Author: Japan Reacts Editorial

At the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, fifth-grader Yuki Kurihara (11), a Tokyo resident, will compete as the youngest member of Japan’s national team in “Puyo Puyo eSports.” A gold medal contender with international tournament wins under his belt, he reportedly plays for no more than two hours a day, balancing the game with studying for middle school entrance exams. After reports detailed how he started playing at Christmas during his final year of kindergarten and grew skilled enough to pull off chains of up to 19, 5channel’s Geinou/Sports Express+ board lit up with both the perennial “can games really be called a sport” debate and comments praising the child’s effort.

At the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, fifth-grader Yuki Kurihara (11) — competing under the gamer tag “Yuki,” a Tokyo resident — will take part in the eSports puzzle title “Puyo Puyo eSports.” Though he’s the youngest member of Japan’s delegation, he’s a gold medal contender with an international tournament win to his name. Surprisingly, though, he plays for at most two hours a day, juggling practice with studying for his middle school entrance exams. His dream for the future: to become “a cram school teacher or a train driver.”

He started playing Puyo Puyo at Christmas during his final year of kindergarten. With so much time spent at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, his mother picked up the game “Puyo Puyo Tetris 2.” He later bought the competitive version of the game at a tournament venue where his idol, pro gamer “Tomo-kun,” was competing. After placing third at a national tournament during spring break just before starting second grade, he began taking competitive play seriously.

His specialty is the “big chain” technique — clearing a huge string of falling “Puyo” blocks in one go — and he’s pulled off chains as long as 19. There was a period when he studied strategy from YouTube videos, but since becoming a top player he says he no longer watches videos or analyzes matches. “I don’t change my play style — I just think it through in my head as I go.” As his skills have rapidly improved, he’s come to trust his own instincts.

Source: chunichi.co.jp / Original article here

*This article is compiled from excerpts and summaries of the 5channel (Geinou/Sports Express+) thread “[Asian Games] Puyo Puyo eSports Gold Medal Hopeful Is a 5th-Grader Who “Loves Studying Too” — Plays at Most 2 Hours a Day.”

Mercari’s stock closed trading on September 16 down ¥247 (6.39%) from the previous day at ¥3,621. That marks a roughly 29% drop in about a month from its year-to-date high of ¥5,111 set on August 10, following three sharp sell-offs since the start of September. What drew attention during this downturn was the ban on listing the latest Pokémon Card series, along with criticism over resale and misuse. On 5channel threads, users traded observations that even after the ban policy was announced, a search still turned up the targeted items for sale, alongside the view that Mercari can’t bring itself to enforce strict regulations since scalpers are paying customers too. Criticism that the platform has become a breeding ground for criminal proceeds coexisted with an investor’s-eye view that over-regulating would cut into sales and hurt the stock price.

Published 9/16 (Wed) 16:25

ITmedia NEWS

Mercari’s stock closed trading on September 16 down ¥247 (6.39%) from the previous day at ¥3,621. It had marked a year-to-date high of ¥5,111 on August 10, but after three sharp sell-offs since the start of September, it fell about 29% in roughly a month.

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

171AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:04

Pokémon card listing ban (yeah, right)


i.imgur.com/2gV4WsX.jpeg

173AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:05

Re: #171
It's messed up how the "shrink-wrapped" label means absolutely nothing (shrink wrap is supposed to prove the box is unopened)

187AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:14

Re: #171
Nintendo should really just sue already

*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5channel (News Speed+) thread “[Stock Price] Mercari Shares Plunge, Down 30% in a Month — Latest Pokémon Card Listing Ban Draws Backlash, Resale and Fraud Criticism Continues.”

Capcom’s in-house livestream program “Capcom Spotlight,” which aired starting at 11:00 PM on September 16, 2026, drew reactions on 5ch’s hardware/industry board almost as soon as it began. Since most of the announcements covered titles that had already been revealed, comments saying “looks like there won’t be any surprises” appeared early on, leaving viewers who’d hoped for new Ace Attorney series info feeling let down. The fact that concurrent viewership stayed at around the 8,000 mark, along with the differing order in which platform logos appeared for Monster Hunter versus Dragon’s Dogma 2, also became talking points, with some comparing the show’s pacing to that of a Nintendo Direct.

*This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Hardware/Industry [“Geha”]) thread “Capcom Spotlight, 11PM~.”