by Danica Pacardo
“The Queen of Villains” is a drama based on the life of Dump Matsumoto, one of the most notorious celebrities in Japanese professional wrestling during its peak in the 1980s. Osamu Suzuki decided to produce and co-write this engaging five-episode Netflix mini series when he learned about Matsumoto’s account of her experiences in the ring. Known for critically acclaimed action thrillers such as “Blood of the Wolves” and “Last of the Wolves”, Kazuya Shiraishi capably co-directs this with Katsuhito Mogi. This also reunited the former with Junya Ekigami, the screenwriter of his aforementioned films.
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It follows the personal struggles of Kaoru/Dump (Yuriyan Retriever) before gaining global recognition. Her life has been hard since childhood, as she, along with her mother and her sister, endures the neglect and abuse of their alcoholic father. They soon find out that he has another family. Hurt, she runs away from the scene and accidentally heads to a gym where she sees Jackie Sato, a then wrestling trainee who will eventually become part of the popular duo called The Beauty Pair, along with Maki Ueda. From then on, she becomes an avid fan and starts watching her matches. This exposure prompts her to aspire to be a professional wrestler someday. Concerned with her future, her mother encourages her to work in a bakeshop when she reaches the right age. It is also this time that an audition for a new batch of female wrestlers is being held. She decides to leave her workplace right on her first day to audition. She, Chigusa (Erika Karata) and Tomoko/Lioness (Ayame Goriki), get accepted and train before their debut as members of the All Japan Women’s Pro-Wrestling.
In this fictionalized tale, they utilize the zero-to-hero plot in narrating Dump’s story. In reality, she was rejected in her first few attempts, but in this series, she is accepted right after her first try, despite showing little potential during the physical exercises in the audition. She has real-life experiences in swimming and other sports; however, this is not included in the narrative. This creative decision makes the viewer wish for her success early on and later understand how her circumstances lead her into fully committing to be a heel ( a wrestling term to refer to the villain in a fight).
Check the interview with the director
The show benefits from giving ample exposure to the Crush Gals- Chigusa Nagayo and Lioness Asuka. Their screen time is not limited to the matches; the writers also ensure that they are given back stories, especially Chigusa. She and Dump used to be best friends since their trainee days and before being rivals. The first few episodes focus on their growing bond as they dream of their debut and success while dealing with family-related and financial problems. These work well in building the foundation of their friendship and will eventually enable the audience to understand Dump’s pain as she watches her dear friend rise to stardom while drifting away from her. Her transformation into a heel happens in the second to the last episode, something that could be frustrating for those who were expecting more violent scenes in the series.
“The Queen of Villains” features brilliant and solid performances by the cast, especially its lead star, The Retriever. Known as a comedian, she proves that she can effectively handle dramatic situations, as well as fight scenes. Her character is written and acted with nuance, noting that it isn’t mainly jealousy and desire for success that motivate her to embody the extremely unhinged persona of Dump as a heel. Her frustration with her family’s decisions and treatment, as well as the sadness she feels with the deterioration of her friendship with Chigusa drive her to become the leader of the Evil Alliance. She exhibits versatility and it’s an experience to watch her transform from the timid and kind Kaoru into a violent and emotionally hurt Dump. Apart from being believable as a heel, she shines in moments when she shows that behind her notorious persona is the Kaoru who just misses her best friend and wants only the best for her family.
The two major supporting actresses, Karata and Goriki, have strong screen presence and their depiction of Chigusa and Lioness is commendable. Both of them did very well in portraying Crush Gals in the matches and in showing dissonance as they succumbed to the management’s wishes, despite dreaming of making significant changes in their field.
It is also important to note that the series also presents the dark side of the industry. For the owners/managers (the Matsunaga brothers), pro wrestling is primarily a business. The female wrestlers do not only deal with the physical demands of their career and the bullying of their seniors, but also the constant pressure of the agency for their show to sell out and secure high ratings especially during primetime. The men mostly have control on the female wrestlers, from deciding on their image and style, fight results, and projects outside of wrestling. They become greedier as their talents become more popular. Shiraishi and Mogi take their time in building up the back story and motivations of Kaoru/Dump and other major characters, from their family struggles, pre-debut training, and the challenges of being professional wrestlers.
The directors effectively capture the tension, violence, and gore during the fights. They also do not sexualize the women here. Instead, they present the fights as serious and bloody, depicting them as capable players, even within the sometimes predetermined results. If one happens to watch the actual matches which are available online, they will be amazed at how the directors, as well as the actresses, accurately re-enacted what happened in the ring. According to an article published on Netflix, the real life-Dump and Chigusa served as wrestling supervisors during shooting, with the latter being in charge of the choreography.
This collaboration with the two female wrestling icons, combined with the track record of the directors on action films, make the matches feel real and very satisfying to witness. With the crazy antics of the lead character, one will not be able to predict how much she is willing to do to assert her dominance and to give everyone an unforgettable show.
The committed performance of the entire cast, great direction, and emotional ending make “The Queen of Villains” a compelling jdrama. Even non-fans or those unfamiliar with the heyday of Japanese professional wrestling will surely enjoy watching this.
