Category: Entertainment

  • FamilyMart Rolls Out ¥250 Breakfast Combo — Reactions Pour In Over Kazlaser’s Breakfast Philosophy

    Starting September 15, FamilyMart will launch its “Morning FamiMa Combo Discount,” offering a rice ball or bread paired with a drink for 250 yen, available only between 5:00 and 11:00 AM. Comedy duo Maple Chogokin’s Natsu Ando and Kazlaser attended the announcement event, where Kazlaser spoke about his commitment to breakfast. On 5channel, opinions split over whether the 250 yen price counted as a “good deal” or was “so-so,” with posts also focusing on taste differences between convenience store chains and the cost structure behind the products.

    Kazlaser Reveals His Breakfast Commitment: “This Is Actually Pretty Important” — Stunned by FamilyMart’s Bargain Prices: “Are the Execs Bad at Math?”

    Comedy duo Maple Chogokin’s Natsu Ando and Kazlaser attended FamilyMart’s strategy announcement event for its new “Morning FamiMa Combo Discount” campaign, held in Tokyo on the 14th.

    As part of its push to be “just a little bit more of a good deal,” FamilyMart will kick off its new “Morning FamiMa Combo Discount” campaign on the 15th, offering popular items — a rice ball or bread paired with tea, black tea, or coffee — for 250 yen (tax included) between 5:00 and 11:00 AM (end date to be announced separately).

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

    2AnonymousSep 14, 2026 15:28
    Re: #1
    FamiMart's food sucks, come on.
    7AnonymousSep 14, 2026 15:30
    Re: #2
    FamiMart's deli bread is the best out of all of them.
    72AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:44
    Re: #7
    Lately 7-Eleven's sausage bread is great value.
    Should be cheaper than FamiMart's too.
    4AnonymousSep 14, 2026 15:28
    Why do people from Kansai hate Kazlaser?
    He's smart and funny, so why?
    18AnonymousSep 14, 2026 15:35
    Re: #4
    I'm not from Kansai but I don't really like this guy either.
    He's just not funny at all.
    5AnonymousSep 14, 2026 15:28
    Isn't this basically them saying "rice prices dropped, but we're not lowering ours"?
    21AnonymousSep 14, 2026 15:37
    Re: #5
    Hmm, sharp observation (`・ω・´)
    59AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:19
    Re: #5
    W-well, that's because nori got more expensive…
    6AnonymousSep 14, 2026 15:30
    Instead of this, I wish they'd bring back the regular 100 yen rice ball sales like before.
    8AnonymousSep 14, 2026 15:30
    Feels like more and more comedians get a corporate leash slapped on them through ad deals and end up as some company's dog.
    9AnonymousSep 14, 2026 15:31
    FamiMart is terrible at stealth marketing.
    The Ohtani home-run discount thing was a huge flop too — is FamiMart gonna be okay?
    10AnonymousSep 14, 2026 15:32
    Ohtani Tea
    Ohtani Energy Drink is

    being dumped at 1/10th the list price, what a steal 🤗
    11AnonymousSep 14, 2026 15:33
    If it doesn't sell, they just throw it out, right?
    So wouldn't it be more profitable to sell it at even a slight discount to avoid that?
    Less waste, and customers are happier too.
    14AnonymousSep 14, 2026 15:34
    Re: #11
    Every convenience store does discount sales these days.
    16AnonymousSep 14, 2026 15:34
    Re: #11
    Every convenience store marks things down nowadays, don't they?
    13AnonymousSep 14, 2026 15:34
    Convenience store food has an ingredient cost of "under 20%," you know.

    And for bottled drinks, the bottle costs more than what's inside —
    the contents are worth less than 5 yen.
    15AnonymousSep 14, 2026 15:34
    I mean,
    who even cares!

    (said in that exaggerated tsukkomi style, Yanagi Gibson-style if possible)
    19AnonymousSep 14, 2026 15:36
    Re: #14 Re: #16
    Oh, I see.
    My bad.
    I just thought rice ball prices felt high.
    20AnonymousSep 14, 2026 15:37
    Haven't heard anything about the Fumi Nikaido angle at all.
    22AnonymousSep 14, 2026 15:37
    Can't they do a sandwich-and-canned-coffee set?
    It needs to be at least this good a deal for me to actually want to buy it.
    24AnonymousSep 14, 2026 15:38
    Does the rice ball option include the fancy ones loaded with lots of fillings?
    25AnonymousSep 14, 2026 15:39
    On a show I watched a while back, he said he just gets by on protein for breakfast.
    Did he stop doing that?
    26AnonymousSep 14, 2026 15:39
    At 200 yen it'd feel like a real deal,
    but at 250 yen the lineup feels kind of meh.
    28AnonymousSep 14, 2026 15:39
    For someone like me who eats just one meal a day — dinner — breakfast is the height of foolishness.
    31AnonymousSep 14, 2026 15:41
    Took a closer look at a discounted sandwich and its best-by time was 4 PM.
    I was about to buy it at 3:30, but the cabbage had already gone brown,
    so I skipped the discount buy. FamiMart used to taste good to me at first, but lately everything tastes off.
    I go to grab a nori roll and it turns out to be kimbap, and the Spam rice balls are way too salty.
    Honestly, you're better off paying 100 yen more for the egg-on-rice bowl at a beef bowl chain.
    65AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:32
    Re: #31
    You're overthinking it lol
    32AnonymousSep 14, 2026 15:43
    Just brew barley tea at home and bring it with you for a drink.
    It's like 5 yen a bag, so it saves money.
    44AnonymousSep 14, 2026 15:59
    You'd come out way ahead buying a 250 yen nori bento and just drinking free water with it.
    80AnonymousSep 14, 2026 17:10
    Re: #44
    A nori bento at that price doesn't even exist in Japan anymore…
    51AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:08
    I never noticed it back when I mainly shopped at FamiMart,
    but once I switched to mainly buying at 7-Eleven, it became obvious FamiMart's taste is a clear step down.

    Ranking: 7-Eleven, then Lawson, then FamiMart.
    67AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:35
    Re: #51
    Lawson and FamiMart taste about the same as Maibasuket (a budget supermarket chain) — just pricier.
    52AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:10
    Haven't been to FamiMart since they got rid of the eat-in seating.

    Background and Key Points of This Discussion

    The “Morning FamiMa Combo Discount” is a limited-time promotion starting September 15, available only between 5:00 and 11:00 AM, offering a rice ball or bread paired with tea, black tea, or coffee for 250 yen — it doesn’t cover every product. On the thread, some pointed out that “convenience store ingredient costs run under 20%, and for bottled drinks the container costs more than what’s inside,” making the cost structure behind the 250 yen price point a talking point. Given rising rice and nori prices, some speculated this was “less a discount and more a way to paper over price hikes.” The main sticking point was how to judge the price itself, with opinions split between “200 yen would be a deal, but 250 is so-so” and “it’s still cheaper than the discounted sandwiches.” There were also plenty of posts ranking taste as 7-Eleven, then Lawson, then FamiMart, though it’s worth noting personal taste varies a lot here.

    ※This article is compiled as an excerpt and summary of the 5channel (Entertainment/Sports News+) thread “[Entertainment] Kazlaser Reveals His Breakfast Commitment: “This Is Actually Pretty Important” — Stunned by FamilyMart’s Bargain Prices: “Are the Execs Bad at Math?”“.

  • NHK Taiga Drama ‘Toyotomi Brothers’ Ratings Sink Below 10% for Second Straight Week Amid Backlash Over Whitewashed Hideyoshi

    NHK’s Taiga drama ‘Toyotomi Brothers’ has posted single-digit ratings for a second straight week, coming in at 9.9% after last week’s 9.2%. The series had already drawn criticism from descendants and viewers over its historically inaccurate portrayals, including its depiction of Nakagawa Kiyohide. On 5ch, many blamed the low ratings on the show’s writing, which they say softens Hideyoshi’s brutal historical record to paint him as a good man—though some pushed back, arguing that ‘Taiga dramas were never strictly accurate anyway’ and that it can be enjoyed ‘as historical fantasy,’ leaving opinion split.

    Following last week’s 9.2%, ratings have stayed in the single digits again. This drama has already faced plenty of criticism from descendants and viewers over its historically inaccurate portrayals, including how it handles Nakagawa Kiyohide.

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

    2AnonymousSep 14, 2026 15:51
    People still watch terrestrial broadcast TV?
    3AnonymousSep 14, 2026 15:52
    Was Taiga drama ever really that big on historical accuracy to begin with?
    11AnonymousSep 14, 2026 15:56
    Re: #3
    Sure, when there's a clear original source it can take liberties, but when there isn't, it's usually based pretty closely on what's actually known about the period.
    4AnonymousSep 14, 2026 15:52
    Having Hashiba Hideyoshi and Akechi Mitsuhide sit down for a meal together after the Battle of Yamazaki? No way that happened.
    This show has definitely crossed a line.
    10AnonymousSep 14, 2026 15:55
    Shibata and Oichi leaping to their deaths was the final nail in the coffin.
    52AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:16
    Re: #10
    Honestly, I was so disappointed.
    16AnonymousSep 14, 2026 15:58
    Honestly, they're glorifying Hideyoshi way too much.
    Why did they change it so the massacre at the Battle of Kozuki—crucifying and impaling women and children—wasn't even Hideyoshi's order? And then they portray him as a good man grieving over it…
    And whenever things get inconvenient, they just conveniently give Hideyoshi amnesia.
    77AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:26
    Re: #16
    Were you there to witness it or something?
    19AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:00
    It all went off the rails when that 'alien' character Nao showed up.
    27AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:03
    Re: #19
    Every Taiga has its token 'alien' character, so that's fine.
    28AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:03
    Even so, the general consensus is it's still better than Matsumoto Jun's Ieyasu.
    44AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:12
    Re: #28
    At least that one could be enjoyed as a B-grade Taiga.
    This one's marketed as the 'serious' historical drama, and yet here we are.
    32AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:05
    Hideyoshi screws something up → Hidenaga swoops in playing the model student.

    It's been the same pattern the whole way through, and honestly it's worn thin.
    36AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:07
    Re: #32 And in the end they just wrap it all up with 'It's all to build a world without war'—what a cheap way out.
    50AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:15
    Re: #32
    Even 'Dousuru Ieyasu' (the 2023 Taiga about Tokugawa Ieyasu) sold that same line harder.
    57AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:19
    Re: #32
    'Hanzawa Naoki' (the hit corporate-revenge drama) was just as one-note, and I lost interest partway through too.
    51AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:16
    The people making this must not be very well-educated.
    Only someone who never studied history—who doesn't even like history—
    would come up with something this absurd, mocking the historical record to do it.

    The characters are a problem too: aside from Shibata Katsuie and Oichi, none of them carry any dignity at all.
    They don't feel like Sengoku-era warlords in the slightest. I haven't seen such a scrawny, pathetic Tokugawa Ieyasu since 'Dousuru Ieyasu.'
    This year's Taiga somehow pulled off something as hard as making curry taste bad.
    58AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:20
    Re: #51
    As for builds, everyone's too tall and too skinny across the board
    —though that's not unique to this show.
    54AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:18
    Tier 0 (trash): Dousuru Ieyasu, Idaten
    Tier 1: Tenchijin, Kirin ga Kuru, Shie
    Tier 2: Kiyomori, Untora
    (all shorthand nicknames for earlier Taiga dramas)

    Looks like Toyotomi Brothers might just crack Tier 1.
    64AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:22
    Re: #54
    Here's my ranking:

    Tier 0 (trash): Dousuru Ieyasu, Idaten, Shie
    Tier 1: Tenchijin, Untora
    Tier 2: Kiyomori, Kirin ga Kuru, Toyotomi Brothers
    55AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:18
    I don't really mind some deviation from historical fact.
    The early episodes were actually good, but around the time Hideyoshi got amnesia, it started feeling like they were forcing him into the 'good guy' role way too hard.
    Wouldn't it have made for better drama if Hidenaga had to cover for Hideyoshi as he gradually fell into darkness?
    61AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:21
    Re: #55
    Early Hideyoshi did seem to have a bit of a psychopath streak, so it did feel like it was heading toward Hidenaga having to rein in a Hideyoshi going dark.
    59AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:21
    Since they made the younger brother the protagonist, I think they could've leaned into the older brother's dark side.
    A 'Brother, why are you doing this!' kind of arc would've felt a lot more believable.
    69AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:24
    Re: #59 Even with Hidenaga as the lead, there's clearly something stopping them from portraying Hideyoshi's actual brutality.
    65AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:23
    Please don't do the 'Katagiri Katsumoto commits seppuku' thing some dramas occasionally throw in.
    I don't want to see Lord Katsumoto suffer like that.
    67AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:23
    Re: #65
    It's Hidenaga's show—it's not going to go that far, monkey 😂 ("monkey" was Hideyoshi's famous nickname, used here as a jab)
    66AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:23
    How are they even going to justify the invasion of Korea coming out of these two idiot brothers?
    81AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:26
    Re: #66
    The invasion of Korea was in 1592.
    Hashiba Hidenaga died in 1591.

    They probably just won't show it.
    Siege of Odawara
    → 'Brother has become the sun that lights up the realm!'
    → Some time later, Hidenaga takes ill and is confined to bed. (The end.)
    70AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:24
    There's nothing wrong with a Taiga protagonist doing awful things.
    Ieyasu in 'Tokugawa Sandai' and the leads in 'Kamakura-dono' did plenty of brutal stuff too.
    'Kirin ga Kuru' and this one, though, are way too goody-goody.
    80AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:26
    Re: #70
    'Tokugawa Sandai' is probably at the point where it'd run into some compliance issue or other if they tried to rerun it today.
    72AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:24
    Re: #61
    Exactly, and there was even a scene early on like 'I'm scared of my brother.'
    It could've gone: brother slowly falls into darkness, but supporting him is the only way to end the age of war; except the now-mad brother has no intention of ending the wars and instead launches the invasion of Korea; the brothers clash, but at the moment of death he remembers their old ideals and the show ends on a wish for peace.
    A cliché arc like that would've been fine by me.
    76AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:26
    Re: #72
    Something like being terrified of his brother's brutal side, but still having no choice but to bet everything on him to end the Sengoku era—that's the direction it should've gone.
    92AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:31
    A descent-into-darkness arc like in 'Kamakura-dono' would've worked well.
    93AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:32
    Re: #92
    That kind of performance is still beyond Nakano Taiga right now.
    94AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:32
    The biggest shock in this drama is that they made Oda Nobuzumi the mastermind who goaded Akechi Mitsuhide into the Honno-ji Incident.
    109AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:40
    Re: #94
    Well, he was actually suspected and killed historically too, so I guess it's convenient for them.
    96AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:33
    History purists are such a pain, honestly.
    100AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:34
    Re: #96
    It'd be fine if they just said 'we're doing historical fantasy!'
    The problem is they said 'we're doing a Taiga drama!'

    Background and Key Points

    Unlike commercial network dramas, it’s unusual for an NHK Taiga drama to drop into single-digit ratings at all, and ‘Toyotomi Brothers’ has now hit that mark two weeks running, following 9.2% the week before—a historically weak showing. This comes against a backdrop of earlier criticism from descendants and viewers over inaccuracies such as the portrayal of Nakagawa Kiyohide. In the thread, the main complaint wasn’t really the departure from history itself, but rather the show’s approach of softening Hideyoshi into an overly sympathetic figure—glossing over uncomfortable historical episodes like the massacre at Kozuki Castle by, for instance, giving him amnesia. At the same time, a fair number of posters pushed back, noting that ‘Taiga dramas have rarely stuck strictly to the historical record anyway’ and that it ‘can be enjoyed as historical fantasy’—a nuance that’s easy to miss, since the real debate wasn’t whether the show deviates from history, but how it deviates and how well the writing pulls it off.

    ※This article was compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Nandemo Jikkyo G) thread “[Bad News] NHK Taiga Drama Toyotomi Brothers Hits Single-Digit Ratings for Second Straight Week at 9.9%, Fictional Flourishes to Blame?“.

  • Aina The End: “I Was So Busy My Gas Got Shut Off Twice” — Co-Star Stunned by Her Payment Method

    Solo artist Aina The End revealed on TBS’s “Sunday’s Hatsumimigaku,” aired on the 13th, that during an especially hectic stretch of her career she had her gas shut off twice. The story came up while discussing her busy schedule around her Kohaku Uta Gassen appearance, and co-star Yu Sawabe couldn’t resist teasing her, quipping it was less “Aina The End” and more “Life The End.” On 5ch, the thread lit up with people swapping stories about utility bill payment methods and their own experiences falling behind on bills, as convenience-store payers and direct-debit payers each made their case, along with info on how much grace period you actually get before services get cut off after missing a payment.

    Aina The End: “I Was So Busy My Gas Got Shut Off Twice” — Co-Star Stunned by Her Payment Method

    Solo artist Aina The End (31) appeared on TBS’s “Sunday’s Hatsumimigaku” (Sundays, 10 PM) on the 13th, where she revealed something that happened to her because of how busy she’d been.

    When asked, “Weren’t you busy around the end of the year with things like performing at the Kohaku Uta Gassen?” Aina replied with an awkward laugh, “I was so busy that my gas actually got shut off twice back then.”

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

    4AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:24
    For a second I thought she meant she got so busy she couldn't stop passing gas ("gas" can also mean farts in Japanese slang)
    5AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:24
    I get it. She's probably been living paycheck to paycheck up till now, right?
    Card payments and direct debit are scary.
    6AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:25
    I pay at the convenience store too, no particular reason.
    8AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:25
    I literally just heard this same story on another show recently.
    14AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:27
    There are more and more fans now who don't even know about her BiSH days.
    15AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:27
    I've been there too — I used to pay by bank transfer every month.
    Forgot to transfer once and came home to find the lights wouldn't turn on.
    Called them up and it came right back on though.
    18AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:28
    Her makeup artist is insanely good.
    I'd love to know who that is.
    19AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:28
    Paying at the convenience store, lol.
    Got something to hide or what?
    30AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:32
    Re: #19
    It's probably just that the paperwork setup is a hassle.
    No problem at all if you're the type who goes to the convenience store every day anyway.
    20AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:29
    > And Yu Sawabe jumped in with, "That's Aina The End for you — more like Life The End."


    This is brutal…
    45AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:38
    Re: #20
    That's on par with "Zip-Your-Mouth Man" (a corny kids'-show character whose whole gag is telling people to shut it) — that's how bad that pun is.
    88AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:57
    Re: #20
    Somebody's gonna need a power nap after that one.
    25AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:30
    I feel that — I went to convenience-store payments too after I got blacklisted and couldn't get a credit card anymore.
    29AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:32
    Re: #25
    What does being credit-blacklisted have to do with direct debit from a bank account?
    27AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:31
    Re: #1
    I used to pay with the paper bill myself too, so I'd have it as backup documentation.
    28AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:31
    Am I right that she's the anime-song singer with the whiskey-rasp voice?
    31AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:33
    If your bath runs on a kerosene boiler or an electric water heater, just cancel the gas entirely and switch to a portable butane stove.
    32AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:33
    If you don't pay, you're supposed to get a demand notice first.
    Same goes for water and electricity.
    43AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:37
    Re: #32
    She probably doesn't even notice something like that.
    She only realizes once it's already been shut off.
    33AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:33
    🏪 You can pay at the convenience store 24 hours a day though.
    37AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:35
    Electricity, gas, water, and phone are all on auto-debit for me.
    That way I never get hit with after-hours bank fees.
    40AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:37
    Re: #37
    How does direct debit have anything to do with after-hours fees? lol
    38AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:36
    Not sure if they'll just rope people into signing up and then nerf the deal later, but apparently paying at 7-Eleven earns you something like 10 yen worth of points per slip.
    66AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:46
    Gas gets shut off the second you're even a single day late.
    Makes you wonder just how meticulously they track every individual account, lol.
    81AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:53
    Re: #66
    Gas, electricity, and water all gave me a 1-2 month grace period though.
    77AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:51
    This convenience-store-payment thing is probably because her direct debit failed and she ignored the postcard notice about it.
    86AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:56
    Re: #77
    There's also the Tokui case and that comedian pro-wrestler (both got caught not paying bills/taxes), so you really do want to check your mail.
    83AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:54
    I saw a thread on this exact same topic about half a year ago too.
    93AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:59
    Re: #83
    Same person as in Re: #1.

    [Entertainment] Aina The End — Stunning performance with her real younger sister at the Japan Record Awards! Also drops a shocking confession amid her busy schedule: "This is embarrassing, but… my gas got shut off twice…" [Reporter Fuyuzuki★]
    https://hayabusa9.5ch.io/test/read.cgi/mnewsplus/1767138116/
    90AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:58
    I've switched to direct debit now, but back when I paid at the convenience store, I actually had a much better sense of things — like "whoa, I spent this much last month…" — which made me think "I should cut back a bit."
    94AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:59
    Re: #90
    Nah, even with direct debit you'd normally still check the bill, lol.

    Background and Talking Points

    Like electricity and water, city gas generally isn’t cut off the instant a payment is missed — a demand notice is typically sent first, followed by a grace period of roughly one to two months. In the thread, accounts differed between people who said service was cut “immediately” and others who reported a one-to-two-month grace period, so it’s worth noting that the actual grace period varies depending on the provider and the specifics of the missed payment. There’s also a claim in the thread that this same “gas got shut off twice” story was previously told on a show following the Japan Record Awards, suggesting it may be an anecdote Aina has trotted out more than once to illustrate just how busy she’s been. Missing the demand notice is presumably tied to a busy lifestyle that leaves little time to check the mail, but that remains speculation within the article rather than a confirmed fact.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou Sokuho+) thread “[Entertainment] Aina The End: “I Was So Busy My Gas Got Shut Off Twice” — Co-Star Stunned by Her Payment Method.”

  • Tatekawa Shiraku Slams Bashing of Mori Reo: ‘Unrelated People Are the Ones Criticizing’ Sparks Mixed Reactions

    Rakugo performer Tatekawa Shiraku criticized the wave of online bashing directed at actor Mori Reo—who died on September 4 at age 83—over his past relationships with women. Posting on X, he wrote, “They’re just hunting for prey every day” and “Have they lost even the basic decency to mourn the dead?” He added, “I could understand it if the people who were hurt were the ones saying this, but it’s people who have nothing to do with it doing the criticizing.” This raised the question of whether only those directly involved have standing to criticize, and on 5ch, rebuttals poured in—”By that logic you couldn’t criticize murder cases either,” “Shiraku himself butts into topics that have nothing to do with him too”—splitting opinion.

    9/14 (Mon) 16:20

    Rakugo performer Tatekawa Shiraku’s comments about the sudden death of actor Mori Reo have become a new flashpoint.

    “It started on September 12, when Shiraku posted his views on X. After mourning Mori—who died on the 4th at age 83—writing ‘Mori Reo has passed away. That’s a shame,’ Shiraku criticized the wave of people online reviving and bashing his past relationships with women, writing ‘They’re just hunting for prey every day’ and ‘Have they lost even the basic decency to mourn the dead? It’s an ugly sight,’” (entertainment reporter)

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

    8AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:52
    Did they go to the police, or win damages in civil court?
    If none of that happened, that tells you something, right?
    Means there wasn't really a problem.
    121AnonymousSep 14, 2026 17:12
    Re: #8
    You mean the Nakai and Kokubun thing?
    9AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:52
    Re: #1
    Must be rough belonging to the 'thou shalt not bash evil' religion.
    10AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:52
    You're also butting into topics that have nothing to do with you
    — you always have, and still are.
    11AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:52
    By this guy's logic, we shouldn't even criticize murder cases.
    45AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:58
    Re: #11
    Sounds like the kind of guy who'd say 'you weren't murdered, so complain once you are.'
    12AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:52
    There's no 'freedom' to deceive viewers on TV, you know.
    13AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:52
    Same with the Matsumoto case, same with the Nakai case — unrelated people were bashing the alleged victims back then too.
    14AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:53
    Well, it's mainly the fans of the alleged victims doing the bashing, isn't it
    Though since he's already passed away, saying anything now is too late anyway.
    15AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:53
    You're also butting into stuff that's none of your business and criticizing it, lol.
    16AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:53
    Don't tabloid TV shows always have uninvolved celebrities who aren't even parties to the case wielding one-sided 'justice' to bash whoever's cast as the villain?
    18AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:53
    I did think this was going too far, but seriously
    even this 'cuckolded old man' (a jab at Shiraku's own scandal) is sticking his nose into it now?
    19AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:54
    Neither of those two has actually retired from showbiz, right?
    No condolence comments from them?
    20AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:54
    Honestly on SNS right now it's less about the women
    and more about the Koenji stuff —
    tons of petty, scummy little episodes keep surfacing.
    21AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:54
    So then you can never work as a commentator again for the rest of your life, right?
    Better never take another job.
    22AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:54
    Guess we shouldn't report on murders or fraud cases either then.
    23AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:54
    Hold on, you're not a victim yourself either, yet you're commenting like you know it all.
    24AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:54
    Celebrities always say the same things
    'she should've gone to the police,'
    'it's the woman's fault'
    — this industry is so out of touch, that's all they ever say.
    25AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:55
    If he's acknowledging there were victims, doesn't that mean he's also acknowledging there was a perpetrator?
    People who aren't victims still feel anger at murder news too, don't they
    I don't direct anger at the actor, but I still get mad at the rapist character in a drama.
    27AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:55
    It's precisely because the socially weaker side gets silenced by the powerful when they speak up
    that it's important for everyone to criticize together.
    32AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:56
    If you say that, nothing could ever be criticized
    Do you never criticize any incident in the world at all?
    33AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:56
    Then you should quit being a commentator too.
    34AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:56
    Oh, so he's just a controversy-baiting entertainer then
    Same as Hezuma Ryu (a YouTuber infamous for attention-seeking stunts).
    35AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:56
    Guess that's his declaration: 'I won't criticize anything unless it happens to me.'
    106AnonymousSep 14, 2026 17:08
    Classic style of needlessly spreading it to people who didn't even know about it in the first place.
    119AnonymousSep 14, 2026 17:11
    Re: #106
    Exactly this, lol
    The decent fans know it looks bad so they're trying to just ignore it and let it blow over,
    but some guy who doesn't actually care about Mori Reo — just wants attention for himself — keeps picking pointless fights and dragging his name through the mud.
    116AnonymousSep 14, 2026 17:11
    There are so many stories floating around about what a genuinely good guy 'Harry' (an online nickname for Mori) was,
    which makes this all the more amusing.
    136AnonymousSep 14, 2026 17:15
    Re: #116
    Seemed like the type people would dislike, but he was actually a stand-up guy
    Guess we should all live sincerely enough to be remembered that way.
    142AnonymousSep 14, 2026 17:15
    Is this the first time someone's died and nothing but bad press has come out about them since?
    149AnonymousSep 14, 2026 17:17
    Re: #142
    What about the Johnny's boss (Johnny Kitagawa)…
    155AnonymousSep 14, 2026 17:20
    Well, keeping it to toilet-wall graffiti here on 5ch is about as far as a lady or gentleman should take it.
    175AnonymousSep 14, 2026 17:23
    Re: #155
    Good point
    I don't do Yahoo comments or X, so 5ch is about the right level for this.
    158AnonymousSep 14, 2026 17:21
    He's being treated like the 'Demon of Koenji' now, lol.
    174AnonymousSep 14, 2026 17:23
    Re: #158
    Kind of sounds cool though, honestly
    'Demon of Koenji.'

    Background and key points of this discussion

    This controversy started when, following Mori Reo’s death, a wave of posts online revived his past relationships with women. Tatekawa Shiraku’s argument touches on a question that keeps resurfacing in entertainment scandal coverage—”does only the person directly involved have standing to criticize?”—and in the thread, some compared it to past scandal coverage involving figures like Hitoshi Matsumoto and Masahiro Nakai, where unrelated third parties piled on the alleged victims. On the other hand, there’s strong pushback against stretching that logic to cover clear wrongdoing like murder under a blanket “only those involved can speak up” rule, so opinion remains split. It’s also worth noting that since Mori has passed away, the specific facts behind the “relationships with women” claims can no longer be verified, and much of what’s circulating in reports and on social media remains unconfirmed rumor.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Entertainment/Sports News+) thread “Tatekawa Shiraku: ‘I could understand it if the people who were hurt were saying this, but it’s unrelated people criticizing’ — bashing of Mori Reo draws SNS backlash.”

  • Actress Hiroe Igeta Admits to a “Serious Relationship” Three Years Ago — 5ch Reacts: “What Kind of Guy Isn’t ‘Reliable’?”

    Actress Hiroe Igeta (29) admitted to having had a serious relationship in 2023, after a fortune teller predicted during the late-night broadcast of Fuji TV’s “Totsuzen desu ga Uranatte mo Ii desu ka” (“Is It Okay If I Read Your Fortune?”) on the 13th that she “falls for unusual people.” Her co-star Kasumi Mori seemed surprised, saying of the man, “I had this image of him as steady and reliable,” while revealing, “In the end I heard that ‘work came first and things got put on the back burner, so it didn’t work out.’” On 5ch, reactions ranged from surprise at the gap with her steady image to speculation about who the man might be, though the thread also saw plenty of crude remarks about her looks and figure that dragged the discussion off-topic.

    Hiroe Igeta Admits to a “Serious Relationship” Three Years Ago: “Yes. I had a wonderful time.”

    Actress Hiroe Igeta (29) appeared on Fuji TV’s late-night show “Totsuzen desu ga Uranatte mo Ii desu ka” (Sundays at 12:55 a.m.), which aired on the 13th, and revealed that she had a serious relationship in 2023.

    After fortune teller Yayako predicted that she “falls for pretty unusual people,” her close friend and co-star Kasumi Mori remarked, “An unusual person, hmm. The person who was unusual… hmm. It’s less that he was unusual and more that, well, that’s just how Ige-chan is. I had this image of him as steady and reliable, so it’s surprising there’s a side of her that isn’t like that. But in the end I heard something like, ‘Work ended up coming first and it got put on the back burner, so it didn’t work out,’ and I was like, ‘Yeah, that’s how it goes.’ They ended up right back where they started — it heated up once, but then it cooled back down.”

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

    3AnonymousSep 14, 2026 15:50
    Re: #2
    Well, if it's a "serious relationship," that's probably exactly what it means.
    11AnonymousSep 14, 2026 15:52
    What kind of person counts as "not reliable" anyway — a drifter, or maybe a "210"? ("210" is obscure net slang here; the exact meaning is unclear, likely a jab at some shady or unstable line of work)
    15AnonymousSep 14, 2026 15:54
    She's recognized more as a TV personality than as an actress.
    17AnonymousSep 14, 2026 15:54
    Re: #5
    Imada said recently his last relationship was when he was 48, so that doesn't line up.
    23AnonymousSep 14, 2026 15:56
    Re: #17
    Koji's just saying he wants a beautiful, pure romance — he just wants the two of them to laugh and cry together, that's all.
    28AnonymousSep 14, 2026 15:58
    Re: #23
    Things like consolation money, a payoff to end it cleanly, or maybe "that" never showing up… ("that" is a euphemism implying a pregnancy scare)
    107AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:35
    Re: #23
    Imada's stuck on "Not-Yet Romantic" (a pun on his name, 今田/Imada, which reads like "imada," meaning "still" or "not yet")
    21AnonymousSep 14, 2026 15:56
    An actress?
    These days just showing up in commercials gets you called an actress?
    86AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:21
    Re: #21
    That's just because you don't know — she's been in dramas, stage plays, and movies too.
    27AnonymousSep 14, 2026 15:58
    Sounds like the type both you guys and I would hate.
    96AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:26
    Re: #27
    I love Ige-chan from the bottom of my heart.
    Ige-chan really is the cutest girl in the whole world~
    33AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:00
    Zero-One had a rough time too because of COVID. Izu ended up gaining weight even though she's supposed to be a robot.
    36AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:00
    Wait, she's an actress?
    Thought she was just a TV personality.
    And (29) — huh, guess that checks out.
    43AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:02
    Elite beauties really do go for dangerous guys, huh.
    62AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:10
    Honestly, what's more surprising is that she's already 30.
    68AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:12
    Re: #62
    These days both men and women are hopeless with their childish, put-on mannerisms.
    74AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:14
    "Got no lingering feelings for the wife, but…" — Igeta (a riff on a classic enka lyric pattern, punning on her surname)
    79AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:17
    Re: #74

    You idiot!

    You just did a spit-take with your tea at your desk, didn't you!
    78AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:17
    Never expected this girl to out-succeed Izu among the Rider cast.
    84AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:19
    Re: #78
    Don't even know her name, but I figured the girl from [Kamen Rider] Drive was the one who'd make it big.
    82AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:19
    Surprising that this one broke out while Wachi Minami, from the same high school, didn't.

    Background and Key Points of This Topic

    “Totsuzen desu ga Uranatte mo Ii desu ka” is a late-night show where a fortune teller reads guests’ fortunes while drawing out conversation; Igeta was told by the fortune teller that she “falls for unusual people,” which led into her admitting to a 2023 relationship. Igeta is known for roles including the heroine in Kamen Rider Zero-One, and what co-star Kasumi Mori described — that it “ended because work came first” — doesn’t touch on who the person was or the specific reason for the breakup. In the thread, comments expressing surprise at the gap with her steady image mingled with crude remarks unilaterally judging her looks and figure; the latter have been left out of this article. There were also speculative replies naming specific individuals, such as “the Okada guy she co-starred with on Zero-One [01],” but neither the show nor any reporting has confirmed anything — it should be noted these are strictly speculation from an anonymous message board.

    *This article was compiled by excerpting and summarizing the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “[Entertainment] Actress Hiroe Igeta Admits to a “Serious Relationship” Three Years Ago: “Yes. I had a wonderful time.”“.

  • Yuki Kuroda’s Hated Villain Role in ‘Ningen Shikkaku’ Still Defines His Career — 5ch: ‘He Was Genuinely Pitiable’

    Yuki Kuroda (44) looked back on the 1994 TV drama “Ningen Shikkaku” (“Human Disqualified”), in which he appeared as a sixth-grader, recalling that people still sometimes call him by the show’s title instead of his name. The drama also featured KinKi Kids’ Koichi Domoto and Tsuyoshi Domoto before their debut, and Kuroda shared how he was picked by screenwriter Shinji Nojima at the audition, along with fond memories of being doted on by the pair on set. On 5ch, this story sparked a discussion about what became of other actors who played hated villain roles in Nojima’s works, with opinions split over why some actors stayed stuck with that image for years while others managed to shake it off.

    “People still sometimes call me ‘the guy from Ningen Shikkaku’ — not by my name or my character’s name, but by the title of the show itself. So many people watched it and came to know who Yuki Kuroda is, so now I make a point of joking back, ‘No, I passed as a human being!’” (a pun on the title, which literally means “Disqualified as a Human”)

    So says Yuki Kuroda (44). He says he was still just a sixth-grader in elementary school when he appeared in the show.

    “At the audition, I was lined up next to the two KinKi Kids members, and Mr. Nojima (Shinji) picked me, saying, ‘This one.’ The two Kinki guys were older than me and so kind to me. Koichi was the disciplined type, so he often practiced lines with me, and Tsuyoshi used to plop me in a chair with wheels and go tearing full-speed down the TBS hallways with me — he really played around with me.”

    Source: jisin.jp / Original article here

    6AnonymousSep 14, 2026 13:55
    Isn't his face crazy narrow in that photo? Total goat-face.
    Might be partly because the other two have wider faces though
    7AnonymousSep 14, 2026 13:55
    These days he's known as 'the women's marathon guy'
    10AnonymousSep 14, 2026 13:59
    Back when Yuki Kuroda was, for some reason, called a bishonen (pretty boy)
    11AnonymousSep 14, 2026 13:59
    Wasn't this the one where 'Aniki' gets his revenge?
    12AnonymousSep 14, 2026 14:00
    In the end the Ningen Shikkaku image was so strong that none of the villains ever really made it big, huh
    19AnonymousSep 14, 2026 14:03
    Re: #12
    Yosuke Saito did make it big though
    14AnonymousSep 14, 2026 14:00
    Funny thing is, Tsuyoshi and Kuroda later played brothers in a drama called 'Second Chance'

    That show was great in its own right
    A warm family drama, the total opposite of this one
    25AnonymousSep 14, 2026 14:08
    Re: #14
    I guess even the industry figured they owed Kuroda one after that
    Well, I was just a junior high kid back then, but the way people hated on Yuki Kuroda was genuinely pitiable. I still remember it clearly
    15AnonymousSep 14, 2026 14:00
    Pretty much everyone who got stuck playing a villain in a Nojima drama ended up ruined
    They just can't shake the bad image
    24AnonymousSep 14, 2026 14:07
    Re: #15
    David Ito is the prime example of this
    Before that he was just a funny middle-aged guy on shows like Nama Dara
    But after 'Seija no Koushin' ('March of the Saints') he only ever got cast as scumbag roles in dramas
    Total opposite of Yosuke Saito, who got welcomed right back in on SMAP×SMAP
    52AnonymousSep 14, 2026 14:25
    Re: #15
    Masaki Kyomoto turned out fine though
    Even after a role like that lol
    20AnonymousSep 14, 2026 14:04
    Kuroda, Shiro Sano, and Shunsuke Kazama probably struggled for a long time
    Their acting was that intense
    21AnonymousSep 14, 2026 14:04
    Kind of a clickbait thread title lol
    Well, I mean if you actually read it, it's not quite that
    26AnonymousSep 14, 2026 14:09
    Wasn't he playing the Muto kid? He was a 12-year-old elementary schooler at the time lol
    The Simon & Garfunkel song fit perfectly, but it's a shame the DVD release swapped in a different song
    27AnonymousSep 14, 2026 14:09
    Good roles, bad roles, doesn't matter
    There's always a certain number of creatures out there who can't tell fiction from reality
    32AnonymousSep 14, 2026 14:11
    Re: #24
    Debi got recognized as a real actor because of this though. He still gets cast in good roles even now.
    33AnonymousSep 14, 2026 14:12
    This is a seriously misleading title lol
    34AnonymousSep 14, 2026 14:12
    Re: #25
    Yeah, Kuroda really did get a raw deal
    Like it was some kind of apology, his character in Second Chance was such a good kid lol
    36AnonymousSep 14, 2026 14:13
    The impression from this drama was so strong that nothing he did afterward could shake it
    39AnonymousSep 14, 2026 14:15
    Ningen Shikkaku is still trauma-inducing to this day
    42AnonymousSep 14, 2026 14:17
    Re: #39
    Looking back, did the Johnny's fangirls really not complain at all about roles like that back then?

    I'd have expected them to mix up fiction and reality and kick up a fuss about their guy being bullied like that, poor thing
    43AnonymousSep 14, 2026 14:19
    Re: #42
    They were still pre-debut at that point — I think this is actually what got them popular
    40AnonymousSep 14, 2026 14:15
    If Tsuyoshi Domoto's character killed himself, what happened to the story after that? Wasn't he the main character?
    41AnonymousSep 14, 2026 14:16
    Re: #40
    Wasn't it more about Koichi's anguish after that?
    Plus Akai's revenge
    47AnonymousSep 14, 2026 14:21
    Re: #40
    The main character is Hidekazu Akai — he's the one who gets revenge
    44AnonymousSep 14, 2026 14:19
    When Christel Takigawa showed up I thought they were siblings
    Then once that impression faded, I somehow ended up thinking she was Yuki Meguro's daughter or something
    45AnonymousSep 14, 2026 14:20
    I'd love to watch this drama again
    C'mon Amazon Prime, put it up
    56AnonymousSep 14, 2026 14:27
    Re: #45
    If you want to watch it, renting the video is basically your only option
    I used a mail-order rental service, but it was always checked out, so it took forever to get through all the volumes
    46AnonymousSep 14, 2026 14:21
    Re: #43
    Ah I see, so this was way before Kindaichi and all that? Right, so this is where Kinki's popularity took off
    48AnonymousSep 14, 2026 14:21
    All I remember is Yosuke Saito getting smashed with a delivery box by Hidekazu Akai and sinking dead into the pool (the box is an okamochi, the wooden case noodle-delivery guys carry)
    49AnonymousSep 14, 2026 14:23
    I cracked up at him drowning the guy in the pool and then shoving him butt-first into the drain
    50AnonymousSep 14, 2026 14:24
    Even though Tsuyoshi's character saved him from being bullied, he got jealous that Tsuyoshi topped the whole grade without even going to cram school
    Then the moment the bullying target switched to Tsuyoshi, he became the ringleader and ended up killing him — that's the role we're talking about
    62AnonymousSep 14, 2026 14:33
    He's changed way too much
    https://hochi.news/images/2024/05/08/20240508-OHT1I51131-L.jpg
    74AnonymousSep 14, 2026 14:41
    Re: #62
    Is that Nappa after going Super Saiyan?
    87AnonymousSep 14, 2026 14:48
    Tsuyoshi Domoto's big breakthrough was Kindaichi, right
    For Ningen Shikkaku, it's Yuki Kuroda who left the stronger impression

    Background and Talking Points

    “Ningen Shikkaku — Tatoeba Boku ga Shindara” (“Human Disqualified: If, For Example, I Were to Die”) was a TBS drama that aired in 1994, written by Shinji Nojima, a screenwriter known for works dealing with bullying and revenge. KinKi Kids’ Koichi and Tsuyoshi Domoto appeared in it before their debut, while Yuki Kuroda, still an elementary schooler at the time, fully committed to the despised role of the bullying ringleader. In the thread, commenters raised numerous cases of actors who played hated villains in Nojima’s works and then struggled with that image afterward, contrasting cases like David Ito, who couldn’t shake it for years, with cases like Yosuke Saito and Masaki Kyomoto, who came through unscathed — and opinions split on why some escaped the image while others didn’t. Worth noting: the quoted portion of the original article is mainly Kuroda’s own recollections, and the details behind the thread title’s claim that things “became a police matter” don’t actually appear in the article text.

    *This article is compiled as an excerpt/summary of the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “[Entertainment] ‘He was making girls cry’ — Yuki Kuroda reveals the past co-starring with Tsuyoshi & Koichi Domoto, where he was hated so much it became a police matter [Ailuropoda melanoleuca★].”

  • Hitoshi Matsumoto Announces Surgery — 5ch Reacts: “If Only He’d Gotten Regular Checkups”

    On the 14th, Hitoshi Matsumoto of the comedy duo Downtown updated the X account for the streaming service “DOWNTOWN+” to announce that he will undergo surgery. Matsumoto had previously revealed, during an emergency livestream in July, that he has colorectal cancer, and had also disclosed that he uses a stoma (colostomy). On the thread, opinions were divided over whether this new surgery signals a worsening condition or is part of a smooth recovery, and partway through, some posts pointed out a misreading of the headline. Many commenters also chimed in with their own experiences getting health checkups and colonoscopy screenings.

    On the 14th, Hitoshi Matsumoto of the comedy duo Downtown updated the X account for the internet streaming service “DOWNTOWN+ (Downtown Plus)” to announce that he will undergo surgery.

    In July, Matsumoto revealed during an emergency livestream on the same service that he has colorectal cancer, saying, “I had a huge surgery, it was rough. I thought I was going to die.” He also disclosed that he uses a stoma (colostomy).

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

    7AnonymousSep 14, 2026 12:10
    It's 'cause the COVID vaccine wipes out your immunity, you know.
    66AnonymousSep 14, 2026 12:17
    Re: #7
    Are people still going on about the vaccine? Did their clocks stop 5 years ago?
    9AnonymousSep 14, 2026 12:10
    If he'd gone in for a checkup every year, maybe this wouldn't have happened.

    Not going to the hospital until he had bloody stools… he was just too slow on everything.
    26AnonymousSep 14, 2026 12:12
    Re: #9
    Even with regular health screenings, sometimes it just doesn't get caught.
    37AnonymousSep 14, 2026 12:14
    Re: #26
    A handbag. (a random word-association joke riffing off the earlier "dog" typo)
    74AnonymousSep 14, 2026 12:18
    Re: #26
    Stomach and colon cancer can be caught early if you get proper screenings.
    24AnonymousSep 14, 2026 12:12
    He said it was a temporary colostomy, so maybe this surgery is to reverse it.
    35AnonymousSep 14, 2026 12:14
    Re: #24
    Everyone's told it's "temporary" when they get one. But only a tiny fraction of people ever actually get it removed, and even then it takes forever before you can have normal bowel movements again. Having surgery again this soon probably means he doesn't have much time left.
    50AnonymousSep 14, 2026 12:16
    Re: #35
    Oh really, I didn't know that. So it's probably not a reversal surgery then.
    267AnonymousSep 14, 2026 12:46
    Re: #35
    Ugh, this is exactly why 5ch is full of people just making stuff up. Look at the detailed report:

    "Matsumoto reported on his current condition that day, saying, 'I'm recovering smoothly…' He went on to add, 'I can get the surgery to push the protruding intestine back in sooner than expected, so I'm going to go ahead and do it.'"

    It's right there in black and white.
    32AnonymousSep 14, 2026 12:14
    Why doesn't he just retire already and go travel or do whatever else he wants to do?
    45AnonymousSep 14, 2026 12:15
    Re: #9
    Seriously, this. It's not really an era where you die from cancer anymore — but that only holds true for people who take checkups and treatment seriously. Skip the checkups, catch it late, or fall for some sketchy alternative medicine, and you can die easily.
    101AnonymousSep 14, 2026 12:21
    Re: #45
    ✕ It's not an era where you die from cancer
    ◯ It's an era where you barely die from anything OTHER than cancer
    47AnonymousSep 14, 2026 12:15
    "Hitoshi Matsumoto: 'Looks like I can get the surgery to push my intestine back in sooner than expected' — to be hospitalized for about a week, announced on DOWNTOWN+'s official X account"

    Whatever malicious reporter chopped that headline down should have their press badge revoked.
    54AnonymousSep 14, 2026 12:16
    Re: #47
    Oh, so it's not about the cancer spreading — it's that kind of surgery. Sounds like things are actually going fine.
    59AnonymousSep 14, 2026 12:17
    Harry → Nobue Matsubara → Hitoshi Matsumoto?! The celebrity-death chain continues (a grim 5ch meme linking recent celebrity deaths/health scares in sequence)
    75AnonymousSep 14, 2026 12:18
    Re: #59
    And all around their mid-60s too.
    64AnonymousSep 14, 2026 12:17
    Guess the stress really got to him after all. Cancer comes from stress, you know. Namu~ (a Buddhist phrase, short for "Namu Amida Butsu," used casually here like "rest in peace")
    109AnonymousSep 14, 2026 12:21
    Re: #64
    Maybe it's the stress of not being able to go out and enjoy himself freely anymore.
    70AnonymousSep 14, 2026 12:17
    Will he make it to the New Year? What's everyone's prediction?
    84AnonymousSep 14, 2026 12:19
    Re: #70
    He might not get to see next year's cherry blossoms.
    115AnonymousSep 14, 2026 12:22
    Re: #70
    I think he'll live until next year. Two years at most.
    165AnonymousSep 14, 2026 12:31
    Re: #70
    I don't think he'll even see this year's cherry blossoms.
    116AnonymousSep 14, 2026 12:23
    The only standard test for colorectal cancer in a regular health checkup is the fecal occult blood test.

    By the time that comes back positive, the reality is you're usually not at stage 1 or 2 anymore — it's already fairly advanced.

    Once you're past 40, once every 5 years is enough, so I strongly recommend getting a colonoscopy. No other test is as reliable.
    124AnonymousSep 14, 2026 12:24
    Re: #116
    How much does that cost?
    195AnonymousSep 14, 2026 12:35
    Re: #124
    If you go to a gastroenterologist and say "my stomach's been off lately…" and ask for the exam, it's covered by insurance — I think it was around 8,000 yen.

    The actual procedure, with the camera going in through the anus, takes about 20 minutes. You feel a foreign-body sensation but zero pain. Way easier than a stomach endoscopy.

    But you have to start drinking the laxative that morning, so you can't do anything else that day — clear your whole schedule.
    255AnonymousSep 14, 2026 12:45
    Re: #195
    I want to be fully sedated with no memory of the procedure at all. Any well-known pain-free clinics in Tokyo?
    276AnonymousSep 14, 2026 12:47
    Re: #195
    Is "zero pain" even a real thing?
    135AnonymousSep 14, 2026 12:27
    He trained so hard and built such an amazing body from all that weightlifting, and he still got sick — makes you wonder if the training actually wasn't good for him, especially since he only started later in life.
    145AnonymousSep 14, 2026 12:28
    Re: #135
    Isn't it probably the stress from the lawsuit and everything? He might've been eating himself up over things not going the way he expected.
    160AnonymousSep 14, 2026 12:30
    Re: #135
    A lot of Japanese people get colorectal cancer. Probably because everyone sits all day.
    161AnonymousSep 14, 2026 12:30
    What news cycle is this thread even from? Is this board "Breaking News… Eventually" now? (a pun on the board's name, Breaking News+ — implying the news here is anything but breaking)
    168AnonymousSep 14, 2026 12:31
    Re: #161
    Can't wrap your head around it?
    181AnonymousSep 14, 2026 12:33
    Re: #161
    The 14th is this September, right? I thought that was today — am I wrong?
    239AnonymousSep 14, 2026 12:42
    Ishibashi looks like he's in pretty bad shape too — honestly, I'm more worried about him. (referring to Takaaki Ishibashi of the comedy duo Tunnels, who has also battled cancer)
    243AnonymousSep 14, 2026 12:43
    Re: #239
    I recall hearing he found the chemo or radiation so brutal he ended up quitting it.
    266AnonymousSep 14, 2026 12:46
    Re: #239
    Yeah, he'd gotten incredibly thin.
    292AnonymousSep 14, 2026 12:48
    Re: #239
    Is he really that bad off?

    Background and Key Points of This Story

    This surgery appears to be aimed at reversing the stoma (colostomy) that was temporarily created during treatment for the colorectal cancer Matsumoto disclosed on his emergency livestream back in July, now that his intestines have recovered faster than expected. On the thread, speculation initially arose that this might be related to the cancer recurring or spreading, but after a detailed report was quoted, it was corrected to reflect that he is “recovering smoothly” and that the surgery is to “push the protruding intestine back in.” Colorectal cancer is said to be hard to catch early using only the standard fecal occult blood test offered in routine checkups, and in many cases the cancer has already progressed by the time that test comes back positive. Getting a colonoscopy every few years after turning 40 is considered an effective countermeasure, and the thread also saw a detailed, practical exchange about the cost of the exam and whether it hurts.

    *This article was compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Entertainment/Sports News Flash+) thread “Downtown’s Hitoshi Matsumoto Announces Surgery [Ailuropoda melanoleuca★].”

  • Yuji Oda Eyes Sequel in Osaka — 5,000 Fans Turn Out, but 5ch Says ‘No Sato Jiro, No Watch’

    Actor Yuji Oda attended a commemorative event on September 13 in Kita Ward, Osaka, for “Bayside Shakedown N.E.W.: Dash Through the Metropolis!” (opening September 18), telling a crowd of 5,000 fans — far exceeding the expected 3,000 — that he wants to make another sequel “as soon as possible.” It marked his first visit to Osaka as Detective Shunsaku Aoshima in 14 years, since 2012. On 5ch, discussion ranged over box-office projections tied to advance ticket sales, mentions of Jiro Sato’s absence from this installment, and how the story might be easier to write without Shinji Muroi, as users debated where the franchise goes from here.

    Yuji Oda Declares Sequel Plans Before Massive Osaka Crowd — Event for Sept. 18 Release “Bayside Shakedown N.E.W.: Dash Through the Metropolis!”

    Actor Yuji Oda (58) attended a commemorative event on the 13th at the Umekita Square of Grand Front Osaka in Kita Ward, Osaka, for his starring film “Bayside Shakedown N.E.W.: Dash Through the Metropolis!” (directed by Katsuyuki Motohiro, opening on the 18th).

    It marked his first visit to Osaka as protagonist Shunsaku Aoshima in 14 years, since 2012. Before 5,000 fans — well over the planned 3,000 — he declared his intent to make a sequel, saying, “I want to do it again soon.”

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

    2AnonymousSep 14, 2026 08:26
    I don't want to watch a Bayside Shakedown without Jiro Sato in it
    9AnonymousSep 14, 2026 08:34
    Re: #2
    He was never in it to begin with lol
    4AnonymousSep 14, 2026 08:27
    A Bayside Shakedown with Muroi dead? Don't need it
    5AnonymousSep 14, 2026 08:31
    Is Santamaria in this one?
    64AnonymousSep 14, 2026 10:38
    Re: #5
    Satan Maria's right here (pun on actor Santamaria's name)
    12AnonymousSep 14, 2026 08:37
    Can it beat Chiikawa? (the wildly popular cute-character franchise)
    24AnonymousSep 14, 2026 08:48
    Re: #12
    If it pulls in 30% of what Chiikawa makes, that'd be doing well
    13AnonymousSep 14, 2026 08:37
    There sure are a lot of board posters trashing it despite the strong advance ticket ("moviecard" presale) numbers — my guess is it'll be a solid hit
    34AnonymousSep 14, 2026 09:04
    Re: #13
    Already past 17,000 sold — that should make a 'half' [of the target box office] a safe bet, right?
    19AnonymousSep 14, 2026 08:43
    Saw the footage — looked like a pretty cringe-inducing movie
    Seems like it'll just coast on nostalgia and nothing else
    25AnonymousSep 14, 2026 08:50
    Re: #19
    Yeah, overstuffed in a bad way
    And the actual case at the heart of it is probably going to be half-baked anyway
    26AnonymousSep 14, 2026 08:50
    The main case absolutely needs that edge-of-your-seat tension
    That's what will make or break this movie

    The first two films, the Negotiator spin-off, and the TV finale all had that
    31AnonymousSep 14, 2026 08:54
    Re: #26
    Just look at the case in the Muroi movie
    They hype it up so much in the first half, then Muroi takes a phone call and wraps it up in 5 minutes in the second half?
    That screenwriter can't write a proper mystery anymore
    Also, I still believe the theory that Jiro Sato was the culprit (lol)
    36AnonymousSep 14, 2026 09:06
    I think it'll pull in ¥5 billion at the box office
    It's got a loyal fanbase, and I'm going too

    Whether it goes higher than that comes down to the content
    42AnonymousSep 14, 2026 09:21
    Re: #36
    There hasn't been a genuinely good Bayside Shakedown in 30 years, yet people are still hoping 'this time will be different'?

    Good chance it'll be even worse than the two Muroi movies
    38AnonymousSep 14, 2026 09:13
    Can it beat Chiikawa?
    44AnonymousSep 14, 2026 09:24
    Re: #38
    Depending on the bonus goods, it might lose on the weekend
    45AnonymousSep 14, 2026 09:34
    The numbers for the recent TV reruns have actually been pretty good
    50AnonymousSep 14, 2026 09:50
    Re: #45
    Wakui's in it, Sumire's in it, Muroi's even in it — just no Jiro Sato
    53AnonymousSep 14, 2026 09:55
    Ikariya's not in it, Fukatsu's not in it, Yanagiba's not in it either
    Calling this a Bayside Shakedown sequel is a stretch
    56AnonymousSep 14, 2026 10:08
    Re: #53
    What, summoning them from the afterlife?
    62AnonymousSep 14, 2026 10:33
    Re: #53
    Probably Muroi asked them to, from beyond
    57AnonymousSep 14, 2026 10:22
    He opened with some Osaka dialect: 'Business good? Thanks a bunch!'

    Sounds like it totally bombed
    65AnonymousSep 14, 2026 10:47
    Re: #57
    Osaka crowds are generous with actors' jokes
    They're tough on comedians though
    66AnonymousSep 14, 2026 10:48
    Re: #57
    I feel like he should've opened with 'Maido!' instead
    68AnonymousSep 14, 2026 10:55
    For a live-action Japanese film with no big Johnny's idol in the cast, 17,302 advance tickets is insanely strong under normal circumstances
    72AnonymousSep 14, 2026 11:10
    Re: #68
    Well, 'Massu' counts as a pretty strong Johnny's himself
    69AnonymousSep 14, 2026 10:59
    Well, I don't think there was any bad blood at this point, but now that Muroi's gone, I feel like sequels might get easier to make
    Whatever the real reason, taking 14 years since the last one must mean it wasn't easy to put together smoothly

    Going forward it's basically just Oda and the rest of the gang, so doesn't that make for an easier environment to work in?
    70AnonymousSep 14, 2026 11:01
    Re: #69
    Setting aside any behind-the-scenes friction, with Muroi around you could only really do the same kind of storyline
    Getting assigned to the First Investigative Division probably wouldn't have worked with Muroi still around either
    75AnonymousSep 14, 2026 11:13
    Re: #69
    The 14-year gap was because attendance had dropped, so they made it a finale to avoid the series going into the red

    If it becomes a money-losing series, it doesn't matter how easy sequels are to make — it won't survive
    73AnonymousSep 14, 2026 11:11
    Also, at least so far, it's odd that Oda hasn't brought up 'this film without Muroi' at any press events
    Even if it ties into the story somehow, wouldn't it make sense for him to say at least a little something like 'Yanagiba's gone from this one…' about someone's absence?
    77AnonymousSep 14, 2026 11:17
    Re: #73
    The trailer mentions something about a 'Muroi model,' so it'll probably get addressed in the film itself
    78AnonymousSep 14, 2026 11:17
    Re: #73
    Is this gonna be like Space Battleship Yamato, where the doctor looks straight at the camera and tells the audience 'That was my misdiagnosis,' and suddenly Captain Okita's alive again — except it's Muroi this time?
    76AnonymousSep 14, 2026 11:14
    Re: #42
    Even 'Suspect Muroi' back at the franchise's peak wasn't that big a deal
    It's not going to flop hard like GTO did — just my guess, though
    There's a die-hard fanbase after all

    It can't be like the old Bayside Shakedown days, but I still think in the end it'll pull in ¥5 billion
    81AnonymousSep 14, 2026 11:24
    Re: #76
    On top of the content being terrible, they're not even cutting Jiro Sato's scenes, right?

    There's no way it hits ¥5 billion

    Then again, this is coming from the guy who was the lone voice insisting Yamazaki's Godzilla would be a masterpiece while all of Japan said it couldn't possibly be good
    79AnonymousSep 14, 2026 11:19
    I think Motohiro's only real hit as a director is Bayside Shakedown, but being able to live off just that one franchise forever shows how huge being Japan's biggest domestic hit really is
    82AnonymousSep 14, 2026 11:25
    Re: #79
    He's your typical hired-gun director though, so his actual cut is probably small
    85AnonymousSep 14, 2026 11:30
    Re: #79
    Bayside Shakedown has never actually been Japan's biggest domestic box-office hit
    80AnonymousSep 14, 2026 11:22
    Nice that they're doing this in Osaka
    These events are usually always in Tokyo
    84AnonymousSep 14, 2026 11:29
    Re: #80
    They did do one in Tokyo too
    Though it ended up getting rained out and switched to an online stream

    Background and Talking Points

    The “Bayside Shakedown” franchise returns with its first new installment in 14 years, and within the story, Toshiro Yanagiba’s character Shinji Muroi has died. The “moviecard” figures that came up in the thread refer to advance movie-ticket presales, a number often used to gauge early box-office momentum. A total of over 17,000 isn’t a low figure by any means, but since it’s unclear just how big a hit the “Chiikawa” film comparison point will be, opinions in the thread were split on how to read the numbers. Meanwhile, frustration over Jiro Sato’s absence from this installment tends to run strongest among longtime fans of the series — a friction point common to long-running franchises with shifting casts. It’s worth noting that the article alone doesn’t reveal how the film will actually perform at the box office.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou Sokuhou+) thread “[Entertainment] Yuji Oda Declares Sequel Plans Before Massive Crowd in Umeda, Osaka! 5,000 Fans at Event for the Sept. 18 Release of ‘Bayside Shakedown N.E.W.’“

  • Kōsuke Minowa Slams Hosts as Insufferable — 5ch Claps Back: “Fair Point, But You’re No Different”

    On the night of September 13, Gentosha editor Kōsuke Minowa posted on his X (formerly Twitter) account: “The way hosts act all high-and-mighty, spouting life lessons — it makes me sick to begin with.” It was a personal take on the host club industry, but the reaction on 5ch didn’t stop at simple agreement. Since Minowa himself was previously reported to have had an affair, a wave of pushback picked apart his own past instead, with comments like “You’re no different” and “Don’t go lecturing people while ignoring your own affair.” Rather than debating the host industry itself, the thread ended up centering on “who’s doing the talking.”

    Kōsuke Minowa shares his opinion on some hosts: “The way they act all high-and-mighty, spouting life lessons, makes me sick to begin with”

    Gentosha editor Kōsuke Minowa updated his X account on the night of the 13th, sharing his personal thoughts on hosts.

    Minowa opened with: “The way hosts act all high-and-mighty, spouting life lessons — it makes me sick to begin with.”

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

    4AnonymousSep 14, 2026 09:33
    Ah, you mean Roland (the famous celebrity host).
    Makes sense.
    8AnonymousSep 14, 2026 09:34
    Who does Ikechan think he is, acting all high-and-mighty?
    10AnonymousSep 14, 2026 09:34
    I agree about the hosts,
    but you're no different yourself.
    15AnonymousSep 14, 2026 09:35
    Wow, haven't heard that name in a while — guess he's still at it.
    16AnonymousSep 14, 2026 09:35
    This guy's already lost face and he's just lashing out now.
    19AnonymousSep 14, 2026 09:36
    A cheating bastard who couldn't even treat his own wife right
    is basically the same as a host, if you ask me.
    25AnonymousSep 14, 2026 09:39
    An editor of all people acting all high-and-mighty toward others — that's sickening too.
    26AnonymousSep 14, 2026 09:39
    You've published plenty of books letting sketchy people preach life lessons yourself, you know.
    27AnonymousSep 14, 2026 09:41
    Isn't it a problem when someone who at least holds the social standing — and arguably the responsibility — of being an editor openly calls an entire profession trash?
    Sure, everyone's entitled to their own likes, dislikes, and impressions, that's fine. But I think there's a line a grown adult ought to draw.
    28AnonymousSep 14, 2026 09:42
    Hosts run the gamut from great to terrible, so tweeting something this vague means he must've really been fuming — but it's such a pointless diary-tier rant that there's nothing to even respond to.
    31AnonymousSep 14, 2026 09:44
    Just a setup for some famous host's 'life lessons' book.
    Playing it exactly by the 'this is how you make it sell' playbook.
    Well played.
    35AnonymousSep 14, 2026 09:44
    Why doesn't he just settle it in the ring at Breaking Down (a Japanese amateur fight event)?
    39AnonymousSep 14, 2026 09:45
    Gentosha's fantasy 'news' pieces that keep popping up on Yahoo News are damn annoying too.
    40AnonymousSep 14, 2026 09:45
    Fair point.
    I get sick too watching some shady editor act all high-and-mighty.
    41AnonymousSep 14, 2026 09:45
    It's true hosts are basically only good for churning out sex workers and streetwalkers.
    Apparently over 80% of their customers are sex workers.
    44AnonymousSep 14, 2026 09:47
    In Ushijima the Loan Shark (a manga about a ruthless loan shark), hosts are the classic scumbags — they con female customers, rip them off, and sell them into the sex trade.
    45AnonymousSep 14, 2026 09:47
    Yeah, this whole trend of glorifying hosts, hostess-club girls, and ex-gangsters is garbage.
    48AnonymousSep 14, 2026 09:48
    I always figured hosts and organized-crime types were basically his own crowd — guess not?
    49AnonymousSep 14, 2026 09:49
    Hosts con female customers into ordering absurdly expensive bottles until they're saddled with like 10 million yen in debt. Of course the woman can't pay, so then he hooks her up with a sex-work job to cover it.
    51AnonymousSep 14, 2026 09:49
    Funny seeing one of his own kind try to flex on him.
    Is he talking about guys like Roland?
    53AnonymousSep 14, 2026 09:50
    What's gotten into him all of a sudden?
    Did a host steal Ikechan away from him?
    54AnonymousSep 14, 2026 09:50
    Hosts are pretty great, honestly —
    well, nothing compared to the world-renowned editor, the great Professor Minowa, of course.
    55AnonymousSep 14, 2026 09:50
    I'm a former host myself,
    and honestly, I think all he's doing is going out of his way to make himself a laughingstock to the public.
    76AnonymousSep 14, 2026 09:57
    The Breaking Down crowd is much the same.
    This trend of praising ex-gangsters for 'going straight' is childish,
    and it makes me sick when those guys get a taste of a normal life and suddenly get full of themselves, lecturing everyone about right and wrong.
    79AnonymousSep 14, 2026 09:58
    Re: #76
    Though some of them are actually wrongly convicted people
    that the media railroaded into looking like criminals
    by piling up lies.
    78AnonymousSep 14, 2026 09:58
    There are all kinds of hosts, though —
    some of them are the good kind who look out for their neighborhood.
    107AnonymousSep 14, 2026 10:08
    Glorifying hosts is bad enough, sure,
    but for some reason hostesses get glorified too,
    and that's pretty messed up as well —
    they're cut from the same cloth.
    129AnonymousSep 14, 2026 10:18
    Re: #107
    Even at the hostess-club level, they don't bother with broke young guys.
    Though you do get idiot kids committing crimes to earn money so they can play at a hostess club.

    Background and Key Points of This Story

    Kōsuke Minowa is a Gentosha editor known for bestsellers like Tadōryoku (“The Power of Action”) and for launching numerous celebrities’ books into the world; in 2020, a weekly tabloid reported that he’d had an affair. The backlash to this latest post centered less on the substance of his criticism of the host industry than on the fact that he was lecturing others while glossing over his own past. At the same time, some in the thread also pointed to real issues in the industry — exorbitant billing at host clubs, hosts steering customers into sex work — so a fair number of posters did agree with what Minowa actually said. Note: comments mocking real individuals’ appearance or private lives, and inappropriate posts referencing actual criminal or suicide cases, have been excluded from this article as unverifiable slander or otherwise lacking in consideration.

    *This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Geinou/Sports Breaking News+) thread “Kōsuke Minowa shares his opinion on some hosts: “The way hosts act all high-and-mighty, spouting life lessons, makes me sick to begin with”.”

  • Akiyama Mao: “I’ll Keep Working in Entertainment After Graduation” — Hashisako Rin: “I’m Retiring From Entertainment After Graduation”

    Akiyama Mao and Hashisako Rin, members of the Hello! Project idol group Tsubaki Factory, announced their graduation from the group at the same time. Their post-graduation paths are strikingly different, though: Akiyama has stated clearly that she’ll continue working in entertainment after graduating, while Hashisako says she’ll retire from the industry entirely once she graduates. The gap sparked a wave of reactions on 5ch’s Hello! Project board, with posters speculating on the reasons behind the split — citing differences in the two members’ workloads, fan popularity, and skill sets. Some also looked back at past members who stayed in showbiz after graduating, or conversely returned to activity after “retiring,” to guess what might come next for each of them.

    10AnonymousSep 14, 2026 08:15
    Fine if she wants to keep going, but she needs to stop lingering around Hello! Project and UP-FRONT's orbit.
    39AnonymousSep 14, 2026 09:07
    Re: #10
    Solved the moment you stop lingering around Hello! Project yourself.
    11AnonymousSep 14, 2026 08:15
    Hashisako barely had any solo work to begin with, right?
    13AnonymousSep 14, 2026 08:16
    It's not even guaranteed she stays with UP-FRONT — could end up being a Niinuma-type situation (a member who left the agency after "retiring").
    14AnonymousSep 14, 2026 08:18
    Hashisako → I could totally see her becoming a YouTuber.
    17AnonymousSep 14, 2026 08:20
    I've got a feeling Hashisako's heading back to Nagoya.
    19AnonymousSep 14, 2026 08:24
    Akiyama's got dance to fall back on, but Hashisako's got nothing.
    24AnonymousSep 14, 2026 08:40
    She doesn't seem that into being an idol, and probably has zero motivation for Hello! Project at this point. Why did she even become a trainee in the first place again?
    33AnonymousSep 14, 2026 08:57
    Re: #24
    In an interview Hashisako said it was because she "wanted to get rich."
    25AnonymousSep 14, 2026 08:40
    Did Mao-pin ever say anything about her plans after graduating?
    26AnonymousSep 14, 2026 08:40
    RIJ thread — try not to get swarmed by Mononofu (Momoiro Clover Z fans) until it wraps up.
    28AnonymousSep 14, 2026 08:43
    Re: #26
    Since a junior joined Beyoo (BEYOOOOONDS), aren't they basically comrades now? Guess the Mononofu around here just don't see it that way.
    27AnonymousSep 14, 2026 08:41
    All she's really said is that she's quitting being an idol.
    29AnonymousSep 14, 2026 08:45
    Maybe she and Sasaki will team up as some kind of "Hungry Angry" duo unit.
    34AnonymousSep 14, 2026 08:57
    Re: #29
    The difference in fan numbers is brutal, so that's not happening — Sasaki would probably be the considerate one about it.
    41AnonymousSep 14, 2026 09:08
    Re: #29
    Sasaki's real partner is Akiyama, isn't it?
    31AnonymousSep 14, 2026 08:47
    A "Rin Channel" YouTube channel — yeah, I could see that happening.
    38AnonymousSep 14, 2026 09:07
    Re: #31
    If it's something like that, the otaku would be saved lol
    32AnonymousSep 14, 2026 08:54
    So Akiyama's staying in the industry. Can't really picture her doing anything besides dance-related work though.
    35AnonymousSep 14, 2026 08:58
    Yeah yeah, grabbing breakfast in Namba then off to work, lol

    Ah, so busy, so busy~ lol
    43AnonymousSep 14, 2026 09:18
    Tsubaki Factory really has too many "restless spirits who can't move on."

    Stayed with the agency:
    Yamagishi, Asakura (retired, then came back), Akiyama?

    Continued elsewhere:
    Ogata, Kishimoto, Niinuma

    Retired or status unknown:
    Yagi
    53AnonymousSep 14, 2026 09:22
    Re: #43
    Every member of Tsubaki Factory is ambitious and pushy, so Hello! Project otaku who prefer meek, low-ego girls tend to dislike Tsubaki.
    46AnonymousSep 14, 2026 09:19
    There's also the "said she was retiring" then pulled a Niinuma pattern to consider.
    47AnonymousSep 14, 2026 09:19
    Re: #46
    Exactly — people do a total 180 sometimes.
    48AnonymousSep 14, 2026 09:20
    There's a hint that Sasaki thinks it'd be good to be marketed as a package deal with her, like Ozechii was.
    51AnonymousSep 14, 2026 09:22
    Re: #48
    Who with, exactly? Her friend Akiyama? Her junior Hashisako?
    Re: #50
    Who with, exactly? Her friend Akiyama? Her junior Hashisako?
    50AnonymousSep 14, 2026 09:20
    She and Sasaki are in a mutually dependent relationship, so she'll probably stay with the agency. Wouldn't be shocked if they got married eventually.
    52AnonymousSep 14, 2026 09:22
    Kasahara seems to be struggling too — it's tough to actually produce results outside the agency.
    57AnonymousSep 14, 2026 09:26
    Re: #52
    Inside or outside doesn't really matter. Everyone's definition of success is different — it's just that only a small handful ever "succeed" in the entertainment industry at all.

    Background and Key Points of This Discussion

    In Hello! Project, whether a member stays in entertainment solo after graduating from her group or retires from the industry entirely varies from person to person — cases like Akiyama’s and Hashisako’s, where two members graduate at the same time but land on opposite paths, aren’t unusual. Posters in the thread bring up past examples like Niinuma and Haga, noting that members who announced they’d “stay in entertainment” have sometimes scaled back activity later, while others who said they’d “retire” have sometimes come back. That said, these are ultimately fan speculation based on past patterns and impressions — neither the agency nor the members themselves have officially explained the reasoning behind their post-graduation choices. Some posts point to gaps in popularity or workload as the deciding factor, but a member’s path after graduation is often shaped by undisclosed personal or family circumstances, so it’s worth remembering that forum speculation doesn’t necessarily reflect the real story.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hello! Project board) thread “Akiyama Mao: “I’ll Keep Working in Entertainment After Graduation” — Hashisako Rin: “I’m Retiring From Entertainment After Graduation”.”