Harukanaru Ring - Vol. 1 Ch. 6 - Yoko Is My Rival!

[MangaDex]

 

[PatrickBulbasaur]

Trick here, in this chapter we meet Bruiser Maki, who is based off the real wrestler Kaoru Ito. Look her up!

 

[danbellucci]

I don't get the tone of this manga. They've chosen a decently realistic tone in terms of injuries and risk of going destitute , but if they're going to do that kind of realism then shouldn't they be realistic and admit that most wrestling matches aren't real fights but rehearsed and scripted?
Instead they're acting like every night they perform they have a real MMA match

 

[ghostkun]

I don't get the tone of this manga. They've chosen a decently realistic tone in terms of injuries and risk of going destitute , but if they're going to do that kind of realism then shouldn't they be realistic and admit that most wrestling matches aren't real fights but rehearsed and scripted?
Instead they're acting like every night they perform they have a real MMA match

In this time period, aimed at this audience, I'm guessing it'll continue depicting the matches as shoot fights, even if they explore some of the more realistic backstage dealings and training.

Kayfabe, or the whole song and dance that pro wrestling is real fighting, could be a very sensitive topic in those days. Pro wrestlers didn't want to be seen as fake, and in Japan, they went to lengths like implementing "strong style" where the strikes and holds could be super stiff to the point where wrestlers were practically beating each other up every night. Either this manga is respecting kayfabe (to an extent), or having the matches as shoots works better for them stylistically or in terms of narrative. My take on it, anyway.

In any case, it's an excuse for me to post this ol' gif

 

[PatrickBulbasaur]

In this time period, aimed at this audience, I'm guessing it'll continue depicting the matches as shoot fights, even if they explore some of the more realistic backstage dealings and training.

Kayfabe, or the whole song and dance that pro wrestling is real fighting, could be a very sensitive topic in those days. Pro wrestlers didn't want to be seen as fake, and in Japan, they went to lengths like implementing "strong style" where the strikes and holds could be super stiff to the point where wrestlers were practically beating each other up every night. Either this manga is respecting kayfabe (to an extent), or having the matches as shoots works better for them stylistically or in terms of narrative. My take on it, anyway.

In any case, it's an excuse for me to post this ol' gif

My two cents on this is it's just not as interesting having predetermined outcomes to the matches. That's the entire reason why kayfabe exists in the first place, right? You could do a manga about the backstage politics and drama of kayfabe, but that would be a different genre.

Harukanaru Ring is by and large a very traditional sports manga. I don't think playing everything as a shoot is more over the top or exaggerated than other "realistic" Japanese sports media.

The entire genre LOVES the drama of an injury but having a character doing PT in a sling for several chapters isn't very interesting, so injuries heal instantly off screen with no lasting repercussions.

I'm glad that HK Ring addresses the very real damage these women did to their bodies, but at the end of the day it is an entertainment product and keeping things moving is tantamount to its mission.

 

[Kushikime]

In this time period, aimed at this audience, I'm guessing it'll continue depicting the matches as shoot fights, even if they explore some of the more realistic backstage dealings and training.

Kayfabe, or the whole song and dance that pro wrestling is real fighting, could be a very sensitive topic in those days. Pro wrestlers didn't want to be seen as fake, and in Japan, they went to lengths like implementing "strong style" where the strikes and holds could be super stiff to the point where wrestlers were practically beating each other up every night. Either this manga is respecting kayfabe (to an extent), or having the matches as shoots works better for them stylistically or in terms of narrative. My take on it, anyway.

In any case, it's an excuse for me to post this ol' gif

That gif. Great story. Surprised dude got hurt as bad as he did. Back when keeping kayfabe alive meant risking your job LMAO

 

[Kushikime]

Thanks for the chapter. Newbies taking the ring apart - keeping kayfabe alive. Fun stuff but now that we’ve mentioned heels I think we’re gonna slowly start to break it a bit which I’m all for

 

[ghostkun]

That gif. Great story. Surprised dude got hurt as bad as he did. Back when keeping kayfabe alive meant risking your job LMAO

Memory's a little hazy, but if I recall rightly, the reporter implied he might have laid it on a bit thick to ensure he got the verdict and a big payout. This was an interview years and years later, I believe.