Japan Reacts

Author: Japan Reacts Editorial

  • What’s the Greatest Idol Song of All Time? 5ch Debates Showa and Heisei Classics

    A thread on 5ch’s Hello! Project board asking users to name “the greatest idol song of all time, in your own opinion” kicked off a lively debate. Starting with Kobushi Factory’s “Haru Urara,” classics spanning the Showa and Heisei eras poured in one after another — Matsuda Seiko’s “Nagisa no Balcony,” Nakamori Akina’s “Kita Wing,” Yamaguchi Momoe’s “Ii Hi Tabidachi,” and more — sparking excitement that crossed generational lines. Along the way, someone pointed out that “no AKB or Hello! Project picks have shown up yet,” and a correction surfaced that Shoujotai actually came from the Kin-chan Family rather than the Onyanko Club lineage, spinning off into a discussion of the groups’ family trees.

    1AnonymousSep 8, 2026 00:49
    Fire away, let's hear it
    2AnonymousSep 8, 2026 00:52
    Kobushi Factory – "Haru Urara"
    3AnonymousSep 8, 2026 00:53
    Watakawa
    Kawadame
    4AnonymousSep 8, 2026 00:54
    It's a cliché pick, but as a songs-first fan (someone who rates the song itself over looks or performance), I'd say Nicola
    5AnonymousSep 8, 2026 00:54
    Angel's Bodyguard
    6AnonymousSep 8, 2026 00:56
    I Wanted to Talk to You
    15AnonymousSep 8, 2026 01:08
    Re: #6
    I've heard of it, but who sang it?
    8AnonymousSep 8, 2026 01:00
    The Vertigo of Goodbye
    10AnonymousSep 8, 2026 01:04
    Rebel Yell
    13AnonymousSep 8, 2026 01:06
    Gotta be Akina's "Kita Wing" (North Wing)
    14AnonymousSep 8, 2026 01:08
    Cherry Bomb
    16AnonymousSep 8, 2026 01:08
    Has to be "Momoiro Kataomoi" (Pink One-Sided Love)
    17AnonymousSep 8, 2026 01:08
    Mystery solved – it's Nanno (idol Minamino Yoko's nickname)
    18AnonymousSep 8, 2026 01:10
    Starlight
    19AnonymousSep 8, 2026 01:10
    Yuuki 100% (Courage 100%)
    20AnonymousSep 8, 2026 01:11
    That overlaps with a Hikaru GENJI pick, lol
    21AnonymousSep 8, 2026 01:11
    "Iro, White Blend"
    22AnonymousSep 8, 2026 01:12
    Still no AKB or Hello! Project picks so far
    24AnonymousSep 8, 2026 01:20
    The thrill I felt the first time I heard "Cinderella Until 9 PM" —
    I still haven't topped that feeling,
    though I've listened to it so much since that I'm kind of sick of it now
    34AnonymousSep 8, 2026 01:37
    Sakurada Junko
    Re: #24
    Listened to it, it sucked
    Go listen to Sakurada Junko instead
    26AnonymousSep 8, 2026 01:23
    I want to recommend the songs Tomo Miyashita wrote for young Toshi-chan (Toshihiko Tahara) early on –
    every single from "Hatto Shite Good" onward is great
    36AnonymousSep 8, 2026 01:47
    "Moshimo…" ("If…"), sung by Kudo Haru-chan (Kudo Shizuka)
    40AnonymousSep 8, 2026 01:56
    "Dokidoki Love Mail," "White Parasol," "Sentimental Journey" – that's my range
    44AnonymousSep 8, 2026 01:59
    There are too many all-time classics, hard to pick just one
    46AnonymousSep 8, 2026 02:07
    Kato Nori-chan's "Omoikiri Naite Ii" (It's Okay to Cry Your Heart Out)
    49AnonymousSep 8, 2026 02:11
    Not Even All the Smiles in the World Could Compare
    51AnonymousSep 8, 2026 02:13
    Honestly, recent songs just can't compete with the Showa-era classics
    53AnonymousSep 8, 2026 02:19
    "Sore wa Chiisana Sora Datta" (It Was a Small Sky) – Dorothy Little Happy
    56AnonymousSep 8, 2026 02:23
    It's a mystery why Shoujotai never got as popular as you'd expect, even with "Ookami" (their song "Utsukushii Ookami," Beautiful Wolf)
    57AnonymousSep 8, 2026 02:24
    I can't recall a single Shoujotai song
    64AnonymousSep 8, 2026 02:36
    Re: #57
    I couldn't remember the title either, so I kept it vague lol
    58AnonymousSep 8, 2026 02:26
    Wasn't Shoujotai like a spinoff of Onyanko Club?
    65AnonymousSep 8, 2026 02:36
    Re: #58
    Nope, they're from the Kin-chan Family! (comedian Kinichi Hagimoto's talent stable)
    62AnonymousSep 8, 2026 02:32
    Matsuda Seiko's "Nagisa no Balcony" (Balcony by the Shore) is a classic
    67AnonymousSep 8, 2026 02:38
    Tonight on Uta Kon, Pink Lady's Mie-chan and Kashiwagi Yuki are performing
    68AnonymousSep 8, 2026 02:39
    Yamaguchi Momoe's "Ii Hi Tabidachi" (A Good Day to Set Out) is just too good a song –
    that's what you'd call a real classic
    69AnonymousSep 8, 2026 02:40
    Re: #65
    Wait, it says right there it was produced by Akimoto Yasushi… lol
    70AnonymousSep 8, 2026 02:41
    Shoujotai belongs to the more "carefully crafted" lineage,
    so they're kind of the opposite of the Fuji TV/Akimoto crowd
    Still no Ota Hiromi so far
    74AnonymousSep 8, 2026 02:43
    AKB's "Zenigata Heiji" is a wordplay homage to Nakamori Akina –
    "Jikkai" (Ten Commandments) → "jitte" (truncheon) → coins go flying!

    Background and Talking Points

    The board where this thread appeared (“Hello! Project,” aka morningcoffee) is technically dedicated to Reiwa-era groups like Kobushi Factory, but the songs that actually came up ranged from ’80s idol royalty like Matsuda Seiko, Nakamori Akina, and Yamaguchi Momoe all the way to Shoujotai and the AKB48 family — a sign of just how easily this topic crosses generational and group lines. Posters repeatedly used the term “songs-first fan” (楽曲派, rakkyoku-ha), a label for fans who judge idols by the quality of the song itself rather than performance or looks. There were also moments that filled in entertainment-history details easy to miss for anyone who wasn’t around at the time — like the correction that Shoujotai actually came from the Kin-chan Family (comedian Kinichi Hagimoto’s talent stable) rather than the Onyanko Club lineage. One especially interesting aside: the claim that the lyrics of AKB48’s “Zenigata Heiji” contain a wordplay homage to Nakamori Akina, since her song title “Jikkai” (Ten Commandments) echoes “jitte” (the truncheon carried by the detective Zenigata Heiji) — an example of a later-generation group sneaking in a tribute to an earlier idol’s hit.

    ※This article is an excerpt and summary of the 5ch (Hello! Project) thread “Tell Me the Greatest Idol Song of All Time, In Your Opinion.”

  • Pokémon Company’s Revenue Surges 4.4x in 5 Years to ¥531.4 Billion

    In The Pokémon Company’s financial results for the fiscal year ending February 2026, revenue reached approximately ¥531.428 billion — about 4.4 times what it was five years ago. Net profit has also grown roughly 13.6-fold over eight years, surpassing ¥120 billion, numbers that highlight just how lucrative the Pokémon brand has become. The news sparked discussion on 5ch’s Hardware/Industry (Geha) board, where posters compared the figures to “Palworld,” which had been a hot topic around the same time, debated Pokémon’s merits as a finished game, and argued over whether Pokémon should keep sticking to Nintendo platforms.

    The Pokémon Company’s revenue grew about 4.4x in five years, reaching roughly ¥531.4 billion for the fiscal year ending February 2026. Net profit is “up about 13.6x” over eight years, topping ¥120 billion

    Source: news.denfaminicogamer.jp / Original article here

    2AnonymousSep 7, 2026 16:01
    Hey Nintendo fanboy, you still play Pokémon?
    Show us the results of that 'Mega Finale'
    3AnonymousSep 7, 2026 16:01
    And yet you still lost to Palworld?
    34AnonymousSep 7, 2026 16:19
    Looks like Bond-Sales-chan is over in Re: #3 chanting 'Palworld, Palworld' again 😅 (a mocking nickname for a poster who hypes up sales figures)
    6AnonymousSep 7, 2026 16:04
    🐷< PAL-PAL-PAL-PALWORLD💢
    97AnonymousSep 7, 2026 17:08
    Re: #6
    Haven't seen that one-note gag in a while lol, didn't know people still did that lol
    114AnonymousSep 7, 2026 17:28
    Re: #6
    Are you crying right now?
    7AnonymousSep 7, 2026 16:04
    Wasn't Palworld's sales this year like 1.8 million copies? lol
    Bold of it to even try to compete lol
    8AnonymousSep 7, 2026 16:04
    Re: #7
    Shh! You'll summon the Pokémon fanboys!
    10AnonymousSep 7, 2026 16:04
    Re: #7
    Come on, leave him alone lmao
    15AnonymousSep 7, 2026 16:06
    More importantly, I want to see Palworld Entertainment's financial results, but they still haven't come out
    18AnonymousSep 7, 2026 16:08
    Re: #15
    They've been in the red for ages already
    16AnonymousSep 7, 2026 16:07
    ／) 　／)
    　　/ 　⌒　 ヽ　　 ／￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣
    　 | ●_　●　 |　＜ Even Disney bowed down to me, you know
    　(〇 ～　 〇 |　　＼＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿
    　/　　　　　　 |
    　|　　　　 |_/


    23AnonymousSep 7, 2026 16:11
    Palworld

    • Full-release sales: 1.8 million copies
    • Trading cards flopped hard
    • Streamers hate it, nobody's playing it on stream
    • Pokémon — the thing it was supposed to crush — just posted a massive revenue jump

    Things are looking a bit rough, huh?
    39AnonymousSep 7, 2026 16:21
    Re: #23
    Sounds like you can't tell the full release apart from Early Access
    Very 'old-school console gamer' of you
    32AnonymousSep 7, 2026 16:18

    ⚡🐭 A mouse that can't use electricity is just a mouse
    49AnonymousSep 7, 2026 16:24
    By the way, whatever happened to Palworld's trading cards? Are they still hard to find?
    50AnonymousSep 7, 2026 16:25
    Re: #49
    It dropped clean off the Amazon rankings
    53AnonymousSep 7, 2026 16:26
    Re: #50
    Seriously? lol
    65AnonymousSep 7, 2026 16:35
    Re: #50
    Well yeah. A TCG nobody's buying isn't worth anything
    66AnonymousSep 7, 2026 16:35
    Palworld just papers over everything with 'it's fun,' you know
    70AnonymousSep 7, 2026 16:38
    Re: #66
    If it had gone with original designs, it could've been legendary
    73AnonymousSep 7, 2026 16:42
    Re: #66
    'Papers over everything with fun' lmaooo you just can't admit Palworld actually won so you're spouting nonsense like this lmaooo
    This one line alone is confusing enough to start its own thread lmaooo
    76AnonymousSep 7, 2026 16:44
    Total double standard — these Pokémon fanboys were singing praises for Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin, which also got an anime adaptation out of it
    80AnonymousSep 7, 2026 16:48
    Re: #76
    What are you talking about? Does Sakuna have anything to do with Pokémon?
    79AnonymousSep 7, 2026 16:48
    It's kind of endearing how they're great at making money but bad at making games
    85AnonymousSep 7, 2026 16:57
    Re: #79
    That's because Nintendo is holding them back
    They should just smack Nintendo with a stack of dividend cash and break free already
    84AnonymousSep 7, 2026 16:57
    Well, the weekly anime and the movies are pretty much done for at this point though
    87AnonymousSep 7, 2026 16:59
    Re: #84
    If anything, they're expanding in the very areas that looked like they'd shrink once that ended
    They don't need to rely on the anime anymore
    86AnonymousSep 7, 2026 16:59
    Honestly, tying a great IP like Pokémon down to a company like Nintendo is a huge loss for Japan
    The Pokémon Company and Game Freak should break free from Nintendo and bring Pokémon to PC/PlayStation
    89AnonymousSep 7, 2026 17:01
    Re: #86
    We've got Palworld now, which apparently already surpasses Pokémon
    No need to bother with Pokémon anymore, right?
    91AnonymousSep 7, 2026 17:02
    Feels like Pokémon is drifting away from kids more and more, kind of like that mouse out in Chiba (Disney) — is that really okay?
    Pokémon cards have basically become something kids can't even afford to buy anymore
    92AnonymousSep 7, 2026 17:04
    Re: #91
    Probably fine — just going about daily life you run into regional Pokémon tie-ins and theme park stuff everywhere
    If anything, it's basically impossible to live your life without bumping into Pokémon somehow
    94AnonymousSep 7, 2026 17:06
    Re: #91
    Pokémon has quite a few mobile games too, you know
    98AnonymousSep 7, 2026 17:09
    Re: #91
    You do need games and anime to fill in the gaps though.
    Ignore kids and you end up abandoned like some hardware that became too much of a barrier to get into
    96AnonymousSep 7, 2026 17:07
    Pokémon's always building random parks nobody quite understands, teaming up with local governments, running stamp rallies that probably don't even turn a profit — they never let the buzz die down
    110AnonymousSep 7, 2026 17:17
    Re: #96
    It's impressive that it stays a hot topic for this long
    Truly the world's number one IP
    102AnonymousSep 7, 2026 17:13
    You see Pokémon painted on buses sometimes — I wonder if they get mad every time thinking 'Palworld's actually winning!'
    105AnonymousSep 7, 2026 17:14
    Re: #102
    There was a Pokémon stamp rally going on until recently, so they were probably fuming every time they went to the station

    Background and Talking Points

    The article stems from The Pokémon Company’s financial results for the fiscal year ending February 2026: revenue of ¥531.428 billion, and net profit up roughly 13.6-fold over eight years to top ¥120 billion. That revenue figure isn’t just console game sales — it also includes trading cards, mobile games, and licensing income from theme parks and stamp rallies, so it can’t simply be reduced to unit-sales numbers. In the thread, many posts compared these figures to “Palworld,” which had been trending around the same time, but the two companies’ revenue structures are different enough that a direct comparison doesn’t really hold up. Some comments also confused Palworld’s full-release sales with its Early Access sales. There were calls for Pokémon to break away from Nintendo, but the discussion didn’t fully acknowledge that the IP has already expanded well beyond home consoles — into mobile games, trading cards, and real-world event tie-ins.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hardware/Industry (Geha)) thread “The Pokémon Company’s revenue up “about 4.4x” in five years. ¥531.428 billion for the fiscal year ending February 2026.”

  • PS5’s Onimusha: Way of the Sword Tops 1 Million Copies Sold on Launch Day

    Capcom announced on its official X (formerly Twitter) account that Onimusha: Way of the Sword, released September 4, surpassed 1 million copies sold worldwide on its very first day. The game launched across PS5, Switch 2, and PC, and on 5ch this sparked the usual hardware-forum (“Gaha” board) debate over how including a Switch 2 version affects sales and perceived quality, on top of discussion of the game’s content like length and difficulty. Arguments over measured frame rates and sales comparisons with Resident Evil Requiem also drew skepticism about where the numbers were actually coming from.

    🎉Congratulations! Onimusha: Way of the Sword tops 1 million copies on launch day 🎉

    We’re thrilled that so many of you have been playing it! ✨

    Thank you all so much!

    Source: x.com / Original post here

    9AnonymousSep 7, 2026 17:14
    The protagonist's face is way too off-putting
    16AnonymousSep 7, 2026 17:17
    Re: #9
    Sorry, I genuinely don't get what's off-putting about it.
    It's not some fake-Japanese face, it's properly Japanese, it's not ugly, and it's got this wild, rugged charm — honestly it might even be great.
    10AnonymousSep 7, 2026 17:15
    For those who bought Onimusha, how's the length?
    I'll pick it up if there's a decent amount of content.
    42AnonymousSep 7, 2026 17:27
    Re: #10
    The side quests are fun too, and you should carry over as much of your skills/gear as you can when the game lets you.
    I collected all the butterfly-and-book collectibles and the fluffy critters, and by 35.2 hours I was just at the very start of my second playthrough (the point where you get the red outfit)

    If the first run feels too hard you can lower the difficulty, and building up skills and charms makes it manageable.
    The extra difficulty added for the second playthrough might be a bit rough though.
    But it's fun.
    12AnonymousSep 7, 2026 17:16
    I said this during the Resident Evil thing too, but the theory some people push — that "putting a Switch 2 version into an AAA multiplatform release drags down total sales" — is now completely dead.
    If it can run on Switch 2, they should absolutely put it out there.
    15AnonymousSep 7, 2026 17:17
    Re: #12
    Of course. At a glance you can barely tell the difference anymore.

    And people who buy based on their preferred hardware will buy it as long as it looks about the same at a glance.
    20AnonymousSep 7, 2026 17:19
    Re: #10
    Haven't finished it yet, but the content is outstandingly fun.
    29AnonymousSep 7, 2026 17:23
    Re: #20
    Thanks.
    I'll buy it if it's fun.

    Glad it's selling well for Capcom.
    27AnonymousSep 7, 2026 17:22
    As we saw with Resident Evil Requiem, Switch 2 sales are under 5% of the total — basically a rounding error.
    There's even a chance it would've sold more if they'd skipped Switch 2 entirely lol
    30AnonymousSep 7, 2026 17:23
    Re: #27
    Nah, that's not it.

    The Switch 2 sales would just vanish, that's all that'd happen.
    68AnonymousSep 7, 2026 17:35
    Re: #27
    Is the AI wrong?

    Capcom hasn't officially published exact platform-by-platform sales figures for Resident Evil Requiem, but the Switch 2 version is estimated to account for around 20% of worldwide sales, and it's been performing well, reaching new audiences.
    37AnonymousSep 7, 2026 17:25
    We really didn't need a "topped 1 million on day one" press release
    41AnonymousSep 7, 2026 17:27
    Re: #37
    Why not? Hitting a million seems impressive to me.
    38AnonymousSep 7, 2026 17:25
    Re: #30
    Just the fact that "a Nintendo platform is part of the multiplatform release"
    is enough on its own to give a good number of users a negative impression of the game's quality.
    The crowd saying "if it's also coming to Switch 2 the quality must be dumbed down, so I'll pass" vastly outnumbers actual Switch 2 buyers.
    And to begin with, Switch 2 sales make up only 4.8% of total sales — lower than the Xbox Series share — which already proves it's a platform you could drop without any real problem.
    43AnonymousSep 7, 2026 17:27
    Re: #38
    Except those users apparently don't exist, since Requiem is outselling RE8, and Onimusha is selling well too.
    56AnonymousSep 7, 2026 17:31
    The new Onimusha basically takes Sekiro's combat, makes it feel even more exhilarating, dials the difficulty down a notch (though it's still not easy), and makes it more cinematic.

    Just for reference.
    113AnonymousSep 7, 2026 17:50
    Re: #56
    Isn't Onimusha actually the older IP here?
    Are From Software fans starting to act like Fate fans? (i.e. overly obsessive and territorial about their franchise)
    67AnonymousSep 7, 2026 17:35
    Looking at Capcom's numbers, Nintendo's own software really doesn't sell, huh
    73AnonymousSep 7, 2026 17:37
    Re: #67
    Nintendo sells its own IPs only on its own hardware, so I think they're putting their effort into steady, long-term sales rather than big launch numbers.
    76AnonymousSep 7, 2026 17:38
    But the Nintendo faithful don't buy ("Nishio" — 5ch slang mocking Switch fanboys who hype a game hard but never actually purchase it)
    87AnonymousSep 7, 2026 17:42
    Re: #76
    Switch games tend to sell slowly-but-steadily over time.
    111AnonymousSep 7, 2026 17:50
    Re: #87
    This is embarrassing.
    Lol, the Switch 2 version is actually the one selling better.
    83AnonymousSep 7, 2026 17:41
    My image of Onimusha is still stuck at "Russian!! Roulette!!" (a signature bit from the older games)
    Personally, for this genre the pinnacle isn't Onimusha or From Software's games —
    it's still Nioh 2 for me.
    Nioh 3 feels off somehow.
    90AnonymousSep 7, 2026 17:43
    Re: #83
    I'm shocked the main game doesn't even feature the Russian Roulette minigame or the town hub anymore.
    115AnonymousSep 7, 2026 17:51
    Re: #83
    I think Nioh is a good game too, but Team Ninja's stuff generally feels like its animation is a generation behind.
    84AnonymousSep 7, 2026 17:42
    The Switch shipment numbers are probably small — some retailers have even officially sold out of the Switch version.

    102AnonymousSep 7, 2026 17:47
    North America

    PS5
    Limited Edition: 5,000 units
    Standard Edition: 2,000 units

    Switch 2
    Standard Edition: 500 units
    Limited Edition: 1,000 units


    114AnonymousSep 7, 2026 17:50
    Re: #102
    Delete this, delete this, delete this, delete this, delete this, delete this
    121AnonymousSep 7, 2026 17:54
    Re: #102
    A standard edition that sells worse than the limited edition, that's pretty funny.
    Looks like the Switch 2 version is headed for another NPD chart snub.
    109AnonymousSep 7, 2026 17:49
    Maybe because of the whole "only 4%, missed the NPD chart" thing with the Switch 2 version during Resident Evil Requiem,
    nobody's showing up this time to shout "the Switch 2 version is actually a huge seller worldwide!"
    117AnonymousSep 7, 2026 17:52
    Re: #109
    Apparently the Switch 2 version accounts for 20%.

    Capcom hasn't officially published exact platform-by-platform sales figures for Resident Evil Requiem, but the Switch 2 version is estimated to account for around 20% of worldwide sales, and it's been performing well, reaching new audiences.
    119AnonymousSep 7, 2026 17:53
    Re: #68
    There's no way an AI actually has real sales data.
    In fact, in the West it's below Xbox, so a 20% share for the Switch 2 version just isn't plausible.
    120AnonymousSep 7, 2026 17:53
    Re: #117
    "The source is an AI" — don't make me laugh lol
    125AnonymousSep 7, 2026 17:55
    Re: #119Re: #120
    PS5 only really sells in its first week, after all.
    Switch 2: 1,000 units
    PS: 700 units
    116AnonymousSep 7, 2026 17:52
    Switch 2 is doing its best out there

    https://x.com/TRIPSTER0/status/2095609480209748172
    Among console versions of Onimusha: Way of the Sword, the best is PS5 — the PS5 Pro gets a major frame rate boost and is the only version with ray tracing, taking it to a whole new level.

    The Switch 2 version is confirmed to be the weakest, running at 30fps with generally lower texture quality across the board — honestly kind of a joke.

    As you can see in the posted images, the Switch 2 version looks extremely blurry.

    Skip the Switch 2 version and get it on literally any other platform. If you want the best version on console, get the PS5 version.

    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HRUZtPgXMAMSAY-.jpg
    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HRUZtkpXoAIOV6A.jpg
    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HRUZs8sW0AIqSR6.jpg
    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HRUZt0KXIAczd7r.jpg
    118AnonymousSep 7, 2026 17:52
    Re: #116
    Doing its best (translation: not actually doing anything)
    129AnonymousSep 7, 2026 17:57
    Guess you don't even need a PS5 anymore

    Media: "Onimusha: Way of the Sword's Switch 2 version runs pretty decently, averaging 45fps"

    The PS5 version offers two display modes, "Quality" and "Performance." Both let you uncap the frame rate, but even uncapped they reportedly hover close to each mode's target value.

    The Switch 2 version only offers one display mode. With VSync disabled it averages 45fps, and reviewers say it's especially comfortable to play in handheld mode.

    Looking at actual footage, whether in combat or while moving around, the PS5's Performance mode holds around 60fps and Quality mode around 35–40fps. The Switch 2 version, meanwhile, roughly maintains around 45fps.

    https://www.gamespark.jp/imgs/zoom/1186132.png
    https://www.gamespark.jp/imgs/zoom/1186135.png
    https://www.gamespark.jp/imgs/zoom/1186136.png

    https://www.gamespark.jp/article/2026/09/04/171769.html

    Background and Talking Points

    Threads like this are a staple of the “Gaha” (hardware/industry) board, where debates keep recurring over how multiplatform releases affect sales and perceived quality. This time, citing Resident Evil Requiem, the figure “the Switch 2 version accounts for 20% of worldwide sales” circulated widely — but this isn’t an official figure, it’s an estimate of unclear origin, and even within the thread posters questioned whether “the source is an AI.” It’s a textbook example of a number taking on a life of its own without solid backing. By contrast, the frame rate comparison (PS5 Performance mode around 60fps, Quality mode 35–40fps, Switch 2 version around 45fps) comes from a hands-on verification article by the gaming outlet Gamespark, and those figures are based on actual measurements. It’s also worth noting, since it isn’t obvious from the article alone, that the “topped 1 million copies on launch day” claim itself comes from Capcom’s official X account, and no platform-by-platform breakdown has been disclosed.

    *This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Hardware/Industry (Gaha)) thread “PS5’s Onimusha: Way of the Sword tops 1 million on day one lmaooooo“.

  • Juice=Juice’s Dambara Ruru & Inoue Rein Team Up with ME:I’s Ebihara Tsuzumi for a TikTok Dance

    Juice=Juice’s Dambara Ruru and Inoue Rein posted a TikTok video of themselves dancing to Juice=Juice’s song “Kurakura☆Climax” together with ME:I’s Ebihara Tsuzumi (TSUZUMI). Since the two groups belong to different agencies — Hello! Project and the LAPONE Entertainment family — the crossover drew a wave of positive reactions on 5ch’s Hello! Project board. Posters were especially quick to praise Ebihara’s singing ability and personality, and the thread stayed friendly throughout as jokes flew about what would happen if she joined Hello! Project.

    Juice=Juice

    With #TSUZUMI

    #KurakuraClimax 💞

    Source: / Original article here

    2AnonymousSep 7, 2026 18:50
    A top-tier idol collab with another top-tier idol
    3AnonymousSep 7, 2026 18:51
    This girl wouldn't look out of place in Hello! Project
    9AnonymousSep 7, 2026 18:52
    As expected of Rei&Ruru! (nickname combining Rein and Ruru)
    20AnonymousSep 7, 2026 18:53
    This kind of cross-group interaction really matters
    25AnonymousSep 7, 2026 18:53
    Hello! Project's Fujin and Raijin (the wind and thunder gods)
    Or maybe Hello! Project's own "Fuuga & Raiga," Rei&Ruru
    44AnonymousSep 7, 2026 18:55
    Tsuzu-chan going full effort out there, love it
    57AnonymousSep 7, 2026 18:56
    She comes across as really likable
    72AnonymousSep 7, 2026 19:00
    She's someone you can trust
    73AnonymousSep 7, 2026 19:00
    Tsuzumi, why not bring that real live-vocal performance over to Hello! Project?
    74AnonymousSep 7, 2026 19:00
    The trolls showed up fast
    75AnonymousSep 7, 2026 19:00
    She's dancing full-out, what a great kid
    76AnonymousSep 7, 2026 19:01
    Girls who can hit the high notes are valued wherever they go
    77AnonymousSep 7, 2026 19:04
    Re: #1
    Is this just ME:I being pushed hard? Most "Korean-style" idol songs are basically written by American/European composers anyway
    78AnonymousSep 7, 2026 19:05
    Tsuzumi's live vocals sounded really good
    Though Takami was a letdown
    79AnonymousSep 7, 2026 19:07
    Tsuzumi-chan is the type who'd truly shine in Hello! Project
    80AnonymousSep 7, 2026 19:09
    What even was that whole "Leave Hello!" thing about?
    81AnonymousSep 7, 2026 19:09
    TSUZUMI, come on down to Hello! Project
    82AnonymousSep 7, 2026 19:10
    Leave LAPONE! Leave LAPONE!
    83AnonymousSep 7, 2026 19:12
    If Tsuzumi joined Angerme, would she instantly become the ace?
    85AnonymousSep 7, 2026 19:14
    Re: #83
    She'd probably not want to join Angerme
    86AnonymousSep 7, 2026 19:16
    Re: #83
    Pair her with Hana and they could dominate (fan nickname combo)
    87AnonymousSep 7, 2026 19:16
    Isn't she classmates with the up-and-coming Ebata?

    Background and Key Points

    ME:I is a group formed in 2024 under the lead of Nippon TV and LAPONE Entertainment following the “PRODUCE 101 JAPAN THE GIRLS” audition — a different management company and agency family from Hello! Project’s Juice=Juice. A dance collaboration on TikTok that crosses agency lines like this is unusual, which is part of why it drew attention. Even accounting for their different affiliations, the thread was dominated by positive comments like “she wouldn’t look out of place in Hello! Project” and “she’s a great singer,” with almost no contentious back-and-forth. The song they’re dancing to, “Kurakura☆Climax,” is a Juice=Juice track, meaning Inoue and Dambara essentially shared one of their own home-turf songs with Ebihara.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hello! Project board) thread “[TikTok] Juice=Juice’s Dambara Ruru & Inoue Rein and ME:I’s Ebihara Tsuzumi dance to “Kurakura☆Climax” ｷﾀ━━━━(ﾟ∀ﾟ)━━━━!!.”

  • ‘Faking Single’: Woman’s Boyfriend of 2 Years Turned Out to Be Married With Kids — She Won Her Lawsuit After Getting Pregnant

    A woman who had made clear before they started dating that “cheating is an absolute dealbreaker” got pregnant after two years together — only to discover her boyfriend was secretly married with children, a case of “faking single” status reported by Bengo4.com News. She reportedly took the matter to court and won. Reactions on 5ch were split: some said it was “still better than being tricked into raising another man’s child” (a reference to takuran/”cuckoo’s-egg” parenting), while others argued the woman was partly at fault for “not noticing in two whole years.”

    Published 9/7 (Mon), 10:20

    Bengo4.com News

    “Cheating is an absolute dealbreaker.” Before they started dating, the woman had made that clear.

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

    7AnonymousSep 7, 2026 16:42
    Still a thousand times better than being tricked into raising another man's kid ("cuckoo's egg" parenting), though.
    15AnonymousSep 7, 2026 16:44
    Re: #7
    So true.
    She's just doing to a man what men usually do to women.
    194AnonymousSep 7, 2026 19:21
    Re: #7
    Exactly right, but the thing with "cuckoo's egg" parenting is it usually never gets found out.
    207AnonymousSep 7, 2026 19:36
    Re: #7
    Somebody should make a documentary called 'The Cuckoo's Wife.'
    9AnonymousSep 7, 2026 16:43
    > After roughly two years of dating, the woman became pregnant.

    Honestly, getting pregnant before marriage in the first place is kind of iffy too, if you ask me.
    73AnonymousSep 7, 2026 17:12
    Re: #9
    Sounds like they'd even filled out a marriage registration form, and she was doing fertility treatment — so didn't she think they were already married? It only counts as just "dating" because the form was never actually submitted.
    122AnonymousSep 7, 2026 18:03
    Re: #9
    Same here. Call it obliviousness or just being dense, but you'd think two years together would be enough to notice.
    22AnonymousSep 7, 2026 16:46
    It's the reverse of "cuckoo's egg" parenting, but by feminist logic, isn't getting "superior sperm" from the man she loved actually a win?
    32AnonymousSep 7, 2026 16:49
    Re: #22
    In this woman's case, it's at least her own biological child, and she can claim child support. With "cuckoo's egg" parenting, the man doesn't get to leave behind a child of his own, gets stuck raising someone else's, and on top of that has to keep paying support for it.
    25AnonymousSep 7, 2026 16:46
    Just get him to legally acknowledge paternity and make him pay child support, simple as that.
    222AnonymousSep 7, 2026 19:49
    Re: #25
    Even without the "faking single" angle, aren't there a lot of guys who just don't pay child support anyway?
    30AnonymousSep 7, 2026 16:48
    Guess this is the type of guy who's popular with women, huh.
    158AnonymousSep 7, 2026 18:41
    Re: #30
    Popular by lying to people, lol.
    37AnonymousSep 7, 2026 16:50
    But if the genders were reversed, this wouldn't even be a story.
    41AnonymousSep 7, 2026 16:52
    Re: #37
    Can't really be reversed in the first place, can it.
    42AnonymousSep 7, 2026 16:52
    Smooth, put-together guys are basically always married with kids, lol.
    47AnonymousSep 7, 2026 16:55
    Re: #42
    Married guys with kids have that easygoing, generous vibe that makes them popular. Lifelong-bachelor middle-aged guys, on the other hand, tend to be stingy and only think about themselves, so they get zero attention.
    46AnonymousSep 7, 2026 16:55
    Wasn't adultery only punishable for women under the old law? I recall it used to allow killing the wife and her affair partner. (referring to Japan's now-abolished adultery law)
    48AnonymousSep 7, 2026 16:55
    Hiring a private investigator to look into someone's background… guess you really have to protect yourself these days.
    214AnonymousSep 7, 2026 19:40
    Re: #48
    I've heard that in the old days, parents would show up unannounced at their child's future spouse's home and ask the neighbors about their reputation before agreeing to the marriage. These days, with privacy laws, nobody would tell you anything.
    51AnonymousSep 7, 2026 16:56
    Delusion-dot-com. (a jab riffing on "Bengo4.com," implying the story sounds made up)
    54AnonymousSep 7, 2026 16:57
    Re: #51
    This was already reported before — old news.
    59AnonymousSep 7, 2026 17:00
    Two years together and she never noticed. Is the guy just that cunning, or is she just that oblivious?
    79AnonymousSep 7, 2026 17:19
    Re: #59
    Probably both, honestly.
    62AnonymousSep 7, 2026 17:01
    Obviously the guy who lied is the one in the wrong, but separate from that — is there really nothing off about someone while you're dating them? With a woman, there'd be physical signs of having given birth that could give it away, but there's nothing like that for a man. Are there really no tells to catch this kind of thing?
    69AnonymousSep 7, 2026 17:07
    Re: #62
    Honestly, that really depends on how the relationship is run, so it's hard to say. If you're young with lots of free time, maybe you're staying over every weekend and meeting up here and there on weekdays too. But once you're a bit older, busy with work, and living some distance apart, seeing each other once a week or once every two weeks — with staying over maybe once every few weeks — isn't strange at all.
    64AnonymousSep 7, 2026 17:03
    Re: #1
    Best to just treat this as a made-up story.
    182AnonymousSep 7, 2026 19:06
    Re: #64
    But she actually won in court, so this isn't some fabricated piece in a trashy magazine. And honestly, the fact that they were deliberately doing fertility treatment — not just an "oops" pregnancy — shows how shameless the guy was.
    128AnonymousSep 7, 2026 18:11
    Re: #122
    The woman having the affair is at fault for not checking his family register before sleeping with him. Even with minors, "I didn't know" doesn't fly — there's a duty to verify.
    134AnonymousSep 7, 2026 18:13
    Re: #128
    You'd need a power of attorney [to pull someone else's family register].
    144AnonymousSep 7, 2026 18:24
    Re: #128
    >>The woman having the affair is at fault for not checking his family register before sleeping with him.

    ʟᴏʟʟʟʟʟʟʟʟʟʟ
    203AnonymousSep 7, 2026 19:33
    They should hurry up and change the law so that having sex under a "faking single" deception counts as non-consensual sex.
    206AnonymousSep 7, 2026 19:34
    Re: #203
    Do that and civil servants won't be able to cheat anymore.
    229AnonymousSep 7, 2026 19:56
    Re: #203
    Apparently that would lead to a mass wave of arrests among civil servants.

    Background and Key Points of Debate

    Faking single status isn’t automatically a criminal offense under current Japanese law, but if someone lies about their marital history to pursue a relationship or sexual involvement, it can be treated as a tort, making the other party eligible to claim damages — and it appears the woman’s lawsuit was argued, and won, on that basis. Commenters on the thread repeatedly compared this to “the reverse of cuckoo’s-egg parenting” (being tricked into raising another man’s biological child), but the legal situation differs: unlike in that scenario, the child born here is the woman’s own, and if paternity is legally acknowledged, she retains the right to claim child support. Some also argued she “should have checked his family register beforehand,” but as a rule, only the person themselves, their spouse, or direct blood relatives can obtain a copy of someone’s family register — a partner, as an unrelated third party, normally cannot get one on their own. This legal restriction is easy to overlook, and in practice there are only limited ways to actually verify someone’s marital history.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (News Express+) thread “[Faking Single] “I never thought it would happen to me…” — Her Boyfriend of Two Years Was Secretly Married With Kids, Discovered After She Got Pregnant: The Real Reason the “Victim” of Faking Single Fought Back.”

  • Rejected Job Applicants Referred to ‘Tokuryu’ Crime Ring, Suspected of Trafficking to Southeast Asia — Construction Company Boss Re-Arrested

    On the 7th, Hiroshima Prefectural Police re-arrested construction company president Riho Maehara (32) and former company executive Yuka Matsumoto (30) on suspicion of attempted kidnapping for transport abroad, among other charges. The pair allegedly approached a job applicant they had rejected at a hiring interview with the pitch “there’s a job that pays well,” referred the person to a Tokuryu (an anonymous, fluid criminal network) group, and attempted to transport them to Southeast Asia. Maehara had received a letter of commendation from Hiroshima police in 2024 for rescuing an elderly woman who had gone missing, and on 5ch many commenters expressed shock at the gap between that history and the current allegations. Others questioned how light the statutory penalties are, while some posted photos of anti-trafficking warning signs at Taiwanese airports.

    Hiroshima Prefectural Police re-arrested construction company president Riho Maehara (32, of Asaminami Ward, Hiroshima City) and former company executive Yuka Matsumoto (30, same address) on the 7th on suspicion of attempted kidnapping for transport abroad and violating the Employment Security Act (introducing workers to harmful occupations). The two allegedly told a person they had rejected at a hiring interview, “I can introduce you to a job that pays well,” and referred them to a Tokuryu (anonymous, fluid criminal group).

    [At a glance] How anonymous, fluid criminal groups structure their crimes

    Both suspects reportedly deny the allegations.

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

    4AnonymousSep 7, 2026 21:01
    So Taiwan's a crime hub too, huh
    192AnonymousSep 7, 2026 21:19
    Re: #4
    They've got signs like this posted at Taiwanese airports
    That's how big a problem it's become

    218AnonymousSep 7, 2026 21:22
    Re: #192
    Looked it up, turns out Japan and China both put out a ton of posters about this too
    356AnonymousSep 7, 2026 21:35
    Re: #192
    These are placed along the route Taiwanese people take when leaving the country, right?
    Not along the route after entering Taiwan?
    Foreigners can't read Taiwanese (traditional Chinese) anyway
    8AnonymousSep 7, 2026 21:02
    Pretty young for a president and executive
    And both women, too
    This company's built for exactly this kind of thing
    15AnonymousSep 7, 2026 21:03
    Yeah, probably a yakuza front company
    34AnonymousSep 7, 2026 21:05
    Re: #8
    Re: #15

    They ran photos with the company name "First Co., Ltd." right in frame, so yeah, pretty much
    184AnonymousSep 7, 2026 21:18
    Re: #8
    Clearly a company set up for shipping out organs
    358AnonymousSep 7, 2026 21:36
    Re: #8
    Seriously, end times
    What are the police and the DA's special investigation unit even doing?
    Investigate the whole company already
    23AnonymousSep 7, 2026 21:04
    Apparently it's called "First Co., Ltd."
    66AnonymousSep 7, 2026 21:08
    Re: #23
    Wonder if there's a "Second" and "Third" too
    How many of these are there in total…
    586AnonymousSep 7, 2026 21:57
    Re: #23
    "Shortstop Co., Ltd." (riffing on the First/Second/Third joke — baseball infield positions)
    600AnonymousSep 7, 2026 21:58
    Re: #23
    On Google Maps it's listed as a "Psychic Center"
    25AnonymousSep 7, 2026 21:04
    This person was actually commended by the police before
    644AnonymousSep 7, 2026 22:02
    Re: #25
    The photo from her arrest that's being reported and the photo of her being commended by Hiroshima police — it's the same person.

    Commended for helping an elderly person, apparently. What is going on
    829AnonymousSep 7, 2026 22:23
    Re: #25
    Being commended by the "80-million-yen" prefectural police doesn't mean much (a mocking nickname for the police, apparently referencing some unrelated scandal)
    127AnonymousSep 7, 2026 21:12
    In 2024, Maehara had driven an elderly woman who had been reported missing back to her home, and received a letter of commendation from Hiroshima Prefectural Police for it. Maehara denies the current allegations, while Matsumoto has admitted to them.
    143AnonymousSep 7, 2026 21:14
    Re: #127
    Wasn't this woman trying to kidnap her?
    281AnonymousSep 7, 2026 21:29
    Re: #127
    I get that it's a front-and-back thing
    Nobody's all front or all back, y'know
    682AnonymousSep 7, 2026 22:05
    Re: #127
    They should check whether she took this elderly woman to an ATM
    165AnonymousSep 7, 2026 21:16
    "Where am I?" — An elderly woman suddenly appears; when driven home, a patrol car was waiting out front… A split-second decision leads to a miraculous reunion
    https://newsdig.tbs.co.jp/articles/rcc/1635060?display=1
    "Not something just anyone could do." A woman who rescued an elderly woman who had been reported missing and drove her home to her waiting family received a letter of commendation from Hiroshima Prefectural Police.
    The recipient of the commendation was Riho Maehara (31), an office worker living in Hiroshima City.
    200AnonymousSep 7, 2026 21:19
    Re: #165
    Guess back then she was officially listed as an "office worker"
    267AnonymousSep 7, 2026 21:28
    Re: #165
    Wonder if this is even true
    Maybe she just happened to find an easy mark, got the address out of her planning to grab anything valuable, drove her home, and then there was a patrol car there, so she played it off as a spur-of-the-moment good deed
    566AnonymousSep 7, 2026 21:55
    Re: #165
    Isn't this just a case of her having abducted the woman somewhere and then just bringing her back?
    285AnonymousSep 7, 2026 21:29
    Attempted kidnapping for transport abroad (fixed-term imprisonment of 2+ years)
    Employment Security Act violation (imprisonment of 1-10 years, or a fine)

    So worst case they could be out in just a few years…
    346AnonymousSep 7, 2026 21:34
    Re: #285
    Way too light
    If you're tricked and shipped overseas, there's no telling if you'll ever make it back
    Even for an attempt this should be life or death
    How is this any different from North Korea's abductions?
    360AnonymousSep 7, 2026 21:36
    Re: #285
    So light
    This crime's a real bargain
    385AnonymousSep 7, 2026 21:37
    Re: #285
    Human traffickers should get sentenced the same as murderers
    785AnonymousSep 7, 2026 22:16
    The people who fall for it aren't exactly sharp either
    You'd normally notice, right?
    795AnonymousSep 7, 2026 22:18
    Re: #785
    You wouldn't notice
    By the time you'd notice, you've already handed over your resume — it's too late
    798AnonymousSep 7, 2026 22:18
    Re: #785
    If a pretty young woman tells you to your face "there's a way to make big money♥" you're not gonna notice, man
    That's just how people are
    790AnonymousSep 7, 2026 22:17
    I always thought of Hiroshima as the place tied to the A-bomb victims
    But with that tough-guy dialect, it's also yakuza and hangure (semi-organized street gang) turf on the perpetrator side
    834AnonymousSep 7, 2026 22:24
    Re: #790
    Hiroshima was a military city before the war
    Dock workers and others came from all over the country for military-related jobs, and entertainment districts catering to soldiers and laborers developed there too, so there've been plenty of yakuza running things since before the war
    861AnonymousSep 7, 2026 22:27
    Re: #790
    Being #1 in the country for young people leaving the prefecture isn't just for show
    911AnonymousSep 7, 2026 22:36
    The truly evil ones are always the friendly, likable type
    913AnonymousSep 7, 2026 22:37
    Re: #911
    Sang it to the tune of the Gavan theme song (a reference to the 1980s tokusatsu show "Space Sheriff Gavan")
    922AnonymousSep 7, 2026 22:38
    Re: #911
    Well, you can't be a con artist without being good with people
    971AnonymousSep 7, 2026 22:48
    Re: #911
    Right?!
    Thought he was just a kind driver, but then it's like, "Kaoru, you have to repay the favor" — creepy!!
    Uh, you did that on your own, nobody asked you to

    Background and key points of this topic

    Tokuryu (anonymous, fluid criminal groups) is a term for a recent style of organized crime in which recruiters round up participants ad hoc via social media; the term comes up frequently in “yami baito” (underground/black-market gig job) cases. The statutory penalty for the current charge of attempted kidnapping for transport abroad is imprisonment of 2 years or more, while violating the Employment Security Act (introducing workers to harmful occupations) carries imprisonment of 1 to 10 years or a fine — and since it’s charged as an attempt, even a prison sentence could mean release after a relatively short time. That’s the sentencing behind the “too light” comments in the thread. The 2024 incident in which Maehara rescued a missing elderly woman and received a commendation from Hiroshima police is a separate matter from the current charges, and it has not been established that the commended act itself was staged — a point that’s easy to misread. As for the anti-trafficking signs at Taiwanese airports, thread opinion was split on whether they’re aimed at people leaving or entering the country, and the facts can’t be confirmed from the article alone.

    *This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Breaking News Plus) thread “–ÊÚ•sÌ—pŽÒ‚ðƒgƒNƒŠƒ…ƒE‚ÉЉîA“Œ“ìƒAƒWƒA‚Ɉڑ—‚µ‚悤‚Æ‚µ‚½‹^‚¢@ŒšÝ‰ïŽÐ‘ã•\‚ðÄ‘ß•ß [Hitzeschleierš]“.

  • Ramen Prices Blow Past ¥1,000 Everywhere, Reigniting 5ch’s ‘Set Meals Are the Better Deal’ Debate

    An article reporting on the strong business performance of set-meal chains like Yayoiken, Ootoya, and Skylark’s “Gusto Shokudo” sparked a 5ch thread asking why set meals feel like a better deal than ramen. With ramen bowls now routinely topping ¥1,000, commenters piled in to say that set meals offer more dishes and better nutritional balance. Some pointed to business-side differences like ingredient cost ratios, labor costs, and whether food can be prepped in advance, while others noted that independently run set-meal restaurants and neighborhood Chinese diners are disappearing due to a lack of successors — turning it into a debate that went well beyond simple personal preference.

    Right now, “set meal” chains are gaining popularity. Businesses like Yayoiken and Ootoya are performing well, and major family-restaurant operator Skylark Holdings has been expanding its set-meal offerings under Gusto’s “Gusto Shokudo” branding, while also bringing Shinpachi Shokudo into its group to accelerate its push into the set-meal business.

    Continued

    Expert Topics

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

    4AnonymousSep 7, 2026 23:43
    Any shop charging over ¥1,200 for garbage-tasting ramen deserves to get called out publicly
    7AnonymousSep 7, 2026 23:43
    Re: #4
    It'll go under even without being called out
    8AnonymousSep 7, 2026 23:44
    I guess set meals are still healthier than ramen
    85AnonymousSep 8, 2026 00:10
    Re: #8
    Not "still" — set meals are overwhelmingly better.
    Though it depends on the menu.
    If it's mostly fried food, they're about the same.
    14AnonymousSep 7, 2026 23:47
    Ramen's just expensive — it doesn't fill you up like a set meal does, the nutrition balance is worse, and it's not even that tasty
    17AnonymousSep 7, 2026 23:50
    Re: #14
    Making stock from pork bone, chicken bone, AND a ton of dried seafood —
    that's piling on way too much cost lol
    And then dumping in tons of fat and MSG on top of that lol
    16AnonymousSep 7, 2026 23:49
    Set meals actually have a higher ingredient cost ratio than ramen
    So you could say set meals are the better deal
    35AnonymousSep 7, 2026 23:54
    Re: #16
    I used to work part-time at a noodle shop —
    set meals can be prepped ahead of time,

    but noodles have to go out right after they're made
    86AnonymousSep 8, 2026 00:10
    Re: #16
    At those "artisanal" ramen shops the cost ratio can top 80%
    No set-meal place runs that high
    19AnonymousSep 7, 2026 23:50
    We live in an age where Yoshinoya sells a simmered golden-eye snapper set meal
    39AnonymousSep 7, 2026 23:55
    Re: #19
    I want them to bring back the grilled atka mackerel set meal they had before that one
    34AnonymousSep 7, 2026 23:54
    I never eat ramen at a shop — only instant ramen at home
    41AnonymousSep 7, 2026 23:56
    Re: #34
    I think that's a different thing

    Cafeteria ramen and Sugakiya (a cheap ramen chain) are different too
    But yeah, I won't order ramen once it's over ¥1,000
    44AnonymousSep 7, 2026 23:56
    It's simply that set meals are the better dish.
    Compare at the same price point and you'll often eat better food with a set meal than with ramen.
    Set meals have more dishes and are just superior as cooking.

    Also, ramen is way too hit-or-miss.
    You get force-fed the owner's "signature masterpiece" or some mysterious personal obsession,
    and getting charged a premium for something that isn't even tasty just because they claim it took effort — that's unbearable.

    And the biggest reason is that a lot of ramen shop owners have a bad attitude.
    Since it's so easy to open a shop, sketchy types get in and the number of idiot owners keeps rising.
    84AnonymousSep 8, 2026 00:09
    Re: #44
    Seriously, this.
    Every reason set meals > ramen is right there.
    91AnonymousSep 8, 2026 00:11
    Re: #44
    That's just a matter of taste.
    Everyone's different.
    It's got nothing to do with which dish is "superior."
    Eat what you feel like eating.
    55AnonymousSep 8, 2026 00:00
    Set meals are designed with nutrition in mind, so you don't overdo it on salt.
    Either way, eating out tends to mean heavier seasoning and worse value overall.
    Even in the West, people cook for themselves a lot, and it's normal for men to cook too.
    Lately even New Yorkers are getting into bento boxes.
    58AnonymousSep 8, 2026 00:02
    Re: #55
    Well, eating out in the West has gotten so inflated that people are starting to resent tipping too.
    65AnonymousSep 8, 2026 00:04
    Re: #55
    Japan's about the only place where people make miso soup and cook rice from scratch first thing in the morning.
    64AnonymousSep 8, 2026 00:04
    Ramen for ¥500 lol
    What year did you time-warp in from lol
    74AnonymousSep 8, 2026 00:07
    Re: #64
    Maybe you've only ever eaten ramen at places like Hidakaya or Bamiyan
    83AnonymousSep 8, 2026 00:09
    Re: #74
    You used to be able to get a ¥500 lunch at Bamiyan, right?
    Though maybe not ramen specifically
    87AnonymousSep 8, 2026 00:10
    Re: #74
    Kourakuen has a one-coin (¥500) option too
    67AnonymousSep 8, 2026 00:04
    Independent set-meal restaurants are vanishing, and it's chain after chain now.
    What a boring era this has become.
    78AnonymousSep 8, 2026 00:08
    Re: #67
    If you're running the shop out of your own home, there's no rent to pay, so there's no middleman cut —
    that's how they can keep it relatively cheap.
    After decades, once the building's aged out, it's hard to hand down through inheritance,
    so with no successor, the shop just closes.
    81AnonymousSep 8, 2026 00:09
    Re: #67
    Those set-meal places run by elderly couples have really disappeared.
    Same with neighborhood Chinese diners — it's a successor problem.
    76AnonymousSep 8, 2026 00:07
    There was also a Jiro-style (extra-heavy, garlic-loaded) ramen place on Uber Eats charging ¥2,300 lol
    92AnonymousSep 8, 2026 00:11
    Re: #76
    Everyone complains eating out is so expensive, yet Uber Eats is booming — doesn't add up
    95AnonymousSep 8, 2026 00:12
    Re: #92
    I only order when it's the same price as eating in-store, but it's convenient
    109AnonymousSep 8, 2026 00:15
    Re: #92
    Uber's cooling off these days.
    Lots of competitors have entered the market,
    and the ones matching in-store pricing or offering free delivery fees are winning out.
    120AnonymousSep 8, 2026 00:17
    Set meals bulk up the plate with cheap vegetables, so it ends up healthier.
    Ramen bulks up with noodles or rice, so you gain weight.
    126AnonymousSep 8, 2026 00:19
    Re: #120
    Vegetables actually cost more than rice or noodles.
    But ramen does take a lot of labor and utility costs to make the soup.
    136AnonymousSep 8, 2026 00:25
    Re: #120
    Ramen does the same thing, piling on bean sprouts for "volume" (lol) —
    that's just dumb
    147AnonymousSep 8, 2026 00:30
    Bean sprouts, even piled sky-high, are like a ¥30 bag at the store.

    Ramen shops can fake a sense of volume just by piling those on,
    and it reels in gullible customers — way too good a deal for the shop
    149AnonymousSep 8, 2026 00:32
    Re: #147
    That's just the bean sprouts though —
    everything else is high-cost
    165AnonymousSep 8, 2026 00:38
    Re: #147
    If you go for a delicate flavor, the bean sprouts end up dominating the taste,
    and you get this absurdly strong, smelly soup.
    The only ramen that can get away with bean sprouts is Sapporo miso ramen.
    162AnonymousSep 8, 2026 00:37
    Here you go, that'll be ¥2,000!

    175AnonymousSep 8, 2026 00:43
    Why don't people just eat soba? It's way more nutritious than ramen. Is it no good because the portions are small?
    180AnonymousSep 8, 2026 00:46
    Re: #175
    For soba or udon, I think discount-store noodles with diluted mentsuyu (noodle dipping sauce) are good enough
    184AnonymousSep 8, 2026 00:47
    Re: #175
    Ramen shops stay open until around 3pm, but soba shops start closing around 1pm — all I picture is crowds if you go at lunchtime.
    Also, at night they turn into mainly a drinking spot.

    Background and Key Points of This Topic

    The rise in ramen prices stems from “aspirational” broth-making that combines pork-bone and chicken-bone stock with large amounts of dried seafood, plus an obsession with ingredients said to push the cost ratio above 80%. Set-meal chains, by contrast, have a structure that makes it easier to keep labor and utility costs down, since prep can be made in advance and stores can run on existing property assets. Thread commenters also pointed out that independently run set-meal restaurants and neighborhood Chinese diners — often run by elderly couples — are closing down because aging buildings and a lack of successors make inheritance and renovation too burdensome, and are being replaced by major chains like Yayoiken and Gusto Shokudo. A point easy to miss from scattered comments alone: a high cost ratio doesn’t automatically mean “good value” — it needs to be weighed against total costs, including labor and store operating expenses.

    *This article is compiled by excerpting and summarizing the 5ch (News Express+) thread “ƒ‰[ƒƒ“1000‰~’´‚¦‚Åu’èHv‚ªÄ•]‰¿@‚È‚º’èH‚̓‰[ƒƒ“‚æ‚è‚àuŠ„ˆÀv‚ÉŠ´‚¶‚é‚Ì‚©H [ƒpƒ“ƒiEƒRƒbƒ^š].”

  • “Until the T-Shirt Dries” Ratings Hit New Series High — 5ch Asks “It’s Boring, So Why Are the Ratings So Good?”

    Episode 9 of TBS’s Friday drama “Until the T-Shirt Dries” (aired September 4) set new series highs in both household ratings (8.8%) and individual ratings (4.9%). What’s unusual is that the show has kept climbing since its premiere instead of tapering off, building anticipation for the September 11 finale. On 5ch, opinions split between fans celebrating the show’s popularity and critics blasting late-breaking twists — like a character’s hidden divorce history — as proof “the script has fallen apart,” suggesting the ratings surge and viewers’ actual satisfaction don’t necessarily line up.

    Published 9/7 (Mon) 10:34 AM

    Sports Hochi

    It was revealed on the 7th that episode 9 of the TBS drama “Until the T-Shirt Dries” (Fridays, 10 p.m.), which aired on the 4th, recorded an average household rating of 8.8%, a new series high. The individual viewer rating also hit a series-best 4.9%, with numbers climbing steadily ahead of the finale on the 11th. (Figures are for the Kanto region, per Video Research.)

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

    2AnonymousSep 7, 2026 22:45
    Might as well crack a beer and watch Peace-kun, the world's most famous capybara from Omiya Zoo, on YouTube
    5AnonymousSep 7, 2026 22:50
    Honestly this is getting more buzz than VIVANT
    9AnonymousSep 7, 2026 22:55
    They suddenly dropped the "married 4 times" bomb on us and it killed my interest
    10AnonymousSep 7, 2026 22:55
    A rare drama where the higher the ratings climb, the more hate it gets
    12AnonymousSep 7, 2026 22:56
    The finale will probably set another record, but the story itself has run out of steam
    13AnonymousSep 7, 2026 22:57
    Give me a 3-line summary
    The guy's way of talking was so creepy I dropped it after episode 1
    22AnonymousSep 7, 2026 23:02
    Re: #13
    Sacchan?

    …Sorry for making you push yourself too hard
    27AnonymousSep 7, 2026 23:09
    Re: #13
    · Creepy guy's wife dies in a bus accident; Aoi's husband Matsuken fakes his death and disappears too
    · Matsuken comes back
    · Turns out Aoi's been divorced 4 times
    57AnonymousSep 8, 2026 00:11
    Re: #13
    Inocchi
    The ex-husband, a fisherman
    Into gyaru girls
    14AnonymousSep 7, 2026 22:57
    Heard it's good, I'll binge it once it's done airing

    Watching one episode a week cuts a drama's enjoyment in half
    15AnonymousSep 7, 2026 22:58
    Re: #11
    They clearly picked that title on purpose from the start
    16AnonymousSep 7, 2026 22:59
    TBS's dramas are on fire right now
    Fuji's in such a slump it's almost sad
    17AnonymousSep 7, 2026 23:00
    Ever since about two episodes back
    I've stopped being able to relate at all
    Garbage script
    18AnonymousSep 7, 2026 23:01
    Once they revealed why the husband disappeared
    I lost all motivation to keep watching
    Like, "seriously, that's it?"

    I was half expecting a sibling twist lol
    19AnonymousSep 7, 2026 23:01
    The script turned to garbage
    The mystery vibe from episodes 1-2 was actually good though
    24AnonymousSep 7, 2026 23:07
    Even I, who's enjoyed every drama Ubukata has written for Fuji, find this one rough going
    30AnonymousSep 7, 2026 23:11
    Re: #24
    Well, expecting much from a 33-year-old ex-nurse character is asking too much
    28AnonymousSep 7, 2026 23:11
    Bet Fuji TV is grinding its teeth over this
    32AnonymousSep 7, 2026 23:12
    Re: #28
    Honestly, given content like that, they're probably laughing instead
    73AnonymousSep 8, 2026 00:41
    Re: #32
    And this is with Fuji hogging all 3 of the worst-rated spots lol
    Even their best-rated show is only in the 4% range — about half of T-Shirt's numbers lol
    31AnonymousSep 7, 2026 23:12
    Matsuyama Kenichi, a guy with a habit of disappearing
    Aoi Yu, who hid her divorce history
    Kaho, who's married but tagged along on Matsuyama's trip home without telling her husband Nakajima Ayumu
    Poor Nakajima Ayumu
    Is that about right?
    43AnonymousSep 7, 2026 23:23
    Re: #31
    Nakajima Ayumu's sense of boundaries is pretty messed up too — his relationship with his parents is weird as well. There's not a single normal character in this show
    35AnonymousSep 7, 2026 23:14
    Feels like Kaho's death is being treated more and more lightly as the show goes on
    44AnonymousSep 7, 2026 23:24
    Re: #35
    Well, she does keep popping in for little chats now and then
    38AnonymousSep 7, 2026 23:17
    I wonder what Kaho was feeling when she died…
    41AnonymousSep 7, 2026 23:18
    Re: #38
    Did the wife kill herself?
    40AnonymousSep 7, 2026 23:18
    Apparently it's super boring, so why are the ratings so high?
    63AnonymousSep 8, 2026 00:13
    Re: #40
    Because you can watch all the episodes on Netflix

    That's how I got into it too
    45AnonymousSep 7, 2026 23:27
    Lily Franky's used bookstore
    It's such a tiny shop, there's no way it needs a part-time housewife working there every day
    And apparently another part-timer covers for Azusa on the Fridays she's off
    68AnonymousSep 8, 2026 00:35
    Re: #45
    No idea what they're actually doing there
    51AnonymousSep 7, 2026 23:39
    Didn't know you could get your old driver's license handed back to you. Bothering to get it returned and keeping it every time your name changes from a divorce or remarriage is just tasteless.
    69AnonymousSep 8, 2026 00:36
    Re: #51
    I actually have one
    When I asked the police station to mail me the new one, they let me keep the old one to use in the meantime
    52AnonymousSep 7, 2026 23:41
    The story's kind of gone flat lately
    72AnonymousSep 8, 2026 00:41
    Re: #52
    But it's good that it happened in the episode right before the finale
    The sudden "divorced 4 times" twist killed the mood, but with the finale up next, plenty of people will stick around to see how it wraps up

    If this had happened back around episode 4 or 5, that would've been a real problem though
    58AnonymousSep 8, 2026 00:11
    More than half the credit goes to Spitz
    64AnonymousSep 8, 2026 00:18
    Re: #58
    Credit goes to the producer who brought Spitz on board
    77AnonymousSep 8, 2026 00:49
    The great-great-grandson of Kunikida Doppo
    That's pretty cool (Doppo being the famous Meiji-era novelist)
    79AnonymousSep 8, 2026 00:56
    Re: #77
    Nakajima Ayumu's on All Night Nippon
    Starting tonight
    Apparently the tagline is "Delivering you a peaceful night's sleep"

    Background and Points of Debate

    “Until the T-Shirt Dries” airs in TBS’s Friday 10 p.m. slot, with ratings measured by Video Research for the Kanto region in two categories: household and individual. This episode’s 8.8% household and 4.9% individual ratings are series highs as of episode 9, continuing an unusual upward trend since the premiere. Since most dramas peak in episode 1 and taper off from there, this reverse pattern has become a talking point in itself. The thread split over whether “popular” automatically means “good” — some praised the rising ratings at face value, while many others slammed late-breaking twists, like a character’s hidden divorce history, as evidence “the script has fallen apart,” highlighting a gap between buzz and viewer satisfaction. Some commenters also mentioned bingeing the show on Netflix before or after catching up, suggesting the way people are watching extends beyond what real-time ratings alone can capture. The finale is set to air on September 11.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geisports Sokuho+) thread “[Drama: Until the T-Shirt Dries] Ratings Keep Climbing! Episode 9 Hits Series-High 8.8% Household, 4.9% Individual… Finale Airs Next on the 11th.”

  • Inugami Korone Removes “Hololive” Wording from X and YouTube Bios — Graduation Rumors Swirl

    It’s become a hot topic on a 5ch livestream discussion thread that Inugami Korone, a talent at VTuber agency Hololive, has quietly removed the phrase “Hololive affiliated” from both her X profile and her YouTube channel description. With no official announcement, this remains speculation for now, but many posters on the thread linked it to Amane Kanata’s graduation earlier this year and Hakui Koyori’s recently reported health concerns. Others noted that Korone has abruptly changed her social media bios before, cautioning against reading too much into it.

    1AnonymousSep 7, 2026 19:27
    Korone-san, no way… (this can't be real)
    2AnonymousSep 7, 2026 19:28
    There were some suspicious signs before this
    Guess Kanata-so's graduation was the deciding factor after all
    3AnonymousSep 7, 2026 19:29
    I think this is a pretty big deal
    4AnonymousSep 7, 2026 19:29
    Maybe she's caring for a parent or something?
    She's got a lot on her plate
    5AnonymousSep 7, 2026 19:30
    She's not young anymore, it's probably rough on her
    6AnonymousSep 7, 2026 19:30
    It's not just X — the "Hololive affiliated" wording is gone from her YouTube about section too
    7AnonymousSep 7, 2026 19:30
    She's in her 40s, she's probably feeling her age catching up with her
    9AnonymousSep 7, 2026 19:31
    Okayu might quit too
    10AnonymousSep 7, 2026 19:31
    She's probably saved up enough money by now
    11AnonymousSep 7, 2026 19:32
    Sad, but it can't be helped
    Korone-san pushed herself too hard
    12AnonymousSep 7, 2026 19:32
    Isn't there some official show today?
    13AnonymousSep 7, 2026 19:32
    So that's why Koyori's mental state has been in the gutter
    14AnonymousSep 7, 2026 19:32
    Still no screenshots posted
    15AnonymousSep 7, 2026 19:33
    Re: #14
    Tried to post a screenshot but got hit by the posting restriction
    16AnonymousSep 7, 2026 19:34
    She was Hololive's moral center…
    17AnonymousSep 7, 2026 19:35
    I don't really get it, explain it using Nijisanji as a comparison
    20AnonymousSep 7, 2026 19:39
    Re: #17
    It's basically like Nijisanji disbanding
    18AnonymousSep 7, 2026 19:36
    The decent ones are always the first to go
    A microcosm of society right there
    19AnonymousSep 7, 2026 19:39
    Never did figure out what made her laugh so hard, right to the end…
    22AnonymousSep 7, 2026 19:39
    Go back to being "Miyasuke" (an old in-joke nickname for her)
    23AnonymousSep 7, 2026 19:40
    Okay, this should be fine then
    Korone-san randomly deleting stuff is nothing new
    24AnonymousSep 7, 2026 19:42
    Hololive's gotten way too wrecked by that Miko person or whoever
    25AnonymousSep 7, 2026 19:43
    Whoa, seriously?
    She's one of my top two along with Koyori
    26AnonymousSep 7, 2026 19:44
    There's a members-only stream today
    31AnonymousSep 7, 2026 19:46
    Re: #26
    It literally says "free chat" right there
    27AnonymousSep 7, 2026 19:44
    As long as the Captain (Marine's nickname) is still around, she can still keep going
    28AnonymousSep 7, 2026 19:45
    Now it all connects — this explains why Koyori had a mental breakdown
    30AnonymousSep 7, 2026 19:45
    So "Assistant-kun" (likely the thread's OP) was just letting his imagination run wild
    32AnonymousSep 7, 2026 19:46
    Hololive's always had this image of constant internal drama
    33AnonymousSep 7, 2026 19:48
    Lost all interest ever since Kanata-so quit
    34AnonymousSep 7, 2026 19:48
    Guess even the well-known ones can vanish out of nowhere
    She's like a cleanup hitter, to use a baseball term
    35AnonymousSep 7, 2026 19:49
    Another one leaving Hololive, here we go again
    53AnonymousSep 7, 2026 19:52
    Guess it's actually true now that the Hololive fanboys started spreading it around
    61AnonymousSep 7, 2026 19:52
    Whether she actually quits or not aside, my best guess is that a bunch of TV/entertainment industry people got heavily involved, soured the internal atmosphere, and that's why retirements keep piling up
    80AnonymousSep 7, 2026 19:54
    Coming back as "Miyasuke"?
    96AnonymousSep 7, 2026 19:55
    This agency is finished
    134AnonymousSep 7, 2026 19:59
    Whyyy are you burying this thread~? (mocking accusations of trying to bury a negative topic)
    191AnonymousSep 7, 2026 20:05
    Which one is Korone again?
    The one they call "Inugami"?
    204AnonymousSep 7, 2026 20:06
    Guess they spread a false rumor
    That's lawsuit territory

    Background and Key Points

    Inugami Korone debuted in 2019 as part of Hololive’s 3rd generation and has been one of the agency’s veteran talents, building a following through gaming streams and singing broadcasts. What sparked this discussion isn’t an official graduation announcement but rather an indirect sign — a change to her social media bios — with no explanation yet from either Hololive’s management or Korone herself as of this writing. On the thread, some pointed to possible reasons like caring for family or her age (she’s in her 40s), while others linked it to Amane Kanata’s recent graduation and other members’ reported health and mental struggles, suspecting a worsening atmosphere within the agency. Others took a wait-and-see stance, noting that Korone has abruptly rewritten her bio before and calling this “nothing unusual.” Some posts also named specific individuals at the agency or in the TV/entertainment industry and alleged specific misconduct, but these are all unsourced hearsay and should not be taken as confirmed fact.

    ※This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Nandemo Jikkyo G) thread “Hololive’s Inugami Korone Graduating?? Removes “Hololive Affiliated” Wording from X Bio.”

  • Cost-of-Living Crunch Fuels Rise of “¥1,000 Jeans” — 5ch: “Aeon’s Easy to Shop at, It’s Full of Middle-Aged Female Staff”

    Amid rising prices, major retailers like Aeon are rolling out affordably priced clothing aimed at cost-conscious consumers. Jeans, in particular, reportedly hit a tax-excluded price of ¥1,000 by narrowing down the range of materials, colors, and cuts for bulk production. Reactions on the thread were split: some welcomed it as a sign that “deflation is back,” while others took a harsher view, arguing it “just reflects widening inequality, with poorer households unable to spend on clothes.” The discussion also heated up around comparisons of where stores like Uniqlo, Workman, and Pasios each stand.

    Amid a cost-conscious mood driven by rising prices, major retailers are expanding sales of affordably priced clothing, including “¥1,000 jeans.”

    Aeon’s jeans lineup keeps prices down by narrowing the range of materials, colors, and cuts for bulk production.

    Sweatshirts and sweatpants are each priced at ¥1,000 before tax.

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

    2AnonymousSep 7, 2026 21:37
    There's always Right-On (a Japanese casual clothing chain)
    65AnonymousSep 7, 2026 22:02
    Re: #2
    Nah, Right-On's a solid store — they carry genuine Levi's, Edwin, and other real brands.
    155AnonymousSep 7, 2026 22:54
    Re: #2
    I don't like that place, honestly.
    Somehow it's just… meh.
    Avail's better, I think.
    Though it feels a bit too geared toward young people.
    27AnonymousSep 7, 2026 21:47
    At West Coast's half-price sale they're 500 yen ("West Coast" is a discount clothing chain)
    91AnonymousSep 7, 2026 22:12
    Re: #27
    West Coast only sells rags that barely qualify as clothes though
    29AnonymousSep 7, 2026 21:48
    Deflation's creeping back, huh
    37AnonymousSep 7, 2026 21:51
    Re: #29
    It's just inequality widening.
    Poor people can't even afford clothes anymore.
    That's why the Engel coefficient (the share of household spending that goes to food) is climbing.
    44AnonymousSep 7, 2026 21:54
    Re: #37
    Well, most people are on the poor side these days
    46AnonymousSep 7, 2026 21:55
    Seriously, you don't see people wearing jeans much anymore lately
    49AnonymousSep 7, 2026 21:55
    Re: #46
    Actually, they're on the rise
    51AnonymousSep 7, 2026 21:57
    If you're gonna buy that, it doesn't even need to be jeans
    56AnonymousSep 7, 2026 22:01
    I'll stick with reliable old Workman for my shopping (a Japanese workwear chain)
    69AnonymousSep 7, 2026 22:04
    Re: #56
    Workman prioritizes solid basic functionality over brand name or design, so it's perfect for people who actually need that.
    And the designs are decent these days too.
    68AnonymousSep 7, 2026 22:04
    Uniqlo, Muji → luxury goods

    Shimamura, GU, Workman → still too pricey lol

    Aeon, Takahashi, Pasios → our saviors lol
    75AnonymousSep 7, 2026 22:07
    Re: #68
    Aeon's kind of pricey if anything — Pasios and Akanoren are the cheap ones.

    Is Muji really that good? I don't have a great image of it.
    72AnonymousSep 7, 2026 22:05
    I hate stiff fabric.
    Bending your legs in denim feels like it'd cut off your circulation.
    I've worn sweats and jersey material since I was young.
    79AnonymousSep 7, 2026 22:08
    Re: #72
    A lot of them these days use stretchy fabric
    88AnonymousSep 7, 2026 22:10
    Re: #72
    It's literally called "stretch denim pants," so it's probably the soft kind
    76AnonymousSep 7, 2026 22:07
    Not many people mention this, but I've started avoiding cotton clothing since it's a source of dust in the room.
    83AnonymousSep 7, 2026 22:09
    Re: #76
    I never even think about that — if anything, it's a great material
    77AnonymousSep 7, 2026 22:08
    Trial's stretchy jeans used to be good, but they haven't had them lately (Trial is a discount supermarket chain)
    135AnonymousSep 7, 2026 22:41
    Re: #77
    I bought chinos at Trial once.
    Stores like that only stock a few short inseam lengths, so it ended up being a one-time buy.
    82AnonymousSep 7, 2026 22:09
    Back when the yen was strong and overseas labor was cheap, ¥1,000 jeans used to be a thing.
    Then they disappeared for a while.

    And now they're making a comeback?
    86AnonymousSep 7, 2026 22:10
    Re: #82
    With the weak yen now, this price is probably a stretch for them
    84AnonymousSep 7, 2026 22:09
    Picky old guys probably wouldn't even wear these as pajamas, but for the kind of hideously unfashionable jeans young kids wear these days, this'll do just fine
    90AnonymousSep 7, 2026 22:11
    Re: #84
    Wearing jeans as pajamas? lol
    112AnonymousSep 7, 2026 22:31
    I'd rather have something that lasts 10 years for around 3,000 yen
    119AnonymousSep 7, 2026 22:36
    Re: #112
    Uniqlo's limited-time ¥3,980 denim easily lasts 10 years.
    The cheap stuff from places like Aeon or Pasios is both unfashionable and doesn't last as long, so even though I'm not a fan of Yanai (Tadashi Yanai, Uniqlo's founder), I'll still buy Uniqlo.
    125AnonymousSep 7, 2026 22:38
    Re: #119
    Jeans from 10 years ago are exactly the ones that look dated now
    126AnonymousSep 7, 2026 22:39
    Re: #119
    Anything other than barrel-leg is out of style these days
    121AnonymousSep 7, 2026 22:37
    Nice, Aeon's easy to shop at.
    Places like Uniqlo feel intimidating — seems like it's full of fashionable people.
    149AnonymousSep 7, 2026 22:48
    Re: #121
    I'm well aware I've got zero fashion sense myself.
    I was at Uniqlo looking for chinos and got confused.
    There was a clean-cut young guy standing nearby, so I asked him, "Is this the only shelf with chinos? Is this the only inseam length you've got?"
    He seemed oddly slow to respond, and it turned out I'd been asking a customer, not a staff member.
    Uniqlo has a lot of male staff with that same approachable look, so I mistook him for an employee.
    Haven't been back since.
    Aeon really is easier to shop at — it's full of middle-aged female staff.
    156AnonymousSep 7, 2026 22:55
    Re: #149
    That's rough, Uniqlo
    160AnonymousSep 7, 2026 22:57
    Re: #156
    I've personally never had a bad experience with Uniqlo.
    I forget which account, but there was a time I used their app too.
    GU as well.
    I just stopped going because the whole "chinos" category feels dated now — it's changed a lot from the old days.
    Chinos.
    164AnonymousSep 7, 2026 22:59
    Re: #156
    The whole story was about mistaking a customer for a Uniqlo employee, that's rough lol
    146AnonymousSep 7, 2026 22:46
    I should've worn jeans when I was young.
    Well, forget how they look — they don't even fit anymore…
    147AnonymousSep 7, 2026 22:47
    Re: #146
    They come in big sizes!
    Aeon's stretch, plus free hemming too.
    168AnonymousSep 7, 2026 23:01
    Re: #146
    Honestly, proper denim just doesn't suit Japanese summers.
    It's stiff, sweaty, and heavy.
    It's the kind of thing you force yourself into a bit when you're young and thin.
    So I think today's thin, stretchy fake-denim is just fine.

    Background and Key Points of This Discussion

    The reason Aeon and others can offer ¥1,000 jeans comes down to a cost structure built on narrowing material, color, and model choices, then mass-producing in bulk to cut sewing and cutting losses. The thread split between optimistic voices calling it a “return of deflation” and more skeptical ones reading it as “just the Engel coefficient rising because inequality is widening” — a notable case of the same phenomenon producing opposite readings of the economy. As one commenter pointed out, these ultra-cheap jeans actually existed once before, back when a strong yen kept overseas production costs low; that suggests today’s ¥1,000 price tag, achieved despite a weak yen, may represent an even more strained effort than before — a perspective the original article doesn’t really capture. The comparison of where Uniqlo, Workman, and Pasios each stand also drew plenty of discussion, but that’s more about “brand image among different customer bases” than an analysis of the price hikes themselves, which is worth keeping in mind.

    *This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Breaking News Plus) thread “[Rising Prices] Aeon’s Thrift-Minded “¥1,000” Jeans — Affordable Clothing Spreads Among Major Retailers.”