Puroresu Pulse

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Happy-C, Fun-C, Lady C!

On November 14, I celebrated the sixth anniversary of my debut as Lady C!!!

Thank you for the flower stand!!! (Photo 1)

Ure-C Tano-C Hana-C (うれＣたのＣはなＣ, C-wordplay) and Furasta (フラスタ, flower stand): In Japanese, the letter “C” is pronounced “shii” (シー), matching the final syllable “shi” (し) at the end of common words and adjectives. Lady C uses this pun across her column title and signature greeting, playing on “ohanashi” (お話, talk or story), “ureshii” (嬉しい, happy), and “tanoshii” (楽しい, fun). “Furasta” is shorthand for “furawaa sutando” (フラワースタンド), the tall floral arrangements sent by fans or sponsors to venues to mark a wrestler’s debut anniversary, birthday, or championship bout.

In the blink of an eye, I have turned six years old as a pro wrestler.

And since my debut anniversary has arrived…

Two days after this column is updated, November 17 is Lady’s birthday!

Redi (レディ, third-person self-reference): Lady C frequently refers to herself in the third person simply as “Lady” (“Redi no tanjoubi” for “Lady’s birthday”). This stylistic quirk is preserved wherever she explicitly uses her ring name in place of a first-person pronoun.

Believe it or not, 32 years old! Terrifying!!!

Having my debut date and birthday so close together makes them easy to remember, doesn’t it! What a bargain!

Life goes by so fast that it surprises me.

When I was a kid, I thought 32 would feel much more like a grown-up…

In the life plan I came up with during middle school home economics class, I was supposed to get married between 24 and 26 and have two kids by the time I was 32…

Life sure is strange, isn’t it.

Still, every year I get older, there are more and more fun things.

Being an adult is a lot of fun.

Since becoming an adult, the number of things I can do has grown.

Part of that is probably financial, along with having more freedom. Though freedom comes with responsibility.

I used to be shy and could not bring myself to talk to people, but now I strike up conversations with strangers right away.

I will chat with people walking their dogs, or call out to an elderly woman carrying heavy bags down the street.

Lately, my days have been very busy looking after a girl who threw up on the train, and helping carry a middle-aged man who collapsed on the train on a stretcher.

I used to think that becoming an adult simply gave me more opportunities to talk to strangers, but maybe my sense of embarrassment has just faded.

I stopped worrying about things like feeling too embarrassed to speak up, wondering if I might be meddling by saying something, or worrying about how it looks to the people around me.

I just take action before even thinking about things like that.

Maybe both my sense of embarrassment and my capacity for thought have decreased.

Shuuchishin to shikouryoku (羞恥心と思考力, sense of embarrassment and capacity for thought): After explaining that she now steps in to help strangers on trains without worrying about how bystanders perceive her, Lady C makes a dry, self-deprecating joke that not only has her “shuuchishin” (羞恥心, sense of shame or self-consciousness) faded, but perhaps her “shikouryoku” (思考力, thinking ability) has declined right along with it.

Still, if that leads to more conversations with people and lets me be of help to someone, then it is a good thing.

“I stopped worrying about things like feeling too embarrassed to speak up, wondering if I might be meddling by saying something, or worrying about how it looks to the people around me. I just take action before even thinking about things like that.”

Also, since becoming an adult, I can no longer drink coffee and have grown bad with bitter foods.

Even though I liked coffee when I was in elementary school, I cannot stand it now.

I used to dislike cola, and now I love it.

My favorite food back in kindergarten was Pacific saury.

Now I love chocolate.

My taste buds are way too much like Benjamin Button.

Both then and now, the only things I still cannot handle are natto, cilantro, and horumon.

Sanma, Natto, Pakuchii, and Horumon (秋刀魚・納豆・パクチー・ホルモン, childhood and adult palate): Lady C contrasts her childhood palate with her adult sweet tooth, joking that her sense of taste is aging in reverse like the title character in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.” In kindergarten she loved “sanma” (秋刀魚, Pacific saury, a savory grilled autumn fish typically favored by adults), whereas now she craves chocolate and cola. She notes a lifelong aversion to “natto” (fermented soybeans), “pakuchii” (cilantro), and “horumon” (beef or pork offal grilled at yakiniku restaurants).

In terms of age I am an adult, yet I still live like an elementary schooler.

Since I do not usually drink alcohol, when it comes to hanging out, I end up doing things like playing badminton.

The other day, I got way too serious playing badminton and gave myself a huge bruise on my knee. An elementary schooler kind of bruise (Photo 2).

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The other day at personal training, I got pushed so hard that I sat on the floor hugging my knees and sulking, and my trainer teased me for looking like an elementary schooler.

Taisou-zuwari (体操座り, sitting on the floor hugging one’s knees): Literally “gymnastics sitting,” this is the standard posture taught in Japanese elementary schools for students sitting on the gym floor or athletic field during assemblies, with knees drawn up to the chest and arms wrapped around the shins.

At heart, I still want to stay as honest and straightforward as an elementary schooler!!!

Honest! Humble! Considerate!

Pure, proper, and beautiful!

Kiyoku tadashiku utsukushiku (清く正しく美しく, pure, proper, and beautiful): The famous motto of the all-female Takarazuka Revue musical theater troupe, founded by Ichizo Kobayashi. In Japanese pop culture, quoting the phrase is a classic, slightly tongue-in-cheek way of declaring an aspiration toward refined grace.

I will keep living with that spirit going forward!

Thank you so much for your continued support in my 32nd year!

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Lady’s Top Pick of the Week: “Abstaining from Alcohol”

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Lady does not usually drink alcohol.

I drink about three times a year.

Back in my teaching days, I looked forward to drinking parties and loved sake.

However, one day I realized something.

That I was tired the day after drinking alcohol.

Is it just me?

When I do not drink alcohol, I have energy all the time.

And so I thought to myself:

Maybe I do not need to drink alcohol at all?

Maybe because I do not usually consume caffeine, drinking cola gets me hyped up.

Even without alcohol, I can have a great time with just cola.

Now I only drink when I am so nervous at a gathering that I cannot talk without a drink, or when I am having such a good time that I feel like having one.

Having a drink once in a while is fun, but it is just as fun without alcohol too.

Everyone should try having a sober drinking party sometime!!!

Ichio-C (いちおC, top pick) and Shirafu nomikai (シラフ飲み会, sober drinking party): The closing segment header “Ichio-C” plays on “ichioshi” (一押し, top pick or strongest recommendation). Lady C concludes her column by encouraging fans to host a “shirafu nomikai,” literally a stone-cold sober drinking party.