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The story
On November 5, the 30 nominees for the “2026 T&D Insurance Group New Word/Buzzword of the Year Award” were announced. AI- and internet-related terms such as “AI Runaway,” “Data Center,” and “Kioxia” stood out, while not a single comedy-related term made the list. Terms tied to the hit drama ‘VIVANT,’ which posted strong ratings, were also left off, and on 5ch users complained that “it doesn’t add up when Futehodo could win the grand prize,” with many posts looking back at past winning terms.
11/6 (Fri) 18:10
On November 5, the 30 words nominated for the “2026 T&D Insurance Group New Word/Buzzword of the Year Award” (selected by Gendai Yogo no Kiso Chishiki, Japan’s annual contemporary-terms dictionary) were announced.
“What stands out this time are AI- and internet-related keywords — terms like ‘AI Runaway,’ ‘Data Center,’ ‘Kioxia,’ ‘setlog,’ and ‘Physical AI’ were nominated. On the other hand, there were no comedy-related nominees this year, a category that once produced grand-prize winners like ‘Wild darou’ (2012) and ‘Dame yo~Dame Dame’ (2014). Even in 2025 the comedy nominees were limited to things like ‘Nagasode wo Kudasai’ and ‘Hyouroku,’ so comedy just hasn’t been producing many buzzwords lately” (entertainment reporter)
Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here
What people said
Things got a little peaceful during the Asian Games, sure, but other than that TBS has been running nonstop 'VIVANT harassment' since July.
Kind of like the morning dramas (asadora) in that sense.
Watching it isn't exactly a given.
No way — if 'Futehodo' can win the grand prize, something VIVANT-related should be a lock.
The dance was actually pretty popular though. It's not like people were just passively watching.
Sorry, I was mixing it up with the 'Koi Dance.' Futehodo's dance never really caught on.
'Are you watching VIVANT?' 'Nah, not watching it.' — that exchange comes up a lot.
'Futehodo' wasn't bad, but among that year's candidates I'd rank 'Hai Yorokonde,' '8-ban Deguchi,' and 'Reiwa Rice Riot' higher.
2024: Futehodo (catchphrase from the drama 'Being Inappropriate to This Extent')
2023: A.R.E. (Hanshin Tigers slang referring to 'that' championship run)
2022: Murakami-sama (slugger Munetaka Murakami)
2021: Real Two-Way Player / Shotime (Shohei Ohtani)
2020: The Three Cs (closed spaces, crowded places, close contact)
2019: ONE TEAM (Rugby World Cup)
2018: Sodane (Japan's curling team catchphrase)
2017: Instagrammable / Sontaku (reading the room, covert favoritism)
2016: Kamitteru (playing like a god)
2015: Explosive Buying / Triple Three (baseball stat)
2014: Dame yo~Dame Dame / Collective Self-Defense
2013: Ima desho! / Omotenashi / Jejeje / Baigaeshi
2012: Wild darou
2011: Nadeshiko Japan (the women's national soccer team)
Baseball really does cast a shadow over everything else in Japan, huh.
2017 and 2020 are about the only years I actually relate to.
It's strange — baseball's still this popular, yet broadcasts have basically been pushed off terrestrial TV.
That year really was on another level.
Giving out four grand prizes at once was the right call.
All of those genuinely caught on. What a bumper crop.
The Giants won the pennant in 2013, so the anti-Giants crowd didn't feel the need to force in some baseball term. If the Giants had been in a slump, they probably would've forced in something about the Rakuten Eagles' Japan Series win instead.
Even the ones that didn't win the grand prize that year were strong contenders — Abenomics, PM2.5, local mascot characters (gotouchi kyara).
Background and Key Points
While the Word of the Year award has gone to lighthearted terms before — like 2024’s ‘Futehodo’ — this year’s 30 nominees lean heavily toward serious terminology like AI and data centers, with almost nothing from entertainment. In the thread, views on VIVANT’s exclusion split between those who argue a 15% rating isn’t actually exceptional for a recent drama, and those who question whether the selection is even consistent with past years’ standards — neither of which boils down to simple favoritism. It’s easy to overlook that nomination trends shift year to year, and that high ratings or social-media buzz are never a guarantee of a nomination.
*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geisupo Sokuhou+) thread “Snubbed from Word of the Year: ‘VIVANT’ Posts Phenomenal Ratings in Latest Episode but Gets No Nomination — ‘Is This Favoritism?’ Shadows of Director Harassment and China Criticism.”
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