Japan Reacts

Author: Japan Reacts Editorial

  • OP Stays the Same, Only the ED Changes — Precure Live Thread Erupts With ‘Kira Kira Ran Ran’

    In the Sunday morning Precure live-viewing thread, viewers reacted to the fact that only the ending theme changed while the opening stayed exactly the same as before. Speculation flew about the transformation sequences for Eclipse Shadow and Arcana White, along with theories about various characters’ foreshadowing, and at one point, when someone taunted the thread for “watching a kids’ show at your age,” posters simply fired back with the show’s signature chant, “kira kira ran ran.”

    1AnonymousAug 23, 2026 08:13
    Let's talk dirty while we wait for it to start
    4AnonymousAug 23, 2026 08:14
    Still waiting on Cure Éclair's dirty talk, huh?
    6AnonymousAug 23, 2026 08:17
    Is Ruruka gonna fall to the dark side and then go Super Saiyan or something?
    8AnonymousAug 23, 2026 08:20
    Morning, everyone (≧∀≦)
    Kanto just had its first lower-5 earthquake in a while
    ((((；ﾟДﾟ))))))) though it's nothing compared to Kumamoto
    33AnonymousAug 23, 2026 08:33
    So the ED changed but the OP's still untouched, huh
    34AnonymousAug 23, 2026 08:33
    Now that Cure Arcana White's joined the team, surely they'll update at least the OP visuals
    35AnonymousAug 23, 2026 08:34
    What is it about Aoyama's animation that's so subtly unsettling?
    36AnonymousAug 23, 2026 08:34
    38AnonymousAug 23, 2026 08:35
    Eclipse Shadow doesn't have "Cure" in her name, so she's probably a different kind of transformation altogether
    49AnonymousAug 23, 2026 08:37
    This is basically hinting Rei-chan's gonna become a Precure, right? 😭
    53AnonymousAug 23, 2026 08:38
    So it was half kindness, half sheer motivation, huh
    54AnonymousAug 23, 2026 08:39
    There's still a chance Rei is the real Éclair, right?
    55AnonymousAug 23, 2026 08:39
    Cutting flowers is normally fine since more will bloom next, so maybe she cut these for some kind of celebration
    57AnonymousAug 23, 2026 08:40
    59AnonymousAug 23, 2026 08:41
    Had no idea ٩(๑´3｀๑)۶
    61AnonymousAug 23, 2026 08:41
    Still would've been nice to get a heads-up before doing that (´･_･`)
    63AnonymousAug 23, 2026 08:41
    Kinda worried little kids are gonna copy this and start trashing the flowerbeds
    64AnonymousAug 23, 2026 08:42
    Pervert alert incooooming ｷﾀ━━━(ﾟ∀ﾟ)━━━!!
    66AnonymousAug 23, 2026 08:42
    Jet-senpai's out here watching an actual jet plane
    70AnonymousAug 23, 2026 08:43
    Mercilessly reminding all the kids that the second school term is right around the corner
    71AnonymousAug 23, 2026 08:44
    "The good old days" probably means 1999, huh
    72AnonymousAug 23, 2026 08:44
    "It's not like I stole it"

    Fair point, honestly 😨
    76AnonymousAug 23, 2026 08:45
    You sure about that? Is there even time to bring out Eclipse?
    78AnonymousAug 23, 2026 08:46
    If Arcana gets bleached too, is her transformation sequence gonna get even longer?
    79AnonymousAug 23, 2026 08:47
    Even turning white, it probably won't merge with Éclair's transformation sequence though
    82AnonymousAug 23, 2026 08:47
    Love the scene of Clare running off
    86AnonymousAug 23, 2026 08:48
    Don't just get summoned like that (´･_･`)
    149AnonymousAug 23, 2026 08:56
    What's a "daiou"?
    159AnonymousAug 23, 2026 08:57
    Re: #149
    The giant one — like a giant squid
    160AnonymousAug 23, 2026 08:57
    171AnonymousAug 23, 2026 08:58
    175AnonymousAug 23, 2026 08:58
    You guys are grown adults happily watching a little kids' cartoon on Sunday morning?
    Aren't you ashamed of yourselves?
    177AnonymousAug 23, 2026 08:59
    Re: #175
    Kira kira ran ran~
    180AnonymousAug 23, 2026 08:59
    Re: #175
    (=ﾟωﾟ)ﾉ 'sup
    185AnonymousAug 23, 2026 09:00
    Re: #175
    The Great Detective Loves Precure ٩(๑´3｀๑)۶

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Newsspeed VIP) thread “Tan-Pri → Zetsu → Omega Horn → Back to Sleep.”

  • Truck Turning Left Rear-Ended by Straight-Driving Car — Dashcam Footage Sparks “Who’s at Fault?” Debate

    A dashcam clip showing a passenger car colliding with a truck as it tried to squeeze past the truck’s left side mid-turn has been posted to 5ch, sparking a debate over “who’s really at fault.” Opinions split over the truck’s off-tracking (the wider swing a long vehicle’s rear wheels take on a turn), the timing of its lane-straddling, and exactly when the turn signal came on, with users disagreeing on how the blame should be split.

    So who’s in the wrong here?

    Source: video.twimg.com / original clip here

    3AnonymousAug 23, 2026 07:21
    The truck's driving line isn't exactly straight either, honestly
    4AnonymousAug 23, 2026 07:23
    Re: #3
    Hint: off-tracking (the rear wheels swinging wide on a turn)
    10AnonymousAug 23, 2026 07:27
    Re: #3
    Have you never driven a car?
    13AnonymousAug 23, 2026 07:29
    There really are idiots who try to pass on the exact side the blinker's flashing on. Absolutely brain-dead.
    44AnonymousAug 23, 2026 07:47
    Re: #13
    You see this a lot with motorcyclists in videos like this.
    20AnonymousAug 23, 2026 07:32
    I could see it with a motorcycle, but doing this in a regular car — trying to pass a big truck on the left while it's mid-left-turn — that's impressive (not in a good way).
    24AnonymousAug 23, 2026 07:33
    Re: #20
    Even on a bike, trying to pass a left-turning vehicle on its left makes no sense.
    32AnonymousAug 23, 2026 07:39
    Re: #24
    That's my take as a big-bike rider myself — and I say it knowing full well there are plenty of idiot bikers who pull that dangerous move. Bikes getting caught in a vehicle's blind spot mid-turn isn't even rare.
    33AnonymousAug 23, 2026 07:40
    Re: #32
    You should just hand in your license.
    41AnonymousAug 23, 2026 07:43
    Re: #32
    Wait, did you read "I could see it" as "I can comprehend it," instead of what I meant — that this kind of idiocy is common with bikes but rare with regular cars?
    29AnonymousAug 23, 2026 07:35
    Re: #24
    If you put your blinker on early enough, a bike basically never cuts in.
    31AnonymousAug 23, 2026 07:39
    Re: #29
    Most bikers think passing a left-turning vehicle on the left is out of the question, so they see the signal and back off from passing, right? Does that even count as a counterargument?
    30AnonymousAug 23, 2026 07:37
    Isn't that too much swing-out for mere off-tracking, and didn't it go too far forward before actually turning?
    71AnonymousAug 23, 2026 08:08
    Re: #30
    Wouldn't a 4-ton truck need about this much clearance? Bus drivers turn with roughly this much off-tracking too, don't they?
    73AnonymousAug 23, 2026 08:11
    Re: #71
    A 4-tonner or a bus wouldn't need this much. Judging by the steering radius, this looks trailer-sized.
    77AnonymousAug 23, 2026 08:13
    Re: #71
    I drive a 4-tonner and I could make this turn without swinging out that far. This is a full-size large truck.
    36AnonymousAug 23, 2026 07:42
    https://imgur.com/a/YCQz1VC
    People who are bad at left turns seem like they can't do anything right.
    64AnonymousAug 23, 2026 08:03
    Re: #36
    How do you go from this situation to thinking "I'll just pass while it's turning left!"…
    38AnonymousAug 23, 2026 07:42
    This truck had its blinker on from way, way back, so there's a real chance the driver behind it thought it was just a forgotten blinker.
    42AnonymousAug 23, 2026 07:44
    Re: #38
    Of course the blinker should already be on the moment you start straddling the lane to account for off-tracking before a left turn. It'd be weirder to straddle the lane for no reason at all.
    46AnonymousAug 23, 2026 07:50
    The truck's driving is careful, but it straddled the lane for quite a while, so it probably won't get a clean 100%-fault ruling in its favor. When you straddle a lane to set up a left turn, you need to creep along at minimum speed right up near the intersection, or idiots just won't get it.
    48AnonymousAug 23, 2026 07:51
    Re: #46
    There wasn't even room to pass on the left until right before the intersection anyway.
    50AnonymousAug 23, 2026 07:54
    Re: #48
    It straddled about half the lane for a good stretch and was moving at decent speed, so yeah, there was a real chance of it being mistaken for a forgotten blinker. If it had clearly slowed down, stuck to the left lane, and crept into the turn, it probably would've gotten the rear-end ruled fully the other car's fault.
    55AnonymousAug 23, 2026 07:56
    Re: #50
    Do that and cars start passing on the right instead, and then it can't swing wide at the intersection. Straddling the lane is basically saying "don't come up on either side." The blinker was on properly too, so any normal driver behind should've picked up on that signal.
    69AnonymousAug 23, 2026 08:07
    Re: #66
    Then what Re: #50 is saying doesn't add up.
    49AnonymousAug 23, 2026 07:53
    Straddling the lane from way back — factoring in things like traffic volume in the right lane — can actually be the better call for keeping overall traffic flow smooth, so it's hard to say either way.
    54AnonymousAug 23, 2026 07:56
    Re: #49
    If every single driver were smart, this would probably be the ideal way to drive. Doesn't hurt fuel economy, and it makes it easy for cars behind to merge right without braking. But the painful part is there's always a certain percentage of idiots on public roads, so you have to drive around them too.
    52AnonymousAug 23, 2026 07:56
    Bicycles, motorcycles, cars — passing on the left is the root of all this.
    59AnonymousAug 23, 2026 07:59
    Re: #52
    You sound like you'd be a bad driver.
    56AnonymousAug 23, 2026 07:57
    Is cutting it on yellow before a left turn even okay? Do trucks get a pass on that? I mean, it can't finish the turn otherwise.
    57AnonymousAug 23, 2026 07:58
    Re: #56
    If it's necessary to avoid danger or to complete a turn, it doesn't count as running the yellow in the first place, so that's fine.
    61AnonymousAug 23, 2026 07:59
    Re: #55
    The problem is that theoretically sound driving doesn't line up with current law and legal precedent. The rule as written basically says "wait however long it takes until you can turn safely," so there's nothing to be done about it.
    65AnonymousAug 23, 2026 08:03
    Re: #61
    You can't make a left turn onto a narrow road in a truck unless you assume the drivers behind you are being smart about it. So what, sit there before the turn until there's nobody behind you? Depending on traffic, you'd never get to turn at all.
    63AnonymousAug 23, 2026 08:02
    Re: #55
    Signaling your intent doesn't mean you can do whatever you want after that. The rule is to pay full attention to your left rear and turn carefully regardless of whether the other driver has actually understood your intent.
    66AnonymousAug 23, 2026 08:04
    Re: #65
    That's exactly the "painful" part I was talking about. Read more carefully.
    68AnonymousAug 23, 2026 08:06
    Re: #63
    It was paying attention. In this video, the car rammed into the gap while the truck was mid-swing. Do you not even know what a left blinker means? It's what you turn on when you're about to turn left. There's no accounting for some idiot who tries to pass on the left of a car that's turning left — that car wasn't even visible in the mirror until the truck started turning.
    76AnonymousAug 23, 2026 08:13
    Re: #68
    You're the one making the irregular move of swinging right before a left turn, so it's easy to see how that could turn into "turning left across the path of a car going straight on your right."
    79AnonymousAug 23, 2026 08:15
    Re: #76
    A large truck doesn't get judged that way.
    89AnonymousAug 23, 2026 08:18
    Re: #76
    A large vehicle swinging right before a left turn is completely normal — is there really someone out there who thinks that's irregular?
    72AnonymousAug 23, 2026 08:09
    Re: #69
    Even driving that's 100% logically justified can still get you assigned partial fault if there's an accident. That's why driving a truck properly, if you actually take it seriously, is genuinely brutal.
    75AnonymousAug 23, 2026 08:12
    Re: #72
    Well, obviously lol. When you're driving you just have to pray there are no idiots around you. There's no predicting what an idiot will do.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Nandemo Jikkyo G) thread “Truck: “I’m turning left!” Regular car: “I’m going straight!” ← the result lolololololololol.”

  • Reactions to a “correct answer” comparison pic for middle-aged men’s fashion — 5ch: “New Balance just doesn’t work”

    A thread on 5ch’s “Nandemo Jikkyō G” (Anything Goes Live) board shared an image comparing good and bad examples of “middle-aged dad” fashion.

    Replies piled up over whether New Balance sneakers actually pair well with a jacket, and whether tucking your shirt in makes you look sharper. Many also agreed with the take that “looking clean-cut just means wearing clothes that actually fit your body.”

    1AnonymousAug 23, 2026 07:22
    The left one's seriously lame lmaooo
    3AnonymousAug 23, 2026 07:24
    Take the photos in the same pose, come on
    53AnonymousAug 23, 2026 08:01
    Re: #3
    Exactly this!
    And honestly, they should've matched the composition and size too, or it's not a fair comparison
    76AnonymousAug 23, 2026 08:20
    Re: #3
    This.
    Also the facial expression needs to match, or it's not really a comparison
    4AnonymousAug 23, 2026 07:24
    In the end all you can do is make yourself look as sharp as possible
    7AnonymousAug 23, 2026 07:25
    It's a no-go the moment New Balance is involved
    14AnonymousAug 23, 2026 07:26
    Re: #7
    But they're the comfiest to wear, though
    10AnonymousAug 23, 2026 07:26
    So basically an undercut and glasses equals stylish?
    11AnonymousAug 23, 2026 07:26
    Jacket and tie with sneakers, though…
    12AnonymousAug 23, 2026 07:26
    Thought it looked a bit off, then realized it's a Seoul (Korean street-style) thing
    This old guy actually pulls it off well
    https://livedoor.blogimg.jp/kaikaihanno/imgs/9/9/9993bc6e.jpg
    56AnonymousAug 23, 2026 08:03
    Re: #12
    He's got a sharp build to begin with, so it looks decent even left as-is
    13AnonymousAug 23, 2026 07:26
    If your gut isn't sticking out, tucking your shirt in makes you look better, right
    15AnonymousAug 23, 2026 07:27
    The left one's deliberately styled to look sloppy
    The sizing's off too
    18AnonymousAug 23, 2026 07:30
    Re: #15
    Someone up top said "looking clean-cut just means wearing clothes that fit your body size" — yeah, I really feel that now
    16AnonymousAug 23, 2026 07:28
    You're better off not wearing New Balance
    19AnonymousAug 23, 2026 07:30


    Sneakers with this outfit just look wrong
    44AnonymousAug 23, 2026 07:52
    Re: #19
    It's not weird these days anymore (lol)
    Even old guys gotta update with the times or they'll get left behind
    59AnonymousAug 23, 2026 08:06
    Re: #19
    Talent managers, startup founder types, people trying to look stylish — this is basically their go-to look now

    It's easy to move around in

    Feels like it's gotten more common since the earthquake
    96AnonymousAug 23, 2026 08:32
    Re: #19
    This has kind of a "BEAMS guy from 20 years ago" vibe (BEAMS = a Japanese fashion brand)
    21AnonymousAug 23, 2026 07:32
    Bugs me that some of them skip the belt
    22AnonymousAug 23, 2026 07:32
    Middle-aged guys with a try-hard undercut ("iki-ri tsuu-buro") are cringe to look at, just stop
    25AnonymousAug 23, 2026 07:40
    A "fashionable" old dude is just cringe
    27AnonymousAug 23, 2026 07:40
    Re: #25
    Totally get that
    38AnonymousAug 23, 2026 07:51
    If he's not even wearing a hat, he clearly doesn't get it
    41AnonymousAug 23, 2026 07:52
    Should middle-aged guys wear glasses even if their eyesight's fine?
    42AnonymousAug 23, 2026 07:52
    Re: #41
    You'll get presbyopia eventually anyway
    45AnonymousAug 23, 2026 07:53
    Re: #44
    Nobody's even looking at an old guy's outfit anyway
    46AnonymousAug 23, 2026 07:54
    Re: #45
    You lose
    48AnonymousAug 23, 2026 07:55
    Feels like the shoes just don't match the rest of the outfit overall…
    60AnonymousAug 23, 2026 08:07
    Re: #48
    Well it's a New Balance ad, so can't be helped
    73AnonymousAug 23, 2026 08:17
    If you're doing sneakers with a jacket, at least go leather, like Stan Smiths
    New Balance just doesn't match
    75AnonymousAug 23, 2026 08:18
    Re: #73
    Leather sneakers are actually the lamest option for this style lmao
    82AnonymousAug 23, 2026 08:26
    Comparison photos
    Good example


    Bad example

    84AnonymousAug 23, 2026 08:27
    Re: #63
    He's got a full head of hair, you baldy
    Once you're older, styling your hair's a hassle, hence the hat
    87AnonymousAug 23, 2026 08:28
    Re: #84
    I mean YOU'RE the bald one
    Anyone trying to stick a hat on him is bald
    86AnonymousAug 23, 2026 08:28
    You can't grasp the importance of balancing casual and formal without knowing some fashion history

    Middle-aged guys keep recycling the all-casual outfits that were trendy in the 1990s, which is why they end up looking like overgrown kids

    92AnonymousAug 23, 2026 08:31
    "Inbound uncles" (older foreign tourists) are all over Tokyo these days
    And it's pretty much all like this lol

    98AnonymousAug 23, 2026 08:35
    Re: #93

    101AnonymousAug 23, 2026 08:38
    Uniqlo

    This is pretty rough too if you ask me lol


    103AnonymousAug 23, 2026 08:41
    Re: #101
    So damn lame!

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Nandemo Jikkyō G) thread “[Image] The “correct answer” for old-guy fashion has been found lmaooooo”.

  • Expert Claims: ‘If College-Grad Office Workers Flood into Manual Labor, High-School-Grad Laborers Will Be Wiped Out’ — Sparks Fierce Debate

    A post on X arguing that “if white-collar university graduates shift into blue-collar work, the existing high-school-educated blue-collar workforce will be wiped out” sparked a wide-ranging debate on 5ch about the future of the labor market. The discussion spread in many directions — the hardships faced by the “employment ice age” generation, comparisons with the current situation in China, fears of being replaced by AI, and the brutal reality of physical labor in the summer heat — with opinions sharply divided.

    Kumaojisan

    @tantoelite

    Sorry to say it, but if white-collar university grads shift into blue-collar work, I think the existing high-school-educated blue-collar workers will end up getting wiped out 😅

    Source: x.com / Original post here

    2AnonymousAug 21, 2026 00:30
    They'll have no stamina and burn out fast, won't they
    3AnonymousAug 21, 2026 00:33
    If that were really going to happen, it already would have during the employment ice age generation — so no, that's not it
    4AnonymousAug 21, 2026 00:34
    Fine for guys in their teens or twenties, but no way for women or older men
    5AnonymousAug 21, 2026 00:35
    Kind of hard to have a serious discussion when the whole premise is unrealistic
    6AnonymousAug 21, 2026 00:37
    Seeing how many people quit their government jobs the second disaster relief work got tough tells you everything — people just want an easy ride, so they're not about to take up manual labor in the first place
    7AnonymousAug 21, 2026 00:37
    They'll get wiped out. In every country except the ones with low university enrollment rates like Japan's, this has already happened naturally
    8AnonymousAug 21, 2026 00:38
    Didn't high school grads from the ice age generation actually struggle a lot? Sounds rough — apparently in China right now, university grads are flooding into manual labor jobs too
    10AnonymousAug 21, 2026 00:39
    Re: #8 Actually, during the ice age generation, high school grads had it easier — more job options
    11AnonymousAug 21, 2026 00:41
    It's grunt work where efficiency and productivity don't matter at all, just sheer persistence — which is exactly why nobody wants to do it
    12AnonymousAug 21, 2026 00:43
    If the logic is that AI is going to take over mental labor, then long before high school grads get pushed out by college grads, there'll be even less point in going to college at all
    13AnonymousAug 21, 2026 00:44
    Being Japanese, people will probably use this as an excuse to quit their salaryman jobs — and we'll just end up with a flood of new restaurants
    14AnonymousAug 21, 2026 00:45
    Wouldn't they just end up putting only women and old men on basic income over this?
    15AnonymousAug 21, 2026 00:45
    This would mean humans no longer need to trial-and-error anything
    17AnonymousAug 21, 2026 00:51
    I'm on welfare (namapo), but listening to INMU KING has me stunned at how far AI has come
    19AnonymousAug 21, 2026 00:59
    Do they really think their bodies can handle it? Naive. Companies want them gone anyway, so there's no mercy
    20AnonymousAug 21, 2026 01:00
    Even if you suggest efficiency improvements on-site — like wrapping up each day's work right around quitting time — you'll just get bullied for it
    22AnonymousAug 21, 2026 01:07
    With gender equality, women moved into blue-collar workplaces too, but since they lack the strength they get assigned light duty, while men end up stuck doing all the heavy labor for the same pay — it's getting unbearable
    23AnonymousAug 21, 2026 01:09
    If white-collar workers were really doing all this trial-and-error, Japan wouldn't have fallen this far
    24AnonymousAug 21, 2026 01:10
    No way white-collar university grads could handle blue-collar work lol
    25AnonymousAug 21, 2026 01:12
    Who knows. Some people are suited for it, some aren't. If they're more capable they'll get hired, but will that actually fix the chronic labor shortage? Even if they get pushed out, there's plenty of other work out there. If you can take out a huge loan to attend a bottom-tier ('F-rank') university and still end up doing manual labor anyway, you might as well just do that from the start
    27AnonymousAug 21, 2026 01:15
    That's because Japan's university enrollment rate is extremely low compared to other developed countries, and even Russia and Ukraine — about 30 points lower, at roughly 50%. So there's always been a natural division where college grads go white-collar and high school grads go blue-collar. But if that division breaks down, high school grads will get wiped out — even blue-collar jobs will start requiring a degree
    30AnonymousAug 21, 2026 01:19
    Re: #27 Isn't that last line kind of off? Spending four years in college just to do manual labor is a total waste
    33AnonymousAug 21, 2026 01:21
    Re: #30 Plenty of science/engineering grads become electricians and the like
    36AnonymousAug 21, 2026 01:23
    Re: #30 Even if it's a waste, it'll happen naturally once the university enrollment rate rises to match other countries, or once white-collar jobs shrink. The world isn't full of loners and otaku — there aren't that many college grads who'd rather become a NEET than do blue-collar work
    29AnonymousAug 21, 2026 01:18
    Blue-collar work is definitely going to demand a lot more efficiency and productivity than it does now — and honestly, it's already being demanded these days
    31AnonymousAug 21, 2026 01:19
    Nobody's asking the middle-aged guy who just transferred in to think — just shut up and work
    32AnonymousAug 21, 2026 01:20
    There are occasionally white-collar grads who flee into blue-collar work, but without exception they turn out useless there
    34AnonymousAug 21, 2026 01:21
    Obviously, even in physical labor, it's the smart, law-abiding, serious workers who are valued most — and that trend is only going to get stronger going forward
    35AnonymousAug 21, 2026 01:22
    With subcontractor after subcontractor in the chain, you end up with incidents like today's train accident
    37AnonymousAug 21, 2026 01:31
    It's nearly 40°C out there in summer these days — I can't imagine white-collar workers used to air conditioning handling site work
    38AnonymousAug 21, 2026 01:34
    By the time AI can do human jobs, the world will already be a mess from AI being abused or running out of control
    39AnonymousAug 21, 2026 01:37
    That American plumber who made it big earning 40 million yen a year was originally an IT engineer, you know. But in Japan, that kind of blue-collar worker will never end up ranking above a trading-company salaryman
    40AnonymousAug 21, 2026 01:39
    To begin with, blue-collar work never really required even a high school education. Long ago, things shifted so that even the not-so-bright kids headed for bottom-tier jobs — where nothing taught in high school actually mattered — mostly went through high school anyway, just to keep up appearances. Times have changed again, and now it's just that those same kids, destined for bottom-tier jobs regardless, mostly go on to university too
    41AnonymousAug 21, 2026 01:43
    If that actually happened, the people pushed out would turn to crime, like old-time cowboys. Is it really okay for Japan to become that dangerous a country?
    51AnonymousAug 21, 2026 02:01
    Re: #41 Some young people are already running wild doing 'yami baito' (shady black-market gig jobs often tied to scams and robberies)
    42AnonymousAug 21, 2026 01:45
    They'd probably just get crushed by the blue-collar workers instead. It's not just the physical labor — you need the mental toughness to withstand being yelled at, bullied, and worn down psychologically
    76AnonymousAug 21, 2026 02:40
    The ones who get weeded out are the ones who can't stick with it, college grad or not. In blue-collar work, tons of people quit after just one day
    79AnonymousAug 21, 2026 02:54
    Re: #76 Yeah, there are plenty who casually quit after three days too

    *This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Hello! Project board) thread “Expert Claims: ‘If College-Grad Office Workers Flood into Manual Labor, High-School-Grad Laborers Will Be Wiped Out’ — Sparks Fierce Debate.”

  • Is Korean Food Actually Good? 5ch Split Over ‘No Comparison to Japanese Cuisine’

    A thread on 5ch’s “Hello Project” board sparked debate over the taste of Korean food. Harsh takes included “no comparison to Japanese cuisine” and “it only tastes good because it’s spicy,” while defenders argued “as fast food you can eat in casual clothes, it’s unbeatable” and “samgyetang is delicious” — opinions split right down the middle. Some even brought up the gap in Michelin star counts as a counterargument, and the debate never really settled.

    1AnonymousAug 19, 2026 07:36
    Better than Japanese food
    4AnonymousAug 19, 2026 07:40
    I eat it at restaurants sometimes
    it's not bad, but it's not great either
    No comparison to Japanese food
    5AnonymousAug 19, 2026 07:40
    It's for dumb tastebuds who think anything tastes good as long as it's spicy
    6AnonymousAug 19, 2026 07:42
    It's just cuisine where they dump gochujang and sugar into everything
    15AnonymousAug 19, 2026 07:52
    Re: #6
    Also they put sesame oil in everything
    Once you use sesame oil, everything ends up tasting the same and you lose the aroma of the ingredients
    7AnonymousAug 19, 2026 07:42
    I'm bad with spicy food and my throat's weak, so I avoid it
    9AnonymousAug 19, 2026 07:45
    The good thing about Korean food is you can eat it quickly in casual clothes
    and it still keeps a baseline level of tastiness
    With other countries' cuisines, getting into a good restaurant and dealing with all the etiquette is a hassle
    I think Korean food is unbeatable as fast food
    10AnonymousAug 19, 2026 07:46
    Re: #9
    Japanese, Thai, and Chinese food don't have a dress code either lol
    12AnonymousAug 19, 2026 07:48
    Have you actually been to Korea?
    I've gone for work many times, and everything is subtly under-salted, and if you're not careful it's sweet too — after several days it starts driving you crazy
    18AnonymousAug 19, 2026 07:55
    Things like seolleongtang, samgyetang, and doenjang jjigae aren't spicy
    and for pickled stuff there's namul too
    21AnonymousAug 19, 2026 07:59
    Re: #18
    That's just because it has no flavor on its own — you season it yourself
    19AnonymousAug 19, 2026 07:56
    I feel like samgyetang deserves to be way more popular
    22AnonymousAug 19, 2026 07:59
    Re: #19
    Because mizutaki (Japanese chicken hot pot) already does it better
    20AnonymousAug 19, 2026 07:57
    Grilling shimachou (beef large intestine) on an iron plate and dipping it in sesame oil was great
    though it's fat-on-fat, so I bet the old-guard "wolf" fans here can't handle it lol (veteran-fan slang on this Hello Project board)
    24AnonymousAug 19, 2026 08:00
    Re: #20
    Because we've got kotecchan (a packaged seasoned tripe brand)
    23AnonymousAug 19, 2026 07:59
    Chamisul Lemon (soju) is actually really tasty
    25AnonymousAug 19, 2026 08:00
    Isn't Chamisul just alcohol with flavoring dumped in?
    32AnonymousAug 19, 2026 08:09
    Re: #25
    Well, if you'd call sake "just alcohol," then sure, maybe
    27AnonymousAug 19, 2026 08:04
    Since when does adding cheese make something Korean food?
    28AnonymousAug 19, 2026 08:05
    Re: #27
    Because a trade agreement forces them to buy tons of cheese from the US
    29AnonymousAug 19, 2026 08:05
    Re: #27
    Most Korean dishes have it in there
    Korean food is basically burying the actual ingredients under cheese, gochujang, sugar, and chili
    30AnonymousAug 19, 2026 08:08
    Hadn't had it in a while and the bottle design changed

    31AnonymousAug 19, 2026 08:09
    This is something only people who've traveled to Korea would know, but Korean rice isn't very tasty
    It's not very sticky and low on sweetness and umami — even convenience store rice balls taste so bland you can't get through them without a side dish
    I think cuisines where the rice is bland tend to pair well with spice and oil
    That goes for India, Southeast Asia, China, and Korea, right?
    33AnonymousAug 19, 2026 08:09
    I don't even know what "Korean food" is supposed to mean in the first place
    35AnonymousAug 19, 2026 08:11
    Re: #33
    Right
    Proper Korean food chains only ever stay small-scale
    Bottom line, it's just not popular
    Because it's not that good
    34AnonymousAug 19, 2026 08:10
    Apparently eating dog is getting banned
    39AnonymousAug 19, 2026 08:15
    Japanese yakiniku is really a Zainichi Korean dish
    Korean-style yakiniku doesn't grill on a wire net, so it's a bit different
    41AnonymousAug 19, 2026 08:18
    Compared to Japan, where the number of Michelin-starred restaurants is worlds apart from Korea's, Korean food is garbage
    53AnonymousAug 19, 2026 08:37
    Shin Ramyun doesn't have much umami on its own, so tossing it in at the end of hot pot lets it soak up the broth and turns out great
    54AnonymousAug 19, 2026 08:38
    Even the people who trash-talk Korean food

    still order Korean dishes off the menu at yakiniku places
    61AnonymousAug 19, 2026 09:07
    Honestly there's nothing I'd pay top dollar to eat

    *This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Hello Project) thread「Korean food is pretty tasty, right?」.

  • J.League Attendance Surges by 5.73 Million — 5ch Reacts: ‘Tax Money Beggars?’

    The J.League and the Japan Football Association (JFA) announced that their largest-ever joint promotional campaign, timed to coincide with the 2026 World Cup, expanded soccer’s overall spectator base by roughly 5.73 million people. Reactions on 5ch were largely positive, but the thread also saw criticism of municipal subsidies (‘tax money beggars?’), along with attendance comparisons between Tokyo Verdy and the Yakult Swallows’ same-day, same-time games — sparking a back-and-forth with baseball fans.

    The Japan Professional Football League (J.League) and the Japan Football Association (JFA), a public interest incorporated foundation, carried out their largest-ever joint promotional campaign centered on the FIFA World Cup 2026 period, under the concept ‘Bringing Local Pride to the World.’

    The campaign aimed to re-communicate the connection between the J.League and the national team and to generate excitement across Japanese soccer as a whole, rolling out a range of initiatives including transit advertising, TV and web commercials, and promotions at J.League match venues. National team matches and the FIFA World Cup draw broad, high interest not just from soccer fans but from society at large, and organizers felt there was still room to grow the overlap between national team fans and J.League fans in order to expand soccer’s overall fan base — hence the campaign.

    The press release stated: “Many of the players currently active on the national team grew up with clubs in their hometowns, gained experience in the J.League, and then took flight onto the world stage. Players nurtured by community-rooted clubs go on to challenge the world as members of the national team. To help more people understand this connection between the J.League and the national team, the J.League and JFA developed a joint campaign under the concept ‘Bringing Local Pride to the World,’ timed to the World Cup — a moment when interest in the national team surges — to present the J.League and the national team as one unified story.”

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

    6AnonymousAug 20, 2026 21:08
    Ugh, here come the 'Easy Smartphone' geezer baseball pigs again (a jab at elderly baseball fans still using dumbed-down 'easy' smartphones for seniors)
    7AnonymousAug 20, 2026 21:10
    Looks like every bit of promotion the J.League does directly translates into more fans.
    They're rolling in it.
    8AnonymousAug 20, 2026 21:11
    Four years from now, after getting knocked out in the round of 64:

    'Well done! Thanks for the memories! You gave us courage!'

    Way too much leaning into the entertainment angle.
    74AnonymousAug 20, 2026 23:46
    Re: #8
    Japanese soccer should lean harder into the 'oshi-katsu' route (fan-idol-style devotion to individual players/clubs).
    There's not much more room to grow beyond that.
    9AnonymousAug 20, 2026 21:13
    Off topic, but the scale of that survey is insane.
    10AnonymousAug 20, 2026 21:13
    This thread's just gonna turn into the baseball pigs oinking anyway, right?
    11AnonymousAug 20, 2026 21:16
    Yakiton Sentai Taxmoneyger!

    Yakiton Sentai Freeticketger!

    Yakiton Sentai TwiceAMonthger!
    (a Power-Rangers-style parody mocking baseball fans — 'yakiton' is derogatory slang for them — over tax subsidies, freebie tickets, and sparse home schedules)
    13AnonymousAug 20, 2026 21:18
    Mmm, tasty tax money.
    16AnonymousAug 20, 2026 21:20
    Re: #13
    Every municipality's investment in the J.League gets decided by majority vote among elected officials, though.
    14AnonymousAug 20, 2026 21:19
    J.League's got serious momentum lately.
    With new stadiums popping up all over the country going forward, total attendance is only going to keep climbing.
    19AnonymousAug 20, 2026 21:26
    Before you know it, there are 60 clubs nationwide.
    The business is already more than double the scale of baseball, and as spectator infrastructure keeps improving, that gap's only going to widen.
    23AnonymousAug 20, 2026 21:30
    Re: #19
    > Before you know it, there are 60 clubs nationwide

    That's just mass-producing broke clubs.
    A burden on their communities.
    29AnonymousAug 20, 2026 21:44
    Then how about building sports facilities without relying on tax money?
    31AnonymousAug 20, 2026 21:52
    Re: #29
    Politics is a numbers game.
    Potential attendance demand grew from 10 million to 15 million people.
    I'll go ahead and predict this actually builds momentum for public stadium development.
    33AnonymousAug 20, 2026 21:55
    And yet they're 'tax money beggars'???
    When are they finally gonna stand on their own?
    71AnonymousAug 20, 2026 23:41
    Re: #33
    What 'standing on your own' are you talking about, when you've had your parent company covering your losses for 80 years?
    34AnonymousAug 20, 2026 21:57
    And on top of that, baseball can't even copy this — there's no 'world' for it lol

    Plus it's not even officially recognized by the US lol
    It's just treated as some minor-league knockoff ripping off MLB lol
    36AnonymousAug 20, 2026 21:59
    Re: #34
    That's something 'tax money beggars' could never pull off.
    43AnonymousAug 20, 2026 22:17
    That '5.7 million increase' — isn't that basically just people who never watch normally but tuned in only for the World Cup games?
    Pretty much exactly that, right?
    I mean, that's literally me too.
    48AnonymousAug 20, 2026 22:26
    Re: #43
    All that effort, and none of it's real — just to secure tax funding lol
    51AnonymousAug 20, 2026 22:33
    Why is baseball's popularity crashing so hard?
    52AnonymousAug 20, 2026 22:35
    Re: #51
    That's gotta be because old media's influence is declining.
    57AnonymousAug 20, 2026 22:39
    J.League, where only the advertising keeps getting more over-the-top.
    62AnonymousAug 20, 2026 22:48
    Re: #57
    Meanwhile the ads for 'buta-sugoroku' (a mocking nickname for pro baseball, literally 'pig board-game') are all adult diapers and denture cleaner.
    64AnonymousAug 20, 2026 22:51
    Under the same conditions, the J.League can already draw bigger crowds than pro baseball.

    *Last week, same location (Jingu Gaien), same kickoff/first-pitch time:

    J.League: Tokyo Verdy vs. Kashiwa Reysol — 44,690
    Pro Baseball: Yakult vs. DeNA — 28,969

    Note that the J.League figure is actual attendance, while the baseball figure is tickets issued, so the real gap is even bigger.
    67AnonymousAug 20, 2026 22:56
    Re: #64
    Average ticket price × annual attendance is what a team actually pulls in from gate revenue.

    J.League clubs only play 19 home games a year, so against baseball's 70+ home games a year, you'd need more than triple the attendance per game just to break even with them.
    65AnonymousAug 20, 2026 22:53
    J.League's been pretty aggressive with promotion lately.
    Still, I think the best move would be broadcasting matches on local TV.
    68AnonymousAug 20, 2026 23:03
    Re: #65
    If you said that without knowing, that's good instincts.
    J.League has actually been increasing local broadcasts recently — apparently 60% of new fans discover the J.League through TV.
    66AnonymousAug 20, 2026 22:56
    The J.League is a professional sport, after all.
    They're not counting on 'Easy Smartphone' old guys who won't watch anything unless it's free.
    Baseball and the TV industry, which relied entirely on that crowd, are in rough shape now, aren't they?
    72AnonymousAug 20, 2026 23:43
    Re: #66
    Pro baseball, handing out free tickets to city hall employees with tax money — must be wonderful, huh lol
    73AnonymousAug 20, 2026 23:46
    The real 'tax league' is:

    a bunch of guys who've spent 80 years being carried on the backs of parent companies, municipalities, and the media, getting tax money spent on pro-grade dedicated stadiums they might use once a year, not lifting a finger to volunteer even after disasters, smoking not just regular cigarettes but illegal 'zombie' cigarettes during games (slang for adulterated/counterfeit tobacco), and packing on more blubber than a sumo wrestler.

    That's what it means.
    75AnonymousAug 20, 2026 23:46
    Re: #73
    'Tax-Suck-ball' (a pun on 'yakyu,' the Japanese word for baseball — 'zei-suu,' or tax-sucking, sounds almost the same).
    76AnonymousAug 20, 2026 23:48
    The J.League is popular and profitable!
    Therefore,
    the J.League can build its own stadiums without relying on tax money!
    77AnonymousAug 20, 2026 23:51
    Re: #76
    80 years of sponging off the country, and still playing to garagara (empty, sparsely-filled) stands.
    79AnonymousAug 20, 2026 23:54
    Re: #76
    Tax money isn't spent purely for citizens' sake — it's an investment in the region's future.

    Tax money spent on soccer generates increased tourism revenue from visiting away fans, and dedicated stadiums become an emotional anchor for local residents, creating real potential for regional revitalization.

    'Mr. Pig-Sugoroku' (baseball), on the other hand, might not even show up once a year, so it can't even become an emotional anchor for the community. Toda, Kamagaya, and Saitama all generously hosted farm teams, only to get abandoned.

    And high-school baseball only revitalizes anything for one brief moment in August — the so-called 'whirlwind' effect.
    No wonder baseball's losing fans all across the country lolololol
    81AnonymousAug 21, 2026 00:03
    At least cover your own stadium maintenance costs, tax league.
    83AnonymousAug 21, 2026 00:04
    Re: #81
    At least build your own stadium train station, buta-sugoroku (pig board-game, i.e. pro baseball).

    *This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Geisoku+) thread ‘[Soccer] J.League and JFA Run Largest-Ever Joint Promotion, Boosting Overall Soccer Spectator Base by Approx. 5.73 Million’.

  • Hair Change Boosts Her Buzz, but Blog Silence Worries Fans — 5ch: ‘Hirayama’s Still Got It’

    A thread on 5ch asking whether people like or dislike Hello! Project member Hirayama sparked a lively debate. Some complained that likes on her TikTok have visibly dropped and that her blog and Instagram updates have stalled, while others said they only started paying attention to her once she began growing her hair out — leaving opinions sharply divided. The repeated posting of an official photo from four years ago also led to a minor spat between those who kept sharing it and those who found it annoying.

    1AnonymousAug 19, 2026 21:46
    Hirayama's still got it
    5AnonymousAug 19, 2026 21:48
    In Power Pro Kun Pocket (a baseball RPG game series), the 'nose bandage' guy has always had mediocre stats
    7AnonymousAug 19, 2026 21:48
    She never updates her blog or Instagram, so I'm not a fan
    10AnonymousAug 19, 2026 21:49
    [Bad News] Hirayama's TikTok likes have taken a noticeable nosedive
    14AnonymousAug 19, 2026 21:50
    Re: #10
    Heard her solo numbers (individual event/photo sales) have dropped too
    12AnonymousAug 19, 2026 21:49
    If this were the Avengers, she'd be Captain America
    Because she's got the strongest shield
    13AnonymousAug 19, 2026 21:50
    Because Hirayama pulled off that memorable bar event for her 20th — both sessions, after-party included
    16AnonymousAug 19, 2026 21:52
    Re: #14
    I saw a post saying there weren't many female fans, but were there ever that many to begin with?
    17AnonymousAug 19, 2026 21:53
    She's a lifesaver because she keeps Angerme from looking too uniform
    18AnonymousAug 19, 2026 21:54
    If she were just 15cm taller, she'd have been a top-tier beauty
    28AnonymousAug 19, 2026 21:59
    Re: #1
    If you're out of material, you don't have to force a thread
    29AnonymousAug 19, 2026 21:59
    Living proof that good looks and good personality go hand in hand
    30AnonymousAug 19, 2026 22:00
    What do you mean 'Hirayama'? ('Hira' means 'flat' — but this is basically the Himalayas at this point
    31AnonymousAug 19, 2026 22:00
    Why doesn't she write her blog?
    She's skipping the bus tour without even an apology
    That's a lack of professionalism
    32AnonymousAug 19, 2026 22:00
    With her hair short, she just looks like a short-haired Sakura Oda
    35AnonymousAug 19, 2026 22:02
    There's a Masonic symbol in the top right
    https://stat.ameba.jp/user_images/20220330/21/angerme-new/d1/20/j/o1080108015095417986.jpg
    37AnonymousAug 19, 2026 22:03
    Re: #33
    Sure!
    But it's never gonna happen
    She's on vacation right now
    38AnonymousAug 19, 2026 22:03
    There's a fragility within her strength
    That's Hirayama
    39AnonymousAug 19, 2026 22:03
    She could still update her blog from vacation though…
    45AnonymousAug 19, 2026 22:08
    Re: #39
    She can't exactly post 'the sun on the beach feels great!' while she's supposed to be laying low
    44AnonymousAug 19, 2026 22:06
    I like her because she's been growing her hair out lately
    46AnonymousAug 19, 2026 22:09
    Re: #44
    Her recent hairstyle's great, right? I wasn't interested before, but once she started growing her hair out I started paying attention to her
    58AnonymousAug 19, 2026 22:21
    Re: #46
    Exactly
    She's surprisingly girly too
    48AnonymousAug 19, 2026 22:09
    I love Redrock too
    49AnonymousAug 19, 2026 22:09
    Hirayama Aya got married to someone, didn't she
    Probably some guy nobody's heard of
    51AnonymousAug 19, 2026 22:10
    Re: #49
    It was Mokomichi (actor Mokomichi Hasegawa)
    56AnonymousAug 19, 2026 22:18
    Back when her hair was long and she was young
    59AnonymousAug 19, 2026 22:22
    Re: #56
    You keep dragging out that same photo from over 4 years ago — it's exhausting how persistent you are
    61AnonymousAug 19, 2026 22:28
    Re: #59
    Why would posting an official photo from 4 years ago be a problem for you?
    68AnonymousAug 19, 2026 22:35
    Re: #61
    That's kind of mean

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hello! Project) thread ‘Do you guys actually like Hirayama?’.

  • 10kg of Rice Finally Drops to ¥4,000

    A thread on 5ch reported that the price of 10kg of rice has finally dropped to ¥4,000. While some residents who remember paying under ¥2,000 for 5kg grumbled “still too expensive” and “I won’t buy until it’s under ¥2,000,” many others pointed out that during the price spike they switched their staple food to bread or noodles, suggesting the shift away from rice may have become permanent.

    1AnonymousAug 19, 2026 09:53
    Time to eat rice like crazy!
    2AnonymousAug 19, 2026 09:54
    Buying it for a third of last year's price? What a deal.
    4AnonymousAug 19, 2026 09:55
    Still too expensive
    Not buying until it's under ¥2,000
    5AnonymousAug 19, 2026 09:56
    Re: #4
    Guess you'll be eating bread or noodles for the rest of your life
    52AnonymousAug 19, 2026 10:58
    Re: #4
    Just eat some triple-aged rice then (kokokomai — rice held in storage for 3+ years)
    7AnonymousAug 19, 2026 09:59
    Used to buy in bulk for a discount, paying ¥2,500-3,000, but I barely eat rice these days so a 10kg bag just ends up getting bugs in it.
    9AnonymousAug 19, 2026 10:03
    Would be nice if this became a lesson that jacking prices up sneakily gets you punished
    Everything's so expensive lately
    11AnonymousAug 19, 2026 10:08
    Wasn't it around ¥1,000 for 5kg?
    20AnonymousAug 19, 2026 10:13
    Re: #11
    Pretty sure it was around ¥1,500
    12AnonymousAug 19, 2026 10:08
    Hope the "consumption tax" price hikes go the same way
    13AnonymousAug 19, 2026 10:09
    What's spilled can't be put back in the tray (i.e. there's no undoing it)
    Even with price cuts, people who've drifted away from rice won't come back so easily
    14AnonymousAug 19, 2026 10:11
    The staple's shifted to noodles and bread, right?
    Rice is probably under 30% of meals now?
    16AnonymousAug 19, 2026 10:12
    There can't be many Japanese people who are truly satisfied with just noodles and bread
    18AnonymousAug 19, 2026 10:13
    I've been eating pasta, soba, and udon more often
    and looking up recipes has expanded my repertoire too
    19AnonymousAug 19, 2026 10:13
    I'll buy it once no-rinse rice (musenmai, pre-washed rice) hits ¥1,500
    21AnonymousAug 19, 2026 10:14
    I live alone so I always buy 5kg bags
    but even at the high end it needs to drop to around ¥2,200
    22AnonymousAug 19, 2026 10:15
    Curious to see if convenience store rice balls actually get cheaper too
    23AnonymousAug 19, 2026 10:16
    Do people living alone just not buy 10kg bags?
    24AnonymousAug 19, 2026 10:17
    Seaweed (nori) is crazy expensive right now too
    Wonder why
    27AnonymousAug 19, 2026 10:18
    The Meteorological Agency started saying a big earthquake was likely soon, panic-buying of rice kicked off, and prices shot up insanely
    28AnonymousAug 19, 2026 10:18
    The reason for the price spike is that the harvest was small
    29AnonymousAug 19, 2026 10:19
    Back in elementary school I used to get sent to the local supermarket to buy rice, and 10kg was ¥3,600 back then
    35AnonymousAug 19, 2026 10:33
    Hurry up and drop the price on microwave rice packs too
    36AnonymousAug 19, 2026 10:35
    Bought 10kg of blended rice for ¥3,000 at the end of last month
    38AnonymousAug 19, 2026 10:39
    Cheaper brand-name rice used to run around ¥2,000 for 5kg
    and blended rice was under ¥1,500
    Either way, cooking rice at home has become such a hassle that I've decided rice is only for eating out now lol
    39AnonymousAug 19, 2026 10:40
    Retailers only need to discount it a little and there are idiots who'll still buy it, so it hasn't dropped that much
    40AnonymousAug 19, 2026 10:42
    Well, I'm fine as long as it gets back to the price level from a few years ago
    I'll still eat it when dining out with people
    46AnonymousAug 19, 2026 10:50
    Re: #40
    It's done as a staple food
    51AnonymousAug 19, 2026 10:57
    Now that rice prices are down, the restaurant industry's due for a wave of price cuts too, right?
    If they don't lower prices after rice got cheaper, people are going to be furious
    63AnonymousAug 19, 2026 11:13
    Re: #51
    If the consumption tax on groceries drops to 1%, fewer customers are expected to eat out, so restaurants probably won't cut prices
    69AnonymousAug 19, 2026 11:24
    With demand for Japanese food rising abroad, aren't they going to export it?
    73AnonymousAug 19, 2026 11:29
    Re: #69
    Dull palates abroad probably can't appreciate how good Japanese rice tastes
    80AnonymousAug 19, 2026 12:03
    The government should just buy back the stockpiled rice it released
    82AnonymousAug 19, 2026 12:08
    Re: #80
    No need for that
    It's just the fault of the idiots who bought up almost all the stockpile rice at auction and hoarded it
    83AnonymousAug 19, 2026 12:10
    Re: #80
    I'll buy it to secure stockpile rice whether they tell me to or not

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hello!Project) thread “10kg of Rice Finally Drops to ¥4,000”.

  • Kojima Hana’s Variety Show Talent Praised — 5ch: ‘She Can Ad-Lib as an MC’

    Hello! Project newcomer Kojima Hana’s impressive variety-show talent became a hot topic on 5ch’s Hello! Project board. While fans praised her ad-libbing as an MC and the fun factor of her social media and blog posts, many also pointed out that Hello! Project as a whole — despite having produced legendary variety talents like Yaguchi Mari and Fujimoto Miki — seems to have drifted away from the variety-show track in recent years.

    Commenters cited a handful of exceptions like Makino Maria and Ikuta Erina, while lamenting the agency’s training policies and the lack of TV exposure.

    1AnonymousAug 22, 2026 20:25
    Can ad-lib as an MC
    Her social media and blog posts are entertaining
    Apparently she's good at ogiri (comedic wordplay games) too
    5AnonymousAug 22, 2026 20:28
    Variety skills are Stardust Promotion's whole weapon, you know.
    Hello! Project used to be strong in variety too, but these days it's just hopeless.
    6AnonymousAug 22, 2026 20:30
    Thing about Hello! Project — and you Hello-otaku too —
    you're always debating singing ability and dance skills, on-stage stuff.
    But nobody ever thinks about a strategy for actually making it in showbiz through comedy or acting/variety work, right?
    8AnonymousAug 22, 2026 20:30
    Re: #6
    Take that complaint up with the agency, then?
    10AnonymousAug 22, 2026 20:32
    Re: #6
    That's a newbie/bandwagon fan talking.
    9AnonymousAug 22, 2026 20:31
    There's Yaguchi Mari-senpai, Fujimoto Miki-senpai — Hello! Project actually has great senpai to look up to,
    so why doesn't the current lineup learn anything from them about talk skills or comedy?
    She even did radio with the master himself, Akashiya Sanma, so why do today's Hello! Project members have zero variety skills? It's a shame.
    26AnonymousAug 22, 2026 20:40
    Re: #9
    Probably nobody wants to get close to a senpai who had a scandal.
    68AnonymousAug 22, 2026 21:38
    Re: #9
    Takase talked in a way that was blatantly Yaguchi-like plenty of times, though.
    11AnonymousAug 22, 2026 20:32
    A super-skilled kid came in as Kurumin's replacement.
    12AnonymousAug 22, 2026 20:33
    Lately Makino Maria is about the only one who's been accepted into the variety world.
    She's clearly a favorite in the Lovit!/Ravit! crowd.
    The other one to watch is Ikuta Erina, who signed with Yoshimoto Kogyo (a major comedy talent agency) — curious how that turns out.
    14AnonymousAug 22, 2026 20:34
    They don't even put them on TV in the first place.
    86AnonymousAug 22, 2026 22:28
    Re: #14
    Even if they were on TV, Hello-otaku wouldn't watch it anyway.
    17AnonymousAug 22, 2026 20:35
    She's cute though
    http://pbs.twimg.com/media/HQPTZWYb0AAmHiE.jpg:orig#.jpg
    21AnonymousAug 22, 2026 20:36
    Hey, hold on — Hello-otaku, let me say this.
    For an idol,
    singing and dancing matter, sure, but comedy/variety, drama acting, and swimsuit gravure matter even more, don't they?
    27AnonymousAug 22, 2026 20:41
    Re: #21
    Take it up with the agency.
    40AnonymousAug 22, 2026 20:53
    Re: #21
    She came over from Stardust to Up-Front Group after all, so earning through singing and dancing performances is the right call.
    23AnonymousAug 22, 2026 20:38
    I hope this becomes the spark that gets more funny Hello! Project members to wake up to the comedy path.
    25AnonymousAug 22, 2026 20:40
    Re: #23
    There's always been a certain number of 'variety members.'
    They just don't get much media exposure.
    38AnonymousAug 22, 2026 20:50
    I wonder if Yonemura's variety push flopped.
    She got invited onto a Cream Stew quiz segment, then a manzai prank segment that wasn't even the one originally planned, but after that it just stopped.
    43AnonymousAug 22, 2026 20:54
    Re: #38
    The incompetent agency just doesn't push hard enough after that first appearance.
    47AnonymousAug 22, 2026 20:59
    I've been watching Otsubo since her trainee days, and yeah, she still seems like a no-go?
    Feels like she just doesn't have that idol sense.
    Well, 2 out of 3 being hits is plenty good, I guess.
    49AnonymousAug 22, 2026 21:03
    Re: #47
    Iffy whether she'll blossom once she's grown up.
    Compared to Kojima and Sugiyama, she just doesn't have enough of a standout weapon.
    https://youtu.be/WaWqLdwyt0M?si=WxBIaaxwsC4SMRE1
    52AnonymousAug 22, 2026 21:05
    Re: #49
    Yuna-bo actually looks more mature in this clip.
    54AnonymousAug 22, 2026 21:06
    I don't usually watch Beyooooonds much, but catching them at a festival alongside my favorite group, Kojima and Sugiyama caught my eye — Otsubo honestly didn't leave much of an impression.
    56AnonymousAug 22, 2026 21:08
    Re: #54
    In Morning Musume too, Yasuda and Sugihara stood out.
    64AnonymousAug 22, 2026 21:24
    It's just not fair that Beyooooonds gets both Hana-chan and Yuina-chan!
    Trade us Yasuda and Suzuki for them.
    65AnonymousAug 22, 2026 21:25
    Re: #64
    That trash agency is always great at scattering talented members around, isn't it.
    81AnonymousAug 22, 2026 22:15
    You'll definitely find your oshi here.
    Young or old, male or female —
    with Hana, Mano, and Yuna you'll be totally fine (a pun: 大丈V, playing on 'daijoubu')!
    82AnonymousAug 22, 2026 22:17


    88AnonymousAug 22, 2026 22:30
    Somehow her hairstyle and fashion were more stylish before she joined Hello! Project.
    Are they deliberately toning her down to fit the Hello! Project look?
    91AnonymousAug 22, 2026 22:38
    Re: #88
    Yeah, exactly.
    I remember Nishida saying something like 'the newcomers dutifully follow the rules,' so they're probably restricted on things like hairstyle and colored contacts.
    89AnonymousAug 22, 2026 22:30
    Got the shot… ♡ Murata Yui
    I got to take a photo with Kojima Hana-san!
    Man, I really like her
    I ended up muttering "you're so cool"
    right in front of her without meaning to —
    sorry if that made things awkward for her 🙇🏻‍🙇🏻‍♀
    97AnonymousAug 22, 2026 22:54
    She was probably like this back in her Amefura days too (an earlier group/era of hers).
    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HBC56aJaEAAA58k.jpg:orig

    *This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Hello! Project board) thread “Sorry, but Kojima Hana’s variety skills are insane.”

  • Ashida Mana and Takahashi Fumiya’s Café Two-Shot Sparks Buzz — 5ch: “Isn’t That Meruru’s Ex-Boyfriend? lol”

    Ashida Mana, who is starring in a TV drama series for the first time in two and a half years, was reportedly spotted chatting with co-star Takahashi Fumiya at a café in Tokyo early on the morning of August 4.

    On 5ch, comments jumped on the co-star connection with posts like “Isn’t that Meruru’s ex-boyfriend? lol,” and the discussion spread to cover her reported annual income of 680 million yen and recent takes on her acting skills.

    [Spotted] Ashida Mana, Starring in a Drama Series for the First Time in 2.5 Years, “Chatting Alone Together Even During Breaks” — Side by Side With a “Handsome Actor Three Years Her Senior”

    Ashida Mana and Takahashi Fumiya were spotted early on the morning of August 4 outside a café in Tokyo.

    They stood close together looking friendly — so what’s really going on here?

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

    3AnonymousAug 18, 2026 06:09
    Isn't that Meruru's ex-boyfriend? lol (Meruru = nickname of talent/model Ami Umi)
    5AnonymousAug 18, 2026 06:11
    Re: #3
    https://i.ytimg.com/vi/UX0_6gyit10/maxresdefault.jpg
    4AnonymousAug 18, 2026 06:11
    Imada Mio:
    "Oh, if Kawaguchi AND Mana-chan both disappear, that makes me the queen of commercials"
    13AnonymousAug 18, 2026 06:16
    An annual income of 680 million yen……
    no wonder guys are lining up
    14AnonymousAug 18, 2026 06:17
    She got a drastic haircut recently, didn't she
    this pretty much confirms it
    17AnonymousAug 18, 2026 06:22
    Re: #14
    cute
    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HPMQCH4b0AAvDsR.jpg
    https://news.tv-asahi.co.jp/articles_img/900196838_1200.jpg
    16AnonymousAug 18, 2026 06:20
    Ashida Mana and Honda Miyu are our last hope
    20AnonymousAug 18, 2026 06:24
    Re: #16
    You can have Honda Miyu, I don't need her
    do whatever you want lol
    18AnonymousAug 18, 2026 06:23
    33AnonymousAug 18, 2026 07:02
    Re: #18
    Can't be helped, honestly
    35AnonymousAug 18, 2026 07:10
    Re: #18
    He's got that soft, pretty-boy look
    even Fuku-kun can't compete with this
    21AnonymousAug 18, 2026 06:25
    All this fuss over them just chatting during a break
    23AnonymousAug 18, 2026 06:26
    If you actually read the article, they're just having a friendly chat with a co-star lol
    25AnonymousAug 18, 2026 06:28
    So the kid from 'Mother' is going to become a mother herself, huh…… ("Mother" = the 2010 drama she starred in as a child)
    37AnonymousAug 18, 2026 07:15
    Kubo-chan didn't even get a mention lol
    38AnonymousAug 18, 2026 07:16
    Apparently her parents aren't interested in celebrities at all
    and supposedly want her to marry a government bureaucrat or something
    49AnonymousAug 18, 2026 07:34
    A lot of the child actors from that era, like Mana-chan and Fuku-kun, turned out pretty well-adjusted
    even that kid who got mercilessly trashed online back in his child-actor days grew up into a buff, handsome guy
    80AnonymousAug 18, 2026 08:51
    Re: #49
    Who's this buff handsome guy you're talking about?
    54AnonymousAug 18, 2026 07:37
    It's not like they stayed the night together or anything, so it's fine
    55AnonymousAug 18, 2026 07:38
    This was probably a reshoot her agency arranged on purpose
    65AnonymousAug 18, 2026 07:55
    Mana-chan's acting has zero charm whatsoever
    66AnonymousAug 18, 2026 07:59
    Re: #65
    TV stations aren't expecting good acting from Mana-chan anyway
    they're banking on the huge sponsors standing behind her
    68AnonymousAug 18, 2026 08:02
    Re: #65
    Everyone's entitled to their own taste, but there's no need to go out of your way to trash her
    82AnonymousAug 18, 2026 09:43
    Re: #65
    She's been doing nothing but commercials and variety shows, so her acting's gotten worse
    67AnonymousAug 18, 2026 08:00
    Maybe it's tough to find roles for her age, but lately I only ever see her on variety shows and in commercials
    69AnonymousAug 18, 2026 08:02
    Re: #67
    You're just out of the loop
    75AnonymousAug 18, 2026 08:24
    77AnonymousAug 18, 2026 08:32
    Re: #75
    The manager looks awfully used to holding her lol
    89AnonymousAug 18, 2026 10:26
    Middle-aged guys really do all love Ashida Mana-chan, huh
    and the creepy part is they're looking at her as a woman, not as a granddaughter or daughter figure

    *This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Hello! Project) thread “[Sad News] Ashida Mana-san lolololol.”