Japan Reacts

Category: Entertainment

  • Why Do Card Gamers Smell So Bad? Rapper Ryofu Karuma’s Take Sparks Reactions

    Rapper Ryofu Karuma wrote a piece for Yahoo! News tackling the “card shop stench problem” that’s been making the rounds on social media for years. He described how some shops, fed up with the pungent odor given off by players crowding card shops and dueling spaces, have taken to posting signs urging customers to mind their smell — and dug into just why players end up smelling so bad. On 5ch, commenters offered theories ranging from unwashed clothes (rather than body odor itself) to sweaty palms from gripping cards during matches, with opinions split on just how serious the problem really is.

    Thu, Sep 3, 17:32

    The card shop stench problem has been a recurring topic on parts of social media for several years now. Fed up with the pungent odor coming off the card players (not sure if that’s even the right term for them) gathering in card shops and dueling spaces, some stores have started putting up signs — or posting mentions online — urging customers to be mindful of their smell.

    For someone like me who hasn’t touched a card game since collecting SD Gundam Carddass as a kid, this whole thing was a mystery — the kind of morbid curiosity where, instead of wanting to look at something scary, I wanted to sniff out something smelly. But it never went beyond speculation.

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

    2AnonymousSep 3, 2026 22:23
    If I'm post #2, this week's workout gains triple (classic 5ch "if this number" jinx post)
    3AnonymousSep 3, 2026 22:24
    Re: #2
    If I'm #3, then #2 is just flab
    4AnonymousSep 3, 2026 22:32
    Guess they spend more time on their hobby than in the bath.
    Shows how into it they are.
    Still a nuisance though.
    6AnonymousSep 3, 2026 22:33
    Eh, my bath's been broken for 3 years and I haven't washed since.
    8AnonymousSep 3, 2026 22:36
    Is the article thin on substance because he's a rapper?
    14AnonymousSep 3, 2026 22:40
    Re: #8
    Is there even such a thing as a rap with deep substance?
    9AnonymousSep 3, 2026 22:37
    If Yugi or Seto Kaiba were real, would the stench be off the charts? (Yu-Gi-Oh! reference)
    34AnonymousSep 3, 2026 22:56
    Re: #9
    No idea about Yugi, but Kaiba's a company president, so he'd probably take way more care of his grooming than the average guy lol
    10AnonymousSep 3, 2026 22:37
    Those cramped multi-tenant buildings in Akihabara reek something fierce.
    13AnonymousSep 3, 2026 22:40
    So it's not that the cards smell because you can't wash them — it's the players themselves who stink?
    15AnonymousSep 3, 2026 22:41
    Got caught in a Comiket line once and the smell assault was intense. They could probably go head-to-head with card gamers for Japan's smelliest hobby.
    17AnonymousSep 3, 2026 22:42
    It's just that smelly people happen to play card games.
    18AnonymousSep 3, 2026 22:44
    Gotta mark their territory somehow.
    19AnonymousSep 3, 2026 22:44
    – Doesn't bathe
    – Wears the same clothes forever
    – Does laundry wrong
    – Middle-aged guy whose body odor was already bad to begin with
    21AnonymousSep 3, 2026 22:45
    People get the wrong idea, but it's not about bathing.
    It's not the person — it's their clothes that stink.

    In summer, the smell comes from the clothes, not the body.
    22AnonymousSep 3, 2026 22:45
    Impressive that they can put up with an itchy scalp.
    23AnonymousSep 3, 2026 22:47
    I think that smell isn't body odor from skipping baths —
    it's the stench of unwashed clothes.
    24AnonymousSep 3, 2026 22:47
    In card games, one moment of carelessness can be fatal, so players are white-knuckling their cards with sweaty palms the whole match.
    That's why they end up reeking.
    28AnonymousSep 3, 2026 22:50
    Why do rappers always end up as shallow commentators?
    31AnonymousSep 3, 2026 22:54
    Never smelled it myself — is it really that bad?
    32AnonymousSep 3, 2026 22:54
    Was behind a guy who looked like he'd done manual labor all day at the self-checkout,
    and the breeze off his fan-cooled work jacket…
    it was intense.
    35AnonymousSep 3, 2026 22:56
    Didn't know rappers wrote articles too.
    Guess they do more than just drop dad jokes on stage.
    36AnonymousSep 3, 2026 22:56
    Isn't this just a bit? Is it really that smelly?
    37AnonymousSep 3, 2026 22:57
    Any hobby where you don't move your body ends up the same way lol
    41AnonymousSep 3, 2026 22:58
    Soaking in oxygen bleach solves like 80% of it.
    The other 20% comes down to diet and exercise habits.
    42AnonymousSep 3, 2026 22:58
    Card games are seriously my #1 hobby I don't want my kid getting into.
    50AnonymousSep 3, 2026 23:02
    Re: #42
    Worse than a smelly guy on the train, honestly. Stink is just a dealbreaker.
    45AnonymousSep 3, 2026 22:59
    Because they've given up on ever dating a woman.
    46AnonymousSep 3, 2026 23:00
    Yeah, it really is a different kind of smell from homeless people.
    So it must be the clothes.
    48AnonymousSep 3, 2026 23:01
    They throw away their dignity as a human being to immerse themselves in the hobby — like those monks who stop eating, attain enlightenment, and self-mummify (sokushinbutsu). They've basically shed their humanity and reached transcendence.
    49AnonymousSep 3, 2026 23:02
    The smell is genuinely unbearable.
    Just take a bath already.
    51AnonymousSep 3, 2026 23:02
    About as gross a hobby as being an idol otaku.
    52AnonymousSep 3, 2026 23:03
    Places like Book Off, or Geo since they started selling used cards and games, have a weird smell too.
    Are hardcore card gamers even worse?
    Props to Matsuzaka Tori for being able to duel those guys.
    53AnonymousSep 3, 2026 23:03
    The era of celebrities being untouchable is over.
    Using the media to attack someone is basically like clubbing them over the head with a weapon.
    55AnonymousSep 3, 2026 23:03
    > The more seriously someone commits to card games, sacrificing their daily life, brushing off both their rivals' and their own overpowering stench without a second thought, single-mindedly devoted to honing their skills — maybe that's what makes them shine.
    > That smell might even become part of their character, something to admire like a judoka's or wrestler's cauliflower ear.

    Yeah, no way lol
    68AnonymousSep 3, 2026 23:09
    Card gamers are at least otaku who leave the house, so maybe they're somewhat careful about smell.
    Gamers who never leave home just don't get smelled by anyone — their stink potential is probably even higher, letting hair and beard go completely untended.
    81AnonymousSep 3, 2026 23:12
    Re: #68
    If they don't go outside, they're not bothering anyone else — it's their own problem, so who cares?

    Background and Key Points of This Discussion

    The card shop “stench problem” has repeatedly surfaced on social media for several years now, and stories of people avoiding tournament venues or corners of big-box stores because of the smell aren’t rare. It’s hard to pin down whether the cause is poor ventilation on the shops’ part or players’ personal habits, and even Ryofu Karuma’s own article never gets past speculation. On the thread, the theory that kept getting the most support was that the smell comes not from body odor itself but from bacterial funk built up by rewearing sweaty clothes without washing them — an explanation that outweighed the simpler “they just don’t bathe” theory. Meanwhile, the original article’s framing of the smell as a badge of honor for total dedication to the game drew plenty of cold reactions along the lines of “yeah right” — a clear gap between the writer’s tone and readers’ actual experience.

    *This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “Why Do Card Gamers Smell So Bad? Part of the Reason Rapper Ryofu Karuma Noticed.”

  • Food Poisoning at Komeo’s Restaurant Confirmed as Salmonella — 5ch: ‘Seven Days Is the Harshest Suspension So Far’

    “Komeo,” a YouTuber with 370,000 subscribers, runs the restaurant “Kappo Komeo.” Chilled crab ramen the shop sold on August 22–23 at the Azabu-Juban Summer Festival caused a food poisoning outbreak, and on September 3 Minato Ward confirmed the cause as Salmonella food poisoning and issued the restaurant a seven-day business suspension order. Komeo has once again apologized on X. On the thread, opinions split over whether seven days counts as a harsh or light suspension, with users also debating how the outbreak could happen when the bacteria should be killed by heat, and noting that the food was prepared in the restaurant’s own kitchen rather than at a makeshift festival stall.

    September 3, 2026

    On September 3, “Komeo” (370,000 subscribers) once again apologized on X over the food poisoning incident caused by the chilled crab ramen sold at the Azabu-Juban Summer Festival. That same day, Minato Ward announced it had confirmed the case as Salmonella food poisoning and had issued a seven-day business suspension order to “Kappo Komeo,” the restaurant Komeo runs.

    On September 3, Minato Ward published the results of an investigation by the Minato Public Health Center on its official website. According to the findings, the case was confirmed as Salmonella food poisoning caused by chilled crab ramen that “Kappo Komeo” prepared in-house and brought to the Azabu-Juban Summer Festival venue to sell on August 22 and 23.

    Source: yutura.net / Original article here

    10AnonymousSep 3, 2026 19:30
    I love that the report contact was set to a Gmail address
    So shady I can't stand it
    Scary — feels like your personal info could get stolen
    38AnonymousSep 3, 2026 19:34
    Re: #10
    Maybe that submission form was actually just there to dodge health department reports
    13AnonymousSep 3, 2026 19:30
    You get food poisoning because you don't train your body
    If it were me, I wouldn't have caught it

    — Komeo (a jab mimicking the YouTuber's own bravado, punning on the restaurant's name)
    73AnonymousSep 3, 2026 19:38
    Re: #13
    Reminds me of Minoru Ido's line: 'Allergies? Never heard of 'em. Build yourself a body that can eat anything without flinching!' (Ido is an outspoken real-estate entrepreneur known for blunt remarks like this)
    16AnonymousSep 3, 2026 19:31
    So they're getting off with just seven days?
    27AnonymousSep 3, 2026 19:33
    Re: #16
    Apparently seven days is the harshest suspension handed out so far
    It could still get extended as the investigation continues
    79AnonymousSep 3, 2026 19:39
    Re: #16
    My impression is these are usually 2 or 3 days, so 7 feels harsh
    That said, once it's officially labeled food poisoning, customers stop coming anyway
    so in the end
    they'll end up facing a punishment worse than that regardless
    22AnonymousSep 3, 2026 19:32
    Ko-me-o~ Ko-me-ko-me-o~
    Ko-ko-me-o~ (riffing on the band name Kome Kome Club)
    82AnonymousSep 3, 2026 19:39
    Re: #22
    Nice Kome Kome Club reference
    33AnonymousSep 3, 2026 19:34
    Never heard of a place that caused food poisoning managing to keep operating afterward
    Does this guy seriously plan to just reopen as usual once the seven days are up?
    53AnonymousSep 3, 2026 19:36
    Re: #33
    That's just how administrative penalties are
    Surprisingly mechanical and impersonal
    Whether the shop survives comes down to the owner's attitude and whether customers decide to give them another chance
    55AnonymousSep 3, 2026 19:36
    Re: #33
    That's just the restaurant industry's natural lifespan talking — only about 10% survive ten years — food poisoning probably has little to do with it
    70AnonymousSep 3, 2026 19:38
    Re: #33
    Honestly, I rarely hear about places closing down instantly
    Though yakiniku joints closing and reopening as a different restaurant — that I hear about a lot
    44AnonymousSep 3, 2026 19:35
    And on top of that, it was at a festival food stall
    This is basically terrorism at that point
    102AnonymousSep 3, 2026 19:41
    Re: #44
    'Stall terror' (roten-tero)
    Reads the same backwards too — it's a palindrome
    214AnonymousSep 3, 2026 19:50
    Re: #44
    When they say "stall," it's not like your typical festival vendor stall run by street peddlers
    They just cooked the food normally in the restaurant's own kitchen and carried it out front to sell
    Even if you'd eaten it inside the restaurant, the result would've been exactly the same
    48AnonymousSep 3, 2026 19:35
    So after this he's opening a 'Death Curry' shop in Shinjuku, huh
    72AnonymousSep 3, 2026 19:38
    Re: #48
    Well, they've got leftover crab to burn through
    51AnonymousSep 3, 2026 19:36
    Only seven days?
    Is such a light penalty really okay?
    59AnonymousSep 3, 2026 19:36
    Re: #51
    Nobody died, so that's probably about right
    56AnonymousSep 3, 2026 19:36
    The curry stall's been cancelled
    77AnonymousSep 3, 2026 19:39
    Re: #56
    Looks like they got banned outright lol
    89AnonymousSep 3, 2026 19:40
    Re: #56
    Now they'll have even more leftover crab
    65AnonymousSep 3, 2026 19:37
    69AnonymousSep 3, 2026 19:38
    144AnonymousSep 3, 2026 19:45
    Re: #69
    This is starting to smell way too fishy
    97AnonymousSep 3, 2026 19:41
    Wait, does salmonella survive even if it's heated before serving?
    107AnonymousSep 3, 2026 19:42
    Re: #97
    They didn't heat it before serving at all
    118AnonymousSep 3, 2026 19:42
    Re: #97
    It dies if heated to 75°C for at least a minute
    Given the situation here, it's either the soy milk had spoiled
    or they reused crab that had been fried and then left sitting out — one of those two
    116AnonymousSep 3, 2026 19:42
    Come to think of it, tapioca drinks were huge for a while too
    Nobody drinks that stuff anymore — Japanese people really do burn hot and cool off fast…
    149AnonymousSep 3, 2026 19:45
    Re: #116
    People still drink it — places like Gong Cha are still around
    197AnonymousSep 3, 2026 19:49
    Re: #116
    It's not a huge craze anymore, but it settled in as a steady favorite among younger people
    though the smaller shops lost the competition and folded
    123AnonymousSep 3, 2026 19:43
    I don't think seven days should cut it for something like this — does he have connections or something?
    128AnonymousSep 3, 2026 19:43
    Re: #123
    Business suspensions are usually about that long unless somebody actually dies
    147AnonymousSep 3, 2026 19:45
    Re: #123
    As health department penalties go, this is about average
    Medical costs, compensation, and lost-business payouts are a separate matter — he's probably in for hell on that front
    and customers probably won't come back either
    174AnonymousSep 3, 2026 19:47
    Re: #123
    How many days did the place near you that caused food poisoning end up shutting down for?
    130AnonymousSep 3, 2026 19:44
    Gotta be the soup, right
    https://imgur.com/6G1XWSK.jpeg

    Background and Key Points of This Story

    Business suspensions issued by the Minato Public Health Center as administrative penalties are typically just a few days for food poisoning cases where no one has died, and on the thread some pointed out that “seven days is on the harsh end for a current measure,” while others noted it could still be extended depending on how the investigation progresses. Since Salmonella is killed by heating to 75°C for at least a minute, suspicion falls on insufficient heating before serving, or poor handling of reused ingredients or the liquid used as a binder. The word “roten” (stall) led some to picture hasty cooking at a festival food cart, but the dishes were actually prepared in the restaurant’s own kitchen and then carried to the venue to sell — so it’s a misunderstanding to assume the cause was the kind of lax hygiene typical of festival stalls. Whether the restaurant can keep operating is a separate matter from the administrative penalty itself, and the thread also took a rather detached view that whether it survives after the suspension ends will come down to customer turnout and how the restaurant handles things.

    *This article is an excerpt and summary based on the 5ch (Geinou/Sports Express+) thread ‘Komeo’s Azabu-Juban Festival Crab Ramen Food Poisoning Confirmed as Salmonella — ‘Kappo Komeo’ Given Seven-Day Business Suspension Order — Komeo Apologizes.’

  • Kinashi Noritake ‘Mercedes-Trashing’ Scandal: 5ch Says ‘He’s Covering Up How Unfunny He Is With Bizarre Stunts’

    As a so-called “Mercedes-trashing scandal” involving comedy duo Tunnels’ Noritake Kinashi stirs up controversy on social media, renewed attention is being paid to a junior comedian who had previously criticized Tunnels’ style, saying they were “only popular within the industry, not with the general public.” On 5ch, opinions were split — some compared him to his partner Takaaki Ishibashi, others reminisced about the duo’s peak years when “Minasan no Okage Desu” pulled huge ratings, and others pointed to his current popularity on TBS Radio.

    Sep 3 (Thu), 18:55

    A “Mercedes-trashing scandal” involving comedy duo Tunnels’ Noritake Kinashi and a fellow performer on his show is causing a stir on social media. Amid this, a junior comedian who once criticized Tunnels’ comedic style appears to be drawing renewed attention.

    (omitted)

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

    3AnonymousSep 3, 2026 19:22
    Takaaki Ishibashi was actually funny. This guy's the only unfunny one.
    43AnonymousSep 3, 2026 19:39
    Re: #3
    Yeah, he's the guy who covers up how unfunny he is with bizarre stunts.
    7AnonymousSep 3, 2026 19:24
    Didn't he have some powerful connections backing him up?
    8AnonymousSep 3, 2026 19:25
    I was never that into Tunnels, but in times as stifling as these, I kind of want them to go wild again.
    10AnonymousSep 3, 2026 19:25
    I know who Noritake is, but who's Yamauchi?
    14AnonymousSep 3, 2026 19:27
    Re: #10
    Go back to sleep.
    11AnonymousSep 3, 2026 19:25
    How many Kinashi threads are there now… everyone's piling on while they've got the chance.
    12AnonymousSep 3, 2026 19:26
    Re: #1
    Kinashi's already 64. He's made plenty of money over the years — losing work now wouldn't bother him one bit.
    13AnonymousSep 3, 2026 19:27
    He's just an old man scraping by on radio and Abema gigs — I doubt even he thinks he's popular anymore.
    16AnonymousSep 3, 2026 19:27
    He was on primetime for 30 years, though. He really was popular back then.
    24AnonymousSep 3, 2026 19:31
    But apparently
    on TBS Radio
    this buddy-buddy old guy
    is hugely popular.
    27AnonymousSep 3, 2026 19:32
    Re: #24
    Popular within that tiny niche?
    Barely anyone even listens to radio anymore.
    25AnonymousSep 3, 2026 19:31
    He was a top talent from the era when TV was at its absolute brightest.
    29AnonymousSep 3, 2026 19:33
    Kinashi's holding back, just tapping people lightly.
    He should charge in with an excavator like Yamazuka Ai (a musician known for wild, destructive performance stunts).
    31AnonymousSep 3, 2026 19:34
    This is exactly what everyone was thinking back when 'Minasan no Okage Desu' was just nonstop bullying of the staff.
    32AnonymousSep 3, 2026 19:34
    Has Tunnels ever actually been a hit outside the entertainment industry itself?
    47AnonymousSep 3, 2026 19:40
    Back when they were doing the Yaen thing (a music unit Kinashi led), they still seemed to have mainstream appeal.
    55AnonymousSep 3, 2026 19:42
    Re: #47
    Weren't there members who ended up dying after that group disbanded…?
    54AnonymousSep 3, 2026 19:42
    Maybe it's because the gloomy loner types who got picked on during Tunnels' heyday are the ones running society now lol
    60AnonymousSep 3, 2026 19:44
    Re: #54
    It's because everyone's now recognized as having human rights and a voice.
    That's one of the upsides of social media, I guess.
    58AnonymousSep 3, 2026 19:44
    The way random viewers who had nothing to do with it started obsessing over ratings numbers — that's definitely Tunnels' influence.
    63AnonymousSep 3, 2026 19:45
    Re: #58
    Didn't Drifters, Sanma, and Takeshi do the same thing?

    There was a sketch at the end of one of Shimura's shows that self-deprecatingly joked about ratings.
    68AnonymousSep 3, 2026 19:46
    He's an old man now, so of course he's out of step with today's sensibilities.
    72AnonymousSep 3, 2026 19:48
    Re: #68
    It was the same back then as it is now.
    Any sensible adult at the time already frowned on Tunnels' show.
    It's just that the kids and young people of that era have now grown into the age and values of the 'sensible adults' of that time.
    If a kid today could actually watch that sketch, they'd be laughing at it.
    69AnonymousSep 3, 2026 19:47
    Yamauchi's just doing insider jokes with Chidori and the rest of his crew too — not funny either.
    74AnonymousSep 3, 2026 19:49
    Re: #69
    All Japanese comedians are basically just playing to their own clique anyway.
    75AnonymousSep 3, 2026 19:49
    Search SmartFLASH's article archive and you can see just how obsessively they've been dogpiling on Kinashi.
    79AnonymousSep 3, 2026 19:51
    Re: #75
    Kobunsha is done for — even JJ magazine is gone now.
    It's all pageview-chasing clickbait these days, pandering to 'the voice of the internet' for that adrenaline-dopamine hit.
    They're probably not even using real reporters, just some random web writer.
    76AnonymousSep 3, 2026 19:49
    No, back in the 'Minasan no Okage Desu' days they really were popular.
    80AnonymousSep 3, 2026 19:52
    Re: #76
    Back then they seemed like genuinely skilled performers, kind of in the Ken Shimura mold.
    This is from childhood memory so I could be off,
    but Ishibashi came across as the wild, unpredictable one, and Kinashi as the calm, sensible one.
    Somewhere along the way, though, Kinashi became the one who can't read the room at all — the reckless, out-of-control character.
    87AnonymousSep 3, 2026 19:54
    They pulled 25% ratings on Wednesday with 'Nama de Dara Dara Ikasete,' 25% on Thursday with 'Minasan no Okage,' and 25% on Saturday with the 'Nerutonkougeidan' special — that's a level of pull you can't chalk up to mere insider appeal.
    93AnonymousSep 3, 2026 19:56
    Re: #87
    That was an era when TV viewers all shared the same circle just by watching TV together.
    It's just that the word 'insider' makes it sound smaller than it actually was.

    Background and key points of this discussion

    From the late 1980s into the ’90s, Tunnels simultaneously hosted flagship TBS programs — including “Tunnels no Minasan no Okage Desu” — and there was a stretch when they pulled high ratings on Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday alike. Much of the thread discussion centered on the gap between that “peak TV-era popularity” and how the act is received now, in an age of heightened compliance awareness. Some pointed out that bits which weren’t seen as problematic back then are now more likely to be criticized as “clique humor” or “picking on your own crew.” Since the original article’s body was abridged, this piece alone can’t pin down exactly which “junior comedian” made the critical remarks, and the thread itself saw pushback along the lines of “isn’t the person criticizing them just as clique-y?” — so no single consensus emerged.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “Noritake Kinashi’s ‘Mercedes-Trashing Scandal’ Renews Attention on a Junior Comedian’s Past Critique That Tunnels Are ‘Only Popular Within the Industry, Not With the Public’.”

  • John Lennon’s Grandson Born, Sean Lennon Announces — 5ch: “Famous From the Moment He Was Born”

    Musician Sean Lennon (50), son of John Lennon, has announced on social media the birth of his first child — a baby boy named Aurelius — with his partner Charlotte Kemp Muhl. This marks John Lennon’s first grandchild. On 5ch forum threads, discussion ranged from how much the baby resembles his half-brother Julian Lennon, to his lineage from the Yasuda zaibatsu (his grandmother Yoko Ono’s family), to opinions on Sean’s own music career — all mixed in with congratulations and casual chatter.

    A grandchild of John Lennon has been born. Sean Ono Lennon (50), son of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, has announced the birth of his first child with his partner Charlotte Kemp Muhl (39). It’s a boy, named Aurelius.

    Sean posted the following on social media:

    “So… Charlotte and I have an announcement for everyone. We just had a new Human Bean (his playful spin on ‘human being’)! His name is Aurelius! Thank you!”

    Source: amass.jp / Original article here

    4AnonymousSep 3, 2026 16:09
    Hope the talent skips a generation and lands on the grandson.
    6AnonymousSep 3, 2026 16:11
    Who? A reincarnation of Ahn Jung-hwan (the Korean footballer)?
    10AnonymousSep 3, 2026 16:21
    Julian looked like John, but Sean never really did, right?
    41AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:14
    Re: #10
    He looks just like him, however you slice it.
    John's X-chromosome genes are strong.
    13AnonymousSep 3, 2026 16:28
    The size of his face looks way off — is this photo edited?
    14AnonymousSep 3, 2026 16:31
    He's Yoko Ono's son?
    20AnonymousSep 3, 2026 16:36
    Re: #14
    He's also got Yasuda zaibatsu blood in him (Yoko Ono's family, one of Japan's old business dynasties).
    68AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:45
    Re: #14
    Not that side.

    But his partner? Her name sounds like "Nitchiro'" (a Japanese comedian known for his Ichiro Suzuki impression)…
    Is that her real name, or is she doing a bit?
    16AnonymousSep 3, 2026 16:33
    Let's get Billy Joel to write him a history song for the grandkid.
    21AnonymousSep 3, 2026 16:37
    John, Sean, Jo-Sean (a mashup of the two names).
    22AnonymousSep 3, 2026 16:37
    Re: #1
    A baby after 19 years together!
    They seem like a great couple.
    Congrats.
    25AnonymousSep 3, 2026 16:39
    Famous from the moment he was born.
    Only child, no inheritance squabbles, going to be doted on like crazy.
    I want to be reincarnated and live in the Dakota!
    30AnonymousSep 3, 2026 16:52
    Re: #25
    He should get Ringo to sing "Good Night" to his son — his old man would be happy too.
    28AnonymousSep 3, 2026 16:47
    Hooray for girl power!
    29AnonymousSep 3, 2026 16:51
    Sean the "少年" (shounen, meaning "boy" — a pun on his name) is 50 now, huh.
    33AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:03
    Yoko Ono and Yayoi Kusama both really made it in that era's art world, huh.
    Not quite to Kusama's level, but Yoko Ono does get a mention in Western art history too.

    The art world back then was centered on white men.
    In the '80s the Guerrilla Girls called out how women had to be nude to get into art museums,
    and even among women, Pindell said
    "it was centered on white women, and women of color weren't factored in" — that's the era it was.
    34AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:03
    So he's a quarter — 1/4 Japanese.
    37AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:07
    Re: #34
    And yet in this photo he looks fully Japanese.
    42AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:14
    Beautifoo…
    Beautifoo…
    Beautifoo…
    Beautifoo Gaaal~ (playing on John Lennon's song "Beautiful Boy")
    45AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:15
    Congrats!
    So "Beautiful Boy" Taro-kun (a joking generic Japanese nickname for the half-Japanese Sean) is a dad now, huh.
    And Julian's become an uncle.
    47AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:19
    Guess late-in-life births are normal overseas too.
    Still, that baby looks totally Japanese.
    His wife's a beauty.
    48AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:19
    Big brother Julian even congratulated little brother Sean on the baby on his Instagram!
    51AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:20
    Whatever happened to Sean K? (a Japanese TV personality, unrelated but same name)
    54AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:23
    Re: #51
    Heard he's doing well on the radio these days.
    52AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:21
    Is his wife Charlotte Gainsbourg?
    Like "Impertinent Charlotte"? (referencing the French actress and her film "Charlotte for Ever")
    53AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:22
    Good for them — now they've got an heir to that massive fortune.
    57AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:25
    When Yoko Ono moved to the US, it was Yayoi Kusama — who passed away recently — who copied her performance art.
    58AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:26
    Sean's music is actually pretty interesting.
    Guess having some Ono blood in him shows — it feels like it strays a bit from your typical Western pop.
    62AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:30
    How about "Shobo-n Lennon"? (shobon is Japanese net slang for a dejected, disappointed face — a pun on Sean's name)
    63AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:36
    Sean never really made it big, huh.
    Well, can't help it when your dad's such a legend.
    75AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:58
    None of the Beatles' kids really made a splash.
    Even Zak, who seems the most active, is just a journeyman drummer bouncing between bands.
    78AnonymousSep 3, 2026 18:03
    Re: #75
    Zak's done plenty well for himself.

    Background and talking points

    Sean Lennon is a musician born in 1975 — notably on John’s 55th birthday. His mother is Yoko Ono, and he’s descended from the Yasuda zaibatsu, a prominent Japanese business dynasty. His music drew some praise on 5ch (“actually pretty interesting”), though his father’s towering legacy also drew harsher comments like “never really made it big.” His first child with partner Charlotte Kemp Muhl arrives after 19 years together. Thread commenters were split on whether the baby takes after his father’s or mother’s side, and comparisons were drawn with his half-brother Julian Lennon (John’s son with his first wife, Cynthia). Julian has no children, making Aurelius John Lennon’s first grandchild.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports Sokuho+) thread “Sean Lennon announces birth of his son, John Lennon’s grandchild.”

  • Ijuin Hikaru showers praise on Okada Keisuke — 5ch: “Isn’t he a genius?”

    On the September 1 broadcast of TV Tokyo’s “Ijuin Hikaru & Sakuma Nobuyuki’s Unauthorized TV Tokyo Review,” Ijuin Hikaru’s glowing praise of Okada Keisuke (of the comedy duo Masuda Okada), host of “Kaiun! Nandemo Kanteidan” (“Fortune’s Turn! Appraisal Panel”), calling him “a genius,” became a hot topic. Reactions on 5ch were largely in agreement, with many commenters citing specific hosting techniques as proof of Okada’s skill — like his subtle way of holding down contestants’ appraisal-value flip cards so they can’t be raised early before the cue. On the other hand, some pushed back by pointing to his hosting on the baseball talk show “Dugout,” arguing he “lacks knowledge” and is “bad at moderating,” leaving opinions split over Ijuin’s assessment.

    Sep 2 (Wed) 14:27

    Talent Ijuin Hikaru (58) appeared on TV Tokyo’s “Ijuin Hikaru & Sakuma Nobuyuki’s Unauthorized TV Tokyo Review” (Tuesdays, 1:30am), which aired on the 1st. He named, by name, a popular comedian he considers a “can-do-anything” genius.

    In the “Unauthorized TV Tokyo Timetable Review” segment, Ijuin brought up his own recent appearance on the network’s long-running hit show “Kaiun! Nandemo Kanteidan,” saying, “I got to appear on ‘Kanteidan’ again after a while.”

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

    2AnonymousSep 3, 2026 16:35
    Because watching an Osaka night-view video channel on YouTube is more fun than watching Peace-kun over at Omiya Park.
    7AnonymousSep 3, 2026 16:36
    This kind of insider praise (industry people hyping up their own) isn't bad, honestly.
    8AnonymousSep 3, 2026 16:36
    The Nobel Prize guy.
    70AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:27
    Re: #8
    Yeah lol
    Okada being where he is today is definitely thanks to that show lol
    He honed his craft on that show lol
    9AnonymousSep 3, 2026 16:37
    I get it. I've felt that for a while too.
    If he were with Yoshimoto (the big Osaka talent agency), he'd definitely have made it to the top by now.
    10AnonymousSep 3, 2026 16:38
    Nakayama Hide gives off the same vibe.
    12AnonymousSep 3, 2026 16:39
    Re: #10
    Wasn't it Ijuin who also brought up how this guy handled things with Erika Sawajiri before?
    62AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:19
    Re: #10
    But Nakayama Hideyuki is Nippon TV only, though.
    14AnonymousSep 3, 2026 16:40
    Isn't Yoshimura from Nobukobu (comedy duo) this type too?
    15AnonymousSep 3, 2026 16:40
    If Ijuin Hikaru says so, it must be true.
    16AnonymousSep 3, 2026 16:40
    He's one of the two pillars holding up Matsutake (talent agency) right now.
    17AnonymousSep 3, 2026 16:41
    When Ijuin talks,
    his left thumb is constantly twisting and rubbing away, right?
    Is that some aftereffect of an illness or something?
    It bugs me so much that none of what he's saying actually sinks in…
    46AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:00
    Re: #17
    Apparently that's him hitting the brakes on his own brain.
    He's got this mode where his brain feels like it could talk forever once it kicks in,
    and when that happens he completely ignores the show's time limit and the other guests and just can't stop talking.
    So supposedly, spinning his thumb diverts just enough attention to keep that runaway talking in check.
    23AnonymousSep 3, 2026 16:45
    They never let Matsutake (talent agency) win M-1 early on, huh.
    76AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:32
    Re: #23
    Masuda Okada's first M-1 appearance wasn't good at all.
    24AnonymousSep 3, 2026 16:45
    Okada goes full throttle right from the start,
    so on a long broadcast, the second half gets rough.
    26AnonymousSep 3, 2026 16:46
    Remarried and having kids in his 50s —
    that's a bit unusual.
    27AnonymousSep 3, 2026 16:46
    Whether or not that's true of Okada specifically, there really are people who make a show more entertaining just by being there, even if they're not especially funny themselves.
    For me, guys like Tokoro George and Itsumi Masataka were like that.
    31AnonymousSep 3, 2026 16:48
    Saw him on the subway once when I was young — he was alone but smiling the whole time, no disguise or anything.
    32AnonymousSep 3, 2026 16:48
    His humor's a bit too cheap, so he might work for specials, but I don't want him on prime-time comedy shows.
    33AnonymousSep 3, 2026 16:48
    We all know Okada's funny.
    Spelling out every little detail is just unnecessary.
    36AnonymousSep 3, 2026 16:49
    For a while Okada was on a show with Masuda Akemi,
    and people joked he'd swapped partners for that other Masuda (his own duo partner is also named Masuda).
    37AnonymousSep 3, 2026 16:50
    I think it was a Hinatazaka46 show — watching him handle the rookies on it, I thought he was really impressive.
    39AnonymousSep 3, 2026 16:53
    He might be good at turning amateurish guests into decent laughs.
    41AnonymousSep 3, 2026 16:54
    I get this.
    When he was on Bakushou Mondai's "Carboy" (radio show), I laughed so hard my stomach hurt.
    45AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:00
    Okada of Masuda Okada really made it big.

    Back in the Kansai late-night show "Libido no Ran,"
    he was just nodding along to Kitano Makoto's dumb chatter.

    That was a show where Kitano Makoto's hosting was just painfully unfunny.
    59AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:15
    Even among M-1 champions, people say Masuda Okada and Black Mayonnaise are on a different level.
    77AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:33
    Re: #59
    Different level in what sense?
    63AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:19
    Re: #1
    I don't get what this bit about the flip card means.
    78AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:35
    Re: #63
    Assuming you've seen the "on-location appraisal" segments —
    you know how contestants hold the flip card with the appraisal price face-down, then raise it high on the host's "Jaga-jan!" cue?
    Apparently some contestants can't help but raise it early, before the cue.
    To stop that, the host has a technique of pressing down on the bottom of the flip card,
    and the point is that Okada is incredibly good at making that "holding it down" look completely natural, seamlessly leading into the "Jaga-jan!" cue so no one notices why he's doing it.

    Background and key points of this topic

    Okada Keisuke has a track record as the M-1 Grand Prix 2004 champion as part of the duo Masuda Okada, and in recent years has hosted “Kaiun! Nandemo Kanteidan.” The “technique for holding down the flip card” that came up in the thread is a practical trick for keeping contestants from raising the appraisal-price card before the cue — something easy to miss unless you watch the show regularly. On the other hand, his hosting on the baseball talk show “Dugout” has drawn criticism for “lacking knowledge” and being “bad at moderating,” showing that opinions of Okada genuinely differ depending on the type of show. It’s worth noting that Ijuin’s “genius” comment was specifically about his hosting skill on Kanteidan, not an overall verdict on Okada’s comedic style as a whole — an easy point to misread.

    *This article was compiled by excerpting and summarizing the 5ch (Sports/Entertainment News+) thread “Ijuin Hikaru showers praise on Masuda Okada’s Okada Keisuke: “Isn’t he a genius? The show gets more fun just by him being there”.”

  • Speed Wagon’s Idota: Duo With Ozawa Is Back, But ‘The Offers Just Aren’t Coming’

    Jun Idota (53) of the comedy duo Speed Wagon appeared at a Nihon Ham product launch event on September 3 and revealed that, even though his partner Kazutaka Ozawa has resumed his entertainment career, offers for the duo have been “unbelievably” nonexistent. Ozawa had been on hiatus after being named in Bunshun’s reporting on Hitoshi Matsumoto as the person who introduced women to him, but he returned to work earlier this year. On 5ch, threads buzzed with claims that the duo was never that popular to begin with, alongside anecdotes about Ozawa’s relationship with Matsumoto that triggered the hiatus — sparking a mix of sympathy and “you brought this on yourself” takes.

    Sep 3 (Thu) 3:25 PM

    Jun Idota (53) of the comedy duo Speed Wagon attended the “Nihon Ham Wiener ‘Hojun’ Brand New Promotion Announcement & Tasting Event” held in Tokyo on the 3rd.

    Idota appeared as “Wiener Master,” the trainer of the mysterious masked wrestler “Juicy Hou,” to help boost awareness and eating occasions for the coarse-ground wiener brand “Hojun.”

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

    2AnonymousSep 3, 2026 15:54
    Feels like the duo wasn't that popular to begin with
    37AnonymousSep 3, 2026 16:10
    Re: #2
    I liked their radio show — good friends like Bananaman used to come on as guests a lot
    3AnonymousSep 3, 2026 15:54
    Because, quite simply, there's no demand for them
    4AnonymousSep 3, 2026 15:55
    It's because he never actually took responsibility and explained himself
    His thinking is way too soft
    7AnonymousSep 3, 2026 15:55
    Pulled a stunt like that and he can still make a comeback, huh
    8AnonymousSep 3, 2026 15:55
    The man who can identify Tochu (a Nagoya sports newspaper) by smell alone
    9AnonymousSep 3, 2026 15:56
    Idota's character is strong enough that he doesn't really need a partner
    Worst case, he can still make a living as a local Aichi Prefecture comedian
    107AnonymousSep 3, 2026 16:53
    Re: #9
    CBC (the Nagoya TV station) seems like the type to pick that up
    11AnonymousSep 3, 2026 15:57
    Bringing back the 'Amaaai!' (his old catchphrase, meaning "sweet!") manzai routine at this point isn't gonna cut it…
    105AnonymousSep 3, 2026 16:51
    Re: #11
    Hamburger Sensei
    12AnonymousSep 3, 2026 15:58
    Weren't the two of them not even working together before the scandal anyway?
    13AnonymousSep 3, 2026 15:59
    Oh, Ozawa's the guy who was hooking Matsumoto up with women? Completely forgot he existed
    14AnonymousSep 3, 2026 15:59
    He had all that work because he was talented, and like with Watanabe (another scandal-hit comedian), there's probably a part of them wanting to keep using him on the cheap — but this is the phase where they're first testing how much backlash it'll bring
    15AnonymousSep 3, 2026 15:59
    Wasn't there no demand for him to begin with, and he only got work by supplying Matsumoto with women?
    17AnonymousSep 3, 2026 15:59
    Huh?
    The way he's using "unbelievably" is off
    It should be "of course there are no offers"
    18AnonymousSep 3, 2026 16:00
    Everyone's too scared to open that Pandora's box
    19AnonymousSep 3, 2026 16:00
    Well… yeah, obviously lol
    First he needs to spill everything at a press conference and grovel in apology, right?
    20AnonymousSep 3, 2026 16:00
    It was actually Ozawa who came up with the Hamburger Sensei character, you know
    24AnonymousSep 3, 2026 16:01
    Not even Downtown Plus will take him?
    28AnonymousSep 3, 2026 16:03
    Re: #24
    Apparently he told this story afterward — he expected Matsumoto to call and say something like "sorry for dragging you into this" or "let's keep at it," but instead got screamed at with "you introduced me to some crazy woman!" lol
    They're completely done with each other now
    32AnonymousSep 3, 2026 16:07
    Re: #28
    Matsumoto holds a grudge once he's angry
    He won't even meet with Miyasako (another scandal-hit comedian) either
    65AnonymousSep 3, 2026 16:23
    Re: #28
    I get how Matsumoto feels, but Ozawa's just too pitiful lol
    33AnonymousSep 3, 2026 16:07
    These days you barely even see Idota solo, huh
    47AnonymousSep 3, 2026 16:16
    Re: #33
    Idota's from Aichi, so he appears a lot on local Nagoya shows
    43AnonymousSep 3, 2026 16:13
    Ozawa: "I will continue my activities as before, because there is nothing whatsoever for me to be ashamed of."
    Matsumoto: "The allegations are baseless, so I will fight this."
    Nakai: "I've been able to continue my entertainment activities going forward without any issues."

    Why do these guys claim it's all baseless and then just vanish without ever explaining anything?
    62AnonymousSep 3, 2026 16:22
    Re: #43
    Ozawa didn't actually do anything wrong, he just got caught up in Matsumoto's mess
    69AnonymousSep 3, 2026 16:24
    Re: #62
    Ozawa's basically like someone who did a "yami baito" (a shady gig-work scam job) — even doing shady work without knowing what it really was can get you arrested
    73AnonymousSep 3, 2026 16:25
    Re: #62
    Then why did Kenkoba warn people not to get close to Ozawa?
    58AnonymousSep 3, 2026 16:20
    He'll just have to grind it out on The Second (a manzai contest for veteran duos)
    Though with audience judging, it's basically hopeless
    63AnonymousSep 3, 2026 16:22
    Re: #58
    The judges are comedy nerds
    Plenty of Matsumoto devotees among them, so compliance concerns probably mean nothing to them
    Even if they win their round, not sure they'd actually make the finals though
    85AnonymousSep 3, 2026 16:33
    Matsumoto's fans say "it'd be a nice heartwarming story if Ozawa showed up on Downtown Plus" — but sadly, that's never happening.
    The "suite-room mixer" reported by Bunshun was something Ozawa himself had arranged.
    The night Ozawa, feeling responsible, decided to go on hiatus, he got a call from Matsumoto.
    He expected to hear something like "Sorry for dragging you into this too."
    But what came through the phone instead was Matsumoto screaming at him:
    "What the hell is going on?! That woman you brought is out of her mind! What are you gonna do about this?!"
    Given all that, there's no way Ozawa is ever appearing on Downtown Plus.

    This is from some magazine reporter's tweet, but personally I'm obsessed with it.
    94AnonymousSep 3, 2026 16:39
    Re: #85
    He initially said he had nothing to be ashamed of, and then suddenly went on hiatus — that's probably pressure from Yoshimoto (or really, from Matsumoto)
    95AnonymousSep 3, 2026 16:39
    Re: #85
    Ozawa apparently complained about getting screamed at to people all over the place, which is probably how it reached the magazine reporter too
    86AnonymousSep 3, 2026 16:36
    Hamburger Sensei is such a nice guy and good at hosting too, he should just go solo
    89AnonymousSep 3, 2026 16:37
    Re: #86
    Nice guy?
    The fact that he's still working with Ozawa at all makes him look shady… lol
    93AnonymousSep 3, 2026 16:39
    Re: #86
    He could always fall back on being a Dragons-themed comedian too lol

    Background and Key Points of This Topic

    Idota and Ozawa’s duo Speed Wagon has a history of hiatus: when Bunshun reported on Hitoshi Matsumoto’s alleged sexual misconduct in 2023, Ozawa’s name came up as the person who had introduced Matsumoto to the women involved, and he stepped back from entertainment work. Matsumoto denied the allegations and sued Bunshun, but he withdrew the lawsuit at the end of 2024, meaning the allegations themselves were never legally resolved. In the thread, opinions split between those arguing the duo lacked notable achievements even before the hiatus, and those who saw the hiatus itself as the direct cause of the drop in offers since Ozawa’s return. It’s worth noting that the anecdote about Matsumoto furiously berating Ozawa comes from a magazine reporter’s tweet, not an official account from either party.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Sports/Entertainment News+) thread “Speed Wagon’s Jun Idota: Duo Reunites With Kazutaka Ozawa’s Return, But “Unbelievably, There Are No Offers”“.

  • NHK Taiga Drama Depicts Shibata Katsuie’s Death as a “Suicidal Leap” — Viewers Cry “That’s Not Historical Fact”

    The NHK taiga drama “Toyotomi Brothers!” has stirred up discussion on 5ch after depicting the deaths of Shibata Katsuie and Lady Oichi as a suicidal leap. According to a Daily Shincho report (9/3), portraying Katsuie — a man who prized honor above all — dying by jumping rather than by seppuku made for a striking, unexpected scene. On the thread, some defended the choice, arguing it’s “the result of getting bashed for being formulaic whenever they stick to the historical record,” while others hit back with “they clearly don’t understand that seppuku was considered an honorable death” and “even a layperson can tell that death scene doesn’t add up.” The debate spiraled into a broader argument over how much creative license a historical drama should take before it stops being history.

    Thu, 9/3, 6:00 AM

    Daily Shincho

    Katsuie and Oichi’s leap to their deaths left a strong impression, but…

    Source: topics.smt.docomo.ne.jp / Original article here

    5AnonymousSep 3, 2026 16:57
    This is the result of getting slammed as 'stale' every time they stick to the historical record.
    36AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:07
    Re: #5
    Handling that skillfully is exactly what a pro is supposed to do.
    80AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:15
    Re: #5
    I don't remember a taiga drama ever getting bashed for sticking to historical fact — when was that supposed to have happened? Usually what gets a taiga drama criticized is twisting the record or shoehorning in a forced female lead.
    7AnonymousSep 3, 2026 16:58
    I mean, normally it'd just be seppuku — the jumping might be overdoing it.
    31AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:06
    Re: #7
    They clearly don't get that 'committing seppuku' was considered an 'honorable' act lol
    10AnonymousSep 3, 2026 16:58
    The producers are just letting their ego run wild trying to cram in 'originality.'
    12AnonymousSep 3, 2026 16:59
    Have the castle go up in a big blaze
    Actually do it for real
    Do it with CG
    Either way,
    they don't have the budget, the skill, or the will
    to pull off staging like that.
    14AnonymousSep 3, 2026 16:59
    It's just fiction based on history, what do you expect — by that logic, the Honno-ji Incident, which they've probably dramatized hundreds of times by now, is entirely made up too.
    15AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:00
    Is the historical consultant actually doing their job? Even a layperson can tell that death scene is off.
    59AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:11
    Re: #15
    Wasn't it that Shingen died choking on a rice cake, and Nagamasa got his head cut off by Oichi?
    17AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:00
    Re: #1
    It's made by 'that crowd' (5ch slang implying left-leaning NHK staff), so of course it turns out like this.
    19AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:00
    It's dangerous because idiots actually think NHK taiga dramas are literal true stories.
    21AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:01
    It's the classic 2-hour mystery-drama pattern where the culprit gets cornered on a cliff. Dun-dun-duuun♪
    22AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:02
    Even old Kacchan (Katsuie) must be crying from beyond the grave.
    23AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:02
    Shibata: "Watch closely — this is what war looks like!" → jumps to his death.
    Kind of a Ramba Ral moment, huh (´・ω・`) (a Mobile Suit Gundam character famous for his dramatic death scene)
    25AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:03
    Bothering to watch this every single week just to complain about it — that's the real foolishness.
    26AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:04
    Honestly, who cares about 'the values of the era'? If you actually reproduced everything by period values, you'd get an even more sexist, way worse drama. And history is full of records written up by whoever won, so who knows how reliable any of it really is. Complaints like 'stick to the historical facts!' can just be ignored — reworking the past through a modern lens is something taiga dramas have always done.
    27AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:05
    Right before the leap, cornered Oichi looked at the soldiers and said something like, 'How reassuring — the Oda clan will be safe now.'
    28AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:05
    If they're allowed to fictionalize it this much, they might as well just do Yamato Takeru next.
    29AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:05
    And yet at the same time, they cling to 'historical accuracy' that's as moldy as some pre-war scholarship.
    30AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:05
    If you want the real history, go read a textbook or a history book. As long as it's a drama or a novel, it's pointless without some originality lol
    32AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:06
    Taiga dramas are just glamorized fiction anyway.
    33AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:06
    There's just nobody left who can actually make good work, or act it, anymore.

    Better to give up and go watch the old classics from back when actors like Morishige and Tanba were in their prime — it's healthier for you.
    34AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:07
    To begin with, there's almost no 'truth' in Japanese history anyway.
    35AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:07
    Can't be helped, screenwriters vary in skill — this year's just a dud.
    37AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:07
    Fantasy would be one thing, but wasn't the NHK Special's war reenactment drama actually sued by the bereaved family of some lieutenant general or other?
    39AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:08
    If they're willing to take it this far, just go make Hyouge Mono into a taiga drama already. (a manga about a Sengoku-era tea master)
    55AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:11
    Re: #39
    Can't happen — when NHK adapted it into an anime, they had a falling-out with the author and the credit got downgraded from 'original work' to 'original concept.' That's also why the anime got cut short.
    41AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:08
    Having a written record doesn't make something fact unless it's a confirmed eyewitness account — that's overstating it. If 'there's a record so it's true' held up, every wartime Imperial Headquarters announcement would count as historical fact too. (those announcements were notorious for being fabricated propaganda)
    48AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:10
    It's not just NHK — no period drama is ever going to be 100% historically accurate.
    83AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:16
    Sure, go ahead with the acrobatic interpretations, but if it's not what the taiga drama's actual audience is asking for, it's nothing more than the screenwriter indulging themselves.
    86AnonymousSep 3, 2026 17:16
    Re: #83
    The ones complaining are mostly Sengoku-history nerds anyway.

    Background and Points of Debate

    The widely accepted account holds that in 1583, after being defeated by Hashiba Hideyoshi at the Battle of Shizugatake, Shibata Katsuie and Lady Oichi took their own lives at his castle, Kitanosho — said to have set the keep ablaze and gone down with it. The “leap to their deaths” staging departs from this standard account, and because it clashes with the values of samurai society, which regarded seppuku as an honorable death, some viewers apparently found it jarring. While some on the thread called for fidelity to the historical record, there’s also a strong strain of opinion defending the show’s creative license, noting that the historical sources themselves are unreliable since they may be slanted by the victors’ own accounts. The question of “how much of a taiga drama should be historical fact” is a debate that resurfaces every year. In truth, primary sources detailing exactly how Katsuie and Oichi died are scarce, and historians themselves are divided on whether it was seppuku or death by fire after setting their own residence ablaze — making it hard to flatly condemn the drama’s staging alone as “distortion.”

    *This article is compiled as an excerpt/summary from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports Express+) thread “[Toyotomi Brothers!] NHK Made Honor-Conscious Shibata Katsuie Die a Dishonorable Death by Jumping — Why Does It Keep Distorting Historical Fact and Cramming in Nothing but ‘Sengoku-Era Absurdities’?“

  • Ariana Grande’s Tearful Farewell at Tour Finale — Stepping Back from Public Life

    US singer Ariana Grande (33) tearfully bid farewell to fans at the final show of her tour, signaling her intent to step back from public activities for the time being. Reports say concern had been mounting over her noticeably thin frame. On the 5ch Entertainment/Sports Express+ thread, comments ranged from genuine concern for her health to speculation that she never fully recovered mentally after the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing, alongside views that she’s being overshadowed by rising stars like Sabrina Carpenter and Olivia Rodrigo.

    Published 9/3 (Thu) 10:24

    CNN.co.jp

    London (CNN) — US singer Ariana Grande (33) tearfully said goodbye to fans, visibly overcome with emotion, as she steps out of the spotlight.

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

    3AnonymousSep 3, 2026 13:19
    Honestly I'd rather watch an Osaka night-view livestream on YouTube than the Peace-kun cam from Omiya Park Zoo (Peace-kun is a famous rhea there with a viral live feed).
    4AnonymousSep 3, 2026 13:20
    She should seriously just get out of showbiz for good.
    6AnonymousSep 3, 2026 13:22
    Ariana Grande: 'I'm going back to being a normal girl.'
    7AnonymousSep 3, 2026 13:22
    > Concern has been mounting that Grande looks far too thin.

    Yeah, no kidding, she's way too skinny. She's got the money, so just rest up.
    8AnonymousSep 3, 2026 13:22
    Wicked was great.
    I really hope she comes back.
    10AnonymousSep 3, 2026 13:23
    She achieved her dream with Wicked and burned herself out, huh.
    11AnonymousSep 3, 2026 13:24
    Her fanbase these days is mostly middle-aged folks.
    To the younger kids she's basically a singer from the past.
    12AnonymousSep 3, 2026 13:24
    Ariana Short
    Ariana Tall
    Ariana Grande
    Ariana Venti
    Ariana Trenta
    (a joke riffing on Starbucks cup sizes: Short, Tall, Grande, Venti, Trenta)
    13AnonymousSep 3, 2026 13:24
    Oh, the one who ended up looking almost anorexic?
    15AnonymousSep 3, 2026 13:25
    I want her to go back to how she looked before she got famous — her natural Italian-American look.
    https://video.twimg.com/amplify_video/2084615125252603904/vid/avc1/1920×1080/RIaWiSEYPVIuS98u.mp4
    16AnonymousSep 3, 2026 13:25
    I ended up liking her after watching impression videos of her.
    Eat a big meal and come on back.
    17AnonymousSep 3, 2026 13:25
    Getting married, getting divorced, losing a ton of weight…
    I just want her to take a good long rest.
    18AnonymousSep 3, 2026 13:25
    A billionaire doesn't need regular folks worrying about her.
    We should be worrying about ourselves way more.
    30AnonymousSep 3, 2026 13:32
    Re: #18
    Fair enough, lol
    25AnonymousSep 3, 2026 13:29
    She never really got over it mentally after the Manchester suicide bombing.
    29AnonymousSep 3, 2026 13:31
    Re: #25
    Of course you'd be traumatized if people died at your own concert.
    26AnonymousSep 3, 2026 13:29
    Both the person and the venue are overseas, so why call it 'senshuraku' (a term for the final day of a sumo tournament or theater run) at all?
    32AnonymousSep 3, 2026 13:34
    Was she out there grazing on grass in Saitama or something?
    36AnonymousSep 3, 2026 13:36
    It's not that she 'looks' thin, she's just plain too thin.
    That's a medical issue.
    38AnonymousSep 3, 2026 13:39
    She suddenly went pale, kind of like Michael (Jackson).
    What's going on there?
    42AnonymousSep 3, 2026 13:45
    Anorexia is really about fearing getting older.
    Wanting to stay a forever-young star.
    43AnonymousSep 3, 2026 13:45
    I bet in a year or two we'll get shocking paparazzi photos of her having gained a ton of weight.
    47AnonymousSep 3, 2026 13:48
    Ariana Grande: 'Verily, 'tis the final performance!!' (mimicking old-fashioned, theatrical Japanese speech for comic effect)
    48AnonymousSep 3, 2026 13:49
    Anyway, just rest.
    Eat well, sleep well, take it easy.
    49AnonymousSep 3, 2026 13:50
    If she just eats and sleeps around the US, she'll be racking up calories and heading straight for chubsville.
    Eat! Just pig out for now.
    50AnonymousSep 3, 2026 13:51
    Why has that whole sleazy affair scandal just been swept under the rug?
    51AnonymousSep 3, 2026 13:51
    Re: #1
    Wait, Ariana Grande did sumo??? (joking off 'senshuraku,' a term from sumo)
    52AnonymousSep 3, 2026 13:52
    She should rename herself from Ariana Grande to Ariana Short and relaunch her career.
    54AnonymousSep 3, 2026 13:53
    Did she get cornered by Trump's 'funnels'? (net slang for a fanbase mobilized to swarm and attack someone online, from the Gundam weapon)
    58AnonymousSep 3, 2026 14:01
    As a guy, I actually liked her best when she had more weight on her, but apparently she herself didn't like how she looked back then.
    Isn't that true of women in general, though?
    Like being super skinny is somehow seen as cooler.
    59AnonymousSep 3, 2026 14:03
    Re: #1
    She looked so unwell it was honestly hard to watch. I hope she takes a proper rest and comes back — maybe even visit Japan as a tourist.
    60AnonymousSep 3, 2026 14:06
    Feels like she's been replaced by Sabrina Carpenter and Olivia Rodrigo.
    62AnonymousSep 3, 2026 14:07
    People will just start complaining again the second she gains the weight back. What a pain.
    64AnonymousSep 3, 2026 14:07
    'Senshuraku,' lol — it's just the tour finale.

    Background and Key Points of This Discussion

    In May 2017, Ariana Grande experienced a bombing at her own Manchester concert venue that killed 22 people. Ever since, her weight fluctuations have drawn public attention every time she appears in public, and most of the posts expressing concern over her being ‘too thin’ this time around fall along that same line. It’s worth noting that the article itself offers no insight into how Grande herself feels about her body — these are outside observers’ speculation. The thread also included comments poking fun at the fact that ‘senshuraku’ (a term borrowed from sumo and kabuki meaning the final day of a run) isn’t a direct translation from the original English-language article but a phrase chosen for Japanese headlines — a reminder that word choice when summarizing overseas news into Japanese can easily create confusion or a sense of mismatch. On top of that, a fair number of commenters took a cooler view, pointing to the rise of same-generation artists like Sabrina Carpenter and Olivia Rodrigo as a sign of generational turnover.

    *This article is compiled from excerpts and summaries of the 5ch (Entertainment/Sports Express+) thread “[Overseas] Ariana Grande’s Tearful Farewell at Tour Finale — Stepping Back from Public Life.”

  • Ashida Mana to Star in Live-Action ‘The Apothecary Diaries’; 5ch: ‘Feels Like Ito Sairi Would Fit Better’

    Hinata Natsu’s novel “The Apothecary Diaries” (Kusuriya no Hitorigoto) has been confirmed for a live-action drama adaptation starring Ashida Mana. Toho and Amazon MGM Studios are co-producing the series, which will stream exclusively worldwide on Prime Video in over 240 countries and regions starting in 2028. The screenplay is by Yoshida Erika (“Tora ni Tsubasa”), and the director is Yuki Saito, known for “Unmet.” The original novel has sold over 57 million copies worldwide including foreign translations, and an anime film adaptation is also set to open on December 11. On the 5ch “Entertainment/Sports News+” thread, opinions split over casting for the lead role, Maomao — with some pushing for Ito Sairi or Hashimoto Kanna — plus speculation over who’ll play Jinshi, and debate over the gap between the original’s “secretly gorgeous under the makeup” setting and Ashida Mana’s public image.

    A live-action drama adaptation of Hinata Natsu’s novel “The Apothecary Diaries,” starring Ashida Mana, has been greenlit. Toho and Amazon MGM Studios are co-producing the project, which will stream exclusively worldwide on Prime Video across more than 240 countries and regions starting in 2028. Yoshida Erika, writer of “Tora ni Tsubasa,” is handling the screenplay, while Yuki Saito, director of “Unmet: A Brain Surgeon’s Diary,” is directing. A teaser visual has now been unveiled.

    “The Apothecary Diaries” is set in the harem of a fictional empire, following Maomao, an apothecary raised in the red-light district, as she uses her pharmacological knowledge and sharp powers of observation to unravel incidents and conspiracies within the palace. Published by Hero Bunko (Imagica Infos), the series has sold over 57 million copies worldwide, including foreign-language editions. The TV anime adaptation, which began airing in 2023, has also proven highly popular, and the anime film “The Apothecary Diaries the Movie: The Deceased Consort’s Treasure” is set to open on December 11.

    For the live-action series, Toho and Amazon MGM Studios — the team behind the TV anime adaptation of “The Apothecary Diaries” — are joining forces again. Production spared no expense on set design, costumes, and VFX, with roughly six months of filming carried out on a large-scale set recreating the world of the imperial harem.

    Source: natalie.mu / Original article here

    11AnonymousSep 3, 2026 12:25
    Feels like Ito Sairi would fit better
    22AnonymousSep 3, 2026 12:27
    Re: #11
    That character's more about raw power than brains anyway, so Ashida Mana might actually suit it better
    23AnonymousSep 3, 2026 12:28
    Re: #11
    She's over 30, so it's a stretch — Jinshi's actor is gonna end up looking middle-aged too at this rate
    14AnonymousSep 3, 2026 12:26
    It's a shoujo manga after all, this one
    20AnonymousSep 3, 2026 12:27
    Re: #14
    Ah, I see… so older guys aren't popular for the role?
    18AnonymousSep 3, 2026 12:26
    Everyone's locked into Yuuki Aoi's voice for the character, so Ashida might feel off
    33AnonymousSep 3, 2026 12:29
    Re: #18
    Yeah, the image is pretty locked in with that deep voice for Maomao… though that's an anime-only element not in the original, so they don't necessarily have to stick to it
    21AnonymousSep 3, 2026 12:27
    How would otaku react if a heroine who can do everything got played by an actress who can actually do everything?
    34AnonymousSep 3, 2026 12:29
    Overseas streaming really is just wall-to-wall manga live-actions these days
    83AnonymousSep 3, 2026 12:38
    Re: #34
    Amazon Prime's the only one still milking Japanese IP nonstop
    Netflix mixes in original content too
    What's annoying is Prime turns IP into trash, and lately they've started slapping an "Amazon Original IP" label on stuff more and more
    36AnonymousSep 3, 2026 12:29
    From what leaked before, Jinshi's role is supposedly going to Nomura Kota, right?
    He doesn't really fit it — if anything, I'd say he suits Li Bai better
    I'd like to believe Bunshun just got their info mixed up
    47AnonymousSep 3, 2026 12:32
    Re: #36
    Eh, I'd rather have a more glamorous actor
    Can't think of anyone specific, but anyone besides MILK
    43AnonymousSep 3, 2026 12:31
    They're gonna give Jinshi another twitchy pretty-boy casting again, aren't they?
    46AnonymousSep 3, 2026 12:31
    Re: #43
    He's Sawamura Ikki's son
    44AnonymousSep 3, 2026 12:31
    The setting is that she's actually beautiful once the makeup comes off — isn't it weird to cast someone who's just cute?
    55AnonymousSep 3, 2026 12:33
    Re: #44
    If she's not cute to begin with, she couldn't pull it off
    The whole setup is a cute girl wearing "ugly" makeup
    66AnonymousSep 3, 2026 12:35
    Re: #44
    The original even builds part of its story around that gap, so the makeup really needs to make her look plain, or it doesn't work
    45AnonymousSep 3, 2026 12:31
    Feels like they're gonna botch the eccentric strategist role by casting someone like Takenaka Naoto
    51AnonymousSep 3, 2026 12:32
    Re: #45
    Sano Shiro seems like he'd fit
    49AnonymousSep 3, 2026 12:32
    The setting is that she's actually a beauty, you know
    133AnonymousSep 3, 2026 12:47
    Re: #49
    Ashida Mana might be cute, but… she's not exactly a great beauty
    102AnonymousSep 3, 2026 12:41
    I tried making one with AI! Something like this?
    https://tadaup.jp/9D0adTpH.jpg
    117AnonymousSep 3, 2026 12:44
    Re: #102
    LOL that's hilarious — turning anime art with those huge eyes into live-action is just a bad idea, isn't it lol
    131AnonymousSep 3, 2026 12:47
    Re: #102
    Yeah, that's just not gonna work out (´・ω・`)
    162AnonymousSep 3, 2026 12:51
    Re: #102
    Put it side by side with Re: #1

    https://ogre.natalie.mu/media/news/eiga/2026/0903/kusuriya_20260903.jpg

    https://tadaup.jp/9D0adTpH.jpg
    127AnonymousSep 3, 2026 12:46
    Meguro Ren would be great as Jinshi, but he might just be too tall for it
    141AnonymousSep 3, 2026 12:49
    Re: #127
    Wasn't there one of those "spotted him in public" promo-style articles about the nepo-baby actor?
    140AnonymousSep 3, 2026 12:49
    The whole world's about to discover how cute Mana-chan is
    154AnonymousSep 3, 2026 12:50
    Re: #140
    Right, that is a little worrying 🥺
    144AnonymousSep 3, 2026 12:49
    Maomao's whole thing is that she's secretly beautiful. Ashida Mana isn't really a great beauty, so I still say Hashimoto Kanna would've been better.
    150AnonymousSep 3, 2026 12:49
    Re: #144
    Hashimoto Kanna's image is already too locked-in for it though
    151AnonymousSep 3, 2026 12:50
    Re: #1
    I genuinely don't get what's supposed to be interesting about this
    164AnonymousSep 3, 2026 12:51
    Re: #151
    This is aimed at aunties who are into Korean dramas and the like
    Even if you try your hardest to get it, you're never gonna understand it in this lifetime

    Background and key points of this topic

    “The Apothecary Diaries” is a novel series by Hinata Natsu published under Hero Bunko; its 2023 TV anime adaptation proved highly popular, and the franchise has sold over 57 million copies worldwide including overseas translations. In recent years Amazon MGM Studios has been aggressively acquiring live-action rights to popular Japanese manga and novels, and this simultaneous worldwide release on Prime Video is part of a broader push to expand Japan-originated IP overseas. The thread’s main point of contention was casting — specifically whether Ashida Mana’s image fits the original setting, in which Maomao hides her true beauty behind makeup but is “actually gorgeous” underneath. One easy point of confusion: Nomura Kota, floated as a candidate for the role of Jinshi, isn’t mentioned in the article itself — that’s unconfirmed information sourced from a Bunshun report. While the announcement of key staff like the director and screenwriter is confirmed, casting for co-stars is still awaiting further updates.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Entertainment/Sports News+) thread “[Entertainment] Ashida Mana to Star in Live-Action “The Apothecary Diaries,” Streaming Worldwide on Prime Video in 2028 [Ailuropoda melanoleuca★]“.

  • Stan Hansen Returns as PWF Chairman After 19 Years, Succeeding the Late Dory Funk Jr.

    On August 29, All Japan Pro-Wrestling held its “Hot Fight! Summer Action Wars 2026” event at Ota City General Gymnasium and announced that Stan Hansen has become the new chairman of the title-sanctioning body PWF. He succeeds former chairman Dory Funk Jr., who passed away suddenly, marking Hansen’s return to the PWF chairmanship after 19 years. On 5ch’s Geinou/Sports News+ board, veteran fans weighed in on everything from the 77-year-old “Unsinkable Battleship’s” current lifestyle to the real substance behind the PWF organization itself, along with lesser-known stories of him paying his dues back in his Texas days.

    ■ In honor of Japan’s many great wrestlers

    The legendary “Unsinkable Battleship” has returned to the top of the title-sanctioning body that symbolizes the history and authority of the King’s Road style of wrestling.

    On August 29, All Japan Pro-Wrestling held “Hot Fight! Summer Action Wars 2026” at EBARA WAVE Arena Ota (Ota City General Gymnasium) in Tokyo.

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

    6AnonymousSep 3, 2026 07:25
    Huh
    I just assumed he'd died already…
    10AnonymousSep 3, 2026 07:30
    Re: #6
    Pro wrestling's full of guys who died young
    Hansen and [Abdullah] the Butcher actually come up a lot as the rare ones still alive lol
    64AnonymousSep 3, 2026 08:45
    Re: #6
    Hogan died
    8AnonymousSep 3, 2026 07:29
    Re: #1
    Wait, Hiroshi Hase used to hold this job?
    He never had any connection to the title
    Isn't that true of Dory too
    I always picture Dory as the International Heavyweight guy
    25AnonymousSep 3, 2026 07:56
    Re: #8
    They had Kim Il (Ōki Kintarō) vacate the International Heavyweight title he held
    and it became the PWF-sanctioned International Heavyweight title
    Dory and Brody both held it as champions after that
    9AnonymousSep 3, 2026 07:29
    I totally bought the theory that the stun gun got its name because its voltage packs about the same punch as a Stan Hansen lariat




    (that's a lie though)
    14AnonymousSep 3, 2026 07:38
    Does PWF actually exist as a real entity?
    I remember reading somewhere that a wrestling fan visited Hawaii looking for the PWF office and it caused some confusion
    Was that in the Peter Maivia book or something?
    20AnonymousSep 3, 2026 07:48
    Re: #14
    It did exist
    It used to be based out of Lord Blears's office or dojo in Hawaii
    Probably because Baba loved Hawaii and wanted to write the expenses off
    41AnonymousSep 3, 2026 08:20
    Re: #14
    I wonder if they actually ran matches in Hawaii lol
    Baba had a ton of political clout back then, so anything went
    He even became NWA World Heavyweight Champion, which really got under Inoki's skin too
    15AnonymousSep 3, 2026 07:41
    Whenever they did the "Appo!" bit, it was always either Hanson or Hogan (a variety-show impression gag)
    16AnonymousSep 3, 2026 07:43
    The strongest foreign wrestler really was Hansen
    Even his ordinary tackles landed like a finishing move lol
    18AnonymousSep 3, 2026 07:45
    Neptuneman (the Kinnikuman character)
    23AnonymousSep 3, 2026 07:52
    Re: #18
    That's Hogan
    21AnonymousSep 3, 2026 07:48
    Hansen's a nice guy — even with no cameras rolling, if you waited for him at the venue's back door after a match, he'd rough you up, even if you were just a grade-schooler
    I got sent flying by his tag partner Dan Spivey
    Guess you couldn't get away with that kind of thing these days
    22AnonymousSep 3, 2026 07:48
    All Japan Pro-Wrestling was great back when Brody was around
    24AnonymousSep 3, 2026 07:53
    Kiss in blue heaven
    Hansen of the clouds
    26AnonymousSep 3, 2026 07:58
    Re: #20
    Huh, so it really did exist in Hawaii at one point
    I think the story was that a fan asked, "I'm heading to Hawaii soon, can you tell me where the PWF office is?" and they were stuck for an answer since it's actually based at All Japan
    27AnonymousSep 3, 2026 08:01
    I went on a business trip to Texas — having believed since I was a kid that Hansen was a big celebrity there, I asked all kinds of people if they'd heard of Stan Hansen, but seriously nobody had
    Meanwhile everyone knew Hulk Hogan
    29AnonymousSep 3, 2026 08:06
    Re: #27
    Back in the territory days, when Hansen was in Texas he was just a young up-and-comer under the Funks
    He went on to work WWWF (later WWF → WWE), and at Madison Square Garden he injured WWWF Heavyweight Champion Bruno Sammartino
    Sammartino later returned and they feuded
    Hansen made his name in New York as a heel
    28AnonymousSep 3, 2026 08:06
    Brody's probably celebrating this from the other side
    31AnonymousSep 3, 2026 08:09
    There's no big name left to follow Hansen, is there
    34AnonymousSep 3, 2026 08:10
    Re: #31
    They're all in heaven
    32AnonymousSep 3, 2026 08:09
    Hansen's 77 now, huh… stay unsinkable a while longer
    35AnonymousSep 3, 2026 08:14
    What's the actual difference between the Axe Bomber and the Lariat?
    36AnonymousSep 3, 2026 08:14
    Even after retiring he's living the easy life as one of the winners.
    No other wrestler has retired this peacefully.

    He was well paid to begin with, and clearly saved it properly.
    He also quit before his body was completely wrecked, so after surgery he's doing fine and living well.
    Must be a smart guy
    56AnonymousSep 3, 2026 08:38
    Re: #36
    Would you really call someone whose body is wrecked "living the easy life," though
    I'd say that description fits guys like Mil Mascaras — still running his business full-tilt at 84 with no injuries or aftereffects and still interacting with fans — or George Gordienko, who won the lottery and became a successful artist, or Freddie Blassie, who was still getting huge ovations on stage right up until he died at 85
    37AnonymousSep 3, 2026 08:16
    Oh, PWF still exists?
    I thought it was just a one-generation thing between Baba and Lord Blears
    38AnonymousSep 3, 2026 08:16
    First time I've heard that Hase used to hold this position. Since he lost his bid for governor, he's got free time now — he could've just kept doing the job, no?
    78AnonymousSep 3, 2026 09:27
    Re: #38
    Hase seems to be leaning more toward New Japan these days
    42AnonymousSep 3, 2026 08:24
    He was already a working wrestler back when I was little, and he's still out there wrestling in nothing but trunks now that I'm an adult, lol. Didn't Urasawa draw a bit like that in one of his manga too?
    43AnonymousSep 3, 2026 08:25
    Looking at old photos, the guy looks like he's cosplaying as Terryman (the Kinnikuman character)
    44AnonymousSep 3, 2026 08:26
    Re: #41
    In the 1980s, Hawaiian pro wrestling
    was run by Peter Maivia (and after his death, by his widow Lia Maivia)
    46AnonymousSep 3, 2026 08:29
    Re: #44
    So there really were matches out there!
    Ricky Steamboat was from Hawaii too, wasn't he
    45AnonymousSep 3, 2026 08:27
    There ought to be some kind of pay for this role, but doesn't sound like there is
    Even if there is, it's probably only around 30,000 yen a month
    47AnonymousSep 3, 2026 08:29
    The cheer when Hansen showed up on screen was huge — guess All Japan still has its old-school fans sticking around
    53AnonymousSep 3, 2026 08:34
    Even with all that wrestling ability, he couldn't become a superstar in America because he wasn't good on the mic
    57AnonymousSep 3, 2026 08:40
    Re: #53
    That's part of what makes him lovable too
    58AnonymousSep 3, 2026 08:40
    Re: #53
    They aired his American matches on a show called "World Pro Wrestling"
    Seeing him booked as some weak, small-time thug over there, first-grade me suddenly understood how the whole business worked
    In Japan he was the strongest character on All Japan, so honestly I wish I'd never seen that…
    65AnonymousSep 3, 2026 08:47
    Re: #53
    Hansen was actually pretty smooth on the mic
    https://youtu.be/myowNV6Z7_8&t=138
    This is from when he was feuding with WWF Heavyweight Champion Bob Backlund
    The interviewer is Vince Jr. (Vince McMahon Jr.)

    Background and Talking Points

    PWF (Pacific Wrestling Federation) is a sanctioning body Baba founded after launching All Japan Pro-Wrestling, and its championship lineage has followed a complicated path over the years. In the thread, posters traded trivia confirming PWF’s actual existence — including the fact that it once had a real office in Hawaii — establishing that it’s an organization with genuine historical roots rather than just an empty title. Where opinions split was over how much substance there really was to the tenure of Hiroshi Hase (a former candidate for Governor of Ishikawa Prefecture), who reportedly held the chairman post until 19 years ago, and over the reality of Hansen’s post-retirement life. Against the view that he’s “living the easy life as one of the winners,” a counter-argument emerged that surgery costs ate into his earnings and that these days his Japanese wife works while he handles the housework — exposing a gap between perception and reality. One point readers commonly get wrong is assuming PWF operates as an actively functioning organization at all times, when in practice it’s usually treated symbolically, trotted out mainly for title-sanctioning ceremonies.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “[Pro Wrestling] Stan Hansen: “I’ve happily decided to take on the role of PWF Chairman” — Returns after 19 years, succeeding the late former chairman Dory.”