Girl power descends on Anime Festival Asia
Sharon Lee
PRO-WRESTLING fans were in for a rare treat when World Wonder Ring Stardom was in town over the weekend.
This was the first time Japan’s top women-only wrestling promotion performed in the city state.
Known as Stardom for short, it was in Singapore as part of Anime Festival Asia 2023, a three-day event at Suntec Singapore which drew thousands of Japanese pop culture fans, many dressed up as their favourite anime characters.
Fans were treated to daily wrestling matches from Stardom and Grapplemax, a local wrestling promotion.
Stardom’s Mina Shirakawa, 35, was one of the six Joshi Puroresu wrestlers who made the trip to Singapore.
A former gravure model and cheerleader, Shirakawa decided to be a full-time wrestler in 2018 after impressing wrestling scouts in a tag team match.
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“Jushin ‘Thunder’ Liger inspired me to be a wrestler. He was so charismatic and cool,” Shirakawa, who is affectionately known as Chanmina to her fans, said.
The leader of the Club Venus faction, Shirakawa is now setting her sights on the World of Stardom championship, vacated by Tam Nakano due to injury.
The pair has history together. Shirakawa was part of Nakano’s Cosmic Angels faction but left to start her own – Club Venus.
Nakano had also beaten her in May this year.
“I want to win it and wait for Tam to come back so I can fight her again.”
It’s her second trip to Singapore. The first time she came here was nine years ago when she was on holiday with her family.
The foodie was delighted to find kaya (coconut jam) at the breakfast buffet in her hotel and posted a picture of it on social media.
Another favourite – chicken rice, a dish she gleefully devoured during her trip.
“I want to eat chilli crab again!” she said excitedly.
On Nov 25, Shirakawa proclaimed after her match with AZM, Stardom will return to Singapore.
A full show, perhaps? The fans certainly hope so.
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