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The story
Gravure idol and cosplayer Awa Minami updated her official X account on September 23, reporting that despite appearing at an in-store event, not a single fan approached her. Alongside an apology, she self-deprecatingly analyzed the cause, writing that she “can’t rule out the possibility of some discrepancy between the poster and the real thing” — a comment that’s since gone viral. On 5ch, many found the gap between her promotional photos and her actual appearance amusing, while others took a cooler view, suggesting the whole thing was a deliberate publicity stunt, and some pointed out that this kind of “packaging-photo scam” isn’t unusual in the gravure or adult-entertainment industries.
Awa Minami, a talent working as both a cosplayer and gravure idol, updated her official X account on the 23rd. She revealed that although she appeared at an in-store event, the “gap” between her and her promotional poster was so big that no one recognized her — and the revelation is drawing a big reaction.
Awa reported: “Today, even though the store was kind enough to prepare a large poster for me, I currently find myself in the harsh situation of having been approached by zero fans…”
She apologized, saying, “I deeply apologize to the store and everyone involved for the great concern I’ve caused,” and went on: “After thinking it over in my own way, I’ve reached the conclusion that I can’t rule out the possibility of some discrepancy between the poster and the real thing.”
Source: sirabee.com / Original article here
What people said
They've been running this same gimmick for pachinko-parlor promos for years now — everyone's long since sick of it.
I've actually met Masami Nagasawa in person, off-camera.
Though it was probably staged on purpose.
She's clearly marketing herself with that gap as her whole gimmick.
I see people who look just like her all the time on X.
This is clearly intentional.
For some reason she keeps joking that it's her mom who shows up to these events.
a bit part they play in some TV drama….
heading out to the supermarket, doesn't she—
"Exactly the same / basically the same"
or
"Totally different / like a whole different person"
which one am I even supposed to say?? lol
Background and Talking Points
“Packaging-photo scam” (パケ写詐欺) is slang mocking the gap between promotional photos and the real thing, a term also used in gravure, mail-order shopping, and job ads. In this case, she spread the story herself with an apology-style post on X, and several 5ch commenters speculated it was staged for publicity. This kind of self-deprecating joke has become a common promotional tactic in recent years, aimed at generating goodwill rather than backlash, and using it at in-store events isn’t unusual. Meanwhile, some replies made baseless claims about her body type or career history, but since these can’t be verified, this article does not cover them.
*This article is compiled as an excerpt and summary of the 5ch (Entertainment/Sports News+) thread “Gravure idol looks so different from her promo photo that fans don’t recognize her… “I’m the one standing right here” / “There may be some discrepancy between the poster and the real thing…” — claim goes viral“.
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