31-Year-Old With 30 Straight Losses in the Marriage Hunt: “Seriously, How Do I Even Get Married?”

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The story

A thread on 5ch’s “Nandemo Jikkyou G” board, started by a 31-year-old man who says he’s lost 30 straight rounds on dating apps. When he revealed he earns 8 million yen (roughly $55,000) a year, other posters accused him of lying, sparking talk about the harsh reality that dating apps are a battlefield with far more men than women. Many said even matchmaking agencies suffer from a shortage of female members. Some recommended marriage-focused apps or matchmaking agencies over casual dating apps, while others countered that agencies have their own problems too. Opinions were also split on why he can’t get past a third date into an actual relationship.

What people said

1AnonymousSep 18, 2026 23:25
30 losses in a row on dating apps.
How do you even win women over… I don't get it…
4AnonymousSep 18, 2026 23:27
Can I be real with you?


It's because you're using dating apps in the first place.
8AnonymousSep 18, 2026 23:30
Re: #4
I've got zero real-life encounters.
6AnonymousSep 18, 2026 23:29
Re: #3
No chance — no matter how capable you are, you won't get a management title until you're around 40.
19AnonymousSep 18, 2026 23:39
Re: #6
Or get a relative back home to set you up on an arranged-meeting (omiai).
9AnonymousSep 18, 2026 23:31
If you know you're a "weak player" (yowao, i.e. low market value), you need to switch to an app built for serious marriage-hunting or it's hopeless.
Apps where women use it for free have low commitment because it costs them nothing — women only go for guys way out of their league and ghost everyone else.
11AnonymousSep 18, 2026 23:32
Re: #9
I used a matchmaking agency for a while, and honestly it was no good at all… way too few women.
15AnonymousSep 18, 2026 23:36
Re: #11
If there's that few, you're probably not in the greater Tokyo area, huh.
Sounds like you might already be done for.
16AnonymousSep 18, 2026 23:37
Re: #15
Yeah, it's basically a regional city.
17AnonymousSep 18, 2026 23:37
Isn't it brutal fighting on a battlefield that's 7 men to 3 women, like dating apps are?
18AnonymousSep 18, 2026 23:37
Re: #17
Because there's no other battlefield to fight on.
21AnonymousSep 18, 2026 23:39
It's because you keep lying through your teeth.
22AnonymousSep 18, 2026 23:39
Re: #21
I'm not even lying, though.
24AnonymousSep 18, 2026 23:41
Re: #22
Really? Then try posting your pay stub to prove it.
25AnonymousSep 18, 2026 23:43
Re: #24
Calling a 31-year-old making 8 million yen an "obvious liar" (uso-matsu) is honestly a stretch.
23AnonymousSep 18, 2026 23:39
I've never once seen a happy person among people who think marriage is the finish line.
26AnonymousSep 18, 2026 23:43
Re: #23
If you can't even reach the starting line, you're never getting to the finish line.
27AnonymousSep 18, 2026 23:43
Re: #25
See, he ran away.
The "30 losses in a row" thing is probably a lie too.
29AnonymousSep 18, 2026 23:45
Re: #27
Ugh, you're boring, so you're getting muted.
32AnonymousSep 18, 2026 23:50
Would paying big money to some so-called "dating consultant" actually change my life? I really don't want to live a life of just getting exploited like that.
131AnonymousSep 19, 2026 00:22
Re: #32
Those guys pick up women like it's their job, just spamming numbers nonstop.
It's basically a slot machine.
Being high-spec just raises your hit rate — anyone can win eventually.
34AnonymousSep 18, 2026 23:50
In the end he's the one bailing every time, and it's not even funny.
It's hopeless unless he realizes he's not in a position to be picky.
If he really can't compromise on anything, he should just give up on marriage.
36AnonymousSep 18, 2026 23:52
Re: #33
On his marriage-hunting profile: cafe-hopping, weight training, travel, gaming.
In reality: gaming and pachinko slots.
38AnonymousSep 18, 2026 23:53
Re: #36
What value do you actually offer the other person?
41AnonymousSep 18, 2026 23:54
Re: #36
Lying like that will come out after meeting a few times anyway.
And even if you somehow make it to marriage without getting caught, there's no way you can hide it forever.
What's even the point of a lie like that?
52AnonymousSep 18, 2026 23:57
Re: #36
If your hobbies are just gaming and pachinko slots, the conversation isn't going anywhere.
59AnonymousSep 18, 2026 23:59
Re: #51
What do you mean?
I met around 30 people, got a second date with maybe 7 or 8 of them,
and made it to a third date with 3.
61AnonymousSep 19, 2026 00:00
Re: #59
You made it to a third date and it still didn't turn into a serious relationship?
63AnonymousSep 19, 2026 00:01
Re: #61
I was planning to confess my feelings on the third date, but the date just never got exciting.
66AnonymousSep 19, 2026 00:02
Re: #63
So all three ended after the third date, huh.
That's it, then —
you're just not actually serious about getting married.
76AnonymousSep 19, 2026 00:04
Re: #63
You weren't even acquaintances to begin with, so there's no way a third date is going to be that exciting.
You need more dates than that — trust doesn't build overnight.
69AnonymousSep 19, 2026 00:02
Is marriage really something people want that badly?
I've never dated anyone in my life, so I just don't get that feeling.
72AnonymousSep 19, 2026 00:03
Re: #69
This OP (thread starter) has no real intention of getting married.
74AnonymousSep 19, 2026 00:03
Re: #69
I've lived with a partner before, and it's actually great.
Sure, there are rough patches too, but still.
79AnonymousSep 19, 2026 00:04
Re: #69
He's just running on "everyone else is getting married so I'll lose if I don't," with zero genuine motivation behind it.
Guys like this just want the trophy.
They're not actually interested in other people.
107AnonymousSep 19, 2026 00:13
Go to a matchmaking agency and you can pull it off —
as long as you're not seriously weird.
For women, if you're young you can take your pick, but if you're an "old hag" (BBA), it's basically hopeless.
112AnonymousSep 19, 2026 00:14
Re: #107
It's seriously not that easy.
To begin with, there just aren't many cute women, and the cute ones won't even approve your meeting request.
119AnonymousSep 19, 2026 00:17
Re: #112
Even the unattractive women get picky on dating apps, so you're choosing hard mode for yourself.
126AnonymousSep 19, 2026 00:19
Re: #118
I see — so between dates you're chatting on the app or whatever, right?
It'd help to find some shared interest to get the conversation flowing.
128AnonymousSep 19, 2026 00:20
Re: #126
Are you also just talking without any real experience ("airplay")?
Obviously you exchange LINE contacts on the first date.
134AnonymousSep 19, 2026 00:25
Re: #128
That's why I said "on the app or whatever."
By the way, I've never used a dating app, but I have gotten married.
136AnonymousSep 19, 2026 00:25
Re: #134
How many years married?
138AnonymousSep 19, 2026 00:27
Re: #134
Honestly, I don't even know anymore what I'm supposed to do.

Background and Key Points of This Discussion

The marriage-hunting market is often criticized for its gender imbalance — most dating apps let women use them for free while charging men, a setup thread posters pointed to when arguing that “apps free for women draw less serious users.” Matchmaking agencies come up short too, since they require a serious commitment to marriage, leaving fewer registered members overall and especially limited options outside major cities. That said, it’s worth noting that the numbers cited in the thread — his age of 31, his reported income of 8 million yen, and his “30 losses in a row” — are all anonymous, self-reported claims that can’t be verified. As replies piled up, the debate shifted away from which marriage-hunting method is best and toward suspicion of the poster’s own behavior and honesty about his circumstances, producing a mix of genuine advice and mockery.

*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Nandemo Jikkyou G) thread “Seriously, How Do I Even Get Married?

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