1. Red Stars: Unagi Sayaka vs. Mai Sakurai
The finish was unsatisfactory, but this match left an impression on me. After her match against Suzu Suzuki, Maipyan seems best suited for brawling matches. She used her size and strong lower body well as a weapon against rival Unagi. ***
2. Blue Stars: Hazuki vs. Hanan
An intense match between STARS members. Hanan was faced with points-elimination and showed passion and a strong desire to win; surprise attacking Hazuki before the bell and maintaining that aggression throughout. Hazuki, who has a deep respect from her juniors and peers, feels like the mother hen of STARS and worked hard to spotlight Hanan. ***3/4
4. Red Stars: AZM vs. SAKI
This reminded me of SAKI's match with Tsukushi earlier this year, but with a more effective emphasis on size and power against speed and technique. Both of them set up some clever transitions. ***1/2
5. Blue Stars: Mayu Iwatani vs. Mina Shirakawa
Chamina gradually improved and became a well-rounded wrestler. I thought this match was carried by her hard work and emotion. She was great here, with heavy strikes and variations of the implant DDT. Mayu's shift from confident to struggling was well told throughout, as the damage on her neck began to build up. I was surprised that this was just under 5 minutes, it had a lot of great content packed into a short period of time. ***3/4
6. Blue Stars: Natsupoi vs. Suzu Suzuki
When Suzu Suzuki was wrestling in Ice Ribbon, I always thought she had the versatility to perform well in Stardom and it is an amazing thing to bear witness to. Her ability to adapt to her opponent has shined in all of her matches in the promotion so far. Natsupoi was the latest opponent she has had natural chemistry with despite having never faced her before. Suzu's striking power and grit and Natsupoi's speed and technique made for a swell combination. ****
7. Blue Stars: MIRAI vs. Ami Sohrei
If this match had taken place a few months ago, it would have probably been a "technically good but colorless" match, but these two have been getting more and more comfortable with expressing themselves and I thought that was palpable in this exciting power clash. MIRAI is a treasure trove of techniques and applies them logically and strategically. Her neck work reminds me of early "Rainmaker" Kazuchika Okada. The setup of the finish was brilliantly executed and established Ami's new finisher as an omega-level threat that can come when least expected. ****
9. Red Stars: Utami Hayashishita vs. Maika
I enjoy most of the Utami-Maika matches, but they've faced so many times with such little deviation from the norm that the matches start to blend together. Towards the end of this match, there were a couple of new techniques and counters used that added some novelty to the matchup. ***1/2
10. Blue Stars: Giulia vs. Starlight Kid
When I saw that this match was only 11 minutes long, I was astonished. They condensed the drama and peaks of a full-length epic into such a short time frame. This was an exhilarating grudge match between two charismatic figures against the backdrop of a packed and heated Korakuen Hall. The way it unfolded was unlike anything I've seen in joshi pro-wrestling in many years. The Starlight Kid of today was born out of her previous singles match with Giulia at the same venue and this felt like it would be another critical moment in the career of Kid, who was the highest ranked women's wrestler in the most recent Pro-Wrestling General Election. ****1/2
