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Forum - View topicREVIEW: Wanna Be the Strongest in the World! [Limited Edition] BD+DVD
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EighteenSky
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Glad Theron didn't really bash this, the snippets of insight into Japanese wrestling (or this style) explains why the series is like it is.
I liked this series a lot, probably helped I liked wrestling* back when it was, well, good (not womens though, couldn't get into it). Thought it was very faithful to the moves and wrestling aspects in general which Theron noted as well. The training, long run of losses, moves, ring entrances, all great. Helped that the plot was very original. Only problem I had with this sereis was the animation which was decent but wholey mediocre but the was kinda forgiven because it was so entertaining and for 12 weeks or so got me liking wrestling again. *American wrestling (WWE, WCW, ECW, TNA) since thats pretty much all you got as a teenager |
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NJ_
 Posts: 3101 Location: Wallington, NJ |
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And the matches in those OVAs were better than the matches in the actual show. Surprised FUNi dubbed them considering how inconsistent they have been with dubbing OVA extras for their other shows. |
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configspace
Posts: 3717 |
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I'm glad the Theron researched it so we can put an end to the OMG it's-so-nothing-like-real-wrestling canard that I read many times on this board early on. The vocal aspect is interesting. I would not say the US is all that different from Japan I've seen lots of showy screams, moans and groans in amateur female pro-wrestling in the US too, although it could be up to the organizers for those smaller venues. However there does appear to be less emphasis on submission holds here. European female pro-wrestling I've seen appears to be a greater emphasis on fan service, not unlike to this show in fact
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Snakebit1995
 Posts: 842 |
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IT was nice to see someone treat this series with respect. I'm always seeing it getting a lot of crap (Some deserved some not) but this was a good honest review. The show is neither terrible nor great...it's fine average show, if you like fan service even better then.
I thought the English dub was fine, but as with moth Fan service shows (Except High school D  ) the preformences are a little phoned in. One thing that was weird was hearing Christina Vee in this. She came out for the Neptunia dub and this was the other show she got in...this? I wonder if she did anything else (A role in One piece or something maybe?
Also pretty sure Elizabeth Lewis is just Lindsey Seidel (Which is weird cause that's like the only alias in the show, all the other girls used their real name). |
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Lostlorn Forest
 Posts: 544 Location: USA |
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The uhm, plot, is quite.... emotional, yes. I'm sure it spurred many fans to take out their tissues!
Last edited by Lostlorn Forest on Fri Jul 03, 2015 8:48 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Animegomaniac
Posts: 4157 |
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I had my fill of that by episode 4; I couldn't even tell if Sakura was trying to counter or if she was setting up the submission holds herself. Was the start of the series really just her getting used to pain? Was she supposed to get above it, ignore it, enjoy it or what? What about me, was I supposed to enjoy that somehow? "Are you not entertained?" No, I wasn't. There's just too many things wrong with this series and most of them revolve around Sakura. "This time, it'll be different." Oh look, a Boston Crab. "A ha, I got it this time." Hey, another Boston Crab. "They are seriously getting to me!" ... guess what? Did she even watch other matches so she got an idea on how grappling works? |
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leatherhead333
 Posts: 1187 Location: Kansas |
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But it isn't. At least not from a practical perspective. What kind of league accepts somebody if into their club if they can take 100 suplexes even if they have NO SKILL in wrestling at all? That's like letting someone become a pro football player just because they can take a hit better than most people. It makes no sense. Especially since they didn't kick her after losing so many matches. This wasn't scripted to happen either. Then we are expected to believe that one of the greatest wrestlers in the league see's some kind of potential in this person who has lost over like 30 matches in a row and roll with it despite many other girls obviously having more experience. It's rather nonsensical writing. Especially when her fellow idol friend uses illegal moves on her which could cause a serious injury in order to get her to come back to the group which AGAIN makes no sense at all. If they had played the series up being scripted then this might have been okay. But everything is played almost completely straight so I don't really get what I'm supposed to be seeing here. There are stylistic differences to western and Japanese wrestling but that doesn't really change the fact that it's STILL scripted. I can recall only one incident where the a fight was dragged out in order to give the audience their monies worth but that was it. If the show wanted to be true to it's roots it should have actually delved into this aspect of the sport much more than it did. Sakura to my knowledge didn't know anything about the sport so learning all these different factors would have padded out her development more and would leave us with less pointless screaming. |
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here-and-faraway
 Posts: 1529 Location: Sunny California |
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That's the problem about the internet, I can't always tell when someone is being serious or not. 
If you meant the above comment as a joke (which I think you did), then well played my friend. If not, my apologies, I just have a dirty mind. 
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Lostlorn Forest
Posts: 544 Location: USA |
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SEE!? This is my struggle. I post something and realize it is more ambiguous than I had planned but I don't want to edit it because then people will know, and therefore the aesthetic is ruined. I don't care doe, I'm going to edit it anyway. |
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Key
Moderator
 Posts: 18427 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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Since they were playing it straight, I never got why Sakura didn't ask to be taught a specific counter to the Boston Crab long before she got up to 60+ losses. I can't imagine that not asking would count as pride at that point.
Actually, why Misaki took and kept an interest in her (which she had before Sakura started losing) is explained at one point: spoiler[she saw a lot of herself in Sakura, as she had gone through the exact same experience at the beginning of her career.] As for the illegal moves which could cause serious injury thing: hell, a lot of what goes on in the pro wrestling ring could (and occasionally does) cause serious injury if it was actually played straight. That's part of the whole "suspension of disbelief" aspect of it. |
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Lostlorn Forest
Posts: 544 Location: USA |
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Why are people taking this so seriously? It is a fan service anime, AKA fap material. If you're looking for sense you're looking in the wrong place.
I'm sorry but I'm just reading these raging comments and laughing. |
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Ggultra2764
 Subscriber Posts: 3961 Location: New York state. |
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I don't really see where this believably depicts the world of pro wrestling, being a fan of it myself. Genuinely, I know underdogs are often put in losing streaks to build up fan support for them, But at the very least, the underdog in storyline puts in the effort to try getting a win as best they can. Here though, Mitsuki goes on a ridiculous losing streak where she is not only subjected to squashes (wrestling term for one-sided matches), but loses to the same freaking wrestling hold each time in the form of a Boston crab and the submission holds are only there as a desperate attempt by the anime's creators to get as many T&A shots out of the series as possible. If you want an anime portraying pro wrestling, I'd sooner recommend Kinnikuman than this latest effort by Arms to appeal to ecchi fans.
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Mr. Oshawott
 Posts: 6773 |
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When I first watched Wanna Be the Strongest, I thought it was going to be just the usual vanilla-flavored fanservice show. I was thrown in for a loop when I saw the first wrestling match. I thought the show did very well showcasing the art of wrestling in a faithful light. I found the latter hour-and-a-half part of the OVA to be an epic watch after seeing Sakura and Misaki's putting up a valiant fight against Yamamoto and Hornet spoiler[and emerged victorious].
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Greed1914
 Posts: 4615 |
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Hearing Christina Vee in this was a nice little surprise. If Elizabeth Lewis is actually Lindsey Seidel, which it sure sounded like her, it is interesting that she was the only one to use an alias. It could come down to simple tolerance for the subject matter, but I also recall from a Fairy Tail commentary someone saying they had hired her to teach classes for child actors. Perhaps she decided that she didn't need the parents of potential students overreacting to a cartoon? The first commentary helped explain why Martha Harms seemed to really stand out in terms of her performance since she mentioned that she watched wrestling with her siblings quite often and learned from how the wrestlers performed. If there is one low point for this show for me, it has to be the early episodes where Sakura is on a losing streak. It made sense that the same move kept working against her over and over because the problem was mental, but the show dragged it out too long. I ended up not really rooting for the underdog so much as just wanting the repetition to end. |
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GalicianNightmare
Posts: 124 |
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I don't get Japanese wrestling (any gender). If promos don't matter, why do they have mics? Why do wrestlers cut promos? Why was a Japanese wrestler ranked as "Most Charismatic" even though he doesn't talk? Obviously, promos, entertainment and charisma matter in Japanese wrestling, whether the Japanese like it or not. I also don't like how Japanese crowds are silent. You could hear a pin prick drop throughout the match. I've been watching NJPW since the 90s and not once did I watch a match with a rowdy crowds. Then again, the USA isn't much better, unless you go to Chicago, Phil, NYC, etc. The best crowds are in Toronto, crowds above, Montreal, London and any other anti-Cena crowd. I mean, if the JP fans don't give a shit about Cena and are not willing to boo or cheer him him, then it makes the atmosphere less meaningful and the character of Cena, which is important is thus lost in translation in Japan.
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