Japanese wrestling translations by Johnny L.
(The following blog post originally appeared in Japanese on Kagetsu’s blog.)
Hey, all you out there reading my blog today! How the hell are ya?! I’ve got another real good blog post for all of you.
Okay, so, Stardom’s next Korakuen Hall show is almost here!
That means the final round of the 5☆STAR Grand Prix is coming up, too. And look who I’ve got for my last 5☆STAR match. Tam Nakano.
The former Nodoka Oneesan made her (second) debut at Tokyo Joshi Pro’s Korakuen Hall event on August 25. Now Nodoka Tenma, she showed off a new costume, new entrance music, a new finisher – everything. I previously translated her final blog post as Nodoka Oneesan, so it only seemed appropriate to do her first as Nodoka Tenma as well.
(The following blog entry originally appeared in Japanese on Nodoka Tenma’s blog.)
One thing about me is, deep down, I’m pretty gloomy. Like, really. To the roots. Make no mistake, Yuki [Aino]’s always been the brighter, more optimistic, more annoying sister between us.
But even so, when I was a kid, I loved singing and acting. I was fearless and loved to be the center of attention.
I performed in musicals, I played in a band, and all that. But as I grew into adulthood, I started to see my own ceiling. And that’s a scary thing! So I set my limits before I could risk crashing into that ceiling.
Bear with me for a little bit of introduction before the translation this time around. Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling, as a promotion, is more character-driven than most. Though there’s little in the way of official translated content available, many of the characters fit into archetypes – Wannabe superhero! Serious martial artist! Disgraced pop singer! Snooty aristocrat! Hungry zombie! – that any audience can immediately identify, no matter what language they speak.
Nodoka Oneesan (my personal favorite member of the TJPW roster, incidentally) is not one of these characters.
Nodoka’s current character is based on hosts from Japanese children’s shows – most specifically, from a program called Okaasan to Asobou (Let’s Play with Mommy!) that aired from 1966 to 1982. One incarnation of this particular show is the origin of both her entrance music and Pin Pon Pan Taiso, the aerobic dance she leads as part of all of her pre-match promos.
Similar programs still air on TV in Japan today, most notably Okaasan to Issho (Together with Mommy), the inspiration for much of Okaasan to Asobou, which has run on NHK since 1959. A cast of “Big Brothers” and “Big Sisters” hosts the show, leading children in songs and simple exercises. Each of them suffixes their name with oniisan or oneesan and writes it in easy-to-read hiragana, just like Nodoka Oneesan’s current ring name. Big Sister Nodoka.
Anyway, now that you know all that, read on to find out why you don’t need to know all that anymore.
