Japan Reacts

Author: Japan Reacts Editorial

  • Mishaps pile up at Nagoya Asian Games — 5ch dubs it ‘the worst Asian Games ever’

    Operational mishaps keep surfacing at the Asian Games currently underway in Aichi/Nagoya. Thailand’s delegation was reportedly turned away from their lodging and forced to spend the night outdoors, and during the South Korea match the anthem played was North Korea’s national anthem instead of South Korea’s. Threads on 5ch are full of comments calling it ‘the worst Asian Games in history,’ while others defend the organizers, arguing ‘Asian Games have always been like this, not just when Japan hosts,’ and some point out that the room shortage stemmed from events being added to the schedule just before the Games began — leaving opinion split over who’s really to blame.

    1AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:02
    Thailand's delegation gets turned away from their hotel, sparking global outrage
    ↓
    North Korea's anthem plays during the South Korea match
    5AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:03
    Sounds like the Thai athletes ended up sleeping outside after all
    95AnonymousSep 18, 2026 21:00
    Re: #5
    Why couldn't they find the registered names?
    Is the hotel staff really the one at fault here?
    6AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:04
    Close-up of the South Korean flag, then North Korea's anthem plays
    https://x.com/PonChak_mania/status/2100868430702489631
    66AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:40
    Re: #6
    Funny how even the Koreans in here are staying calm about it lol
    Guess the smartphone generation really is this jaded everywhere in the world
    8AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:05
    By the way, apparently the contractor running operations is the same one who never paid its construction bills for the Osaka Expo
    76AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:48
    Re: #8
    That thing's still going?
    11AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:06
    Had to laugh at people calling this the worst Asian Games ever
    14AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:08
    It's Nagoya
    Of course — the Chunichi Dragons are basically its only redeeming quality ("Chuni" = local slang for the Chunichi Dragons baseball team, often joked about as the city's only claim to fame)
    92AnonymousSep 18, 2026 21:00
    Re: #14
    Is that really something to brag about?
    Isn't that more of an embarrassment?
    15AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:09
    Taking soccer players to a baseball stadium
    The athletes' hotel stinks so bad the players are sleeping at the venue instead
    Meals are nothing but rice balls
    The athletes' village facilities don't even have a roof — worse than a refugee camp


    — and that list's still missing stuff
    24AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:14
    There's a video of the Soviet anthem playing for the Russian team too — same level of screwup
    28AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:18
    Good thing they let Seoul host the Olympics instead (lol) (Nagoya famously lost its bid for the 1988 Summer Olympics to Seoul)
    29AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:18
    Heard that when they tried to just use hotels, they got scolded and told to build an athletes' village
    I mean, tens of thousands of people are coming — hotels alone were never going to cut it
    30AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:18
    Aichi doesn't even have the capacity to host something at the Asian Games level — that's rough
    34AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:20
    As for the Thai team thing, that was a bold call — flatly refusing people who might've been impostors
    35AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:20
    Why'd they even hold this out in the countryside where the facilities aren't up to scratch in the first place?
    36AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:21
    Seems like Japanese people have lost even their ability to handle paperwork, coordinate logistics, and just double-check things
    40AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:25
    There are linesmen at the volleyball matches
    Does an international tournament even still do that?
    Is the sport itself being run half-assed too?
    52AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:33
    Re: #40
    Wait, linesmen?
    You mean they're calling it by eye?
    In this day and age?
    44AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:28
    This is supposedly the biggest event in Asia after the Olympics, so if they don't get it together I'm filing a real complaint
    48AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:29
    Re: #44
    Japan doesn't have the national strength to host international events anymore, so might as well just let them show off the mess
    80AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:53
    As for the lodging, the OCA's the one to blame — they approved adding events at the last minute even after being told it wouldn't work
    81AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:55
    Re: #80
    No, actually — the organizing committee already announced they've dealt with it
    84AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:56
    Well, now we know Nagoya shouldn't be hosting international events
    93AnonymousSep 18, 2026 21:00
    Re: #84
    Correction:
    not "Nagoya" —
    "Japan"
    87AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:57
    Apparently each country supplies its own anthem audio, so this one's on whoever handled South Korea's audio file
    91AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:59
    Re: #87
    Nah, you'd normally check the audio file before playing it though…
    96AnonymousSep 18, 2026 21:01
    Probably nothing but powerless temp workers on site with zero authority — wouldn't be surprised if they rounded people up through Timee and just left them to it (Timee is a popular Japanese gig-work/spot-job app)
    99AnonymousSep 18, 2026 21:02
    Re: #96 ← this might just be spreading misinformation
    102AnonymousSep 18, 2026 21:02
    As usual, it's hell watching ordinary Japanese people spew hate on X and drag Japan's reputation down even further
    109AnonymousSep 18, 2026 21:06
    Why's it so empty in there?
    111AnonymousSep 18, 2026 21:07
    Re: #109
    If nobody knows what's actually going on
    Of course no one's going to show up

    Background and key points of debate

    The Asian Games are considered Asia’s largest multi-sport event after the Olympics, and host-city operations tend to draw close scrutiny from international media. In this case, events were added to the schedule shortly before the Games began, pushing attendance past the hotel capacity originally planned — one factor behind the lodging trouble — and thread opinion is split over whether responsibility lies with the organizing committee or with the OCA. As for the anthem mix-up, since the operational setup simply plays whatever audio file each country provides, it’s likely a clerical error from inadequate checking rather than any intentional political provocation — a distinction that’s easy to overlook. It’s also a common pattern in coverage of this kind of international event that criticism aimed at the host city, “Nagoya,” quickly escalates into broader judgments about “Japan” as a whole.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Nanademo Jikkyo G) thread “Nagoya Asian Games has completely fallen apart.”

  • 28-Year-Old Delivery Driver Throws Out His Back — 5ch: “Everyone in Trucking or Warehouse Work Does This at Least Once”

    A poster who says he’s 28 and works at a delivery company earning ¥4.8 million a year wrote on 5ch that the moment he tried to stand up from the toilet after getting home, a sharp pain shot through his lower back and he couldn’t move. While some in the thread were shocked — “throwing your back out at 28?” — plenty of others shared their own stories, saying it’s basically a rite of passage in trucking or warehouse work. The discussion mostly centered on practical questions: should you ice it or keep moving, is a hospital visit even worth it, and will he make it to work Monday — with the question of whether workers’ comp applies also coming up.

    1AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:39
    Just got home, went to use the toilet → tried to stand up and my back went 'crack!' — excruciating pain
    7AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:41
    Re: #6
    I said I'm 28, it's right there — can't you read?
    53AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:53
    Re: #7
    That's an old man's injury, dude
    9AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:42
    Everyone's working with a busted back, you'll be fine, totally fine 😁
    11AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:42
    Re: #9
    I have to live with this pain from now on? No way, I can't do that
    12AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:43
    People who've never thrown out their back can't gauge their limits, so it's no wonder they don't understand
    14AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:43
    Re: #12
    First time I've ever felt pain like this
    20AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:45
    You can throw your back out at 28??
    22AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:45
    Re: #20
    My first time was at 16
    24AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:46
    Re: #20
    Don't look at me for that
    27AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:47
    FYI, going to the hospital doesn't do much
    They just tell you to take care and that's it
    31AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:47
    Re: #27
    Can't they at least give you painkillers?
    37AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:50
    Re: #27
    I got to buy a back brace, so it was worth going
    29AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:47
    Could be a herniated disc — you should go get it checked
    33AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:48
    Re: #29
    I'll find a hospital that's open tomorrow and go
    Problem is I can't even stand up right now
    39AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:50
    I threw my back out for the first time at 23 — all I could do was crawl
    41AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:51
    Re: #39
    You can't stand up with this, huh
    I'm trying but it's just not happening
    40AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:51
    That's a full-on thrown-out back
    There are degrees to it, but even a mild case takes 3-4 days before you can walk without it feeling off
    A bad one can take a week before you can even sit up
    45AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:51
    Re: #40
    Seriously? I might not be able to work Monday at this rate
    49AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:52
    I capped off a workout with 500 squats
    Then let my guard down reaching for a drink on the floor and threw my back out — turned into a herniated disc
    Ever since, every winter I get this tingling running from my right hip all the way down to my toes
    54AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:54
    Re: #49
    It's my back, but somehow my stomach hurts lol
    50AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:53
    Staying still is the wrong move — moving through the pain is actually the faster path to recovery
    52AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:53
    Re: #50
    No way, I can't move at all
    Just turning to the side makes it go 'crack,' you know?
    55AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:54
    Am I gonna get told 'you don't need to come in anymore,' like Utsui in Ushijima-kun? (a loan-shark manga character let go after an injury)
    61AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:55
    Re: #55
    I'm a full-time employee so I don't think it'll come to that
    But what do I even do if this isn't healed by Monday
    60AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:55
    Did you ice it?
    It's probably inflamed, so icing should bring the pain down
    65AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:55
    Re: #60
    I'll try icing it
    Thanks
    62AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:55
    Everyone in trucking or warehouse work throws their back out at least once
    Your life's not over until your legs and back are completely shot, so hang in there
    66AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:56
    Re: #62
    Figured it would happen to me eventually, just didn't expect it this soon
    67AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:56
    Just say your back hurts and take the day off
    71AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:57
    Re: #67
    It's not that easy to just take a day off…
    68AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:57
    Buy a back corset at the hospital or a pharmacy
    Wear it whenever you're lifting something heavy or your back feels off, from now on
    73AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:58
    Re: #68
    For now I'll ice it, and once I can walk I'll buy a corset
    Do pharmacies even sell those?
    72AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:57
    Doesn't workers' comp cover this? Not sure though
    77AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:59
    Re: #72
    It wasn't during work hours, so probably not
    80AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:59
    On the first day it's best to ice it for 30 minutes, rest a bit, then ice again, repeating that cycle
    Rolling over in bed will probably be rough too, and you might barely be able to get up the next morning
    83AnonymousSep 18, 2026 21:00
    Re: #80
    For now I'm just icing it
    81AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:59
    Once your back's out, even rinsing your mouth after brushing your teeth means bracing a hand on the wall or staggering your feet instead of standing up straight
    87AnonymousSep 18, 2026 21:02
    Re: #81
    That's so pathetic lol
    89AnonymousSep 18, 2026 21:03
    Re: #81
    I feel that
    Even bending a little sets it off cracking
    97AnonymousSep 18, 2026 21:05
    I've worked in delivery myself so I know firsthand — it's seriously a brutal, exploitative industry.
    Makes you appreciate jobs where you just sleep at night and wake up in the morning.
    100AnonymousSep 18, 2026 21:06
    Re: #97
    At my company we at least get paid overtime

    Background and Key Points of This Discussion

    “Gikkuri-goshi” isn’t an official medical diagnosis — it’s a colloquial term for the sudden, sharp lower-back pain triggered by ordinary movements like bending forward or standing up; the medical term is acute lower back pain. Trucking and warehouse work routinely involve loading and unloading heavy items, making them industries known for accumulating strain on the lower back, and the recurring claim in the thread that “everyone in the industry goes through this at least once” reflects that reality. As for workers’ compensation, cases that occur at home outside of working hours are unlikely to be recognized as work-related, so the “probably not” assessment in the exchange between replies #72 and #77 is broadly accurate in practice. The debate over resting versus moving (replies #50 and #52) reflects a broader shift in medical guidance: the once-dominant “rest first” advice has in recent years given way to the view that moving within a pain-tolerable range speeds recovery, and the apparent disagreement in the thread mirrors that evolving consensus.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Nandemo Jikkyo G) thread “28-Year-Old Delivery Company Employee Earning ¥4.8 Million Apparently Threw Out His Back“.

  • Tigers Grind Out 2-1 Win Over Carp for Second Straight — 5ch: ‘Two Wins Running With Fushimi Behind the Plate’

    In Central League play on September 18, the Hanshin Tigers beat the Hiroshima Carp 2-1 to extend their winning streak. Starter Kotaro Otake worked seven scoreless innings, and back-to-back RBI hits from Teruaki Sato and Yusuke Oyama in the 4th gave the Tigers the lead. Kudo closed it out in the ninth. On 5ch’s live-game thread, posters praised Otake’s strong outing and voiced confidence in catcher Torai Fushimi, who has been holding down the position while the team’s regular catcher is out — though plenty also flagged the shaky defense after shortstop Seiya Kinoura dropped a fly ball, leaving opinion split.

    Hiroshima 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 | 1

    Hanshin 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 X | 2

    [Battery]

    Source: nikkansports.com / Original article here

    2AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:20
    I want to know what losing feels like (´･ω･｀)
    48AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:33
    Re: #2
    Weren't you guys on a losing skid until just recently lol
    109AnonymousSep 18, 2026 21:22
    Re: #1
    Absent from Japanese society
    What's the deal with that trash Re: #7 cheering on zero contribution to Japan

    Re: #2-10 00
    112AnonymousSep 18, 2026 21:24
    Re: #1
    Absent from Japanese society
    What's the deal with that trash Re: #29 glorifying zero contribution to Japan

    Re: #2-10 00
    7AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:22
    Satoteru should hurry up and go to the majors already
    Go rescue Murakami, whose stock has completely cratered
    15AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:24
    Guess it's the Tigers after all
    Even after that brutal losing streak
    17AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:25
    Sato
    If this guy actually came through in the clutch
    we'd be on a 9-game win streak and champions by now
    19AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:25
    Thought it'd be Kinoshita or Ishii into Kudo, but instead it was Doris into Oikawa — I braced for a blown lead, but they pulled it out.
    21AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:25
    Reward a starting nod with an error and you're getting benched on the spot — that's Tamaji's style of managing (´・ω・`)
    23AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:26
    Re: #1

    Pitchers of record
    Winning pitcher: Otake, Hanshin (6-9, 0 SV)
    Losing pitcher: Morishita, Hiroshima (6-11, 0 SV)
    Save: Kudo, Hanshin (3-0, 10 SV)
    24AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:26
    Guess the Carp still have like 15-16 games left to play
    25AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:26
    To the guy defending Kinoura yesterday, saying he 'just happened' to go hitless —
    woken up yet?
    He's hitless again today
    26AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:26
    Two straight wins with Fushimi starting behind the plate — so glad he came to the Tigers
    29AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:28
    Kudo should get to the majors as soon as possible
    He'd definitely be a hit over there
    The anti-Tigers trolls should quit yapping and just let him get posted already
    30AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:28
    Both Morishita and Otake were lights-out early on — they got through 3 innings in like 30 minutes.
    42AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:30
    Otake was basically perfect, didn't even crack 100 pitches — the Carp-killer is back.
    65AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:45
    Re: #42
    Around 70 pitches through 7 innings
    He could've easily gone for a Maddux (a complete-game shutout thrown on under 100 pitches)
    47AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:32
    It's only 8:30 and they're already doing the hero interview — how fast was that game.
    59AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:40
    Re: #47
    The Giants-Dragons game too, you know lol
    55AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:39
    If you can only score 2 runs against a team like the Carp, you're not beating the Hawks
    57AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:40
    Re: #55
    Nobody — fans or players — actually expects to win the Japan Series anyway lol
    66AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:45
    Even easygoing Doris had a 'why though' look on his face after Kinoura's error
    77AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:53
    Re: #66
    He got the leadoff batter to hit into an easy out and it still turned into an error — rough on the pitcher too
    70AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:47
    Magic number's down to 12. Just have to win tomorrow.
    Tanaka will probably get hit for the Giants, but Chunichi's Nakanishi looks shaky too.
    102AnonymousSep 18, 2026 21:14
    Re: #70
    Ma-kun will probably hold it to around 5 innings, 3 runs, right?
    Question is whether our offense can top that.
    81AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:54
    Re: #1
    Yeah, it's likely Otake was getting hit because the opponents had read catcher Sakamoto's tendencies.
    Stick with Fushimi tomorrow too — should be fine.

    Kinoura's no good. Can't trust him out there if he's dropping fly balls like that.
    Motoyama should be the shortstop.

    Maekawa chasing pitches out of the zone is a problem.
    He needs to stop swinging at balls completely.

    Sato needs to stop rushing and chasing pitches out of the zone.
    If he stays calm and looks for strikes to hit, he'll naturally start hitting more.
    Staying patient and laying off bad pitches, like Morishita and Oyama do, is what matters.
    87AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:58
    Re: #81
    So you're saying write off Sakamoto's track record entirely and run Fushimi for the Climax Series and Japan Series too —
    and if that ends in blowing the pennant and an early exit, you're fine just shrugging it off? lol
    84AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:56
    'That's exactly why I understand the feeling of thinking, "don't put together some needless cheering special mid-season." So if taking criticism aimed at me clears up that frustration, and keeps unnecessary backlash from spreading elsewhere, I'll take it all on! That's honestly what I'd hope for,' she said, showing understanding for how Tigers fans feel.

    https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/d6d9a5988036ea2e8f37047e3f9b19e4def6d91b
    113AnonymousSep 18, 2026 21:24
    Re: #84
    Like one TV special could ever change the team's form —
    taking out your frustration over a loss on Udo,
    there really are a lot of grown adults acting like idiots
    85AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:57
    Re: #81
    Also, today he was ahead in the count all game, working at an insane pace
    Think that was his best outing of the year
    89AnonymousSep 18, 2026 21:00
    Re: #85
    That's thanks to Fushimi.
    I'd been thinking it was strange that Otake and Murakami were getting hit around this much.
    There's a good chance Sakamoto's habits behind the plate were being read by opponents.
    They should be giving Umeno regular starts too.
    94AnonymousSep 18, 2026 21:03
    Re: #89
    Murakami only gave up 1 run last time out, that barely counts as 'getting hit'
    The losing streak was on the offense not hitting at all
    You're just spinning the narrative to get Umeno reinstated lol
    99AnonymousSep 18, 2026 21:09
    Re: #89
    Murakami hasn't been getting hit
    92AnonymousSep 18, 2026 21:02
    They're just gonna lose to the Giants in the Climax Series anyway
    97AnonymousSep 18, 2026 21:05
    Re: #92
    They'll get knocked out by DeNA before it even gets that far
    98AnonymousSep 18, 2026 21:07
    Re: #92
    8-16 lol
    96AnonymousSep 18, 2026 21:05
    Guess Sakamoto's hot streak (lit. 'kakuhen,' a pachinko term for a bonus hot mode) is over lol
    101AnonymousSep 18, 2026 21:14
    Re: #96
    Sakamoto still doesn't have a single hit this month — you're way late noticing that
    107AnonymousSep 18, 2026 21:21
    Re: #101
    During the losing streak I was only checking final scores

    Background and Key Points of the Discussion

    What decided this game was Kotaro Otake’s pitching — 5ch posters praised his economical outing, holding Hiroshima scoreless over seven innings on roughly 70 pitches. Per the official record, the winning pitcher was Otake (6-9), the losing pitcher was Hiroshima’s Morishita (6-11), and the save went to Kudo (3-0, 10 SV). The thread was especially split over the starting-catcher question: some posters backed keeping Fushimi behind the plate in place of Sakamoto, while others argued the proven Sakamoto should be brought back before the Japan Series. Another sticking point was infield defense, with several posters criticizing Kinoura’s shaky handling of a fly ball at shortstop. That said, pitch-count claims like ‘around 70 pitches’ or ‘Maddux-caliber’ reflect posters’ impressions from following the game live, not confirmed official figures — worth keeping in mind.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports Express+) thread “[Baseball] Central League: Tigers 2-1 Carp [9/18] — Tigers win again, Otake goes 7 scoreless, back-to-back RBI hits from Teruaki Sato and Oyama, Carp drop another.”

  • Female Boss Docked Pay for Telling Subordinate ‘You’re Supposed to Be a Man’ — 5ch Reacts: ‘Well, Aren’t You?’

    On September 17, the Shizuoka Prefectural Hospital Organization announced it had disciplined a female manager for power harassment and sexual harassment after she told a male subordinate, “You’re supposed to be a man” and “Since you’re a man, change with the door open.” Her pay was docked by half a day’s salary — reportedly just a few thousand yen. On 5ch, commenters weighed in from all angles: how lenient the punishment seemed, how it might have gone if the genders were reversed, and reactions to the very idea that “you’re supposed to be a man” counts as harassment.

    “You’re Supposed to Be a Man,” “Since You’re a Man, Change With the Door Open” — Female Employee at Prefectural General Hospital Disciplined With Pay Cut for Power Harassment/Sexual Harassment = Shizuoka Prefectural Hospital Organization | SBSNEWS

    Thursday, September 17, 2026, 18:01

    Regarding a manager-level female medical staffer at Shizuoka Prefectural General Hospital who told a male subordinate — who had stumbled while lifting a heavy load — “You’re supposed to be a man,” the Prefectural Hospital Organization announced on September 17 that she had been disciplined with a pay cut equal to half a day’s salary.

    Source: newsdig.tbs.co.jp / Original article here

    2AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:12
    Well, you are a man, aren't you?
    89AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:34
    Re: #2-3
    Hey, there's a Gaban sneaking in there (a nod to the tokusatsu hero Space Sheriff Gavan)
    6AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:14
    12AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:16
    Isn't losing half a day's pay actually pretty rough?
    33AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:20
    Re: #12
    Half of one day's pay.
    So, a few thousand yen.
    That's just how it is because the Labor Standards Act caps it at that.
    17AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:17
    A lot of nurses get a serious case of main-character syndrome.
    38AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:21
    Re: #17
    But the pay's pretty good.
    173AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:01
    Re: #17
    We don't even know if she's a nurse lol
    37AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:21
    Telling him to change with the door open is definitely sexual harassment.
    Why would you need to put someone's changing scene on display like that?
    42AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:22
    With the staff shortage, they can't easily fire her, so she gets away with whatever she wants.
    51AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:24
    If a male boss told a female subordinate to "change with the door open," he'd normally be fired outright, right?

    There's no way a punishment this light should fly.
    Enough with the double standards already.
    61AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:26
    Re: #51
    Total equality isn't a thing.
    Men aren't allowed to clean the women's restroom, yet women clean the men's restroom like it's nothing.
    That's where we should start.
    56AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:25
    So then, is "you're just a woman, don't act so high and mighty" also fair game?
    154AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:53
    Re: #56
    Yep, that's fair.
    Men rank higher, after all.
    57AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:25
    Well, I wouldn't care if some middle-aged lady saw me changing, but
    if I can get a boss I don't like docked pay over it, I'll just say it bothered me.
    72AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:29
    "Can't even lift something heavy and call yourself a man?" → fair enough
    "You're a man, so change with the door open" → ???
    79AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:31
    Re: #72
    Even men shouldn't just be hauling heavy things around.
    You'll end up with a bad back, so be careful.
    Really shouldn't lift anything over 30kg.
    91AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:35
    Even in the medical field, it's the older women who pull the higher salaries and run the hospital, right?
    I hear they're brutal with the power harassment toward young doctors too.
    100AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:37
    Re: #91
    The "older women" part lol
    121AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:44
    The older lady is infuriating, but this guy's got issues too.
    127AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:46
    Re: #121
    What's wrong with him?
    126AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:46
    Normal women hate feminists, you know lol
    143AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:50
    Re: #126
    I doubt this "normal woman" you're talking about even exists.
    And if she does, she's basically an endangered species.
    I never see anyone actually pushing back on what feminists say.

    Background and Key Points of This Story

    A pay cut is a relatively mild form of discipline. Article 91 of the Labor Standards Act states that “a single pay cut may not exceed half of one day’s average wage.” The penalty here — half a day’s salary — sits exactly at that legal ceiling, so the fact that it comes out to only a few thousand yen reflects a statutory limit more than a judgment on how serious the offense was. The thread’s main debate centered on how light the punishment seemed and comparisons to how things might have gone with the genders reversed, but this legal cap went unmentioned. It’s also worth noting that cases where the harasser is a woman and the victim a man are rarely made public to begin with, which is part of why reactions split so sharply along gender lines — a nuance easy to miss from the news coverage alone.

    *This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Breaking News+) thread “‘You’re Supposed to Be a Man,’ ‘Since You’re a Man, Change With the Door Open’ — Female Employee Disciplined With Pay Cut for Power Harassment/Sexual Harassment = Shizuoka Prefectural Hospital Organization.”

  • Takarazuka Revue to Stage ‘Dangerous Detectives’ — Fans React: ‘Suits! Sunglasses! They’ll Nail It!’

    On September 18, the “ABDK40+” project marking the 40th anniversary of the detective drama Dangerous Detectives (Abunai Deka), starring Hiroshi Tachi and Kyohei Shibata, announced on its official Instagram that the series will be adapted into a Takarazuka Revue stage production. The drama, which began airing in 1986, became a hit for its breezy banter and stylish action, and was later made into films. News of the announcement lit up 5ch’s Entertainment & Sports News+ board, with welcoming comments like “Suits! Sunglasses! They’ll totally pull it off,” alongside a mix of anticipation and skepticism over how the stage could recreate the original’s motorcycle stunts and jump scenes, and more chatter about casting than the story itself.

    Fri, Sep 18, 18:59

    “ABDK40+ (Abu-Deka 40 Plus),” the project celebrating the 40th anniversary of the legendary detective drama Dangerous Detectives starring Hiroshi Tachi and Kyohei Shibata, announced on the 18th via its official Instagram and other channels that the series is set to be adapted into a Takarazuka Revue stage production. Online reactions spread quickly, with comments like “Suits! Sunglasses! They’ll definitely pull it off, but seriously?!”

    Dangerous Detectives began airing on Nippon TV in 1986. Tachi and Shibata played the stylish, unconventional pair of detectives Taka (Toshiki Takayama) and Yuji (Yuji Oshita), and the show became a hit for its breezy dialogue, fashion, and flashy action sequences, later spawning film adaptations.

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

    5AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:12
    They'd better actually jump in the ending, right?
    40AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:27
    Re: #5
    Wait, does Dangerous Detectives even have jumping in it?
    RRR (the current Takarazuka production) has people jumping around just fine, so I bet they could pull off a jump scene with the right staging.
    7AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:12
    Dangerous Detectives was only fun because of the banter between Hiroshi Tachi and Kyohei Shibata — the actual plots were never that great.
    So which storyline are they even going to adapt?
    45AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:32
    Re: #7
    The content doesn't really matter.
    It's mostly the same loyal fanbase anyway.
    The point is just putting on something fresh.
    That's why they pick a well-known title.
    58AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:44
    Re: #7
    What people want to see is Hiroshi Tachi and Kyohei Shibata — oh, and the Chief.
    8AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:13
    I see.
    Maybe not quite as anything-goes as kabuki, but Takarazuka will really adapt just about anything, huh.
    9AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:13
    Fun fact: Akatsuki Chihoshi's father is Kazuhiro Yamauchi, a former pitcher for the Nankai Hawks pro baseball team.
    11AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:13
    I bet the staging is going to get pretty wild.
    12AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:14
    Sexy Oshita and Dandy Takayama would never bully anyone.
    15AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:16
    Can't get my hopes up too much.
    There's the bullying issue too (referring to Takarazuka's harassment scandal).
    16AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:16
    Takarazuka's done suits-and-sunglasses shows plenty of times before.
    Are the people freaking out over this just newbies?
    Granted, I'm a newbie too.
    17AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:16
    Is whoever plays Atsuko Asano going to go full high-energy with it?
    20AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:18
    Are they really going to recreate the "Yuji Run" on the Takarazuka ("Zuka") stage?
    21AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:18
    They already did Aibou (Partners), so doing Abu Deka isn't weird at all.
    22AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:19
    I remember flipping through a specialty channel's program guide and seeing they were doing Ocean's Eleven — that got my attention.
    Couldn't watch it though since I don't subscribe to that channel.
    23AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:19
    If it were Miami Vice I'd have gone.
    But Abu Deka just doesn't fit Takarazuka at all lol
    24AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:19
    Who's playing Atsuko Asano?
    33AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:24
    Re: #24
    Miracle Hikaru (a celebrity-impersonator comedian)
    25AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:19
    For the climax, I want the whole cast to do Zakoshi's Kyohei Shibata impression together for the big finale (Zakoshishow is a comedian known for his celebrity impressions).
    26AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:19
    Who's playing the Chief?
    42AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:27
    Re: #26
    Maybe Otoyo's daughter — she's worn a bald wig for a role before.
    Oh wait, she's in the Senka troupe now (Takarazuka's special troupe for veteran performers not tied to one of the five main troupes).
    27AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:20
    Why is the company still running the show when the bullying problem was never even resolved?
    31AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:24
    I want them to redo Legend of the Galactic Heroes, like they did back in the day.
    37AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:26
    My bazooka's way more awesome than that.
    46AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:33
    Re: #37
    Put that gachapon toy gun away.
    56AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:43
    So the female lead role is Kaoru (played by Atsuko Asano in the original)?
    88AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:25
    Re: #56
    Apparently it's an original character named Amy.

    Set in Yokohama in 1989, just before the opening of the Yokohama Expo, the story follows Taka and his partner Yuji as they close in on the truth behind the death of their fellow officer Yamazoe, who was killed seven years earlier in a conspiracy. The production dramatically portrays, through Takarazuka's own lens, Taka's fierce way of life and sense of manly aesthetics as he stands by Amy — Yamazoe's grief-stricken former fiancée.
    59AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:45
    How the heck are they going to ride a motorcycle on stage?
    75AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:08
    Re: #59
    In the Yowamushi Pedal musical, they just held onto handlebars and ran around on foot.
    Though I only caught a glimpse of it on TV.
    65AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:50
    Whoever plays Hiroshi Tachi's role, Kyohei Shibata's role, and Toru Nakamura's role will have it easy.
    But whoever gets stuck playing Chujo-san's or Nana Kinomi's role, that's rough.
    Though the most popular role is probably going to be Atsuko Asano's.
    67AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:52
    Re: #65
    They'll need a Bengal role too, fan in hand (Bengal is one of the original show's actors).
    69AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:58
    Honestly this'll do.


    79AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:11
    Well, making it entertaining is fine and all, but what about the music?
    Running Shot and Nakanaide (Don't Cry), maybe?
    Singing those Takarazuka-style just sounds lame though.
    80AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:12
    Re: #79
    I kind of want to hear an opera-style version of Running Shot.
    86AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:22
    Can Kyohei even skip?
    https://blog-imgs-47.fc2.com/n/a/b/nabeyamahideki/yNwVoN.gif
    90AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:26
    Wait, did they actually do Aibou (Partners)?

    Background and Key Points

    The Takarazuka Revue has previously adapted live-action dramas for the stage, including Aibou (Partners), and this new Dangerous Detectives production fits that same pattern. The original is a Nippon TV detective drama that began airing in 1986, and its popularity rested on the breezy banter and stylish action between Taka and Yuji, played by Hiroshi Tachi and Kyohei Shibata. In the thread, the main points of discussion were technical questions about how the stage production would recreate signature elements of the original — motorcycle scenes, jumps, running shots — along with speculation about who would play the supporting and villain roles. It’s worth noting that in 2023, Takarazuka Revue’s management acknowledged bullying (power harassment) in connection with a troupe member’s death, and some posters referenced that history to criticize the company’s management — though that is a separate issue from this stage adaptation announcement.

    *This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Entertainment & Sports News+) thread “Takarazuka Revue’s Dangerous Detectives Stage Adaptation Stirs Up the Internet: ‘Seriously?!’ ‘Suits! Sunglasses! They’ll Nail It!’ ‘Can’t Wait!’“

  • Former Last Idol Center Nanami Abe Announces Retirement from Entertainment Industry

    Nanami Abe, who once served as the center of idol group Last Idol, has announced her retirement from the entertainment industry. Following the announcement on the official site of her talent agency, Full Course, Japan’s 5channel Hello! Project board lit up with posts looking back on her career. She began her idol career at age 3, performing under a string of names — “Ichigo Rex,” “rex,” “mImi,” and “Pax Puella” — before becoming the center of Last Idol in 2017. She later re-debuted with Full Course, a group under the Heroines label. Posters also brought up the anecdote that her parents were Hello! Project fans who named her after Natsumi Abe, with many lamenting that she never actually joined Hello! Project itself.

    An Announcement Regarding Nanami Abe’s Activities

    Source: fullcourse-fc.com / Original article here

    5AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:10
    Wait, didn't she join a new group?
    6AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:10
    Some group that was doing… honestly I don't even know what
    7AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:10
    I remember Hello! Project fans wanting her while Last Idol was airing
    9AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:12
    Is Full Course an underground idol group?
    60AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:35
    Re: #9
    Heroines.
    The lineup was really solid and expectations were high, but once it actually launched it struggled way more than the hype suggested.
    Rimika-chan from Nippon Produce 3 (a Produce 101-style survival show) is in there too
    11AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:14
    The Last Idol management team really… I just… (sigh)
    12AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:15
    Tall, good looks, good personality —
    the only thing she never got was luck
    17AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:17
    Re: #12
    Pretty sure she could sing well too
    15AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:16
    I don't know anything about Last Idol, but I did see that she re-debuted with Heroines
    She was even unveiled at Heroines Fest at LaLa Arena, their biggest event yet
    She's in the same group as Mizukami, a former HKT48 member who got eliminated from Produce 101 Japan
    Guess she's realized she's never going to break through
    16AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:17
    Is she connected to that "Dorothy" whatever group?
    Since she's the kid of a Hello! Project fan, people were calling for her to come to Hello!
    I think she'd given up on being an idol for a while and was doing livestreaming or something
    Full Course only just started up as an idol group recently, right?
    18AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:18
    Heroines is at the point where members quitting abruptly probably outnumber proper graduations, so honestly just graduating cleanly already puts her ahead
    If you only look at what's around iLiFE! it looks all sparkly, but the reality is the bottom-tier groups are no different from any random underground idol act
    19AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:18
    I wanted to see this girl and Airi Yamamoto in Hello! Project
    20AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:18
    Is the trio group they formed after Last Idol even still going with just two members?
    21AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:19
    Wasn't she doing a part-time factory job or something?
    23AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:19
    By the way, is Hashi-Momo-chan (nickname for Momoko Hashimoto) still active?
    24AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:20
    I've heard her name pop up here and there over the years
    So she was on Last Idol together with Momoko Hashimoto, huh
    27AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:23
    This era was the best
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Uc5euNZ_o4&t=10
    29AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:25
    https://fullcourse-fc.com/profile/images/e5yfu7esdutnoewpsxn6sao68nd9fh.jpg
    30AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:25
    If she'd come to Hello! Project she could've been an instant ace
    31AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:25
    It was a group born out of a collab between Heroines and Twipla (a Twitter-based idol/event platform)
    32AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:27
    https://ogre.natalie.mu/media/news/music/2018/0506/11_suzukiairi_TK87826.jpg
    33AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:28
    She joined Step One in 2005, starting her idol career at age 3. She joined "Ichigo Rex" in 2006, "rex" in 2008, and performed as "mImi" (Mimi) from 2011 (renamed "Pax Puella" in 2016), then also served as the center of "Last Idol" starting in 2017.

    Guess if you fail right out of the gate…
    her biggest failure really was Last Idol
    34AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:28
    Wasn't this group — with the whole "calling for Momoko" thing back in the day — used as a stick to bash Hello! Project with?
    Those people are probably swinging a different stick by now 😔
    61AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:36
    Re: #34
    Takaneko I could maybe see, but Full Course is out of the question —
    she doesn't have that kind of name recognition among the "Ookami" fandom (nickname for the group's fanbase)
    36AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:28
    No idea who this is, I'm about as interested as I am in Ikuta
    37AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:29
    Heroines keeps churning out regional groups and collab groups with basically everyone — they're up to over 30 groups now, spreading themselves way too thin
    They're probably just milking iLiFE! for cash while it lasts and will scale everything back the instant things look shaky
    I've already started calling them the "Tokyo Chikara Meshi" of the idol world (a chain famous for overexpanding fast then collapsing)
    39AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:29
    A Hello! Project fan who never actually became a Hello! Project idol
    41AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:34
    Okay good, Karen Abe is safe…
    42AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:34
    By the time of that surprise at SSA Viva la Pop where Airi popped out from the side, I'd already lost interest
    That untouched, transparent charm she had up through junior high was the best part
    43AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:35
    Nanami Abe
    Last Idol → Full Course

    Momoko Hashimoto
    Last Idol → Takane no Nadeshiko

    Reina Doi
    Ange et Folletta → SCRAMBLE SMILE

    Kotomi Tachibana
    Ange et Folletta → CANDY TUNE
    44AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:35
    She had about as much potential as Meruru
    She should've gone solo as a talent under a major agency
    46AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:38
    If Doi-chan had stuck around she would've been in Morning Musume's 15th gen —
    filling the Osaka slot that opened up when Ogata graduated
    49AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:42
    Not Hello! Project, but the miracle of her actually singing a Tsunku song
    52AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:56
    When she became the center of Last Idol, I genuinely thought she was the top-tier talent of the idol world
    55AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:59
    Her parents were Morning Musume otaku who named her after Natsumi Abe — so why didn't she ever come to Hello!?
    56AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:10
    Re: #55
    Guess she figured she'd sell better under an Akimoto Yasushi production

    Background and Key Points of This Discussion

    Abe began her idol career in 2005 at age 3, moving through a string of groups and stage names — “Ichigo Rex,” “rex,” and “mImi” (later renamed “Pax Puella”) — before becoming the center of “Last Idol” in 2017. After leaving that group, she re-debuted with “Full Course,” a new group under the idol production collective Heroines. Heroines is an agency that has launched more than 30 groups in a short span, and some posters in the thread noted that her name recognition and scale of activity never quite lived up to the early hype. The anecdote that her parents were Morning Musume fans who named her after Natsumi Abe also drew attention, though it’s worth clarifying this is only the origin of her name — it does not mean she was ever actually a member of Hello! Project.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5channel (Hello! Project board) thread “Former Last Idol Center Nanami Abe Announces Retirement from Entertainment Industry.”

  • Japan’s First Flameless Pet Funeral Facility to Open — 5ch: “Pets Are More Advanced Than Humans”

    Japan is set to open its first pet funeral facility that lays pets to rest without fire, using “alkaline hydrolysis” instead. Reacting to a Yahoo! News article, posters on 5ch’s Science News+ board offered a string of practical takes — some said they’d accept it as an option if it costs about the same as cremation, while others pointed out that the treated wastewater should be safe to release into the sewer once neutralized. At the same time, people raised questions like how the method would handle large dogs such as Saint Bernards, and what form the bones or ashes would take afterward, making the mechanics and safety of the unfamiliar term “alkaline hydrolysis funeral” a central point of discussion.

    Ryota Minami

    Reporter

    Wed, Sep 16, 19:15

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

    2AnonymousSep 17, 2026 21:08
    Thought this was some kind of stealth push for burial, but no.
    3AnonymousSep 17, 2026 21:34
    Wish it left them clean enough to make a skeleton specimen out of.
    4AnonymousSep 17, 2026 21:36
    Doesn't make sense to me — better to turn them into ashes and keep them in a small urn. A skeleton would just be a pain to deal with.
    5AnonymousSep 17, 2026 21:37
    My cat died last year and cremation, urn included, came to 23,000 yen. If 'alkaline hydrolysis funerals' cost about the same as cremation, it's fine to just leave it up to the owner.
    6AnonymousSep 17, 2026 21:42
    Like a skeleton specimen, or taxidermy.
    7AnonymousSep 17, 2026 21:45
    If the wastewater goes into the sewer and ends up drinkable again, that's pretty eco-friendly.
    15AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:12
    Re: #7 If I recall, this just dissolves the body with caustic soda, so if you neutralize the leftover liquid with hydrochloric acid or some other acid, it should be totally fine to flush down the sewer.
    8AnonymousSep 17, 2026 22:09
    I've got such a strong image of cremation as "sending them off into the sky" that this gives me a little pushback.
    11AnonymousSep 17, 2026 22:24
    Why not just do a mealworm funeral?
    12AnonymousSep 17, 2026 22:31
    You can't use human crematory furnaces for pets, so there's a space/land problem behind this.
    13AnonymousSep 17, 2026 22:39
    As long as nobody's eating it, I guess it's fine. But still, dissolving them…
    14AnonymousSep 17, 2026 22:42
    Apparently some people even do formalin funerals.
    38AnonymousSep 18, 2026 18:57
    Re: #14 I saw that in a dream once and it traumatized me.
    16AnonymousSep 18, 2026 02:36
    Just bury them in the yard.
    17AnonymousSep 18, 2026 02:37
    Apparently city dwellers just put them out as burnable trash.
    18AnonymousSep 18, 2026 06:03
    Just eat your dead pet, problem solved.
    19AnonymousSep 18, 2026 07:13
    Re: #15 So it goes from the sewer into the Tama River, and then gets drawn back in by a water treatment plant downstream?
    20AnonymousSep 18, 2026 07:28
    Same as with euthanasia — pets really are ahead of humans on this stuff.
    21AnonymousSep 18, 2026 08:54
    Is this some kind of loophole related to licensing rules?
    23AnonymousSep 18, 2026 09:22
    How do they even treat the wastewater?
    24AnonymousSep 18, 2026 09:24
    𓃠 Guess as a dim-witted Neanderthal like me, mummification's off the table for my funeral too, in the end.
    25AnonymousSep 18, 2026 14:47
    Just go with a composting burial.
    26AnonymousSep 18, 2026 15:07
    Freeze-dry it, pulverize it with ultrasound, press it down tight, and seal it in resin — that'd make it nice and compact. Mold it into the shape of a memorial tablet (ihai) and the remains become the tablet itself — pretty convenient.
    27AnonymousSep 18, 2026 15:30
    Seriously though, what do you do when a big dog like a Saint Bernard dies?
    28AnonymousSep 18, 2026 15:48
    Re: #27 Put out an urgent recruitment ad online for it.
    29AnonymousSep 18, 2026 16:06
    Animal carcasses are sold plain and simple at the supermarket, though.
    39AnonymousSep 18, 2026 18:58
    Re: #29 So you're saying people should just eat their dead pets, huh?
    30AnonymousSep 18, 2026 16:08
    You guys throw out animal carcass scraps as burnable trash too, don't you?
    31AnonymousSep 18, 2026 16:21
    Turn it into meatballs and do a sky burial — feed it to the birds.
    32AnonymousSep 18, 2026 16:54
    Re: '>1 "doesn't use fire"' — I tried brainstorming what it could be: uses water, uses gas pressure, uses a press machine, organic-decomposing bacteria, strong acid, strong alkali…
    33AnonymousSep 18, 2026 17:05
    If you just left them in the mountains or the sea, some creature would neatly eat or break them down. I've come to think every living thing is born to become another living thing's food, keeping the cycle going.
    34AnonymousSep 18, 2026 17:58
    There are just too many humans to leave it all up to that natural cycle, though.
    35AnonymousSep 18, 2026 18:10
    Make the body transparent…
    36AnonymousSep 18, 2026 18:34
    Human stomach acid dissolves pork, beef, chicken, octopus, cartilage — all of it, every single day. Though the pet funeral method is 'alkaline hydrolysis,' and stomach acid is hydrochloric acid, so the process is different.
    40AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:37
    Wouldn't that work for humans too?

    Background and Key Points on This Topic

    Alkaline hydrolysis is an existing technology that breaks down remains using an alkaline solution such as potassium hydroxide; in the West it’s known as “water cremation” or “aquamation,” and some U.S. states and other countries already recognize it as an alternative to human cremation. Because it doesn’t use fire, it’s said to produce less CO2, and since the bone-equivalent material isn’t broken down, remains can still be placed in an urn just like after cremation. Some posters in the thread mistakenly assumed “even the bones dissolve,” but in fact the skeleton itself remains intact — the standard process dries and pulverizes it before returning it to the family. As for the wastewater, as one poster above pointed out (comment #15), the treated liquid is typically neutralized before being released into the sewer system. In Japan, human crematoriums equipped to handle large dogs are limited, and this equipment shortage in the pet funeral industry is part of what’s driving the new method — a detail that’s easy to miss from the original article alone.

    *This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Science News+) thread “Will It Catch On? Japan’s First “Flameless” Pet Funeral Facility to Open — Reflecting on the Weight of Life Through How We Say Goodbye.”

  • Names of old neighborhood used-game shops keep pouring in — 5ch thread: “The reality that Chameleon Club still exists”

    A thread listing the names of used-game shops that once dotted local neighborhoods went up on 5ch’s “Nandemo Jikkyo G” board. Posters rattled off names like Gangster, Chameleon Club, Famicom House, Wanpaku Kozo, and Brute — independent and regional chain stores that operated across Japan during the Famicom-to-Super Famicom era. A recurring theme in the thread was surprise at discovering that a shop assumed to be a local-only chain actually had locations nationwide, and several posters noted that some stores survived by switching to selling trading cards after closing as game shops.

    1AnonymousSep 18, 2026 18:44
    Gangster
    2AnonymousSep 18, 2026 18:45
    Touch
    Chameleon Club
    3AnonymousSep 18, 2026 18:46
    Famicom House disappeared before anyone even noticed, huh…
    4AnonymousSep 18, 2026 18:47
    Wanpaku Kozo ("Mischievous Brat")
    7AnonymousSep 18, 2026 18:47
    Theta Shop
    101AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:15
    Re: #7
    This one.
    Wait, where's this even local to?
    9AnonymousSep 18, 2026 18:49
    The reality that Chameleon Club still exists
    10AnonymousSep 18, 2026 18:49
    Ikkyu-san
    Museum
    Blues
    15AnonymousSep 18, 2026 18:52
    Famicom Land, that's the one
    25AnonymousSep 18, 2026 18:58
    Re: #15
    You lived in Narita, didn't you
    19AnonymousSep 18, 2026 18:56
    Every time I see the run-down shack where Brute used to be, it makes me sad
    20AnonymousSep 18, 2026 18:57
    Game cartridges in cardboard boxes back in the day were so exciting.
    And the instruction manuals too.
    22AnonymousSep 18, 2026 18:57
    Was Gangster only in the Senshu region?
    Or was it nationwide?
    27AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:01
    Brute
    Chameleon Club
    Radio King
    Wanpaku Kozo
    32AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:02
    Book Friend had such a friendly-sounding name, but if kids got rowdy in the card section in the back, the manager would come out and blast customers with an air gun.
    33AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:03
    Model kit shops seem to be barely hanging on still.
    That's how completely game shops have vanished.
    36AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:04
    There was also BOOK and Gachapin
    37AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:05
    Going to Top Boy was genuinely so much fun
    38AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:05
    The guy who ran an independent game shop closed it and started a card shop before trading cards got big — he's making a killing now
    44AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:08
    Chameleon Club
    I feel like it's still around
    45AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:09
    I want to say Hello Mac, but—
    Marutomi
    46AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:12
    Last time I saw one still standing was about ten years ago in Itabashi Ward, but it's probably gone by now
    47AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:12
    There were tons of shops named "Famicom [Something]" but most of them went under.
    Toward the end they were selling PC eroge (adult games) too.
    48AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:14
    There was a shop called Cosmo that had a cartridge tier chart — you could trade within the same rank for 500 yen
    50AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:17
    Namazu-do → PUKA PUKA (after the name change)
    61AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:24
    So Brute was a nationwide chain.
    I thought it was Hiroshima-only
    79AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:37
    Re: #61
    There was at least one in Sapporo
    63AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:25
    Wanpaku Kozo
    I always looked forward to the Pakkun Pokke (grab-bag) deals
    65AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:26
    Chameleon Club
    Famicom House
    68AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:29
    F1
    I wonder what that old guy's up to these days
    77AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:35
    Top Boy is still around in Kamata

    Momotaro
    78AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:36
    I moved to a town where the building signage still said Famicom House.
    Couldn't find the actual shop no matter how I searched, so I asked someone at the building — turns out it had closed down but they just never bothered taking the sign off.

    Dammit.
    81AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:39
    World ended up surviving by turning into a card shop
    82AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:39
    I was shocked to see Emerson, aka Okamoto Shoji, running ads in Famitsu.
    Made me think, wait, is this little neighborhood shop actually a nationwide chain?
    They even had TV commercials.
    85AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:43
    Used to buy Family Computer Magazine at the used game shop back in the day
    86AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:49
    Emeeeeeeersooooooon
    88AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:49
    In my hometown, a pawn shop called Shimizu ran everything
    92AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:02
    Pretty much all of them quietly turned into de facto Yu-Gi-Oh! card shops before disappearing

    Background and key points of discussion

    Independently owned and regionally chained used-game shops like these sprang up all over Japan during the Famicom-to-Super Famicom boom of the 1990s, but from the 2000s onward they were squeezed out by the expansion of major chains like Geo, TSUTAYA, and Book Off, as well as the shift to digital software distribution. Several moments in the thread highlighted mismatched assumptions about how widely these chains actually spread — one poster was stunned to learn that Brute, which they’d assumed was a local chain confined to Hiroshima or Sapporo, was actually nationwide, while the thread never quite settled whether Gangster was limited to the Senshu region or had locations across the country. Multiple posts also pointed out that many of the shops that avoided shutting down survived by pivoting to selling trading cards like Yu-Gi-Oh! and Pokémon — suggesting that the shrinking used-game market and the rising popularity of card games happened around the same time. A few unverified rumors about certain shop names also came up in the thread, but since they couldn’t be confirmed, this article does not include them.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Nandemo Jikkyo G) thread “[Shocking] Names of the “neighborhood used game shops” that existed when I was a kid wyyvw“.

  • ‘Super Kaguya-hime’ Blu-ray Ships 108,000 Units — But Fans Complain They Have No Way to Play the Bonus Soundtrack CD

    It’s been reported that the Blu-ray for the anime film “Super Kaguya-hime!,” released September 9, 2026, took 1st place (special limited edition) and 3rd place (standard edition) on the Oricon Weekly Rankings dated September 21, reaching cumulative shipments of 108,000 units. On 5ch’s hardware/industry board, discussion ranged from tying this figure to game console sales, to fans’ confusion over not owning a device to play the bonus soundtrack CD, to a debate over similarities between the film’s story setting and earlier works like “Sword Art Online” and “Collector Yui.”

    The Blu-ray for the anime film “Super Kaguya-hime!,” whose music and merchandise production was handled by Inks to Enter Co., Ltd. (headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo; CEO: Yu Tamura), took 1st place (special limited edition) and 3rd place (standard edition) on the Oricon Weekly Blu-ray Rankings dated September 21.

    Released on September 9, 2026, the film comes in two versions: a special limited edition and a standard edition. The special limited edition in particular has recorded cumulative shipments of 108,000 units — including sales through the “Super Kaguya-hime!” official store in addition to regular retailers — earning support from many fans.

    Source: news.nicovideo.jp / Original article here

    4AnonymousSep 18, 2026 16:48
    Did it outsell Girls Band Cry (ガルクラ)?
    10AnonymousSep 18, 2026 16:50
    Re: #4
    I mean, easily, right?
    7AnonymousSep 18, 2026 16:49
    Re: #1
    They know the games aren't selling, so they're clinging to Blu-ray numbers instead lol
    11AnonymousSep 18, 2026 16:51
    Re: #7
    Sony's the one where both games AND anime sell
    14AnonymousSep 18, 2026 16:53
    Feels like there are people out there buying this without even owning a player
    16AnonymousSep 18, 2026 16:54
    Re: #14
    You've got the PS5
    20AnonymousSep 18, 2026 16:56
    Nobody even has a device to play BDs these days
    61AnonymousSep 18, 2026 18:54
    Re: #20
    That's exactly why I gave up on buying it
    Buying a PC drive just for that felt like a lot
    22AnonymousSep 18, 2026 16:58
    Re: #16
    It's already a hot topic that there's no hardware to play the bonus soundtrack CD
    https://av.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/topic/2140311.html
    30AnonymousSep 18, 2026 17:06
    Re: #22
    Lol
    There was a fanboy earlier insisting you could play the CD on a PS5
    35AnonymousSep 18, 2026 17:13
    Re: #30
    You'd know if you read the article body (there's a correction/addendum)
    Even the reporter didn't get it at first… lol
    43AnonymousSep 18, 2026 17:30
    Re: #30
    Wasn't it playable on Xbox?
    38AnonymousSep 18, 2026 17:23
    Does this even have anything to do with games?
    Take it to the Sony board.
    41AnonymousSep 18, 2026 17:28
    Re: #38
    It's very much related
    The Blu-ray market and the PlayStation market have a symbiotic relationship
    If PlayStation dropping discs destroys that, it hurts both sides
    52AnonymousSep 18, 2026 18:01
    Apparently the connection between Kaguya's director and Kaguya's voice actor started with Shine Post

    Even if a Kaguya game does come out, that connection doesn't seem like it'd be an obstacle
    58AnonymousSep 18, 2026 18:45
    Re: #52
    Someone posted a photo of that interview in the relevant thread on the game/hardware board
    So that's the booklet it was from
    53AnonymousSep 18, 2026 18:15
    It's bound to get scratched, yet people still buy discs anyway
    66AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:16
    Re: #53
    You're just way too clumsy with yours, man
    60AnonymousSep 18, 2026 18:47
    Thought it'd be a historical drama but it's just a fan-service otaku anime (lit. "pig anime" — 5ch slang for shows that pander to otaku) lol
    99AnonymousSep 18, 2026 20:09
    Re: #60
    It does have something of a historical angle to it, and there's been some analysis of it
    Maybe around the founding of Japan? Though that's not that far back, is it
    62AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:04
    Re: #57
    Super Kaguya-hime's popularity only exists because of pioneers like Collector Yui and PriPara
    Those shows had an influence that can't be measured by sales figures alone
    64AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:09
    Re: #62
    Story and setting-wise, Super Kaguya is actually closest to SAO (Sword Art Online)
    65AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:12
    Re: #64
    Huh? Where?
    What part did you think was similar?
    69AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:21
    Re: #65
    A lot of people see Iroha's friction with her mother and think of Asuna in Mother's Rosario

    Building Kaguya a mechanical body at the end is straight out of Alicization
    Wanting her to still taste food even in a mechanical body is something SAO did too

    SAO is a virtual-world story that leads to the birth of a new kind of humanity without physical bodies
    Tsukuyomi is what the alien — whose body had vanished — built so it could interact with humans and meet Iroha again

    The movie also has AI idol live concerts, just like SAO
    72AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:27
    The closest thing to Super Kaguya-hime is probably AiPri (アイプリ), which also has live idol scenes
    Otherwise there's WIXOSS, where winning card battles in a virtual space lets you perform live
    Collector Yui had an idol episode too, so I guess it's barely comparable as well
    73AnonymousSep 18, 2026 19:29
    Re: #72
    So basically Collector Yui isn't similar

    Forget card battles, Kaguya has straight-up weapon fights

    Background and Key Points of This Topic

    “Super Kaguya-hime!” is being released in two versions — special limited and standard — and the officially announced figures show the special limited edition at 1st place and the standard edition at 3rd place on the Oricon Weekly Blu-ray Rankings (dated September 21), with cumulative shipments of 108,000 units. While some thread comments claimed “the PS5 exists, so playback isn’t an issue,” it’s easy to overlook the point being raised that the bundled bonus soundtrack CD is a separate medium and can’t be played that way. A device that supports video-disc playback doesn’t necessarily support audio-CD playback too — compatibility varies by media format. It’s also worth noting that the debate over similarities to other works that heated up later in the thread isn’t based on any official statement from the production team — it remains purely the viewers’ own impressions.

    *This article is compiled as excerpts and a summary from the 5ch (Hardware/Industry, “Geha”) thread “Sony’s “Super Kaguya-hime” Blu-ray Actually Sells 108,000 Units wwwwwwwww.”

  • Takahiro Yamamoto to Share the Screen with Yuji Oda in ‘Bayside Shakedown’ Film — 5ch: ‘Even Oda’s Mellowed Out’

    Takahiro Yamamoto, known for his impression of Yuji Oda, will appear as himself in the film “Bayside Shakedown N.E.W.: Dash Through the Metropolis,” according to an announcement on the film’s official X account on September 18. Yamamoto has kept up his “Kitaa!” impression of Oda for years, even though the two are said to have had an awkward relationship in the past, with Oda reportedly keeping his distance. This time, a shared scene between the two has finally come to pass, and Yamamoto commented, “I’m glad I was born on this Earth.” On 5ch, favorable reactions like “Even Oda’s mellowed out” stood out, though some saw the collaboration as little more than a publicity stunt, splitting opinion.

    Fri, Sep 18, 3:27 PM

    The official X account for the film “Bayside Shakedown N.E.W.: Dash Through the Metropolis” posted an update on the 18th revealing that Takahiro Yamamoto, who performs an impression of Yuji Oda, appears in the film.

    The post introduced Yamamoto’s comment alongside the message: “A die-hard ‘Bayside Shakedown’ fan, Takahiro Yamamoto, is in the film! Be sure to catch Oda and Yamamoto’s shared scene in theaters!”

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

    2AnonymousSep 18, 2026 18:11
    Watching Showa-retro exploration videos beats watching that Omiya Park 'Peace-kun' mascot on YouTube any day.
    4AnonymousSep 18, 2026 18:12
    So he's finally been forgiven? Took forever — guess Oda's gotten older and mellowed out too, lol.
    5AnonymousSep 18, 2026 18:12
    Is Eri Fukatsu making a surprise appearance too?
    8AnonymousSep 18, 2026 18:13
    Things must be pretty rough if they're leaning on an impersonator now.
    9AnonymousSep 18, 2026 18:14
    Apparently having your commercial bit imitated is one of the things celebrities hate most.

    That's supposedly why he kept his distance back then.
    10AnonymousSep 18, 2026 18:14
    Calling it now: he plays the criminal,
    gets caught, and gets a real dressing-down in the interrogation room.

    I can see it already.
    31AnonymousSep 18, 2026 18:22
    Re: #10
    Probably plays some stalker of Aoshima (the series' protagonist).
    11AnonymousSep 18, 2026 18:14
    Yamamoto's been at this a long time. Back when he was still a nobody, he's the one who actually taught Uchan (comedian Uchimura) how to do the Oda impression for a sketch, lol.
    12AnonymousSep 18, 2026 18:14
    Last time I saw him was on a live broadcast on Biwako Broadcasting.
    15AnonymousSep 18, 2026 18:16
    It's Silver Week (Japan's late-September holiday stretch) and the reserved seats are barely filling up.
    22AnonymousSep 18, 2026 18:19
    Re: #15
    Losing out to Chiikawa?
    Thanks to the bonus merch, some showings are already sold out tomorrow even out where I live.
    17AnonymousSep 18, 2026 18:16
    So Oda's forgiven him. Good for him.
    18AnonymousSep 18, 2026 18:17
    I'll never forget when TBS made him do that punishment game.
    20AnonymousSep 18, 2026 18:17
    Guess Oda's mellowed out — maybe he realized it looks pathetic for someone at his level to be bothered by impressions.
    21AnonymousSep 18, 2026 18:19
    Figured he's washed up these days, so he had no choice but to do this for the publicity.
    29AnonymousSep 18, 2026 18:22
    Reminds me of the news about DREAMS COME TRUE's Masato Nakamura sharing a stage with Higo from the comedy duo Dachou Club.
    32AnonymousSep 18, 2026 18:23
    Maybe he took a closer look and realized it's not so bad after all.
    33AnonymousSep 18, 2026 18:23
    Maybe he got made to run some random marathon and that counted as his penance?
    39AnonymousSep 18, 2026 18:28
    Re: #1
    Hoping Sato-san gets back to the main cast soon too.
    41AnonymousSep 18, 2026 18:29
    Has he done the 'Kitaa!' bit in front of the real Oda yet?
    43AnonymousSep 18, 2026 18:29
    At this point he's less 'the impression guy' and more 'Lord Ichikawa' himself (nickname, origin unclear).
    48AnonymousSep 18, 2026 18:31
    Wasn't it that Oda himself told him to cut it out, and that's why he stopped?
    50AnonymousSep 18, 2026 18:32
    Re: #48
    Pretty sure he gets told to stop in the movie too, lol.
    62AnonymousSep 18, 2026 18:37
    Re: #48
    Well, guess his persistence finally paid off, lol.
    51AnonymousSep 18, 2026 18:32
    Are they planning to have Yamamoto hit every variety show to promote the film in Oda's place?
    52AnonymousSep 18, 2026 18:33
    Re: #50
    That's exactly the kind of gimmick director Motohiro would go for.
    53AnonymousSep 18, 2026 18:33
    Zakiyama's 'Kuruu!' ended up way more famous,
    and at this point only the old folks even remember 'Kitaa!' started as an eye-drop commercial.
    54AnonymousSep 18, 2026 18:33
    So he's been forgiven. Good for him (´・ω・`)
    55AnonymousSep 18, 2026 18:33
    If even Oda himself is saying he's mellowed out,
    the guy must have really changed. What happened?
    56AnonymousSep 18, 2026 18:34
    Oda: 'You don't even look like me.'
    ↓
    [Yamamoto] sends mid-year and year-end gift boxes
    ↓
    Oda: 'Guess this'll do?'
    65AnonymousSep 18, 2026 18:38
    Matsumura got chewed out for doing his Kippei Shiina impression, lol.
    69AnonymousSep 18, 2026 18:40
    Re: #65
    The one where he showed up late to a press conference, tried to lighten the mood by saying 'I was in the bathroom,' and nearly got killed backstage for it.

    Background and Key Points of This Story

    Takahiro Yamamoto’s impression of Yuji Oda is built on a bit from an eye-drop commercial (the Sanwell series) famous for the catchphrase “Kitaa!,” and he’s kept it as his signature act for over 20 years, dating back to when he was still unknown. In the entertainment industry, continuing an impression without the celebrity’s blessing has, in some cases, damaged relations with the person or their agency, and there’s a history of Yamamoto reportedly being kept at arm’s length by Oda’s side in the past. This announcement of their shared scene comes against the backdrop of that “long-running rift,” and on the forum, opinions split between those who took a favorable view of Oda’s apparent change of heart and those who saw it as just a publicity stunt. It’s also worth noting that comments about opening-day seat availability and box-office draw reflect individual posters’ personal observations, not official box-office figures.

    *This article is an excerpt/summary compiled from the 5ch (Entertainment/Sports News+) thread “Takahiro Yamamoto Goes ‘Kitaa!’ — Finally Shares the Screen with Yuji Oda: ‘I’m Glad I Was Born on This Earth!’.”