Japan Reacts

Author: Japan Reacts Editorial

  • 5ch: ‘Winny Was Amazing at Its Peak’ — Debate Erupts Over Whether the Developer’s Arrest Was Justified

    A 5ch thread reminiscing about Winny, the file-sharing software that took Japan by storm in the early 2000s, blew up with activity. It started with posts recalling the era’s vibe — most of the PCs in university computer labs showing the Winny screen, movies circulating online the very day they hit theaters — before spiraling into a debate over the arrest of its developer, Isamu Kaneko, on charges of aiding and abetting copyright infringement, and whether that arrest was justified. Posters split between those who argued the crackdown chilled Japan’s entire IT industry and those who said it was inevitable given how much copyright infringement the software enabled, with comparisons to America’s Napster and theories linking Winny’s architecture to the origins of Bitcoin flying back and forth.

    1AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:42
    Even the random middle-aged guy down the street was using it like it was nothing
    3AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:44
    Whenever you walked into the university computer lab, there'd always be two or three PCs sitting on the Winny screen
    4AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:44
    It got casually written up in random magazines like it was some kind of secret life hack — Winny, Share, overseas ROM distribution sites, emulator software, the works
    5AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:46
    Movies were already circulating online on the very day they opened in theaters
    11AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:48
    Re: #5 There were even cases where an overseas early release got slapped with Japanese subtitles and was circulating before the movie even opened in Japan
    9AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:47
    I was more of a WinMX and Cabos (a Gnutella-based file-sharing client popular in Japan) guy myself
    10AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:47
    If I remember right, you'd copy-paste a handful of initial node addresses from somewhere and grow your connections out from there.
    The bigger files that turned up were usually cracked gal games, manga, pirated software itself, albums — that sort of thing
    13AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:49
    The generative AI industry right now has that same reckless, anything-goes energy Winny had at its peak.
    Really shows you just how far behind Japan has fallen
    16AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:51
    Re: #13 People say Japan's IT industry died because of how the Winny case was handled
    17AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:52
    Re: #16 For some reason everything gets a pass in Japan as long as it stays underground — the moment it surfaces publicly, it gets crushed. That's exactly what happened to IT right around then
    29AnonymousSep 27, 2026 22:00
    Re: #16 Re: #17 I mean, Napster — basically Winny's ancestor — got busted too, and honestly, given how it was built and released, it's hard to believe copyright-infringing file swapping wasn't baked into the plan from the start
    18AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:54
    With something like cars, where a breakdown can mean death, safety-first makes sense.
    But for IT, full-speed-ahead development with no brakes was the only way to seize dominance
    19AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:54
    Wonder how things would've turned out if that developer were still alive
    24AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:57
    Roasted garlic (a random non sequitur — a running joke on the thread)
    25AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:58
    Re: #24 'Cluster word' — now that's a name I haven't heard in a while
    39AnonymousSep 27, 2026 22:05
    By the way, it was none other than the 'Holy Emperor' (an online nickname for a politician known for his tough-guy image) who, back when he was Chief Cabinet Secretary, publicly urged citizens not to use Winny
    46AnonymousSep 27, 2026 22:08
    Re: #39 Funny how things turn out — he'd later become a meme and one of Japan's most widely used free stock-photo models
    57AnonymousSep 27, 2026 22:11
    Re: #39 The man who has every hose (a famous free-stock-photo meme)
    40AnonymousSep 27, 2026 22:05
    Sure, it was lawless, but it was also genuinely innovative.
    A country that could only respond to that with regulation was always going to decline
    52AnonymousSep 27, 2026 22:10
    Re: #40 Reminder that Napster got crushed in the US too — same story
    47AnonymousSep 27, 2026 22:08
    Honestly, piracy is still a total free-for-all even today
    51AnonymousSep 27, 2026 22:10
    Re: #47 Back then there were tons of books published about it and people did it completely out in the open — that's a whole different level from now
    55AnonymousSep 27, 2026 22:11
    Re: #51 I don't know about that.
    You can still do it wide open today.
    Zero people have ever been arrested for illegal downloading (not counting those who turned themselves in).
    Just search '[whatever] free download' and you'll pull up games, manga, movies, anything.
    And downloads are way faster than they used to be, too
    58AnonymousSep 27, 2026 22:13
    Re: #55 P2P involves uploading — that's a different ballgame entirely
    67AnonymousSep 27, 2026 22:18
    Re: #52 Napster wasn't a criminal case, makes no sense to lump it in with this
    94AnonymousSep 27, 2026 22:31
    Re: #67 Reminder that they got hit with massive damages and forced to shut down the service. Winny's developer faced criminal charges but managed to dodge civil liability
    71AnonymousSep 27, 2026 22:22
    Come to think of it, was there some specific trigger that turned this into a problem?
    Illegal uploads shared via Winny drew attention, and that's ultimately what led to the outrageous step of arresting the creator himself
    78AnonymousSep 27, 2026 22:25
    Re: #71 A Kyoto Prefectural Police officer got infected with the 'Kintama' worm (malware that leaked users' files via Winny), and the police were furious about losing face over it. Apparently the officer who'd actually been using it faced no disciplinary action whatsoever
    74AnonymousSep 27, 2026 22:24
    Unfairly crushing Winny's developer was a bad move,
    but a genius doesn't stay down that easily.
    The system Winny helped pioneer — individual users building an encrypted network among themselves without relying on central servers —
    went on to give rise to blockchain and the creation of Bitcoin
    79AnonymousSep 27, 2026 22:25
    Re: #74 They dragged him through the courts for years and crushed him anyway
    84AnonymousSep 27, 2026 22:28
    88AnonymousSep 27, 2026 22:29
    Re: #84 This is genuinely spot on
    91AnonymousSep 27, 2026 22:29
    Re: #84 Quit talking out of your ass
    92AnonymousSep 27, 2026 22:30
    Re: #84 Sounds ridiculous at first, but it turned out to be right
    96AnonymousSep 27, 2026 22:31
    File sharing and drone technology both died out the exact same way, huh
    100AnonymousSep 27, 2026 22:34
    Re: #96 I mean, even China, a drone superpower, will arrest ordinary citizens for flying drones wherever they please, you know?
    98AnonymousSep 27, 2026 22:34
    Re: #87 Sounds like you don't even know the backstory here. After an earlier arrest, everyone on the download board was panicking about 'guess we can't use WinMX anymore' — so Kaneko stepped up, said he'd build something with anonymized, encrypted connections so nobody could get arrested, and then built and released it. Given that, it's hard to see it as anything other than premised on illegal uploading from day one
    102AnonymousSep 27, 2026 22:36
    Re: #98 In any era, resisting information censorship is only natural, if you ask me

    Background and Key Points of This Discussion

    Winny was a P2P file-sharing program released in 2002. Its developer, Isamu Kaneko, was arrested and indicted in 2004 on suspicion of aiding and abetting copyright infringement. He was convicted at trial, acquitted on appeal, and the Supreme Court finalized that acquittal in 2011. In other words, it’s a commonly misunderstood point that he was ‘found guilty simply for building the software’ — the courts ultimately affirmed the opposite. The theory floated in the thread that ‘Winny became a technical forerunner of Bitcoin’ remains no more than a popular claim and isn’t an established historical fact. The Napster comparison also came up, but it’s worth noting the legal situations differ: Napster was driven into paying damages and shutting down its service through a civil lawsuit brought by copyright holders, whereas with Winny it was the individual developer who faced criminal prosecution.

    ※This article is compiled as excerpts and a summary from the 5ch “Nandemo Jikkyo G” (Live Commentary, general) board thread “Winny Was Amazing at Its Peak.”

  • Sakura Wars 30th Anniversary Pocket Watch Up for Preorder Sept 29 — Case Design Splits Fans

    A pocket watch commemorating the 30th anniversary of the “Sakura Wars” series has been announced, with preorders opening September 29, 2026 on Fulton Japan’s official online store. Priced at 11,000 yen (tax included), the watch’s standout feature is a three-dimensional relief carving of Koubu (Ogami’s mecha), the protagonist’s signature unit, on the case exterior.

    On 5ch’s Entertainment & Sports News+ thread, many praised the design of the inner watch face, but the exterior finish drew sharper criticism, with comments like “the dial’s great, but the outside looks tacky.” Some noted that compared to the prices of past 20th and 25th anniversary goods, “this one’s actually cheap,” sparking a debate over the balance between price and quality.

    Famitsu.com 2026.09.27 18:05

    Updated

    To commemorate the 30th anniversary of the “Sakura Wars” series, a special-edition pocket watch has been announced. It will retail for 11,000 yen (tax included). Preorders open September 29 (Tuesday), 2026, on Fulton Japan’s official online store.

    Source: famitsu.com / Original article here

    4AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:56
    Wasn't the part that pops open on the inside enough on its own?
    5AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:57
    The game where Ogami turns out to secretly be the heroine
    8AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:59
    The franchise they brought back from the dead just to finish it off themselves
    10AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:02
    The dial design's great, but the outside's so lame
    16AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:06
    If the exterior were decent at this price, I might've actually bought one
    17AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:06
    Jinguji Nao, was it?
    72AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:40
    Re: #17
    Nice one! (lol)
    18AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:06
    Couldn't we use this to trap scalpers somehow?
    19AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:07
    I like pocket watches and collect a fair number of them, but even I don't need this one.
    20AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:07
    https://cimg.kgl-systems.io/camion/files/89279/thumbnail_DXVV.jpg
    36AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:21
    Re: #20
    The outside's a bit rough…
    The Imperial Floral Assault Troupe logo would've been better
    60AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:35
    Re: #20
    The hand color's a problem — hands close in tone to the dial are hard to read.
    100AnonymousSep 27, 2026 22:01
    Re: #20
    Yeah, hard to read.
    Meh.
    21AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:08
    Couldn't they have gone with something a bit cooler-looking — like a design with that Taisho-retro feel (the setting's fictional "Taisho" era, written with a different kanji)?
    22AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:08
    ♪ Cutting through the dark, it roars — over the trembling imperial capital… (lyric from the series' theme song)
    23AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:08
    Anyone who's been following Sakura Wars
    is getting on in years by now.
    If they're trying to make something that'll satisfy people like that,
    isn't this off by a whole digit on the price?
    24AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:09
    Wouldn't a design like something that actually appeared in the show be better?
    Give it some in-universe backstory — sold at the Imperial Theater Troupe gift shop, or standard-issue Imperial Theater gear (a pun on the show's "Imperial Floral Assault Troupe")
    25AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:09
    The dial's so good!
    Is the outside some kind of joke!?
    Cherry blossom petals would've been fine!
    26AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:09
    That 'Night Patrol' BGM I get the urge to listen to every once in a while
    27AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:10
    After all the spin-offs and sequels, it turns out what really made Sakura Wars "Sakura Wars" was never the show's framework or Kohei Tanaka's music — it was Ichiro Ogami himself.
    29AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:11
    Re: #27
    Yeah, that's true.
    I even enjoyed 4, but I gave up on 5 partway through.
    28AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:10
    Only middle-aged guys are gonna buy this, lol
    Honestly I only ever cleared the routes for Sakura and Sumire, lol
    30AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:11
    The title they dug up from the grave just to kill it a second time
    43AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:29
    My image of Sakura Wars fans is that they're all 50-60 years old by now
    49AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:32
    Re: #43
    Well, it's technically a gal-game genre,
    and not really the kind of thing elementary or middle schoolers played,
    so if the core audience was high schoolers and up back then, the main demographic now is probably around 45 to 60.
    67AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:37
    Surprising that the games haven't actually gotten a proper remake
    70AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:40
    Re: #67
    When it came out on PS, they tweaked the system, slapped on a subtitle, and put it out as a "new" release.
    74AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:41
    I wonder if there are even fans who'd want this
    77AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:44
    Re: #74
    For fans, a cheap-feeling build at this price point probably falls flat.
    Longtime Sakura Wars fans have money, so a pricier, more substantial build tends to land better than something cheap and flimsy.
    78AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:44
    I just can't anymore.
    I was enjoying this purely for the art,
    but now I catch a whiff of real-life scandal and I just can't.
    80AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:45
    They really should've raised the price by at least another 20,000-30,000 yen and bumped up the quality
    88AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:52
    Re: #78
    Re: #80
    Did something happen?
    96AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:56
    Re: #80
    I think 10x the price would be fine
    102AnonymousSep 27, 2026 22:03
    I googled it and the old ones came up.
    The old ones are way better.

    20th anniversary (10 years ago?) watch + backpack set — watch ¥24,200, backpack ¥20,000-30,000
    https://sakura-taisen.com/assets/images/info/2022/20221213_01_01.jpg

    Photo is the Ogami + Sakura model watch
    //www.super-groupies.com/title/55/

    25th anniversary watch ¥49,800
    https://iei.jp/premico/lp/50967/sp_keyvisual.jpg

    Comes with a case
    //iei.jp/50967/

    Background and Key Points of This Discussion

    “Sakura Wars” is a Sega game series whose first installment came out in 1996, making 2026 its 30th anniversary. In the past, the 20th anniversary (2016) saw a pocket watch and backpack set released (the watch alone cost 24,200 yen), and the 25th anniversary (2021) saw a standalone pocket watch priced at 49,800 yen — making this year’s 11,000 yen price notably lower than previous anniversary merchandise. In the thread, the dial design was well received, but the three-dimensional relief of Koubu on the case exterior frequently drew criticism as “cheap-looking” and “mismatched with the dial,” with some noting that longtime fans tend to prefer a pricier, more substantial build over something cheap and flimsy. Note that while this franchise has previously seen personal topics involving its voice actors and staff discussed online, this article omits any disparaging content whose factual basis is unconfirmed.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Entertainment & Sports News+) thread “‘Sakura Wars’ 30th Anniversary Pocket Watch Preorders Open September 29 — Case Exterior Features 3D Relief of Koubu (Ogami’s Mecha).”

  • Late-Night Commentary Thread Descends Into Image-Posting Chaos — Then Someone Says “Enough With the Woman-Bashing”

    A thread titled “Tousuko University, Department of Double Punch 👊😅👊🏡” popped up on 5channel’s “Anything Goes Live Commentary” board (Nandemo Jikkyo G). The title is just wordplay with nothing to do with the actual content, which followed the usual late-night pattern of posted images and back-and-forth jabs. As pictures of celebrities and internet memes piled up, one poster complained, “Isn’t this place full of people who are hostile toward women?” — only for another to shoot back, “Take your woman-bashing elsewhere.” The exchange ended up exposing just how differently posters feel about the board’s usual atmosphere.

    2AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:38
    It doesn't even get started without Tousuko, so don't you dare say no to that.
    7AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:40
    Re: #2
    Japanese-style rap?
    3AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:39
    _,,,
    　 _/::o・ｧ
    ∈ミ;;;ﾉ,ﾉ
    　　ヽヽ　🏡
    https://nova.5ch.io/test/read.cgi/livegalileo/1790503796/1000
    1000 Anonymous (And Yet It Moves) 2026/09/27 (Sun) 21:23:26.09
    That raincoat really delivers 👍 ("抜ける" is slang for "amazing")
    27AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:48
    Basically a shark, right? 😳
    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HTON2zAaUAAPld4.jpg
    32AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:50
    Re: #27
    That same tired one-note asymmetric hair color again?
    30AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:49
    Yo~
    https://imgur.com/4GYtrZ1.jpeg
    35AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:50
    36AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:50
    70AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:56
    Re: #36
    Damn, he's good-looking 😳
    39AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:50
    44AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:52
    Is there anything that gives you an easy dopamine hit?
    50AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:52
    Re: #44
    Nothing beats short-form videos
    48AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:52
    If last 🏡 was boring, the next 🏡 loses all its momentum
    51AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:52
    Re: #48
    I thought it was hilarious though
    55AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:52
    Re: #48
    Kinda like the FFVIII-and-FFIX situation 😓 (a nod to how the sequel got overshadowed)
    56AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:52
    Isn't this place full of people who are hostile toward women?
    68AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:55
    Re: #56
    Take your woman-bashing elsewhere 👶
    57AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:53
    A field?
    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HJxzA6_boAA8JOR.jpg
    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HJyV1L1bcAAmW50.jpg
    60AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:53
    Re: #57
    Evening there, Uno Nen
    63AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:54
    A field?
    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FgFVOs0aAAMeFfC.jpg
    64AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:55
    Re: #63
    Some kind of cult?
    67AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:55
    Gonna grab a midnight snack 🥺
    73AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:57
    Re: #67
    Donta my beloved lol ("すこ" = net slang for "I love this")
    74AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:57
    Ahh, brings back memories 😭
    76AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:57
    81AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:58
    Re: #76
    Boooon-taaa 😰
    86AnonymousSep 27, 2026 22:00
    87AnonymousSep 27, 2026 22:01
    https://www.joc.or.jp/symbolathlete/images/symbolathlete/kitaguchi_05.jpg
    88AnonymousSep 27, 2026 22:01
    The thread title's such garbage it's not gaining any traction lol
    92AnonymousSep 27, 2026 22:02
    Re: #88
    If someone spam-bumps it, it'll probably die off anyway 😓
    93AnonymousSep 27, 2026 22:02
    Re: #88
    Nah, it's got the most momentum by a mile
    109AnonymousSep 27, 2026 22:08
    [URGENT] What do I need to spot a kite up in the sky?
    111AnonymousSep 27, 2026 22:09
    Re: #109
    Lui Hawkeye
    113AnonymousSep 27, 2026 22:10
    Re: #109
    The Hubble Space Telescope

    Background and Talking Points

    “Nandemo Jikkyo G” (Anything Goes Live Commentary) is one of several boards where users post live commentary alongside a specific show or stream, and it’s known for thread titles that are pure wordplay or memes with nothing to do with the actual content. This time’s “Tousuko University, Department of Double Punch” is a perfect example — on these late-night commentary threads, it’s become standard for anonymous posters to trade images and quick quips under titles that make no sense at all. What stood out this time was a remark dropped in the middle of all that chatter: “Isn’t this place full of people who are hostile toward women?” Jokes mocking women aren’t unusual on commentary boards, but the exchange also shows there’s a real contingent of posters willing to call that out. The board’s mood is far from uniform, and how different posters react to it is something you wouldn’t necessarily catch from outside the thread.

    *This article was compiled and summarized from the 5channel (Nandemo Jikkyo G) thread “Tousuko University, Department of Double Punch 👊😅👊🏡.”

  • Juice=Juice’s Ria Matsunaga Getting Prettier, Fans Say: ‘Just What Wolf-Board Guys Are Into’

    On September 27, photos of Juice=Juice’s Ria Matsunaga were posted on 5ch’s Hello! Project board, sparking a wave of praise like “She looked so cute” and “The edge is gone — she’s gotten so much more graceful.” At the same time, some fans mourned her old look, saying “She was better before” and “Her eyes went weirdly round, it’s kind of unsettling now,” splitting opinion on how to read the change. The thread also spilled over into praise for the group as a whole — “Juice=Juice doesn’t have a single unattractive member” — and renewed calls for a swimsuit photo book.

    10AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:56


    14AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:57
    Is it really okay to look at Yafuzo (her nickname) like that? 🥺
    15AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:08
    Saw her yesterday and she was so cute
    I straight up fell for her
    17AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:11
    She's lost a bit of that edge lately
    getting more ladylike
    18AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:15


    21AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:18
    Seriously, Juice=Juice's average looks are next level
    Inoue and Ebata just happen to stand out more, but everyone else is super cute too
    Not having a single unattractive member is their real strength
    25AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:19
    Re: #21
    U-uh, y-yeah… t-t-t-that's right…
    35AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:30
    Re: #21
    Cut it out with the backhanded hate-praise, lol (an "age-anti" — someone who fake-compliments to sneak in a dig)
    22AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:18
    ✕ Old geezers who live on the Wolf board
    ◯ Asahi-reading old men glued to the Wolf board
    26AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:20
    Hurry up and drop that swimsuit photo book already!!!
    "Tick Tock ~My Time to Shine~"
    27AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:21
    She's making full use of makeup, colored contacts, and photo editing
    36AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:31
    Re: #27
    Grandpa
    that's totally normal these days
    go check out the trainees for a bit
    29AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:23
    Honestly, she was better before
    her eyes went weirdly round and it's a little creepy now
    57AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:57
    Re: #29
    Same, 2023 Ria is still my favorite
    31AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:24
    It's less about looks — when she talks there's this secondhand-embarrassment vibe that keeps me on edge watching her
    32AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:29
    Re: #31
    I get what you mean, but I can't figure out why it feels that way
    33AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:30
    Re: #31
    Hard to put my finger on it
    there's just this sense she's putting on an act
    or maybe it's that her word choice is off sometimes
    34AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:30
    Re: #25
    Tell me who your oshi (favorite member) is
    38AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:32
    Do a swimsuit gravure shoot and everyone does a total 180 anyway
    42AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:33
    At some point she got more feminine, inside and out
    46AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:36
    Re: #42
    Waaaaugh (´Д⊂ヽ
    44AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:34
    JJ should ride this wave and have the whole group do a swimsuit gravure shoot
    50AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:46
    I'm with you, I want that swimsuit photo book too
    51AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:46
    True, it's like her rebellious phase ended — she's been showing a lot more idol-style charm lately
    54AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:52
    She looked like she was having a really rough time when people kept saying she was dragging down the group's "group skill," but she started mellowing out around the point that stat seemed to be turning around, roughly the "Toraguru 2" era (an in-fandom ranking/event reference)
    61AnonymousSep 27, 2026 22:01
    Jackpot mode activated (pachinko slang for hitting a hot streak)
    63AnonymousSep 27, 2026 22:03
    Re: #61
    Even your writing is cute
    65AnonymousSep 27, 2026 22:04
    Re: #61
    This is basically half Mippuru at this point (a nickname tied to an idol famous for her round-eyed cute look)

    Background and Key Points

    Ria Matsunaga is a member of Juice=Juice, and the thread suggests her expressions and demeanor have softened since “the period when her group skill was being criticized.” That said, this yardstick is an insider metric used among Hello! Project fans, and the thread doesn’t spell out the backstory, making it hard for first-time readers to follow. The coexistence of “I liked her old face better” and “she’s evolved” comes down largely to differing gut reactions to how makeup and aging change someone’s look, not a simple better-or-worse verdict. It’s a good example of the classic 5ch dynamic where compliments and harsh critiques sit side by side in the very same thread.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hello! Project board) thread “Ria Matsunaga’s Beauty Level Is Surging — Now Exactly the Look Wolf-Board Fans Love!!“.

  • Last-Place Student Gets Into Meiji University Straight Out of High School — “Wait, Is This a Prep School?” 5ch Weighs In

    A poster revealed that a student who ranked dead last in their high school class got into Meiji University’s Faculty of Letters straight out of high school, asking 5ch, “Can this school even be called a prep school?” The thread lit up over real examples from the poster’s school: the class’s top student went on to Keio University’s Faculty of Economics via a designated-school recommendation, while the runner-up got into the University of Tokyo’s ultra-competitive Science III program after a year of “masked ronin” study (secretly retaking exams while enrolled elsewhere). Commenters argued heatedly over which path — recommendation-based admission or the general entrance exam — actually reflects higher academic ability, along with side debates about the school’s policy of not splitting humanities and science classes and how far its social studies curriculum stretched.

    1AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:09
    The top student got into Keio via a designated-school recommendation, and the next-best student (with some complicated circumstances) became a 'masked ronin' for a year and got into Science III.
    2AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:10
    Re: #2 I don't get why the top student would go to Keio through a recommendation. Guess that world exists too.
    5AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:11
    Re: #2 Their grades were so good it felt like a waste not to use the slot, so they went with Keio Economics. Honestly, if they'd taken the general exam I think they could've gotten into Todai. That kid studied nonstop.
    7AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:12
    This is a sneaky thread hyping up Keio.
    8AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:12
    Re: #7 It's garbage because it's just a recommendation slot.
    16AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:15
    Re: #8 It doesn't add up that someone with better ability than the guy who got into Science III would go to Keio Economics via recommendation. It's obvious OP has ties to Keio and is just hyping the school.
    18AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:18
    Re: #16 Being #1 in the grade means having the #1 grades. And why would I need to hype up Keio anyway? No need to hype a school whose admissions routes mostly favor students with overseas/returnee backgrounds.
    14AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:14
    Unless you're from the countryside or went to an elite prep school, nobody cares about your high school.
    15AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:15
    Re: #14 If nobody cares, why'd you open this thread then? ❓♥
    17AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:15
    Re: #5 No, if you're better than the guy who got into Science III after a gap year, I don't get the point of taking a recommendation slot unless the reason is literally 'I just wanted to go to Keio.' The school should've let someone else use that slot — the top student could've gotten into Keio on merit alone.
    20AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:18
    Re: #17 The Science III gap-year guy had some complicated circumstances behind it, so think of that as a separate case.
    19AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:18
    Getting into Meiji from dead last is actually a pretty solid deviation score, no?
    21AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:19
    Re: #19 Thanks 🥹 Even someone like me busted my ass studying from June onward 🥹
    22AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:19
    Re: #18 What else would 'number one' even mean? And if OP has ties to Keio, hyping it up makes sense.
    27AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:23
    Re: #22 Look, I'm literally the guy from the thread title. I went to Meiji — it's not some 'rejected from Waseda' situation, Meiji was genuinely my first choice, so I never even considered Keio. As for why the top designated-school slot at our school was Keio, that's just what was on offer — there was no Waseda or ICU slot. We did have Sophia and Tokyo University of Science, though.
    23AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:19
    Re: #20 The kid who got the Keio recommendation had better grades than that guy, right? I seriously don't get it.
    25AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:21
    Re: #23 The kid with the Keio recommendation had straight A's (all 5s) for all three years. The kid with the complicated circumstances was short on attendance too, I think, so recommendation probably was never even an option for them.
    24AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:20
    Ranking science and humanities students against each other when they take completely different subjects? Sounds fishy.
    28AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:23
    Re: #24 Our school doesn't split classes by humanities/science at all. It's a general track, and while there's some subject choice within that, most students lean humanities so they never bothered separating us.
    79AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:07
    Re: #28 So everyone takes math all the way through III/C? Even though it's not even an exam subject for a lot of students. Is there really a prep school that inefficient?
    82AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:08
    Re: #79 Kaisei does that. The reasoning is that calculus and probability come in handy no matter where you end up.
    86AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:09
    Re: #79 I think Math C was only for people taking the 'exam math' elective — it was like a Course-B type option. I took modern Japanese history myself.
    35AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:29
    Re: #34 Probably because I went to a prep school.
    39AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:31
    Re: #35 I see, so academic ability even gets you into practical subjects like PE and home ec. Guess my school wasn't a prep school then. Thanks for going out of your way to explain.
    57AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:51
    Re: #39 We're seriously talking past each other… I don't get why someone with better ability than the gap-year Science III guy would need to rack up points in PE or home ec (what are you, an old man) just to land a measly Keio recommendation.
    60AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:57
    Re: #57 ??? Lol lol lol, how does that make you 'higher ability' lol. Thanks for that reading comprehension that couldn't even get into a Nikkoma school (mid-tier private university tier). This is exactly the kind of essay you'd see on Meiji's all-faculty unified exam 🤣
    61AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:57
    Re: #57 And what's with the 'old man' crack? I'm still on the Izumi campus (Meiji's campus for underclassmen), thank you very much 😡
    56AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:49
    Sorry to butt in as someone who got into Waseda via the old Center Test admission route — this was back in the Center Test era.
    58AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:53
    Re: #56 Bun-ichi (Waseda's old First Faculty of Letters) was just Japanese, English, and an essay, you know? Back when even I could get in.
    89AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:11
    Re: #56 I honestly don't know anything about the Center Test, so I can't really speak to that, sorry. Though getting into Waseda via the Common Test admission route would be impressive — so if you're so accomplished, why can't you explain Re: #78?
    71AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:03
    I went to Kaisei, and the guy who was 5th from the bottom in our year got into a MARCH school (mid-tier private group: Meiji/Aoyama/Rikkyo/Chuo/Hosei) after one gap year. So I think OP's story is fishy. The only high schools ranked above mine are Tsukukoma and Nada anyway.
    75AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:05
    Re: #71 I'm from Kaisei too, and the guy who was dead last in my year got into Todai after a gap year. So I guess it depends on the year.
    80AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:07
    OP's gone quiet.
    84AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:08
    Re: #80 ??? Sad that you're acting like I disappeared 😭😭😭
    112AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:20
    Re: #80 is that OP?
    90AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:12
    Re: #82 Prep schools really are something else.
    92AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:12
    Re: #90 Huh? Didn't you go to a prep school?
    101AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:15
    Re: #90 By the way, back in my day even the science-track kids took two social studies subjects in 2nd year out of Japanese history, geography, and world history, plus ethics and civics. By 3rd year you'd obviously narrow it down to one, but the reasoning for doing all that was 'because it'll be useful once you're out in the real world.'

    Background and Key Points of This Discussion

    Behind this topic lies a difference in evaluation standards between private universities’ “designated-school recommendation” system and the general entrance exams used by national and public universities. Because recommendation slots are awarded based on a student’s in-school record (regular exam scores and attendance), students with well-rounded performance across subjects tend to have the advantage. A grueling general-exam track like Todai’s Science III, by contrast, tests a student’s ability to break through in specific subjects — so the two use different yardsticks and can’t simply be compared. The thread’s disagreement essentially came down to whether “overall strength on the in-school record” or “exam-breakthrough ability” should count as the true measure of academic ability. The fact that the poster’s school doesn’t split classes by humanities and sciences also made it harder to judge whether it really counts as a prep school — and since some schools (such as those feeding into an affiliated university) have a low bar for internal advancement, this also shows the limits of judging a school’s level by university names alone. It’s also worth noting that the text never makes clear what subjects or time period the “last place” and “top” rankings were actually based on, so the numbers shouldn’t be taken entirely at face value.

    ※This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Nandemo Jikkyo G) thread “My high school’s dead-last student got into Meiji’s Faculty of Letters straight out of high school — can we call this a prep school?“

  • Giants Snap Losing Streak with 11-0 Rout of Swallows: Ogasawara Goes 5 Scoreless Innings and Drives In a Run, Izumiguchi Adds 3 RBIs as Takahashi Keisuke Implodes with 6 Walks/HBPs and 7 Runs Allowed

    In Central League play on September 27, 2026, the Yomiuri Giants cruised past the Tokyo Yakult Swallows 11-0 to snap their losing streak. Starter Shinnosuke Ogasawara held Yakult scoreless through 5 innings and even drove in a run himself, while Yuta Izumiguchi backed him up with 3 RBIs. Yakult starter Keisuke Takahashi, by contrast, walked or hit 6 batters and was charged with 7 runs before an early exit. On the thread, Takahashi’s control problems on the day drew most of the attention, alongside talk of the pennant race given Hanshin’s magic number, and a debate over just how much credit Ogasawara deserves.

    Yakult 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 | 0

    Giants 0 3 5 0 2 1 0 0 0 |11

    [Battery]

    Source: nikkansports.com / Original article here

    3AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:18
    Giants win again today, and my Pirukuru Miracle Care tastes so good (o^∀^o) (a running copypasta meme pairing Giants wins with a probiotic yogurt-drink brand)
    9AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:20
    Giants win again today, and my Joa tastes so good (o^∀^o) (same meme, different yogurt-drink brand — Joa)
    13AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:20
    Did beating some scrubs help you cope with not being able to beat the Tigers, you Kyojin-kasu? lol (a mocking nickname mashing up 'Kyojin'/Giants with 'kasu'/trash)
    17AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:21
    Score at least one run, come on
    Feel bad for the Swallows fans in the stands
    18AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:22
    Hitting guys left and right, lol
    With 3 HBPs he should just get an automatic loss
    81AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:40
    Re: #18
    Takahashi's hit-by-pitch rate is higher than Fujinami's

    Top 3 all-time in NPB HBP rate (hit batters per inning pitched), active pitchers with 500+ innings:
    1. Shuta Ishikawa
    2. Keisuke Takahashi
    3. Kosuke Aoyagi
    24AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:23
    Yuta Izumiguchi:
    "Dog, shake."

    Dog:
    "Woof."

    Yuta Izumiguchi:
    "No, dog, that's not it.
    It's three. Three."

    Dog:
    "Woof woof woof."

    Yuta Izumiguchi:
    "Aww~~~ good boy, good boy, good boy." (a joke riffing on his 3 RBIs — he wants three barks to match)
    27AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:23
    16 combined walks and hit-by-pitches, and this is supposed to be a pro game?
    Are they trying to lose on purpose?
    30AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:23
    Carp-chan sitting in 4th with no games back, lol
    Seriously, isn't the Central League's level just too low?
    31AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:24
    Today's Swallows goat: Ritz-Carlton ("goat"/scapegoat is literally "war criminal" in the Japanese slang; Ritz-Carlton appears to be a player's nickname)
    32AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:24
    Hanshin has a magic number of 4 with 7 games left, but the Giants only have 4 games left, so the Giants can't win the pennant unless Hanshin goes 3-4 the rest of the way AND the Giants sweep all 4 of theirs…

    Hanshin's cooled off down the stretch too, but on paper they're still clearly the favorites…
    35AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:24
    Shoji was a good pitcher back in his rookie year last season — has he already broken down?
    39AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:25
    Walk, HBP, double play, interference, timely hit
    Walk, HBP, timely hit, timely hit

    Absolute trash, lol
    40AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:25
    Ikeyama, come on already
    Stop handing games to the Giants with Ogawa, Takahashi, and everyone else
    41AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:26
    If you're gonna hit, do it against Hiroshima, lol
    No point busting out the bats after you're already out of the pennant race
    49AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:29
    It's just so blatant
    This trash-tier organization
    50AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:30
    Seriously, Jingu Stadium needs to stop assisting the Giants
    56AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:33
    Why couldn't they put up an offense like this against Hiroshima?
    62AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:34
    Re: #56
    Because the Swallows set the table for them today
    14 combined walks/HBPs and all
    73AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:37
    Re: #56
    Because they finally got over their Mazda Stadium jinx (Hiroshima's home ballpark, long a house of horrors for the Giants)
    59AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:33
    If Ogasawara's pitching like an ace, is NPB even below Double-A level?
    65AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:36
    Ogasawara's not really pitching like an ace though
    He's the same as his Dragons days — a pitcher who can't build a winning record ('savings' is baseball slang for wins above .500)
    82AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:40
    Re: #65
    10-10 is fine, all I want is for him to hold down a rotation spot all season
    He's basically this team's Kuri (a nod to Hiroshima's durable innings-eater Yuki Kuri)
    74AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:38
    Lose the close ones when it matters
    Score in bulk when one run would've done
    77AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:40
    Re: #74
    The Swallows don't have any games that 'matter' anymore
    The bottom three teams are all equally trash, so 4th place and 6th place are the same

    Background and Key Talking Points

    The biggest talking point from this game was Yakult starter Keisuke Takahashi’s control problems. Posters cited data showing his career hit-by-pitch rate ranks among the league’s highest, with some framing today’s wildness as part of a pattern rather than a one-off, though others chalked it up to simply having an off day — opinion was split. On the pennant race, posters pointed out that Hanshin has more games left and an active magic number, with the numbers suggesting that even if the Giants keep winning, the outcome largely depends on Hanshin’s results. Opinion on starter Shinnosuke Ogasawara was similarly divided, with some praising his ace-level outing and others noting that, for his career, he still hasn’t posted a winning record — suggesting one strong start alone hasn’t settled the debate.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geisoku+) thread “[Baseball] Central League: Giants 11-0 Swallows [9/27] — Giants snap losing streak, Ogasawara goes 5 scoreless innings with a timely hit of his own, Izumiguchi drives in 3, Yakult’s Takahashi hit by 6 walks/HBPs and charged with 7 runs.”

  • Hello! Project’s Pre-Show Ritual Chant “○○-chan, You’re So Cute!” — 5ch Weighs In: “Cute Kanira!”

    At Hello! Project concerts, it’s become a tradition that in the few minutes before the show starts, someone shouts “○○-chan, you’re so cute!” and the crowd responds with “That’s right, that’s right!” On the related 5ch thread, posters chimed in one after another about when this custom started and which groups do it, sharing examples of full names being shouted, nicknames, and even oddball variations where people shout out their pet’s name instead. Opinions clashed between those who found it “creepy” or “peer pressure,” and those who saw it as “a tradition that builds a sense of unity,” highlighting a split over this pre-show ritual.

    1AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:32
    @
    Kikichan: "That 'That's right, that's right!' thing after someone yells '○○-chan, you're so cute!' before the show starts — what is that? Is it a tradition?"
    Fukuchan: "You can hear it even from outside (backstage), right?"
    2AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:33
    "○○-chan, you're so cute~"
    "I know, right~"
    I've heard that version too
    3AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:34
    Karin-chan is too cuuuuute!!!!!!
    9AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:36
    @anztolchock
    It still cracks me up that someone who went to their first Hello! Project show because of "Moreme" posted, "Turns out Hello! Project has a designated few minutes before showtime when you're allowed to shout members' full names."

    @kobon_oriori
    Technically it's the few minutes right after the five-minutes-to-showtime announcements, lol. What really shows how times have changed is that women's voices have started joining in on this "cringe-off call battle." At trainee showcases it's still pretty cringe, but at Juice=Juice shows it's gotten a lot less cringe. Then again, Juice=Juice has always had a lot of "Juice calls" to begin with.
    19AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:42
    Re: #9
    There can't be that many people shouting full names.
    It's probably more like nicknames, something like "Cheru~"
    10AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:36
    M-Line has a custom like that too, huh.
    12AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:37
    There was this excruciating moment when a female Fukumura fan shouted "Fukumura Mizuki-san, please don't get married—!" and the whole place went dead silent.
    15AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:40
    Re: #12
    What even is that, lol
    13AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:39
    Fukumura fans and Inaba fans are full of "gachikoi" (fans seriously, romantically in love with the idol), after all.
    14AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:39
    If she'd yelled "Please DO get married!" it would've at least been funny, lol.
    Guess not, huh…
    16AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:41
    Man, wota (idol fans) are way too much!
    20AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:42
    Re: #16
    Sato's not even there, is she?
    17AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:41
    Old-guard fans forcing newcomers into this "cringe call battle."
    18AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:42
    Was the "Maa-chan's cute today too" guy there today? I heard a similar-sounding chant.
    23AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:43
    A Morito fan said they've basically outsourced the pre-show name-calling and dropping cash on merch to the Sato fans.
    26AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:44
    Re: #23
    So they were there today after all.
    25AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:44
    "You're so cute—!" is the Sato fans, and "That's right, that's right!" is the Inaba fans.
    That's just how it's ended up settling in.
    28AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:44
    Re: #26
    #23 wasn't about today, so I don't know what happened today.
    30AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:45
    Today everyone was shouting their own pets' names.
    38AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:48
    Re: #30
    That's basically a zoo at that point, lol.
    31AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:45
    It was already creepy enough just shouting names, and now it's gotten even creepier.
    34AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:47
    Honestly it's louder than the in-song calls or the encore chants, lol.
    36AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:48
    There's the "Karin-chan's too cuuute! Too cuuute! Too cuuute!" chorus, and the "Takeuchi Akari-chan, yoohoo! Akari-chan, yoohoo! Akari-chan, yoohoo!" chorus too, so there's plenty of variety.
    39AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:50
    What about "Asakura Kiki-chan, dokkoisho—!"? (a hearty folk "heave-ho!"-style shout)
    43AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:52
    Re: #39
    Soran Bushi (the traditional fisherman's folk song/dance) is trending right now, so that checks out.
    40AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:50
    Calling out from the cheap seats as tradition — it's basically the ōmukō of Kabuki. (the traditional shouted praise from the back seats in Kabuki theater)
    44AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:53
    It's not really "caught on" — it's just the same people doing it every time.
    48AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:56
    This is creepy, honestly. Where did it even start?
    VTuber fans do it too, right?
    49AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:58
    M-Line draws a lot of hardcore fans, so it can't be helped.
    50AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:01
    I was watching an STU48 show the other day, and after someone yelled "○○'s the cutest—!"
    someone else shouted back "No she's not—!"
    and that was honestly the funniest part of the whole show.
    53AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:06
    For full names, it's gotta be "Shimizu Saki-saaan."
    54AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:07
    At the matinee show, someone suggested "it'd be fun if you shouted pets' names instead" in response to the pre-show "○○-chan, you're so cute—!" chant, and as a result the evening show was way too funny, with more pet names getting shouted than member names.

    "Kanira, you're so cute—!"
    "That's right, that's right, that's right, that's right—!"

    #MスペNOCTURNE
    55AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:10
    I always thought that was seriously creepy — guess it's still going on.
    57AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:14


    59AnonymousSep 27, 2026 21:25
    Anything beyond just calling out names feels like too much self-assertion for my taste.
    Though I guess if you're a "zentsuu" fan (someone who attends every single show on a tour), it can't be helped.

    Background and Key Points of This Topic

    This “pre-show call” is a custom seen across Hello! Project as a whole — the thread mentions multiple groups, including Juice=Juice and trainee showcases, showing this isn’t limited to just one group. Details like whether the name being shouted is a member’s full name or a nickname, and whether the person leading the chant is a longtime fan or a newcomer, vary from show to show, with no single unified rule. Where opinions in the thread split was over whether to see this as “tradition” and a way of “building a sense of unity,” or as “creepy” and “peer pressure” — with some newer fans reportedly left confused by it. There’s also more to it than a simple running gag: in at least one case mentioned in the thread, the chant’s target shifted from member names to pet names after a suggestion made during the matinee show, showing how a fan-driven custom can be reshaped along the way.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hello! Project) thread “Asakura Kiki: “What’s that ‘That’s right! That’s right—!’ thing after ‘○○-chan, you’re so cute—!’ before the show? Is it a tradition?”“.

  • DeNA outcast Fujinami Shintaro gets pulled after 3 innings, 8 hits, 5 runs — tops out at 154 km/h in farm-team finale

    Pitcher Shintaro Fujinami (32), who was informed by DeNA that he’s not part of next season’s plans, started against the Giants on the 27th (the farm team’s final game of the season). He threw 53 pitches over 3 innings, allowing 8 hits and 5 runs (4 earned) with 2 strikeouts and 1 walk before being pulled, topping out at 154 km/h. It was a rough outing from the start, as he gave up 5 hits and 4 runs in the first inning alone. On 5ch, opinions were split, with threads debating both his control problems despite decent velocity and what might come next for him (a possible move to an independent league, a tryout camp, and so on).

    <Farm League: Giants vs. DeNA> ◇ 27th ◇ G-Town

    DeNA starter Shintaro Fujinami (32), who was revealed to have been left out of next season’s roster plans, started in the farm team’s final game. He threw 53 pitches over 3 innings, giving up 8 hits and 5 runs (4 earned) with 2 strikeouts and 1 walk before being pulled. His fastball topped out at 154 km/h.

    Leading off the first inning, the Giants’ Cabbage flied out to center on the very first pitch. Fujinami then allowed back-to-back hits to Kawarada and Nakayama, putting runners on first and third with one out. Mitsuka followed with a grounder to first, and a fielder’s choice by first baseman Hibiki Kato (24) let in the game’s first run. With runners still on first and second and one out, Tima singled to left to drive in another run. After a two-out infield single by Yuasa loaded the bases, Yamase delivered a two-run single. Fujinami allowed 5 hits and 4 runs in the first inning alone.

    Source: nikkansports.com / Original article here

    4AnonymousSep 27, 2026 14:57
    They could've just quietly let him pitch well so they'd have to re-sign him next year.
    6AnonymousSep 27, 2026 14:57
    So he gets hit hard when the batter isn't scared of getting beaned.
    8AnonymousSep 27, 2026 14:58
    Next season, Fujinami makes his full comeback under Kuwata's Dragons (referring to Masumi Kuwata, Chunichi's incoming manager).
    11AnonymousSep 27, 2026 14:59
    Fujinami alone could carry the ratings for TBS's year-end 'released players' special this year.
    28AnonymousSep 27, 2026 15:03
    Why did this team even sign this guy in the first place?
    35AnonymousSep 27, 2026 15:05
    Re: #28
    Apparently they actually thought AI could fix his control problems.
    36AnonymousSep 27, 2026 15:06
    Is he even going to the tryout camp?
    43AnonymousSep 27, 2026 15:08
    Re: #36
    The tryout camp is basically a formality these days — guys at his level don't show up for it.
    45AnonymousSep 27, 2026 15:08
    Uh, he's obviously MLB-bound next season, right?
    Way too many casual fans in here who have no idea what Fujinami's actually capable of.
    48AnonymousSep 27, 2026 15:09
    Re: #45
    A carpenter's apprentice? (mocking the idea he's MLB-bound, as if his real next job is manual labor)
    47AnonymousSep 27, 2026 15:08
    Isn't it pointless to even let a guy you've already cut loose take the mound?
    52AnonymousSep 27, 2026 15:10
    Re: #47
    Guess it really was Fujinami's big chance, lol.

    If he'd shown even a little something good, some team might've picked him up.
    57AnonymousSep 27, 2026 15:12
    Nene also pitched for the farm team today, so he'll probably get the call-up tomorrow. Though the Fighters batter who faced 'Neo' apparently struck out as a courtesy (Chunichi's Akira Nene, whose name is punned as 'Neo').
    71AnonymousSep 27, 2026 15:15
    Re: #57
    Fujinami: "Neo? There's ne-o such thing, lol" (wordplay: 根尾/Neo sounds like "nai yo," meaning "no way")
    Nene: "No contract with you, Fujinami-san, lol" (wordplay: his first name Shintaro sounds like "shinai tarou," meaning "won't do it")
    77AnonymousSep 27, 2026 15:17
    Re: #57
    The Dragons should have Monday off, so it'll be the day after tomorrow at the earliest.
    59AnonymousSep 27, 2026 15:12
    He could just play industrial-league baseball while holding down a regular job.
    81AnonymousSep 27, 2026 15:18
    Re: #59
    Join Nippon Life and sell the opposing team sports injury insurance before the game, maybe? (Nippon Life sponsors a well-known industrial-league team)
    60AnonymousSep 27, 2026 15:13
    His velocity's pretty weak too — that's not going to overpower anyone in today's NPB.
    74AnonymousSep 27, 2026 15:16
    Re: #60
    I figure he was holding back on velocity and prioritizing control, doing things his own way.
    66AnonymousSep 27, 2026 15:14
    Even an independent league might be rough for him at this point… Maybe some team offers him a contract just for the publicity.
    73AnonymousSep 27, 2026 15:16
    If there's a coach out there confident he can revive him with a three-quarter arm slot or a full form overhaul, maybe someone steps up, but it's a tall order. If he's not ready to give up, a team like Oisix, Kufu Hayate, or an independent league might be his one real shot (both are independent-league baseball clubs).
    79AnonymousSep 27, 2026 15:18
    Re: #73
    Kubo, the guy famous for radical mechanical overhauls?
    113AnonymousSep 27, 2026 15:25
    Re: #73
    No good — Fujinami's already refused any major overhaul of his pitching form.
    75AnonymousSep 27, 2026 15:16
    Manager: "Hey Fujinami, go hit that batter with a pitch!"
    86AnonymousSep 27, 2026 15:18
    Re: #75
    He doesn't have the control to hit someone on purpose.
    78AnonymousSep 27, 2026 15:17
    He was a monster who won in double digits as a rookie — it's such a shame it's come to this.
    83AnonymousSep 27, 2026 15:18
    Giants, our esteemed sensei — much obliged for the lesson.
    116AnonymousSep 27, 2026 15:26
    Re: #83
    It was the Giants' *farm* team that just wrecked him today, you know.
    89AnonymousSep 27, 2026 15:19
    So not even MLB or AI could bring Fujinami back, huh.
    91AnonymousSep 27, 2026 15:20
    Re: #89
    Maybe what he really needs is mental health support?
    94AnonymousSep 27, 2026 15:21
    By the way, what's with Fujinami acting all relaxed, like his next destination is already locked in?
    109AnonymousSep 27, 2026 15:24
    Re: #94
    Something about it makes it seem like he's not taking baseball seriously — I just can't get behind that.
    96AnonymousSep 27, 2026 15:21
    Well, this'll definitely lead to something next, huh.
    98AnonymousSep 27, 2026 15:22
    Re: #96
    If this were Saito "Panda," he'd spin it as "finding areas to work on," lol (a nod to pitcher Yuki Saito's famously upbeat post-loss quotes).
    97AnonymousSep 27, 2026 15:22
    > Topped out at 154 km/h
    He doesn't need to throw that hard — couldn't he just work at around 130 km/h with sharp control instead?
    104AnonymousSep 27, 2026 15:24
    Re: #97
    No matter how good his control is, a right-hander who can only hit 130 km/h these days isn't going to cut it — he's getting rocked even when he tops out at 154 km/h.

    Background and Key Points of This Topic

    Shintaro Fujinami was Hanshin’s first-round pick in the 2013 draft and drew attention as a power right-hander who won in double digits as a starter in his rookie season. He later struggled with control problems, and after leaving Hanshin he pitched for Orix, tried his hand in MLB (including with the Athletics), and eventually joined DeNA. This particular outing drew attention because it came in the farm team’s season finale, right after the club informed him he isn’t part of next season’s plans; the thread’s central debates centered on what comes next for him (independent leagues, tryout camps, industrial-league baseball, etc.) and the roots of his control issues. That said, no source in the article confirms that he himself has ever stated any “MLB ambitions” — those comments are pure speculation. Likewise, the talk of “fixing his control with AI” is just joking speculation, not anything confirmed as an official measure adopted by the club, which is easy to misread. The tryout camp is a system meant for players hoping to continue their careers to pitch themselves to front-office staff from other teams, but in recent years participation and success rates have been limited, leading some to call it a mere formality.

    ※This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Geisokuho+) thread “[Baseball] DeNA outcast Fujinami Shintaro pulled after 3 innings, 8 hits, 5 runs — tops out at 154 km/h in farm-team finale.”

  • Is Haggling a ‘Given’ on Mercari? 5ch Erupts Into Fierce Debate

    It started with a post: ‘I listed something for 1,000 yen and got a comment asking for a 100 yen discount — it creeped me out.’ A reply pushing back — ‘Mercari is a flea market, so haggling is a given. If you don’t like it, sell to a recycle shop instead’ — racked up 20,000 likes, and when the exchange was shared on 5ch, the thread split right down the middle. Is haggling simply ‘part of the nature of a flea market,’ or is it ‘just a feature that exists — not something you’re obligated to accept’? Both sides kept trading concrete examples to make their case.

    1AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:00
    It all started with a tweet: 'I listed something for 1,000 yen and got a comment asking if I'd take 100 yen off — totally creeped out.'
    In the replies, one comment got 20,000 likes: 'Mercari is an online flea market. Haggling is a given. If you don't like it, go sell it to a recycle shop — they'd give you less than 100 yen for it anyway.'
    Who's right here?
    2AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:02
    It's not a given
    7AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:02
    Re: #2
    The answer's right there. Stuff that Book Off (a secondhand bookstore chain) would only give you 10 yen for can still turn a profit of several hundred yen on Mercari.
    Items that are actually going to sell, sell before any discount comment ever shows up.
    11AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:03
    Re: #2-3
    Mercari's whole concept is a flea market, and the official service even encourages price negotiation.
    14AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:04
    Discounting is a given on Mercari. It's straight from the company itself.
    23AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:06
    Re: #14
    Just because you *can* doesn't mean it's a given.
    35AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:12
    Re: #14
    Where's the official source, then?
    25AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:06
    Guess I'll just list everything higher to account for the haggling, then.
    28AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:08
    Re: #25
    Exactly this.
    So I'll list it at 1,050 yen and knock off 50 yen lol, here, buy it, cheapskate lol

    Happy now?
    30AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:09
    Re: #28
    If that's priced above market rate, it won't sell. Items that actually sell, sell before any discount-request comment ever shows up.
    38AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:13
    Re: #30
    First off, it's not like it costs me anything if it doesn't sell lol
    Most normal buyers don't ask for discounts.
    So why not just buy from a listing that's already at market price?
    33AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:11
    So what, hearing this means I should list high from the start to leave room for discounts?
    That's such a pain.
    36AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:12
    Re: #33
    If you've actually used Mercari you'd know — overpriced stuff just doesn't sell. You'll end up marking it down yourself anyway.
    34AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:12
    That's just fair pricing. List below market rate and it sells instantly. Getting a haggling comment is just proof you priced it above market.
    40AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:13
    Re: #34
    The whole idea of a 'market rate' on a flea-market app is weird to begin with.
    Mercari's the one overstepping by dictating prices.
    49AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:16
    Sorry to bother you with a comment. I'm considering buying this — if a discount is possible, how much could you come down?
    54AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:18
    Re: #49
    Hello there.
    Sorry! A discount won't be possible!

    If you're after a lower price, why not try looking for the same item at an actual flea market?
    Apparently you might be able to get it for around 100 yen there.
    Best of luck to you!
    57AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:19
    There's literally a feature for requesting a discount, so it's fine to use it.
    If you don't want that, just write 'no discounts' on your profile.
    58AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:20
    Re: #57
    So why does everyone skip that feature and haggle in the comments instead?
    74AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:26
    Accept the offer or don't, that's your call — but if you don't even want to be asked, go use Yahoo Auctions or some other platform instead.
    78AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:29
    Re: #74
    Yahoo Auctions has its own problem — it's crawling with self-styled 'pros' (really just difficult old guys), and it's become the norm that you can't even buy anything with a zero rating.
    80AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:30
    Re: #72
    At the very least, Mercari is an online flea market, Rakuma's a flea market too, and Yahoo Flea Market is obviously a flea market as well.
    You go use Yahoo Auctions instead.
    91AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:35
    Re: #80 Re: #82
    Guess it's less 'flea market' and more 'haggling is a given.' My bad.
    82AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:31
    Re: #72
    If it's not a flea market, then what is it?
    85AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:32
    Just go buy it at a recycle shop then.
    Furniture and stuff is way cheaper there than on Mercari anyway.
    89AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:33
    Re: #85
    Well, furniture shipping costs are basically insane on Mercari.
    86AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:32
    If you don't want to discount it, just don't. It's that simple.
    102AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:44
    Re: #86
    Re: #1 literally says discounting is a given.
    94AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:36
    Haggling is up to the buyer.
    Accepting or refusing is up to the seller.
    Being creeped out by it is up to whoever.

    Why is that so hard to understand?
    97AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:38
    Flea market or not, haggling is basically possible in any kind of trade.
    Even today, go to a local shopping street and you can still get a discount (or a little extra thrown in for free).
    99AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:40
    Re: #97
    Like getting a little extra from the greengrocer, or having the odd change rounded off. That kind of thing used to show up all the time in Sazae-san and Crayon Shin-chan.
    But it's a sight you don't see anymore now that chain stores have taken over everywhere.
    100AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:42
    Re: #99
    That's not something shopkeepers do for just anyone, though. You get that kind of service because you look presentable or you're friendly.
    If some total stranger you've never met, whose face you don't even know, tells you 'knock 100 yen off that 1,000 yen item,' that's just plain creepy.
    101AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:44
    Re: #100
    Why are you so worked up about this?
    You're more worked up than the haggler ever was.
    103AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:45
    Re: #100
    A flea market listing is meaningless if it doesn't sell, so in the end you discount it. It's not an ongoing business relationship, so there's no long-term rapport to worry about either.
    113AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:52
    I've never once haggled in my entire life.
    117AnonymousSep 27, 2026 20:54
    Re: #113
    The very first purchase I ever made, I haggled.

    Background and Key Points of the Debate

    Mercari does have a ‘price-change / comment’ feature that lets sellers choose whether to entertain price negotiations, but the company has never made haggling mandatory, and no one in the thread produced an official document stating that discounting is ‘a given’ (when >>35 asked for an official source, no answer ever came). The debate split into two main camps: one holding that ‘given the nature of a flea-market platform, haggling is a deeply rooted custom,’ the other arguing that ‘it’s merely a feature that’s available — there’s no obligation to accept it.’ Meanwhile, the claim that ‘you get haggled at because you priced it above market rate’ and the counter that ‘the whole notion of a market rate has no place on a flea-market app to begin with’ talked past each other without ever really connecting. One point readers can easily get wrong: on similar services like Yahoo Flea Market and Rakuma too, whether to accept haggling isn’t governed by platform rules at all — it’s left entirely up to each individual seller. It’s often framed as if it were a blanket ‘Mercari rule,’ but in reality, practice varies seller by seller.

    ※This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Nanademo Jikkyou G) thread ‘Mercari Erupts Into an Insane Debate Over Something Ridiculous wwwwwwwwwwwww‘.

  • Seibu Rookie Sowa Yokota Set for Minor-League Batting Title in His First Year Out of High School — 4th Player Ever, Following Ichiro

    Seibu Lions high-school-draft rookie infielder Sowa Yokota (18) has all but locked up the farm (minor) league batting title after the full farm-league schedule wrapped up. Winning a farm-league batting title in his very first year out of high school would make him only the 4th player ever to do it, following Morimichi Takagi (1960), Ichiro Suzuki (1992), and Kota Yamashita (2019). On the forum, some posters were unimpressed, arguing ‘a batting average alone isn’t that big a deal,’ while others pointed out that players from new expansion clubs like Hayate and Oisix tend to have a structural edge in batting stats thanks to heavier playing time — alongside praise for Yokota’s own power and quality of contact. Opinion ended up split between excitement about his potential and skepticism about how much the title itself is really worth.

    <Farm League Central Division: Hayate vs. Seibu> ◇ Sept. 27 ◇ Churu Stadium Shimizu

    Seibu infielder Sowa Yokota (18) has all but clinched the farm-league batting title.

    On the day the schedule wrapped up across all three farm-league divisions, Yokota started at shortstop batting seventh against Hayate. He came through with an RBI single to left field in his second at-bat.

    Source: nikkansports.com / Read the original article here

    2AnonymousSep 27, 2026 17:06
    Barely scraping .300 isn't anything to write home about.
    4AnonymousSep 27, 2026 17:07
    Gotta give it to the Hayate players, though.
    10AnonymousSep 27, 2026 17:09
    Re: #4
    Hayate's players stick around all season, so they hit the plate-appearance minimum easily — that's their advantage. On other teams, if you're good you get called up to the majors instead.
    33AnonymousSep 27, 2026 17:28
    Re: #10
    Early in the season the minor-league batting average leaderboard was basically wall-to-wall Hayate and Oisix players. I used to wonder, 'Hayate's got so many big hitters on this leaderboard, why are they so weak?' — guess this explains it.
    6AnonymousSep 27, 2026 17:08
    Seibu already had a guy who hit 31 home runs in the majors in his very first year out of high school, so getting hyped over a minor-league title feels kind of…
    19AnonymousSep 27, 2026 17:14
    Re: #6
    You mean the guy who's played 22 years and sits 5th all-time in home runs, but still gets called a disappointment because expectations were too high?
    8AnonymousSep 27, 2026 17:08
    Wait, he was only a 5th-round pick?
    23AnonymousSep 27, 2026 17:19
    Re: #8
    Ichiro was a 4th-round pick too, so it's about the same deal.
    9AnonymousSep 27, 2026 17:09
    So he's not getting called up to the majors?
    83AnonymousSep 27, 2026 18:59
    Re: #9
    In his first year out of high school it's all about building his body up, so they're deliberately holding him back.
    12AnonymousSep 27, 2026 17:11
    Who comes to mind when you think 'King of the Minors'?
    14AnonymousSep 27, 2026 17:12
    Chasing a batting title as an infielder instead of an outfielder is pretty impressive, honestly. He's a local kid too — they landed themselves a nice prospect.
    15AnonymousSep 27, 2026 17:12
    What nickname could they even give him? Without Ichiro-level impact, that's a tough sell.
    16AnonymousSep 27, 2026 17:12
    Minor-league home run kings sometimes turn out to be busts, but what about batting champs?
    38AnonymousSep 27, 2026 17:32
    Re: #16
    Going by the BABIP concept, they say power actually correlates better year-to-year than batting average does — wonder how that plays out here.
    73AnonymousSep 27, 2026 18:44
    Re: #16
    Last year's batting champ was Oda from the Chunichi Dragons.
    17AnonymousSep 27, 2026 17:13
    With three divisions now, and Oisix and Kufu Hayate mixed in, the title feels kind of watered down, doesn't it?
    18AnonymousSep 27, 2026 17:14
    Seibu used to be known for developing position players, but lately, not so much, huh. They kept churning them out up through guys like Asamura, but…
    27AnonymousSep 27, 2026 17:22
    Re: #18
    On the flip side, they've built a solid reputation for pitcher development lately. Though the pitchers they develop seem to end up heading to MLB anyway.
    20AnonymousSep 27, 2026 17:16
    Hirosawa from Hayate, who's also in the batting title race, is really fast too. A team looking for a ready-made left-handed outfielder might just draft him.
    46AnonymousSep 27, 2026 17:40
    Re: #20
    Depends on how you weigh his age.
    21AnonymousSep 27, 2026 17:17
    Forgot his name, but I feel like Yomiuri's high-school-draft minor-league batting champ just vanished without a trace.
    22AnonymousSep 27, 2026 17:19
    In his rookie year he wasn't 'Ichiro' yet — he was still going by his full name, Ichiro Suzuki (he later became known simply by the mononym 'Ichiro').
    24AnonymousSep 27, 2026 17:20
    When Yomiuri's Yamashita won the minor-league batting title in his first year out of high school, everyone was hyping him up hard. A wrist injury and shaky defense kept him from ever really breaking out, though.
    25AnonymousSep 27, 2026 17:21
    As always, this team's draft picks are genuinely interesting — Shinohara's a good player too. Furuichi, who went to the BayStars, is doing pretty well in the majors as well.
    26AnonymousSep 27, 2026 17:21
    This guy's started hitting for more power since midseason, and his body's already pretty well filled out — big expectations. Coaches have praised his work ethic from early on too. They should get him facing major-league-caliber pitching sooner rather than later.
    28AnonymousSep 27, 2026 17:22
    Good hitters get called up to the majors, so they never stick around long enough to win the (minor-league) title.
    29AnonymousSep 27, 2026 17:23
    Past first-year-out-of-high-school minor-league batting champs:
    1960 – Morimichi Takagi (Chunichi)
    1992 – Ichiro Suzuki (Orix)
    2019 – Kota Yamashita (Yomiuri)
    30AnonymousSep 27, 2026 17:24
    He played shortstop in high school, but I'd guess third base as a pro. His defense still needs work, so they should take their time developing it.
    31AnonymousSep 27, 2026 17:25
    Ichiro hit .366 in the farm league in his rookie year.
    34AnonymousSep 27, 2026 17:29
    [First-year-out-of-high-school minor-league stat comparison]

    Ichiro Suzuki: 238 AB, 87 hits, .366 avg
    Sowa Yokota: 316 AB, 98 hits, .310 avg

    Completely different level.
    44AnonymousSep 27, 2026 17:38
    Re: #34
    Well, batting averages across the board are lower now than they were back then.
    37AnonymousSep 27, 2026 17:31
    What high school is this guy from?
    48AnonymousSep 27, 2026 17:41
    Re: #37
    He's never made it to Koshien, but he's from Yamamura Gakuen in Saitama, a school that's often near the top of the prefectural tournament lately.
    69AnonymousSep 27, 2026 18:34
    He's got a really good build.

    An opposite-field homer off Chunichi's first-round pick Nakanishi:
    https://video.twimg.com/amplify_video/2088462135625990144/vid/avc1/1280×720/YqwqXbymCAmJlle7.mp4

    A homer off Hiroto Takahashi:
    https://video.twimg.com/amplify_video/2066024686845308928/vid/avc1/1920×1080/KiFAz-M1UDCpGFG3.mp4?tag=27
    70AnonymousSep 27, 2026 18:36
    Re: #69
    This guy's a genius.
    84AnonymousSep 27, 2026 19:05
    Apparently so!
    85AnonymousSep 27, 2026 19:05
    He doesn't steal many bases — is he actually slow?
    87AnonymousSep 27, 2026 19:12
    Re: #85

    Home-to-first sprint time (from the left side): roughly 4.2 seconds.

    As a general pro-scouting benchmark, a left-handed batter running 4.1 seconds or under to first is rated as 'fast (top tier).'

    Yokota, batting left-handed, clocks in around 4.2 seconds, which puts his raw sprint speed (time to first) in the 'average to slightly below-average' range by pro standards.

    Background and Talking Points

    Japan’s current farm (minor) league setup spans three divisions, covering the original 12 NPB clubs — Seibu, Rakuten, Nippon-Ham, and the rest — plus two independent expansion teams, Kufu Hayate and Oisix Niigata. Because those two expansion clubs rarely lose their core players to major-league call-ups, their players find it easier to reach the plate-appearance minimum, which structurally makes it easier for them to land near the top of the batting leaderboards — the exact point the thread’s skeptics were picking up on. Yokota is being counted as only the 4th player ever to win a first-year minor-league batting title straight out of high school, following Morimichi Takagi (1960), Ichiro Suzuki (1992), and Kota Yamashita (2019) — though there’s a real gap in the numbers, with Ichiro hitting .366 versus Yokota’s .310. It’s also worth noting that Yamashita was highly touted at the time but struggled to establish himself in the majors due to injuries and defensive issues, a reminder that a minor-league batting title doesn’t guarantee big-league success.

    *This article is compiled as excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Geinou/Sports Express+) thread “[Baseball] Seibu’s 18-year-old rookie Sowa Yokota all but locks up minor-league batting title — 4th player ever to do so as a high-school rookie, including Ichiro.”