Japan Reacts

Category: Anime

  • Detective Precure Shocker: Show Introduces a ‘Copy Robot’ Twist — 5ch: ‘They’ll Have to Disguise It Somehow, Right?’

    On the thread for “Detective Precure! ++Star Detective Precure!++”, fans buzzed over news from Animate Times that the story is introducing a mechanism resembling a “copy robot.” At the same time, it emerged that next month’s cheering (ouen) screening won’t include the usual Miracle Light giveaway, sparking speculation that it’s meant to keep out rowdy adult fans (slang: ōtomo, “big friends”). The show is also set to introduce a third transfer student, and the thread debated how popular each heroine is with the show’s young girl audience.

    ↑ Please copy these lines at the top when starting a new thread (two lines or more).

    This is a thread for discussing the latest Precure series entry, “Detective Precure!”

    A one-week-delayed official catch-up stream is also available for free on Niconico Douga!

    Source: toei-anim.co.jp / Original article here

    7AnonymousSep 26, 2026 03:45
    The cheering screening (ouen jouei) is happening! This should make it easier to go.
    https://2026.precure-movie.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/mt_ouen_kokuchi1002_gekijoumei_0925_-1536×1152.jpg
    8AnonymousSep 26, 2026 06:07
    Re: #1
    Thanks for the thread!

    Re: #7
    Wait, isn't that the day before the live show? I want to go before traveling out for it, but the competition for tickets looks insanely fierce… maybe I should pass.
    9AnonymousSep 26, 2026 06:41
    Re: #7
    I want to applaud out loud during the scene where she transforms into Arcana Shadow to save Éclair.
    27AnonymousSep 26, 2026 10:36
    Re: #7
    No Miracle Light giveaway for everyone this time.
    Is it because they didn't stock enough lights, or is it a countermeasure against "ōtomo" (adult super-fans)?
    Will this expand nationwide, I wonder.
    16AnonymousSep 26, 2026 07:47
    Thanks for the thread!

    32AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:02
    Animate Times
    https://www.animatetimes.com/news/details.php?id=1790376151
    39AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:15
    Re: #32
    So Precure is finally getting its own "copy robot"-type thing, huh.
    But if it just wanders around the school looking normal, people will get suspicious —
    they'll have to disguise it somehow, right?
    33AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:04
    Re: #32
    Kobayashi's making such a smitten/girlish face (mesugao), it's killing me 🐴
    37AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:11
    Re: #33
    My favorite girl's flustered face is the best
    (*´Д`*)ﾊｧﾊｧ/lｧ/lｧ/ヽァ/ヽァ ﾉ ＼ア ﾉ ＼ア ／ ＼ ア (heavy-breathing fan emoticon)
    https://tadaup.jp/9vmI6GFW.jpg
    https://tadaup.jp/9ad7qa2E.jpg
    61AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:27
    Re: #37
    Even her ahoge (that stray cowlick hair) turned heart-shaped!
    34AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:06
    What on earth is going on here…
    40AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:16
    Re: #34
    In the preview, Éclair deflects a heart-shaped arrow to protect Anmis,
    so maybe it ended up hitting Niji and Goemon instead?
    41AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:17
    Re: #34
    Oh no. Anmiku's gonna awaken to yaoi (801/BL) at this rate.
    55AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:53
    Uh oh, Mikuru's gonna awaken to BL (801/yaoi) and end up a childless 44-year-old doujinshi artist.
    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HTHRitKakAAPiVj.jpg
    64AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:54
    I feel like it would've worked better back in the Takkun/Satoru-kun days if there'd been a regular male friend character.
    66AnonymousSep 26, 2026 14:01
    Re: #64
    I kind of think this every time, but is there really demand among little girls for a boy character who's weaker than the girls?
    72AnonymousSep 26, 2026 14:11
    Re: #66
    Well, playing the support role has basically become the mandatory qualification for being a Precure boyfriend candidate these days.
    Precure was originally an anime about girls and otherworldly beings teaming up to save the world,
    but even so, the series' unwritten policy is: if a guy falls for a girl, he's not allowed to just stay powerless — if the girl he likes is a Precure, he'd better show some strength of his own.
    77AnonymousSep 26, 2026 14:25
    Re: #66
    There are shoujo manga where the male character is the one who gets captured, like Princess Peach — I don't think it really matters either way.
    67AnonymousSep 26, 2026 14:04
    It's an age of diversity, after all.
    https://imgur.com/QtzmOXO.jpg
    There's nothing weird about it at all.
    78AnonymousSep 26, 2026 14:25
    The series has never had a mouth-to-mouth kiss scene between Precure members,
    so if it ever happens, I bet it'll be between a male and female Precure who are actually dating.
    81AnonymousSep 26, 2026 14:33
    Re: #78
    Cure Dream: "Huh…?"
    https://tadaup.jp/9YetP9OD.jpg
    https://tadaup.jp/9kfEoHvj.jpg
    94AnonymousSep 26, 2026 15:19
    Re: #81
    Ugh! Something just came out here!
    Re: #89
    Airing from January 11, 2025 —
    Maho Girls Precure!! ~MIRAI DAYS~ (Season 2)
    Series composition: Isao Murayama
    Script for this episode: Isao Murayama
    86AnonymousSep 26, 2026 14:51
    Reposted from the Ruruka thread —

    The stuffed animal had more sense than she did.
    87AnonymousSep 26, 2026 14:54
    Re: #86
    That's brutal.
    89AnonymousSep 26, 2026 15:09
    Re: #86
    What is this…
    What an out-of-touch, old-fashioned show.
    107AnonymousSep 26, 2026 16:21
    Re: #86
    If you bump up the proportions, it's basically Bukki.

    Re: #103
    There's a chance the girl figured out "if I say I like Arcana, people fawn over me" and is wearing it on her own.
    101AnonymousSep 26, 2026 16:01
    But apparently Arcana is actually popular with little girls.
    103AnonymousSep 26, 2026 16:17
    Re: #101
    I get the feeling that's not really her own choice — more like the dad dressed her in Arcana.
    Every otaku dad posting their daughter in Precure cosplay on X, without fail, it's Arcana Shadow.
    105AnonymousSep 26, 2026 16:18
    Re: #103
    That's just your own assumption.
    106AnonymousSep 26, 2026 16:20
    Feels like popularity with little girls goes Éclair > Arcana/Mystic.
    Going by reactions on X, Éclair seems to come out on top too.
    115AnonymousSep 26, 2026 16:53
    Re: #106
    Is Éclair really that popular?
    I've actually seen little girls dressed as Mystic and Arcana Shadow, but so far I haven't seen a single Éclair girl.
    116AnonymousSep 26, 2026 16:55
    Re: #115
    Probably just regional differences.
    Looking at X posts, sometimes there's no Arcana at all and it's all Éclair and Mystic, or other times no Mystic and it's all Éclair and Arcana.
    119AnonymousSep 26, 2026 17:03
    Re: #115
    The toys are already being dumped at fire-sale prices, so honestly I don't think it's that popular.
    133AnonymousSep 26, 2026 17:59
    Ruruka gets jealous of Kurea for getting close with other girls in class besides her.
    138AnonymousSep 26, 2026 18:12
    Re: #133
    https://jpeg.men/1KkXkZEXYsR.jpg
    147AnonymousSep 26, 2026 18:30
    A third transfer student, of all things (lol).

    148AnonymousSep 26, 2026 18:34
    Re: #147
    Even Mashu-tan would be mad about this.
    151AnonymousSep 26, 2026 18:38
    Re: #147
    Wait, aren't you already a student here?! Huh?!
    150AnonymousSep 26, 2026 18:38
    If Natsuki had been in this installment, she'd have said "Kurea, Kurea — don't you have any other friends?"
    152AnonymousSep 26, 2026 18:40
    Re: #150
    Ruruka: "Don't need them."
    Rin: "Oh… okay…"
    154AnonymousSep 26, 2026 18:41
    Re: #150
    Kurea: "Why would I need friends other than Ruruka?"

    Background and Talking Points

    The “Miracle Light” is a glow-stick-style item handed out to audiences at Precure cheering screenings and live events, and it’s been a staple of these events up to now. This time, word got out that there won’t be any giveaway, and the thread split over whether it’s simply a cost-cutting measure or a countermeasure against disruptive behavior. There’s also discussion of character popularity based on toy discounting, but readers should note this isn’t official data — it’s just speculation drawn from store inventory and social media post counts. The series’ tradition that a male support character must “prove his worth” to become a Precure’s boyfriend is a recurring point that’s been raised throughout past installments, and this thread’s discussion is an extension of that same debate.

    *This article is compiled as an excerpt and summary from the 5ch (anime) thread “Detective Precure! ++Star Detective Precure!++ 85.”

  • Nadal Slams Hikari Ota’s Old-School References: “That’s Harassment!”

    Before a recording of “JUNK Bakusho Mondai’s Car Boy,” Hikari Ota was chatting excitedly with staff about ABC Radio’s “Dokkiri! Hakkiri! It’s Koji Miyozawa” when Nadal of Coro Coro Chiki Chiki Peppers, who happened to be there, pushed back: “That kind of thing counts as harassment, you know.” Later in the show, when Ota brought up “Jujutsu Kaisen” to Nadal, he got the reply, “I get the anime, but the manga’s hard to follow” — leading to a moment where the two just couldn’t connect. On 5ch, posts piled up debating the generational knowledge gap, ranging from criticism of “Showa-era uncles” who use Dragon Ball as their go-to reference, to surprise that younger people don’t even know “Dokaben.”

    Hikari Ota and Yuji Tanaka, the comedy duo Bakusho Mondai, appeared on the late-night broadcast of “JUNK Bakusho Mondai’s Car Boy” (TBS Radio) on the 22nd. When they ran into Nadal of Coro Coro Chiki Chiki Peppers backstage, an argument reportedly broke out over bringing up old shows and manga to someone from a different generation.

    Ota ran into Nadal in the green room before the recording. Ota and the show’s makeup artist got onto the topic of Koji Miyozawa, familiar from ABC Radio’s “Dokkiri! Hakkiri! It’s Koji Miyozawa,” and got excited asking things like, “Do you know Koji Miyozawa?”

    Nadal then suddenly cut in: “Ota-san, that kind of thing counts as harassment, you know. You should be more careful.”

    Source: sirabee.com / Original article here

    3AnonymousSep 26, 2026 16:03
    Then again, it's just as awkward when some middle-aged guy starts talking about Demon Slayer or Jujutsu Kaisen at you.
    7AnonymousSep 26, 2026 16:05
    Re: #3
    My department manager, who's in his 50s, actually knows this stuff in detail.
    Personally I have zero desire to watch any of it though.
    70AnonymousSep 26, 2026 16:19
    Re: #3
    On the radio they actually did get into Jujutsu Kaisen properly —

    Ota: "So Jujutsu Kaisen is fine, then?"
    Nadal: "Jujutsu Kaisen is hard, man!"
    Ota: "What do you mean, hard?"
    Nadal: "I get it as an anime, but I can't follow the manga!"
    Ota: "What does that even mean?"
    Nadal: "I'm just saying the manga is hard!"

    That's the bit they did.
    97AnonymousSep 26, 2026 16:25
    Re: #3
    I mean, Demon Slayer and Attack on Titan are basically just a patchwork of recycled plots and settings at this point —
    all you can really do is laugh it off.

    As for "Jujutsu Whatever," I don't even care enough to ask what it is.
    6AnonymousSep 26, 2026 16:05
    "Doragobo uncles" get hated on because they compare literally everything to Dragon Ball (doragobo = slangy shorthand for the show).
    8AnonymousSep 26, 2026 16:05
    Even middle-aged guys don't know Dokaben.
    That's old-man territory.
    27AnonymousSep 26, 2026 16:10
    Re: #8
    For what it's worth, it was still running until 2018.
    18AnonymousSep 26, 2026 16:09
    Honestly, don't compare everything to Hunter x Hunter or YuYu Hakusho either.
    I happen to know those so it's fine for me, but still.
    19AnonymousSep 26, 2026 16:09
    That show where a young comedian told Sandwichman,
    "Please stop comparing everything to Otoko Juku!" (a retro delinquent-school manga)
    was hilarious.
    20AnonymousSep 26, 2026 16:09
    Shortening it to "doragobo" is peak cringe.
    22AnonymousSep 26, 2026 16:10
    There are comedians who say stuff like this every so often,
    but why don't they ever use it as a reason to actually go learn about it?
    28AnonymousSep 26, 2026 16:11
    Re: #22
    Nobody's gonna go study something they're not interested in when there's no pressing need to.
    23AnonymousSep 26, 2026 16:10
    Comedians only know how to put other people down.
    Useless to society.
    116AnonymousSep 26, 2026 16:30
    Re: #23
    They think that's their craft, you know.
    25AnonymousSep 26, 2026 16:10
    Do they not even know Lum or Arale either?
    30AnonymousSep 26, 2026 16:11
    Knowing Dragon Ball actually helps you communicate with foreigners.
    39AnonymousSep 26, 2026 16:13
    Re: #30
    Everything ties into general knowledge in the end.
    You're definitely better off knowing your manga.
    72AnonymousSep 26, 2026 16:20
    Re: #30
    Then why can't you apply that same logic to knowing Dokaben helping you talk to old people?
    32AnonymousSep 26, 2026 16:11
    5ch is full of the Norakuro and Fuku-chan generation.
    57AnonymousSep 26, 2026 16:17
    Re: #32
    There was Norakuro in my elementary school library, I read it.
    48AnonymousSep 26, 2026 16:15
    There are still people bringing up Demon Slayer, huh.
    How many years ago did that manga even end?
    55AnonymousSep 26, 2026 16:16
    Re: #48
    In the end I never touched Demon Slayer, not even a millimeter's worth.
    63AnonymousSep 26, 2026 16:18
    Re: #53
    Why is someone who doesn't even know doragobo hanging out on a garbage-dump board like this……
    80AnonymousSep 26, 2026 16:21
    Re: #63
    "Doragobo" isn't really a shorthand people who watched it in real time actually use.
    71AnonymousSep 26, 2026 16:19
    Come to think of it, Sanma's impressive for having mastered both Dragon Ball and One Piece lol
    75AnonymousSep 26, 2026 16:21
    Re: #71
    That guy's apparently a genuine short sleeper,
    so he's probably got the time to keep up on everything.
    90AnonymousSep 26, 2026 16:24
    Dokaben was actually a judo manga (before it became baseball)
    https://image.yodobashi.com/product/100/000/009/001/740/238/100000009001740238_10203.jpg
    91AnonymousSep 26, 2026 16:24
    Bakusho Mondai really loves talking about Dokaben.
    I'm not even from that generation, but I learned about Benkei High School and stuff from listening to Car Boy.
    115AnonymousSep 26, 2026 16:29
    Re: #91
    I mean, they even did a 4-panel Dokaben strip.
    98AnonymousSep 26, 2026 16:25
    Retro games are trendy,
    but retro anime and manga never really catch on the same way, huh.
    103AnonymousSep 26, 2026 16:27
    Re: #98
    The anime remakes of Urusei Yatsura and Ranma 1/2 got people talking, but Kimengumi……
    99AnonymousSep 26, 2026 16:25
    Are Japanese people just getting more immature overall? When I was a kid, if I saw some old guy comparing everything to Dragon Ball I'd have just found it cringe.

    Background and Points of Debate

    “Dokaben” is a baseball manga by Shinji Mizushima (with a judo arc within the story) that ran until 2018. The debate split into two camps: whether it’s harassment to measure young people against old manga references, and whether it’s simply laziness on the part of those who won’t make an effort to learn. What doesn’t come across from the main text alone is that Nadal himself admitted about “Jujutsu Kaisen,” “I get the anime but the manga is hard,” so he isn’t one-sidedly criticizing only young people. Note that some posts reacting against Ota being called out for harassment veered into political jabs and personal insults; those have been excluded from this article.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “Nadal warns Hikari Ota: “Bringing up old manga to young people, like ‘Do you not know Dragon Ball,’ that’s harassment” / “What the heck is Dokaben! Nobody knows that!”“

  • What’s the Best Manga-to-Live-Action Adaptation? 5ch: “Team Medical Dragon’s Drama Beat the Manga”

    A thread titled “What’s the single best example of a manga-to-live-action adaptation?” popped off on 5ch, with users rattling off titles spanning decades — Team Medical Dragon, The Kindaichi Case Files, Minami-kun’s Girlfriend, Rurouni Kenshin, City Hunter, Solitary Gourmet, Kingdom, and more. It wasn’t just a list-dump, either: sharp takes like “Team Medical Dragon was a rare case where the drama actually beat the manga” and “adaptations seem to succeed more when the original art isn’t that polished” kept the discussion going, with the thread never quite settling on what counts as “success” in the first place.

    1AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:28
    Gotta be Team Medical Dragon
    3AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:33
    The Kindaichi Case Files
    5AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:40
    Minami-kun's Girlfriend
    44AnonymousSep 26, 2026 14:19
    Re: #5
    Bawled my eyes out at the finale
    6AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:40
    Re: #1
    Sakaguchi Kenji was so cool
    7AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:42
    The Flying Couple (Tonda Couple)
    8AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:43
    Shameless School (Harenchi Gakuen)
    9AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:43
    Lupin III: The Strange Psychokinetic Strategy
    10AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:43
    Free and Easy (Tsuribaka Nisshi)
    11AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:45
    Ah!! The Flower Cheering Squad: "What an Actor!"
    12AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:45
    The Minami Emperor
    The Quiet Don
    Rookies
    Honest Real Estate
    Solitary Gourmet
    14AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:47
    Re: #2
    Daigoro becomes an assassin too (Lone Wolf and Cub reference)
    22AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:54
    Re: #14
    That Daigoro was the cutest and most popular one, yet the whole series ended up shelved…
    31AnonymousSep 26, 2026 14:08
    Re: #22
    It didn't get shelved
    It's less an adaptation and more a parallel production — they were made at the same time
    15AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:49
    Rurouni Kenshin
    16AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:50
    Mukōbuchi, starring Hakamada Yoshihiko
    18AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:51
    Bar Lemon Heart
    19AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:51
    Maybe the TV version of The Flying Couple
    21AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:53
    Be-Bop High School
    23AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:55
    Re: #20
    Never read it or watched it myself, but
    maybe this one
    25AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:55
    Re: #1
    Team Medical Dragon was a rare case where the drama beat the manga — looking back, the cast was ridiculously stacked too
    Personally, I'd also throw in Naniwa Financial Tale, Aji Ichimonme, Gekka no Kishi, and Uramiya Honpo as good ones
    Whether it's anime or drama, I feel like adaptations succeed more when the source art isn't that great (lol) — though the Gekka no Kishi artist is actually incredibly skilled
    26AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:57
    Oyado Kawasemi
    27AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:57
    Liar Game
    28AnonymousSep 26, 2026 14:02
    TV drama: Solitary Gourmet, 11 seasons
    Movies: Kingdom, 5 installments

    That's what success looks like
    32AnonymousSep 26, 2026 14:08
    The Dark Knight
    33AnonymousSep 26, 2026 14:09
    Stuff like the Batman movies
    Probably Marvel or DC in general
    34AnonymousSep 26, 2026 14:09
    Guess it's Rurouni Kenshin
    35AnonymousSep 26, 2026 14:09
    Gotta be Shouta's Sushi
    38AnonymousSep 26, 2026 14:17
    Misumisou and Sachi-iro no One Room ("Happiness-Colored One Room"), both starring Yamada Anna
    40AnonymousSep 26, 2026 14:18
    Wild 7
    Nah, guess that's not it after all
    42AnonymousSep 26, 2026 14:19
    Wolverine's just too huge, it looks off
    45AnonymousSep 26, 2026 14:22
    Nodame Cantabile nailed the manga's visual style and had great pacing too — it was fun
    47AnonymousSep 26, 2026 14:24
    More of a stage adaptation than live-action, but The Rose of Versailles
    49AnonymousSep 26, 2026 14:27
    Re: #47
    There's a movie version too
    The one with an all-French cast
    51AnonymousSep 26, 2026 14:29
    My Wife Is 18
    The ratings were monstrous
    55AnonymousSep 26, 2026 14:36
    City Hunter (Suzuki Ryohei)
    56AnonymousSep 26, 2026 14:37
    Re: #55
    Wasn't his physique built to match Ryo Saeba exactly?
    57AnonymousSep 26, 2026 14:43
    Female Prisoner Scorpion
    (Never actually read the original, lol)
    58AnonymousSep 26, 2026 14:45
    Re: #57
    That gave him a body that could never get away with a life of crime
    63AnonymousSep 26, 2026 14:51
    The Netflix City Hunter is good too

    Background and Talking Points

    Live-action adaptations of manga and anime tend to attract more criticism than praise — “it’s nothing like the original,” “the casting’s all wrong.” What this thread revealed, though, is that everyone measures “success” by a different yardstick. Some judge it by whether a series achieved a long run or multiple installments, pointing to Solitary Gourmet’s eleven seasons or Kingdom’s five films; others judge it by how well it works as pure action cinema, citing Rurouni Kenshin or City Hunter; still others bring up exceptions like Team Medical Dragon, where the drama version actually surpassed the source material. No single “right answer” emerged. One poster also floated the theory that adaptations succeed more often when the original artwork isn’t especially polished — worth noting this was offered as the poster’s own speculation, not a claim backed by any data. It’s also worth noting that the titles raised span from the 1980s to the 2020s and cross formats from TV dramas to theatrical films to Netflix productions, which makes any simple comparison difficult.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hello! Project board) thread “What’s the single best example of a manga-to-live-action adaptation?“

  • Summer Anime Popularity Rankings Wrap: Reincarnation-Genre Sequels Sweep the Top — 5ch: “A Realm Where Even Mushoku Tensei’s Diary Episode Can’t Hit #1”

    The popularity rankings for the 2025 summer anime season are in, and as the summer broadcast cour (three-month season) wraps up, sequels to “naro-kei” hits — a term for series originating from the web-novel site Shousetsuka ni Narou (“Let’s Become a Novelist”), usually isekai/reincarnation power-fantasy stories — swept the top spots: Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime (Tensura), and Re:Zero. On 5ch’s Livegalileo (general live-commentary) board, posters traded barbs like “They said summer was a bumper crop, but really it was just naro-kei that was a bumper crop,” and expressed shock that Mushoku Tensei’s beloved “diary episode” (日記回), a fan-favorite emotionally charged episode, didn’t even land #1 on Amazon Prime’s internal rankings. Meanwhile, one-off and brand-new titles — including Yani Neko, Juukishi, and the Ghost in the Shell remake — got roundly panned, setting up a contrast between strong sequels and struggling newcomers.

    3AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:08
    So-called Yani Neko (lit. "Nicotine Cat"), an anime that peaked at episode 1.
    7AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:09
    Re: #3
    You're leaning on episode 1 way too hard.
    11AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:10
    Re: #3
    Season 2… doesn't look like it's happening.
    9AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:10
    Tensura, Mushoku Tensei, Re:Zero — I get why those rank high, they're on their 3rd/4th seasons of already-huge franchises. But Juukishi? Seriously? It's a pain to watch and the pacing is awful — honestly one of the worst shows this season.
    15AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:11
    Re: #9
    Still miles better than Yani Neko or whatever, though.
    20AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:14
    Re: #9
    Having Luce in it makes it way more watchable than Yani.
    55AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:39
    Re: #9
    Maybe it's just because the lead's voice actor is good-looking?
    10AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:10

    Onishi going full rage mode was the most entertaining thing all season
    Way better than Tenmaku or Lala
    13AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:11
    Re: #10
    The back half was great. This is the level of commitment I want from a revenge story.
    73AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:54
    Re: #10
    Loved that they had him cut down civilians on the way to his revenge target.
    16AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:13
    "Summer was a bumper crop" ← lol
    Where, exactly?
    19AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:14
    Re: #16
    Well, it WAS a bumper crop — for naro-kei.
    18AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:14
    Mushoku Tensei's diary episode was way too good
    That was Rudeus bringing it on himself, but I still think Eris was pretty bad too
    61AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:44
    Re: #18
    Eris never actually explaining herself properly is on her too
    Feels like violence is the only way she knows how to communicate
    27AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:18

    Amazon Prime: the realm where even Mushoku Tensei's diary episode can't hit #1
    29AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:19
    Re: #27
    The viewer base is aging 😭
    Grandpa's up next 👴
    31AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:20
    Re: #27
    The streaming release is too delayed
    Needs to be simulcast fastest
    35AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:22
    Re: #27
    I mean, this one's a Prime exclusive, so…
    30AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:20
    Fall's got basically nothing except The Apothecary Diaries
    And Nearisu's theme song is no good
    33AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:21
    Re: #30
    Doesn't look like "Chii-Fuyo" (fan nickname, exact title unclear) will even make it to the hangure [quasi-organized-crime gang] arc anyway
    38AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:25
    This season's anime got shockingly little buzz
    About the only thing people talked about was "Old-deus" from Mushoku Tensei [a jab nickname mashing up "aged" with Rudeus's name]
    40AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:26
    Re: #38
    What about Julius's stiff, janky running animation?
    43AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:30
    Ghost in the Shell and Lala were boring — looked like they had substance but didn't
    Forgettable shows, easily worse than naro-kei
    51AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:36
    Re: #43
    I mean, doing Ghost in the Shell again at this point, though…
    70AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:52
    Re: #43
    Couldn't get over the Major being voiced by Sakamoto
    45AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:32
    Wanted to drop Juukishi so many times, but Luce somehow saved it
    74AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:55
    Re: #45
    For some reason it kept dragging scenes out like that Dragon Ball "once he reaches his perfect form" copypasta, and it cut the fun in half
    I think normal pacing would've made it way better
    47AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:34
    After all that "Jan, Jan" talk
    Whatever happened to Iron Wok Jan?
    114AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:34
    Re: #47
    The planned 2-cour season got cut down to just 1 cour [cour = a ~3-month anime broadcast season]
    49AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:35
    Mushoku Tensei's production was genuinely great, truly the king of naro-kei
    Though obviously it can't top season 1
    52AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:37
    Re: #49
    The king of naro-kei is Tensura, actually
    54AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:38
    What's even good about naro-kei anyway?
    66AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:47
    Re: #54
    It's like this: the protagonist is such trash that women hate him, so guys in the same boat rally behind him
    58AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:41
    Re: #52
    FYI, Narou's overall ranking #1 is actually "Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill" 🥺
    72AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:54
    Re: #58
    "Toncooking" [fan abbreviation], lol — such a shamelessly trashy naro-kei title
    67AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:48
    Tensura's 2nd-cour finale had all three women fully naked — caught me off guard
    113AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:33
    Re: #67
    Hold on, wasn't Rimuru naked too?
    69AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:52

    Unlike Julius, Ram's battle animation was actually solid — cracked me up
    Why is that
    71AnonymousSep 26, 2026 12:53
    Re: #69
    It's for the pachinko-machine cutscenes [pachinko = Japan's pinball-slot gambling parlors, which license flashy anime tie-in animations]
    78AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:02
    "Reiwa's Dara-san" was the most entertaining thing all season
    The twist that the little brother has the cutest face of all
    84AnonymousSep 26, 2026 13:09
    Re: #78
    Same here
    Already loved the source manga, but getting voices and atmosphere in the anime made it even better

    Background and Talking Points

    This season’s regulars at the top were sequels to already-established hits — Mushoku Tensei, Tensura, and Re:Zero — all “naro-kei” series with built-in fanbases from their source material. The thread split mainly on two points. First, rankings from streaming services like Amazon Prime aren’t official viewership or sales data — they’re just a reference metric reflecting that particular service’s users’ viewing and rating habits. It’s not unusual for a well-regarded show to sit low on such a ranking, so the reaction to Mushoku Tensei’s fan-favorite episode missing #1 needs to be read as a quirk of this specific metric rather than a verdict on the show. Second, on the question of “why are naro-kei shows so strong,” some posters took a cynical view of protagonists who get validated by the opposite sex through power or status, while others pointed out more soberly that for sequels, the built-in name recognition of the source material — not the genre itself — is the main driver of their strength. It’s also worth noting that reviews were broadly harsh toward one-off new titles this season, which is the backdrop against which the sequels’ dominance should be read.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Livegalileo board) thread “[Sad News] Summer anime ends up dominated by naro-kei after all lol.”

  • ‘Chiikawa’ Anime Puts New Episodes on Hold — Rerun Marathon Runs from October, New Episodes Return in January

    Fuji TV’s anime series *Chiikawa*, which airs within the “Mezamashi TV” program, has announced that it will pause new episodes starting October 2 and switch to rerunning fan-favorite episodes instead. The rerun block runs for 25 installments through December 25, combining broadcast TV with streaming (FOD, TVer, YouTube), and new episodes are set to resume in January 2027. On 5ch, threads buzzed with speculation about the gap between the anime and the source manga, the production setup, and the voice actors growing up.

    Fri, Sep 25, 6:00 AM

    The TV anime *Chiikawa* (airing Tuesdays and Fridays on Fuji TV’s “Mezamashi TV”) has announced that starting October 2, it will pause new episodes and instead rerun story arcs that got a huge response from viewers. This time the show combines broadcast and streaming in a new format that lets fans enjoy popular story arcs back-to-back, with the rerun run planned for 25 episodes total through December 25. New episodes are set to resume in January 2027.

    October 2 will air an early fan-favorite episode (Episode 6). Starting the week of October 6, popular story arcs — including the “Nanto-kavania” arc (a fan nickname for one story arc) — will air on weekly rotation. On broadcast TV, only the opening episode of each arc will air, as usual on Tuesdays and Fridays, while every Friday a special video compiling that entire arc from start to finish will stream for one week only on the official “Mezamashi TV” YouTube channel, FOD, and TVer.

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

    2AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:30
    I'd rather watch Showa-era retro exploration videos on YouTube than that Peace-kun mascot at Omiya Park anyway.
    3AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:30
    Cutting the show right after Hachiware's chimera transformation arc… do these people even have hearts?
    4AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:31
    "Revival broadcast" lololol

    In other words, lazy reruns lolololol
    59AnonymousSep 25, 2026 19:30
    Re: #4
    Toward the end of the old Doraemon, they were rerunning the second half of episodes too.
    I figured a production setup like that made the "New Doraemon" reboot inevitable…

    Then I found out that ever since the '80s, the second half of every Doraemon episode had actually been a rerun from three years earlier the whole time.
    https://hanaballoon.com/dorachan/data/anime/ooyama/30min/index.html
    6AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:33
    It's already more than two years behind the manga, so I don't get the point of pausing it. Each episode's only about 2 minutes long anyway.
    12AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:36
    Re: #6
    Probably renewed some contract.
    60AnonymousSep 25, 2026 19:32
    Re: #6
    The manga doesn't even update every day, so if they kept airing new anime episodes daily, they'd catch up to the source material in no time.
    63AnonymousSep 25, 2026 19:53
    Re: #6
    Studio DOGA KOBO's swamped with other work, that's why.
    10AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:35
    They should just pad it out like Dragon Ball Z did.
    11AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:35
    Hachiware's probably going to end up with an even gruffer voice.
    13AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:36
    The "Chiikawa is secretly the strongest" theory
    15AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:37
    Maybe the voice actor's got entrance exams?
    16AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:38
    Re: #15
    Because they're about to catch up to the source manga.
    17AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:39
    Might be a voice actor recast coming, apparently — for Hachiware.
    22AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:41
    Re: #17
    Their voice already changed a while back, so unless the actor themselves doesn't want to keep going, I doubt there'll be a recast.
    19AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:40
    Fine by me — I only got into Chiikawa recently so I never saw the old episodes. Guess I'll get to hear the pre-voice-change version too.
    20AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:40
    Guess it's finally time for a Hachiware recast — they must be at their limit.
    24AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:41
    Re: #20
    The creator's been praising the voice actor, so I doubt there's a recast coming.
    25AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:45
    Re: #24
    Their natural voice, which got talked about recently, is already on the higher side for a high schooler — wonder if it won't drop any further.
    28AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:48
    Re: #25
    Apparently a lot of teens these days have fairly high voices (even the boys), so there's a real chance it stays as is.
    29AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:49
    Voice actor swap for Hachiware, maybe? The current one's fine, but they might be hitting their limit.
    35AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:53
    Re: #29
    Forcing that tone artificially would be rough on them, and at that age, their friends would probably tease them about it too.
    31AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:49
    So the voice-change thing really is the big issue — the voice has clearly gotten deeper.
    32AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:50
    How much manga material do they actually have banked? I also saw people complaining about the anime-style stickers, so it sounds like this fanbase wouldn't accept anime-original episodes anyway.
    36AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:54
    Re: #32
    If they do anime-original episodes, it'll end up like old-school Dragon Ball.
    33AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:51
    Kind of like Demon Slayer, giving new fans a recap to catch them up.
    38AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:55
    If the movie burned through a year's worth of source material, and the anime's chewing through 4 chapters a week, a hiatus was bound to happen. And they're definitely not doing anime-original episodes.
    45AnonymousSep 25, 2026 19:00
    Re: #38
    Anime-original episodes just aren't happening — I can't picture anyone else nailing that particular vibe.
    39AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:56
    Isn't this basically the main draw of Mezamashi TV at this point?
    61AnonymousSep 25, 2026 19:42
    Re: #39
    I think Mezamashi TV's real strength is having both the "Today's Horoscope Countdown" and "Dog of the Day" segments.
    Even people who claim they never watch Fuji TV still tune in just for those, lol.
    53AnonymousSep 25, 2026 19:10
    They've actually got a ton of manga material banked — so it's probably not a Dragon-Ball-style reason.
    54AnonymousSep 25, 2026 19:12
    Re: #53
    There's talk that they just want to give the production staff a break for a while — between the anime, the movie, and all the merch, it must've been brutal.
    56AnonymousSep 25, 2026 19:17
    Re: #54
    Wait, isn't the TV anime made by a different studio than the movie?
    57AnonymousSep 25, 2026 19:19
    Re: #56
    Oh really? Then maybe it's simply for a renewal.
    70AnonymousSep 25, 2026 20:08
    So they don't actually have much manga material banked? I've been rewatching old episodes on streaming whenever I have free time, but I want new ones.
    72AnonymousSep 25, 2026 20:12
    Re: #70
    Might also be that Hachiware's voice actor has high school entrance exams coming up.
    75AnonymousSep 25, 2026 20:31
    Just air it somewhere that isn't Fuji TV.

    Background and Key Points

    The hiatus comes down to a structural issue: new-episode production catching up with the source manga. *Chiikawa* is a short-form anime running just a few minutes per episode, airing twice a week, while the source manga updates irregularly — so keeping up that pace would quickly burn through the available material. Long-running shows like *Doraemon* have faced the same problem by inserting original episodes or reruns, and commenters in the thread drew that comparison. The voice actor “voice change” and recast rumors that dominated the thread were not part of the official announcement and remain pure fan speculation. Theories that the production staff need a break, or that this is for some kind of renewal, are likewise unconfirmed — the only reason Fuji TV has officially given is to “rerun story arcs that got a big response from viewers.”

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “Chiikawa New Anime on Hiatus — Returns January, Rerun Broadcast Starts in October.”

  • Voice actress Sumire Uesaka files police report over threats — 5ch: “Guess she caught the eye of a weirdo”

    The talent agency representing voice actress Sumire Uesaka (34) has announced that it filed a criminal complaint with police over malicious threats. Multiple extremely malicious emails containing threats of harm had been sent to the agency, and on the night of September 14 it was disclosed that they had consulted with the Shokatsu Police Station. On the 15th Uesaka herself refrained from posting online, and on the 16th her appearance at the “Kyoto International Manga Anime Fair 2026” was called off. On the night of the 24th, it was reported that the criminal complaint had now formally been filed. On 5ch, users traded speculation about who might be behind it, doubts over whether the complaint would actually lead to an arrest, and mentions of other voice actresses who have suffered similar harassment.

    9/25 (Fri) 7:32

    Voice actress Sumire Uesaka’s official X account was updated by staff on the night of the 24th, reporting that a criminal complaint had been filed over the threats.

    On the night of the 14th, Uesaka’s staff had updated X to disclose that multiple extremely malicious emails containing threats of harm against Uesaka had been sent to her agency, revealing that they were consulting with the Shokatsu Police Station. In a further update on the night of the 15th, staff announced that, to prioritize Uesaka’s safety, she would refrain from posting for the time being. In a post on the 16th, they also announced that her appearance at the “Kyoto International Manga Anime Fair 2026” (19th–20th) would be called off.

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

    4AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:15
    This person's fanbase has a lot of problematic ones
    Even on 5ch it's nothing but intense types
    14AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:19
    I've never seen a case where someone actually got arrested over something like this
    16AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:19
    Man, your guys' imaginations bring tears to daddy's eyes
    17AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:20
    Maybe some obsessive fan did something and flipped into an anti
    20AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:21
    If you're gonna say don't spread speculation, maybe just do it quietly yourself instead of posting that
    22AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:21
    Makes you wonder what kind of grudge she picked up
    25AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:22
    Please tell me this isn't gonna end with "filed it but it never actually got accepted"
    right?
    35AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:30
    Re: #25
    Her location's reportedly been identified and there were death threats, so that's clearly a crime
    28AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:24
    Was it Babakonga or Doyakonga… whatever happened with that? (obscure meme/nickname reference, unclear from context)
    79AnonymousSep 25, 2026 19:39
    Re: #28
    Nothing much, really. It's not like the person in question ever admitted to anything
    There just happened to be an event where everyone involved gathered right after the uproar, so it got the internet buzzing a bit, that's about it
    45AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:38
    Even if they get arrested they'll be back out eventually, so that's gotta be scary
    46AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:39
    Probably unemployed, but they should lock 'em up and make 'em reflect on it
    47AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:39
    Unhinged people
    always take it too far

    No matter how far a celebrity comes down to the community's level
    regular people and celebrities just don't end up together
    If you've got that much drive, aim to become a sound director or something
    48AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:41
    They need to keep arresting people one after another or this kind of thing won't stop
    55AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:47
    Guess she caught the eye of a weirdo
    56AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:50
    Prigozhin's furious charge on the Kremlin (meme reference to the 2023 Wagner mutiny)
    58AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:53
    Yui Ishikawa got caught up in something like that too, didn't she
    60AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:58
    Hope they catch the guy and expose him soon
    Wonder what kind of person's gonna turn up
    61AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:58
    Meanwhile, notice how everyone's gone dead silent about her whole Russia/USSR-loving fan shtick
    69AnonymousSep 25, 2026 19:13
    Re: #61
    Even when actual Russians warned her about it she just ignored them and kept at it, but the second the war started she clammed right up
    64AnonymousSep 25, 2026 19:08
    Someone who's more known for other stuff than her voice acting
    67AnonymousSep 25, 2026 19:11
    Hope the police really go all out on this
    Checked her thread over this and it was getting absolutely trashed by trolls, it was scary

    Background and key points of this story

    Filing a criminal complaint is just the starting point of an investigation — it doesn’t automatically mean charges will be filed or an arrest made. While some in the thread noted “I’ve never seen a case where someone actually got arrested over something like this,” this incident reportedly involved language suggesting her home address had been identified along with what looked like death threats, which may be treated differently from ordinary online abuse. The fact that the agency went as far as halting Uesaka’s own social media activity and pulling her from an event suggests they’re taking the situation seriously. The thread saw both speculation that “an overzealous fan snapped” and posts bringing up the Kyoto Animation arson case, but the article itself contains nothing directly linking the two incidents — that connection remains pure speculation. Harassment and stalking targeting voice actresses has been reported with other performers in the past as well, so this can also be read as a recurring problem within the industry.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News Plus) thread “Voice actress Sumire Uesaka files criminal complaint with police, agency announces — “strict response including legal action” over malicious threats.”

  • Calbee CEO Thanks Manga Artists Over Black-and-White Packaging: “They Brought Color Beyond Our Imagination”

    Since late May 2026, Calbee had switched the packaging of mainstay products like potato chips to black and white, citing difficulty procuring naphtha, a petroleum-derived resin material. In a message to stakeholders dated September 25, President and CEO Makoto Ebara thanked the manga artists who contributed artwork to the black-and-white packaging, reflecting, “What emerged was a ‘color’ that exceeded our imagination.” On 5ch, opinions were divided over whether the naphtha shortage was actually still ongoing and why other companies kept their normal packaging, with debate also touching on whether price hikes were justified and how well the stock was actually selling in stores.

    Calbee Representative Thanks Manga Artists Over Black-and-White Packaging: “What Emerged Was a ‘Color’ Beyond Our Imagination” | ORICON NEWS

    2026-09-25 09:20 ORICON NEWS

    On the 25th, Calbee released a message to stakeholders from President and CEO Makoto Ebara. It thanked manga artists over the switch to black-and-white packaging for products like potato chips since the end of May.

    Source: oricon.co.jp / Read the original article here

    3AnonymousSep 25, 2026 10:20
    So whatever happened to the naphtha problem?
    49AnonymousSep 25, 2026 10:34
    Re: #3
    Bad news — the US has started cutting back on exports.
    90AnonymousSep 25, 2026 10:48
    Re: #3
    Isn't it kind of pointless if everyone draws way more art than needed?
    8AnonymousSep 25, 2026 10:22
    They just wanted to pick a fight with the government, right?
    Can you still say that looking at the mountains of unsold stock in stores lol
    151AnonymousSep 25, 2026 11:07
    Re: #8
    Retailers have it rough too, having to display just the black-and-white ones somewhere eye-catching.
    11AnonymousSep 25, 2026 10:22
    Where'd all the people seriously freaking out about naphtha go?
    Is Japan's 'doomsday June' still not here yet?
    118AnonymousSep 25, 2026 10:57
    Re: #11
    That's because China bailed us out.
    If China hadn't cut its crude oil imports in half,
    Japan would've been done for.
    127AnonymousSep 25, 2026 11:00
    Re: #118
    That's just because imports dropped when the construction bubble burst, right?
    It's not like they deliberately bailed us out.
    41AnonymousSep 25, 2026 10:30
    Pretty sure a ton of these are still unsold.
    I thought about buying a bag to keep as a memento, but it just looks like a funeral, so I passed.
    52AnonymousSep 25, 2026 10:35
    Re: #41
    The glorious result of scalpers who hoarded them and now can't sell a single one.
    184AnonymousSep 25, 2026 11:13
    Re: #41
    Maybe you could serve them as snacks at a funeral.
    62AnonymousSep 25, 2026 10:38
    Wartime-style packaging —
    it's like being thrilled about wearing kokuminfuku (WWII-era 'national uniform') or monpe (baggy wartime work trousers).
    67AnonymousSep 25, 2026 10:40
    Re: #62
    If it were real wartime-style packaging, they wouldn't even print the product name on the front. "We want nothing until we win!" (a famous WWII austerity slogan)
    77AnonymousSep 25, 2026 10:45
    They put out this whole 'we're struggling with naphtha so it's black and white' thing, but then look at their other new products — almost all loud, flashy colors.
    It's just contradictory.
    78AnonymousSep 25, 2026 10:45
    Just like with rice, there were probably people trying to paralyze distribution and jack up prices to cash in, right?
    The people on the ground were genuinely struggling and this was a real corporate effort —
    it's a shame it got treated as just a publicity stunt.
    88AnonymousSep 25, 2026 10:48
    Re: #78
    They actually had to make a major shift in import sources, from the Middle East to the US,
    so it's different from the rice situation.
    Now, what will the US come demanding next — the outlook is uncertain.
    92AnonymousSep 25, 2026 10:49
    My local supermarket still has whole cardboard boxes stacked full of the black-and-white potato chips and granola.
    Looks like they'll hit their expiration date before anyone buys them.
    96AnonymousSep 25, 2026 10:50
    Re: #92
    Yeah, they look creepy, so I don't want to buy them.
    109AnonymousSep 25, 2026 10:53
    Re: #92
    If they drop to about half price, someone will probably buy them all up.
    99AnonymousSep 25, 2026 10:51
    Printing '10% more in our budget packaging!' on them — I could only laugh at that one.
    113AnonymousSep 25, 2026 10:54
    Re: #99
    Probably because word got around that they could make it cheaper.
    140AnonymousSep 25, 2026 11:04
    The naphtha shortage is supposed to still be unresolved, so why are other companies acting totally normal? lol
    142AnonymousSep 25, 2026 11:05
    Re: #140
    The shortage's been resolved, but prices are just staying high.
    159AnonymousSep 25, 2026 11:08
    Re: #140
    Costs have really gone up. Eventually the mood shifted to 'well, price hikes can't be helped,' which made it easier to pass the cost onto customers — so it became fine to just go back to normal.
    164AnonymousSep 25, 2026 11:09
    Re: #159
    No, the explanation was that there's a shortage.
    Lying isn't cool.
    177AnonymousSep 25, 2026 11:12
    Re: #164
    Prices are surging because of the shortage.
    We're just not losing out in the bidding because we're paying double.
    178AnonymousSep 25, 2026 11:12
    Re: #177
    Shortage?
    Are you saying that based on actual data?
    174AnonymousSep 25, 2026 11:11
    By the way, everyone kept saying 'shortage, shortage,'

    but naphtha's total import volume hasn't changed at all.
    199AnonymousSep 25, 2026 11:18
    Re: #174
    Isn't it simply that they don't want to overwork the printing plants?
    Not really that big a deal, is it?
    204AnonymousSep 25, 2026 11:18
    Japan's buying up naphtha from all over the world, yet it can only import 80% of last year's volume, and the price has doubled.

    Background and Points of Debate

    Naphtha is a petroleum-derived raw material used to make plastics and inks, and its procurement cost is said to have risen due to Middle East conditions and a shift in import sources since spring 2026. Calbee reportedly adopted the black-and-white design after finding it difficult to secure the ink needed for package printing, and the project grew from there into asking manga artists to contribute hand-drawn illustrations. The thread repeatedly raised the question of “why are other companies still releasing products with normal packaging,” but since each company’s supply routes and the timing of passing costs on to customers haven’t been made public, much of the discussion doesn’t go beyond speculation. Claims about naphtha’s total import volume and price trends also varied from post to post, and it’s worth noting that the debate proceeded without any backing from official statistics.

    *This article is compiled as an excerpt and summary from the 5ch (News Speed+) thread “[Naphtha] Calbee Representative Thanks Manga Artists Over Black-and-White Packaging: “What Emerged Was a ‘Color’ Beyond Our Imagination”.”

  • Oku Hiroya Reveals: Popular Manga ‘Thunder 3’ Author ‘Yuki Ikeda’ Was His Own Pen Name All Along

    Manga artist Hiroya Oku (59), known for works like “GANTZ” and “Inuyashiki,” revealed on his X (formerly Twitter) account on September 24, 2026 that “Yuki Ikeda is my pen name.” “Thunder 3,” serialized under the Ikeda name, is a popular series that even got an anime adaptation this past July. Oku explained that he used a pen name because chapter one’s twist “would lose its punch” if readers knew his real name going in — he wanted first-time readers to be truly surprised. On 5ch, users discussed how some fans had long suspected the truth based on similarities in art style, as well as the fact that the editorial department had previously described Ikeda as “Oku’s chief assistant, a separate person.”

    9/24 (Thu) 21:48

    Manga artist Hiroya Oku (59), known for numerous hit works including “GANTZ” and “Inuyashiki,” updated his X (formerly Twitter) account on the 24th to reveal that he is the author of that popular manga.

    Oku came clean, writing: “Yes. As you all know. Yuki Ikeda is my pen name,” confirming he is the author of the popular manga “Thunder 3,” which also got an anime adaptation this past July.

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

    7AnonymousSep 24, 2026 23:16
    "The reason I used a pen name is that chapter one's twist would lose its punch with my name attached, so I wanted first-time readers to be as surprised as possible," he explained.


    Well, obviously.
    9AnonymousSep 24, 2026 23:17
    The manga could go photorealistic by tracing in photos,
    but the anime couldn't use that trick,
    so as a workaround they resorted to sticking ●● marks near characters' faces.
    11AnonymousSep 24, 2026 23:17
    More than that, that boring 'giant woman' manga (i.e. Kanreki Hime) wasn't needed, honestly~
    13AnonymousSep 24, 2026 23:17
    Was he lashing out at Yamauchi because it hit a nerve?
    27AnonymousSep 24, 2026 23:22
    Re: #13
    What was that about, lol?
    83AnonymousSep 25, 2026 00:15
    Re: #13
    Because he got called by his bare name, no honorific.
    14AnonymousSep 24, 2026 23:18
    The moment this series ended, he started a new one in another magazine — pretty blatant.
    15AnonymousSep 24, 2026 23:18
    Oku reads 2ch, and criticism gets exposed, so watch yourselves.
    16AnonymousSep 24, 2026 23:19
    Re: #15
    Tastes like victory! (メシウマ — slang for savoring someone else's misfortune)
    64AnonymousSep 24, 2026 23:51
    Re: #15
    As usual, it's not just Oku — most manga artists and celebrities sneak onto 5ch too, lol
    18AnonymousSep 24, 2026 23:19
    The back of his head is completely flat, huh.
    Wonder why that's the one part he can never draw right.
    19AnonymousSep 24, 2026 23:20
    It was pretty much confirmed once the serialization started running late.
    21AnonymousSep 24, 2026 23:20
    Draw us an epilogue for after Gantz's finale before you retire…
    22AnonymousSep 24, 2026 23:20
    Couldn't they do something about the anime's snail pace?
    23AnonymousSep 24, 2026 23:20
    If I'd known, I wouldn't have started reading in the first place.
    Total waste of my time.
    24AnonymousSep 24, 2026 23:21
    Pretty much the same setup as the ending of Gantz.
    25AnonymousSep 24, 2026 23:21
    There was someone on the old Oku thread on Geisports (celebrity/sports board) who kept insisting Yuki Ikeda was a former assistant — wonder how they're doing now.
    26AnonymousSep 24, 2026 23:22
    The alien and spaceship designs had that GANTZ-material feel to them,
    so I figured it was either a former assistant or someone from the same studio —
    turns out it was the man himself.
    Then again, it's in Magazine, so I never imagined it could actually be him.
    29AnonymousSep 24, 2026 23:24
    What's a 'donden'? (short for どんでん返し, meaning a dramatic plot twist)
    75AnonymousSep 25, 2026 00:04
    Re: #29
    Come on, you know exactly what it is —
    you'd get it if you saw it, straight up.

    …huh?
    30AnonymousSep 24, 2026 23:24
    So it really was him.
    I'd figured it was Oku's kid drawing it.
    33AnonymousSep 24, 2026 23:25
    I think I'd have still watched it if they'd said so from the start —
    I dropped it right at the very beginning.
    35AnonymousSep 24, 2026 23:28
    Seriously?! Had no idea.
    I did think the art looked similar, though.
    36AnonymousSep 24, 2026 23:29
    Kanreki Hime is too niche, so maybe he wanted to draw something more shonen-style.
    69AnonymousSep 24, 2026 23:57
    Re: #36
    Thunder 3 actually started first.
    Apparently Kanreki Hime is meant to be Oku's magnum opus.
    37AnonymousSep 24, 2026 23:29
    Oh —
    someone pointed this out in an earlier thread, and it turned out to be true.
    38AnonymousSep 24, 2026 23:29
    If you can tell from episode one anyway, he might as well have just used 'Hiroya Oku.'
    39AnonymousSep 24, 2026 23:29
    It's like saying nobody's ever revealed who drew this King Bomber — yeah right, ha.
    40AnonymousSep 24, 2026 23:29
    Wanting new readers to approach it without preconceptions from the 'Hiroya Oku' name isn't a bad goal.
    Anyone who already knows will spot it from the art style anyway, so that's already factored in.
    Kind of an interesting experiment, no?
    43AnonymousSep 24, 2026 23:32
    I didn't even know it existed, so if they'd put his name on it I might actually have watched it.
    Now that I've skimmed the PV, though… eh, I'll pass.
    56AnonymousSep 24, 2026 23:43
    The fact that this is happening at Kodansha, though…
    I wonder if their relationship with Shueisha isn't great?
    65AnonymousSep 24, 2026 23:52
    Re: #56
    Since Gantz, it's been:
    "Inuyashiki (Kodansha)", "GIGANT (Shogakukan)",
    "Kanreki Hime (Shogakukan)", "Thunder 3 (Kodansha)"
    58AnonymousSep 24, 2026 23:45
    I haven't read it so I wouldn't know, but if he's saying 'as you all know,' don't the fans already know?
    61AnonymousSep 24, 2026 23:48
    Re: #58
    There was the whole 'former assistant' theory and other stuff going around.
    63AnonymousSep 24, 2026 23:50
    Re: #61
    Ah, that makes sense —
    no wonder the art style is similar.
    67AnonymousSep 24, 2026 23:54
    Re: #61
    More than a 'theory' — I feel like the editor actually stated publicly that Ikeda was Oku's chief assistant and a separate person from Oku.
    89AnonymousSep 25, 2026 00:24
    Didn't even know there was an anime.
    Checked the anime thread and yep, it's the usual Netflix-anime situation.
    Still only on thread 2 over there, and doesn't look like they'll even get through it.
    94AnonymousSep 25, 2026 00:27
    Re: #89
    Isn't it on terrestrial broadcast, not Netflix?

    Background and Key Points of This Story

    Hiroya Oku is known for works like “GANTZ” and “Inuyashiki,” and in recent years has also been serializing “Kanreki Hime” in a monthly magazine. “Thunder 3” ran in a Kodansha monthly magazine and got a TV anime adaptation in July 2026; it was originally published under the name of an unknown newcomer, Yuki Ikeda. On the thread, some fans had long theorized that “Yuki Ikeda = Hiroya Oku” based on similarities in art style, while others noted that the editor in charge had previously stated that Ikeda was “Oku’s chief assistant, a separate person” — a discrepancy Oku himself has not addressed. Worth noting too: Oku says he chose to use a pen name because he wanted readers to experience chapter one’s story without any preconceptions tied to his own name.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geisports Sokuho+) thread ““GANTZ” Creator Hiroya Oku: “Yuki Ikeda Is My Pen Name” — Reveals He’s the Author of Popular Manga “Thunder 3,” Explains Why He Used a Different Name.”

  • University of Tokyo Professor Achieves Vanishing ‘Optical Camouflage’ — 5ch: ‘Thought It Was Ghost in the Shell, Turns Out It Was Doraemon’

    An article about Professor Masahiko Inami of the University of Tokyo’s Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology achieving an ‘optical camouflage’ that makes objects appear transparent became a hot topic on 5ch’s Science News+ board. The article explains that Professor Inami loved Doraemon as a child, and his research grew out of that childhood fascination. While many thread commenters immediately thought of the technology from ‘Ghost in the Shell,’ the real surprise that drew reactions was that the actual inspiration was Doraemon. The thread also discussed the technology’s practical limitations — for now it can only be viewed through a monitor — as well as comparisons with past optical camouflage research.

    What Started as a Sideshow Became the ‘World’s Greatest Invention’… University of Tokyo Professor Achieves Vanishing ‘Optical Camouflage,’ Inspired by ‘Reading This Manga’ — The Foresight of the Sci-Fi Manga Ghost in the Shell (Part 1)

    As a child, Professor Masahiko Inami of the University of Tokyo’s Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology loved Doraemon.

    “If I have descendants in the future, surely they’ll come back in a time machine to help me when I’m in trouble.”

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

    2AnonymousSep 23, 2026 21:47
    Is this actually a new invention?
    I saw something like this about four years ago on Telegram, posted as foreign military equipment.
    3AnonymousSep 23, 2026 21:49
    > At this point, optical camouflage can still only be viewed through a monitor.
    4AnonymousSep 23, 2026 21:50
    Alright, let's field-test it at the public bathhouse! → Turns out it's nothing but old ladies!!
    6AnonymousSep 23, 2026 22:04
    This professor started the research 30 years ago,
    something like optical camouflage
    got high praise from TIME back in 2003,
    and yet it's still only viewable through a monitor to this day.

    So doesn't that mean practical use is basically hopeless…?
    7AnonymousSep 23, 2026 22:07
    Once cyberization becomes the norm, they'll just hack your brain directly
    and make you unable to see it!
    8AnonymousSep 23, 2026 22:41
    Re: #7
    You stole my eyes!
    9AnonymousSep 23, 2026 23:05
    This is gonna be rough until we get fabric-type displays.
    10AnonymousSep 23, 2026 23:12
    Come on now, enemy nations are gonna weaponize this — better respond quickly.
    You peace-drunk Japanese will probably just get exploited and that'll be the end of it lol
    14AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:01
    Re: #10
    All they did was line up TV panels between the windshield and the dashboard and play video on them.
    Can you even call this science?
    11AnonymousSep 23, 2026 23:31
    Isn't this just an application of the front-projection technique used in 2001: A Space Odyssey?
    31AnonymousSep 24, 2026 08:18
    Re: #11
    The whole point of front-projection compositing is to keep the projected image from being visible on the actor, so it's actually the exact opposite of what's in Re: #1.
    12AnonymousSep 23, 2026 23:51
    Britain actually tried using optical camouflage on tanks, you know.

    The idea was that magnetic ink would instantly repaint panels around the tank with an image matching the background, making it 'disappear.'

    But it stopped working the moment a panel took a hit and got damaged, and no matter how good the visible-light camouflage was, it'd still show up under infrared — so it never got past the proposal stage.
    17AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:22
    Re: #12
    True — even if it's undetectable in visible light, it's completely exposed under an infrared scope.
    So optical camouflage itself ends up pointless, huh.
    13AnonymousSep 23, 2026 23:57
    https://store.shopping.yahoo.co.jp/beam-matsumoto/lenti-r-02.html
    Privacy glass that keeps people from peeking into the bath has been around forever.
    15AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:12
    > "If I have descendants in the future, surely they'll come back in a time machine to help me when I'm in trouble."

    I don't have kids, so it's already confirmed I won't have any descendants in the future.
    19AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:48
    Sounds like something you'd use for film or video production, I guess.
    20AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:51
    So this is the new MM-Go, huh?
    21AnonymousSep 24, 2026 01:02
    So basically, technologically speaking, it's just a projector and a screen?
    22AnonymousSep 24, 2026 01:07
    Set up camera-and-projector drones all around a person to track their movements…
    Hmm.
    23AnonymousSep 24, 2026 01:39
    So it only works as camouflage when viewed head-on.
    You'd need a forest or a big wall behind you as the background.
    24AnonymousSep 24, 2026 05:02
    It only works in one specific location, environment, and viewing angle set up in advance.
    A technology that pointless has no future, no matter how far you push it in this direction.
    25AnonymousSep 24, 2026 05:24
    Manga and technology really do have a deep connection.
    26AnonymousSep 24, 2026 05:28
    Is that why you guys are socially invisible too — you're all using this camouflage?
    27AnonymousSep 24, 2026 05:32
    Doesn't seem all that useful for military, political, or economic systems,
    but it looks like an invention that could slot right into the cultural system!
    Never mind the lighthouse-brained folks —
    art students will probably dream up some fun uses for it.
    28AnonymousSep 24, 2026 05:40
    I hear most technology starts out motivated by some horny desire, though…
    35AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:35
    Re: #17
    Let's add an infrared camouflage function too.
    37AnonymousSep 24, 2026 18:20
    Conclusion: doesn't seem like that big a deal.
    38AnonymousSep 24, 2026 18:49
    The digital version of a ninja's hiding technique.

    https://youtu.be/zZQJ0MKZNPU?si=75MkzE7v3QO4zyh0
    40AnonymousSep 24, 2026 18:57
    Gachapin can do optical camouflage too (Gachapin — the green dinosaur mascot from Japanese kids' TV).

    https://youtube.com/shorts/gYkR-ge9rIs?si=-i-3dOFjc2N6EGJM
    41AnonymousSep 24, 2026 19:13
    If you sandwich the object you want to hide between pairs of wide-angle cameras and wide-angle laser projectors (not screens, mind you) set up at various angles, it's obvious
    that it'll appear transparent when observed from far away at low resolution.

    Though once you weigh the cost against the practicality and the actual effect, nobody's actually going to bother doing it.
    42AnonymousSep 24, 2026 19:25
    Thought It Was Ghost in the Shell, Turns Out It Was Doraemon

    Background and Key Points of This Topic

    The ‘optical camouflage’ introduced in the thread is a technology that films the scene behind an object with a camera, then projects that footage via a projector onto retroreflective material attached to the object, blending it into the background. Professor Inami’s research group has been working on it since the late 1990s. It’s also known for being featured in TIME magazine’s ‘Inventions of the Year’ in 2003. As pointed out in the thread, this method assumes a specific viewpoint and a specific background — the camouflage breaks down when viewed from anywhere other than straight ahead, and it can’t handle infrared, among other major practical limitations. Many people associate this with the thermo-optical camouflage from ‘Ghost in the Shell,’ but according to the article, Professor Inami’s original inspiration was actually Doraemon — once again highlighting the pattern where science fiction proposes a technology first and real-world research chases after it later. Despite decades of ongoing research, the fact that it ‘can still only be viewed through a monitor’ is worth noting as a telling symbol of the technology’s limits.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Science News+) thread ‘[Researcher] What Started as a Sideshow Became the ‘World’s Greatest Invention’… University of Tokyo Professor Achieves Vanishing ‘Optical Camouflage,’ Inspired by ‘Reading This Manga’.’

  • Oishinbo Gets New Anime After 34 Years — Akio Otsuka Inherits Yuzan Role from His Father

    It has been announced that a new Oishinbo anime, titled New Oishinbo, will air in 2027. It’s the franchise’s first new anime in 34 years, since the 1993 TV special. Yohei Azakami will voice Shiro Yamaoka, and Hitomi Sasaki will voice Yuuko Kurita. The casting of Akio Otsuka as Yuzan Kaibara — taking over the role from his father Chikao Otsuka, who played the character in previous installments — has also become a talking point. On 5channel, reactions mixed anticipation with unease, including worries over the character designs, questions about how a story set in the 1980s will be presented in the Reiwa era, and comparisons to the recent wave of nostalgic manga remakes.

    9/24 (Thu) 18:00

    It has been announced that a new TV anime adaptation of the hit manga Oishinbo, titled New Oishinbo, will air in 2027. This marks the franchise’s first new anime since the 1993 TV special — a gap of 34 years. Alongside the announcement, a teaser visual and the main cast were revealed: Yohei Azakami will play Shiro Yamaoka, Hitomi Sasaki will play Yuuko Kurita, and Akio Otsuka will play Yuzan Kaibara. Otsuka takes over the role from his father, Chikao Otsuka, who voiced the character in the previous series.

    9/24 (Thu) 18:00

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

    7AnonymousSep 24, 2026 18:13
    I'm getting more and more worried about the OP (opening theme/visuals)… That's a bigger problem than the voice cast honestly
    77AnonymousSep 24, 2026 18:23
    Re: #7
    No way that's true
    127AnonymousSep 24, 2026 18:31
    Re: #7
    That one's a great City Pop tune
    12AnonymousSep 24, 2026 18:14
    Wouldn't Kazuhiko Inoue have been fine for Kaibara?
    38AnonymousSep 24, 2026 18:18
    Re: #12
    The Pervy Sage outranks Kakashi-sensei
    18AnonymousSep 24, 2026 18:15
    Re: #1
    Whoa, this has failure flags written all over it (anime slang for an ominous sign of doom)
    The character designs are rough too
    43AnonymousSep 24, 2026 18:19
    Re: #18
    Oishinbo's art got way worse right before it got cancelled over the 'Fukushima nosebleed' controversy (the arc where a character got nosebleeds from radiation exposure)
    This is actually an improvement over that
    29AnonymousSep 24, 2026 18:16
    Re: #1
    If they're calling it a 'true sequel,' they must be planning to show us something different from before, right?
    39AnonymousSep 24, 2026 18:18
    Re: #29
    Yes — take a seat in front of your TV in 2027
    We'll show you the real Oishinbo
    56AnonymousSep 24, 2026 18:19
    Is this a remake? Or all-new episodes?
    122AnonymousSep 24, 2026 18:30
    Re: #56
    >This one is a true sequel produced by Shin-Ei Animation

    Yeah, it does say sequel. I wonder where the original left off — both the manga and the anime.
    Never made it to the end of either, so I don't know
    57AnonymousSep 24, 2026 18:20
    Tommy — who's playing Tommy?!
    65AnonymousSep 24, 2026 18:21
    Re: #57
    Tommy's just been written out of existence….
    69AnonymousSep 24, 2026 18:21
    There's a video of Inoue and Sho doing a live-action Oishinbo bit, and man, it's great
    70AnonymousSep 24, 2026 18:22
    So who actually won in the end, the Ultimate Menu or the Supreme Menu?
    84AnonymousSep 24, 2026 18:24
    Re: #70
    ???: "It's a draaaw!"
    80AnonymousSep 24, 2026 18:24
    It's a manga where the timeline keeps advancing but everyone's stuck on '80s common sense… and now it's airing in the Reiwa era?
    103AnonymousSep 24, 2026 18:26
    Re: #80
    It's basically like a Taiga drama (NHK's annual historical epic), right?
    It's Japan from half a century ago
    Kind of like how the Taisho era must've felt to people in the 1980s?
    82AnonymousSep 24, 2026 18:24
    They should've just gone with Mister Ajikko instead.
    98AnonymousSep 24, 2026 18:26
    Re: #82
    As for Iron Wok Jan,
    it didn't even say 'Bravo' — pretty low-key
    95AnonymousSep 24, 2026 18:25
    Re: #77
    For Kinnikuman: Rise of the Perfect Origin arc, episode '0' shockingly used 'Go Fight' as its opening theme
    102AnonymousSep 24, 2026 18:26
    Re: #95
    Well yeah, that's because it's a Kinnikuman song
    96AnonymousSep 24, 2026 18:25
    Who's more popular than Kuriko — Futaki-neki (net slang for an attractive 'big sister' type)?
    105AnonymousSep 24, 2026 18:27
    Re: #96
    The best-looking woman in all of Oishinbo is Okaboshi's wife
    100AnonymousSep 24, 2026 18:26
    Everything's a revival or a remake these days
    They must be out of ideas on every front
    152AnonymousSep 24, 2026 18:36
    Re: #100
    In the end, they have to lean on this generation since it's the biggest demographic bracket
    I mean, they even greenlit a Kimengumi remake
    159AnonymousSep 24, 2026 18:37
    Re: #152
    Well, the average age in Japan is like 49 now
    166AnonymousSep 24, 2026 18:38
    Re: #152
    What worries me is this usually ends with the generation who watched the original — the biggest demographic — writing it off as 'this isn't it'
    106AnonymousSep 24, 2026 18:27
    They're rolling out a new pachinko machine, so they need fresh animation for it.
    111AnonymousSep 24, 2026 18:28
    Re: #106
    Once Yuzan goes soft for his grandkid, cue the bonus rush!! (pachinko slang for a hot streak)
    107AnonymousSep 24, 2026 18:27
    It was interesting because of the era it was set in, but if they anime it now, it's gonna be pretty brutal
    120AnonymousSep 24, 2026 18:30
    Re: #107
    I think it's interesting precisely because it's brutal though
    Iron Wok Jan is even more brutal and it got a normal anime adaptation
    145AnonymousSep 24, 2026 18:35

    Just use this art style
    148AnonymousSep 24, 2026 18:35
    Dragon Ball, Kinnikuman, Ranma, Urusei Yatsura, Kimengumi, Kochikame, Oishinbo… we're fully regressing to the Showa era lol
    162AnonymousSep 24, 2026 18:37
    Re: #148
    Probably a lot of 40-to-60-something 'kidults still living with their parents' behind this
    168AnonymousSep 24, 2026 18:38
    Re: #148
    The people who were fans as kids grew up and are now the ones greenlighting anime
    That's why we get so many 'who even asked for this' remakes
    188AnonymousSep 24, 2026 18:40
    Re: #148
    Sailor Moon, Nube, Rurouni Kenshin, Magic Knight Rayearth, Bonobono, Ashibe… I dunno why but they're remaking everything lately! Is there some 'this one finally topped the Heisei version' thing going on?
    Nostalgia goggles aside, whether it's the writing or what, the Reiwa versions have lost that little bit of Heisei-era 'poison' they used to have, so there's no real charm left at all
    It's like, watered-down but dressed up to look the part, which just makes it taste terrible

    If anything, something like Chiikawa — not a remake, but actually born in the Reiwa era — feels fresher precisely because you can still catch a faint whiff of that 'poison'
    154AnonymousSep 24, 2026 18:36
    Actually, isn't Tomii's voice — Deputy Section Chief, was it? — the most important casting call here?
    172AnonymousSep 24, 2026 18:38
    Re: #154
    Tommy's actually the Deputy Department Chief
    If you watch his episodes, he's had a pretty rough life
    174AnonymousSep 24, 2026 18:38
    Re: #154
    Pyaaah! 🤡

    Background and Key Points

    Oishinbo began serialization in 1983 and ran as a TV anime from 1988 through 291 episodes, becoming a beloved national franchise. Chikao Otsuka, who voiced Yuzan Kaibara for years, passed away in 2015, and this casting sees his son Akio Otsuka take over his father’s signature role. The ‘Fukushima nosebleed’ mentioned in the thread refers to a 2014 story arc in the original manga depicting the aftermath of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, which sparked major social controversy and a wave of criticism directed at the work and its author. This new series is billed as a ‘true sequel,’ but it hasn’t been officially clarified exactly where the previous story left off, and opinions in the thread were divided on that point. In recent years, Showa-era classics like Kinnikuman, Urusei Yatsura, and Kochikame have all seen remakes or sequels, a trend likely tied to the age of both the production staff and the original fanbase.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5channel (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “Oishinbo New Anime After 34 Years — Yohei Azakami as Shiro Yamaoka, Hitomi Sasaki as Yuuko Kurita, Akio Otsuka Inherits Yuzan Kaibara Role from Father Chikao.”