Japan Reacts

Author: Japan Reacts Editorial

  • Monster Hunter Wilds’ Switch 2 Version Gets Early-Purchase Price of ¥3,742

    Capcom announced a special early-purchase price of ¥3,742 (tax included) for the Nintendo Switch 2 version of “Monster Hunter Wilds.” A bundle released at the same time that includes the Switch 2 console itself (¥61,980) costs almost the same as the console alone — meaning that once you factor in the included online membership voucher, Wilds effectively costs only around ¥1,000. The news set off buzz on 5ch’s hardware/industry (“Geha”) board. While many in the thread welcomed the low price, others brought up concerns about freezing issues, doubts about visual quality and frame rate, and the price gap with other versions like the PS5 release.

    Early-purchase special price

    ¥3,742 (tax included)

    Lol at everyone who bought the Premium Deluxe Edition

    Source: monsterhunter.com / Original article here

    20AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:01
    Guess they still need you to buy the extra content lol
    33AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:02
    Re: #20
    Didn't they say it was the "everything included" edition?
    25AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:01
    Just release a Switch 2 edition of Monster Hunter Rise already, that would sell way better
    30AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:02
    Re: #25
    They're stubbornly refusing to do that
    46AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:03
    Elden Ring, which is way older than these two, is still full price, while Metaphor and Wilds are blatantly cheap — makes you realize the publishers know exactly what they're doing
    57AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:05
    Re: #46
    Probably because Ascendance (the upcoming expansion) is on the way
    The PS version is ¥3,742 too
    66AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:06
    Re: #46
    Those are all getting dumped for cheap on PlayStation anyway
    52AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:04
    Feeling grateful you get to buy it cheap thanks to the PS5 users who bought the Premium Deluxe Edition?
    You should be thanking us PS5 owners
    68AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:06
    Re: #52
    Huh?
    I'm an even bigger whale — I bought all the DLC that came after too
    You Switch 2 peasants should be saluting toward my house
    79AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:08
    Re: #52
    Thanks to us PC gamers, you mean?
    61AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:05
    Nintendo Switch 2 x Monster Hunter Wilds Set
    ¥61,980

    • Nintendo Switch 2 console, full set (Japanese language, domestic-use only)
    • Monster Hunter Wilds digital download code
    • Nintendo Switch Online Individual Plan, 3-month (90-day) voucher (free bonus)

    A 3-month Switch Online sub runs about ¥1,000, so that means Wilds itself only costs like ¥1,000 lmao
    83AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:08
    Re: #61
    That's an insane deal
    Well, Capcom clearly knows what they're doing
    144AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:16
    Re: #61
    By the time the DLC drops they'll probably slap a ¥1,000 sale price on it anyway
    That's just how Capcom sells things
    170AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:20
    Re: #61
    Cheaper than a Zelda cartridge lol
    I mean, that thing's trade-in value was only ¥15 anyway
    97AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:10
    Is Wilds actually any good though?
    102AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:11
    Re: #97
    The Switch 2 version doesn't freeze and runs at 60fps, so yeah it's fun
    109AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:11
    Re: #97
    The current version is decent enough, but if you're worried, it's fine to just wait for the Ascendance update
    132AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:14
    Re: #97
    If you play it casually without min-maxing your gear, it's enjoyable
    I'm pretty into the combat side of it
    103AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:11
    Huh?
    112AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:11
    Re: #103
    Monster Hunter Wilds Premium Deluxe Edition
    114AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:12
    Re: #103
    Lol imagine paying rip-off prices for what was basically a beta version
    121AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:12
    Re: #103
    Monster Hunter Wilds Premium Deluxe Edition
    113AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:12
    128AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:13
    Oh, so this one's 60fps huh
    Meanwhile the people who dropped ¥100,000 on a PS5… lol
    136AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:14
    Re: #128
    Impressive that you can tell it's 60fps just from that trailer lol
    143AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:16
    Re: #128
    There's no way it's actually hitting 60fps
    Even a PS5 Pro barely gets there with frame-rate-priority mode turned on
    145AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:16
    Re: #128
    It's only 30fps even on Xbox Series S, so there's no way Switch 2 pulls off 60fps

    This is the same Capcom that already proved with Onimusha that it can run worse than a Series S

    And on top of that, the visual quality was awful
    129AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:14
    Made me wonder what happened to Capcom, pricing it like this
    137AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:14
    Re: #129
    They probably want to help push Switch 2 sales
    PS6 is looking rough
    188AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:24
    Re: #129
    Monster Hunter Rise

    • Publisher: Capcom Co., Ltd.
    • Format: PlayStation 5 / PlayStation 4
    • Genre: Hunting action
    • Release date: Friday, January 20, 2023 (planned)
    • Price: PS5/PS4 digital version, standard edition ¥3,990 (tax included)
    　　　　　　　　digital version, Deluxe Edition ¥4,990 (tax included)

    Capcom always prices later ports to match the discounted price the original platform's version eventually dropped to
    178AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:22
    The PS5 version is the same price right now too, because of a Tokyo Game Show sale…
    191AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:24
    Re: #178
    Lol, they quietly repriced it
    195AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:25
    Whoa, that's cheap
    I'd actually buy it at that price
    200AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:26
    Re: #195
    It's a crap game, so it'll only get cheaper from here
    211AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:28
    File size: 39GB


    Huh? That's more compressed than I expected?
    How big is the PS5 version right now?
    215AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:29
    Re: #211
    53-55GB huh
    Well, it'll probably grow once updates start rolling in
    225AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:32
    Re: #211
    Just checked, it's 66GB now
    They're really putting in work on optimization

    Background and Key Points of This Discussion

    It’s worth noting that this price is Capcom’s “early-purchase special price,” not the regular price. Those who previously bought the Premium Deluxe Edition paid several thousand yen more, and this pattern of discounting later ports has been seen before, such as when Monster Hunter Rise was ported to PS5. The thread also cites “the PS5 version is ¥3,742 too,” but that’s a Tokyo Game Show sale price, not a permanent price match — a distinction readers can easily miss. As for the claim it runs at 60fps, some pushed back that it’s just speculation based on how the official trailer looked, not verified hands-on testing. The idea that the Switch 2 bundle (¥61,980) makes Wilds “effectively ¥1,000” spread widely because it’s priced almost the same as the console alone, but that’s simply a comparison against the console’s standalone price plus an online voucher — it isn’t a figure that reflects the game’s actual standalone value.

    *This article was compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Hardware/Industry, aka “Geha”) thread “[Good News] Monster Hunter Wilds Switch 2 Version, ¥3,700!!!.”

  • Torneko’s Mystery Dungeon Remaster Announcement Called ‘the Biggest Surprise’ of the Show

    Square Enix’s announcement of a remaster for Torneko’s Mystery Dungeon sent a wave of surprise through 5ch’s hardware/industry (“Geha”) board. Since the original Super Famicom release, the first Torneko game had barely seen any re-releases or ports, and its rights situation had long been murky — so many posters called this “the biggest surprise” of the showcase. The thread saw praise for the original’s stripped-down design, which skips item synthesis, pots, and in-dungeon shops, but opinions split over the Android version’s proposed 3,500 yen price tag (called “too expensive” by some) and calls for a brand-new entry rather than a remake.

    1AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:40
    Huh
    9AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:49
    Honestly, this was the only thing I wanted.
    10AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:49
    I've only played Shiren — is this any good?
    17AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:51
    Re: #10
    It's the game Shiren was based on, so the items and enemies are simpler than in Shiren, but it had this fun system where you laid out items in a shop to buy and sell.
    15AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:51
    This is way better than getting some weird remake.
    90AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:14
    Re: #15
    If they're going to remake it, they'd be better off making a new game instead.



    ri
    20AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:52
    It's not even on sale yet, but searching "Torneko" brings up Dragon Ball for some reason
    (´・ω・`)
    27AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:56
    Re: #20
    That's because a "buffed-up cat" shows up (a pun on Torneko's name).
    26AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:55
    Turns out every version except the Steam one is incomplete

    30AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:58
    Re: #26
    Doesn't matter, my PC's garbage and won't run it anyway.
    31AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:58
    Re: #26
    I'm not a streamer, so Switch works fine for me…
    41AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:02
    Re: #26
    Watching streams of it is fine, but I don't want to stream it myself — it's already the kind of title that gets backseat-gamed to death…
    35AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:00
    At this point, the first game alone might feel too simple.
    38AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:01
    Re: #35
    Isn't that simplicity the whole point? Cluttered extra features easily turn into unnecessary baggage.
    36AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:00
    Honestly, this was the biggest surprise of the show
    And it's a remaster, not just a port.
    49AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:04
    Re: #36
    Given the whole history of rights-issue talk, this is a genuinely shocking announcement.
    Guess that means whatever rights problems were holding back Shiren 2 or Asuka must've been pretty trivial after all.
    42AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:02
    3,500 yen? That's steep.
    45AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:03
    Re: #42
    The Android version is listed at 3,500 yen.
    Expensive.
    55AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:05
    Re: #42
    Sadly, I know I'll end up buying it anyway… I still want to play it, after all…. Shiren, Torneko….
    47AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:03
    Wasn't the first game SFC-only, with zero ports, Virtual Console, or Switch Online releases?
    Hoping this paves the way for Torneko 2 and Shiren to become playable on current consoles too.
    64AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:07
    Re: #47
    Shiren 1 → got a Wii Virtual Console release, a DS port, and a smartphone port of the DS version, but nothing beyond that.

    Torneko 1 → nothing at all. Only Torneko 2 and 3 got Game Boy Advance releases before the series ended.



    That's about the size of it.
    51AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:04
    Surely it's not really "nothing at all"…
    …right?
    73AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:10
    Square Enix is the publisher?
    So was it actually true that Chunsoft got the rights bought back?
    80AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:11
    Re: #51
    What do you mean "nothing at all"?

    Re: #73
    Huh? Once the Torneko series wrapped up, the rights went to Square Enix, and now, decades later, Square Enix — who'd just been sitting on them — finally put one out. That's the whole story.
    58AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:06
    Re: #49
    Wasn't the story that Chunsoft doesn't want to touch Asuka out of pride?
    61AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:07
    I'm not really feeling the first game specifically, but
    let's just be glad this series is finally getting remakes.
    87AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:13
    Re: #61
    Yeah it is the first one — sure, it's pretty simple — but whatever, I'll end up buying it anyway.
    I just want to play some Torneko-style Shiren.
    62AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:07
    Want Torneko 2 and 3 too
    Also portable versions of Shiren 3 and 4.
    71AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:09
    Re: #62
    I agree on wanting Torneko 2/3 ports, but
    why jump straight to Shiren 3 and 4 while skipping Shiren 1, 2, Moonlight Village, Desert Castle, and Asuka? Or is it Shiren M?
    63AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:07
    Would I even enjoy this?
    The original Torneko 1 came out something like 4 years before I was born.
    67AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:08
    Re: #63
    Simple is best.
    65AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:08
    Streamers should go Steam
    casual players can just get it on Switch 2.
    132AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:30
    Re: #65
    Not every hardcore fan is a streamer, lol
    70AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:09
    I've only played 2 and 3 — is it safe to assume 1 is still enjoyable in its own right?
    127AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:28
    Re: #70
    It's basically the original console roguelike, so if you've sunk a ton of time into similar games it might feel lacking. For better or worse, it's an entry-level title.
    The barrier to entry is low, so — just like the original — I think they'd be better off focusing promotion on winning over newcomers who've never tried a roguelike, rather than chasing roguelike diehards.
    109AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:22
    No item synthesis, no pots, no in-dungeon shops — so naturally no thieves either, no enemy leveling, no allies, and post-clear content is just the "Even More Mysterious Dungeon" mode.
    115AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:23
    Re: #109
    There's something to be said for that simplicity — it's the "beauty of subtraction," as they say.
    137AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:33
    Re: #109
    For no-weapon/no-shield/no-ring challenge runs, this one's the most fun.
    124AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:27
    https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/PurpleSource221/v4/d4/2c/51/d42c51ff-c217-4179-2254-154c767c1018/iPhone_U30b9_U30af_U30b7_U30e701__U00282_U0029.png/1286x594bb.webp

    How are the smartphone version controls?
    Looking at the screenshot, it seems like it'd be awkward to play.
    134AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:32
    Re: #124
    Just buy a controller that plugs into the port.
    Something like this.

    Background and Key Points of Discussion

    Torneko’s Mystery Dungeon was the first entry in the Mystery Dungeon series, released for the Super Famicom in 1993, and it served as the prototype for the later Shiren series. The thread’s discussion centered on three main points. The first was how to judge the remaster: some welcomed the original’s simplicity — no item synthesis, no pots, no in-game shops, unlike later entries — while others felt that just the first game alone would be too bare-bones at this point. The second was price, with several posters calling the Android version’s proposed 3,500 yen price tag expensive. The third concerned the rights situation: posters recounted how the rights passed to Square Enix once the Torneko series wound down, and speculated that this history explains why related titles like Shiren and Asuka haven’t seen ports. None of this was confirmed in the official announcement — it reflects posters’ speculation, so it should be read with that caveat.

    ※This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Hardware/Industry, “Geha”) thread “Torneko’s Mystery Dungeon Remaster.”

  • US Treasury Secretary Bessent: “I’m the House” — Warning Shot at Yen Speculators

    On September 8, US Treasury Secretary Bessent, speaking at an event at a university in Texas, referenced the coordinated yen-buying intervention carried out by Japanese and US authorities in late July and declared, “I am the House.” He also said he holds “asymmetric information” about the moves of the Bank of Japan and Japanese policymakers, and taunted speculators betting on selling yen to buy dollars: “If they want to challenge me, go ahead.” On the thread, opinions split over whether translating the original English phrase “I am the House” as “胴元” (“the house,” i.e. the casino operator who always wins) was accurate, and over just how effective this kind of verbal intervention really is.

    [Dallas, Kyodo] US Treasury Secretary Bessent said on the 8th, regarding the coordinated yen-buying intervention carried out by Japanese and US authorities in late July, “I am the House (who knows the Japanese side’s moves inside and out),” warning off speculators looking to sell yen and buy dollars. He made the remarks at an event held at a university in Texas.

    Bessent said, “I have asymmetric information,” suggesting he has access to information ordinary market participants don’t. He stressed, “When we intervene in the yen market, we have a pretty accurate read on how the Bank of Japan and Japanese policymakers will move.”

    He then taunted speculators, saying, “If [market players who keep selling yen] want to keep at it, they’re welcome to take me on.”

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

    8AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:00
    That's badass.
    I wish I could say a line like that myself 💰
    76AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:28
    Re: #8
    That's peak chuunibyou energy lol (chuunibyou = delusions-of-grandeur "edgy middle schooler" syndrome)
    30AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:09
    The real mastermind rigging the forex market has shown up キタ─━(ﾟ∀ﾟ)─━!!
    55AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:21
    If he really had that much power, he wouldn't need to make a warning shot like this in the first place, which kind of tells you something…
    61AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:23
    Re: #55
    Is the US military gonna snatch Takaichi like it did in Venezuela?
    65AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:25
    Re: #61
    Trump might actually pull something like that, so maybe that's exactly why Bessent's the one stepping up front?
    69AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:25
    Thoughts on Japan's "lost 30 years"?
    73AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:26
    Re: #65
    Ah, so Bessent's actually protecting Takaichi.

    Re: #69
    The LDP: "We racked up debt and gambled it all away, and it didn't pan out."
    75AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:27
    Bessent, savior of the Japanese people.
    Even if it's for America's own convenience, it still beats the fire-sale-Japan dump policy that plays right into certain people's hands
    [as opposed to] pork-barrel budgets built for skimming and kickbacks.
    82AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:32
    The actual guardian of the currency is the Fed, though.
    I thought Bessent was pushing a "strong dollar" line — did Trump chew him out over it?
    If he's so worried about US rates rising, tell your boss to stop starting wars.
    89AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:38
    Re: #82
    "Strong dollar" doesn't mean "a rising dollar," you know.
    94AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:42
    Wait, isn't he basically confessing to the coordinated intervention here lol
    96AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:44
    Re: #94
    I'd guess he doesn't actually want to do real coordinated intervention (dunno why), so he's leading with jawboning first.
    99AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:46
    Re: #96

    lol

    "The market's reacting so sensitively to a rate hike that hasn't even happened!" lol

    what a happy little world lol
    105AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:48
    Re: #99
    But last time around he clearly didn't want to keep intervening.
    He said so outright, which made me think "is Bessent an idiot?"

    If he's changed his mind since then, good for him I guess.
    101AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:46
    Re: #1
    The crushing fiscal burden of social security spending means

    if they cut taxes, rates rise or the weak yen pushes prices up, squeezing the working generation,

    and if they don't cut taxes, the working generation's income gets extracted like under the old "five parts to the lord, five parts to the peasant" tax system, squeezing them just the same.

    Elderly people whose healthy lifespans have stretched out, who could work but don't, living off social security while gallivanting around on trips —

    they're the modern-day nobility, the modern-day court aristocrats, the modern-day feudal lords.

    People like them are exactly why social security never reaches those who truly need it,

    while the working generation keeps getting squeezed under that same old 50/50 system.

    The working generation should be raising their voices against these modern-day feudal lords.
    102AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:47
    Re: #101

    Where's the hidden acrostic supposed to be?
    That's a pretty weak attempt lol
    106AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:48
    Re: #101
    Nobody's out there gallivanting around on pension money alone. It's pension + a massive pile of assets.
    104AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:47
    Stock market down, currency moving too — rough times for the DIY overseas-investment crowd doing monthly contributions…
    Well, Takaichi's aggressive fiscal spending plan died before it even got started.
    219AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:03
    Re: #104
    They're still sitting on plenty of unrealized gains.
    Should be fine even down to 145 yen.
    111AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:51
    This guy's dead serious.
    So you'd better brace yourself.
    116AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:53
    Re: #111
    The original English was "I am the House!" How does that turn into "私は胴元" (I am the bookmaker)?? Not that I'm a native speaker or anything.
    120AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:55
    Heard that if it hits 120 yen, everyone doing NISA (Japan's tax-free investment program) ends up underwater.
    130AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:00
    Re: #120
    People who just started their monthly contributions at 160 yen are gonna see their very first buy wiped out.
    I think you should wait for the yen to strengthen before buying, but who knows how far it'll go.
    No way it drops below 100 yen though, surely.
    158AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:14
    In the first place,
    what does "the house"
    even mean
    in the forex market?
    That's way too big a stretch.
    What matters in the end is the underlying fundamentals.
    Coordinated intervention, jawboning — none of it means a thing.
    179AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:28
    Re: #158
    How is it "just jawboning" when it dropped all the way down to around 152 [yen to the dollar] lol
    That's just him following through on his word.
    206AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:53
    Re: #158
    Did you know?
    The dollar is the world's reserve currency.
    Let that sink in.
    176AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:23
    Already feels nostalgic…
    182AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:29
    Sounds like it's too early to call whether the yen weakens or strengthens from here.
    Though it seems a stronger yen would hurt the economy…

    211AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:58
    Bessent's teary-eyed and anti-Trump nowwwwwww!
    If you don't get why this is hilarious, you've been poisoned by the Bank of Japan, the financial establishment, and the old media!!

    Yoichi Takahashi (Kaetsu University)
    @YoichiTakahashi
    Mr. Bessent, wouldn't it be smarter to just go along with what Trump wants instead of demanding Japan hike rates lol → "September rate hike now the frontrunner as Trump insists 'I won't allow high rates,' leaving the Fed chair caught in the middle"

    Poor Bessent — his boss Trump just shot down his own remarks, so now he's got tears in his eyes.

    If you don't get why this is hilarious, you've been poisoned by the Bank of Japan, the financial establishment, and the old media.
    x.com/YoichiTakahashi/status/2095991927342784786
    x.com/YoichiTakahashi/status/2095997123791896997
    x.com/YoichiTakahashi/status/2096021208479494434
    215AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:01
    Re: #211
    Huh?
    If the US cuts rates,
    the pressure on Japan to hike eases up,
    making it easier to head toward a stronger yen, no?
    216AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:01
    Re: #211
    Already rumored to have gone missing.

    Background and Key Points of the Debate

    These remarks stem from the coordinated yen-buying intervention that Japanese and US authorities carried out in late July. Currency intervention comes in two forms — “actual intervention,” where dollars are actually sold and yen bought, and “verbal intervention,” where officials merely try to sway market psychology through statements — and the thread’s discussion split largely along this line. The original English phrase “I am the House” is an idiom referring to the operator/bookmaker side of a casino, and whether translating it as “胴元” was even appropriate became a debate of its own. Meanwhile, part of the discussion tied the remarks to Japan’s domestic fiscal and monetary policy debates (such as the Takaichi administration’s active-fiscal-spending stance), but this is easy to misread: Bessent’s comments simply reflect the US Treasury’s stance toward the yen, on a separate axis from any judgment on Japan’s domestic policy itself. Also worth noting: the specific exchange-rate levels floated in the thread — 152, 160, and 145 yen — are individual posters’ personal market views, not facts reported in the article.

    ※This article is compiled as an excerpt/summary of the 5ch (Breaking News Plus) thread “US Treasury Secretary Bessent: “I’m the House” — Warning Shot at Yen Speculators.”

  • Nintendo Direct sparks “worst one ever?” claims, 5ch split on verdict

    Nintendo streamed a Nintendo Direct on the night of the 9th. The broadcast covered an open-world-style expansion for the new Kirby title, a trilogy of Zelda remakes, the revival of Yo-kai Watch, and new info on Layton, but with few major surprises, some on 5ch called it “possibly the worst Direct ever.” Others pushed back, pointing to the Switch 2 port of Monster Hunter Wilds and the high concurrent viewer count as proof the content itself wasn’t bad — opinions in the thread were split.

    1AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:25
    This is done for, seriously
    16AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:34
    As a PC-building guy who's only interested in photorealistic stuff like the upcoming RTX 6090, DLSS5, Witcher 4, GTA6, and TES6, this Direct was too painful to sit through — I closed it right away.
    What kind of audience is even watching this lol, 1.5 million people.
    A Nintendo Direct is just too much for someone on as high a level as me.
    34AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:47
    Re: #16
    Show me a 5090 then
    57AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:51
    What ever happened to Dusk Blood?
    64AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:52
    Re: #57
    Guess that means it's delayed
    60AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:51
    Ending on Kirby lmaooooo
    That's not gonna beat our GTA6, is it~? lol
    68AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:53
    Re: #60
    Don't need some censored 30FPS version lol
    I'll wait for the PC version where you can use mods
    69AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:53
    Persona just got the console-war crowd riled up — nothing here actually hyped up the Switch 2 itself…
    77AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:55
    Re: #69
    Still, Switch 2 is the one that'll sell the most software overall, right?
    GTA6 will sell, sure, but aside from that there's no other platform with a title that sells regardless of hardware lol
    74AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:55
    This round definitely goes to State of Play (Sony's showcase)
    81AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:56
    Re: #74
    Was there even anything worth mentioning in State of Play?
    86AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:57
    Re: #74
    Bad how? A show that name-drops movies with barely any actual games, plus wall-to-wall interviews — can't beat that lol
    90AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:58
    Re: #74
    Only inside your own head lol
    88AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:58
    The US Nintendo Direct had about half Japan's concurrent viewers — guess Japan really is on another level.
    They need to grow overseas hardware sales, but this holiday season is looking rough.
    102AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:00
    Re: #88
    Well, it's early morning in the US, and something like 3pm in Europe.
    This time slot just naturally skews toward Japanese viewers
    93AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:58
    A pile of leftovers (rehashed announcements) and closing with some so-so title that won't even hit 5 million copies.
    Thanks for the lackluster Direct, everyone.
    97AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:00
    Re: #93
    How many Sony first-party titles even hit 5 million anyway?
    121AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:04
    Re: #93
    The previous Kirby game, Discovery, sold 7 million though…
    124AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:05
    Re: #93
    Guess you can't cope unless you call it "leftovers"…
    100AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:00
    Re: #95
    Trash that lost to an indie game — Hollow Knight
    146AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:06
    Re: #100
    Sounds like you haven't played either one
    101AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:00
    It was disappointing, sure, but calling it the worst ever is a stretch
    There are way worse ones out there
    106AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:01
    Would've looked better as one combined Direct instead of splitting it into two — Kirby as the opener, Zelda trilogy as the closer
    108AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:02
    Re: #106
    Ending on the already-announced Ocarina of Time remake as the finale would've gotten slammed even harder
    110AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:02
    Re: #106
    If anything, this was the first reveal of the Zelda remake, so it barely escaped being a letdown
    107AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:02
    Is this really disappointing though? Opening with Monster Hunter and closing with Kirby going open-world(?) was perfectly fine to me
    There were a few other things that caught my eye too
    120AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:04
    Re: #107
    Guess it depends on the person — mainly the folks waiting for a new Mario
    Personally, the new Kirby alone made me pretty happy
    114AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:03
    At the very least it was way better than State of Play
    123AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:04
    Re: #114
    Even if it was the worst ever, the concurrent viewer count is still off by an order of magnitude
    125AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:05
    Might as well say that in a thread with WACCHOI on (the ID tag that makes sockpuppeting harder) lol
    147AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:07
    Re: #125
    Guess they just don't like it being harder to astroturf there
    127AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:05
    Over on Twitter, younger fans are going wild over Yo-kai Watch
    140AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:06
    Re: #127
    That one actually landed with quite an impact
    Also didn't expect Layton news this soon — caught me off guard
    141AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:06
    Re: #127
    Well, something everyone assumed was dead is coming back(?), so of course some people would get hyped…
    …wait, it's young people hyped over this?
    148AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:07
    Re: #127
    I do think this Direct had something for a lot of different crowds
    The only ones disappointed are probably the ones banking on one specific thing, like Smash, Splatoon, or 3D Mario
    150AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:07
    Third-party multiplatform titles keep piling up, so the usual hate campaign is way too weak lol
    151AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:08
    Re: #150
    Getting excited about more "leftovers" — that's the same thing that happened back in the Wii U days lol
    159AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:08
    Results

    State of Play



    Zelda


    Nintendo Direct

    Background and key points of this discussion

    Nintendo Direct is a program Nintendo streams periodically to announce new titles and information, and this installment aired late on the night of September 9, 2026 (Japan time). The thread’s main point of contention was “whether there was any real surprise”: some argued that the Switch 2 port of Monster Hunter Wilds had already been announced beforehand and so lacked shock value, while others countered that the sheer number of announcements — including new Kirby content and further details on the Zelda remake — was still substantial. There was also a claim that Japan’s concurrent viewer count was roughly double the US broadcast’s, though it was noted this was likely influenced by broadcast timing — early morning in the US and early afternoon in Europe, versus nighttime in Japan — making it hasty to read this purely as a popularity gap. Note that figures cited in the thread, such as Kirby’s sales numbers, are individual posters’ claims and have not been confirmed against official figures.

    *This article is compiled as an excerpt and summary from the 5ch Hardware & Industry (Console Wars) board thread “[Sad News] Is this Nintendo Direct possibly the worst one ever…?“.

  • Full Remake of ‘Romancing SaGa 3’ Announced — 5ch Reacts: ‘Thomas Has Glasses Now’

    A full remake of Romancing SaGa 3 has been announced, and reactions on 5ch’s hardware/industry (“Geha”) board quickly centered on comparisons with the previous title, Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven. Believed to be made by the same team, the thread buzzed with both anticipation and worry over the character redesigns, upgraded graphics, and how well the story gaps might get filled in this time. Posters also raised concerns about how the series’ signature fan-service elements will be handled, and whether an Xbox version will actually ship alongside the rest this time.

    1AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:35
    Yeah
    17AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:39
    29AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:47
    Announcing it during a Nintendo Direct, that's exactly what I'd expect lol
    32AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:48
    Re: #29
    Feels like it was the same way with Revenge of the Seven
    30AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:48
    Is the Romancing SaGa 2 remake actually a masterpiece?
    I bought it but let it sit unplayed for six months
    48AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:50
    Re: #30
    I think it's a bit overrated, but it's well made
    No regrets playing it
    40AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:49
    Thomas has glasses now
    73AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:56
    Re: #40
    Thomas wears glasses in the official illustrations, so maybe they matched that look. I'd like an on/off toggle for it though
    51AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:51
    Revenge of the Seven's enemies are way too tanky, it got tedious and I lost interest partway through
    Felt like the pacing was better back in the Minstrel Song days
    88AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:58
    Re: #51
    Really?
    Outside the hardest difficulty, even the Seven Heroes melt if you just chain your attacks
    97AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:00
    Re: #51
    Something's off if that's happening to you
    Once you know what you're doing it goes smoothly
    126AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:05
    Re: #51
    I think it's a pretty breezy game honestly
    If you played Kingdom Come: Deliverance you'd see real hell
    Even early on, mash buttons carelessly and bandits will beat you to death
    65AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:54
    I'm happy about this, but the character faces
    feel like every single one got reinterpreted differently than I imagined
    No really, I'm super happy though
    76AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:57
    Re: #65
    Same feeling here
    Personally I wanted heavier, more serious-looking visuals, but I guess they need that safe anime style to actually sell

    If they properly fill in the story gaps that were lacking before, I've got no complaints
    77AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:57
    Re: #65
    As I understand it, Anbe's (the series' character illustrator) stance is that every design has some source material behind it — it's not personal interpretation
    78AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:57
    Re: #65
    As a series fan, I get why it feels complicated, sort of
    Then again it's basically identical to Revenge of the Seven, I wanted them to change it up a bit more
    69AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:55
    Whether it's the same team as Revenge of the Seven is the real question
    72AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:56
    Re: #69
    However you look at it, it's made by Xeen, same as Revenge of the Seven
    83AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:57
    What happens to the sexy monsters?
    105AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:01
    Re: #83
    Byunei (a monster character) already got clothes put on her
    84AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:57
    I want to ask the SaGa veterans
    Where does Romancing SaGa 3 rank for fun across the whole series?
    101AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:01
    Re: #84
    Of the Super Famicom versions, 3 feels the most like a normal RPG and is the easiest to get into
    How fun it is depends on the person
    115AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:03
    Re: #84
    The stock market mini-game is fun
    90AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:59
    The one thing I'm dying to know is how they redesigned the fairy lol
    107AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:02
    Re: #90
    Only from behind, but she's already in the footage
    Around the 1-minute mark in the trailer
    103AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:01
    Wait, doesn't 3 not have any sexy characters?
    111AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:03
    Re: #103
    P·ro·fes·sor (a monster/NPC nickname in the game)
    113AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:03
    Re: #103
    Snowman ❤
    132AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:06
    Re: #103
    Baimei-nyan
    104AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:01
    Getting Xbox-excluded again?
    109AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:03
    Re: #104
    When this title leaked, every platform including Steam was named, so I don't think there'll be a delayed, Xbox-excluded release this time
    106AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:02
    Won't this team do a full remake of the first game too?
    112AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:03
    Re: #106
    Well, there's already Minstrel Song…
    I'd like a SaGa series collection soon for the ones that are getting hard to play now
    114AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:03
    The graphics are amazing.
    Guess the budget went up
    121AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:04
    Re: #114
    Nah nah lol
    Where exactly
    117AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:04
    119AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:04
    On the flip side, Romancing SaGa 3 runs the risk of tanking in reception if the story supplementation doesn't satisfy fans
    The previous game was basically just the remaster turned 3D, so there's some anxiety about that
    135AnonymousSep 10, 2026 00:06
    Re: #119
    Remake 2 filled in a ton of the Seven Heroes' backstory, so it should be fine
    Because they fleshed that out, the link between the emperor's succession and the protagonist's fight against the Seven Heroes was emphasized really well
    In the pre-remake version of 2, that was barely touched on until near the end

    Background and Talking Points

    Romancing SaGa 3 originally launched on the Super Famicom in 1995, and a 2D remaster for smartphones, PC, and Switch was already released in 2019. What’s been announced this time is a full graphical overhaul — a “full remake” — believed to be a follow-up project to the previous title, Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven. In the thread, opinions on that earlier game’s difficulty were split between “it’s easy once you chain combos” and “it’s brutally hard on a first playthrough,” a divide that’s typical for this series, where the experience shifts drastically with player skill. Reactions to the character redesigns were similarly split, with some fans confused, saying “that’s not how I pictured them,” and others defending the changes as “faithful to the source material” — a familiar pattern of praise and criticism that tends to follow any remake. It should be noted that official details on how faithfully past elements will be reproduced, or the specific content included, have not been announced, so comments in the thread remain speculation based on prior entries.

    *This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Hardware/Industry, “Geha”) thread “Romancing SaGa 3 Full Remake.”

  • Japan Tops Every Category in OECD Learning Assessment—But Reading Comprehension Sees a ‘Significant Decline’

    The OECD has released the results of its 2025 PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment), and Japan ranked first among the 38 OECD member countries in all three categories: reading comprehension, mathematical literacy, and scientific literacy. This is the first time Japan has topped every category at once since the survey began in 2000. However, compared with the previous 2022 survey, average scores in math and science fell slightly but were statistically flat, while reading comprehension dropped to 503 points, which was judged a “significant decline.” On 5ch, commenters questioned why Japan’s economy remains stagnant despite topping the world academically, pointed out the gap between exam-prep skills and real-world application, and the discussion spread into debates over fiscal policy and the effects of the falling birthrate and aging population.

    The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) announced on the 8th the results of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), conducted in 2025 (Reiwa 7). Japan ranked first among the 38 OECD member countries in average scores across all three categories: reading comprehension, mathematical literacy, and scientific literacy. This is the first time Japan has placed first in every category since the survey began in 2000. The survey covered 91 countries and regions, including non-OECD members, and among all participants Japan placed 4th, 5th, and 5th respectively in the three categories.

    The survey is conducted roughly every three years (every four years starting in 2025) and measures the academic ability of 15-year-old students who have completed compulsory education. This round was administered by computer from June to August 2025, with 760,000 students from 91 countries and regions worldwide taking part. In Japan, 6,500 first-year high school students sat the test, selected according to OECD guidelines to represent a cross-section of society.

    Comparing average scores across the three categories with the previous 2022 survey, mathematical literacy fell 11 points to 525, and scientific literacy fell 9 points to 538. Scores dropped, but the changes were considered statistically flat. Reading comprehension, however, fell 13 points to 503, which was judged not to be due to chance but a “significant decline.”

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

    2AnonymousSep 9, 2026 18:45
    Guess I'll grab dinner while watching Peace-kun, the world's most famous capybara from Omiya Zoo, on YouTube.
    42AnonymousSep 9, 2026 19:11
    Make it way more Spartan.
    Also teach them some respect for us old geezers while they're at it.
    46AnonymousSep 9, 2026 19:16
    Top academic rankings but no economic growth.
    That's proof the Ministry of Education's policies are wrong.
    There's just no way bureaucrats who were only ever good at test-taking can design an education system properly.
    53AnonymousSep 9, 2026 19:21
    Re: #46
    It's less an education problem than the fact that all they've ever done is raise taxes.
    Other countries actually raise and lower taxes like the textbooks say.
    3AnonymousSep 9, 2026 18:46
    Total defeat against Singapore, China, and Taiwan.
    11AnonymousSep 9, 2026 18:52
    Re: #3
    So does that mean non-OECD countries are the real developed nations?
    17AnonymousSep 9, 2026 18:53
    Re: #3
    Guess we're just a frog in a well then (i.e., a big fish in a small pond, oblivious to the wider world).
    6AnonymousSep 9, 2026 18:48
    So then why is Japan declining anyway?
    Is there no connection between academic ability and the economy?
    134AnonymousSep 9, 2026 20:12
    Re: #6
    All study, no ability to apply it.
    186AnonymousSep 9, 2026 21:54
    Re: #6
    The falling birthrate and aging population.
    Of course the economy shrinks when the number of elderly keeps growing.
    200AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:29
    Re: #6
    Simply put (people have been saying this for a while), it means today's exam system just doesn't match up with the real world anymore.
    15AnonymousSep 9, 2026 18:53
    High school freshmen, huh. Bet they'll fall off a cliff after college and end up dead last as working adults.
    Most people only study seriously up through college entrance exams, which is probably why this is a declining country.
    86AnonymousSep 9, 2026 19:37
    Re: #15
    I mean, they're just hacking how to rack up points,
    so it's questionable whether exam prep even deserves to be called "learning."
    132AnonymousSep 9, 2026 20:11
    Re: #15
    These days people don't even study seriously for college entrance exams anymore.
    31AnonymousSep 9, 2026 19:00
    Here's the reality of Japan for you

    35AnonymousSep 9, 2026 19:03
    Re: #31
    If you're smart, you can solve a lot of things yourself, so you don't need to spend money. If you're not smart, you have to get others to do it for you, and that costs a lot.
    148AnonymousSep 9, 2026 20:27
    Re: #31
    Countries with tastier food tend to have a higher Engel coefficient (share of income spent on food). America's just chips and cola, so of course it's cheap.
    76AnonymousSep 9, 2026 19:29
    Japan's stagnation is because of the Ministry of Finance's austerity policies.
    It has nothing to do with individual ability.
    81AnonymousSep 9, 2026 19:31
    Re: #76
    Say what you want, but Japan's still the most indebted country in the world.
    89AnonymousSep 9, 2026 19:39
    Re: #81
    Can't believe people are still saying this.
    90AnonymousSep 9, 2026 19:40
    Re: #81
    Japan holds some of the largest overseas assets in the world, you know.
    93AnonymousSep 9, 2026 19:41
    Re: #90
    Then go use it.
    Why rely on interest-bearing government bonds instead?
    95AnonymousSep 9, 2026 19:43
    Re: #93
    Not all of it belongs to the government, and only yen can actually be spent domestically in Japan anyway.
    105AnonymousSep 9, 2026 19:49
    Re: #95
    Basically counting your chickens before they hatch (lit. "counting the pelt of a raccoon dog you haven't caught").
    110AnonymousSep 9, 2026 19:52
    Re: #105
    Japan actually does hold enormous overseas assets, so it's not "counting chickens before they hatch."
    112AnonymousSep 9, 2026 19:53
    Re: #105
    Japan's current account balance as a share of GDP is the highest in the G7. It's a country that earns big from returns on its overseas assets.
    119AnonymousSep 9, 2026 19:57
    The OECD was saying just recently that Japan's academic ability had dropped,
    and now suddenly it's first place—pretty sloppy.
    Looking at corporate competitiveness, I really can't buy it.
    120AnonymousSep 9, 2026 19:58
    Re: #119
    Isn't the point that Japan's problem isn't the ability of individual workers?
    122AnonymousSep 9, 2026 19:59
    Re: #119
    It's only being maintained in relative terms—the actual test scores dropped significantly.
    128AnonymousSep 9, 2026 20:07
    First place in every category, that's seriously impressive.
    It's a system where the elite who graduate college and land at big companies get to coast,
    so I guess all that excellence just channels into job security.
    129AnonymousSep 9, 2026 20:10
    Re: #128
    Given global trends, academic credentials are going to matter less and less for getting hired at companies.
    139AnonymousSep 9, 2026 20:14
    Re: #128
    >1st among the 38 OECD member countries
    165AnonymousSep 9, 2026 21:01
    Re: #134
    The opposite, lol.
    People overseas admire how fun and varied Japanese student life is.
    Didn't you enjoy your school days?
    170AnonymousSep 9, 2026 21:03
    Re: #165
    Whatever the case, Japanese wages are still low.
    Though Takaichi's saying some weird stuff.
    193AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:25
    Re: #148
    Japanese food just keeps getting tastier lol

    Background and Key Points of This Topic

    PISA is an OECD-administered international comparative survey targeting 15-year-olds who have completed compulsory education; this round included 760,000 participants from 91 countries and regions, with 6,500 first-year Japanese high schoolers taking part. The “first place in every category” claim refers to Japan’s ranking among the 38 OECD member countries—the original article notes, though it’s easy to overlook, that among all 91 countries and regions (including non-members), Japan placed only 4th in reading and 5th in both math and science. Nor does this result simply mean academic ability improved: average scores in math and science fell from the previous survey but were judged statistically flat, while reading comprehension dropped 13 points and was treated as a “significant decline.” In the thread, opinions split over how to explain the gap between high academic achievement and economic stagnation, highlighting differing views on contributing factors such as the falling birthrate and aging population, fiscal policy, and the mismatch between the exam system and real-world application.

    *This article was compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Breaking News Plus) thread “OECD International Learning Assessment: Japan Ranks First in All Categories—Reading, Math, and Science Hold Steady Amid Falling Averages.”

  • Masahiro Matsuoka: “The Sutra Was on Tape” — Funeral Story Blows Up on 5ch (“Wait, was that lip-synced?”)

    Masahiro Matsuoka, formerly of TOKIO, shared a funeral story on his YouTube channel that’s gotten people talking. He said that even though a senior, highly respected monk had come to perform the reading, “the sutra was on tape” — he guessed it might have been due to the monk’s poor health, but it apparently caught the staff off guard. On 5ch, the story sparked all kinds of reactions: complaints about how expensive funeral donations (o-fuse) are, trivia about what sutras are actually supposed to mean, and pragmatic takes saying a tape is fine either way. Plenty of jabs also tied it back to Matsuoka’s own history of “miming” instrument performances in TOKIO, making for a livelier discussion than just a simple surprising anecdote.

    Masahiro Matsuoka recounts a shocking funeral moment — a senior monk attended, yet… “The sutra was on tape”

    Masahiro Matsuoka (49), formerly of TOKIO, updated his YouTube channel on the 9th, where he shared a startling funeral experience.

    When the topic turned to funerals, Matsuoka said, “There was a monk whose sutra was on tape — probably because his health wasn’t great, though I don’t really know the details,” surprising the staff.

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

    2AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:04
    Poku-poku-poku-poku-poku-poku… DING (the wooden-drum-and-bell rhythm of sutra chanting)
    6AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:05
    Went to a relative's funeral and there were 3 monks chanting in unison — it was wild.
    With three of them, they'd each take little breathers here and there, but then all three happened to pause at the exact same moment and it went dead silent… I lost it.
    7AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:06
    Guess that's what you'd call a true lip-sync pro.
    Us amateurs can't even tell the difference (´・ω・`)
    8AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:06
    So does that mean Nagase was actually singing for real?
    9AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:06
    You pay around 200,000 yen (~$1,300) for one session?
    That's a straight-up rip-off.
    11AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:08
    Re: #9
    Even more than that.
    Better hourly rate than a doctor.
    18AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:19
    Re: #9
    Ours was 500,000 yen (~$3,300) (´・ω・`)
    10AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:08
    Sutras aren't even about mourning the dead in the first place —
    so what's the actual point of them? (´・ω・`)
    12AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:09
    Just get an electric prayer wheel and spin it.
    That'll do just fine.
    14AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:12
    On the NHK show "Chiko-chan Will Scold You!", it was explained that sutras are actually "advice from Buddha aimed at the living." (´・ω・`)
    17AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:19
    If you don't call a monk the funeral can't move forward, and if you do call one you're stuck paying up —
    fine, but then at least chant with a nice voice and give a proper sermon. If it's just a tape, I want an 80% discount.
    19AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:20
    That's basically the monk's solo live show anyway, so a backing tape's fine by me.
    22AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:21
    If it were vinyl on a turntable, it'd probably sound like
    "ha ha han han han-nya han-nya hara hara mi mi mi mi mi♪"
    (a skipping-record version of the Heart Sutra's "Hannya Haramitta")
    24AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:22
    The lead monk had incredible overtone groove, but the trainee-looking one next to him was pretty weak.
    25AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:22
    Why not just skip calling a monk altogether and play a recording from the start?
    26AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:24
    But didn't one of Matsuoka's own juniors have a mic fall over mid-song during a live broadcast, and the vocals just kept playing anyway?

    I bet viewers at the time were thinking, "Sing for real, you jerk!"
    27AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:24
    Re: #1
    They eat meat, drink, smoke, gamble, chase women — no different from regular people.
    Except for a rare few who are the real deal,
    most monks these days are basically running it as a business.
    All they want is an easy life and money.
    And yet they still act high and mighty demanding cash.
    28AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:24
    Conceptually, a tape's the same as a folded sutra booklet (orihon). Eventually we'll move on to a "Buddha Machine" with LED lights and incense built in. Whether it goes self-propelled remains to be seen.
    37AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:28
    Re: #28
    So in the near future, something that looks like a Pepper robot will just glide in from the waiting room?
    That would crack me up lol
    29AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:25
    Just play the sutra as background music, honestly.
    30AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:25
    If a tape's good enough, you don't even need the monk.
    31AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:26
    In reality there's no heaven or hell — just flesh, and that's it.
    32AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:26
    Honestly, you could just chant it yourself, like members of that one "Gakkai" do.
    47AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:34
    Re: #32
    Funeral time is the one occasion I actually envy Soka Gakkai members.
    The Gakkai aunties just took over and handled everything for us.
    33AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:26
    TOKIO mimed playing their instruments too, right?
    So what's there to even be surprised about?
    34AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:26
    Wasn't TOKIO also just miming their instruments?
    35AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:26
    I make Heart Sutra videos myself — pop in an iPhone and that's basically what you'd get.
    36AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:27
    Same as a singer lip-syncing at a live show.
    39AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:28
    What if Netflix made a whole feature out of it —
    a monk chanting sutras —
    subscriber numbers would go up.
    44AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:32
    And yet even a regular member can chant "Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo" themselves.
    45AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:33
    Re: #1
    If all you care about is the appearance of it, then who cares?
    48AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:34
    A monk idol group dancing while lip-syncing sutras — that could totally happen someday.
    49AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:35
    Whether it's Kumamon or Mickey Mouse, they keep up the fantasy that there's only ever one of them. That's fine, isn't it?
    82AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:29
    I wish the "funerals are unnecessary" movement would catch on already.
    My dad's funeral cost a million yen (~$6,700), and I had to cover whatever was left after the condolence money.
    Flowers alone running into the tens of thousands of yen — that's basically a rip-off bar.
    86AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:36
    Re: #82

    But you got an inheritance out of it, right? lol

    Background and talking points

    The custom of monks receiving a fee (o-fuse) for chanting sutras at funerals remains deeply entrenched, but the going rate — and even whether a fee is charged at all — varies widely by temple and region, with no official standard. Anecdotes in the thread cite figures of “200,000 to 500,000 yen (roughly $1,300–$3,300) per session,” and it’s that very lack of transparency around cost that makes the topic so easy to pile onto. Commenters also cited an explanation (originating from NHK’s “Chiko-chan Will Scold You!”) noting that sutras aren’t actually meant to mourn the dead but rather to convey the Buddha’s teachings — suggesting many people misunderstand their true meaning. The use of taped sutra recordings is reportedly a real practice in some cases, driven by aging monks’ declining health and a shortage of clergy — meaning this may reflect a genuine shortage of people to perform funeral rites rather than just being a punchline, a point the thread itself never raised. It’s also worth noting that many of the jabs in the thread specifically drew a parallel to Matsuoka’s own history of miming instrument performances during his TOKIO days — a callback unique to this particular story.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “[Entertainment] Masahiro Matsuoka recounts a shocking funeral moment — a senior monk attended, yet… “The sutra was on tape” / “So it’s lip-syncing, huh?”.”

  • Six Months After Maria Makino’s Graduation, Only Two Active Members Still ‘Like’ Her Posts — 5ch: ‘Aren’t They Just Angels?’

    It’s been six months since Maria Makino graduated from Morning Musume. On 5ch’s Hello! Project board, a thread caught fire over the observation that only two active members — Juice=Juice’s Runo Yofu and Tsubaki Factory’s Mifuu Kawashima — still ‘like’ Maria’s Instagram posts. There are also reports that Maria herself no longer likes everyone’s posts the way she did as an active idol, now reserving her likes for a handful of select OGs (graduated members), such as Yuko Nakazawa, Maki Goto, and Riho Sayashi. Opinions in the thread were split: some praised the two members’ loyalty as ‘too angelic,’ while others read Maria’s distance from the active roster as a sign of friction with her agency.

    1AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:49
    I dunno, but honestly, aren't these two just too angelic?
    Maria used to talk about Yofu a lot on her radio show, calling her 'Yofu-chan' right up until the very end.
    2AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:50
    Kind of heartwarming, honestly.
    Who would've guessed these two would be the ones who never gave up on Maria.
    4AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:52
    Are Morning Musume members banned from interacting with her or something?
    8AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:55
    Re: #4
    Makes you wonder, right — there's zero interaction at all.
    5AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:52
    It's telling that the current Musume members ('娘。麺,' a joking pun swapping in the word for 'noodle') are just ignoring her.
    6AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:53
    I don't think Kawashima thinks that hard about it — she also liked Ishikawa's birthday post today.
    9AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:56
    Re: #6
    Mifuu Kawashima just seems like a genuinely trustworthy person.
    7AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:55
    Maria herself has stopped liking everything in sight the way she did when she was active.
    She only likes posts from a select few OGs now.
    And of course, she doesn't like anything from current members.

    Against that backdrop, Runo Yofu and Mifuu Kawashima are just too angelic.
    Those two are the ones who never abandoned Maria Makino.
    18AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:59
    Re: #7
    So it really was a falling-out with the agency, huh lol
    45AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:17
    Re: #7
    There's her true colors showing.
    62AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:45
    Re: #7
    How do you even keep track of who's liking what? I don't scour every member's Instagram, so I have no idea what my oshi's [favorite member's] likes are up to.
    12AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:57
    I wonder if Kawashima doesn't like anything from announcer Kitagawa.
    14AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:58
    I guess Maria Makino is someone who worked her way up through the Hello! Project Kenshuusei (trainee) system, after all.
    Maybe Runo Yofu and Mifuu Kawashima, who also grinded through the Kenshuusei program, can relate to her on that level.
    63AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:46
    Re: #14
    And that ended up as drum-beating and flag-waving duty… (a nod to the grueling street-performance training Hello! Project trainees do)
    17AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:59
    OGs like current members' posts, but it never goes the other way.
    That's just how it is, I guess.
    19AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:59
    Once you graduate, it's 'not my problem if you drop dead in a ditch.'
    21AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:01
    Maria barely likes posts from people like Ishida, Sei Fukumura, or Ai Takahashi anymore either.

    These days she mainly likes posts from Yuko Nakazawa, Maki Goto, and Riho Sayashi.
    22AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:01
    Doesn't Kawashima like literally everyone in Hello! Project? I see her icon pop up all the time.
    23AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:02
    Who would've thought Juice=Juice's Runo Yofu and Tsubaki Factory's Mifuu Kawashima
    would end up being Maria Makino's emotional support.
    25AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:02
    Maria really does pay attention to every single like and comment, you know.
    26AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:03
    Nonaka doesn't like anything from her either, for what it's worth.
    29AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:04
    Even though it was their first time meeting, Yofu came running up shouting 'Rabu-rin-saaan!' [Maria's nickname] with a huge smile — Maria was totally charmed by that.
    30AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:04
    More than that, it's kind of unsettling how Takahashi mass-likes almost everything Hello!-related, every single day.
    32AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:06
    I hear little anecdotes about Maria Makino and Runo Yofu here and there,
    but I don't know any stories at all about Maria Makino and Mifuu Kawashima.
    35AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:09
    Yukai, seriously, quit obsessing over the likes.
    38AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:11
    Re: #35
    Apparently it's not that Diamond☆Yukai is obsessively staring at it —
    it's just that when he looks at Instagram, that detail jumps out at him whether he likes it or not.
    40AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:13
    I also checked the likes from Natsukihi Nakayama, Ichika Arisawa, Minami Okamura, and Ami Tanimoto
    https://www.instagram.com/p/DcltblrTQiR/
    https://www.instagram.com/p/DcbrHzPzXCf/
    https://www.instagram.com/p/DcRYRmCky_f/
    https://www.instagram.com/p/DcG8zlEEyuN/
    https://www.instagram.com/p/Db5uijHE1HK/
    41AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:14
    Re: #40
    Looking at the past month, the other Hello! Project members who occasionally like her posts
    are Mifuu Kawashima and Runo Yofu.
    43AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:17
    Re: #40
    Natsukihi Nakayama has always been a sweet kid who respects Maria Makino.
    42AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:16
    Stalking her likes like this is creepy, honestly.
    48AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:19
    Re: #42
    Calling it 'stalking' just shows you're not really seeing anything.

    People like that can only see things through the narrow lens of photos and text.
    Whether it's the photo first or the text first, I don't know, but
    it's not stalking at all — it just jumps out at you along with the photo and text.

    Well, I don't expect someone with such a comfortably narrow view to understand anyway.
    49AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:20
    The creepy part is going out of your way to make a whole thread about it.
    51AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:21
    Re: #49
    Then don't look at it.
    Want me to turn it into an ID-tracking thread? [a 5ch thread type that reveals whether posts share an IP, to prove more than one person here agrees]
    This isn't your board.
    There are a handful of people who've related to this for years.
    If you've got complaints, go make your own thread.

    And don't be jealous.
    50AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:20
    Re: #45
    More than 'true colors,' I just thought,
    wow, she really was pushing herself hard while she was active.
    These days, Maria properly curates who she likes, even among the Morning Musume OGs.
    52AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:21
    Re: #50
    Guess it really shows she was isolated within Hello! Project.
    56AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:25
    Honestly, aside from Makino, they probably don't think about it at all lol
    They're just tossing out likes randomly.
    59AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:30
    Re: #56
    Yeah, that does seem about right lol
    61AnonymousSep 9, 2026 23:36

    Background and Talking Points

    Within Hello! Project, multiple groups — Morning Musume, Juice=Juice, Tsubaki Factory, and others — belong to the same talent agency, so it’s not unusual to see OGs (graduates) and active members interacting on Instagram. That said, it’s hard to judge the state of a relationship from likes alone: there are reported customs of active members holding back from liking graduates’ posts, as well as cases of graduates curating their likes as a reaction to how they behaved while still active. In this thread too, opinions were split between reading the fact that only Runo Yofu and Mifuu Kawashima keep liking Maria’s posts as ‘proof of a trusting relationship,’ and dismissing it as ‘they’re just tapping like at random.’ No conclusion was reached. As for the circumstances behind Maria’s graduation, nothing in the thread offers solid grounds for concluding it reflects friction with her agency.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hello! Project board) thread “It’s been six months since Maria Makino graduated from Morning Musume… the only two people still liking her Instagram posts are Mifuu Kawashima and Runo Yofu.”

  • Rice farmer closures and bankruptcies hit record pace — 5ch: ‘This industry is only 0.1% under-50s’

    A survey by Teikoku Databank has found that closures and bankruptcies among rice farming operations are running at a record pace. Just from January to August 2026, there were already 32 cases, with some citing an aging workforce and recent declines in rice prices as reasons the business “no longer adds up.” However, the count mainly covers agricultural corporations tracked by the firm, and doesn’t include individual farmers who quietly leave the industry. On 5ch, users debated whether the figure seemed too low given Japan’s roughly 1.7 million rice-farming households, pointed out that the tally may be limited to corporations, and discussed the land-consolidation issues holding back large-scale farming.

    Published 9/9 (Wed) 11:29

    FNN Prime Online (Fuji TV Network)

    Closures and bankruptcies of “rice farms” are running at elevated levels.

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

    9AnonymousSep 9, 2026 20:55
    Anyone who brings up bread or pasta in a rice thread gets punched.
    48AnonymousSep 9, 2026 21:07
    Re: #9
    Punch yourself first.
    30AnonymousSep 9, 2026 21:01
    This is an industry where under-50s make up just 0.1%.
    36AnonymousSep 9, 2026 21:03
    Re: #30
    I'm working part-time on a farm right now, and even guys in their 30s and 40s get treated like kids. When I'm out working the field, the old farmers next door fuss over me constantly, for better or worse.
    42AnonymousSep 9, 2026 21:04
    32 old folks retire and that's a news story?
    46AnonymousSep 9, 2026 21:06
    32 cases?
    It'd need to be 320,000 before the tariffs go away.
    59AnonymousSep 9, 2026 21:10
    32 cases — if that covers something like 6,400 hectares of farmland, that'd be a big deal.
    84AnonymousSep 9, 2026 21:17
    Re: #59
    Even if it really were 6,400 hectares total, that's under 4,000 tons of output — basically a rounding error against Japan's 7-million-ton total production. And these are probably small operations anyway, so it might not even add up to 64 hectares.
    68AnonymousSep 9, 2026 21:12
    32 cases from January to August 2026 is way too few no matter how you look at it.
    Something's off with these stats.
    77AnonymousSep 9, 2026 21:15
    Re: #68
    I looked it up and Japan supposedly has 1.7 million rice-farming households, so something doesn't add up.
    88AnonymousSep 9, 2026 21:19
    Re: #68
    That's because this only counts corporations.
    Individual farmers who quietly quit aren't included.
    83AnonymousSep 9, 2026 21:17
    Big corporations getting into farming is a bad idea.
    The moment rice prices drop they'll pull out instantly,
    and you'll end up with huge stretches of abandoned farmland.
    86AnonymousSep 9, 2026 21:18
    Re: #83
    That won't happen — the Farmland Act regulates against it.
    89AnonymousSep 9, 2026 21:19
    Re: #83
    Not rice, but companies like Kagome and Watami got into farming when regulations were eased —
    most of them pulled out again within just a few years.
    96AnonymousSep 9, 2026 21:21
    Re: #83
    The government steps in and releases stockpiled rice whenever prices get high, so personally I'd never invest in rice farming.
    98AnonymousSep 9, 2026 21:22
    Consolidating farmland should raise production efficiency,
    but I bet abandoned plots are scattered around everywhere like missing teeth, so consolidation probably isn't happening anyway.
    125AnonymousSep 9, 2026 21:34
    Re: #98
    Then again, a lot of it is heavily reworked terraced paddies or some old guy's quarter-acre plot — plenty of places where there's no way to consolidate.
    And scattered, non-contiguous paddies are nothing but a liability.
    99AnonymousSep 9, 2026 21:22
    32 cases out of 700,000 rice-farming households, huh.
    Feels like it should be way more than that.
    117AnonymousSep 9, 2026 21:30
    Re: #99
    Most of it's just natural attrition, right.
    129AnonymousSep 9, 2026 21:36
    Re: #99
    It's Teikoku Databank, so that's the count of agricultural corporations.
    107AnonymousSep 9, 2026 21:25
    When farms consolidate it's just the way of the world that the worse plots get abandoned.
    If rice stays cheap, no new farmers will move onto that vacated land, and growing vegetables takes manpower, so you'll need everyone's favorite Nguyễn to lend a hand (a common nickname for Vietnamese migrant farm workers).
    109AnonymousSep 9, 2026 21:26
    Re: #107
    Even among the Nguyễns, farm work isn't popular.
    110AnonymousSep 9, 2026 21:27
    Prices were cheaper than now until just a few years ago — did the business even work out back then?
    Or was it manageable because costs were lower too?
    112AnonymousSep 9, 2026 21:28
    Re: #110
    Forget a few years ago, prices were the same even 20 years ago.
    121AnonymousSep 9, 2026 21:33
    Re: #112
    Right, so that means before the recent price spike it was cheaper than now —
    so 5 years ago, 10 years ago, even 20 years ago, it was all cheaper than today.
    164AnonymousSep 9, 2026 21:46
    Re: #121
    Isn't that abnormal though?
    Is there any other food like that?
    122AnonymousSep 9, 2026 21:33
    Tens of thousands of rice farms quit every single year, so what's with this "32 cases"?
    131AnonymousSep 9, 2026 21:36
    Re: #122
    Probably the big farms absorbing the small ones.
    TDB mainly tracks corporations and companies.
    Some of them paid off debts during last year's price spike and dissolved the company.
    Maybe [farm minister] Shinjiro's massive stockpile release was the final push.
    Feels like corporate farm dissolutions are going to keep climbing over the next couple of years.
    170AnonymousSep 9, 2026 21:48
    Self-sufficiency is so low that if a food crisis hit, Japan would be full of people starving to death.
    172AnonymousSep 9, 2026 21:49
    Re: #170
    The public seems fine with that, so what can you do.
    175AnonymousSep 9, 2026 21:51
    Re: #170
    If oil stops flowing first, people will die even faster than that.
    180AnonymousSep 9, 2026 21:52
    Re: #170
    If it ever got that bad, they'd only sell to the rich anyway —
    just look at last year's rice panic to see how that goes.

    Background and key points of this discussion

    The bankruptcy/closure statistics Teikoku Databank compiles for “agricultural corporations” only cover businesses organized as corporations, and in principle exclude closures among Japan’s roughly 1.7 million individually-run rice farming households. Many in the thread found the figure of 32 cases suspiciously low, but this is largely explained by that difference in scope. Rice prices stayed largely flat for a long stretch before the recent sharp rise, and a structure that makes it hard to pass rising costs on to consumers has squeezed rice farmers’ income. Large-scale consolidation of farmland is also held back by the large amount of land left in unfavorable conditions, such as terraced paddies and scattered, non-contiguous plots — as posters pointed out, this isn’t something simple mergers can fix. How to sustain Japan’s rice production base is directly tied to the long-term challenge posed by a structure centered on family farming and an aging pool of successors.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (News Express+) thread “[Rice] Rice farmer closures/bankruptcies at record pace — 32 cases in the first 8 months of this year, with some citing “the business doesn’t add up” amid aging and falling rice prices.”

  • Even the Finale Feels Undercooked — 5ch: “Too Few Episodes Diluted It Like Watered-Down Calpis” (Calpis is a Japanese drink concentrate meant to be diluted — slang here for something weakened)

    Episode 13 of the original anime “Goodbye Lara” aired, and on 5ch’s live-watch and reaction threads, viewers voiced frustration over how few episodes remain, alongside debate over the show’s overall direction. Quoted from an interview in which the director said he “didn’t want to fit into a clichéd genre,” many argued that this ambition ended up feeling undercooked given the short runtime. Meanwhile, some pointed out that the episode viewers rated most highly was Episode 7 — which stepped away from the main yuri storyline — highlighting a gap between the creators’ intentions and audience expectations. AI-generated images were also posted in the thread, sparking further back-and-forth over how to handle them.

    ◆When starting a new thread, copy the text below↑ so it forms three lines

    Lara, a mermaid princess, longed for love with a human.

    But—that wish never came true, and she vanished into the sea as sea foam.

    Source: goodbyelara.com / original article here

    19AnonymousSep 9, 2026 14:44
    Hurry up with the SIGA T-shirts and TANUTA mugs already
    26AnonymousSep 9, 2026 15:03
    Re: #19
    S, I, G, A… Shiga — sounds like something Hanawa would sing (a Japanese comedian famous for his prefecture-themed songs)
    20AnonymousSep 9, 2026 14:46
    Kind of a late realization, but mermaids eat fish, right?
    Guess it's the same as how humans eat some mammals and not others
    39AnonymousSep 9, 2026 16:17
    Re: #20
    Apparently Rowan's favorite food is sturgeon, so I guess it's about the same gap as humans and animals
    25AnonymousSep 9, 2026 15:01
    No way anyone would clock this as cosplay
    33AnonymousSep 9, 2026 15:34
    Re: #32
    Setting aside the whole "blame the director" crowd — wait, is Re: #25 actually AI-generated…?
    34AnonymousSep 9, 2026 15:39
    Re: #33
    However you look at it, Re: #25 sure looks like a generative AI image
    30AnonymousSep 9, 2026 15:23
    Theory: it's an invitation to Rowan's concert
    https://n.picvr.net/2609070057049435.gif
    32AnonymousSep 9, 2026 15:32
    People just casually post AI images in this thread like it's nothing, so at this point nothing lands anymore
    36AnonymousSep 9, 2026 15:50
    So it's a touched-up image, I guess?
    37AnonymousSep 9, 2026 16:03
    Re: #36
    Editing aside, there's AI now that looks just like human work — AI that holds up against illustrations and manga drawn by actual people.

    I bet "AI-looking" art is going to become rarer.
    Honestly the AI stuff is good enough now that if you told me a human drew it, I wouldn't know the difference.
    70AnonymousSep 9, 2026 21:00
    Re: #37
    Well of course it's good — it's built on other people's work used without permission.
    Seriously off-putting, and I bet it gets regulated before long.
    38AnonymousSep 9, 2026 16:14
    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HRvOkbgaQAAd7Xb.jpg
    　　　　Dubbing Report Comic ┈‧⁺ 🫧˚

    We've published the dubbing report comic for Episode 10, "The Princess with a Blade"!

    The warm-up massage part is adorable ♡

    Please enjoy it alongside Episode 10 😌
    Veteran actress Fukami is so cute
    43AnonymousSep 9, 2026 17:29
    Kota hasn't really been fleshed out much, huh
    His loyalty to Big Sis Lisa is probably genuine though
    44AnonymousSep 9, 2026 17:36
    Re: #43
    He's a side character's side character, so isn't that about right?
    I think a bit of an epilogue is all he needs beyond that
    49AnonymousSep 9, 2026 18:56
    Re: #44
    Then why even include him?
    He's a character who didn't need to exist
    52AnonymousSep 9, 2026 19:29
    Re: #44
    He does that occasional smirk that hints at something cruel though
    I kinda want to see that side of him let loose
    45AnonymousSep 9, 2026 17:45
    There are only 2 episodes left and you want a side character deep dive?
    A novel's coming out in October, so maybe that'll dig into him more
    47AnonymousSep 9, 2026 18:03
    Re: #45
    Really? That'd make me happy
    48AnonymousSep 9, 2026 18:55
    Feels like the "I don't want to make a clichéd anime!" mindset just ran ahead of everything else
    60AnonymousSep 9, 2026 20:42
    Re: #48
    If it's a rookie director, I can get behind that more than just churning out something clichéd
    63AnonymousSep 9, 2026 20:45
    Re: #48
    "Goodbye Lara" might've turned out better if it didn't try to seem so highbrow and just nailed the basics of a conventional anime instead
    61AnonymousSep 9, 2026 20:43
    On Dara-san's side too, it's really just that the hand-me-downs happened to be girls' clothes — doesn't mean much beyond that
    71AnonymousSep 9, 2026 21:04
    Re: #61
    Well, if it's a world where yokai actually have real power, then the benefits Dara-san theorized about would probably actually kick in
    66AnonymousSep 9, 2026 20:54
    The back half is just repeated "I don't want to see you," "I can't see you" — Lara's way too "menhera" (Japanese slang for someone emotionally unstable/clingy) about it
    69AnonymousSep 9, 2026 21:00
    Re: #66
    Does saying "I can't see you because I might end up killing you" really count as menhera…?
    74AnonymousSep 9, 2026 21:07
    Said this in the last thread too, but what even counts as "clichéd XX" in the first place…
    Wait, could they just mean "standard/classic" tropes…??
    80AnonymousSep 9, 2026 21:12
    Re: #74
    People are just mindlessly quoting the director's interview, so there's no way they've thought that deeply about it
    75AnonymousSep 9, 2026 21:08
    At this point Leo's only real purpose seems to be satisfying people with… specific tastes
    81AnonymousSep 9, 2026 21:16
    Re: #75
    Wasn't he created because he was needed for the scene where Lara visits Luka's studio?
    They needed someone to plant the idea in viewers' heads that Luka's art is bad, so Lara had "permission" to laugh
    83AnonymousSep 9, 2026 21:20
    To begin with, visual media is supposed to avoid explaining things through dialogue or narration
    If you're going to explain everything in words, there's no need for it to be a visual medium at all
    94AnonymousSep 9, 2026 21:58
    Re: #83
    Yeah, fair point, honestly.
    Anything the visuals can already convey doesn't need spelling out.
    Though if you push that too far it just gets incomprehensible.


    "Didn't want to make a clichéd yuri story."
    "Didn't want it to have no genre at all."
    "Didn't want people watching it through a genre-shaped lens."

    This is from the director's interviews and Twitter Spaces talks —
    "I don't want it to be genre-less, but I don't want it boxed into a genre either."
    That seems to be roughly where the director's head is at.

    But even granting all that, it still comes off like they diluted it into watered-down Calpis with too few episodes
    86AnonymousSep 9, 2026 21:30
    I mean, saying it's bad to withhold mysteries and backstory until the very end is basically also a diss on Chou Kaguya-hime
    92AnonymousSep 9, 2026 21:51
    Re: #86
    In Chou Kaguya-hime there's still almost 30 more minutes of story after Yachiyo's true identity is revealed, though?
    What exactly is "the very end" supposed to mean here?
    95AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:01
    But like I keep saying —
    the story's playing out pretty much exactly how everyone predicted from the OP,
    yet suddenly there's this wave of booing like the whole thread got swapped out with different people, it's kind of funny.
    Guess some people were actually hoping for a romance with Luka even though the yuri angle was pretty visible from the start
    101AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:16
    Re: #95
    But Episode 7 is the highest-rated one, though…
    Which means viewers were wanting the Luka love story after all
    104AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:21
    Re: #95
    From an outsider's view, the people hoping for yuri are cut from the same cloth
    96AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:04
    "Goodbye Lara" is near-future sci-fi
    98AnonymousSep 9, 2026 22:10
    Re: #96
    Sounds like you're saying that without knowing what "SF" (sci-fi) even means
    https://imgur.com/jqvbvXz.jpg

    Background and Key Points of the Discussion

    “Goodbye Lara” is an original anime with a limited episode count — per post #45, only two episodes remain, with a spin-off novel also announced for October. In an interview, the director stated an intent to avoid “fitting into a clichéd genre” (post #94), and the thread split between viewers criticizing this approach for leaving the show feeling undercooked within such a short runtime, and those praising the attempt itself. Notably, the observation that the episode viewers rated most highly was Episode 7 — which leaned into romance outside the main storyline (post #101) — is cited as evidence of a gap between the creators’ intentions and audience expectations. The thread also saw AI-generated images posted routinely, sparking debate over their use, though this is a separate issue tied to fan-made content in general rather than to “Goodbye Lara” itself.

    *This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Anime) thread “Goodbye Lara #13.”