From our other sites
The story
On the afternoon of November 8, an earthquake believed to have struck near Aichi Prefecture became the talk of a thread on 5ch’s News VIP board titled “Cheer Me On, I’m Gonna Work Out.” Posters reported it as “a shindo 5-upper, the strongest in about 30 years,” and the thread’s resident mascot, “Pomi-kun,” dropped the usual cheerleading act to check in on posters caught up in the quake. Between wariness about a looming Nankai Trough megaquake and conflicting reports over exactly where it hit, the thread ended up with its trademark blend of genuine concern and laid-back chit-chat.
What people said
(っ´ω`c) Super strip mahjong?
(っ´ω`c) That's not it
(っ´ω`c) Glad you're okay. Apparently that's the first shindo 5-upper quake in Aichi in about 30 years
I'll buy betting slips instead, so cheer me on too, Pomi
(っ´ω`c) Hope it pays off! You really like horse racing, huh — you post about it on X too
(っ´ω`c) The Nankai Trough, huh. Were you asleep when this quake hit?
Love it! If I win, I'm buying a Switch 2 before you do, Pomi!
(っ´ω`c) Oh, you were into the Switch 2? Wonder how much you'd actually win — exciting!
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HWijUfxbgAAZiWA.jpg?name=orig
Hi there, Pomi-kun
That earthquake was way too scary…
(っ´ω`c) Hi there — yeah, earthquakes are scary. Do you live in Aichi too? Are you into Sanrio? Heheh
(っ´ω`c) You're playing the lottery? Hope you hit it. What would you spend it on if you won the jackpot?
Sorry for the mix-up
These are just pictures I found online about this earthquake
Earthquake prep really does matter, huh
(っ´ω`c) Ah, so they're pictures you found online. Glad you're safe either way. Better to keep prepared day to day — feels like another big one could be coming. Do you have anything ready?
Kanto's been shaking every day too 😭
(っ´ω`c) Hello. Were you okay with the quake?
(っ´ω`c) Oh, so it wasn't that strong where you are. If Tokyo got a shindo 5-upper, I bet it'd be an even bigger deal, right?
This thread always feels like it's got the most Aichi residents in it, you know
So I guess the damage wasn't as bad as people feared
(っ´ω`c) Well, I'm in Aichi too. It hit right while I was asleep, so it startled me — really felt like 'is the Nankai Trough quake finally here?'
Huh? Wasn't it Shizuoka?
Wait, it actually shook there too?? Huh
(っ´ω`c) Splitting 10,000 yen between like 100 people?
Alright, I'm calling dibs on a million then
And once you do that, your Edge verification resets too, right?
So in the end I still can't post 'cause I'm stuck under a posting restriction
(っ´ω`c) Dunno, guu~ Of course I know the name though, guu~ (mimicking a stock 5ch copypasta speech tic)
(っ´ω`c) Guu~, I wouldn't know
Re: #109
(っ´ω`c) Oh, so you post on Edge?
But the battery only lasts about two days
Re: #126
(っ´ω`c) I want to upgrade, but I can't — I'm broke. I'll make do with what I've got. Wait, the battery lasts two whole days? Isn't that amazing?
I only use it out and about, and I watch videos on my backup phone
Guess it's because I barely touch the main one
Nope, but I'm heading there soon
(っ´ω`c) Okay, I'll be waiting
I'll get you good and drunk
(っ´ω`c) I can't really hold my liquor, so can I just have cola instead?
What exactly are you planning by getting Pomi drunk?!
Background and Key Points of This Topic
A poster in the thread claimed it was “a shindo 5-upper in Aichi, the first in about 30 years,” but that’s based on posters’ own impressions and hearsay, not confirmed official observation data. On 5ch’s VIP board, any earthquake tends to trigger comments wondering whether it’s a sign of the looming Nankai Trough megaquake, and this thread was no exception. Posters also disagreed on where exactly it struck, with some saying Shizuoka and others saying Aichi — the kind of mixed-up reporting typical of real-time, social-media-style updates. What’s easy to miss is that this thread is, at its core, just a casual chat thread cheering on the character “Pomi-kun’s” workout routine — the earthquake talk is a tangent, not the main event. Readers hoping for hard details on the quake’s scale may come away wanting, but the thread’s real charm is how the laid-back banter keeps rolling along even as a serious topic gets mixed in.
*This article excerpts and summarizes the 5ch (News VIP) thread “(っ´ω`c) Cheer Me On, I’m Gonna Work Out!.”
Leave a Reply