Dude this animation.

When you put casually made sketchy keyframes from a pro art director into actual animation, you get this. Kenichiro Aoki was the man behind the best scenes in season 2.

Actually looks so fucking good. And the sound effects. The impact and fluidity is *cheff kiss*.

When season 3? At this rate, fandom will animate this shit by themselves.

OPM needs a good season 3, since a good 85% of the fandom got into it due to the anime. It's the easiest and most comprehensive media to consume after all. But I suppose at the earliest we will get news when Mob Psycho season 3 is done and over.

EXPO MILANO 2015 JAPAN PAVILLION | LIVE PERFORMANCE THEATER

Role: CREATIVE PRODUCE

Year: 2015

Client : JETRO

2015年5月1日（金）～10月31日（土）の半年間にわたりイタリアのミラノで開催された「2015年ミラノ国際博覧会（ミラノ万博）」にて、日本館における「展示ゾーン」のメインとなる「LIVE PERFORMANCE THEATER（ライブパフォーマンスシアター）」のクリエイティブ・プロデュースを担当。

本プロジェクトは、ミラノ万博の展示デザイン部門で「金賞」を受賞。日本館の「金賞」受賞は、登録博覧会（5年ごとに行われる大規模万博）における初の快挙である。

齋藤精一がクリエイティブディレクターをつとめ、テクニカルディレクター/プログラマーに堀井哲史、クリエイティブプロデューサーに清水啓太郎、プログラマーに武政竜也、ビジュアルプログラマーに田中陽、ビデオグラファーに本間無量が参加。トータルな世界観を創りあげるクリエイティブディレクションを行っている。

キャストの衣装はスタイリスト飯嶋久美子さんがオリジナルでデザイン。映像ディレクターにTOKYOの谷川英司、アートディレクション/デザインにCEKAIの井口皓太とTYMOTEの石井伶、照明にDumbTypeの藤本隆行、音楽にHIFANAら、さまざまなアーティスト、クリエイターの力を結集。テクノロジー演出により、食そのものの楽しさを伝えるエンタテインメント・シアターを作り上げた。

ライブパフォーマンスシアターとは ライブパフォーマンスシアターとは、日本館の締めくくりとなるレストランスタイルのシアター。観客はダイニングテーブル風の客席に座り、日本の四季が映し出されたスクリーンを見ながら、各テーブルのディスプレイを“箸”で操作し体感する来場者参加型である。

ショーにおいては、映像だけでなく、歌やダンスなどを交えたミュージカル風のショーも。カレーライスやライスバーガーなどの様々な文化を受け入れ、新たな日本の食文化となる「和魂洋才」で共存する多様性を表現したミュージカル・ショーを繰り広げた。

Credit General Produce : DENTSU INC. Space Design[空間制作] : 乃村工藝社 + 丹青社 Creative Direction : Rhizomatiks Creative Director : 齋藤精一 (Rhizomatiks) Technical Director/programmer : 堀井哲史 (Rhizomatiks) Creative Producer : 清水啓太郎 (Rhizomatiks) Programmer : 武政竜也 (Rhizomatiks) Visual Programmer : 田中陽 (Rhizomatiks) Videographer : 本間無量 (Rhizomatiks) Production Manager : 青木峻 Stylist : 飯嶋久美子 Video : TOKYO Music : 緑川 徹, 濱野 睦美(メロディパンチ), HIFANA, ピアニスト小瀬村晶, テーマソング編曲：小西康陽 ほか Art Director/Designer : 井口皓太 (CEKAI), 石井伶 (TYMOTE) Lighting：藤本隆行 (DumbType), 高橋研一郎 (株式会社東京舞台照明) Stage Director[舞台演出] : Thaiz Bozano、荒川いづみ(Change Performing Arts srl) Food Direction : 村田 吉弘, 林 亮平（株式会社菊乃井）

Exhibition consortium : TANSEISHA + NOMURA

Creative direction/Technical direstion :Rhizomatiks

(Seiichi Saito/Satoshi Horii/You Tanaka/Tatsuya Takemasa/Keitaro Shimizu)

Project management: Shun Aoki

Film: TOKYO

Art director/Designer: Kota Iguchi (CEKAI) + Rei Ishii (TYMOTE)

Assistant stage director: Izumi Arakawa (Change Performing Arts srl)

Choreographer: Thaiz Bozano

Lighting designer: Takayuki Fujimoto (Kinsei R&D)

Lighting programmer: Kenichiro Takahashi/Teiji Okayama (Tokyo butai showmei)

Lighting adviser: Kunio Tamada (Tama Tech Lab)

Audio visual equipment: HIBINO

Costume designer: Kumiko Iijima (IUGO inc.,)

And more & more

ソース: dentsu-ho.com

ホムラ( ..)✎

Rebecca | Kenichiro Aoki

Source

BTW Kenichiro Aoki the animator who brought the best animated moments of season 2 also drew Shadow Ring. Despite my disappointment in the season, whenever he took charge it actually made me forget I was watching a subpar anime adaptation. You can tell that he actually is a fan and he cared for the project. Glad that our girl is getting recognition she deserves from both fans and creators alike.

I was about to go ‘what the fuck are you talking about’ but then gathered the three brain cells I have left and went to twitter for answers

https://twitter.com/jumpaoki/status/1175328776315527170

Nice. And this just continues to solidify my notion that she could be a very prominent character for the ninja arc. I don’t have the hours or interest in scrolling through his entire twitter feed so I’m not sure how many other mini heroes he might have drawn, but doing one to focus entirely on her? That is....pretty cool. Also the more I look at her (I look at her a lot 👀) she’s starting to look less ‘full bodied’ as I originally thought and more buff. And short. And childlike. Shadow Ring looks to have a real bad bitch personality.

Five More Baseball Battlers Join the Cast of Tribe Nine TV Anime

  Five more cast members have been revealed for Tribe Nine, the upcoming TV anime based on the mixed media project created by Too Kyo Games, Kazutaka Kodaka, and Shuhei Yamaguchi about gangs of young people who compete for territory in Neo Tokyo through the practice of "eXtreme Baseball" matches. The new cast members make up the Ota Tribe, including:

    Junta Terashima as Fucho Sonoda.

    Reina Kondō as Enoki Yukigaya.

    Yukihiro Nozuyama as Kiyoshiro Haneda.

    Kenichiro Matsuda as Roku Saigo.

    And Gakuto Kajiwara as Kai Asahikawa.

    Set in Neo Tokyo, Tribe Nine follows the adventures of various "tribes" of young people who play XB ("eXtreme Baseball") matches. Against this backdrop, Haru Shirokane, a boy who came from across the sea, aims to grow stronger because he is always being bullied. He meets Shun Kamiya, the leader of the Minato Tribe - which is said to be the strongest in Neo Tokyo - and the two bond over their love of XB. However, soon all of the tribes are under threat from the mysterious Tenshin Otori, the self-proclaimed king of Neo Tokyo, and the members of the Chiyoda Tribe, who wish to conquer all...

    Tribe Nine is directed by Yū Aoki and features animation production by Liden Films. The series is scheduled to begin broadcasting in Japan in January of 2022, and it will also stream in the United States via Funimation.

  Source: Ota-suke

  Copyright notice: © Akatsuki Inc. / Tribe Nine Production Committee

    ---

Paul Chapman is the host of The Greatest Movie EVER! Podcast and GME! Anime Fun Time.

By: Paul Chapman

My Overall Impressions of the Edens Zero Anime

Originally, I wanted to do an initial impressions post of the Edens Zero anime, for the first few episodes. Then, it changed to cover the first 12. However, with the 25th, and final episode (of the first season) having premiered on Saturday, I felt like I wanted to give my overall impressions of the anime, instead. I’ve seen all 25 episodes, including the final one—and, there are a whole bunch of things I wanted to talk about. So, let’s get started!

ART STYLE AND ANIMATION

First, let’s talk about the art style, and the animation. Before the first episode came out, I honestly had a bit of reservation in my mind, having known beforehand of what animation studio is in charge of the anime adaptation, and the previews of the character designs. However, when the first episode came out, I was quite surprised at how well it was, when it came to both the art direction, and the animation.

While the character designs aren’t as exact, as what they are in the original manga, they are at least much closer to them. Where the art style/direction is best found, happens to be in scenes that involve the environment around the characters. Shots of landscapes, like the buildings in the planet of Bluegarden, and the Ether pillars in Norma, are the better examples of how great the art direction is. Even the shots of outer space, especially with the planets (despite how different they looked compared to their manga counterparts), are another example of it. It just makes the world in the anime more lively.

However, there can be some parts in every episode, where the art style is inconsistent. Of course, there will always be characters, and other objects that are off-model in far-away shots. For the most part, ‘though, the art style is pretty much consistent, from scene to scene, on every episode. Colours are used appropriately, with duller colours used in the more serious parts of the story—such as the latter-half of the Sun Jewel arc.

When it comes to the animation quality, it’s about as good as the art direction that i covered above. The quality of the animation doesn’t vary all too wildly, but, much like the art style, it can get inconsistent in certain parts for every episode. Where you’ll find the best animation, however, is in the chase and battle scenes. An example of that can be found in the first episode, when Shiki took on Lord Castellan. Even more examples I can think of, includes: The part where Shiki and Rebecca are being chased by Sibir, in Norma; the first time the “Leaper” ability was activated, in Sun Jewel; and, when Shiki took on Madame Kurenai, in that same arc.

Now, I’m going to dedicate this part of this section to talk, rather briefly, about the CGI used in the anime. I was actually surprised to see it being used, in certain scenes—with the titular battleship seen in space, for instance. Another example I can think of, is Sibir’s Knight Gear, in Norma, as well as Kurenai’s, in Sun Jewel. Personally, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with CGI being used in any visual medium (whether it be live-action shows, movies, or even anime)...as long as it’s done well. That wasn’t the case here, with this anime. I would rather see something like the battleships be hand-drawn, rather than in CGI, where the results would look out-of-place, instead.

Issues with the CGI, and inconsistent animation, aside, we can at least attribute the better parts of the art style and animation, to the team at J.C. Staff—particularly, with two key members of that team: The chief animator, Kenichiro Aoki...and the director of the anime, himself, Yuji Suzuji. It’s rather unfortunate to know that Mr. Suzuji had passed away, last month, knowing that he had made his contributions to the team, as the anime’s director. I tip my hat to him, and to all the other members of the entire team responsible for making this anime adaptation.

VOICE ACTING AND AUDIO/SOUND

Alright, let’s talk about voice acting, and the audio/sound. I was also a little concerned, before the first episode even came out, when the voice actors/actresses were first announced. However, after watching the previews—and then the first episode, my concerns were put to rest. I feel like all of the characters featured in the anime sounded much like I thought they were, and that the voice actors/actresses really nailed down their parts quite well. 

I also thought the same for the voice actors/actresses, in the English dub version (when the anime came out on Netflix). It’s only the first 12 episodes, so far, but I was genuinely impressed at their performances. While it isn’t the same as the original JP version of the anime, I thought they all sounded as close to their other counterparts. 

The rest of the audio/sound was also impressive, too, with proper mixing in certain scenes that feature intense action, as well as in quieter scenes. Furthermore, the music used in the anime also helped add to the impact of those scenes. There’s a mix of orchestral music, and guitar rock that’s featured in the anime—although, given the sci-fi and tech elements featured in it, too, I would’ve liked the inclusion of EDM, techno, and dubstep (I’m partly-serious about those).

Finally, let’s talk about the songs used in the first opening intro, and ending...as well as for the second opening intro, and ending. I know that T.M. Revolution does make music that gets used in anime (Gundam SEED and SEED Destiny, for instance), and “Eden Through the Rough” is a real banger. The song featured in the first ending—”Bouken no Vlog”, by CHiCO with HoneyWorks, conveys the lighter tone in the first cour of the anime.

For the songs featured in the second intro and ending, however...I’m actually inclined to agree with some who argue that both these songs are appropriate for the second intro. What I will fully agree, however, is that both these songs also convey the darker tone of the second cour. Regardless, I thought all of these songs, as well as the entire OST, are perfectly-suited for the anime, as a whole.

CONTENT COVERED

As far as the content covered from the manga goes, I’d say the anime does it well, for the most part. In terms of the arcs that the first season covers, it covers the introduction arc, all the way to the end of the Sun Jewel arc. 

I did notice that there were some changes made to the anime, from its source material. And, I would say that these changes are being made, for better or worse, depending on what you prefer. Already, I’ve seen a few instances of this, in the first episode, where they cut out the part in the manga where Rebecca discovers they are being taken by hostage robots on Granbell Island. There was also a part in the manga, during the Digitalis arc, where Rebecca yells at everyone about their sleeping habits. That was never present, at all, in the anime. 

When it comes to blood and nudity, however, the former is more inconsistent than the latter. With blood, first of all, it is present where you’d think it would be (especially so, if you’ve read the manga first). Examples of this, would be the flashback with Rebecca and Happy being involved in a traffic accident, and when Shiki punched Kurenai’s Knight Gear with only his bare fist. However, you also have scenes where blood should’ve been present, like when Spider/Jamilov was shot dead by Seth. In the manga, he was clearly bleeding out, unlike in the anime. 

For nudity, I did mention it is more consistent than blood—but, only in that it is consistently censored out. While, yes, the original manga does block out full-frontal nudity, the anime adaptation takes this much further. One glaring example of this, is when Rebecca is changing into new clothes, in the Sun Jewel arc—just before taking on Nino. In the anime, we only see her from the shoulders up, while the panel in the manga reveals more of her upper torso. 

Now, I can understand the decisions made to censor/tone down the blood and nudity. However, as the anime is aired on Japanese television late at night, it doesn’t make much sense to do so. In spite of all this, however, these kinds of changes haven’t really taken away my viewing experience of the anime.

As Edens Zero is made by Hiro Mashima, you can expect easter eggs from his other, previous works, much like in the manga. You have your standard Fairy Tail cameos, such as Team Shadow Gear in the Shooting Starlight guild, the usual Natsu and Lucy appearance—and, the triumphant return of the “Wow!” sound effect.

So, yeah, for the most part, the anime adaptation does follow the source material. There’s changes that some may or may not want, as well as a few additions to certain parts: I believe the scene where Shiki gets chased around by Kurenai’s Knight Gear was extended a little bit, compared to what happened in the manga.

CONCLUSION

Before I give my overall impressions on the first season of the anime, I just wanted to mention the preview for the second season—for those who have watched the final episode. I’ve read the manga beforehand, and from what I’ve seen in the preview...I can’t wait, until the next season comes out. I just can’t wait for what they will pull off, in that upcoming season.

Overall, I’m impressed with the anime adaptation, from start to finish. I do recommend this for anyone else, not just as a fan of Edens Zero (and Mashima’s works)...but, as someone who has watched anime, in general. It does a more than decent job at covering the story arcs from the manga, in spite of the issues it has—art style, animation, and censorship. 

Is it a flawless, excellent anime? No, but it certainly is alright enough to give it a peek, if you’re interested. Again, I just can’t wait to see what they have in store, for season two. Here’s hoping, with the next season, they will improve from the first.

DJ Mute City & Anthony10000000 - Halcyon Highways 2

tracklist:

DJ Mute City 1.Junya Nakano - Besaid Island (Final Fantasy X) 2. Shinji Hosoe - Foundation Fishing Lab (XenoSaga III) 3. CoLD SToRAGE - Messij (WipEout) 4. Kenichiro Fukui- Dawn (Einhänder) 5. N.T - Fort City (Espgaluda) 6. Shinji Hosoe - Comic (Fate/Extra) 7. Shinji Hosoe - Dawn (Fate/Extra) 8. Noriko Matsueda - Night Racers (Racing Lagoon) 9. Yoshino Aoki & Akari Kaida - Eden (Breath of Fire III)

Anthony10000000 10. Chrome Sparks - Tunnelrunner 11. Ana Caprix - Powerlines Run Through Clubland 12. ------ 13. Renjā - clear skies 14. Yasuaki Shimizu - Tachikawa 15. Arai Akino - Tsuki No Le (Outlaw Star) 16. d'eon - XIV 17. TECHNOuchi - fairytale 18. JKuch - “playstation 2 sounding startup sequence” 19. Golden Living Room - First Contact (feat. Oscob)

https://soundcloud.com/anthony10000000

March 2016

the anime season 2 is garbage

The animation? Indeed

90% of the anime, I dislike the whole artistic theme (not to mention the sound effects). But other parts are extremely good! because of Kenichiro Aoki's work

If we talk about the messages that the history/anime tries to convey, it managed to make us empathize with Garou immediately, so in the end they did something right

Informative post about the animated adaptation of Edens Zero. Hiro Mashima's most recent work.

-It will arrive in the spring of 2021. That is, March or April of next year.

-The studio that will animate it will be JC staff responsible for series such as Shokugeki no Souma, One Punch Man S2, Prison School, Danmachi, among others.

-It will be under the direction of Shinji Ishihira. He previously worked on the full adaptation of Fairy Tail.

-In the main cast (Shiki, Rebecca and Happy). We have Takuma Terashima who in Fairy Tail was Jackal and will be Shiki, Mikako Komatsu known as Seishiro Tsugumi from Nisekoi, Oboro in Yuuna San will be Rebecca and the most obvious Rie Kugimiya as Happy.

-Kenichiro Aoki will be part of the staff and who has made animations such as this (https://twitter.com/Toaru_Sakuga/status/1304533540382674945…) or this (https://twitter.com/randomsakuga/status/1305083928655679489…)

-Yūshi Suzuki (episode director for Fairy Tail season 3) will direct the anime, and Mitsutaka Hirota (Zoids Wild, Rent-A-Girlfriend) will oversee and write the series scripts, and Yurika Sako (key animation for Food Wars! The Third Plate ) will design the characters for animation.

More art by OPM animator Aoki Kenichiro

Source: Twitter

STARDOM 2/1/2022 Results: High Speed Title Match, Prominence Invades Again, Cinderella Journey Matches Set; NJPW Ring Announcer Kimihiko Ozaki Retires, NJoA Announce Chicago Area Debut 4/16/2022

STARDOM

STARDOM was at Tokyo Korakuen Hall on Tuesday, a show which is now on tape-delay on STARDOM World.

New Year Stars 2022 Night 4 - 2/1/2022, Tokyo Korakuen Hall

Saki Kashima [Oedo Tai] d. Hanan [STARS] (Kishikaisei, 8:26)

Mayu Iwatani, Hazuki, Koguma & Momo Kohgo [STARS] d. Utami Hayashishita, Saya Kamitani, AZM & Lady C [Queen’s Quest] (Koguma > C, Superfly Splash, 11:05)

Mina Shirakawa & Unagi Sayaka [Cosmic Angels] d. Giulia & Thekla [Donna del Mondo] (Mina > Thekla, Glamorous Collection Mina, 12:52)

Syuri, Himeka, Maika & MIRAI [Donna del Mondo] d. Momo Watanabe, Rina, Ruaka & Fukigen Death [Oedo Tai] (Himeka > Rina, JP Coaster, 14:43)

High Speed Championship: Starlight Kid [Oedo Tai] © TLD Natsupoi [Donna del Mondo] (30:00) - Starlight Kid retains on 5th defense

AZM challenged Starlight Kid post-main, which she accepted. That will now be part of the next big STARDOM card, Cinderella Journey on 2/23/2022 from Nagaoka. Also on the card will be Hazuki & Koguma defending the Gossesses of Stardom belts after Mina Shirakawa & Unagi Sayaka challenged after their victory today. Saya Kamitani will defend the Wonder of Stardom title against Natsupoi there too. A press conference is supposed to be held this morning about the event at STARDOM’s official YouTube channel.

Prominence invaded STARDOM once more today, challenging Donna del Mondo after the semi-main, with a pull-apart brawl. The next Korakuen Hall show will now have Syuri & Thekla against Risa Sera & Akane Fujita on the card.

The opener was interesting, given Hanan has a title, and a challenger for said title already. Maybe there will be another title challenge if Hanah beats Momo Kohgo.

New Japan Pro Wrestling

So it completely passed me by that Kimihiko Ozaki, the long-time dapper looking ring announcer with The Hair, has now retired from NJPW. Makoto Abe has been the lead ring announcer for a few years now, with Ozaki transitioning out on the undercard. Now he’s left the company. Best wishes to him, he had a great voice and cadence.

NJoA made their big announcement on Monday: Windy City Riot, NJoA’s first-ever show in Chicago (well, Villa Park), happening on 4/16/2022. Since this is a Saturday date, I’m guessing this will be on NJPWWorld live. So far the only Japanese talents announced have been Tomohiro Ishii and Yuji Nagata, so this will very definitely be a NJPW Strong-oriented event. Brody King is announced, so evidently despite now being All Elite and a King Of The Black Throne, he’s still working NJoA dates. Tickets go on sale tomorrow (Friday 2/4/2022) at noon CST.

Other News

BJW continued Ikkitousen Strong Climb at Tokyo Korakuen Hall yesterday, with Daisuke Sekimoto winning in under three minutes by countout against Yuya Aoki to go top of Block B with 8 points. In A Block, Takuya Nomura beat Yasufumi Nakanoue. Hideyoshi Kamitani was in a barbed wire board tag deathmatch on this show too.

Tenryu Project ran on Tuesday at Tokyo Shinkiba 1st-RING, crowning the 19th Tenryu Project Six Man Tag Team champions (a title that was used way back in WAR as well). Kenichiro Arai, Kohei Sato & Masayuki Kono beat Keita Yano, Shota & TORU in a Best Two Out Of Three Falls match to win the titles that had been vacant since 11/15/2015. This title being vacant for many years is not an uncommon occurrence.

FREEDOMS ran earlier today too from Korakuen Hall.

Lots happening this weekend. NJPW returns to action at last on Sunday, as does their Bushiroad sister company STARDOM. Dragon Gate begin Truth Gate 2022 with a show from Korakuen Hall featuring an Open The Dream Gate title match on Friday that will be live on Dragon Gate Network, then go on to Shizuoka on Saturday and Toyama on Sunday. DDT run two shows Saturday. AJPW begins the Excite Series 2022 tour on Saturday as well.

For just $3.99 Released on March 20, 1968: Aliens from outer space want to conquor the earth in this Japanese Sci-Fi thriller, and only the giant monster flying turtle called Gamela can save us. Genre: Action Duration: 1h 15min Director: Noriaki Yuasa Actors: Kjir Hong (Scout Master Mr. Shimida), Kjir Hong (Masao Nakaya), Carl Craig (Jim Crane), Peter Williams (Dr. Dobie), Carl Clay (Carl Crane), Michiko Yaegaki (girl scout), Mari Atsumi (Junko Aoki), Junko Yashiro (Masako Shibata), Kji Fujiyama (Commander of Jietat), Genz Wakayama (voice of Boss), Chikara Hashimoto (the General), Kenichiro Yamane (Mr. Shibata), Kenji Go (Commander at the dam), Akira Natsuki (soldier), Ken Nakahara (soldier), Mary Morris (Mrs. Crane), Yoshir Kitahara (alien), Kei'ichi Noda (alien), Teruo Aragaki (Gamera). *** This item will be supplied on a quality disc and will be sent in a sleeve that is designed for posting CD's DVDs *** This item will be sent by 1st class post for quick delivery. Should you not receive your item within 12 working days of making payment, please contact me so we can solve this or any other questions. Note: All my products are either my own work, licensed to me directly or supplied to me under a GPL/GNU License. No Trademarks, copyrights or rules have been violated by this item. This product complies with rules on compilations, international media, and downloadable media. All items are supplied on CD or DVD.

EDENSZERO ( ..)✎

Jinn | Kenichiro Aoki

Source

Tokyo Sports celebrates its awards ceremony for the best of 2019

The famous Japanese newspaper Tokyo Sports has held the awards ceremony for the best of pro-wrestling in Japan during the year 2019. To do this, several of the magazine's critics voted for a series of nominees based on their performance throughout the year, the success they have had and the development under their character, among other factors. This has been the 46th edition of the awards and took place on Thursday, January 16, 2020, from the Grand Prince Hotel Takanawa in Shinagawa, Tokyo. The winners and some legends of pro-wrestling such as Kenta Kobashi or Genichiro Tenryu attended the gala. There was also the presence of the idol Jurina Matsui. The companies representing the winners made an appearance. It should be remembered that the winners of the prizes were the following: Best Wrestler/MVP: Kazuchika Okada (NJPW) Best Female Wrestler: Mayu Iwatani (STARDOM) Best match: Kazuchika Okada vs. SANADA, in King of Pro Wrestling 2019 (NJPW) Best tag team: Violent Giants (Shuji Ishikawa and Suwama) (AJPW) (Third consecutive year) Best technique/skill: Kota Ibushi (NJPW) Fighting Spirit: Kaito Kiyomiya (NOAH) (Second consecutive year) Best overall performance award: Kento Miyahara (AJPW) The debut of the year: Strong Machine J (Dragon Gate) The prize for his professional career: Atsushi Aoki (AJPW) Special mention to the medalists of the Greco-Roman Wrestling World Championships in Kazakhstan 2019: Risako Kawai (57 kilos category), Kenichiro Fumita (60 kilos category) and Shinobu Ota (63 kilos category) All the winners received their trophies and made speeches for the public: Jun Akiyama and Kasumi Obata, wife of Atsushi Aoki, collected the prize given posthumously to the wrestler. Akiyama took the floor, noting that Aoki was the best worker in All Japan and highlighted the number of things he did for the company. Collecting the prize in memory of his apprentice has been one of his last duties as president of All Japan, indicating that he will return to work as a fighter to do what he can to help the wrestlers. Akiyama commented that Aoki was a pro-wrestling fan since childhood. Strong Machine J was introduced remembering that he was the son of Super Strong Machine, a star from NJPW and that he debuted last April 2019. Since then he has had the opportunity to have great meetings at Dragon Gate, winning the Open the Championships Triangle Gate He thanks NJPW for allowing him to fight with the same mask design as his father. As for Dragon Gate, it will strive to do more things and keep the company moving forward. Mayu Iwatani thanked the support of STARDOM President  Rossy Ogawa, who has never stopped believing in her. The World of STARDOM Champion recalled that it was her second time attending the awards ceremony, having previously accompanied Io Shirai. She felt it was a remote place for her, but she has finally received the award. The fighter made a request for Tokyo Sports, she wants women to also aspire to win prizes such as Best Tag Team or Best Combat. He recalled that there are many female wrestlers and companies that are doing great things and do not like the perception that women are considered as something less than what men do. Kota Ibushi received his prize, mentioning that he did not understand very well what was valued to give him the trophy since he did not remember having demonstrated his ability during 2019. He also indicated that he will try to become the MVP of 2020, working both individual ways as in the tag team. Kaito Kiyomiya commented that he managed to bring light to a stage of darkness for NOAH. This is his year (according to his zodiac sign) and he will continue to strive while NOAH continues to look for the way to return to the Nippon Budoukan. He adds that his personal goal is to  bring NOAH back to Tokyo Dome. Kento Miyahara started remembering that he has started the year as Triple Crown Champion and will seek to break the title defense record. He wants to continue being the symbol of All Japan and continue rewriting the history of his company. Miyahara had words for the president of Tokyo Sports, Osamu Sakai, telling him that he wanted to see him more at AJPW events, which caused the audience to laugh. Miyahara said goodbye indicating that the history of Japanese pro-wrestling will continue to advance this year. Suwama and Shuji Ishikawa took the stage. Suwama was delighted to win the trophy for the third consecutive year and called Osamu Sakai to come up with them. Suwama joked with the president of Tokyo Sports. For its part, Ishikawa added that Violent Giants will continue to show their unlimited potential in 2020. SANADA  mentioned that the fact that his match was chosen as the best of the year gives him the confidence to continue and continue to evolve. Kazuchika Okada celebrated remembering that he has been re-elected MVP, won the Heavyweight Championship and got married in 2019, so he had a great year. As for 2020, it is the year of the Olympic Games in Tokyo and he wants the spirit to spread pro-wrestling so that they continue moving forward. He wants to make 2020 the year of pro-wrestling and that is why he proposes a great event with several companies from Japan, demonstrating Japan's talent with all its best available wrestlers. Read the full article