At first I thought it would be a campy exercise akin to a Transformers cartoon… but once the training begins: it’s no joke! To see the young trainees in this wrestling boot camp run by Chigusa Nagayo is a shock. The demure, sweet and humble Japanese girls must throw off the cultural expectations and become screaming dizzbusters in the ring!
The excitement, theatrics, recognition, and the ability to step out of Japanese stereotypes is a powerful incentive for some of these girls: Wabayashi, Sato and especially Takeuchi. The training is grueling: body slams, hair pulling, you name it… the weak will quit and run back to mamasan and the determined will slam on!
The emotion captured by the directors Kim Longinotto and Jano Williams makes this one of the most powerful and honest documentaries I have seen!

Reviewed by Eric Michel, FilmCities