Category: Anime

  • Oda Eiichiro Reportedly Outranks His Own Editor-in-Chief — Fans Stunned

    Now in its 38th year of serialization, One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has become the talk of 5channel’s “Nandemo Jikkyo” board over speculation that he may actually hold more power than his own editor. The discussion was sparked by claims that editors haven’t been catching typos and continuity slips in the collected volumes — with chapter 1148’s contradiction over Nami’s past as a hostage cited as one example. At the same time, posters pointed to first-week sales figures — 600,000 copies for One Piece versus 400,000 for Hunter x Hunter, with other serialized titles in the magazine moving only around 40,000 — underscoring just how much weight the flagship series carries.

    13AnonymousSep 9, 2026 06:32
    Not just One Piece — it'd be strange if a manga artist WASN'T in a stronger position than their editor, honestly
    26AnonymousSep 9, 2026 06:42
    Re: #13
    Then go do doujinshi if that's how you feel about it
    The magazine is the one paying the artist, so of course the side holding the reins is on top
    89AnonymousSep 9, 2026 07:51
    Re: #13
    Not when you're working for a commercial magazine, that logic doesn't fly
    14AnonymousSep 9, 2026 06:34


    21AnonymousSep 9, 2026 06:37
    Re: #14
    Not a battle manga, not a gag manga — just a mystery manga
    35AnonymousSep 9, 2026 06:51
    Re: #14
    Still have no idea what's even going on with this…
    45AnonymousSep 9, 2026 07:02
    Re: #14
    What is up with this "gyupon-gyupon" thing seriously (a squishy sound effect)?
    Has anyone actually figured it out?
    18AnonymousSep 9, 2026 06:36
    Is it really that scary?
    A new era without One Piece
    23AnonymousSep 9, 2026 06:38
    Re: #18
    If One Piece disappears, Jump's probably gonna lose to Magazine and Sunday
    24AnonymousSep 9, 2026 06:39
    Re: #18
    If there's even a one-shot of Kochikame, that's fine by me
    Hunter x Hunter's basically a one-shot series at this point anyway
    82AnonymousSep 9, 2026 07:44
    Re: #18
    This genuinely looks like an unbelievably dark age to me, but is it possible I'm just old now and today's middle/high schoolers see this lineup as shining bright?
    Am I the boomer here?
    25AnonymousSep 9, 2026 06:39
    He seemed so dependable back in the Bakuman days 😢



    63AnonymousSep 9, 2026 07:21
    Re: #25
    Oda-sensei's a genuine saint
    147AnonymousSep 9, 2026 08:41
    It's probably not that they can't point out typos —
    more likely Oda turns his manuscripts in so last-minute there's no real time to check them properly
    Re: #25
    32AnonymousSep 9, 2026 06:47
    A message from Oda-cchi to everyone out there aspiring to be a manga artist!!!

    61AnonymousSep 9, 2026 07:20
    Re: #32
    Things got weird once he started the Celestial Dragons arc — this whole comment section makes you think something happened in his real life
    148AnonymousSep 9, 2026 08:41
    Re: #32
    Is that his "cringe past" notebook (a diary of embarrassing old writings) or something?
    37AnonymousSep 9, 2026 06:51
    Chapter 1148, which his editor apparently praised to the skies
    makes you forget Nami was captured at Arlong Park since she was a kid


    39AnonymousSep 9, 2026 06:54
    Re: #37
    Well, the hostages were the villagers
    92AnonymousSep 9, 2026 07:55
    Re: #37
    It's not "First, [we won't take children hostage]" — it's "[First, the children] — we won't take hostage"…
    So kids did end up as hostages eventually, just not "starting from" or "only" them (a nitpick over how the original line is parsed)
    38AnonymousSep 9, 2026 06:53
    He's actually on good terms with Shimabu (Toriko creator Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro)
    67AnonymousSep 9, 2026 07:25
    Re: #38
    No wonder we got that bizarre Dragon Ball x One Piece x Toriko crossover
    So basically "the god" and his friend cross over what the god liked with their own work…
    Demanding this and that from the Navy — that's peak Celestial Dragon behavior right there
    44AnonymousSep 9, 2026 07:01
    A monster who can only connect with people through Pokémon GO





    54AnonymousSep 9, 2026 07:13
    Re: #44
    Man, even since this 5th picture Jump's changed a ton
    73AnonymousSep 9, 2026 07:33
    Someone said Usopp looked lame even during the Elbaf arc, so let me lecture them!!!

    140AnonymousSep 9, 2026 08:37
    Re: #73
    The irony really lands when you realize they're talking about Luffy — bound by Nika, now the least free man in the world
    100AnonymousSep 9, 2026 08:07
    If One Piece is the flagship right now, then who's even the number two?
    Can't deny it feels like a real talent shortage
    106AnonymousSep 9, 2026 08:13
    Re: #100
    First-week sales:
    One Piece: 600,000 copies
    Hunter x Hunter: 400,000 copies
    Everyone else: around 40,000

    Well, it's pretty clear who's number two
    109AnonymousSep 9, 2026 08:15
    Re: #106
    But if you count by volumes published per year, Hunter x Hunter's at zero
    I'd bet the others actually outsell it overall
    115AnonymousSep 9, 2026 08:20
    Re: #106
    Is Jump really in this dire a state now?
    No wonder they've got nothing left to do but cling to Oda
    112AnonymousSep 9, 2026 08:16
    Dragon Ball = "Oyoge! Taiyaki-kun" (Japan's best-selling single ever)
    One Piece = AKB48
    Demon Slayer = "Dango Sankyodai" (another massive hit single)

    Guess that's the comparison if you use chart-topping songs as the analogy
    116AnonymousSep 9, 2026 08:20
    Re: #112
    I don't really get the comparison
    145AnonymousSep 9, 2026 08:41
    Re: #142
    He's openly said he'll change the story if fans correctly guess what happens next, so he's definitely ego-searching (googling himself)
    149AnonymousSep 9, 2026 08:42
    Re: #145
    Don't just ignore it
    Re: #112 What about Naruto and Bleach?
    128AnonymousSep 9, 2026 08:27
    Not being able to weigh in on the story is one thing, but being too scared to even point out typos or misused words — that's way too messed up
    129AnonymousSep 9, 2026 08:29
    Re: #128
    When there are multiple cases where even that never gets fixed, you really have to wonder what's going on
    130AnonymousSep 9, 2026 08:30
    Re: #128
    Point it out, he gets sulky and pissed off, and that's the end of it
    The editor's the one who ends up getting chewed out from above
    131AnonymousSep 9, 2026 08:30
    Re: #128
    Do manga not even get proofread?
    Every time I watch that Satomi Ishihara proofreading drama ("Kōetsu Girl," about a magazine copy editor), I picture Oda and the whole show starts feeling unrealistic

    Background and Key Points of This Discussion

    Weekly Shonen Jump has traditionally maintained a system where editors weigh in on the direction of serialized works, but it’s often said within the industry that flagship authors driving the bulk of sales tend to be granted more creative latitude. What split opinion in the thread was whether to see that degree of latitude as “natural” or as “distorted.” The first-week sales figures cited (600,000 copies for One Piece, 400,000 for Hunter x Hunter, etc.) come from numbers posted within the thread itself rather than official up-to-date data, so some caution is warranted. Likewise, the view that editors find it hard to flag typos or setting inconsistencies is purely speculation from 5channel, not primary-source confirmation of the actual editorial process. Since consistency-checking on long-running serials also depends on the editorial department’s own proofreading system, this can’t simply be reduced to Oda’s individual “strength of position” alone.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5channel (Nandemo Jikkyo G) thread “[Sad News] One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda genuinely outranks the Jump editor-in-chief……………….”

  • Japan’s Cultural Affairs Agency to Database Manga Dialogue — Building a ‘Corpus’ to Track How Japanese Is Changing

    Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs will begin building a “Manga Corpus” next fiscal year — a database cataloging the wide range of expressions found in manga dialogue, from guttural yells like “a゙” to greetings like “n-cha” and battle cries like “Total Concentration.” Working with a contractor chosen through open bidding, the National Institute for Japanese Language and Linguistics plans to spend four years digitizing 50 years’ worth of material, covering the top 20 best-selling manga titles published each year from 1976 to 2025. It’s reportedly the first time the government has built a corpus based on manga. On 5channel, reactions were mixed: many users nostalgically traded favorite lines and sound effects from old manga, while others questioned whether the project was necessary or worth the tax money.

    Tue, Sep 8, 5:00 AM

    The Agency for Cultural Affairs is launching a “Manga Corpus” project to database the language used in manga dialogue. It will gather a wide variety of expressions — things like “a゙” and “n-cha” — to serve as basic data for research into how the Japanese language is changing. This marks the first time the government has built a corpus based on manga. The agency aims to digitize 50 years’ worth of material over the next four years, starting next fiscal year.

    As a project commissioned by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the National Institute for Japanese Language and Linguistics will develop the corpus together with a contractor selected through open bidding. It will cover the top 20 best-selling manga titles published each year from 1976 to 2025. The first year will focus on digitizing works from 2016 to 2025.

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

    2AnonymousSep 8, 2026 17:03
    Everybody, come on over to Penguin Village! (the setting of Dr. Slump)
    4AnonymousSep 8, 2026 17:04
    Bonji too, huh?
    5AnonymousSep 8, 2026 17:04
    There are a lot of Japanese words whose original meaning got warped because of manga, huh.
    6AnonymousSep 8, 2026 17:05
    Will "da-ccha" and "da-ppya" make the cut? (Lum's iconic speech tic from Urusei Yatsura, and its imitators)
    12AnonymousSep 8, 2026 17:10
    Wh-, WHAAAAAT?! (the classic exaggerated shock line from manga)
    15AnonymousSep 8, 2026 17:11
    Starving, freezing, ready to die —
    misery comes in that exact order, apparently.
    16AnonymousSep 8, 2026 17:11
    Who the hell came up with this 'Arai' thing
    17AnonymousSep 8, 2026 17:14
    So "going off at a weird angle" (naname ue) started from Level E?
    20AnonymousSep 8, 2026 17:16
    Are "a゙" and "e゙" actually used in mainstream manga?
    42AnonymousSep 8, 2026 17:38
    Re: #20
    I kind of feel like it showed up in Maison Ikkoku or something. Emphasis on "feel like" — don't quote me.
    44AnonymousSep 8, 2026 17:47
    Re: #20
    A゙!? *vein-pop* *vein-pop*!
    22AnonymousSep 8, 2026 17:20
    The stuff those crappy old VIP-board posters used to use —
    like ending sentences with "dao,"
    and otaku adding "-uji" when saying someone's name —
    wonder if that's getting included too.
    24AnonymousSep 8, 2026 17:22
    Doping Consommé's "Goshikaan"! (Kinnikuman's Doping Consommé Soup and its sound effect)
    25AnonymousSep 8, 2026 17:23
    What's "Bonji"?
    29AnonymousSep 8, 2026 17:27
    Well, even books from the Edo period are unreadable to modern people…
    36AnonymousSep 8, 2026 17:32
    Re: #29
    But shunga (Edo-era erotic art) — modern people understand that just fine.
    37AnonymousSep 8, 2026 17:32
    Here we go again, dumping money into something dumb while 95% probably gets skimmed off the top.
    39AnonymousSep 8, 2026 17:36
    Niconico Pedia and Pixiv Encyclopedia already cover this.
    And using an unfamiliar buzzword like "corpus" is tacky too — same try-hard vibe as saying "alumni."
    43AnonymousSep 8, 2026 17:44
    Hey Chappy (ChatGPT), translate the speech bubbles into English and generate the image.
    46AnonymousSep 8, 2026 17:51
    If you get older, I get older too —
    isn't that just fine?
    50AnonymousSep 8, 2026 17:54
    I want them to include the hiragana characters that bandage-head guy from Utsurun Desu ("It's Contagious!") came up with too.
    53AnonymousSep 8, 2026 18:00
    Feels like they just really want to spend tax money.
    I get that it has some value, but I feel like universities should be the ones doing this.
    75AnonymousSep 8, 2026 18:49
    Re: #53
    How naive do you have to be to think a university would just cough up that budget out of its own pocket?
    Are you clueless about how the real world works?
    63AnonymousSep 8, 2026 18:19
    There's already some 2channel-related stuff on Niconico Pedia.
    https://dic.nicovideo.jp/
    64AnonymousSep 8, 2026 18:20
    Tracing something back to its origin is actually a real pain.
    With 2channel at least the timestamps make it clear-cut.
    72AnonymousSep 8, 2026 18:35
    Blowing hundreds of millions of yen on what amounts to some elementary schooler's summer project — no wonder Japan's going under.
    76AnonymousSep 8, 2026 18:50
    Gwashi
    Sabara
    B.G
    K.G
    Hapu hapu hapu
    Nanoraa~ (classic manga catchphrases, e.g. Iyami's "Gwashi!" and "Sabara" from Osomatsu-kun)
    78AnonymousSep 8, 2026 19:09
    Baru baru baru baru
    Zawa… zawa… (the "zawa… zawa…" murmur is the iconic tension sound effect from Kaiji)
    82AnonymousSep 8, 2026 19:22
    One Piece doesn't really have this kind of thing, does it.

    Background and Talking Points

    A corpus is a database that compiles large volumes of text to analyze how language changes over time, and the National Institute for Japanese Language and Linguistics has previously built written-language corpora based on newspapers and novels. This new “Manga Corpus” extends that approach to manga dialogue, with plans to digitize the top 20 best-selling titles from each year between 1976 and 2025 — 50 years’ worth of material — over a four-year period. In the thread, plenty of comments nostalgically debated whether sound effects like “a゙” and “e゙” actually appear in real manga, while the unfamiliar term “corpus” itself seemed to draw more skepticism about tax spending than discussion of the project’s actual substance. Worth noting: this is the first time the government has built a corpus based on manga, and unlike a glossary-style site such as Niconico Pedia, the project’s purpose is to produce foundational data for academic research into the Japanese language.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5channel (Geinou/Sports News Plus) thread “Cultural Affairs Agency to Database Manga’s “A゙,” “N-cha,” “Total Concentration”… Building a “Corpus” of Basic Data on Japanese Language Change.”

  • Is a Middle-Aged Anime/Gaming Hobby ‘Immature’? 5ch Weighs In: ‘Anime Is Junk Food’

    In response to the stock phrase used to justify single life — “I’ve got games, anime, and my oshi (fandom devotion) to keep me happy” — users on 5ch’s “Nanでも実況G” (NanJ) board got into a generational debate. It started as a jab at single men in their 40s, but quickly escalated into a clash over whether watching anime as a middle-aged adult is a sign of staying young or just immaturity. Some dismissed anime as “junk food” entertainment, while others pushed back, arguing it’s fundamentally no different from dramas or movies — with both married and single posters chiming in to needle each other along the way.

    1AnonymousSep 8, 2026 18:05
    40-year-old confirmed-single-forever geezer: "I'VE GOT GAMES!! ANIME!! AND MY OSHI (fandom) ACTIVITIES SOOOOO!!!!!"
    You really believe that in your heart?
    Be honest — you don't even have the energy to enjoy this stuff anymore, do you
    5AnonymousSep 8, 2026 18:08
    It's still fine — single guys in their 40s go hang out with people in their 20s up until about mid-decade, telling themselves they're still young
    35AnonymousSep 8, 2026 18:38
    Re: #5
    More like they go hang out with people in their 50s and 60s just to confirm to themselves that they're still young
    9AnonymousSep 8, 2026 18:12
    Sorry, I'm asking as a married guy — that's what this thread's about
    15AnonymousSep 8, 2026 18:17
    Re: #9
    Don't married guys have better things to do?
    Like taking care of the kids or doing housework?
    16AnonymousSep 8, 2026 18:19
    Re: #9
    Married guy: "Alright, work's done for the day — before I head home to see my family, I've gotta start a thread trolling single guys (sense of duty)"

    That's monstrous
    18AnonymousSep 8, 2026 18:22
    You haven't graduated from gaming either

    1: Nameless-Who-Still-Moves []: 2026/09/08 (Tue) 15:07:59.45 ID:pMTmlhHB0
    If the Ocarina of Time remake
    comes out just as faithful as the Mario RPG remake was,

    that feels like it could be insane
    19AnonymousSep 8, 2026 18:23
    Re: #18
    I haven't graduated, so what? Do you have to graduate once you get married?
    65AnonymousSep 8, 2026 19:20
    Re: #18
    LMAOOOOO wwwwwwwwwww (the "w"s are Japanese textspeak for laughter, like "lol")
    90AnonymousSep 8, 2026 19:26
    Re: #18
    Mario RPG, Zelda… are you in your 50s?
    Is that why you're trolling people in their 40s? 🤣
    22AnonymousSep 8, 2026 18:28
    Re: #16
    There's no sense of duty involved

    It's just like tapping away at some mobile game
    25AnonymousSep 8, 2026 18:31
    Re: #22
    You replied from the wrong device, lol
    23AnonymousSep 8, 2026 18:29
    Anyone can become a married father, edgelord
    26AnonymousSep 8, 2026 18:31
    Re: #23
    This is NanJ (5ch's rowdy "Whatever's On Live" board), you know
    27AnonymousSep 8, 2026 18:31
    Re: #25
    I just got home, so it switched to WiFi, that's all
    29AnonymousSep 8, 2026 18:33
    You'd think you'd get sick of games and anime once you're past 30
    What's wrong with guys who are still into it at 40
    33AnonymousSep 8, 2026 18:37
    Re: #29
    With competitive PvP games it's less that you keep playing and more that you can't quit
    Though eventually people tend to shift to mahjong or poker
    41AnonymousSep 8, 2026 18:45
    Re: #29
    Getting married just fires you up for it more
    34AnonymousSep 8, 2026 18:37
    A guy in his 40s: "I've got YouTube, 5ch, and the sauna. Games are too much for me now. Anime isn't as fun as it used to be but I keep watching out of habit. Once my libido dropped, I stopped getting into oshi (fandom favorites) too"

    This is the reality of a washed-up middle-aged guy
    36AnonymousSep 8, 2026 18:39
    Re: #34
    What about competitive games though?
    37AnonymousSep 8, 2026 18:39
    Re: #30
    What, is it a crime to go home on my lunch break? 🖕😁
    48AnonymousSep 8, 2026 18:48
    Re: #37
    Going home just to browse NanJ makes zero sense
    That's basically a sickness at this point
    39AnonymousSep 8, 2026 18:43
    It's wild that middle-aged anime fans don't realize watching anime doesn't make you young, it just makes you immature
    Guess nobody around them ever calls it out
    42AnonymousSep 8, 2026 18:45
    Re: #39
    I don't think it's any different as entertainment though
    If anime's not okay, dramas and movies would get boring too by that logic
    45AnonymousSep 8, 2026 18:47
    Re: #39
    That's some seriously Showa-era thinking (i.e. old-fashioned, pre-1989 values)
    52AnonymousSep 8, 2026 18:59
    The internet's been stuck in an echo chamber for so long that there are a ton of people now who genuinely think "watching anime is totally normal!!"
    55AnonymousSep 8, 2026 19:09
    Re: #52
    Things started changing around "Your Name," and "Demon Slayer" rewrote the Japanese box office record, so…
    58AnonymousSep 8, 2026 19:13
    Re: #55
    There really are people who mean it seriously
    Sales have nothing to do with it
    It's the same as how AKB48 can sell however much and still not get social acceptance
    59AnonymousSep 8, 2026 19:15
    Re: #58
    So what do you, the self-proclaimed grown-up, find entertaining then?
    60AnonymousSep 8, 2026 19:16
    Re: #59
    If we're talking media consumption, I've been watching dramas lately
    61AnonymousSep 8, 2026 19:17
    Re: #60
    I watch those too
    Does that mean you can't enjoy anime anymore?
    62AnonymousSep 8, 2026 19:18
    Re: #61
    Stuff like that starts to feel pointless because there's no real theme to it
    63AnonymousSep 8, 2026 19:19
    Re: #62
    I think anime has themes too though
    Dramas aren't really that different from anime
    72AnonymousSep 8, 2026 19:22
    The kid population is shrinking but the anime market keeps growing bigger and bigger
    Anime culture taking root among adults
    is showing up as real numbers
    So it comes down to whether you keep living in the old assumption that anime is "for kids," or whether you can update your values to match reality — that's just a difference in cognitive ability
    80AnonymousSep 8, 2026 19:24
    Re: #72
    There's no reason something you enjoyed since childhood would suddenly become boring
    Makes me think you grew up with hardcore Showa-era parents telling you to "grow out of it"
    82AnonymousSep 8, 2026 19:25
    Re: #72
    That just means there are more man-children out there
    "Oshi katsu" (fandom devotion/spending) is a term invented to squeeze money out of singles who have nothing else to spend it on
    75AnonymousSep 8, 2026 19:23
    Re: #70
    Dramas are mostly about social issues
    I'm not watching rom-coms or anything like that
    81AnonymousSep 8, 2026 19:25
    Re: #75
    If there just aren't many titles that suit your taste, you could just say that
    Writing it off as "kids' stuff" is way too shallow
    87AnonymousSep 8, 2026 19:26
    Re: #81
    To put it simply, anime is junk food
    That's fine when you're young, but eventually you want to take in something with more substance and nutritional value
    93AnonymousSep 8, 2026 19:27
    Re: #87
    Dramas aren't exactly as highbrow as you're making them out to be either
    98AnonymousSep 8, 2026 19:28
    Re: #87
    So specifically, what titles are you actually watching?

    Background and Key Points of This Debate

    Debate over the claim that “single men aren’t lonely because they have games, anime, and oshi katsu (fandom devotion)” is a recurring theme in the “single-shaming” threads that regularly pop up on 5ch, and this time it played out among men in their 30s and 40s. There were two main points of contention. One was the generational question of whether middle-aged people enjoying anime is immature or simply a diversification of hobbies. The other was whether “oshi katsu” genuinely enriches one’s life, or whether it’s just a buzzword used to encourage spending. Some posters claimed the anime market is expanding, but it’s worth noting this was a personal opinion without any cited source. As is typical in these threads, the debate — regardless of whether posters were married or single — tended to circle back to differing values around hobbies, with metaphor-driven exchanges like post #87’s “anime is junk food” comment continuing throughout.

    ※This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (NanJ) thread “Guy confirmed single forever at 30: “I’ve got games, anime, and oshi katsu!!” ← Yeah, that’s still understandable“.

  • Old Rudeus’s Voice Sounds “Just Like Sugita” — Mushoku Tensei Live-Watch Thread Reacts

    The live-watch thread for “Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation” on 5ch’s anime board got heated. In broadcast episodes 10 and 11, Kishirika and Cliff’s facial acting and the appearance of an aged Rudeus became hot topics, with fans repeatedly saying his voice sounded “like Sugita Tomokazu.” Discussion also touched on a plot point from the source material — whether Paul and Zenith could have been saved if Rudeus hadn’t headed down to the basement — and whether there’s any inconsistency in the time-travel mechanic Old Rudeus uses. Opinions were split on the broadcast presentation itself too, with some voicing dissatisfaction over the split-cour structure and pacing.

    6AnonymousSep 4, 2026 12:20
    Re: #1
    Here's your reward!
    7AnonymousSep 4, 2026 12:31
    Thanks for the thread

    Re: #6
    Is that Atofe or Kishirika…
    Kishirika was causing a whole scene at the end of episode 10
    and in the episode 11 preview cut, Cliff's covering one eye
    9AnonymousSep 4, 2026 12:49
    Re: #7
    Episode 10: "Good, that'll do! Farewell, then!"

    Episode 11: Cliff covering his right eye
    87AnonymousSep 5, 2026 04:28
    You could really feel the care put into the faces of Rudeus and co. wanting to punch that annoying Kishirika
    98AnonymousSep 5, 2026 07:53
    Re: #87
    Finding that annoying just means you've got no patience left
    She's super cute
    99AnonymousSep 5, 2026 08:00
    Re: #98
    Nanahoshi's on the verge of dying, so of course they'd make that face
    Though from the audience's god's-eye view, it is cute
    107AnonymousSep 5, 2026 08:25
    Re: #98
    Seeing people say they don't get why Rudeus and the others got so mad about that
    makes me wonder if they even have a heart

    They know full well Dorine's Disease is a life-or-death illness, treatment and all,
    so of course they'd be furious about someone joking about it like that
    291AnonymousSep 6, 2026 18:44
    I bet it goes at least up through the scene shown in the teaser PV
    Though if that ends up pushed into the second cour instead
    they'd have to handle everything from TP4 onward super carefully…

    https://img.amiami.jp/images/product/main/263/FIGURE-203541.jpg
    This one doesn't need such rock-hard abs, honestly
    The other figure just won't do
    296AnonymousSep 6, 2026 18:58
    Re: #291
    Going by how it worked in seasons 1 and 2, the teaser usually includes content from the second cour too, so it's probably the same this time
    That's why it's hard to tell exactly where the first cour cuts off

    But my guess is the reunion with Eris happens in the back half
    305AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:23
    Nothing to be done about it now, but if they'd trimmed the slice-of-life stuff and Sara's arc in the first half to push things forward by one episode, I think both the back half's pacing and the timing of the split would've turned out ideal
    306AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:25
    Re: #305
    Seriously, this
    Dragging out all that pointless stuff early on was the worst
    315AnonymousSep 6, 2026 20:03
    Re: #305
    Rifujin na Magonote supervises the show too, so they probably think this is the best call
    323AnonymousSep 6, 2026 21:06
    Re: #305
    Given how many episodes' worth of story is packed into the back half, maybe they wanted to take it slow up front on purpose
    368AnonymousSep 7, 2026 00:30
    So the old man who showed up at the end is Rudeus from the future?
    What's even the problem with just going down to the basement, though?
    607AnonymousSep 7, 2026 07:18
    Re: #368
    Roxy follows him and finds out about the sacred relic…
    380AnonymousSep 7, 2026 00:32
    Is it actually true, what the Man-God said — that if Rudeus hadn't gone, Paul wouldn't have died and they could've rescued Zenith?
    Even granting how Paul ended up dying, could they really have managed it without Rudeus?
    395AnonymousSep 7, 2026 00:34
    Re: #380
    It even claimed Roxy would've survived too, so it's obviously a lie
    No way she'd have made it when they barely got there in time as it was, right as he was dying
    399AnonymousSep 7, 2026 00:34
    Re: #380
    Judging by that fight, there's no way they win without Rudeus there. It'd be a total wipeout
    409AnonymousSep 7, 2026 00:37
    Re: #380
    I think the author actually answered that, as expected, if Rudeus hadn't gone, everyone would've died
    425AnonymousSep 7, 2026 00:46
    I guess the only real complaint this time is Old Rudeus's character design and voice

    On the flip side, I'd love to hear how the anime-only crowd honestly felt about it
    430AnonymousSep 7, 2026 00:48
    Re: #425
    I'm anime-only, and honestly it was neither good nor bad
    Him revealing who he was hit so hard that everything else stopped mattering lol
    436AnonymousSep 7, 2026 00:50
    Re: #425
    I wondered if that's literally what Sugita's own voice sounds like once he gets old
    442AnonymousSep 7, 2026 00:53
    Re: #425
    My takeaway: I guess once Rudeus's voice changes, it just becomes Sugita
    456AnonymousSep 7, 2026 01:01
    Badigadi's a Demon King too, same as Atofe, right?
    Is Badigadi about as strong as Atofe if he actually goes all out? Judging by his school days he seems way weaker though
    459AnonymousSep 7, 2026 01:03
    Re: #456
    Atofe is Badigadi's older sister
    469AnonymousSep 7, 2026 01:06
    Re: #456
    If Atofe's North God Style hits harder than the Sword God Style's Light Blade, then she outranks Badigadi
    480AnonymousSep 7, 2026 01:12
    Re: #456
    3rd of the Seven Great Powers, the "War God" Badigadi
    495AnonymousSep 7, 2026 01:21
    Can someone who reads the local language decipher this?
    502AnonymousSep 7, 2026 01:25
    Re: #495
    The Eye of Insight pulls its info from "Demon Emperor-pedia"!
    It gets most things right, but not everything — and sometimes it's just flat-out wrong!
    https://x.com/Magote_rihujin/status/2096615158365966541
    571AnonymousSep 7, 2026 03:35
    Lady Ariel's stock is crashing hard
    This episode she even got officially ruled a worse king than Rudy
    Is there any comeback in the cards for Lady Ariel?
    575AnonymousSep 7, 2026 03:39
    Re: #571
    The look you give something you consider trash
    712AnonymousSep 7, 2026 11:59
    If you go back in time and mess with events, wouldn't that spawn multiple timelines, like in Steins;Gate?
    That'd give you two extra timelines — one where Rudeus went to the basement and one where he didn't
    715AnonymousSep 7, 2026 12:02
    Re: #712
    Hollywood screenwriting rules actually ban lazy time-leaps like that
    since they just confuse the audience
    There are other rules too, like not overusing flashbacks
    719AnonymousSep 7, 2026 12:06
    Re: #712
    Adding just one more timeline probably wouldn't make much of a difference
    720AnonymousSep 7, 2026 12:10
    Re: #712
    We don't even know if the many-worlds interpretation applies here to begin with
    That kind of thing varies work to work — and this is already an isekai on top of it

    Background and Key Discussion Points

    Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation is a hit series by Rifujin na Magonote that started life on a web novel site, and its anime adaptation airs as a split-cour show (broadcast in two halves). The elderly Rudeus who caused a stir this time is introduced as a character arriving from a future outside the main storyline, and fans zeroed in on how his voice performance differs from the usual Rudeus. In the thread, this twist fed into speculation about how much of the source material the first cour would actually cover, exposing a gap between novel readers unhappy with the front half’s pacing and viewers who came in through the anime. As for the mechanics behind Old Rudeus’s time travel, some pointed to an episode from the source material where Perugius arrived via a similar phenomenon in the past, arguing this isn’t simply a plot hole. How much internal consistency fictional time-travel needs is a topic every work handles differently, and this thread was no exception, with posters disagreeing over where exactly that line should be drawn.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Anime board) thread “[No Spoilers Please] Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation 140.”

  • Many One Piece “antis” turn out to be ex-believers — 5ch: “Love turned to hate, so of course it runs deep”

    A thread titled “One Piece antis feel somehow different from antis of other manga” popped up on 5ch’s Nandemo Jikkyou G board. Most of the replies agreed that many One Piece antis are “flipped antis” — former devoted believers — which is why their grudge runs so much deeper. Complaints centered on the split in opinion starting around the Thriller Bark and Water Seven arcs, plus frustration over the retcon revealing that the “Gum-Gum Fruit” was actually the “Nika Fruit” all along. Opinions were divided, though, on how this compares to antis of Demon Slayer, Chainsaw Man, or My Hero Academia, with some arguing the simple “betrayed believer” theory doesn’t fully explain it.

    1AnonymousSep 7, 2026 22:53
    It's like 30 years of grudges and resentment crammed in there — honestly kind of a scary, vengeful-spirit vibe.
    2AnonymousSep 7, 2026 22:55
    One Piece
    My Hero Academia
    Chainsaw Man

    the antis for these are on another level.
    3AnonymousSep 7, 2026 22:56
    Re: #2
    Chainsaw Man's not really an "antis" thing though
    With an ending like that, of course everyone's going to complain
    5AnonymousSep 7, 2026 22:56
    Re: #2
    One Piece and Chainsaw Man are the type where believers flip into antis

    No idea why My Hero Academia even has antis though
    9AnonymousSep 7, 2026 22:59
    Re: #2
    One Piece — 29 years in and still not finished, tarnishing its legacy year after year with retcons and declining quality

    My Hero Academia — the whole 'bullied Bakugo' backstory thing

    Chainsaw Man — Part 2 is way too bad, the art's slipped too. The ending is a trainwreck unlike anything else in manga history


    Yeah, fair enough, the reasons check out
    11AnonymousSep 7, 2026 23:00
    When did One Piece turn into such a mess anyway?
    Personally it started getting rough for me around Thriller Bark
    17AnonymousSep 7, 2026 23:04
    Re: #11
    It was right around just before Alabasta started
    24AnonymousSep 7, 2026 23:08
    Re: #11
    Up through Water Seven it was definitely good
    18AnonymousSep 7, 2026 23:05
    Demon Slayer's author: "I'm wrapping this up in 23 volumes"

    Absolute unit of competence
    20AnonymousSep 7, 2026 23:06
    Re: #18
    About 20 volumes, so roughly 5 years huh
    22AnonymousSep 7, 2026 23:07
    Re: #18
    Demon Slayer: "Started serialization after Wano began, and finished before Wano even ended"

    Demon Slayer's just too good
    64AnonymousSep 7, 2026 23:32
    Re: #18
    Re: #22
    Antis like this — not even realizing that Nezuko's eye moment parallels the earring/Sun Pirates thing in One Piece, or that how Muzan gets defeated parallels "the 41-year-old's" method — probably just means they haven't actually read one or the other (note: obscure fan-theory comparison, exact meaning unclear)
    25AnonymousSep 7, 2026 23:08
    Re: #22
    Wano went on that long huh…
    That crappy Oden flashback arc was way too long, didn't need all that
    29AnonymousSep 7, 2026 23:10
    Re: #25
    I think Demon Slayer never went on hiatus
    One Piece takes a break basically every month, sometimes even twice a month, so that's probably why
    36AnonymousSep 7, 2026 23:14
    Reading it for 20 years thinking it's the Gum-Gum Fruit, then suddenly "lol it's actually Nika" — that really kills it
    54AnonymousSep 7, 2026 23:25
    Re: #36
    I gave up on it at the Nika reveal, but respect to anyone who stayed a believer after that
    58AnonymousSep 7, 2026 23:27
    Re: #36
    Feels like they should've laid the groundwork way earlier, but watching the people who got hyped over Yamato turn around and trash the Nika reveal — I just figured, why not quit reading at that point
    Suddenly introducing a new character like Yamato and burning tons of pages on her was garbage too
    60AnonymousSep 7, 2026 23:28
    Re: #36-37
    A crappy retcon manga that even taints its own classic past scenes
    37AnonymousSep 7, 2026 23:14
    Even the moving scene where Shanks loses his arm got a retcon slapped on it with some kind of "contract" explanation
    Stop adding unnecessary stuff

    48AnonymousSep 7, 2026 23:19
    One Piece antis these days are basically in the state of an "otaku after their idol's dating scandal breaks"
    They got betrayed by the thing they worshipped and flipped into antis
    That's why the obsession runs so deep
    50AnonymousSep 7, 2026 23:23
    Re: #48
    That's a bit off though
    If we're going with the idol analogy, it's more like "the members are getting older, I'm getting bored, I want to see new idols, so just disband the group already" territory
    55AnonymousSep 7, 2026 23:26
    I flipped at Thriller Bark — I was a hardcore One Piece believer back then, and I clearly felt something break inside me
    Actually, I'd already started feeling off about it since the back half of Water Seven

    Back then I basically got treated like some contrarian, but that sense of wrongness I felt at the time kept spreading, and more and more people started agreeing with me
    Makes me feel pretty moved, like "yeah, I was right back then"
    57AnonymousSep 7, 2026 23:27
    Re: #55
    Was the Summit War arc no good then?
    Aside from that ending, it was pretty exciting
    62AnonymousSep 7, 2026 23:28
    Re: #57
    I'd already lost interest before the Summit War
    I only ended up reading it years later
    65AnonymousSep 7, 2026 23:33
    Re: #62
    That was some sharp insight
    I was still enjoying it right up until the two-years-later timeskip
    70AnonymousSep 7, 2026 23:36
    Can't figure out why people who get mad about the Nika reveal go on to worship Dragon Ball
    Compared to a manga that's nothing but retcons, One Piece is way more fun
    71AnonymousSep 7, 2026 23:37
    I'm an ex-believer, but up through entering the Grand Line it was a genuine masterpiece
    Seriously, it was so good Demon Slayer doesn't even come close
    75AnonymousSep 7, 2026 23:39
    Re: #71
    What went wrong after that then
    Bad pacing, just got boring — give me the actual reason
    77AnonymousSep 7, 2026 23:40
    Because it's basically 100% flipped antis
    Love turned to hate, so of course it runs deep
    80AnonymousSep 7, 2026 23:43
    Re: #77
    Theory: people who call themselves "flipped antis" were already unwell to begin with
    78AnonymousSep 7, 2026 23:40
    Re: #70
    Well yeah, if they flip the whole foundation of the story upside down, of course you go "huh?"
    85AnonymousSep 7, 2026 23:48
    Re: #78
    I mean, if they came out and said "lol there never was a One Piece treasure, suckers"
    I'd be mad too
    But "Luffy turned out to be a god"
    doesn't seem all that different from "Goku turned out to be an alien" to me
    93AnonymousSep 7, 2026 23:52
    Re: #85
    That's not really why people can't accept Nika
    If Dragon Ball had Goku's eyeballs suddenly pop out Tom-and-Jerry style during the Buu arc, that'd get trashed too
    95AnonymousSep 7, 2026 23:54
    Re: #85
    If "Luffy had a god fruit all along" feels the same to you as "Goku is an alien," then you've got the kind of sensibility that can actually enjoy One Piece — honestly kind of envious
    81AnonymousSep 7, 2026 23:44
    There are still believers and antis reading it today, and I've got to admire that they can even follow it
    It's so hard to read at this point it's basically unreadable, honestly on par with Samurai 8 (note: Kishimoto's infamously incomprehensible flop manga)
    82AnonymousSep 7, 2026 23:47
    Re: #81
    But it's still more fun than Bleach, right?
    83AnonymousSep 7, 2026 23:47
    Bleach is more fun though…
    84AnonymousSep 7, 2026 23:47
    Re: #82
    Between current One Piece and Bleach, Bleach is more fun
    102AnonymousSep 7, 2026 23:56
    He outranks the editor-in-chief after all

    120AnonymousSep 8, 2026 00:04
    Re: #102
    Sounds like Oda's genuinely being treated like one of the Celestial Dragons at this point (note: One Piece's untouchable ruling elite)

    Background and key points of this discussion

    One Piece began serialization in 1997 and is still ongoing today. In the 2022 Wano arc, it was revealed that protagonist Luffy’s power, the “Gum-Gum Fruit,” was actually the legendary Devil Fruit “Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Model: ‘Nika,’” tied to a sun god. For readers who had known it as the “Gum-Gum Fruit” for years, this read as a retcon, and it’s often cited as the moment people dropped the series. Demon Slayer, brought up for comparison in the thread, began serialization in 2016 and wrapped up in 23 volumes, with its short run cited approvingly as a sign of being “well done.” Opinion in the thread was split on whether One Piece antis can really be explained simply as “flipped former believers,” or whether it’s more about frustration with the accumulated retcons and stagnation of a 29-year-long serialization — no clear consensus was reached. It’s also worth noting that even where opinions on the work diverge, the criticism here targets the content of the work itself, not personal attacks on any real individual.

    *This article is compiled as excerpts and a summary from the 5ch (Nandemo Jikkyou G) thread “One Piece antis feel somehow different from antis of other manga.”

  • Jump’s ‘Big 3’ Are Untouchable, But the No. 5 Spot Is Total Chaos — 5ch: ‘It Drops Off a Cliff After That’

    A thread on 5ch about Weekly Shonen Jump’s most popular series of all time got heated. Posters agreed that Dragon Ball, One Piece, and Demon Slayer form a “Big 3” on a level of their own, but opinion split right down the middle over who deserves the No. 5 spot. Candidates like Naruto, Hunter x Hunter, Yu Yu Hakusho, Fist of the North Star, Captain Tsubasa, and Yu-Gi-Oh! were floated one after another, but with no agreement on whether to judge by sales, worldwide name recognition, or sheer quality, the discussion never really converged.

    1AnonymousSep 7, 2026 20:23
    Demon Slayer
    Dragon Ball
    One Piece
    28AnonymousSep 7, 2026 20:31
    If we're talking total earnings:
    #1 Dragon Ball
    #2 Fist of the North Star
    #3 One Piece
    #4 Yu-Gi-Oh!

    that much I get, but what's #5?
    Hana no Keiji (Legend of the Blazing Flowers)?
    33AnonymousSep 7, 2026 20:33
    Re: #28
    Is there actually solid data backing those numbers?
    36AnonymousSep 7, 2026 20:34
    Re: #28
    Give me a source for exactly how many yen each one made.
    73AnonymousSep 7, 2026 20:57
    Re: #28
    No love for City Hunter?
    31AnonymousSep 7, 2026 20:33
    35AnonymousSep 7, 2026 20:34
    Yeah, Yu Yu Hakusho or Hunter x Hunter seems fine
    those are really the only options anyway
    it's true that things drop off hard after #4
    42AnonymousSep 7, 2026 20:38
    Re: #35
    I'd say Yu Yu Hakusho over Hunter x Hunter.
    I like Hunter x Hunter more personally, but Yu Yu Hakusho left a stronger impression.
    I'd put Yu Yu Hakusho and Naruto at roughly the same level.
    39AnonymousSep 7, 2026 20:37
    Sales, global name recognition, the impact it had at the time—there's a lot to weigh.
    My gut says it's Captain Tsubasa or Saint Seiya.
    48AnonymousSep 7, 2026 20:40
    Re: #39
    Those were strong, but they're just too old-school now.
    If this were 10-20 years ago they'd still fit right in without feeling out of place.
    Kinnikuman gives me a similar impression.
    44AnonymousSep 7, 2026 20:39
    Jump's official account already confirmed these five as the 'Five Heavenly Kings.'
    92AnonymousSep 7, 2026 21:05
    Re: #44
    Honestly this settles it, right?
    46AnonymousSep 7, 2026 20:39
    Dragon Ball, One Piece, and Demon Slayer are the undisputed Top 3, but Naruto doesn't belong there.
    Kochikame, Dr. Slump's Arale, Kinnikuman, Captain Tsubasa, Fist of the North Star, and Slam Dunk all rank above it, honestly.
    106AnonymousSep 7, 2026 21:11
    Re: #46
    Don't underestimate how much overseas fans love NARUTO.
    52AnonymousSep 7, 2026 20:41
    Speaking globally, Jujutsu Kaisen was Guinness-certified as basically the most popular anime in the world.
    55AnonymousSep 7, 2026 20:46
    Arale-chan gets underrated because Dragon Ball was just too huge, but it was seriously incredible.

    A boom so big it became a social phenomenon
    First manga ever with an initial print run over 2 million copies
    The anime peaked at a 36% viewer rating
    Still gets used in commercials and the like over 40 years after it ended
    59AnonymousSep 7, 2026 20:47
    Re: #55
    Torishima (Dragon Ball's editor) has said outright that, as a social phenomenon, Dragon Ball never quite matched Dr. Slump.
    Though it probably didn't have the staying power.
    63AnonymousSep 7, 2026 20:49
    Re: #55
    Arale-chan's been remade so many times too.
    56AnonymousSep 7, 2026 20:46
    Naruto's huge worldwide, but as far as manga popularity goes in Japan, it's nowhere near the Top 3.
    Though these days you probably have to factor in global popularity too.
    58AnonymousSep 7, 2026 20:47
    Re: #56
    If that's the standard, it's gotta be Captain Tsubasa.
    66AnonymousSep 7, 2026 20:51
    Dragon Ball
    Fist of the North Star
    One Piece
    Yu-Gi-Oh!
    See?
    67AnonymousSep 7, 2026 20:52
    Re: #66
    Lmao that's hard to read.
    71AnonymousSep 7, 2026 20:56
    Dragon Ball, One Piece, and Demon Slayer are just on such another level as the Big 3 that arguing over #5 feels kind of pointless.
    75AnonymousSep 7, 2026 20:58
    Re: #71
    Fist of the North Star, Slam Dunk, Naruto, Jujutsu Kaisen—honestly any of them work.
    Better to just settle on the Top 3 and leave it there.
    81AnonymousSep 7, 2026 21:00
    Re: #71
    This.
    Easiest way to put it is a baseball analogy: Dragon Ball, One Piece, and Demon Slayer are basically manga's equivalent of Shigeo Nagashima, Ichiro, and Shohei Ohtani.
    76AnonymousSep 7, 2026 20:58
    In terms of economic scale, it's definitely Yu-Gi-Oh!, no question.

    Kochikame would be the runner-up.
    86AnonymousSep 7, 2026 21:02
    Re: #76
    For economic scale, Fist of the North Star is bigger.
    84AnonymousSep 7, 2026 21:01
    My ranking, top to bottom:

    Dragon Ball
    One Piece
    Naruto
    Hunter x Hunter
    JoJo's Bizarre Adventure

    Jujutsu Kaisen
    My Hero Academia
    Chainsaw Man
    BLEACH
    Rurouni Kenshin
    Yu Yu Hakusho

    Below that: Slam Dunk, Fist of the North Star, Yu-Gi-Oh!, etc.

    What do you think?
    100AnonymousSep 7, 2026 21:09
    Re: #84
    I love Naruto, but it feels a notch below Dragon Ball and One Piece when you put them side by side.
    I love Hunter x Hunter, but with all those hiatuses it's not quite enough to call it a flagship title.
    I love JoJo, but it's got too much of that subculture vibe, or maybe just too quirky—something feels off.

    Dragon Ball and One Piece are so dominant you have to include them, but as genuinely enjoyable works, honestly I'd rank them 5th or lower.
    87AnonymousSep 7, 2026 21:03
    One Piece hasn't been any fun for ages now, feel free to exclude it.
    90AnonymousSep 7, 2026 21:04
    Re: #87
    Even factoring that in, the only manga that beats One Piece is Dragon Ball, honestly.
    91AnonymousSep 7, 2026 21:05
    Let's throw a gag manga in there too.
    96AnonymousSep 7, 2026 21:07
    Re: #91
    Dr. Slump or Kochikame, which one though?
    97AnonymousSep 7, 2026 21:08
    Re: #91
    I think Kochikame's about the only one that qualifies.
    94AnonymousSep 7, 2026 21:07
    There's probably something from the early days, though I couldn't say what.
    101AnonymousSep 7, 2026 21:09
    Re: #94
    Maybe Barefoot Gen?
    104AnonymousSep 7, 2026 21:10
    Re: #94
    Then Mazinger Z works too.
    102AnonymousSep 7, 2026 21:09
    Dragon Ball and One Piece sell on pure merit, but Demon Slayer just got carried by astroturfing and scalpers, didn't it?
    Feels wrong to include that one.
    105AnonymousSep 7, 2026 21:10
    Re: #102
    Even with astroturfing, a bad work stays bad, though.
    108AnonymousSep 7, 2026 21:15
    Re: #102
    To use the baseball analogy again: that's like saying Nagashima and Ichiro became national stars on pure talent, but Shohei Ohtani just got carried by astroturfing and hired shills, so it feels wrong to include him.
    Keep refusing to face reality and you're gonna lose your mind.

    Background and Talking Points

    Ranking debates over Jump’s flagship titles are a perennial topic on Japanese message boards, and there’s no official, unified standard for judging them. In this thread too, opinions split depending on whether people weighed sales figures, worldwide name recognition, or the era a series came from, with candidates like Naruto, Yu Yu Hakusho, Hunter x Hunter, Fist of the North Star, Captain Tsubasa, and Yu-Gi-Oh! all coming up. One post claimed that former Shueisha editor Kazuhiko Torishima had said Dragon Ball never quite matched Dr. Slump as a social phenomenon — a surprising point for readers unfamiliar with the Jump golden age that preceded Dragon Ball. Meanwhile, opinions on Demon Slayer were split over whether its success came down to the work’s own merits or to marketing and scalper-driven hype, reflecting how recent breakout hits often haven’t had their reputations fully settled yet. The one point everyone agreed on was that the Big 3 are on a different level entirely — but beyond that, the thread went on without ever landing on a clear ranking.

    ※This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Nandemo Jikkyou G) thread “Weekly Shonen Jump’s ‘No. 5 spot’ will never be settled wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.”

  • After Akihabara and Ikebukuro, Shibuya Joins the “Otaku Town” Club — 5ch: “Otaku Culture Has Become the Uniqlo of Hobbies”

    Akihabara was once known as a hub for PCs and home electronics, while Shibuya was branded the “town for young people” — a place with little connection to otaku. There’s even a well-known story from 2006 in which a voice actor fan meetup had to hastily change its venue away from Shibuya. This time, though, an ad for “The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya” was reportedly put up at Shibuya’s famous Scramble Crossing, and nearby shops even hosted voice actor handshake events. On 5ch, this sparked surprised reactions that Shibuya has now joined Akihabara and Ikebukuro as an “otaku town.” Discussion ranged widely — from historical theories on how Akihabara became an otaku mecca in the first place, to the stark contrast with the 2000s when Comiket attendees were mocked behind their backs as “gross” (kinmo-☆), to claims that otaku culture has gone so mainstream it’s been “Uniqlo-ified.”

    Twenty years ago, in 2006, a “1,000-yen off-line meetup” was held, hosted by voice actress Yurika Ochiai (known for roles like Konomi Yuzuhara in the bishoujo game “To Heart2,” now going by Yurika Tomori/Yurina Hase), and I, a fan, attended. Despite the shockingly low 1,000-yen entry fee, attendees got to enjoy Ochiai’s home cooking and even receive an autograph — a truly dreamlike experience.

    This meetup has become something of a legend online, but Ochiai had originally planned to hold it in Shibuya. Just before the event, though, one prospective attendee said, “Shibuya is the town for young people — for Akiba-type otaku like me, stepping into Shibuya’s territory feels impossible,” and the venue was changed as a result.

    Borrowing that attendee’s words, in the 2000s Shibuya seems to have clearly been the town of “young people” (the popular, non-otaku crowd), while Akihabara, by contrast, was the town of otaku.

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

    5AnonymousSep 6, 2026 16:52
    Wasn't Akiba originally a town for PCs, home appliances, and electronic parts?
    Why did it turn into this weird otaku town?
    Maids, cosplay, idols, figures…
    none of that has anything to do with PCs or electronic parts, right?
    How did this happen?
    96AnonymousSep 6, 2026 17:49
    Re: #5
    PC users and 18+ PC eroge (adult visual novel) users overlapped way too much.
    Maid characters were a huge hit in eroge, so maid cafes exploded onto the scene.
    Then it shifted into concept cafes, and the town became an erotic one.
    145AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:02
    Re: #5
    Simple — the people who loved PCs and electronics were also into anime.
    146AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:02
    Re: #5
    PCs → PC eroge → cosplay cafes based on PC eroge → maid cafes
    7AnonymousSep 6, 2026 16:53
    I'm thinking of naming my daughter "張飛" (read as "Haruhi") — what do you think? (Zhang Fei is a famous male general from Romance of the Three Kingdoms, so using his name for a daughter is the joke)
    20AnonymousSep 6, 2026 17:02
    Re: #7
    First of all, you don't have a daughter.
    Heck, you don't even have a wife.
    79AnonymousSep 6, 2026 17:35
    Re: #7
    Not sure what bishoujo game this is from, but Haruhi has crossed over into the Three Kingdoms world too now, so it's not even unnatural anymore.
    93AnonymousSep 6, 2026 17:46
    Re: #7
    She'll end up getting killed in a war, so don't do it.
    26AnonymousSep 6, 2026 17:04
    Before anyone noticed, Ikebukuro became an anime pilgrimage site too —
    and this after they'd shoved Animate off into some corner of town.
    64AnonymousSep 6, 2026 17:22
    Re: #26
    They built an even bigger one closer to the station.
    28AnonymousSep 6, 2026 17:05
    Akihabara is now basically a tourist spot for inbound visitors.
    Ikebukuro has morphed from "the capital of Saitama" into a giant Chinatown.
    29AnonymousSep 6, 2026 17:06
    Re: #28
    Looked around Yodobashi Akiba and about 95% of the people there were foreign tourists.
    Back around 2010, nobody could've imagined this.
    44AnonymousSep 6, 2026 17:12
    "Otaku" used to be something much more shameful, symbolized by serial killer Tsutomu Miyazaki.
    Even back in 2005, Comiket attendees were mocked behind their backs as "kinmo-☆" (creepy/gross).
    Seeing it now welcomed into Shibuya as a bright, wholesome culture really feels like a different era.
    54AnonymousSep 6, 2026 17:17
    Re: #44
    Anime, games, voice actors — it's all gone mainstream now, to the point TV proudly covers it.
    And with the internet as developed as it is, there's less and less need to even go shopping at a physical store in the first place.
    49AnonymousSep 6, 2026 17:14
    Popular, outgoing normies these days: "lol yeah I'm an otaku"
    58AnonymousSep 6, 2026 17:18
    Re: #49
    Back when Michopa (a famous gal-fashion influencer) was the queen of gal style, she used to say she's an otaku too —
    and she's actually really good at games.
    Even when the parents' generation are otaku, they get married and raise their kids bonding over video games.
    72AnonymousSep 6, 2026 17:30
    In the timeline things should've gone, Akihabara would've become a hub packed with exciting semiconductor and AI stuff.
    That's the kind of town Akihabara used to be, after all.
    80AnonymousSep 6, 2026 17:36
    Re: #72
    Once redevelopment kicked in, that ship had sailed.
    86AnonymousSep 6, 2026 17:40
    I mean, honestly it's an era where mainstream culture weakened and what used to be called "subculture" got stronger.
    88AnonymousSep 6, 2026 17:44
    Re: #86
    Anime and manga are mainstream culture now, to the point the government officially champions them as policy.
    Otaku identity itself has become stale, over-consumed content.
    There's zero bottom-up innovation happening anymore — it's just the same marketing approach getting rehashed over and over.
    95AnonymousSep 6, 2026 17:47
    Looking at Haruhi with today's eyes, it feels like content that's half-baked in every way — strictly for newbie fans (niwaka).
    97AnonymousSep 6, 2026 17:50
    Re: #95
    What's called the "otaku community" today feels similar to the '90s, when high school girls all started buying up luxury brand bags and Louis Vuitton's brand value cratered as a result.
    If you swap in "anime IP" for "brand name licensing," it's basically the exact same phenomenon.
    103AnonymousSep 6, 2026 17:55
    Shibuya back then
    https://imgur.com/a/XsXAIsJ

    Shibuya now
    https://imgur.com/a/qh5hEIz
    113AnonymousSep 6, 2026 18:07
    Re: #103
    Lol, all the people are just gone.
    117AnonymousSep 6, 2026 18:11
    Re: #103
    Makes me feel old, realizing I've reached the age where even the "back then" photo feels pretty recent.
    136AnonymousSep 6, 2026 18:49
    Re: #103
    Both look like they'd smell — deshou! (a "nazokake" riddle punchline; doing my best Nezucchi impression, the TV comedian famous for this riddle format)
    104AnonymousSep 6, 2026 17:55
    Until just recently, Shibuya had this image of being the place where all the trendy young people hung out.
    Come to think of it, do today's kids even gather in physical places anymore?
    Or is everyone just glued to their smartphones?
    114AnonymousSep 6, 2026 18:08
    Re: #104
    There's basically no young life forms to begin with.
    111AnonymousSep 6, 2026 18:06
    The "Uniqlo-ification" of otaku culture —
    like, "if you're into this hobby you can't go wrong."
    It's become the ultimate basic staple.
    131AnonymousSep 6, 2026 18:42
    Re: #111
    Even department stores hold anime events now.
    Otaku actually buy the stuff they want, after all.
    148AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:03
    Re: #111
    And if you line up your merch for a photo on social media, you're guaranteed likes.
    139AnonymousSep 6, 2026 18:57
    Everyone just buys stuff via mail order these days, so an "otaku town" (lol) isn't even necessary anymore.
    158AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:31
    Re: #139
    The shift toward "real-life" experiences is kind of right on the money — you can't get the maid cafe experience online.

    Then again, Vtubers ended up filling that role instead, and even that seems to be fading now.

    Background and key points of this discussion

    Akihabara’s identity as an otaku town took root through the 2000s, when the spread of home PCs became intertwined with adult-game culture, and offshoots like maid cafes shaped the neighborhood’s image from there. In recent years, though, a surge in inbound tourism has pushed the ratio of tourists so high that, from locals’ perspective, the “otaku town” character is arguably fading. Opinions in the thread split between those who see otaku culture going mainstream as a positive, and those who view it more critically as having been thoroughly consumed and flattened into generic content by marketing — the “Uniqlo-ification” argument. It’s also worth noting that the original article only reports on ads and shop promotions in one part of Shibuya; it doesn’t mean the whole of Shibuya has become a permanent otaku commercial district the way Akihabara has.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (News Speed+) thread “[Culture] Akihabara, Ikebukuro, and now the new “otaku town” Shibuya — “The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya” at the Scramble Crossing, voice actor handshake events at shops.”

  • Why Is ‘Bakemonogatari’ a Harem Anime Classic? 5ch Weighs In: ‘I Still Don’t Get Why Hanekawa Lost’

    On 5ch’s live-commentary board “Nandemo Jikkyo G,” a thread looking back at the 2009 anime “Bakemonogatari” took off. Based on Nisio Isin’s novels and produced by SHAFT, the series — centered on protagonist Araragi’s relationships with multiple heroines — is said to have rivaled “Haruhi” in popularity, and the thread drew plenty of nostalgic enthusiasm for that era. The conversation really took off around why Tsubasa Hanekawa, long seen as the frontrunner, ultimately wasn’t chosen, with posters speculating it came down to the precariousness of her relationships and her status as a vampire’s thrall. Other topics ranged widely too, covering the ending themes that change with each heroine’s arc, the manga adaptation’s art, and how confusing the series’ viewing order is.

    1AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:17
    This was as popular as Haruhi, wasn't it
    2AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:17
    The endings and Kana Hanazawa's songs are just too strong
    4AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:18
    The girls are so loaded with red flags that even Gahara (Senjougahara) comes off as the sane one
    10AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:20
    Re: #4
    Sengoku and Hanekawa are the top two red flags
    20AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:22
    Re: #4
    If Gahara hadn't been chosen either, I feel like she'd have completely lost it
    81AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:59
    Re: #4
    Gahara used to seem like a scary woman to me, but now she just looks like a normal girl who caught the eye of a scary guy
    6AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:19
    I genuinely never understood why Hanekawa lost
    33AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:26
    Re: #6
    A woman who stabs people with a weapon at the drop of a hat could actually die unless she's with the protagonist — a vampire's thrall with regenerative powers — so she can't be paired off with anyone else. Plus she's basically distrustful of any man who isn't him.
    60AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:41
    Re: #6
    LOL, even Yui Horie (her voice actress) has said as much
    8AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:19
    This anime's held up by 'that' and Deneb working in perfect sync (cryptic 5ch phrasing — exact meaning unclear)
    9AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:20
    Hitagi Senjougahara: "Love is All-Out Effort"
    Tsubasa Hanekawa: "Love is Darkness"
    Shinobu Oshino: "Love is a Blood Oath"
    Mayoi Hachikuji: "Love is Unknown"
    Suruga Kanbaru: "Love is Stubbornness"
    Nadeko Sengoku: "Love is a Diagnosis"
    Karen Araragi: "Love is Every Person for Themself"
    Tsukihi Araragi: "Love is Resonance"

    Hitagi Senjougahara: "Love Melts"
    Tsubasa Hanekawa: "Love Continues"
    Mayoi Hachikuji: "Love Clowns Around"

    Hitagi Senjougahara: "Love is a Feeling"
    Tsubasa Hanekawa: "Love is… Enough Already…"
    Shinobu Oshino: "Love is Exhaustion"
    Suruga Kanbaru: "Love is a Wish Fulfilled"
    Nadeko Sengoku: "Love is a Siege"
    Karen Araragi: "Love is Ferocity"
    (These are the show's real pre-commercial title cards — all read the same in Japanese, but written with different kanji each time for different meanings.)
    11AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:20
    Hitagi Senjougahara: "Love is the End"
    Mayoi Hachikuji: "Love is a Lost Child"
    Suruga Kanbaru: "Love is Repentance"
    Tsubasa Hanekawa: "Love is Right and Wrong"
    Tsukihi Araragi: "Love is Go (the board game)"

    Hitagi Senjougahara: "Love Won't Back Down"
    Tsubasa Hanekawa: "Love is Atonement"
    Shinobu Oshino: "Love is All in Your Head"
    Suruga Kanbaru: "Love is a Charm"
    Karen Araragi: "Love is Dangerous"

    Hitagi Senjougahara: "Love is Body Weight"
    Nadeko Sengoku: "Love is a Monster"
    Tsubasa Hanekawa: "Love is Obscurity"
    Shinobu Oshino: "Love is Master and Servant"
    Tsukihi Araragi: "Love is Complacency"
    15AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:21

    I love manga-version Hanekawa
    22AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:22
    Re: #15
    Honestly might even be cuter than the anime version
    27AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:24
    Everyone always brings up Sengoku's song and the endings, but Hanekawa's is deliciously dark too
    47AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:32
    Re: #27
    It's called "White Sugar Nightmare" — a song that really hammers home she's the losing heroine
    35AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:26
    A girl who staples your mouth shut is just insane
    41AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:29
    Re: #35
    If you think about it, that's actually kind of understandable
    70AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:49
    Re: #35
    Some sketchy local guy suddenly came on to her out of nowhere, so Gahara was desperate — can't really blame her
    49AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:34
    I remember being like '???' when episode 12 turned out to be the TV finale and the rest got pushed to the web
    55AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:38
    Re: #49
    Ending on the date with Gahara is a better finish than dragging it out to episode 15 anyway…
    52AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:36

    Hanekawa with cat ears and glasses is definitely the best
    54AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:37
    I think the conversation with Kanbaru in Bake(monogatari) is peak Nisio Isin
    59AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:40
    Re: #54
    I love the conversation between Araragi and Meme right before he goes off to fight Kanbaru
    57AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:38
    A series that's only still connected to people's minds through its pachinko machines
    64AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:44
    Re: #57
    You mean pachi-slot. The original pachinko machine made zero sense so it wasn't popular, though the 'ama' version (a low-volatility, easier-payout type) got played a fair bit
    74AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:53
    I forget which work it was, but there's a line like 'she got jealous (yakimochi) so the house ended up burned (yaki)' — I wonder how they translate that pun
    79AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:57
    Re: #74
    "She burned with jealousy" — there is actually a Japanese expression like 'to scorch oneself with jealousy' (嫉妬で身を焦がす) that carries similar imagery
    77AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:57
    The beginning was fun, but I stopped watching around when the jiangshi-looking girl showed up
    89AnonymousSep 6, 2026 20:03
    Re: #77
    Same here, that character really wasn't necessary…
    78AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:57
    Has anyone here read 'Torimonogatari' (Bird Tale)?
    88AnonymousSep 6, 2026 20:03
    Re: #78
    I'm stuck partway through 'Shinomonogatari' (Death Tale)
    90AnonymousSep 6, 2026 20:04
    Same thing happened with Haruhi, but come on, just adapt it in chronological order. 'Nise' (Nisemonogatari) is fine as is, but the next one should be 'Kizu' (Kizumonogatari)
    91AnonymousSep 6, 2026 20:06
    Re: #90
    Wasn't the 'Toaru' series (A Certain…) also all over the place chronologically? If it still comes together cleanly in the end, I guess it's fine
    99AnonymousSep 6, 2026 20:14

    I love the art in the comic version
    102AnonymousSep 6, 2026 20:17
    Re: #99
    I wish they'd do a comic version of Kizu too. Everything after Nise is… well, yeah
    106AnonymousSep 6, 2026 20:18
    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/G7FZ1gxakAADJqU.jpg
    108AnonymousSep 6, 2026 20:20
    Honestly, Kanbaru is the most level-headed one of them all
    110AnonymousSep 6, 2026 20:21
    Re: #108
    She's a lesbian though
    109AnonymousSep 6, 2026 20:20
    Weird that it sold so well but never got made into a game
    111AnonymousSep 6, 2026 20:22
    Re: #109
    Pretty sure it did get one

    Background and Key Points of This Discussion

    “Bakemonogatari” is an anime based on Nisio Isin’s “Monogatari” novel series, which is known for the fact that its publication and broadcast order doesn’t match the in-story chronology. As noted in the thread, the fact that the prequel “Kizumonogatari” comes after “Nisemonogatari” is a frequent point of confusion, which is why the series is often compared to “The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya,” which had a similarly non-chronological structure. The tradition of changing the ending theme for each heroine’s story arc, performed by that character’s own voice actress, has also become a series staple. Additionally, only some entries in the series have been adapted into manga; “Kizumonogatari,” mentioned in the thread, has an anime adaptation but has not yet been published as a manga. The discussion in the thread mainly consists of commentary on the characters’ relationships and dialogue, with real people mentioned only to the extent of voice actors’ names coming up.

    *This article is compiled as an excerpt and summary of the 5ch (Nandemo Jikkyo G) thread “‘Bakemonogatari,’ the so-called harem masterpiece anime lol.”

  • Why Hasn’t ‘Usogui’ Been Made into an Anime? 5ch: ‘The Air Poker Arc Alone Is Genuinely the Greatest of All Time’

    A thread went up on a 5ch livestream-commentary board asking why Usogui, widely seen as one of the defining works of gambling manga, still hasn’t gotten a TV anime adaptation. While other titles in the same genre — Kakegurui, Liar Game, Junket Bank — have been adapted one after another, posters threw out all sorts of theories for the ‘neglect’: the author’s personality, the sheer complexity of the game setups, the live-action film’s poor box office, and more. At the same time, the thread lit up with praise for ‘Air Poker,’ widely regarded as the series’ single greatest showdown, along with comparisons to other gambling manga.

    1AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:20
    Kakegurui, Liar Game, and Junket Bank all got anime adaptations, so why the hell has this one been left in limbo forever?
    3AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:21
    Liar Game sat on the shelf for years too, so quit making that shocked face.
    4AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:21
    It's the author, honestly…

    Also, there's just a ton of 'Wait, is that Izanami?!'-style over-the-top staging that gets needlessly heavy-handed, and the violent parts aren't even that fun.
    7AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:22
    The live-action movie flopping is probably weighing on this more than people think.
    8AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:22
    Seriously, why hasn't this gotten an anime?
    I'd assume it's at least been considered.
    9AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:22
    Starting around the Dotei arc, the games get so complicated you'd have no idea what's going on visually.
    11AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:22
    It already got the 'movie adaptation' treatment ages ago — and that's way more prestigious than a TV anime anyway?
    12AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:22
    Following up Air Poker with Handkerchief Drop (a kids' game later repurposed as a high-stakes gambling game) just doesn't work.
    13AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:22
    It doesn't seem to have the strategic depth of Liar Game either — kind of feels half-baked.
    14AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:23
    It'd probably be too hard to follow as anime.
    Without the on-page text, you just can't keep up with what's happening.
    15AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:24
    Got blocked by the author while he was out here googling himself (an 'egosa').
    16AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:24
    I ate your lie!
    Though the taste was… 🤪👎
    24AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:28
    Re: #16
    That scene was so cool, wasn't it —
    the full lineup of Baku, Kaji, Marco, and Clara facing off against Sada, Kuninishina, and Kitarou. Such a great scene.
    20AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:25
    Air Poker alone is genuinely the greatest of all time.
    22AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:27
    Re: #20
    It's not even that much of a stretch.
    23AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:27
    Does Junket Bank even really require memorizing rules?
    It's basically just psychic powers the whole time.
    50AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:35
    Re: #23
    That one's not really a gambling manga or a battle manga to begin with — it's a character-driven manga.
    25AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:28
    The rate of Usogui fans who hate Kakegurui is off the charts.
    36AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:31
    Re: #25
    Because Kakegurui just isn't interesting.
    The level is low — both the gambling and the tricks tied to it.
    45AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:33
    Kyara isn't actually dead, right?
    Just playing dead, right?
    → Cue an absolutely relentless decomposition scene.
    68AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:43
    Re: #45
    Gotta hand it to them for going that thorough with it.
    It was even more brutal than how Persona 3 FES hammered home that Kitarou (fan nickname for the protagonist) had died.
    56AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:37
    Junket Bank could cut every panel that explains the rules entirely, draw it so nobody but the author and the characters understand what's going on, and the reader surveys and volume sales probably wouldn't change one bit.
    59AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:39
    Re: #56
    Judging by the reactions, Usogui's the same way.
    64AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:40
    Re: #56
    The character called 'Calculator' is exactly that — a calculator — with zero appeal beyond being a self-insert vessel for fujoshi shipping.
    57AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:38
    I really love the Labyrinth arc.
    63AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:40
    Re: #57
    Honestly I liked the paper-based Labyrinth game he played against Yukki.
    The flow from start to finish was just too clean.
    66AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:42
    Re: #63
    The Labyrinth game itself is kind of boring, but the concept of wagering your alibi was interesting.
    It pays off as foreshadowing later too.
    60AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:39
    Wrong series, buddy.

    61AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:39
    The idea that enforcing a gambling result requires overwhelming violence backing it up was a good concept.
    But once you realize that's basically the author's actual personal philosophy, it suddenly gets unbearably cheesy.
    97AnonymousSep 6, 2026 20:09
    Re: #61
    Just write it with guns and weapons already.
    65AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:41
    Honestly, I like the violent scenes more.
    They'd probably end up looking cheap in anime form anyway, so it's fine if they skip that part.
    72AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:46
    Re: #65
    Batouki was made in answer to people wanting violence-only content, and look at the sorry state it ended up in.
    75AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:50
    I don't get how the same person who drew those inhuman, supernatural battles is now quietly grinding away on standard martial arts in his next series.
    He's regressed across the board — is this seriously the same author?
    82AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:54
    Re: #75
    Something like that could only be made while young, with imagination and mental sharpness at their peak.
    Look at Kaiji — it doesn't even do mind games anymore.
    80AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:53
    Re: #72
    It was good from the midpoint into the back half, though?
    83AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:54
    Re: #80
    It got dramatically more interesting starting with the hangure (semi-organized street gang) arc, right?
    89AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:56
    Genikasuri is genuinely enjoyable in its own right.
    Though, well, Harima's realistic fights are more interesting than the Kyara look-alike's boxing scenes.
    94AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:58
    Re: #89
    I get that.
    It's not boring, but so far there's a strong sense it would've been better with Harima Ryou as the main character.
    91AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:57
    I don't get the difference between a gambling manga and a death game.
    95AnonymousSep 6, 2026 19:59
    Re: #91
    If you're wagering money, it's gambling.
    If you're wagering your life, it's a death game, I'd say.
    If it's money traded for a life… I guess that's still gambling?

    Background and Key Points of This Topic

    Usogui is a gambling manga by Shohei Manabe that even received a live-action film adaptation in 2014. The titles brought up for comparison in the thread — Kakegurui, Liar Game, and Junket Bank — have all already gotten TV anime adaptations, and the fact that Usogui holds comparable name recognition yet has gone unadapted for so many years is a recurring topic on 5ch. Opinions in the thread split mainly into two camps: one raised a technical concern about how much of the series’ intricate mind games and psychological nuance could actually be conveyed given the constraints of animation and episode length; the other speculated that the live-action film’s box-office performance may be influencing decisions about further media adaptations. Neither has been confirmed by any official source — both remain purely fan speculation, which readers should keep in mind. It’s also worth noting that specific gambling sequences like ‘Air Poker’ are held in very high regard, showing that the lack of an anime doesn’t equate to a poor reputation for the work itself.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Nanademo Jikkyou G) thread “Usogui, Supposedly the Greatest Gambling Manga Ever.”

  • New Chiikawa Character Looks Just Like Kura Sushi’s President, Fans Buzz — Creator Stays Silent

    The face of the “kanpyō roll enemy” character who appeared in a new Chiikawa episode has been pointed out on 5channel as resembling the president of the conveyor-belt sushi chain Kura Sushi. There was previously a Chiikawa x Kura Sushi collaboration that got cancelled after trouble over how a store handled things, and speculation is spreading that this episode might be a dig at that incident. Thread opinion is split between it being mere coincidence and it being the creator’s intentional jab, and creator Nagano has made no specific comment on the matter.

    1AnonymousSep 6, 2026 13:44
    A sushi episode that came out of nowhere
    Everyone figured it was just Nagano goofing around
    But sharp-eyed fans pointed out that the kanpyō roll enemy's face is a dead ringer for Kura Sushi's president
    4AnonymousSep 6, 2026 13:44
    It's scary how many people out there act like they're Nagano themselves (i.e., claim to know exactly what the creator was thinking)
    7AnonymousSep 6, 2026 13:45
    Honestly don't want to touch this content with a ten-foot pole
    9AnonymousSep 6, 2026 13:45
    Man, otaku really do love it when someone's "furious" or "blows a gasket," huh
    11AnonymousSep 6, 2026 13:46
    Meanwhile, it looks like Nagano hasn't made any comment on this at all
    28AnonymousSep 6, 2026 13:49
    Re: #11
    That's the answer right there
    12AnonymousSep 6, 2026 13:46
    The president's side is the one who'd actually have a right to be mad about being compared to this
    16AnonymousSep 6, 2026 13:46

    And here he was looking all excited too…
    74AnonymousSep 6, 2026 14:06
    Re: #16
    lol they straight up broke up on bad terms
    17AnonymousSep 6, 2026 13:47
    Saw a theory that Kura Sushi is basically the only major chain that even serves kanpyō (dried gourd) rolls — is that actually true?
    40AnonymousSep 6, 2026 13:52
    Re: #17
    Yeah now that you mention it, Kappa Sushi doesn't have it
    64AnonymousSep 6, 2026 14:00
    Re: #17
    Seriously? Tokyu Store always has kanpyō rolls on the menu — is that not common elsewhere?
    79AnonymousSep 6, 2026 14:13
    Re: #17
    Nah, plenty of places have it
    18AnonymousSep 6, 2026 13:47
    Is Chiikawa by the same creator as that "Tompochamu" thing or whatever it's called?
    33AnonymousSep 6, 2026 13:50
    Re: #18
    Poor thing, having Itochu (major trading conglomerate) backing it…
    Chiikawa doesn't have that kind of backing
    20AnonymousSep 6, 2026 13:47
    This is starting to feel like the Nintendo-fanboy crowd all over again
    22AnonymousSep 6, 2026 13:48
    Chiikawa rarely gets angry like that at the end, so maybe the theory does check out
    24AnonymousSep 6, 2026 13:48
    It's rare to see Chiichan (Chiikawa) mad from start to finish like this
    25AnonymousSep 6, 2026 13:48
    Bonus points for using the "batsu!" sound effect instead of "bari!" (a subtle onomatopoeia choice)
    29AnonymousSep 6, 2026 13:49
    Sounds like the type who'd love "Sukatto Japan" (a TV show about satisfying comeuppance stories) — don't even know if it's still on air though
    30AnonymousSep 6, 2026 13:49
    Wait, doesn't this mean the die-hard fans are now saying the Chiikawa creator uses their manga to attack a possibly-innocent individual? Is everyone actually okay with that?
    34AnonymousSep 6, 2026 13:50
    Re: #30
    That's a failure of oversight right there
    32AnonymousSep 6, 2026 13:49
    It's Fuji TV's content, so it's Fuji TV that's actually furious
    35AnonymousSep 6, 2026 13:51
    So now you're on the hook for the conduct of some part-time staffer at the collab store too? Being a manga artist is rough
    37AnonymousSep 6, 2026 13:51
    Re: #35
    Stuff like that is all handled by Fuji TV
    38AnonymousSep 6, 2026 13:51
    Re: #33
    What's so bad about having Itochu backing you? It's a trading company, it's not going under
    44AnonymousSep 6, 2026 13:53
    This is turning into a Krauser-san situation (infamous 2ch meme about a manga artist who lost his cool)
    59AnonymousSep 6, 2026 13:58
    Re: #44
    O-oh really~! So Sensei Nagano had already expressed their anger over this through the manga~!
    81AnonymousSep 6, 2026 14:15
    Re: #44
    Well, the cast for the live-action movie adaptation is settled now
    53AnonymousSep 6, 2026 13:56

    Nice try, hater
    Sensei Nagano is legit competent — ordered the collab cancelled and got every collab product pulled overnight
    68AnonymousSep 6, 2026 14:01
    But Kura Sushi never doubted anyone — they just believed in people's good faith, and that's how it ended up like this, so you really can't blame them 🥺
    69AnonymousSep 6, 2026 14:02
    Anyone doing serious deep-dive theorycrafting on a manga like this has gotta be out of their mind
    102AnonymousSep 6, 2026 14:31
    Re: #69
    It's still more worth theorizing about than One Piece, honestly
    72AnonymousSep 6, 2026 14:05
    Nintendo's legal department
    Racehorse owners
    Nagano

    What's the fourth one?
    75AnonymousSep 6, 2026 14:06
    Re: #72
    Wait, did something happen with racehorse owners?
    84AnonymousSep 6, 2026 14:19
    I don't think Sensei Nagano is thinking that deeply about it
    96AnonymousSep 6, 2026 14:26
    Re: #84
    But that doesn't explain why a kanpyō-roll monster suddenly showed up out of nowhere
    90AnonymousSep 6, 2026 14:21

    Background and Key Points of This Debate

    The backdrop to this thread is a Chiikawa x Kura Sushi collaboration reportedly in the works, which ended up cancelled after trouble over how a store handled things (see replies 35, 53). Thread opinion split between seeing this episode as a pointed jab referencing that incident and dismissing it as pure coincidence. That said, the claim that the “kanpyō roll enemy” character’s face resembles a real person is ultimately just fans’ subjective impression, and neither creator Nagano nor the production side has issued any official statement or explanation of intent (see reply 11). It’s also worth noting that fictional character designs happening to resemble real people is not unusual in itself, and there is currently no basis for concluding this was a deliberate dig.

    ※This article is compiled and summarized from the 5channel (Nanademo Jikkyō G) thread “[Breaking] Chiikawa creator Nagano revealed to have been furious at Kura Sushi — inside the manga wwwwwwwwww.”