Japan Reacts

Author: Japan Reacts Editorial

  • Konno Buruma Furious Over Kura Sushi’s ‘Chiikawa’ Collab Cancellation — 5ch Asks: ‘Wouldn’t a Lottery System Cut Down on Reselling?’

    Kura Sushi fully cancelled its “Chiikawa” collaboration on the 6th after discovering that an employee had been illegally reselling merchandise. The move came after prize items from the “Bikkura Pon!” lottery game turned up in bulk on flea-market apps. In response, comedian Konno Buruma vented her anger on a TV show, saying, “My kid loves this stuff so much… seriously, give everyone back their feelings.” On 5ch, reactions weren’t limited to sympathy for her — plenty of posters also criticized the lottery system itself and floated fixes, expanding the discussion into a broader debate over anti-reselling measures.

    Fri, Sep 11, 4:50 PM

    Comedian Konno Buruma appeared on Kansai TV’s “Shunkan LIVE Toretate!” on the 11th, where she showed her frustration over the news that Kura Sushi had cancelled its “Chiikawa” collaboration.

    According to Kura Sushi, it confirmed that Chiikawa collab merchandise — handed out as prizes when you win the “Bikkura Pon!” game — was showing up in bulk listings on flea-market apps. An investigation found an employee was behind the misconduct, leading the chain to cancel the entire collaboration starting on the 6th.

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

    2AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:50
    Guess I'll watch Piece-kun, the world's most famous capybara from Omiya Zoo, on YouTube while I crack open a beer.
    4AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:50
    Wait, she has a kid?! I feel betrayed.
    11AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:56
    Re: #4
    She got married back in 2019, man…
    6AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:52
    Everything turns into a huge deal because of the SNS echo chamber these days — society just keeps getting more suffocating.
    7AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:52
    If they made it a proper entry-based lottery instead of first-come-first-served, and clearly announced winners on the official website instead of just "you'll find out when it ships," that might cut down on reselling a bit.
    8AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:54
    Best move would've been to just play dumb about it, like the other restaurant chains do.
    10AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:56
    Lesson learned: nothing good ever comes from swarming over Chiikawa merch.
    13AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:57
    So Kura Sushi's policy is basically "don't buy from us, buy it off Mercari instead"?
    16AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:57
    Re: #1
    That's exactly where you should've used your signature dirty jokes to lighten the mood.
    17AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:58
    These trendy goods turn into trash in no time anyway, but people still want them that badly.
    18AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:00
    Re: #17
    Sounds like the type who'd toss their kid's stuff out without a second thought.
    48AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:35
    Raise your kid not to throw a fit over something that minor.
    51AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:37
    Kura Sushi sponsors all kinds of things, so you probably don't want to pick a fight with them.
    54AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:41
    There's something about Chiikawa that turns people vicious.
    55AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:44
    Apparently Steam Frame is going to require an upfront deposit, aimed at scalpers and people who preorder with no intention of buying and just cancel. That's how bad things have gotten lately.
    Valve runs a pretty small operation staff-wise, so even processing cancellations eats up time and labor, which is part of why secondary and tertiary sales batches take so long to go out. The preorder-and-cancel idiots can go to hell too.
    57AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:47
    Do people even go to Kura Sushi in the first place? The food's bad, the "pickled ginger" made from daikon is unacceptable, and the plate return slot has this thick crust of grime on it — physically repulsive.
    64AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:18
    Re: #57
    Exactly — that's the alchemy of it. Getting people who normally wouldn't set foot in the place, or women and kids who'd never spend even ¥1,000 a head at Kura Sushi, to drop ¥10,000 or ¥20,000 instead.
    Lotteries, pay-to-boost-your-odds, gacha, randomization — they keep raising the bar until you finally get the one you want, or complete the whole set.
    58AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:54
    The government isn't doing anything about this, so you can't really blame Kura Sushi.
    59AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:57
    Can't flea-market sites let sellers… I mean, let companies file a request in advance to block certain items from being listed?
    61AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:58
    Only an idiot actually thinks they're gonna win a festival raffle.
    62AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:00
    Re: #1
    Just ban resale for a limited window, problem solved.
    63AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:06
    She's a mom and still does that kind of raunchy material?
    Impressive.
    It's not like being a radio host, you know — she's on TV.
    66AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:22
    Other chains use random draws too, but if you spend over ¥3,000 you actually get to choose your prize. With Bikkura Pon, you should just go in thinking "nice if I win" and leave it at that.

    Background and Key Points of This Story

    Kura Sushi’s “Bikkura Pon!” is a lottery-style prize game that hands out Chiikawa collab merchandise to winners, and the entire collaboration was cancelled after an employee was found illegally reselling those prizes. Konno Buruma’s anger voiced the frustration of a parent whose kid had been looking forward to the goods, but reactions on the thread weren’t unanimous sympathy — plenty of posters also turned a critical eye on Kura Sushi’s own business model. A structure where first-come-first-served lottery prizes practically invite resale-driven entries, leading to inflated markups on flea-market apps, isn’t unique to this one incident. Notably, the thread went beyond simply venting anger, with practical suggestions — like making the lottery process public or announcing winners on the official website — worth keeping in mind as more than just outrage.

    ※This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “Konno Buruma Furious Over Kura Sushi’s “Chiikawa” Collab Cancellation: “It Pissed Me Off,” “My Kid Loves This Stuff So Much… Seriously, Give Everyone Back Their Feelings”.”

  • Juice=Juice x Haramichan New Song MV Hits 533K Views in a Week — 5ch: “This Song’s a Monster”

    The music video for “Moré! Mi Amore,” the new song by Hello! Project idol group Juice=Juice and popular pianist Haramichan, has racked up 533,000 views in the week since its release. (“Moré” plays on Japanese slang for looking extra glammed-up.) On 5ch’s Hello! Project board, a thread comparing the view counts of past songs sprang up, buzzing over the fact that it trails only “BLOODY BULLET” (674,000) and “Pride Bright” (618,000) among songs released since 2020. While some posters were upbeat, saying things like “They’ve squeezed this song dry for a whole year and it still hits this hard,” others jumped in to compare it with new releases from BEYOOOOONDS and Morning Musume.’26, which are also gaining traction right now, sparking a split of opinion over which group is more popular.

    1AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:02
    Juice=Juice MV Views @ 1 Week (March 2020–)
    674,000 — BLOODY BULLET
    618,000 — Pride Bright
    4AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:27
    They've milked this song for a whole year and it still hits this hard. This song's a monster.
    5AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:28
    Weak, lol.
    Totally got eaten alive by Beyoo (BEYOOOOONDS) lol
    8AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:35
    Re: #5
    Forget Beyoo, it's even worse than Anju (ANGERME).
    Juice=Juice is finished.
    6AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:29
    People are already completely over it
    Everyone's attention has shifted to Beyoo lol
    7AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:30
    Thanks for warming up the stage for Beyoo, lol
    9AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:38
    Beyoo's already at 430K, so it's definitely gonna get overtaken
    10AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:39
    Re: #9
    Juice=Juice is in tears lolololololololololololol

    This is the era of Morning Musume, ANGERME, and BEYOOOOONDS
    11AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:41
    Is this a sockpuppet post? Lame.
    13AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:43
    It's funny how whenever someone posting from Asahi Net chimes in, the opposite ends up happening lol (Asahi Net is an ISP — posts from it are a running 5ch jinx meme)
    14AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:46
    Not sure how big the Haramichan effect was, but this one isn't from phone-farm view-botting, right?
    34AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:51
    Re: #1
    Re: #2
    What about Kurakura?
    35AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:52
    Re: #34
    Only around 300K, totally underwhelming
    48AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:59
    ANGERME lost again
    49AnonymousSep 11, 2026 20:02
    [Breaking] Morning Musume.'26's new song "Yes ka No ka Watashi ka" (lit. "Yes, No, or Me?") MV hits 357K views in a week!
    https://kizuna.5ch.io/test/read.cgi/morningcoffee/1789124497/
    50AnonymousSep 11, 2026 20:05
    Doesn't this prove Juice=Juice isn't just some idol group—
    that they've actually got serious talent?
    53AnonymousSep 11, 2026 20:08
    Re: #50
    That's just an illusion, though
    51AnonymousSep 11, 2026 20:07
    They're just chumps who lost to Beyoo, though? lol
    52AnonymousSep 11, 2026 20:08
    Juice=Juice is done, lol
    It's Beyoo's era now, lol
    57AnonymousSep 11, 2026 20:09
    Beyoo's numbers always spike hard on weekends, lol
    Even the "Moré" Budokan show is probably gonna get overtaken, lol
    58AnonymousSep 11, 2026 20:11
    Re: #57
    Go get past a million!
    65AnonymousSep 11, 2026 20:41
    Beyoo's subscriber count isn't growing at all though…

    Background and Talking Points

    YouTube view counts are often used among fans as a yardstick for gauging the momentum of Hello! Project songs, but the figures are usually not official releases — they’re numbers fans of each group tally up themselves. In this thread too, posts lined up comparing view counts across past Juice=Juice songs and new releases from BEYOOOOONDS and Morning Musume.’26 that came out around the same time, and it spiraled into a back-and-forth over which group comes out on top. Since view counts are affected by release timing, whether promotion was done, and how widely fans share the video, it’s hard to gauge real popularity from raw numbers alone. Some posters in the thread cast doubt on the specific tallying method, but no supporting evidence was offered, which is worth keeping in mind.

    *This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Hello! Project) thread “[Breaking] Juice=Juice x Haramichan’s new song “Moré! Mi Amore” MV hits 533K views in a week!.”

  • BEYOOOOONDS’ ‘Haito’ Keeps Trending — But 5ch Is Split: ‘Their Other Songs Are Goofy-Skit Hell, and Unlike Juice=Juice They’ve Got No Back Catalog to Hook You’

    What had the Hello! Project board buzzing was a back-and-forth over whether BEYOOOOONDS’ new single “Haito” can hold onto its momentum now that the initial buzz has settled. Against the skeptical view that “Haito is great, but every other song is stuck in the group’s goofy comedy-skit style, so there’s nothing to pull you in,” came a wave of pushback: the song is still trending on X a week after release, its live-performance clip keeps racking up views, and the gap with Morning Musume’s new single is closing in on 100,000 views — hardly a slump, they argued, but real momentum. The talk spread into comparisons with Juice=Juice, who once weathered the same goofy-comedy phase, and even spilled over into reviews of Tsubaki Factory’s new song.

    1AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:45
    211 Nameless-Wanted… 2026/09/11 (Fri) 16:30:01.77 0
    Well, yeah, obviously.
    You think "Haito" is good, then go listen to their other songs and it's straight-up goofy hell.
    6AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:47
    Juice=Juice is strong because they "built it up over time"
    8AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:48
    Kunio:
    "The original Juice=Juice lineup basically burned out right after their first Budokan show, and the tour that followed was rough going.
    Just as Juice=Juice was about to slide into the goofy-comedy lane, bringing in the powerhouse vocalist Dambara turned things around.
    So the goofy-comedy role ended up falling to BEYOOOOONDS instead."
    9AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:48
    And meanwhile Tsubaki Factory is sitting on a whole back catalog
    13AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:50
    Re: #9
    Tsubaki's new songs have been trash lately though
    11AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:49
    Feels like the agency is deliberately engineering this not to sell
    14AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:51
    The agency that will never, ever give up on Hoshibe
    15AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:53
    Slap "some say" onto a thread title and suddenly even a noisy minority's ramblings pass for public opinion on the Ookami board — or so "some say"
    16AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:57
    Ranked by YouTube view count:
    Megane, Vitamin ME, DNA, Haito, dodiddone
    The only one in there that's seriously goofy is Megane — the rest are pretty normal
    18AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:59
    Losing steam already?
    It's only been a week since it blew up on X
    The live clip posted three days ago is still climbing
    And it's about to close a 100k-view gap with Morning Musume's new song
    20AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:01
    Re: #13
    Momusu is miles better than both Angerme and BEYOOOOONDS
    21AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:01
    Feels like right after "Haito" dropped it was seriously nothing but bad songs
    It's gotten a bit better since
    22AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:01
    Re: #13
    Can't beat "Moremi," but they've got "Mappira" and "Aiueon," so that's good enough
    23AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:02
    I'm an oshi for another group, but seeing BEYOOOOONDS' "Haito" medley at Hina Fes made me think they were pretty good — I just couldn't get into them because so many of their other songs are packed with little comedy skits.
    And the second you say anything even mildly critical about the skits, their fans pile on, so it turns into this exhausting "Hello! Project fan" cycle — the fans themselves end up dragging the group down.
    26AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:05
    The only BEYOOOOONDS songs I actually liked were "Haito" and "Yume Sae"
    Maybe the chorus of "Girigiri Tensei" at a stretch — that's not enough to get hooked
    27AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:05
    If TikTok doesn't pick it up, that's the end of it
    30AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:07
    Doesn't help that the songs getting pushed tend to be skit-heavy
    There are skit songs I do like, but everything's built around short-form clips these days, and if it's not catchy on first watch nobody sticks around — makes you wonder what anyone without a Hello! Project fan's tolerance would even think watching that
    33AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:09
    No wonder Yuha's leaving
    Her songs are honestly all better anyway
    48AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:33
    Re: #33
    They're all just cheap-sounding songs
    34AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:10
    Gen Z and dopamine-addicted kids can't sit through a song with an intro
    If it doesn't start right on the vocals they scroll to the next thing immediately
    And these songs open with a comedy skit
    35AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:11
    But Yuha could only pull 35 people to her event, you know?
    36AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:13
    "'Haito' is better than any Juice=Juice song, yep, Haito is" — well, guess that's that, see ya

    Oh, so that's what this is
    Well hey, fine by me I guess
    37AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:18
    Actually, why did it only blow up for a split second in the first place?
    38AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:18
    But "Haito" itself is overstuffed too, so it's not exactly a clean hit either
    40AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:20
    But there's still the fun of watching how the three new members grow from here
    Angerme's got nothing like that going for it
    41AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:20
    Re: #40
    They've got Nagano, don't they
    42AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:21
    Takase really shouldn't have quit — it's a bigger blow than Ichioka, Yamazaki, and Shimakura leaving combined
    44AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:23
    Another anti-fan thread, huh lol
    And once solid arguments from genuine Hello! Project fans plus "Haito's" actual, ongoing momentum start winning out,
    they just spam copypasta to bury the thread once they're losing lol
    45AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:27
    "Haito" is way overrated
    Their pre-"Haito" songs are miles better, honestly
    46AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:28
    Views climbing steadily, thanks for that
    49AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:34
    Going by the one-week numbers it looks set to pass "Harami Amore," so for BEYOOOOONDS that's a huge success
    It's already blown past "High Tension"
    82AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:43
    I personally like "Positive," but it won't land with a general audience
    It's kind of a downer
    112AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:47
    Re: #82
    They were clearly trying to make that one blow up via short-form clips
    But "Po~jitibu" builds up slowly, and nobody's got the patience to wait
    It just gets irritating and you scroll past

    Background and Key Points of This Discussion

    The premise driving the thread — that the song “quickly lost steam” — is itself contested within it, with pushback like “it’s been a week since it blew up on X, and the live-performance clip’s view count keeps climbing,” so opinions differ on whether its popularity is actually fading. There are broadly two points of contention: one is the argument that BEYOOOOONDS’ signature comedic “goofy-skit” style of songs makes it hard to hook new listeners; the other is a comparison with how Juice=Juice built up support after going through a similar phase. The discussion also branched off into reviews of other groups’ new songs, like Tsubaki Factory’s, and grievances about the agency’s handling of member casting. Note that the numbers cited here are based purely on posters’ impressions within the thread, not verified against official sales or view-count data.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hello! Project) thread “Some Say BEYOOOOONDS’ “Haito” Fizzled Out Fast Because “Even If You Like It, Their Other Songs Are Goofy Hell — Unlike Juice=Juice, They Have No Back Catalog to Hook You, and That’s Fatal”.”

  • Praise and Concern Pour In for Streamer Hori Daisuke’s “30 Minutes of Sleep a Day” Broadcast

    Hori Daisuke became the talk of the “Nandemo Jikkyo G” board (a 5channel forum tied to the “Live Galileo” livestreaming board) during a project in which he’s broadcasting his entire daily life, nonstop, for a full week. He’s reportedly kept going on roughly 30 minutes of sleep a day while still doing frequent collab streams, work, and weight training. Viewers were stunned, with comments like “his speech is totally clear and he’s still keeping up with chat” — while others worried about his health, asking “isn’t he out of breath just sitting there?” and “wouldn’t his blood pressure be spiking?” Some suspected he was counting mid-stream dozing as official sleep time, and a few posts mocked his thinning hair. Overall, the thread was a mix of admiration, suspicion, and concern.

    1AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:48
    There was that head-spa incident on day 3, but — running on 1 hour of total sleep while doing intense workouts, frequent collabs, his own job, AND keeping up with chat replies every single day — isn't that genuinely impressive????
    3AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:49
    Nah, if 30-minute sleep is just his normal daily routine, then he's just doing what's normal for him.
    6AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:50
    Re: #3
    You couldn't do it though, could you?
    17AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:56
    Re: #6
    I get 8 hours of sleep, but if I could rack up impressions [i.e., viral engagement] and cash in while I'm awake, I'd do it too.
    79AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:23
    Re: #6
    He'd never even say something like that. For him it's probably on the level of saying 'I eat three meals a day.'
    7AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:50
    But actually watch the stream — he's panting like he just ran a marathon just sitting there. This looks bad.
    10AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:51
    Re: #7
    His speech is totally normal though, and being able to keep up with chat like this is honestly incredible.
    76AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:22
    Re: #7
    Right? He's wheezing nonstop even though he's not doing anything. His blood pressure must be dangerously high from the sleep deprivation.
    18AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:57
    Somehow it's become accepted that any time he accidentally passes out gets converted into his daily sleep quota, but he didn't fall asleep on purpose, so that shouldn't count — those aren't the rules.
    19AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:58
    Re: #18
    There was never any such rule to begin with — he only ever said he'd stream his daily life.
    26AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:59
    Re: #18
    That 'rule' is just something haters invented in their own heads. The whole premise was livestreaming a week of ordinary life — of course you're going to doze off sometimes if a massage feels too good.
    24AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:59
    I don't get the upside of staying awake for 23.5 hours straight.
    29AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:01
    Re: #24
    He's a massive topic of conversation right now. Frequent collabs, his own work, and stream revenue could net him serious money — that's a huge upside.
    30AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:01
    If you think he's so amazing, just send him money. Show us a screenshot of your Super Chat [a paid on-stream donation/chat feature].
    34AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:02
    Re: #30
    I actually did send about 3,000 yen in Super Chat to cheer him on when it started.
    32AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:01
    Even setting aside the '30 minutes' claim, functioning on just 1 hour of sleep a day would already be impressive enough. I haven't watched, but apparently he's not stumbling around either — he's probably got genuinely rare short-sleeper genes.
    36AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:03
    Re: #32
    Being able to pull off that intense a workout on day 3 is genuinely impressive.
    42AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:06
    Isn't it strange that he's getting praised for something he apparently does all the time anyway?
    47AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:08
    Re: #42
    People doubted he really does this every day, and now he's proving it live — that's exactly why it's getting called impressive.
    52AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:11
    I don't find it impressive. My honest reaction is 'is that really worth staying awake for?' If he were a novelist or a researcher, I'd respect it.
    59AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:13
    Re: #52
    He's making serious money off it right now, though.
    64AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:15
    Re: #52
    He also bathes constantly — the cleanest man in Japan.
    62AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:14
    I haven't watched the stream — is he actually kept on camera closely enough that sneaking in sleep wouldn't be possible?
    66AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:15
    Re: #62
    There's just no way to sneak it in, however you try.
    67AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:15
    Re: #62
    I check in now and then — he's on camera the entire time except the bathroom, so cheating looks impossible. Even the bath is on screen.
    92AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:31
    Here's the Japanese version of this lol

    97AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:36
    Re: #92
    This 'controller' gag format has been trending a lot lately.
    98AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:38
    https://gzo.ai/i/zJvjgxa.jpg
    Sad news [a common 5ch meme tag used to preface bad/unfortunate updates].
    102AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:42
    True, I'm a farmer myself, and during the busy season I run on about 3 hours of sleep for months at a time. I've never once thought of myself as a short sleeper, though. I guess it depends on how long the stream's blackout periods actually are.
    105AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:45
    Re: #102
    What are you harvesting that keeps you that busy?
    108AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:47
    Re: #105
    Morning-picked lettuce. We start harvesting around 2am with a crew of foreign workers. Once summer hits, it's like that for months on end.
    113AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:53
    Re: #108
    Impressive. Leading a crew of foreign workers for the harvest — farming's gone pretty global these days too.
    114AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:53
    Re: #108
    What time do you actually finish work?

    Background and Points of Debate

    This project falls into a genre of “up-close” livestreams that broadcast someone’s entire daily life without cuts — and the more extreme the sleep deprivation on display, the more viewer attention it tends to draw. Where the thread split was on how to interpret the short sleep itself: as “talent or a rare physical trait” versus as “performance for the camera.” Medically speaking, people who can genuinely function on roughly 30 minutes of sleep a day — so-called “short sleepers” — are said to be extremely rare, and it isn’t something most people can train themselves into through practice. That’s why some users questioned whether time spent dozing off mid-stream was being folded into his official sleep count. At the same time, the thread also drew in posts from farmers who work on just a few hours of sleep during their busy season, with some arguing that extreme short sleep isn’t actually all that unusual. Note that this article simply relays statements made in the thread and does not verify his actual sleep duration or health condition.

    *This article is an excerpted summary of the 5channel (“Nandemo Jikkyo G” board) thread “[Image] Hori Daisuke wwwwwwwwww” (the trailing string of “w”s is Japanese internet shorthand for laughter, equivalent to “lol”). Source thread.

  • What’s AKB48’s Greatest Song Ever? 5ch Votes Pile Up for ‘Heavy Rotation’ and ‘Koi Chun’

    A thread asking what the “greatest song of all time” is among AKB48’s tracks got lively on 5ch. Some pushed for songs like “Heavy Rotation” and “I Want You,” which spread widely through TV commercials and karaoke, while others argued “Koi Suru Fortune Cookie” was in a league of its own, and some fans cited “Kimi to Boku no Polaris,” a song only ever performed at theater shows. With people also pointing out that sales figures don’t always line up with general public awareness, the debate ended up split over what “greatest” should even mean.

    1AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:26
    Kokoro Pura? (short for "Kokoro no Placard"/"Heart's Placard")
    2AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:27
    The "I Want You" one
    3AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:30
    I want to give Akari a copy of Tokuhiro Masaya's manga Ken-chan & Chako-chan
    4AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:31
    "Skirt, Hirari"
    5AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:31
    "Fawchun Chickie" (a garbled mispronunciation of "Fortune Cookie")
    6AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:32
    "Everyday, Kamihikouki" (Everyday, Paper Airplane)
    7AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:33
    Isn't it "Legal Speed and Superiority Complex"?
    8AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:33
    The one that actually became a proper hit, got recognized by regular people, and still gets sung at karaoke is Heavy Rotation, right?
    9AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:36
    I only know "I Want You"
    23AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:52
    Re: #9
    From the Wii commercial
    10AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:36
    Re: #1
    What's that short for?
    11AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:36
    Listened again to a song I loved back in their prime after ages — it just didn't hit the same
    13AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:38
    "Kachusha Girl" (Headband Girl)
    14AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:38
    "Only Today"
    15AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:39
    "Seifuku ga Jama o Suru" (My School Uniform Gets in the Way)
    16AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:39
    Cookie's basically the only good song
    17AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:40
    "Kimi no Koto ga Suki Dakara" (Because I Like You) — Tetsuro Oda is a genius
    18AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:41
    Among their recent songs, "Kimi to Boku no Polaris" was great
    35AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:10
    Re: #18
    Apparently when that song was first performed at a theater show, Mukaichi Mion was watching from the audience and was moved to tears
    19AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:41
    "Namida Surprise" (Tears Surprise)
    20AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:41
    It's gotta be "Squall no Aida ni" (During the Squall)
    21AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:42
    Erii's "Hisashiburi no Lip Gloss" (Lip Gloss After a Long Time)
    24AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:54
    Ai-chan's "Koizume"
    25AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:55
    The Ito Momoka one
    29AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:02
    The paper airplane one reminds me of COVID lol
    30AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:03
    The remix version they only ever performed live at Kamonegi
    31AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:04
    "Candy" — baby baby baby
    32AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:04
    Honestly, Koi Chun — I don't think there's a song better than that one
    37AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:20
    Some person I didn't recognize sang "Flying Get" in English, right? Tomoaki Ogura raved about it on Tokudane
    41AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:26
    Their all-time best-selling single being "Sayonara Crawl"?

    Never even heard of it
    49AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:53
    Re: #41
    It's a good song, but Koi Chun, released right after it, was such a massive presence that it overshadowed it
    42AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:28
    "Ne mo Ha mo Rumor," billed as AKB48's big comeback, was good — but right when they were about to take off, the center went and messed up
    43AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:32
    You should've gone with "Oogoe Diamond" there
    44AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:38
    The only one I actually own is "UZA," which I bought at Book Off
    46AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:45
    I want to push for "Sakura no Hanabiratachi" here
    47AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:48
    I'm not even an AKB otaku but I know every song mentioned so far — it'd take some effort to name one I don't know
    50AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:56
    "Max Toki 315-gou"
    "Onegai Valentine"
    52AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:30
    AKB has a lot of good songs since so many different people write for them — it's basically a collection of everyone's best effort
    60AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:54
    It's gotta be "11-gatsu no Anklet" (November Anklet), Mayuyu's last one
    61AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:57
    "Ne mo Ha mo Rumor" — the only AKB CD I ever bought

    Background and Points of Debate

    Since forming in 2005, AKB48 has put out a huge number of single and album tracks, and because the selected members and center position rotate from song to song, which tracks resonate most varies a lot by generation. Songs frequently brought up in the thread — “Heavy Rotation,” “Koi Suru Fortune Cookie,” and “Flying Get” — were also used in TV commercials and variety shows, spreading to the general public, and drew support based on that name recognition. On the other hand, songs like “Kimi to Boku no Polaris,” which debuted at a theater show, or “11-gatsu no Anklet,” tied to a specific member’s graduation, gathered votes tied to fans’ personal experiences, splitting the thread over whether “greatest” should mean “most famous” or “most meaningful.” The fact that sales rankings don’t always match public awareness was also part of why the discussion never quite converged.

    *This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Hello! Project board) thread “So What Was AKB48’s Greatest Song, Really?“

  • Iga vs. Koga: Sponge-Sword Night Raid Event Announced — 5ch Says ‘The Koga Will Be Shamed, Verily’

    Iga City (Mie Prefecture) and Koga City (Shiga Prefecture) will hold their first-ever “Shinobi Yo-uchi 2026: Iga vs. Koga — The First Reiwa Rebellion” on October 3 at Yono Park, a sponge-sword night-raid experience event. Modeled on the 1581 Tensho Iga War, it’s organized by the “Shinobi no Sato Iga-Koga Ninja Council,” a group formed by the tourism associations of both cities, and they’re recruiting people willing to pay an entry fee just to play a ninja for the day. On 5ch, the thread sprawled from arguments over the correct reading of “Koga” and whether Koga even had ninja clans historically, to the origins of the popular ninja image and generation-by-generation debates over ninja anime.

    The Koga clan marches out on Oda Nobunaga’s orders, the Iga clan rises to meet them. Modeled on the 1581 (Tensho 9) Tensho Iga War, this event lets participants dress up as ninja and experience a night raid using sponge swords

    “Shinobi Yo-uchi (Night Raid) 2026: Iga vs. Koga — The First Reiwa Rebellion” will be held for the first time on October 3 from 3:30 to 9:00 PM in Tsuge-cho, Iga City, Mie Prefecture, on the border with Koga City, Shiga Prefecture,

    at Yono Park. The organizer — the “Shinobi no Sato Iga-Koga Ninja Council,” made up of Iga City, Koga City, and both cities’ tourism associations — is looking for people willing to pay an entry fee

    Source: shinobi-youchi.xn--com)-863c8n.xn--n8j3b0csb8g2etwja9002fnxcoy5byz7aduvtu8at53bcr3b. / Original article here

    4AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:15
    The correct reading of "甲賀" is "Kōka" — the voiced "Kōga" is actually a mispronunciation
    45AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:42
    Re: #4
    That reminds me — there was a pretty girl in my high school named Nakashima (中島) who once got called "Nakajima" by a teacher and snapped, "It's NA-KA-SHI-MA!💢" so hard the whole classroom froze. The memory just came back to me, along with how hard I decided to steer clear of her after that.
    14AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:22
    "Beloved one, prepare to die!" — is that the kind of event this is?
    16AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:23
    There were those who hated one another
    Their corpses rot in the fields
    Their souls soak into the earth
    Their bond severed by the blade
    26AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:29
    My body is already iron, my heart is already void
    Destroy the heavenly demons
    27AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:29
    Re: #1
    Can we get some regular entertainment threads going too?

    The entertainment/sports board has been seriously short on news lately.
    28AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:30
    The Koga will be shamed, verily
    29AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:34
    If they'd just signed up for this instead, they could've made the deadline —
    their ancestors must be cursing their own descendants right about now.
    30AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:34
    Did Koga even have that kind of ninja to begin with?
    Isn't it just an exclave of Iga, or pure fantasy?
    34AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:36
    Ton-toko-ton
    Ton-toko-ton
    Those bumbling Iga fools
    Barbecued with a fire jutsu
    35AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:37
    Shuriken are way too dangerous.
    Caltrops too.
    The whole ninja scene is out of control.
    37AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:39
    I'm a descendant of Kirigakure Saizō and an Under Ninja (a nod to the manga "Under Ninja") — that cool?
    40AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:40
    Slipped on a mountain, fell in a valley
    Collapsed right here in our town
    There lay Hattori-kun…
    (a riff on the Ninja Hattori-kun theme song)
    41AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:40
    Just throw in Lord Tengen and we'll win for sure.
    47AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:43
    Re: #41
    You mean Tenzen.
    Tengen is from Demon Slayer.
    42AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:40
    The Iga jōnin (upper-rank ninja) were made up of
    the Hattori, Momochi, and Fujibayashi clans
    46AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:42
    Re: #42
    I had upperclassmen back in school named Hattori and Fujibayashi.
    44AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:41
    Re: #1
    Come to think of it, Tomokazu Sugita is in Basilisk too.
    48AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:45
    Why did my brain misread that as Suga Shikao (the musician)?
    49AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:45
    Whenever a coworker played the Basilisk slot machine, the "Wild Eyes" bonus would always hit past 10 PM, and he'd joke, "Can't clear it in time, pro move, lol." Then he said his luck felt off and switched to the Code Geass machine — hit two Geass bonus rounds between 10:00 and 10:30 and had to frantically clear them near tears, while I sat next to him cracking up.
    50AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:46
    Is it okay if I bring my German Shepherd, Shishimaru, along?
    51AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:47
    Huh, that sounds fun.
    Forget participating, I just want to watch.
    52AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:47
    Heh… care to find out whether my ninja art, Rama-Butsu, works on me?
    53AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:47
    Sasuke! I will cut you down! (da-da-da~, da-da-da-da-da-da-da~)
    55AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:49
    > You can score points by lighting up the enemy camp's lamps or lights.

    Both sides also have spies (traitors) planted among them, and exposing one scores points too. Whichever side has the higher total wins.

    The supreme commander of each side is the mayor.
    The losing mayor has to produce and release a PR video promoting the winning city.




    They even planted spies — this is pretty hardcore.
    56AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:49
    Lord Tenzen has died again!
    57AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:49
    I had a classmate named Saiga.
    His grandfather was a fisherman in Wakayama.
    Has to be descended from the Saiga clan (famous mercenary gunner clan).
    62AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:52
    Using a mistaken ninja image invented by a Showa-era novelist to promote tourism.
    73AnonymousSep 11, 2026 20:02
    Re: #62
    More than a Showa-era novelist,
    it actually traces back to Edo-period war-tale kōdan storytelling and picture books.
    75AnonymousSep 11, 2026 20:07
    Name one ninja-themed manga or anime.
    Your answer will reveal your generation.
    79AnonymousSep 11, 2026 20:11
    Re: #75
    Nintama Rantarō
    81AnonymousSep 11, 2026 20:12
    Re: #75
    Ninin ga Shinobuden
    82AnonymousSep 11, 2026 20:13
    Re: #75
    Ninja Hattori-kun

    Background and Points of Debate

    The “Shinobi Yo-uchi” event is rooted in a real historical event: the 1581 Tensho Iga War, in which Oda Nobunaga attacked Iga. Neighboring Koga’s actual role at the time remains disputed, and surviving records are too thin to confirm what its ninja groups were really like. The thread split mainly over two points. One was the reading of “Koga” (甲賀) — locally, “Kōka” is considered the original reading, though the voiced “Kōga” has become the standard nationwide. The other was the origin of the classic ninja image — the black outfit, the shuriken — with posters split between a “Showa-era fiction” theory and an “Edo-period kōdan storytelling and picture-book” theory. In truth, the now-iconic ninja costume was largely shaped by modern novels and period dramas, though prototypes do appear in Edo-period kōdan as well, so neither side is simply wrong. One thing the article doesn’t mention but is worth noting: the event itself isn’t a historical reenactment — it’s an entertainment project aimed at tourism promotion.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Entertainment/Sports News+) thread “[Ninja] Night Raid with Sponge Swords, Iga vs. Koga: “Reiwa Showdown” — Seeking “Ninja” Volunteers.”

  • Juice=Juice, NiziU & FRUITS ZIPPER Share the Stage — 5ch Reacts to Wildly Different Crowd Energy

    On September 11, 2026, Juice=Juice, NiziU, and FRUITS ZIPPER appeared together on TBS’s music special “CDTV Live! Live! Autumn Thanksgiving Festival 2026,” and the live commentary thread on 5ch’s Hello! Project board lit up as fans watched the broadcast in real time. The show featured collaborative stages and segments where idols descended into the audience, with viewers tracking the setlist and running order in minute detail. What really got people talking was the difference in how loudly each act’s fans called out from the crowd — one comment noting “the crowd’s energy is night and day compared to when Juice=Juice was on” drew pushback like “that’s just a difference in fanbase,” sparking the kind of back-and-forth only a live thread can produce.

    1AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:54
    Streaming scheduled for Friday, September 11, 2026, from 17:45 (show starts 18:00)
    ■ Juice=Juice / NiziU / FRUITS ZIPPER ■　TBS Live Stream "CDTV Live! Live! Autumn Thanksgiving Festival 2026"　■ From 17:45 ■
    3AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:53
    Ishiyama can actually pull this off!
    4AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:53
    Guess they're doing six different collab combos?
    5AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:54
    Didn't know that song
    12AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:55
    They're doing this again, huh
    16AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:55
    Are the haters seriously that salty about it lol
    26AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:56
    Not even a breather so far
    36AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:58
    Eye-contact session (a fan-service bit where idols lock eyes with individual fans)
    39AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:58
    Can only hear Danbara's voice
    41AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:59
    Ichika-chan! Ichika-chan!
    42AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:59
    Whenever they go down into the crowd it always turns kind of chaotic, so eh
    43AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:59
    Ebata, ever the serious one lol
    45AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:59
    Is Tako gonna make it in time?
    54AnonymousSep 11, 2026 20:00
    'Kindan Shoujo' is the best moment today
    58AnonymousSep 11, 2026 20:01
    They probably told every group to do a crowd-descent segment
    67AnonymousSep 11, 2026 20:02
    Wait, she had cat ears on?
    78AnonymousSep 11, 2026 20:03
    Maybe they turn the mic down when they go into the crowd so it doesn't pick up some random otaku yelling weird stuff?
    86AnonymousSep 11, 2026 20:06
    So far:

    Pride Bright
    Fiesta! Fiesta! 【Fan Vote #3】
    GIRLS BE AMBITIOUS! 2026 【Self-Introduction】
    Ai wa Katsu / Ruru Danbara 【Classic Cover】
    Kurakura☆Climax 【Fan Vote #2】
    BLOODY BULLET 【Bazooka Pose】
    "Looks Like You Could Live on Your Own" — Wait, Is That Even a Compliment? (with Yui Sakurai) 【Collab】
    Chou Medetai Song ~Is It Really OK to Be This Happy?~ / Sakura Ishiyama & FRUITS ZIPPER 【Collab】
    Kindan Shoujo 【Descends into the Crowd】

    does that look right?
    94AnonymousSep 11, 2026 20:08
    Re: #86
    They came in through the audience for 'Pride Bright'
    95AnonymousSep 11, 2026 20:09
    Re: #86
    Thought there was an unfamiliar song in there —
    guess it's listed because only Ishiyama was part of it
    88AnonymousSep 11, 2026 20:07
    Rough job being the emcee tonight
    99AnonymousSep 11, 2026 20:10
    They can make it all the way up top during just one song?
    100AnonymousSep 11, 2026 20:10
    They probably wanted to try the bazooka pose, but once FRUITS ZIPPER paraded all the way up to the top level, it kind of made Juice=Juice look like they were slacking by comparison
    101AnonymousSep 11, 2026 20:11
    The crowd's energy is night and day compared to when Juice=Juice was on
    104AnonymousSep 11, 2026 20:12
    Re: #101
    That's because Juice=Juice still hasn't fully become TV-ready talents
    102AnonymousSep 11, 2026 20:12
    Lip-syncing lol
    103AnonymousSep 11, 2026 20:12
    Oh, filming's allowed
    No wonder it's blowing up online
    106AnonymousSep 11, 2026 20:14
    It's just a different type of fanbase
    Not the kind of crowd that's there to enjoy the music live
    123AnonymousSep 11, 2026 20:16
    The calls are so loud you'd wonder where they all came from
    124AnonymousSep 11, 2026 20:16
    The volume on those calls is on a whole different level
    129AnonymousSep 11, 2026 20:17
    Trolling isn't gonna make Morning Musume。 rise back up

    Same as back when they were spamming the ℃-ute threads nonstop
    135AnonymousSep 11, 2026 20:17
    Will the day ever come when these guys sing live for real?
    139AnonymousSep 11, 2026 20:19
    Wow, that song's already six years old
    140AnonymousSep 11, 2026 20:19
    ｷﾀ━━━━(ﾟ∀ﾟ)━━━━!! (a classic 5ch cheer meaning "HERE IT COMES!!")
    149AnonymousSep 11, 2026 20:19
    Ichitako's in top form again today (fan nickname for a member duo)
    153AnonymousSep 11, 2026 20:20
    Not enough otaku in the crowd, so the calls have no punch
    156AnonymousSep 11, 2026 20:20
    Ria Matsunaga's just got that pro-level aura
    162AnonymousSep 11, 2026 20:21
    For a "Moremi" show, this crowd's pretty thin (a fan nickname for the broadcast)

    Background and Discussion Points

    “CDTV Live! Live!” is a long-running TBS music special series where multiple artists perform their own songs alongside collaborative stages, a format that’s become standard for the show. Opinion in the thread split over how to interpret the difference in crowd energy — some argued “the excitement level was on a whole different scale,” while others countered it came down to “a difference in fanbase.” Hello! Project groups have a long history of cultivating call-and-response culture at their shows, but stages where filming is permitted tend to draw crowds more focused on recording clips and spreading them on social media, so the gap in visible excitement can’t be chalked up to popularity alone. Several posts also pointed out apparent lip-syncing, though it’s worth noting that the actual sound setup can’t be confirmed from forum comments alone.

    ※This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Hello! Project board) thread “■ Juice=Juice / NiziU / FRUITS ZIPPER ■　TBS Live Stream “CDTV Live! Live! Autumn Thanksgiving Festival 2026″　■ From 17:45 ■ 2.”

  • Mizuki Fukumura’s Solo Fan Event Venue Set: Kita-topia Sakura Hall (Approx. 1,300 Seats)

    On 5ch’s Hello! Project board, the venue for Mizuki Fukumura’s commemorative bar event — held following her graduation from Morning Musume. — became a hot topic. The venue is Kita-topia Sakura Hall, with a capacity of about 1,300 seats. According to data posted in the thread, her past events had capacities of 1,497 seats for her 2024 comeback event and 750 seats for her 2025 show at Tower Hall Funabori, which made the scale of this new venue stand out. Opinions were divided, though, over whether the seats would actually sell out, and over where the gap in drawing power compared to other graduated members comes from.

    1AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:29
    Latest M-line bar-event venue capacity list
    Kita-topia Sakura Hall (1,300 seats)
    Fukumura
    4AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:33
    Now Airi Suzuki can't claim to be on top for bar events either
    5AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:33
    The "M" in "M-line" stands for the M in "Mizuki Kingdom" (a nickname for Fukumura's fanbase)
    9AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:34
    Re: #1
    Ishida had a ton of unsold same-day tickets, so it'll probably drop.
    10AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:35
    Re: #1
    Post-graduation workload, ranked

    Kasahara
    Kudo
    Tamura
    Sayashi
    Makino
    Iikubo
    Miyamoto
    Wada
    Ikuta
    Fukumura ← this one
    Takeuchi
    Morito
    Inaba
    Yamagishi
    Ogata
    Hamaura
    Kitagawa
    Sasaki
    Uemura
    Miyazaki
    Sato
    Katsuta
    Koseki
    Murota
    Kogata
    Fukuda Hana
    Ishida
    Hirose
    Niinuma
    Kaga
    Kishimoto
    Yamazaki Yume
    Ichioka
    Nakanishi
    Takagi
    Asakura
    Jokokuryo
    Shimakura
    Aikawa
    Takase
    Suzuki, Fujii, Nomura, Tashiro, Yagi,
    12AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:36
    It's probably just the difference between doing it Tokyo-only versus Tokyo and Osaka.
    14AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:37
    Sato's is already on its 3rd round of sales and still under half of an 802-seat venue — can Fukumura really pull in that many?
    16AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:38
    Fukumura's is bar event No. 30, so it's a special one.
    18AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:38
    J.P Room calendar — autograph lottery & photo bonus — member sales ranking results

    Miyazaki
    Sato
    Fukumura
    Ishida
    Morito
    Miyamoto*
    Inaba*
    Koseki
    Takeuchi
    Asakura*
    Uemura
    Sasaki*

    *Solo calendars sold separately
    20AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:39
    Re: #18
    Married women are OP!! ("TUEEEEEE" = internet slang for "overpowered/strong")
    22AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:39
    Re: #1
    Is nobody doing a send-off (post-show meet-and-greet)?
    47AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:59
    Re: #22
    Airi and the Musume members don't have one.
    25AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:40
    There is a send-off.
    27AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:42
    Re: #25
    They went out of their way to write it in different colors, but…


    *There will be no send-off meet-and-greet after the show. Thank you for your understanding.
    26AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:41
    I got fooled by info from Ookami (a well-known anonymous idol-fan forum) and thought she wasn't popular.
    28AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:43
    Oh really
    Well, some members do have send-offs then.
    33AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:48
    Re: #28
    Re: #1
    Here's a summary of who does and doesn't have a send-off:
    43AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:55
    Re: #33
    Only Ishida and Sato have one.
    48AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:59
    Re: #43
    The Musume members don't have one.
    34AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:50
    They wouldn't book this venue unless they expected over 1,000 people to show up.
    35AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:51
    Even back when she was an active member it was dicey whether venues would fill up — what's the plan here?
    37AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:51
    Mizuki Kingdom fans (her fanbase) are starved for live events, so it'll fill up.
    38AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:52
    Wasn't Ma-chan's venue the year before Hitotsubashi Hall, Edogawa Hall?
    53AnonymousSep 11, 2026 20:01
    So Ishida really did have a ton of surplus same-day tickets — you could even buy up to 2 per person.
    56AnonymousSep 11, 2026 20:02
    Re: #53
    You mean one person could take up 2 seats?
    62AnonymousSep 11, 2026 20:12
    Because last time the 800-seat venue sold out.
    65AnonymousSep 11, 2026 20:15
    Re: #62
    Oh really
    That's impressive.
    63AnonymousSep 11, 2026 20:13
    Wouldn't doing individual live-house tours make more money than an M-line special event? 🤔
    64AnonymousSep 11, 2026 20:13
    Re: #63
    Don't you know Miyamoto's was practically empty?
    66AnonymousSep 11, 2026 20:15
    Even at M-Hello (Hello! Project's alumni event brand), Fukumura's shows were the only ones with an extra-large capacity — as expected of her.
    71AnonymousSep 11, 2026 20:18
    Re: #66
    Of course a legend's caliber is just different.
    67AnonymousSep 11, 2026 20:16
    2024/11/29 — Edogawa Ward General Cultural Center: 1,497 seats (comeback event)
    2025/10/31 — Tower Hall Funabori Main Hall: 750 seats
    2026/10/28 — Kita-topia Sakura Hall: 1,310 seats
    69AnonymousSep 11, 2026 20:18
    Re: #67
    Last year was a lottery-rejection fest, so they probably scaled it back up because of that.

    Background and Talking Points

    The term “M-line” used in the thread refers to the small-scale fan events (commonly called “bar events”) that individual members hold after graduating from Morning Musume. Venue capacity is decided by organizers based on factors like advance reservation numbers, so it isn’t simply a straightforward measure of a popularity ranking. In the thread, posters pointed to cases like Ishida’s most recent show having leftover same-day tickets, and Miyamoto’s show having noticeably empty seats, contrasting these with the expanded capacity chosen for Fukumura’s venue. Some questioned the fairness of how venues get selected, but it’s a difficult subject to judge actual drawing power from comparisons like these alone.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hello! Project) thread “Mizuki Fukumura’s Bar Event Rockets to the Top of M-line Capacity Rankings on Overwhelming Drawing Power!!“

  • Is the New ‘Ocarina of Time’ Photorealistic? 5ch Debates What ‘Photorealistic’ Even Means

    The Switch 2 remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time has been perceived as going for a “photorealistic” look, thanks to its detailed fields and townscapes. But on 5ch, users have noted that it’s drawing far less criticism than other titles that get bashed for chasing realism, and that contrast has become a talking point. At the recent Zelda Direct, the development team said, “Rather than simply making it realistic, we aimed to recreate the essence of Ocarina of Time in a way that feels nostalgic,” while another director revealed that the design drew inspiration from Japanese puppet theater. On the thread, opinions split over the more basic question of whether this game can even be called “photorealistic” in the first place.

    1AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:19
    They're just covering it up with how fun it is, huh
    2AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:20
    Miyamoto Shigeru: "Games that chase realism mostly end up failing"
    June 20, 2026
    7AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:22
    Is Ocarina of Time actually photorealistic though?

    Re: #2
    Are we talking visuals or the systems/gameplay side…
    68AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:05
    Re: #2
    Wait, you can't tell that Link isn't real-life footage? 😂
    5AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:21
    Photorealistic…? Do people like that exist in your world?
    8AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:23
    Re: #5
    I hear Dragon Quest XI counts as photorealistic too
    10AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:23
    Re: #5
    Your eyes are probably still fried from GTA6's 30fps…
    61AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:01
    Re: #5
    It doesn't look human at all, but it does look like real footage of a puppet
    6AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:21
    This is spiraling out of control because some guy who quit Nintendo ages ago said the design was inspired by puppet theater
    18AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:28
    Re: #6
    Still, Young Zelda's face looks exactly like a puppet,
    and Ganon's movements feel puppet-theater-ish too,
    so the puppet theater motif actually seems on point
    25AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:33
    ttps://ogre.natalie.mu/media/news/eiga/2025/1118/TheLegendofZelda_202511_01.jpg

    This is what "photorealistic" actually looks like, right
    33AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:38
    Re: #25
    That's live-action footage
    If we're talking live-action, I saw it in Air Rider
    110AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:59
    Re: #25
    Well, now I know that going full live-action just makes it boring
    30AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:37
    Setting aside how shiny/glossy the characters look,
    the forests, towns, and fields are clearly more detailed and beautiful than in Breath of the Wild or Tears of the Kingdom.
    I want a Breath of the Wild remake with this level of graphics — next year's its 10th anniversary, after all
    35AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:39
    Re: #30
    Wait, is it actually shiny/glossy?
    Isn't that only when things get wet?
    36AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:39
    At the Zelda Direct three days ago, Aonuma said:
    "Rather than simply going for realistic expression, we were particular about reinventing it
    so players could feel the nostalgic essence of Ocarina of Time."
    In other words, that's a different thing from photorealism
    42AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:41
    Re: #36
    How is that any different from people insisting Breath of the Wild isn't an open-world game?
    37AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:40
    There are also games that claim to be realistic while you steer the car with psychic powers, so…
    41AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:41
    Re: #37
    Oh yeah, now that you mention it, there was something like that
    40AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:40
    Re: #33
    Aiming for that live-action look IS what photorealism means though
    44AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:41
    Re: #40
    Aiming for it and actually achieving it are different things
    48AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:43
    Give FF7 Remake some love too, it's photorealistic as well
    55AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:57
    I think it's fair to call Pikmin photorealistic
    60AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:00
    Re: #55
    Yeah, in Pikmin the surrounding objects are rendered fully photorealistic to sell the sense of scale for the hero and the Pikmin
    56AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:57
    I don't really get the basis for insisting it's not photorealistic
    97AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:43
    Re: #56
    People with no eye for this
    still go on about the graphics being 60fps,
    and then don't even buy the game.
    No wonder the devs can't win lol
    73AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:12
    The games that get bashed are the ones where prioritizing realism actually hurts the gameplay
    75AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:13
    Re: #73
    Like that game that dropped to 30fps, lol ^ ^
    85AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:26
    🤢
    87AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:27
    Re: #85
    The remake's Young Link is creepy on another level
    91AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:33
    Zelda's developers are really good at this kind of thing —
    someone should tell Game Freak so Pokémon can do the same
    105AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:52
    Re: #91
    If they're going to obsess over graphics that much,
    people would probably say to put that effort somewhere else instead
    106AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:55
    Re: #91
    Doing the same thing for everything isn't necessarily the answer
    101AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:48
    Foreign fans are bashing it, though
    108AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:56
    Re: #101
    It's just a handful of people bashing it, regardless of whether they're foreign or Japanese
    107AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:55
    I hear Ocarina of Time's file size is bigger than Breath of the Wild's.

    That's gotta mean they went overboard on the visuals, right?
    Well, the price is higher to match, I guess
    118AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:05
    Re: #107
    With all the puzzles, it probably has more object data packed in than Breath of the Wild anyway
    115AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:03
    Nintendo director/artist Takauya Imamura talks about the design of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time for Switch 2
    Drew inspiration from Ningyogeki (traditional Japanese puppet theater)

    https://x.com/PlaneteZelda/status/2097970025634095551
    117AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:04
    Re: #115
    🐷💢<It's NOT photorealistic, damn iiiiit!!

    So what was all that about?

    Background and Key Points of the Debate

    The term “photorealistic” is technically an evaluation axis referring to a texture and rendering quality indistinguishable from live-action footage. On the thread, however, it often gets conflated with the developers’ stated design philosophy of “recreating a sense of nostalgia,” leading to a lot of talking past each other. Aonuma’s comment didn’t deny realism itself — the point was that the team prioritized the original’s atmosphere over sheer realism. Likewise, the “puppet theater” motif Imamura mentioned is a separate axis from visual realism. Meanwhile, precedents like FF7 Remake and GTA6, both criticized for frame-rate drops and overly heavy visual presentation, are being brought up for comparison. What’s easy for readers to misunderstand is that the new game was never officially declared “not photorealistic” — only that the developers described where they chose to place their emphasis. That gap in interpretation is at the root of the thread’s disagreement.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hardware/Industry (Geha)) thread “The fact that Ocarina of Time is clearly going for a photorealistic look yet isn’t getting bashed at all“.

  • Kentaro Ito Undergoes Emergency Surgery for Brain Hemorrhage, to Rest — 5ch: ‘Not the Hit-and-Run Guy, the Voice Actor’

    It was announced on the 11th via the official website of his talent agency that Kentaro Ito, who works as both a voice actor and stage actor, underwent emergency surgery for a brain hemorrhage and will be taking time off to recover. On 5ch, the thread saw confusion between two people who share the same name: actor Kentaro Ito (born 1997), who caused a hit-and-run accident in 2020, and voice actor Kentaro Ito (born 1974), known for roles like Renji Abarai in BLEACH. At first, a string of posts assumed it was the actor involved in the accident. Once talent agency Mouse Promotion issued a statement clarifying it was the voice actor, the confusion in the thread gradually cleared up.

    2026.09.11 (Fri)

    It was announced on the 11th via the official website of his talent agency that actor Kentaro Ito underwent emergency surgery for a brain hemorrhage and would be taking time off to recover.

    Source: daily.co.jp / Original article here

    3AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:07
    Lots of Kentaros in the news lately…
    is this the hit-and-run guy?
    137AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:25
    Re: #3
    Fujimon (FUJIWARA): "Hit-and-run, same as my one prior conviction!"
    6AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:07
    The 'Heartbreak Restaurant' guy?
    127AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:23
    Re: #6
    Setsuko, that's Kentaro Shimizu (a 'Grave of the Fireflies' meme format).
    8AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:08
    What kind of curse is this?
    118AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:22
    Re: #8
    Your curse.
    12AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:08
    Same as Date-chan, huh (´・ω・`)
    17AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:09
    Kentaro Ito (voice actor) – Japanese voice actor and stage actor. Born 1974.
    Kentaro Ito (actor) – Japanese actor. Former stage name was Kentaro. Born 1997.
    Kentaro Ito (baseball) – An outfielder from the early days of Japanese pro baseball
    Kentaro Ito (track and field) – Japanese marathon runner
    35AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:11
    Re: #17
    Mouse Promotion put out a statement, so it's the voice actor.
    Known for Renji Abarai in BLEACH and Kanki in Kingdom.
    18AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:09
    They just announced the Romancing SaGa 3 remake, so what happens now?
    Is all his voice work already done and recorded?
    83AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:17
    Re: #18
    I'll give you credit for that. Just a little.
    19AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:09
    This is probably the lingering effects of Tonkatsu Agetaro (a deep-fried pork cutlet pun on his name).
    34AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:11
    Re: #19
    Ah…
    the 'Kushikatsu DJ No-Double-Dipping Taro' guy huh…
    25AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:10
    How'd they even find out it was a brain hemorrhage?
    Did he get a headache and go to the hospital himself,
    or did he collapse and get rushed in by ambulance?
    139AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:25
    Re: #25
    My older sister had an insane headache and called an ambulance herself, got hospitalized.
    She had bad delirium while admitted, but she's since been discharged and is doing great now.
    30AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:11
    https://mausu.net/topics/2026/09/post_101.html

    Not the actor, the voice actor.
    47AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:12
    Re: #30 says voice actor.
    Different from the hit-and-run guy.
    31AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:11
    Wasn't he the co-star in Mei Nagano's comeback drama?
    What's she gonna do now?
    36AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:11
    Bad stuff keeps happening at Tristone.
    Even the gods are watching how you treat people.
    38AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:11
    Natsuki Deguchi's boyfriend?
    39AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:12
    He was probably being worked to the bone.
    After causing a scandal his rate's probably cheap too.
    42AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:12
    Booze and cigarettes are bad news.
    Blood vessels in the brain already wrecked at such a young age.
    48AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:13
    This guy shares a name with the voice actor for Taisho-kun and Kaga, so I always figure it must be rough being that voice actor.
    50AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:13
    Feels like there's gotta be like 50 Kentaro Itos across the whole country.
    54AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:14
    Thought 'so young…' but oh, it's the voice actor Kentaro Ito.
    56AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:14
    Isn't this the hit-and-run guy who settled out of court and only got suspended for half a year?
    58AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:14
    Re: #1
    Damn reporter —

    it literally says voice actor Kentaro Ito underwent emergency surgery for a brain hemorrhage,

    right there.
    104AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:20
    Re: #35
    Oh, Shiraishi from Golden Kamuy.
    114AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:21
    Re: #104
    Aw, and the final season's coming up too…

    Background and Key Points of This Story

    There are multiple celebrities named Kentaro Ito, and the confusion stems from the common Japanese problem of people sharing the same name. The person announced this time is a voice actor born in 1974, affiliated with Mouse Promotion, known for roles like Renji Abarai in BLEACH and Kanki in Kingdom. Meanwhile, the “hit-and-run” Kentaro Ito initially discussed on 5ch is a completely different person: an actor born in 1997 who caused a traffic accident in 2020 and resumed activities after reaching a settlement. The thread shows the misunderstanding gradually clearing up after the agency’s statement, but the article gives no basis for connecting this brain hemorrhage to the past accident, and it’s easy to mistakenly link these two unrelated people. The announcement makes no mention of the post-surgery outlook or a return timeline — at this point, all that’s known is that he underwent emergency surgery and will be taking time off to recuperate.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Entertainment/Sports News+) thread “[Entertainment] Kentaro Ito to Rest — Emergency Surgery for Brain Hemorrhage Symptoms [Ailuropoda melanoleuca★]“.