Hana Kimura passes away

[SirEdger]

4 hours ago, Alyosha said:

Rest in peace Hana.

Kairi Sane's tweet is just heartbreaking.

I was able to notice her tweet right away because it was afternoon in the United States by the time difference (midnight in Japan time) and I called Jungle Screamer and Rossi Ogawa with Io immediately.
Kyona went with all her might.
However…
I didn't make it in time

It's heartbreaking to think that Kairi Sane somehow feels responsible for her death and feels like she let her down when it couldn't be any further from the truth. Hope that people around Kairi will surround her with love in the next few days.

Asuka also tweeted that she was a victim of cyberbullying in Japan before she moved to the United States.

[KawadaSmile]

Cyberbullying happens because most times, the perpetrator walks away scot-free. They hide behind a wall of anonymity, with who knows how many burner accounts and very rarely face any kind of real-world consequence.

Cesar Bononi mentioned in an interview that wrestlers had to take shit from their bosses AND from fans. He talked about death threats, about how people wanted him to get hurt and lose his job, plus other horrible shit directed at his family.

Can't imagine going through this shit daily, really.

[Al]

3 hours ago, SirEdger said:

It's heartbreaking to think that Kairi Sane somehow feels responsible for her death and feels like she let her down when it couldn't be any further from the truth. Hope that people around Kairi will surround her with love in the next few days.

I didn’t see what Hana tweeted but if Kairi went on twitter and saw her friend essentially tweeting her suicide, that has to leave a lasting impression. 

[ohtani's jacket]

This is some awful shit. I worry about the affect bullying might have on my daughter, her friends and the kids I teach.  Don't people on social media realize that Terrace House is a work? 

[sek69]

5 hours ago, Al said:

I didn’t see what Hana tweeted but if Kairi went on twitter and saw her friend essentially tweeting her suicide, that has to leave a lasting impression. 

If the translation is correct, her and Io saw the tweets and immediately called everyone they knew to get to her ASAP.  I can't imagine the feeling your friend is in danger on the other side of the world and there's nothing you can do directly. 

Also kudos to AEW not only having a graphic, but taking the time on their PPV to say a little something about treating people better on the internet too. Excalibur sounded like he was fighting back the urge to start cussing out the idiots responsible too. 

I can only hope that this leads to some kind of repercussions for the folks responsible. The main reason people act like assholes online is because 99% there's no risk of any punishment for doing so. 

[MoS]

Meltzer said that there is talk of making such online conduct criminal in the wake of this, and people who sent her those messages and subsequently deleted their accounts are scared. Good. I hope they shit themselves in fear every second until they get thrown in jail. 

[NintendoLogic]

I don't think they can be prosecuted since ex post facto laws are prohibited by the Japanese constitution. That doesn't mean they can't face social consequences for their actions, though.

[Al]

Could vary by home country though. If harassment came from an outside country with laws on the book...

[rovert]

Just a horrible story for all the reasons previously mentioned. Hana's mother Kyoko Kimura was a fun presence when she wrestled. Someone you didn't want to see have a bad day in real life.

STARDOM has been hit hard in recent times by injuries, departures and retirements. Wonder of Stardom Champion Arisa Hoshiki announced her retirement only last Wednesday due to injuries. Rewatching STARDOM is going be very hard as Hana was such a big factor in the promotion. While going forward following them & investing in a new favourite just feels like setting yourself up for disappointment. Too many sad stories in a brief time. They are kinda in that late 80s World Class Championship Wrestling space now even with if STARDOM has new owners set on expansion and houses being up before COVID-19.

[Tenese Sarwieh]

I just read Kyoko Kimura's tweet, "I'm sorry I didn't protect you. I'm sorry you had to go through that." It's so gut wrenching, no parent should ever have to go through this.

[rovert]

5 minutes ago, Tenese Sarwieh said:

I just read Kyoko Kimura's tweet, "I'm sorry I didn't protect you. I'm sorry you had to go through that." It's so gut wrenching, no parent should ever have to go through this.

I hope if/when Kyoko Kimura is able to return to her food truck that interacting with Wrestling fans helps her in her grieving process rather than it being a painful reminder. Her truck is typically found outside at the Shin-Kiba 1st Ring venue. 

[SirEdger]

2 hours ago, rovert said:

Just a horrible story for all the reasons previously mentioned. Hana's mother Kyoko Kimura was a fun presence when she wrestled. Someone you didn't want to see have a bad day in real life.

STARDOM has been hit hard in recent times by injuries, departures and retirements. Wonder of Stardom Champion Arisa Hoshiki announced her retirement only last Wednesday due to injuries. Rewatching STARDOM is going be very hard as Hana was such a big factor in the promotion. While going forward following them & investing in a new favourite just feels like setting yourself up for disappointment. Too many sad stories in a brief time. They are kinda in that late 80s World Class Championship Wrestling space now even with if STARDOM has new owners set on expansion and houses being up before COVID-19.

That's weird because I had that exact same vibe as I was relisting in my head all the names that STARDOM had lost recently and you can't help but feel that the promotion seems to be cursed as World Class were at that time.

[El-P]

More like JWP, really, with Plum Mariko's death followed by Candy Okutsu's retirement the following year or so and Oz switching more toward GAEA and Dynamite Kansai getting ill. That company never recovered either.

[Tenese Sarwieh]

4 hours ago, rovert said:

I hope if/when Kyoko Kimura is able to return to her food truck that interacting with Wrestling fans helps her in her grieving process rather than it being a painful reminder. Her truck is typically found outside at the Shin-Kiba 1st Ring venue. 

It's going to be hard finding any sense of solace for her and others who knew Hana with the question of "why?" always asking themselves. I really hopes it helps her. 

[jushin muta liger]

Here are more details around Hana's passing from Kyodo News. I put the spoilers on the story as a warning because it can be disturbing for some.

Spoiler

https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2020/05/77d3f1ede7a4-suicide-note-written-by-japanese-netflix-star-hana-kimura-found.html

For me personally, it has hit me hard and it's been hard for me to express it on twitter, discord and group chats. So I figured going back to the forums to write it.

With Hana, I've seen her entire career and even knew about her before she even started wrestling when she was a ring card girl and a model. She just had a star aura and presence about her that couldn't be replicated. It wasn't just her looks but it was the charisma in the ring either playing heel or babyface. Whether it was her in Oedo Tai, The I Love Ribera Steakhouse Cheeleader gimmick, her being wild in her brief stint in Mexico, the cybergoth gimmick with braids when she came back from Mexico to what she evolved to the present being the leader of TCS; she always had your attention. I know everybody is shocked that she was only 22 but she did a lot inside the 4 years of wrestling career. Wrestling in MSG and the Tokyo Dome, being a main eventer, being a hit reality TV show, being a product endorser (G-Shock watches, etc) is something that most wrestlers haven't done their entire career. And she did it in 4 years. I think that gets lost with the news coverage that she was on the verge of being a superstar.

With the reality show, I thought she was either going to become a mainstream celebrity, draw big money houses for Stardom, possibly leave wrestling for acting or even come to WWE for big money. She was that type of star in the making. I would never imagine that the reality show would lead to her being gone forever.

I've seen people talk about J-Pop and K-Pop idol stars succumbing to the same thing  and it's just heartbreaking. I was legit worried about Stardom amping up their idol image but I would never expect the damn reality show to be her downfall.

This ranks up with Eddie, Owen, and begrudgingly Benoit with wrestler passings in terms of the hurt I've felt.

However, this eerily reminds me of the late R&B singer Aaliyah when she passed away at 22 as well. The cause of death wasn't the same at all but the shock of the death, outpouring love from fans and colleagues, and the career trajectory were similar. Aaliyah was a superstar but she on track to be global superstar with doing movies and such. Also, people didn't have bad things to say about her and it's been the same with Hana. Other than the report in the Observer last year about not agreeing certain finishes in ROH (which people ridiculed and piled on Meltzer ironically), she seemed to very well liked throughout the wrestling world. It seemed like she had a light up the room type of quality about her and I know a lot of English speaking fans said she was one of the nicest wrestlers they have ever met which is rare for a star. I know Aaliyah has inspired a lot of pop and R&B acts after her and I think the same will happen with Hana in terms of wrestling. She had a budding female fan base that looked up to her because she was a tough, independent and feminine woman.

Rovert mentioned before that Stardom seemed to be the new World Class and it's starting to feel that way honestly. Ever step they take forward, they knocked back twice and it's unfortunate. I pray for Kyoko, her stepdad Isao Kobayashi, her grandmother, Jungle Kyona (who was supposedly at the scene), her friends and her fans that they can heal properly because this was a big loss.

Edited May 26, 2020 by jushin muta liger
grammar

[ohtani's jacket]

It's possible she was unwell before joining Terrace House. She may have had the potential to be a superstar but it seems  she was struggling. 

[rovert]

34 minutes ago, ohtani's jacket said:

It's possible she was unwell before joining Terrace House. She may have had the potential to be a superstar but it seems  she was struggling. 

All true. But Terrance House's screening process - if it is like my exposure to UK/Irish reality TV her struggling would include her to be cast rather than it would exclude her.

Reality TV thrives on pitching combative and fragile people against each other.

Reality TV should offer aftercare and counselling in the transition out of it and after the show is wrapped. Often these initiatives are just PR exercises but at least they are something.

I really don't want to start a finger-pointing exercise between her, her family, STARDOM and the production team behind Terrace House. And I really don't know how long Japan has reality TV or the culture behind it either.

But in the UK/Ireland reality TV is regarded as a quick, easy and short form of fame. And you are throwing yourself to lions (namely the tabloid and social media). The last thing you'd want anyone you'd care for is to pursue it. 

My understanding is that Terrace House had a rep of being a quaint and low drama version of reality TV but still you are leaving your reputation and person in the hands of an editor who has to present a cheap, crude, short version of that day's events for the time slot on offer for a commercial purpose.

[sek69]

There is a YouTube video of her doing an interview about being on the show and you can clearly see three large scars across her left wrist.  Not going to even try to play hindsight psychologist but it seems clear she had some difficulties and was probably the last person who should have been on a reality TV show, even one seemingly laid back, as at their core they all feed off drama both real and created. 

[ohtani's jacket]

I have a hard time believing that anything on Terrace House is real. It all looks staged to me. It wouldn't surprise me if the costume incident was fake. The abuse was real, however. And she's not the first cast member to be bullied. Some of the other cast members have commented about her death:

https://soranews24.com/2020/05/24/terrace-house-stars-condemn-cyberbullying-after-death-of-housemate-hana-kimura/

[El-P]

Thunder Rosa talking about Hana Kimura at the beginning of this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i24MUpbXvd4