Japan Reacts

Author: Japan Reacts Editorial

  • Zelda Direct Sweeps X Trends Top to Bottom, Same-Day State of Play Nowhere to Be Found

    On the night of September 8, 2026, Nintendo’s “Zelda Direct” and Sony’s “State of Play” aired in almost the same time slot. Zelda Direct was a tight 30-minute broadcast built around a single new title, while State of Play ran two hours and covered dozens of titles — yet Zelda-related terms dominated the top of X (formerly Twitter) trends almost completely. Reports even surfaced claiming State of Play “didn’t even crack the top 30 trends.” In 5ch livestream threads, users expressed shock that broadcast scale and buzz didn’t line up at all. Some posts noted a similar pattern showed up in US trends too.

    1AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:35
    It's too popular, man
    2AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:35
    Are you mocking State of Play for getting zero trending spots?
    23AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:40
    Re: #2
    Can't really blame people for mocking it
    88AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:53
    Re: #2
    Just the movie title card
    Lego for like one second lol
    17AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:38
    Was there something like a ghost ship in it?

    Don't remember that
    I vaguely remember Koume (a Zelda character) though
    67AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:48
    Re: #17
    Pretty sure that's the Temple of Darkness
    70AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:48
    Re: #17
    Probably the Temple of Darkness
    I remember it 'cause I died to the boss a bunch of times and rode the ship a few times too
    72AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:49
    Re: #17
    Probably the Temple of Darkness
    26AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:41
    This gap in enthusiasm…
    Why'd it turn out like this

    State of Play


    Zelda
    29AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:41
    Re: #26
    Sony should've just turned off comments for State of Play 😭
    46AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:43
    Re: #26
    State of Play was fun in its own way
    Just from you guys roasting it, though lol
    54AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:45
    Godzilla Minus Zero had rotten timing
    It went head-to-head and basically got buried in the trends
    56AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:46
    Re: #54
    Obvious or not, they should've steered clear of Zelda's timeslot
    150AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:16
    Re: #54
    As a Godzilla fan who's been thinking "what happened to Japan?" ever since Shin Godzilla, this much is fine by me
    55AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:45
    ■Zelda Direct
    ・30 minutes
    ・1 title

    ■State of Play
    ・2 hours
    ・Dozens of titles

    No way it lost with numbers like that…
    86AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:53
    Re: #55
    [Bad News] Zelda Direct commentary threads couldn't even burn through 3 threads… meanwhile State of Play finished 5
    https://krsw.5ch.io/test/read.cgi/ghard/1788878363/

    Zelda Direct: 30 min, 3 threads
    State of Play: 120 min, 5 threads

    Stuff like this always ends up being the sticking point
    80AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:51
    Wait, did State of Play seriously not even make the top 30 trends? (´・ω・｀)
    83AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:52
    Re: #80
    Seriously, zero…
    Didn't even come close…
    85AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:53
    Re: #80
    A few terms did squeak in, but it never hit #1, and it never dominated the trends even for a moment
    87AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:53
    Re: #80
    No way that's real
    Wait, what?
    91AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:55
    I mean, almost the entire top 30 is Zelda
    That's insane




    94AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:56
    Re: #91
    Whoa
    This is what a genuinely popular game looks like
    96AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:57
    Re: #91
    Will a PlayStation game ever manage this?
    115AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:03
    Re: #91
    There's like an "are there even that many Zelda-related words" amount of them
    102AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:00
    The US trends look about the same
    104AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:01
    Re: #102
    Zelda fever sweeping the entire world?! 🥰
    106AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:01
    Re: #102
    Guess it's the top dog over there too
    110AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:02
    Re: #102
    Godzilla's strong in the US too
    Guess all that MonsterVerse groundwork paid off
    119AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:05
    Navi's voice trending is honestly hilarious

    Navi's voice >>> an unbeatable wall >>> State of Play

    That's basically what happened
    122AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:06
    Re: #119
    All of State of Play's two hours losing to just Navi's voice… come on 😭
    130AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:08
    Re: #119
    Hey! lol Listen! lol (Navi's famous catchphrase)
    132AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:08
    Re: #119
    Leave them alone lmao
    140AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:11
    Zelda somehow became popular with casual gamers too at some point, huh
    143AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:12
    Re: #140
    Gotta be Breath of the Wild. That's what really grew the fan base
    144AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:13
    Re: #140
    With BOTW it fully broke free of being a niche series and became a mainstream game
    Before that the Zelda series never sold all that well
    147AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:15
    Re: #140
    Breath of the Wild was just on another level
    A legit all-time classic, and that's when the series shot up to being a genuinely popular franchise, in name and in reality
    149AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:15
    Since they've got voice actors now, it wouldn't have been weird to include a voice actor interview
    151AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:17
    Re: #149
    Doing stuff like that is probably why State of Play sucks
    153AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:17
    Re: #149
    Nintendo Direct has never once done a voice actor interview though…
    160AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:18
    Re: #149
    You're saying that on purpose, right lol

    Background and Key Points of This Discussion

    “State of Play” is a broadcast Sony holds on an irregular basis, and this installment ran two hours covering a large number of titles, while Zelda Direct was a focused 30-minute broadcast built around a single new title. Going by broadcast length and number of titles alone, State of Play should have had the edge — yet Zelda-related terms dominated the top of X’s trends, and the thread has been buzzing with surprise at this reversal. That said, it’s worth noting that trending lists shift based on a mix of factors — regional differences, the momentum of live commentary, bot activity, and more — so this alone isn’t a clean, apples-to-apples popularity comparison between the two. There’s also the view that the series broke through to casual audiences after “Breath of the Wild,” a claim that lines up with actual sales growth and isn’t purely fans talking up their favorite.

    *This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Hardware/Industry (Geha)) thread “Twitter trends are a total Zelda takeover 😆www.”

  • Bipolar Part-Timer Woman Keeps Getting Rejected From Every Job She Applies To — 5ch: “Every Job Near Me Turned Me Down”

    A thread appeared on 5channel’s Newsspeed VIP board started by a poster working as a part-timer while living with bipolar disorder, sharing an update on their situation. After revealing they hadn’t managed to go pick up their paycheck and had been rejected from one part-time job after another, other posters who also live with mental illness or hold a disability certificate gathered to discuss how hard it is to hold down a job. Differences emerged among posters over things like whether they had an official diagnosis document or how severe their symptoms were, making for a thread that mixed humor with an undercurrent of just how tough daily life can be.

    1AnonymousSep 8, 2026 22:11
    Tomorrow, for sure, I'm going to my job at noon and picking up my paycheck…
    3AnonymousSep 8, 2026 22:16
    How many yen ago was this paycheck? Hasn't the statute of limitations run out already? Want me to hook you up with a good lawyer?
    5AnonymousSep 8, 2026 22:17
    Re: #3
    What's that supposed to mean? The average monthly pay here is about 130,000 yen. When I'm in a manic phase I make way more than that.
    14AnonymousSep 8, 2026 22:31
    Re: #13
    Wait, so you're a woman?
    15AnonymousSep 8, 2026 22:32
    Re: #14
    (￣b￣)Shh!
    16AnonymousSep 8, 2026 22:34
    Re: #15
    Mental illness in women is basically no different from being healthy, right? I'm a guy with bipolar disorder, so obviously I don't have a partner.
    20AnonymousSep 8, 2026 22:36
    Re: #16
    My parents tell every boyfriend I bring home, 'Dating this kid is gonna be rough, you know~' I'm also borderline developmental disorder (an undiagnosed "gray zone" case). But hey, even guys with mental illness can land a girlfriend — I guarantee it, since a few of my exes were exactly that.
    21AnonymousSep 8, 2026 22:36
    Re: #16
    I'll be your boyfriend.
    18AnonymousSep 8, 2026 22:34
    Re: #15
    And it's not even about landing a full-time job — I can't even get hired for a part-time one.
    24AnonymousSep 8, 2026 22:38
    Re: #18
    Oh really? Yeah, I've been rejected from a few part-time jobs myself. Even the job I have now felt like I only got in because the interview vibe happened to click.
    32AnonymousSep 8, 2026 22:43
    How does anyone even get rejected from a part-time job in this labor shortage era?
    34AnonymousSep 8, 2026 22:44
    Re: #32
    Every single part-time job near me turned me down.
    36AnonymousSep 8, 2026 22:45
    Re: #32
    It happens. Add it all up and I've been rejected about 10 times.
    38AnonymousSep 8, 2026 22:46
    Re: #32
    Funny enough, a friend said that to me back in college — 'Wow, people actually get rejected from Sushiro?' So I ended up working at Hama-zushi instead. (Sushiro and Hama-zushi are rival conveyor-belt sushi chains.)
    50AnonymousSep 8, 2026 22:55
    I work at a pharmacy and as a dental assistant.
    52AnonymousSep 8, 2026 22:59
    Re: #50
    If you can land a job as a dental assistant you must be gorgeous. Get outta here.
    54AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:00
    Re: #52
    I'm not gorgeous. It feels more like they hired me because they're short-staffed — even now they're hiring literally everyone who shows up for an interview. I actually applied to a dentist's office known for hiring on looks, and got flat-out rejected.
    57AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:03
    Re: #54
    But you've had several exes though. A real "busu" (plain/unattractive girl) is someone like me.
    58AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:03
    Re: #54
    Get lost. This thread's mine now.
    Re: #55
    Applying to a convenience store at 27 is probably the problem. Unless it's a night shift, that's a job for high schoolers and college students.
    59AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:03
    Re: #57
    For what it's worth, I'm apparently a killer with inexperienced guys.
    63AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:05
    Re: #59
    So can you handle a guy like me too? I've got hair growing all over my body.
    65AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:05
    Re: #63
    Can't right now since I've got a boyfriend, but if I were single I bet I could handle it.
    66AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:06
    Re: #63
    For a guy, having hair all over your body is basically par for the course, right?
    62AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:04
    Re: #58
    This is my thread. Trying to hijack other people's threads like that is probably exactly why you can't get back into society or land a girlfriend. Maybe cushion your heart a little and actually look at people.
    68AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:07
    Re: #62
    I'm the one who can't get back into society or land a girlfriend. At least check the poster IDs properly.
    72AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:08
    Re: #67
    I've been applying to supermarkets too, you know.
    76AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:09
    I'm losing track of who's who at this point.
    Which one's the 27-year-old with no work experience?
    79AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:10
    Re: #76
    That's me.
    Re: #72
    Supermarkets are part-time jobs too. If anything, supermarkets are tougher given their operating hours.
    81AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:11
    Re: #79
    So it was you who tried to hijack the thread.
    Though you do seem like you've got some baggage.
    84AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:12
    Re: #79
    Wait, you're also 27 and inexperienced? This is way too confusing.
    97AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:18
    I'm also bipolar, a 47-year-old part-timer.
    I get a pension too, but it's not enough income.
    I can't work any more than this — honestly, I'm done for.
    99AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:20
    Re: #97
    Just holding it together like that is impressive.
    When money's tight, it's your depressed self that really suffers.
    101AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:22
    Re: #97
    I think you're doing your best.
    103AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:24
    Re: #102
    I don't have one.
    It's unclear if I was even formally diagnosed — I never even got a diagnosis document.
    105AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:27
    Re: #103
    You're not even taking meds?
    106AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:27
    Re: #105
    I am taking them!
    107AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:28
    Re: #106
    But if you don't even have a diagnosis document, don't go using a title like that….
    Turns out we're not really in the same boat after all.
    108AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:29
    Re: #106
    I've even got a disability certificate, and here you are basically healthy….
    126AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:45
    Actually, I grew up going to an all-girls school and used to do violin and ballet.
    128AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:47
    Re: #126
    I grew up at a regular public school, self-described as bottom-tier. Did piano for 3 years, sax for 2, French horn for 10, and rhythmic gymnastics for 9 years. If anything, we were a poor family.
    129AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:47
    Re: #128
    Nine years of rhythmic gymnastics is a big point in your favor.
    131AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:48
    Re: #128
    There's no way you were actually poor.
    132AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:48
    Re: #129
    I only did it because I wanted to do the ribbon routine — kept it up from preschool all the way through 6th grade.
    135AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:50
    Re: #132
    If all those lessons only cost 20,000 yen, that's incredibly cheap.
    143AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:54
    Re: #132
    I wish you'd kept it up longer and stayed in a leotard the whole time.

    Background and Key Points of This Discussion

    Bipolar disorder is a mental illness marked by alternating manic episodes, where mood swings upward, and depressive episodes, where it crashes down, and because the symptom swings can be so extreme, it’s said to make holding down steady work difficult. In the thread, discussion turned to how the support and pension benefits available can differ depending on whether someone holds a disability certificate or a formal diagnosis document, and it became clear that even among posters sharing the same mental illness, there was a wide range in symptom severity and how far along they were in getting back into working life. Several posters also described being rejected from part-time jobs over and over despite the constant talk of a “labor shortage,” suggesting employers may be cautious about hiring due to concerns over shift stability and the risk of absences. Bipolar disorder tends to get lumped in with the image of plain “depression,” but it’s worth noting that it also involves manic episodes, which sets it apart from — and makes it easy to confuse with — straightforward depression.

    *This article is composed of excerpts and a summary from the 5channel (Newsspeed VIP) thread “I’m a Bottom-Tier Bipolar Part-Timer.”

  • Love Live! Fans Fume Over Concert ‘Seat Upgrade’ System

    On 5ch’s Love Live! board, discontent is spreading over the “upgrade” system that lets ticket winners pay extra to move to better seats after the lottery. This tour offers a CD priority lottery, a fan club lottery, and upgrades, but no ticket resale and no seat-tier pricing. Fans are calling it “double-dipping” and “a de facto price hike,” and comparisons have flown with the concert systems of other franchises like idolmaster and Uma Musume. The topic even trended on X.

    It’s trending on X, huh

    Source: x.com / original post here

    2AnonymousSep 8, 2026 20:01
    Worried Liella! is going to fizzle out too
    3AnonymousSep 8, 2026 20:03
    What, only realizing this now? lol



    You guys don't spend money, so this is the only way left for them to cash in lolol
    4AnonymousSep 8, 2026 20:08
    • CD priority lottery: yes
    • Fan club lottery: yes
    • Upgrades: yes
    • Resale: no
    • Tiered seat pricing: no

    So this is what a Love Live flagship title looks like now…
    76AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:02
    Re: #4
    idolmaster's setup is more ideal and fan-friendly.
    Maybe it's because they have fewer cast-focused fans than Love Live and character merch sells well instead?
    •CD priority lottery: no
    •Fan club early-bird lottery: yes
    •Upgrades: no
    •Resale: yes
    •Tiered seat pricing: yes
    5AnonymousSep 8, 2026 20:14
    "All-media project" sounds nice on paper,
    but without game revenue, serial-code tickets and upgrades run wild,
    and if any one medium falls apart, the chain reaction really hurts.
    6AnonymousSep 8, 2026 20:15
    Total fan numbers just keep shrinking,
    so they have to squeeze whatever they can out of whoever's left or it's not sustainable.
    7AnonymousSep 8, 2026 20:19
    Honestly, serial codes rack up more hate than upgrades do, don't they?
    8AnonymousSep 8, 2026 20:23
    Part of it's that I'm out in the sticks so travel costs add up,
    and yeah, a big chunk is because I follow a specific member too,
    but I'm already stretched thin just on ticket prices — how much are the people buying tons of merch on top of that AND going all-in on "rabukatsu" (heavy Love Live fan activities) even spending on this franchise…?
    9AnonymousSep 8, 2026 20:23
    "Anyone may apply" → and somehow the "just bundle a serial code with it" crowd shows up anyway
    It's a fan meeting, so it's not that different, come on
    10AnonymousSep 8, 2026 20:26
    Seriously stop force-bundling merch just to jack up the price
    The "Chu-tori-era Live" (a past concert) was 4,000 yen with no merch attached, so this doesn't add up
    13AnonymousSep 8, 2026 20:45
    Re: #10
    Chu-tori-era: 4,000 yen
    Sports Festival: 12,500 yen
    What is this??
    11AnonymousSep 8, 2026 20:35
    Saw a post on X about this — even with upgrades, wouldn't total sales at a 10,000-capacity venue in the Kanto/Kansai area barely move?
    If upgrades only apply to 10% = 1,000 attendees and you double their per-head price, total sales only go up by about 1.1x.
    Sounds like Liella!'s ("Star's") management must be in pretty rough financial shape.
    Then again, if attendance drops even 10% it hurts revenue more — makes you wonder if a boycott could actually happen.
    14AnonymousSep 8, 2026 20:47
    Re: #11
    They're now charging for good seats that used to come free with a regular ticket, and it costs them nothing to offer — pure margin.
    I'd bet it's more profitable than whatever they lose from fewer attendees.
    12AnonymousSep 8, 2026 20:35
    It's all JASRAC's fault, really (JASRAC — Japan's music copyright collection society)
    15AnonymousSep 8, 2026 20:50
    The idiot management probably thinks people will just pay for upgrades at every show they used to attend, but nope — now that upgrades exist, I'm cutting all my travel dates.
    Paying big money at a crappy venue for an arena-seat gacha, or a guaranteed spot in the back? Are they serious?
    19AnonymousSep 8, 2026 20:56
    Honestly, the number of touring fans is definitely going to drop. Hasunosora ("Lotus") is doing regional upgrade seats too, but that's in Kanazawa, a venue where you can actually lose the lottery, so it's not exactly reassuring to attempt.
    Doing this for Liella!, which already struggles to fill regional venues, just seems like self-sabotage.
    31AnonymousSep 8, 2026 21:14
    Re: #19
    Feels like all Liella! management cares about is keeping it alive longer than Nijigasaki ("Rainbow"), its senior by three years.
    Can't very well fold the junior series before the senior one, right?
    25AnonymousSep 8, 2026 21:06
    For a sense of scale, I think the Asia tour is a good comparison.
    28AnonymousSep 8, 2026 21:11
    Re: #25
    Raising upgrade prices to match that kind of scale would actually make the most sense to me.
    33AnonymousSep 8, 2026 21:28
    Liella!'s previous numbered tour stopped in Yokohama and Nagoya, FYI.
    46AnonymousSep 8, 2026 22:34
    Re: #33
    Oh right, last time didn't have an Osaka stop either and it was at an exhibition hall, so I skipped it.
    Totally forgot about that.
    The one I actually went to was the tour before that.
    38AnonymousSep 8, 2026 21:35
    If they're just raising prices without the performance quality going up, I don't need to go. Love Live keeps getting less fun every year — thinking they can still charge more for it is management seriously fooling themselves.
    41AnonymousSep 8, 2026 22:01
    Sounds like the people complaining just don't want to go unless they're up front.
    Either way you're paying the same amount, no?
    50AnonymousSep 8, 2026 22:57
    Re: #41
    ?
    Up until now you had a shot at a front-row seat for the same price.
    44AnonymousSep 8, 2026 22:29
    Once you put a price gap between seats, you also have to think about how fan service is distributed.
    For example, if they add a backstage area or use the cart/trolley a lot to look out for the back seats, the upgrade buyers will complain,
    but if they completely ignore the back seats, everyone who didn't upgrade will bail.
    That's a tricky balancing act to pull off — can Liella! actually manage it?
    56AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:21
    Re: #44
    Judging by the recent "Chu-tori" show, doesn't look like they've thought it through at all.
    69AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:49
    Re: #44
    Uma Musume did a seating layout surrounding a center stage once, and the cast kept turning their backs to the most expensive seats, which got complaints.
    Probably because of the complaints, it was fixed by the next day, though.
    47AnonymousSep 8, 2026 22:40
    Wait, is Love Live the only seiyuu-live franchise pulling this upgrade business model?
    I don't know about the others, so I checked the live event pages for what seemed like the most comparable ones — idolmaster, Uma Musume, and MyGO/Mujica (BanG Dream! sub-units) —
    and they have seat grades and stuff, but none of them seem to do post-lottery upgrades.
    53AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:14
    Re: #47
    I feel like TrySail has done something like that before.
    58AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:26
    Imagine an Ichiban Kuji lottery draw (a tiered prize raffle common at Japanese pop-culture events) that used to cost 800 yen
    and now they tell you: "From now on, a shot at the A, B, or C prize costs 1,600 yen.
    If you only want a shot at the lower-tier prizes, you can still draw for 800 yen like before!"
    Who's actually going to draw for that?
    84AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:12
    Re: #58
    With that analogy, the lower-tier prizes would stop showing up cheap secondhand, so plenty of people would still draw just for those.
    61AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:33
    Unlike tiered seat sales, upgrades feel like being charged twice, which probably makes the psychological burden bigger.
    And you're literally paying handling fees twice too.
    63AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:38
    Re: #61
    Since there's no resale, skipping the upgrade means a guaranteed back seat, so I bet a lot of people will end up only attending one arena show in Kanto or Kansai in person for Liella!.
    This time there's no Kansai venue, and Fukuoka and Aichi are both full-flat floor seating, so I'd guess it ends up pretty empty.
    73AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:00
    Read between the lines — they're in the red badly enough that they had to resort to upgrades.
    If you don't like it, just wait around until the franchise dies off.
    77AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:06
    Re: #73
    With backlash this bad, won't the "zentsuu" crowd (fans who attend every single show) either cut back on how many shows they hit, or drop out entirely — shrinking sales even further?
    79AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:07
    Re: #77
    Guess the whole series just ends, then.
    Fine by me.
    Love Live Fes 2 can be the last hurrah.
    81AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:09
    Re: #79
    Just end "Star" (Liella!/Superstar!!) already.
    Rainbow (Nijigasaki), Lotus (Hasunosora), and Bird (another Love Live sub-franchise) still have anime coming, so they're not backed into a corner enough to fold yet.
    80AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:09
    Re: #76
    Didn't idolmaster's Shiny Colors bundle an earliest-priority lottery serial code with a 70,000-yen live Blu-ray?
    83AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:12
    Re: #80
    Yeah, that's correct.
    Shiny Colors bundled a serial code for earliest-priority front-row access to their shuffle-unit live show with the Blu-ray.

    Background and key points

    The “upgrade” discussed here refers to a system that lets fans pay extra to move from their lottery-assigned seat to a better one. In the thread, users compared Love Live! to other seiyuu-driven live franchises like idolmaster and Uma Musume, both of which offer ticket resale and tiered seat pricing — features Love Live! has neither of — and that gap became a major source of complaints. At the same time, some posters defended the move, arguing that as the fanbase keeps shrinking, expanding revenue streams is simply unavoidable, so this isn’t a case of simple management-bashing. Some posters also worked out that upgrades apply to only a small fraction of winners’ seats, meaning even doubling the price would have a limited effect on total revenue — a gap between the emotional backlash and the actual revenue math that’s easy for readers to miss.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Love Live!) thread “Fans grumble over Love Live! concert upgrade system.”

  • Switch 2 Zelda 40th Anniversary Model Priced at ¥62,980 — 5ch: ‘Nearly ¥80,000 With the Pro Controller’

    Nintendo has announced a Pro Controller and carrying case for the Nintendo Switch 2 “Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Edition.” Both go on sale October 29, 2026: the Pro Controller comes with a display stand for ¥12,980 (tax included), and the carrying case comes with a screen protector for ¥3,980 (tax included). The full anniversary-edition console bundle costs ¥62,980 (tax included), and on 5ch’s Hardware & Industry (“Geha”) board, many posters expressed shock at the total price, noting that adding the Pro Controller and case brings the cost to nearly ¥80,000. At the same time, the design drew praise, and opinions were split on whether it would attract scalpers and how it compares to past commemorative models.

    4AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:36
    "Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller: The Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Edition (with Display Stand)"

    Product Overview
    Product Name: Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller The Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Edition (with Display Stand)
    Release Date: October 29, 2026
    MSRP: ¥12,980 (tax included)
    Publisher: Nintendo
    Copyright: © Nintendo
    Notes: Game software not included.
    10AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:36
    Re: #4
    The Pro Controller's expensive!
    6AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:36
    "Nintendo Switch 2 Carrying Case: The Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Edition (with Screen Protector)"

    Product Overview
    Product Name: Nintendo Switch 2 Carrying Case The Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Edition (with Screen Protector)
    Release Date: October 29, 2026
    MSRP: ¥3,980 (tax included)
    Publisher: Nintendo
    Copyright: © Nintendo
    Notes: Game software not included.
    7AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:36
    I want this so bad
    Might just give my current Switch 2 to someone and buy this one instead
    8AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:36
    Gold and black…

    Wonder why

    Probably so it'll match up with a brand new title too
    13AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:37
    Comes with a display stand

    What's this?
    Mine didn't come with one lol
    15AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:37
    It's pricey, but if it's limited edition it'll sell even at double
    16AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:37
    Here comes the scalper bait ━━━━(°∀°)━━━━!!
    19AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:38
    Not really an impulse-buy price for a second one anymore
    20AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:38
    This one's Japan-only too though — who are they gonna scalp it to lol
    33AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:42
    Oh, so they can actually put out a proper limited-edition console
    Wish they'd done something like this for ZA (fan shorthand, likely for an upcoming Zelda title)
    62AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:50
    Re: #33
    Pretty good chance they'll do a 'Namikaze' version too (term unclear in context, possibly a nickname for another release)
    36AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:43
    Wait, isn't that cheap?
    Didn't it come with the Pro Controller and storage case?
    49AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:46
    Re: #36
    If those were included it'd be ¥80,000
    44AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:45
    Switch 2
    53AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:46
    Are there really idiots out there who'd buy this?
    57AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:48
    Re: #53
    The 30th Anniversary PS5 was shockingly still sitting on shelves unsold, but I bet this one sells out instantly
    64AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:50
    Might be a sign the Pro Controller's getting a price hike — they threw in the display stand this time to make it easier to swallow
    71AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:53
    Re: #64
    ¥11,980

    The Resident Evil-design Pro Controller 2 costs +¥2,000 just for the design
    66AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:51
    Nice design. If I'm getting a Switch 2, this might be the one

    Never even played a Zelda game though
    69AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:51
    Re: #66
    At least going by looks alone, you could recommend it even to non-Zelda fans
    82AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:57
    Re: #66
    No game bundled in, so it should be an easy buy
    Though whether you can actually get one amid the scalper wars is another story…
    72AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:53
    Buy it with the Pro Controller and it's nearly ¥80,000
    What a time to be alive
    74AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:54
    Re: #72
    Well, the performance's improved to match
    75AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:55
    That's cool



    77AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:56
    Guess buying the ¥498,000 launch-day bundle with Mario Kart was the real winning move after all
    80AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:57
    Re: #77
    If you don't care about looks, that one was the best deal
    81AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:57
    A black Triforce…

    90AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:00
    Re: #81
    Nintendo announced today (May 22, 2026) that it has begun streaming music from 'The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds' on Nintendo Music, the music streaming service for Nintendo Switch Online members.
    5.22 = 2.22
    Switch 2

    'Kamitora 2' (fan nickname), official English title:
    The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds

    😱


    85AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:58
    The Tears of the Kingdom Edition Switch was left unsold too, so there's no profit in scalping this one either — scalpers probably won't even bother lol
    89AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:00
    Re: #85
    Just wait and see
    91AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:03
    Splatoon Raiders bundle edition 「 」
    111AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:20
    Re: #91
    Bundles for big-name titles are probably going to become the norm from here on
    92AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:03
    Just changing the design tacks on about ¥7,000?
    96AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:05
    Re: #92
    I'll be buying this one though
    99AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:09
    https://gzo.ai/i/ZB1Ur6T.jpg
    Whoa!!
    102AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:11
    Re: #99
    Whoaaaaaaa

    108AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:16
    A sad no-game memory
    I bought the Animal Crossing New 3DS Edition and it didn't come with the game
    Though looking back, having the genuine AC adapter included has come in handy as a spare
    110AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:17
    Re: #108
    Nintendo's basically stopped bundling games with hardware these days, out of consideration for both digital and physical buyers

    Background and Talking Points

    Nintendo has continued its policy of releasing commemorative models not just for the console itself but also for peripherals like the Pro Controller and carrying case, and this release is sold on its own without any bundled game software. Posters in the thread pointed to past examples — such as the ‘Tears of the Kingdom Edition’ Switch console still sitting on shelves right after launch, and the 30th Anniversary PS5 that went largely unsold — as evidence that a commemorative model doesn’t automatically guarantee an instant sellout, a point reflected in the reaction to this price as well. Some estimated that buying the Pro Controller and case together with the console comes to nearly ¥80,000 in total, making the rising price range of these ‘Anniversary Edition’ commemorative items, peripherals included, a central point of discussion.

    ※This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Hardware & Industry / ‘Geha’) thread “Switch 2 Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Edition ¥62,980 (tax included) wwwwwwww”.

  • Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake Launches November 5 — 5ch Reacts: ‘They Didn’t Cut Corners’

    During the “Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Direct 2026.9.8” stream on September 8, Nintendo announced that a remake of the 1998 NINTENDO64 title The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time will launch for Nintendo Switch 2 on November 5, 2026, and released new footage. Reaction on 5ch was split: some praised the polished, detailed graphics, while others repeatedly voiced discomfort with the visual texture, calling it “too shiny” or “like LEGO plastic.” Posters also expressed disappointment that the 40th-anniversary milestone brought a remake rather than a brand-new entry, along with gripes about the hardware’s price.

    Published 9/8 (Tue) 23:25

    It’s been decided: a remake of the massively popular game The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time will launch on Nintendo Switch 2 on November 5, 2026. The announcement came during today’s “Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Direct 2026.9.8” stream, which also revealed new footage.

    The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is an action-adventure/action-RPG released by Nintendo for the NINTENDO 64 (N64) on November 21, 1998.

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

    2AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:35
    Do Vajra's Mask next! (probably meant Majora's Mask — likely a typo/joke)
    3AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:35
    What kind of sorcery lets them pull off graphics like that on a Switch 2?
    5AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:37
    79AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:15
    Re: #5
    Ocarina's my favorite out of these
    96AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:26
    Re: #5
    Oka-myon, komatsuna style (a cutesy nickname for Ocarina paired with a random leafy green — classic 5ch non-sequitur humor)
    9AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:39
    Even Green Link got cuter.
    Honestly, he might be the cutest character in the whole lineup now.
    10AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:40
    Better than Breath of the Wild or Tears of the Kingdom?
    11AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:40
    This is exactly why the 'Kasswitch 2' can't beat GTA6 (kasu = "crap," a pun on "Switch")
    48AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:54
    Re: #11
    Hope the disabled crowd gets some good games too (5ch slang — an auto word-filter often swaps in "disabled" as a dig at a fanbase, likely Switch/Nintendo fans here)
    14AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:42
    The first game that ever made my butthole clench from falling off somewhere high
    16AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:42
    Looked fun, but it's probably gonna run about ¥10,000.
    17AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:42
    Doesn't look like it's open world — the vibe of Kokiri Forest is totally different.
    Wonder if the camera and movement restrictions will be gone?

    No price was announced either.
    18AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:42
    More than that, I'm curious about the live-action movie.
    Just hoping it doesn't end up giving off major "this isn't it" vibes.
    23AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:44
    Anyway, the anniversary edition console's probably gonna go for a premium — scalpers, stand by.
    26AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:47
    Why won't they budge on remaking Twilight Princess?
    Even without a remake, just sell a digital version of the original so we can play it on Switch already.
    28AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:47
    This means a Majora's Mask remake is coming too.
    29AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:47
    How many times is this now?

    Theory: the number of remakes that have actually succeeded is zero.
    30AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:47
    It's coming, it's coming, The Legend of Zelda
    it's coming it's coming it's coming it's coming, finally coming
    31AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:48
    It's the 40th anniversary and there's no "we're making an amazing new title" announcement…?
    37AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:49
    Re: #31
    No point announcing something that won't even come out until at least 2029
    33AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:48
    The commercial for the N64 version was so lame.
    Bring back that cringe scene where someone yells and Link flinches, would ya.
    34AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:48
    Whoa, they're making one of those, huh. I only bought up through the Wii, but I figured I'd look into it — checked the Switch 2 price and it's ¥60,000, lol. I could've sworn Nintendo used to have a rule about keeping hardware under ¥25,000, and now it's more than double that. They used to make their money on software and licensing instead of hardware margins. Guess Nintendo's gone full profit-chasing too. As a longtime fan, that's genuinely disappointing.
    36AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:49
    Re: #1
    This, that, remake after remake…

    Guess they're just out of ideas.
    39AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:50
    This old man hasn't touched a single Zelda game since Zelda II: The Adventure of Link.
    40AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:50
    So anyway, when does Zelda actually go on her own adventure?
    41AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:51
    Ocarina of Time was great.
    It was basically open world for its era.
    42AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:51
    Switch 2, huh…
    Well, yeah, of course it is.
    43AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:51
    Re: #37
    Oh, okay.
    Nintendo's turned into a pretty pathetic company.
    44AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:52
    Brand new hardware and it's nothing but remakes and leftovers lol
    45AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:52
    Re: #1
    Hey Nintendo — I get that you want to sell consoles, but could you at least remake stuff that's over 10 years old for Windows too?
    47AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:53
    Can it land a perfect score in Famitsu's review?
    49AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:55
    Is it still comfortable to play without the N64 controller?
    56AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:57
    Good that it doesn't feel like a lazy remake.
    You can feel the "we will not screw this up" determination.
    57AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:57
    Link and a bird flying over the lake — that wasn't in the original, right?
    New feature incoming!
    58AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:58
    Re: #1
    The disabled crowd's weirdly worked up about this lol (again, 5ch's filtered term for a jab at a fanbase — likely Switch/Nintendo fans)
    59AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:58
    Honestly, I think I'm good on Ocarina of Time at this point.

    Background and key points of debate

    Ocarina of Time originally launched for the NINTENDO64 on November 21, 1998, and was previously remade once before, for the 3DS in 2011 (Ocarina of Time 3D). This marks a second remake, positioned as a flagship title for the new Switch 2 hardware. Thread opinion split mainly over the graphics’ texture, with complaints that it looked “too shiny” or “like LEGO or plastic” coexisting alongside praise that it was “polished and doesn’t feel like a lazy remake.” A second point of contention was disappointment that the 40th-anniversary milestone produced a remake announcement rather than a brand-new title, with some grumbling that “it’s remake after remake — they’re out of ideas.” Note that as of the September 8 announcement, the price of the software itself hadn’t been revealed; the “¥60,000” figure mentioned in the thread actually referred to the Switch 2 console’s price, a detail that’s easy to misread. The scene of Link flying over a lake with a bird, shown in the footage, appears to be a new addition not present in the original, suggesting this may not be a straightforward port.

    *This article was compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Geisports Sokuho+) thread “Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake — November 5 Release Confirmed, New Footage Revealed.”

  • New “Superstar!!” (Liella!) Update Struggles for “Likes” — 5ch: “Do You Even Understand Supply and Demand?”

    On September 8, a gap in “like” counts between new social-media posts from different Love Live! sub-series became a hot topic on 5ch. A new live-announcement post from “Liella!” (Superstar!!) stayed stuck in the 4,000s for likes, while posts tied to “Hasunosora” pulled in anywhere from roughly 4,000 to over 9,000 — and posters were quick to flag the gap. The thread also dragged in CD sales figures, streaming listener counts, and Sports Festival attendance as evidence, with opinions split between “people are watching, they just don’t actually like it” and others chalking the gap up to differences in supply versus demand.

    1AnonymousSep 8, 2026 18:03
    Is Superstar!! really okay going this route?
    People already care less about it than Hangyasaki now, don't they?
    3AnonymousSep 8, 2026 18:10
    But it's beating the latest Hangyasaki chapter (a Hasunosora spin-off 4-panel comic) by 20K impressions and nearly 200 more reposts…
    4AnonymousSep 8, 2026 18:12
    "People are watching but they don't actually like it" — isn't that basically hell?
    5AnonymousSep 8, 2026 18:24
    Let me throw a stone into this pond.

    What about Hasunosora?
    8AnonymousSep 8, 2026 18:31
    Re: #5
    Here's Hasunosora's new-info post.
    And for the record, this isn't even their pinned post.
    6AnonymousSep 8, 2026 18:24
    People also pointed out the low like count back when the 7th [anniversary live] was announced, but the Hoshi faithful (fans of Superstar!!/Liella!, "hoshi" meaning "star") said at the time it was "just spread thin because there's a YouTube announcement too, plus a separate notice post apart from the video."
    9AnonymousSep 8, 2026 18:32
    My bad.
    Hangyasaki actually runs on days that are multiples of 5, so that comparison doesn't really hold up…
    10AnonymousSep 8, 2026 18:34
    Going by the new info (the next live announcement), Liella! is now doing worse than Ikizu Live.
    Isn't this basically over?
    11AnonymousSep 8, 2026 18:36
    Being under half of Hasunosora's numbers, fine, I get that. But falling below Ikizu Live is genuinely bad.
    12AnonymousSep 8, 2026 18:38
    This isn't really the time to be celebrating "20,000 CDs sold," is it? At this point it's basically just a handful of hardcore diehards left.
    13AnonymousSep 8, 2026 18:43
    Nijigasaki's pinned post with the movie key visual has 23.7K — having a movie really is powerful.
    15AnonymousSep 8, 2026 18:47
    Niji >>> Hasu >>> Tori > Hoshi (fan shorthand for Nijigasaki, Hasunosora, a third group, and Superstar!!/Liella!, each named for a kanji in the group's name)
    Isn't that basically the current pecking order? Ikizu Live 2nd alone drew more people than all four Sports Festival shows combined.
    18AnonymousSep 8, 2026 18:51
    Re: #15
    Going by this year's sales:

    Hoshi >>>>>>>>> (the 20K wall) >>>>>>>>>> Hasu > (the under-10K wall) > Niji > Hoshi

    Face reality, spin-off fanboy.
    22AnonymousSep 8, 2026 18:53
    Re: #18
    Wait, isn't Hoshi at the bottom too?
    23AnonymousSep 8, 2026 18:54
    Re: #18
    Hoshi's at the bottom too, lol.
    16AnonymousSep 8, 2026 18:48
    Hangyasaki's probably going to get quietly cancelled too before anyone notices.
    It's just a hollow, buzz-chasing 4-panel comic like Ryouran.
    Nijigasaki will probably be completely done by next year, but Liella! has grown into content solid enough that Tutorial Live and the Sports Festival can probably keep going for another 5 years — it's not even a contest.
    17AnonymousSep 8, 2026 18:49
    Were these so-called "kids" even at the Sports Festival, though?
    24AnonymousSep 8, 2026 18:54
    Re: #17
    All I saw were balding middle-aged guys…
    30AnonymousSep 8, 2026 18:57
    2409 — Koi no Tutorial
    2224 — A・ZU・NA

    You can tell just from these numbers that it's a typo.
    67AnonymousSep 8, 2026 21:38
    Re: #30
    Not trying to defend Hoshi here, but Niji's in no position to get complacent either.
    38AnonymousSep 8, 2026 19:04
    Can we drop this low-level infighting already?

    Gakuen Idolmaster: "Here's the next gacha update~"
    57.8K
    https://x.com/gkmas_official/status/2096527650382889023

    MyGO!!!!! (nicknamed "Maigo," or "lost child"): "Cover song MV is up!"
    13K
    https://x.com/bang_dream_mygo/status/2096206716216185077
    40AnonymousSep 8, 2026 19:05
    Anyone can hit "like," you know — even bots can.
    Don't run away from the fact that 20,000 fans actually paid real money for a mini-album in the first week, Niji fanboy.
    41AnonymousSep 8, 2026 19:06
    Re: #40
    That's exactly why Liella!'s actual in-person turnout is now below Ikizu Live's.
    45AnonymousSep 8, 2026 19:16
    If the CD sold 20,000 copies, why was the Sports Festival so empty?
    60AnonymousSep 8, 2026 19:59
    Re: #45
    Because there was no send-off event or handshake session afterward.
    46AnonymousSep 8, 2026 19:20
    Do you even understand supply and demand?

    If Niji is 100 demand / 100 supply,
    then Hoshi is just 250 demand / 350 supply.

    With no scarcity, the bugs all swarm in looking for scraps — as actual content momentum goes, you lose.
    48AnonymousSep 8, 2026 19:22
    Re: #46
    Superstar!! is oversupplying by a full 100 then.
    That's exactly why the bromides go unsold and the cast ends up having to sign the leftovers.
    53AnonymousSep 8, 2026 19:29
    Listener counts, 9/1 → 9/8:

    Liella!
    55,785 → 55,336 (-449)

    A・ZU・NA
    10,664 → 12,708 (+2,044)

    Can someone explain this phenomenon?
    58AnonymousSep 8, 2026 19:39
    Re: #53
    A・ZU・NA's bump is just the new-song effect, plain and simple.
    Liella! shrinking is nothing new at this point.

    Actually, Liella!'s been steadily declining ever since that festival appearance a while back.
    61AnonymousSep 8, 2026 20:08
    It's already an open secret that Liella's numbers are just 2,000 fans buying 10 copies each…

    Every piece of circumstantial evidence points to exactly that…
    64AnonymousSep 8, 2026 20:10
    Re: #61
    And then seeing them blow all that money and turn around demanding an end to seat upgrades makes you wonder if they're not too bright.
    78AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:46
    It's not like the spin-off fans leaked anything — the 8th [live] blunder was on the official side, and the fan-disc info came straight from Bandai Namco Filmworks' own official site.
    81AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:23
    Re: #78
    Listen, hater —
    there's no such thing as a "spin-off" in Love Live.
    It's all main canon.

    Background and Talking Points

    The Love Live! franchise runs several sub-brands in parallel — “Nijigasaki High School Idol Club,” “Hasunosora Jogakuin School Idol Club,” and “Liella!” (Superstar!!, or “Supasuta”) among them — each with its own social media accounts, CD releases, and live tours. Fans regularly debate which sub-brand currently has the most momentum, citing metrics like “likes” and impressions on new-info posts, CD sales figures, and streaming listener counts. It’s worth noting, though, that “like” counts can shift depending on posting timing and how announcements are split up (for example, whether a YouTube announcement is posted separately), so a simple numbers comparison doesn’t necessarily reflect actual sales, attendance, or long-term prospects. Even within the thread, posters raised cases where the metrics don’t line up — such as a CD selling 20,000 copies while the Sports Festival had visibly empty seats — underscoring how hard it is to judge superiority from any single number.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Love Live!) thread “Superstar!! new info → 4K likes, Hangyasaki → 4K-9K likes.”

  • Gifu Cake Shop Arson: Death of 70-Something Executive Ruled Burn Shock

    In a fire at a cake shop in Motosu, Gifu Prefecture, that left five men and women dead or injured, police announced on the 8th that an autopsy found the cause of death for a 70-year-old male company executive — who died at the hospital he was taken to — was burn shock from full-body burns. Based on conditions at the scene, police believe the executive may have been involved in the incident and are continuing their investigation. With the motive and witness accounts still unclear, posters on the thread speculated wildly about how an uninvited person came to be at the scene, and about a mismatched headcount some compared to Moto Hagio’s classic manga 11 Nin Iru! (“They Were Eleven”).

    9/8 (Tue), 7:49 PM

    Mainichi Shimbun

    In the case of a fire that broke out at a cake shop in Motosu, Gifu Prefecture, leaving five men and women dead or injured, police announced on the 8th that the cause of death for a 70-year-old male company executive, who died at the hospital he was taken to, was burn shock from full-body burns. This was determined through an autopsy. Based on conditions at the scene, police believe the executive may have been involved in the incident.

    Source: topics.smt.docomo.ne.jp / Original article here

    5AnonymousSep 8, 2026 22:50
    So an uninvited guy showed up with a knife and gasoline?
    7AnonymousSep 8, 2026 22:52
    Re: #5
    Sounds like a witch out of a Disney movie.
    8AnonymousSep 8, 2026 22:52
    Sounds like he wanted to stab people, torch the place, and escape — but ended up taking himself out instead.
    21AnonymousSep 8, 2026 22:58
    This thread where nobody gets the 11 Nin Iru! reference
    46AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:04
    Re: #21
    Well, popular as it was, it's an old shojo manga — most people probably have no clue what it is.
    58AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:08
    Re: #21
    I watched the anime once but remember it not being that interesting…
    108AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:23
    Re: #21
    A horrific, awful incident like this shouldn't be mentioned in the same breath as a Moto Hagio masterpiece.
    26AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:00
    Still no witness testimony coming out.
    81AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:14
    Re: #26
    Yeah, nothing yet. The funeral director apparently said something about him not being invited, but nobody's actually come forward saying they witnessed the crime itself.
    94AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:20
    Re: #26
    It's been on TV news though.
    31AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:01
    Sounds like the plan was: kill them, set the fire, escape, and get in the car — but when he doused the place in gasoline and lit it, of course the flames caught on him first. Got badly burned, barely made it into the driver's seat, and died there?
    37AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:02
    Re: #31
    Yeah, I feel like I heard about someone accidentally setting themselves on fire before too — was that the Aoba case?
    93AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:20
    Re: #31
    Like in Rambo — soak the spot you want to burn, then trail off in a thin line like a fuse, and light it from outside the entrance by tossing in a spark. Though Rambo used gunpowder from a gun shop, not gasoline.
    40AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:03
    Even if he'd survived, this was a death-penalty case regardless.
    42AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:04
    Re: #40
    The families probably wished he could've been saved — just barely — so they could kill him properly themselves.
    60AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:09
    Re: #40
    But he's only got 2 kills right now, so it's kind of borderline.
    69AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:12
    Still no motive? And why did it end up with 10 classmates getting burned to death anyway?
    74AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:14
    Re: #69
    Classmates staying silent… there's some darkness in there that can't be made public…
    75AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:14
    Re: #69
    It's the result of him crashing a mahjong tournament the classmates were holding among themselves. How he even found out about it is the real mystery.
    76AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:14
    Re: #69
    Normally you'd assume there was some bullying involved, I'd guess.
    83AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:16
    Whether it's Hayashi or Aoba, they probably acted on some inner voice of God.
    113AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:26
    Re: #83
    More like an inner evil spirit, no?
    157AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:39
    Re: #83
    What Aoba hit was a studio that represented Japanese anime as a whole — this is just some cake shop out in the countryside. Not sure what 'meaning' there's even supposed to be here.
    88AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:18
    What is up with this guy — [Gifu Cake Shop Fire] 'Had been dating the female shop owner for several years' — deceased man (70) left behind records of a 'trip to North Korea' <Police investigating on suspicion of murder and arson> (Bunshun Online)
    https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/df600a9e9263818a7e8c044453840693d12915e4
    110AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:24
    Re: #88
    >'trip to North Korea'
    Does that mean he knew Madam Dewi too?
    111AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:24
    Re: #88
    Is that also why he had ties with Madam Dewi?
    96AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:21
    He only invited 10 people, but there were 11. That's such a classic horror-story setup, isn't it — everyone ends up dead in the end.
    101AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:22
    Re: #96
    Lame punchline though — turns out it's just some uninvited guy who showed up.
    137AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:34
    Re: #96
    Wait, hold on. If he invited 10 people, that's 11 including himself, right? Then one more person crashes it, everyone dies… and the bodies found still number 11. Wait, what? Isn't that the actual horror twist?
    145AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:37
    He was a 70-year-old company executive, so he must've had a fair amount of money. What could possibly have driven him to do something like this? He could've just spent his remaining years taking it easy.
    149AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:38
    Re: #145
    Sounds like he lived alone with his daughter.
    163AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:43
    Re: #145
    He probably loved himself an awful lot. That alone seems like it'd explain most of it.
    173AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:48
    Re: #145
    Having money is exactly what makes people's attitudes turn arrogant. All he had was money, but he convinced himself that made him important.

    Background and Key Points of This Discussion

    What police announced was only the cause of death as determined by autopsy — the executive’s suspected “murder and arson” remains just that, a suspicion, at this stage. Motive and witness accounts had not been made public as of the evening of the 8th, and the thread’s speculation ballooned to fill that gap. Especially prominent were comparisons to the Kyoto Animation arson attack (Shinji Aoba), still fresh in public memory, with posters repeatedly drawing parallels between the self-injurious arson method and the idea of an “inner impulse.” A weekly-magazine report (Bunshun Online) on the executive’s travel history to North Korea was also shared, though it’s worth noting this comes from a separate media source, not a police announcement. The core questions — the motive, his relationship with the cake shop’s owner, and how an uninvited person came to be at the scene — remain unconfirmed and under investigation, and most of the thread’s posts amount to nothing more than speculation.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Breaking News+) thread “[There Were 11] Executive Man Suspected of Involvement, Cause of Death Was Burn Shock — Fire at Gifu/Motosu Cake Shop.”

  • National Superstar Actress and Male Idol’s “Bar-Hopping Date” Report Sparks ID-Guessing Frenzy on 5ch

    On the afternoon of September 9, the breaking-news account for “Weekly Post” teased an upcoming scoop about a “bar-hopping date” between a national superstar actress and a male idol. Photos were set to be published later that afternoon, and at this point neither their real names nor anything beyond silhouettes had been revealed. On 5ch, posters flooded in to guess the identities of the actress and idol based on the shadow photo attached to the teaser tweet. Notably, opinions on who even counts as a “national superstar actress” split sharply along generational lines, and the discussion heated up without ever reaching a definitive answer.

    [Scoop Preview]

    National superstar actress and male idol caught on a “bar-hopping date” 📷

    Set to publish around midday on 9/9

    Source: x.com / Original article here

    4AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:55
    If she's a drinker… maybe it's Wakako Shimazaki?
    7AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:55
    Ashida Pro's at that age now too (childhood nickname for actress Mana Ashida). Just let her be.
    30AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:01
    Re: #7
    She's only 22 — that freaked me out
    9AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:55
    There probably hasn't been a real "superstar actress" left since even the Heisei era
    10AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:56
    The only "national superstar actress" left is Kayo Noro lol
    12AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:56
    Re: #10
    Oh, that was easy then
    11AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:56
    If it's a single national superstar actress, it's gotta be Haruka Ayase, or Suzu Hirose at best
    17AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:57
    Re: #11
    Kasumi Arimura or Minami Hamabe could be a dark horse too
    56AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:06
    Re: #11
    Also remember the actress who played Takashi's wife in the morning drama "Anpan"
    24AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:59
    The only "national superstar actress" I can think of is Sayuri Yoshinaga
    54AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:06
    Re: #24
    Re: #25
    Alright grandpa, time for bed
    25AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:59
    Sayuri Yoshinaga's about the only "national superstar actress" there is
    26AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:59
    What about Masami Nagasawa?
    124AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:19
    Re: #26
    She's married though
    32AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:02
    Sayuri Yoshinaga and who?
    43AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:04
    Re: #32
    Yeah, that's the tier a superstar actress should be at. Next up would be someone like Yuki Amami
    36AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:02
    They keep saying "national superstar actress" but isn't it probably just some morning-drama heroine at best?
    Seems short too — maybe Mio Imada
    61AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:07
    Apparently it's Hiyori Sakurada and Ren Meguro
    88AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:11
    Re: #61
    Ren Meguro's in Canada
    64AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:07
    Haruka Ayase and someone from Johnny's?
    70AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:08
    Re: #64
    If it's a national superstar actress, that's probably about the range
    69AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:08
    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HRsF7MrbUAAZnuj.jpg
    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HRsF7MobMAEC-Im.jpg
    76AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:09
    Re: #69
    Looks kind of like Hamabe
    77AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:09
    Going by this silhouette, it's got to be Mio Imada, Suzu Hirose, or Kanna Hashimoto
    Doesn't seem like Sayuri Yoshinaga though
    106AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:15
    Re: #77
    Suzu doesn't wear skirts
    79AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:09
    Ugh… this thread reeks of old-man smell!
    82AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:10
    Re: #79
    Rude — that's the smell of dentures
    81AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:10
    Seto Kanna is cuter than Hashimoto Kanna
    92AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:12
    Re: #81
    Even possessed, she's just grinning away — it's kind of creepy
    109AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:15
    Setsuko Hara and Chishu Ryu?
    115AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:18
    Re: #109
    Chishu Ryu was never an idol
    117AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:18
    Re: #109
    You can't turn Chishu Ryu into an idol
    111AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:16
    Maybe the guy isn't that big a name
    If he were really popular, he wouldn't just be a "male idol"
    122AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:19
    Re: #111
    Erika Sawajiri and Hashimoto from A.B.C-Z
    119AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:19
    It's probably just Haruka Ayase and Jesse anyway
    123AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:19
    Re: #119
    Judging by the silhouette, that jawline isn't Ayase's
    Not sharp enough
    120AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:19
    Does a "national superstar actress" even exist these days?
    If you had to name one, who would it be? Non (Rena Nonen)?
    126AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:20
    Re: #120
    It's Erika Sawajiri and Hashimoto from A.B.C-Z

    Background and Points of Debate

    This kind of scoop teaser is a format Post Seven’s breaking-news account has used repeatedly: build buzz with a silhouette photo before the full article goes live. Where the thread split was over just who counts as a “national superstar actress” — some assumed veteran heavyweights like Sayuri Yoshinaga or Haruka Ayase, while others pointed to younger, morning-drama-generation stars like Mio Imada or Suzu Hirose, exposing a clear generational gap in perception. On the male idol side, several names came up too, including A.B.C-Z’s Hashimoto and SixTONES’ Jesse, but the silhouette alone wasn’t enough to pin anyone down, and it all stayed speculation. Keep in mind that no real names will be confirmed until the full article is published.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “[Post Seven Teaser] National Superstar Actress and Male Idol’s “Bar-Hopping Date”.”

  • Nintendo’s New Remake Priced at ¥8,980 Sparks Debate: “Did They Just Polish the Graphics?”

    A thread went up on 5ch’s Hardware/Industry (Geha) board about Nintendo’s new remake title. Some users pushed back on the ¥8,980 price tag, arguing “all they did was polish the graphics, add full voice acting, and throw in a jump button, and that’s the price?” while others praised the solid approach of boosting quality-of-life without touching the original’s core structure. Later in the thread, a long back-and-forth broke out over a hidden “burn the terrain to proceed” trick that’s existed since the original game, with posters disagreeing over whether it counts as a bug exploit or a legitimate strategy.

    1AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:34
    Never thought Nintendo would pull this
    3AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:35
    Oh, so you'd have preferred it split into episodes with the story rewritten, huh?
    156AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:16
    Re: #3
    What it's really missing is minigames and political correctness lol
    185AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:23
    Re: #3
    Skip the episodic split, but give us a defeat/game-over route
    10AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:39
    Just prettying up a game from almost 30 years ago…
    It's not FF7, come on
    14AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:41
    Re: #10
    If only FF7 had gotten a remake like this instead
    32AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:49
    Re: #10
    If FF7's remake had been like this, it would've actually been praised
    47AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:52
    Re: #10
    Isn't that basically what people wanted from the FF7 remake in the first place?
    Something that kept the main story intact and just polished the graphics while adding side events and extra content
    28AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:46
    Seems like the puzzles actually changed too — that spiderweb which used to only break if you dropped from a height now burns through instead
    But people who never actually played it ("air-play" posers) wouldn't notice
    36AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:49
    Re: #28
    Funny thing is, you could burn through it in the original too
    Equip a burning Deku Stick, and while at critical health wheezing for breath, it catches and lets you push through
    Apparently Koichi Ishii cleared the original that way for the 3DS version
    50AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:52
    Re: #28
    The second spiderweb can only be broken by burning it — don't you remember?
    39AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:50
    Re: #36
    Seriously?
    That's not even in my strategy guide
    First time I've heard this
    64AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:55
    Re: #39
    Well, it's basically an exploit anyway

    Speaking of behind-the-scenes stories from back then, apparently Camelot's Takahashi brothers cleared the Water Temple without ever finding the Zora Tunic
    Supposedly they told Miyahon (Miyamoto), "the Water Temple is way too hard, the underwater breathing time limit is brutal…" and everyone was floored
    76AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:58
    Re: #64
    The first one you break through from a height
    The second one you set on fire
    That's not an exploit at all, it's the intended method
    84AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:59
    Re: #76
    I'm talking about how that "break through from a height" web can actually also be burned through instead — what are you even saying?
    108AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:03
    Re: #76
    Went and watched footage of the original
    You're right
    41AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:51


    Is this one of those memes about faces getting more intense with DLSS5?
    51AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:52
    Re: #41
    Gross
    Goblin
    67AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:56
    Explain to me what's supposed to be fun about manually jumping in spots where auto-jump already handled it
    72AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:57
    Re: #67
    You didn't know? You just feel like jumping for no reason
    75AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:57
    Re: #67
    You end up wasting time trying to force your way up spots you can't actually climb, just because you can jump now
    80AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:58
    Re: #67
    Well, it lets you take shortcuts, doesn't it
    78AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:58
    https://www.nintendo.com/jp/games/switch2/aa9ja/products/soft.html


    ¥8,980 for just modernizing the graphics, adding full voice acting, and letting you jump…😅
    Throw in another ¥1,000 and you could buy GTA6😅
    83AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:58
    Isn't Nintendo's sense of game design kind of off lately?
    Reminds me of about 10 years ago when other companies took their first step toward decline
    87AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:59
    Re: #83
    The only companies that actually declined are the ones like Square Enix, Sega, and Bandai Namco that went all-in on PlayStation lol
    97AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:01
    Re: #83
    Nintendo's been hearing this same criticism forever, and yet
    they're a company that keeps delivering results, so I don't think it's worth worrying about
    88AnonymousSep 8, 2026 23:59
    Re: #84
    In Ura Zelda (the GameCube "Master Quest" version) you also burned through it to progress
    106AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:02
    Re: #88
    No, that's not what I'm talking about at all
    Please learn how to actually follow a conversation
    115AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:05
    Re: #106
    There are two identical spiderwebs inside the Deku Tree, you know — remember that?
    121AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:06
    Re: #106
    You're just self-appointing yourself thread police, unilaterally deciding "this is the spot we're talking about"
    Nobody agreed to that
    122AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:07
    Re: #115
    I keep telling you, that's not what I'm talking about
    I'm talking about how the spiderweb you break by jumping down from a height also has a hidden trick where you can burn through it instead
    Why are you suddenly bringing up the other spiderweb or Ura Zelda?
    125AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:07
    Re: #122
    Who cares, honestly…
    129AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:08
    Re: #122
    It's not a hidden trick at all, burning it is literally the intended solution
    The strategy guide from back then even noted that the candlestick cue meant to hint at this wasn't very clear
    126AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:08
    Ah, this just makes me appreciate how hard the FF remakes actually tried — this one's such an average, boring remake by comparison. Amazed people are getting this hyped over it
    141AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:11
    Re: #126
    It's fine for a remake to be plain
    If you're going to pour that much effort into a remake and turn it into something totally different, just make a new game instead
    143AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:12
    Re: #126
    It's not like this one was made by the actual Zelda team the way EPD1 titles are
    Rather than tying up their ace talent on a remake for years, it's obviously better for them to focus on new titles
    142AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:11
    Re: #129
    I'm saying jumping down from a height to break through is the intended method
    The web itself can technically be burned, but swinging your stick normally doesn't connect downward, so you can't burn it that way under normal play
    Except there's this bug-like quirk where a specific animation happens to connect and burn it anyway — is that getting through to you?
    146AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:13
    Re: #142
    You burn it by rolling or holding up your shield, FYI
    149AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:13
    Re: #142
    I get it just fine, I just think you're going on and on about something pointless
    160AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:16
    Graphics got better
    You can move the camera
    You can jump
    They deliberately kept the loading screens

    See, that's a seriously impressive evolution, right?
    163AnonymousSep 9, 2026 00:17
    I'm shaking


    Background and Key Points of This Debate

    The title generating discussion this time isn’t a brand-new Nintendo game, but a remake of an existing one. It reportedly features modernized graphics, full voice acting, a free-moving camera, and an added jump command, while deliberately keeping things like the original loading times to preserve the original’s atmosphere. It’s priced at ¥8,980, and the thread saw posts comparing that to GTA6’s price — though it’s worth noting that, as of this writing, GTA6 doesn’t actually have a confirmed retail price yet, so that comparison was based purely on one poster’s hearsay. The argument that heated up later in the thread — over whether the spiderweb can be burned through — turns out to be a hidden trick that existed in the original game as well, apparently because it was barely documented in strategy guides at the time. The fact that this remake is being judged not by “how much was changed” but by “how much comfort was added without breaking the original” reflects the differing expectations longtime fans bring to remakes.

    ※This article is compiled as an excerpt/summary of the 5ch (Hardware/Industry (Geha)) thread “Did They Just Polish the Graphics?.”

  • Dr. Takasu Slams Medical School ‘Prestige Bragging’: ‘That’s Idiotic’

    Cosmetic surgeon and clinic director Katsuya Takasu (81) shared his views on medical school prestige rankings on X. Comparing medical school — which he himself graduated from — to “a cram school for earning eligibility to sit the national medical licensing exam” and “basically a driving school,” he bluntly dismissed doctors who brag about their alma mater’s ranking as “idiots.” On the 5channel Geinou/Sports News+ (Geisoku) board, the thread drew plenty of support for the remark, but also pushback — comments like “university quality still matters if you’re aiming for a research career” and “there’s a real difference between national and private universities” — leaving posters split on whether academic pedigree or hands-on experience should matter more.

    Sept 8 (Tue), 7:02 PM

    Katsuya Takasu (81), director of the cosmetic surgery clinic “Takasu Clinic,” updated his X (formerly Twitter) account by September 8 with his views on medical school prestige rankings.

    Takasu, himself a graduate of Showa University School of Medicine, argued: “The truth about university medical schools is that they’re just cram schools for obtaining eligibility to take the national medical licensing exam. In other words, they’re nothing more than driving schools for getting a driver’s license. Any driver who brags about the ranking of the driving school they graduated from is an idiot.”

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

    3AnonymousSep 8, 2026 19:10
    > bragging about the ranking of the driving school you graduated from

    Yeah, pretty much true — unless you're going into research.
    5AnonymousSep 8, 2026 19:12
    Then again, some people — like the ones in Todai's Rika III (science track for med school) — treat just getting in as the whole goal and never even become doctors.
    37AnonymousSep 8, 2026 19:42
    Re: #5
    Honestly I'd rather the really smart ones skip the grubby business of clinical practice and go into research instead.
    10AnonymousSep 8, 2026 19:17
    Don't know much about it, but if you're going into research, a better university probably helps, right?
    11AnonymousSep 8, 2026 19:17
    What's the point of a medical degree if you still don't understand what's really in the COVID vaccine?
    12AnonymousSep 8, 2026 19:17
    That said, when it comes to my own doctor, only University of Tokyo Med grads need apply.
    15AnonymousSep 8, 2026 19:20
    National/public university medical schools are obviously a level above Fujita [Fujita Health University, a private med school], no question.
    16AnonymousSep 8, 2026 19:20
    If idiots can do it too, then there'd be no need to cap enrollment so tightly and push entrance scores absurdly high.
    18AnonymousSep 8, 2026 19:21
    There are med schools you can buy your way into, and ones you can't.
    19AnonymousSep 8, 2026 19:21
    Back when Takasu was in high school, going to a private medical school marked you as an idiot.
    Only Keio, Jichi Medical, and UOEH [University of Occupational and Environmental Health] carried any real prestige.

    Even Nippon Medical, Juntendo, and Jikei got looked down on.
    29AnonymousSep 8, 2026 19:37
    Re: #19
    Right
    Anything outside those three had entrance scores around 40 [roughly bottom-third nationally].
    34AnonymousSep 8, 2026 19:40
    Re: #19
    Hold on, out around Mishima in eastern Shizuoka,
    for people in Izu,
    Juntendo Hospital is basically the only place they can turn to for a serious illness.
    If Juntendo's full,
    they end up admitted to some hospital over in Fuji city or elsewhere entirely.
    That's how important that hospital is to the people of Mishima and Izu.
    40AnonymousSep 8, 2026 19:43
    Re: #19
    You clearly don't know your facts.
    Jichi Medical University was founded in the early 1970s — it didn't even exist yet when Takasu was in high school.
    20AnonymousSep 8, 2026 19:24
    If you want to stay on at a university hospital or climb the ladder in an academic-clique medical department, you bet people flex their pedigree nonstop.
    Sounds like something out of 'The White Tower' [a famous Japanese novel/drama about medical hierarchy and ambition].
    21AnonymousSep 8, 2026 19:24
    Fine for Takasu to say that — his family runs a medical group, after all.

    But even within the same family of doctors, if everyone else went to Todai or Keio, the one who went to some middling private medical school would probably get looked down on hard.
    22AnonymousSep 8, 2026 19:25
    Honestly, the kind of person produced by a private medical school where you're basically just buying a credential is different from someone raised through the national/public system.
    41AnonymousSep 8, 2026 19:44
    Re: #37
    Clinical work and research go together, though.
    Doctors see patients clinically while also doing their own research and writing papers.
    47AnonymousSep 8, 2026 19:51
    Re: #41
    I think clinical practice and research call for different skill sets.
    49AnonymousSep 8, 2026 19:52
    Isn't that the thing about Mishima —
    where as a condition for some university pulling its department out,
    there's a plan to build a disaster-preparedness hospital?
    66AnonymousSep 8, 2026 20:00
    Re: #49
    Juntendo rode Shizuoka Prefecture's policy well —
    raking in public subsidies for regional healthcare, emergency medicine, perinatal care, and disaster response,
    and it's been steadily buying up the hot-spring inns around it.
    It started out as a run-down municipal hospital in Izu-Nagaoka town, and now it's turned into a real 'straw millionaire' story (a Japanese folktale about trading up from nothing to riches).
    51AnonymousSep 8, 2026 19:53
    So the people fighting the pedigree-bragging war are really just flexing 'I'm the more successful one,' huh.
    53AnonymousSep 8, 2026 19:55
    Re: #51
    No, that's not it.

    The point is to compete on your work, not your academic pedigree.
    60AnonymousSep 8, 2026 19:57
    Re: #51
    It's not even about bragging — what you do after graduating matters more.
    Would you actually respect some Todai grad who's just been a shut-in ever since?
    52AnonymousSep 8, 2026 19:53
    For licensed professionals, doctors included, it's all about getting qualified fast and racking up practical experience.
    Anyone still going on about their alma mater is just a failure who can't let it go.
    58AnonymousSep 8, 2026 19:56
    Re: #52
    Agreed!

    What you learn from hands-on experience is far more valuable than what you learn at university.
    62AnonymousSep 8, 2026 19:58
    Re: #60
    If someone with no track record said the same thing, they'd get torn apart.
    He can say it because he's already successful.
    65AnonymousSep 8, 2026 20:00
    Re: #62
    That's exactly the point — what you achieve after graduating matters more than your alma mater's entrance score.
    67AnonymousSep 8, 2026 20:02
    A doctor's job is basically blue-collar work when you look at it honestly, so it's weird there's this whole entrance-score arms race around it.
    74AnonymousSep 8, 2026 20:04
    Re: #67
    Agreed!

    But medicine splits into clinical and research tracks — clinical work feels blue-collar,
    while research feels more like real scholarship.
    68AnonymousSep 8, 2026 20:02
    In other words,
    the argument is that learning from hands-on experience is useful,
    while what you learn at university isn't.

    Everyone can relate to that, right?
    The stuff you learned in class never actually turned out useful, did it?
    72AnonymousSep 8, 2026 20:04
    Re: #68
    If you jump straight into 'hands-on experience' and use patients as practice dummies to sharpen your skills,
    that's a real problem for the patients.
    69AnonymousSep 8, 2026 20:02
    Director Takasu says the shortage of surgeons could be solved by splitting the role into 'cutting specialists' and 'treatment doctors.'
    The cutting specialists would
    76AnonymousSep 8, 2026 20:05
    Re: #69
    Director Takasu says the surgeon shortage could be solved by splitting the role into 'cutting specialists' and 'treatment doctors.'
    Cutting specialists would be hired based on manual dexterity, while treatment plans would be handled by people who compete on brainpower.
    He said that would fix the problem.
    82AnonymousSep 8, 2026 20:09
    Re: #76
    I'm not so sure about that.

    It might be better for the person setting the treatment plan to also know the limits of their own hands-on skill.
    85AnonymousSep 8, 2026 20:11
    Re: #76
    Wouldn't even the dexterous ones want to go where it's easier and pays better?

    Background and Key Points of the Debate

    Katsuya Takasu is a graduate of Showa University School of Medicine, and despite being a private-school graduate himself, he’s built a career as a leading figure in cosmetic surgery. Debate over medical school prestige rankings is a perennial hot topic in Japan — fueled by the high tuition at private medical schools and long-standing suspicion of “donation-based backdoor admissions” — and this latest remark is just the newest chapter in that ongoing argument. In the thread, many voices sided with Takasu’s claim that post-graduation achievement matters more than which university you attended, but others pushed back, pointing out that clinical and research careers demand different skill sets — arguments like “research really does require an elite academic background” and “there’s a real difference in upbringing between national/public and private school grads.” The result is a picture more nuanced than a simple “credentials don’t matter” takeaway. The thread also dug into finer institutional details not obvious from the article alone — fact-checking exactly when Jichi Medical University was founded, and tracing how Juntendo University expanded into a regional healthcare hub across Shizuoka’s Mishima and Izu areas — showing the discussion went beyond pure gut reactions.

    *This article was compiled by excerpting and summarizing the 5channel (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “Director Takasu Shares His Views on the Medical School Prestige Issue, Bluntly Telling Pedigree-Braggers ‘That’s Idiotic’.”