でプリンセス未詩が大会を締めた” for the last line, so I generously kept in the “プリンセス未詩” part. Miu better thank me.)
Miu’s comments:
Miu: "I won the tournament!”
This was a bit tricky: “私がずっと忘れられない夏以来、ずっとどこかいつかこれ（トロフィー）に触れなきゃ、自分のなかで解決できないみたいな気持ちがずっとあって。夏がくるたびにそれを思い出しながら闘ってて.”
“Ever since that unforgettable summer, I’ve always felt like I had to get my hands on this (trophy) somewhere, someday, or I wouldn’t be able to resolve things within my own mind. Every time summer rolled around, I’ve fought while bearing that memory. And finally, this year, I managed to win.”
This gave me some trouble: “これで自分のなかで、自分だけの気持ちなんですけど、感じてるだけなんですけど…でもすごくそれが大きな一歩としてこっからこれと歩む日々はすごく見える世界が変わっていくと思うし.”
“For me personally, it’s just my own internal feeling, but… I think it’s a huge step forward, and from here on, the days I pass with this will really change the world that I see around me. And since I declared my challenge today, I’m going to do my best to become an even stronger princess."
(Most of the cheers were for Endo)
"Yes. Hearing people cheering for you really does give you a lot of strength, right? Honestly, when I hear them and can clearly tell they’re not supporting me, it feels like my strength just doesn’t come.”
This was a bit tricky (it took me a bit to wrap my brain around what “私の声” presumably meant…): “でも『有栖！』『遠藤！』って聞こえる分、私の声も…比べてしまったらあれはあるかもしれないけど、でも十分に聞こえてきてくれたし。私は決勝戦の場に立って、東京女子は全員が応援される場でありたいっていう風に思っているので。それもひとつ自分が描いている決勝戦だったので、理想の闘い方ができたかなと思います.”
“But as much as I heard ‘Arisu!’ and ‘Endo!’, the voices for me, too… well, maybe there wasn’t much in comparison, but I still heard them loud and clear. I stood in the tournament final, and I want TJPW to be a place where everyone gets cheered. That was also part of the final I envisioned for myself, so I think I was able to fight how I had imagined."
(Did your spirit break?)
“Did it look like it broke?”
(No, it didn’t)
“Hahaha.” (laughs)
(Three years ago, Sakazaki said, ‘I wanted people to cheer for me, too.’)
"Yes, she did.”
This was tricky: “だから私はやっぱりその言葉がなにか引っかかるところがあって。私の中であの時、ユカさんと闘って、たしかに自分の名前を聞いててすごい応援してくれてるなと思ったけど。一方でユカさんがそういう風に思いながら試合してたっていうのを陰ながら知って。それがホントにめちゃくちゃショックで。そんな風に考えてたんだっていうのと同時に、私の闘い方とか、私の意気込みの仕方とか、そういうのがなにかユカさんの中で傷つけるじゃないけど応援されたいって感情を生み出してしまったのかなと思ったのがめちゃくちゃ悔しくて。もうホントに何カ月、何年も考えてきたことだったので、こんなにハッキリ言うと…悔しいからごまかしてたのに！ ひどーい.”
“Well, those words still kind of weigh on me. Back then, when I fought Yuka-san, I definitely heard my name being cheered and I felt like they were really rooting for me. But then I found out from the sidelines that Yuka-san had been feeling that way during the match. That was really a huge shock. Realizing that she felt that way, and at the same time, realizing that my fighting style, or how I expressed my determination or something—not that it hurt her, but that it might’ve made her feel that she wanted support, too… that was really regrettable. I’ve really been thinking about this for months, years, even, so stating it so clearly… I’ve been avoiding it because I regretted it so much! Harsh!" (laughs) “So that’s why my ideal final was one where you could hear people cheering both for Arisu and for Miu. The fact that we were able to achieve that, I think it’s something meaningful. Maybe I was finally able to overcome the part I couldn’t get past before. Right?”
(Yes)
“That’s right!”
(With your tournament victory, you’ve achieved the true Grand Slam)
"Awesome! I’ve won the PoP, the International, Tag, all kinds of titles, but etching my name in history… like being the first to do something, leaving that kind of legacy, that’s something I’d never done before.”
This was a bit tricky: “してみたいけど何が残ってるんだろうって思ってたところで、こんな新しいグランドスラムなんて初めて聞いたので、めちゃくちゃ嬉しいです.”
“I’d wanted to, but right when I was wondering what I could leave behind, I heard about this new Grand Slam for the first time. So I’m super happy. Now I can be listed in Wikipedia!"
(There’s also the “who is the princess?” dispute)
"For a long time now, I’ve felt that Mizuki-san is ridiculously princess-like.”
This was a bit tricky: “今年の1月4日もプリンセスだったなって悔しく思っていた部分ではあったので。いやでも、私プリンセスですよね？ そうですよね？ めっちゃうなづいてくれてますよ、みなさん.”
“There was a part of me that was bitter about how much of a princess she was on January 4 this year, too. No but I’m a princess, right? Aren’t I? You’re all nodding along like crazy. Since I’m a princess, I bet you’re all agonizing over the question of which of us is the real princess. So you absolutely have to come see for yourselves at Ota City General Gymnasium!"
I thought Miu’s comments about Yuka wanting to be cheered (against Miu) were really interesting, honestly. For Miu, this was her three years overdue big tournament win that she justly deserved. But sometimes you become the villain in someone else’s story without realizing it… Miu might’ve been the underdog against Yuka, but she was the dominant former champ against Arisu, and when she finally did get that coveted trophy, the crowd wasn’t on her side anymore the same way they were when she first missed her chance… That’s gotta sting!
Arisu’s comments:
Endo: (lying down against the bench) “Ah… it’s over. The summer of Arisu Endo… it ended here in the final in the Korakuen main event. I got stronger, right? Didn’t I? I got stronger. So next year I am absolutely, absolutely going to win. Next year I am winning for sure! Everyone who cheered me on, my family, Dad, thank you. It ended here this year, but there’s always next year. Please watch me again next year. Thank you very much.”
(What kind of summer was it this year?)
“The absolute best summer! A hotter summer than ever. I’ve come to love summer.”
This was a bit tricky to put into English: “（有栖コール一色でした）もう力になりすぎる.”
(The crowd was unified in chanting for you)
“The support meant everything. Truly. I believe that’s what allowed me to make it this far. I was able to come this far because everyone encouraged me. And I also made it here thanks to my own abilities, too.”
Mizuki’s comments:
Mizuki: "So it’s been decided that Miu will be my next opponent at Ota City. I kind of had the feeling she’d come to take back the title of ‘princess’. But watching her win the tournament today, I really felt how strong she is, not just in ability, but in spirit, too.”
The ellipsis threw me off a bit with how to translate this: “でも、やっぱりバケモノ…プリンセスなことは認めますよ.”
“But, well, I’ll admit that she’s a monster… princess. It made me think once again that she really is a monster-like princess. That’s a huge compliment, though. But I took the belt from Miu and declared that I’m a princess.”
This was tricky: “でもいまはもう私がプリンセスだからこのベルトがここにあると思えるくらい、これから先、東京女子のみんなと応援してくださっている皆さんとやりたいこと、叶えていきたいことを…もちろん未詩と叶えていきたいことが明確に自分のなかであって.”
“Now I feel like this belt belongs here with me because I’m already a princess. Looking ahead, I have definite goals I want to accomplish, things that I want to do with everyone at TJPW and everyone supporting me… of course, I also have things that I want to accomplish with Miu. That’s why I can’t lose… No, I don’t want to lose. I don’t want to lose to Miu. So this summer, I’m going to fight the big monster princess with this belt on the line. I’m going to do my best."
This was tricky (I couldn’t even figure out what Miu was saying at the start…): “（立場が変わっての再戦はあまりなかったです）うわぁ、来たかーって。あの時の苦しさとか、すごい体に染みついてるというか記憶にも残ってるから.”
(There haven’t been many rematches where the challenger and champion have swapped positions)
“うわぁ、来たかーって. The pain from that time really left an impact on me, or rather it’s still fresh in my memory. I can tell that it’s absolutely going to be painful. Both Miu and I are stronger than we were then. I want to have a match that’s becoming of the Princess of Princess.”
This was a bit of a struggle (some of it was trying to put it into English…): “（バケモノプリンセスを倒すにはそれ以上の力を出さないといけないです）それ以上の力を出さなきゃいけないってこと。もちろん、私もその力を出さなきゃいけないなっていうのはもちろんなんですけど、私も未詩から取って積み上げてきた自信だったりとか悔しさももちろんいっぱいあるし。自分にできないこと、できること.”
(To defeat the monster princess, you need to bring out even more power)
“That means I have to summon even more strength. Of course, I also have to bring out that power, but I have all the confidence I’ve built up after winning this from Miu, and I also have a lot of frustration, too. Things I can’t do, and things I can do. I’ve defended the belt while feeling all kinds of emotions, and there are feelings I have from spending time as the champion… Well, I just don’t want to lose there.”
And that’s it for that one.
I’m going to try really hard to finish the next three shows and the presser before Wrestle Princess. I don’t think I’ll be able to get to Arisu’s homecoming show, but maybe if it’s really short… I dunno.
The next three are shorter, so hopefully it goes alright.
. It was so cute… Surprisingly Himawari and Konatsu got the win despite Konatsu being so early into her career.
)
.
to hand out here! As I would say this:
たぶんかな…
