Kana vs. Meiko Satomura (Kana-Pro - 4/29/2010)

Their first match and still probably their best. Sort of has a dream match vibe going in as it's the two best strikers on the joshi circuit meeting for the first time. Kind of a standard structure as it's positioning matwork in the beginning, strikes in the middle, and then bombs and submission attempts for the finish. Still the technique on display during each of those different sections is amazing. Everything looks so realistic and hard fought, like it's two of the great martial artists going at it. Kana's armbar especially looks brutal as hell. It feels like a small miracle that Meiko escaped it without having her elbow snapped. Not to be outdone, Meiko hits the most brutal looking version of her cartwheel knee that I've seen her do, hitting it square on the back of Kana's neck and it making this sick slapping sound. Not sure if it was a thigh slap, but it definitely had me rewinding regardless. My criticism, and it's not really even a criticism, is that there was such beautiful technique and such great emotion on display from the two that I wish they had more time to work with. If a match leaves me wanting more, though, it's definitely doing something right as that isn't something I normally think after watching a match.