Japan Reacts

Author: Japan Reacts Editorial

  • “If You Truly Love Her, Looks Shouldn’t Matter” — Man Torn Over Whether to Marry His Unattractive Girlfriend

    A thread on 5channel’s “Nanimo Jikkyo G” board features a poster torn between two women: one he loves but isn’t physically attracted to, and one he finds attractive but hasn’t built a relationship with yet. The relatable dilemma of choosing a spouse when romantic feelings and physical preference don’t line up drew a flood of responses, with opinions clashing head-on between “if you truly love someone, looks shouldn’t matter” and “you can’t ignore appearance, given genetics and the regret you might feel later over your kids’ looks.”

    1AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:43
    Shouldn't I just marry a woman with a good face instead?
    What do you guys think?
    2AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:43
    No way, not an ugly girl
    She's ugly, right?
    3AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:44
    Re: #2
    But I love her

    Even though her breath stinks
    6AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:45
    Re: #3
    Bad breath AND ugly — that's gotta be a troll post
    Cut it out!!
    7AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:46
    Re: #6
    Yeah, exactly

    Can't even kiss her without worrying
    4AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:44
    If you really love someone, her looks shouldn't matter
    5AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:45
    Re: #4
    Eventually you'll hit a difference in values or something

    And with an ugly wife on top of that, cheating's basically unavoidable
    8AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:46
    Skip the ugly one
    Having an ugly kid would be way too rough
    11AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:48
    Re: #8
    Exactly

    Looks are hereditary after all
    10AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:48
    If you love her, marry her
    If you don't, don't — you'll regret it
    14AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:48
    Re: #10
    I do love her

    but she's kind of an oddball

    That's part of what makes her interesting, but I feel like it'd wear on me after years together
    15AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:49
    Obviously go with the cute one
    If she's cute you can forgive anything, and it'll motivate you at work too
    16AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:50
    Re: #15
    They say you get tired of a pretty face in three days
    17AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:50
    I dated an ugly girl five years younger who I thought had a great personality, but she had a fatal flaw — couldn't hold a real conversation — so we broke up
    20AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:51
    Re: #17
    Women are all more or less impossible to reason with, to some degree
    19AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:51
    Re: #16
    If you get tired of a pretty girl that fast, an ugly one's gonna drive you insane
    23AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:52
    Re: #19
    Is that so?
    26AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:53
    Are you confident you could love an ugly kid the same way you'd love a good-looking one?
    29AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:54
    Re: #26
    Not sure about that

    Never been a parent
    30AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:54
    Sorry, I'm not quite following
    Ugly, bad personality, so-so body
    VS
    Cute, great personality, sexy


    What exactly are you torn about again?
    35AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:55
    Re: #30
    I do actually love the ugly one

    With the pretty one, I'd still have to build the relationship from scratch
    33AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:55
    How ugly are we talking? If it's bad enough to be a real burden on the kid, seriously drop it
    39AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:56
    Re: #33
    Apparently she's been through a lot of harassment over it and says she hates men
    36AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:56
    Looks are subjective, sure, but is she ugly even by your standards, OP (thread starter)?
    40AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:57
    Re: #36
    Ugly by my standards, and everyone around her agrees too
    41AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:57
    OP seems like a bit of an oddball himself, so I'm skeptical she's really that ugly
    45AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:57
    Re: #41
    Yeah, I am an oddball, I'll admit

    But I'd like to think my judgment on looks is normal
    51AnonymousSep 23, 2026 20:01
    Re: #11
    If it's hereditary, does that mean you can't love the kid?
    52AnonymousSep 23, 2026 20:01
    Re: #51
    The kid's gonna have a hard life
    61AnonymousSep 23, 2026 20:05
    Re: #52
    Kids who go through hardship grow up kinder, though
    62AnonymousSep 23, 2026 20:06
    Re: #61
    I don't think that's true
    57AnonymousSep 23, 2026 20:03
    What matters is whether being with her is easy
    59AnonymousSep 23, 2026 20:03
    Re: #57
    Being with an ugly girl is easy
    58AnonymousSep 23, 2026 20:03
    You should work on becoming a better man yourself and marry the good-looking one
    60AnonymousSep 23, 2026 20:04
    Re: #58
    We share the same values, the ugly one and me

    I feel like I'll never find anyone who clicks with me like that again
    63AnonymousSep 23, 2026 20:07
    Re: #62
    The ugly girl you're into has probably had her inner charm polished precisely because she's been through hardship, right?
    65AnonymousSep 23, 2026 20:08
    Re: #63
    Her inner self is actually terrible.

    We just happen to like the same stuff
    67AnonymousSep 23, 2026 20:09
    Re: #65
    Huh? Then there's no reason to pick the ugly one
    What is this guy even saying
    69AnonymousSep 23, 2026 20:10
    Re: #67
    It's a niche hobby

    Someone I can actually talk to about it with is rare and precious
    70AnonymousSep 23, 2026 20:10
    Re: #67
    Also, technically, she's my first love

    Maybe I should give up on a girl I fell for back when I couldn't even tell right from wrong yet?

    Background and Key Points of This Discussion

    This kind of “looks vs. personality” dilemma over choosing a spouse is a recurring staple on the Nanimo Jikkyo G board, and it’s worth remembering that the poster’s own assessment of his girlfriend’s looks is entirely subjective — the majority opinion in the thread doesn’t necessarily reflect mainstream values. The thread split mainly along two lines: first, a difference in romantic philosophy — whether genuine affection makes appearance a non-issue, or whether a mismatch in physical taste inevitably leads to a long-term clash of values and a breakdown of the relationship; second, whether it’s valid to choose a spouse based on the premise that a child’s looks are “hereditary.” That second point isn’t backed by any scientific argument — readers should note it’s purely anecdotal, impressionistic reasoning from an anonymous message board. The poster also revealed details about his girlfriend’s inner character, calling her an “oddball” who “hates men,” suggesting the real core of his dilemma isn’t just appearance, but compatibility in the relationship itself.

    *This article is compiled and summarized from the 5channel (Nanimo Jikkyo G) thread “Should I Marry a Girl I Love Even Though She’s Ugly?.”

  • New Fire Emblem Sells Out Everywhere — Genuine Demand or Manufactured Shortage?

    A thread on 5ch’s Hardware/Industry (“Geha”) board reports that Nintendo’s new “Fire Emblem: Bansei Senkou” (lit. “Myriad Purples, Thousand Reds”) for Switch 2 is already turning up as “sold out” or switched over to “October shipment” pre-orders on retail sites like eDion, only a short time after launch. Some posters voiced suspicion that this looks like a manufactured shortage — “it doesn’t feel like it’s selling that well” — while others insisted it’s simply that retailers ordered light stock. The thread turned into a running guessing game about actual sales, using the first-week numbers of previous entries “Three Houses” and “Engage” (both said to be around 150,000 units) as a benchmark.

    It doesn’t seem to be selling all that much, but

    some stores are already showing “sold out” or have switched to October-shipment pre-orders

    Nintendo Fire Emblem: Bansei Senkou [Switch 2] BEEPAACSA

    Source: edion.com / original listing here

    4AnonymousSep 23, 2026 13:32
    A 'holier-than-thou' kind of Emblem, huh (wordplay: 意識他界系 twists 意識高い系, "pretentious type," by swapping in 他界, "passing on") — rough.
    A dud that doesn't hold a candle to Engage or Three Houses.
    63AnonymousSep 23, 2026 14:41
    Re: #4
    If Bansei Senkou counts as 'pretentious,' Three Houses was too.
    5AnonymousSep 23, 2026 13:32
    Went to Bic Camera on release day and panicked — there were only 3 dummy boxes left.
    The special display was completely cleaned out, so I think physical copies are selling decently too.
    40AnonymousSep 23, 2026 14:13
    Re: #5
    There were like 10 Elden Ring dummy boxes,
    but the second I bought one, the clerk suddenly pulled every remaining dummy off the shelf lol
    Guess there was only 1 left in stock.
    11AnonymousSep 23, 2026 13:37
    Setting that aside, it feels like this has been happening a lot lately.
    Not sure if retailers just aren't stocking enough to begin with, though.
    12AnonymousSep 23, 2026 13:41
    Re: #11
    Feels like Bansei Senkou's buzz has grown more after release than it had beforehand. My guess is retailers that stocked it based on how past entries sold on PlayStation didn't order enough for Switch, and now it's outselling expectations and running short.
    22AnonymousSep 23, 2026 13:52
    Re: #11
    Yeah, exactly.
    I go to the game section at an electronics store and see sold-out signs everywhere and think 'wow, business must be booming' — but then I check Famitsu's weekly chart and the numbers are often way lower than I'd expect.
    15AnonymousSep 23, 2026 13:46
    More than 3x Wolverine's numbers = still not exactly a hit (i.e., Wolverine's sales are so weak that even a big multiple of them isn't impressive)
    18AnonymousSep 23, 2026 13:47
    Re: #15
    Fair point.
    Still, even so it'll probably move around 40,000 units.
    There's nothing else out there to play right now.

    …wait, it's a first-party AAA exclusive… s-surely it'll sell at least 40,000… right?
    17AnonymousSep 23, 2026 13:47
    There's no reason to run a manufactured shortage for a piece of software.
    21AnonymousSep 23, 2026 13:50
    Re: #17
    I don't think it's a manufactured shortage so much as retailers just ordering a smaller quantity.
    23AnonymousSep 23, 2026 13:53
    Re: #21
    Well, obviously.
    30AnonymousSep 23, 2026 13:57
    Re: #23
    It's also possible they did order a decent amount and it still sold out because demand was just that high.
    Three Houses and Engage both did about 150,000 units domestically in their first week, so if demand for this one clearly beats that, selling out without a tight supply is plausible.
    Personally I'm guessing around 100,000, though.
    37AnonymousSep 23, 2026 14:08
    It's actually kind of impressive it's still sitting at #5 a full week later.
    42AnonymousSep 23, 2026 14:15
    Re: #37
    Three Houses stayed at #1 for the entire first week.
    It even sold out repeatedly, and whenever it dipped it bounced right back to #1.
    38AnonymousSep 23, 2026 14:08
    It's ranking below Wolverine on US Amazon 😭

    69AnonymousSep 23, 2026 14:50
    Re: #38
    US Amazon has it listed as out of stock, you know.
    45AnonymousSep 23, 2026 14:16
    Talk trash using US Amazon rankings and that boomerang's going to come right back around on GTA6.
    46AnonymousSep 23, 2026 14:18
    Re: #45
    How do you mean?
    48AnonymousSep 23, 2026 14:18
    For reference, Three Houses apparently hit 178,000 units over its first two weeks.

    02./01. [NSW] Fire Emblem: Three Houses # <SLG> (Nintendo) {2019.07.26} (¥6,980) – 35,804 / 178,934 <60-80%> (-75%)
    https://www.resetera.com/threads/media-create-sales-week-31-2019-jul-29-aug-04.133503/
    51AnonymousSep 23, 2026 14:20
    Re: #48
    Factoring in the install base, breaking 100,000 would count as a success, I'd say.
    83AnonymousSep 23, 2026 15:22
    Re: #48
    Not happening, going by the US Amazon ranking trend.
    Looking like a flop so far.

    And with digital code cards already being dumped at fire-sale prices, the download ratio's probably a mess too.
    53AnonymousSep 23, 2026 14:24
    If this had come out on the original Switch it would've sold more.
    Console transitions are always rough.
    54AnonymousSep 23, 2026 14:26
    Re: #53
    FE fans have bought a new console for this series every single time the hardware changed, though.
    58AnonymousSep 23, 2026 14:37
    Re: #54
    Fans alone won't make sales explode.
    With Three Houses, people who don't normally buy games bought it too.
    60AnonymousSep 23, 2026 14:40
    Re: #58
    That's talking about it selling steadily later on, though.
    Even Three Houses didn't explode in sales in its first week.
    64AnonymousSep 23, 2026 14:41
    Re: #58
    That was already 3 years into the console's life, when the install base was huge.
    This one is only 2 years in, so it won't be that easy.
    62AnonymousSep 23, 2026 14:40
    More than 3x Wolverine's numbers = a game for a 'dying village' (slang for a niche title propped up by a small, aging fanbase)
    65AnonymousSep 23, 2026 14:41
    Re: #62
    So then what does that make Wolverine… lol
    66AnonymousSep 23, 2026 14:46
    Re: #60
    Did you forget the spike in interest from the 'Bloody Reunion' trailer?
    Within the FE series, Awakening and Three Houses are outliers — Engage's numbers represent the hardcore base. How far past that the series can pull in casual buyers is what really swings total sales.
    This time, domestically, I'd guess it lands just a bit above Engage. Factoring in the digital download ratio, I don't think it goes much higher than that.
    Compared to how things looked before Three Houses launched, this game's true protagonist has a weaker hook.
    71AnonymousSep 23, 2026 14:51
    Re: #66
    Actually, Engage outsold Three Houses in the first week.
    75AnonymousSep 23, 2026 15:02
    Wasn't Three Houses released about 2 years and 4 months after the Switch launched?
    Bansei Senkou came out only about 1 year and 3 months after the Switch 2 launched, so the gap in install base must be huge.
    80AnonymousSep 23, 2026 15:13
    Re: #75
    Well, both the Switch 2 and its games got pricier too.
    The existence of the Switch Lite [as a cheap original-Switch option] is a big factor as well.
    77AnonymousSep 23, 2026 15:08
    FE's first-week numbers are usually around 100,000 or so.
    I'd think the people stocking shelves know that too.
    78AnonymousSep 23, 2026 15:10
    Re: #77
    Both Engage and Three Houses did around 150,000.
    86AnonymousSep 23, 2026 15:49
    Sony's Wolverine might be headed for a historic sales slump
    https://krsw.5ch.io/test/read.cgi/ghard/1790145789/

    Must be nice having plenty of stock over there lol
    88AnonymousSep 23, 2026 15:56
    Just sit tight and wait for the weekly sales chart (´・ω・`)
    89AnonymousSep 23, 2026 15:58
    Re: #88
    Does physical-only sales data even mean much in this day and age [the Reiwa era, i.e. now]?
    96AnonymousSep 23, 2026 16:56
    Actually, check the link — everything's arriving the day after tomorrow anyway.
    Stock's way oversupplied lol
    102AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:49
    Re: #96
    Nojima and Joshin [Japanese electronics chains] don't have it, though.

    Background and Key Points of This Discussion

    Both “Three Houses” and “Engage” in the Fire Emblem series are said to have sold around 150,000 units in their first week, and this figure was repeatedly cited in the thread as a benchmark for estimating actual sales. That said, the numbers thrown around in the thread aren’t official weekly sales data from outlets like Famitsu, but rather posters’ own guesses or unofficial tallies sourced from overseas forums, so some caution is warranted. It’s also worth noting that “Three Houses” launched more than two years after the original Switch’s debut, once the console’s install base was already large, whereas this new title arrived only about a year into the Switch 2’s life, while its install base is still growing — meaning a straightforward comparison of unit sales isn’t quite apples-to-apples. Where opinions in the thread split was over whether the in-store shortage is “proof it’s selling well” or simply “the result of retailers ordering conservatively” — both explanations remain circumstantial, and an official weekly sales report will be needed to settle the matter.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hardware/Industry, “Geha”) thread “Fire Emblem — a manufactured shortage?“.

  • Tatekawa Shiraku Declares Launch of “Shiraku Family YouTube Faction” — Hit 1 Million Subscribers, Get Treated as a Master

    Rakugo performer Tatekawa Shiraku (63) declared on his YouTube channel on the 22nd that he is launching a “Shiraku Family YouTube Faction.” The move comes after criticism over his taking on YouTuber Hikaru (35) as a disciple under the name “Tatekawa Sagishi” spilled over onto his rakugo organization — so Hikaru won’t formally join the Tatekawa school, but will instead be treated as a “guest disciple.” Under the new rules, performers with 1 million-plus subscribers rank as shin’uchi (master), 100,000-plus as futatsume (journeyman), and anyone below that as zenza minarai (apprentice-in-training). On the 5ch Geinou/Sports Breaking News+ board, comments split between mockery of the very idea of ranking rakugo status by subscriber count and renewed questions about Shiraku’s actual skill as a performer.

    Rakugo performer Tatekawa Shiraku (63) updated his YouTube channel on the 22nd. After taking on YouTuber Hikaru (35) — now going by “Tatekawa Sagishi” — as a disciple, criticism flooded in against his organization, the Tatekawa school of rakugo. In response, he declared he would launch a new “Shiraku Family YouTube Faction.”

    With criticism pouring in over Hikaru’s apprenticeship and causing trouble for his organization, Shiraku announced, “This time, I’ve decided to launch the ‘Shiraku Family YouTube Faction.’ Its very first disciple is YouTuber Hikaru — Tatekawa Sagishi.” Hikaru will not formally belong to the Tatekawa school of rakugo, but will instead be treated as a “guest disciple.”

    “Anyone with over 1 million followers already counts as shin’uchi, so they’re allowed to headline a show. Everyone calls them ‘master.’ They can also take on disciples of their own. That’s the requirement for YouTubers. If you’ve got over 100,000 followers, that makes you futatsume. Anyone below that is treated as a rookie — a zenza minarai, an apprentice just starting out.”

    Source: sponichi.co.jp / Read the original article here

    2AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:28
    Because watching Rei Ranran (annual income of 580 million yen) on YouTube beats watching Peace-kun from Omiya Park any day.
    5AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:29
    He's totally being played.
    Hikaru's probably laughing about it behind his back.
    7AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:30
    He wants to be like [Tatekawa] Danshi, but doing it through a YouTuber is just pathetic.
    8AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:31
    A man who couldn't even measure up to a speck of Danshi's eye gunk (an idiom meaning "not fit to be compared").
    24AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:35
    Re: #8
    He calls himself Danshi's "greatest masterpiece," you know.
    9AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:31
    Sounds interesting enough.
    But given what rakugo is, a fleeting subscriber count isn't going to earn real respect —
    it needs a long, accumulated history.
    11AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:32
    The way he wants to be seen as some wild maverick or renegade outsider is really something.
    14AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:33
    This is a traditional art that's only survived because it's been passed down for centuries —
    blur the standards like this
    and that's the end of it.
    15AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:33
    Because of this guy, the Tatekawa school has really gone downhill.
    16AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:33
    I wish Yanagiya Kyotaro would start a channel.
    I'd subscribe in a heartbeat.
    17AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:34
    Yeah, not a very funny joke.
    20AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:34
    Rakugo isn't supposed to be some graveyard for washed-up YouTuber statues like Diet member Gaersy or Hikaru.
    21AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:34
    Re: #1
    Caving to the backlash, lol.
    Everything about this guy is lame.
    The complete opposite of Danshi.
    22AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:34
    So now he's playing rakugo-master with a YouTuber?
    25AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:35
    Honestly I don't even know what Shiraku looks like —
    his name just keeps showing up on the entertainment/sports board.
    26AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:36
    >>Anyone with over 1 million followers already counts as shin'uchi, so they're allowed to headline a show.

    That's just a popularity contest now.
    Pathetic.
    27AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:36
    How many followers does he even have himself?
    68AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:51
    Re: #27
    He's only got 50,000 YouTube subscribers and he's bombing hard.
    78AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:52
    Re: #68
    Then by his own rule Shiraku's just a rookie apprentice, isn't he?
    28AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:36
    There's only about 20 people with 1 million-plus subscribers…

    Would that make him No. 20, "Tatekawa Su-shira-ramen-riku"? (a nonsense mashup of his name with "ramen," mocking him for barely scraping in)
    31AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:38
    Who'd even want to watch such boring amateur rakugo, lol.
    33AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:38
    Just excommunicate this guy from the Tatekawa school already.
    34AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:38
    Oh, so he's Danshi's successor, huh~ guess his stage performances must be world-class too then (sarcasm).
    36AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:39
    There'd be more demand for a couple's channel with the disciple who slept with his wife.
    37AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:39
    Unlike kabuki, which can do anime tie-ins and the like,
    rakugo's basically got nothing left to offer except "who's performing it" —
    female rakugo performers, foreign rakugo performers, that kind of angle.
    Even calling it "new rakugo," every angle on human absurdity has probably already been done.
    38AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:39
    If the Chunichi Dragons finish last place, someone gets strung up upside down — I'm looking forward to that (an unrelated running 5ch joke about the baseball team).
    41AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:41
    Getting the voice actors from Akane-banashi [a rakugo-themed manga/anime] to do it would probably rack up more views.
    44AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:42
    If disaster zones are where scandal-hit comedians go to "purify" their image, is rakugo now the graveyard for washed-up YouTubers?
    45AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:42
    Rakugo won't even last another 20 years at this rate.
    46AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:42
    He's showing way more actual rakugo doing this than he ever does on Shoten [the famous TV rakugo variety show] — so isn't this a good thing?
    47AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:43
    Same as what happened with "Yone" —
    once people get bored of him, he'll get tossed aside (lol).
    48AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:43
    Who cares about any of that —
    just stop appearing on TV already.
    49AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:43
    I was thinking, "what good is the Tatekawa school without Danshi"…

    oh wait, Shinosuke's still there♪
    50AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:43
    He just wants to be recognized for something, by whatever means necessary.
    74AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:52
    Ohh, isn't this the kind of stunt that gets you kicked out of the Rakugo Association?
    82AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:53
    Re: #74
    The Tatekawa school was never part of the Rakugo Association to begin with.
    108AnonymousSep 23, 2026 20:07
    What happens when "Yukkuri" explainer-video channels (slow, deadpan narrated videos) reach shin'uchi rank?
    And 5channel thread-summary channels too.
    109AnonymousSep 23, 2026 20:08
    Re: #108
    Yukkuri Rakugo.

    Background and Key Points of This Story

    The Tatekawa school is a rakugo lineage founded by Tatekawa Danshi after he broke away from the Rakugo Association, and it has its own long history of running the traditional shin’uchi, futatsume, and zenza ranks independently. What makes this case unusual is that those ranking criteria have now been swapped out for YouTube subscriber counts — and reactions on the thread split between discomfort at reducing a traditional art form’s hierarchy to raw numbers, and viewing it as a shrewd, if cynical, bid for attention. Notably, the thread’s focus centered less on whether Hikaru (Tatekawa Sagishi) should have been taken on as a disciple at all, and more on how unusual the subscriber-based ranking system itself is — a nuance that’s easy to miss from the original article’s headline alone. There were also several harshly worded posts mixing criticism of Shiraku’s actual skill with references to his past conduct, but any posts amounting to personal attacks or unverified criminal accusations have been excluded from this piece.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports Breaking News+) thread “Tatekawa Shiraku Declares Launch of “Shiraku Family YouTube Faction” — 1 Million-Plus Subscribers Get Treated as Master.”

  • Nikkei Entertainment: ‘Juice=Juice’s Fanbase Is 46,000 Strong, Average Age 37, 39% Male / 61% Female’

    In its “Oshi Katsu” (fan-support culture) feature in the October 2026 issue, Nikkei Entertainment presented fan data for Juice=Juice: roughly 46,000 fans, an average age of 37, and a gender split of 39% male to 61% female. On 5ch’s Hello! Project board, these numbers touched off comparisons with other groups like Nogizaka46 (average age 40.2) and AKB48 (average age 42), along with threads questioning the survey methodology and expressing surprise at how the once male-dominated fanbase has shifted toward women in recent years.

    1AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:10
    @
    Excerpted female-idol data from Nikkei Entertainment! October 2026 issue's "Oshi Katsu" feature (some figures are visual estimates from the Oshi Katsu Map)
    3AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:12
    521 Anonymous… 2026/09/23 (Wed) 16:54:27.24 0
    >> 520
    Not sure what metric they used, but Juice=Juice definitely draws bigger crowds than CANDY TUNE, the group ranked one spot above them.
    5AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:12
    Re: #4
    Heard that show's having a rough time editing after a timelesz member got arrested.
    6AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:13
    Re: #1
    A "visual estimate"? Did they hire the Wild Bird Society to headcount or something? (a bird-watching group famous for eyeballing flock sizes)
    7AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:13
    Only that old-timer known as "Asahi Net Grandpa" would start a thread over a Nikkei Entertainment article. (a regular known for still using the old-school Asahi Net ISP)
    8AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:17
    Re: #1
    Too unpopular — no way Juice=Juice is making Kohaku. (NHK's New Year's Eve music special)
    10AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:19
    Re: #8
    Hinatazaka, ranked #2, isn't making it either.
    9AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:18
    Angerme already proved that female fans bail once the boom ends.
    11AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:19
    Re: #1
    Proof that iLiFE! >>> Juice=Juice.
    13AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:20
    Re: #11
    Sounds like iLiFE! didn't really click with the LuckyFes crowd.
    14AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:20
    Below AKB, huh.
    15AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:20
    Re: #14
    If AKB really had this many otaku, they'd easily fill K Arena all the way up to level 7.
    19AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:24
    Crazy — the male ratio was over 80% just a year ago.
    20AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:25
    AKB's come full circle and is picking up new otaku again.
    27AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:26
    Re: #20
    If they're really gaining fans, their arena concerts would be selling out, wouldn't they?
    21AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:25
    Sad that none of the Sakamichi groups are appearing on tonight's Uta no Kanshasai broadcast on NTV
    https://t
    alk.jp/boards/nogizaka/1790134494
    28AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:27
    Re: #21
    Even =LOVE, the top group among female idol fans, isn't on it.
    25AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:26
    That's probably because they're even counting the broke, stay-at-home types who don't really "oshi katsu" at all.
    26AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:26
    If AKB really had this many otaku, filling K Arena would be a breeze.
    30AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:28
    Juice is playing a show in Kyoto anyway, so they couldn't have been on it regardless.
    33AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:31
    Juice=Juice's venue
    Seriously packed with young women







    36AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:36
    Are you watching, Chono-san? (referencing pro wrestler Masahiro Chono, known for joking about the group's older fanbase)
    55AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:52
    Re: #36
    Back when Chono pointed it out, the age range really was high.
    Starting around 2016-2017, both the release events and the big venues
    skewed younger, and female fans increased too.
    39AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:45
    Re: #1
    Nogizaka fans averaging 40.2 years old
    AKB48 fans averaging 42
    that's pretty wild lol
    I thought Nogizaka's fanbase was younger…
    41AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:46
    Re: #39
    Young otaku find groups where you feel like you need to "study up" on the history intimidating — too high a barrier to get into.
    40AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:46
    Candidates for the first half of this year's female idol Kohaku lineup

    Sony
    Nogizaka46
    =LOVE
    iLiFE!

    Kawaii Lab
    FRUITS ZIPPER
    CUTIE STREET

    K-pop
    ILLIT

    Up-Front
    Juice=Juice

    Unless you're an idiot, it's obvious which one of these gets cut lol
    Also no Stardust idols in the mix — my guess is they're focusing on male acts this year.
    46AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:48
    The count probably shifts a lot depending on whether you're tallying casual fans or core fans.
    Quantifying fan numbers with any real precision is tough.
    50AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:50
    iLiFE!'s female ratio is definitely fake!
    youtu.be/_7ev4WYlpKs
    The live footage is nothing but stinky-looking dudes.
    54AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:52
    So they've climbed within sight of AKB now, huh.
    64AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:58
    Yasushi Akimoto really gets the otaku hierarchy — he's writing lyrics aimed squarely at older, down-on-their-luck men. ("weak men," a slang term for socially disadvantaged men)
    72AnonymousSep 23, 2026 20:03
    It's kind of moving to see Juice's name come up here at all.
    Unthinkable a year ago.
    Hello! Project used to be completely off the radar for every media outlet's stats.
    79AnonymousSep 23, 2026 20:06
    Juice has been targeting women in their 30s for ages, and it looks like that's exactly who showed up.
    83AnonymousSep 23, 2026 20:08
    This is gonna make some other fandoms genuinely mad — average age in the 40s and nearly 80% male.
    98AnonymousSep 23, 2026 20:14
    Re: #83
    High schoolers and college kids have been flocking to Kawaii Lab instead of the Sakamichi groups for about three years now.
    Meanwhile fans in their late 20s/early 30s drop out over marriage or just losing interest, so the Sakamichi fanbase keeps getting older.
    84AnonymousSep 23, 2026 20:10
    Saw Hinatazaka at IRC and it was seriously nothing but creepy otaku.
    Female fans were just a handful here and there.
    88AnonymousSep 23, 2026 20:11
    Who cares about the age range, honestly?
    If the group keeps going long enough, today's young fans will just get older too.
    92AnonymousSep 23, 2026 20:12
    Was Juice added to the IRC lineup at the last minute because they were hoping it'd draw in female fans?
    94AnonymousSep 23, 2026 20:13
    Re: #92
    Sounds like the acts announced in the second wave barely showed up anyway, so if there's a next time, they should book them in the first wave instead.
    93AnonymousSep 23, 2026 20:12
    Is iLiFE!'s scene really that female-dominated?
    Maybe that's why fans are so forgiving of member scandals.

    Background and Key Points of the Discussion

    Nikkei Entertainment’s annual “Oshi Katsu” feature compiles fan data for various idol groups — numbers, average age, gender ratio — with some figures reportedly drawn from event organizers’ reports or visual estimates via the “Oshi Katsu Map.” That drew the usual skepticism about methodology again this time. Juice=Juice was, through around 2016-2017, known for a fanbase that skewed over 80% male and for being singled out by pro wrestler Masahiro Chono for its older-skewing audience; in recent years, though, there’s been a narrative of rising numbers of female and younger fans, and this data seems to bear that out. At the same time, the average ages of other groups like Nogizaka46 and AKB48 were brought up, spinning off into a separate discussion about the aging fanbases of Sakamichi-affiliated and Akimoto-produced groups. It’s worth noting that none of these are officially audited statistics — they’re all estimates from the magazine itself.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hello! Project) thread “Nikkei Entertainment: ‘Juice=Juice’s Fanbase Is 46,000 Strong, Average Age 37, 39% Male / 61% Female’.”

  • Rikako Ikee finishes 5th in women’s 100m butterfly, missing a medal for the first time in two Games

    The women’s 100m butterfly final at the Asian Games, currently underway in Aichi and Nagoya, took place on September 23. Japanese record holder Rikako Ikee (26) finished 5th with a time of 58.25 seconds, falling short of what would have been her 11th career medal. China’s Yu Yiting (21) won the event in 56.41 seconds, while Nagisa Ikemoto (24) placed 6th in 58.62. On 5ch, rather than focusing on the race result itself, posters mostly brought up Ikee’s comeback from leukemia, her past remarks, and her reported ties to “hand-healing” (a faith-healing practice), making for a thread split between support and criticism.

    9/23 (Wed) 17:07

    20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya, Swimming (Sept. 23, Tokyo Aquatics Centre)

    The women’s 100m butterfly final was held, with Japanese record holder Rikako Ikee (26, Yokohama Rubber/Renaissance Sports Club) finishing 5th in 58.25 seconds, missing out on what would have been her 11th medal. Nagisa Ikemoto (24, Miki House/TASC) took 6th place in 58.62. China’s Yu Yiting (21) won gold with a time of 56.41, claiming her first title in the event.

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

    4AnonymousSep 23, 2026 17:16
    Osami's hand power just wasn't enough (referencing entertainer Nabe Osami's claimed faith-healing powers)
    5AnonymousSep 23, 2026 17:16
    So what was the deal with Nabe Osami anyway?
    11AnonymousSep 23, 2026 17:19
    No Western European, American, or Australian swimmers even in the field, and this is the best she could do?
    13AnonymousSep 23, 2026 17:19
    Still only 26, so physically she's got more in the tank.
    23AnonymousSep 23, 2026 17:24
    Re: #13
    Which way do you mean that?
    15AnonymousSep 23, 2026 17:21
    She's not at world level anymore, so skipping this and going to the National Sports Festival instead would've been the smarter call.
    17AnonymousSep 23, 2026 17:22
    That's not a time you get to call 'frustrating' — don't make me laugh.
    18AnonymousSep 23, 2026 17:22
    I'm honestly put off that she relied on 'hand-healing.' Killed my urge to cheer for her.
    19AnonymousSep 23, 2026 17:22
    The fact that her blood type changed because of the disease is wild. Amazing she made it back at all.
    33AnonymousSep 23, 2026 17:35
    Honestly thought she'd already retired.
    34AnonymousSep 23, 2026 17:36
    Here we go with the media hype train again
    At least wait until she actually wins a medal before writing an article.
    35AnonymousSep 23, 2026 17:37
    5th at the Asian Games? The Olympics are probably out of reach now, right?
    36AnonymousSep 23, 2026 17:37
    Guess her faith wasn't strong enough
    (´・ω・`)
    38AnonymousSep 23, 2026 17:38
    Zabungle's Kato: "Don't copy me!" (a comedian's catchphrase)
    47AnonymousSep 23, 2026 17:48
    Re: #38
    The original line's from School Wars, lol (a Japanese drama)
    54AnonymousSep 23, 2026 17:55
    Re: #38
    Yasuo Miyata: "Don't copy me!" (a line from School Wars)
    39AnonymousSep 23, 2026 17:41
    She's the one who recovered from leukemia, right?
    Had no idea she was still competing.
    Good for her, really pushing through!
    40AnonymousSep 23, 2026 17:41
    As long as the rest of the Japanese field stays weak, she'll keep qualifying
    so she'll probably keep going.
    42AnonymousSep 23, 2026 17:44
    In the end, she never got back to world level.
    45AnonymousSep 23, 2026 17:45
    She's done, age-wise
    Even without the illness, this was coming eventually.
    58AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:04
    Re: #45
    No, however you look at it the illness was the real blow
    Just making it back alive from a disease that could easily have killed her is a miracle.
    62AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:10
    Re: #45
    She was always the early-bloomer type — winning national titles back in junior high.

    Her current times aren't much different from right after she recovered, so there's no question she's past her peak.
    48AnonymousSep 23, 2026 17:49
    She used to say things like "people who don't get results just aren't trying hard enough"
    funny how that's boomeranged right back at her.
    50AnonymousSep 23, 2026 17:53
    After this, probably a quiet career coaching at the local swim school until she's pushing 70…
    59AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:05
    She's good-looking and has a compelling life story, so after retirement the media will be all over her.
    63AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:11
    Even in recent years there've been several Japanese swimmers who reached the top of the world in certain events or distances,
    but when it comes to swimmers the average person can actually name, it's really just Kitajima and her.
    A generation back you'd have had Suzu Chiba too.
    78AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:40
    Re: #63
    She got attention as "the person who beat leukemia," not for her competitive results.
    68AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:20
    Out for ages with cancer, and still comes back to dominate domestically
    Either she worked incredibly hard,
    or the rest of the field is just hopelessly weak.
    76AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:32
    Re: #68
    The fact that Ikee still holds around ten Japanese records by herself says everything about how weak everyone else is.

    Background and points of debate

    Rikako Ikee was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in 2019 and underwent a long period of treatment; her return to the national team for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics was widely reported at the time. This Asian Games appearance shows she’s still competing near the top internationally after her recovery, but her time of 58.25 seconds falls well short of her career-best from her prime, and the thread split between sober takes (“she’s no longer at world level,” “she’s past her physical peak”) and defenders arguing that “just getting this far back after such a serious illness is enough.” Some posts made definitive claims about the occupations of Ikee’s family members or ties to specific companies, but none of these were substantiated within the thread and should not be taken as confirmed fact. Criticism of her past remarks does draw on things she has actually said publicly, but it’s worth noting that judging her current competitive results is a separate question from that.

    *This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Entertainment & Sports News+) thread “[Asian Games] Rikako Ikee finishes 5th in her first event of the Games, the women’s 100m butterfly, saying “I’m frustrated” — no medal for the first time in two Games.”

  • Was Street Fighter ZERO a “Revolution”? 5ch: “ZERO2 Made the Comeback”

    Street Fighter ZERO launched in arcades in June 1995, followed by ZERO2 in March 1996, bringing an anime-style visual overhaul along with new mechanics like chain combos, air guard, and the ability to use multiple Super Combos. On 5ch’s Hardware/Industry (Geha) board, opinions split over whether this really amounted to a “revolution.” Some were skeptical, arguing it was “just CPS1 dressed up to look next-gen,” while others recalled that almost nobody in arcades at the time could actually chain into a Super Combo, and that although ZERO1 flopped, ZERO2 brought the series back into the spotlight.

    1AnonymousSep 23, 2026 17:18
    Like Vampire (Darkstalkers), the characters got an anime-style makeover, plus chain combos, air guard, and multiple Super Combos.
    Was that actually shocking?
    2AnonymousSep 23, 2026 17:20
    Street Fighter ZERO's just a CPS1 vertical-multi board game…
    they just muscled their way into looking next-gen.
    14AnonymousSep 23, 2026 17:33
    Re: #2
    Capcom's always got circumstances like this tangled up in it.
    3AnonymousSep 23, 2026 17:22
    ZERO2 got a lot of buzz because of Sakura.
    4AnonymousSep 23, 2026 17:23
    ZERO didn't catch on, but ZERO2 was a hit.
    3 flopped completely.
    5AnonymousSep 23, 2026 17:23
    I remember it being really easy to pick up and play.
    Though I was a console player.
    6AnonymousSep 23, 2026 17:23
    Compared to the shock of Virtua Fighter 2 back then, it was nothing.
    8AnonymousSep 23, 2026 17:24
    KOF '95 and Tekken 2 came out and ate into its popularity, I think…
    but then Street Fighter ZERO2 came out the next year and clawed it back.
    9AnonymousSep 23, 2026 17:27
    Chain combos and stuff felt half-baked to me.
    Apparently they didn't have time to make character-specific stages, so I guess it was just under-polished.
    21AnonymousSep 23, 2026 17:40
    Personally, the Capcom fighting games that actually shocked me were:
    the live-action Street Fighter movie tie-in fighter
    Capcom's JoJo Part 3 fighter
    and Warzard, which for some reason threw in RPG elements
    24AnonymousSep 23, 2026 17:46
    Re: #21
    >Warzard, which for some reason threw in RPG elements

    Maybe it started out as the third entry in the D&D series before getting switched from a beat-'em-up to a fighting game concept.


    By the way, there's also a D&D versus fighting game that came out for PS1 overseas.
    31AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:03
    Original Combos, Blocking (a parry-like defensive move)… I just couldn't keep up with any of it.
    34AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:07
    Re: #31
    The Original Combo system that actually shipped wasn't the one previewed in magazines before release (something that anticipated JoJo's Tandem Combos — where you could build your own custom 'recipes' for rush attacks).
    38AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:12
    There's nothing here that's even shocking, so I don't get why this is up for debate.
    39AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:13
    Re: #38
    It turned into a combo-focused game.
    Original Combos.
    Though the precise-timing combos were a downgrade from Vampire (Darkstalkers).
    40AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:14
    Street Fighter ZERO's new (revived) character picks were niche in their own way — like Adon from the original Street Fighter, or Guy and Sodom from Final Fight.
    41AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:15
    Re: #40
    And then there's Lisa Lisa from JoJo — talk about a niche pick.
    48AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:22
    Re: #40
    Considering Birdie and Sagat are in there too, maybe part of the intent was to remake the original Street Fighter — which back then you could only play if you owned a PC Engine — on a current-gen board.
    55AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:29
    Re: #40
    If they'd put Haggar in there, it would've been popular.
    43AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:17
    These days it's a Street Fighter 6 monopoly, but back then it was losing out to Tekken, Virtua Fighter, and KOF.
    46AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:18
    Re: #43
    Capcom was putting stuff out too — like an arcade substitute for Toshinden, and Arika made Street Fighter EX, plus there was Star Gladiator and Justice Gakuen (known overseas as Rival Schools)…
    50AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:25
    Re: #46
    Star Gladiator and Justice Gakuen were made in-house by Capcom, weren't they?
    51AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:26
    Re: #50
    Sorry, my wording was confusing.
    56AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:30
    Re: #55
    Muscle Bomber (Saturday Night Slam Masters) be like, "Wait, what?"
    82AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:08
    Re: #56
    Muscle Bomber used an outside artist, so it feels like Capcom couldn't push it hard during the Street Fighter ZERO era.
    91AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:20
    Re: #82
    The sequel just turned into a regular fighting game, that's the thing.
    57AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:32
    Gotta hand it to the hardware/industry board (Geha), this is wild.
    This game's 30-40 years old, right?
    Which means anyone who played it in real time is at least 50-something by now.
    A bunch of middle-aged-to-elderly guys swarming to talk about it is kind of low-key horror.
    59AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:34
    Re: #57
    I'm not even pushing 50, but honestly, the whole 'internet forum' format itself is……
    68AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:50
    Re: #57
    Young people know this series too, thanks to Arcade Stadium (the compilation re-release).
    61AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:37
    A series that was made as a stopgap until 3, but ended up more popular than 3.
    63AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:43
    Re: #61
    A lot of people think that, but III actually released after ZERO2.

    Street Fighter ZERO — June 1995
    Street Fighter ZERO2 — March 1996
    Street Fighter III — February 1997
    64AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:43
    Re: #61
    The Marvel tie-up made the moves super flashy, which ended up making Street Fighter III look plain by comparison.
    (Though III's animation work is far more detailed.)
    62AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:41
    ZERO1 had clunky anime-style graphics, a so-so character lineup, and sluggish controls — combined with getting ported to consoles early on, it fell to single cabinets in arcades almost immediately.

    ZERO2, on the other hand, had pre-release ads in Gamest revealing Zangief, Dhalsim, Gen from the original game, Rolento from Final Fight, and a mysterious girl in a sailor uniform — a complete turnaround from ZERO1 that built real anticipation.
    70AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:52
    Re: #62
    That ad was great.
    Really stuck with me.
    79AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:02
    Back in the ZERO days, nobody in the arcades could actually chain into a Super Combo.
    If I had my current skills back then, I could've been an instant hero…
    80AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:03
    Re: #79
    There's no more pointless time-slip fantasy than that one.
    98AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:26
    Re: #79
    Actually, from what I saw around me, ZERO was the first time you could buffer inputs to cancel into a Super Combo. In X (Super Turbo), the input window was way too short to pull it off at all.
    94AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:23
    There hasn't really been a "revolution" since Street Fighter II, has there? Vampire (Darkstalkers) impressed me with how good it looked, though.
    101AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:42
    Re: #94
    If you change things enough to call it a revolution, it stops being a fighting game.
    After Street Fighter II, it was Virtua Fighter, and there hasn't been another one since.
    99AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:35
    It's a series where the new entries never get that popular, and it keeps clawing back with upgraded re-releases that add Street Fighter II characters.
    102AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:43
    Re: #99
    If you want to swap out the whole cast, you might as well change the title, right?
    In fighting games, different characters completely change how the game feels to play, so unlike other action games, it's hard to keep the core the same when you swap characters.

    Background and Key Points of This Discussion

    Street Fighter ZERO launched in arcades in June 1995, ZERO2 in March 1996, and III — which overhauled the series — in February 1997; as commenters note, ZERO2 actually came out before III. ZERO ran on the CPS1 board, and it also served as a comeback strategy during a period when Capcom was losing arcade traffic to newer-generation titles like Tekken 2 and KOF ’95. What split the thread was exactly what counted as a “revolution”: some praised new features like chain combos, air guard, and multiple Super Combos, while plenty of others were more dismissive, calling it “just CPS1 dressed up to look next-gen” or saying the precise-timing combo system was “a downgrade from Vampire (Darkstalkers).” It’s also easy to overlook how differently ZERO1 and ZERO2 were received: ZERO1’s character lineup and sluggish controls drew criticism, while ZERO2’s roster — revealed early through magazine ads — generated buzz that carried over into real popularity once it hit arcades.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hardware/Industry (Geha)) thread “Was Street Fighter ZERO actually a revolution back then?.”

  • Man Hits on Woman at Morning Musume。’26 Venue — 5ch Reacts: ‘Even a Silver Fox Is a No-Go’

    On September 23, at Nippon Gaishi Hall Forest Hall, the venue for a Morning Musume。’26 concert, a female fan in her 20s posted on X (formerly Twitter) that while she was standing alone outside the venue looking at her phone, a gray-haired man in a checked shirt who appeared to be in his 50s or older approached her, saying, “This is a pickup attempt! I thought you were lovely!” The post was picked up by a Hello! Project-related 5ch thread and spread as a cautionary tale for women attending solo — but opinions split, with some defending the man and others questioning the poster herself.

    1AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:20
    @
    Morning Musume。'26 at Nippon Gaishi Hall Forest Hall
    I'm a woman in my 20s — I was outside the venue, holding a parasol, alone on my phone, when a gray-haired man in a checked shirt, 50s or older, came up to me and said, "This is a pickup attempt! I thought you were lovely!" 💦 Ladies attending solo, please be careful. #morningmusume
    3AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:22
    If it were a silver fox, fine, but a creepy old man trying to pick her up is just hilarious
    56AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:39
    Re: #3
    Even a silver fox would be a no-go
    58AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:40
    Re: #3
    Even a silver fox is a no-go
    Being a middle-aged guy at all is the problem
    4AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:22
    @
    To new female Hello! Project fans under 20:

    Only meet up with men when your parents are attending with you, or during big group gatherings.

    One-on-one meetups aren't recommended.

    Trading goods one-on-one isn't recommended either, if you can help it.

    — From a fearless fan in her 30s who's had several newcomers come to her for advice after being pestered by guys on the prowl for dates (deai-chu)
    5AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:23
    If she's gonna get hit on anyway, she'd rather it be some hot young newcomer, right?
    7AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:23
    So this is the plan to scare off the female fans, huh
    8AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:23
    So if he'd been hot, it would've been fine?
    9AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:24
    Don't just casually slip in a "Nacchi" line like that!" (a nod to original member Abe Natsumi's famous "…da na to omotte" catchphrase)
    10AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:24
    You guys throw around "hot guy" so casually, but there really aren't that many of them…
    11AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:24
    The old-guy fans who don't call out female fans for trash-talking the members are true gentlemen
    12AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:25
    There were plenty of that type over by the Village
    13AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:25
    He was probably lying in wait on purpose, but I bet an old man showing up was the last thing she expected lol
    18AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:27
    Bit of an overreaction, no? Getting hit on isn't that big a deal lol
    19AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:28
    If it's outside the venue, wasn't he probably just soliciting for something? Does she really need to call that "getting hit on" just to brag about being popular?
    22AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:29
    At this rate she'll start calling flyer handouts "getting hit on" too lol
    25AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:30
    Does anyone actually meet people at a concert venue?
    26AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:30
    The truly creepy ones talk to you right next to you inside the venue. Outside, it's definitely just some kind of solicitation.
    30AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:31
    You get veteran fans, men and women alike, getting hyped up together with the whole "oh, you're always here too!" regulars' routine — I bet some guys watching that get the wrong idea
    31AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:31
    So how are otaku supposed to meet each other, then?
    42AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:33
    Re: #31
    Go find someone on a dating app
    32AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:31
    Creepy old men like this are probably why Hello! Project isn't popular with young people
    35AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:31
    You guys are overreacting because you're old men too lol
    39AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:32
    "This is a pickup attempt!"

    ↑ Way too creepy…
    41AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:33
    Quoting a famous line and thinking it'll charm her into giving him a shot, what an idiot
    74AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:48
    Oh come on~ weren't you secretly happy about it though
    88AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:51
    Re: #74
    She's obviously happy about it — that's why she's bragging about it in a post
    78AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:48
    He can pull a stunt like this at 50 because he never matured past his teens or twenties mentally. If he had a real job and a family, he wouldn't even think this way.
    84AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:49
    Re: #78
    Same goes for women — if you're normal, you don't get obsessed with idols in the first place
    85AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:49
    Even a silver fox — if a 50-year-old does it, it's creepy
    86AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:50
    Re: #85
    What, even guys like Sorimachi Takashi or Takenouchi Yutaka don't count?

    Background and Points of Debate

    Not just within Hello! Project, the areas around idol and artist concert venues draw large, unspecified crowds, and warnings aimed at new fans have repeatedly circulated on social media. In this thread too, the debate went beyond simply criticizing the man’s age or looks — commenters split over questions like “would it have been fine if he’d been a good-looking older guy?” and “did the woman who posted about it bear some responsibility herself?” with no consensus reached. Hello! Project’s fanbase spans a wide range of ages and genders, and it’s not unusual for fans who don’t know each other to strike up conversation near a venue, so opinions differ on whether being approached at all is the problem, or how it was done. Worth noting: since this happened outside the venue and wasn’t the kind of incident that would draw police involvement, how much of a safety concern it really represents ultimately comes down to individual perception.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hello! Project) thread “An old man in his 50s or older hit on a woman in her 20s at a Morning Musume。’26 concert venue lol.”

  • The Ever-Shrinking Manual Transmission: 5ch Says ‘I’ve Never Seen a Rational Reason’ to Choose One

    As new cars with manual transmission (MT) options dwindle year after year, an article exploring where the value in “deliberately choosing” one still lies drew reactions on 5ch’s Breaking News+ board. The original article acknowledges that automatic (AT) cars now beat MTs on fuel economy and acceleration, but points to the “dialogue with the car” that comes from operating the clutch yourself, the growing rarity of MTs as electrification advances, and cases where used prices now exceed those of new cars. On the thread, cynical voices saying “I’ve never seen a rational reason” mixed with others citing lower price and durability as practical benefits, plus calls to make MT mandatory for elderly drivers to prevent pedal-mix-up accidents — and rebuttals to that — with no consensus reached.

    As electrification advances, the number of new manual transmission (MT) cars available on the market keeps shrinking year by year. So why is there still value in “deliberately choosing” one? Here we introduce it alongside six domestic MT sports cars currently available new.

    ●The “joy of driving” that can’t be measured in numbers

    In terms of fuel economy and acceleration, AT cars already outperform MT cars. Even so, the reason MT cars are still chosen lies in the “dialogue with the car” — pressing the clutch and selecting gears yourself. Even everyday driving, like commuting or running errands, changes in character with an MT car depending on how you handle it. Moreover, the more electrification advances, the rarer MT cars become, and for sports cars in particular, it’s not unusual for used prices to exceed those of new cars.

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

    39AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:29
    Same as how squat toilets (traditional Japanese-style toilets) haven't gone extinct.
    114AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:41
    Re: #39
    Same deal, right down to nobody actually using them lol
    178AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:54
    Re: #39
    MT bros are basically the squat toilet of cars lmao
    82AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:36
    If motorcycles ever stop being manual, there's no point riding them anymore.
    84AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:36
    Re: #82
    It's fun though. I rode a moped (原付, a 50cc scooter) and it was fun.
    89AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:37
    Re: #82
    AT scooters are easy. If it's your hobby, whether it's a car or a bike, do whatever you like — but for most people it's just a way to get around. Easier is obviously better.
    83AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:36
    ・AT car → pedal mix-up → car goes out of control
    ・MT car → pedal mix-up → engine stalls
    They should at least make MT mandatory for elderly drivers.
    106AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:40
    It's just a means of transportation — going on about how "fun" it is, are you an idiot?
    116AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:42
    Re: #106
    If driving itself isn't fun, people end up looking at their phones or doing other unnecessary things.
    215AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:00
    Re: #106
    If cars in this world existed purely as a means of transportation, sports cars wouldn't exist, and neither would car enthusiasts.
    138AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:46
    In racing games, most people use MT.
    143AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:48
    Re: #138
    In racing games it's mostly auto-shift though.
    168AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:52
    Re: #138
    MT in racing games has no concept of a clutch.
    Isn't that basically the same as an AT's manual mode?
    140AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:47
    MT car: "Whoa, a kid just ran out! Gotta slow down fast! 4th, 3rd, 2nd… 1st (grinding gears)"

    That's hilarious.
    148AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:48
    Re: #140
    That's exactly the manual car experience lol
    It's so bad it's funny lmao
    161AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:50
    Re: #140
    When I stop in an AT, I downshift gradually to save on brake pad wear, but even in an MT, in an emergency I just use the foot brake.
    Since I haven't pressed the clutch after stopping, it usually stalls out anyway lol
    169AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:52
    Re: #140
    You probably don't even have an MT license.
    186AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:55
    Deliberately driving an AT car while holding an MT license is cool, but
    having an AT-only license gets you seen as a loser —
    and that extends beyond just driving, to your work and character too.
    192AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:56
    Re: #186
    These days, the ones who insist on MT are the real weirdos with a strong quirk.
    231AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:02
    Re: #186
    Does anyone actually exist who says something that nonsensical?
    193AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:56
    Even watching threads like this, I've never seen a rational reason why you should choose MT.
    Well, I guess that's just how it is.
    202AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:57
    Re: #193
    My post literally lists reasons to choose MT.
    213AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:59
    Re: #193
    For a regular passenger car, MT basically has zero merit lol
    Unless it's something you push hard like a kei truck or a large vehicle, it's just an unconvincing hobby lol
    238AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:03
    This is MT's biggest strength right here — it's cheaper.
    247AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:05
    Re: #238
    It's also strong on icy roads, and good for climbing forest roads and rough terrain.
    Forestry workers, hunters, and surveyors tend to like it.
    263AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:08
    Re: #238
    I think MT's biggest strength is durability.
    Even at hundreds of thousands of kilometers, a clutch replacement keeps it going.
    The CVT I used to drive died at 100,000 km.
    242AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:04
    Re: #235
    Even if you don't think about it, driving MT forces you to gain that advantage automatically.
    243AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:05
    Re: #242
    That's exactly what's being rejected though.
    250AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:05
    Re: #243
    It's not about rejecting it —
    you can't drive an MT without doing that.
    254AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:06
    Re: #250
    Nobody wants to, except the 1% who are weirdos.
    255AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:07
    Re: #250
    Most people don't want to drive MT badly enough to go that far.
    270AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:09
    Re: #254
    Wasn't this supposed to be about rationality?

    Re: #255
    It's not that I don't want to drive MT —
    I'm explaining that MT has these particular effects.
    277AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:11
    Re: #270
    That kind of effect doesn't matter to most people.

    Background and key points of this discussion

    The decline of MT cars is a structural trend driven by the rise in AT-only license holders and increasingly sophisticated automatic transmission technology, with MT cars said to already account for only a small share of new car sales in Japan. What divided the thread was how to define “rationality” — those citing driving enjoyment and rarity talked past those who argued the case falls apart when measured by fuel economy and practicality. There were also calls to mandate MT as a way to prevent pedal-mix-up accidents among elderly drivers, but it was also pointed out that drivers can just as easily confuse the clutch and brake, so whether switching to MT would actually reduce accidents was never settled in the thread. Low price and high durability drew relatively strong support as practical arguments, but whether that’s enough to count as a reason to “deliberately choose” MT was never agreed upon to the end.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Breaking News+) thread “[Automobiles] Manual Transmission Cars Keep Declining — Why They’re Still Chosen.”

  • Atsushi Tamura Criticized for Keeping Hat On at Eel Restaurant — 5ch: ‘No One Says Anything at a Beef Bowl Joint’

    Talent Atsushi Tamura posted a video on X showing himself eating at Uosei, an eel restaurant in Katsushika Ward, Tokyo, while wearing his hat — and after facing backlash, he pushed back, saying “No one complains when you eat with your hat on at a beef bowl chain.” On 5ch’s Geinou/Sports Breaking News+ board, comments clashed between those who didn’t understand why taking your hat off indoors is considered proper manners, and those who argued that keeping a hat on without the restaurant’s permission is simply rude — the debate spiraled into differences in upbringing and discipline. Many also pointed out how odd it is that the reaction changes depending on the type of restaurant.

    Talent Atsushi Tamura updated his X (formerly Twitter) account on the 21st. After facing criticism for eating at an eel restaurant while keeping his hat on, he responded with a rebuttal.

    It all started with a video Tamura posted on the 20th.

    Tamura wrote, “For everyone who loves eel — this is a place you have to visit! I finally managed to get a reservation and enjoyed it ♪(´ε｀ )” and shared footage of himself enjoying a meal at Unagi Uosei, an eel restaurant in Katsushika Ward, Tokyo.

    Source: ggtnews.net / Original article here

    5AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:54
    The staff never actually gave permission for that —
    they just don't bother saying anything every time.
    Can't you tell that without being told?
    10AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:54
    Re: #5
    The restaurant probably couldn't care less, right?
    109AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:08
    Re: #5
    No way anyone's actually asking "Is it okay if I keep my hat on?"
    9AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:54
    You take your hat off when you're eating indoors.
    That doesn't change based on what you're eating.
    179AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:14
    Re: #9
    Sure it's indoors, but plenty of people keep their hats on in food courts, and that's never a problem, right?
    15AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:55
    I'm bald, so I keep my hat on while I eat.
    Showing off a bald head is the real manners violation.
    76AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:03
    Re: #15
    Exactly, it ruins people's appetite.
    33AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:57
    Kenkoba got caught by Friday (a Japanese tabloid known for paparazzi scoops) even when he took his hat off to eat at Yoshinoya.
    46AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:59
    Re: #33
    The self-appointed photo analysts online rated it as him savoring the meal with real soul.
    251AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:20
    Re: #33
    They also got him with Friday while he was browsing AV (adult videos) —
    classic filler story for a slow news day.
    54AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:00
    So he thinks not being told off means he had permission? That's messed up.
    157AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:12
    Re: #54
    Does the restaurant even have a reason to want hats off?
    61AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:00
    If someone isn't bothered by other people's hats, they were probably raised in an environment like that.
    This is exactly the kind of thing that reveals your upbringing.
    68AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:01
    Manners nobody actually cares about should just be scrapped.
    104AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:07
    Re: #68
    Are you Noritake Kinashi? (comedian known for his laid-back, rule-breaking image)
    89AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:05
    People are just going to assume you're bald.
    106AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:07
    Re: #89
    Exactly, lol.
    91AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:05
    By the way, why is it better to take your hat off at restaurants anyway?
    98AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:06
    Re: #91
    Taking your hat off indoors is just basic etiquette.
    151AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:11
    Re: #91
    I want to know that too —
    chefs get criticized if they DON'T wear a hat.
    101AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:07
    Re: #61
    People who get bothered by this were probably raised by overly nitpicky parents.
    119AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:09
    Re: #101
    People who aren't bothered by it were probably raised by thoughtless parents.
    129AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:10
    Re: #119
    Guess that's how it looks to an old man like you.
    114AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:08
    Come on, it doesn't matter if it's a beef bowl place or McDonald's, it's the same.
    What kind of upbringing did you have?
    131AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:10
    Re: #114
    We're talking indoors here lol, so a beef bowl place shouldn't be okay either.
    117AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:09
    Where does this idea that hats are rude even come from?
    133AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:10
    Re: #117
    This is entertainment, right?
    I think Tamura knows exactly what he's doing.
    158AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:12
    Re: #117
    It comes from the West — hats themselves originally came to Japan from Western culture.
    Even in elementary school, you might wear a hat indoors or on your way to school, but you take it off for class, right?
    That's the (indoors = hat off) rule a lot of people question.
    168AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:13
    Re: #117
    Guess you just don't know what "datsubou" (taking your hat off as a sign of respect) means, huh.
    127AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:10
    I thought "take your hat off while eating" was just common sense manners.
    Even I know it, and people often tell me I have no common sense.
    139AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:10
    Re: #127
    Why is it common sense though?
    128AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:10
    I'm not a fan of Atsushi Tamura, but I like people who nag about others' manners even less.
    Just follow manners yourself and live your life.
    145AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:11
    Re: #128
    I'm not into nitpickers either, but hats are a different story —
    most Japanese people find it genuinely off-putting.
    155AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:11
    Re: #128
    You're the one being pushy about other people's opinions here.
    136AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:10
    The moment you start criticizing how someone else eats, that says something about your own upbringing.
    Manners police have bad manners too.
    162AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:12
    Re: #136
    If you're going to post yourself eating in public, getting some flak should be expected.
    If you don't want that, just eat quietly and keep it to yourself.
    225AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:18
    When I ate out and did my usual habit of putting my hands together and saying "itadakimasu" (a customary phrase said before eating), a friend who was with me said "that's embarrassing, cut it out."
    I genuinely didn't understand what was embarrassing about it.
    Upbringing and discipline really do vary a lot from person to person.
    238AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:19
    Re: #225
    Just say it in your head — you're the embarrassing one.
    254AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:20
    Re: #225
    It's basically in every TV drama though —
    I don't get what's supposed to be embarrassing about it.
    258AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:21
    Re: #225
    When I see someone quietly put their hands together and mutter "itadakimasu" and "gochisousama" (thank-you phrases said before and after meals),
    I think, "this person was raised right."

    Background and Key Points of the Debate

    The custom of treating “take your hat off indoors” as a basic manner is said to trace back to the fact that hats themselves were introduced to Japan from Western culture, and it isn’t codified in any law or store policy. That’s why the thread never quite reconciled two positions: pushback against the logic that “not being told off means permission was granted,” and the view that “you should be able to tell without being told.” The differing treatment — tolerated at beef bowl chains and food courts, but scrutinized at upscale places like eel restaurants — also became a point of debate, but this reflects unspoken differences in expectations based on a restaurant’s class and clientele rather than any unified rule, which makes the whole issue easy to misread. The thread also saw a clash between people defending the practice by citing hiding baldness, and critics invoking upbringing and discipline, with the conversation often sliding from manners into judgments about the other side’s character. Conflicts over “manners” like this tend to escalate emotionally precisely because, the less codified the rule is, the more the standard varies depending on each person’s upbringing.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports Breaking News+) thread “Atsushi Tamura Eats at an Eel Restaurant Without Taking His Hat Off — Amid Criticism, He Says “No One Says Anything About Wearing a Hat at a Beef Bowl Place,” “Random Manners Police Are Annoying”“.

  • US Prices for Pokémon Card 30th Anniversary Boxes Crash — Scalpers’ “We’re Considering Legal Action” Gets Laughed Out of the Room

    US prices for Pokémon Card’s 30th anniversary commemorative boxes have crashed, and reports say the scalpers behind the outcry are grumbling that they’re “considering legal action.” According to the article, they call themselves “secondary distributors” and are criticizing The Pokémon Company for not disclosing accurate print runs, pull rates, or supply volume in advance. On 5ch, posters largely welcomed the oversupply and showed little sympathy for the scalpers, though some pointed out this is a US market issue — in Japan, pull rates have stayed the same and prices have actually gone up.

    The highlight of this whole saga is that the people who appear to be scalpers are whining all over the internet.

    For example, some are saying things like “We’re seriously considering taking legal action against Pokémon” and “It’s outrageous that they didn’t disclose the accurate print numbers, pull rates, and how large the actual supply would be.” Notably, they never explain why Pokémon’s official channels would be obligated to disclose any of that in advance.

    What’s more, they call themselves “secondary distributors” and proudly claim that “no one has supported Pokémon as much as we have — we’ve helped circulate product at a fair market price instead of an unreasonably cheap manufacturer’s suggested retail price.”

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

    2AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:17
    Sorry, I genuinely have no idea what you're even saying (a nod to a famous Japanese comedy catchphrase)
    6AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:19
    Good for you, got to hoard a ton of rares
    9AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:20
    Re: #6
    Seriously, this lol
    Just turn your duplicate ultra-rares into paper-cutting crafts lol
    7AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:19
    Commemorative boxes are meant to be held onto for the long haul — there's no way you'd cash in that fast
    10AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:20
    I thought this had to be a joke, but it's literally written in the news article — I'm baffled
    11AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:21
    They've forgotten what cards are even for
    13AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:21
    It's a business — sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.
    Taking a huge loss now and then is basically the whole thrill of capitalism. It'd be boring if you only ever made money.
    15AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:22
    If they sue, all that'll happen is someone tips off the tax office on them — they're not exactly paying their taxes properly anyway
    19AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:24
    Re: #15
    This makes no sense
    Even scalpers pay taxes, don't they
    Baseless criticism isn't cool
    31AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:28
    Re: #19
    Main taxes that apply:
    Income tax (miscellaneous or business income): a progressive tax of up to 45% (up to 55% combined with resident tax) applies to resale profits (sales revenue minus cost of goods, fees, shipping, etc.).
    Consumption tax: People assume "it doesn't apply to me, I'm just reselling on a flea-market app," but if your taxable sales two years prior exceeded 10 million yen, you owe consumption tax (10%) even as an individual.

    So scalpers actually do pay taxes
    Respect
    36AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:29
    Re: #19
    Sounds like someone who's never had a job
    17AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:23
    This, exactly.


    I told my wife about the new Switch model.
    She broke down crying on the spot.
    Sorry, we can't afford luxuries anymore.
    I'm about to go tell the kids that daddy's paycheck is gone, so no more toys.
    Some of us make our living off the Switch. I will never forgive Nintendo.
    18AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:23
    You can't even list stuff on Mercari right now, can you? What are the scalpers gonna do lol (Mercari — Japan's biggest flea-market app)
    20AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:24
    Honestly, the more they print, the more it sells, so Pokémon Inc. should just print way more
    21AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:24
    "Secondary distributor" lol
    No, you're just a scalper lol
    24AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:25
    You'd think they'd print a ton for a 30th anniversary set
    Didn't it also include reprints of old cards?
    101AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:55
    Re: #24
    They've got an annoying little mark stamped on them
    25AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:26
    Someone like Kaya's probably gonna make a giddy video about this (a well-known Pokémon card YouTuber)
    26AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:26
    Why are they this mad? Did they just ship way too many?
    33AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:28
    Scalpers obviously suck, but
    they do take on some of the inventory risk that manufacturers and retailers would otherwise be stuck with
    46AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:32
    Re: #33
    Scalpers don't even touch unpopular products in the first place, so calling it "taking on inventory risk" is just dumb
    51AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:34
    Re: #33
    What is this guy even talking about
    62AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:37
    Re: #33
    That type of scalper doesn't exist anymore
    Nowadays it's all people buying up entire stocks and canceling orders last-minute, wrecking supply numbers — hated by manufacturers and retailers alike
    49AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:33
    Best schadenfreude meal of the year (meshi-uma — 5ch slang for savoring other people's misfortune)
    56AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:35
    Re: #49
    No, you're the one who's gonna lose
    55AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:35
    Re: #31
    And your evidence is?
    Scalpers wouldn't even use Mercari in the first place — that's for small-time amateurs
    65AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:38
    Re: #55
    Oh, my bad
    I already knew income tax existed
    I just wrote that assuming you didn't know it existed
    76AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:44
    This is about the US, right?
    Is the same thing happening in Japan too?
    82AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:47
    Re: #76
    Unlike in the US, the pull rates here haven't changed, so there's no real chaos
    If anything, single-card prices are higher now than on release day
    80AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:46
    Could you please stop hogging all the profits for yourselves, Pokémon? (mocking the scalpers' logic)
    89AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:48
    Re: #80
    That's a stretch, but I did see someone on X complaining about card shops selling singles they pulled in-store
    86AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:47
    "We've contributed to circulating product at a fair market price instead of an unreasonably cheap manufacturer's suggested retail price"

    Well, good thing the manufacturer supplied enough to match demand and balance it all out lol
    90AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:48
    Re: #86
    If a card shop said this, I could understand it, giving them the benefit of the doubt
    But coming from an individual scalper? What half-asleep nonsense is this
    108AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:59
    The writer was probably struggling not to laugh while writing this
    114AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:00
    Re: #108
    The way it's written is flat-out mocking them
    111AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:00
    The 30th anniversary box price is actually going up, so why's this article even out?
    125AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:12
    Re: #111
    It's about the US
    128AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:15
    I wonder if this'll become buyable again
    I'm planning to hold onto it for 10 years, so just let me buy one
    130AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:15
    Re: #128
    There's so much of it flooding the market that holding it for 10 years won't make any difference

    Background and Key Points of This Topic

    This topic stems from an article published on Yahoo! News, concerning what appears to be the US market for Pokémon Card 30th anniversary sets. Supply outpaced demand, causing prices to crash, and secondary sellers were reported to be considering legal action against The Pokémon Company for allegedly failing to disclose accurate print numbers or pull rates in advance. On the thread, alongside general pushback against scalping itself, replies 15, 19, 31, and 36 got into a notable back-and-forth debating whether scalpers actually pay their taxes, turning into something of a tax-law explainer battle. It’s also worth noting that Japan’s domestic single-card market is a separate matter from what this article covers — some posters (replies 82 and 125) pointed out that pull rates in Japan have stayed the same and prices have, if anything, been trending upward, so the chaos in the US and the domestic market should be read as two distinct situations.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Nandemo Jikkyo G) thread “Pokémon Card 30th Anniv. Prices Crash, Scalpers Scream in Anguish — Threatening Legal Action lolololololololololol“