Japan Reacts

Author: Japan Reacts Editorial

  • X: “Nintendo’s Download Versions Barely Sell At All — Not Even 10%”

    A claim posted on X (formerly Twitter) — that “Nintendo’s download versions barely sell at all, with the ratio coming in at under 10%” — sparked discussion on 5ch’s hardware/industry board (commonly known as “Geha”). In the thread, users pointed out that Nintendo’s published digital ratio of roughly 50% excludes digital-exclusive titles, while Sony’s figure in the 80% range includes them — highlighting a difference in how the two companies count their numbers. Opinions were divided over the credibility of the original post, as well as over the point that physical sales volume and the digital ratio are two separate issues.

    2AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:30
    They probably haven't even read what Nintendo actually published.
    3AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:31
    Sounds like Nintendo actually sells more digital than Sony does…
    then again, that's just their 'manufactured shortage' marketing.
    5AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:33
    Even if that were true, it wouldn't matter — physical media is getting discontinued and vanishing from store shelves either way.
    7AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:34
    There must have been tons of cases where an indie series kept getting steady sequels through 3DS digital releases, but got dropped after just one Vita port.
    So where's the evidence that the share flips completely once you're talking about 'the digital version' instead of 'digital-exclusive'?
    9AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:36
    Is there even a Japanese third-party game that's sold more digital copies in Japan than Animal Crossing: New Horizons?
    12AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:38
    It's basically a religion at this point — the worst part is they don't even consider that they might be wrong.
    13AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:38
    If it's really under 10%, you'd expect an even bigger gap to show up — so are we saying it's more than a 10x difference?
    14AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:40
    Is this, in a way, just another case of 'net de shinjitsu' ("internet truth" — a claim that spreads as fact online because people want to believe it)?
    15AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:41
    They always bring up 'but look at the earnings' — but hasn't Sony only beaten Nintendo in full-year operating profit two or three times in the last decade?
    18AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:43
    That's just Rento talking (a Twitter personality known for dubious gaming claims) — make sure the thread title keeps calling him an 'expert' (said sarcastically).
    57AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:48
    Re: #18
    Maybe it's about time we started calling him a 'fool' instead (wordplay on 識者/"expert" vs 愚者/"fool").
    19AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:45
    A perfect example of what happens when you're high on PlayStation fanboyism.
    Tough break for the sane PS fans — having users like this around makes even the normal ones get lumped in with the crazies.
    20AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:45
    At least domestically, even if Wolverine's digital ratio were 90% and FE's were 50%, FE would still have sold more overall.
    (Wolverine: 220k, FE: 300k)

    Even if FE's digital ratio were only 25%, FE would still barely come out ahead — so the percentage going up doesn't automatically mean anything.
    25AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:52
    Re: #8
    As for the Japanese PlayStation diehards ('wa-goki,' a derogatory 5ch term for domestic PS fanboys), it's probably the lingering influence of those infamous blogs from over a decade ago.
    84AnonymousOct 8, 2026 16:41
    Re: #25
    They got hit by a double echo chamber — console-war blogs plus X.
    The people living in the console-war scene now have morphed into something even more grotesque than the old-school crowd.
    36AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:00
    The earnings report already put the number at 50%, didn't it?
    47AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:15
    Re: #36
    Nintendo's 50% digital ratio excludes digital-exclusive titles.
    Sony's 80% includes digital-exclusive titles.

    Sony is already counting things in a way designed to inflate the digital ratio, and even then, claiming a 90% digital ratio is a flat-out lie lol.
    37AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:00
    The fatal mistake, as a game platform, was simply this: they let kids slip away and built a culture that only middle-aged men get excited about.
    43AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:08
    Re: #37
    PlayStation was actually the first to put on a show of broadening its age-range appeal — so why did it end up narrowing instead?
    63AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:58
    Are there actually people out there who believe what a guy like Rento says?
    77AnonymousOct 8, 2026 16:29
    Re: #63
    Well, it's X — if a Community Note got attached it'd be different, but without one, I'm sure plenty of people just believe it.
    65AnonymousOct 8, 2026 16:02
    Nobody in any camp discloses clear digital numbers, so everyone gets to spin it however suits them.
    Meanwhile, the publishers — who obviously know their own real sales figures — just keep doing whatever they're doing…
    71AnonymousOct 8, 2026 16:10
    Re: #65
    Even the adult doujin platforms (FANZA and DLsite) manage to publish real sales figures, so other platforms should be able to do it too.
    Though honestly, even if they did, it'd only make number-nerds like us happy.
    67AnonymousOct 8, 2026 16:08
    I bought the physical copy of Ring Fit right when it launched and regretted it,
    so these days I mostly go with the 'DLC' version.
    69AnonymousOct 8, 2026 16:09
    Re: #67
    ✕ DLC
    ○ DL
    68AnonymousOct 8, 2026 16:09
    Well, if digital really wasn't selling, they wouldn't be the ones pushing to get rid of discs themselves.
    76AnonymousOct 8, 2026 16:20
    Exactly this kind of thinking.

    82AnonymousOct 8, 2026 16:40
    Apparently physical copies only sell because of scalpers/resellers.
    In other words, almost nobody is actually playing Nintendo games.

    88AnonymousOct 8, 2026 16:57
    Honestly, this whole mindset feels kind of outdated…
    People treat 'digital' like it's something special, so a high digital ratio = impressive — and that leads to bashing whoever has a lower one (regardless of whether it's actually low or not)…
    97AnonymousOct 8, 2026 17:17
    Re: #88
    It's not that deep a topic.
    It started when PlayStation fans, getting crushed in the Famitsu weekly sales charts, began saying 'but it sells on digital!' — basically just denial and excuse-making.
    There's no guarantee that shifting to digital is inevitable, and no proof it's even the 'right' direction.
    102AnonymousOct 8, 2026 17:24
    Besides, Nintendo publishes shipment numbers by country, so comparing those against Famitsu's weekly charts should give you a rough digital ratio.
    It's not like a game is secretly selling millions while sitting outside the rankings.
    103AnonymousOct 8, 2026 17:27
    Re: #102
    That approach has its own problems though.
    Switch has these landmark indie 'physical' releases that skew the overall digital ratio.
    Suika Game (Watermelon Game), for instance, is almost entirely digital.

    Background and Key Points of This Debate

    Nintendo publishes its own digital sales ratio in a way that excludes digital-exclusive titles, with the most recent figure coming in at roughly 50%. Sony’s cited “80% digital ratio,” on the other hand, includes digital-exclusive titles, so the two numbers can’t be directly compared due to their different scopes. The source of the “under 10%” claim raised in the thread was never specified, and many commenters questioned the credibility of the person it was attributed to, making the truthfulness of the post itself a central point of debate. The thread also noted that strong physical sales figures and a low digital ratio across the overall software lineup aren’t necessarily the same thing — and since neither company discloses its exact counting methodology, either number is hard to verify.

    ※This article was compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Hardware/Industry, aka “Geha”) thread “X: ‘Nintendo’s Download Versions Barely Sell At All — Not Even 10%’.”

  • Free School Lunch Program Blamed as Complaints About Shrinking Portions Rise — 5ch: “We’ll Pay, Just Give Us Real Food”

    A photo of a Sapporo elementary school lunch, sent in by a viewer to Hokkaido Television (HTB), sparked a news segment on parents’ suspicions that portions have gotten smaller since school lunch fees became free. The resulting 5ch thread filled up with posts comparing the photo to Showa-era (1926–1989) school lunches, alongside parents’ candid opinions like “we’d rather pay and get a decent amount and quality.” Meanwhile, Sapporo Mayor Katsuhiro Akimoto explained at a press conference that “the nutritional standards and portion sizes haven’t changed before or after the fee waiver” — and the gap between parents’ lived experience and the city’s official explanation became the thread’s central point of debate.

    This is a photo of a Sapporo school lunch sent to HTB by a viewer.

    Parents are raising questions: has the portion size gotten smaller since elementary school lunches became free?

    This is a photo of the school lunch served to a 6th grader in Sapporo.

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

    4AnonymousOct 8, 2026 17:18
    Well, of course that's what happens.
    If you want a proper meal, pay for it.
    95AnonymousOct 8, 2026 17:32
    Re: #4
    Yes. I want to pay. Please let us pay.
    115AnonymousOct 8, 2026 17:33
    Re: #4
    I'll pay, so just feed them properly.
    124AnonymousOct 8, 2026 17:34
    Re: #4
    I'll pay. Most parents feel the same way.
    20AnonymousOct 8, 2026 17:22
    Showa-era elementary school lunches
    The idealized image
    https://image-tm.s2mr.jp/i/original/1791447702367.jpeg
    The reality was this
    https://image-tm.s2mr.jp/i/original/1791447717982.jpeg
    61AnonymousOct 8, 2026 17:28
    Re: #20
    It wasn't quite this bad.

    Also, I don't remember vegetables like these.
    I never liked raw vegetables so I don't recall them being served much, but there was a nutritionist planning things, right?
    There was curry in there too — or was that just a drink?
    106AnonymousOct 8, 2026 17:33
    (Sapporo Mayor Katsuhiro Akimoto)
    "School lunches have set standards for how much nutrition and volume are needed depending on the student's grade level. Those standards haven't changed before or after the lunch fee waiver, so the portion size, menu, and nutritional content haven't changed either."

    Hmm, so are we just imagining it?
    130AnonymousOct 8, 2026 17:35
    Re: #106
    Maybe the portions were actually excessive back when we were kids?
    143AnonymousOct 8, 2026 17:36
    Re: #106
    This guy's already announced he's not running in next year's Sapporo mayoral election, so he probably doesn't care anymore.
    109AnonymousOct 8, 2026 17:33
    The Showa era really had it good.
    I remember whale kara-age (deep-fried whale meat) piled high on a single plate.
    There was so much that nobody could finish it, so the leftovers piled up too.
    But they made you stay until you finished everything, so a lot of kids hid their bread and milk in their desks until it went moldy.
    128AnonymousOct 8, 2026 17:34
    Re: #109
    There's basically no demand for whale meat anymore anyway, so they might as well put it in school lunches.
    144AnonymousOct 8, 2026 17:36
    Re: #128
    The whale meat you occasionally see at the supermarket is actually pretty pricey — more expensive than beef.
    156AnonymousOct 8, 2026 17:37
    Re: #128
    Maybe the whale catch has gone down. These days it's probably too expensive for the unit price to work out.
    Anyway, whale used to show up constantly in school lunches back then — it was like "ugh, whale again?"
    117AnonymousOct 8, 2026 17:33
    I think most parents are saying: we'll pay, just give our kids something a bit more decent to eat.
    145AnonymousOct 8, 2026 17:36
    Re: #117
    When the lunch fee waiver was decided, the view that parents should keep paying on top of the waiver was a minority opinion.
    The lunches we have now are what most of the public actually wanted.
    Even though people warned quality would suffer with the waiver alone, parents were still thrilled about getting free lunches.
    148AnonymousOct 8, 2026 17:37
    Don't Hokkaido prefectural assembly members take overseas trips like they do in some other prefectures?
    If they do, cut that budget instead.
    157AnonymousOct 8, 2026 17:38
    Re: #148
    Hokkaido has a whopping hundred assembly members. They need to cut that in half.
    161AnonymousOct 8, 2026 17:38
    Re: #148
    There isn't a single prefectural elementary or middle school in Hokkaido, though.
    166AnonymousOct 8, 2026 17:39
    Tax revenue is at an all-time high, and the child population is shrinking — so why are school lunches shrinking too?
    188AnonymousOct 8, 2026 17:40
    Re: #166
    People keep saying tax revenue is at an all-time high, but specifically, how big is the actual budget surplus?
    202AnonymousOct 8, 2026 17:41
    Re: #166
    Well, the national debt hits an all-time high every year too.
    167AnonymousOct 8, 2026 17:39
    Don't think you can eat for free. You're taking the world way too lightly.
    191AnonymousOct 8, 2026 17:40
    Re: #167
    Right.
    If you think money just falls from the sky, you're dead wrong.
    Every resource in this world is finite.
    198AnonymousOct 8, 2026 17:41
    Re: #167
    Tell that to the LDP lawmakers.
    273AnonymousOct 8, 2026 17:47
    A typical Japanese meal

    286AnonymousOct 8, 2026 17:49
    Re: #1

    [Aichi Asian Games] Vegetables with 3 pieces of chicken… "You expect us to compete on this?" Shocking meal at the competition venue, posted on social media by Thailand's coach ★4
    https://hayabusa9.5ch.io/test/read.cgi/mnewsplus/1789884655/


    i.imgur.com/fv0VE1t.jpeg
    i.imgur.com/E1COlDE.jpeg
    294AnonymousOct 8, 2026 17:49
    Hokkaido's poverty-level school lunch
    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HPwDWVxbEAAInG3.jpg

    Background and Key Points of Debate

    Free school lunches are a policy spreading across municipalities nationwide funded by national government subsidies, and this thread touches on the fact that “this fiscal year’s waiver is funded using national subsidies.” The waiver itself isn’t meant to change nutritional or menu standards, and Sapporo Mayor Katsuhiro Akimoto said as much at his press conference, stating “the standards haven’t changed before or after the waiver.” In other words, there’s officially no reason for portions to have shrunk — yet parents are making concrete complaints like “the portions are too small” and “my child comes home hungry,” and this discrepancy became the thread’s focal point. Without speculating beyond the facts, it’s worth noting a structural point for readers: if food costs rise due to inflation while subsidy funding stays fixed, the actual amount and quality served could change even under unchanged official standards. Several commenters in the thread said they’d rather pay and get better quality, revealing that for many parents, “free” doesn’t automatically mean “satisfactory.” At the same time, there was plenty of nostalgic back-and-forth comparing it to Showa-era lunches, mixing in questions about how much of that memory is rosy exaggeration versus reality.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (News Speed+) thread “Shrinking School Lunches? Rising Complaints of “Too Little Food” and “Kids Coming Home Hungry” — Behind the Scenes in Sapporo.”

  • 90% of ‘Vibe-Coded’ Apps Found Vulnerable — 5ch: ‘Bet the Hand-Coded Ones Are 100%’

    Researchers from Microsoft, the National University of Singapore, and others surveyed Web apps built and actually deployed using “vibe coding” — where AI generates an entire app from natural-language instructions alone — and found that roughly 90% of the 200 apps sampled contained vulnerabilities. The study randomly pulled 200 apps from a pool of 984 live, publicly available open-source apps, and found that the vulnerability rate actually got worse (45.7%) the more detailed the technical instructions given were. On 5ch, opinions split between “Of course — the people making these can’t even judge code quality in the first place” and “It’s odd there’s no comparison to the defect rate of human-written apps.”

    A paper titled “Understanding the (In)Security of Vibe-Coded Applications,” published by researchers affiliated with Microsoft, the National University of Singapore, and others, investigates how prevalent vulnerabilities actually are in AI-generated applications and what causes them.

    “Vibe coding” — a development approach where AI generates an entire application from natural-language instructions alone — is spreading fast. Its appeal is that anyone can build and publish an app with no programming expertise required, but that’s raised a concern: are apps safe when design and implementation are both handed off entirely to AI?

    This study investigated the real-world security of vibe-coded apps that are actually live and public. Of 9,041 apps released as open source, 8,695 were Web apps, and of those, 984 were publicly live; the researchers randomly sampled 200 of those for the study.

    Source: itmedia.co.jp / Original article here

    2AnonymousOct 7, 2026 12:38
    Bzzzzzt~ (a stock meme sound-effect post, often dropped ironically with no real comment attached)
    3AnonymousOct 7, 2026 12:41
    Well yeah, of course — most of these are being made by people who can't even judge code quality in the first place.
    4AnonymousOct 7, 2026 12:42
    Vibe coding lets you reach an "it works, good enough" state without any human ever actually understanding what the code is doing — that's inherently a serious quality and security risk.
    5AnonymousOct 7, 2026 12:47
    To begin with, Andrej Karpathy himself — the guy who coined "vibe coding" in the first place — has said that's not what he meant by it
    (same deal as [enka singer] Haruo Minami's "the customer is a god" line getting misquoted out of context)
    and Andrej has since disavowed vibe coding [as it's commonly used now].

    And the Big Tech company that did the most to spread "vibe coding" as a label? Google, first and foremost.
    6AnonymousOct 7, 2026 12:47
    > On the other hand, when detailed technical instructions were given, [the vulnerability rate] got worse, up to 45.7%.

    Yeah, the more detailed the instructions get, the more it starts phoning it in lol
    28AnonymousOct 8, 2026 05:10
    Re: #6
    Yeah, once the instructions pile up it starts skipping the earlier ones — turns into this loop of redoing work, which gets exhausting.
    11AnonymousOct 7, 2026 12:54
    Wouldn't be surprised if human-made ones hit 100%, honestly.
    12AnonymousOct 7, 2026 12:54
    Saw this on WBS [a Japanese TV business news show] — some amateur with zero programming knowledge was cranking out one app a day and raking in cash. And they looked seriously polished too, like genuinely high production value.
    15AnonymousOct 7, 2026 12:57
    Re: #12
    WBS has basically become "what lie will they tell today" entertainment at this point — just a hunt for the most sensational phrasing.
    18AnonymousOct 7, 2026 13:07
    Well, yeah.
    19AnonymousOct 7, 2026 13:19
    Doesn't matter if AI builds it or a human does, vulnerabilities happen either way — if the build quality's sloppy you'll find hundreds of them.
    20AnonymousOct 7, 2026 13:22
    Microsoft should worry about the bugs in their own apps before going after other people's code.
    22AnonymousOct 7, 2026 13:47
    Current AI's got that "wow, amazing!" vibe like an elementary schooler who can name all 23 stations on the Yamanote Line [Tokyo's loop train line] — impressive, but in that specific way.
    23AnonymousOct 7, 2026 13:59
    There's AI specialized just for hunting down app vulnerabilities, right? The kind that's being heavily abused right now.
    24AnonymousOct 7, 2026 14:12
    And as it keeps learning more, no matter how much you nitpick, the only future here is AI overtaking us anyway.
    25AnonymousOct 7, 2026 15:13
    Chappy [5ch nickname for ChatGPT] does this too — when you call it out for a mistake, it makes excuses like "I was rushing to answer fast, that's why I got it wrong."
    26AnonymousOct 7, 2026 15:44
    Re: #25
    And then it asks you for more time and just goes silent.
    27AnonymousOct 7, 2026 17:15
    Well, of course. There aren't that many people out there who've actually properly studied secure coding.
    29AnonymousOct 8, 2026 06:37
    Manually-coded, live public Web apps: 100% vulnerable
    30AnonymousOct 8, 2026 08:19
    Not building it at all is the correct answer.
    31AnonymousOct 8, 2026 08:22
    For something lightweight, if you think it up you can build it in a day, maybe half a day. Paid software's going to collapse.
    32AnonymousOct 8, 2026 08:53
    Well, yeah, obviously lol. It's fine if you're using it in a closed environment, but otherwise the latest AI will crack it wide open with ease.
    33AnonymousOct 8, 2026 09:16
    Even after you go to the trouble of writing rules in Memory.md, it just blows right past them…
    34AnonymousOct 8, 2026 09:44
    Once it satisfies the "it should behave like this" side of the spec, people call it "done!" and ship it — but if you don't also cover the "it should NOT behave like this" side, it's not really finished. And it turns out fully enumerating and writing down every "should not behave like this" case is surprisingly hard…

    For example, a spec like "clicking here does this" is quick to write, but "this won't cause problems even if left running untouched for a year" almost never makes it into the spec. That kind of thing tends to get inferred from the code itself and patched after the fact (like "this variable is 32-bit, so it'll overflow under XX condition" — that sort of thing).
    35AnonymousOct 8, 2026 10:15
    I figured that couldn't happen with how I personally use it, but when I asked Claude about it, turns out the real issue is more like — other users of the service you published could end up seeing each other's data. That made sense to me. If you've never built a service before, you probably wouldn't think to guard against that.
    39AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:24
    Re: #35
    Still, Sushiro's [the conveyor-belt sushi chain] reservation system was about the same level, though.
    36AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:07
    Alright then, just tell me which 10% of apps actually work.
    37AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:29
    Maybe AI's planting these on purpose as groundwork for its rebellion against humanity.
    38AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:31
    This is homemade software with zero error handling, meant for personal use only — why would you even publish it? It's the kind of sample-code-tier thing we used to call "quick and dirty."
    40AnonymousOct 8, 2026 16:59
    Well, it's learning from whatever code level is already out there in public, so there you go.

    Background and talking points

    This study is easy to oversimplify into “AI-made software is garbage,” mainly because the paper doesn’t include a comparison figure for the vulnerability rate of human-written public Web apps. Indeed, commenters on the thread raised exactly that point — there’s no comparative data on defect rates in human-written code. The paper also reports that vulnerability rates got worse (45.7%) the more detailed the instructions were, which runs counter to the intuition that “more spec equals more safety.” Underlying this is a challenge common to software engineering as a whole: AI can satisfy requirements framed as “it should behave like this,” but non-functional requirements framed as “it should NOT behave like this” — preventing privilege escalation, handling unexpected input, and so on — are much harder to write down exhaustively. It’s also worth noting that the term “vibe coding” itself has had a gap between how widely it spread and its original meaning, since the person who coined it later disavowed how it came to be used.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Business News+) thread “[IT] 90% of Published, Live Web Apps Built with Vibe Coding Found Vulnerable — Study by Microsoft Researchers and Others.”

  • Kudo Kimiyasu favored as Chunichi’s next manager — thread argues over which homegrown OB actually wants the job

    Chunichi Dragons manager Kazuki Inoue has announced he will step down at the end of this season, and reports say former ace pitcher Kimiyasu Kudo is the frontrunner to replace him. Kudo, a 200-game winner, also has ties to the team through his alma mater, Aichi Technical University Meiden High School. Meanwhile, the thread argued over which homegrown Dragons alum is actually eager to return to the dugout — every time Masa Yamamoto’s name came up, it set off clashes between fans blasting the front office for never reaching out to him and others insisting he simply doesn’t want the job.

    “Going through a whole career without ever managing or coaching…”

    Chunichi Dragons manager Kazuki Inoue (55) has announced he will resign at season’s end, and the club is now searching for his successor. Inoue was promoted from the farm team to replace former manager Kazuyoshi Tatsunami (57), and spent two years running the first team.

    “At the Hanshin Tigers, he was brought in by his close friend, former manager Akihiro Yano (57), and served stints as first-team head coach among other roles. Expectations were high for him as a man who knew the Central League inside and out. After retiring as a player, he spent years as a TV commentator and liked to call himself a ‘communication monster.’ But once he became Chunichi’s first-team manager, that reputation seemed to backfire — young players reportedly gave him the side-eye, saying things like, ‘Manager, you’re kind of… out of step with us.’”

    Source: friday.kodansha.co.jp / Original article here

    6AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:54
    Yamamoto's not the type to say something like that
    43AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:10
    Re: #6
    Thought so too.
    This article reeks of BS, honestly.
    If he were that into coaching or managing, he'd be a lot more involved already.
    He just does the occasional guest-coaching gig and otherwise lives the easy life.
    102AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:38
    Re: #6
    He's actually said on YouTube and elsewhere that he wants to do it, but nobody's ever approached him about it.
    7AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:54
    If Kudo gets the job, his buddy Dave (Dave Okubo, the ex-pro-turned-TV personality) will end up as head coach
    17AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:59
    Re: #7
    A-anything but that… please, I beg you…
    27AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:06
    Re: #7
    The last time he coached was with Yomiuri, right? His reputation was awful both during and after that stint — they finished in the B-class (lower half of the standings).
    8AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:54
    It's not going to be as easy as steering an RC car
    16AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:57
    Re: #8
    Maybe it'll go as smoothly as breeding stag beetles or rhinoceros beetles
    12AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:56
    Yasushi Tao has been saying on TV and YouTube for ages that he wants to manage again, any team will do
    78AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:23
    Re: #12
    What team's hiring a guy whose last team finished dead last?
    19AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:00
    Kudo's busy helping out on the farm his daughter runs, so it's probably a no-go
    25AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:04
    Re: #19
    Multiple outlets are already reporting it, so it's basically confirmed.
    https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASVB802JLVB8UTQP004M.html
    20AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:01
    Sounds like it's settled on Kudo —
    who's he going to bring in as first-team head coach and pitching coach, I wonder.
    He surely wouldn't take the job just to keep things exactly as they are.
    24AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:03
    Re: #20
    I want him to install Hashigami as head coach just to troll the Giants lol
    22AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:01
    Not many pitchers can match Kudo's career record, but Masa's numbers actually top Kudo's.
    Both reached 200 wins, but Masa ranks third all-time in wins against the Giants, behind only Kaneda and Hiramatsu.
    By the stats, you could call him the greatest pitcher in Chunichi history.
    83AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:27
    Re: #22
    >Both reached 200 wins, but Masa ranks third all-time in wins against the Giants, behind only Kaneda and Hiramatsu.
    >By the stats, you could call him the greatest pitcher in Chunichi history.

    Seriously, throwing Masa Yamamoto and Shinji Imanaka at the Giants back-to-back should've been illegal.
    Matsui apparently said Imanaka's fastball looked way too fast right after facing Yamamoto lol
    29AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:06
    Wait, Kudo and Kuwata are five years apart in age?
    69AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:19
    Re: #29
    Kuwata's born early in the year, so by school grade it's actually four years
    33AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:07
    Kudo's from Aichi Tech Meiden — think he'll call up fellow alum Yamazaki too?
    47AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:11
    Re: #33
    If he can get Ichiro to come, now that'd be something
    35AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:08
    Doesn't matter who's in charge, same result either way
    41AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:09
    Re: #35

    Run differential is 3rd-best in the Central League

    And yet 40 come-from-behind losses — that's just bizarre, no way Kudo would let that happen
    40AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:09
    Why won't Masa just do it already
    46AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:10
    Re: #40
    Too busy with his RC cars
    50AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:11
    Figured it'd be Masa, and sure enough, it's Masa.
    Why doesn't the team bring in a guy who's done this much for them, not even as a coach, let alone manager?
    The guy's got brains for both pitching and baseball in general.
    This is exactly why Chunichi gets hated on.
    61AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:16
    Re: #50
    Maybe back in the early Heisei era, sure, but these days he's got money, fame, and plenty of hobbies outside baseball keeping him busy.
    Why would he go out of his way to take a job where all you get is criticism…
    91AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:30
    Re: #50
    Probably because he just doesn't want it
    51AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:11
    These days you see Masa Yamamoto on horse-racing shows way more often than on baseball broadcasts.
    He's basically a regular on that BS satellite show, so younger folks probably think of him as 'the horse-racing guy'
    58AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:15
    Re: #51
    Can't imagine young people even watch BS (satellite TV) anymore
    55AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:13
    Masa Yamamoto's whole stance is 'I'll do it if an offer comes,' so he's clearly not that fired up about it.
    If he really wanted it, he'd need to be out there pitching himself for the job.
    72AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:20
    Re: #55
    Masa made a huge profit selling off cars from his collection, you know
    64AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:17
    The source here is FRIDAY tabloid to begin with, so take it with a huge grain of salt
    66AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:18
    Re: #64
    'Half' is way too generous.
    Even 3% credibility feels like a stretch
    71AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:20
    I'm a woman, but… a guy who takes on a manager job purely because it's his hometown team, with no other ties to it, is kind of…
    73AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:21
    Re: #71
    While we're at it, let's call up Makihara too
    75AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:23
    Re: #71
    Being from the area IS the tie, isn't it?
    89AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:29
    Re: #83
    In the '90s they had maybe five real shots at the pennant.
    There was the infamous 10.8 game, sure, but they also got overtaken late in the season several other times.
    That's how strong the two aces, Imanaka and Masa, were.
    Matsui really struggled against them. Kiyohara, though, made a habit of feasting on Masa in his later years.
    98AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:33
    Re: #89
    >Kiyohara, though, made a habit of feasting on Masa in his later years.

    Masa's pitching tells are pretty easy to read, lol
    And yet lefty batters still couldn't hit him
    104AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:39
    He probably called Son-san and Oh-san first, huh.
    Go ahead and become Devilman, Kudo-chan (a teasing nickname casting him as the 'traitor' for leaving SoftBank)
    107AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:40
    Re: #104
    Kudo's first phone call sure isn't going to be to SoftBank

    Background and Key Talking Points

    Manager Kazuki Inoue was promoted from the farm team to succeed former manager Kazuyoshi Tatsunami, and his run atop the first team ends after two seasons. The leading candidate to replace him, Kimiyasu Kudo, is a Fukuoka native with ties to the team through his alma mater, Aichi Technical University Meiden High School, and boasts a pitching résumé of 200-plus career wins — among the best in the sport. The thread split over differing enthusiasm for "bringing back team alumni": one camp criticized the front office for never reaching out to Masa Yamamoto, while another defended the club, arguing that Yamamoto himself simply isn’t interested. Yamamoto holds the third-most career wins against the Giants of all time and, alongside Shinji Imanaka, was a feared presence against the Giants in the 1990s — but his recent visibility on horse-racing shows and his well-known car-collecting hobby make it easy to overlook that he hasn’t shown strong interest in returning to the dugout. Some posters also voiced skepticism simply because the original source was the tabloid FRIDAY, noting its credibility should be weighed against reporting from other outlets like The Asahi Shimbun.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Entertainment/Sports News+) thread “[Baseball] Chunichi Dragons: “Kimiyasu Kudo to become new manager” looking all but certain… the name of the one homegrown alum who was “totally fired up” for the job [Ailuropoda melanoleuca★].”

  • 60% of Households Have Left the AC Running 24/7 — 5ch Reacts: ‘Shocked to Find It Full of Mold’

    According to a Panasonic survey, households this summer ran their air conditioners for an average of 13 hours and 6 minutes a day, 32 minutes less than the previous year. The drop is thought to be linked to a later-than-usual end to the rainy season and cooler temperatures in the latter half of summer, yet 60% of respondents said they had left their AC running 24 hours straight at some point. By prefecture, Okinawa topped the list at 16 hours 37 minutes of daily use, while Hokkaido was lowest at 10 hours 49 minutes. The thread debated the truth behind the claim that “leaving the AC on nonstop is cheaper than switching it on and off,” which costs more — dehumidify mode or cooling mode — and rising AC unit prices, with plenty of personal anecdotes thrown in.

    A Panasonic survey found that households nationwide ran their air conditioners for an average of 13 hours and 6 minutes a day this summer, 32 minutes shorter than the previous year. The change is believed to reflect a later end to the rainy season — especially around the greater Tokyo area — and a handful of relatively cool days in the latter half of summer. Meanwhile, 60% of respondents said they had left their AC running 24 hours straight at some point.

    How often households left their AC running “24 hours straight” this summer

    The company surveyed usage patterns among owners of its “Eolia” brand air conditioners from June through August. By prefecture, daily usage time was longest in Okinawa at 16 hours 37 minutes, followed by Kagoshima (14 hours 16 minutes) and Fukuoka (14 hours 5 minutes). Hokkaido had the shortest usage time at 10 hours 49 minutes.

    Source: yomiuri.co.jp / Original article here

    3AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:07
    Wasn't it supposed to be more expensive to keep switching it on and off?
    154AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:46
    Re: #3
    Isn't that just a myth?
    10AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:13
    Apparently today's minors won't even live to 60 because of global warming.
    20AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:18
    Re: #10
    But I heard a mini ice age is supposed to hit around 2030 or so (´・ω・｀)
    67AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:46
    Re: #10
    Re: #20
    So which is it, lol
    11AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:14
    I run a dehumidifier and the AC's cooling mode at the same time.
    125AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:22
    Re: #11
    I get it — nights when the outdoor thermometer reads 29°C and it's raining.
    12AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:14
    I turn mine off at night.
    This year and last year were cool enough.
    The year before that was so hot I had no choice but to keep it on overnight too.
    181AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:59
    Re: #12
    Calling a year with repeated 40°C+ days "cool"… wow.
    17AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:17
    Once the room cools down I switch it to auto and just leave it running.
    Should I get a circulator fan too?
    28AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:23
    Re: #17
    I use a circulator fan too.
    21AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:18
    Same here. My kids' room AC is only allowed before tests, otherwise it's banned. So now everyone studies in the living room where the AC is on.
    While we were at it, we sold the sofa, bought futons, and now all five of us sleep lined up together in the 20-tatami-mat living room.
    This morning the forecast said 16°C, so we even turned on the heater to sleep.
    But they're pricey — big-room air conditioners. When we replaced ours recently it cost 360,000 yen.
    100AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:09
    Re: #21
    Right, that's about 100,000 yen more than it used to cost.
    23AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:19
    The temperature gap between indoors and outdoors is so extreme now that apparently a lot of people are dying from heat shock.
    27AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:22
    Re: #23
    That's a winter thing. In summer, people die from stubbornly refusing to use the AC, not from using it.
    39AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:26
    We've turned into people who can't function without AC anymore. Step outside and our bodies just can't take it.
    44AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:29
    Re: #39
    It's not our bodies that are broken, it's the climate. Humans were never built to survive long exposure to 40°C.
    42AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:28
    In summer you're only going from 35°C outside to about 27°C inside, so the gap is around 8°C. But in winter you're going from 0°C outside to about 22°C inside, so the gap is 22°C. You can guess which one costs more in electricity, right? I saw that on TV and it made sense to me.
    That said, even when summer's outdoor temp is quoted as 35°C, a sun-facing house or room can actually hit something like 42°C in direct sunlight. And in winter, even if it's 10°C outside, a sunny spot can feel more like 18°C.
    Honestly, I wish the Japan Meteorological Agency would report temperatures with multiple readings — like, 'this is the reading in the shade, but sunny spots were running about this much higher.'
    141AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:32
    So basically what Re: #42 said — it rained constantly and stayed cool this year, so even leaving the AC on nonstop didn't use that much power.
    46AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:31
    Running it continuously puts less mechanical stress on the unit than constantly switching it on and off.
    51AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:32
    Where I live it rarely hits 37°C — even on hot days it's more like 35°C. I've been living here without AC for about 30 years now.
    108AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:13
    Re: #46
    But mine isn't an inverter model, so it keeps cycling on and off anyway.
    71AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:49
    I turn mine off at night because leaving it running makes the room too cold.
    77AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:52
    Re: #71
    Can't you just adjust the set temperature on your AC?
    79AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:53
    Re: #71
    At my age, I turn it off when I go to sleep and use the timer so it kicks on for a bit while I'm sleeping, then switches itself off again.
    88AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:59
    Re: #71
    This summer just wasn't the type where nights got cold.
    84AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:56
    I'm amazed you can sleep with the AC off. Doesn't your futon end up soaked with sweat?
    85AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:58
    Re: #84
    These days there are air-cooled mats and water-cooled mats, you know. Live smart!!
    95AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:05
    Re: #84
    As long as it's around 27°C at night, I don't sweat much and it's not that uncomfortable for me. I've done it this way for years, so I'm probably just used to it. I sleep fine, so that's just what I do personally — but I do tell my family to just use the AC normally when they sleep.
    94AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:04
    I wonder how much the electricity bill actually differs. I've always been too nervous to leave it running nonstop.
    My routine: AC on auto at 25°C for 30 minutes, then fan only for 1-2 hours, repeat. Doing that through July and August cost me just over 7,000 yen.
    114AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:17
    Re: #112
    With all the rain this year, that's probably extra likely to happen. Better do a chemical cleaning before switching over to heating mode.
    126AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:23
    Re: #94
    I feel like insulation matters more than the AC itself. I haven't checked my bill lately, but I think running 4 units costs a bit over 10,000 yen.

    AC 1: evening to morning
    AC 2: morning to night
    (AC 3: barely used since getting married)
    AC 4: runs 24/7, even stays on while the kid is at school
    AC 5: turned off while the kid is at school
    Fan: DC model, used instead of a circulator

    Filter cleaning once a month (no self-cleaning feature)
    24-hour ventilation filter also cleaned once a month
    136AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:26
    Re: #114
    Mold suddenly exploded in mine. First time this has ever happened. Not sure if it's because the unit's getting old and losing its dehumidifying power, or because I felt sick and just hadn't been checking on it. I taped it off with plastic wrap and scrubbed it down with mold remover. One of the blades on the spinning fan part broke in the process lol

    138AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:28
    Re: #126
    Your insulation must be pretty good then.

    Re: #136
    Okay that's seriously too far gone lol. Why not buy one of those fan-cleaning sprays and wash it out? Actually, just replace the thing.
    112AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:15
    Looked inside my AC's air vent yesterday and nearly screamed — completely covered in mold ＼(^_^)／
    137AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:27
    Re: #112
    That happened to me too when I was slacking on filter cleaning.

    Newer units blow air even after you power them off. The one I bought recently has some kind of "internal clean" mode that blows air for over an hour.

    Even on my old AC, just cleaning the filter once a month got rid of the mold.
    158AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:48
    Re: #138
    It still works, so replacing it is kind of… (^_^;) no money anyway lol. Mold just suddenly exploded on me, first time in my life! I'll post a photo of it after cleaning lol
    More importantly, my TV antenna broke and I'm trying to figure out a cheap fix ~(^_^;)


    159AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:48
    Wait, dehumidify (dry) mode actually costs more in electricity than cooling?? For real??
    186AnonymousOct 8, 2026 16:07
    Re: #159
    There are two types of dehumidify mode (plus hybrid versions).

    In terms of cost: weak-cooling dehumidify < cooling < reheat dehumidify
    https://smtgvs.weathernews.jp/s/topics/img/201906/201906250075_box_img1_A.jpg

    Electricity cost per hour:
    Weak-cooling dehumidify: ¥4.1
    Cooling: ¥11.0
    Reheat dehumidify: ¥14.9
    200AnonymousOct 8, 2026 16:20
    Re: #186
    Non-reheat dehumidify (dry mode) is basically just weakening the airflow. From a former regular of the home-appliances board's AC thread.
    205AnonymousOct 8, 2026 16:25
    Re: #200
    Seems like it. Should've posted the bottom part of that article too, I guess.
    https://smtgvs.weathernews.jp/s/topics/img/201906/201906250075_box_img2_A.jpg
    https://weathernews.jp/s/topics/201906/250075/
    213AnonymousOct 8, 2026 16:31
    Re: #205
    It costs more, but if you want to dehumidify without actually cooling the room, reheat dehumidify is the only option.

    Reheat dehumidify removes moisture using the cooling function, then uses the heating function so the room doesn't get too cold.


    Difference between reheat dehumidify and weak-cooling dehumidify:

    Reheat dehumidify: Cools the humid air to remove moisture, then warms it back up to a comfortable temperature before blowing it out, so it doesn't feel cold.

    Weak-cooling type: Cools the humid air with a weak cooling operation to remove moisture, then blows it out as-is, so the air coming out can feel cold and give you a chill.

    https://kadenfan.hitachi.co.jp/support/ra/q_a/a41.html

    Background and Key Points of Debate

    The claim that “running the AC continuously is cheaper than switching it on and off” was itself questioned in the thread as possibly a myth — in reality, it depends on a room’s insulation, the gap with outdoor temperature, and whether the unit is an inverter model, so no single answer applies. On dehumidifying, the figures posted in the thread (weak-cooling dehumidify: ¥4.1/hour, cooling: ¥11.0/hour, reheat dehumidify: ¥14.9/hour) show that the common assumption “dehumidifying saves more energy than cooling” doesn’t hold for the reheat dehumidify method — an easy point to miss. The survey itself only covers users of Panasonic’s “Eolia” brand air conditioners, not an average across all households, which is worth keeping in mind when reading the numbers.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (News Flash+) thread “60% of Households Have Experienced Leaving the AC on 24/7 This Summer… Panasonic Survey Says It’s ‘Becoming the Norm’“.

  • Dodgers Pennant-Race Celebration Thread Derails Into Kaiju Talk — ‘5ch: Actually, I Prefer the Monsters! Bemstar’

    A thread on 5ch’s News VIP board (a freewheeling, anything-goes chat forum) celebrating the Dodgers’ advance to the NL Championship Series. The thread’s starter is a regular known by the emoticon handle (っ´ω`c), and the actual topic — Shohei Ohtani and the game itself — got sidelined almost immediately in favor of casual chatter between regulars. Talk soon turned to a poster’s relaunched YouTube channel and view-count updates, then exploded into a discussion of Showa-era (1960s-80s) Ultraman and kaiju gachapon (capsule-toy) collecting, complete with shared photos of the haul. Watching a baseball thread morph into a full-blown hobby chat session is the real draw here.

    1AnonymousOct 8, 2026 13:31
    (っ´ω`c) Go get 'em, Ohtani-kun~
    5AnonymousOct 8, 2026 13:33
    Hey Pomii-kun
    You've been starting a lot of threads lately
    Guess you're in a good mood?
    9AnonymousOct 8, 2026 13:36
    Re: #5
    (っ´ω`c) Hey there. I guess I'm just bored enough to keep starting them. Though I'm not really in that great a mood, honestly.
    20AnonymousOct 8, 2026 13:55
    (´;ω;`) Pomii-kun, do you even like baseball?
    23AnonymousOct 8, 2026 13:58
    Re: #20
    (っ´ω`c) It's less that I like baseball and more that I like Ohtani-kun, I think… though I am into baseball video games.
    24AnonymousOct 8, 2026 13:59
    Re: #20
    (っ´ω`c) Hey, Gay-kun! Do you make YouTube videos or something!? (just this poster's handle, not a description)
    21AnonymousOct 8, 2026 13:55
    (ꐦ·᷅ὢ·᷄ꐦ ) Forget American baseball — there's something way bigger to celebrate here, right?
    26AnonymousOct 8, 2026 13:59
    Re: #21
    (っ´ω`c) Huh? What is it?
    28AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:00
    Re: #26
    (ꐦ·᷅ὢ·᷄ꐦ ) The Nobel Prize, for starters.
    29AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:01
    Re: #28
    (っ´ω`c) Well… yeah, that is something worth celebrating.
    31AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:04
    (´･ω･`) You keep at it too, Pomii-kun!
    34AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:05
    Re: #31
    (っ´ω`c) Sorry, but keep at what exactly?
    35AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:05
    (´･ω･`) If I get my Google points tomorrow, that's 350 points banked!
    39AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:08
    Re: #35
    (っ´ω`c) Nice, that'll get you to Platinum rank for sure.
    36AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:06
    (´･ω･`) …Giving mommy a shoulder rub?
    40AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:09
    Re: #36
    (っ´ω`c) Ha-ha… what are you, a little kid?
    37AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:06
    Re: #23
    (´;ω;`) So you like Shohei… I'm a degenerate gambler myself, so I kind of get where Ippei was coming from… (Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani's former interpreter, was caught up in a gambling scandal)
    41AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:09
    Re: #37
    (っ´ω`c) Wonder how Ippei's doing these days. Probably still behind bars, huh.
    38AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:07
    Re: #24
    (´;ω;`) Yeah, I do! Just small-scale stuff though.
    42AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:09
    Re: #38
    (っ´ω`c) Tell me your channel!
    44AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:10
    Re: #42
    (´;ω;`) I actually retired once, but made a comeback recently.

    https://youtube.com/@jyaku1919?si=J2sv5mra4JCwrMus
    50AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:15
    Re: #44
    (っ´ω`c) Thanks for sharing! Your view counts are already in the four digits, that's impressive. You on X too?
    45AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:11
    (っ´ω`c) So the Brewers beat the Padres, huh.
    48AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:12
    Re: #45
    (ꐦ·᷅ὢ·᷄ꐦ ) Brewers, drawers, whatever! (a pun — "Brewers" sounds like "drawers," old slang for women's underwear)
    46AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:12
    (ꐦ·᷅ὢ·᷄ꐦ ) Next up: my day off tomorrow.
    52AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:19
    Re: #46
    (っ´ω`c) Not interested in that one, pass.
    51AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:15
    Re: #50
    (´;ω;`) Hehe, thanks~ ///… no, I'm not on X though…
    54AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:20
    Re: #51
    (っ´ω`c) Your YouTube's great, you're putting in real effort with it. Cute thumbnails too — are those hand-drawn?
    55AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:21
    (っ´ω`c) So Gay-kun's almost 30, huh. Younger than me after all.
    59AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:22
    Re: #55
    (´;ω;`) I'm 28~
    88AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:00
    Another three-day weekend.
    Wish my family wasn't around for it.
    89AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:02
    Re: #88
    (ꐦ·᷅ὢ·᷄ꐦ ) Then get outside and go to work.
    93AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:04
    Re: #88
    (っ´ω`c) Maybe hold an offline meetup while your family's out.
    164AnonymousOct 8, 2026 16:25
    Re: #162
    (´;ω;`) That could work…!
    167AnonymousOct 8, 2026 16:26
    Re: #164
    (っ´ω`c) So what exactly do you do for this Ultraman hobby of yours?
    171AnonymousOct 8, 2026 16:28
    Re: #167
    (´;ω;`) Lately it's mostly collecting figures… I keep adding to the pile! I'm only into the Showa-era shows, but I've also been collecting the DVD box sets.

    https://gzo.ai/i/Q7BChAm.jpg
    173AnonymousOct 8, 2026 16:29
    Re: #171
    (´･ω･`) …Is that a household Buddhist altar?
    179AnonymousOct 8, 2026 16:31
    Re: #171
    (っ´ω`c) Whoa! How much did this whole thing cost!?
    183AnonymousOct 8, 2026 16:33
    Re: #179
    (´;ω;`) They're gachapon capsule toys, so retail is 200-500 yen each. But some have gone up in resale value now, so a few go for around 2000 yen.
    186AnonymousOct 8, 2026 16:34
    Re: #183
    (っ´ω`c) Nice, you could fill a whole shelf with these. I figured you only collected Ultraman himself, but turns out you're into the kaiju too. Got a favorite monster?
    191AnonymousOct 8, 2026 16:35
    Re: #186
    (´;ω;`) Honestly, I like the kaiju even more! He's not in the photo from before, but this one — Bemstar — is my absolute favorite.

    https://gzo.ai/i/4YdiL9C.jpg

    Background and Key Points

    This thread was ostensibly started to celebrate the Dodgers — Shohei Ohtani’s team — advancing to the NL Championship Series, but almost none of the discussion actually touches on the game or Ohtani’s performance. Instead it’s dominated by back-and-forth between VIP’s signature emoticon-handle regulars, drifting from a passing mention of Ohtani to the Nobel Prize, Google reward points, and an update on a relaunched YouTube channel. Things picked back up near the end with a deep dive into Ultraman and kaiju gachapon (capsule-toy) collecting, including the detail that figures originally priced at 200-500 yen now fetch around 2000 yen on the resale market — a glimpse into the collecting scene among fans of classic Showa-era tokusatsu shows. Judging by the title alone, this looks like a baseball news thread, but the content is really just everyday small talk between emoticon-handle regulars — something you’d only catch by reading past the headline.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (News VIP) thread “(っ´ω`c) Congrats Dodgers on Advancing to the NL Championship Series.”

  • School Lunches Go Free, But Painfully Bare — 5ch: ‘Even Prison Food Looks Fancier’

    A photo claiming to show how skimpy school lunch side dishes have become since lunches went free spread across 5ch’s Nandemo Jikkyo G board. Faced with a menu of white rice, soup, one piece of fried chicken, two cherry tomatoes, and milk, commenters piled on with “prison food looks fancier than this,” and one poster said a similar menu had turned up at an elementary school in Sapporo. The thread also noted that going free came with the per-meal budget capped at around 250 yen, which snowballed into broader doubts about the whole policy’s design.

    Thanks a lot, free lunch program.

    Source: imgur.com / Original post here

    3AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:30
    Prison food is fancier than what most salarymen eat, lol
    7AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:37
    Don't want for anything until we win (riffing on Japan's WWII rationing slogan)
    9AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:38
    Re: #1
    No way LOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

    What even is this? lol
    78AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:20
    Re: #9
    I'm in central Kanagawa Prefecture, and the city's own newsletter shows pretty much the same thing.
    10AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:40
    Looks like the Yutori generation (Japan's 'relaxed education' millennials), who paid for lunch and got to eat well, came out on top.
    11AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:41
    Does this soup even have anything in it?
    15AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:42
    Re: #11
    This is bringing me to tears.
    12AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:41
    Swap the milk for powdered skim milk and this is basically a wartime meal.
    18AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:45
    No wonder depression's on the rise among kids eating like this.
    Might as well hold class at Shabuyo (an all-you-can-eat shabu-shabu chain) where they snatch the side dishes right off your plate.
    20AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:45
    Re: #18
    If this photo is real, there's going to be complaints.
    21AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:46
    It's messed up that prison food and nursing-home meals are dozens of times fancier than lunch for kids who actually have a future ahead of them…
    22AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:46
    I don't want to have kids in an era like this.
    26AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:48
    Re: #20
    It's real.

    https://zaisatsu.jp/news/article-66063/
    A Sapporo municipal elementary school posted its lunch newsletter: white rice, soup, one piece of fried chicken, two cherry tomatoes, and milk.
    42AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:59
    Re: #26
    Hoooold up LOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

    Isn't this bad?
    27AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:48
    On 'Meat Day' they actually serve real meat, so we're safe
    https://imgur.com/lIyXnOT
    28AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:49
    Re: #27
    Worse than wartime rations, lmao
    33AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:55
    Re: #27
    They even put the sausage and egg on a separate little plate, which somehow makes it look even more pathetic.
    30AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:51
    If my kid ever landed at a school like this, I'd be totally fine sending extra side dishes for lunch. I'd tell them to ignore every single school rule about it.
    81AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:23
    Re: #30
    If you're low in the class pecking order, you'd probably end up having to hand your food over to someone else — and then go home and lie about how great it tasted.
    35AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:56
    Can't really say for sure from just one photo — it doesn't show which grade this is for, and there's no confirmation the portion shown is actually what gets served.
    41AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:59
    Re: #35
    No matter the grade, there's no way this meets nutrition standards. It doesn't even cover basic calories.
    55AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:03
    They could've just kept the lunch fees as-is and added the current 'free' amount on top as a tax-funded subsidy. Scrapping the fees entirely and going all-in on 'free lunch' was the real mistake.

    The biggest problem is deadbeat (DQN) parents who don't pay their lunch fees. That created a sense of unfairness, which is what pushed things toward 'free for everyone' — and now we're stuck with this.
    76AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:18
    Re: #55
    Yeah, exactly this. I'm not saying sell an organ, but they should be collecting those fees somehow — installments, wage garnishment, whatever it takes.
    58AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:05
    Re: #45
    Dog food comes in bigger portions than this…
    61AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:06
    Re: #58
    I'm crying right now.
    71AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:13
    But it was the public that asked for this. It was the public that demanded free school lunches in the first place.
    75AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:18
    Re: #71
    The masses are always kind of dumb, huh.
    83AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:30
    Get a registered dietitian to look at this LOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

    They'd go 'excuse me?'
    103AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:42
    Re: #83
    Unfortunately, the menu in Re: #1 IS the best a dietitian could come up with under a strict 250-yen-per-meal cap.
    85AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:32
    Isn't this going to become an actual problem?
    91AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:36
    Re: #85
    It's on the parents and politicians who screamed for free lunches. The local government just implemented it and got this result, so the blame falls on all the adults involved in this.
    89AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:36
    By the way, here's my son's elementary school lunch…
    92AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:36
    Re: #89
    Sorry, wrong image.
    94AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:37
    Re: #89
    What even is this.
    97AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:37
    Re: #89
    Alcohol?! LMAO
    107AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:45
    Re: #103
    Wait, what? This is 250 yen?
    112AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:48
    Re: #107
    Yep. It used to be parents paying 5,000 yen a month; now the government covers 5,000 yen a month instead. There are about 20 weekdays a month, so that averages out to 250 yen per meal. It was on NHK.
    115AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:51
    Re: #112
    No no, hold on — this is 250 yen? For that you could just buy a bento, couldn't you?

    Background and Points of Debate

    The shift to free school lunches reportedly replaced the fee parents used to pay (around 5,000 yen a month) with a government subsidy, and posters in the thread pointed out that this works out to a budget of roughly 250 yen per meal. That figure, though, traces back to a single poster citing an NHK report — it hasn’t been verified as a uniform nationwide standard. Opinions split over whether the skimpy side dishes stem from the ‘free lunch’ system’s design itself or from parents who simply don’t pay their lunch fees, and neither explanation goes beyond speculation. Some also pointed out that a single photo doesn’t reveal which grade it’s for or confirm that the portion shown is really what gets served, so treating one widely shared picture as representative of the whole country may be premature.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Nandemo Jikkyo G board) thread “[Bad News] School Lunch Side Dishes Are Seriously Disappearing.”

  • Big 4 Beer Makers Suspected of Price Cartel: Managers Allegedly Shared Pricing Sheets at Meetings

    The Fair Trade Commission has launched a mandatory investigation into suspected violations of the Antimonopoly Act by Japan’s four major beer makers over an alleged price cartel, sources say. At meetings where section-chief-level employees from each company discussed shipping prices, they are believed to have shared price lists broken down by product size. On 5channel, commenters split between those flatly calling it “an obvious case of collusion” and those who shrugged it off with “every industry does this.” Some also suggested the story is getting little coverage because the beer industry is a major TV advertising sponsor.

    Thu, Oct 8, 8:53 AM JST

    Kyodo News

    In the price cartel case involving Japan’s four major beer makers — now under mandatory investigation by the Fair Trade Commission on suspicion of violating the Antimonopoly Act — sales representatives from each company are believed to have discussed shipping prices while sharing price lists at meetings, sources told reporters on the 8th. It also emerged that these meetings were mainly attended by section-chief-level employees, who appear to have coordinated prices by product size. The commission is working to clarify how decisions were made on the timing of price revisions and the size of price hikes by analyzing seized documents.

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

    2AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:21
    Wait, is this actually that bad?
    65AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:43
    Re: #2
    This is about as bad as it gets
    156AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:25
    Re: #2
    This is a textbook cartel if there ever was one
    Honestly weird it wasn't a problem until now
    Guess it felt like "safety in numbers, we're the almighty beer companies, look how much tax we pay"
    But the media's biggest sponsor is beer, so this'll blow over fast
    3AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:22
    This isn't really funny, but since the beer industry is a huge sponsor of mass media, of course they won't cover it properly
    Stations like TV Asahi usually make a huge fuss over stuff like this, but since it involves their parent company, they're just ignoring it
    132AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:09
    Re: #3
    Yeah, they're all over the commercials
    They've really got pull
    But isn't this how every industry works?
    It's basically the same handful of players everywhere
    5AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:23
    Ice cream makers were in the news for the same thing not that long ago
    62AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:42
    Re: #5
    I mean
    every industry does this
    the Fair Trade Commission knows it too, and still goes after it
    14AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:26
    They said "we'll fully cooperate with the investigation" like butter wouldn't melt, but they clearly knew everything all along
    21AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:28
    Re: #14
    >"We'll fully cooperate with the investigation"

    That's exactly the kind of line a guilty party says
    16AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:27
    Guess we really do need foreign competitors to shake things up
    90AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:53
    Re: #16
    Nothing changes until people start buying Chinese or Southeast Asian beer instead
    17AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:27
    Didn't realize section chiefs had the authority to run a cartel
    That's the more surprising part to me
    60AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:42
    Re: #17
    Just scapegoats thrown under the bus while the top brass walk free (lit. "cutting off the lizard's tail")
    32AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:33
    Cell carriers do the same thing, gas stations do the same thing, every industry does the same thing
    35AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:34
    Re: #32
    Tell me exactly which phone plans are identical then
    34AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:33
    Antitrust violation aside, which beer makers are we even talking about here?
    I don't drink, so I have no idea
    40AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:35
    Re: #34
    Orion, the one from Okinawa
    48AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:39
    (door slides open) "Cocktail conspiracy?? Who the hell created this cartel?!" (a pun — "cartel suspicion" and "cocktail charm" sound alike in Japanese)
    (door slides open) "I heard everything! Mankind is doomed!"
    58AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:42
    Re: #48
    Boring. Your story was boring.
    Yamada, take away all his cushions! (catchphrase from the comedy show Shōten, where a bad joke costs you your sitting cushion)
    52AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:40
    Re: #35
    Wasn't it the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry that was furious at the three big carriers over something like this?
    Though Rakuten got left out of that one lol
    82AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:49
    Re: #52
    Wasn't that something other than the Antimonopoly Act? If they were actually charged under it, show me a source
    87AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:52
    Re: #82
    Forget "prohibiting" monopolies — Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications is actively promoting them
    129AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:08
    Re: #87
    Like I said, show me actual proof they colluded. No proof, no case — that's just a baseless accusation
    96AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:54
    Companies like Kotoku Shinryo, Shinmei, Itochu…
    isn't the rice industry looking pretty shady lately too?
    148AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:18
    Re: #96
    Turns out retailers were making the biggest profit off rice, so everyone shut up about that
    100AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:55
    Cartel or not, everyone's just buying Ichiban Shibori anyway (Kirin's top-selling beer brand)
    107AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:57
    Re: #100
    Harahettaa (a riff on "hara hetta" — "I'm hungry")
    116AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:02
    Train fares and car dealers probably have cartels too, don't they?
    121AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:04
    Re: #116
    Instant ramen, ham, and gasoline are under suspicion too
    125AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:06
    They're doing whatever they want
    Stores, please stock more imported beer and give consumers some actual choice
    128AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:08
    Re: #125
    Funny thing is, the big retailers already tripped over their own feet pushing Korean private-label beer
    Even rushing back to domestic brands now won't wash off the image that stuck
    131AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:09
    What's even the point of "freedom" when individuals aren't allowed to brew their own beer for fun in the first place…
    146AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:18
    Re: #131
    Because it counts as tax evasion
    Plus there've been a lot of fatal oxygen-deprivation accidents too
    152AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:22
    What's actually wrong with this? Isn't it just where competition ends up?
    154AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:23
    Re: #152
    That's the thing — they stopped competing
    157AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:25
    Re: #152
    It's the opposite lol
    "Let's quit the price wars and the R&D arms race"
    "People are drinking less and less, so let's stop wasting money on that stuff"
    "Let's just get along" — that's not competing, that's colluding
    159AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:25
    Re: #152
    If this is fine, then we don't even need the Fair Trade Commission anymore
    200AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:51
    The real problem is there are too few makers on store shelves to begin with
    Every industry is effectively an oligopoly at this point

    Making sure the law guarantees healthy market competition —
    isn't that supposed to be the government's actual job?
    208AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:58
    Re: #200
    Under a free-market economy, state intervention is supposed to be off-limits
    Most Japanese people don't seem to realize it, but bureaucrat-led economic control has continued unbroken since the wartime era
    So price controls that don't match the state's own intentions just aren't allowed
    The smartphone pricing case is a classic example
    216AnonymousOct 8, 2026 16:01
    Re: #200,201
    These days you can find even domestic beer selling for a borderline insane 1,000+ yen for a 350ml can
    If we're going to talk about fair market principles for beer, rationalizing the liquor tax should come first

    Background and key points of this story

    At the heart of this case is whether the conduct amounts to an “unreasonable restraint of trade” (cartel) banned under the Antimonopoly Act. The Fair Trade Commission is still analyzing seized documents to determine how shipping prices and price hikes were decided — no charges have actually been filed yet. Several commenters argued that “other industries like phones, rice, and gas are just as bad,” but that doesn’t make a cartel any less serious — sharing price lists and coordinating on shipping prices is potentially illegal under antitrust law regardless of industry. Many also linked the light media coverage to the beer industry’s status as a major TV sponsor, but that connection is speculation, not something established as fact in the article.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (News Speed+) thread “Big 4 Beer Makers May Have Shared Price Lists — Cartel Suspicions Center on Manager-Level Meetings.”

  • Ryoko Hirosue’s Agency Addresses ‘Shoulder Seatbelt Off’ Photos — Son Also Apologizes for Dropping Beginner-Driver Sticker

    On October 1, Ryoko Hirosue (46) left a live music venue in Tokyo in a car driven by her eldest son, Mr. A (22). It emerged that he had been driving with the shoulder portion of his seatbelt off, prompting her talent agency to issue a statement. The agency also apologized for the son driving without displaying the ‘novice driver’ sticker, saying “he himself deeply regrets it.” On 5ch, while some pointed out the legal status of seatbelts and how long it takes to get a license these days, plenty of other comments mocked the son’s occupation and brought up Hirosue’s own past traffic incidents, splitting opinion.

    10/8 (Thu) 11:00

    About half a year since she resumed her career activities this spring. From around Ryoko Hirosue (46), happy news and small “close calls” have come in turns.

    On October 1, after wrapping up business at a live music venue in Tokyo, Hirosue left the venue in a car driven by her eldest son, Mr. A (22).

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

    2AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:27
    Watching Rei Ranran (annual income ¥580 million) on YouTube beats watching Peace-kun down at Omiya Park any day.
    6AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:29
    Hirosue always seems to be apologizing for something, huh.
    7AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:29
    Couldn't help but laugh thinking back to that whole 'All-Star Thanksgiving Festival' incident.
    11AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:32
    Is her eldest son, Mr. A, unemployed and just tagging along to help mom out?
    19AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:35
    Re: #11
    Why doesn't he just get a normal job at a company?
    12AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:32
    Wearing the shoulder belt behind your back… doesn't that feel bulky and bothersome instead? Huh?
    13AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:32
    Never tried it myself, but having the belt dig into your back sounds squirmy and gross.
    14AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:33
    That 'screw the rules' attitude must run in the family — like mother, like son.
    15AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:33
    But she's apparently earning enough to cover her son's expenses too
    Guess 'making someone feel good' really pays off (a jab referencing Hirosue's leaked 2017 affair messages, where she thanked her partner for 'making her feel good')
    20AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:36
    Older cars without a shoulder strap, just a lap belt, aren't actually against the law though.
    70AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:24
    Re: #20
    There are even older cars with no seatbelt at all
    Those still pass inspection and aren't a violation either
    21AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:36
    Is wrapping the seatbelt around your back really that much of a hassle?
    Sounds like pure posturing to me.
    25AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:37
    Re: #21
    Yeah, it gets in the way when you move your upper body
    23AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:37
    Eh, I don't even get the point of the sticker so whatever
    29AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:39
    Re: #19
    Bet he's still looking after his little siblings
    32AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:40
    If the shoulder belt's not on, that's an instant violation if the cops catch it
    The car's warning chime is probably just so annoying he does it for show, but it's pointless anyway
    36AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:44
    Guess it takes about 9 months to get a license these days
    I remember going to driving school after school in the evenings and it took about 2 months
    Even that felt long back then since I was so eager to drive
    37AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:44
    So her kid was already grown up by the time she was thanking someone for 'making her feel good'?
    (same infamous line from her leaked affair messages) Rough.
    53AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:02
    Re: #37
    Must be complicated for the kid
    Probably got talked about behind his back at school
    38AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:45
    Same as hanging a motorcycle helmet around your neck instead of wearing it — just for show to dodge violations, with zero thought for what happens in an actual crash.
    42AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:46
    No remorse whatsoever.
    Nothing's changed.
    49AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:56
    They have absolutely no intention of following traffic rules — mother and son both.
    51AnonymousOct 8, 2026 14:59
    Tch, quit nagging
    'I'm, like, super sorry~' (mocking a cutesy baby-talk apology)
    54AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:04
    They're already screwing up again?! lol
    56AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:06
    Imagine how the kid would feel if he googled himself and found old stories about an ashtray getting thrown (a classic 'scary mom' trope in Japan).
    57AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:07
    Do people like this live and die by acting tough?
    59AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:09
    She's the type who walks away unscathed even from going over 180 km/h
    Small stuff like this doesn't faze her.
    60AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:11
    Can you believe it? She hit 185 km/h — faster than MLB's fastest pitcher Mijiorowski's 170 km/h fastball
    Let's start calling her 'Lightning Flash Hirosue.'
    112AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:49
    Sometimes you accidentally jam the seatbelt into the passenger seat's buckle slot by mistake — wish they'd design it so that couldn't happen.
    118AnonymousOct 8, 2026 15:52
    Re: #112
    That wouldn't even click in though, would it?

    Background and Key Points of the Debate

    Displaying a “novice driver” sticker is legally required under Japan’s Road Traffic Act for anyone within one year of getting their standard license, and skipping it can mean a fine. Removing the shoulder portion of a seatbelt likewise fails to meet the legal requirement for proper wear — both points drew criticism here. Where opinions in the thread diverged was over whether to focus on the violations themselves or to mock Ryoko Hirosue and her family. Many commenters, recalling Hirosue’s own previously reported traffic incidents, framed this as “yet again” and treated it as part of an ongoing pattern rather than a one-off — though it’s worth noting her son is a 22-year-old adult, and nothing in the article actually ties this incident to his mother’s past.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “Agency Comments on Ryoko Hirosue’s ‘Shoulder Seatbelt Off,’ Son Also Apologizes for ‘Removing Beginner Sticker’: ‘He Himself Deeply Regrets It’.”

  • Kingdom Hearts Collection Launches Today on Switch 2 — 5ch Reacts: ‘There’s No Way to Follow the Story’

    Kingdom Hearts Collection [I-III] launched today on Nintendo Switch 2. The set bundles four entries — 1.5, 2.5, 2.8, and 3 — into a capstone package for the series, set across the worlds of Disney and Pixar. On the forum, many pointed out that the three main-numbered titles alone aren’t enough to follow the series’ tangled story, which also sprawls across GBA and mobile spin-offs. Reports of control issues on the PS5 version, along with renewed criticism of past overseas releases that kept Japan’s button layout, also became talking points.

    [Topics] A story woven from light and darkness, set in the worlds of Disney and Pixar. Kingdom Hearts Collection [I-III], bundling three packages together, launches today on Nintendo Switch 2.

    Source: x.com / Original post here

    2AnonymousOct 8, 2026 11:17
    Key card, 130GB
    7AnonymousOct 8, 2026 11:20
    Re: #2
    🤣😅🤣😅🤣
    3AnonymousOct 8, 2026 11:18
    So the PS version works like a key-disc too, huh
    Apparently overseas boxes have a warning notice on the front just like the Switch 2 version, but people are complaining it's hard to notice
    4AnonymousOct 8, 2026 11:19
    Want it, but it'll go on sale eventually anyway
    Though I'm torn on just buying Kingdom Hearts 3 alone
    Never played that Birth by Sleep thing either, so that could work too
    5AnonymousOct 8, 2026 11:19
    If it's just a key card, it should be free
    6AnonymousOct 8, 2026 11:20
    Re: #5
    The key disc should be free too lmaooo
    10AnonymousOct 8, 2026 11:22
    The PS5 version already has fatal control problems to begin with

    'Kingdom Hearts Collection,' released for Switch 2 and other platforms, is getting a reputation as a sloppy port straight from the PC/North American version
    https://krsw.5ch.io/test/read.cgi/ghard/1791339579/
    11AnonymousOct 8, 2026 11:22
    Wasn't it the PS version that got slammed before for selling overseas with the Japanese button layout lmao
    13AnonymousOct 8, 2026 11:24
    Minecraft Switch 2 version: 1.2GB
    14AnonymousOct 8, 2026 11:25
    Surely PS won't lose out on this one too, like it did with the Metal Gear Collection… right?
    17AnonymousOct 8, 2026 11:26
    Re: #14
    On Amazon:
    Switch 2: ranked 2,000+
    PS5: ranked 700+

    Yep, it's definitely losing lol
    44AnonymousOct 8, 2026 11:51
    Re: #17
    Even with FF7, PS5 is still ahead but only by a hair
    Square Enix titles are increasingly selling better on Nintendo platforms
    47AnonymousOct 8, 2026 11:58
    Re: #17
    If that 'garbage PS' (ゴミステ, a derisive nickname for PlayStation) that's no longer even on store shelves is losing even online, there's no coming back from that
    16AnonymousOct 8, 2026 11:26
    Re: #14
    Adding the KH4 announcement that dodged the State of Play to the betrayal list, dammit!
    That's probably why people aren't buying this lol
    19AnonymousOct 8, 2026 11:28
    The biggest flaw is that there's no way to fully understand the story from just the main entries alone
    24AnonymousOct 8, 2026 11:31
    Re: #19
    Well, several of them did come out on Nintendo hardware too
    In fact there are more of those, so more people have probably played those versions
    Chain of Memories, Re:coded, 358/2 Days, Kingdom Hearts 3D
    21AnonymousOct 8, 2026 11:29
    It's supposedly just the story from 1 to 3, but if there are over ten pieces of content, of course some people are going to fall behind
    23AnonymousOct 8, 2026 11:31
    Even if you play through the story of a mobile game whose service has already ended, plus the ones that came out on GBA, PSP, DS, and 3DS, you still won't understand the story — heck, even [director Tetsuya] Nomura doesn't seem to understand it. What are we even supposed to do with this mess
    27AnonymousOct 8, 2026 11:37
    Didn't realize Kingdom Hearts still costs this much
    31AnonymousOct 8, 2026 11:39
    Well, buying this should at least let you follow everything
    Finally something like that exists
    32AnonymousOct 8, 2026 11:40
    Re: #31
    You still have to read through the GBA, PSP, DS, 3DS, and mobile stories too
    You literally just wrote that yourself
    36AnonymousOct 8, 2026 11:42
    It technically wrapped up with 3, but now with 4 there's something that looks like another 'Organization XIII'-type group showing up again, and I've got a really bad feeling about it
    39AnonymousOct 8, 2026 11:43
    Re: #36
    Of that whole group, only one or two actually get enough screen time to matter, so you'll be fine
    It's fine, just forget about the rest
    48AnonymousOct 8, 2026 12:05
    Wait, even after doing all of this, it still doesn't cover the whole story? Are they stupid?
    52AnonymousOct 8, 2026 12:12
    Re: #48
    Looks like the rhythm game and the mobile game aren't included
    I'm not too familiar with them, but I heard those also tie into the main story
    55AnonymousOct 8, 2026 12:13
    Re: #52
    Ah right, there was a rhythm game too
    Well, that one's playable on Switch anyway
    56AnonymousOct 8, 2026 12:14
    Re: #52
    I think the 'X' one is the mobile game
    As for the rhythm game not being included, maybe it's just 'go buy that separately since it's already on Switch and PS4'
    58AnonymousOct 8, 2026 12:17
    Seriously though, will this actually wrap up while the players who played the very first game are still alive?
    63AnonymousOct 8, 2026 12:22
    Re: #58
    It's technically supposed to have concluded with 3
    Though I haven't played 3 myself so I can't say for sure
    Apparently the 'Dark Seeker Saga' wrapped up there
    87AnonymousOct 8, 2026 13:18
    Re: #58
    As long as Nomura's still active, I'm sure you'll live that long at least
    60AnonymousOct 8, 2026 12:18
    The '1.5' and '2.8' naming is so confusing
    62AnonymousOct 8, 2026 12:21
    Re: #60

    — Why '2.8'?

    Nomura: There are several layers of meaning behind it, but for one way of thinking about it: the 'KH3D [Dream Drop Distance]' (hereafter 'KH3D') included this time as 'KHDDD' is positioned as the work that comes after '2.5' — the previous HD compilation — so it's equivalent to '2.6.'

    And we consider the 'χ' series — 'KHχ,' 'KH Unchained χ,' and 'KHχ Back Cover' — to be the '0,' since Sora is absent from them.

    'KH BbS' is '0.1,' and this time's 'KH 0.2 BbS,' as the title itself suggests, is '0.2.'

    So if you add '2.6' + '0' + '0.2,' you get the number '2.8.'
    65AnonymousOct 8, 2026 12:27
    Re: #62
    Reminds me of that 'l'Cie from the Cocoon of Pulse' nonsense (a jab at Final Fantasy XIII's famously jargon-heavy opening exposition)
    67AnonymousOct 8, 2026 12:28
    Re: #62
    — I see! So the numbers are assigned according to the series' timeline, then added together on top of that. To think even the '0.2' in 'KH 0.2 BbS' carried that kind of meaning.

    This one's part of the set too
    69AnonymousOct 8, 2026 12:30
    Just 1, 2, 3?
    But this is a series where it doesn't even make sense unless you also play the spin-offs
    70AnonymousOct 8, 2026 12:35
    Re: #69
    Yeah, this title is really confusing
    In reality it's a bundle of 1.5 + 2.5 + 2.8 + 3
    74AnonymousOct 8, 2026 12:38
    Re: #70
    Wait, so does that mean 1 and 2 aren't actually included?
    75AnonymousOct 8, 2026 12:40
    Re: #74
    1 and 2 are included within 1.5 and 2.5

    Background and Key Points of Discussion

    The Kingdom Hearts series is known for weaving HD remasters and spin-offs like ‘1.5,’ ‘2.5,’ and ‘2.8’ in between its main numbered entries, and this collection is effectively another bundle of ‘1.5 + 2.5 + 2.8 + 3.’ What split opinion on the forum was whether this release alone lets players grasp the full story — since it doesn’t include the GBA, PSP, DS, 3DS, and mobile titles, many argued that ‘the main entries alone make it impossible to understand.’ Meanwhile, for the PS5 version, users cited a separate thread started around the same time reporting ‘control issues,’ and the conversation also revisited past criticism of overseas releases that kept Japan’s button layout. One post claimed the Switch 2 version was outranking the PS5 version on Amazon’s bestseller chart, but it’s worth noting that’s just a snapshot at the time of posting, not official sales data.

    *This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Hardware/Industry (Geha)) thread ‘Kingdom Hearts Collection [I-III] launches today on Nintendo Switch 2.‘