Category: Entertainment

  • Lucas: “I planned to make 3 more Star Wars films” — 5ch: “Just finish Clone Wars already”

    George Lucas revealed on a US CBS program that he had originally planned to make three more “Star Wars” films of his own conception. He said these would have been different from the sequel trilogy (Episodes 7-9) that Disney ultimately produced. Lucas stepped back from directing after 2005’s “Episode III,” and has had no involvement in production since selling Lucasfilm to Disney in 2012. On 5ch, his comments sparked a wave of posts reflecting on the series as a whole — debating the merits of the original trilogy, prequel trilogy, and sequel trilogy, and whether the films are best watched in release order or chronological order.

    September 25, 2026

    George Lucas revealed on the US CBS program “Sunday Morning” that he had planned to make three more “Star Wars” films. Separate from the sequel trilogy (Episodes 7-9) that Disney produced starting in 2015, he apparently had three films of his own in mind.

    The last film Lucas directed was 2005’s “Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith.” He stepped back from directing after completing the prequel trilogy (Episodes 1-3), which ran from 1999. In 2012, he sold Lucasfilm to Disney for $4 billion (roughly ¥630 billion at current exchange rates), and has not been involved in the sequel trilogy since.

    Source: eiga.com / Original article here

    4AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:00
    Just finish Clone Wars already.
    I was enjoying watching all of it.
    5AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:01
    Which episodes had different directors again?
    I'm totally lost now.
    14AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:07
    Re: #5
    1-4 were Lucas.
    Interestingly, 5 and 6 had a different director.
    6AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:04
    Please make a Jar Jar Binks vs. Rose movie.
    7AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:04
    Hollywood can't pull off a long-running saga.
    Not even Spielberg or Lucas could.
    9AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:05
    There used to be a Star Wars pachinko machine — it was a fun one to play. (pachinko: a Japanese arcade-gambling machine)
    10AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:06
    7-9 were garbage.
    Lucas sold off his own child to slave traders.
    12AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:07
    At this point Ahsoka is the last hope left. (Ahsoka Tano, a Star Wars character)
    13AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:07
    The bold new strategy of starting production from Episode 4.
    16AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:07
    One of the Jews who fled Hungary to the US under Hitler's rule.
    Before moving to America his name was György Lukács.
    He and other brilliant minds, like von Neumann, laid the groundwork for America's rise.
    30AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:13
    Re: #16
    But Schindler's List was Spielberg, wasn't it?
    18AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:08
    Hurry up and make a Japanese anime adaptation.
    19AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:09
    Re: #18
    I remember watching an anime version.
    28AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:12
    Wasn't the plan for a 9-film saga mentioned from the start?
    I'm pretty sure that even around the time of "Jedi," they'd already said Episodes 1-3 would cover Darth Vader's origin and 7-9 would follow Leia's children.
    87AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:43
    Re: #28
    What I heard was that "from 7 onward the whole cast gets swapped out, with only R2 and 3PO left as familiar faces."
    I think that was a comment from "Grand Marshal Noda" in the novelization. (a commentator's pen name from the Japanese novelization)
    33AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:13
    4-6 were decent, but 1 was so bad I never even watched 2, 3, or 7-9.
    34AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:14
    Re: #33
    Watching it now, 1 is actually the masterpiece.
    49AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:20
    Re: #33
    It's inevitable everything else looks weak next to how great 4-6 were.
    That book about George Lucas's groundbreaking SFX workshop back then was a great read. (referring to Industrial Light & Magic)
    39AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:16
    I watched "The Odyssey," and it made me wish Luke had gone on a rampage like that in Episode 8.
    You guys feel the same, right?
    55AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:22
    Re: #39
    Go watch The Mandalorian.
    40AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:17
    Re: #1
    What's with the past tense, "was planning to"?
    Just make them now, it's never too late!
    43AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:18
    Re: #40
    Princess Leia's already dead,
    and everyone else left is an old man on death's door.
    It's too late now.
    41AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:17
    Episodes 1, 2, and 3 were pretty rough too, with all that political drama and sword-fight choreography.
    Honestly, even Episode 6 got a mixed reception when it first came out.
    44AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:19
    Re: #41
    Even watching 6 now, the Ewoks on Endor are just boring. (posters often call Ewoks "monkeys")
    45AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:19
    People who haven't seen Star Wars sometimes ask if they should watch it in chronological order — I wonder why they'd even think that.
    48AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:20
    Re: #45
    Yeah, that's a crazy idea.
    You should watch in release order.
    88AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:44
    Re: #45
    That's like reading a mystery novel after you already know who did it.
    51AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:21
    The whole thing's boring honestly
    those weird animal-looking alien sidekicks
    there's no way stuff like that actually exists out in space.
    57AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:23
    Re: #51
    Chewbacca's voice is adorable, come on.
    73AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:32
    Re: #51
    If they properly cleaned up the lore and rebooted it, it might get a bit better.
    Not sure there's any demand for that though.
    63AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:25
    It lives on in VIVANT too. (a Japanese TV drama)
    67AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:26
    Re: #63
    Nogi is Luke Skywalker,
    Nokoru is Harrison Ford,
    and Drummer is Chewbacca? (characters from the drama VIVANT)
    70AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:28
    I binge-watched it so my memory's hazy, but
    the Darth Vader guy fell to the dark side because he feared a future where his wife would die and wanted to change it, right?
    Did she end up dying partway through because he fell to the dark side?
    Was that whole thing inescapable, like a Möbius strip?
    The actor who played Darth Vader was so cool, but Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan ended up way more famous.
    71AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:30
    Re: #70
    That's because Ewan McGregor got famous from Trainspotting.
    75AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:32
    At the happy ending of the original trilogy's finale (6), I think the people who died showed up as spirits —
    and Luke's father was among them, wasn't he?
    But in the trilogy made later, that same father turns out to be Darth Vader.
    86AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:41
    Re: #75
    You're right that the actor playing Darth Vader became Hayden Christensen in the discs made later,
    but Darth Vader was Luke's father from the very start.
    79AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:34
    Only 4-6 are actually good.
    Especially the second one, 5 — that one's intense.
    The rest is basically just momentum.
    Once something gets that popular, you have no choice but to keep it going.
    Same as Dragon Quest.
    96AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:50
    Re: #79
    Dragon Quest was only good for 1-4.
    From 5 onward it's a garbage game.
    89AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:45
    Is there no thought of remaking 4-6?
    I think it would draw quite a crowd.

    Background and Key Points of Discussion

    Star Wars began with Episode 4 in 1977, and the series as a whole is treated as one story spanning nine films across three trilogies: the original trilogy (4-6), the prequel trilogy (1-3), and the sequel trilogy (7-9). Lucas directed only up through the prequel trilogy; after he sold Lucasfilm to Disney for roughly ¥630 billion in 2012, the sequel trilogy was made by a different director and writing team, resulting in a story that diverged from what Lucas himself had envisioned. On the thread, opinions were split over how the prequel trilogy’s reputation has shifted between its original release and today, and over whether new viewers should watch the films in release order or chronological order. Note that the claim in post #16 that “Lucas is a Hungarian-born Jew” appears to be a mix-up with a different, similarly-named person (the philosopher György Lukács), and is not a verified part of Lucas’s actual biography.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “[Movies] George Lucas: “I Was Planning to Make 3 More Star Wars Films”.”

  • Former Johnny’s Could Vanish Entirely from NHK’s Kohaku Song Contest — STARTO Reportedly Skipping Entries

    The possibility has emerged that STARTO Entertainment (the new name for the former Johnny’s) will field zero acts at this year’s NHK Kohaku Song Contest. According to a Bunshun report, relations between the agency and NHK had been thawing since the founder’s sexual-abuse scandal broke in 2023 — but an incident this past June hardened the agency’s distrust of NHK, prompting it to ask record labels not to enter any of its talent. On 5channel’s Hello! Project board, the report sparked discussion about which up-and-coming groups might fill the vacated slots, and the behind-the-scenes maneuvering between agencies over Kohaku spots.

    STARTO Entertainment May End Up with Zero Acts at “NHK Kohaku”

    “Three years after the founder’s sexual-abuse scandal, relations between NHK and STARTO Entertainment had been heading toward a thaw. But since an incident in June, the agency has hardened its stance. At this rate, the number of STARTO groups appearing at Kohaku will be zero.”

    Source: bunshun.jp / Original article here

    2AnonymousSep 25, 2026 17:21
    Good news for Stardust's "Old Man" Momota (agency exec nickname) lol
    MomoClo's Kohaku slot might get Domoto on stage too lol
    4AnonymousSep 25, 2026 17:23
    Johnny's talent still pulls in the ratings, after all
    5AnonymousSep 25, 2026 17:23
    [BREAKING] Morning Musume withdraws from NHK Kohaku!!!
    6AnonymousSep 25, 2026 17:23
    Just put out EBiDAN, Junretsu & MONA-KING, SHOW-WA & MATSURI, the Takizawa-affiliated acts, and Atarashii Chizu ("New Map," the ex-SMAP unit) — you flat-out don't need the old Johnny's anymore lol
    18AnonymousSep 25, 2026 17:34
    Re: #6
    Chizu and the Takizawa acts don't even have hit songs, so forcing them on would just be the same kind of favoritism NHK used to show Johnny's
    29AnonymousSep 25, 2026 17:38
    Re: #6
    Don't need anything besides EBiDAN and MONA-KING, honestly
    What would Chizu even sing?
    7AnonymousSep 25, 2026 17:24
    It's really just Snow Man and SixTONES ("Stones") anyway, so as long as EBiDAN and MONA-KING are in, it won't make much difference
    8AnonymousSep 25, 2026 17:26
    Re: #7
    If anything, dropping Snow Man and SixTONES ("SnoSto") would let them book from a much wider pool
    9AnonymousSep 25, 2026 17:27
    They should just run their own event like Hello! Project used to do
    10AnonymousSep 25, 2026 17:28
    They should just turn the Countdown concert into a MomoClo-style Kohaku thing
    12AnonymousSep 25, 2026 17:31
    Also, old Johnny's keeps forgetting the past and stirring up too much drama — don't need them
    Snow Man will probably just do their own livestream or something anyway
    14AnonymousSep 25, 2026 17:32
    They just keep insisting fans would be lost without them, but there are replacements everywhere
    Arashi's breakup was the last trump card they had
    15AnonymousSep 25, 2026 17:33
    Was King & Prince about the only one at last year's Kohaku?
    20AnonymousSep 25, 2026 17:35
    Re: #15
    King & Prince and SixTONES ("Stones")
    16AnonymousSep 25, 2026 17:34
    I'd rather have Johnny's than sit through K-pop, but now that EBiDAN's around I'm fine without them
    There's no group left with songs as good as Arashi's or SMAP's anyway
    17AnonymousSep 25, 2026 17:34
    They're appearing all over the place with even less restraint than before the scandal
    30AnonymousSep 25, 2026 17:39
    Re: #17
    That's because when Johnny's vanished for a while, both viewers and TV stations finally realized "TV really does need Johnny's after all"
    21AnonymousSep 25, 2026 17:35
    Re: #18
    Sakamichi groups have been on for 10 years straight at this point, so clearly hit songs don't even matter
    28AnonymousSep 25, 2026 17:38
    Re: #21
    Nogizaka46 does have a huge fanbase, though
    25AnonymousSep 25, 2026 17:37
    Boy groups that appeared last year:
    King & Prince (ex-Johnny's)
    SixTONES (ex-Johnny's)
    Number_i (Takizawa)
    BE:FIRST (SKY-HI)
    M!LK (Stardust)
    &TEAM (HYBE)
    34AnonymousSep 25, 2026 17:40
    Re: #25
    What about LAPONE and LDH?
    27AnonymousSep 25, 2026 17:37
    Is "MAJ" really such a big deal that an agency would blow up over it?
    At this rate M!LK and EBiDAN could take two slots, Junretsu and MONA-KING another two — plenty of room to spare
    32AnonymousSep 25, 2026 17:39
    They'll just book some K-pop acts
    33AnonymousSep 25, 2026 17:40
    Re: #32
    Maybe they'll call up Ai Takahashi's cousin — he did a TRF cover, after all
    35AnonymousSep 25, 2026 17:41
    The ones who got sidelined after old Johnny's applied pressure were NHK's Yoshihito Shibuya and the Music Station producer

    Producer explains Kohaku's mission and selection criteria: "Showcasing achievements, carrying great songs into the future"
    https://www.oricon.co.jp/confidence/special/52320/
    The shock of Music Station's star producer's departure — Akina Nakamori's first appearance in 30 years and Fujii Kaze's trusted contributions
    https://pinzuba.news/articles/-/17000?page=1
    36AnonymousSep 25, 2026 17:42
    Re: #34
    LDH hasn't appeared in years

    LAPONE had JO1 on from 2022 through 2024, but — whether it was the online-gambling scandal or the two-timing thing, who knows — they got squeezed out by &TEAM and missed out last year
    38AnonymousSep 25, 2026 17:44
    LAPONE's boy groups seem to be doing well these days, but who knows how this'll play out
    39AnonymousSep 25, 2026 17:45
    So Kohaku works by the record label applying to NHK to get an artist on, not the artist themselves
    Here's the Bunshun article:
    "The application window for this year's Kohaku ran from August 17 to September 4, and STARTO asked record labels not to enter any STARTO artists. Right now zero appearances are planned, but NHK is still negotiating with STARTO, hoping to get King & Prince, Aぇ! group, and others to perform."
    43AnonymousSep 25, 2026 17:49
    Re: #39
    Well, in reality it's the record labels paying off Suo to muscle their act into Kohaku
    Since Suo retired, it's unclear how the power dynamics have shifted
    JME's Takito doesn't have nearly the pull Suo did yet
    40AnonymousSep 25, 2026 17:45
    If it was only two groups to begin with, doesn't seem like much of a change
    45AnonymousSep 25, 2026 17:52
    Re: #40
    Before the scandal they had like 5 groups on
    41AnonymousSep 25, 2026 17:45
    Johnny's Countdown leveled up from Fuji TV to a worldwide Netflix stream
    44AnonymousSep 25, 2026 17:50
    King & Prince aren't signed directly to STARTO — they're on an agency contract, so it doesn't add up that the agency would unilaterally turn down work to sabotage them
    49AnonymousSep 25, 2026 17:55
    Johnny's had 4 slots, but there was an old article about [Johnny's exec] Merry demanding NHK and Suo bump it up to 5
    Honestly, that tug-of-war between talent agencies is the real highlight of Kohaku
    50AnonymousSep 25, 2026 17:59
    Re: #45
    Back in the day I remember it was just SMAP and a barely-selling TOKIO on every single year
    62AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:24
    Re: #50
    Yeah, exactly
    KinKi Kids and KAT-TUN fans used to lose it over that all the time
    51AnonymousSep 25, 2026 18:01
    V6 probably never even got to appear, right?

    Background and Key Points

    Appearing on Kohaku isn’t something artists apply for directly — it’s their record label that submits the request to NHK, meaning the agency’s wishes shape things right from the entry stage. Old Johnny’s has been steadily scaling back its Kohaku presence since the founder’s sexual-abuse scandal broke in 2023, and some in the thread recalled around five groups appearing before the scandal. Cases like King & Prince — under an agency contract rather than signed directly to STARTO itself — complicate the picture, leaving it genuinely unclear how far the agency’s influence actually reaches. The thread split between critics saying the agency has been “shamelessly overexposed since TV welcomed it back” and defenders arguing “it’s still in demand because nothing else can replace it” — even opinions on old Johnny’s popularity itself didn’t line up. Note that the negotiation details covered here reflect the situation as of the Bunshun report; as always, the actual Kohaku lineup won’t be confirmed until the official announcement in December.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5channel (Hello! Project board) thread “Is STARTO Entertainment (former Johnny’s) Set for Zero Appearances at “NHK Kohaku”?.”

  • Nippon Broadcasting Takes Top Radio Ratings Spot — 5ch: “Who Knew TBS Would Crash This Hard?”

    Nippon Broadcasting announced that in the Video Research Tokyo-area radio ratings survey for August 24–30, 2026, it took first place in 28 of all 115 programs. Ranking No. 1 in the weekly average, weekday average, and weekend average alike, the result sparked discussion on 5ch about the shows’ lineups. The conversation centered on Hikaru Ijuin’s “undefeated” streak and the decline of once-mighty TBS Radio, with some posts even questioning the ratings survey’s methodology itself.

    Oricon

    2026-09-25 11:53

    Nippon Broadcasting announced on the 25th the results of the Video Research Tokyo-area radio ratings survey conducted from August 24 to 30. Among listeners aged 12–69, men and women combined, it took first place not only in the weekly average but also in the weekday and weekend averages.

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

    3AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:18
    What about Beverly Hiruzu and Naitsu's shows? (TBS Radio programs)
    86AnonymousSep 25, 2026 17:25
    Re: #3
    Because during the day they've got Jane Su, who's huge with women and housewives
    4AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:19
    Monday and Tuesday it's JUNK, huh
    5AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:21
    I always pictured TBS Radio as the stronger one, but I guess Nippon Broadcasting is on top now
    6AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:21
    I heard that on AM you can pick it up as far west as near Numazu
    With a car radio you could probably go even further west
    9AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:22
    Re: #6 I could pick it up on my car radio even inside Shizuoka City
    7AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:22
    Radio ratings surveys are a mess
    What decades-old method is this
    A survey method so outdated 20 years wouldn't even cover how done it is
    34AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:45
    Re: #7
    How do they even run the ratings survey? With radiko you could easily turn it into numbers, but for radio they can't exactly hook people up with a device like they do for TV ratings
    8AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:22
    Losing to Iida — guess Morimoto Kiro's retirement is coming soon (hosts of rival TBS/Nippon Cultural Broadcasting morning shows)
    20AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:33
    TBS seriously needs to shake up the JUNK lineup already
    23AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:37
    Re: #20
    JUNK producer Miyazaki has said they'll keep the current lineup unless a host steps down themselves, so that's not happening
    Take it up with Producer Miyazaki
    25AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:39
    Yuji Miyake's show always breaks out Moomin and Southern All Stars during ratings week, same as ever
    Isn't that actually driving listeners away?
    27AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:41
    Re: #25
    It's not Moomin lol
    You mean Yuming (Yumi Matsutoya)
    29AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:41
    Re: #25
    Wow, Moomin's still that popular today? Amazing
    "Don't be shyyy~" ♪ (a line from the Moomin theme song)
    26AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:40
    Re: #4
    It's always been that way
    40AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:48
    Re: #26
    Gen Hoshino pulled in fans of his who'd never normally listen to Ijuin, and he still lost?
    47AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:52
    Re: #40
    Has Ijuin ever actually lost?
    Even Fukuyama back in his red-hot younger days couldn't beat him, could he
    32AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:44
    Monday, Tuesday, Thursday's All Night Nippon Part 2 is a bust, huh
    Time for a lineup change
    33AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:44
    Re: #32
    It's not unlistenable — better than TBS at least
    41AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:49
    Who knew TBS would crash this hard, this fast
    49AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:52
    Re: #41
    Same show for several hours straight is a bit much
    44AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:50
    Is it actually true TBS was strong because they'd widened the upper age limit of their target demo?
    And that bonus vanished these past few years once enough time passed and those listeners aged out of the bracket
    50AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:52
    Re: #44
    Even so, on Sundays Miyake, Tsuchida, and Tsurube are all still running into a wall named TBS
    52AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:53
    Who's Ichinosuke losing to?
    Don't tell me it's Imada
    74AnonymousSep 25, 2026 17:03
    Re: #52
    Maybe it's Ichizo
    77AnonymousSep 25, 2026 17:08
    Re: #52
    It's Miki Sumiyoshi (TOKYO FM's Blue Ocean), right
    54AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:54
    Yuji Miyake is funny though
    57AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:56
    Re: #54
    From 10 o'clock he's up against Yasumi in the same slot (announcer Shinichiro Yasumi)
    66AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:59
    Re: #54
    He's losing because the competition in that slot is strong, but the ratings themselves aren't bad
    69AnonymousSep 25, 2026 17:00
    Re: #54
    It's no good without Omata
    55AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:56
    Ijuin is the undefeated king
    Bakusho Mondai has only lost to Gen Hoshino twice
    Yamasato used to trade wins and losses with Nogizaka46 but hasn't won in years now
    Ogiyahagi had a stretch of beating Ninety-Nine but that's over now
    Bananaman used to be rock solid too, but they might finish under .500 this year
    Saturdays, Audrey is a lock
    61AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:58
    Re: #55
    I used to listen to Audrey, but Wakabayashi's constant seemingly-bad-mood vibe got to me and I switched to MBS
    58AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:56
    Wasn't AM radio supposed to be going away?
    63AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:58
    Re: #58
    In 2028, every commercial radio station except those in Hokkaido (HBC Radio, STV Radio) and Akita (ABS Radio/Akita Broadcasting) is set to end AM broadcasts
    64AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:58
    Re: #58
    NHK, plus Hokkaido's HBC and STV and Akita Broadcasting, are set to keep going
    62AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:58
    90% of the people listening to Ijuin are just doing it out of habit at this point
    He's not doing anything new
    He's just endlessly running the same "look at me doing pointless stuff, aren't I hilarious" routine
    78AnonymousSep 25, 2026 17:11
    Re: #62
    I don't listen live, but yeah, it's pure habit at this point
    Then again, habit might just be the true nature of radio listening

    Background and Talking Points

    Radio ratings surveys mainly rely on respondents self-reporting which programs they listened to, rather than mechanical measurement like with TV ratings, and the thread raised doubts about this methodology — though no one nailed down exactly how it works. Behind this is the broader industry milestone that AM radio is set to end by around 2028 for all commercial stations except some in Hokkaido and Akita, meaning listening via radiko and other internet routes is expected to grow even more prominent going forward. As for TBS Radio’s decline, the thread floated the theory that it stemmed from the ratings survey’s target age range once being wider, but no follow-up report has confirmed this, so it’s worth treating as speculation.

    *This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Geisports Sokuhou+) thread “[AM1242] Nippon Broadcasting Takes Top Ratings Spot — 28 of 115 Programs Rank No. 1.”

  • Fuji TV President Addresses Harassment Issue on Drama Set: ‘We Will Work to Prevent Recurrence’

    On September 25, 2026, Fuji Television held a presidential press conference at its headquarters in Odaiba, Tokyo, addressing the harassment issue reported on the set of its April-season drama ‘Husband and Wife Separate Surnames Detective.’ In July, the network had published the results of an investigation by outside lawyers following reports concerning actor Jiro Sato and a co-star, and apologized to both parties. On 5channel threads, some users blamed the party said to have repeatedly made contact despite being told beforehand ‘don’t confront them,’ while others argued the fault lay with the production side and the co-star’s camp for failing to put the prohibited actions in writing before filming. Many posts also expressed doubt about how effective the president’s pledge to ‘work to prevent recurrence’ would actually be.

    September 25, 2026, 3:53 PM

    Fuji Television held a presidential press conference at the network’s Odaiba, Tokyo headquarters on the 25th, addressing reports of a harassment issue on the set of one of its April-season dramas.

    In July, following reports from several weekly magazines, the network published a detailed document based on an outside lawyer’s investigation and findings regarding a series of reports concerning actor Jiro Sato and a co-star involved in its April-season drama ‘Husband and Wife Separate Surnames Detective.’ It apologized to both actors, stating, ‘We apologize for the current situation, which has placed a great burden and emotional strain on both actors.’

    Source: hochi.news / Original article here

    2AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:12
    He said he'll 'work to prevent recurrence' — he never said he'd actually prevent it.
    5AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:13
    Sounds like he's implicitly apologizing for how Fuji TV's lawyers handled this.
    7AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:13
    Rehashing this now doesn't do 'Uji' TV (a mocking nickname for Fuji playing on the word for 'maggot') any good at this point.
    12AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:17
    Everyone's piling on Fuji TV, but didn't they already say beforehand 'don't go confront them'?
    The one who went and did it twice anyway after being told not to is 100% in the wrong, if you ask me.
    23AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:23
    Re: #12
    Before we even get to the dressing-room confrontation, the real issue is the producer never set clear rules about what was off-limits during filming beforehand. Though Hashimoto's side didn't communicate things very clearly either.
    13AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:18
    Poor Jiro Sato, being the one who got harassed.
    17AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:19
    'If you'd just told us upfront what you couldn't do, we wouldn't have forced you into it' — just say that properly.
    19AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:20
    Anyone who pushes something onto others that they wouldn't want done to themselves is going straight to hell.
    22AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:22
    Re: #1
    Couldn't they have just let the talent agencies hash it out between themselves instead of the network awkwardly stepping in?
    49AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:39
    Re: #22
    The mistake was Fuji's producer misreading Hashimoto's side saying 'we'll leave it to you' as 'you have free rein.'
    It's basically a threat: 'this is on you now.'
    26AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:25
    Weren't the sets for films directed by Jiro Sato and Tetsuya Nakashima pretty rough too?
    29AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:27
    Feels like they're getting played by some human-rights lawyer.
    31AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:30
    Jiro Sato should really sue lawyer Eguro for intimidation and defamation.
    This is one lawyer way overstepping their bounds.
    32AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:31
    If you're casting actors who just stick to the script, maybe you don't need to spell out the ground rules in advance.
    But if you're casting someone who'll use 'it was improv' as an excuse to get handsy, you'd better set the rules beforehand.
    35AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:32
    Honestly, I still have no idea who did what wrong here.
    51AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:39
    Re: #35
    In the end it wasn't even something worth making a fuss over.
    Just two actors butting heads over acting technique.
    37AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:33
    Aside from what happened on set, let's not forget someone also actively spread this on social media and used dog-whistling to stoke the flames.
    42AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:35
    Whenever a Jiro Sato thread pops up, I always open it and search within the thread for the word 'gaman' (meaning patience/endurance). I only read the posts that turn up, feel satisfied, and close the thread. I don't even look at the rest.
    43AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:36
    Which mouth is this president using to say that?
    47AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:37
    Wouldn't it just be better to replace the president already?
    Nothing's gotten better since Shimizu took over.
    50AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:39
    Re: #47
    If SoftBank's Kitao or Horie got involved, it'd just turn into another Mizoguchi-type mess.
    62AnonymousSep 25, 2026 17:04
    Re: #47
    That's because the outside directors they brought in from outside kept fleeing one after another.
    64AnonymousSep 25, 2026 17:07
    Re: #51
    Then why is Fuji apologizing at all?
    They even went as far as saying they'll work to prevent it happening again.
    74AnonymousSep 25, 2026 17:19
    The president's an anime guy, so between Chiikawa and Demon Slayer alone he's already delivering more than enough results, lol.
    75AnonymousSep 25, 2026 17:20
    Re: #74
    Fuji's just airing both of those — not much money actually flows to them from it.
    77AnonymousSep 25, 2026 17:21
    Everything's backfiring on Fuji.
    They probably expected to get praised for acting fast, but public opinion turned out way more sympathetic to Sato than they expected.
    83AnonymousSep 25, 2026 17:29
    Re: #77
    Turning someone into the villain and blacklisting them isn't 'handling it properly.'
    That's just TV brainwashing, plain old opinion manipulation.
    Though I do agree it spectacularly backfired.
    85AnonymousSep 25, 2026 17:30
    Re: #77
    It's because they tried to use it for a spin-off.
    They were too slow to cut ties, and they never should have let the director defend him either.
    Places like Yahoo comments are full of old people, so you get a lot of harassment apologists there — the 'don't make a fuss over this' type.

    Background and Key Points of This Story

    Fuji Television’s current leadership took over after the previous president resigned to take responsibility for the 2024 controversy involving Masahiro Nakai, and this press conference drew attention as another crisis response while the network is still working to rebuild trust. The outside lawyers’ investigation report released in July reportedly found that the underlying issue was ambiguity over what physical contact was acceptable between the two actors playing a married couple — meaning this isn’t a simple, clear-cut case of one-sided harassment. Early reporting framed the story as one party being at fault, but Fuji itself apologized to both actors for the ‘great burden and emotional strain’ placed on them, and has not framed it as the fault of only one side. On the thread, voices blaming the party said to have repeatedly made contact without consent were matched by voices criticizing the production side and the co-star’s camp for failing to put the rules in writing before filming, with some pointing out that the pledge to ‘work to prevent recurrence’ offers no concrete plan.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5channel (Entertainment/Sports News+) thread “Fuji President Addresses Harassment Issue on Drama Set, ‘Will Work to Prevent Recurrence’… Trouble Between Jiro Sato and Co-star [Ailuropoda melanoleuca★]“.

  • Timelesz’s Shuto Inomata Released, Apologizes Outside Police Station — 5ch Asks: “How Are They Going to Spin This Into a Heartwarming Story?”

    Timelesz member Shuto Inomata, who was arrested on September 18 for punching a female acquaintance in the face and injuring her in a convenience store parking lot in Tokyo’s Koto Ward, was released from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Tokyo Bay (Wangan) Police Station on the afternoon of September 25. Inomata bowed deeply outside the station and apologized, saying, “I am truly, deeply sorry for what happened,” and investigators say a settlement has been reached with the woman. On 5ch, opinions split between those who expect the case to proceed to non-indictment and a return to activities before year’s end after further at-home investigation, and those who point to past cases of idols who left their groups after scandals to argue that “leaving the group would be the appropriate outcome.” Attention is also focused on how the agency will explain the situation going forward.

    Shuto Inomata, a member of the popular idol group “Timelesz” who was arrested on suspicion of punching a female acquaintance in the face and injuring her, was released a short time ago.

    At around 4:30 p.m., Inomata was released and left the Metropolitan Police Department’s Tokyo Bay Police Station after bowing deeply and apologizing in front of it, saying, “I am truly, deeply sorry for what happened.”

    Inomata had been arrested on suspicion of punching a female acquaintance in the face multiple times, injuring her, in the parking lot of a convenience store in Tokyo’s Koto Ward on September 18.

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

    16AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:43
    Getting released from Wangan Police Station… is he pulling off a death-defying promo stunt for 'Bayside Shakedown'? Pretty dedicated for a guy who's not even in the movie. (Wangan/Tokyo Bay station is the famous setting of the "Odoru Daisousasen" cop movie franchise)
    47AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:48
    Re: #16

    Because he caused the incident in Koto Ward.
    18AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:43
    Sounds like it'll be a non-indictment.
    Might be back in the group before the year's out.
    104AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:55
    Re: #18
    Normally he'd just leave the group, like Richard did. (nickname referencing a past idol who quit after a scandal)
    24AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:44
    26AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:45
    Best entry yet in the Johnny's release-apology series.

    If your heart is truly overflowing…
    with genuine, can't-take-it-back remorse…!
    You should be able to prostrate yourself anywhere…!
    Even if that means…
    Searing the flesh…
    Charring the bone…
    right there on the hot iron plate…! (parody of over-the-top cooking-manga narration)
    35AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:46
    Re: #26
    Wasn't that former KAT-TUN's Taguchi?
    Come to think of it, I recently saw news about Taguchi getting married and Tanaka getting out of prison as a model inmate lol
    91AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:54
    Re: #26
    Taguchi's incident happened years after he'd already left both the group and the agency — he was just a private citizen by then.
    But Inomata is still an active member of Timelesz.
    27AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:45
    Just a minor cut inside the mouth wouldn't
    count as "injury" — it'd barely qualify as assault
    He'd lose in court, so of course he caved and settled.
    57AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:48
    Re: #27
    Convenience store employee: "She was bleeding from the nose and had a bruise."
    Yeah, that's a wrap for him…
    32AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:46
    Timelesz's Shuto Inomata, released

    Appearing outside Wangan Police Station, Inomata bowed deeply for about 20 seconds, saying, "I am truly, deeply sorry for what happened." He was arrested on suspicion of punching a woman in the face inside a car in a convenience store parking lot in Koto Ward, Tokyo, around 10:30 p.m. on Friday, September 18.
    https://imgur.com/Rg9NLQn.jpeg
    55AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:48
    Re: #32
    They write "he bowed his head,"
    then post a photo where he's clearly not bowing.
    80AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:51
    Re: #32
    Passing the audition just made him sound impressive and made him seem to shine, but once something like this happens he comes off as less than an ordinary person — no star quality at all.
    188AnonymousSep 25, 2026 17:08
    Re: #32
    Can't imagine the police gave him time to put on makeup, though.
    40AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:47
    First time a Johnny's guy has caused a violent incident, right?
    56AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:48
    Re: #40
    Snow Man's Iwamoto also beat up a fan who'd turned into a stalker, but he never got arrested for it.
    58AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:49
    Re: #40
    He's basically just a regular guy who passed an audition.
    Totally different mentality from the ones who paid their dues as Juniors for years before debuting.
    45AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:47
    > According to investigative sources, a settlement has been reached between Inomata and the woman.
    > Going forward, the investigation will continue with him not in custody.
    So far only Nippon TV is reporting this.
    https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/937d12d2c5746054176b694938e1fd4fd99597c2
    88AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:53
    Re: #45
    NON-INDICTMENT INCOMIIING━━━━(°∀°)━━━━!! (2ch-style excitement face)

    But wait, why's he wearing makeup??
    62AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:49
    He's one of Fujishima's favorites, so
    he'll easily be back in action before the year ends.
    77AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:51
    Re: #62
    The original members who stuck around, sure, but the audition group gets favored too? Ugh.
    69AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:50
    Re: #55
    If he's bowing you probably couldn't even tell who it is.
    Even looking at this photo, what percentage of average people could actually name him?
    175AnonymousSep 25, 2026 17:05
    Re: #69
    lol
    Being held for a whole week is pretty serious in itself.
    81AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:51
    Convenience store clerk: "The injuries were so bad
    I panicked and called it in right away."
    There's no way he's coming back after that…
    86AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:53
    Re: #81
    If they bring him back after this, it'll make the agency look terrible.
    83AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:52
    What's with this recent trend of bowing performances in front of police stations?
    Do they announce it in advance or something?
    87AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:53
    Re: #83
    The media wants to get the shot, so of course they ask in advance.
    89AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:53
    Re: #83
    Nah, this has been going on for more than 10 years.
    Actually, even longer — maybe 20 years. Though even "20 years ago" would already be 2006.
    95AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:54
    If there's already a settlement, all the relevant parties will probably read the room and have him back before the year's out.
    111AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:55
    Re: #95
    Convenience store clerk: "The injuries were so severe
    I frantically called it in."
    No way the sponsors let this slide.
    106AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:55
    How are they even going to spin this into a heartwarming story?
    Handle it wrong and the whole group could end up getting the cold shoulder from the public.
    124AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:57
    Re: #106
    It probably won't turn into a heartwarming story,
    but I bet it gets reduced to something like "he swung his arm away and accidentally hit her."
    There's likely also a decent settlement payment attached, on condition she stays quiet about what happened.
    132AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:59
    Re: #124
    The convenience store clerk already gave an interview, lol
    Testimony was that the injuries were so bad they called it in immediately
    Are they gonna buy that off too?
    139AnonymousSep 25, 2026 17:00
    Re: #132
    If the clerk had just kept quiet, they could've pocketed a few million yen.
    157AnonymousSep 25, 2026 17:03
    Re: #132
    The real question is whether he's valuable enough to the agency to be worth protecting.
    If the agency's punishment ends up being harsher than expected, that means they've decided he's not worth it.
    116AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:56
    There have been a few comedians who came back after violent incidents.
    Wonder how it'll go for an idol.
    126AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:58
    Re: #116
    If he were an NHK announcer, he could kick someone from the back seat of a taxi and still make a comeback.
    192AnonymousSep 25, 2026 17:08
    Re: #116
    Once it gets to the point of arrest, it's probably over for him, right?
    Well, there's Beat Takeshi…
    but that was the Showa era.

    Background and Key Points of This Topic

    Even if a settlement is reached after an arrest on suspicion of assault, that doesn’t automatically guarantee a non-indictment — assault is not a crime that requires the victim’s complaint to prosecute, so prosecutors can independently decide whether to press charges. In this case, reports say the “investigation will continue with him not in custody,” meaning his release from custody does not signal the end of the investigation. Opinion on the thread split between those who treat a “comeback before year’s end” as a foregone conclusion based on the settlement, and more cautious voices who pointed to differences from cases like Junnosuke Taguchi’s or former Snow Man member Iwamoto’s (differences in their affiliation status at the time, and whether they were actually arrested) to argue that “an arrest while still an active member is serious” and that “leaving the group would be the appropriate outcome.” It’s also easy to overlook that bowing and apologizing in front of a police station is essentially a PR performance with no direct bearing on the severity of any actual punishment. Going forward, the focus will be both on the prosecutors’ decision and on how the agency chooses to explain and respond to the situation as a group.

    *This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “[Breaking] Timelesz member Shuto Inomata released [Ailuropoda melanoleuca★].”

  • “Chiikawa” Holds the Throne, “Bayside Shakedown” Debuts at No. 2 — 5ch: “Japanese Live-Action Just Can’t Beat Anime”

    In the box-office rankings released after the Silver Week holidays, “Chiikawa the Movie: Secret of Mermaid Island,” now nearly two months into its run, held on to the No. 1 spot. “Bayside Shakedown N.E.W.: Dash Through Metropolis,” the franchise’s first new film in 14 years, debuted at No. 2 but failed to seize the top spot. Weekend attendance over three days was reportedly a close 643,000 for Chiikawa versus 605,000 for Bayside Shakedown. On the thread, comments ranged from “Japanese movies can’t beat anime” to harsh criticism of the script, differences in bonus-goods marketing, and the aging fanbase of the older franchise.

    Yahoo! Original Article, Fri, Sep 25, 10:15 AM

    With Silver Week over, the movie attendance rankings have been released, and “Chiikawa the Movie: Secret of Mermaid Island” remains in first place. “Bayside Shakedown N.E.W.: Dash Through Metropolis” debuted at No. 2.

    As strong as “Chiikawa” is, it’s already nearly two months into its run, so many expected “Bayside Shakedown” to seize first place with a strong opening rush. But the newly released weekend three-day figures show “Chiikawa” at 643,000 admissions versus “Bayside Shakedown” at 605,000. Attendance over the following three holiday days appears to have been roughly even between the two.

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

    2AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:19
    Japanese live-action just can't beat anime lol
    82AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:41
    Re: #2
    The Chiikawa movie was actually a Fuji TV project, so honestly Fuji TV has zero problem with this outcome.
    3AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:20
    Apparently the script is awful this time (again?) — movie YouTubers are panning it across the board.
    5AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:20
    They should've just made the plot about catching whoever's been bootlegging Chiikawa merch.
    6AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:21
    There used to be a Chinese restaurant that made incredible fried rice.
    After one last big farewell sale, the owner passed away, the shop was torn down, and 15 years went by.
    One day, in a totally different town, a Chinese restaurant opened with the exact same name.
    After choking down ramen that tasted like gutter water, a little side dish of mini fried rice came with it.
    It tasted exactly like it used to.

    I love this review.
    13AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:22
    Re: #6
    Not totally sure I follow, but I think it means: only the fried rice tasted like the old days = only Aoshima (the franchise's lead detective) hasn't changed. Is that the read?
    7AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:21
    In the end it's only people older than the bubble generation who care about this. A lot of them are too old to go to theaters anymore, so you can't expect huge box office either.
    10AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:21
    This franchise is honestly past its expiration date. If kids or young people are watching anything these days, it's mostly Chiikawa.
    11AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:22
    Even I, someone who never goes to the movies, went to see Chiikawa because a friend dragged me along.
    12AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:22
    Jiro Sato was in it.

    Case closed.
    14AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:22
    So it's still got enough pull to land at No. 2 — I figured nobody cared about it anymore.
    16AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:23
    Saw Bayside Shakedown on the 18th, then went for round 5 of Chiikawa's bonus goods on the 19th.
    17AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:23
    Teens: "Never heard of it."
    20s: "What's that?"
    30s: "I feel like my parents mentioned it once."
    40s: "Wasn't that popular a while back?"
    50s: "Oh yeah, there was something like that."
    60s: "I think the young folks used to watch it."
    70s-100s: "I think my kids were watching something like that."
    18AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:24
    I think Bayside Shakedown is something longtime fans watch with a nostalgic grin.
    19AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:24
    It made me wish I could go back to the late '90s through early 2000s.
    Those were good times.
    21AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:24
    Japanese films have never really pulled big box office numbers, have they? Most of what gets called a "masterpiece" is some fossil from the prewar or postwar era. It's basically "has there even been a great Japanese film since The Yellow Handkerchief of Happiness?"
    24AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:26
    The only people still going to see Bayside Shakedown are the ones who followed it back in the day and are now grandpas and grandmas. Pretty much no new fans coming in.
    25AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:26
    Basically every Bayside Shakedown outside the original TV series has been a dud. Even the old-timers from the TV generation must finally be getting sick of it after being fed this much. And this one's a zombie dragged out of the grave of FINAL, which was an absolute disaster of a movie.
    26AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:26
    No. 1: "Chiikawa the Movie: Secret of Mermaid Island"
    No. 2: "Bayside Shakedown N.E.W.: Dash Through Metropolis"
    No. 3: "Detective Pretty Cure the Movie! The Mysterious Garden and the Secret of Two"
    No. 4: "The Odyssey"
    No. 5: "The Village of Eight Gravestones"
    No. 6: "Super Kaguya-hime!"
    No. 7: "Swan and Bat"
    No. 8: "Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie: Walpurgisnacht Rising"
    No. 9: "Backrooms"
    No. 10: "Look Back"
    31AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:28
    Re: #26
    Pretty Cure's got real strength, huh — movies the whole family tags along to really rack up the head count.
    42AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:31
    The Odyssey is stupidly good. The story was basically a buff-alpha-male version of Chiikawa.
    55AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:35
    Re: #42
    That's a movie that's not for everyone — you probably need to know the source story to some degree to get it.
    58AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:36
    Re: #31
    This season's Pretty Cure was good. It's made for little kids, but there's something in it that pulls adults in too.
    74AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:40
    Re: #58
    Is that right? My kids outgrew the Pretty Cure age so I stopped watching, but I guess they're working in stuff that appeals to adults too, to keep the series going.
    59AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:36
    Well, of course there's a gap between something that was popular back then and something popular right now. And on top of that, Chiikawa is pulling in crowds with bonus-goods marketing before the content even factors in. Live-action films can't compete with that.
    80AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:41
    Re: #59
    Huh?

    61AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:37
    14 years between films is way too long a gap — way too many of the old characters are gone now.
    71AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:39
    Re: #61
    And the new members they added aren't exactly inspired casting either.
    68AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:38
    Re: #59
    I pointed out that Bayside Shakedown has bonus goods too, but for some reason nobody replied.
    86AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:41
    Re: #68
    The value of the bonuses is on a completely different level. To scalpers, resale value goes Chiikawa >>>>> Bayside Shakedown's Yuji Oda.
    69AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:39
    Bayside Shakedown's bonus goods are lame.
    84AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:41
    Re: #69
    Why would it still lose even if the bonus goods made the ticket effectively free?
    83AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:41
    Chiikawa needs to get Jiro Sato in the next one too.
    96AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:45
    Re: #83
    Can't reach him, so that's not happening.
    87AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:42
    Bayside Shakedown was only good through the first movie. Once it started doing character-fanservice stuff it got creepy — like "this is what you guys wanted, right?"
    94AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:44
    Re: #87
    But isn't Bayside Shakedown itself locked into the Aoshima character too? It's all spin-offs, and new characters never get to lead the main series — meaning it's basically the same "push Aoshima and it'll sell" logic…
    88AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:43
    Watching the recent Bayside Shakedown movies, I honestly think it'd land better if they let a younger generation reboot it. Though maybe it doesn't matter since the fanbase is all middle-aged and elderly guys anyway.
    99AnonymousSep 25, 2026 16:45
    Re: #88
    Not a reboot exactly, but when Dangerous Detectives (Abunai Deka) was remade by a younger generation of staff, it became a smash hit. If Bayside Shakedown were handed to someone from director Motohiro's son's generation, it probably would've turned out better too.

    Background and Points of Discussion

    “Bayside Shakedown” began as a TV drama in 1998, and this marks the first entirely new theatrical film since 2012’s “THE FINAL.” The sheer length of this “14-year gap” is itself what drove thread comments pointing to a failure to bring in new fans. Meanwhile, “Chiikawa” has already been in theaters for nearly two months and is still holding a top ranking — meaning this isn’t a simple comparison of opening performances, but a match-up between a film on a long run versus a brand-new debut, a nuance the article text alone doesn’t make obvious. The thread split between opinions criticizing the quality of the content and opinions noting that some audiences turn out purely for nostalgia toward the series, with quite a few comments also pointing to differences in the resale value of bonus merchandise as a factor in the box office gap.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Entertainment/Sports News+) thread ““Chiikawa” Holds Its Fortress, “Bayside Shakedown” Fails to Debut at No. 1… A New Film After 14 Years — Is This a Fair Result Given the Mixed Reviews?.”

  • Cover Corp Hikes First-Half Profit Forecast 76%, But Stock Drops Anyway — 5ch: ‘It’s Tanking, Though?’

    After the market close on September 24, Cover Corporation (5253, TSE Growth) announced it was raising its ordinary income forecast for the first half (April–September) of the fiscal year ending March 2027 from ¥1.93 billion to ¥3.4 billion — a 76.2% upward revision. That works out to 27.2% profit growth year-on-year, putting the company on track for its highest first-half profit in two fiscal years — yet its full-year forecast of ¥7 billion was left unchanged. The announcement landed on the same day a new Hololive talent held her debut stream, adding to the buzz, but on 5ch, posters pointed out that the stock had actually fallen, with comments like “It’s tanking, though?” Replies piled up debating why the stock got sold off despite the strong earnings.

    1AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:27
    Whoaaaa!!
    3AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:29
    Cover <5253> [TSE Growth] announced an earnings revision after the market close (4:00 PM) on September 24.
    The company revised its forecast for cumulative ordinary income (non-consolidated) for the first half (April–September) of the fiscal year ending March 2027, from a previous ¥1.93 billion to ¥3.4 billion (versus ¥2.67 billion in the same period last year) — a 76.2% upward revision.
    That's a sharp turnaround to 27.2% profit growth, putting the company on track to post its highest first-half profit in two fiscal years.
    Meanwhile, the full-year ordinary income forecast was left unchanged at the previous ¥7 billion (versus ¥7.06 billion last fiscal year).
    4AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:30
    It's tanking, though?
    5AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:30
    An oil tycoon, snapped up by the rich.
    7AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:36
    Well yeah, they beat by ¥2.5 billion and still left the full-year forecast unchanged — that's way too cautious, no wonder it's getting sold off.
    9AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:38


    For reference, back when Amane Kanata (a Hololive talent) graduated, she alone wiped out ¥6.5 billion in market cap.
    14AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:49
    Reply to Re: #9:
    Yeah, that's exactly why they basically don't want any of their talents to quit.
    10AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:40
    They already put out a mobile game — is there anything left for them to expand into?
    Is there any growth potential left at all?
    12AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:47
    Reply to Re: #10:
    Let's release a PC metaverse game.
    11AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:43
    How'd the Hololive trading card game actually turn out?
    13AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:48
    I mean, the stock should at least go up on a rookie's debut day, come on.
    15AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:49
    That's gotta be a lie-peko (a riff on Usada Pekora's catchphrase 'peko').
    16AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:49
    Duel Masters and Yu-Gi-Oh have already been claimed by Nijisanji, so they rolled out a Magic: The Gathering-themed VTuber instead.
    But can the "Hololive piggies" (a derogatory nickname for hardcore Hololive fans) actually keep up?
    Magic's a world where a single deck can run you hundreds of thousands of yen.
    18AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:53
    Reply to Re: #16:
    Male viewers just cheer from under the kotatsu, but female viewers actually go out and work for their oshi.
    20AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:54
    Reply to Re: #16:
    MTG? Doesn't seem like there's anyone around with enough know-how to even coach her, so it probably won't take off.
    90AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:02
    Reply to Re: #16:
    Just grab a Commander deck and you can easily get started for around ¥30,000.
    17AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:52
    Shigure Ui is holding her debut stream from Hololive today!!

    19AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:54
    Which one's bigger, Hololive or Nijisanji?
    21AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:55
    Ow, hot hot lol (a pun on "atchichi" and the crackling-fire sound "mera") — Mera-chan's definitely gonna blow up.
    22AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:55
    Reply to Re: #21:
    I do like the name, at least.
    115AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:05
    The two who debuted yesterday looked promising, and yet the stock's still dropping?
    218AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:17
    Reply to Re: #1:
    I was screening stocks on Market Speed (a trading platform) too, and about jumped when I saw Cover down roughly 10%.

    Background and Key Points

    Cover is a VTuber talent agency listed on the TSE Growth market. It raised its ordinary income forecast for the first half (April–September) of the fiscal year ending March 2027 from ¥1.93 billion to ¥3.4 billion — a 76.2% upward revision — marking 27.2% year-on-year profit growth and its highest first-half profit in two fiscal years. At the same time, it left its full-year forecast of ¥7 billion (versus ¥7.06 billion in actual results the previous year) unchanged. This combination — a blowout first half paired with an unrevised full-year outlook — appears to have triggered selling from investors worried the good news was already priced in, or that growth will slow in the second half. What fueled the thread was the mismatch between what should have been “great news” — a rookie debut plus strong earnings — and the stock actually falling, with the mocking thread title clashing with the real market reaction. Cover has also seen its market cap swing by billions of yen in the past purely on news of a single talent’s graduation, a reminder of the unusual structure in which an intangible individual VTuber can directly move a listed company’s stock price. Without that context, all that’s left is the simple question: “the earnings were great, so why did it drop?”

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Nandemo Jikkyo G) thread “Hololive’s stock price explodes on new talent addition + record-high sales outlook wwwwwwwwww”.

  • Takafumi Horie Baffled by ‘I Hate Him But I Like Him’ Comment — 5chers: ‘Why’s He So Bothered?’

    Entrepreneur Takafumi Horie shared on X that he’d stayed at a “high-end sushi restaurant you can stay overnight at” in Imizu City, Toyama Prefecture. In response, a regular user wrote, “I hate Horiemon, but just for spotlighting Toyama, I might end up liking him.” Horie shot back with a question: “Why bother saying you hate me at all?” — and the exchange blew up on 5ch. In the thread, opinions split: some found it surprising that Horie, who’s supposed to have thick skin against criticism, bothered to respond at all; others coldly noted that given his usual behavior, being disliked is only natural; and still others took issue with the very habit of prefacing a compliment with “I hate you.”

    Entrepreneur Takafumi Horie posted on X (formerly Twitter) on the 24th, raising a question about a comment directed at him.

    It started when Horie shared on X that he’d stayed at a “high-end sushi restaurant you can stay overnight at” in Shinminato, Imizu City, Toyama Prefecture.

    In response to the post, a regular X user commented, “I hate Horiemon, but just for spotlighting Toyama, I might end up liking him.”

    Source: ggtnews.net / Original article here

    5AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:30
    Guess even Horiemon gets bothered by being called ‘hated’ lol
    6AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:31
    Probably because anyone who says they like him gets treated like a weirdo
    8AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:31
    And besides, they never actually said they liked him
    13AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:32
    He's an ex-con (a jab combining ‘Horiemon’ with 前科, meaning ‘prior conviction’) — guess he hasn't learned any humility
    15AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:32
    I hate Horiemon, but if he gave me 100,000 yen I'd probably like him
    So it's only a little bit of hate, huh
    16AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:33
    What a petty guy
    17AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:33
    That's literally what you do all the time — slapping an ‘I hate this’ disclaimer on your opinions
    Does this guy not own a mirror?
    18AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:33
    Horiemon's shadiness is off the charts too. I saw a documentary that followed him around back in the Livedoor days — the guy would turn into a sulking kid just because the internet wasn't working in the morning
    21AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:33
    Saying ‘I might end up liking him’
    means they don't like him yet
    So it's either ‘I hate him’ or ‘neither like nor hate’

    Going from hate to like
    and going from neutral to like
    those are probably very different journeys
    22AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:34
    Horiemon's greatest quotes

    • Cried 4 times watching Poupelle (his animated film)

    • Jungle-ia Okinawa is fun (his theme park)

    • This token is amazing
    23AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:34
    ‘Might end up liking him’ → Nope, couldn't do it!!
    25AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:35
    He should just eat his veggies, drink some milk, and calm down
    27AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:35
    He probably just wants to stress that ‘I'm in the negatives right now, but getting closer to zero’
    28AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:35
    Bare minimum, at least be self-aware that people generally hate you lol
    29AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:35
    Don't act all hurt like you're somebody
    32AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:36
    He never says anything but stuff that gets him hated
    so why's this guy so bothered by it lol
    33AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:36
    It's the ‘delinquent version’ of the effect where a bad boy doing one good thing gets his rep boosted
    52AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:48
    He was promoting Jungle-ia too, if I recall
    though that one's not exactly a lucky charm lol
    73AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:57
    Re: #52
    Honestly, that's kind of what set things off, right
    54AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:49
    Let's stop slapping ‘-emon’ onto ‘pig’ — it's disrespectful to Fujiko Fujio (creator of Doraemon)
    Unless you're using it to mean ‘dozaemon’ (slang for a drowned corpse), in which case, fine
    57AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:50
    Pot calling the kettle black much (‘look who's talking’)
    Does he not realize he's the one who always says stuff he doesn't need to say?

    Background and Key Points of This Story

    Beyond his work as an entrepreneur and media personality, Horie has a criminal conviction for violating the Securities and Exchange Law (the Livedoor scandal), and he’s frequently in the news for his blunt remarks on TV and social media. The nickname “Zenka-mon” used in the thread (a pun combining “Horiemon” with 前科, meaning “prior conviction”) isn’t mere slander — it’s a jab rooted in this well-known fact about his past, something readers unfamiliar with the reference might misread as a baseless insult. What sparked this particular discussion was the divide in how people read a common online phrasing pattern: prefacing a compliment with “I hate you.” In the thread, some saw it as petty that Horie, who’s supposedly used to criticism, bothered to respond at all; others said the split reaction is only natural given his usual conduct; and still others pointed out that “I might end up liking him” itself signals a subtle distance — he’s still not liked yet. The responses ranged well beyond a simple nitpick over wording.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “Takafumi Horie questions comment ‘I hate Horiemon but I might end up liking him,’ asking ‘Why bother saying you hate me at all?’.”

  • ‘The Two Who Smoke Behind the Supermarket’ Finale Sparks Cries of ‘Bring On Season 2’

    The TV anime “The Two Who Smoke Behind the Supermarket” reached its finale on September 24, 2026, airing 30 minutes later than usual. The series, which portrays the relationship between a middle-aged man and a woman in her twenties, drew a wave of reactions on social media after it ended, with fans posting things like “I cried so hard,” “Thank you for these happy times,” and “Please give us a Season 2.” On the official X account, the directors even ran a special event, posting behind-the-scenes commentary in real time as the episode aired. On 5ch, though, the praise wasn’t universal — some threads pointed out that “it’s just been repeating the content of episode 1 the whole way through,” criticizing the slow pace of the source material, while others said they’d dropped the show partway through. Opinions were split. The threads also lit up with casting debates over who should play the leads in a hypothetical live-action adaptation.

    The 12th episode of the TV anime “The Two Who Smoke Behind the Supermarket” (Episode 12, the finale) — “The Two Who Keep Going Behind the Supermarket” — aired on Thursday, September 24, 2026. The broadcast ran 30 minutes later than its usual slot, but many viewers were waiting regardless, posting things like “Already feeling the loss before it even starts” and “Today I’m definitely watching live.” The official X account also held a “real-time viewing party,” with the directors posting comments and behind-the-scenes tidbits as the episode aired.

    The anime, nicknamed “Yani Suu” (Smoking), closed out its run to a chorus of praise: “Thank you for these happy times,” “Best three months ever!,” “So satisfying,” “I cried so hard,” “I want to keep watching this forever, next week and beyond.” Social media is already flooded with calls for more: “Season 2… please, give us Season 2…!,” “Please give us Season 2!,” “This absolutely needs a Season 2!!,” “I’ll wait however many years it takes.” Whether fans will get the chance to see “The Two Who Keep Going Behind the Supermarket” again remains to be seen… As for this writer, being a non-smoker, I’ll just wait eagerly while snacking on some tasty rice crackers.

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

    4AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:34
    I only know the synopsis, but did she actually blurt out
    'that's me' in it?
    15AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:37
    Re: #4
    She suspects it, but hasn't said anything.
    5AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:35
    Creepy structure where middle-aged guys project themselves onto the male lead
    7AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:36
    I thought 'Mii-chan and Yamada-san' was about this
    8AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:36
    Guys who smoke look like the type who'd watch baseball
    9AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:36
    Spinoff

    Three People Drinking Canned Beer Behind the Driving School
    10AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:36
    Oh, the Netflix one?
    This is actually good
    13AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:36
    People who started smoking after watching this anime increased, huh
    16AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:37
    For a live-action version, who'd play opposite Hiroshi Tamaki?
    64AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:00
    Re: #16
    Mei Nagano (heated tobacco device) https://image.news.livedoor.com/newsimage/stf/3/f/3fa2b_249_20240130011.jpg
    17AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:38
    I watched up through about episode 3,
    but the pacing was so slow I dropped it — still, I'm curious how it ends, so I recorded the finale. Is it good??
    34AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:45
    Re: #17
    If you only watch the finale it won't make sense, delete that recording right now
    18AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:38
    I just read the newest chapter and thought 'wait, it's not over yet!' — oh, they mean the anime lol
    49AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:51
    Re: #18
    As a manga reader, it's like 'Anime finale? What's that?' lol
    19AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:38
    Oh, it's on Netflix?
    I've been curious, might give it a watch
    20AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:38
    Re: #16
    If Anna Tsuchiya were around 20
    22AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:38
    Re: #1
    Between this and 'Smoking Cat' (a separate viral cat character), is smoking trending or something lol
    23AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:39
    An unlucky anime that got completely overshadowed by 'Smoking Cat'
    26AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:40
    Re: #23
    Wait, they're different? lol
    25AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:39
    I've only read the manga so I don't know if the anime included it,
    but there's a scene where the women rate the men like a beauty pageant — made me realize this kind of thing is still fine as long as the genders are flipped
    27AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:40
    By the way, if a celebrity smokes on TV it gets complaints and WHO warnings, but anime gets a pass?
    28AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:42
    It was good —
    a genuine romance between a man just under 50 and a woman in her mid-20s,
    but the content felt oddly aimed at a young audience
    29AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:42
    A 'third place' story about a middle-aged guy moping around
    32AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:43
    If these two actually dated, I bet the guy would get sarcasm and violence from her every single day
    33AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:45
    One of those typical manga that's all viral-bait setup and nothing else, from old Twitter
    from episode 1 all the way to episode 12's finale, it's just been repeating the content of episode 1 the whole time
    they just diluted the viral bit and stretched it out forever
    37AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:47
    One of my little joys has come to an end

    By the way,
    where's Ishura Season 3,
    I Parry Everything Season 2,
    and Kinnikuman Perfect Origin Arc Season 3?
    41AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:49
    Re: #37
    They're all such polarizing shows, I can't tell if you're joking for laughs or dead serious lol
    51AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:52
    This is a show anti-smokers and virgins hate
    63AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:00
    Re: #51
    Huh, it doesn't smell so I watched it just fine
    66AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:02
    Re: #51
    I hate smoking too, but is there really anyone who confuses a fun anime with real life?
    52AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:53
    I was looking forward to it, but ended up dropping it partway through.
    The middle-aged male lead was too pure/naive, so I couldn't really get invested.
    61AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:58
    Re: #52,53
    Yeah, that's really the whole problem right there
    54AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:54
    That was truly the best finale
    67AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:03
    If both Yamada and Tayama confessed to you, which would you pick?
    70AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:05
    Re: #67
    It's basically got to be Tayama, no other real option — that's the issue
    78AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:09
    Am I right that this is pretty rough/hardcore content aimed at smokers?
    86AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:10
    Re: #78
    Not even close — this is the kind of show where even people who normally can't stand anything cigarette-related suddenly start calling it 'so emotional' once it's animated
    88AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:11
    People compare it like 'Smoking Cat is dirty, the Supermarket one is classy,'

    but either way they both reek of cigarettes
    93AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:12
    Re: #88
    There's a girl like that at my workplace, but that indescribable chemical smell from her IQOS (heated tobacco device)…

    Background and Key Points of Discussion

    “The Two Who Smoke Behind the Supermarket” reportedly started life as a single-panel comic that went viral on social media, before being expanded into a serialized manga and later an anime — the TV series ran for 12 episodes over three months. Where opinions in the thread split was mainly the pacing: criticism that “it’s just been stretching out the content of episode 1 the whole time” coexisted with praise for how “it took its time developing the relationship, and that was great.” Several posts also confused the show with “Smoking Cat,” an unrelated cat character that separately went viral on social media — the two are easy to mix up but have nothing to do with each other. There was also some back-and-forth over the show’s depiction of smoking itself, though the backdrop here is that anime, unlike live-action TV, faces much looser regulation around depicting smoking.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “‘The Two Who Smoke Behind the Supermarket’ Finale Is Too Emotional — A Storm of Praise!! ‘I Cried So Hard,’ ‘Thank You for the Happiness,’ ‘Please Give Us Season 2!’.”

  • NHK Mixes Up “Mainland China” and “the Chugoku Region,” Apologizes On Air — 5ch Dives Into the Origins of Japan’s Place Names

    On its September 25, 2026 broadcast, NHK’s morning show “Ohayo Nippon” misspoke during a weather segment about the origins of the Mid-Autumn harvest moon, saying “the Chugoku region” (a region of Japan) when it meant to say “mainland China” — and corrected itself with an on-air apology. The slip-up sent 5ch down a rabbit hole of place-name trivia: why is Japan’s “Chugoku” region, which has nothing to do with China, called “Chugoku” (literally “middle kingdom”) in the first place? Commenters traded competing theories about the origins of the “San’in” and “Sanyo” sub-regions and ancient geographic divisions.

    NHK’s “Ohayo Nippon” Apologizes On Air, Corrects Misinformation: Misspoke on “China” Origin, “Our Apologies”

    September 25, 2026, 10:16 AM

    NHK’s morning news program “Ohayo Nippon” issued a correction on its September 25 broadcast after conveying incorrect information during a weather segment.

    Source: sponichi.co.jp / Original article here

    4AnonymousSep 25, 2026 10:26
    Re: #1
    Guess whatever's on your mind day-to-day just slips right out.
    95AnonymousSep 25, 2026 11:41
    Re: #4
    Yeah, probably
    They probably think everything originated in Japan
    12AnonymousSep 25, 2026 10:31
    Re: #1
    Though "mainland China" doesn't technically exist either
    50AnonymousSep 25, 2026 10:56
    Re: #12
    True enough
    Very fitting for NHK, mouthpiece of the CCP
    13AnonymousSep 25, 2026 10:31
    Not Nonoka — it's Monne who's gotta strip down and apologize, right? (apparent joke mixing up two on-air personalities)
    15AnonymousSep 25, 2026 10:32
    Just hire a bunch of livestream chat posters for real-time captioning and proofreading.

    The fact that reruns and streaming versions still haven't fixed it is just laziness.
    17AnonymousSep 25, 2026 10:33
    NHK's probably the only broadcaster that does this, but in weather reports the "Chugoku" in "Chugoku-Shikoku" is always said as "the Chugoku region," and it's labeled that way on screen too
    like "Kinki, Chugoku region, Shikoku, Kyushu."
    The forecaster says "Chugoku region" all the time normally, so they probably just went on autopilot.
    21AnonymousSep 25, 2026 10:34
    Re: #1
    Name the actual country from that era.
    Also, if we're being picky, it should've been a slip for "Asian continent," not "mainland China."
    22AnonymousSep 25, 2026 10:34
    Staff are all useless nepotism hires, so this is what you get.
    24AnonymousSep 25, 2026 10:36
    Re: #1
    Even without saying "mainland China," couldn't they have just gone with "kanji came from China"?
    29AnonymousSep 25, 2026 10:38
    Re: #24
    The people in China today are just the ones who happen to live on the mainland now — a different lineage from whoever actually invented kanji.
    34AnonymousSep 25, 2026 10:40
    Re: #1
    The San'in and Sanyo sub-regions within Chugoku

    Why are they called "San'in" (mountain-shade) and "Sanyo" (mountain-sun) anyway?
    43AnonymousSep 25, 2026 10:53
    Re: #34
    This one's easy (´^ω^`) — for the Chugoku mountain range,
    the north side (Tottori~Shimane) gets less sunlight, so it's "San'in" (mountain shade),
    the south side (Okayama~Hiroshima) gets more sun, so it's "Sanyo" (mountain sun).
    Asked an AI for part of this (´^ω^`;)
    53AnonymousSep 25, 2026 10:58
    Re: #34
    Chinese naming convention:
    north of a mountain / south of a river = "yin" (shade),
    north of a river / south of a mountain = "yang" (sun).

    Basic knowledge if you've studied world history — Chinese city names are full of yin/yang once you count the obscure ones.

    North of the Luo River is "Luoyang," south of the Huai River is "Huaiyin."
    58AnonymousSep 25, 2026 11:02
    Re: #34
    It's split by the Chugoku mountain range — north side is "yin," south side is "yang."
    35AnonymousSep 25, 2026 10:41
    "Me, I was born in China — Hiroshima, that is." (an old comedy bit playing on the double meaning of "Chugoku")
    37AnonymousSep 25, 2026 10:41
    The phrase "sankan-shion" (three cold days, four warm days), which NHK weather reports helped popularize, also actually originated in Northeast China — it originally described temperature swings in the dead of winter, not the transition from winter to spring, so that's another bit of misinformation that got spread around.
    39AnonymousSep 25, 2026 10:46
    Monne-tan (an affectionate nickname) messed up? No problem at all.
    40AnonymousSep 25, 2026 10:47
    I figured this was common-knowledge stuff, but then again, is moon-viewing on the 15th of the 8th lunar month even still a living tradition at this point?
    49AnonymousSep 25, 2026 10:56
    Re: #40
    For some reason the Mid-Autumn harvest moon always lands on a "butsumetsu" day (the unluckiest day on the traditional calendar)
    45AnonymousSep 25, 2026 10:54
    Come to think of it, Hiroshima and that area are clearly way out on the edge of Japan by any measure, so it's kind of weird to call that region "Chugoku" (literally "middle country").
    55AnonymousSep 25, 2026 11:00
    Re: #45
    Back in ancient times, Kinki through Kyushu was the whole known world, and that area sat right in the middle of it.
    67AnonymousSep 25, 2026 11:15
    There's no such thing as a "China continent" to begin with — it's just the Eurasian continent. "European continent" doesn't really make sense either.
    72AnonymousSep 25, 2026 11:18
    Re: #67
    Now that you mention it, yeah lol
    By that logic, Japan — surrounded by ocean — would be the "Japan continent" too lol
    79AnonymousSep 25, 2026 11:25
    Re: #1
    So why did the Chugoku region end up called "Chugoku" when it has nothing to do with China?
    81AnonymousSep 25, 2026 11:29
    Re: #79
    I think "China" only started being called "Chugoku" (in Japanese) after World War II.
    92AnonymousSep 25, 2026 11:37
    Re: #79
    It was called "Chugoku" (middle country) because it sat between the Kinai region and the Dazaifu government office out in Kyushu.
    82AnonymousSep 25, 2026 11:30
    Re: #74
    Even China's own "Zhongguo" ("middle kingdom") has been in use as a name since ancient times.
    By the way, Japan has also long used the term "Chugoku" for something other than this region — ancient Japanese used "Chugoku" to refer to their own country.
    90AnonymousSep 25, 2026 11:36
    Re: #82
    It seems like it wasn't so much used as a "country/region name" — more that "Chugoku" was used to mean "within the realm."

    Background and Talking Points

    The name “Chugoku region” became a topic of discussion thanks to this on-air slip, but even within the thread, no single theory won out. Several explanations circulated side by side: that the area sat midway between the Kinai region and the Dazaifu government office in Kyushu; that it ties into the Chinese “yin-yang” naming convention (which splits place names into “shade” and “sun” based on position relative to mountains and rivers); and that “Chugoku” was originally used in ancient Japan simply to mean “within the realm.” None of these were presented as settled fact — they were just individual opinions posted in the thread. One point readers can easily get wrong is that the name “Chugoku region” has no direct historical connection to the country name of today’s People’s Republic of China, and NHK’s slip-up stems from exactly that kind of confusion. Some commenters in the thread suggested that because weather forecasters routinely say “Chugoku region” on the job, whoever was reading the script simply mixed it up out of habit. Comments touching on political topics — such as opinions of Takaichi, the “Shina” epithet for China, or claims of Korean origin — were excluded from this article.

    ※This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports Breaking News+) thread “NHK’s “Ohayo Nippon” Apologizes On Air, Corrects Misinformation: Misspoke “Mainland China” as “Chugoku Region”.”