Author: Japan Reacts Editorial

TV Asahi Special Starring Idols Misaki Ebata & Co. Sparks 5ch Gripe: ‘Nobody’s Streaming This Anywhere’

The TV Asahi special “Sandwichman’s World of Shocking Videos! ▽ The Strongest Idol Squad,” airing the night of the 9th at 7pm, featured Hinatazaka46’s Honoka Hirao, Juice=Juice’s Misaki Ebata, and SWEET STEADY’s Nagisa Shoji. On 5ch’s live-viewing and standby threads, the focus wasn’t on the show’s content but on whether people could even watch it — with a wave of posts from the Kansai region worrying the broadcast would get bumped by the Hanshin Tigers vs. Hiroshima Carp game airing at the same time. Posters kept reporting that the show didn’t turn up when they searched for it on TVer, and talk turned to whether FOD or Telasa had it streaming, but the thread ultimately settled on one conclusion: “nobody’s streaming this anywhere.”

1AnonymousSep 9, 2026 05:44
Sandwichman's World of Shocking Videos! Nao Omori & Masaki Aiba & Nao Matsushita join in!! [CC]
Program Overview
Hosted by Sandwichman! A massive special of shocking videos!
2AnonymousSep 9, 2026 06:18
Bad news for the Kansai region
Can't count on the Hanshin game getting rained out this time

3AnonymousSep 9, 2026 06:22
Wait, so it's just Ebata?
5AnonymousSep 9, 2026 07:36
Hold on, did Sandwichman's other guy already make his comeback?

6AnonymousSep 9, 2026 08:18
Sandwichman's World of Shocking Videos! 【Official】
ex_sandshogeki

【SNS-Exclusive Video】
The Strongest Idol Squad💖
Honoka Hirao #Hinatazaka46
Misaki Ebata #JuiceJuice
Nagisa Shoji #SweetSteady
take on the "Marching in Place Challenge"🔥
It turns into a hilarious mess…🤣

Next Wednesday the 9th, 7pm — 2-hour Special

https://tiktok.com/@ex_sandshogeki/video/7682705753647467796
12AnonymousSep 9, 2026 08:20
The Strongest Idol Squad
13AnonymousSep 9, 2026 08:44
Asahi Broadcasting can go under already
14AnonymousSep 9, 2026 08:52
Sounds like they didn't even get to meet Sandwichman

19AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:32
Baseball getting rained out looks pretty likely
35AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:48
Wait, this isn't on TVer? I searched and it didn't come up

50AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:09
It's obviously there
86AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:38
Re: #50
Try searching yourself
It really doesn't come up

111AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:51
Is there a catch-up stream on FOD or TVer?
115AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:52
It's TV Asahi, so maybe check Telasa
116AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:53
Yeah, nobody's streaming this one anywhere

131AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:01
Kansai can't watch it because of Hanshin vs. Hiroshima
135AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:05
Nishinomiya weather forecast
Rain until 5pm
Sunny icon from 8pm
Really touch and go

Background and Key Points of This Topic

Japanese TV specials and variety shows on Nippon TV often fill slots where a featured performer couldn’t appear in person with “related-talent video segments,” and this time too, separate from main cast members like Nao Matsushita, footage of the three idol acts was shot separately for use on social media. One-off terrestrial specials sometimes don’t make it onto catch-up streaming services like TVer, so it’s not unusual to see posts from viewers who searched the program guide and came up empty. In some regions, including Kansai, it’s also become standard practice for Osaka-area stations to prioritize coverage of the local baseball team’s games, bumping the nationwide network feed — which shows up in this thread’s recurring worry, even before airtime, that the broadcast would get preempted by a baseball game. The thread stays focused entirely on questions of streaming availability and regional broadcast quirks, with no evaluation yet of the actual show content.

※This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Hello!Project) thread “■ Misaki Ebata ■ TV Asahi’s “Sandwichman’s World of Shocking Videos! ▽ The Strongest Idol Squad” ■ 19:00–21:00 ■ 1.”

September 9, 2026
First Foldable iPhone Could Cost Over $2,000 — 5ch: ‘That’s Only ¥320,000!!’

Bloomberg’s report on Apple’s reportedly long-in-development first foldable iPhone has been making waves on 5ch’s News Express+ board. According to the report, development has been underway for roughly a decade, and the device could cost over $2,000. The project reportedly gained momentum around 2020, when then-CEO Tim Cook returned from a trip to Asia after seeing firsthand how widespread foldable devices from Samsung and Huawei had become. The thread lit up with reactions ranging from shock at the price, to the ongoing iPhone-vs-Android brand rivalry, to concerns about screen durability.

(Bloomberg): Around 2020, Apple CEO Tim Cook returned from a business trip to Asia showing unusually strong enthusiasm for a new product category: foldable smartphones.

Having traveled to China and other parts of Asia, Cook saw firsthand a growing number of consumers using foldable devices from companies like Samsung Electronics and Huawei Technologies. He returned home convinced that Apple needed its own product, and pushed the company to accelerate its efforts in what was then a still-nascent market.

In fact, a secretive core technology development team within Apple’s hardware engineering division had already been researching foldable smartphones, displays, and related components for years by that point.

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

2AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:42
That's only ¥320,000!!
16AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:45
Re: #2
Might actually be cheaper than an iPhone + iPad mini combined? That's what I tell myself — I'm Apple's perfect mark, a 'duck bringing its own onion' (Japanese slang for someone who makes it easy to be exploited).
128AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:03
Re: #2
That's my entire annual salary!!

9AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:43
But at the end of the day you're just using it for social media, browsing, video, photos, and mobile games, right?
47AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:54
Re: #9
You could just keep it folded shut and give AI commands, though?
151AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:06
Re: #9
The AQUOS wish can already do that.

18AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:46
The fanboys will actually buy this thing… won't they… lmaooo
50AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:54
Re: #18
Apparently Tokyo 'papa-katsu' girls (women who date older men for money) buy these to flex how rich they are.

20AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:46
If they made a foldable iPhone with a physical keyboard on the bottom half, I'd pay ¥450,000 for it — in 128 installments.
31AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:49
Re: #20
Just slap an Apple sticker on a BlackBerry lol

21AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:47
iPhone is a status symbol for the wealthy. Android is a badge of poverty.
26AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:48
Re: #21
So it's not really about whether it folds — people are buying it just because it's an iPhone. That's peak stupidity lol
40AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:52
Re: #21
That's just what the kids tell themselves. I mean, iPhone only has about 30% global market share anyway — it's basically a device for clueless kids.

23AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:48
It's pathetic that no Android has managed to become 'the iPhone.' I'm not even attached to iPhone specifically, but there's nothing decent on the Android side.
62AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:56
Re: #23
It'll never become 'the iPhone,' but the Galaxy is well made.

30AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:49
Is there really that much demand for foldables?
45AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:53
Re: #30
When I want to catch some Champions League football in a spare moment, a regular iPhone screen feels too small. Comics and books are also less of a hassle to read on a foldable.
177AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:10
Re: #45
Makes me realize having good eyesight really pays off.
220AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:15
Re: #45
¥300,000 to carry around every day, can't even put a case on it, and a drop could cost you ¥200,000 to fix… sounds stressful.

37AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:51
Why do all the girls who look like they're into 'papa-katsu' (sugar dating) carry iPhones?
51AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:54
Re: #37
Most women use iPhones — it's part of the fashion statement.
87AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:59
Re: #37
Because it's designed so even idiots can use it on instinct.

42AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:52
I've got trauma from a folding dual-screen Donkey Kong handheld — the hinge wiring snapped and it stopped working.
70AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:57
Re: #42
That thing was fun. Looking back, that was probably the richest era in terms of the balance between happiness and money.

84AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:58
I've never once bought an iPhone — what's actually different about it compared to a regular smartphone?
89AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:59
Re: #84
The sense of style, the self-satisfaction, the feeling of superiority over everyone else — it crushes the competition on every one of those fronts.
90AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:59
Re: #84
Having one lets you act tough among the delinquent crowd.
195AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:11
Re: #84 has clearly never been to Starbucks.

112AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:02
This is the one with the bendable screen, right? Doesn't that break easily? What's the real story?
125AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:03
Re: #112
The breakage rate is about on par with regular iPhones, maybe even lower. But since it's so expensive, the mental damage when the display gets a crease or stain is huge.
132AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:04
Re: #112
Of course it breaks. Obviously something that bends is going to break more than something that doesn't.

188AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:11
Apple's just a copycat company at this point…
205AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:13
Re: #188
Seriously, Apple never does anything new anymore. All they've got left is charging a brand premium to the faithful.
223AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:15
Re: #188
Cook was competent, but he never put out anything genuinely new. He is a genius at supply chain management, though.

214AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:14
Japanese manufacturers, in unison: 'Just let the foreigners make toys for kids. The real trend is industrial machine tools and the defense industry (picking nose).'
226AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:16
Re: #214
Seriously, this. And Japan's already fallen behind and gutted in those industries too. It's over.
240AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:17
Re: #214
Reminds me of how, over ten years ago, Japanese makers used to laugh and say 'a smartphone? We could whip one of those toys up in no time.' What they actually produced was a paperweight that overheats.

216AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:15
What if it's not just a bifold — what if it's a surprise quad-fold!?
232AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:16
Re: #216
It's an octafold. You. Fool.
238AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:17
Re: #216
A Miura fold that shrinks a 32-inch screen down to palm size would be pretty cool too. (Miura fold: a Japanese origami-based folding pattern used in engineering.)

Background and Key Points of This Discussion

According to Bloomberg’s report, the foldable iPhone at the center of this discussion has reportedly been in development for close to a decade. Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold and Huawei’s Mate X series have already been on the market for more than five years, making Apple a late entrant here. Given the weak yen, a price of over $2,000 could translate to an even higher figure domestically in Japan. The thread’s main points of discussion centered on shock at the specific figure of “¥320,000,” the ongoing brand-image rivalry between iPhone and Android, and concerns about foldable screen durability — concerns previously raised around devices like the Galaxy Fold. It’s worth noting that this article is based on reporting and speculation about a product that has not yet been officially announced; Apple itself has not confirmed a price or release date.

*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (News Express+) thread “[Apple] First Foldable iPhone, Nearly a Decade in Development — Could Cost Over $2,000.”

September 9, 2026
‘Chiikawa the Movie’ Tops ¥13.89 Billion at the Box Office — This Year’s Biggest Hit, Beating the Latest ‘Conan’ Film

Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of Mermaid Island has grossed ¥13.89 billion and drawn 9.6 million admissions in the 45 days since its release, making it the top-grossing film released this year. It has surpassed the currently-running Detective Conan: Highway Fallen Angel (¥13.7 billion gross) and lands at No. 23 on the all-time box office rankings — a certified smash hit. On the thread, the scale of these numbers sparked heated comparisons with Demon Slayer, with many pointing out possible COVID-era box-office boosts and confusion between domestic and worldwide grosses. Discussion also touched on why Toho keeps cornering the market on major hits in recent years, and speculation over how much money is flowing back to the original creator.

Oricon

Published 9/7 (Mon) 16:03

Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of Mermaid Island (released July 24) has surpassed ¥13.89 billion in box office gross and 9.6 million admissions over 45 days since release. That figure makes it a smash hit, surpassing both the currently-running Detective Conan: Highway Fallen Angel (released April 10, ¥13.7 billion gross) and Jujutsu Kaisen 0 (released 2021, ¥13.89 billion gross), landing it at No. 23 on the all-time box office rankings. It has become this year’s top-grossing hit film (according to Kogyo Tsushinsha). While the all-time ranking shows the same figure as Jujutsu Kaisen 0, the company clarified in an interview that Chiikawa has in fact already surpassed it, and that rounding to the nearest million yen puts the gross at ¥13.9 billion.

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

3AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:33
Isn't Conan's box office basically propped up by fujoshi (female BL/shipping fans) rewatching it over and over?
32AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:45
Re: #3
Conan's gross (as in creepy, not box office).
128AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:09
Re: #3
What's even in this Conan movie for fujoshi to latch onto? Is it packed with people simping for Jugo?

10AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:37
Even with all this buzz it's still only ¥14 billion? Demon Slayer's ¥40 billion was insane.
17AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:40
Re: #10
Demon Slayer fanboys, so pathetic.
22AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:41
Re: #10
That was the COVID boost talking.

16AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:40
Top-grossing movies used to be a lot more mainstream back in the day. Now it's just a handful of diehards watching the same movie on repeat.
23AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:41
Re: #16
Movies basically run on repeat viewers anyway.
44AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:48
Re: #16
Even back then it was impossible without repeat viewers.

In the Showa era there were even schemes where theaters strong-armed people into buying advance tickets just to pad the box office numbers.

25AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:42
Just like CD rankings got killed by handshake tickets, is movie box office going to get killed by bonus-goods schemes too?
39AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:47
Re: #25
CDs just get thrown out unlistened to, but at least movie repeaters are actually watching the film.
93AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:01
Re: #25
Movie bonus-goods schemes top out at like 10 viewings, with a rare few hitting 20. Handshake tickets routinely run in the hundreds, and even higher isn't unheard of.
125AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:09
Re: #25
Surveys actually showed there weren't that many bonus-chasing repeat viewers to begin with. Even for Demon Slayer, the overwhelming majority watched only once. 13% watched twice, and just 0.8% watched six or more times. There was an article on this back in 2023 — think there was a thread here too. It's only a tiny minority who clear every bonus tier, posting about it to feed their ego.

29AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:43
During the COVID boost:
Demon Slayer: Mugen Train — ¥40 billion

With nothing going on:
Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle — ¥120 billion

It went UP lol
38AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:46
Re: #29
Why are you mixing up domestic and worldwide box office?
57AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:52
Re: #38
Fine then…

COVID boost!
Demon Slayer: Mugen Train — ¥40 billion

Nothing going on:
Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle — ¥40 billion

Same number lol
68AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:55
Re: #38
If you standardize on worldwide gross, Mugen Train is over ¥50 billion. COVID wasn't just a Japan thing, so either way Infinity Castle still comes out ahead.

33AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:45
There's definitely a sequel coming lol. Might even go full series.
52AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:51
Re: #33
The source material for this movie took half a year to serialize, so at best they could manage one every 3 years.
123AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:08
Re: #33
Could go the Crayon Shin-chan or Doraemon route — an annual franchise movie.

46AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:48
Still, how does Toho manage to corner the market on hits like this? Conan, Demon Slayer, Kokuho, Jujutsu Kaisen — all Toho.
64AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:54
Re: #46
Owning their own theater chain is apparently one big reason.

And TOHO Cinemas locations are all prime real estate, putting them a couple tiers above everyone else. Being able to handle everything in-house from production to distribution is a strategy other companies can't easily copy, or so they say.
67AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:55
Re: #46
Also, they simply have more theater seats, so they don't hit a ceiling — meaning fewer lost opportunities.
166AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:15
Re: #46
Also, Toei basically only handles its own productions, and Shochiku's really just got Gundam. That's the whole picture.

73AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:56
In terms of what the creator's actually making, this has got to be way ahead of everything else.
83AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:59
Re: #73
That common line about 'no matter how big a movie hits, the creator only gets original-work royalties' doesn't really apply here, since they're heavily involved all the way from the screenplay to overall supervision. Not sure what the profit split looks like, but combined with merchandise rights it's probably a serious amount.

74AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:56
Re: #66
Toho's mostly just distributing though — barely any of it is actually their own production.
88AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:00
Re: #74
Even so, this has to move the stock price, right?

Wish they'd bring back the Toei Manga Matsuri (a classic anime-movie festival event).
98AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:02
Re: #88
They still do it periodically, it just doesn't get any buzz (though admittedly it's quite different from the old days).

102AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:03
Re: #88
Slam Dunk's a lock, the rest is anyone's guess.
115AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:06
Re: #98
Wait… a butt as the main character… somehow that's kind of wholesome.

Re: #102
Yeah. Dragon Ball too.

89AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:00
This really highlights how cost-inefficient Demon Slayer is by comparison. Chiikawa's character designs are simple, so it's cheap to produce and easy to turn into merch.
119AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:07
Re: #89
Demon Slayer's stuck with this pressure to always deliver high production quality, which is brutal. They push the studio to its limits over long stretches to make it — being able to crank films out quickly like Conan or Chiikawa is way better.

111AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:06
Some people are acting like this movie was some huge windfall, but Chiikawa's market size was already said to be in the hundreds of billions of yen — it was already selling like crazy even without the movie. Weird, considering it's been constantly buzzing on X too.
121AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:08
Re: #111
Compared to all that, even the entire movie's box office take is basically just a bonus.
130AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:09
Re: #111
Up until now it's mostly stayed within Japan and parts of Asia, but with the movie as a springboard, the odds of a full worldwide rollout are rising.
156AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:14
Re: #111
Honestly it's baffling that people who post here don't know about the My Hero Academia collab from four years ago, or the Hankyu Railway collab from three years ago. You'd think that given how much manga, trains, and reselling get talked about here… well, I guess if you're not interested in something it just doesn't register.

144AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:12
Re: #122
Chiikawa:
Serialization → X (not usable by under-13s)
Collected volumes → published under Morning
168AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:17
What was the plan for the bonus goods if the movie had flopped? Did they just throw them together in a rush once it looked like a hit?
174AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:18
Re: #168
Given the sheer number of collabs, they clearly took the risk and went all in.
176AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:19
Re: #168
Advance ticket sales let you predict it to some extent.
184AnonymousSep 9, 2026 12:21
Re: #144
In Taiwan the movie's even rated R-12 lol
Re: #168
There's no way they threw that stuff together last minute.

Background and Key Points of This Discussion

Because the box office rankings are preliminary figures from Kogyo Tsushinsha rounded to the nearest million yen, the “identical figure” shown for Jujutsu Kaisen 0 is just a rounding artifact — in reality, Chiikawa has already pulled ahead. The thread’s confusion over Demon Slayer’s ¥40 billion versus ¥120 billion came from comparing domestic gross to worldwide gross; measured on a consistent basis, the actual increase is much smaller. An often-overlooked factor behind Toho’s recent dominance of major hits is the structural advantage of owning its own theater chain (TOHO Cinemas), letting it handle everything in-house from production through distribution and screening. Also, how much money flows back to the original creator varies enormously depending on the contract — since the creator is involved here in the screenplay and overall supervision, the payout is likely well above the usual “original-work royalty only” rate.

※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “‘Chiikawa the Movie’ Tops ¥13.89 Billion — This Year’s Biggest Hit, Surpassing the Latest ‘Conan’ Film.”

September 9, 2026
A bathhouse that used to allow tattooed customers now bans them over ‘declining clientele’ — 5ch: ‘You can’t trust people’s good nature anymore’

A story about a public bathhouse (sento) that had previously allowed tattooed customers to enter, but has now changed its policy to ban them, citing a decline in the quality of its clientele, became a hot topic on 5ch’s “Nandemo Jikkyo G” board. In the thread, the defense that “tattoos are normal overseas” was met with the counterargument that “overseas, tattoos are also a sign of gangsters and delinquents,” while opinions differed over people’s motives for getting tattoos, and several posters shared firsthand accounts that seeing tattooed customers at their local bathhouse isn’t actually unusual at all — opinions were split. Since public bathhouses are generally not allowed to refuse entry to bathers, many commenters expressed a mix of sympathy and irony that the establishment’s past tolerance had backfired.

3AnonymousSep 9, 2026 09:32
✕ "Tattoos are normal overseas"
◯ "Overseas, they're also gangsters and delinquents"

Well, now you've learned that the hard way.
11AnonymousSep 9, 2026 09:35
Re: #3
Does this even have anything to do with overseas?

4AnonymousSep 9, 2026 09:33
The result of not judging people by their appearance.
5AnonymousSep 9, 2026 09:33
Turns out they were criminals after all — what a punchline.
9AnonymousSep 9, 2026 09:35
They get the tattoos to intimidate people in the first place,
so of course guys like that aren't going to behave.

10AnonymousSep 9, 2026 09:35
You're a company literally called 'Wai Wai' (fun/lively) — go ahead and have fun with your tattoos on then, all together.
33AnonymousSep 9, 2026 09:45
Re: #10
Might as well lean all the way into it at this point.
The bathhouses and saunas in Kabukicho are probably already like that.

15AnonymousSep 9, 2026 09:36
Guys who get tattoos tend to have bad conduct, want to intimidate people, AND want to run in packs.
That's basically a recipe for trouble already.
18AnonymousSep 9, 2026 09:37
Handy that this one thing alone tells you roughly everything about someone's intelligence and personality.
20AnonymousSep 9, 2026 09:38
"Something that used to be unthinkable is happening."
They trusted that prejudice was wrong, and this is the thanks they get — kind of sad.
22AnonymousSep 9, 2026 09:39
Of course this happened, lol.
They were way too naive about the world.

23AnonymousSep 9, 2026 09:39
You just can't trust people's good nature anymore.
You have to assume everyone's rotten, or you'll end up the fool.

28AnonymousSep 9, 2026 09:41
If they've got a problem with it, the tattooed guys should just go open their own tattoo-friendly bathhouse.
44AnonymousSep 9, 2026 09:48
Re: #28
Something like "Breaking Down Bathhouse" (a nod to the delinquent-themed fight show/brand)
and set the admission fee sky high.

29AnonymousSep 9, 2026 09:42
I mean, honestly, anyone could've seen this coming…

32AnonymousSep 9, 2026 09:43
So basically 99% were idiots,
and 1% was an impossible-level idiot.
50AnonymousSep 9, 2026 09:50
Re: #32
That's the truth right there.
Even the guy who posted that video saying "99% of people with tattoos are morons" is honestly on the moron side himself.

34AnonymousSep 9, 2026 09:46
Is there some kind of hierarchy based on how much tattoo coverage you have, like that Drifters sauna comedy sketch?
35AnonymousSep 9, 2026 09:46
I went to a famous sauna called "Every Day Sauna" and there were guys with full traditional tattoos, tattoos everywhere — freaked me out.
Funny thing was, it wasn't "okay if it's small enough to cover with a tattoo sticker" — it was "okay as long as you slap a sticker on it," no matter how big.

Their manners were normal otherwise, but nobody followed the posted "silent bathing" rule.
36AnonymousSep 9, 2026 09:46
Be grateful punks are the ones getting tattoos first — it sorts society into categories for you.
The punks without tattoos are the real menace.

42AnonymousSep 9, 2026 09:47
Re: #26
You sound like you think you know something — go ahead and enlighten me.
45AnonymousSep 9, 2026 09:48
Re: #42
YOU LOSE

66AnonymousSep 9, 2026 09:58
Looking at just the rare success stories among artists, musicians, and athletes and concluding "tattoos are fine" is way too naive for a business owner.
No tattooed guy is going to walk in and announce "I'm with the yakuza" or "I'm a hanguré (semi-organized thug)," you know.
83AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:08
Re: #66
Making people sign a waiver means it's easier to point to it if there's ever an issue.
91AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:11
Re: #66
It's not really about whether it's actually fine or not to let them in — it's proper etiquette to at least put on a show of exclusion so you can stand on the victim's side later, sweetie lol.

92AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:11
Why do people with tattoos love hot springs so much?
96AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:12
Re: #92
Probably because it feels good to show off and scare people, I'd guess.
97AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:12
Re: #92
Partly they want to show it off,
and partly it just feels good when cheese like you guys get scared.
You came all this way to enjoy the hot spring and now you're too nervous to relax, right?
That's what they get off on watching.
121AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:22
Re: #92
"Ooh, scawy me~ Look at me and get scaaared~"

110AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:16
My local bathhouse is completely full of tattooed guys, no big deal.
It's the spa-sento (super sento) chains that started refusing tattoos.
114AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:18
Re: #110
Come on, read the thread.
Regular sento can't legally refuse entry.
118AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:20
Re: #110
Same at the little local bathhouse near me.
Every single time I go, there are always 2-3 people with tattoos.
You don't see that many tattooed people in everyday life, so it makes you wonder just how many of them are actually out there in the world.

Background and key points of this topic

Public bathhouses (sento) operate under permits granted through the Public Bathhouse Act, and as a rule they are not permitted to refuse bathers entry without a legitimate reason. Because of this, some sento have continued to accept tattooed customers — but this particular case became a topic of discussion because that policy was reversed, with the establishment citing a decline in clientele quality. The thread was split between those who view tattoos as a form of personal expression or as normal in foreign cultures, and those who see them as a red flag for security risk, with opinions also diverging over people’s motives for getting tattooed. At the same time, several people shared firsthand accounts that tattooed customers are already nothing unusual at small local bathhouses, suggesting that the reality varies significantly depending on a facility’s location and clientele. It’s worth keeping in mind while reading that this single incident doesn’t allow for a blanket judgment about the conduct of tattooed customers as a whole. In fact, some replies pointed out the difference in business permits between a “sento” (public bathhouse) and a “super sento” (spa-style bathhouse), highlighting that how tattoos are handled can depend on the type of facility.

※This article is an excerpt and summary based on the 5ch (Nandemo Jikkyo G) thread “[Sad News] Bathhouse that used to be understanding about tattoos changes policy to ban tattooed customers over declining clientele wwwwww.”

September 9, 2026
Erika Sawajiri’s Reported “Bar-Hopping Date” with A.B.C-Z’s Ryosuke Hashimoto Sparks Truth-or-Fiction Debate on 5ch

On September 9, 2026, NEWS Postseven reported that actress Erika Sawajiri (40) was spotted near a high-end Italian restaurant in Tokyo. She was reportedly wearing a long white dress and flashing a girlish smile, and the headline used the phrase “six-hour bar-hopping date” with A.B.C-Z’s Ryosuke Hashimoto. On 5ch’s Geinou/Sports Breaking News+ (Geisoku) thread, reactions split over whether the report is true, what it could mean for Hashimoto and his agency, and how to judge “the Sawajiri of today” given her past divorce and drug arrest.

2026.09.09 11:00 　NEWS Postseven

Night had fallen over Shibuya. A luxury car pulled up to the curb, and a woman in a lovely white long dress stepped out. Even with a cherry-blossom-pink cap pulled low over her eyes, there was no hiding her small face and long limbs. Actress Erika Sawajiri (40) — known to fans as “Erika-sama” — radiated an overwhelming glow.

Without hesitation, she headed straight for an upscale Italian restaurant facing the street. The glass-walled storefront let passersby see inside. From the sidewalk, Sawajiri glanced into the restaurant, flashed a girlish smile, and gave a small wave.

Source: news-postseven.com / Original article here

4AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:06
An idol and a "national treasure" actress? No way this is actually happening?
6AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:07
Re: #4
Nah, no way that's true…
8AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:08
Re: #4
Would be funny if the Sano and Imada leak-spreading turns out to be a self-staged PR stunt too lol
28AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:11
Re: #4
Same, I opened this thinking "no way…"

7AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:07
This just damages Johnny's (the talent agency), that's about it
16AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:09
Re: #7
He's not that popular and already had a bad-behavior reputation anyway, so barely any damage

51AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:14
Did the A.B.C-Z "aunties" (older diehard fangirls) disappear? They were big on Hashimoto, right?
120AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:23
Re: #51
They were still around when Hashimoto appeared on Aibou ("Partners") last year. Wonder if they're in shock right now? Hope they're okay.
171AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:30
Re: #51
Guess they're gone… did they just give up and die inside?

84AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:18
Since when is she a "national treasure actress"?
Gen Z today has no idea who she is

100AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:20
Whoever called it yesterday is amazing lol
Thanks, it did feel like "yeah, that tracks"
119AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:23
Re: #100
Someone also guessed Makoto Ogawa early on lol
137AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:25
Re: #100
This was already floating around on X (Twitter), so it was an easy one to predict
188AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:32
Re: #100
Desudoru posted photos a few months back of them secretly meeting up

106AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:21
Literally nobody hears "national treasure actress" and thinks of Erika Sawajiri

113AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:22
Well, it's a country with an average age of 53,
so I guess "girlish"? Whatever, I dunno
129AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:24
Re: #113
Japan's declining birthrate and aging population really have progressed…
No wonder people in their 30s are starting to count as "up-and-coming."
Late 20s is still the age you're out there dancing in frilly costumes.

122AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:23
Honestly her answers on Hideyuki Nakayama's show doing promo were like 500 times wilder and more entertaining than the press conference
133AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:24
Re: #122
Yeah, the one where she's talking with that brazen attitude, no honorifics at all

128AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:24
Even Erika-sama is going for a Johnny's guy now?!

142AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:25
I remember on the day Sawajiri caused a stir with her "whatever" comment, Sadao Abe looked super pleased and said, "Did you see Erika Sawajiri? What happened to her?! lol"
145AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:26
Re: #142
"Whatever…" (cue the infamous sulky-face scene)

147AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:26
She did the "whatever" thing, married some weirdo then divorced him, even got into drugs —
and she's still coasting through life like this? How?
156AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:28
Re: #147
Her face was just next-level gorgeous
I'd rank her prettier than Ayase or Nagano

169AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:30
Re: #156
Didn't think she was next-level gorgeous, personally
184AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:32
Re: #169
You just haven't seen her in person
She's insanely beautiful

193AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:33
Erika-sama, recently
https://up.gc-img.net/post_img/2026/09/QIkvOovyRBY2rhF_z7Gv7_1242.jpeg
204AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:35
Re: #193
That's a maliciously cropped photo, I hate this kind of thing

Background and Key Points of This Topic

This article is based on a sighting reported by NEWS Postseven — there has been no official comment or relationship announcement from either Erika Sawajiri or A.B.C-Z’s side. Ryosuke Hashimoto is a member of A.B.C-Z, part of the former Johnny’s Entertainment (now STARTO ENTERTAINMENT). Sawajiri was arrested for possession of a synthetic drug in 2019 and has a marriage and divorce in her past, so the thread was a mix of voices doubting the report’s accuracy, others judging her harshly in light of her history, and still others simply praising her looks. It’s worth noting that the phrase “six-hour bar-hopping date” was coined by the magazine’s editorial team and isn’t primary evidence confirming an actual relationship. Some posters also worried about the impact on Hashimoto’s fanbase, with the conversation drifting more toward reactions to the report than the report’s substance itself.

*This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Geinou/Sports Breaking News+) thread “[Breaking] Erika Sawajiri (40) and A.B.C-Z’s Ryosuke Hashimoto’s “Six-Hour Bar-Hopping Date” — The “Girlish Smile” She Showed in a Pure White Dress [Ailuropoda melanoleuca★].”

September 9, 2026
Singles Pay In, Get Nothing Back: 5ch Splits Over Japan’s Family-First Welfare System

A Nikkei series examining how Japan’s tax and social security system has long been built around the “standard household” — a married couple with children — sparked discussion on 5ch’s News Express+ board, zeroing in on how singles shoulder the burden without getting much back. While married and child-rearing households benefit from child allowances and childcare subsidies, singles pay premiums and taxes with little to show for it — a point that split the thread right down the middle. One camp argued that favoring families with children is simply a rational investment in the next generation, while the other countered that it’s unfair to be shut out of benefits for the sole reason of being single, despite paying just as much into the system. The debate spiraled into arguments over whether singles should face higher taxes and whether progressive taxation is even fair to begin with, with opinions still divided by the end.

Singles Overlooked: The Limits of the “Standard Household” (Part 3)

Economy

September 9, 2026, 5:00 AM

Source: nikkei.com / Original article here

18AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:14
Re: #1
The child allowance and childcare support levy get deducted from people with kids too, so what's your point?
24AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:16
Re: #18
So-called "ant parents" (5ch slang mocking parents as worker ants) pay in but also get benefits back — the childless just pay in with zero return.
31AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:18
Re: #24
If it were tens of thousands of yen I'd get it, but it's only about 6,000-7,000 yen a year.

60AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:28
Fine, raise taxes on the childless once they hit their 30s.
Keep raising it the older they get.
Basically, tax the childless hard enough that staying single stops looking like a good deal, and they'll end up marrying and having kids.
If they still won't, take about half the salary of middle-income earners in taxes.
They can still get by on that.
66AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:29
Re: #60
And on top of that, mandatory two years of military service for anyone still childless at 30.
Cut their social security too — pension, healthcare, all of it.
71AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:30
Re: #60
That'll just spark a boom in sham "adoptions" among the poor — kids in name only.
That's a shortsighted scheme if I've ever seen one.

75AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:31
Let me ask you this — what benefit does the national government, local municipalities, or the Ministry of Finance actually get from favoring singles?
80AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:32
Re: #75
Conversely, if the state can't make its own citizens' lives better, what's the point of having a state at all?
85AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:33
Re: #75
It's not about favoring singles — it's about just treating everyone equally, no?

93AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:35
Wouldn't slapping heavy taxes on singles actually work as a countermeasure to the falling birthrate?
105AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:37
Re: #93
Even a small "singles tax" already bumped up the birth numbers.
Crank it up further and it'd probably work wonders.
114AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:39
Re: #105
The birth numbers rose because the population of the parent generation — the ones actually having kids — grew, that's all.

108AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:38
Re: #103
That's just the official line.
If that's really the principle, progressive taxation should go too — everyone pays the same rate.
Say that out loud though, and the bottom earners lose their minds.
120AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:40
Re: #108
Progressive taxation applies to everyone equally.
It's not like singles specifically get taxed at a higher rate.
124AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:40
Re: #120
Progressive taxation isn't equal though, is it?
See, you don't actually want an equal burden for everyone lol
131AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:42
Re: #124
It is equal.
Do you know anyone around you being taxed at a different rate just for being single?
134AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:42
Re: #124
Honestly, I'd be fine with a flat poll tax instead.

136AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:42
Truth is, the childless are basically dead weight on the nation.
It's terrifying that singles can't even grasp that and still go around asserting themselves.
148AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:45
Re: #136
Since when is the state such a big deal?
157AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:46
Re: #136
Guess the country's top brass will "handle" it, then.

161AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:48
Well of course — they're not raising the next generation.
193AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:55
Re: #161
They say it's "for the next generation," but fleecing singles to fund a cushy child-rearing lifestyle is a different story.
196AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:56
Re: #193
Go say that to your own parents — "compulsory education was free and easy for you, right?"
I guarantee you'll get smacked.
199AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:57
Re: #196
I never went to private school, so my education costs were cheap, honestly.
204AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:58
Re: #196
"Easy," huh, lol.
All public schools straight through grad school for me.
Though apparently it got rough after my dad's health broke down and he couldn't earn properly anymore — money still went out the door on all sorts of things.

171AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:51
Well, obviously.
Think about it — from the state's perspective, there's zero need to keep supporting people who stay single forever.
Prioritizing the people who start families and raise kids is just common sense (´・ω・｀)
189AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:54
Re: #171
Every country's social system is built on the assumption that the population keeps growing.
Even the economy only works because people earn wages, spend money, and pay taxes.
Saying kids aren't necessary is basically saying tear down the whole social system.
For the government, this should be the number one issue to tackle.

Even people without kids should be able to understand that much.
None of us are guaranteed to stay healthy until the day we die, after all.
233AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:04
Re: #189
Couldn't agree more (´・ω・｀)
241AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:06
Re: #189
But even in this thread, way too many people just don't get it.
Guess they grew up physically but stayed kids in the head.

210AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:59
A single person who deliberately chose not to marry and one who wanted to but couldn't are worlds apart, you know.
216AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:00
Re: #210
There's also the singles who did get married and then got divorced, y'know.
232AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:04
Re: #210
If they made a reasonable effort and it still didn't work out, fair enough.
Same goes for couples who chose not to have kids versus couples who wanted them but couldn't — pretty different situations.

234AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:04
The real problem is that having kids has come to be seen as a risk.
The media needs to actually push the message that having children brings happiness.
Basically, this is the end result of relentlessly selling women on the idea that, now that they're in the workforce, enjoying their own life beats having kids.
238AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:05
Re: #234
The birthrate dropped because the social security system let people mooch off other people's kids in old age. The real fix for the falling birthrate is cutting old-age social security.
250AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:08
Re: #234
And then the debate over "Category 3" dependents kicks off (the pension system's exemption for stay-at-home spouses).
Feels like that actually contradicts the whole fight against the falling birthrate.

Background and Key Arguments

The article draws on the third installment of Nikkei’s series “The Limits of the Standard Household,” which examines how Japan’s tax and social security system was built around the postwar model of a working husband, a stay-at-home wife, and children. In recent years single-person households have grown to make up nearly 40% of all households, yet many benefits — child allowances, the spousal tax deduction, childcare support payments — remain concentrated on households raising children, leaving singles to shoulder costs without comparable benefits. On 5ch, the thread split between those who see support for child-rearing households as a natural investment in future taxpayers, and those who call it unfair that singles pay the same taxes and insurance premiums yet see little benefit in return. The conversation spilled over into debates about progressive taxation and the Category 3 dependent-spouse pension exemption, since arguments about the burden on singles ultimately circle back to the fairness of the tax system as a whole. Worth noting: economic evidence for the effectiveness of a “singles tax” as a birthrate countermeasure is thin, and the thread’s claim that such a tax already boosted birth numbers is not an established causal finding.

*This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (News Express+) thread [Singles Overlooked] Tax and Social Security Assume “Family First” — The Gap Between Burden and Benefit Leaves Singles Feeling Shut Out.

September 9, 2026
WEST.’s Junta Nakama Apologizes Over Members’ Exit — 5ch: “That’s Not the Issue”

On the 9th, WEST.’s Junta Nakama (38) addressed the departures of Ryusei Fujii (33) and Nozomu Kotaki (30), announced on August 30, during an appearance on Nippon TV’s “DayDay.”, apologizing for what he called “conduct unbecoming of an adult member of society.” The excerpt of the article doesn’t specify exactly what this “unbecoming conduct” refers to. On the 5ch Geinou/Sports News+ board, interpretations were split: some took it to mean the two departing members left work commitments unfulfilled, while others connected it to lingering questions about another member, Daiki Shigeoka, who reportedly kept his marriage and fatherhood secret for a long time.

WEST.’s Junta Nakama Apologizes Over Members’ Departure: “Conduct unbecoming of an adult… all we can do now is rebuild trust through our attitude”

WEST.’s Junta Nakama (38) appeared on Nippon TV’s “DayDay.” (weekdays 9:00 AM) on the 9th.

He commented on the August 30 announcement that Ryusei Fujii (33) and Nozomu Kotaki (30) would be leaving the group.

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

2AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:46
Might as well crack open a beer while watching Peace-kun, the world's most famous capybara from Omiya Zoo, on YouTube

4AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:47
It's probably Shigeoka's fault for hiding being married with kids from the members too, right?
57AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:57
Re: #4
Wait, from the members too?

5AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:48
What's wrong with getting married and having kids — how is that 'conduct unbecoming of an adult'?
That's not the issue
7AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:48
The one who kept the kid a secret is the worst
And he even used the chaos of another member's marriage announcement to slip his own news in at the same time
8AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:48
Is 'conduct unbecoming of an adult'

referring to the departure?

Or to an idol keeping it secret from the members that he was married and even already had a kid?
9AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:48
Re: #1
Way to make it sound like the two who left are the bad guys, lol

10AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:48
What exactly counts as 'conduct unbecoming of an adult' here?

At a normal company nobody says 'I don't like that this guy got married, so I'm quitting'
18AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:50
Re: #10
Isn't it more like 'this affects us too, so just tell us properly'?
26AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:51
Re: #10
If you hide being married with kids from your coworkers and your boss, that IS a problem
49AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:55
Re: #10
That's true for a normal company, but
idols make their living off a pseudo-romance business — it's on a completely different level

17AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:50
He's probably just furious at Shigeoka's disloyalty
Shigeoka's the one who committed 'conduct unbecoming of an adult' first
19AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:50
'Conduct unbecoming of an adult'
has to be Shigeoka

21AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:50
I thought he'd done something serious, but it's just that he's leaving because he got married?
32AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:53
Re: #21
No — it's because he hid everything: dating, marriage, having a kid, all while they thought he was one of them

22AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:50
Isn't the one truly guilty of 'conduct unbecoming of an adult' the one secretly getting married and having kids while milking fans for money? (lol)
23AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:50
I don't get how Johnny's-fan brains work — the two who bailed on work aren't getting nearly as much heat as Shigeoka, a 34-year-old guy who just announced a marriage and a kid, not even an affair
25AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:51
Might as well just disband at this point
They've had a good long run, and age-wise this is as good a moment as any
28AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:51
The decent, younger two are the ones who left, right? Might as well disband

31AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:52
Re: #26
A boss needs to know for HR reasons, like insurance and dependents,
but a coworker doesn't necessarily need to be told
80AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:04
Re: #31
Well, it's a job where it affects the group's popularity too

41AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:54
This is coming from the only unmarried guy who stayed, so maybe he's annoyed at both of them
56AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:57
Re: #41
Even calling him 'unmarried' — he's already had a girlfriend exposed, so he's honestly in no position to talk

69AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:00
Leaving after ditching already-scheduled WEST. commitments is definitely 'conduct unbecoming of an adult'
Bailing on a live show is going to leave bad blood
If they'd calmly finished it out first and then left, that would've been the mature way to handle it, perfectly
102AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:08
Re: #69
The agency approved the departure though, right? And it was the agency that decided they wouldn't appear at the event, right?
If they'd bailed on an appearance while still being asked to stay, sure, that would be 'conduct unbecoming of an adult' — but that's not what happened

71AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:00
Why is it 'unbecoming of an adult'?
It's normal for idols to hide relationships — who actually publicly announces 'I started dating so-and-so'?
76AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:03
Re: #71
That's not it
It's because he canceled already-scheduled work and then left
91AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:07
Re: #76
Oh, so this departure was his own choice?
I assumed the agency kicked him out of the group as a warning to others
99AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:08
Re: #76
Once you've left, you don't need to do that work anymore
The remaining members just handle it
Even five people can still get the job done

78AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:03
Maybe the reason he specifically said 'as an adult in society' is that — whatever the reason, whether a sudden marriage announcement or a member leaving — it comes down to not being able to fulfill work already committed to as a 7-member group, leaving gaps, or turning things down?
85AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:05
Re: #78
Yeah, probably
Getting married or leaving the group is fine, but bailing last-minute like that isn't

86AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:06
Re: #57
That's the only explanation that makes sense
Shigeoka was always secretive by nature, but I think he just never told the agency or the members about being married and having a kid — both taboo for an idol

Background and Key Points of This Discussion

The news behind this article reports on Nakama’s remarks following the August 30 departure announcement, but the excerpt alone doesn’t make clear who or what “conduct unbecoming of an adult” actually refers to. As a result, interpretations on the thread split roughly two ways. One reading takes it to mean that the two departing members left behind group commitments that had already been scheduled. The other reading connects the remark to frustration with another member, Daiki Shigeoka, who is said to have long kept his marriage and fatherhood hidden from both the members and the agency — and this second reading was more prominent by post volume. That said, some posts pointed out that the departure itself had been approved by the agency, so it isn’t clear from the public remarks alone whether the two departing members can fairly be said to have unilaterally abandoned their work. Which reading is closer to Nakama’s actual intent will have to wait for further reporting.

*This article is compiled as an excerpt/summary from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “[Entertainment] WEST.’s Junta Nakama Apologizes Over Members Ryusei Fujii & Nozomu Kotaki’s Departure: “Conduct unbecoming of an adult… all we can do now is rebuild trust through our attitude”.”

September 9, 2026
Zelda Direct vs. State of Play: A Stark Gap in YouTube Approval Ratings

Nintendo’s “Nintendo Direct” episode revealing new Zelda information aired around the same time as Sony’s “State of Play” stream (nicknamed “Sutepure” in Japan), and the gap between the two in YouTube like/dislike ratios and peak concurrent viewers became a hot topic on 5ch’s hardware/industry (“Geha”) board. Posters noted that State of Play had moments where dislikes actually outnumbered likes, and while Zelda’s peak concurrent viewership hit 670,000 in Japan and 730,000 in the US, State of Play’s numbers came in at 107,000 in Japan and 260,000 overseas. Screenshots comparing view counts were also posted, and reactions on the board were split over just how big the gap really was.

4AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:32
First time I've ever seen a stream with more dislikes than likes.
47AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:42
Re: #4
Didn't even watch it, but damn, how garbage was it lol
65AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:46
Re: #4
Just business as usual.

6AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:33
Lmao the dislikes are through the roof
Even the fanboys are giving up on it

7AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:33
What's even going on with State of Play…
83AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:56
Re: #7
9/12/2025
Peak concurrent viewers in the US: 600,000

8AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:33
Sony should cherish those 40,000 people who sat through 2 hours of that garbage stream AND still hit "like" lol

13AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:34
Did they hire a bot farm to keep the dislikes from overtaking the likes or something?
21AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:36
Re: #13
Honestly, 40k likes is the suspicious part lol
Who actually watches garbage like that and hits like? lmao
30AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:38
Re: #25
Sorry, my bad
That one was meant for Re: #13

15AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:35
Even if you tried to make dislikes overtake likes on purpose, that's genuinely hard to pull off.
25AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:37
Re: #15
Normal people don't install browser add-ons just to see dislike counts, so that manipulation theory doesn't really hold up lol

16AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:35
Forget "ratio" — the dislikes actually overtook the likes lol
For a video to end up with more dislikes than likes on YouTube, something's seriously wrong…

That's the real "incompetence rate" for Sony PR…
20AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:36
Re: #16
PR be like: "What do you want us to do when there's nothing to show?"

38AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:39
Lol, State of Play has way more dislikes than I imagined before even opening this thread
45AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:41
Re: #38
Same, I figured State of Play would just have slightly more dislikes than likes, so this surprised me lol

Who was it that said PlayStation is well-received overseas?? lol
Foreign fans turned out to be way harsher than that lmao

40AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:40
For reference, here's how the view counts stand right now

49AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:43
Re: #40
As of right now Zelda's at 5.36 million views
Cut it out with the weird manipulation claims

57AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:44
Re: #49
And that's even with Nintendo's numbers split up across things like the app's "Today" tab too
This gap is brutal
59AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:45
Re: #49
Zelda's popularity overseas is honestly scary

60AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:45
The State of Play chat had me dying lol
All anyone was posting was "no disk" this and that lol (a jab at Sony's disc-drive removal controversy) — Sony needs to fix something or there's no coming back from this lol
82AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:56
Re: #60
But concurrent viewers outside Japan have crashed hard, so honestly the people still showing up just to spam "no disk" are being pretty generous with their time
If they locked the chat down, even these guys would vanish

77AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:53
Peak concurrent viewers
State of Play
Japan: 107,000
EN: 260,000

Zelda Direct
Japan: 670,000
US: 730,000
79AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:55
Re: #77
Honestly State of Play's numbers here are pretty impressive too
I had the image of it being like 20,000 tops — when did it get this big?
80AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:55
Re: #77
And that's just the opening act…

96AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:03
Concurrent viewer counts don't mean anything anyway
Air Riders (Kirby Air Riders) had numbers about this high too and it flopped hard
And honestly it's questionable whether these figures can even be trusted in the first place
99AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:05
Re: #96
The fact that people still go through the trouble of opening this thread and posting so diligently proves it means something lol
108AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:14
Re: #96
Guess it's a Smash Bros connection (same director)

So Smash Bros flopped too, huh lol

101AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:05
Concurrent-viewer padding is a recurring controversy with game streamers and VTubers too
103AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:07
Re: #101
A gap this big wouldn't happen just from some VTuber tuning in

104AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:09
State of Play aside, I don't even care about that anymore
What really gets me about the Zelda Direct isn't the likes, it's how few dislikes there are
Was it really that well received by overseas fans?
106AnonymousSep 9, 2026 11:12
Re: #104
Well, it basically just announced that the Zelda concert would be held in countries outside Japan too
But for overseas fans, that alone made it a guaranteed-win Direct

Background and Key Points of the Discussion

It’s worth keeping in mind that YouTube’s dislike counts have been hidden from everyone but the uploader since a policy change in November 2021, so most of the “more dislikes than likes” claims in the thread come from browser extensions or third-party estimation tools rather than officially confirmed figures. Peak concurrent viewers are also just a snapshot from one moment during a stream, and don’t directly translate into a game’s critical reception or sales performance. While some posters argued that “concurrent viewer counts don’t mean anything,” pointing to past cases where high concurrent viewership didn’t translate into success, the gap between Zelda Direct and State of Play was large in both concurrent viewers and total views, and it was repeatedly noted that the scale of the difference was hard to write off as simple manipulation. Some also pointed out that State of Play’s own concurrent viewership had grown significantly compared to the previous year, making the coexistence of heavy dislikes and high attention one of the more interesting angles of the discussion.

※This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Hardware/Industry, “Geha”) thread “Zelda Direct and State of Play’s Approval Ratings wwwwwwwwwwwww.”

September 9, 2026
Were Hideyoshi and Ieyasu really “ultimate rivals”? 5ch: “Without the earthquake, Ieyasu would’ve been finished”

Sparked by the showdown between Hideyoshi and Ieyasu depicted in NHK’s Taiga drama “Toyotomi Brothers!”, a Yahoo! article examining whether the two were truly “ultimate rivals” became a hot topic on 5ch’s Geisports Sokuho+ board. In the thread, some pointed to luck as the reason Hideyoshi never managed to finish off Ieyasu — arguing “if it weren’t for the Nobi earthquake, he would’ve been done for” — while discussion also continued around old standby theories like the Iga crossing and the idea that Hideyoshi was the mastermind behind the Honno-ji Incident. Opinions were split on whether Ieyasu can really be called the “strongest,” with the debate centering on whether the gap between him and Hideyoshi came down to luck or genuine skill.

Yahoo! Original Article

9/10

In the Taiga drama “Toyotomi Brothers!”, Hashiba Hideyoshi finds a formidable rival standing in his way: Tokugawa Ieyasu. Hideyoshi and Ieyasu are widely remembered as the “greatest rivals” who fought over control of the realm.

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

5AnonymousSep 9, 2026 08:17
There's this trend of Hideyoshi = monkey, Ieyasu = raccoon dog (tanuki), Nobunaga = cat, isn't there?
34AnonymousSep 9, 2026 09:01
Re: #5
Actually, I heard Ranmaru was the "top" (seme) in that relationship.

6AnonymousSep 9, 2026 08:21
The acting from Ikematsu, Nakano, Kanbei, and Hachisuka was too flimsy — that four-way discussion scene was cringe to watch.
This episode's Ieyasu (Matsushita) POV was good though, so they might as well make Ieyasu the lead from here on.
100AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:17
Re: #6

We already covered that story a minute ago, grandpa.

9AnonymousSep 9, 2026 08:25
The theory that Hideyoshi was the mastermind behind the Honno-ji Incident really does hold up best, doesn't it
The Chugoku Ogaeshi (his forced march back) was way too fast, and how quickly he locked things down afterward feels too calculated too
12AnonymousSep 9, 2026 08:28
Re: #9
> The theory that Hideyoshi was the mastermind behind the Honno-ji Incident really does hold up best, doesn't it

Nah, not even close
14AnonymousSep 9, 2026 08:28
Re: #9
No no, it only looks that way with hindsight — he didn't go into Yamazaki, Shizugatake, or Komaki-Nagakute expecting a guaranteed win
43AnonymousSep 9, 2026 09:13
Re: #9
If Hideyoshi really was the mastermind…

Akechi Mitsuhide was supposedly sharp, and it seems pretty likely he'd have realized that pulling off the Honno-ji Incident himself would just hand Hideyoshi a huge advantage

And before any Hideyoshi vs. Mitsuhide showdown even happened,
he could've used that insight to set himself up in a far better position instead —
so honestly the odds of the mastermind theory being true seem super low lol

10AnonymousSep 9, 2026 08:26
So Kenshin's already been written off, huh?
11AnonymousSep 9, 2026 08:27
Re: #10
Didn't get a single line.
Well, I guess I should just be grateful they included him at all.

13AnonymousSep 9, 2026 08:28
Detailed diagram

18AnonymousSep 9, 2026 08:35
A sloppy, unfocused piece of writing. "They were rivals." That's it.
50AnonymousSep 9, 2026 09:19
Re: #18
Come on now — the guy who wrote this is Watanabe Daimon, you know?

20AnonymousSep 9, 2026 08:40
Wasn't Ieyasu's real enemy actually Ishida Mitsunari?
23AnonymousSep 9, 2026 08:43
Re: #20
Mitsunari was way, way below his league.
You could almost say Ieyasu just used him as a convenient pawn.

21AnonymousSep 9, 2026 08:41
I think the most dangerous moment for Ieyasu was definitely the Iga crossing (his desperate escape through Iga province after Nobunaga's death).
88AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:07
Re: #21
There's a theory he'd already been in contact with the Iga ninja beforehand, though who knows how true that is.
He did have guys like Hattori with him, after all.

30AnonymousSep 9, 2026 08:52
In that era it was like 90% luck, 10% effort, right?
32AnonymousSep 9, 2026 08:57
Re: #30
If the Nobi earthquake hadn't happened, Ieyasu would've been finished.
42AnonymousSep 9, 2026 09:12
Re: #30
Guess that would make anyone develop deep faith and start praying to the gods, whether they wanted to or not.

37AnonymousSep 9, 2026 09:05
I really do think they were the biggest rivals.
Hideyoshi died without ever crushing Ieyasu —
if it hadn't been a genuine rival-level power balance, he would have crushed him.
40AnonymousSep 9, 2026 09:08
Re: #37
It's the earthquake. Without that, he could've wiped Ieyasu out for good.
Well, playing "what if" with history doesn't mean much anyway lol

51AnonymousSep 9, 2026 09:20
For what it's worth, Ieyasu had ties with the Chosokabe clan too, didn't he?
58AnonymousSep 9, 2026 09:28
Re: #51
Komaki-Nagakute had a side to it like Sekigahara — a battle over who'd hold power.
Since the Chosokabe and the Negoro warrior-monks sided with Oda Nobukatsu, Hideyoshi left Kanbei behind to hold the Osaka front while he marched out.
67AnonymousSep 9, 2026 09:41
Re: #51
Both sides were playing the "ally with the distant, strike the near" strategy.
Hideyoshi reached out to the Uesugi and to forces in the Kanto region, while Nobukatsu reached out to forces in Shikoku and the Chugoku region. Shibata Katsuie did the same thing too.

63AnonymousSep 9, 2026 09:37
Sengoku history nerds really talk like they personally witnessed events from 500 years ago.
80AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:01
Re: #63
The people who said things like "Talk to your lord like that and you'd be beheaded!" about the annoying character Nagasawa Masami played in Sanada Maru looked ridiculous.

68AnonymousSep 9, 2026 09:44
I think if Azai Nagamasa hadn't betrayed Nobunaga, he could've ended up in the position Tokugawa Ieyasu held.
72AnonymousSep 9, 2026 09:50
Re: #68
I'm not so sure.
Unlike Ieyasu, who served as a buffer against the Takeda, Azai was positioned in Omi, and that location would eventually just become an obstacle.

79AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:00
Hideyoshi = brilliant.

Ieyasu came from a samurai family, while Hideyoshi came from peasant stock — swap their starting positions and Ieyasu wouldn't even come close to him.
Hideyoshi took the shortest route to ruling the realm, while Ieyasu just ran a pure waiting game — to the point where he literally couldn't make a move against Hideyoshi until the man died.
83AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:03
Re: #79
Hideyoshi rode Nobunaga's coattails like a remora fish on a genius shark, and that let him pull off a lucky coup from below. If Honno-ji hadn't happened, he'd have stayed a remora his whole life.

96AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:14
Sengoku era popularity, SSR tier (top rarity in gacha-game slang):
Shingen, Kenshin, Nobunaga, Hideyoshi

Unpopular characters:
Ieyasu, Imagawa

Why?
105AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:22
Re: #96

Ieyasu's way of destroying the Toyotomi clan wasn't a good look.
He's still disliked in western Japan to this day — way more than Aizu dislikes Choshu.
Sorry, but places like Toshogu Shrine are seen as having no value beyond being nice buildings.

Plenty of people call Nobunaga or Hideyoshi heroes, but nobody calls Ieyasu one.

98AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:16
Ieyasu's policy of letting each domain keep its own rice tax was a failure, wasn't it. If instead the Edo shogunate had collected all the tax nationwide first and then redistributed it to the daimyo…
106AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:22
Re: #98
The Yamato court already tried that and it failed.
Land fell into ruin, farmers fled — it was a total disaster.

111AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:30
Ieyasu suddenly leveled up into a competent commander at the Battle of Komaki-Nagakute, huh — before that he was just a scaredy-cat who kept panicking and soiling himself.
113AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:31
Re: #111
Now that you mention it, the body-double theory starts popping up around that point.
114AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:33
Re: #111
Just surviving and keeping his house intact in Mikawa, surrounded on all sides by major powers, already makes him extremely capable.
117AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:39
Re: #111
After the Takeda clan fell, Nobunaga was cold toward their survivors, but Ieyasu diligently recruited their remaining retainers, putting the Takeda's outsider troops under Ii Naomasa to train up.
That gave him the Takeda's tactics and elite soldiers, boosting his military strength. And the trick he used to lure Mitsunari out of the castle at Sekigahara? That's the very same one that got him beaten at Mikatagahara lol

Background and key points of this discussion

The Yahoo! article that sparked the show examines the conventional wisdom that Hideyoshi and Ieyasu were evenly matched right up until their showdown, but on 5ch the conversation drifted from the article itself toward surrounding anecdotes. The “Nobi earthquake” that kept coming up in the thread is said to have struck in Tensho 13 (1586), around the time Hideyoshi was reportedly planning a campaign against Ieyasu’s territory, and the view that it ended up averting war is a popular one among history fans. That said, whether the earthquake was truly the decisive factor in stopping the fighting remains a matter of debate among historical sources. Meanwhile, the theory that Hideyoshi was the mastermind behind the Honno-ji Incident remains persistently popular, even though the mainstream academic view holds that Akechi Mitsuhide acted alone — and several skeptical rebuttals to the mastermind theory appeared in the thread as well. As for the comment that Ieyasu is “disliked in western Japan,” that reflects one poster’s personal impression rather than any objective survey.

*This article was compiled by excerpting and summarizing the 5ch (Geisports Sokuho+) thread “[Toyotomi Brothers] Were Hideyoshi and Ieyasu really “ultimate rivals”? The surprising balance of power on the eve of their showdown.”

September 9, 2026
Trouble Brews on the Hello! Project Chat Board ‘Ōkami’: Angerme’s Slump Leaves Juice=Juice Threads Dead Quiet

On the 5ch board “Morning Coffee,” where Hello! Project fans gather and which is commonly known as “Ōkami” (Wolf), posters were discussing the recent state of the board. One user pointed out that the Juice=Juice thread barely gets any posts these days, and that chat threads and “OG threads” (nostalgic threads about retired or graduated members) have been popping up in its place. Many commenters blamed this on the stagnation of Hello! Project’s flagship groups—Morning Musume, Angerme, and Tsubaki Factory—with Angerme’s slump in particular singled out as having drained momentum from the whole board. Some posts expressed worry about the board’s future, and a running, nitpicky argument continued over just how “lively” a thread really needs to be.

1AnonymousSep 9, 2026 09:45
Juice=Juice
12AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:01
The Juice=Juice thread barely gets any posts, and it's the same handful of threads over and over. There just aren't many Juice threads to begin with. But since every other group's dead too, chat threads and OG threads keep multiplying.
13AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:02
Re: #12
A month ago the Miyamoto thread was being bumped like crazy, but ever since the "AI buzz" thing killed off her fanbase, OG threads barely get started anymore.
15AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:03
Re: #12
OG threads have definitely increased. Nice to get nostalgic about old Hello Pro members.

16AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:05
I'm glad chat threads are on the rise—honestly I never leave them anymore.
19AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:06
Re: #16
Chat threads aren't really growing though. The Nagoya-flooding thread is just people freaking out about the latest freak weather, that's not really chit-chat.

20AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:06
Lots of natural disasters this year. Before that it was the World Cup. Give me more actual chat threads.
22AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:07
Re: #20
So there's basically nowhere left to hang out now, huh. The Nagoya-flooding thread's about to run its course too—where do we go next?

23AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:07
It's because Hello Pro just isn't interesting right now, so people go read the news instead.
25AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:08
Re: #23
Hello Pro is interesting. It's just Morning Musume, Angerme, and Tsubaki Factory that are boring.
26AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:09
Re: #23
Yeah, everything's dead, there's nothing left to talk about—that's probably why OG threads are multiplying.

32AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:11
Feels like Ōkami died the moment Angerme lost steam.
34AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:12
Re: #32
So it just got started, then—your takes are always wrong, so the opposite must be true.

36AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:12
Morning Musume and Angerme fans are the ones who keep this place energetic, for better or worse. Once they stopped being hyped, the whole board lost momentum.
37AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:13
Re: #36
If the fans were really that into it, wouldn't the tour be selling out?
38AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:13
Re: #36
Exactly. Angerme's done, and the board's hardcore posters have vanished with it.

43AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:15
The Juice thread's so dead and quiet. It feels different from the old Ōkami. Now that the hardcore posters are gone, the whole board feels gloomy somehow.
45AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:16
Re: #43
This is the kind of energy we need.
https://imgur.com/UK0ok1h.jpeg

47AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:17
It's less "gloomy" and more just "quiet." Angerme's breakup is probably coming, and the old Ōkami isn't coming back.
49AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:18
Re: #47
If they break up, does the copypasta disappear? Or does it spread to every thread?

51AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:18
Angerme annoys me, but at least they keep things lively.
52AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:18
Re: #51
I've only ever seen them put on boring shows.
53AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:19
Re: #51
As someone just watching from the sidelines on Ōkami, Angerme's fun to watch.

55AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:19
I've literally never seen a Juice thread. Wish there were more Morning Musume threads.
57AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:20
Re: #55
Just make one yourself. It just won't get any replies, that's all.
62AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:22
Re: #55
Yeah, because it's not that interesting.

60AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:21
"Reisho-kei" (cynic-core, i.e. affecting a sneering, too-cool-to-care attitude) is a term I've only ever seen used here.
61AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:21
Re: #60
It gets used to death on X and TikTok too—if anything, Ōkami's the one out of the loop on that word.
73AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:26
Re: #65
Is Re: #60 lying? Even Beat Takeshi's been called "reisho-kei," yet the Ōkami crowd insists "nobody uses that word outside this board."

75AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:26
Ōkami is a bunch of old guys who only know Morning Musume inside and out, missing the point while trying to talk about a Juice=Juice they barely know.
78AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:27
Re: #75
Missing the point or not, doesn't matter—the Juice stuff just isn't interesting.
84AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:29
Re: #75
And those old guys are way outside the target demographic anyway, lol.

83AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:29
It's nothing but "oyaki" posts around here (board slang for a certain repetitive troll-poster), and honestly, none of it's funny.
85AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:29
Re: #83
Yeah. Just ignoring it.
88AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:30
Re: #83
It's not even funny, but the thread keeps growing off it—people are just feeding the troll.

92AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:31
People act like a thread blowing up is some kind of achievement, but it's not. Being interesting is the achievement. A boring thread means nothing no matter how big it gets.
93AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:31
Re: #92
Exactly. Threads like that don't last.
95AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:33
Re: #92
I mean, threads grow because they're interesting in the first place, right? There's no such thing as an interesting thread that stays dead.

97AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:33
Angerme breaking up is fine, but if their fans don't move on to being fans of some other group, Ōkami's history genuinely ends here.
99AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:34
Re: #97
History's got no value—Juice=Juice should just build a whole new brand identity on Ōkami instead.
101AnonymousSep 9, 2026 10:35
Re: #97
Seriously, this. Ōkami's long history is ending. If the old S/mileage-turned-Angerme fans really disappear for good, it's truly over.

Background and Key Points

The “Morning Coffee” board on 5ch, where threads about Hello! Project are posted, has long been known among longtime fans by the nickname “Ōkami” (Wolf). Within the thread, one poster claimed that threads about former members, which had been thriving as recently as a month ago, suddenly cooled off following an “AI buzz” incident—but this is just one poster’s personal take, and the facts behind it can’t be confirmed. The main point of discussion was a shift in feel: chat threads and “OG threads” (about graduated members) seem to be gaining more traction than threads for active groups like Juice=Juice, with posters divided over whether to read this as a sign of the groups’ fading popularity or just a natural shift in what’s trending. There was also pushback over the term “reisho-kei” (cynic-core), pointing to a lack of self-awareness about the board’s own peculiar slang—an exchange that hinted at just how insular the board can look from the outside.

※This article is an excerpt and summary based on the 5ch (Hello! Project) thread “What’s Ōkami mainly about discussing these days?“

September 9, 2026