Japan Reacts

Category: Entertainment

  • Karin Miyamoto Opens Up on Solo Career: ‘I Thought Good Shows Would Keep Bringing Fans Back’

    Karin Miyamoto, formerly of Juice=Juice, opened up on her blog about a recent show at Zepp, revealing: “When I first went solo, I thought that if I put on good shows, fans would just keep coming back next time. But reality wasn’t that kind.” The post was picked up on 5ch’s Hello! Project board and sparked mixed reactions. Some in the thread defended the idea that “good shows should draw crowds,” while others countered that “it’s not that simple in an era when ticket prices are high and fans have to prioritize living expenses,” and that “how a member leaves her group affects her drawing power afterward.” The discussion turned into a broader debate about the difficulties of a solo idol career.

    Today I want to write a little about the Zepp show.

    Just a few thoughts.

    I, Miyamoto,

    Source: ameblo.jp / Original post here

    2AnonymousSep 24, 2026 18:42
    TRIANGROOOVE2
    Crimson×Azure
    Queen of Hearts
    UP TO 11
    5ROOMS
    Has Karin Miyamoto ever put on a solo show that rivals any of those?
    24AnonymousSep 24, 2026 19:19
    Re: #2
    If only Karin Miyamoto could split into all 11 members, huh…
    13AnonymousSep 24, 2026 19:03
    She thought she was the one leaving Juice=Juice behind — turns out she was the one who got left behind.
    14AnonymousSep 24, 2026 19:04
    A one-two combo she never saw coming: casual fans who were never on her radar, plus longtime fans drifting away ("ツープラトン" = tag-team combo, borrowed from pro wrestling).
    16AnonymousSep 24, 2026 19:09
    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HS-VnvHaYAANoo8.jpg?name=orig
    66AnonymousSep 24, 2026 20:18
    Re: #16
    Wait, is Karin-chan actually losing on ticket sales?
    18AnonymousSep 24, 2026 19:12
    Once she said "I'm quitting to do DIY," she should've kept putting out some kind of DIY content for a while afterward, even fake if needed. If she'd kept it going, the pandemic would've hit like a bonus stage — she could've reeled in a ton of new fans stuck at home with nothing to do.
    34AnonymousSep 24, 2026 19:29
    Re: #18
    She could've become a DIY idol, like those camping-themed comedy talents.
    19AnonymousSep 24, 2026 19:13
    Wouldn't AI make more money than this?
    20AnonymousSep 24, 2026 19:15
    Everyone's talking like she gave it her all, but is she actually putting on shows good enough to satisfy the audience?
    21AnonymousSep 24, 2026 19:16
    Selling tickets by hand outside Juice=Juice's own live venues
    22AnonymousSep 24, 2026 19:18
    Re: #21
    Couldn't some volunteer fans just hand out flyers for her?
    26AnonymousSep 24, 2026 19:20
    Well, of course, given the way she left — Juice=Juice fans who support the group as a whole aren't going to follow her.
    28AnonymousSep 24, 2026 19:23
    "Hito Sore" is a song that only really works because of Miyamoto (a track from her Juice=Juice days).
    29AnonymousSep 24, 2026 19:26
    Even the view count on the "Hito Sore" MV — the one thing she still had going for her — has now been padded past by the "Moremi" live footage.
    31AnonymousSep 24, 2026 19:27
    The agency only started really pushing her after she'd already quit — no wonder it messed her up.
    33AnonymousSep 24, 2026 19:29
    I don't know how people who don't follow their former favorite feel about it, but if you were supporting the group as a whole, unless she was your absolute number-one favorite, you're not going to have the bandwidth to keep following her after she graduates. Money and time are both limited.
    36AnonymousSep 24, 2026 19:32
    This is the same old delusion OGs have had going back to the Melon Kinenbi era.
    37AnonymousSep 24, 2026 19:33
    Really glad the current members are the ones getting rewarded for once.
    38AnonymousSep 24, 2026 19:36
    It's strange, isn't it — even with reduced capacity during the pandemic, her graduation concert at Budokan was packed enough that my assigned seat was in the very back row. Then again, I've only been to one of her solo shows myself.
    39AnonymousSep 24, 2026 19:38
    "Solo-only" fans aren't as common as idols themselves seem to think. It's more that you fall for the songs and the group's overall vibe, then end up rooting for whichever member resonates most within that. Actually following her out of the group is pretty rare — like how few parents stay glued to a kid who's moved out and started living alone.
    42AnonymousSep 24, 2026 19:41
    Graduating from a group is a turning point for the fans too, not just the member. It comes down to three choices: quit being a fan altogether along with her, switch to a new favorite, or keep following her solo. Sure, you still care how she's doing since you used to support her, but whether you actually spend money on her is a separate question.
    45AnonymousSep 24, 2026 19:45
    If she'd wrapped things up and graduated the way Aarii did — giving it her all with everyone sad to see her go — I'd have kept cheering her on. ("Aarii" is another idol's nickname.)
    46AnonymousSep 24, 2026 19:46
    She could've just started with wallpapering or painting one wall of her room. Then built a wall rack to match that color, and so on. Even in a rental where you can't damage the original walls, there were plenty of options, like buying pegboard panels.
    47AnonymousSep 24, 2026 19:46
    It's the audience who decides whether a show was actually good.
    48AnonymousSep 24, 2026 19:51
    I liked her as a group member, but as a solo act… not so much.
    49AnonymousSep 24, 2026 19:57
    Why did she even leave M-line, anyway?
    Also, it's about time her stage outfits went for a bit more of a mature look — the live vibe from her "karing" era was fine as it was.
    50AnonymousSep 24, 2026 19:58
    She started out trying to transition into being an artist, but partway through she went back to being an idol.
    52AnonymousSep 24, 2026 20:01
    So basically, the agency never ran a "please remember Karin Miyamoto" campaign for her.
    53AnonymousSep 24, 2026 20:04
    A "good show" is ultimately just karaoke when you get down to it. The ticket prices are just too high.
    54AnonymousSep 24, 2026 20:05
    If Karin-chan comes back to Juice=Juice, I'll go!
    68AnonymousSep 24, 2026 20:21
    I used to go to her release events, up through around "Lonely Bus" or so, but I've completely stopped going now.
    72AnonymousSep 24, 2026 20:26
    Re: #68
    Why'd you stop going? \(^o^)/

    Background and Key Points of This Discussion

    Karin Miyamoto graduated from Juice=Juice in 2020, and her stated reason at the time — wanting to pursue DIY — became a talking point. The thread repeatedly brings up the circumstances of that graduation (No. 18), with many arguing that the way she left has shaped how many fans stuck with her afterward. The debate split into two main camps: one supporting the simple cause-and-effect view that “good shows draw crowds,” and another taking a more economic view — that given high ticket prices and fans prioritizing daily living costs, show quality alone can’t explain turnout. Comments like No. 39 and No. 42 also point to a structural pattern specific to idol fandom: a member who was popular within her group isn’t necessarily still followed as a personal favorite after graduating. The idea that center-level popularity within a group doesn’t automatically translate into solo drawing power is a phenomenon frequently discussed in the idol industry, and Miyamoto’s own remarks seem to confirm that reality firsthand.

    *This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Hello! Project board) thread “Karin Miyamoto: “When I first went solo, I thought that if I put on good shows, fans would just keep coming back next time. But reality wasn’t that kind.”“

  • Yui Asaka tears ankle ligaments, will sing seated at Osaka show — 5ch: “You get weaker every year you get older”

    Former idol Yui Asaka (56) announced on Instagram that she missed a step and injured her ankle during a live show at Billboard Live in Yokohama on the 19th, and was diagnosed with damage to the anterior and posterior inferior tibiofibular ligaments. Because the injury is still affecting her, she says she’ll perform mostly seated at her Osaka show on the 26th. On 5ch, many commenters sympathized over the everyday injuries that come with age, while others reminisced about her signature hit “C-Girl,” and the thread also drifted into a tangent about the average age of 5ch users.

    Yui Asaka (56) updated her Instagram on the 24th, reporting that she “twisted my foot and got injured while going down some stairs” during a live show at Billboard Live YOKOHAMA on the 19th. She explained that the diagnosis came back as “damage to the anterior and posterior inferior tibiofibular ligaments.”

    Because of the injury, she explained that her Billboard Live Osaka show on the 26th “will likely mean singing almost entirely seated.” She added, “The stage will look a little different from usual, but my feeling that I want to deliver these songs to you hasn’t changed. I want to put my heart into every single song again this time and make it a show you can enjoy, so please come to the venue without worry. I’m looking forward to seeing everyone in Osaka.”

    Both anterior and posterior inferior tibiofibular ligament damage are said to heal in about two to four weeks if it’s a mild sprain, four to eight weeks for a moderate partial tear, and three to six months for a full recovery from a severe complete tear — since she’s still able to perform, the injury appears to be on the milder end. Asaka apologized, saying, “Lastly… I’m truly sorry for the worry and trouble this has caused my fans and everyone involved.”

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

    5AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:51
    Guess you get a little weaker every year you grow older
    9AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:53
    This generation is basically dead center for 5ch's user base
    61AnonymousSep 24, 2026 17:24
    Re: #9
    On 5ch there's a lot of generation-bashing — "boomers are the problem," "the ice-age generation," "the relaxed-education generation," "gen Z is the problem"
    But the main demographic on 5ch is probably people in their 50s to mid-60s who don't fit any of those labels
    65AnonymousSep 24, 2026 17:29
    Re: #61 Re: #9
    Come on, isn't that a bit too old, lol

    I'd say the 5ch mainstream is more the generation of guys like Kimutaku and Nakai (idols Takuya Kimura and Masahiro Nakai) — the baby-boomer-junior crowd in their late 40s/50s
    10AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:53
    When you tear a ligament it makes that "snap" sound, like a rubber band breaking…
    12AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:54
    Whoa, that's a serious injury
    Doesn't that need surgery?
    15AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:54
    Seriously hurt herself just going down some stairs…
    41AnonymousSep 24, 2026 17:06
    Re: #15
    Sounds like a bit out of Yasutomo's manzai act (a comedian known for slapstick routines)
    17AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:54
    Sacchii's probably worried about her from beyond the grave too (Sacchii — TV personality Sachiyo Nomura, who has passed away)
    59AnonymousSep 24, 2026 17:22
    Re: #17
    "Now listen here, honey~"
    21AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:56
    Wait, that's a seriously bad injury, sounds like something a soccer player would get
    30AnonymousSep 24, 2026 17:00
    Re: #21
    Once you're old, you can seriously hurt yourself just going about ordinary daily life
    24AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:58
    Can't tell if she just announced the injury during the show or actually got hurt during the show
    28AnonymousSep 24, 2026 17:00
    I too have lost all my vigor
    29AnonymousSep 24, 2026 17:00
    Aren't Yuka Onishi and Yuma Nakamura coming to help her out?
    34AnonymousSep 24, 2026 17:03
    Guess we're not young anymore
    Gotta be careful on stairs
    35AnonymousSep 24, 2026 17:03
    Seriously, once you hit a certain age you really gotta watch your footing
    40AnonymousSep 24, 2026 17:05
    Getting an athlete-tier injury, lol
    42AnonymousSep 24, 2026 17:07
    You can't keep doing what you did when you were young — after 50 your body's reflexes just slow down. Ichiro's a different story though, he might not even be human
    43AnonymousSep 24, 2026 17:08
    Can she even perform live with a diagnosis that reads like some over-the-top string of kanji
    44AnonymousSep 24, 2026 17:09
    You guys will all end up here someday
    I once tried to hop a guardrail, got caught on it instead, and got hit by a dump truck
    50AnonymousSep 24, 2026 17:15
    A one-hit wonder with just "C-Girl"
    52AnonymousSep 24, 2026 17:16
    Re: #50
    "Cecile" is the real classic
    55AnonymousSep 24, 2026 17:20
    Re: #50
    She's actually had five No. 1 songs (including ones released under the name Kazama Three Sisters)
    56AnonymousSep 24, 2026 17:21
    Yui Asaka wrecks her shin at Yokohama show
    57AnonymousSep 24, 2026 17:21
    She really is Cecile
    Fans are the ones who show up when you're in a pinch
    62AnonymousSep 24, 2026 17:25
    This generation just never had the habit of working out
    63AnonymousSep 24, 2026 17:25
    Another serious injury?
    She breaks something every single year at this point
    68AnonymousSep 24, 2026 17:32
    Who's this "Cecile" from the movie — is that someone from Final Fantasy IV? 🥺
    70AnonymousSep 24, 2026 17:33
    Re: #68
    I think it's supposed to be the main character from "Bonjour Tristesse"
    69AnonymousSep 24, 2026 17:32
    Don't just laugh at her, you guys should be careful too
    It's common to throw your back out just from climbing some stairs
    72AnonymousSep 24, 2026 17:34
    Re: #69
    Going up is one thing, but going down is scary
    78AnonymousSep 24, 2026 17:37
    Once you get older you get hurt so easily
    82AnonymousSep 24, 2026 17:38
    Re: #78
    That's because people get weaker every time they grow older

    Background and key points of this story

    The anterior and posterior inferior tibiofibular ligaments connect the bones of the ankle and are commonly injured in sprains. As the article notes, a mild sprain typically heals in two to four weeks, while even a full tear takes at most three to six months — and since she herself says she can go ahead with the Osaka show seated, the injury looks relatively mild rather than something requiring surgery. Rather than misreading it as a fracture, the thread mostly centered on sympathy for the everyday injuries that come with age, along with nostalgia for her 1980s hit “C-Girl,” without much push toward sensationalizing it as a serious medical case. That said, the discussion also veered off into a tangent about the core age group of 5ch’s user base, making this a thread that wandered fairly far from its main topic.

    *This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “[Entertainment] Yui Asaka injures anterior & posterior inferior tibiofibular ligaments at Yokohama live show, will perform seated in Osaka.”

  • Oda Sakura’s Graduation Concert: All Eyes on FC Presale Rule Letting Non-Members Join as Companions

    FC presale registration for MORNING MUSUME。’26’s Oda Sakura graduation concert opened on September 24, and it’s been revealed that while the applicant must be an FC member, the companion they bring doesn’t have to be. On the thread, this drew comparisons to Juice=Juice, which sold out all 8,000 seats in FC first-round presale alone without any such companion allowance — some pointed to it as proof of a gap in drawing power between the groups, while others were simply glad they can now attend the graduation show with non-member parents or friends. At the same time, some questioned the setup, since under the same lottery system, it’s still possible for the member applicant themselves to lose out.

    3AnonymousSep 24, 2026 17:00
    For this presale, admission will be via electronic ticket using an e-stamp system.
    You'll need a smartphone that can use the 'MOALA Ticket' e-ticket service.

    For this presale, applicants are required to link their MOALA account. Companions may apply even if they are not FC members.
    Please follow the steps in the [Application Flow] section further down this page.
    5AnonymousSep 24, 2026 17:01
    Non-members allowed??
    Non-members allowed???
    Non-members allowed lmaooooooooooo
    22AnonymousSep 24, 2026 17:04
    Re: #5
    The agency went soft
    6AnonymousSep 24, 2026 17:01
    ●Application period: September 24 (Thu), 2026, 17:00 – October 7 (Wed), 17:00
    ●Lottery result check period: October 14 (Wed), 2026, 15:00 – October 20 (Tue), 23:00
    ●Payment deadline: October 20 (Tue), 2026 (postmark valid)
    ●Ticket issuance: Scheduled for November 30 (Mon), 2026
    ●Seat number display: Scheduled for December 11 (Fri), 2026, 12:00
    12AnonymousSep 24, 2026 17:01
    IT'S HAPPENING━━━━(゚∀゚)━━━━!! (a classic 5ch expression of hype)
    15AnonymousSep 24, 2026 17:02
    So non-member companions are allowed now
    Guess they figured seats wouldn't fill up otherwise
    16AnonymousSep 24, 2026 17:02
    Is this a forfeit to Juice=Juice?
    17AnonymousSep 24, 2026 17:02
    Wondered why it says 'Cosmos'
    Ah, it's written with the kanji 秋桜 — also read 'cosmos' (lit. 'autumn sakura')
    23AnonymousSep 24, 2026 17:05
    They'll go this far just to protect the pecking order?
    Give Juice=Juice a Yokohama Arena show too, this is lame
    26AnonymousSep 24, 2026 17:06
    If it were Juice=Juice, they'd sell out Yokohama Arena even with companions restricted to members
    60AnonymousSep 24, 2026 17:20
    Re: #26
    Pretty much a lock
    27AnonymousSep 24, 2026 17:06
    If they don't allow non-members, people can't go with parents who aren't in the fan club
    I want them to keep doing it this way from now on
    28AnonymousSep 24, 2026 17:07
    [Good News] Non-members allowed as companions for Oda Sakura's graduation concert FC presale lmaoooooooooooooooo
    https://kizuna.5ch.io/test/read.cgi/morningcoffee/1790236991/
    29AnonymousSep 24, 2026 17:08
    Especially for big venues, there's a good chance you'll end up going with family or a partner
    I usually go solo, but big venues are different
    30AnonymousSep 24, 2026 17:08
    I think it'd be fine to allow minors to bring a parent along, though
    33AnonymousSep 24, 2026 17:09
    If they don't specify this in advance, slot-lending and scalping will run wild
    35AnonymousSep 24, 2026 17:09
    Couldn't people like that just buy general tickets instead?
    36AnonymousSep 24, 2026 17:09
    Sadly, the agency probably predicted it wouldn't sell out
    37AnonymousSep 24, 2026 17:09
    For a graduation show at a big venue, people go with family, so this is genuinely great news
    38AnonymousSep 24, 2026 17:11
    The person on X who said they wanted to bring their non-member parent — guess they can just go normally now, huh
    39AnonymousSep 24, 2026 17:11
    Hello! Project's pecking order is really about to shift starting next year
    40AnonymousSep 24, 2026 17:11
    They should make round one FC-members-only and open round two to non-members!
    41AnonymousSep 24, 2026 17:13
    They allowed non-member companions,
    but members themselves still possibly losing the lottery is messed up
    43AnonymousSep 24, 2026 17:14
    For Akiyama's graduation concert, non-members got let in during round two, but Juice=Juice won't even run a round two…
    Guess I can't bring my non-member parent!! (not that I was planning to go with my parent anyway)
    53AnonymousSep 24, 2026 17:18
    Re: #43
    Because Juice=Juice sold out 8,000 seats at both Budokan and PIA Arena in FC round one alone
    46AnonymousSep 24, 2026 17:15
    Groups like Tsubaki Factory and ANGERME allow companions but still run an FC round two, so they're fine
    but Morning Musume, whatever shape it's in, will still sell out general seats in round one
    non-members getting in while members can't is backwards
    56AnonymousSep 24, 2026 17:19
    Re: #46
    You should file a complaint with the agency about that
    47AnonymousSep 24, 2026 17:15
    This is my first big-venue show — does this mean I can apply together with a friend who isn't a fan club member?
    50AnonymousSep 24, 2026 17:17
    Re: #47
    Yep
    Lucky…
    I'm an FC member myself and I wanted to go to Juice=Juice with a friend too
    62AnonymousSep 24, 2026 17:20
    Re: #58
    Simply put, capacity is short everywhere
    63AnonymousSep 24, 2026 17:21
    Re: #58
    It's rough that Juice=Juice alone is just too popular
    67AnonymousSep 24, 2026 17:24
    Trying so hard to set Morning Musume/ANGERME apart from Tsubaki and Juice=Juice, aren't they ("MoAn" is fan slang for the Morning Musume + ANGERME pairing)
    68AnonymousSep 24, 2026 17:24
    Re: #67
    Tsubaki's the victim here, but Juice=Juice still sold out round one regardless — the moment Morning Musume loosened the rules, they dropped below Juice=Juice
    69AnonymousSep 24, 2026 17:25
    So they figured Akiyama's graduation could stay members-only, but Oda's couldn't?
    71AnonymousSep 24, 2026 17:27
    Re: #69
    They probably planned to carry Akiyama's graduation setup through to Oda's this season, but Akiyama's sales were so disastrous they got spooked and redid whatever they could redo
    Juice=Juice selling out is just a freak outlier
    72AnonymousSep 24, 2026 17:28
    Re: #69
    Poor Maopin (nickname for member Akiyama Maori)
    76AnonymousSep 24, 2026 17:29
    Re: #69
    They were going to go with Akiyama's setup but the agency got spooked
    so they'll probably stick with the current application pattern from here on
    81AnonymousSep 24, 2026 17:31
    For what it's worth, BEYOOOOONDS barely managed to fill general seats even without non-members
    Juice=Juice and BEYOOOOONDS ("Ju-Byo") proving that even without non-members, current members have plenty of fans
    82AnonymousSep 24, 2026 17:31
    Re: #81
    BEYOOOOONDS is still up for debate though

    Background and Key Points of This Topic

    The thread repeatedly pointed to Juice=Juice, which reportedly sold out all 8,000 seats at both Budokan and PIA Arena using FC first-round presale alone, all while keeping companions members-only. Compared to that, MORNING MUSUME。’26’s decision to allow non-member companions for this graduation show was read as a response to concerns about ticket sales, and it became a hot topic symbolizing the popularity gap between the groups. On the other hand, because it’s still a lottery system, there’s a chance a non-member companion gets in while the member who actually applied loses the drawing, which has sparked questions about how member privileges are being handled. At Hello! Project, companion conditions often change from one graduation concert to the next, so whether this approach spreads to future shows will largely depend on how ticket applications go for this concert.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hello! Project) thread “Notice of FC Presale for ‘MORNING MUSUME。’26 Concert Tour Autumn “Chou Heartful 11 Cosmos” ～Oda Sakura FINAL～’.”

  • ‘Chiikawa’ Movie Box Office Tops ¥16.52 Billion, Climbs to 15th All-Time in Japan

    The anime film ‘Chiikawa: The Secret of Mermaid Island’ surpassed 11.33 million admissions and ¥16.52 billion in box office revenue over its 62-day run, climbing to 15th place on Japan’s all-time box office chart. It’s just one step behind 14th-place ‘THE FIRST SLAM DUNK’ (¥16.67 billion), and it’s already the No. 1 grossing film of 2026. On 5ch, reactions were split over how to read the numbers — some pointed to the huge stack of admission bonuses (nyujosha tokuten) driving repeat viewings, others admitted to doing a total 180 after once being skeptical of the franchise, and some wondered whether it’s enjoyable without knowing the source material.

    Sep 24 (Thu) 15:43

    Box office figures for the anime film “Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of Mermaid Island” (released July 24) were announced, showing it surpassed 11.33 million admissions and ¥16.52 billion in revenue over its 62-day theatrical run. It’s already the No. 1 grossing film released in 2026, and ranks 15th on the all-time box office chart. In 14th place is “THE FIRST SLAM DUNK” (released 2022), with ¥16.67 billion.

    Released in 447 theaters nationwide (382 standard + 65 IMAX), the film is Chiikawa’s first movie, built around a long-form story called the “Siren Arc,” written especially for the film by original creator Nagano. It follows Chiikawa and friends as they receive an invitation to a “special island” and head off on an island training camp. This long-awaited adaptation brings to life one of the series’ most popular arcs — one that repeatedly trended on social media as it was serialized — with Chiikawa’s adventures depicted under Nagano’s full supervision.

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

    3AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:09
    I'm not really a Chiikawa fan (especially the voices) — can I still enjoy it?
    51AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:31
    Re: #3
    Just watch it as a story and you'll be fine.
    Momonga (the flying squirrel character) is annoying and irritating, but it works.
    53AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:32
    Re: #3
    Just read the manga instead.
    9AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:13
    It just has a wide target audience.
    As the core demographic ages, these kinds of films will keep posting bigger numbers going forward —
    whether they're actually good is a separate question.
    25AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:21
    Re: #9

    It's an older survey, but Chiikawa isn't uniquely broad in age range compared to others.

    https://manamina.valuesccg.com/articles/2873
    15AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:16
    It was free on Abema so I tried prepping and seeing if it was worth a theater trip, but I gave up at episode 158.
    The movie's probably good, but a movie theater isn't exactly proof a show is good, so it's going on my 'watch if it airs on TV' list.
    29AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:22
    Re: #15
    The movie has a pretty different vibe from the mostly slice-of-life TV series —
    if anything, it's a straight-up adventure story.
    71AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:42
    Re: #1
    It's pulling in people of all ages, so it'll probably keep growing.
    Re: #15
    Why watch the anime at all? If you're curious about the story, you can just read the original manga.
    I don't get people who say 'I got curious so I tried the anime' and go on about it —
    the anime episodes only run about a minute each, completely different from the movie to begin with.
    20AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:18
    Impressive — who's actually watching this?
    Doesn't seem like the repeat-viewing type either.
    77AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:44
    Re: #20
    No way, this is absolutely getting massive repeat viewings lol
    I'll grant that a lot of it is people chasing the bonus items (tokuten).
    As a film alone, it wouldn't hit numbers like this without the bonuses — it's not quite that good.
    If anything, it's because of the bonuses that it's done this well; without them it might've done a bit less.

    Chiikawa runs on two pillars — story fans and merch popularity — so the bonus-item push hits hard.
    22AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:19
    The rankings are a mess now that everything's drowning in bonus-item marketing.
    32AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:23
    Re: #22
    Though finding a movie that ISN'T handing out bonus items these days is the hard part.
    52AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:32
    Re: #22
    Bonus-item marketing used to be pretty much limited to small-release otaku anime,
    but ever since Demon Slayer established a whole reselling culture during COVID,
    huge wide releases like One Piece, Slam Dunk, and Gundam SEED handing out mountains of bonuses became the norm.
    Meanwhile Evangelion and Jujutsu Kaisen only ran about 5 rounds of bonuses.

    Even Demon Slayer's own Mugen Train only did 9 rounds, but it kept escalating — Infinity Castle ran 24 rounds,
    and handed out more than double the copies, over 23 million total.
    They put out an insane number of bonus items and even ran random-bonus draws 3 times.
    When the all-time box office leader pulls stunts like this, it really trashes the value of the rankings.
    66AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:41
    Re: #22
    Japan's best-selling artist…
    though the Korean BTS movie flopped hard…
    26AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:22
    Re: #1
    Wow, there are 11.33 million people out there paying movie ticket prices for Chiikawa lol
    34AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:23
    Re: #26
    Well hello there, Mr. Cynical Naysayer! (reizen ojisan — 5ch slang for a smug, sneering cynic)
    30AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:23
    Scalpers

    33AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:23
    Demon Slayer: Mugen Train 407.5
    Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle Part 1 403.6

    Spirited Away 316.8

    Titanic 277.7
    Frozen 255.0
    Your Name 251.7
    Princess Mononoke 214.6
    Kokuho 209.0
    ONE PIECE FILM RED 203.4
    Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone 203.0

    Howl's Moving Castle 196.0
    Bayside Shakedown 2: Rainbow Blockade 173.5
    Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets 173.0
    THE FIRST SLAM DUNK 166.7
    Chiikawa: The Secret of Mermaid Island 165.2 ←
    Avatar 159.0
    Detective Conan: The Million-Dollar Pentagram 158.0
    Zootopia 2 157.1
    Ponyo 155.0
    Suzume 149.4
    (all figures in ¥100 million, i.e. 100 = ¥1 billion)
    75AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:43
    Re: #33
    Guess that puts Chiikawa around the ¥21 billion line.
    79AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:45
    Re: #33
    Your Name being on there is kind of odd.
    Did that one also have some kind of bonus-item push driving admissions?
    42AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:28
    Ridiculous.
    A symbol of how dumb the world's gotten.
    47AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:30
    Didn't you guys use to trash-talk this? Doing a total 180 now?
    55AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:34
    Re: #47
    Sorry about that.
    Last year I scoffed at someone who said 'Chiikawa's gonna be huge next year!'
    58AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:35
    Re: #47
    I was reading it and buying the merch, and I still feel kind of betrayed.
    63AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:39
    One Piece is probably gonna blow right past this.
    72AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:42
    Re: #63
    Oda's gonna lose it and start handing out One Piece Card Game cards like crazy at the next movie lol
    74AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:43
    Curious whether Chiikawa's here to stay or gone in a few years.
    80AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:47
    Re: #74
    You think Chiikawa just showed up this year?
    It's already been popular for 5-6 years, there's no way it disappears in a few years.

    If anything, it's on track to get its own theme park (Chiikawa Land) at this rate.
    95AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:54
    Re: #74
    It's already a market worth hundreds of billions of yen, and unlike something an ad agency force-fed into popularity,
    it's content that's kept organically going viral online for years — it's not disappearing that easily.
    78AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:45
    Biggest audience turnout in Japan right now…
    meanwhile Korean K-pop's momentum in film is… nowhere to be found.
    88AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:50
    Re: #80
    But isn't it just a Sumikko Gurashi ripoff?
    98AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:55
    Re: #88
    It's a ripoff of this →(´・ω・`)

    content-wise too.
    99AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:56
    Can I enjoy it having only watched the movie?
    Never touched the franchise before but I'm curious.
    104AnonymousSep 24, 2026 17:00
    Re: #99
    Watching just the movie is fine, but there's an official YouTube video that explains the Chiikawa world in a few minutes —
    watch that first and it's a lot easier to connect with the characters.

    Background and Points of Debate

    At the root of this bonus-item-marketing debate is the method established by 2020’s “Demon Slayer: Mugen Train” — distributing admission bonuses (nyujosha tokuten) in staggered waves to encourage repeat viewings. As the thread notes, that film ran 9 waves of bonuses, while “Infinity Castle” Part 1 alone ran 24 waves and reportedly distributed more than 23 million copies total — meanwhile films like Evangelion and Jujutsu Kaisen ran only around 5 waves, showing how much the scale of these campaigns varies by title. That variance makes comparing all-time box office rankings tricky, and it’s worth being cautious about judging films purely by revenue when stacking them against pre-bonus-era titles like “Spirited Away” or “Titanic.” The thread also saw comments like “people who used to mock it are doing a total 180 now,” reflecting how, even though Chiikawa has been a consistently buzzy topic online for years, opinion remains split on what’s really driving its popularity — the quality of the work itself, or the pull of the bonus items.

    *This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “[Movie] ‘Chiikawa’ Box Office Tops ¥16.52 Billion, Climbs to 15th All-Time.”

  • Sho Hasumi Responds to Hikaru Ijuin’s Brutal Crayon Shin-chan Review: “I Should’ve Just Mooned Them”

    Sho Hasumi of the comedy trio Dau 90000 wrote a script for the anime Crayon Shin-chan that radio host Hikaru Ijuin blasted as “boring enough to make your legs give out.” Hasumi responded on another show with a self-deprecating “I should’ve just mooned them” — a line originally coined by Nobuyuki Hanawa of the comedy duo Knights, which Hasumi was merely echoing. On 5ch, though, that nuance got lost, and some took it as plain defiance rather than self-deprecating humor, splitting opinion. Plenty of posters who actually watched the episode on TVer agreed with Ijuin that “it really wasn’t funny,” and the thread argued over whether to blame the script itself or the way Ijuin delivered his takedown.

    Sep. 24 (Thu), 3:20 PM

    Sho Hasumi (29) of Dau 90000 appeared as a guest on Nippon Broadcasting’s “Knights the Radio Show” (weekdays 1 PM) on the 24th. He responded to comments from Hikaru Ijuin (58), who had called the Crayon Shin-chan script Hasumi wrote “boring enough to make your legs give out.”

    During the late-night broadcast on the 21st of TBS Radio’s “Monday JUNK: Hikaru Ijuin’s Late-Night Baka Chikara,” Ijuin had ripped into the Crayon Shin-chan script Hasumi wrote, calling it “boring enough to make your legs give out.”

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

    2AnonymousSep 24, 2026 15:40
    He just wanted to look like he had good taste, right?
    4AnonymousSep 24, 2026 15:42
    They offered the gig to Hasumi, so it's fine if he does it his way and it flops. It's the same as when Egashira got asked to "do it seriously" and just went wild, saying "but I'm the one they offered it to."
    77AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:43
    Re: #4
    Agreed. He did something very "Hasumi," so this is fine.
    7AnonymousSep 24, 2026 15:44
    Who even is Hasumi? Some YouTuber?
    21AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:09
    Re: #7
    He leads a group of guys doing comedy-as-a-hobby with a college-kid vibe.
    9AnonymousSep 24, 2026 15:45
    It's a jab at guys like Ijuin — like saying "flash your butt and they'll laugh, won't they?"
    10AnonymousSep 24, 2026 15:46
    Koki Mitani got chewed out for writing a script where Tara-chan turned into a muscle-bound hulk, so does Hasumi only have yes-men around him?
    11AnonymousSep 24, 2026 15:46
    He's no peak-era Hitoshi Matsumoto — it shouldn't take courage to criticize the guy.
    14AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:03
    Re: #11
    If he didn't say it that way, it'd just come off as harassment. It's the classic boss-scared-of-the-new-generation setup.
    22AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:10
    Re: #11
    Same old vibe as "it's uncool to call out Fuwa-chan, you should just accept her style of comedy."
    13AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:02
    Ugh, that was a total throw-in-the-towel comment. He dragged down both Crayon Shin-chan and Ijuin with it.
    18AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:07
    Re: #13
    Hanawa said "should've mooned them" and Hasumi just parroted it back — that's not really a desperate comment.
    16AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:05
    Well, I had expectations and it really was boring — makes you appreciate how good the usual scriptwriters are.
    20AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:09
    Nice bit of pro-wrestling-style theater. Though Ijuin picking on someone weaker is pretty lame too.
    23AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:10
    The original creator's dead, so he can do whatever he wants with it.
    25AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:11
    The fact that that script got greenlit clearly shows nobody can say no to Hasumi.
    26AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:11
    Ijuin's excuses drag on forever and aren't even funny — then at the end he tells some lame, crude story and goes "let's just call it all a joke, okay?" to milk some sycophantic laughs from the staff.
    27AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:11
    Haven't seen it, but I bet it really was boring.
    28AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:12
    These days you get dragged just for saying something negative.
    29AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:12
    Figured he was exaggerating, so I watched it on TVer — it really was shockingly not funny.
    32AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:12
    Looking at this, it seems like Hasumi's the only one who thinks it's funny lol. He genuinely doesn't seem to think about who's actually watching.
    33AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:12
    Re: #1
    Hasumi's comeback wasn't even funny. Also, does he even watch recent Crayon Shin-chan?
    34AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:13
    Crayon Shin-chan just isn't made to be funny to a 58-year-old guy.
    40AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:15
    Re: #15
    Sure, go ahead and slap the "comedy world has-been" label on him — but the guy doing the labeling isn't funny at all, so the label has zero credibility. It's just an off-target dig.
    43AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:18
    Re: #40
    Nah, nobody's actually labeling him lol. Like he said himself, it's pure delusion — nobody was even talking about Ijuin. He's convinced himself he's being called a has-been and is taking it out on Hasumi, and now he's pulling exactly that kind of has-been move lol.
    52AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:21
    The kindness of comedians never firing back at Hasumi's go-to bit "nobody cares about comedy anyway" with "nobody cares about theater either unless it's a major company." Outside Yoshimoto, Shochiku, Takarazuka Revue, and Shiki, pretty much the only one with a loyal fanbase is "Shinkansen" (likely a pun on the indie theater troupe Gekidan☆Shinkansen, whose name sounds like "bullet train").
    66AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:36
    Re: #52
    "Theater's even less popular than that" is also one of Hasumi's go-to bits anyway.
    68AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:38
    If it's really that boring, now I kind of want to see it.
    75AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:42
    Re: #68
    You can watch it on TVer.
    70AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:38
    But it's rare these days to see this big a gap between how the industry rates a guy and how we do. His predecessor Fuwa-chan ended up the way she did, so this guy will probably vanish just as fast the moment something goes wrong.
    94AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:56
    Re: #70
    "Predecessor Fuwa-chan" lol lol. Bro, you've got a way with words lol lol.
    71AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:38
    If this were Ota instead, he probably would've steered it somewhere funnier, but Ijuin got way too worked up over it.
    74AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:41
    Re: #71
    Ota, for his part, tries too hard not to get hated by his juniors, I think (though I like the guy).
    88AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:51
    It's probably the same kind of sketch comedy as Zero-San — the type that gets praised by people going "heh, I get it, I'm in on the joke." They should have Hasumi write a script for Yoshimoto instead — curious how he'd handle that old-school, no-frills style of comedy.
    90AnonymousSep 24, 2026 16:54
    Re: #88
    Shinkigeki performers read the room and improvise on the fly with stock lines like "whatcha gonna do" — that might be tough for him to write for.

    Background and Key Points of This Discussion

    The episode Hasumi wrote fell into a slot with more creative latitude than usual, partly because original creator Yoshito Usui has passed away. The “I should’ve just mooned them” line that came up on air was, as commenter #18 points out, simply Hasumi echoing back a remark first made by Knights’ Hanawa — not something Hasumi came up with himself. Miss that detail, and the impression of “a defiant Hasumi” takes on a life of its own. The thread split over whether to read Ijuin’s harsh review as “picking on someone weaker” or as “an honest opinion,” with several posters who actually watched it on TVer siding with Ijuin. Some also pointed to a gap between how Hasumi is viewed within the comedy industry versus by general viewers, a point several tied back to how his predecessor, Fuwa-chan, was eventually dropped.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports Express+) thread “Dau’s Sho Hasumi: “I should’ve just mooned them” — responds to Hikaru Ijuin’s comment that his Crayon Shin-chan script was “boring enough to make your legs give out,” saying “I was trying to be unconventional”.”

  • Ex-KAT-TUN’s Juri Tanaka Released After Completing Sentence — Turns Out He’s Now a Certified Music Therapist

    Former KAT-TUN member Juri Tanaka (40), who served a two-year-eight-month prison sentence for using and possessing stimulant drugs, reportedly completed his sentence on September 23, 2026. He had been out on parole since February 25 of that year, and it has also come to light that he earned a “music therapist” certification while incarcerated. Reactions on 5channel to the former idol’s reintegration into society — after three prior arrests — were mixed: some cheered him on with messages like “hang in there, just don’t touch drugs again,” while others voiced concern over the high recidivism rate for drug offenses, and some questioned how meaningful the certification itself really is.

    “I was released on February 25, 2026. While you’re inside (prison), all you can think about, over and over, is wanting to get out — so every single day feels incredibly long. Since getting out, though, the days fly by five or six times faster.”

    So says former KAT-TUN member Juri Tanaka (40). In the 2000s, he was one of the top idols at Johnny & Associates (as the agency was then known), driving legions of fans wild.

    After his exclusive contract with the agency was terminated in 2013, he went independent. He went on to pursue an artist career, first with the rock band “INKT,” and later as a rapper. At the same time, though, he has been arrested three times over drug use. In December 2023, he received a finalized sentence of two years and eight months in prison for using and possessing stimulant drugs, effectively becoming “a man behind bars.”

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

    3AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:05
    Guess the dealers already have him back in their sights
    12AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:11
    Wonder how many more times he'll end up back inside — just hope his life doesn't end with suicide
    18AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:14
    Music therapist: "First, let's light up some weed"
    20AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:15
    > Meanwhile, he has three prior arrests over drug use. In December 2023, he received a finalized sentence of two years and eight months in prison for using and possessing stimulant drugs, becoming "a man behind bars."

    Meth isn't good for you, you know
    21AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:15
    Why does a model inmate get his own solitary cell? Because he's a celebrity?
    22AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:15
    Guess he figures he can neutralize the drugs with music
    24AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:17
    A future where the "therapist" sings rock and everyone just recoils
    25AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:17
    Huh? He's basically a Korekore plant (Korekore = a livestreamer famous for exposing scandals) — don't you dare disrespect us Korelis (Korekore's fanbase/listeners)
    37AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:38
    Re: #25
    Wait, isn't he also one of the "dark listeners" (a nickname for a hardcore fan/listener clique)?
    26AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:18
    Hang in there!
    And don't touch the drugs again, okay?
    28AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:19
    I bet a bunch of middle-aged ladies lined up to welcome him out
    like "thanks for your hard work in there!"
    29AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:21
    Music therapy has nothing to do with the kind of music he's been making all along
    36AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:36
    He looks like he's been through it.
    He had it good back in the day — nowadays if you've got name recognition you can make decent money just streaming, and he's probably still got a few die-hard old fans left too
    38AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:38
    Looks like DARC (a Japanese drug-addiction rehab support organization) just perked up
    40AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:40
    He got written out of Hissatsu Shigotonin (a long-running samurai drama series) with zero explanation in the show itself — erased so cleanly it's like nobody even remembers he was ever there, like he never existed
    70AnonymousSep 24, 2026 15:18
    Re: #40
    I actually liked his role in Shigotonin.
    He played the "kills you with a smile" assassin archetype — a flavor the Hissatsu franchise hadn't had since the Shigotonin boom era — and it brought back that early-series feel
    48AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:49
    Turning 40 in a solitary cell at Nagano Prison, exactly like Horiemon (Takafumi Horie) — lol
    49AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:52
    That kind of certification is just there so the parent organization can cash in
    50AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:52
    I watched a video about music therapy recently —
    a keyboardist and a singing instructor visit nursing homes
    and sing along with the elderly residents
    69AnonymousSep 24, 2026 15:17
    Re: #50
    Who'd want to get anywhere near a guy like this, too scary
    53AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:55
    Not that I care much either way,
    but he used to look sharp standing in the back next to Taguchi —
    his face has really gone downhill
    54AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:57
    His brother's probably thinking "don't come out in public, you're making me look bad"
    56AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:57
    Re: #37
    Yeah, true
    Seems like he's into streaming too
    Well, birds of a feather, I guess
    57AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:57
    Notable people connected to Yachiyo City:

    Janpoke Saito
    Juri Tanaka
    Takako Uehara
    Shin Kasei Taishu
    TDN
    58AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:59
    > They've apparently started addressing inmates with the polite "-san" honorific now

    Are the Japanese police just stupid or something?
    68AnonymousSep 24, 2026 15:15
    He probably still thinks he's young
    At 40 there's no way any fans from his own generation are still around
    71AnonymousSep 24, 2026 15:19
    Don't go causing trouble for your brother —
    this isn't the old Johnny's empire anymore
    73AnonymousSep 24, 2026 15:23
    Can he actually stay away from the temptation of drugs?
    Recidivism for drug offenses seems to run pretty high even after release…
    82AnonymousSep 24, 2026 15:28
    Stuff like "someone asks for a handshake, you shake it, and they slip a baggie into your palm,"
    or it just ends up in your pocket without you noticing and that's how it starts back up again, apparently
    89AnonymousSep 24, 2026 15:36
    Re: #82
    Oh, so you get a free sample!
    I guess just the one time wouldn't hurt, right?
    88AnonymousSep 24, 2026 15:34
    If you're doing music in the club scene, there's just no cutting ties with drugs
    91AnonymousSep 24, 2026 15:37
    Re: #88
    Why's that, I wonder?

    Background and Key Points of This Discussion

    Japan’s “music therapist” credential is not a national qualification — it’s a certification issued by private organizations such as the Japanese Music Therapy Association, and is generally considered easier to obtain than an official public qualification. That institutional backdrop is exactly why some on the thread said “that kind of certification is just there so the parent organization can cash in.” Tanaka has been arrested three times over stimulant-drug incidents, and drug offenses are noted to carry a higher recidivism rate than other categories of crime. It’s the weight of that history that split the thread’s reactions between “hang in there” encouragement and worry that he might reoffend. It’s also worth noting that while the fact of the certification has been reported, the coverage doesn’t specify exactly how he plans to carry out music activities or therapist work going forward.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5channel (Entertainment/Sports News+) thread “Ex-KAT-TUN’s Juri Tanaka Completes Sentence on September 23 — Turns Out He Earned a “Music Therapist” Certification After Release! Also Resuming Music Activities in Earnest.”

  • Masahiro Higashide Fires Back: ‘What’s the Point of Writing an Article Like This?’ — Actor Disputes Reports in 1,200+ Word Essay

    Actor Masahiro Higashide (38) updated his note blog on the 24th with a rebuttal exceeding 1,200 characters, taking issue with reporting from certain news sites. Ever since the affair scandal with actress Erika Karata led to his divorce from Anne, Higashide’s child support payments, relationships, and lifestyle in Yamanashi have repeatedly made headlines. On 5channel, reactions were split: some wondered “what’s the point of covering this so relentlessly,” while others were unmoved, calling it “just clickbait” and insisting “it won’t change how people see him.” Unverified claims about child support and his home life also circulated, fueling the debate.

    Masahiro Higashide: “What’s the Point of Writing an Article Like This?” — Actor Disputes Reports in 1,200+ Word Essay – Nikkan Sports

    September 24, 2026, 11:50 AM

    Actor Masahiro Higashide (38) updated his note blog on the 24th, disputing an article from a news site.

    Source: nikkansports.com / Original article here

    2AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:52
    Watching Showa-era retro exploration videos on YouTube beats watching Peace-kun from Omiya Park (a local mascot statue) any day.
    3AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:53
    Old media is always right.
    4AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:53
    Re: #1
    He went on ReHacQ (a popular interview YouTube channel) and it totally changed how I see him.
    He's actually pretty interesting.
    20AnonymousSep 24, 2026 13:02
    Re: #4
    I mean, Anne probably got taken in by him too.
    He really does come across as personable and trustworthy.
    I've seen him a few times in videos from some sumo stable.
    6AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:54
    Masahiro Higashide / Braised Badger
    https://www.youtube.com/shorts/uGwqu39p380
    10AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:57
    Re: #6
    Looks stupidly delicious.
    7AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:55
    It'd be pretty badass if he dumped his entire fortune — tens of millions of yen — into index funds before holing up in the mountains, then came back 20 years later as a multimillionaire.
    8AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:57
    'What's the point,' he asks? Obviously because it sells.
    11AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:58
    Honestly it's baffling that one affair gets him hounded this hard.
    He's a total nobody to begin with anyway.
    24AnonymousSep 24, 2026 13:04
    Re: #11
    Well, the affair caused his agency a ton of grief, and on top of that he was calling women over to the hotel he was staying at near a shoot location — that's why the agency dropped him in anger…
    62AnonymousSep 24, 2026 13:23
    Re: #11
    Isn't it because Anne's talent agency is powerful?
    When the woman's side has that kind of clout, the guy gets absolutely torn apart in the press during a divorce.
    If it's a Burning-affiliated agency (a talent agency known for heavy media influence), they'll even run stories claiming he was abusive.
    12AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:58
    It's been years now and they're still milking this for clicks — that's straight-up malicious bullying at this point.
    13AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:59
    Didn't he already remarry one of the 'Higashide Girls' — the one from the richest family?
    22AnonymousSep 24, 2026 13:02
    Re: #13
    That woman also left the mountain cabin early on — they're living separately now.
    25AnonymousSep 24, 2026 13:04
    Re: #22
    So the child support might've gone up to ¥40,000?
    26AnonymousSep 24, 2026 13:04
    Re: #22
    Higashide's only at the mountain cabin on weekends to begin with — everyone's got the wrong idea.
    19AnonymousSep 24, 2026 13:01
    Setting the affair aside, not paying his ex-wife enough in settlement and child support is definitely a mark against him.
    42AnonymousSep 24, 2026 13:13
    Re: #28
    No idea if this is even true, though —
    it's just someone's testimony, nothing more.
    With stuff like this, you can't really refute it since there's no evidence either way, so people don't bother.
    My own ex-wife said whatever she wanted to people around her too.
    When we divorced, even her parents grilled me over it, but I never confirmed or denied anything.
    69AnonymousSep 24, 2026 13:29
    Re: #28
    So he cheats, gets divorced,
    then goes and has a kid with yet another woman.
    What a selfish guy.
    21AnonymousSep 24, 2026 13:02
    The point is to farm pageviews off of you. That's the whole point.
    29AnonymousSep 24, 2026 13:06
    Re: #26
    Oh really?
    I recall reading somewhere that it's around Yamanashi, just past Hachioji,
    and apparently the commute from central Tokyo isn't even that bad.
    30AnonymousSep 24, 2026 13:07
    > Masahiro Higashide (38)
    Never heard this name in my life. Quit starting self-promo threads for some nobody entertainer.
    41AnonymousSep 24, 2026 13:12
    Erika Karata's the one actually making a comeback these days.
    45AnonymousSep 24, 2026 13:15
    Re: #41
    She's got more talent than Higashide.
    47AnonymousSep 24, 2026 13:15
    At least nobody's died, so it's better than the Maeyama case, but Anne's probably sick of it every time an article about this guy pops up.
    And once the kids are old enough to use the internet, they might stumble on it too.
    53AnonymousSep 24, 2026 13:17
    Re: #47
    No matter what kind of father he is,
    if the kids ever feel that blood connection, they might get curious about him.
    Kind of a sad story.
    49AnonymousSep 24, 2026 13:16
    Re: #42
    She started saying it was 'hell' right after the wedding, so why'd they go and have kids a year apart?
    Higashide should've just divorced quickly before having kids.
    66AnonymousSep 24, 2026 13:27
    Re: #49
    How many kids do they even have?
    One would be one thing, but having more in that kind of environment is questionable too.
    52AnonymousSep 24, 2026 13:17
    Re: #42
    If it's not true, he could just deny it.
    65AnonymousSep 24, 2026 13:25
    Re: #52
    There's no point denying anything to someone who's already decided one side's story is 100% true.
    You know going in they can only think in absolutes — zero or a hundred, nothing in between.
    If it were just one or two lies, fine, but it was nothing but claims I had zero memory of.
    I did deny all of it during mediation, of course.
    I wasn't about to accept paying a settlement over lies born out of someone's persecution complex.
    71AnonymousSep 24, 2026 13:31
    1,200 characters isn't really 'a long essay,' though.
    80AnonymousSep 24, 2026 13:35
    Re: #71
    That's like three sheets of manuscript paper (genkoyoshi, ~400 characters each).

    Background and Key Points of This Story

    Since the affair scandal with actress Erika Karata led to Higashide’s divorce from Anne in 2020, his lifestyle and personal relationships have repeatedly become the subject of media coverage. This latest note post is framed as a direct rebuttal from Higashide himself to one specific article among that ongoing coverage — and it’s become fairly common in recent years for celebrities to explain themselves directly via SNS or note rather than through traditional outlets. In the thread, posters cite specific figures and details about child support amounts and his partner’s separate living situation, but these remain hearsay and speculation from individual posters rather than information officially confirmed by Higashide or those involved. Whether his rebuttal holds up can’t really be judged until both sides’ accounts are fully laid out.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5channel (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “Masahiro Higashide: “What’s the Point of Writing an Article Like This?” — Actor Disputes Reports in 1,200+ Word Essay.”

  • Sato Masaki’s 3rd Single Set for December 16 Release — 5ch: ‘The One-Version Album Was the Weird Part’

    Former Morning Musume ’14 member Sato Masaki has revealed details of her 3rd single “Dominant Life!/Akai Hana,” set for release on December 16, 2026. The coupling tracks include “Buena Vista,” “Trouble Maker!,” and “Remon Mitai ni,” with multiple first-press editions planned. The release commemoration events have expanded from 5 venues last time to 9, with every venue except Ikebukuro Fountain Plaza falling on a weekend or holiday. On the thread, discussion centered on the contrast with her previous album (which came in just one CD version), the fact that the bundled live Blu-ray will feature only 5 songs rather than the full tour setlist, and the absence of songwriter Shusui’s name from the track credits.

    1AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:02
    2026.9.24
    NEWS
    NEW
    5AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:03
    Sato Masaki — Release Commemoration Events for 3rd Single "Dominant Life!/Akai Hana" (Out Dec 16, 2026) [Full List]
    https://up-front-works.jp/event/006feb74b8da455d4d8e8d30b5f54904965d113acebc5cffe84c79f8d2b7cc76/
    9AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:03
    Guess this time they're putting out a bunch of versions, huh
    36AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:25
    Re: #9
    The one-version album was the weird one…
    Both the 1st and 2nd singles came in multiple versions
    56AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:40
    Re: #36
    No, the album being one version is fine
    It's putting out multiple versions that's the weird part
    10AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:04
    Only 5 songs from the tour on video, huh
    Guess only Karin-chan gets the full treatment
    25AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:14
    Re: #10
    Even for active members, Ocharoji (fan nickname) only ever gets excerpt-style video releases like this
    14AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:06
    Should be fine if it's a rock number
    15AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:06
    I could only make it to the tour once, so I wish they'd kept the whole thing intact
    17AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:07
    'Dominant' doesn't really feel like something the wota (hardcore fans) are into
    18AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:08
    'Dominant' didn't really click for me lol
    19AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:08
    So the one track Maa was being coy about turns out to be 'Buena Vista'
    20AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:10
    'Viva la Vida' and now this — they sure use a lot of Spanish
    22AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:12
    Okamura Yosuke — isn't he the High Heel Kick guy?
    23AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:13
    Oh no
    That's the day before Karin-chan's Hiroshima live
    26AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:16
    Kinoshita Yosuke's name isn't showing up — is that a mistake on Ryuhei's part?
    27AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:18
    Composition/Arrangement: Kinoshita Ryuhei

    Bubble Up — Inaba Manaka
    Madobe no Dandelion — Fukumura Mizuki
    28AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:20
    Glad the Vesper BD is happening, but 5 songs is too few! Such a waste! Put out the whole thing!
    29AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:21
    Search 'Kinoshita Yosuke composer' and it comes up.
    30AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:21
    They said there'd be an Osaka date but there isn't one
    31AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:22
    Release events going from 5 venues last time to 9
    Glad every one except Ikebukuro Fountain Plaza is on a weekend or holiday
    35AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:24
    Wasn't it Ishikawa she said she wanted to go to last year?
    37AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:25
    Isn't 'Dominant Life' the name of a radio show?
    38AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:25
    Ah right, she said she wanted to do an event in Ishikawa lol
    39AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:26
    So no more serial-code events (lottery meet-and-greets)?
    They could at least do them for the OGs
    43AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:29
    The arranger for 'Akai Hana' works with WA-suta a lot, huh
    44AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:30
    Impressive they're pulling off an event at Sapporo Factory
    Especially since Karin-chan ended up at an HMV instead
    45AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:30
    So it's official
    Finally getting live footage, even if the song count is small
    47AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:32
    A Tsunku song might not thrill the wota, but if she herself seems happy about it, guess that's fine
    48AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:33
    Osaka and Kobe are basically the same thing anyway
    49AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:35
    Well it doesn't quite click for me, but it's not some terrible 💩 song either
    If Maa-chan's happy to get a Tsunku song, then that's fine by me
    51AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:35
    Guess it's a bit of a direction change, with Shusui-sensei dropped from this one
    52AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:36
    3rd Single
    Dominant Life!/Akai Hana
    Buena Vista
    Trouble Maker!
    Remon Mitai ni

    Unreleased Songs
    Good Morning Tokyo (2025/12/22~)
    Misekake Hunter (2026/09/22~)
    53AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:36
    For some reason they didn't even do a Tokyo release event for the album, let alone one at the Fountain Plaza
    This time it's good — Fountain Plaza plus Kinshicho, and Makuhari in the greater Tokyo area too
    54AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:36
    The album really felt like a 'left out to dry' release
    55AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:38
    If Shusui's not involved this time, does that mean she won't be on his radio show for promo?
    The banter between the two MCs and Maa-chan is really fun, so I'm looking forward to it
    57AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:41
    'Trouble Maker!' — Sato Masaki
    'Troublemaker' — Arashi
    'Trouble Maker' — ANGERME
    59AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:42
    Re: #57
    'Trouble Maker' — Aikawa Nanase
    66AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:52
    Re: #57
    Pretty sure Minamino Yoko's 'Trouble Maker' was the original
    62AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:46
    Buena Vista

    Background and Talking Points

    Sato Masaki was a fixed member of Morning Musume ’14, and has continued solo activities in Hello! Project’s OG lineup since graduating. As pointed out on the thread, her previous album was released in an unusual single-CD-only format, which is why fans are drawing a contrast with this single’s return to multiple editions. It’s common in the idol industry for video releases to include only part of a tour’s setlist due to rights issues, so the comment that “even active members only get excerpt releases” reflects a practice that isn’t unusual in the industry. Meanwhile, the absence of songwriter Shusui — previously associated with her music and radio appearances — from the credits is being read by some as a hint of a possible shift in her musical direction or future radio appearances, though whether any actual policy change is happening isn’t clear from the article. As for why the number of release commemoration event venues grew from 5 last time to 9, no information beyond the official announcement appears in the thread.

    *This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Hello! Project) thread “Sato Masaki 3rd Single, Set for Release December 16, 2026!!“

  • WEST. Announces Shock Disbandment — 5ch: “Not Even Telling the Members Was the Real Problem”

    On September 24, the seven-member Kansai-based idol group WEST. announced it will disband on the 30th of next month. Coming 12 years after their 2014 debut and their 2023 rebrand from “Johnny’s WEST” to “WEST.,” the abrupt end shocked fans. On 5ch, the revelation that member Shigeoka had kept his marriage and the existence of his child hidden not just from fans but from his own bandmates became a major talking point, with commenters calling the secrecy “the real problem,” while others pointed to the startlingly short one-week notice before disbandment and noted apparent friction among the members.

    On the 24th, STARTO ENTERTAINMENT made the shock announcement that the seven-member Kansai-based group WEST. will disband. All seven members appeared together in a video released through their fan club, announcing, “We have decided to bring the group to an end.” It has been 12 years since their 2014 debut. In 2023, the group changed its name from “Johnny’s WEST” to “WEST.,” marking a fresh start. Having built its roots in Kansai before expanding its activities nationwide, the group now closes the book on its 12-year history.

    Full article at the source

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

    4AnonymousSep 24, 2026 13:02
    What's Shigeoka gonna do about this?
    38AnonymousSep 24, 2026 13:06
    Re: #4
    They're disbanding to take responsibility for the movie's big flop.
    174AnonymousSep 24, 2026 13:15
    Re: #4
    So the group was only being held together by Shigeoka alone?
    7AnonymousSep 24, 2026 13:03
    They're disbanding just because he got married and had a kid?
    17AnonymousSep 24, 2026 13:04
    Re: #7
    Hiding it from the members and the fans ("ヲタ," i.e. otaku) alike — that's what's bad.
    49AnonymousSep 24, 2026 13:07
    Re: #7
    The members were furious enough that two of them straight-up quit.
    9AnonymousSep 24, 2026 13:03
    More like ".WASTE," right?
    60AnonymousSep 24, 2026 13:08
    Re: #9
    "Waste product," harsh lol
    12AnonymousSep 24, 2026 13:03
    Honestly, I wish they'd just tear down the whole agency along with it.
    23AnonymousSep 24, 2026 13:05
    While they're at it, disband whatever-Eight too.
    31AnonymousSep 24, 2026 13:05
    Re: #23
    Well, those guys are all at a level where they can do their own thing, so it's probably fine.
    26AnonymousSep 24, 2026 13:05
    People around him actually knew about the marriage and the kid.
    40AnonymousSep 24, 2026 13:06
    Re: #26
    All the members knew?
    33AnonymousSep 24, 2026 13:06
    "We have concluded that WEST.'s group activities will end as of September 30, 2026."


    Only one week's notice?
    They can't even do a proper farewell round.
    Guess it was such a low-effort group that they can announce it and be done a week later.
    131AnonymousSep 24, 2026 13:13
    Re: #33
    Same day I get discharged from the hospital.
    44AnonymousSep 24, 2026 13:07
    If it had just been Shigeoka quitting on his own or getting kicked out, it wouldn't have gotten this messy.
    79AnonymousSep 24, 2026 13:08
    Worst way possible to end it.
    87AnonymousSep 24, 2026 13:09
    Re: #79
    Worlds apart from how Arashi handled it.
    82AnonymousSep 24, 2026 13:08
    Former Kanjani∞ disbanding, huh…
    Wait, that's not it?
    112AnonymousSep 24, 2026 13:12
    Re: #82
    They go by Super Eight now.
    86AnonymousSep 24, 2026 13:09
    They can just suddenly quit like that? Didn't they have a schedule to work around?
    92AnonymousSep 24, 2026 13:10
    Re: #86
    Just stop it, lol
    99AnonymousSep 24, 2026 13:10
    Disbanding on September 30!?
    That's way too sudden, lol.
    They could've at least stretched it to the end of the year
    and given the fans a proper chance to see them.
    118AnonymousSep 24, 2026 13:12
    Re: #99
    Things between the members are probably so twisted up that even that's not possible.
    110AnonymousSep 24, 2026 13:11
    Female idols can just become the wife of some rich, successful guy, but what do male idols do after they quit?
    124AnonymousSep 24, 2026 13:12
    Re: #110
    Most of them try to become actors.
    127AnonymousSep 24, 2026 13:13
    That guy Kiriyama had that bright, sunny Kansai-guy vibe — I liked him.
    He left a strong impression in that group.
    142AnonymousSep 24, 2026 13:14
    Re: #127
    Thing is, it was Kiriyama who caused the first problem that led to all this…
    132AnonymousSep 24, 2026 13:13
    Seven of them?
    Didn't two already leave?
    155AnonymousSep 24, 2026 13:14
    Re: #132
    They were planning to continue with five, but I'd bet even the five of them started fighting.
    139AnonymousSep 24, 2026 13:13
    Is that really how it works — get married and the group disbands?
    175AnonymousSep 24, 2026 13:16
    Re: #139
    It's not "we got married" —
    it's "actually, we were already married, and the kid was already born," which is a bit much.
    And on top of that, he apparently hadn't even told the other members.
    That's probably what made pent-up frustration finally explode —
    among some of the members and among fans alike.
    149AnonymousSep 24, 2026 13:14
    Kotaki — announced departure
    Fujii — announced departure
    Shigeoka — turned out to be secretly married with a kid
    Hamada — married
    Kamiyama — married
    Kiriyama — married to Maiko Kano
    Nakama — in a hot romance with "Jamboree-neesan"
    173AnonymousSep 24, 2026 13:15
    Re: #149
    Guess the ones who aren't married probably feel like it's kind of unfair.

    Background and Key Points of the Discussion

    WEST. debuted in 2014 as “Johnny’s WEST” and took its current name in 2023 following the agency’s rebranding, making it one of the few large-scale Kansai-based groups. With members Kotaki and Fujii having already announced their departures, attention had turned to whether the remaining seven could keep the group going — which is why the disbandment announcement landed as such a shock in the thread. Opinion split most sharply over reports that member Shigeoka had kept his marriage and the birth of his child hidden not only from fans but from his own bandmates, drawing criticism that “the secrecy was the problem,” alongside comments defending it as an unavoidable family matter. Note that “former Kanjani∞,” active around the same era, continues on today under its new name “Super Eight” and is a separate group from WEST. — a point that’s easy to mix up.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5channel (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “[Breaking] WEST. Announces Disbandment [Ailuropoda melanoleuca★].”

  • Manga Artist Masakazu Katsura Draws Fan Art for an Unknown Indie VTuber — 5ch: “Where’d He Even Find This Nobody?”

    Manga artist Masakazu Katsura posted fan art on X (formerly Twitter) of a little-known independent VTuber with a tiny subscriber count, sparking discussion on a 5ch live-commentary board. In the post, Katsura explained the backstory behind a streamer known as “Ono Yoko-san,” who commentates on shooting games and other titles, writing that “even after she found out I was a manga artist, she treated me naturally, and it’s really comfortable being around her” — notably, this wasn’t some spur-of-the-moment joke. Reactions on the thread were split: some took it warmly, arguing that “people who bash VTubers are a minority,” while others grew suspicious, asking “where did he even find someone this obscure?” and speculating he might be “a friend or someone connected to her.”

    2AnonymousSep 24, 2026 10:25
    Seriously, nobody knows her
    7AnonymousSep 24, 2026 10:26
    Re: #2
    Where the hell did he even find someone this obscure?
    9AnonymousSep 24, 2026 10:27
    Re: #2
    The person he drew is probably shocked too
    16AnonymousSep 24, 2026 10:28
    Re: #2
    She's not even streaming right now
    What is this??
    4AnonymousSep 24, 2026 10:26
    VTubers are pretty much mainstream now, huh
    5AnonymousSep 24, 2026 10:26
    Between Togashi's idol obsession and this, old men really don't hold back (note: Yoshihiro Togashi, the Hunter x Hunter creator, is famously an otaku for Sakamichi-group idols)
    8AnonymousSep 24, 2026 10:27
    See?
    People who trash VTubers are seriously a minority
    10AnonymousSep 24, 2026 10:27
    If this was a surprise, she's probably thrilled
    12AnonymousSep 24, 2026 10:28
    The hashtag '#chin-art' is hilarious (a cutesy pun Katsura himself tags his fan art with)




    17AnonymousSep 24, 2026 10:28
    Re: #12
    'Chin-art' really shouldn't be allowed lol
    77AnonymousSep 24, 2026 10:58
    Re: #12-13
    Oh, is this a sockpuppet post?
    116AnonymousSep 24, 2026 11:39
    Re: #12
    If this suddenly got dropped in among a bunch of amateur-level fan art, that'd be jarring
    14AnonymousSep 24, 2026 10:28
    He drags out excuse after excuse but won't draw his actual manga…
    19AnonymousSep 24, 2026 10:29
    He's drawn fan art for other people too
    Does he just watch all kinds of streams?
    20AnonymousSep 24, 2026 10:29
    Re: #16
    She must have a popular video somewhere, so it's probably ranked by view count
    21AnonymousSep 24, 2026 10:29
    Seriously, why did he draw fan art of her?
    Is she an acquaintance, or family?
    22AnonymousSep 24, 2026 10:29
    Maybe he's drawing it as a kind of warm-up exercise
    23AnonymousSep 24, 2026 10:30
    Isn't she family? Could be his granddaughter
    25AnonymousSep 24, 2026 10:30
    Could this be like the Kosuke Fujishima × Nekomu Otogi case? (another veteran manga artist known to have a real personal connection to a VTuber)
    27AnonymousSep 24, 2026 10:31
    This is great
    Her subscriber count's gonna grow from here
    28AnonymousSep 24, 2026 10:31
    People who hate VTubers should take a look at reality
    32AnonymousSep 24, 2026 10:34
    Ono Yoko-san has an amusing name to begin with, and even though she plays a lot of brutally hard games — FromSoftware titles especially — she commentates in such a cheerful way, it comes across as very mature and charming.
    She does have a moving avatar, but at heart she's a game-commentary streamer.

    Even after she found out I was a manga artist, she's treated me naturally, and it's really comfortable being around her.

    Some fan art I drew of her before:
    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GWtDpg8WcAAGsSu.jpg
    https://x.com/MasakazuKatsura/status/1831632059888234844
    38AnonymousSep 24, 2026 10:38
    If it's because she's family or someone he knows, fine,
    but if he's genuinely simping this hard, that's creepy
    45AnonymousSep 24, 2026 10:41
    Re: #38
    Why?
    People who bash VTubers are a minority, you should knock it off
    46AnonymousSep 24, 2026 10:42
    Well, this guy's shown up a lot in the kaidan (ghost-story) scene too,
    so it's not that weird if he's into that kind of culture, or into idols
    110AnonymousSep 24, 2026 11:35
    Re: #46
    He's been an idol fan for ages
    52AnonymousSep 24, 2026 10:44
    Why does this kind of thing look creepier when the target is a nobody?
    63AnonymousSep 24, 2026 10:52
    Re: #52
    Same with fan support in general — chasing an underground idol just comes off creepier than following a mainstream one. Can't be helped
    71AnonymousSep 24, 2026 10:56
    Re: #52
    Maybe it's just that seeing people who are close to each other gets under your skin?
    73AnonymousSep 24, 2026 10:57
    Re: #52
    I think it probably reads the same way lolicon stuff does —
    like he's not going after a big, established VTuber who can stand on her own and make her own calls, but instead scouting out someone weak who can't make it alone and has to depend on someone, snapping her up early before she's 'ripe'
    91AnonymousSep 24, 2026 11:06
    Hasn't his art gotten worse?
    112AnonymousSep 24, 2026 11:35
    Re: #91
    His cool, quiet art style probably just doesn't pair well
    with the image of a VTuber whose 3D model moves around energetically
    94AnonymousSep 24, 2026 11:15
    Checked my watch history — I'd been watching 'Raisu-chin's' videos last week too
    Maybe YouTube's algorithm has just been pushing her into recommendations more
    104AnonymousSep 24, 2026 11:31
    Re: #94
    Is this the 'Torneko effect'? (a jokey nod to unexpected recommendation-algorithm boosts, named after the Dragon Quest character)
    103AnonymousSep 24, 2026 11:31
    People who fall for small-time VTubers probably think they've got a shot
    111AnonymousSep 24, 2026 11:35
    Re: #103
    It's just a woman's voice behind an avatar anyway — what's he even expecting?

    Background and discussion points

    Masakazu Katsura is a veteran manga artist known for works like “I”s” and “Wingman,” and posting fan art on social media isn’t new for him. What made this newsworthy was that the subject was an independent VTuber with a tiny subscriber count — had he drawn fan art of a famous VTuber, it likely wouldn’t have raised any eyebrows, and that gap in “temperature” is exactly what split opinion on the thread. In his own post, Katsura described her as “a streamer who cheerfully commentates on brutally hard games” and someone who “treats me naturally,” which suggests the two are acquainted, though the text reveals nothing further about the relationship. On the thread, the view that “VTubers are already accepted by mainstream society” sits alongside the suspicion that “picking an unknown target makes people read more into it” — a twist fairly specific to fan culture, where the same act gets judged very differently depending on how famous the target is.

    ※This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Nandemo Jikkyō G) thread “[Breaking] Star manga artist Masakazu Katsura posts fan art of a mysterious indie VTuber wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww” (the trailing string of “w” is Japanese internet shorthand for laughter, roughly equivalent to “lol”).