@Courtesy of Netflix
How far would you go in order to fulfill your lifelong dream? What would you be willing to sacrifice? And how much of yourself would you change? These are the main questions that develop the narrative arc of Dump Matsumoto, the charismatic main character of the Japanese Netflix series The Queen of Villains. Set in the world of female wrestling in the early ‘80, the show tells the story of Kaoru, a young woman obsessed with all the stars fighting each other inside the ring. Coming from a turbulent family with an abusive father, Kaoru finally gets the chance to become a professional wrestler, only to understand that her opportunity to shine is never going to arrive unless she does something completely out of the ordinary. This is how Dump Matsumoto, the most feared wrestler of all time, was born…
Even if it has a very compelling and layered protagonist, The Queen of Villains is very much an ensemble story, portraying a few female characters who fully represent how the world of wrestling was dominated by men willing to exploit the athletes only to earn money and popularity. In a period in which the sport seemed to be losing an audience and consequently, the chance to go on primetime broadcasting, the goal of the producers and organizers was uniquely to go back to where they thought they belonged. And of course gain as much as possible.
The stars of the ring and the naive newcomers were just used to achieving that, without any attention to their feelings or physical conditions. In this environment, several female characters are portrayed with precision and empathy, every one of them being human beings with understandable and believable feelings. This way The Queen of Villains depicts an environment where the choices and the narrative arc of Kaoru “Dump” Matsumoto are not only entertaining but absolutely comprehensible. This makes this sports drama a show capable of working behind the glamour of the period setting, behind the adrenaline of the wrestling matches, or the accuracy of costumes of set design.
@Courtesy of Netflix
At the core, The Queen of Villains is very much a psychological drama about a woman who decides to embrace her dark side apparently to achieve her dream, something she succeeds in at a very high cost. The depth and power of Kaoru’s character are in the fact that she uses her personal history and her own pain in order to feed the villain she has chosen to become on the stage.
When at the end of the third episode Dump Matsumoto finally enters the ring, this character has been built through an emotional and psychological journey that is perfectly developed. Turning her weakness into her vicious strength, this woman suddenly becomes a tragic heroine who understands how to fulfill her destiny while at the same time embracing her hidden nature. And that’s what makes this character so good and in the end reliable. Yuriyan Retriever is perfect for the role, adding to it humanity and a soft, silent desperation that makes it even more moving. Her performance inside and outside the ring is compelling and elevates the quality of a TV series developed with intelligence and a precise sense of the genre. Here’s the interview with Yuriyan Retriever
The Queen of Villains is a period series not only for the fan of Japanese wrestling: it is a character study that mixes entertainment and drama achieving something not easy at all. In the end, the audience cannot stop routing for Dump Matsumoto, because the writers were able to show all the effort, the pain, and the love behind the frightening make-up…
Rate: B+
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Here’s the trailer for the Queen of Villains: