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The story
A Chiikawa-related thread lit up with posts describing which characters are popular and unpopular using terms borrowed straight from Hello! Project idol fandom — ‘popular members,’ ‘unpopular members,’ ‘gachikoi’ (die-hard, deeply-in-love stans), and ‘antis’ (haters). It kicked off with an image of a customer poll held at the Lashinban store in Shinjuku, where Usagi came out on top, surprising a lot of posters. Meanwhile Rakko-sensei got called out as unpopular, with people unsure whether it’s ‘the looks or the personality.’ Some also questioned why Momonga, despite having a similar look, is so much more popular.
What people said
Some people are hardcore 'gachikoi' for Kurimanjuu,
while apparently even model-student types like Shisa and the Secondhand Bookstore guy have haters…
Dunno if it's the looks or the personality,
but Momonga looks about the same and it's popular, so that's a mystery.
Yeah, he's just not for people who want something cute.
And his voice is weirdly handsome-sounding too.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HQ7wW4ib0AArVHU.jpg?name=orig
I thought Hachiware was #1… guess it's Usagi.
Wait, there's a Lashinban inside a Marui department store now?
Sign of the times.
I sense some malice in the choice of Chiikawa picture there.
Shima Jiro → Inoue Re
Mermaid → Ebamifu
The one that got simmered in soy sauce was probably Risachika.
Well, she's a popular member after all.
I'd say more Nina than Ma-chan.
It's wearing the skin of a cute character, but the content is basically Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment.
I'd argue adults are the ones who'll enjoy it most.
Wadasako: 'What even is a rakko (sea otter)?'
Apparently there's self-insert fan fiction ('yume shousetsu') for Kurimanjuu and Momonga too, but…
Give me more Kuri x Shisa married-couple content, please.
Self-insert fanfic though — that's hilarious.
But I do hope the real one comes back someday and gets along with everyone again.
And I hope the Dekatsuyo currently inside turns into a good kid too.
The moment the Dekatsuyo inside develops a conscience, I want them shoved back into their original body and hunted down.
Chiikawa — Sayashi
Hachiware — Kudo
Usagi — Ma-chan
Momonga — Michishige
Secondhand Bookstore Guy — Iikubo
Kurimanjuu — Ikuta
Shisa — Suzuki
Rakko — Kaga
Shima Jiro — Makino
Siren — Fukumura
Hitoha — Ishida
Futaha — Oda
Grew mold and failed the Level 5 houseplant certification.
He's basically a buff, big guy.
Then let's go with Haga.
Next-gen Chiikawa —
Hachiware would be Yumigeta
Usagi would be Yamazaki
I feel like, aside from being a hard worker, Haru-san's personality is pretty far removed from the Chiikawa crew.
If I had to pick, maybe Hachiware?
since it's a character-merch business, I've resigned myself to the fact they never will.
In the 'Angel and Devil' episode you got a brief glimpse of what might be the real Momonga's personality, right?
It's true that Chiikawa can barely scrape together a meal without winning a prize, so there's no way Kurimanjuu could drink Strong Zero every single day without real money behind it.
On top of that, they're on the selected rhythm-section unit.
There's a faint whiff of 'actually really good at their job' about them.
Feels like 26 or 27.
The blue one is Hachiware.
Background and Key Points
Chiikawa is a manga by creator Nagano that started on social media, known for pairing an adorable art style with recurring, brutal plot elements like being ‘hunted’ and ‘twisted apart.’ The thread was sparked by an image of a customer poll held at the Lashinban store in Shinjuku, where Usagi placed first — prompting surprised replies like ‘I thought Hachiware was number one.’ The second half of the thread turns into a very Hello! Project-board style game, with posters borrowing Hello! Project fan terminology and member names to describe the characters’ personalities. Worth noting: the reasoning behind who counts as a ‘popular member’ or ‘unpopular member’ isn’t official — it’s purely posters’ personal opinion — and some replies are hard to follow unless you’re familiar with both Chiikawa and Hello! Project fandom context.
※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hello! Project board) thread ‘Turns out the Chiikawa fandom has popular members, unpopular members, obsessive stans, and haters too…‘.
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