Japan Reacts

Author: Japan Reacts Editorial

  • New BanG Dream! Game Tops 1 Million Pre-Registrations, but Launch Flops: #8 in Downloads, #39 in Sales

    A new BanG Dream! smartphone game launched service on September 25, and despite touting more than 1 million pre-registrations, it stumbled out of the gate — sparking discussion on 5channel’s Love Live! board. It only managed #8 on the App Store free ranking and #39 on the sales (revenue) ranking, failing to beat “Touken Ranbu Puzzle de Giri,” which launched the same day. On the thread, some defended the game, arguing the server errors and maintenance right after launch were simply what dragged the numbers down, while others took a harsher view: that an IP only propped up by popularity in China just doesn’t work in Japan. Complaints also flared up over the gap between the free and paid gacha-stone exchange rates.

    1AnonymousSep 25, 2026 10:28
    Sales ranking looks straight-up pathetic
    2AnonymousSep 25, 2026 10:30
    Service launched last night, and it was barely connectable — of course it's gonna look like that
    3AnonymousSep 25, 2026 10:30
    Yeah, but even so…
    Hololive's game (fans call it "Horodori," playing off "BanDori") did way better
    47AnonymousSep 25, 2026 17:57
    BanDori had CyberAgent involved, so they were doing self-purchasing (buying up their own gacha to prop up the ranking)
    Do the same thing without self-purchasing and the sales ranking just won't climb
    Re: #3 Horodori has CyberAgent involved too, that's why its sales ranking is high
    Pretty obvious once you see it, right?
    4AnonymousSep 25, 2026 10:55
    If Horodori also launched at night, sure, but if it didn't, comparing the two is meaningless
    5AnonymousSep 25, 2026 10:59
    The fate of an IP that mistook a fleeting internet meme for real popularity
    7AnonymousSep 25, 2026 11:01
    It's an IP that got propped back up by popularity in China, so this is about what you'd expect in Japan
    10AnonymousSep 25, 2026 11:36
    Everything about it runs heavy no matter what you do, kills all motivation to play
    11AnonymousSep 25, 2026 11:40
    Re: #1
    Launched at 8pm yesterday, then it was an error-fest until about 3am today, followed by maintenance until about 5am
    How exactly is the sales ranking supposed to grow in that situation?
    12AnonymousSep 25, 2026 11:45
    Yesterday they ran a livestream around the same time as what people mockingly call "Ikizura-Live" (a jab at Love Live!, punning on "a Live that's hard to live through"), but the concurrent viewer count was pathetic
    I already had a feeling this thing might flop
    13AnonymousSep 25, 2026 11:49
    Those fans deify "MyMujica" (the MyGO!!!!! x Ave Mujica fandom) way too much
    14AnonymousSep 25, 2026 11:52
    Surely it won't rack up a massive 30-billion-yen loss though
    15AnonymousSep 25, 2026 12:14
    Huh? It's already broken 1 million pre-registrations, you know?
    That means a million people are gonna spend money
    Scared?
    20AnonymousSep 25, 2026 12:23
    Re: #15
    Even worse than the sales ranking is that with that many pre-registrations, it's currently sitting at #8 on the App Store free download ranking
    For a mobile game with even a bit of name recognition, taking #1 should be automatic — but it's not even #2. In fact, the current #1 is "Touken Ranbu Puzzle de Giri," from Our Notes, which launched the same day
    19AnonymousSep 25, 2026 12:19
    They killed off School Idol Festival for this sorry showing?
    23AnonymousSep 25, 2026 12:48
    Re: #19
    Wasn't it a first-anniversary celebration immediately followed by the shutdown announcement?
    Bushiroad really is the worst
    28AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:00
    Re: #23
    School Idol Festival 2 died before even reaching its first anniversary (funeral held 3/31), and "School Idol Festival Day" — which they specifically created for April 15, the release date shared by both games — was never once properly celebrated before it vanished
    86AnonymousSep 26, 2026 07:32
    Re: #23
    It hadn't even been a year, you know…
    22AnonymousSep 25, 2026 12:46
    Honestly, "Maigo" (MyGO!!!!!, punning on "lost child") is the only thing that ever caught on — everything else is trash
    26AnonymousSep 25, 2026 12:53
    Re: #22
    The MyGO compilation movie two years ago was so empty it dropped out of the top 25 by its third day (a Sunday) — even back then I found the whole "MyGO was a hit" narrative dubious
    They've got a new Ave Mujica movie coming next month, and it'll almost certainly be just as empty
    41AnonymousSep 25, 2026 17:01
    The pickup banners are only for Maigo (MyGO!!!!!) and Mujica characters too
    Isn't giving every character an SSR right at launch just standard practice? (boomerang straight back at School Idol Festival ALL STARS lol)
    43AnonymousSep 25, 2026 17:14
    Re: #41
    Don't trash-talk Link! Like! Love Live! — it gave every character an SSR and still turned Megu-chan-senpai into garbage
    49AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:29
    They're repeating the same mistake as keeping School Idol Festival ALL STARS alive while also putting out School Idol Festival 2
    50AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:34
    Re: #49
    Ah, that's what you meant…
    62AnonymousSep 25, 2026 21:59
    Poor Ui-sama, getting talked about this badly
    68AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:13
    Honestly, when it comes to relying on China, Girls Band Cry has it worse than BanDori
    70AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:29
    The new band's popular, huh
    71AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:39
    #39, huh

    ＼(^o^)／ (throwing its hands up)
    74AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:58
    Re: #71
    They handed out SSR selector tickets and stuff, so the real sales are still to come
    81AnonymousSep 26, 2026 01:03
    Re: #74
    Too late already
    With an opening like this, people get spooked about a shutdown and go cold on spending
    72AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:56
    Yomogi x Saki are so cute, I'm telling you, Yomogi x Saki












    73AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:58
    After all that trash-talking, this is the disgraceful result lol
    Why are they even storming into the Love Live! board in the first place
    85AnonymousSep 26, 2026 04:14
    Re: #73
    Because affiliate-blog leeches and conflict-baiters have taken up residence here
    82AnonymousSep 26, 2026 01:50

    Free stones… one gacha pull costs "200P"
    Paid stones… one gacha pull costs "2000P"

    Background and key points of this topic

    Sales rankings (revenue rankings) swing heavily based on first-day spending, so a string of server outages and maintenance right after launch tends to produce unflattering numbers. Pre-registration counts, on the other hand, are just a free sign-up metric — they don’t guarantee actual spending or long-term retention. Opinions on the thread split between “this is an IP only being kept alive by its popularity in China” and “it’s just being unfairly judged because of the glitches,” but it’s worth remembering both are personal takes, not official analysis. There’s also history here: School Idol Festival 2 ended service before even reaching its first anniversary, which has made people quick to eye a new title from the same operator with suspicion at launch. Since rankings can still shift over the following days or weeks, judging the game purely on its opening numbers may be premature.

    ※This article is compiled as an excerpt and summary from the 5channel (Love Live!) thread “New BanDori App — Is This an Epic Flop?“.

  • Fuji TV President Shimizu Feels Sports Broadcasts Like Japan’s World Cup Matches Are Paying Off: “The Buzz Really Helped Us”

    Fuji TV President Kenji Shimizu, speaking at the network’s press conference on the 25th, pointed to the strong performance of sports broadcasts — including Japan’s national football team matches — saying “the buzz around sports content really helped us.” The Round of 16 World Cup match between Japan and Brazil, aired on June 30, reportedly pulled an average household rating of 15.9% in the Kanto region despite a 2 a.m. kickoff. The comment sparked debate on 5channel: some praised the strong ratings for such a late-night slot, while many others questioned the broadcast’s production quality and Fuji’s broader strategy of leaning on sports and anime to prop up its struggling variety and drama lineup.

    Fuji TV President Kenji Shimizu held a press conference at the network’s Tokyo headquarters on the 25th.

    During the conference, he touched on the strong performance of the network’s live sports broadcasts, saying “the buzz around sports content really helped us.”

    Fuji TV broadcast the World Cup in North and Central America live, and the Round of 16 match between Japan and Brazil (2 a.m. kickoff), aired June 30, recorded an average household rating of 15.9% (Kanto region). President Shimizu remarked, “We pulled off a high rating despite it airing in the dead of night.”

    Source: nikkansports.com / Original article here

    3AnonymousSep 26, 2026 07:49
    4AnonymousSep 26, 2026 07:49
    This president gives off such a strong "clean-up guy" image (a nickname mashing up 尻拭い/"mopping up messes" with his first name Kenji) that it kind of rubs me the wrong way.
    6AnonymousSep 26, 2026 07:49
    Broadcast every single Tigers game nationwide already.
    7AnonymousSep 26, 2026 07:50
    Even 'Bayside Shakedown' (Odoru Daisousasen, Fuji's flagship drama franchise) lost out to Chiikawa lol
    35AnonymousSep 26, 2026 08:15
    Re: #7
    Chiikawa airs on Fuji too, you know.
    8AnonymousSep 26, 2026 07:50
    At this point I guess we should just be grateful they broadcast it at all…
    though the coverage itself is terrible quality.
    9AnonymousSep 26, 2026 07:51
    As long as there's no screaming commentary or reading off cue cards, I don't care which network airs it.
    10AnonymousSep 26, 2026 07:53
    Just try airing a live Yakult game in prime time and see how that goes.
    12AnonymousSep 26, 2026 07:55
    Screaming commentary like the M-League (pro mahjong league) broadcasts and I completely lose interest lol
    14AnonymousSep 26, 2026 07:56
    What's the deal with not even showing the lineup on the data broadcast?
    For a soccer match, the lineup should be a given — I want the tournament overview, which stadium it's at, and who's doing commentary included by default too.
    15AnonymousSep 26, 2026 07:59
    Baseball doesn't pull big numbers even when they force-feed it to us morning, noon, and night — they should just stop covering it.
    18AnonymousSep 26, 2026 08:02
    Fuji TV is riddled with Johnny's harassment scandal issues and hasn't shown an ounce of remorse, so I barely watch it anymore.
    About the only thing I watch is Tsutsumin's Live News α.

    By the way, I also barely watched TBS's Asian Games coverage since they used Ninomiya.
    19AnonymousSep 26, 2026 08:03
    The soccer broadcast got absolutely trashed though.
    20AnonymousSep 26, 2026 08:03
    Sports broadcasts are the thing Fuji is worst at lol
    23AnonymousSep 26, 2026 08:08
    Correct!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    Soccer was absolutely the right call!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    26AnonymousSep 26, 2026 08:11
    If they'd just stop the Ohtani overkill (fans' term for the network's nonstop, oversaturated Ohtani coverage), sponsors would come back

    and TV would get popular again too

    The Ohtani overkill has already turned tons of Japanese people off watching TV entirely.
    85AnonymousSep 26, 2026 09:21
    Re: #26
    That's talking about the Johnny's harassment scandal, which is many times worse than the "Ohtani overkill."
    27AnonymousSep 26, 2026 08:11
    The recent episode of 'Tabi Fukuyama' (Fuji TV) lost the ratings battle to 'World Business Satellite' (TV Tokyo) airing in the same slot.
    29AnonymousSep 26, 2026 08:12
    The anime president has arriveddddd ｷﾀ━━━━(ﾟ∀ﾟ)━━━━!!
    32AnonymousSep 26, 2026 08:14
    They're back to churning out nothing but crappy anime.
    I don't mind that the dramas suck,
    but Fuji TV needs to stay out of anime.
    33AnonymousSep 26, 2026 08:14
    Speaking of Fuji, it's the volleyball broadcasts with Johnny's talents dancing around.
    38AnonymousSep 26, 2026 08:16
    Re: #33
    Isn't it IKKO doing the dancing these days?
    Or maybe President Takata.
    34AnonymousSep 26, 2026 08:14
    So the one achievement since Shimizu took over
    is Chiikawa becoming a huge hit?
    37AnonymousSep 26, 2026 08:16
    Baseball (Giants vs. Yakult) only pulled 2.2%.
    Garbage numbers, lower than the J-League.
    41AnonymousSep 26, 2026 08:18
    Re: #37
    Note: no source given.
    40AnonymousSep 26, 2026 08:17
    Credit to Fuji for realizing that.
    We don't need pointless variety shows.
    There's real sports worth broadcasting, like Naoya Inoue's fights or curling.
    45AnonymousSep 26, 2026 08:25
    Re: #40
    There's no way they could air Inoue at this point. It's the sports content everyone wants most, but it's absolutely impossible to land — after all, the current pound-for-pound #1 boxer is Japanese.
    80AnonymousSep 26, 2026 09:05
    Do they not have the ability to create their own content anymore?
    82AnonymousSep 26, 2026 09:07
    Re: #80
    Chiikawa —
    content built on "harassment gags" that keeps sparking backlash.
    86AnonymousSep 26, 2026 09:22
    This guy never talks about variety shows at all.
    He really must be on the chopping block.

    Background and Talking Points on This Topic

    This Round of 16 match was part of the 2026 World Cup held in North and Central America. Because of the time difference, the Japan vs. Brazil match kicked off at 2 a.m. Japan time — a brutal slot for viewership. Even so, pulling an average household rating of 15.9% in the Kanto region is unusually high for a broadcast that late at night. Fuji TV has spent the past several years watching sponsors pull out one after another over scandals involving its star talent, while ratings for its once-flagship variety shows and dramas have kept slumping. President Shimizu’s comments hint at a strategy of leaning on sports broadcasts — one of the few areas that reliably draws numbers — as a foothold against those headwinds. Reactions in the thread were split: some praised the World Cup ratings themselves, while others criticized the production quality (like camera switching) and pointed to the network’s reliance on the anime “Chiikawa” as its flagship content as a sign of weak management. The coexistence of strong numbers with frustration over on-the-ground production quality is what characterizes this thread.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5channel (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “[TV] Fuji TV President Shimizu Feels Sports Broadcasts Like Japan’s National Team Matches Are Paying Off: “The Buzz Really Helped Us”.”

  • ahamo’s First-Ever Price Hike: ‘Extra Large’ Option Scrapped for a 3-Tier Plan — 5ch Asks ‘Do People Really Use 30GB?’

    NTT Docomo announced on September 25 that it will raise prices for its online-only “ahamo” plan starting December 1. This marks the first price increase since the service launched in March 2021. The “Extra Large” option, which previously let users add up to 110GB total to the base 30GB plan for an extra 4,950 yen a month, will be discontinued and replaced with a new three-tier structure: 40GB, over 40GB up to 60GB, and 120GB. The base plan will get a 10GB capacity boost along with a 165 yen price increase, bringing it to 3,135 yen. On 5ch, reactions mixed confused complaints (some assumed exceeding 40GB would automatically bump them to a pricier plan) with debate over whether people actually use 30-40GB a month, plus comparisons to rivals like Rakuten Mobile and povo.

    NTT Docomo announced on September 25 that it will raise prices for its online-only “ahamo” plan starting December 1. The 30GB plan will get a 10GB capacity increase along with a 165 yen price hike, bringing it to 3,135 yen. This is ahamo’s first price increase since the service launched in March 2021.

    Previously, the standalone ahamo plan (30GB) cost 2,970 yen, and with the “Extra Large” option included (110GB) it cost 4,950 yen. Under the new pricing, the Extra Large option will be discontinued. Both tiers get a 10GB capacity boost and a 165 yen price increase, becoming 3,135 yen (40GB) and 5,115 yen (120GB).

    Additionally, a new middle tier — “over 40GB up to 60GB” (4,125 yen) — will be added between the 40GB and 120GB tiers, creating a three-tier structure. Pricing will be determined by actual data usage, and this will apply to existing subscribers as well.

    Source: itmedia.co.jp / Original article here

    8AnonymousSep 26, 2026 07:42
    Going over 40GB automatically bumps you to the 60GB plan for 4,125 yen — that's brutal.
    Used to be that going over 30GB just meant slower speeds.
    67AnonymousSep 26, 2026 07:57
    Re: #8
    There's this thing called the 'data cap option' —
    does that mean you actually get cut off once you hit the cap?
    128AnonymousSep 26, 2026 08:08
    Re: #8
    Re: #67
    Any customer with an active ahamo contract as of Sunday, November 1, 2026, will automatically have a 'data cap option' set starting Tuesday, December 1, 2026, which caps usable data at 40GB.
    10AnonymousSep 26, 2026 07:43
    Is raising prices going to fix the 'can't get a signal' problem?
    100AnonymousSep 26, 2026 08:02
    Re: #10
    Nope, it won't fix a thing.
    108AnonymousSep 26, 2026 08:05
    Re: #10
    Exactly this. Doesn't connect at all underground or at big stations. The moment my kid canceled their kids' phone, that was it for us.
    13AnonymousSep 26, 2026 07:44
    Do people really use 30GB a month?
    48AnonymousSep 26, 2026 07:52
    People who blow through 50GB on their phone — do they not have Wi-Fi at home?
    79AnonymousSep 26, 2026 07:59
    Re: #13
    Watching video ads and stuff, easy, no problem.
    153AnonymousSep 26, 2026 08:14
    Re: #13
    You really don't need it.
    I'm on some cheap SIM's unlimited-entertainment option, 3GB a month (6GB with rollover), for under 2,000 yen.
    If you don't have Wi-Fi at home it might be necessary though.
    195AnonymousSep 26, 2026 08:24
    Re: #13
    I use 100GB a month.
    Re: #48
    Home Wi-Fi isn't free either, you know.
    17AnonymousSep 26, 2026 07:46
    Isn't a price hike without users' consent a breach of contract?
    29AnonymousSep 26, 2026 07:48
    Re: #17
    Got hit with that on my Credit Saison American Express card's 'annual fee free forever' deal.
    I don't even have an actual Amex — I had a Seiyu card with a lifetime-free annual fee, but it expired ages ago so I already cut it up with scissors and tossed it.
    43AnonymousSep 26, 2026 07:51
    Re: #17
    Rate plan price changes have never required user consent — that's been the case forever.
    23AnonymousSep 26, 2026 07:47
    Me over here
    paying
    500 yen
    a month
    83AnonymousSep 26, 2026 08:00
    Just switch to mineo or IIJmio.
    88AnonymousSep 26, 2026 08:00
    Re: #83
    Aren't those basically unusable during the daytime though?
    90AnonymousSep 26, 2026 08:01
    Re: #88
    Are you streaming video or something?
    213AnonymousSep 26, 2026 08:29
    Re: #23
    That's also a price hike with no change in content.
    This is probably the first time a legacy plan that's no longer available for new contracts has gotten a price increase.
    Re: #88
    I figured povo would be faster at midday, but it wasn't really any different. Used it a little for updates in the hundreds-of-megabytes range.
    31AnonymousSep 26, 2026 07:48
    Me over here
    on J:COM Mobile
    paying 1,100 yen
    a month
    36AnonymousSep 26, 2026 07:50
    Re: #31
    If you can put up with the slow speed, that's fine I guess.
    40AnonymousSep 26, 2026 07:50
    Re: #31
    Wasn't that thing riddled with problems just the other day?
    45AnonymousSep 26, 2026 07:51
    How do you even use 40GB?
    I get it if you're some idiot playing games while walking around, but still.
    49AnonymousSep 26, 2026 07:52
    Re: #45
    Even gaming doesn't use that much.
    Probably watching YouTube in high quality, right?
    55AnonymousSep 26, 2026 07:54
    Re: #45
    A lot of young people run their entire internet life off their phone without using Wi-Fi even at home.
    118AnonymousSep 26, 2026 08:07
    Re: #45
    Two years ago I tried leaving 5channel ads playing nonstop for a month as a test — data usage came out to over 60GB.
    47AnonymousSep 26, 2026 07:51
    They're riding the wave of general price hikes and making it look incidental, but was this price increase even necessary?
    60AnonymousSep 26, 2026 07:55
    Re: #47
    Same thing happened with the ice cream industry getting busted for cartel behavior, huh.
    126AnonymousSep 26, 2026 08:08
    Re: #47
    They just want money.
    50AnonymousSep 26, 2026 07:52
    I use about 80GB a month, roughly.
    92AnonymousSep 26, 2026 08:01
    Re: #50
    I win.
    52AnonymousSep 26, 2026 07:53
    Rakuten wins hands down — 100TB for 3,000 yen.
    74AnonymousSep 26, 2026 07:58
    Re: #52
    I think so too, but I wonder if you can actually keep your phone bill cheap if you skip video streaming.
    76AnonymousSep 26, 2026 07:58
    Re: #52
    For home use, Rakuten really is unbeatable.
    Speeds hold up reasonably well anywhere it has coverage, too.
    228AnonymousSep 26, 2026 08:32
    Re: #52
    100TB is roughly what you'd use streaming 4K video 24 hours a day for a month straight.
    That would drastically shorten the lifespan of your PC, monitor, and so on, so total cost actually goes up.
    Electricity alone would run maybe 6,000 yen — for that kind of use, fiber is the only sensible choice.
    155AnonymousSep 26, 2026 08:14
    Guess a povo price hike is coming next.
    159AnonymousSep 26, 2026 08:15
    Re: #155
    Feels like they might finally start charging a base fee soon.
    170AnonymousSep 26, 2026 08:17
    Re: #159
    I doubt it.
    Do that and everyone would vanish overnight.
    201AnonymousSep 26, 2026 08:26
    Re: #170
    They already send a service-suspension notice if you go 180+ days without paying for a topping.
    So running it effectively free with no ongoing payment isn't really sustainable long-term.
    All they'd need to do is shorten that to 30+ days or add a spending requirement, and the problem's solved.
    162AnonymousSep 26, 2026 08:16
    For someone like me who does delivery work while watching YouTube in the car, this is actually a pretty decent plan.
    205AnonymousSep 26, 2026 08:26
    Re: #162
    For that kind of use, Rakuten is unbeatable.
    214AnonymousSep 26, 2026 08:29
    Re: #162
    You know there was a guy who caused an accident watching cooking videos on YouTube while driving, right?

    Background and Key Points of the Discussion

    ahamo launched in March 2021 as NTT Docomo’s online-only plan, introduced in response to government pressure to lower mobile phone rates, and this marks its first price increase since launch. On the thread, worries that “going over 40GB automatically bumps you to the pricier 4,125 yen 60GB plan” stood out, but as the explanation quoted in post 128 shows, existing subscribers will simply have a “data cap option” automatically applied from December 1 — exceeding 40GB only triggers a speed throttle, not an automatic upgrade to a more expensive tier. In other words, the “sneaky price hike” many feared is unlikely to actually happen — a nuance that got lost in the flow of the thread. The main split in opinion came down to whether people actually use 30-40GB a month: video-heavy users and those without home Wi-Fi saw it as reasonable, while light users questioned whether the price hike was even necessary. There were also plenty of comparisons to rivals like Rakuten Mobile, povo, and mineo, reflecting broader awareness of pricing pressure across the budget carrier market.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Breaking News Plus) thread “[Telecom] ahamo’s First Price Hike: ‘Extra Large’ Option Scrapped, New 3-Tier 40GB/60GB/120GB Structure.”

  • Tokyo Hits 30 Straight Days of Rain — 5ch: “Just 3 Days from the All-Time Record”

    Tokyo’s rain has kept falling, and 5ch lit up over reports that the city is just 3 days from breaking the all-time record of 33 consecutive rainy days. The record, reportedly flagged by a weather forecaster on X, stirred memories of the 3-week rainy streak back in 2017 and worries about crop damage and rising rice prices from the lack of sunlight. At the same time, some posters cast doubt on the images being shared, asking “wasn’t it sunny some of those days?” and “isn’t this AI-generated?” The thread veered from a Kansai-vs-Kanto rivalry into a full-blown tangent about the cost of living, with users asking “why does anyone even live in Tokyo?” given how poor the value for money is — turning a simple weather story into a much bigger discussion.

    Apparently just 3 days away from the all-time record of 33 straight days of rain

    Source: imgur.com / Original post here

    4AnonymousSep 26, 2026 07:28
    Summer 2017 had like 3 straight weeks of rain too, right?
    I remember it vividly.
    10AnonymousSep 26, 2026 07:29
    Crop prices are about to go up because of this.
    12AnonymousSep 26, 2026 07:29
    Kansai had it rough with the heat, so Kanto's gotta have its own thing to suffer through too.
    34AnonymousSep 26, 2026 07:39
    Re: #12
    Ugh, here we go again — "Kansai had it bad so Kanto should too"?
    14AnonymousSep 26, 2026 07:30
    The rain probability's just casually been sitting at 95% straight, lol
    16AnonymousSep 26, 2026 07:30
    Send some our way here in Fukuoka too.
    64AnonymousSep 26, 2026 07:51
    Re: #16
    Fukuoka City barely gets rain even by Kyushu standards.
    26AnonymousSep 26, 2026 07:34
    Tuesday was sunny though — did it rain overnight?
    36AnonymousSep 26, 2026 07:40
    Re: #26
    https://x.com/makotokawazu/status/2103494359329202232?s=46

    A weather forecaster is also saying it's a 30-day rain streak record, so it must've rained somewhere at some point.
    41AnonymousSep 26, 2026 07:42
    Re: #36
    Wait, is it seriously a consecutive-days record?
    44AnonymousSep 26, 2026 07:43
    Re: #36
    Moonlighting as both a weather forecaster and a comedian? Sounds rough, in more ways than one.
    29AnonymousSep 26, 2026 07:35
    h
    75AnonymousSep 26, 2026 08:00
    Re: #29
    Isn't this AI-generated?
    30AnonymousSep 26, 2026 07:36
    Just saying,
    Tokyo/Kanto gets rain literally every day except early May and winter.

    I only notice because I moved here from Kansai —
    people who've always lived here probably have no idea.
    32AnonymousSep 26, 2026 07:37
    Re: #30
    It's not THAT bad
    Nobody's buying that.
    39AnonymousSep 26, 2026 07:41
    It's a lot of rain, sure, but it's not consecutive

    46AnonymousSep 26, 2026 07:43
    It's literally sunny right there 💢
    49AnonymousSep 26, 2026 07:44
    https://imgur.com/a/zv60t0J

    This is insane, lol
    50AnonymousSep 26, 2026 07:45
    Re: #49
    Is this London now?
    52AnonymousSep 26, 2026 07:45
    Re: #49
    A record unseen since the Edo period, lmao
    58AnonymousSep 26, 2026 07:49
    Re: #49
    21 straight days of rain — even the rainy season doesn't usually pull that off.
    54AnonymousSep 26, 2026 07:47
    Isn't rice and stuff about to get really expensive from this?
    Sounds like a bad harvest.
    92AnonymousSep 26, 2026 08:14
    Re: #54
    Wholesalers: "Cha-ching."
    70AnonymousSep 26, 2026 07:57
    Isn't there a chance this even includes the Izu and Ogasawara Islands, not just the Tama area?
    76AnonymousSep 26, 2026 08:01
    Re: #70
    It's from the Tokyo observation station in Kitanomaru Park, Chiyoda Ward.
    71AnonymousSep 26, 2026 07:59
    What about Chiba and Kanagawa?
    Or does nobody care enough to even check?
    83AnonymousSep 26, 2026 08:09
    Re: #71
    Kanagawa's got Hakone, so with localized sudden downpours factored in, it's probably got an insane streak of its own.
    77AnonymousSep 26, 2026 08:03
    It was sunny and hot like two days ago — why's that counted as a rain day?
    78AnonymousSep 26, 2026 08:04
    Re: #77
    It was drizzling where I am.
    85AnonymousSep 26, 2026 08:09
    At least the rain's cutting down on the sweaty-smelling guys, that's a plus.
    87AnonymousSep 26, 2026 08:10
    Re: #85
    Instead you get a boom in musty-damp-laundry-smell guys.
    91AnonymousSep 26, 2026 08:13
    Sorry but
    why does everyone even live in Tokyo?
    There's no upside, and the cost-to-value ratio is terrible.
    94AnonymousSep 26, 2026 08:16
    Re: #91
    Forget the "cost" part, the "performance" part is the best in Japan
    It's a big city with everything, so it's convenient.
    96AnonymousSep 26, 2026 08:18
    Re: #94
    Good "performance" alone doesn't cut it
    Fukuoka, Sapporo, Hiroshima, Sendai — those are the places with real cost-performance
    If you're pulling in around 10 million yen a year, a regional city works just fine, no?
    102AnonymousSep 26, 2026 08:21
    Re: #94
    You mean the lowest in Japan, right? Wrecking your whole life just to pay rent.

    Background and Key Points of This Story

    The consecutive-rainy-days record isn’t an official Japan Meteorological Agency announcement — within the thread, the basis cited was a personal post on X by a weather forecaster. The observation point appears to be the AMeDAS station in Kitanomaru Park, Chiyoda Ward, so it’s easy to overlook that this isn’t describing “all of Tokyo,” including areas like Tama or the Izu Islands. Also, “consecutive rain days” is a statistical definition where even a brief shower counts as a full rainy day, which can differ from the gut feeling of “pouring down every single day.” The thread saw doubts raised about whether the record is even real (is the image AI-generated? were some of those days actually sunny?), worries about crop damage and rice prices from the lack of sunshine, and it even veered off into a cost-of-living debate over “why live in expensive, low-value Tokyo at all” — pushing the discussion well beyond the weather record itself and into a debate about urban living.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Nandemo Jikkyo G) thread “[Sad News] Tokyo Achieves 30-Day Consecutive Rain Record wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww”.

  • Palworld’s ‘Big 4 GOTY Nomination’ Turns Out to Be Just a Category Award

    On 5ch’s Hardware/Industry (Geha) board, a thread went up claiming ‘Palworld has been nominated for one of the Big 4 GOTY awards.’ In reality, though, what it was nominated for wasn’t a main GOTY prize at all — it was the Golden Joystick Awards’ ‘Still Playing – PC & Console’ category, alongside long-running favorites like Apex Legends, Fortnite, and Minecraft. The thread kicked off when posters mixed up this category award with the actual ‘Ultimate Game of the Year’ prize (to be announced October 26), and it spiraled into a full-blown debate over how to count GOTY wins — including the saga of how Breath of the Wild missed BAFTA’s top prize and got stuck at ‘Big 4,’ and how Elden Ring and Baldur’s Gate 3 are said to have swept all five major awards.

    1AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:58
    This is seriously wild
    3AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:00
    If it actually wins GOTY with this, it's officially surpassed Pokémon lol
    101AnonymousSep 26, 2026 08:25
    Re: #3
    It's not even nominated in the PC Games category, and you're calling it GOTY? lol
    5AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:02
    Golden Joystick is user-voted, so it might seriously take GOTY.
    The pride of Japan right here.
    12AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:07
    Re: #5
    User-voted!?
    Isn't that basically Sony's home turf!?
    13AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:07
    It used to be the 'Big 3 GOTY' you know.
    And now it's the 'Big 5 GOTY.'

    You're on the Geha board, so at least remember that much,
    Pal-copy-World fanboy. (a jab combining 'Palworld' with パクる, 'to rip off')
    16AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:12
    Re: #13
    Real talk, the BAFTA award — the one Breath of the Wild missed — tends to get left out of the count.
    15AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:12
    Uh, does this award even mean anything?
    18AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:13
    Re: #15
    There's no such thing as a meaningless award.
    17AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:13
    Bucky | Palworld
    @Bucky_cm
    Somehow… according to Steam250, Palworld is the highest-rated game on Steam this year!
    Saying the response to 1.0 was overwhelming would be an understatement.
    Thanks to all the fans!
    It's really been a wild ride these past few years.
    Seriously… thank you! 🥹
    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HS_DKWEagAAi6k-.jpg
    https://x.com/Bucky_cm/status/2103114141150187635
    22AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:22
    Re: #16
    Real talk, Super Mario Galaxy actually won one.
    The Japan Game Awards are way more forgettable than that.
    53AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:44
    Re: #22
    Real talk, when it comes to GOTY it's TGA, and then everything else.
    The rest are all basically the same level.
    73AnonymousSep 26, 2026 05:52
    Re: #53
    If it's counting every country, of course English search terms are going to come out on top.
    24AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:24
    Wait, isn't GOTY the name of a single award?
    29AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:30
    Re: #24
    There are over 100 of them.
    And whenever a Sony game wins, the count somehow jumps by about 20% more than usual.
    37AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:33
    Re: #24
    It's just a bunch of different media outlets each picking their own game of the year.
    32AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:30
    I thought, isn't it way too early for the list to already be out? But then I realized Palworld's nomination isn't for GOTY at all — it's 'Still Playing – PC & Console,' basically the 'Still Being Played After All This Time' award.
    Category awards don't matter even when TGA is the one handing them out.

    The nominees in this category are:

    Apex Legends
    Fortnite
    GTA Online
    HELLDIVERS 2
    HITMAN World of Assassination
    Minecraft
    No Man's Sky
    Palworld
    The Elder Scrolls Online
    Warframe
    World of Warcraft
    Call of Duty: Warzone
    49AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:39
    Re: #32
    Doesn't really matter, but the company it's keeping is impressive.
    57AnonymousSep 26, 2026 01:02
    Re: #32
    With this lineup, Palworld's a lock.
    33AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:30
    Um, has Pokémon ever even been nominated for one of the Big 4 GOTY awards? 😃
    65AnonymousSep 26, 2026 03:39
    Re: #33
    Seems like you're mixed up — this is just a nomination for the 'Still Playing' category award.
    Pokémon gets nominated for category awards all the time too.
    35AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:32
    Re: #22
    That's not what I meant.
    Breath of the Wild stalled at 'Big 4' because it missed that award, while Elden Ring won it and swept all 5.
    Back in the day it feels like the picks were more distinctive.
    51AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:42
    Re: #35
    The 'Big 4 GOTY' phrase started getting thrown around back in the Breath of the Wild days, right?
    It's completely stuck since then.
    And whenever people hype up a Sony game, suddenly it's 'most GOTY wins ever.'
    54AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:46
    Re: #35
    Elden Ring never actually won 'BAFTA Games Awards – Best Game' (BAFTA's top prize).
    The only two games to sweep the top award at all 5 major industry awards are Baldur's Gate 3 and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

    https://store.steampowered.com/steamawards/2025?l=japanese
    And per that, Expedition 33 missed out on 'Steam Awards 2025 – Game of the Year,' so it didn't actually get all 5. BG3 didn't miss that one either — it swept everything.
    40AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:35
    Wait, is Palworld even a live-service game?
    I remember it selling for around 4000 yen (~$27).
    48AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:38
    Re: #40
    No microtransactions, no paid DLC either.
    They'd probably rake in a fortune if they just sold cosmetic skins or something.
    52AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:43
    The Golden Joystick Awards' top prize, Ultimate Game of the Year, won't have its nominees announced until October 26.
    What was announced this time were the nominees for everything other than the top prize.

    For what it's worth, the Console Game of the Year nominees have been announced:
    Resident Evil Requiem, Pragmata, Bokoa (nickname, exact title unclear), 007 (First Light), Forza 7, Fire Emblem: Bansei Senkou (nickname, exact title unclear), Onimusha, Lego Bandman (nickname, exact title unclear), Saros, Nioh 3
    56AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:54
    Re: #52
    What's 'Forza 7'? That's total 'never actually played it' energy. (エアプ, slang for faking having played a game)
    64AnonymousSep 26, 2026 03:11
    Who even decides what counts as the 'Big 3' or 'Big 4' anyway?
    67AnonymousSep 26, 2026 03:48
    Re: #64
    I decided it!

    Kidding aside, who knows? Maybe it's just historical convention?
    76AnonymousSep 26, 2026 07:09
    Isn't GOTY just some game nobody's ever heard of swarming in out of nowhere and claiming 'most awards ever'?
    81AnonymousSep 26, 2026 07:28
    Re: #76
    Take last year's Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 — it was already getting rave reviews before it swept every GOTY award.
    But I bet to a clueless idiot like you, that was also 'some game nobody's ever heard of,' huh? (豚, lit. 'pig,' a common 5ch insult)

    Background and Key Points of the Discussion

    GOTY isn’t a single award — it’s a system where multiple outlets and organizations, including The Game Awards (TGA), BAFTA, the Golden Joystick Awards, and the Steam Awards, each independently pick their own “Game of the Year.” 5ch posters informally tally how many of these major awards a title has won, using nicknames like “Big 3,” “Big 4,” and “Big 5 GOTY.” Breath of the Wild is said to have stalled at “Big 4” because it missed BAFTA’s top prize, while Elden Ring is credited with sweeping all five major awards. In recent years, Baldur’s Gate 3 and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 are cited as the rare titles to have achieved a full 5-for-5 sweep. The Palworld nomination that sparked this discussion was actually for just one of the Golden Joystick Awards’ many category awards, “Still Playing – PC & Console” — nominees for the actual top prize, “Ultimate Game of the Year,” aren’t due to be announced until October 26. The thread title’s claim of a “Big 4 GOTY nomination” appears to stem from a mix-up between this category award and the main prize.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hardware/Industry, Geha) thread “[Sad News] Palworld Gets Nominated for One of the Big 4 GOTY Awards.”

  • Is the Next Halo a Full Reboot? Report of Scrapped Storyline Sparks Debate

    Overseas outlet twistedvoxel.com reported that the next Halo game could be a full reboot that scraps the existing storyline entirely, sparking discussion on 5ch’s Hardware/Industry (“Geha”) board. Posters were split on the wisdom of ditching past entries — some noted Spider-Man kept its fanbase through a reboot, while Terminator saw mixed reception across its sequels. Frustration centered especially on the Cortana-related story arcs from Halo 4 onward, with many wishing the series had ended at Halo 3 or Reach, while others argued the franchise should just go for a total clean-slate reboot.

    It’s being reported that the next Halo game will be a reboot, with the entire existing storyline set to be discarded.

    Source: twistedvoxel.com / Read the original article here

    2AnonymousSep 26, 2026 01:25
    Eh, who cares?
    It's all gonna tie back together through the lore one way or another anyway.
    3AnonymousSep 26, 2026 01:25
    Just look at Terminator — flip the story on its head and nobody follows you.
    9AnonymousSep 26, 2026 01:27
    Re: #3
    Terminator 4 and 5 were both solid box office hits, actually.
    29AnonymousSep 26, 2026 01:40
    Re: #3
    Just look at Spider-Man — reboot it and the fans still show up.
    4AnonymousSep 26, 2026 01:26
    Wouldn't it sell better as a third-person shooter?
    7AnonymousSep 26, 2026 01:26
    Nobody gives a damn about Halo, Gears, or Forza — go start a Sony-bashing thread instead.
    8AnonymousSep 26, 2026 01:26
    'MicroSh*t' (mocking nickname for Microsoft) is a mess as usual
    They'll pull the same stunt with Gears and it'll flop too.
    10AnonymousSep 26, 2026 01:27
    I mean, if 1-3 are well-regarded, why not just do what Like a Dragon (Yakuza) did and restart partway through the timeline?
    11AnonymousSep 26, 2026 01:27
    Story reset!?
    If they're going that bold with the reboot, don't be shocked if Halo ends up with CoD-style paper-thin health bars.
    12AnonymousSep 26, 2026 01:28
    Yeah, honestly it stopped making sense a while back
    After the easy-to-follow story of the Covenant's war of extermination wrapped up,
    it turned into a mess of Forerunner lore, AI subplots, a new Brute faction, Covenant remnants…
    13AnonymousSep 26, 2026 01:28
    Forget that, just give us more Reach-style games instead.
    17AnonymousSep 26, 2026 01:31
    Re: #9
    Wait, even Terminator 2 didn't crack the US top 200 — the whole series is a flop.
    https://pixiin.com/terminator-series/
    24AnonymousSep 26, 2026 01:36
    Re: #17

    'The Terminator': worldwide gross $78 million
    'Terminator 2': $520 million
    'Terminator 3': $433 million
    'Terminator Salvation': $371 million
    'Genisys': $440 million
    'Dark Fate': $261 million

    T2 ranked among the top worldwide grossers of 1991
    18AnonymousSep 26, 2026 01:32
    Does anyone even follow Halo's story at this point?
    I lost track of what was even going on with Cortana somewhere along the way.
    20AnonymousSep 26, 2026 01:33
    Re: #18
    The multiplayer never took off either — what's even the point of making this?
    27AnonymousSep 26, 2026 01:38

    32AnonymousSep 26, 2026 01:45
    Re: #24
    Lol that's plenty successful
    Halo's in good shape then.
    36AnonymousSep 26, 2026 01:49
    Re: #32
    Inflation's a thing — $500 million back in T2's day is like $10 billion today
    Dark Fate's $261 million is chump change lol
    53AnonymousSep 26, 2026 02:58
    As a diehard fan, I honestly wish it had ended with Reach
    Everything from 4 onward is a stain on the series.
    56AnonymousSep 26, 2026 03:02
    Re: #53
    Couldn't agree more
    4 onward is completely unnecessary
    1-3 and Reach were genuinely great though.
    60AnonymousSep 26, 2026 03:39
    According to the 'trash can' loyalists (a jab at the Xbox Series X's boxy tower design), 5 is a worthless piece of garbage not worth playing or buying, so it'll stay buried forever.
    66AnonymousSep 26, 2026 04:06
    Re: #60
    Posting on 5ch from inside the grave, huh? Nice work.
    71AnonymousSep 26, 2026 04:12
    Now THAT's a reliable source
    72AnonymousSep 26, 2026 04:27
    Any request along the lines of 'bring X back' should just be ignored
    If there's ever a fork in the road, they should pick whichever option makes old-school fans the angriest.
    74AnonymousSep 26, 2026 04:57
    Re: #72
    That's basically the 'karinto' bit from New Sakura Wars talking (an in-joke referencing that game's infamous handling of longtime fans).
    76AnonymousSep 26, 2026 05:06
    Re: #74
    Unlike a super-niche series like Like a Dragon (Yakuza),
    Call of Duty is at the absolute top of the world in sales and marketing.
    It can ditch its past and still succeed just fine.
    If anything, the more you pander to old-school fans, the lower your odds of success.
    People still clinging to Halo are just out of touch with the times.
    77AnonymousSep 26, 2026 05:07
    Re: #76
    Coming from people who still cling to 5ch, myself included, that's a bit rich.
    78AnonymousSep 26, 2026 05:15
    Re: #76
    Then they might as well just make a brand new title.
    Ignoring fan feedback is fine, but
    I do want them to pay homage to the first game at least,
    and go against the political-correctness grain.
    Just let us live out that boyhood dream of playing space war lol
    81AnonymousSep 26, 2026 05:29
    Re: #78
    The first game's magic is pretty much gone by now anyway.
    The remake of the original, which took 5 years to make, reportedly only sold around 200-300k copies on Steam.
    Xbox leadership must be tearing their hair out over that.
    They shouldn't cling to the original — just borrow the Halo name and rebuild everything else from scratch.
    84AnonymousSep 26, 2026 05:42
    Re: #81
    The original Halo, the Halo remaster, the Master Chief Collection, and now this remaster…
    They've milked the first game so hard that even Microsoft probably didn't expect it to sell well — though I didn't realize they'd spent 5 years on it…
    86AnonymousSep 26, 2026 05:48
    Story doesn't even matter
    The real problem is the gameplay itself got boring starting with 2.
    88AnonymousSep 26, 2026 06:42
    Re: #86
    2 was fun to play but had a weak story
    3 wasn't as fun but had a good story.
    103AnonymousSep 26, 2026 07:44
    Wait, the story never even wrapped up, did it

    Whatever happened to the doctor after he lost an arm and defected to the Covenant?
    105AnonymousSep 26, 2026 07:48
    Re: #103
    The story wrapped up in 3.

    Background and key points of debate

    Halo has been Microsoft’s flagship FPS since the original launched in 2001. The story reached a natural stopping point when the war against the Covenant wrapped up in Halo 3, but from Halo 4 onward, new plot threads involving the AI Cortana’s rampancy and the Forerunners were introduced — and posters in the thread frequently say “the story got hard to follow” from that point on. Development has since been handed to 343 Industries, and criticism has often been aimed at the studio’s handling of the series. What’s driving discussion here isn’t so much the reboot report itself as whether wiping out past entries entirely is the right call — the thread contrasts Spider-Man, where a reboot didn’t cost the franchise its audience, with Terminator, where repeated sequels led to mixed reception. Note that the box office figures and remake sales numbers cited in the thread are fan estimates, not official figures.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hardware/Industry, “Geha”) thread “[Sad News] HALO’s Entire Existing Story Is About to Be Wiped Out wwwwwwwwwwwwww.”

  • Morning Musume。’26 Bring Back ‘LOVE Machine’ for Utacon — 5ch: ‘That’s the Only Thing It’s Worth’

    NHK General TV’s “Utacon” (airing September 29, 2026) has announced that Morning Musume。’26 will appear in the “Genki Uta” (Feel-Good Songs) segment alongside veteran stars like Itsuki Hiroshi and Ishikawa Sayuri, performing their signature hit “LOVE Machine.” Since the slot features their classic 1999 hit rather than a new single, 5ch’s Hello! Project live-discussion thread saw a mix of sarcasm (“So they only get called up for the oldies specials?”) and defenses (“Just be grateful they got a slot at all”). The thread also buzzed about the group’s chances of appearing at the year-end Kohaku Uta Gassen special, and compared their popularity to fellow Hello! Project group Juice=Juice.

    Utacon

    Genki Uta! Itsuki, Ishikawa, Iruka, Shimazu, Leon, Cho Tokkyu

    Genki Uta! “YOUNG MAN” performed as a collab between Niihama Leon & Cho Tokkyu. Morning Musume。’26 performs “LOVE Machine.” ▽ Miyama Hiroshi sings Sen Masao’s “Yuyake Gumo,” a song that brings back memories of his early days in Tokyo. SHOW-WA covers Tulip’s “Kokoro no Tabi.” Shimazu Aya performs “Funauta,” the famous song by fellow Kumamoto native and senior singer Yashiro Aki! Hosted by Taniyama Shosuke (First broadcast: Tuesday, September 29, 2026)

    Source: web.nhk / Original article here

    2AnonymousSep 26, 2026 06:24
    It's gonna be a new song plus Love Machine, right?
    6AnonymousSep 26, 2026 06:27
    Re: #2
    The new song is just a bonus?
    54AnonymousSep 26, 2026 07:18
    Re: #2
    Unfortunately… (no new song)
    5AnonymousSep 26, 2026 06:26
    Re: #1
    None of them are new songs
    It's an oldies-only episode, so you don't have to force this into a mockery thread
    7AnonymousSep 26, 2026 06:28
    Re: #5
    So they only get called up for the oldies-only episodes?
    9AnonymousSep 26, 2026 06:28
    Feels like Kohaku's on the table
    10AnonymousSep 26, 2026 06:29
    Re: #9
    I like how it's discussed as if a Morning Musume spot is just a given
    11AnonymousSep 26, 2026 06:30
    Hello! Project's on a roll
    12AnonymousSep 26, 2026 06:31
    Re: #11
    Juice=Juice is the only one actually selling tickets, so Hello! Project as a whole isn't really on a roll
    13AnonymousSep 26, 2026 06:33
    30th anniversary, so Kohaku it is
    15AnonymousSep 26, 2026 06:34
    Kind of sad that the new members' TV debut is on 'the Oldies Preservation Society' (mocking nickname for this old-fashioned song show)
    16AnonymousSep 26, 2026 06:35
    Re: #15
    Wasn't the 18th gen's TV debut them getting treated like trash on the 24-Hour TV telethon?
    As for live broadcasts, they're too young to be allowed on air live in that time slot anyway
    17AnonymousSep 26, 2026 06:36
    Morning Musume's 30th year — with the 30th anniversary coming up, they'll probably get more chances to perform 'Morning Coffee' and 'LOVE Machine' from here on
    18AnonymousSep 26, 2026 06:36
    Re: #17
    Will Okamura Homare be satisfied with just that?
    45AnonymousSep 26, 2026 07:03
    Re: #17
    It's 'LOVE Machine,' 'Renai Revolution 21,' and 'Peace' — not 'Morning Coffee'
    19AnonymousSep 26, 2026 06:39
    You guys are complaining, but you should be grateful the oldies-slot Love Machine performance wasn't handed to some other idol group instead
    21AnonymousSep 26, 2026 06:40
    Re: #19
    But honestly, it'd probably get more buzz if it were handed to someone else
    The current Morning Musume lineup just doesn't have that kind of drawing power
    23AnonymousSep 26, 2026 06:41
    Why is everyone acting like last night's Buzz Rhythm appearance never happened?
    25AnonymousSep 26, 2026 06:41
    Re: #23
    If it were Juice=Juice, even a Buzz Rhythm-level appearance would have threads running for days straight
    29AnonymousSep 26, 2026 06:46
    Re: #23
    Isn't the reaction weaker than when Juice=Juice was on TV?
    When Juice=Juice goes on TV, their vocal ability actually gets through to people outside the Hello! Project fanbase too
    33AnonymousSep 26, 2026 06:49
    Big step toward Kohaku right here
    35AnonymousSep 26, 2026 06:52
    Re: #33
    With Morning Musume, even this counts as 'checkmate' territory?
    36AnonymousSep 26, 2026 06:52
    Just do 'Chikibun' already (apparent fan shorthand for a song title)
    48AnonymousSep 26, 2026 07:06
    Re: #36
    The theme here is 'songs that make you feel energized,' though
    38AnonymousSep 26, 2026 06:54
    If this already counts as 'checkmate,' they're probably singing Love Machine at Kohaku too
    40AnonymousSep 26, 2026 06:54
    Re: #38
    Is there even any sense of accomplishment in that?
    39AnonymousSep 26, 2026 06:54
    This is just practice for an oldies medley at Kohaku
    41AnonymousSep 26, 2026 06:55
    Re: #39
    Is there even demand for that?
    44AnonymousSep 26, 2026 07:03
    Love Machine again — I'm sick of it
    46AnonymousSep 26, 2026 07:04
    Re: #44
    Because that's the only thing it's got going for it
    49AnonymousSep 26, 2026 07:07
    The Love Machine comedy act has arrived ｷﾀ━━━━(ﾟ∀ﾟ)━━━━!! (classic 'here it comes!' celebration text art)
    51AnonymousSep 26, 2026 07:12
    Re: #49
    They're idols, you know
    61AnonymousSep 26, 2026 07:35
    Well, just getting to appear is good enough
    If they want to change the public's image of 'Momusu,' the only way is to actually get popular
    68AnonymousSep 26, 2026 07:46
    Re: #61
    Yeah, it really is that kind of 'moreru' song after all (net slang for a song that instantly hypes/flatters, like a good selfie)

    Background and Key Points

    Released in 1999, “LOVE Machine” is Morning Musume’s signature hit and remains a go-to number on music shows as a symbol of “genki” energy. This “Utacon” appearance isn’t for a new single — it’s slotted into “Genki Uta,” an oldies-focused segment lined up alongside veteran stars like Itsuki Hiroshi and Ishikawa Sayuri, where the whole theme is reviving classic hits that “make you feel energized.” The thread split over whether to read this booking as proof the group only gets called up for nostalgia slots, or as something to be grateful for simply landing a spot at all. Underlying the debate is a comparison with fellow Hello! Project group Juice=Juice, which is currently ahead in ticket sales and generating buzz on its own — feeding the argument that the current (’26) Morning Musume lineup struggles to draw attention with new material. Note: comments containing slander against real idol groups or discriminatory language have been excluded from this article.

    *This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Hello! Project) thread “[Shocking] Morning Musume。’26 to Perform ‘LOVE Machine’ of All Things on Next Week’s “Utacon” (NHK General) wwwwwwwwwwwwwww.”

  • Stockpiled Rice Buyback ‘To Happen Soon,’ Says Farm Minister Yana, Asking Public for Understanding

    Kazuki Yana, who was appointed Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in the reshuffled Takaichi cabinet, told the Sankei Shimbun in an interview that the government “will carry out the buyback [of the rice released in 2025] early.” On the current rice glut, he said the government would “more thoroughly align production with demand.” On 5ch’s Newsplus (breaking news) thread, reactions were mixed: some criticized the method of buying back — via a negotiated, no-bid contract — rice that had originally been released through competitive bidding, others voiced suspicion about the motives behind rice pricing, and still others called for JA (agricultural cooperative) reform and rice market liberalization. Some posts also brought up the circumstances of his predecessor’s replacement.

    Kazuki Yana, who was appointed Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in the second reshuffled Sanae Takaichi cabinet, spoke to the Sankei Shimbun and other outlets. Regarding the buyback of the government’s stockpiled rice released in 2025, Yana stressed that it “will be carried out early.” The main exchange follows.

    On the rice glut: “We will more thoroughly align production with demand”

    — How do you view the current rice glut?

    Source: sankei.com / Read the original article here

    11AnonymousSep 25, 2026 22:58
    Re: #1
    Farmers are citizens too, you know?
    Rice prices really should be rising in line with overseas inflation, and farmers' incomes should be going up along with it.

    The reason Japanese real wages aren't rising is that more and more people depend on social security (i.e., tax-funded benefits) for their livelihood.

    When you hand money to people like pensioners or welfare recipients — people who rely on social security and whose income doesn't grow through economic activity — they try to stretch that money as far as it goes by buying cheaper goods.

    Trading companies respond to that demand by importing cheaper substitutes from third countries, and the Japanese market ends up flooded with cheaper goods.

    Domestic-demand manufacturers respond to that same demand by holding down employee wages even as import prices for raw materials climb.

    For Japan's real wages to rise, there's no choice but to cut pensions and welfare benefits for people under 80 and make the people who could work but don't actually go to work.
    161AnonymousSep 26, 2026 01:43
    Re: #11
    That foreign rice runs about ¥2,000 for 5kg, so go ahead — set domestic rice prices however you like, just lift the ban on foreign rice.
    15AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:00
    Rice isn't even the staple food anymore, so they should just quit wasting resources on stockpiling it. Something stinks here.
    109AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:15
    Re: #15
    Most restaurants only let you choose rice anyway.
    24AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:04
    People's sense of what's normal has just gone numb over the past two years — rice is actually still expensive.
    30AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:06
    Japanese rice farmers, explained in manga form


    imgur.com/IEcLs3u.jpg
    143AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:57
    Re: #30
    Why don't you go do the paddy-field consolidation work yourself, then.
    165AnonymousSep 26, 2026 01:59
    Re: #30
    It's a problem if I can't tell whether that's a woman or a man.
    42AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:11
    Let's just quit eating rice altogether.
    46AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:17
    Figured it'd get worse than under Suzuki, and here we go already.

    Another nightmare of ¥4,000–5,000 per 5kg incoming?
    121AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:33
    Re: #46
    And you think it'll actually sell at that price? People will just stop buying it, lol.
    44AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:11
    Releasing the emergency stockpile rice just to bring prices down was the original mistake, full stop.
    53AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:22
    Re: #44
    Wait, didn't they say there was no rice to be had????
    51AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:20
    It's old rice, so buy it back for next to nothing. I could live with that.
    57AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:24
    Wasn't the story that they were adjusting shipments because there wasn't enough rice? What are they even talking about now.
    64AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:29
    Nobody's going to buy old rice priced higher than new rice, so the government should buy it back before it's even milled. Buying it cheap would be even better, but if the alternative is letting it rot, it's more eco-friendly to just fold it straight back into the national stockpile.
    76AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:38
    Re: #64
    This is an unjust handout of profit to rice wholesalers. Buying back, via a no-bid negotiated contract, rice that was sold through competitive bidding — that's nothing short of criminal. If this is allowed to slide, it just shows the agriculture ministry is cozied up with the industry it's supposed to regulate.
    79AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:42
    If they buy it back at the lower price, I think people would actually understand.
    85AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:48
    Re: #79
    Buying back stockpiled rice — sold via competitive bidding but not moving — through a no-bid negotiated contract is basically a handout to the JA group. Even if it's not technically illegal, it's an arbitrary, cozy arrangement that reeks of collusion. If they're going to pull stuff like this, they might as well go all the way to full liberalization with a 0% tariff on rice.
    99AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:59
    Depends on the price. Deliberately buying it back at a high price just to push down rice prices that have already normalized would be criminal.
    102AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:00
    Re: #99 self-correction
    ✗ "push down"
    ✓ "push up"
    131AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:40
    So I guess they'd rather feed it to livestock than let the ignorant masses eat it cheap, huh, lol.
    134AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:43
    Re: #131
    Sounds like this country's government just can't stand its own citizens.
    133AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:42
    JA-affiliated agricultural co-ops and wholesalers really ought to be weeded out.
    If rice were liberalized so trading companies and retailers could freely import it tariff-free, it would break JA's grip on the market and benefit consumers. Small-scale rice farmers who aren't turning a profit should just close up shop — a future with large agricultural corporations providing stable supply would be better for everyone.
    151AnonymousSep 26, 2026 01:16
    Re: #133
    What exactly do you mean by 'JA-affiliated agricultural co-ops'?
    148AnonymousSep 26, 2026 01:07
    The buyback has nothing to do with rice prices going up.
    156AnonymousSep 26, 2026 01:30
    You never know when a disaster will hit, so stockpiling is necessary, sure — but at least buy it back at a properly low price.
    160AnonymousSep 26, 2026 01:41
    Re: #156
    Yeah, that's true, but have they actually ever released the stockpile during an actual disaster?
    162AnonymousSep 26, 2026 01:46
    So why did Suzuki get fired anyway?
    Probably pushed for an early buyback and Takaichi didn't like it.
    163AnonymousSep 26, 2026 01:49
    Re: #162
    Officially it was framed as promoting a young expert from within the agriculture ministry, but swapping him out after just one cabinet reshuffle — that's clearly a 'sacking,' plain and simple.
    191AnonymousSep 26, 2026 03:21
    If Japan's farmers go under, you just know the Americans (using derogatory slang, アメ公) will calmly triple their prices — that's exactly the Walmart playbook.
    195AnonymousSep 26, 2026 03:25
    Re: #191
    > you just know they'll triple their prices

    It's Japan's JA and farmers who pull that kind of stunt — foreign countries don't, because they have international credibility to protect.
    201AnonymousSep 26, 2026 03:31
    Re: #191
    Once the competition's gone, they can jack up prices however they want, lol.

    Background and Key Points

    The government rice stockpile is a system in which the state buys up and stores rice to guard against supply shortages from poor harvests or disasters; the 2025 release was carried out specifically to help curb surging rice prices. While that release went through competitive bidding, the planned buyback is expected to proceed via a negotiated, no-bid contract, and many thread comments questioned the transparency of this approach and whether it favors certain wholesalers. At the same time, some argued the stockpile is necessary for securing farmers’ incomes and food security, putting them at odds with those calling for rice market liberalization and JA reform. Some posts suggested the buyback is deliberately intended to push rice prices up, but it’s worth noting that this remains speculation and isn’t a fact established in the article itself.

    *This article is compiled as an excerpt and summary from the 5ch (Newsplus) thread “[Stockpiled Rice] Agriculture Minister Kazuki Yana: Buyback ‘To Be Carried Out Early’ — Emphasizes Food Security, Asks Public for Understanding.”

  • Outrage Over Cyberbullying of Women’s Volleyball Players — Athletes Respond With a Calm Appeal

    Japan’s women’s volleyball team won silver at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, but after a straight-sets loss to China in the final, team members revealed on social media that they had been targeted with slanderous abuse. The Japan Volleyball Association also issued a statement on September 25 warning against such behavior. On a 5channel (Geinou/Sports News+) thread, users who learned of the abuse voiced outrage, while opinions split over whether “just don’t look at it” is an adequate response, and where exactly the line falls between criticism and harassment.

    Outrage Over Slander of Women’s Volleyball Players: “I’m Sick of This,” “It’s Just Too Awful…” — Players Calmly Appeal: “What You See Isn’t Everything”

    Japan’s women’s national volleyball team won silver at this month’s Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, bringing this stretch of national team activity to a close.

    After a straight-sets loss to China in the final, players revealed on social media that they had been subjected to slander and abuse, among other things, prompting the Japan Volleyball Association to issue a warning in a statement on the 25th. Volleyball fans also voiced anger at this callous behavior.

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

    3AnonymousSep 26, 2026 01:26
    Same goes for threads like this one
    just because it's written in Japanese doesn't mean the poster is Japanese
    People immediately jump to China or Korea when you say that
    but that's not necessarily true either
    6AnonymousSep 26, 2026 01:28
    Volleyball has a lot of fans who root for individual players, and it's oddly popular with middle-aged men and women — that's probably why this kind of thing happens so much
    7AnonymousSep 26, 2026 01:31
    Celebrities should just quit social media
    If you're going to use it, block or ignore your DMs
    29AnonymousSep 26, 2026 01:45
    Re: #7
    This isn't something "just don't look at it" can fix
    15AnonymousSep 26, 2026 01:38
    Even Nakata gets "hibochu" treatment now — that's Reiwa for you (hibochu: net slang for 誹謗中傷, "slander/harassment")
    What a lame world we live in
    17AnonymousSep 26, 2026 01:39
    Reading this article, honestly the player's own words feel a bit harsh too
    Could you choose your words a little more carefully and keep it milder
    18AnonymousSep 26, 2026 01:41
    Can't be helped — that's the only impression you get from something like that
    21AnonymousSep 26, 2026 01:42
    Volleyball, along with baseball, has the image of being one of the last sports where corporal punishment/hazing still lingers
    22AnonymousSep 26, 2026 01:43
    The crowd hasn't grown up one bit in decades
    Would they have the guts to bang inflatable cheer sticks like idiots on Wimbledon's Centre Court?
    35AnonymousSep 26, 2026 01:50
    Volleyball's different from baseball or soccer —
    it's one nail-biting rally after another
    In baseball terms, it's like watching the second baseman, shortstop, and outfielders
    pull off spectacular plays nonstop
    a sport you never get tired of
    Maybe getting fans so fired up is what makes some of them go overboard
    39AnonymousSep 26, 2026 01:53
    Re: #29
    Just don't look at it
    If you absolutely have to look, the only option is to sue over every single instance of slander
    87AnonymousSep 26, 2026 02:45
    Re: #39
    When it's a matter of morals and manners, "don't like it, don't look" doesn't apply

    Would you tell someone to just not look at the idiots who cross their legs or slouch on the train (isn't there even a slur for these people?)
    40AnonymousSep 26, 2026 01:53
    If it's genuinely slander and not just criticism, they should just take legal action
    The association should foot the bill
    41AnonymousSep 26, 2026 01:53
    Yeah, they are weaker compared to the men's team
    42AnonymousSep 26, 2026 01:54
    Re: #41
    The men's team got knocked out in the preliminary round of the World Championship
    and lost in straight sets to both Turkey and Canada on top of that
    The women made the quarterfinals
    Volleyball is a sport you need to win at the Olympics and Worlds
    46AnonymousSep 26, 2026 02:00
    Re: #41
    You also have to factor in that in Asia, women's volleyball tends to be tougher since there are more strong teams
    78AnonymousSep 26, 2026 02:25
    If anything, rather than pushing for a real-name system on the internet, I feel like it'd be better to encourage celebrities to stay off anonymous social media
    Just stick to real-name platforms
    86AnonymousSep 26, 2026 02:45
    Re: #78
    Why are you trying to spin this into "as long as the person themselves doesn't see it, it's fine to broadcast anything to the whole world on other platforms"
    "Just don't look at it" is a line that only the people doing the harassing get to say
    84AnonymousSep 26, 2026 02:38
    会叫的狗不咬人 (Chinese proverb)
    A barking dog doesn't bite

    People who bark loudly and act tough, or who nag constantly, often don't actually have much real ability — or never actually do anything
    90AnonymousSep 26, 2026 02:46
    Re: #84
    Politician: "Oh, you mean 5channel? (lol)"

    Background and Key Points of Debate

    Online slander directed at athletes has repeatedly become a social issue in recent years, and countermeasures have advanced — for instance, the penalty for the crime of insult was increased (effective 2022), and revisions to the Provider Liability Limitation Act have simplified the process for disclosing the identities of posters. Even so, the abuse hasn’t stopped, largely because of the high degree of anonymity and a structure in which posts spread widely while the line between criticism and slander stays blurry. Within the thread, opinions were divided over whether this can simply be dismissed with “just don’t look at it,” whether it should be left to celebrities to protect themselves, or whether the platforms and the way information spreads need to change — a divide that recurs again and again whenever public figures face this kind of abuse, not just in this case. Note that in compiling this article, posts amounting to baseless slander against real individuals or containing sexual content have been excluded.

    *This article was compiled by excerpting and summarizing the 5channel (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “[Women’s Volleyball] Outrage Over Slander: “I’m Sick of This,” “It’s Just Too Awful…” — Players Calmly Appeal: “What You See Isn’t Everything”.”

  • Diane’s Tsuda Apologizes After Enraging a Big-Name TV Host: “Shut the Hell Up!”

    On TV Tokyo’s “I Got Scolded and I’m Proud of It” (aired September 23), an episode aired recounting a time Diane’s Tsuda was rude to a big-name host and later apologized for it. On a 5channel Entertainment & Sports News+ thread, based on the account that the host blew up over a greeting, speculation spread that the host in question was Ichiro Furutachi, with reactions split between calling Furutachi “petty” and calling Tsuda out for “forgetting his role as the guy who’s supposed to get picked on.” Testimony also surfaced that on the same show, Tsuda was all smiles and charm toward Emiko Uenuma, drawing extra attention to the contrast in how he treated the two.

    Diane’s Tsuda Apologizes After Enraging a Big-Name Host — Mistook It for Teasing and Snapped “Shut the Hell Up!” & a String of Rude Moments That Left Co-Stars Speechless

    TV Tokyo’s “I Got Scolded and I’m Proud of It” aired on the 23rd.

    It’s a moralizing talk-variety show that mines celebrities’ “I got scolded” stories for life lessons for the modern age.

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

    4AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:49
    Guess a plain old salaryman really got full of himself, huh.
    5AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:49
    Waiting until he's completely outranked someone before going after him for blowing up over a simple greeting — this guy's actually smart.
    Heard he went to a dumb school but has a high IQ.
    6AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:49
    Furutachi's just petty and whiny. Get it together, man lol
    49AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:15
    Re: #6
    Also add that he's cold and full of himself with regular people too.
    7AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:50
    Below this: a thread of losers who could never be Tsuda or Furutachi
    8AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:50
    A one-hit wonder with his "Sugosugoi!" bit (his signature catchphrase)
    I don't get what's supposed to be funny about it
    It's all momentum with this guy, nothing else
    10AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:51
    This guy's whole job is being the butt of the joke, but he's totally lost sight of that.
    11AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:53
    Isn't Nishizawa (his comedy partner) about to seriously dry up career-wise soon?
    13AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:54
    I mean, no real harm done lol — Uenuma's got her own regular shows and real clout in Kansai, so kissing up to her was the smart move.
    15AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:55
    Makes you wonder if they're having AI write articles like this these days.
    16AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:56
    Went to a SASUKE taping once — dude was absolutely losing it at amateur staff wherever the cameras weren't pointed.
    17AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:56
    Uenuma told him, "Tsuda, you really made it, huh," and he looked thrilled
    Makes you wonder what Nishizawa thinks about his partner blowing up like that
    18AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:57
    Well yeah, you'd better stand up straight and greet him properly.
    19AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:58
    It's Furutachi, right? He's probably just smirking and watching to see how you react when he snaps like that.
    Ignoring it is the worst possible move.
    20AnonymousSep 25, 2026 23:58
    Shingo Yanagisawa shows up as one of the characters lol
    Reminded me of Tomisaburo Wakamatsu
    22AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:01
    Re: #1
    "Yo, what's up!"
    "It's Yanagizawa Shingoooo~"
    23AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:03
    Furutachi's a has-been at this point, but Emiko Uenuma's YouTube view counts are insane — she's clearly still got the chops.
    24AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:05
    An "apology" that's really just payback dressed up as one, dropped way after the fact lol
    25AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:05
    Put Furutachi in as the corpse for the year-end "Detective Tsuda" special.
    26AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:06
    Shinsuke Shimada: "Get over here and say hi!"
    Ichiro Furutachi: "Your greeting was too weak."
    52AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:18
    Re: #26
    They're both blood type AB.
    53AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:18
    Re: #26
    Come to think of it, those two actually respected each other.
    27AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:06
    Furutachi's the type who'll genuinely blow up if someone younger talks to him casually without honorifics.
    36AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:09
    Re: #27
    And yet he's the guy who calls Ishibashi by his first name, "Takaaki", so…
    37AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:10
    Come to think of it, his comedy partner's completely disappeared from TV lately.
    38AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:10
    His "Tribute Comedian" bit (an old signature routine) was actually funny, but now he only does stuff that isn't.
    39AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:10
    Furutachi and Uenuma — that's the 1995 Kohaku hosting duo, brings back memories.
    Well, it can't feel great if there was an obvious difference in how warmly he greeted one versus the other.
    56AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:22
    Furutachi's kind of ending up as collateral damage in all this
    Even though he didn't do anything wrong

    That makes it doubly messed up
    60AnonymousSep 26, 2026 00:24
    Re: #56
    It's like he's getting people to take shots at Furutachi for him without saying so directly. That's exactly the kind of thing that gets him disliked.

    Background and Points of Contention

    TV Tokyo’s “I Got Scolded and I’m Proud of It” is a special built around celebrities’ stories of getting lectured, and trouble over greetings is a classic, endlessly recycled theme in the entertainment world. Stories of young or newly-popular comedians getting chewed out for failing to properly greet a senior star or big name have been passed down for generations, often involving names like Shinsuke Shimada or Emiko Uenuma. What split opinion in this thread is whether the fault lies with Tsuda, or whether the host’s reaction was the immature one. The show never actually named the person involved — he was only described as a “big-name host” — so pinning it on Ichiro Furutachi is purely speculation on the thread’s part. Some also compared it to how he treated Emiko Uenuma, but that too isn’t a direct, confirmed comparison from the show itself — it’s an inference on the viewers’ end, and should be treated with that caveat.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5channel (Entertainment & Sports News+) thread “Diane’s Tsuda Apologizes After Enraging a Big-Name Host — Mistook It for Teasing and Snapped “Shut the Hell Up!” & a String of Rude Moments That Left Co-Stars Speechless.”