Full Details

Title: Miyu Amasaki 超新星な彼女
Release: August 29th, 2022
Pages: 67
Size: 1500px X 2500px (raw photo size)
Cost: ¥1,100
Where to Buy: Gravure Japan!

Even though some Stardom fans don’t want to admit it, and certainly don’t want to embrace it, the Stardom business model emphasizes not only the in-ring action but also the physical appearances of their wrestlers. While Stardom certainly has some of the best women’s wrestling in the world, they also release a lot of photobooks, employ former gravure idols, and at times have a wrestler’s appearance factor into storylines. For new wrestlers joining, the more they embrace both the in-ring and gravure side of Stardom, the more chances they will have to climb to the top of the promotion.

Miyu Amasaki debuted for Stardom in March of 2022 and almost immediately was pushed as a future star. Not necessarily by getting wins, but by her placement on some cards and who she was wrestling. Stardom wasted no time in getting Miyu up to speed on the gravure side as well, as in August of 2022 she had three photobooks released and a spread in Weekly Playboy. To say this is unusual would be an understatement – most wrestlers take a year or two at least to get a solo photobook, and no Stardom wrestler has gotten a digital photobook released since Hana Kimura. Its a very aggressive approach, and there is some risk of turning some fans off that think its too much, too soon for the 20 year old wrestler.

For this review we are looking at one of the digital photobooks released for Miyu Amasaki, titled 超新星な彼女. I am writing the title in Japanese as three different translation websites had three different translations, but it is something similar to “She’s a Supernova.” Anyway, unlike the Supernova photobook, this one shows Miyu Amasaki out and about in her normal life, her “true face” if you will. This includes pictures of her in casual attire, in training, and while wrestling. I always enjoy high quality pictures of wrestlers actually wrestling, so those are a big plus, and while the casual pictures are clearly still posed they show Miyu in a more natural setting than the modeling pictures do. This photobook is also ten pages longer but the same price as the companion photobook. For fans looking for modeling/gravure pictures, this is definitely not the photobook for you, buy the other one. But for general fans of Miyu that want to see Miyu in a more natural environment, or feel uncomfortable with gravure-style photos, I’d recommend purchasing this one.

The main issue with the digital photobook is simply in the way it is sold. To view the photos there are two options – in a browser or by downloading their app. The browser goes out of its way to not allow you to download the photos. You can screen grab of course, but unless you have a giant monitor, the picture will not be in its highest resolution to fit on the screen. The app is an excessive way to let people view the photobook, as few people want an app on their computer called Gravure J!, but the benefit there is it does allow you to cache the photos so you can view them offline. There is a method to save the photos in full quality, but its complicated. I still prefer a standard physical photobook since those can be more easily viewed and scanned, but at under $10 it is hard to complain too much, even if you may not feel like you really “own” the photobook in its digital form. Here are a sample of pictures from the photobook:

The post Miyu Amasaki 超新星な彼女 Digital Photobook Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Full Details

Title: Miyu Amasaki “Supernova”
Release: August 29th, 2022
Pages: 57
Size: 1500px X 2500px (raw photo size)
Cost: ¥1,100
Where to Buy: Gravure Japan!

Even though some Stardom fans don’t want to admit it, and certainly don’t want to embrace it, the Stardom business model emphasizes not only the in-ring action but also the physical appearances of their wrestlers. While Stardom certainly has some of the best women’s wrestling in the world, they also release a lot of photobooks, employ former gravure idols, and at times have a wrestler’s appearance factor into storylines. For new wrestlers joining, the more they embrace both the in-ring and gravure side of Stardom, the more chances they will have to climb to the top of the promotion.

Miyu Amasaki debuted for Stardom in March of 2022 and almost immediately was pushed as a future star. Not necessarily by getting wins, but by her placement on some cards and who she was wrestling. Stardom wasted no time in getting Miyu up to speed on the gravure side as well, as in August of 2022 she had three photobooks released and a spread in Weekly Playboy. To say this is unusual would be an understatement – most wrestlers take a year or two at least to get a solo photobook, and no Stardom wrestler has gotten a digital photobook released since Hana Kimura. Its a very aggressive approach, and there is some risk of turning some fans off that think its too much, too soon for the 20 year old wrestler.

For this review we are looking at one of the digital photobooks released of Miyu Amasaki, titled Supernova. Of the two digital photobooks, Supernova is the “gravure” one as all the pictures are of Miyu in various modeling poses, usually wearing swimming attire. The variety of attires is pretty impressive as clearly they had a deep wardrobe available, as each scene was between four and six photos before the look changed. None of the pictures go beyond PG, no nudity or implied nudity, just Miyu posing in a bedroom or by the pool. One set is slightly more sultry (none pictured below) as it shows Miyu in a shower, but still in a swimsuit. Overall a pretty solid photoshoot as they didn’t cut any corners in either quality or quantity.

The main issue with the digital photobook is simply in the way it is sold. To view the photos there are two options – in a browser or by downloading their app. The browser goes out of its way to not allow you to download the photos. You can screen grab of course, but unless you have a giant monitor, the picture will not be in its highest resolution to fit on the screen. The app is an excessive way to let people view the photobook, as few people want an app on their computer called Gravure J!, but the benefit there is it does allow you to cache the photos so you can view them offline. There is a method to save the photos in full quality, but its complicated. I still prefer a standard physical photobook since those can be more easily viewed and scanned, but at under $10 it is hard to complain too much, even if you may not feel like you really “own” the photobook in its digital form. Here are a sample of pictures from the photobook:

The post Miyu Amasaki “Supernova” Digital Photobook Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Full Details

Title: Bikiniing Winter
Release: February 2022
Pages: 68
Size: A4
Cost: ¥4,000
Where to Buy: Various Third Party Vendors (eBay, Buyee, Mercari, etc.)

For this special edition of Bikiniing, the following wrestlers were featured:

• Tam Nakano
• Mina Shirakawa
• Unagi Sayaka
• Mai Sakurai
• Waka Tsukiyama
• Mayu Iwatani
• Lady C
• Momo Watanabe
• AZM
• Utami Hayashishita
• Saya Kamitani
• Giulia
• Syuri
• Maika
• Himeka
• Natsupoi

For the first time since the series launched, Stardom surprised its fans with a “bonus” edition of Bikiniing. This edition did not follow the traditional numbering system as it came out (as the name implies) in the winter, and thus was simply called “Bikiniing Winter.” Even though it isn’t part of the official series, it still is the same size as the regular photobook with the same basic content, so while some may see it as an easy cash-in at least they did not produce an inferior product in the process.

The photobook follows the regular themes of Bikiniing – no wrestlers from Oedo Tai (doesn’t fit the gimmick!) and no one under the age of 18 (a development since Bushiroad took over but an appreciated one). Also, all pictures are of wrestlers in some type of beach-wear, although not necessarily bikinis. Bikiniing Winter is what you’d expect from a Stardom Bikiniing photobook so I’ll take a moment to complain about one aspect – I wish they had just gone full into the gimmick and had the wrestlers in (studio, not real) winter scenes. It would have made it stand out from the other Bikiniing photobooks, they gave themselves an excuse to have unique scenery but for the most part its just standard model posing/backgrounds like most of their other photobooks. A couple of the wrestlers did wear some type of jacket/fur in their photos but that was the extent of it. A missed opportunity to do something a little different from the norm.

Beyond that, the roster for the photobook is strong and every wrestler got at least three photos, plus most wrestlers had multiple outfits so the variety is certainly there. For those that like photobooks featuring the whole roster and not just one wrestler/faction, its hard not to recommend Bikiniing Winter, even if I wish they had leaned more into the “Winter” aspect beyond it just acknowledging when the photobook was released. Here is a sample of pictures from the photobook:

The post Bikiniing Winter Stardom Visual Photobook Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Full Details

Title: Starlight Kid “Changing Darkness”
Release: December 2021
Size: A4
Pages: 54
Cost: ¥3,000
Where to Buy: Stardom Online Shop and Third Party Vendors

As Stardom continues to pump out solo photobooks for their bigger stars, next to get the treatment is Starlight Kid. Starlight Kid has changed a lot since the last time she was featured in a solo photobook, as last summer she joined the Stardom faction Oedo Tai. When she did so, her entire personality and character changed, as she turned “dark” and much more sinister. While Changing Darkness does show her new side, it still features some of the regular photoshoot settings that you’d expect from a Stardom photobook.

As is the norm for recent Stardom photobooks, Changing Darkness doesn’t focus on just type of photoshoot. The 54 page photobook includes pictures of Starlight Kid in formal attire, ring attire, casual attire, and a few that some would consider more risqué gravure-style. Generally speaking, the photos are dark (obviously intentionally) and do not show Starlight Kid smiling or “happy” as she is presenting her new dark side. For fans of Starlight Kid this is likely a must-own photobook just due to the significance of the photobook showing her transition from bubbly fan favorite to pure evil, which has really elevated her career since she made the change. Here is a sample of pictures from the photobook:

The post Starlight Kid “Changing Darkness” Stardom Photobook Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Full Details

Title: Utami Hayashishita “Luxury”
Release: September 2021
Size: A4
Pages: 52
Cost: ¥3,000
Where to Buy: Stardom Online Shop and Third Party Vendors

Currently in Stardom, Utami Hayashishita leads the Queen’s Quest faction and spent the bulk of 2021 as the World of Stardom Champion. At only 23 years old, she is one of the top female wrestlers in the world, recognized by both fans and wrestling critics alike as one of the best on the current scene. As is generally the case with Stardom, Utami Hayashishita is not only great in-ring but she takes an active part in their photobooks as well, as she gets her second “solo” photobook release since joining the promotion in 2018 with Luxury.

Unlike Utami’s last photobook, which was part of the MyStar series, Luxury is a full-sized photobook and clocks in at over 50 pages. The additional pages allow for a more varied photobook this time, with many different locations and outfit changes. Luxury definitely leans more into the ‘gravure’ side of modeling, with Utami posing in a range of lingerie. Unlike Bikiniing, which is a more narrow focused and includes the bulk of the Stardom roster, the solo photobooks allow for a more diverse photospread and are the better option for fans of a specific Stardom wrestler. Fans of Utami and Stardom photobooks will want to find this one, however Joshi fans that do not enjoy the more risqué photobooks should probably skip Luxury. Here are a sample of pictures from the photobook:

The post Utami Hayashishita “Luxury” Stardom Photobook Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Full Details

Title: Tam Nakano “Twilight”
Release: July 2021
Size: A4
Cost: ¥3,000
Where to Buy: Stardom Online Shop and Third Party Vendors

Currently in Stardom, Tam Nakano leads the “Cosmic Angels” faction, a group that is not shy about flaunting their appearances. With the majority of the wrestlers in the faction being former idols or models, photobooks such as these are part of their gimmick, so it was not a surprise when another Tam Nakano solo photobook was released.

Twilight follows a similar pattern that we have seen in other Stardom photobooks – a high quality and professional photoshoot with a variety of scenes/outfits so the photobook doesn’t get dull. It certainly does not set any new ground, which is admittedly difficult in photobooks, but anyone that has purchased a Stardom photobook before knows the quality as they put a lot of effort into the presentation. Since it doesn’t go outside their usual box its hard to give a strong recommendation for casual Stardom fans, but fans of Tam Nakano will no doubt enjoy it. Here are a sample of pictures from the photobook:

The post Tam Nakano “Twilight” Photobook Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Full Details

Title: Bikiniing 10 Stardom Visual Book
Release: July 4th, 2021
Pages: 64
Size: A4
Cost: ¥3,000
Where to Buy: Will be on on Stardom’s Online Shop

For the 10th edition of the photobook, the following wrestlers were featured:

• Maika
• Himeka
• Momo Watanabe
• Utami Hayashishita
• Syuri
• Starlight Kid
• Mayu Iwatani
• Tam Nakano
• AZM
• Giulia
• Lady C
• Unagi Sayaka
• Mina Shirakawa
• Natsupoi

It is a new year, which means another edition of Bikiniing – everyone’s favorite or least favorite Stardom photobook release. Stardom continues the recent trend of not having Oedo Tai take part in the photobook, a decision I like (even though I love Konami) as it wouldn’t really fit in their faction image to take part in such a playful shoot. Everyone else you’d expect to see in the book is here however, and Western fans will be happy to know there are not any wrestlers under 18 this year as Stardom seems to have moved away from that as well.

I do feel for the wrestlers in one respect, as they clearly took a lot more pictures that didn’t make the final cut. At only 64 pages for 14 wrestlers, even without any text pages you are still looking at about four pages per wrestler. Yet every wrestler has two outfits, meaning they probably took a whole lot of pictures to only have four or five included. That was one benefit of the DDM and Cosmic Angel photobooks from a few months ago, as those being faction specific allowed the individual wrestlers to be featured more. Also, a small quibble for me is Giulia has on a wig in all her pictures, which since I like the short hair was a little disappointing. Still, for a presentation that features the bulk of the Stardom roster, if you are into the “visual” photobooks you can’t go wrong with Bikiniing. They didn’t reinvent the wheel but if you are looking for professional pictures of women in swimwear then they delivered. Here is a sample of pictures from the photobook:

The post Bikiniing 10 Stardom Visual Photobook Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Full Details

Title: Cosmic Angels “Delicious!!!”
Release:  March 3rd, 2021
Pages: 64
Size: A4
Cost: ¥3,000
Where to Buy: Stardom Online Shop and Third Party Vendors

After Bushiroad purchased Stardom in late 2019, their photobook productivity seemed to slow as the new parent company focused on other aspects of the promotion. Only two photobooks were released in 2020, and the annual Stardom World photobook did not come out in January. Just as it seemed they were easing away from photobooks, Stardom surprised their fans with three photobooks released at once, including this one – Cosmic Angels “Delicious!!!”. Delicious!!! features the wrestlers in the Cosmic Angels stable – Tam Nakano, Mina Shirakawa, and Unagi Sayaka.

This is a very different style than the other two Stardom photobooks released at the same time. All three members of Cosmic Angels are former/current idols and the faction’s identity is partially tied to their appearances. They have given interviews that emphasize their physical characteristics and its not a coincidence that all three have experience being idols. Saying that, Delicious!!! certainly highlights their physical looks as most of the shoot has the wrestlers in bikinis or lingerie and taking part in playful poses. While all three have solo shots in the photobook, they also do a lot of pictures as a full group in a more interactive setting.

Cosmic Angels “Delicious!!!” may make some more conservative fans uncomfortable, but the direction of the photobook is the same as how the group acts in interviews and on social media, this is not an example of Stardom “forcing” wrestlers out of their comfort zone. This is a gravure-style photobook for wrestlers well versed in gravure-style photoshoots and all three look very comfortable in the photos. This photobook may not be for everyone, but if you enjoy the openness and more appearance-based side of Cosmic Angels then this is a photobook you will enjoy. Here is a sample of pictures from the photobook:

The post Cosmic Angels “Delicious!!!” Stardom Photobook Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Full Details

Title: DDM “Destiny Dream Mode”
Release:  March 3rd, 2021
Pages: 64
Size: A4
Cost: ¥3,000
Where to Buy: Stardom Online Shop and Third Party Vendors

After Bushiroad purchased Stardom in late 2019, their photobook productivity seemed to slow as the new parent company focused on other aspects of the promotion. Only two photobooks were released in 2020, and the annual Stardom World photobook did not come out in January. Just as it seemed they were easing away from photobooks, Stardom surprised their fans with three photobooks released at once, including this one – DDM “Destiny Dream Mode.” Destiny Dream Mode features the wrestlers in the Donna del Mondo faction – Giulia, Himeka, Syuri, Maika, and Natsupoi.

Stardom photobooks tend to have a theme and DDM “Destiny Dream Mode” is no different. Some of the pictures are in normal casual wear, but others almost have a Western/old time-y look. I’m not sure exactly what they were going for but its very unique and sets it apart from other photobook released in the past. Most of the pictures are of the wrestlers solo or in pairs, as there are very few group pictures. While all five wrestlers looked good, Himeka and Maika really jumped off the page as its not a look we are used to seeing them in and they nailed it.

The photobook may be a little too short to please fans of any one wrestler, as five wrestlers had to share 60 pages. But each one still got a chance to shine in solo pictures, with some being more memorable than others as Natsupoi for whatever reason didn’t leave as much of an impression as the others. Still, fans of DDM will certainly enjoy the photobook, and its unique look will help keep even more casual Stardom fans interested. Here is a sample of pictures from the photobook:

The post DDM “Destiny Dream Mode” Stardom Photobook Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Full Details

Title: Ho-Show Tennyo Photobook
Release: 2013
Size: A4
Original Cost: ¥2,500
Where to Buy: Third Party Vendors (Buyee, eBay, etc.)

Before Kairi Hojo was an international superstar, she was slowly working her way up the Stardom ranks mostly in the tag team division. After spending much of 2012 pulling rookie duties, in 2013 she found her first title success teaming with Natsumi Showzuki as the team known as Ho-Show Tennyo. The success would be short-lived however as Natsumi left wrestling in May of 2013, cutting their title reign incredibly short. While Natsumi’s career was over soon after it started, Kairi would go on to became a superstar in Stardom before wrestling in WWE for three years to gain fans around the globe.

Even though this was not Kairi’s first appearance in a photobook, it was her first being one of the featured wrestlers. In traditional Stardom fashion, the photobook mostly features Kairi and Natsumi in swimwear, but does have some casualwear shots as well. While many of the pictures are of them together, there are also solo shots of both wrestlers in a variety of locations. Kairi would go on to be featured in many Stardom photobooks but it is a more rare look at Natsumi Showzuki, who showed a lot of potential during her short wrestling career. With plenty of length, this photobook is sure to be enjoyed by fans of Kairi Hojo, as long as they don’t mind the general theme of the book. Here is a sample of pictures from the photobook:

The post Ho-Show Tennyo Stardom Photobook Review appeared first on Joshi City.