Japan Reacts

Author: Japan Reacts Editorial

  • The Idol ‘Ice Age’ of 1988–1998: 5ch Says ‘Otome Juku Was Top Tier’

    A thread titled “Idols Who Existed During the Idol Ice Age of Roughly 1988 to 1998” on 5ch’s Hello! Project board took off. Posters brought up names like Otome Juku, the limited-run unit “Cutie’s” made up of Nippon Columbia’s solo idols, and groups from the era like CoCo and ribbon. Some argued the ice age ended when SPEED debuted in ’98, while opinions split over whether people like Yuki Uchida, Maki Mochida, and Yumi Tanimura really counted as “idols.” Others were struck to realize that future A-list actresses such as Hiromi Nagasaku, Miki Nakatani, and Miho Kanno were idols back then.

    1AnonymousOct 2, 2026 22:48
    Otome Juku was the best, honestly
    5AnonymousOct 2, 2026 22:56
    I loved watching Yumiko Takahashi and Yoshie Hayasaka tease Minami Nagai
    8AnonymousOct 2, 2026 23:10
    Probably someone like Hikaru Nishida
    17AnonymousOct 2, 2026 23:22
    Re: #8
    She was more showbiz than idol, wasn't she? She was close with Rie Miyazawa and stuff
    9AnonymousOct 2, 2026 23:13
    By '98 SPEED was already around
    11AnonymousOct 2, 2026 23:15
    Say what you want, but Yuki Uchida's had the longest-running career as a top-tier actress of any of them
    33AnonymousOct 2, 2026 23:29
    Re: #11
    She dropped out of leading-role status for a while, but her insanely youthful looks and beauty brought her popularity back
    12AnonymousOct 2, 2026 23:17
    The occasional "Cutie's" lineup of solo female idols released by Nippon Columbia back then had such a great roster
    29AnonymousOct 2, 2026 23:26
    Re: #12
    "Cutie's Graduation"
    "Cutie's in Summer"
    "Cutie's Christmas"
    "Cutie's in Variation"
    Nami Shimada, Kaori Shimura, Kumiko Goto, Kaori Moriya, Akiko Isozaki, Ayumi Shirota, Mia Masuda, Yuri Kunizane, Akiko Isozaki, Megumi Mori, Kaori Moriya, Sumika Yamanaka
    14AnonymousOct 2, 2026 23:19
    Up until Morning Musume, female idols were mostly solo acts, huh
    15AnonymousOct 2, 2026 23:20
    I was pretty into groups like CoCo and ribbon back then
    18AnonymousOct 2, 2026 23:22
    There are still people doing solo idol work today, but it feels more common among indies than major agencies now. Rumi Shishido was kind of the pioneer of that indie scene
    19AnonymousOct 2, 2026 23:22
    The first single CD I ever got bought for me was Hikaru Nishida's "Tokimeite"
    22AnonymousOct 2, 2026 23:24
    I don't know much about her, but was Chisa Yokoyama from Jump Hōsōkyoku (a Shonen Jump-affiliated variety segment) an idol?
    23AnonymousOct 2, 2026 23:25
    It was such an ice age that it even spawned a parody idol called Aoi Mizuno, who literally parodied idols themselves
    25AnonymousOct 2, 2026 23:25
    Back then I bought CDs from basically everyone mentioned in this thread, one after another. Now you can just stream it all, so it doesn't feel as valuable
    26AnonymousOct 2, 2026 23:26
    Hiromi Nagasaku
    Miki Nakatani
    Miho Kanno
    Ryoko Shinohara
    Rieko Miura

    All future A-list actresses
    27AnonymousOct 2, 2026 23:26
    Isn't Three M considered an idol group?
    37AnonymousOct 2, 2026 23:33
    Re: #27
    Miria Fujita, Mio Shimomura, and Mahiro Hayashida were definitely idols… wait, that was M-Three, lol
    28AnonymousOct 2, 2026 23:26
    I'd say the idol ice age was roughly 1990 to 1995
    30AnonymousOct 2, 2026 23:27
    This was the period when the so-called underground idol scene took shape. Idols with decent name recognition would even perform at fan-organized live shows
    32AnonymousOct 2, 2026 23:28
    Honestly this era has my favorite celebrity looks, for both men and women. These days the guys are too androgynous and the girls look too childish for my taste
    34AnonymousOct 2, 2026 23:30
    I'm listening to Yumi Tanimura right now, but was she actually an idol?
    36AnonymousOct 2, 2026 23:33
    Re: #34
    She was cute, but nobody really talks about her as an idol
    48AnonymousOct 2, 2026 23:39
    Re: #34
    Yumi Tanimura was a singer-songwriter. Even before her debut she was a regular TV show host, which is a different lane from the typical idol route. Of course, since she was cute, she had idol-like popularity too
    35AnonymousOct 2, 2026 23:32
    Yuki Uchida was blatantly being pushed hard by her agency back then. I remember thinking 'that's Burning Production for you' (a talent agency known for aggressively promoting its stars)
    51AnonymousOct 2, 2026 23:40
    Re: #35
    I went to an all-girls school, and Yuki Uchida was definitely popular with the girls back then because of her boyish good looks
    38AnonymousOct 2, 2026 23:33
    I still listen to Michiyo Nakajima to this day
    39AnonymousOct 2, 2026 23:34
    The current Lotte manager's wife (Chiba Lotte Marines) is from around this era too
    52AnonymousOct 2, 2026 23:40
    Oh right, Nippon TV announcer Minami Nagai, Asami Yonemori, and Motoki's wife formed an idol unit called DORA or something
    63AnonymousOct 3, 2026 00:03
    Re: #52
    Motoki's wife went solo. The other member of DORA was Masako Yabumoto
    54AnonymousOct 2, 2026 23:44
    So Yumi Tanimura is separate from the idol category. Even so, she sounds kind of off-pitch to me
    60AnonymousOct 2, 2026 23:56
    Re: #54
    Well, from her debut single she was writing and singing her own songs — that puts her a cut above idols
    61AnonymousOct 3, 2026 00:00
    Hiromi Nagasaku was doing idol work at 20 and got treated like an 'old lady' by Tamori — it's wild that nowadays people doing idol work in their late 20s/early 30s is totally normal
    66AnonymousOct 3, 2026 00:05
    Re: #61
    Well, back in the day it wasn't just idols — celebrities in their 40s were treated as veteran elder statesmen. It's actually weird how people act like 'up-and-comers' at that age now
    65AnonymousOct 3, 2026 00:05
    Back then they used to say an idol's career lasted three years at most. After that, they'd go on to college, become an actress, get serious about singing, or something — moving away from the 'idol' branding
    69AnonymousOct 3, 2026 00:08
    Re: #65
    To begin with, idols' working conditions back then were insane — even if you stayed popular, five years in, your body and mind would be wrecked anyway

    Background and Key Points of This Discussion

    The “idol ice age” mentioned in this thread is a nickname for the lull between the winding-down of the 80s idol boom and the rise of acts like Morning Musume and SPEED in the late 90s. In post 28, posters pegged it at roughly 1990 to 1995. This period was centered on solo idols backed by major agencies, and it’s notable that future A-list actresses like Hiromi Nagasaku, Miki Nakatani, Miho Kanno, and Ryoko Shinohara were still working under an “idol” title at the time. Many names came up where posters disagreed on whether the person really counted as an “idol” — Hikaru Nishida, Yumi Tanimura, and Chisa Yokoyama among them — suggesting the line between titles was already blurry back then. As noted in post 30, this was also the period when the underground idol scene first took shape. The thread also touched on how idol careers were said to last about three years back then, given the grueling schedules that wore performers down physically and mentally — a contrast with today, where it’s common for idols to keep going well into their 30s.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hello! Project) thread “Idols Who Existed During the Idol Ice Age of Roughly 1988 to 1998.”

  • “Ace Combat 8” Sells Out on Day One — 5ch: “The Real Fight Is Over the Bonus Zero Port”

    Bandai Namco’s new flight shooter “ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THE EVE” launched on October 2, and physical copies are already running low across online retailers. The reason: an early-purchase bonus bundling a port of the previous title, “Ace Combat Zero.” With no plans for a standalone re-release and each download code usable only once, demand has concentrated on the current window while physical copies are still available. On 5ch, discussion ranged from confusion over how the bonus actually works, to why some gamers still stick with disc-based play, to the game’s reception overseas.

    GAME Watch — Oct 2 (Fri), 13:45 JST

    Physical copies of “ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THE EVE (Ace Combat 8),” the dramatic flight shooter released today, October 2, by Bandai Namco Entertainment, are running low in stock across various online retailers.

    “ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THE EVE” is the latest entry in the “Ace Combat” series, arriving roughly seven years after its predecessor, “ACE COMBAT 7: SKIES UNKNOWN.” Early access (advance access) began on September 27 ahead of general release, and the standard edition finally launched today, October 2.

    Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here

    4AnonymousOct 2, 2026 18:13
    The "physical edition" (lol)
    73AnonymousOct 2, 2026 19:19
    Re: #4-5
    The early-purchase physical edition comes bundled with a port of Ace Combat Zero. Since that port won't be available any other way and it's on physical media (meaning you can resell it), everyone's scrambling to grab copies.
    78AnonymousOct 2, 2026 19:27
    Re: #73
    The bonus is a download code inside the box, so only one person can actually redeem it.
    8AnonymousOct 2, 2026 18:15
    I love you~ ♪
    I love you too~ ♪
    Combat Ace~ ♪ (a playful riff on a classic anime theme song's lyrics)
    10AnonymousOct 2, 2026 18:15
    Because next year is the last year discs get sold at all.
    11AnonymousOct 2, 2026 18:16
    Lol, it's a crappy game that's nothing but cutscenes.
    13AnonymousOct 2, 2026 18:16
    I'll just get it used.
    56AnonymousOct 2, 2026 18:50
    Re: #13
    Even the used market is turning into a scramble now — especially for retro games.
    14AnonymousOct 2, 2026 18:17
    Are there really still people swapping discs in and out to play games in this day and age?
    38AnonymousOct 2, 2026 18:31
    Re: #14
    Probably because it's cheaper than downloading? You're not going to play a game forever anyway, and you can sell it once you're bored.
    43AnonymousOct 2, 2026 18:38
    Re: #14
    Those are probably the guys who want to speed-run it and flip it right after.
    16AnonymousOct 2, 2026 18:18
    The reason is that the early-purchase bonus comes with the Zero port. It's not sold on its own and can't be reissued, so this is the only way to get it.
    17AnonymousOct 2, 2026 18:19
    I respect anyone who still buys Bandai Namco games brand new.
    18AnonymousOct 2, 2026 18:19
    Apparently reception shot way up once they added a cute girl character. Overseas, all anyone talks about is her.
    25AnonymousOct 2, 2026 18:22
    Re: #18
    Ugh, pathetic… Gamer nerds are creepy the world over, huh.
    19AnonymousOct 2, 2026 18:20
    Tried to download the demo from the PS Store and it wouldn't let me without registering a credit card. Why do I need to register a card for something that's free?
    20AnonymousOct 2, 2026 18:20
    Oh, it's "Escon," not "Eecon"? (fan nicknames for Ace Combat)
    57AnonymousOct 2, 2026 18:52
    Re: #20
    Kind of like how "Famista" got its nickname. (Famista = a classic baseball game series, abbreviated the same way)
    21AnonymousOct 2, 2026 18:20
    Hurry up with new Ridge Racer and Arc the Lad games already.
    22AnonymousOct 2, 2026 18:21
    It's being called a god-tier game overseas too — people are saying this year is insane. GTA's dropping too.
    24AnonymousOct 2, 2026 18:21
    Are there any Ace Combat games that actually command premium prices? I only ever think of them as cheap.
    27AnonymousOct 2, 2026 18:23
    Re: #25
    Totally different story this time — apparently everything's better than the last game. It's being treated as a masterpiece.
    28AnonymousOct 2, 2026 18:24
    The classic tunnel-flying routine and infinite missiles are alive and well, lol.
    29AnonymousOct 2, 2026 18:25
    Well, if it turns out to be a dud, at least you can resell the physical copy right away.
    37AnonymousOct 2, 2026 18:30
    Ace Combat always has an airborne fortress, a 1000m-tall cliff lined wall-to-wall with radar, and a flight into some underground secret base — it's so formulaic. The only realistic fighter-jet game out there is Aim Strike.
    44AnonymousOct 2, 2026 18:38
    Re: #37
    Would it even be fun if the game were just daily patrols, firing one or two anti-air missiles now and then before heading back, with nothing but ground-attack sorties otherwise? I want to blast away with tons of anti-air missiles, lol.
    61AnonymousOct 2, 2026 18:56
    Re: #37
    So should we add a mode where you pedal a bike around floating ruins instead?
    41AnonymousOct 2, 2026 18:32
    Was the shipment really that small? Isn't there a download version?
    42AnonymousOct 2, 2026 18:35
    Re: #41
    Some people buy it just as a keepsake. Plus, idiot scalpers are probably buying up a ton of copies. Anyone bothering with the physical edition these days would've pre-ordered it anyway.
    51AnonymousOct 2, 2026 18:44
    If Tom Cruise did a live playthrough stream of this, it would blow up insanely.
    88AnonymousOct 2, 2026 19:33
    Re: #51
    After the Top Gun movie became a hit, sales of the Ace Combat 7 DLC jumped.
    59AnonymousOct 2, 2026 18:54
    Nojima
    ¥9,790 — in stock
    Amazon
    ¥9,790 — in stock (limited bonus edition)
    ¥8,667 — in stock (no bonus)
    Joshin Web
    ¥8,020 — in stock
    Rakuten Books
    ¥8,321 — pre-order (ships mid-October)
    Bic Camera
    Sales suspended
    Yodobashi
    ¥8,810 — pre-orders closed
    Edion
    No results
    69AnonymousOct 2, 2026 19:15
    Re: #59
    Even if it's in stock, the question is whether it still comes with the early bonus. Re: #63
    72AnonymousOct 2, 2026 19:19
    Ace Combat 8 — feels like there should've been way more than 8 entries by now.
    92AnonymousOct 2, 2026 19:34
    Re: #72
    There have been more — some just don't carry a number in the title. Kind of like how Resident Evil has "Code: Veronica."
    75AnonymousOct 2, 2026 19:22
    That's not really the point — it's that the standard edition itself is selling well. Pre-order bonuses basically run out during the pre-order window anyway; you can't get them after release.
    83AnonymousOct 2, 2026 19:30
    Re: #75
    For the physical edition, it's less a pre-order-only bonus and more like a "first-print" bonus — it's not limited to people who pre-ordered. What's been on shelves and selling first is the bundled edition, not the plain standard edition.
    84AnonymousOct 2, 2026 19:30
    Re: #75
    It's an early-purchase bonus, not a pre-order bonus, so it's usually included if you buy on release day. The only difference is whether the bonus is attached — both are still the "standard edition."

    Background and Key Points of This Discussion

    The “Ace Combat Zero” port bundled as an early-purchase bonus can only be redeemed once per download code, and there are no plans to sell it separately or reissue it. The thread showed a mix of reactions: some users wanted to secure early copies — including used ones — specifically for the bonus, while others understood that the bonus generally comes with any physical copy bought on release day, and some posts even confused pre-order bonuses with early-purchase bonuses. Users also pointed to reasons the physical disc format persists, such as it sometimes being cheaper than the download version and being resellable after finishing the game. Since the series’ last mainline entry, “7,” came out roughly seven years ago, and several spin-off titles exist outside the main numbering, some users found it odd to call this the “8th” entry.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Entertainment/Sports News+) thread “[Game] “Ace Combat 8” Already Running Low in Stock at Online Retailers.”

  • Nintendo Accused of ‘Mass-Producing Shovelware’ — Pushback Floods In, With Some Pointing to Sony’s Own Flops

    A thread on 5ch’s Hardware/Industry board (Gehan) accused Nintendo of “mass-producing shovelware.” The thread’s creator lined up a list of new Switch 2 titles to criticize, but other users quickly fired back, pointing out that Sony-related titles like Saros, Wolverine, and Marathon were struggling with lackluster concurrent player counts. The discussion spread from comparing sales and review scores to broader debates about load times on old consoles and general player satisfaction — not quite the direction the original poster had hoped for.

    1AnonymousOct 2, 2026 16:57
    ・Mario Kart World
    ・Nintendo Switch 2 Secrets Exhibition
    ・Wheelchair Basketball
    2AnonymousOct 2, 2026 16:58
    Saros
    Wolverine
    Marathon
    Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls
    12AnonymousOct 2, 2026 17:06
    Re: #2
    The 'Four Kings of Flops' lineup is strong
    And there's no letting up—their replacements are already lined up to take over after these
    13AnonymousOct 2, 2026 17:09
    Re: #2
    Sony, King of Shovelware lmaooooooo
    21AnonymousOct 2, 2026 17:14
    Guess getting called a 'shovelware mass-producer' himself based on what's in Re: #2 really stung…
    4AnonymousOct 2, 2026 16:58
    Why isn't Metroid Prime 4 on this list?
    9AnonymousOct 2, 2026 17:03
    Graphics standards tick up just a little and this is the result
    No real technical chops
    10AnonymousOct 2, 2026 17:05
    What do you do when Nintendo puts out a shovelware game?

    🐷 'Go bash Sony!'
    15AnonymousOct 2, 2026 17:10
    Today's installment of 'Things That Stung When Called Out'
    25AnonymousOct 2, 2026 17:20
    Sony's shovelware really isn't selling at all, huh
    26AnonymousOct 2, 2026 17:23
    🪳💢<Ch-CHGYAAAAAAAAH!!

    Wolverine 20,039 ←NEW
    Saros 4,614
    Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls 2,814
    MLB The Show 26 (English version) 1,893
    Marathon (triple-digit concurrent players, about to get its servers shut down)
    29AnonymousOct 2, 2026 17:24
    Re: #2
    Guess that's what real shovelware looks like, no wonder it's not selling
    Meanwhile Nintendo's stuff sells just fine
    31AnonymousOct 2, 2026 17:25
    That 'home consoles ["house trash"] are all doomed' joke is starting to feel less like a joke
    32AnonymousOct 2, 2026 17:27
    Could all of Nintendo's games released this year, combined, even beat GTA6?
    34AnonymousOct 2, 2026 17:29
    Re: #32
    You should be more worried that it's barely moving on the Amazon sales ranking
    Makes you wonder if it's really coming out in November
    33AnonymousOct 2, 2026 17:27
    Re: #2
    It's on a completely different level
    Though I haven't played any of them, so what do I know
    35AnonymousOct 2, 2026 17:33
    GTA probably won't sell in Japan as much as people expect
    Even worldwide, I'd bet a lot of the core audience is waiting for the PC version
    36AnonymousOct 2, 2026 17:33
    He made this thread all excited to stir things up
    and got shut down right out the gate, lmao
    39AnonymousOct 2, 2026 17:36
    Pretty well-reviewed for something supposedly bad
    Unlike a certain other game
    51AnonymousOct 2, 2026 17:52
    Re: #39
    It's got its flaws but it's playable
    Wolverine looks like it might be the same kind of deal from the outside, but with its scores still dropping, it seems like it might genuinely be bad
    42AnonymousOct 2, 2026 17:39
    Re: #1-2
    Square Enix fanboys are always the ones stoking console wars
    They've got no real loyalty to either side, so they can keep it up forever
    46AnonymousOct 2, 2026 17:45
    Re: #42
    Guess the console warriors ['Goki-buta,' a jab combining the PlayStation and Nintendo fanboy slurs] have finally started dragging Square Enix into the blame game too lol
    Well, even Square Enix can't stay on a sinking ship forever
    59AnonymousOct 2, 2026 17:57
    A Zelda that's basically the same as ever, just with the bonus of load times nobody asked for
    76AnonymousOct 2, 2026 18:39
    Re: #59
    Wait, the N64 didn't have load times?
    78AnonymousOct 2, 2026 18:43
    Re: #59
    It did have load times, actually
    65AnonymousOct 2, 2026 18:01
    The more a game sells, the more even just 1% of unhappy players can add up to 10,000+ people
    And since the people enjoying it are mostly just playing quietly, what shows up online ends up being mostly complaints
    Not sure what you'd even do to stop that from happening
    71AnonymousOct 2, 2026 18:19
    Re: #65
    Honestly, nothing changes unless the players themselves do
    Even fair criticism branches off from there into 'can I forgive this or not,' so the same opinion isn't really the same depending on who's holding it
    75AnonymousOct 2, 2026 18:32
    Wild that even combined, it's still less than Palworld
    79AnonymousOct 2, 2026 18:44
    Re: #75
    Palworld's only 3,400 yen though
    77AnonymousOct 2, 2026 18:41
    Re: #76
    The N64 supposedly went with cartridges in the first place specifically to avoid load screens
    86AnonymousOct 2, 2026 19:02
    Re: #77
    PlayStation's load times really were brutal back then
    That said, Ocarina of Time did have load times too
    90AnonymousOct 2, 2026 19:08
    Splatoon Raiders and FE Bansenshiko (lit. 'a riot of purples and crimsons') are both really solid
    These two alone crush PlayStation's whole lineup this year

    Background and Key Points

    The Hardware/Industry board, where terms like “gokiburi” (cockroach, a slur for PlayStation fans) and “nin-buta” (Nintendo pig) fly freely, has a long-established culture of Nintendo and Sony partisans goading each other’s camps — and many threads are created specifically to stir up that rivalry. The concurrent-player numbers cited in the replies appear to be drawn from Steam observation data, not official figures or primary-source statistics, so they should be taken with a grain of salt. Another hallmark of this board is how old hardware debates keep resurfacing, as seen in the back-and-forth over N64 and PlayStation load times. The view raised in the thread — that the better a game sells, the more complaints tend to dominate online discussion — is also a thought-provoking point for thinking about game reception in general.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hardware/Industry [Gehan]) thread “[Sad News] Nintendo Is Seriously Mass-Producing Shovelware Lately…“.

  • Namie Amuro’s “plunging neckline” photo sparks buzz — 8 years after retirement, fans say “it brings tears”

    A photo of Namie Amuro showing off a plunging neckline, reported by Nishi-Nippon Sports, became a hot topic on 5ch’s Entertainment/Sports Breaking News+ thread. Amuro, a native of Okinawa Prefecture, retired in September 2018 — eight years ago now. While many posters expressed nostalgia with comments like “So glad to see her” and “It brings tears to my eyes,” plenty of others pointed out that the photo itself appears to have been taken months earlier, questioning why it was being reported only now, and noting how unusual it is that no sightings have surfaced at all in this age of social media.

    Nishi-Nippon Sports

    2026.10.01 19:00

    Former singer Namie Amuro (from Okinawa Prefecture) is drawing attention for a photo showing off a plunging neckline.

    Source: nishispo.nishinippon.co.jp / Original article here

    2AnonymousOct 2, 2026 17:40
    Wait, this isn't even a recent photo? (;_;) I got duped
    9AnonymousOct 2, 2026 17:42
    She probably said something like "I just want a bit of a break," and then everyone around her smelled money and piled on, and before you knew it she'd retired
    10AnonymousOct 2, 2026 17:43
    Wild that there's not a single sighting in this social-media-saturated era
    She performed under her real name, so you'd think ordinary people would've crossed paths with her somewhere by now
    18AnonymousOct 2, 2026 17:45
    Re: #10
    Is she even still in Japan?
    If she's living abroad, that'd explain why nobody spots her
    13AnonymousOct 2, 2026 17:43
    So this is like a three-month-old photo?
    Why bring it up now
    15AnonymousOct 2, 2026 17:44
    I actually saw her in Kyoto recently
    Though she's so petite I almost didn't notice her
    49AnonymousOct 2, 2026 18:12
    Re: #15
    A lot of singers back then were on the short side
    Being smaller probably makes for a better voice
    Though apparently "short" meant 158cm according to Wikipedia and the like
    Actresses back then were all around 160 to 170cm
    Nobody would even mention it these days though
    17AnonymousOct 2, 2026 17:44
    What's she even been up to since retiring?
    40AnonymousOct 2, 2026 17:57
    Re: #17
    Probably just living free and easy
    19AnonymousOct 2, 2026 17:45
    Thought this was a recent photo — nope, way off lol
    25AnonymousOct 2, 2026 17:48
    Could be one of those unspoken "10-year retirement" deals
    Maybe a dramatic comeback next year?
    28AnonymousOct 2, 2026 17:50
    I loved little Amuro-chan back when I first saw her on Yoru mo Hipparee, looking like a baby monkey (a late-night variety show from the '90s)
    88AnonymousOct 2, 2026 19:38
    Re: #28
    You mean like Yuukorin's real voice?
    30AnonymousOct 2, 2026 17:50
    Crazy that there's no sighting info even on social media
    She's distinctive-looking, so it's not like people wouldn't recognize her
    41AnonymousOct 2, 2026 17:58
    Re: #30
    Maybe she doesn't live in Japan
    31AnonymousOct 2, 2026 17:50
    I thought she'd had her tattoos removed
    When was this photo even taken
    33AnonymousOct 2, 2026 17:51
    Amuro makes me think of Ponkikki
    The one where she showed up in a costume with Suzuki Rannran (a kids' TV show)
    35AnonymousOct 2, 2026 17:52
    Why is this story surfacing only now
    38AnonymousOct 2, 2026 17:54
    Re: #35
    It's got that "trial balloon" feel to it
    doesn't it
    36AnonymousOct 2, 2026 17:52
    Ten years since retirement, huh
    Feels like she could be due for a comeback soon
    39AnonymousOct 2, 2026 17:56
    Her songs aren't even on streaming
    no wonder people are forgetting about her
    42AnonymousOct 2, 2026 17:59
    Come on
    If it's a pre-retirement photo there should be a ton of those lying around already
    59AnonymousOct 2, 2026 18:24
    A true pro would break into "Mr. U.S.A." right about now (one of her hit singles)
    66AnonymousOct 2, 2026 18:33
    Wait, it's only been 8 years?
    For everything else I feel like a decade-plus flies by before I even notice, and it freaks me out
    71AnonymousOct 2, 2026 18:52
    Re: #66
    I honestly thought it was only like 3-4 years lol

    Background and talking points

    Namie Amuro held her retirement concert in Okinawa in September 2018, and is also known for having performed under her real name rather than a stage name. It’s unusual that so little sighting information has surfaced since her retirement, even in an era when social media is this pervasive, and the thread saw speculation that she might be living overseas. The photo in question appears to have been taken several months ago, which left many posters wondering why it was being reported only now. Some speculated it could be a “trial balloon” ahead of a possible comeback, and the thread stood out for reactions that went beyond simple nostalgia to probe the motives behind the report. The article does not clarify the circumstances in which the photo was taken or how it came to be published.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Entertainment/Sports Breaking News+) thread ““So glad to see her,” “Haven’t seen Amuro-chan in a while…” — 8 years after retirement, Namie Amuro’s “plunging neckline” photo puts her back in the spotlight: “It brings tears,” “Amuro-chan looks great”.”

  • Giants’ Bats Go Silent at Jingu Stadium — 5ch: ‘Nakagawa Just Doesn’t Want to Be the Scapegoat’

    This is a 5ch live-thread about the Giants–Swallows game played at Jingu Stadium on October 2. The thread title is “Giants Acting Manager 161,” the 161st installment in an ongoing series. With the Giants’ lineup struggling at the plate, commenters who appeared to be Swallows fans fired off harsh lines like “They just can’t hit” and “Did they even practice?” The game also carried weight for the Central League pennant race — midway through the thread someone posted an image of the title-race standings, and there was buzz over Swallows starter Nakagawa being described as pitching not to win, but simply to avoid becoming the game’s “scapegoat.”

    1AnonymousOct 2, 2026 19:39
    Previous thread
    Giants Acting Manager 160
    3AnonymousOct 2, 2026 19:39
    Jingu Stadium
    Starting Lineups
    【Giants】　【Swallows】
    9 Hirayama　　　　6 Nagaoka
    8 Matsumoto　　　　8 Iwata
    6 Izumiguchi　　　　9 Masuda
    2 Oshiro　　　　3 Yamada
    5 Richard　　7 Nishimura
    4 Yoshikawa　　　　4 Tanaka
    3 Masuda Riku　　　5 Matsushita
    7 Sasahara　　　　2 Suzuki Kanau
    1 Yamazaki　　　　1 Yamano
    5AnonymousOct 2, 2026 19:42
    They just can't hit at all.
    14AnonymousOct 2, 2026 19:51
    Re: #5
    Did you guys even show up to practice?
    6AnonymousOct 2, 2026 19:46
    Central League pennant race standings (as of October 1)
    11AnonymousOct 2, 2026 19:50
    Re: #6
    A draw today is basically a loss.
    7AnonymousOct 2, 2026 19:47
    This isn't the usual Swallows…
    they're actually trying for once.
    8AnonymousOct 2, 2026 19:47
    Wheeler: "We want everyone to come at them together and win."

    Not a word about breaking down their pitcher.
    He's seriously not thinking about anything.
    10AnonymousOct 2, 2026 19:49
    Can't picture Kenshin and Raidel putting out this fire.
    16AnonymousOct 2, 2026 19:52
    The Urata of right now would've caught up to that — no way Naoki can with his bad hip.
    22AnonymousOct 2, 2026 19:55
    Japan's national volleyball team is getting overshadowed by the Hanshin Tigers.
    23AnonymousOct 2, 2026 19:57
    The games-back gap stays the same, but the magic number still shrinks.
    If they can't shut this down, Nakagawa becomes the scapegoat.
    24AnonymousOct 2, 2026 19:58
    Not fighting out of a desire to win—
    Nakagawa's grinding it out just so he doesn't become the scapegoat.
    47AnonymousOct 2, 2026 20:11
    These Giants fanboys ('Kyojin-kasu,' a mocking nickname for Giants fans) won't let up.
    Hurry up and lose already! Then our team's magic number hits 1 lol
    51AnonymousOct 2, 2026 20:12
    Haven't seen George get a hit in a while.
    53AnonymousOct 2, 2026 20:12
    Oh, so it's "Monkey" instead of Sakamoto…
    no wonder they're walking Maru then.
    57AnonymousOct 2, 2026 20:14
    I hate this chant, it smells like a Hiroshima (Carp) chant 😠
    60AnonymousOct 2, 2026 20:15
    Re: #57
    Then what chant DO you like?
    74AnonymousOct 2, 2026 20:17
    Takatsu's probably feeling a real kinship watching how Hashigami uses his pinch hitters.
    79AnonymousOct 2, 2026 20:17
    81AnonymousOct 2, 2026 20:17
    Whoa, they even sell towels that huge?
    83AnonymousOct 2, 2026 20:18
    Hirayama's got a face just like Takatsu's lol
    84AnonymousOct 2, 2026 20:18
    This chant's such a downer, let's drop it lol
    89AnonymousOct 2, 2026 20:19
    Re: #84
    So what WOULD be good, then?
    96AnonymousOct 2, 2026 20:20
    Re: #89
    Guess it's "Go Get the Win" since we're in the late innings
    98AnonymousOct 2, 2026 20:20
    Re: #89
    Drop dead, Yomiuri — c'mon, let's go, let's go!
    85AnonymousOct 2, 2026 20:18
    Is the guy from the post-75 image not even here?
    That's why we drew again yesterday and the magic number barely moved.
    87AnonymousOct 2, 2026 20:19
    Strikeout, I bet (´・ω・｀)
    101AnonymousOct 2, 2026 20:20
    Re: #87
    Tough luck, huh.
    195AnonymousOct 2, 2026 20:30
    Our team's offense has a total bowel obstruction.
    203AnonymousOct 2, 2026 20:31
    Re: #195
    Just take some Daikenchuto (a herbal remedy for bowel issues).

    Background and Talking Points

    The thread title “Giants Acting Manager 161” is the name of a running series of live-threads numbered sequentially, with the name apparently reflecting whoever was in charge of the Giants’ dugout at the time of posting. In the Central League pennant race, whether the first-place team wins or draws changes how fast the “magic number” ticks down, so for teams below first place, the leader’s result matters just as much as their own. Terms like “Kyojin-kasu” and “Chin-kasu” (mocking nicknames aimed at Giants and Chunichi fans, respectively) fly around in the thread — these are stock insults long used in 5ch/2ch baseball live-threads to needle rival teams’ fans, and are different in nature from discriminatory language aimed at protected groups. The phrase “our team” (waga-gun) is live-thread shorthand for whichever team the poster is rooting for, and context suggests these posters were backing the Swallows. Both the frustration over the Giants’ lineup going cold and the description of Swallows starter Nakagawa as pitching “not to win, but to avoid being the scapegoat” reflect how commenters were thinking less about this single game and more about the long haul of the pennant race.

    ※This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Hello! Project board) thread “Giants Acting Manager 161.”

  • Comedian Kazutoyo Koyabu Fires Back at Inomata Backlash: “Does Being a Johnny’s Jr. Make You Well-Behaved?”

    Comedian Kazutoyo Koyabu commented on October 2 on a Kansai TV program about Shuto Inomata of “timelesz,” who was arrested on suspicion of assaulting an acquaintance and had his contract terminated by his agency, STARTO ENTERTAINMENT. The day before, timelesz members including Fuma Kikuchi had held a press conference to apologize. Responding to criticism that Inomata joined the group without going through the typical “Johnny’s Jr.” apprenticeship, Koyabu offered his own take: “Does going through the Jr. system make someone a well-behaved person?” On 5ch forums, opinions split over whether a lack of that apprenticeship experience has any real connection to a person’s conduct, with many users countering by pointing to past scandals involving Jr. graduates.

    10/2 (Fri) 16:45

    Comedian Kazutoyo Koyabu appeared on Kansai TV’s “Shunkan LIVE Toretate!” on the 2nd, commenting on the news that Shuto Inomata of “timelesz” — arrested and later released on suspicion of assaulting an acquaintance — had his contract terminated by his agency, STARTO ENTERTAINMENT.

    timelesz members including Fuma Kikuchi held a press conference in Tokyo on the 1st following Inomata’s contract termination. Speaking on the group’s behalf, Kikuchi apologized: “We deeply apologize for the enormous worry and inconvenience this has caused everyone who has supported our activities.”

    Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here

    3AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:10
    Well, I do think going through the apprenticeship is better than not.
    33AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:24
    Re: #3
    As a person, he's lived his life like any regular guy, so it's irrelevant. If we were talking about skill level or industry rules, I'd get the point, but…
    38AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:25
    Re: #3
    Did Nakai-san go through it?
    66AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:38
    Re: #3
    Sounds like the type of guy who'd trash sushi-chef trade schools too.
    4AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:11
    True, that. Though when it comes to landing the finishing blow on the old guy, he's got a point about being camera-savvy.
    5AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:12
    There are plenty of guys who went through the Jr. system and still screwed up, lol.
    83AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:51
    Re: #5
    If anything, that's the overwhelming majority.
    8AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:13
    Well said. The senior guys just get their scandals covered up, after all.
    10AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:13
    Punching someone has nothing to do with whether you were a Jr. or not.
    12AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:14
    The apprenticeship might help with stuff like Shinozuka's screwups, but it doesn't touch the root problem with guys like Inomata, so it's meaningless here.
    14AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:14
    Can't you read?
    What he means is: "It really drove home how much it matters to fans whether someone went through the Jr. system or not."
    16AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:15
    Sounds like the sketchy ones get weeded out during the Jr. phase.
    31AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:23
    Re: #16
    But the group led by the guy who busted a woman's eyeball is the one steering the agency right now.
    17AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:15
    When you've got a young, good-looking guy, he's often playing around with women pretty flagrantly or being careless about covering it up, so the risk of it surfacing later seems pretty high.
    20AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:16
    Jr. or outside hire, every Johnny's talent is trash.
    22AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:17
    It's just the hardcore fans of Jrs. who never got to debut, kicking up a fuss.
    23AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:19
    Going through the Jr. system makes you tight-lipped and sharpens your instinct for danger. Whether you're actually well-behaved is a separate matter.
    24AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:20
    Re: #1
    At the very least, he'd know what it means to be a celebrity, lol.
    34AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:24
    It's not so much that the Jrs. are dangerous — it's Johnny himself who was the dangerous one.
    40AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:26
    Re: #34
    The BBC's former host is way worse.
    45AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:27
    Comedian Kazutoyo Koyabu ← got it
    Kansai TV's "Shunkan LIVE Toretate!" ← no idea

    "timelesz" released ← no idea

    Shuto Inomata ← no idea

    his agency STARTO ENTERTAINMENT ← no idea

    What kind of news story throws this many terms I don't recognize at me? Then again, 80% of teens and 20-somethings probably just know all this as a given.
    46AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:28
    Re: #45
    Do you enjoy putting your own ignorance on display?
    53AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:33
    Re: #46
    Nah, I actually meant it the opposite way — for an old-timer like me, knowing all this stuff would be the embarrassing part. But you know it all? Cute.
    65AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:38
    Re: #53
    Not knowing Johnny's changed its name is, frankly, just ignorant.
    73AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:42
    Re: #53
    I'm an old guy myself, but old guys who proudly flaunt not knowing things are, across the board, boring — I'd hate for young people to aspire to that.
    58AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:34
    What about Nakai? Tatsuya Yamaguchi? Sho Tanaka? Did they not go through the Jr. system?
    82AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:50
    Re: #58
    None of those guys got arrested, though.
    104AnonymousOct 2, 2026 22:21
    Re: #1
    You can tell what kind of person someone is during their Jr. years, right? And they still chose to let him debut after seeing that. There are way more guys who just got older without ever debuting, aren't there? That's exactly why they set an age limit — so people wouldn't be given false hope.
    105AnonymousOct 2, 2026 22:22
    Re: #104
    The "retirement at 22" rule was abolished.

    Background and Key Points of This Debate

    STARTO ENTERTAINMENT changed its name from the former Johnny’s Office after the 2023 official recognition of sexual abuse committed by founder Johnny Kitagawa against Jrs. under his management. Because of that history, “whether someone went through the Jr. system” tends to be discussed not merely as a matter of apprenticeship length, but as something tied to the agency’s troubled past. On the thread, opinions were split over whether apprenticeship experience actually affects a person’s conduct, with many commenters pushing back by citing past scandals involving Jr. graduates. Meanwhile, neither the details of the allegations against Inomata himself nor how timelesz will continue its activities going forward reached any clear consensus within the thread.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “Kazutoyo Koyabu shares his view on criticism of Shuto Inomata’s lack of Jr. experience: “Does going through the Jr. system make you a well-behaved person?”“.

  • Yoshinoya’s Beef Is Exactly 1.3mm Thick — 5ch: ‘Everyone Else Just Hides Behind the Sauce’

    A thread titled ‘Things I Know About Yoshinoya’ popped up in 5ch’s Anything Live-Viewing board (Nandemo Jikkyou G), and users piled on with trivia about the beef bowl chain. Surprisingly obscure tidbits poured in — the branch in front of Yurakucho Station that’s the highest-grossing in Japan, outlets inside highway service areas and even the Diet Building, and the claim that the first-ever store was in Tsukiji. Opinions split when the conversation turned to how Yoshinoya compares to rivals Sukiya and Matsuya, with debate over beef thickness and how sweet the sauce should be.

    1AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:25
    Fun fact: the company actually went bankrupt back in 1980.
    4AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:26

    On the east side of JR Yurakucho Station (the side with Kotsu Kaikan and Itocia), there's the most famous Yoshinoya in Japan!
    Apparently it's the highest-grossing location in the whole country.
    26AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:37
    Re: #4

    This is Yurakucho Itocia, shot from the southbound side of JR Yurakucho Station (toward Shimbashi, Hamamatsucho, Shinagawa)



    JR Yurakucho Station
    6AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:27

    These days beef bowl chains like Yoshinoya, Sukiya, and Matsuya have even opened branches in highway service areas and parking areas.

    *By the way, the photo is Ebina SA on the Daiichi-Tokai Expressway (Tomei Expressway).
    10AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:29
    Re: #6

    There used to be a Yoshinoya at Daikoku PA on the Shuto Expressway too, but it's closed now.
    *McDonald's also pulled out of Daikoku PA.
    60AnonymousOct 2, 2026 22:04
    Re: #6

    There's also a Yoshinoya at Ishikawa PA on the Chuo Expressway (Hachioji, Tokyo)!
    7AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:27

    The Yoshinoya logo
    100AnonymousOct 2, 2026 22:52
    Re: #7
    That's a cool logo!
    12AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:29


    There's actually a branch inside the National Diet Building.
    They even have an exclusive menu item there — the Kuroge Wagyu Don (Japanese black beef rice bowl)!
    15AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:31

    It's said that Yoshinoya owes a lot of its fame to the Weekly Shonen Jump manga 'Kinnikuman.'
    It's the favorite food of the main character, Kinniku Suguru!
    16AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:31
    Re: #15
    Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu — Kinnikuman! Fri, Sat, Sun — time to play! Yahoo! (lyrics from the anime's ending theme)
    Wishing a beef bowl was still 80 yen, on this fine Friday

    I used to do the 'Kinnikuman Exercise' routine back in kindergarten
    Takes me back
    37AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:46
    Re: #15
    Kinnikuman was originally tied to Nakau, not Yoshinoya
    17AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:31



    Former SMAP member Takuya Kimura has appeared in Yoshinoya commercials.
    18AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:32
    An AI-generated illustration of Mabel-chan eating a Yoshinoya beef bowl



    The rabbit girl character 'Mabel-chan'
    19AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:32
    Re: #18
    Hey, Tetsugaku News (a popular 5ch summary blog)!
    Put this one in a roundup!
    103AnonymousOct 2, 2026 22:57
    Re: #18
    By the way, Mabel-chan is from Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, so she's probably at the Sendai Station East Exit branch (or maybe the West Exit one)!?
    20AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:32
    Best of the big three (Yoshinoya, Sukiya, Matsuya), no question.
    21AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:33
    Re: #20
    Agreed

    I don't dislike Sukiya or Matsuya either, but Yoshinoya has the best-tasting beef, hands down
    I feel like the others just mask it with sauce flavor… 😅
    27AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:38
    Re: #21
    Apparently 1.3mm is the thickness they settled on because it tastes best.
    At 1.2mm the meat falls apart, and at 1.4mm it gets tough, or so they say.

    The sauce has the best balance and depth too.
    Matsuya's is too sweet, and Sukiya's has too much ginger.
    29AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:40
    Re: #27
    I thought Sukiya was plenty sweet too…
    Yoshinoya's the one where you can actually taste the beef clearly
    79AnonymousOct 2, 2026 22:32
    Re: #27
    So even 0.1mm off and it just doesn't work, huh…
    33AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:43

    Even the frozen beef bowl topping is just as good as what you get in the restaurant!
    34AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:43
    Gave the cold shoulder to Yudetamago (the Kinnikuman manga duo), despite all they did for the brand
    41AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:48
    Re: #34
    That's rough… 😢
    44AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:51
    Re: #34
    Honestly, that was just plain stupid
    If they'd treated them well, they could've made a fortune off collabs…
    67AnonymousOct 2, 2026 22:14
    Re: #34
    40AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:48
    I always wanted to visit the Tsukiji Yoshinoya at least once — such a wild, unconventional menu
    43AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:50
    Re: #40
    Wasn't Tsukiji the first store to begin with?
    48AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:54

    There's also a Yoshinoya at JR Oyama Station in Oyama City, Tochigi Prefecture!
    And it's accessible from both inside and outside the ticket gates!

    *Oyama Station is served by the Tohoku Shinkansen, the JR Utsunomiya Line (Tohoku Main Line), the Mito Line, and the Ryomo Line.
    *Right next to the Yoshinoya is a bakery called Little Mermaid.
    51AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:58
    Re: #48


    • Hakuoh University

    A prestigious private university on the east side of Oyama Station.
    The Faculty of Law and Faculty of Business have campuses right by the station (only the Faculty of Education is elsewhere).
    49AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:55
    Re: #43
    You're right that the Tsukiji Yoshinoya was the first store
    But the one I wanted to go to is 'Tsukiji Yoshinoya' (a specific gourmet-menu location)

    53AnonymousOct 2, 2026 22:00
    Re: #49
    My bad
    Still, that's pretty cheap!
    65AnonymousOct 2, 2026 22:12

    80 years, nothing but beef bowls
    Mizuho Matsuda was a legend!
    66AnonymousOct 2, 2026 22:13
    Re: #65
    By the way, the current president is apparently from Toyama Prefecture
    68AnonymousOct 2, 2026 22:16

    At one point they actually sold ostrich meat
    69AnonymousOct 2, 2026 22:16
    Doesn't Utsunomiya have surprisingly few Yoshinoya locations?
    71AnonymousOct 2, 2026 22:20
    Re: #69

    Yeah, only 7 branches for a city of 500,000 people does seem way too few…

    By the way, the Cainz Utsunomiya Techno store is located in the Kiyohara district (east of the Kinugawa River)
    The same complex also has Kasumi (a supermarket in the Aeon group), Cainz (a home center), and Kourakuen (a ramen chain)!
    The nearest stations are Yuinomori-higashi or Hagadai on the LRT line (Haga Town)
    72AnonymousOct 2, 2026 22:22
    Re: #71

    By the way, present-day Utsunomiya is almost entirely former Kawachi District (same as Kaminokawa Town), except for the Kiyohara district east of the Kinugawa River.
    Only Kiyohara was formerly Kiyohara Village in Haga District (the same Haga District that now includes Moka City and Haga Town).
    75AnonymousOct 2, 2026 22:27

    There's also a soba-serving version called 'Soba-dokoro Yoshinoya'
    Look for the blue sign instead of the usual orange one!
    76AnonymousOct 2, 2026 22:29
    Re: #75
    By the way, Soba-dokoro Yoshinoya locations seem to be declining in recent years, probably because they're costlier to run… 😢
    81AnonymousOct 2, 2026 22:33
    If you're getting the kakuni (braised pork belly) set meal, eat it at the Yoshinoya with free rice refills
    90AnonymousOct 2, 2026 22:42
    Re: #81

    The thick-cut kakuni (braised pork belly) set meal

    Background and Key Points of This Discussion

    Yoshinoya is a long-running chain founded in 1899 that has built its identity around ‘nothing but beef bowls.’ The 1980 corporate reorganization (effectively a bankruptcy) mentioned in the thread is generally attributed to beef import restrictions and soaring costs from the oil crisis, and the company stuck with its single-minded focus on the beef bowl even afterward. Where the thread’s opinions diverged was over how Yoshinoya’s flavor compares to rivals Sukiya and Matsuya — some claims about beef thickness and sauce sweetness are drawn from each company’s public information, while others are just posters’ personal impressions, and it’s worth noting the line between the two isn’t always clear. Likewise, the connection to the manga ‘Kinnikuman’ and the story about how the chain treated manga duo Yudetamago aren’t backed by any official account from Yoshinoya itself — they’re best read as anecdotes circulating on the forum rather than confirmed fact.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Anything Live-Viewing board) thread ‘[Ultimate Beef Bowl Shop] Things I Know About Yoshinoya [YOSHINOYA]‘.

  • Juice=Juice Instagram Growth Gap: Ebata Hisaki Gains Over 10,000 Followers in a Single Month

    In the Hello! Project idol group Juice=Juice, data tracking each member’s monthly Instagram follower growth was posted to 5ch’s Hello! Project board, sparking discussion. Over the course of September 2026, Ebata Hisaki’s followers jumped from 105,772 to 116,367 — a gain of +10,595 — the biggest increase in the group. At the same time, some argued that Instagram numbers don’t match real-world event popularity, while others pointed out that the gap can’t be explained by differences in post frequency or content, leaving fans divided over the cause.

    1AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:07
    Ranked by change
    2026/09/01 2026/09/30 Change Posts
    105,772 116,367 +10,595 6 Ebata Hisaki (Juice=Juice)
    2AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:13
    Hello! Project fans (haro-ota) pick their favorites (oshi) based on personality and skill, but the general public picks by looks — that's just proof Juice=Juice is finally getting noticed by the mainstream, which is great news.
    3AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:20
    Among otaku who actually go to shows, Yumeriai (a fan nickname) is more popular.
    4AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:22
    Instagram doesn't reflect real popularity at all.
    5AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:23
    For some reason it's nationally famous as a metric that Sayuminto (a fan nickname) is weirdly obsessed with.
    6AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:27
    Kawashima's growth had been outpacing Ebata's for a while, and I figured she'd eventually overtake her, but Ebata's picked up the pace.
    7AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:29
    There's way too big a gap in post count.
    Step it up a little, c'mon.
    8AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:29
    Not trying to put Kawashima down, but her posts don't feel like they have much effort put into them — Ebata's seem more thought-out in composition and stuff.
    12AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:35
    Re: #8
    Basically it's only updates from lives or outside work, so honestly it's kind of scary that it gets this much reaction from just that.
    25AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:44
    Re: #8
    Well yeah, Kawashima's pretty laid-back about everything.
    9AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:33
    But Ebata is a Noguchi who can never beat Sasaki Maika.
    14AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:36
    Re: #9
    Who's supposed to be Ebata's 'Sasaki'?
    10AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:33
    There are also kids like Matsumoto, who post videos and put together images that clearly took time, trying their hardest on Instagram, but still barely gain any followers… so post count and effort don't really matter.
    13AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:36
    I get it if people just like Juice=Juice and follow everyone, but a gap this big between members is kind of a mystery.
    15AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:36
    Re: #14
    Don't make me say it when you already know.
    18AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:38
    Re: #15
    I have no idea at all.
    Ebata's eventually going to have the most followers in Juice.
    16AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:37
    Post count and content aren't really that important.
    17AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:37
    Some girls post less often but update their Stories regularly, so you can't judge just by post count.
    20AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:40
    Members with fewer Instagram followers than Arisawa Ichika → Eguchi, Onoda, Kitahara, Ono, Fukuda, Matsumoto, Akiyama, Hirayama, Yumikuta, Saito, Hashisako, Goto, Tamenaga, Kubota, Inoue, Kaze, Tsutsui, Nakayama, Nishizaki, Hiromoto, Shimoitani (names run together in the original post)
    https://kizuna.5ch.io/test/read.cgi/morningcoffee/1790919823/
    21AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:40
    Honestly, Ebata and Kawashima are the ones who stand out for flattering photos.
    You often see comments like 'the short-haired one is cute' or 'the one with the ribbon is cute.'
    23AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:43
    Shame Hayashi can't get an Instagram going right now, at the peak of her prime.
    24AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:43
    Instagram is the metric that links most closely to mainstream popularity.

    From the general public's perspective, they just see Ebata as cute, plain and simple, and that's why her followers grew.
    28AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:45
    I really don't get why Matsunaga isn't more popular.
    Her visuals are great, her performance is great, so why?
    34AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:49
    If people don't properly take stuff like this on board, Hello! Project won't grow.
    44AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:51
    Re: #34
    That's because the Hello! Project fan bubble is out of step with the mainstream.
    42AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:51
    Setting the past aside, Matsunaga's cute now, isn't she?
    48AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:53
    Re: #42
    It's not really 'cute' so much as… intense, I'd say.
    51AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:54
    Re: #42
    She's gotten seriously cute though.
    60AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:58
    But every single day there are people who just desperately want to drag down Juice=Juice or its members, grasping at any excuse they can find.
    70AnonymousOct 2, 2026 22:05
    Re: #60
    Honestly, so true.
    When there's no material to attack Juice=Juice as a whole, they latch onto the gap in numbers between members instead — trying to stir up infighting?
    If you've got no material, you don't need to force a new thread into existence.
    88AnonymousOct 2, 2026 22:27
    Re: #60
    Reading this as an attack says more about your persecution complex.
    You can just take it as a normal popularity metric.
    71AnonymousOct 2, 2026 22:06
    Tako-chan (nickname) has Yumeriai going for her,
    and there's the buzz-leader Endo plus the ace known as the 'pigeon seller' (fan nickname)…
    the problem is Risachi — there's no easy-to-grasp pairing (cp, a fan-shipped duo) for her.
    75AnonymousOct 2, 2026 22:08
    Re: #71
    If only that guy hadn't retired — he and Tashiro got along well.
    83AnonymousOct 2, 2026 22:17
    I'd love to see the Ebamifu (fan nickname for Ebata) leadership era soon, now that she's on a flattering-photo streak.
    Please don't let anyone in who isn't cute.
    89AnonymousOct 2, 2026 22:28
    Re: #83
    That'd be hell around then, huh.

    Background and key points of this discussion

    Among Hello! Project fans, it’s become a regular practice to compile and post each member’s monthly Instagram follower change — treated as a gauge of general public name recognition, separate from drawing power at actual events. As some commenters note, the popularity of fans who actually show up to live shows doesn’t necessarily line up with the popularity that builds on social media when first-time viewers decide someone looks “cute.” Some argue the gap comes down to differences in photo composition or posting frequency, while others argue the gap persists regardless of such effort — no single decisive explanation has emerged. A few posts point to individual members’ posting habits or styles as possible reasons, but these remain speculation, and it’s worth noting as a reader that there’s no official explanation from the group’s management.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hello! Project board) thread “Yumeriai vs. Ebamifu: why is there such a huge gap in Instagram growth?“.

  • Kadonaka’s Retirement Game: Hawks Rally for 7th Straight Win as Yudai Yamamoto’s 3-Run Homer Seals It

    On October 2, the Pacific League game at Lotte’s home stadium against SoftBank was held as the retirement game for Lotte’s veteran outfielder Katsuya Kadonaka. The Hawks came back to win, 4-3 (M3-4H), stretching their winning streak to seven. In the 9th inning, pinch hitter Yudai Yamamoto hit his 6th home run of the season — a go-ahead 3-run shot — while Lotte closer Rikuto Yokoyama blew the save. On 5ch’s live-game thread, the home-plate umpire’s call during Kensuke Kondo’s 9th-inning at-bat, which set up the comeback, sparked controversy, and fans also compared the day’s events to other teams’ retirement ceremonies held the same day.

    SoftBank 　1 0 0　 0 0 0　 0 0 3｜4

    Lotte　　　　　0 0 0　 1 0 0　 0 2 X｜3

    [Battery]

    Source: nikkansports.com / Original article here

    4AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:08
    Just witnessed a brutal blown call (5ch slang: "toilet umpire," for a terrible ump). And that's how they won.
    8AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:10
    Kind of sad that this is what he had to watch on his own retirement day.
    12AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:10
    Brutal.
    This is what you get on a retirement day?
    36AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:17
    Re: #12
    Orix's Hirano retirement game was way worse than this
    They gave up 6 runs in the first inning and the result was already decided
    By 6:30 PM
    it was just a matter of waiting for Hirano to come out
    14AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:11
    Re: #10
    Kokubo's trash too for leaving Maeda in through the 8th when he wasn't even getting the win
    15AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:11
    Hakata Hanamaru once said: "A lot of people nationwide dislike the Hawks, so I don't bring up the Hawks on national TV."

    A line from "Downtown's Bar-Hopping" a few years back

    If you've ever left Fukuoka, you'll understand this reality
    37AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:17
    Lotte's battery's pitch-calling was awful
    39AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:17
    This is what happens when you don't hold Kadonaka's and Karakawa's retirement games together
    They just embarrassed themselves lol
    40AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:17
    Imagine the Baystars trading away a catcher who can hit like that
    46AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:20
    Re: #3
    Yudai Yamamoto:
    "Did you see my go-ahead 3-run homer?!"
    49AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:22
    Kondo took a called strike three in the 9th
    There was no comeback

    The toilet-umpire is garbage
    50AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:23
    The umpire who turned Kondo's strikeout into a walk should not be forgiven
    51AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:24
    If they wanted to get Maeda Yu the win by leaving him in through the 8th, they should've let him finish the 8th properly
    52AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:26
    Yudai Yamamoto just got to the Pacific League, so he probably has no clue who Kadonaka even is
    57AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:35
    Toilet-umpire strikes again

    Background and Key Points of This Story

    This game served as the retirement ceremony for Lotte’s veteran outfielder Katsuya Kadonaka, taking place at a point when the Pacific League pennant race had already been decided in SoftBank’s favor. Against that backdrop, pinch hitter Yudai Yamamoto hit a go-ahead 3-run homer late in the game that decided the outcome. Where opinions split on the thread was the umpire’s call during Kensuke Kondo’s 9th-inning at-bat — fans disagreed over whether it should have been a strikeout or a walk. Since this kind of close call is hard to judge definitively from broadcast footage alone, this article only notes the fact that “the call sparked controversy” and withholds judgment on which side was right. It was also noted that Kadonaka wasn’t the only one retiring that day — his teammate, pitcher Yuki Karakawa, had his own retirement game too, and fans discussed how several teams held retirement ceremonies on the same day. The blown save by Lotte closer Rikuto Yokoyama could also affect how the bullpen is used down the stretch of the season.

    *This article excerpts and summarizes the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “[Kadonaka’s Retirement Game] Pacific League M 3-4 H [10/2] Hawks Rally for 7th Straight Win! Yamamoto’s 6th Homer a Go-Ahead 3-Run Shot! Lotte’s Yokoyama Blows the Save.”

  • Nike’s June-August Revenue Falls 4%, Stock Plunges 7% — 5ch: ‘Well, What Did You Expect After Ditching the Brand?’

    Nike’s earnings report for the June-August 2026 quarter showed revenue down 4% year-over-year to $11.213 billion (about ¥1.7 trillion), with net income also down 2% to $712 million — both missing market expectations and sending shares down as much as 7% in after-hours trading. While there are signs of a rebound in North America, shrinking sales in Greater China dragged down overall performance. On 5ch, though, the thread cared less about the numbers than about gripes with Nike’s design choices and brand image, with plenty of comparisons to rivals like Asics, Mizuno, and Skechers — the comment that drew the most reactions was: “It sold because of the brand, and then they threw the brand away — well, of course.”

    [New York — Kenji Asada] Nike’s earnings report for the June-August 2026 quarter, released on the 1st, showed revenue down 4% year-over-year to $11.213 billion (about ¥1.7 trillion) and net income down 2% to $712 million. While there are signs of a rebound in the North American market, shrinking sales in Greater China weighed down overall results.

    Because revenue came in below prior market forecasts, Nike’s stock price fell as much as 7% in after-hours trading on the 1st compared with that day’s closing price.

    Nike has been working on its approach to consumers… (continues in the paid edition, 698 characters remaining)

    Source: nikkei.com / Original article here

    10AnonymousOct 2, 2026 19:43
    Isn't this the reason?
    76AnonymousOct 2, 2026 20:05
    Re: #10
    (;゚Д゚) that's genuinely rough… gross
    18AnonymousOct 2, 2026 19:45
    I only wear Skechers slip-ons now.
    Low-cuts are fine, but boots are nothing but a hassle.
    78AnonymousOct 2, 2026 20:06
    Re: #18
    I'm not picky about shoes, but out of everything I've worn, Skechers hold up the best, lol
    23AnonymousOct 2, 2026 19:46
    Can't afford Nike or Adidas anymore.
    Might as well just wear steel-toe work boots at this point.
    54AnonymousOct 2, 2026 19:56
    Re: #23
    It's not that they're unaffordable, I just think the logos and the try-hard designs look tacky.
    155AnonymousOct 2, 2026 20:55
    Re: #23
    I wear Adidas safety shoes — ¥15,000.
    24AnonymousOct 2, 2026 19:46
    There's been a 'Nike is embarrassing' vibe going around for a few years now.
    Their sneakers have been uncool for ages too.
    So many weirdly over-designed shoes that I never even pick one up when I'm in the store.
    28AnonymousOct 2, 2026 19:47
    Re: #24
    Sorry, but I wear the Nike Pegasus Premium.
    147AnonymousOct 2, 2026 20:47
    Re: #24
    Which Nike shoes have the 'try-hard' design exactly?
    Isn't the real problem that Nike doesn't have any bold designs anymore?
    Isn't it actually alarming that they're still cranking out Air Force 1s, Air Jordans, and Air Max in huge numbers to this day?
    25AnonymousOct 2, 2026 19:46
    What era are we even in? Adidas is washed up too, right?
    Don't tell me it's Asics now?
    52AnonymousOct 2, 2026 19:54
    Re: #25
    I'd guess On (the Swiss running brand).
    62AnonymousOct 2, 2026 20:01
    Re: #52
    The sole looks awful, but is it actually trending?

    If that's the bar, PREMIATA is way better.
    66AnonymousOct 2, 2026 20:02
    Re: #52
    Total garbage.
    Pretty much just a product of ad spend.
    29AnonymousOct 2, 2026 19:48
    Asics gets a lot of respect overseas.
    60AnonymousOct 2, 2026 20:00
    Re: #29
    Really?
    I wear Asics a lot too, plus Adidas as a safe pick.
    Saucony got a cheap reputation from being sold at ABC-Mart (Japan's discount shoe chain), but I kind of like them too.
    32AnonymousOct 2, 2026 19:48
    Why not just push Onitsuka Tiger again?
    40AnonymousOct 2, 2026 19:50
    Re: #32
    Or better yet, put 'Asahi Shoes' (a long-running Japanese footwear brand) front and center.
    34AnonymousOct 2, 2026 19:49
    They give you blisters — just not wearable for Japanese feet.
    38AnonymousOct 2, 2026 19:50
    Re: #34
    The Pegasus Premium is actually really comfortable,

    and the new Air Max models have gotten comfier too.
    56AnonymousOct 2, 2026 19:57
    At this point us middle-aged guys might as well just shop at Workman (Japan's cheap workwear chain).
    58AnonymousOct 2, 2026 19:59
    Re: #56
    Being a middle-aged guy myself, I've got my eye on the Asahi Cougar, but it's hardly ever in stock.
    63AnonymousOct 2, 2026 20:02
    It sold because of the brand, and then they threw the brand away — well, of course.
    65AnonymousOct 2, 2026 20:02
    Re: #63
    Isn't Nike not really a 'brand' anymore though?
    67AnonymousOct 2, 2026 20:03
    If it's for resale/speculation, they really need to sort out that sole hydrolysis problem.
    69AnonymousOct 2, 2026 20:03
    Re: #67
    People normally just wear them into the ground, lol
    85AnonymousOct 2, 2026 20:08
    Nike, Adidas, and Puma are the big three.
    Asics is unfortunately a nobody on the world stage.
    Its pride only survives because Chinese makers haven't overtaken it yet.
    103AnonymousOct 2, 2026 20:14
    Re: #85
    Nike and Puma are both washed up though.

    Adidas and Onitsuka Tiger are the ones actually growing.
    204AnonymousOct 2, 2026 22:44
    Re: #85
    What era are you even talking about?
    Puma's a total has-been now — its market cap and earnings are both way below Asics these days.
    90AnonymousOct 2, 2026 20:09
    Sportswear got so expensive I can't afford it anymore.
    Uniqlo's the only option now.
    121AnonymousOct 2, 2026 20:26
    Re: #90
    Sportswear basically always gets dumped at clearance prices once the season's over.
    Sometimes the tags are even cut off, but 90% off on Amazon isn't rare.
    You can grab stuff from ¥1,000 at Alpen or Xebio if you time a sale right, so buying Uniqlo instead is just throwing money away.
    Just like how HeatTech is considered terrible for actual sports use, you should leave specialty gear to the specialists.
    112AnonymousOct 2, 2026 20:22
    Bought Mizuno and it was way better than I expected.
    The design is understated, and the big plus is nobody can tell what brand it is.
    117AnonymousOct 2, 2026 20:24
    Re: #112
    Mizuno's good, right?
    135AnonymousOct 2, 2026 20:35
    Premium sneakers, Kochikame (the long-running manga)
    Nike Air Max 95, a full-blown social phenomenon


    s://i.imgur.com/2LIids3.jpeg
    s://i.imgur.com/bBSW7d0.jpeg
    s://i.imgur.com/8HkfScV.jpeg
    s://i.imgur.com/xvXCjuV.jpeg
    s://i.imgur.com/LOmjQ1N.jpeg
    s://i.imgur.com/rOCLO9Q.jpeg
    s://i.imgur.com/lNLPTCg.jpeg
    s://i.imgur.com/5z00NJk.jpeg
    s://i.imgur.com/HdflRAS.jpeg
    s://i.imgur.com/kOQXEmE.jpeg
    140AnonymousOct 2, 2026 20:41
    School-mandated shoes
    Moonstar (Tsukihoshi Kasei)
    Jaguar Σ 01 (1980)
    144AnonymousOct 2, 2026 20:43
    Re: #140
    I'd want this one in black or navy.
    142AnonymousOct 2, 2026 20:43

    Logo mark: the Nike Swoosh (since 1971)
    The swoosh design is based on the spread wings of Nike,
    the Greek goddess of victory — the brand name itself was taken from 'Nike' too.
    160AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:02
    Seiko Matsuda, Moonstar (Tsukihoshi)
    162AnonymousOct 2, 2026 21:05
    Mizuno's M-Line series (1980-1986)


    *From 1986 the logo switched to the Runbird mark (a running bird).

    Background and Key Points of This Discussion

    Nike’s fiscal Q1 (June-August) 2026 results showed revenue down 4% year-over-year to $11.2 billion and net income down 2% to $712 million, missing market expectations and triggering a sharp stock drop in after-hours trading. While North America shows signs of recovery, shrinking sales in Greater China dragged down overall performance — suggesting this is less a one-off slump than a structural shift in a key market. Reactions in the thread focused less on the figures themselves than on years of pent-up frustration with Nike’s product and brand strategy, rallying around lines like “it sold because of the brand, and then they threw the brand away” and “the designs are trying way too hard.” A post calling Nike an “antisocial-linked company” was left out of the main article as an unsubstantiated claim. One thing readers should be careful not to conflate: the thread’s energy is directed mostly at personal taste and talk of switching to rival brands (Asics, Mizuno, Skechers, etc.) within Japan, rather than at the actual core issue behind the earnings miss — shrinking demand in the Chinese market.

    *This article excerpts and summarizes the 5ch (News Express+) thread “[Earnings] Nike’s June-August Revenue Down 4%, Stock Briefly Falls 7% — Profit Decline Shows No Sign of Stopping.”