Even though I am writing this checklist in 2022, I recently purchased a box of 2019 BBM True Heart and realized there was not an English checklist anywhere, so figured I may as well do a quick review and provide information on the set. Released in March of 2019, what made this release special is every box contains seven autographs! That is the most of any set and was made possible by the fact that 149 (!!!) wrestlers signed.

As is the norm for True Heart since the 2013 set, Stardom did not take part but every other Joshi promotion was presented, plus a lot of Freelancers. This set had first year cards of two wrestlers very popular today – Unagi Sayaka and Mina Shirakawa. It also has the last autograph card released of current Stardom wrestler Giulia, which is another highly sought after card. My main issue with the card set and why I don’t have very many in my collection is I do not like the design of the autograph cards. The checkerboard background isn’t as easy on the eyes as previous (and future) designs, and it looks very old fashion. The secret autograph cards look great however, so its a shame the base autographs don’t look as nice. Overall though, the very thorough checklist helps make up for that, if you can find a box at a reasonable price there is a lot of potential value.

Base Cards (162 + 9 “Secret” Variations)

Red = Tag Team
Blue = Retired
Green = Ring Announcer
* = Wrestler also has a “secret” alternative version of their base card

1. Yuki Aino
2. Itsuki Aoki
3. Miku Aono
4. Saki Akai
5. AKINO
6. Asahi
7. Aja Kong
8. ASUKA
9. Saori Anou *
10. Rina Amikura
11. Sayuri Amemiya
12. Himeka Arita
13. An Chamu
14. Noa Igarashi
15. Kaori Ito
16. Maki Itoh *
17. Kyoko Inoue
18. Ayano Irie
19. Takumi Iroha
20. Mika Iwata
21. Unagi Sayaka
22. Yumi Ohka *
23. Maika Ozaki
24. Mayumi Ozaki
25. Sayaka Obihiro
26. KAORU
27. Nao Kakuta
28. Andras Miyagi
29. KAZUKI
30. Manami Katsu
31. Sonoko Kato
32. Rin Kadokura
33. Yuki Kamifuku
34. Karen DATE
35. Riko Kawabata
36. Sakura Hirota
37. Kyusei Ninja Ranmaru
38. Kyuri
39. Tsubasa Kuragaki
40. Marika Kobashi
41. Kaho Kobayashi
42. Command Bolshoi
43. Mitsuru Konno
44. Reika Saiki
45. Sae
46. Yuka Sakazaki *
47. Saki
48. Emi Sakura
49. Yuko Sakurai
50. Sakuran Bonita
51. Ayame Sasamura
52. Ami Sato
53. Ayako Sato
54. Meiko Satomura
55. Sareee
56. Hikaru Shida *
57. Hikari Shimizu
58. Syuri *
59. Giulia
60. Mina Shirakawa
61. Rina Shingaki
62. Mikoto
63. Suzu Suzuki
64. Mei Suruga
65. Shoko Sekiguchi
66. Risa Sera
67. Miyuki Takase
68. Nanae Takahashi
69. DASH Chisako
70. Rika Tatsumi
71. Momo Tani
72. Dump Matsumoto
73. Cherry
74. Tsukushi
75. Tequila Saya
76. Nodoka Tenma
77. Totoro Satsuki
78. Nao DATE
79. Arisa Nakajima
80. Shoko Nakajima
81. Chikayo Nagashima
82. Hiroe Nagahama
83. Hanako Nakamori
84. Natsu Sumire *
85. Haruna Neko
86. Noa Hikari
87. Nagisa Nozaki
88. Heidi Katrina
89. Hyper Misao
90. Hibiscus Mii
91. Chihiro Hashimoto
92. Ina Hazuki
93. Momoka Hanazono
94. Ayumi Hayashi
95. Pom Harajuku
96. Moeka Kasuga
97. Bambi
98. Hiragi Kurumi
99. Koharu Hinata
100. Pinano Pipipipi
101. Fairy Nihonbashi
102. Yako Fujigasaki
103. Akane Fujita
104. Tsukasa Fujimoto *
105. Pork Tamako
106. Ibuki Hoshi
107. Hamuko Hoshi
108. Mei Hoshizuki
109. Yumiko Hotta
110. Tae Honma
111. Maeda Misaki
112. Natsumi Maki
113. Makoto
114. Misa Matsui
115. Hiroyo Matsumoto
116. Miyako Matsumoto
117. Matsuya Uno
118. Yuna Manase
119. Manami
120. Mari
121. Maria
122. Mari Manji
123. Mii
124. Miss Mongol
125. Mizuki
126. Aya Mizunami
127. Yuna Mizumori
128. Tiger Pink
129. Mochi Miyagi
130. Yuki Miyazaki
131. May Lee
132. Mede Thai Girl
133. Mio Momono
134. Yapper Man No. 3
135. Megumi Yabushita
136. Yuu Yamagata
137. Miyu Yamashita
138. Rina Yamashita
139. Yuina
140. Yuu
141. Maya Yukihi
142. Maya Yukihi
143. YUMI
144. Yoshiko
145. Kaori Yoneyama
146. Rydeen Hagane
147. Raku
148. Riho *
149. LINDA
150. Leon
151. Tomoko Watanabe
152. Miu Watanabe
153. NEW-TRA
154. Beauty Bear
155. Mika Iida
156. Keiko Aono
157. Aoi Kizuki
158. Misaki Ohata
159. Chiharu
160. Ai Hara
161. Sayuri Namba
162. Mizuka Arai

Base Autograph Cards  (149)

Yuki Aino   /90
Itsuki Aoki   /99
Miku Aono   /89
AKINO   /99
Asahi   /90
Aja Kong   /99
ASUKA   /99
Saori Anou   /87
Rina Amikura   /90
Sayuri Amemiya   /90
Himeka Arita   /88
An Chamu   /90
Noa Igarashi   /88
Kaori Ito   /98
Maki Itoh   /88
Kyoko Inoue   /99
Ayano Irie   /88
Takumi Iroha   /90
Mika Iwata   /99
Unagi Sayaka   /89
Yumi Ohka   /88
Maika Ozaki   /90
Mayumi Ozaki   /99
Sayaka Obihiro   /81
KAORU   /99
Nao Kakuta   /90
KAZUKI   /99
Manami Katsu   /99
Sonoko Kato   /98
Rin Kadokura   /90
Yuki Kamifuku   /90
Karen DATE   /90
Riko Kawabata   /90
Sakura Hirota   /99
Kyusei Ninja Ranmaru  /99
Kyuri   /90
Tsubasa Kuragaki   /99
Marika Kobashi   /90
Command Bolshoi   /99
Mitsuru Konno   /99
Reika Saiki   /90
Yuka Sakazaki   /90
Saki   /90
Emi Sakura   /90
Yuko Sakurai   /90
Ayame Sasamura   /90
Ayako Sato   /99
Meiko Satomura   /99
Sareee   /90
Hikaru Shida   /89
Hikari Shimizu   /90
Syuri   /98
Giulia   /82
Mina Shirakawa   /90
Rina Shingaki   /89
Mikoto   /89
Suzu Suzuki   /87
Mei Suruga   /90
Shoko Sekiguchi   /90
Risa Sera   /90
Miyuki Takase   /90
Nanae Takahashi   /99
DASH Chisako   /99
Rika Tatsumi   /90
Momo Tani   /90
Dump Matsumoto   /98
Tsukushi   /90
Tequila Saya   /90
Nodoka Tenma   /90
Totoro Satsuki   /90
Nao DATE   /90
Arisa Nakajima   /99
Shoko Nakajima   /89
Chikayo Nagashima   /94
Hiroe Nagahama   /88
Hanako Nakamori   /99
Natsu Sumire   /99
Haruna Neko   /90
Noa Hikari   /90
Nagisa Nozaki   /87
Hyper Misao   /90
Hibiscus Mii   /99
Chihiro Hashimoto   /71
Ina Hazuki   /90
Momoka Hanazono   /99
Ayumi Hayashi   /90
Pom Harajuku   /90
Moeka Kasuga   /89
Bambi   /98
Hiragi Kurumi   /90
Pinano Pipipipi   /88
Fairy Nihonbashi   /90
Yako Fujigasaki   /99
Akane Fujita   /90
Tsukasa Fujimoto   /90
Pork Tamako   /99
Ibuki Hoshi   /88
Hamuko Hoshi   /88
Mei Hoshizuki   /88
Tae Honma   /89
Maeda Misaki   /90
Natsumi Maki   /89
Makoto   /90
Misa Matsui   /90
Hiroyo Matsumoto   /99
Miyako Matsumoto   /90
Matsuya Uno   /90
Yuna Manase   /79
Manami   /99
Mari   /90
Maria   /90
Mari Manji  /99
Mii   /89
Miss Mongol   /99
Mizuki   /89
Aya Mizunami   /85
Yuna Mizumori   /90
Tiger Pink   /89
Mochi Miyagi   /90
Yuki Miyazaki   /88
May Lee   /99
Mede Thai Girl   /99
Mio Momono   /90
Yapper Man No. 3   /99
Megumi Yabushita   /99
Yuu Yamagata   /99
Miyu Yamashita   /89
Rina Yamashita   /85
Maya Yukihi   /90
Maya Yukihi   /99
YUMI   /90
Yoshiko   /99
Kaori Yoneyama   /90
Rydeen Hagane   /99
Raku   /89
Riho   /90
LINDA   /99
Leon   /99
Tomoko Watanabe   /90
Miu Watanabe   /90
NEW-TRA   /99
Beauty Bear   /70
Mika Iida   /99
Aoi Kizuki   /99
Misaki Ohata   /99
Chiharu   /99
Ai Hara   /99
Sayuri Namba   /99
Mizuka Arai   /90

Secret Autograph Cards (9)
All secret autograph cards are /40

Saori Anou
Maki Itoh
Yumi Ohka
Yuka Sakazaki
Hikaru Shida
Syuri
Natsu Sumire
Tsukasa Fujimoto
Riho

Cheki (Polaroid) Autograph (109)

Chekis are Polaroid photographs taken of the wrestler, that the wrestler then signs/decorates. As each one is an actual photo, every Cheki is unique. This list is from BBM’s official card checklist however it is possible it is incomplete.

Yuki Aino   /10
Itsuki Aoki   /10
Miku Aono   /14
Asahi   /10
Saori Anou   /20
Rina Amikura   /10
Sayuri Amemiya   /10
Himeka Arita   /10
An Chamu   /10
Noa Igarashi   /10
Maki Itoh   /10
Ayano Irie   /10
Takumi Iroha   /10
Mika Iwata   /10
Unagi Sayaka   /10
Maika Ozaki   /10
Sayaka Obihiro   /10
Nao Kakuta   /18
KAZUKI   /10
Manami Katsu   /10
Rin Kadokura   /10
Yuki Kamifuku   /10
Karen DATE   /10
Riko Kawabata   /10
Kyuri   /10
Tsubasa Kuragaki   /10
Marika Kobashi   /10
Command Bolshoi   /10
Mitsuru Konno   /10
Reika Saiki   /10
Yuka Sakazaki   /10
Saki   /10
Emi Sakura   /10
Yuko Sakurai   /10
Ayame Sasamura   /10
Meiko Satomura   /9
Sareee   /10
Hikaru Shida   /10
Hikari Shimizu   /10
Syuri   /10
Giulia   /10
Mina Shirakawa   /10
Rina Shingaki   /9
Mikoto   /10
Suzu Suzuki   /10
Mei Suruga   /10
Shoko Sekiguchi   /10
Risa Sera   /10
Miyuki Takase   /18
DASH Chisako   /10
Rika Tatsumi   /10
Momo Tani   /10
Tsukushi   /10
Tequila Saya   /10
Nodoka Tenma   /10
Totoro Satsuki   /10
Nao DATE   /10
Shoko Nakajima   /10
Hanako Nakamori   /10
Natsu Sumire   /15
Haruna Neko   /10
Noa Hikari   /10
Hyper Misao   /10
Chihiro Hashimoto   /10
Ina Hazuki   /11
Ayumi Hayashi   /10
Pom Harajuku   /10
Moeka Kasuga   /10
Hiragi Kurumi   /10
Pinano Pipipipi   /10
Yako Fujigasaki   /10
Akane Fujita   /10
Tsukasa Fujimoto   /14
Ibuki Hoshi   /10
Hamuko Hoshi   /10
Mei Hoshizuki   /10
Tae Honma   /10
Natsumi Maki   /24
Makoto   /10
Misa Matsui   /10
Miyako Matsumoto   /10
Matsuya Uno   /10
Yuna Manase   /10
Manami   /10
Mari   /10
Maria   /10
Mari Manji  /10
Mii   /9
Mizuki   /10
Yuna Mizumori   /10
Tiger Pink   /10
Mochi Miyagi   /10
Mio Momono   /10
Yapper Man No. 3   /10
Miyu Yamashita   /10
Maya Yukihi   /10
Maya Yukihi   /10
YUMI   /10
Kaori Yoneyama   /10
Rydeen Hagane   /10
Raku   /10
Riho   /10
Leon   /10
Tomoko Watanabe   /10
Miu Watanabe   /10
Aoi Kizuki   /10
Misaki Ohata   /10
Sayuri Namba   /10
Mizuka Arai   /10

Shop Exclusive Autograph Cards

Select shops in Japan received special autograph cards to give away with box sales, they were not included in packs. These autograph cards have more details on the front, and a sticker on the back to explain what the card is. The card does not have a serial number, and it is unknown how many of these cards exist per wrestler (or how many wrestlers have them).

Photo Gallery

Base Cards:

Autograph Cards:

The post BBM True Heart 2019 Joshi Card Set Checklist and Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Card Set: 2020 BBM Women’s Wrestling Ambitious!!
Release Date: November 28th, 2020
Base Cards in Set: 104 Regular Cards
Cost per Box: 8,000 Yen
Where to Purchase: Third Party Vendors (Buyee, eBay, etc.)

For the first time in the history of BBM women’s wrestling card releases, the series is having its second release in one year! This is an interesting set. The cards are new in design, with a lot of variations that we don’t normally see in the True Heart sets. The roster list is shorter however as there are a high number of wrestlers not represented, including all of SEAdLINNNG, Diana, Marvelous, OZ Academy, Gatoh Move, JTO, and Sendai Girls’, plus various Freelancers (Stardom is also not included but they have not taken part in BBM releases since 2012). This change was likely due to COVID, as getting to events for the wrestlers to sign was likely more complicated. That leaves Ice Ribbon and Tokyo Joshi Pro as the two bigger promotions included in the set, plus Actwres girl’Z and PURE-J. For fans of the other promotions this is definitely a disappointment, especially as one box is a similar price as the full release back in February.

With entire promotions missing from the set, the appeal may be limited, however they did make an effort to make up for it with lots of repeat cards of the more popular wrestlers. Wrestlers such as Ram Kaicho and Miku Aono have a high number of cards, with Maya Yukihi dominating all with her own special collection both in base cards and autographs. While the set is more for serious collectors or big fans of one of the promotions that did make the cut, the cards have a clean look and the number of autograph cards is still impressive. Here is the base card checklist:

Red = Debut Card
Blue = Tag Team Card
Maroon = “Another Shot” Card
Green = Private (Regular) Clothes Card
Orange = Swimwear Card
Gray = Rifu Tourism Ambassador Memorial
Indigo = Bonus Track
Magenta = Maya Yukihi Costume Collection Card (regular card, no memorabilia)

This is a unique set with autograph cards, as many wrestlers have multiple variations. The cards with (+C) means the wrestler also has a Cheki autograph /10 (unless otherwise specified) in addition to a regular autograph card. Most of the base autograph cards are /120. Here is a complete list of all the autograph cards:

Red = “Another Shot” Autograph
Green = Plain Clothes Autograph
Orange = Swimwear Autograph
Magenta = Maya Yukihi Collection Autograph

Scans coming soon!

The post 2020 BBM Women’s Wrestling Ambitious!! Checklist and Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Card Set: 2013 BBM True Heart
Release Date: Early 2013
Base Cards in Set: 117 Regular Cards
Cost per Box: 8,400 Yen
Where to Purchase: Third Party Vendors (Buyee, Ebay, etc.)

After a big 2012, the True Heart series took a hit in 2013. Stardom officially left the True Heart series in 2013, meaning some of the most popular wrestlers were no longer available. While we are used to that now in 2020, at the time it was an issue as previously the True Heart set always had the country’s biggest Joshi stars. The set also did not have any ‘special’ cards outside of Cheki cards, as there were no kiss cards or other memorabilia cards.

The other issue with the set depends on personal tastes, but in my opinion (and many others) both the base cards and autograph cards are a drop down in design quality. The base cards are very busy, as can be seen below, and the autograph cards are very plain looking. This has led to the cards not being very popular as the designs were much better prior to 2013 and after 2014 (which also didn’t have a great design). The main perk of this set is it does include some wrestlers popular today, including Kana and Hikaru Shida, and has the first official trading card of Mia Yim. Otherwise, its a pretty skippable set compared to the ones around it. Here is the card checklist:

Red = Hall of Fame (for Retiring Wrestlers)
Blue = Story Fact (Gravure Modeling Photos)
Green = Checklist

Here are scans of the complete base set, in order:

An example of the autograph cards in the set:

And finally, an example of the Cheki cards:

The post 2013 BBM True Heart Joshi Card Set Checklist and Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Card Set: 2012 BBM True Heart
Release Date: Early 2012
Base Cards in Set: 117 Regular Cards
Cost per Box: 8,400 Yen
Where to Purchase: Third Party Vendors (Buyee, Ebay, etc.)

2012 is a special year for BBM True Heart, as it was the last year that Stardom participated in the set. Starting in 2013, Stardom started releasing their own cards (at least through 2019) and no longer were included in True Heart, which hurt the product a bit as Stardom was (and still is) one of the most popular Joshi promotions in Japan. 2012 also includes the last signed card of Bull Nakano, making it truly a special set. Because of this, the signed cards from 2012 can go for a lot of money, with the most popular autograph cards sometimes selling for between $300 and $500 each. Needless to say, its a popular set.

BBM didn’t go too far outside the box in 2012, as they went with the standard base card, autograph card, or Cheki cards for fans to pull. The autograph cards do not have a set serial number but tend to be between 80 and 100 per card for most of the set. Some wrestlers have at least three cards in the set between their different gimmicks and tag team cards, including Misaki Ohata, Kana, and Ayumi Kurihara. Here is the card checklist:

Red = Hall of Fame (for Retiring Wrestlers)
Blue = Tag Teams

Here are scans of the complete base set, in order:

An example of the autograph cards in the set:

And finally, a couple of the Cheki cards:

The post 2012 BBM True Heart Joshi Card Set Checklist and Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Card Set: 2017 BBM True Heart
Release Date: Early 2017
Base Cards in Set: 135 Regular Cards
Cost per Box: 8,000 Yen
Where to Purchase: Third Party Vendors (Buyee, Ebay, etc.)

In 2017, True Heart had perhaps one of the “simplest” sets in the history of the series. There are no kiss cards, memorabilia cards, or low serial number regular autograph cards which they had experimented with in the past. They did have Cheki autograph cards however, which are a nice inclusion and give hardcore fans something to chase since they are rare and serial numbered to 10 or less. A Cheki is a Polaroid picture that is signed by the wrestler, making them really 1/1 as every Cheki is different as they are each a different real-life picture.

For newer fans, 2017 is a fun set as it has early cards of some popular wrestlers today. Wrestlers that at the time were still early in their careers but hadn’t fully blossomed (such as Sareee, Yuka Sakazaki, Riho, Konami, and ASUKA) are all sought-after cards to collect in the current Joshi card scene. 2017 also has the first card of Hana Kimura, who tragically passed away in 2020 right as her popularity was peaking. The set desperately needs something extra for fans to hope to pull as they are busting open packs as there are few surprises, but with the inclusion of younger stars there is still some interest in 2017 boxes among current fans. Here is the card checklist:

Red = Hall of Fame (for Retiring Wrestlers)
Blue = Tag Teams

Here are scans of the complete base set, in order:

An example of the 2017 BBM True Heart Autograph cards:

And finally, a couple examples of the 2017 BBM True Heart Cheki cards:

The post 2017 BBM True Heart Joshi Card Set Checklist and Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Card Set: 2006 BBM True Heart
Release Date: Early 2006
Base Cards in Set: 108 Regular Cards + 9 Subset Cards
Cost per Box: 8,400 Yen
Where to Purchase: Third Party Vendors (Buyee, Ebay, etc.)

2006 mimicked the 2005 set in a lot of ways, including the number of cards in the base set as well as having nine “Catch the Rainbow” subset cards. Also like 2005, the front of the card shows most of the wrestlers in casual attire and the back shows the wrestler in-action in the ring.  This year, the front of the card has the wrestler’s stats (birthday, height, weight, etc.) and the back of the card has a brief paragraph about the wrestler.

The base set is 108 cards, plus nine cards in the “Catch the Rainbow” subset. In addition, all the wrestlers in the regular base set have autograph cards (with the exception of Mirai as she passed away before the set was made). The autograph cards have a wide range of how many were made per wrestler, and are not the standard /90 to /100 that we see in more modern sets. Like in 2005, 2006 was still in the “dark ages” of Joshi Puroresu, after AJW and GAEA Japan both closed and in general Joshi had fallen out of mainstream wrestling in Japan. Still, a lot of wrestlers in the set are well known by fans today as there is a nice combination of veterans and young wrestlers that later turned into stars. Beyond the “Catch the Rainbow” subset, the base set also includes the inserts “Thank you for the Memories” (for Mirai, who had passed away), “Forever” (for retiring wrestlers), “in Another Situation”, and “Ladies on Film” to give the cards some variety. The Catch the Rainbow subset has two card versions: a regular Silver version and a Gold version that is serial numbered to 200.

The card set also has other special inserts, including Kiss Cards and Costume Cards. There are a total of six Kiss Cards and two Memorabilia cards in the set, however I have not been able to find a full listing for which wrestlers are featured. If I find additional information on other special cards I will update this page.

Here is the card checklist:

Red = Thank you for the Memories
Blue = Forever (for Retiring Wrestlers)
Green = in Another Situation
Orange = Ladies on Film
Magenta = Catch the Rainbow
Dark Purple? = Kiss Card

Here are scans of the complete base set and Catch the Rainbow subset, in order:

Here is a sample of the autograph cards in the set:

To show the different “Catch the Rainbow” cards, here is the front and back of both versions:

And finally, here is Kana’s Kiss Card:

The post 2006 BBM True Heart Joshi Card Set Checklist and Review appeared first on Joshi City.

 

Card Set: 2020 BBM True Heart
Release Date: February 2020
Base Cards in Set: 165 Regular Cards + 9 “Special” Cards
Autograph Cards: Regular, Special, and Chekis
Packs Per Box: 20
Cards Per Pack: 6
Autographs Per Box: Five, with a chance of an additional Cheki Autograph
Where to Purchase: Third Party Vendors (Buyee, Ebay, etc.)

Every year, the card set I look forward to more than any other is BBM True Heart. 2020 was no exception, and the card design for this year’s set being my favorite yet. To say the wrestler list is comprehensive would be an understatement, as they really dug deep into Joshi indies to get every wrestler they could. Stardom is missing of course since they (in theory) do their own card set, but all other Joshi wrestlers are represented. As is always the case, boxes quickly sold out and by the second week after release were already very difficult to find for retail price – it is a very popular card set.

This year, the base set has 165 regular cards and 9 “Special” cards, which is a second card for a wrestler with a different look. Some wrestlers such as Saki Akai and Maya Yukihi actually have three cards. Every card in the set has a corresponding autograph card, with the base autograph cards generally serial numbered from between /90 to /100 per card. For the “Special” autograph cards, only /50 of each were created, making them a more rare pull. On top of the base autograph cards and “Special” autograph cards, also randomly inserted into packs were Cheki autographs. Numbered to only /10, a Cheki is basically just a Polaroid picture of the wrestler that is then signed, so every Cheki is unique. Every full box of True Heart contained five autograph cards, with a chance of pulling a Cheki autograph to make it a total of six per box. Finally (another type of autograph card!), some stores in Japan were given what are generally called “Shop Exclusive” (or something similar) autograph cards, which include an extra message on the front and are not serial numbered. It is unknown how many of the Shop Exclusive autograph cards exist or how many wrestlers signed them, but they are the hardest type of autograph to find for any given wrestler. With a deep roster, a great design, and some amazing autograph cards, this set is a must-have for collectors of Joshi cards. Here is the full card list:

Red = “Special” Card

Scans of the base set, in order:

Examples of the base autograph cards:

Examples of the “Special” autograph cards:

Examples of the “Shop Exclusive” autograph cards:

The post 2020 BBM True Heart Joshi Card Set Checklist and Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Card Set: 2005 BBM True Heart
Release Date: Early 2005
Base Cards in Set: 108 Regular Cards + 9 Subset Cards
Cost per Box: Unknown
Where to Purchase: Third Party Vendors (Buyee, Ebay, etc.)

Even though I was not able to find a picture of the box for 2005 BBM True Heart, and thus couldn’t confirm the price of the box, I was able to track down a complete set plus some autograph cards so I have enough information to do a proper checklist and review. Like other years of True Heart, 2005 BBM True Heart uses good card stock and different pictures on each side of the card which is always a plus. The front of the card shows most of the wrestlers in casual attire and the back shows the wrestler in-action in the ring.  The front also has a full list of all the promotions included in the set in the tiniest font known to man, while the back has the traditional stats and career summary for the wrestler.

The base set is 108 cards, plus nine cards in the “Catch the Rainbow” subset. In addition, all the wrestlers in the set have autograph cards. The autograph cards have a wide range of how many were made per wrestler, and are not the standard /90 to /100 that we see in more modern sets. The autograph cards do have the BBM stamp and are serial numbered however, to ensure authenticity. There were also a small number of “costume” cards as well, but I have been unable to find a listing of all the wrestlers with costume cards. 2005 is in a lot of ways the climax of the “dark ages” of Joshi Puroresu, after AJW and GAEA Japan both closed that year and in general Joshi had fallen out of mainstream wrestling in Japan. Still, a lot of wrestlers in the set are well known by fans today as there is a nice combination of veterans and young wrestlers that later turned into stars. Beyond the “Catch the Rainbow” subset, the base set also includes the inserts “Ladies on Film,” “Farewell”, and “Precious Memories” to give the cards some variety. Here is the full checklist:

Red = Ladies on Film
Blue = Farewell (for Retiring Wrestlers)
Green = Precious Memories
Magenta = Catch the Rainbow

Here are scans of the base set, in order:

And finally, here is a sample of the autograph cards in the set:

The post 2005 BBM True Heart Joshi Card Set Checklist and Review appeared first on Joshi City.

 

The reason they are hard to find is not necessarily just the number made (100 one year and 98 another year), but she only had signed cards for those two years and due to her popularity, they just don’t come on the market very often. One was on Ebay this year (the 2011 version, pictured below) but it was $300, which is well above my price range. I check Yahoo Auctions in Japan about once a week, but never a signed card of hers. In fact not much memorabilia at all, since she has not sold a lot since she stopped wrestling back in 1996.

It is a small miracle that the 2012 True Heart card even exists, and it likely only does because she had her “final” show in 2012. The outfit that she is wearing on the card is the one the wore for her retirement show on January 8th, 2012. During her time away from wrestling, Bull Nakano lost much of the weight she had for the bulk of her wrestling career, but she regained the weight back so that she would look as she used to in her final appearance under the Bull Nakano character. If that isn’t dedication, I don’t know what is.

Nakano’s 2011 True Heart Autograph, /98

Bull Nakano is still around the wrestling scene, so we can hope that one day she participates in BBM True Heart again. But until then, at least I finally have one of her signed cards to add to my collection.

The post Bull Nakano: 2012 BBM True Heart Autograph appeared first on Joshi City.

Card Breakdown

99 Base Cards with 83 regular cards, 7 rookie cards (two wrestlers per card), and 9 retirement cards
9 Book Cards
6 Kiss Cards
2 Memorabilia Cards

There are also an unknown number of autograph cards. The autograph cards have the same picture as the base cards, however they are signed and have a BBM stamp with a serial number on the back.

One of the unique aspects of the 2007 set is on the front of most of the cards, the wrestlers posed in a more casual setting with normal clothing on. The backs of the cards had pictures of the wrestlers in their entrance or in-ring attire. Here are pictures of all 99 base cards (may take a moment to load):

And a few examples of what the back of the cards look like:

And finally an example of the autograph cards:

The post BBM True Heart Women’s Pro-Wrestling Cards 2007 appeared first on Joshi City.