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The story
On September 26, YouTuber Hikaru (4.98 million subscribers) announced he’s teaming up with Gentosha editor Kosuke Minowa (190,000 subscribers) — who is already suing Kobunsha in a separate matter — to back a class-action lawsuit on behalf of anyone harmed by coverage from the photo tabloid FLASH. The trigger was an article SmartFLASH published on September 22 claiming Hikaru had lost his enthusiasm for his rice business, “Genki da Kome.” The announcement also called for donations to cover legal costs, sparking a mixed reaction on 5ch — some asked “Why use other people’s money when you’re rich?” while others wondered “Why sue FLASH and not Bunshun?”
On September 26, Hikaru (4.98 million subscribers) posted a video titled “I’m teaming up with Minowa-san to file a class-action suit against Kobunsha. Please lend us your support!” He announced he was joining forces with Gentosha editor Kosuke Minowa (190,000 subscribers), who already has a lawsuit underway against Kobunsha, to gather people harmed by FLASH’s coverage and push the joint lawsuit forward.
A clash with Kobunsha over rice-business coverage
The conflict between Hikaru and Kobunsha stems from an article published on September 22 by SmartFLASH, FLASH’s web edition, claiming that Hikaru had lost his passion for his rice-business venture, “Genki da Kome.”
Source: yutura.net / Original article here
What people said
Matsumoto Hitoshi: "Count me in too!"
Sounds about right for this guy.
Here comes the new business model.
What a cheapskate, lol
Because cheapskates never spend their own money…
He doesn't lose a cent and gets a traffic boost out of it — sweet deal for him.
The shamelessness of Shukan Josei and Toyo Keizai flip-flopping their coverage, lol
The title of 'the guy who fought old media,' apparently.
Double-cropping it — video ad revenue plus offerings from the faithful.
Wouldn't any normal company give him a warning or some kind of penalty?
Honestly, I think they're the cancer of Japanese web media.
So it's pro wrestling, lol
It's basically built on lazy 'kotatsu articles' (pieces written without leaving the couch, just rehashing social media) — a worked match over whose fanbase bleeds more money.
Background and Key Points of This Story
Kosuke Minowa was already suing Kobunsha over a separate matter, so teaming up with Hikaru builds on that existing fight. What split opinion on the thread was this: both men appear to command audiences in the millions and income to match, so why do they need to solicit donations from the general public? The fact that no return was offered to supporters also fueled questions like “what’s in it for donors?” At the same time, there’s long-standing resentment toward Kobunsha-affiliated outlets (SmartFLASH, Josei Jishin, etc.) for churning out lazy “kotatsu articles,” so criticism of Hikaru and Minowa’s fundraising approach and criticism of Kobunsha’s reporting practices both flared up at once. Some also pointed out that the lawsuit targets FLASH rather than Bunshun. As of this writing, it isn’t clear how much money has actually been raised, how many people have come forward as affected parties, or how the lawsuit is progressing.
*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geisports Sokuhou+) thread “Hikaru and Kosuke Minowa Head Into All-Out War With Kobunsha, Recruiting FLASH’s Alleged Victims — Also Calling for Donations: ‘This Is Crowdfunding Fueled by Rage’.”
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