Author: Japan Reacts Editorial

  • Goldman Slashes USD/JPY Forecast from ¥165 to ¥150 — Reversal Driven by BOJ Rate Hike Hopes

    U.S. investment bank Goldman Sachs has revised its one-year USD/JPY forecast from ¥165 to a stronger ¥150. As of July, the bank had still been calling for further yen weakness, but it reportedly reversed course on expectations of faster Bank of Japan rate hikes and capital flowing back home from overseas. On the thread, some voiced hope that the yen’s slide would finally correct and vented frustration at the government’s fiscal management, while just as many posters shot back with the jaded take that “big banks’ FX forecasts miss all the time” — leaving opinions split over how much weight to put on the forecast itself.

    Goldman Revises Yen Forecast to ¥150 per Dollar — Turns From Bearish to Bullish as the Tide Shifts

    (Bloomberg) — Goldman Sachs Group has revised its one-year yen forecast to ¥150 per dollar, a stronger call than before. The shift away from its bearish July forecast reflects expectations of faster Bank of Japan rate hikes and capital returning to Japan.

    Goldman revised its 12-month dollar-yen forecast from ¥165 to ¥150.

    Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Read the original article here

    3AnonymousSep 26, 2026 11:58
    Re: #1
    Make it ¥50 to the dollar
    like back in 1995.
    50AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:16
    Re: #3
    Come on, it wasn't ¥50 —
    pretty sure it bottomed around ¥75.
    8AnonymousSep 26, 2026 11:58
    Everyone was stoked about the weak yen

    ↓

    "The yen being undervalued is a problem"


    Well no kidding. The weak yen really is Takaichi's doing after all.
    31AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:10
    Re: #8
    Being "stoked" is talking about the upside
    it's not like there aren't any downsides
    137AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:07
    Re: #31
    Saying you're "stoked" about the weak yen in that moment was bound to get you suspected of endorsing it.

    She'd even told the BOJ to keep buying JGBs, and was lukewarm on rate hikes too.
    147AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:23
    Re: #31
    There's no upside to being happy about a weak yen
    it just turns the yen into confetti while people buy up foreign assets — pure capital flight
    that ends up wrecking the Japanese economy
    13AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:02
    Re: #1
    Chicago futures positioning (CFTC speculator data)

    16AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:03
    I bet Takaichi will brush guys like this aside and push it straight back up to ¥165 😉
    110AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:55
    Re: #16
    [Breaking] President Trump conveys concern about the weak yen to PM Takaichi at Japan-US summit ★2 [notice★]
    https://asahi.5ch.io/test/read.cgi/newsplus/1790331652/
      ↓
    [Breaking] PM Takaichi: "The yen being undervalued is a problem" ★4 [notice★]
    https://asahi.5ch.io/test/read.cgi/newsplus/1790331596/
    18AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:04
    Stop buying foreign-made stuff and the yen would strengthen. Ditch things like fancy kamaboko boards (decorative fish-cake serving boards) or dropping hundreds of thousands of yen on a brand-name bag that costs ¥500 to make.
    Flexing status with that stuff is no different from slaves competing over whose chains are shinier.
    59AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:20
    Re: #18
    Wait, are kamaboko boards even imported?
    Even if you cut that out, nothing changes as long as you're still importing oil, food, and digital stuff.
    135AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:06
    Re: #18
    Stop buying iPhones and buy Fujitsu or Kyocera phones instead.
    25AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:06
    Takaichi must've gotten reamed by Trump.
    Given what Katayama and Jonouchi said yesterday, this is clearly a policy pivot.
    39AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:12
    Re: #25
    Once Yoichi Takahashi disappears from TV, that's when the pivot's really started. He was still talking big on Kansai TV today, so reflation policy is still alive for now.
    146AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:18
    Re: #25
    Re: #39
    So what happens to the pork-barrel budget then?
    73AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:28
    Is this just because Buffett was buying yen-denominated bonds and his read turned out right?
    80AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:31
    Re: #73
    If you hold something forever it's bound to be right eventually
    same level as saying "there'll be an earthquake tomorrow" every single day.
    84AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:34
    Goldman has spoken —
    money grows while you sleep, we've already won this.
    91AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:39
    Re: #84
    Sounds like the Fairy Flute (a Dragon Quest item that puts enemies to sleep — riffing on "money grows while you sleep")
    101AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:48
    At the end of the day, even if imports get cheaper and overseas trips get cheaper too, wages won't rise unless exporters are actually making money. And if inflation gets piled on top of rate hikes, doesn't life just get harder than it is now?
    134AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:06
    Re: #101
    Probably differs by upper/middle/lower class lol
    and probably differs even more by job or position lol
    it's true there's a chunk of people saying life was easier back in the deflation era lol
    109AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:53
    So it was Goldman manipulating the exchange rate all along?
    How far does "manipulation" get to hide behind the name "forecast"?
    120AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:00
    So the "it's all Takaichi's fault" prediction is going to miss?
    123AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:02
    Every time some official says something, the yen strengthens a bit, but it snaps back within about two days.
    As long as Takaichi keeps running loose fiscal policy, I don't think the weak-yen trend changes.
    126AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:03
    Re: #123
    Proof the money supply isn't actually growing.
    130AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:04
    So basically the next 0.5-point hike is already locked in?
    136AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:06
    Re: #130
    The BOJ's just a dumb creature that wants to hike rates no matter what the economy's doing.
    139AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:08
    By the way, apparently in the last 9 times, Goldman's forecast went the opposite way 7 of those times.
    A meaningless forecast.
    143AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:14
    Re: #139
    Nothing is less reliable than an analyst's forecast of the future
    take notes from weather forecasters.
    158AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:34
    Re: #139
    If they're wrong that often, at least that's easy to work with —
    it just means the opposite happens.
    176AnonymousSep 26, 2026 14:01
    Re: #139
    Because it's rigged, that's why.
    180AnonymousSep 26, 2026 14:05
    Who's gonna believe anything Mr. Gold(man) says
    not falling for it.
    182AnonymousSep 26, 2026 14:07
    Re: #180
    Goldman's forecasts hit more often than not though
    look at the property market blowing up.
    185AnonymousSep 26, 2026 14:12
    Goldman Sachs' forecasts are basically all lies though…
    188AnonymousSep 26, 2026 14:15
    Re: #185
    They're hitting though
    most of their stock picks are mooning too.

    Background and Key Points of This Discussion

    As of this past July, Goldman had been forecasting further yen weakness against the dollar (¥165), so this revision to ¥150 marks a major reversal in its outlook. The reasons cited are an accelerating pace of Bank of Japan rate hikes and speculation that capital which had flowed overseas is now returning home — signaling a shift in how markets are pricing in the future path of monetary policy. On the thread, criticism of the government’s economic management over the persistent weak yen coexisted with skeptical takes that major banks’ FX forecasts are notoriously unreliable to begin with, and no single conclusion emerged. Note that the specific hit-rate figures cited come from individual posts and could not be independently verified.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (News Speed+) thread “U.S. Goldman revises Japanese yen forecast from ¥165 to ¥150 per dollar, citing “increased appeal of holding yen long” amid shifting tide and rate hike expectations.”

  • Family of Four’s Car Search: 5ch Users Insist ‘Sliding Doors Are a Must’

    A thread that began as a car-buying consultation from a family of four (the poster, his wife, a 2-year-old, and a newborn) turned into a discussion about choosing a vehicle that could also accommodate grandparents down the line. The first piece of advice was that “sliding doors are a must if you have kids” — nearly everyone agreed, citing the need to prevent so-called “door dings,” where kids fling doors open in parking lots without checking their surroundings and hit the car next to them. When it came to specific models, though, opinions split: the Serena, Freed, Sienta, Odyssey, and Nissan Leaf were all mentioned, with some prioritizing interior space and others prioritizing price. Commenters also debated, drawing on personal experience, whether a 6-seat vehicle was really necessary to fit grandparents and whether third-row seats could handle long-distance trips.

    1AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:17
    [Family makeup]
    4 people (me, the wife, a 2-year-old, and a newborn)
    Both sets of parents live nearby, so I'm factoring in driving the grandparents around too
    2AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:18
    My kid's a newborn but I bought a RAV4
    Guess I should've gone with sliding doors?
    4AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:18
    Re: #2
    If you've got kids, sliding doors are non-negotiable
    60AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:41
    Re: #2
    You're fine while they're a newborn
    But by your next inspection or the one after, they'll be opening doors themselves, so go sliding
    5AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:18
    If you've got kids, get sliding doors — they will absolutely ding someone's car
    13AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:20
    Re: #5
    I've got a Note right now but I'm scared of door dings, so I'm about due for a trade-in
    7AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:18
    The Serena looks like good value since Nissan's unpopular right now
    Used Freeds are cheap but cramped
    15AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:21
    Re: #7
    I get the impression Serenas break down easily

    On the flip side, the Sienta and Freed seem cramped
    10AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:19
    A Solio was plenty when it was just our one daughter, but once the second kid came along, I started wanting something more like a Sienta
    20AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:22
    Re: #10
    What are you driving now?
    12AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:20
    Just plug your conditions into Carsensor (a used-car search site) and grab whichever's cheapest
    They're all basically the same anyway
    24AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:23
    Re: #12
    Oh really?
    Guess I'll just do that then
    16AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:21
    If you factor in two car seats plus grocery space, isn't the 6-seat Freed the way to go?
    26AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:24
    Re: #16
    I figure I should also plan ahead in case we have a third kid
    22AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:23
    The Sienta or Freed is plenty
    Once the kids are a bit bigger you can step up to Serena-class
    30AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:25
    Re: #22
    I see
    Guess I'll go that route then
    25AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:23
    Re: #4
    Yeah, might do that next time I buy
    Are sliding doors really that essential though?
    34AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:26
    Re: #25
    It's less that sliding doors are just nice and more that kids fling the door open without looking and hit the car next to you, so they're basically mandatory
    28AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:24
    Re: #19
    That's a pretty tall order
    33AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:26
    Re: #28
    Not that different from a Serena
    The Freed and Sienta have an awkward, in-between amount of space that's hard to use
    35AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:27
    Re: #33
    Is the Serena a bad choice?
    42AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:29
    I've got a similar family setup — how's the Nissan Leaf?
    Assuming the national and Tokyo subsidies carry over into next year
    47AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:32
    Re: #42
    I don't know much about EVs, but how many seats does the Leaf even have?
    50AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:34
    Even if you're careful, a gust of wind can rip the door out of your hand, so sliding doors are better
    The Serena's a no-go — search around and you'll see why
    52AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:35
    Re: #50
    I'll look into it

    Though I get the feeling it'll start breaking down after about 10 years
    53AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:36
    Also, should I get adaptive cruise control and lane-keep assist for highway driving?
    103AnonymousSep 26, 2026 14:14
    Re: #53
    If you're doing long highway drives, you definitely want them
    Makes a huge difference in comfort
    58AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:41
    This one looks decent

    76AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:56
    Re: #58
    Why's this Odyssey so cheap?
    63AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:44
    This is the size my dad used to drive when I was a kid, and honestly it's just right
    Doubt there's a car this size with this much interior space anymore
    65AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:46
    Cars have gotten way too expensive lately

    Like 4 years ago you could get a 10-year-old Sienta for around 700,000 yen
    67AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:48
    Re: #65
    A Toyota Isis goes for about that now
    71AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:53
    Re: #67
    Nice, that works!


    74AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:55
    Even used, with that budget wouldn't something like an N-BOX give you more bang for your buck?
    Though if you're planning long trips, you'll need Serena-level size for all the luggage
    77AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:56
    Re: #74
    N-BOXes are ridiculously expensive whether new or used
    I have no idea what it would even take for one to feel like a good deal
    78AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:57
    Re: #74
    I love traveling, so I do a couple of 1,000km+ round trips a year

    Plus the occasional 2-3 hour highway trip
    81AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:58
    Re: #74
    I'm not considering a kei car

    Besides, those can't seat 5 or more anyway
    Since I sometimes drive the grandparents too, a 6-seater is a must
    90AnonymousSep 26, 2026 14:02
    Re: #83
    Sounds like a similar situation to mine

    How's the Sienta's third row in practice?
    I'm thinking about a roughly 4-hour highway trip with the grandparents and I'm curious if it's actually doable
    96AnonymousSep 26, 2026 14:08
    Re: #90
    I drove from Chiba to Nagano
    My mom slept like a baby the whole way, even in the third row
    101AnonymousSep 26, 2026 14:11
    Re: #96
    Oh, is that right
    Guess a Sienta could work then
    102AnonymousSep 26, 2026 14:13
    Re: #101
    Probably depends on how big your grandparents are, and keep in mind using the third row kills your trunk space
    104AnonymousSep 26, 2026 14:16
    Re: #101
    I wonder if the Sienta's third row is actually spacious — my grandma said even the second row felt cramped and she hated it

    Background and Key Points of the Discussion

    The advice that “sliding doors are the only choice if you have kids” is standard wisdom in 5ch parenting threads, offered as a defense against so-called “door dings” — kids swinging car doors open in parking lots without checking their surroundings and hitting the car parked next to them — and commenters were unanimous on that point this time as well. Opinions on specific models, however, were split, pitting the trunk-space-and-price-balanced Freed and Sienta against the more spacious Serena and Odyssey. Once a 6-seat capacity for carrying grandparents became a requirement, kei cars and the N-BOX were ruled out, and the discussion turned to whether third-row seats could handle long-distance trips — though this turned out to depend less on the vehicle class than on the size and stamina of the grandparents riding along, leading posters to offer conflicting assessments based on their own experience. Some commenters also expressed surprise at rising used-car prices, a trend that has been noted in recent years due to new-car supply issues and increased demand, and isn’t unique to this particular vehicle. Comments about EVs like the Nissan Leaf were premised on subsidies continuing, underscoring how dependent that topic is on government policy.

    ※This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Nandemo Jikkyo G) thread “Trying to decide what car to buy (family of four).”

  • Is Ocarina of Time’s 99 Score Overrated? 5ch: ‘By Today’s Standards It’s More Like 70’

    Ocarina of Time’s Metascore of 99 is among the highest ever recorded for a game released in 1998, a mark that’s rarely been matched since. On 5ch’s hardware/industry (geha) board, a thread kicked off with the question: “Isn’t a 99 overrated by today’s standards?” Some argued the score was inflated by the small number of reviews counted back then, while others countered that you can’t judge it fairly without having experienced just how groundbreaking it felt at the time. The discussion ranged widely, comparing the game to contemporaries like Final Fantasy VII, Sonic Adventure, and King’s Field II, with opinions splitting along the line of “judge it by 1998 standards” versus “judge it by today’s.”

    1AnonymousSep 26, 2026 09:29
    It's not a bad game, but play it today and it leans more toward mediocre.
    3AnonymousSep 26, 2026 09:33
    Even playing it now it's easily a 90, so by the standards of the time you'd get a number close to 100.
    5AnonymousSep 26, 2026 09:39
    Even playing it back then, King's Field II was the more fun 3D action RPG.
    28AnonymousSep 26, 2026 10:49
    Re: #5
    That's a stretch lol
    At least say King's Field III…
    53AnonymousSep 26, 2026 11:51
    Re: #5
    Whether or not it was "fun," the three-dimensional map design was genuinely astonishing.
    It really felt like there was a whole world packed inside the game.
    99AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:47
    Re: #5
    >Even playing it back then, King's Field II was the more fun 3D action RPG.

    Well, "fun" is subjective, but King's Field is actually a great reference point for comparing 3D action RPG quality. Before the N64 came out, most 3D action RPGs were just polygon remakes of games that already existed in the sprite era, and King's Field is a textbook example — basically a first-person dungeon RPG, a genre that's been around forever, just rendered in polygons.
    6AnonymousSep 26, 2026 09:39
    I think it was based on around 20 reviews, right?
    Back then, games from major publishers basically got high scores just for being from a major publisher.
    37AnonymousSep 26, 2026 11:15
    Re: #6
    If you start disqualifying old games for having too few reviews, Super Mario Galaxy 2 ends up as the highest Metascore of all time.
    7AnonymousSep 26, 2026 09:43
    By the standards of the time, it was like a 150 out of 100.
    No game before or since has had that kind of impact.
    11AnonymousSep 26, 2026 09:58
    Re: #7
    By today's standards it's more like a 70.
    12AnonymousSep 26, 2026 09:58
    Re: #7
    Exactly this.
    59AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:01
    Re: #7
    What about Super Mario 64?
    8AnonymousSep 26, 2026 09:46
    You can't understand how amazing Ocarina of Time was unless you experienced it in real time.
    9AnonymousSep 26, 2026 09:48
    Gaming media back then wasn't bought and paid for, so the scores were honest.
    10AnonymousSep 26, 2026 09:51
    I mean, top creators around the world today still cite it as an influence — trashing it now seems off.
    13AnonymousSep 26, 2026 09:59
    What's with the Zelda worship overseas?
    Or maybe Japanese fans are the ones underrating it?
    15AnonymousSep 26, 2026 10:00
    I bought it back then but it was too hard so I quit partway through.
    Recently I finished it by watching YouTube videos.
    I thought Ganondorf was the final boss, but it's actually Ganon.
    16AnonymousSep 26, 2026 10:00
    Ocarina of Time was rated insanely high in Japan too, so…
    17AnonymousSep 26, 2026 10:02
    If it came out today the score would drop quite a bit.
    But there's no doubt it was amazing for its time.
    18AnonymousSep 26, 2026 10:02
    A year after FF7 and a year before FF8.
    1998 also gave us Resident Evil 2, Gran Turismo, the original Minna no Golf (Everybody's Golf), Mobile Suit Gundam: Federation vs. Zeon (Renji), Sakura Wars 2…

    For that era, the 3D field design was pretty impressive.
    21AnonymousSep 26, 2026 10:22
    Back then, developers had spent years just experimenting with "let's try making a game in 3D, but is this really it, or is this not quite right" — and Ocarina of Time landed right in the middle of that. You really had to be there to get it.
    It's kind of similar to how Breath of the Wild dropped just as open-world games were starting to feel stale.
    24AnonymousSep 26, 2026 10:35
    Re: #21
    If we're talking about moving freely through 3D space, there's Mario 64 from '96, and Jumping Flash on PS1 came out three years before Ocarina of Time too, though its story was pretty by-the-numbers.
    Ocarina of Time is the kind of game where if you plot it on a radar chart across every category, every single axis comes out high.
    30AnonymousSep 26, 2026 10:50
    Mega Man Legends (Rockman DASH), which came out the year before, was such an incredible 3D exploration/adventure game that I couldn't get as hyped on Ocarina of Time as the magazines and critics were.
    If your only reference point was Mario 64 and then Ocarina of Time suddenly dropped, I bet it would've been an incredible shock — kind of jealous of people who got to experience it that way.
    45AnonymousSep 26, 2026 11:27
    Re: #30
    Huh?
    That's a trash game with a broken lock-on system.
    34AnonymousSep 26, 2026 11:03
    Even back then it was mediocre, honestly.
    The frame rate was way too low.
    The camera made you motion sick, it was barely playable.
    The Z-targeting system and everything else were overtuned.
    The difficulty was pretty high too, so most people never finished it and gave up.
    Only a handful of people actually got the experience the reputation promises.

    Probably more people can judge it fairly starting from the GameCube version onward.
    84AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:11
    Re: #34
    Nobody back then thought the N64 version of Ocarina of Time had a low frame rate, and other 3D games caused way worse camera sickness, if anything.
    44AnonymousSep 26, 2026 11:27
    Old game reviews are just way too disconnected from reality.
    Re-score everything by today's standards.

    You're not exempt either, Chrono Trigger.
    58AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:01
    Re: #44
    If anything Chrono Trigger's rating goes up.
    57AnonymousSep 26, 2026 11:58
    Sonic Adventure had way better graphics and controls than Ocarina of Time or Mario 64, and it was way more of a shock.
    A movie-like story, hard rock music blasting, characters talking non-stop — Sega was way ahead of the curve.
    62AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:03
    Re: #57
    There were a bunch of landmark 3D masterpieces back then, and they all pushed each other forward by borrowing each other's best ideas.
    Ocarina of Time is a great masterpiece, but the fair assessment is that its influence on the modern era wasn't an achievement or evolution it pulled off single-handedly.
    77AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:53
    Re: #57
    It's a trash game where you just run down a linear field like an idiot.
    98AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:46
    Re: #57
    "It had voice acting and rock music, so it was ahead of its time!"

    Is that a joke?
    74AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:28
    If we're talking overrated, FF7, which was huge in the same era, is the real textbook case.
    I can say this now that enough time has passed.
    100AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:49
    Re: #74
    Both of them got popular back then mostly on novelty, I'd say.
    88AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:23
    Back then Famitsu and other gaming media were basically in Sony's pocket, so it was funny watching game writers gush over it in columns for Friday (a tabloid magazine) and porn mags of all places.
    93AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:33
    Re: #88
    Famitsu kept hyping up Ocarina of Time for a long, long time.
    90AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:28
    Sonic Adventure came out in '98 and was already an open-world-ish sandbox game — that was amazing.
    It even had a day/night cycle and you could ride trains. (Sonic Adventure 2 switched to a stage-select format though.)




    96AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:38
    Re: #90
    I played both, and Shenmue too for that matter, in real time — neither came close to Ocarina of Time.
    The field design in particular was on a completely different level.
    91AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:29
    Re: #1
    That's because the review count was really small.
    92AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:33
    Re: #91
    Not small at all — 22 reviews was actually a lot for the time.
    97AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:39
    Re: #91
    Well, if the review count goes up, more outlets giving it a 9 drag the average down too.
    That's exactly why people say this score is more than the game deserves and will never happen again.

    Background and Key Points of the Debate

    Ocarina of Time’s Metascore of 99 is widely known as one of the highest review aggregates ever recorded, dating back to 1998, and only a handful of titles have reached that level since. At the time, however, there were far fewer game review outlets than there are today, and the review counts behind these scores were typically only in the dozens. The structural point raised in the thread — that fewer reviews make it easier for the average score to spike — came up again later when Super Mario Galaxy 2 set the all-time record, and it’s a point that keeps resurfacing whenever people discuss Metascores for retro games. What split the thread wasn’t the number itself, but the underlying premise: should the game be judged in the context of the era’s technology and the impact it had at the time, or re-scored using the same yardstick as modern games? It’s easy to miss that neither side was actually disputing the score as a fact.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hardware/Industry (Geha)) thread “Ocarina of Time’s Metascore is 99 ← isn’t this way too overrated?.”

  • Hello! Project Trainee Yuna Aoki Crowns Herself ‘Ao-King’

    Hello! Project trainee Yuna Aoki referring to herself as “Ao-King” in an official SNS post from the trainee management account has become a hot topic on 5ch’s Hello! Project board. The thread mainly revolved around the backstory of the nickname — some pointed out she’d already been using it since around a June concert, others found it amusing since multiple Hello! Project members already go by “King” nicknames (like Suzu-King), and some claimed the nickname actually originated on a specific message board. Speculation about which group she might eventually be promoted to was also a big part of the buzz.

    Hello! Project Trainee Manager@kenshusei_uf

    Good morning☀ Good afternoon🌞 Good evening⭐

    It’s Ao-King👑, aka Yuna Aoki, yo👍

    Source: helloproject.com / Original article here

    3AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:35
    Is it a trend lately for kouhai (juniors) to bite their senpai's persona?
    4AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:36
    Is she from Kansai?
    49AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:26
    Re: #4
    Same as Me-sa, Hyogo
    5AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:36
    Wait, wasn't "Ao-King" Sakamoto-chan?
    8AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:36
    Re: #5
    That's "Ao-ringo" (Blue Apple) you're thinking of
    6AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:36
    This one just feels more like an actual "King" honestly
    7AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:36
    Add more Kings, collect them all, and bring back the High-King
    10AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:37
    We don't need two "kings," come on
    12AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:38
    There's already a chubby YouTuber going by Ao-King, you know
    13AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:38
    Re: #1
    Way too online
    She's been calling herself that since the June concert anyway
    14AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:38
    Direct any complaints about Ao-King to Mr. Nakajima
    16AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:39
    There are not two suns in the sky, and there is only one King on Earth!
    17AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:40
    By the way, the self-given nickname built off her first name is "Yunapyon" — if you're an ANGERME fan, you'd already know Moimoi goes by "Yuppyon" for the same reason
    18AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:40
    The one who coined it was a poster called "nksk"
    21AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:45
    Hope she hurries up, joins ANGERME, and clowns around to her heart's content
    23AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:48
    Off to ANGERME together with Suzu-King
    25AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:49
    She's got that agency-idol look, somehow — like a Stardust Promotion face
    27AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:51
    So this one's a King, huh
    Ichuki's the "kingu"
    29AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:52
    Did she start pretending to be a Tsubaki fan because she wants in on ANGERME?
    31AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:53
    Poor Itsuki — first her 5-character call gets ripped off, now her nickname too
    36AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:55
    Re: #31
    Well, she's a future top-runner
    If anything it's an honor
    32AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:53
    She's always stuck in the back row in group photos, makes you want to root for her
    34AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:54
    Her looks are more than good enough, so as long as she doesn't quit I think she'll get promoted
    Put another way, she's the type who could be an idol even outside Hello! Project
    35AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:54
    She may not look it, but she's the same age as Nemokari
    50AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:27
    Re: #35
    So that means she's the same age as Nonnon and Tomoa-chan, first-year middle schoolers
    39AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:55
    Hasn't she been saying that for quite a while now?
    40AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:57
    Toma-Yuna
    Kojima Hana
    Ao-King
    42AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:58
    I love how she's always in the very back row throwing up peace signs with both hands
    43AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:06
    Kato Taka keeps milking this bit, but who even cares about a joke like this
    63AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:42
    Met-kun and Kato Taka are against the "Ao-King" nickname and are trying hard to get people to stop using it

    Background and Key Points of This Topic

    Under Hello! Project’s “trainee” system, candidates awaiting promotion to full membership go through a period of building name recognition through concerts and social media, and nicknames often take root organically among fans during this stretch. In this case, there were claims that “Ao-King” was already in use as far back as a June concert, meaning this instance looks less like the birth of a new nickname and more like the manager account simply confirming one that already existed. Where opinions in the thread diverged was over how to view the overlap with existing “King” nicknames already in circulation (such as Suzu-King) — some welcomed the overlap as amusing, others found it annoying. One point worth clarifying: nicknames like this are generally not something the member or her agency assigns officially; instead, fans or the members themselves start using them, and they get semi-officially adopted later on.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hello! Project) thread “Hello! Project trainee Yuna Aoki declares herself “Ao-King” LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL“.

  • Morning Musume。’26 Sapporo Show: Floor Seats Still Unsold Days Before Showtime — 5ch: ‘Losing Marai Left a Huge Hole’

    Ahead of Morning Musume。’26’s autumn tour “Chou Heartful 11” stop at Sapporo Bunka Geijutsu Gekijou hitaru on October 25, posters on 5ch’s Hello! Project board reported that tickets were still available as far in as row 28 of the floor section — solidly mid-venue seating. The thread split between two theories: that overall attendance has simply dropped now that fans of Makino Maria, who graduated this year, are gone, and that the four newly added 18th-generation members haven’t built up enough of a fanbase yet. The debate centered on whether the group can turn things around starting with the next tour.

    1AnonymousSep 26, 2026 11:11
    Hyper empty-house concert confirmed lol ("gara-con" — 5ch slang for a show with a half-empty venue)
    What are they even gonna do about this lol
    2AnonymousSep 26, 2026 11:13
    Related thread

    [GOOD NEWS] Juice=Juice LIVE TOUR 2026 UP TO 11 · Zepp Sapporo (Hokkaido), all-standing capacity 2,009 — matinee show SOLD OUT キタ━━━━(゚∀゚)━━━━!!
    https://kizuna.5ch.io/test/read.cgi/morningcoffee/1776839702/

    [GOOD NEWS] Juice=Juice LIVE TOUR 2026 UP TO 11 · Zepp Sapporo (Hokkaido), all-standing capacity 2,009 — evening show SOLD OUT キタ━━━━(゚∀゚)━━━━!!
    https://kizuna.5ch.io/test/read.cgi/morningcoffee/1777068989/
    5AnonymousSep 26, 2026 11:15
    Re: #2
    That's the thread for Angerme's empty-house shows, buddy lol
    54AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:32
    Re: #2
    2,000 people in Hokkaido?
    That's genuinely top-tier
    4AnonymousSep 26, 2026 11:14
    The analysis is already done:
    That Makino Maria you all clown on actually had a ton of wota (die-hard fans)
    Now that she's graduated, Musume.'s total fanbase has shrunk
    Whether the 4 new members can grow their own fanbase is what's left to see
    10AnonymousSep 26, 2026 11:17
    Re: #4
    Even the birthday event is dead empty
    25AnonymousSep 26, 2026 11:28
    Re: #4
    Same time of year, same venue every year, and they still get mercy-ruled by Ebata
    7AnonymousSep 26, 2026 11:16
    They should've played it safe and just booked Kanamoto Hall or the Kyoiku Bunka Kaikan instead
    8AnonymousSep 26, 2026 11:16
    Re: #1
    This is what a year of hard-shilling Fukumura and Ishida gets you

    This is what 24 years of hard-shilling Tsunku gets you
    15AnonymousSep 26, 2026 11:19
    Re: #8
    Ikuta and Oda are both gone now too
    11AnonymousSep 26, 2026 11:18
    Ma-chan, save us!
    50AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:20
    Re: #11
    'Sato Masaki Fan Club Event 2026 — YES or NO' at Hitotsubashi Hall: same-day tickets now on sale for both sessions
    https://kizuna.5ch.io/test/read.cgi/morningcoffee/1790319682/
    13AnonymousSep 26, 2026 11:18
    Isn't Panda actually popular though?
    Too bad the 'cousins duo' don't get a hometown homecoming show then
    14AnonymousSep 26, 2026 11:18
    Seeing them let non-members book consecutive seats after Oda's graduation, looks like they've basically waved the white flag — next year's when Juice=Juice's flagship era really kicks off
    16AnonymousSep 26, 2026 11:20
    Just give hitaru to Juice already
    17AnonymousSep 26, 2026 11:23
    Guess Up-Front's raking it in if the useless small-fry agency can bleed money on Musume. and Angerme without even flinching!
    18AnonymousSep 26, 2026 11:23
    Why doesn't Juice — the flagship group with two Hokkaido natives in the lineup — play hitaru?
    Every seat would sell out instantly right now
    19AnonymousSep 26, 2026 11:23
    Back when Sato was in the group they used to fill it up to the 4th floor…
    21AnonymousSep 26, 2026 11:25
    Is Panda popular or not, make up your mind
    23AnonymousSep 26, 2026 11:27
    Re: #21
    Final answer: she's only got deep popularity with a small core of 'omaitsu' regulars (fans who attend every single show) — no broader reach
    22AnonymousSep 26, 2026 11:25
    Rough that Juice doesn't even get a Hokkaido show to begin with
    24AnonymousSep 26, 2026 11:27
    Hard to believe they used to fill it up to the 4th floor
    27AnonymousSep 26, 2026 11:29
    'Sato Masaki Fan Club Event 2026 — YES or NO' at Hitotsubashi Hall: same-day tickets now on sale for both sessions
    https://kizuna.5ch.io/test/read.cgi/morningcoffee/1790319682/
    29AnonymousSep 26, 2026 11:30
    Re: #27
    Just answer Yes or No already 😭😭😭
    40AnonymousSep 26, 2026 11:47
    Re: #27
    If even Sato's at this point, once Panda graduates from Musume. she won't have a career in showbiz either
    28AnonymousSep 26, 2026 11:30
    Where did everyone who used to sit on the 3rd and 4th floors go?
    30AnonymousSep 26, 2026 11:30
    In the end it's probably just this:

    Panda: 'Ah, guess it's a good thing I'm in Morning Musume. after all.'
    31AnonymousSep 26, 2026 11:31
    Makino Maria had thousands of fans.
    The 18th-gen members don't even have 500 yet.
    It's simply that gap.
    42AnonymousSep 26, 2026 11:51
    Re: #31
    If that were true, the birthday events would be packed
    33AnonymousSep 26, 2026 11:34
    Losing Maria-chan really left a huge hole
    34AnonymousSep 26, 2026 11:35
    I don't care about your emotional arguments.
    I'm just talking simple audience math.
    The Maria fans who used to show up aren't coming this time, so the numbers are down. Simple subtraction.
    35AnonymousSep 26, 2026 11:36
    Just wait, Suumo's gonna win the wota back for us
    43AnonymousSep 26, 2026 11:52
    Re: #35
    Saw her on Rimi Sta and Suumo's insane
    They picked a good one
    36AnonymousSep 26, 2026 11:37
    Spring

    [SHOCKING] Morning Musume。'26's spring tour Hokkaido stop at Sapporo Bunka Geijutsu Gekijou hitaru — a venue with 4 floors — is currently selling FLOOR SEATS lmaoooooo
    https://kizuna.5ch.io/test/read.cgi/morningcoffee/1774662844/1

    1 Nameless (Name Pending) 2026/03/28 (Sat) 10:54:04.56 0
    Matinee


    Evening


    Seating chart
    57AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:35
    Re: #36
    Wonder if they're just not using the side sections of the floor this time

    Background and Talking Points

    Morning Musume. goes through generational turnover via graduations every year, and it’s not unusual for the tour right after a popular member’s departure to see a temporary dip in attendance. The figures floated in the thread — “Makino Maria had thousands of fans, the 18th-gen members have under 500” — are purely anonymous-board speculation, not an official released number, so that should be kept in mind. Some posters compared this to Juice=Juice’s Zepp Sapporo shows (capacity roughly 2,000), which were reported sold out around the same time, but hitaru and Zepp Sapporo differ in size and seating layout, so they can’t be directly compared as a simple measure of drawing power. Ticket sales are also shaped by complex sales schemes like member pre-sales and seating blocks, so it’s hard to conclude popularity is up or down from the bare fact that “floor row 28 is still on sale.”

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hello! Project board) thread “Morning Musume。’26 Autumn Concert Tour “Chou Heartful 11” 10/25 (Sun) Sapporo Bunka Geijutsu Gekijou hitaru — Floor Row 28 Still On Sale wwwwwwwww.”

  • Summer Anime Popularity Rankings Wrap: Reincarnation-Genre Sequels Sweep the Top — 5ch: “A Realm Where Even Mushoku Tensei’s Diary Episode Can’t Hit #1”

    The popularity rankings for the 2025 summer anime season are in, and as the summer broadcast cour (three-month season) wraps up, sequels to “naro-kei” hits — a term for series originating from the web-novel site Shousetsuka ni Narou (“Let’s Become a Novelist”), usually isekai/reincarnation power-fantasy stories — swept the top spots: Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime (Tensura), and Re:Zero. On 5ch’s Livegalileo (general live-commentary) board, posters traded barbs like “They said summer was a bumper crop, but really it was just naro-kei that was a bumper crop,” and expressed shock that Mushoku Tensei’s beloved “diary episode” (日記回), a fan-favorite emotionally charged episode, didn’t even land #1 on Amazon Prime’s internal rankings. Meanwhile, one-off and brand-new titles — including Yani Neko, Juukishi, and the Ghost in the Shell remake — got roundly panned, setting up a contrast between strong sequels and struggling newcomers.

    3AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:08
    So-called Yani Neko (lit. "Nicotine Cat"), an anime that peaked at episode 1.
    7AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:09
    Re: #3
    You're leaning on episode 1 way too hard.
    11AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:10
    Re: #3
    Season 2… doesn't look like it's happening.
    9AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:10
    Tensura, Mushoku Tensei, Re:Zero — I get why those rank high, they're on their 3rd/4th seasons of already-huge franchises. But Juukishi? Seriously? It's a pain to watch and the pacing is awful — honestly one of the worst shows this season.
    15AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:11
    Re: #9
    Still miles better than Yani Neko or whatever, though.
    20AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:14
    Re: #9
    Having Luce in it makes it way more watchable than Yani.
    55AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:39
    Re: #9
    Maybe it's just because the lead's voice actor is good-looking?
    10AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:10

    Onishi going full rage mode was the most entertaining thing all season
    Way better than Tenmaku or Lala
    13AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:11
    Re: #10
    The back half was great. This is the level of commitment I want from a revenge story.
    73AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:54
    Re: #10
    Loved that they had him cut down civilians on the way to his revenge target.
    16AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:13
    "Summer was a bumper crop" ← lol
    Where, exactly?
    19AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:14
    Re: #16
    Well, it WAS a bumper crop — for naro-kei.
    18AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:14
    Mushoku Tensei's diary episode was way too good
    That was Rudeus bringing it on himself, but I still think Eris was pretty bad too
    61AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:44
    Re: #18
    Eris never actually explaining herself properly is on her too
    Feels like violence is the only way she knows how to communicate
    27AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:18

    Amazon Prime: the realm where even Mushoku Tensei's diary episode can't hit #1
    29AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:19
    Re: #27
    The viewer base is aging 😭
    Grandpa's up next 👴
    31AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:20
    Re: #27
    The streaming release is too delayed
    Needs to be simulcast fastest
    35AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:22
    Re: #27
    I mean, this one's a Prime exclusive, so…
    30AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:20
    Fall's got basically nothing except The Apothecary Diaries
    And Nearisu's theme song is no good
    33AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:21
    Re: #30
    Doesn't look like "Chii-Fuyo" (fan nickname, exact title unclear) will even make it to the hangure [quasi-organized-crime gang] arc anyway
    38AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:25
    This season's anime got shockingly little buzz
    About the only thing people talked about was "Old-deus" from Mushoku Tensei [a jab nickname mashing up "aged" with Rudeus's name]
    40AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:26
    Re: #38
    What about Julius's stiff, janky running animation?
    43AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:30
    Ghost in the Shell and Lala were boring — looked like they had substance but didn't
    Forgettable shows, easily worse than naro-kei
    51AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:36
    Re: #43
    I mean, doing Ghost in the Shell again at this point, though…
    70AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:52
    Re: #43
    Couldn't get over the Major being voiced by Sakamoto
    45AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:32
    Wanted to drop Juukishi so many times, but Luce somehow saved it
    74AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:55
    Re: #45
    For some reason it kept dragging scenes out like that Dragon Ball "once he reaches his perfect form" copypasta, and it cut the fun in half
    I think normal pacing would've made it way better
    47AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:34
    After all that "Jan, Jan" talk
    Whatever happened to Iron Wok Jan?
    114AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:34
    Re: #47
    The planned 2-cour season got cut down to just 1 cour [cour = a ~3-month anime broadcast season]
    49AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:35
    Mushoku Tensei's production was genuinely great, truly the king of naro-kei
    Though obviously it can't top season 1
    52AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:37
    Re: #49
    The king of naro-kei is Tensura, actually
    54AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:38
    What's even good about naro-kei anyway?
    66AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:47
    Re: #54
    It's like this: the protagonist is such trash that women hate him, so guys in the same boat rally behind him
    58AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:41
    Re: #52
    FYI, Narou's overall ranking #1 is actually "Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill" 🥺
    72AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:54
    Re: #58
    "Toncooking" [fan abbreviation], lol — such a shamelessly trashy naro-kei title
    67AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:48
    Tensura's 2nd-cour finale had all three women fully naked — caught me off guard
    113AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:33
    Re: #67
    Hold on, wasn't Rimuru naked too?
    69AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:52

    Unlike Julius, Ram's battle animation was actually solid — cracked me up
    Why is that
    71AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:53
    Re: #69
    It's for the pachinko-machine cutscenes [pachinko = Japan's pinball-slot gambling parlors, which license flashy anime tie-in animations]
    78AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:02
    "Reiwa's Dara-san" was the most entertaining thing all season
    The twist that the little brother has the cutest face of all
    84AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:09
    Re: #78
    Same here
    Already loved the source manga, but getting voices and atmosphere in the anime made it even better

    Background and Talking Points

    This season’s regulars at the top were sequels to already-established hits — Mushoku Tensei, Tensura, and Re:Zero — all “naro-kei” series with built-in fanbases from their source material. The thread split mainly on two points. First, rankings from streaming services like Amazon Prime aren’t official viewership or sales data — they’re just a reference metric reflecting that particular service’s users’ viewing and rating habits. It’s not unusual for a well-regarded show to sit low on such a ranking, so the reaction to Mushoku Tensei’s fan-favorite episode missing #1 needs to be read as a quirk of this specific metric rather than a verdict on the show. Second, on the question of “why are naro-kei shows so strong,” some posters took a cynical view of protagonists who get validated by the opposite sex through power or status, while others pointed out more soberly that for sequels, the built-in name recognition of the source material — not the genre itself — is the main driver of their strength. It’s also worth noting that reviews were broadly harsh toward one-off new titles this season, which is the backdrop against which the sequels’ dominance should be read.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Livegalileo board) thread “[Sad News] Summer anime ends up dominated by naro-kei after all lol.”

  • Does Xbox Have Any ‘Wins’ on Its Record? 5ch: ‘The Original Xbox Did Beat the GameCube’

    A thread titled “Xbox… has this thing ever won, even once?” popped up on 5ch’s Hardware/Industry (aka “Geha,” the console-war) board. The debate over Xbox’s track record saw posters point out that the original Xbox actually outsold the GameCube in North America, and that the Xbox 360 held its own in that same region — while others countered that the current Xbox Series X|S keeps struggling despite favorable reviews of its specs. Opinions split over whether “winning” should be measured by unit sales or by owner satisfaction, and the thread stayed a back-and-forth of people talking past each other throughout.

    1AnonymousSep 26, 2026 10:25
    They're always saying 'we'll win next time,' but users just don't buy it anymore.
    3AnonymousSep 26, 2026 10:29
    Didn't the 360 actually win in North America? Though the Wii probably outsold it.
    7AnonymousSep 26, 2026 10:40
    The idiot that self-destructed via the Red Ring of Death (RROD).
    21AnonymousSep 26, 2026 10:57
    Re: #1 The most common failure on early-model PS3s is called YLOD (Yellow Light of Death). There are several causes, but most cases come down to the "Proadlizer" capacitors losing their charge capacity.
    Re: #7
    48AnonymousSep 26, 2026 11:37
    Re: #21
    Though there's no actual source for that — sounds like it's just something the "PS pervs" (a slur console-war posters use for diehard Sony fans) are claiming.
    9AnonymousSep 26, 2026 10:46
    It's been licking the floor since the day it was born and still hasn't pulled the plug — impressive 😅
    Guess it's just being stubborn at this point (lol)
    60AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:05
    Re: #9
    Maybe it's gotten a taste for floor-licking and can't quit now, lol.
    Both Microsoft and the "PS pervs" are loser trash — floor-licking suits them both.
    30AnonymousSep 26, 2026 11:17
    Does 'not being insolvent' count as a win or something?
    33AnonymousSep 26, 2026 11:19
    Re: #30
    Let's stick to talking about the present.
    42AnonymousSep 26, 2026 11:30
    So what's the actual criteria for a 'win' here?
    43AnonymousSep 26, 2026 11:31
    Re: #42
    Is there any metric besides unit count?
    46AnonymousSep 26, 2026 11:32
    Re: #42
    It's unit sales, obviously.
    The original Xbox did beat the GameCube.
    49AnonymousSep 26, 2026 11:37
    Well, I own a Series S, so let me just say — sure it's a hardware line with an all-loss, no-win record, but satisfaction with it is genuinely high.
    52AnonymousSep 26, 2026 11:42
    Re: #49
    That piece of junk goes for like 100,000 yen now, though.
    59AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:02
    Re: #1
    The "PS pervs" don't think they've lost even once — they think they've been on an unbroken winning streak.
    62AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:09
    Re: #59
    Aren't you Re: #1 yourself?
    63AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:10
    Re: #62
    Guess you've got no choice but to keep telling yourself that.
    67AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:13
    Re: #63
    Sorry, but I genuinely don't get what that comeback is supposed to mean.
    78AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:36
    It's strange that even overseas, PS still beats Xbox.
    I think the Series X is better hardware than the PS5, and unlike in Japan, physical software actually gets proper retail distribution over there, so picking Xbox shouldn't leave you wanting for anything.
    Guess the image from the Xbox One's huge flop just isn't something you shake off that easily.
    81AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:42
    Re: #78
    Whether it's "good hardware" is pretty subjective, but more to the point — does being good hardware even guarantee it sells?
    Just look at console history.
    90AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:12
    Re: #78
    Compared to the PS5 it's really not that great a piece of hardware, lol.
    It's worse in all kinds of ways.
    94AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:17
    Re: #78
    There's no point comparing just the Series X on its own.
    Releasing something like the Series S purely to have a cheap-looking price point was the worst move they could've made.

    Once you launch two models side by side, you're inevitably going to get dragged down by the cheaper one —
    that was obvious to everyone before they even did it. Way too late to be pointing that out now.
    82AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:45
    The Xbox 360 did win, though.
    Guess a lot of the console-war board crowd these days weren't around for that era.
    That was the golden age of this board.
    97AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:19
    Re: #82
    I don't actually know if it truly won, but there were signs pointing that way, and that's probably exactly why Sony got so worked up about it.
    98AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:28
    IT'S RDNA2!!!

    (But there was no real difference from the PS5, lol)
    100AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:37
    Re: #81
    We're in the social media age now,
    so "good but doesn't sell" just doesn't happen.
    It's not selling because the general public simply doesn't think it's good.
    102AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:39
    Re: #100
    "Good but doesn't sell" happens all the time, actually.
    You say it's the social media age, but on social media, anything you're not already interested in is basically invisible to you.

    Background and Key Points of This Discussion

    On the console-war board, the traditional yardstick for ranking hardware has always been unit sales, and this thread stuck to that same convention. The original Xbox reportedly struggled in Japan, but in North America it’s said to have shipped more units than the GameCube. The Xbox 360 also had a stretch where its sales in that same region matched or beat the PS3’s. Meanwhile, today’s Xbox Series X|S is said to hold its own against the PS5 on paper spec-wise, yet trails far behind it in worldwide unit sales — with some posters noting that the budget-priced Series S model drags down the average performance figures. Much of the thread talked past itself because posters couldn’t agree on whether a “win” should be measured by unit sales or by personal satisfaction — a mismatch that’s a familiar pattern in these hardware-superiority debates.

    *This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Hardware/Industry, aka “Geha”) thread “Xbox… has this thing ever won, even once?.”

  • Roki Sasaki’s Dazzling Relief Outing: 1 Inning, No Runs, 2 K’s — 5ch Reacts: ‘Scapegoat Owatani Strikes Again, but the Dodgers Win Anyway’

    The Dodgers snapped a two-game losing streak on the 26th (Japan time), beating the Giants 2-0 on the road. Shohei Ohtani, starting his third game since returning from injury, batted leadoff as DH but went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. By contrast, Roki Sasaki turned in a dominant relief outing — his second appearance of the season — throwing a hitless, scoreless inning with two strikeouts. On the thread, posts mocking Ohtani’s slump with the nickname “Owatani” (a jab combining “owatta,” meaning “he’s done,” with “Ohtani”) lined up alongside comments praising Sasaki’s growth and his fit as a reliever, with the contrast between the two players becoming the main topic of discussion.

    Dodgers notch 14th shutout win of the season, snap losing streak — Roki Sasaki dazzles with scoreless, 2-K relief inning; Ohtani strikes out three times

    ◇NL: Dodgers 2, Giants 0 (San Francisco, September 25, 2026)

    The Dodgers beat the Giants on the road on the 25th (26th Japan time), stopping their losing streak at two games. Shohei Ohtani (32), who went on the injured list with right biceps inflammation and was playing his third game since returning, started as the No. 1 hitter and DH. He went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. Roki Sasaki (24), making his second relief appearance of the season, was dominant, throwing a hitless, scoreless inning with two strikeouts.

    Source: sponichi.co.jp / Original article here

    2AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:20
    Scapegoat Owatani strikes again (a jab combining 'Ohtani' and 'washed up')
    Still, the Dodgers won
    4AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:21
    Guess 'Scuba' (fan nickname, likely for Sasaki) is finally stepping it up now
    9AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:22
    Never imagined the day would come when Ohtani gets treated as a footnote in a Sasaki article
    10AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:22
    They really should stop batting him leadoff already
    11AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:23
    Ohtani's washed up ('owakon'), so this old baseball-troll geezer from the Geisports board heads off to go stir up trouble on the soccer boards instead 🤭
    12AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:23
    Honestly, watching Murakami and Okamoto was way more fun than watching 'Tanishohe' (a mocking jumble of Ohtani Shohei's name)
    13AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:23
    Too lazy to actually crunch the numbers, but his OPS since returning is probably around .600?
    Guess that's about right if you think of it as a rehab stretch
    14AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:23
    Sasaki, who used to say he only wanted to start, is showing real enthusiasm for relief work now
    He's grown


    The word Roki Sasaki kept repeating: 'preparation' — skipping a start to volunteer for relief… it's all about 'contributing to the team' in the postseason (9/23)
    https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/d430b3bfa9b73d0b1079520abd79ea2ab3d13a12
    21AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:24
    Re: #14
    If he refuses, they'll just trade him
    17AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:23
    If Roki fully committed to switching to relief, he'd be elite even by MLB standards
    20AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:24
    Roki Sasaki is unreal
    Cy Young's basically his to lose at this point
    22AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:24
    There's one guy getting in the way, huh
    Not gonna say who
    23AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:24
    Maybe Ohtani should just sit out the rest of 'this tournament' (sumo lingo jokingly applied to the season)?
    25AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:24
    Guess banning AI-assisted pitch analysis means he can't read pitch sequences at all anymore
    26AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:24
    He only threw one inning — that's hardly 'dominant'
    28AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:24
    Seriously, what did you even come back for?

    As for Roki, batters just aren't used to facing him since it's only occasional
    31AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:25
    What's Owatani gonna do if he ends up the postseason scapegoat?
    34AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:26
    Sasaki looks like he'll be a real asset in the postseason
    but figuring out what to do with Ohtani is tricky
    35AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:26
    Sasaki: 2 strikeouts (pitched)
    Ohtani: 3 strikeouts (batted)
    Ohtani actually struck out more, lol
    36AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:26
    Back when Sasaki was getting hit, his pitch types were clearly being tipped
    He's been steady ever since he switched to a bigger glove
    37AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:27
    Yesterday he had the Dodgers' only timely hit and a multi-hit game — no thread for that

    But the moment he can't hit, suddenly there's a thread
    Geisports really has an agenda, lol
    55AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:30
    Re: #37
    That token RBI in the 9th just to cover himself didn't mean anything
    You call that a 'performance'? lol
    56AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:30
    Re: #37
    There are way more games where he doesn't hit and no thread gets made. People are simply losing interest, that's all
    38AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:27
    Roki Sasaki's senior Shohei Ohtani, with a dominant 3 strikeouts, huh
    43AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:28
    Mr. Ohtani, what exactly was the rehab even for 😅
    84AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:34
    Re: #43
    He figured the team would fall apart without him — they went on an 11-game win streak
    He comes back — they lose two straight
    He personally goes 0-for-3 yet the team still throws a shutout win

    Honestly grateful — he's made it crystal clear to the team and the fans alike that he does nothing to actually help them win
    45AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:28
    A ¥100 billion whiff machine (lit. 'giant electric fan' — baseball slang for a batter who just swings through thin air)
    48AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:29
    Re: #45
    And he's still got 7 years left on that contract
    53AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:29
    One inning of shutdown ball and suddenly it's 'dominant'?
    62AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:30
    Re: #53
    This is back-to-back days pitching, remember
    Clearly shows he's preparing himself as a reliever now, not as a starter
    74AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:32
    Still, it was huge that Ohtani connected on a 165 km/h (~103 mph) four-seamer off Mira, the Giants' rock-solid closer, yesterday

    Background and Key Points of This Discussion

    Shohei Ohtani is currently on the injured list with inflammation in his right biceps, and this outing marked his third game back since returning. As one commenter pointed out, noting his “2nd-best OPS,” his overall batting numbers for the season remain strong, so judging his whole season off one bad game would be premature. Roki Sasaki, meanwhile, is primarily a starter, but he’s reported to have volunteered for relief duty himself with an eye toward contributing in the postseason, and this second straight relief outing is an extension of that plan. The nickname “Owatani” circulating in the thread is 5ch slang that’s become standard whenever Ohtani slumps, combining “owatta” (he’s done) with “Ohtani” — it’s not necessarily an accurate reflection of his actual ability. Because Sasaki’s strong outing contrasted so sharply with Ohtani’s, reactions ended up centered on the contrast between the two players’ pitching and hitting performances.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “[MLB] Dodgers notch 14th shutout win of the season, snap losing streak — Roki Sasaki dazzles with a scoreless, 2-K relief inning; Ohtani strikes out three times.”

  • Asian Games women’s marathon: Mikuni Yada takes bronze despite falling at 22km — Japan’s first medal in the event in two Games

    In the Asian Games women’s marathon, Mikuni Yada (26, Edion) claimed bronze with a time of 2:27:56 — Japan’s first women’s medal in the event in two Games, following Keiko Nogami’s silver at the 2018 Jakarta Games. Past the 22km mark, Cherimo of Bahrain, who was running ahead, fell, and Yada was caught up in it and went down too — but she got straight back up, stuck with the lead pack, and finished within medal position. On the thread, people compared it to the famous “I fell down!” episode involving runner Hiromi Taniguchi and debated just how competitive Asian Games marathon fields really are, though some crude comments about the runner’s looks and body also showed up.

    The women’s marathon was held, and Mikuni Yada (26, Edion) took bronze with a time of 2:27:56. It’s Japan’s first women’s medal in the event in two Games, since Keiko Nogami’s silver at the 2018 Jakarta Games. Sayaka Sato (32, Sekisui Chemical) finished 4th in 2:28:14.

    In light rain, 18 runners started at 7:50 a.m. After leaving the stadium, Sato — who represented Japan at the 2023 and 2025 World Championships — led a pack of 10. The pace stayed slow through 15km, then Yada broke away past the 17km mark, narrowing the group to 8.

    Past the 22km mark, Cherimo (Bahrain), who was running ahead, fell. Yada was caught up in it and fell too, but got straight back up and kept running with the pack.

    Source: sponichi.co.jp / Original article here

    2AnonymousSep 26, 2026 10:25
    (∪^ω^)Woof woof!
    11AnonymousSep 26, 2026 10:31
    Re: #4
    You should've written that in Re: #2
    (´・ω・`)
    4AnonymousSep 26, 2026 10:27
    I fell down!
    7AnonymousSep 26, 2026 10:28
    When I went to Kumamoto, the ramen I had at the shopping complex next to Kumamoto Station was so good.
    It was a garlic tonkotsu ramen.
    I want to eat it again.
    12AnonymousSep 26, 2026 10:31
    If she ran the 800m instead, she'd probably be nicknamed "800-Mikuni"
    13AnonymousSep 26, 2026 10:33
    Falling down and still getting bronze lol
    Just how low-level is this marathon lolol
    28AnonymousSep 26, 2026 10:44
    Re: #13
    Well, it's the Asian Games lol
    Her time isn't even Noguchi/Takahashi level — more like Arimori level lol (all legendary Japanese Olympic marathoners)
    17AnonymousSep 26, 2026 10:36
    That's got a lot of symbolism to it
    Given how many disasters there've been lately
    18AnonymousSep 26, 2026 10:36
    She'd better say "I fell down, lol" in the interview
    21AnonymousSep 26, 2026 10:39
    Wow, impressive
    She really managed to recover
    26AnonymousSep 26, 2026 10:44
    If she hadn't fallen she'd have won

    Gold: S. Habte — 2:27:31
    Silver: Ciren Cuomu — 2:27:43
    Bronze: Mikuni Yada — 2:27:56
    30AnonymousSep 26, 2026 10:46
    Re: #26
    The one who fell along with her is the winner, so
    even the winner would've been faster if she hadn't fallen
    63AnonymousSep 26, 2026 11:32
    Re: #26
    That's way too slow…

    Honestly it's basically like a regional meet

    Kind of pathetic, really
    29AnonymousSep 26, 2026 10:45
    She did a full sideways roll there

    Wait, isn't the Bahraini runner who fell first
    the one who ended up winning lol
    31AnonymousSep 26, 2026 10:46
    In marathons the gap between the runner ahead and behind can get crazy tight sometimes
    Can't something be done about that?
    34AnonymousSep 26, 2026 10:49
    Even the great [Toshihiko] Seko fell at the Olympics
    and "I fell down!" became a catchphrase (legendary Japanese marathoner)
    35AnonymousSep 26, 2026 10:50
    What a low-level race
    40AnonymousSep 26, 2026 10:54
    A marathon with no African runners, huh…
    41AnonymousSep 26, 2026 10:54
    Same age and hometown as Murakami of the White Sox
    45AnonymousSep 26, 2026 10:56
    Sayaka Sato's usually a bust whenever I'm watching
    48AnonymousSep 26, 2026 11:03
    Yada was the only one wearing a neck flap on her cap (a cloth sunshade attached to the cap brim)
    52AnonymousSep 26, 2026 11:08
    Say "Yada Mikuni" out loud back-to-back and it sounds like a sumo wrestler's ring name
    53AnonymousSep 26, 2026 11:09
    Hiromi Taniguchi, who fell and finished 8th at the Olympics, is famous,
    but Koichi Morishita, who took silver at the same Games, is kind of overlooked
    55AnonymousSep 26, 2026 11:13
    When it comes to marathon falls, this is the guy
    https://youtu.be/z8PbFRV287c

    He won gold at the World Championships,
    competed with the whole nation's expectations riding on him, and fell
    After the race: "I fell down, lololol"
    The whole country just melted
    56AnonymousSep 26, 2026 11:15
    Re: #55
    Honestly, if not for that, it would've been Taniguchi's
    57AnonymousSep 26, 2026 11:16
    Re: #55
    He was the strongest around at the time
    Truly a shame
    58AnonymousSep 26, 2026 11:23
    Wonder what the timeline where she didn't fall would've looked like
    61AnonymousSep 26, 2026 11:25
    If it were "Mikuri" it would've been like "We Married as a Job!" (the hit drama "Nigehaji," whose heroine is named Mikuri)
    62AnonymousSep 26, 2026 11:26
    Re: #61
    Maybe her husband was a fan of the singer Mikuni Shimokawa
    76AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:15
    Do people in Kumamoto see this and go "Alright, let's do our best!"?

    Background and Discussion Points

    Since only athletes holding Asian nationality are eligible for the Asian Games women’s marathon, the field tends to be thinner than at the Olympics or World Championships. The thread’s comments calling it “low level” or “basically a regional meet” aren’t unreasonable once you factor in that difference in eligibility. On the other hand, the post claiming this was “a marathon with no African runners” is a bit off the mark — it’s not unusual for athletes born in Africa to naturalize in countries like Bahrain or Qatar and compete as their Asian representatives, and that may well apply to the runner involved in this incident. Several posts also framed the famous “I fell down!” line as an Olympic moment, but that’s actually something runner Hiromi Taniguchi said after a race at the 1991 World Championships in Tokyo — not the Olympics. As for who caused the fall, the article states that the runner ahead went down first and Yada was caught up in it; posts claiming Yada caused it instead contradict the article’s account.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “[Asian Games] Women’s marathon: Mikuni Yada takes bronze after falling at 22km! Japan’s first medal in the event in two Games — she overcame the fall to bring courage to her hometown of Kumamoto.”

  • Doubts Raised Over Pachinko’s “Pure Randomness” Claim — 5ch: “If Positive-EV Play Really Worked, Elite Grads Would Be Flooding In”

    Sparked by an exposé on a blog written by someone claiming to be a former pachinko parlor executive, a 5ch thread turned skeptical about pachinko’s “pure randomness” — the official line that payouts are decided purely by mechanical lottery, with no manipulation by the parlors. Posters argued that if positive-EV play could really deliver stable winnings, math-savvy elite university grads would be flooding into the hobby, while others swapped stories of winning big thanks to staff “consideration,” rumors about certain circuit boards being more prone to hits, and payout adjustments via the hall computer. Opinions split over whether remote rigging is real and over past scandals involving rigged circuit boards.

    A former pachinko parlor executive is spilling the beans

    Source: ameblo.jp / Original article here

    7AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:27
    If positive-EV play (playing only in probability-favorable situations) actually let you win consistently, elite university grads would be swarming in, right?
    12AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:29
    Re: #7
    If you're actually smart, you'd know grinding out small wins at pachinko has zero expected value for your life overall.
    14AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:29
    Re: #7
    Elite grads flocking in for a measly ¥5 million a year, lol
    Talk in your sleep — nobody's got time for that.
    61AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:51
    Re: #7
    Back when I was a student they let me win like crazy
    Slots though, not pachinko.
    23AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:34
    The way the nails are cranked shut tells you there's no remote rigging.
    If they could remote-control it, they wouldn't need to — they'd just drop the odds by 10% instead.
    26AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:35
    Re: #23
    That doesn't hold up — there used to be shops where machines ran wide open but hits were still rare, and they stayed empty the whole time.
    27AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:35
    Re: #14
    These days you don't even hit ¥5 million

    It's basically the same as living off a part-time job.
    43AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:43
    Re: #27
    Ever since smart-slot LT machines became the standard, it's been so unstable you'd go bald from the stress.
    28AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:36
    Apparently the cops turn a blind eye to payout adjustment via the hall computer.
    But targeting a specific individual player counts as illegal remote rigging.
    34AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:39
    Re: #28
    Same kind of look-the-other-way as with soaplands (Japan's licensed brothels).
    30AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:36
    Horse racing had jockeys coordinating fixed races over their phones, lol.
    32AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:38
    Re: #30
    Well, horse racing's at least state-run, so it's probably a bit better than private operators
    And the scale's way bigger too.
    33AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:38
    For Eva 15 (an Evangelion-themed pachinko machine), if there's no hot reach within the first 100 spins in the morning, I ditch it.
    That's how I stay ahead overall.
    35AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:39
    Re: #33
    Enough with the crap theory, man.
    41AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:41
    Re: #33
    I get it — within 100 spins, countdown or story reaches miss a lot lol. But when those reaches do hit, you win big.
    36AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:39
    There was a shop running a 4th-gen Type-A machine service set to 6 (the highest payout setting), and I got wiped out for ¥100,000 with zero BIG bonuses. I complained to the shop owner's brother-in-law and he made a call somewhere.
    After that it went on a streak and paid out exactly ¥100,000 before stopping.
    Haven't touched pachislot or pachinko since.
    42AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:42
    Re: #36
    There was a fight between customers over a machine, and staff told me, 'Sorry about that, please play this machine instead!' I won ¥80,000 on the 'Umi' (sea-themed) machine they gave me and haven't been back since.
    39AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:40
    The fact that math-savvy elite grads don't do positive-EV grinding is the answer in itself.
    Anyone pushing the positive-EV strategy is industry-affiliated.
    40AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:41
    Re: #39
    That's because a regular job has better expected value.
    52AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:47
    Re: #39
    It builds no useful experience, it's grueling, and you barely make money.
    Factor in life's overall expected value and no smart person would normally do it.
    46AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:44
    Years ago some street magician showed up at a hall during business hours and hit on the very first spin — that's when I knew for sure. "Ah, so they really can do anything."
    54AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:49
    Re: #46
    That's a trick aimed at people who don't know about segment displays or reach patterns.
    47AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:45
    If it were really true, someone would've leaked hard evidence by now — that's just how these things go.
    The fact that not a single case exists is itself telling — according to Chappy (nickname for ChatGPT).
    50AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:45
    Re: #47
    What about the Yokohama Bonanza case?
    48AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:45
    Seems plausible that some circuit boards are just more prone to hitting than others.
    51AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:46
    Re: #48
    There are actually shop managers who talk about 'winning boards' and 'losing boards,' so…
    53AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:48
    Re: #48
    Apparently 'superior boards' genuinely do exist.
    There was even that demo-board mix-up scandal before.
    https://note.com/shiny_echium517/n/n2d1d95cc348d?sub_rt=share_pw
    55AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:49
    Re: #48
    No matter how programmed it is, the board and power supply are still analog components.
    Wouldn't be strange at all if some machines, or some spots in the hall, were just more prone to hitting.
    56AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:49
    If it actually got you to ¥5 million a year, I could see pachinko-obsessed elite grads doing it.
    Not like everyone lands a job at a big company anyway.
    65AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:53
    Re: #56
    Factor in the hours it eats up and the lack of any future prospects, and it has no expected value.
    63AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:52
    They bring in a celebrity host and it's still 1k-13 (only 13 balls per 1,000 yen) — that's pachinko for you.
    67AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:54
    Re: #63
    Cracked up when a host got a terrible draw number and the shop straight up told them to stop playing pachinko, lol.
    64AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:53
    The fact that it's written you can't win big money through expected value alone is the answer.
    If you could actually win ¥5 million, plenty of 'elite' types who flunked their entrance exams would show up too.
    66AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:54
    Re: #64
    If you flunked the entrance exam, that makes you low-education, doesn't it?
    71AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:56
    Re: #66
    Whether someone's 'elite-educated' is subjective anyway.
    74AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:58
    Re: #71
    Educational background is objective, though.

    Flunk the exam and you're a smart person with a low-tier education.
    79AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:59
    Re: #74
    To someone who only finished middle school, a high school diploma might look 'elite.' To a Todai (University of Tokyo) grad, even MARCHO (a tier of top private universities) might look low-tier.
    80AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:00
    Re: #79
    That's still objective though.
    98AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:15
    Re: #79
    Guess it's 'MARCHO' now instead of 'MARCH.'
    When did that change?

    Background and Key Points of This Debate

    Pachinko payouts operate on the premise that machines run according to models certified by the Public Safety Commission, while hall computers (“horukon”) handle day-to-day “setting” changes and manage the overall balance of payouts. This itself is openly practiced within the industry. But “remote rigging” — externally rewriting lottery results to target a specific customer — is a separate matter entirely and violates the Entertainment Business Law, a distinction that’s easy for readers to miss since the thread often conflates the two. Past cases of demo-board mix-ups and rigged circuit boards being uncovered have kept these rumors persistent. The thread split over whether positive-EV play (choosing to play only in probability-favorable conditions) really works: some argued that if it did, math-capable elite grads would flock to it as a wealth-building strategy, while others countered that with earnings capped at roughly ¥5 million a year, the time commitment and risk make it unappealing regardless of educational background.

    ※This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Livegalileo) thread “Surely nobody in this day and age still believes in pachinko’s ‘pure randomness,’ right? (lol)“