Posted October 21, 20186 yr comment_5869811 5STAR Grand Prix 2018 Finals: Mayu Iwatani vs. Utami Hayashishita This was a star-making performance for Utami in her first ever Korakuen main event. The dismissive veteran versus the cool super-rookie dynamic was played well. Mayu does a splendid job bumping (as usual) for Utami's power-based offense when the tide turns and her comebacks were well obtained. Excellent match to cap off a great tournament. ****1/2
October 23, 20186 yr comment_5869949 Apparently Agua has better taste in joshi than people give you credit for. Some awkward execution and some of the back and forth felt random, but otherwise this was a pretty violent spectacle with good selling. I haven't noticed Iwatani before but she was quite good here aside from some obvious thigh slapping and made this feel pretty violent: she constantly threw these really nasty sounding kicks. Even her frog splash landed with a nasty thud, and she absolutely obliterated herself bumping for a Hayashishita lariat. Hayashishita sold really well and I liked her submissions. The best thing bout this was how organic this felt. Hayashishitas Camel Clutch felt like a credible near submission in context and the sleeper over the ropes (a spot which can be trite) was great too. So Hayashishita was apparently 2 months into her career in this match. HUM, way to go.
November 9, 20186 yr comment_5871058 Utami was actually a little less than six weeks in to her career at this point. The thing with her is that she isn't technically that much better than some other joshi rookies out there but it's more of the fact that Utami is being pushed as a main-eventer right away and she fits the role. She doesn't look out of her league at all. The match itself is great. I like how Mayu tried to rough up the rookie but had enough respect for her as a threat to not go out of her way to embarrass her like she usually would in situations like these. She did a nice job bumping and selling the work done to her arm. Utami has another smart performance here, just like she has had throughout this tournament. It's amazing how she never tries to over do anything and just works smart. A fantastic final to end a very strong tournament. ****1/4
November 9, 20186 yr comment_5871081 11 hours ago, donsem43 said: Utami was actually a little less than six weeks in to her career at this point. The thing with her is that she isn't technically that much better than some other joshi rookies out there but it's more of the fact that Utami is being pushed as a main-eventer right away and she fits the role. She doesn't look out of her league at all. The match itself is great. I like how Mayu tried to rough up the rookie but had enough respect for her as a threat to not go out of her way to embarrass her like she usually would in situations like these. She did a nice job bumping and selling the work done to her arm. Utami has another smart performance here, just like she has had throughout this tournament. It's amazing how she never tries to over do anything and just works smart. A fantastic final to end a very strong tournament. ****1/4 The highlighted note above is what has stood out about her since day one. Her pacing and matches have a natural flow to them. She's never in a rush yet never has to stop and figure out what to do next so you're immersed in the match and story being told. She sells and has comebacks without overdoing it or exposing her inexperience. An incredibly promising talent.
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