Category: News

  • New ‘Bayside Shakedown’ Film Debuts at No. 2 in Opening-Week Rankings, Fans Doubt It’ll Clear ¥5 Billion

    The new film “Bayside Shakedown” failed to top the opening-week attendance rankings, debuting at No. 2 instead — and that became a hot topic on 5channel. In the thread, users compared it to the franchise’s past glory, when it reportedly pulled in roughly ¥17 billion, with many voicing doubt that this installment would even clear ¥5 billion at the box office. Others pushed back, arguing “people are bashing it without even watching it” or “that’s just par for the course for a TV-drama movie spinoff,” while some grew nostalgic for the series’ beloved supporting cast and music choices — leaving opinions sharply divided.

    6AnonymousSep 24, 2026 13:59
    They're both Fuji TV productions, so what's even the issue?
    9AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:00
    Re: #6
    It really doesn't look like Bayside Shakedown is gonna hit ¥5 billion.
    16AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:02
    Re: #6
    Oda's movie's box office pace is looking shaky too…
    125AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:29
    Re: #6
    There's a huge difference between "a movie Fuji TV had some involvement in" and "a movie Fuji TV mainly produced," you know.
    8AnonymousSep 24, 2026 13:59
    Between this, GTO, and Urusei Yatsura, they really need to stop dragging finished franchises back out of the grave.
    17AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:02
    Re: #8
    *Emergency Room 24 Hours*: "Wait, seriously…?" (fellow old Fuji TV drama bracing to be next)
    35AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:08
    Re: #8
    You guys are just shamelessly pandering to the old geezer generation~
    86AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:17
    Re: #8
    The Muroi (Bayside Shakedown spin-off character) movie they put out last year flopped too — and that's two duds in a row lol
    12AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:01
    Honestly it's more impressive that enough people showed up for it to land at No. 2
    The Bayside Shakedown movies are just way too boring.
    108AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:23
    Re: #12
    You clearly haven't seen it
    It was genuinely enjoyable
    14AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:02
    Chiikawa (the hugely popular cute-character franchise) wasn't even that good
    Is it just because you still get merch for going?
    26AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:04
    Re: #14
    The freebie changes depending on when you go see it, so you're forced to go back multiple times, right?
    29AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:06
    This thing used to be a massive ¥17 billion hit back in the day — people in Heisei-era Japan were way too obsessed with TV.
    31AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:06
    Re: #29
    Chiikawa started as a TV thing too, though
    TV is still the center of entertainment for Japanese people even now
    42AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:09
    Re: #29
    I watched the first movie when Fuji TV aired it recently, and it was even more boring than Detective Conan lol
    Can't believe that thing made ¥10 billion
    34AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:07
    Bayside Shakedown is only good as a TV series honestly…
    Non-career-track Oda versus career-track Yanagiba, precinct versus headquarters — that contrast is what made it work
    39AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:08
    Re: #34
    There's no mentor figure like Waku-san (the late veteran detective who mentored the hero in the original series) this time either
    The whole setup's already fallen apart
    40AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:09
    Re: #34
    The Year-End Crime Watch special is my favorite one
    45AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:10
    Watched a review video and apparently the jokes bomb one after another, and the writing is full-on out-of-touch-old-guard bad
    60AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:12
    Re: #45
    Actually went and saw it, it's not as bad as people say
    Weak as a cop drama, but about what you'd expect from a TV-drama-turned-movie
    77AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:15
    Re: #45
    Didn't land for me either
    The series has always thrown little comic skits into everyday scenes, sure
    But this time the comedy felt forced and shoehorned in, and that was rough
    Felt like I'd wandered into a Fukuda Yuichi (the director known for over-the-top slapstick comedies) movie by mistake
    89AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:19
    Re: #45
    Isn't a gag or skit suddenly kicking in and changing the whole mood basically the Bayside Shakedown formula?
    51AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:10
    That's a massive hit
    The beef-bowl crowd (thread slang for easily-pleased fans) really falls into an echo chamber fast, huh
    61AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:12
    Re: #51
    It's doubtful this'll even beat Minami Hamabe's movie before long
    80AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:16
    Re: #51
    Losing to Chiikawa on its 9th re-release run and still calling this a hit is a stretch

    For reference, Madoka Magica beat Chiikawa even on its 3rd re-release run
    56AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:11
    Even Spider-Man was No. 1 in its opening week, and this couldn't manage that
    66AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:13
    Re: #56
    Spider-Man taking No. 1 clearly stung, because they just flat-out ignored it and went "Chiikawa is No. 1!!" — that was genuinely funny
    73AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:14
    Re: #56
    Even if it was only the opening week, credit for actually pulling off No. 1
    67AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:13
    Bayside Shakedown and Madoka Magica both look set to outsell The Odyssey, the one the hardcore film crowd's been championing — so, fair play to them I guess
    92AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:19
    Re: #67

    It's outselling Demon Slayer by like 5 times, though
    93AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:20
    It'll probably pull in around ¥5 billion
    Twisting reality because of some grown-up-shame complex is just going to make you miserable
    99AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:21
    Re: #93
    Unfortunately it's pretty much locked in to fall short of "Prada," and it's doubtful it'll even beat Minami Hamabe's movie
    101AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:22
    Re: #99
    That just looks about right to me
    107AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:23
    Re: #99
    "Prada" is probably around ¥5 billion too, right?
    So if this comes in under that, are you gonna throw a party shouting "Bayside Shakedown bombed! We beef-bowl fans beat live-action!!"?
    103AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:22

    My local theater's already down to just 5 showings in its second week — is this really gonna hit ¥5 billion?
    104AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:22
    I used to actually like Bayside Shakedown, but I got worn out on how a main character gets shot or stabbed in every single movie or special
    117AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:27
    Re: #104
    All set to the tear-jerking strains of "Love Somebody" lmao
    121AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:28
    Re: #117
    The TV series used to place that song so well, though
    128AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:31
    Re: #117
    Yeah, fair, what kind of song choice is that lol

    Background and Points of Debate

    Opening-week attendance rankings are heavily shaped by how many films are screening at the same time and how showtimes get allocated, so they don’t translate directly into final box-office totals. As commenters noted with “Chiikawa,” films that change their bonus merchandise depending on the screening period tend to rack up repeat visits from collectors chasing the freebies — a factor that’s easy to miss when comparing rankings against a brand-new release. The oft-cited “¥17 billion” figure for the franchise’s past hit is also based on posters’ recollections within the thread and hasn’t been checked against primary sources. Where the thread split was over whether an opening-week ranking alone can tell you anything about a film’s quality or box-office success, with both praise and criticism coming from people who’d actually watched it.

    *This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5channel (Nandemo Jikkyo G) thread “[Sad News] Bayside Shakedown NEW Opens at No. 2 in Its First Week lololololol.”

  • WEST. breakup news leaves live-commentary crowd blank-faced — 5ch: ‘Not one of us even knew who they were, lol’

    In a freewheeling chat thread on 5ch’s “Nandemo Jikkyo G” (anything-goes live-commentary board), someone dropped a breaking-news link announcing the breakup of the idol group WEST. Replies rattled off updates on all seven members — Junta Nakama, Takahiro Hamada, and the rest — covering new romances, marriages, and departures, but the original poster admitted honestly, “I don’t recognize a single one of them, lol.” The thread quickly moved on, with users posting hometown-pride photos from Kagawa and Kyoto Prefectures, cryptic game screenshots, and cat pictures, treating the breakup news as just one more topic passing through. The result was a thread with all the scattershot, context-free energy typical of the live-commentary board.

    7AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:02
    So glad I was born in Kagawa Prefecture—
    10AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:03
    Wha—what even is this thing?!
    15AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:05
    Re: #10
    Buzz buzz buzz! 🐧
    16AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:05
    Re: #15
    Baaanchoo!
    18AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:05
    Re: #15
    Knock knock-knock, knock, knock-knock-knock ✊
    23AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:07
    The new character's double punch wiped out my gacha stones 👊😅👊

    25AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:07
    New Mimi has arrived 👊😅👊
    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HSFVNuoaQAA_5RS.jpg
    26AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:07
    So glad I was born in Kyoto Prefecture 👊😅👊
    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FijohOFUcAAPSWL.jpg
    29AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:08
    No idea who these people are, but a breakup, huh 😭

    [BREAKING] WEST. disbands
    https://nova.5ch.io/test/read.cgi/livegalileo/1790222821/
    31AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:09
    Re: #29
    Junta Nakama (38) — new romance revealed
    Takahiro Hamada (37) — married
    Akifumi Kiriyama (37) — married (to volleyball player Maiko Kano), side hustle (apparel)
    Daiki Shigeoka (34) — married, first child born
    Tomohiro Kamiyama (33) — married, solo activities
    Ryusei Fujii (33) — left the group
    Nozomu Kotaki (30) — left the group

    Don't recognize a single one of them, lol
    48AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:14
    49AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:14
    Re: #48
    Can't even write it in kanji, lol
    53AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:15
    Re: #49
    You think you can write something as complicated as kanji in wet sand? Think it through a little.
    60AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:16
    Re: #53
    That's so lame (lol)
    56AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:16
    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HSJvVwQbgAA7sVZ.jpg
    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HSJvVuWbEAABUi6.jpg
    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HSJvVuda8AAI_Ck.jpg
    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HSJvVuTbsAExbeY.jpg
    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HSJ8-7absAA76hX.jpg
    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HSJ8-7aaQAAbvwp.jpg
    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HSJ9AjobIAApznR.jpg
    58AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:16
    That's rough 🥺
    76AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:18
    Re: #73
    Why does it start on Awaji Island?
    Is living in Kagawa really that embarrassing?
    82AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:19
    Re: #76
    ?????
    Wait, how do you even know this guy lives in Kagawa?
    86AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:20
    Re: #82
    He said so himself
    88AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:21
    Re: #82
    Someone's a poser 😅 (a "niwaka," i.e. a fake/newbie fan)
    78AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:18
    So glad I was born in Kagawa Prefecture—
    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Fbx4Z-KacAAUh_-.jpg
    85AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:20
    Re: #78
    Is this an eroge (adult game)?
    81AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:19
    84AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:19
    87AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:20
    92AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:22
    94AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:22
    Re: #92
    This cat's still got some energy left, huh
    95AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:23
    Re: #92
    Would've been perfect if it were 2:22:22 😏
    93AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:22
    A field?
    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HJxzA6_boAA8JOR.jpg
    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HJyV1L1bcAAmW50.jpg
    96AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:23
    114AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:30
    Is this guy's skin blue or a normal skin tone? Pick one
    115AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:30
    Re: #114
    Can't you read? It says no unauthorized reposting.
    116AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:30
    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HSwBVAmbsAA68PG.jpg
    120AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:31
    Re: #113
    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HS0K7u-aAAAYAjK.jpg
    124AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:33
    128AnonymousSep 24, 2026 14:35

    Background and Talking Points

    “Nandemo Jikkyo G” is a board where users post live commentary in sync with broadcasts and events, with topics shifting every few seconds — that’s its defining feature. In this thread too, the breaking-news link about WEST.’s breakup scrolled past within a handful of replies, after which unrelated posts — hometown-pride photos, game screenshots, cat pictures — took over as the main content. The updates listed in the replies — “new romance,” “marriage,” “departure” — aren’t exaggerated embellishment; they simply reflect how the group’s members have each gone on to live their own lives in the years since debuting. Still, the fact that so many commenters couldn’t match names to faces shows that the live-commentary crowd and idol-fan crowd don’t necessarily overlap. The seemingly disjointed parade of topics running side by side is simply the atmosphere unique to “Nandemo Jikkyo,” and this article captures just one cross-section of it.

    ※This article is compiled as an excerpt and summary of the 5ch (“Nandemo Jikkyo G”) thread “A memorial service for the poor little 🏡 that collapsed right before it was finished, nanora~.”

  • SoftBank’s Runaway Lineup: 5ch Notes They’re the Only Team Over .600

    SoftBank’s lineup, which is running away with the Pacific League race, became a hot topic on the “Nandemo Jikkyo” (Anything Live-Text) board. Numbers were rattled off for the top of the order — Masaki hitting .283 with 27 homers, Kondo at .305 with 99 RBI and a .979 OPS — with some claiming the team’s overall OPS of .750 is far and away the best in the league. At the same time, there were concerns about the bullpen’s ERA, along with more level-headed comments noting that Yamamoto Yuudai’s batting average isn’t as high as the buzz suggests. The thread ranged widely, from the lineup’s strength and the pitching staff’s issues to player usage and even which university guys went to.

    1AnonymousSep 24, 2026 11:56
    1 (1B) Masaki .283, 27 HR, 58 RBI, OPS .914
    2 (LF) Yanagita .302, 18 HR, 66 RBI, OPS .825
    3 (DH) Kondo .305, 28 HR, 99 RBI, OPS .979, 6 SB
    12AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:02
    Meanwhile, the bullpen apparently is in shambles
    15AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:05
    Re: #12
    Bullpen ERA is #1 in NPB, as always (and not in a good way)
    19AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:07
    Yamamoto Yuudai is an upgrade behind the plate for the Hawks, but his stats don't exactly scream 'catcher who can really hit!!!'
    25AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:09
    Re: #19
    For reference, here's the OPS of the Hawks' most-used catcher in recent years —
    compared to 'Takuya-level' (catcher Kai Takuya), it's not that bad:

    2014 Hosokawa Toru .521
    2015 Takatani Yusuke .473
    2016 Tsuruoka Shinya .630
    2017 Kai Takuya .695
    2018 Kai Takuya .602
    2019 Kai Takuya .733
    2020 Kai Takuya .694
    2021 Kai Takuya .658
    2022 Kai Takuya .498
    2023 Kai Takuya .602
    2024 Kai Takuya .690
    2025 Umino Ryuji .533
    35AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:13
    What's Imamiya up to these days? Injured?
    37AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:14
    Re: #35
    Age-related decline — lost his starting spot to a younger guy
    36AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:14
    What's really nuts is that on top of this lineup's power, their defense and baserunning are also elite-tier.
    No wonder they're running away with the league
    59AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:21
    Re: #36
    They're the only team with a win rate over .600
    Everyone else is stuck in the high .500s
    40AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:15
    Masaki was only a 2nd-round pick, you know
    Same with Yokohama's Maki — a pick like that can end up changing a team's whole future
    55AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:19
    Re: #40
    Looking at this starting lineup, Masaki, Yanagita, Kurihara, and Shoji were all 2nd-round picks
    42AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:15
    They keep periodically bringing in guys returning from MLB too, so there's a good chance someone like Yoshida Masataka ends up with SoftBank
    44AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:16
    Re: #42
    Even if Yoshida came over, is there even a spot for him in this lineup?
    45AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:16
    I mean, it's really just spots 1 through 4 though
    The bottom of the order isn't as strong as people make it sound
    50AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:18
    Re: #45
    Compare it with other teams and the gap is obvious
    For starters, their RBI totals are way higher
    52AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:18
    There were tons of threads about Yamamoto hitting .300
    but he's only hitting .2-something now
    58AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:20
    Re: #52
    He's dropped all the way down to .250
    68AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:24
    Re: #52
    There were a bunch of threads going 'Yamamoto's a god! Matsuo's trash lol'
    but those two barely have different stats
    53AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:19
    You sometimes see people claim this team could win in MLB too, but not looking like this, huh
    61AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:21
    Re: #53
    Well, if you mean beating the Dodgers, sure that's impossible, but they're probably about as strong as the White Sox
    54AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:19
    SoftBank really is short on a shortstop successor
    If they ever produce a shortstop who can hit double-digit homers, the Pacific League is done for
    70AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:25
    Re: #54
    Nomura was around last year, but he wasn't as strong as people say either
    66AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:23
    If Shuto doesn't make it back in time, I guess it'll be Makihara in center, Kawase at short, and Shoji at second?
    77AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:28
    Re: #66
    Yesterday Sasagawa came in at center partway through
    How's Sasagawa's defense? Shuto's getting to the age where they'll need a successor soon
    73AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:26
    What's the team OPS and team wRC+?
    76AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:27
    Re: #73
    Team OPS is .750 — miles ahead of everyone else
    78AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:29
    I got transferred to Fukuoka for work, so it's SoftBank broadcasts nonstop for me now
    Masaki and Yanagimachi seemed weirdly close, always on TV together — turns out they went to the same university
    Nice having a senior close in age on the team; if a senior like Yanagimachi is putting up these numbers, it's gotta be something to aim for
    89AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:36
    Re: #78
    You've got that seriously wrong
    92AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:37
    Re: #78
    Of the 'Keio three brothers,' the eldest is Yanagimachi, the second is Masaki, and the third is Hirose (all Keio University alums)
    80AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:30
    Top 5 RBI leaders by team
    SoftBank: Kurihara 115, Kondo 99, Yanagita 66, Masaki 58, Makihara 47
    Seibu: Canario 50, Nevin 47, Watanabe 46, Kojima 37, Hasegawa 35
    Nippon-Ham: Reyes 82, Kiyomiya 64, Nomura 60, Mizuno 56, Mannami 53
    83AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:32
    Re: #80
    Looking at this, losing Reyes really hurts (for Nippon-Ham)
    87AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:35
    Re: #80
    Seibu's got a roster this bad and still that many games over .500 — impressive
    81AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:31
    If it were me, I'd bat Shuto leadoff and Masaki second, to bring Shuto home
    84AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:33
    Re: #81
    From Manager Kokubo's comments, I think the leadoff spot is Masaki or Yanagimachi
    95AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:39
    I think Seibu and the Fighters have actually done well against this monster of a team
    Against an average team, they'd be 20 games back by now
    106AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:48
    Re: #95
    The gap's only this size because the whole team was slumping early on — it's not like anyone was actually staying close, which is kind of sad
    107AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:49
    Barely any injuries among the position players this year — that's overachieving
    No way that happens again next year
    110AnonymousSep 24, 2026 12:50
    Re: #107
    But didn't they win the pennant last year too, even after losing their entire starting lineup to injuries?

    Background and Talking Points

    Sorting through the numbers raised in the thread: alongside the on-base and power numbers at the top of SoftBank’s order, some posters noted the team’s overall OPS ranks first among all 12 NPB clubs, and RBI leaders like Kurihara, Kondo, and Yanagita also top the list. On the other hand, the jab that the bullpen has ‘the No. 1 relief ERA in NPB’ was clearly ironic, made in the context of lingering doubts about the pitching staff — especially the relievers. The thread also touched on Masaki, Yanagimachi, and Hirose all having attended the same university (Keio University), noted as background for how players of the same generation grew into core contributors together. Meanwhile, the buzz that ‘Yamamoto Yuudai is hitting .300’ had spread early on, but by the time of these posts his actual average had fallen into the .200s, prompting a more level-headed observation that his numbers aren’t all that different from those of Matsuo, who tended to get harshly criticized around the same period. It’s a textbook case of a stat taking on a life of its own, diverging from the impression that stuck around it. Note that this article is based on posts as of the time of the thread and does not guarantee final stats or season results.

    *This article is compiled from excerpts and summaries of the 5ch (Nandemo Jikkyo G) thread “Complete SoftBank lineup is way too strong wwwwwwwwwwwwwww.”

  • Hakata Ramen Owner Says ‘Order Large From the Start, Skip the Refill’ — Opinions Split

    A Hakata ramen shop owner sparked debate on 5channel after saying, “If you’re going to order a refill anyway, I’d rather you just order the large portion from the start — extra orders after you’ve already finished add more work for the shop.” Regulars and ramen fans pushed back one after another, arguing things like “the refill is the whole appeal of Hakata ramen” and “the noodles are deliberately made smaller because a refill is expected.” On the other hand, some voices showed a degree of understanding for the shop’s position, saying things like “a large portion lets you fudge the noodle amount” or “it’s simply up to the shop to decide,” leaving opinions split.

    1AnonymousSep 24, 2026 11:03
    A comment from a Hakata ramen shop owner about the "kaedama" (noodle refill) — a defining feature of Fukuoka's ramen culture — has become a hot topic online.
    The owner argued, "If you want to eat a lot of noodles from the start, just order the large portion. Ordering a refill after you've already finished creates more work for the shop."
    While some say "the refill is the whole appeal of Hakata ramen," the owner explained, "If you think about the balance with the soup, ordering large from the start lets you enjoy it deliciously all the way to the end."
    3AnonymousSep 24, 2026 11:04
    This owner's just talking about what's convenient for the store — that's not right
    4AnonymousSep 24, 2026 11:05
    The whole point is you can't have both: keeping the noodles from going soggy AND keeping the soup hot
    6AnonymousSep 24, 2026 11:07
    The refill system was something the shops themselves started in the first place
    7AnonymousSep 24, 2026 11:07
    What surprised me is that everyone puts the refill noodles into the leftover soup now.
    Back in the day, the normal way was to pour refill sauce on them and eat them straight as mazesoba (mixed noodles)
    13AnonymousSep 24, 2026 11:10
    Re: #7
    Okay grandpa?
    21AnonymousSep 24, 2026 11:13
    Re: #7
    That's not what a Hakata ramen refill is
    23AnonymousSep 24, 2026 11:15
    Re: #7
    Even I, who lived in Fukuoka, don't know that way of eating it. Are you like 60 years old or something?
    9AnonymousSep 24, 2026 11:08
    You don't need seconds, refills, or a large portion.
    Stopping right when you still want a bit more is the best way to eat
    10AnonymousSep 24, 2026 11:08
    Thin noodles, sure, but ordering a refill for tsukemen that takes like 10 minutes to make? That's just crazy
    12AnonymousSep 24, 2026 11:10
    I mean, is it not fine to just eat two regular bowls of ramen?
    14AnonymousSep 24, 2026 11:11
    Do whatever you want.
    It's the customer who chooses the shop based on that
    15AnonymousSep 24, 2026 11:11
    At Nandenkanden on the Kan-nana loop road, if you put your refill noodles into the bowl with leftover soup, people used to say "that's tacky" or "that's how someone from Tokyo who doesn't get real flavor eats it"
    16AnonymousSep 24, 2026 11:11
    It's tasty precisely because of the crisp, straight thin noodles — make it a large portion and they'll just go soggy
    17AnonymousSep 24, 2026 11:11
    Someone who doesn't understand ramen shouldn't be running a ramen shop
    18AnonymousSep 24, 2026 11:11
    The texture's different, and aren't most shops making their noodles on the assumption you'll order a refill?
    If they built the recipe around large portions from the start, maybe they could make the large taste good too
    19AnonymousSep 24, 2026 11:12
    Then just put up a sign saying so and run it that way, right? Customers get to choose which shop owner to go with, you know?
    20AnonymousSep 24, 2026 11:13
    Regular, firm, soft (noodle firmness options) — that's all you need
    24AnonymousSep 24, 2026 11:15
    So a refill goes for about 150 yen in Fukuoka these days, huh
    I keep turning into more and more of a Rip Van Winkle (feeling out of touch with the times)
    26AnonymousSep 24, 2026 11:17
    Re: #24
    Even so, coming from a Tokyo perspective that still feels cheap.
    No wonder foreign tourists go wild touring all over Japan
    25AnonymousSep 24, 2026 11:17
    But if you order the large and leave some, they'll complain, right?
    27AnonymousSep 24, 2026 11:18
    In Tokyo, some random "chuka soba" (lol) goes for 1300 yen
    30AnonymousSep 24, 2026 11:20
    With a large portion you can fudge the noodle quantity, you know
    31AnonymousSep 24, 2026 11:20
    This all ends the moment the shop just puts up a sign saying "no refills"
    32AnonymousSep 24, 2026 11:20
    It started out for the ramen shop's own convenience in the first place, right?
    People from Hakata are being unreasonable about this
    33AnonymousSep 24, 2026 11:21
    Normally you order the large AND then order a refill on top of that, right?
    41AnonymousSep 24, 2026 11:23
    Re: #33
    What are you, king of the big eaters?
    34AnonymousSep 24, 2026 11:21
    If it's his own shop, he can just get rid of refills
    38AnonymousSep 24, 2026 11:23
    You don't even know how much a "regular" portion is, and if you order large and leave some, they'll complain anyway
    39AnonymousSep 24, 2026 11:23
    A noodle-factory president once said:
    Hakata ramen noodles go soggy in about 3 minutes.
    Make them firmer and they go soggy in about 1 minute.
    That's why they make one serving smaller and have you order a refill
    42AnonymousSep 24, 2026 11:24
    Re: #39
    Wait, how does making them firmer make them go soggy in 1 minute?
    By that logic they'd turn to mush right there in the pot
    58AnonymousSep 24, 2026 11:32
    Re: #39
    Yeah, exactly.
    It's built around the refill system.
    If you want people to order large from the start, you'd have to change the recipe itself
    40AnonymousSep 24, 2026 11:23
    If you order large from the start and it's not to your taste, you're stuck leaving food behind.
    Ordering a refill is a way of saying "that ramen was delicious"
    44AnonymousSep 24, 2026 11:24
    A ramen shop in Fukuoka without a refill system hasn't even made it to the starting line
    46AnonymousSep 24, 2026 11:26
    Then just put up a sign from the start saying "we don't do refills here, please order large" — problem solved
    47AnonymousSep 24, 2026 11:26
    The refill system itself exists for the shop's convenience,
    so telling customers to change now doesn't fly
    55AnonymousSep 24, 2026 11:30
    Re: #54
    Eating firm noodles in tonkotsu soup is basically like the 50-yen instant ramen from a candy shop
    56AnonymousSep 24, 2026 11:30
    Re: #55
    Butamen (a cheap instant ramen snack brand) is actually pretty tasty lol
    75AnonymousSep 24, 2026 11:51
    Yeah, refills really are a waste of time and energy when you think about it
    It's like voluntarily signing up for a missed-package redelivery
    84AnonymousSep 24, 2026 11:55
    Re: #75
    Have you ever actually eaten Hakata ramen?
    The refill noodles and the back half of the noodles from your first bowl taste completely different, obviously

    Background and Key Points of This Debate

    Hakata ramen noodles are ultra-thin, straight noodles that tend to go soggy quickly once they hit the soup. Because of this, as the thread pointed out, many shops deliberately make a single serving’s noodle portion smaller, expecting customers to order an additional round of noodles (a “kaedama” refill) right as they finish. In other words, the refill isn’t just an “extra option for customers who didn’t get enough to eat” — it’s built directly into the cooking design meant to preserve the noodles’ texture. That’s exactly where opinions in the thread diverged: those prioritizing the shop’s efficiency argued that “ordering large from the start cuts down on hassle and lets you enjoy it deliciously to the end,” while regulars who understood the noodles’ properties countered that “you’d have to change the dough or the boiling method for a large portion to get the same texture.” Some also pointed out that the price of a refill has climbed to around 150 yen, suggesting the discussion is also shaped by how used people are to the system and how the price increase feels to them. The debate never reached a clear conclusion, but it’s worth noting that the simplistic take of “just order large” overlooks the actual cooking science behind the noodles.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5channel (Live News/Whatever G) thread “[Shocking] Hakata ramen shop says “If you’re going to refill, just order large from the start” — stirring up debate over “refill culture””.

  • Late-Night 5ch Live Thread Buzzes Over Gundam Collab and Hololive’s New Anime

    In a thread on 5ch’s “Live Anything General” board that ran from around 3am until just after 10am, posters traded chat on whatever topic came up in the moment. Multiple threads of conversation flew by — from a game’s Gundam collaboration announcement to an image said to reveal a new Hololive anime — drawing reactions like “why such an old Gundam?” and “is anyone actually gonna watch this?” The thread captures the fast, topic-hopping rhythm typical of these overnight-into-morning live threads.

    1AnonymousSep 24, 2026 03:26
    Whoa!? It's actually up!? 😯 VIPQ2_EXTDAT: none:none:1000:512:: EXT was configured
    41AnonymousSep 24, 2026 03:45
    Gundam collab incoming
    44AnonymousSep 24, 2026 03:46
    Re: #41
    Why such an old Gundam though
    57AnonymousSep 24, 2026 04:44
    62AnonymousSep 24, 2026 04:51
    Re: #57
    Like 650 yen?
    156AnonymousSep 24, 2026 06:35
    202AnonymousSep 24, 2026 07:00
    Re: #156
    Is this Kanatan? (nickname for Hololive's Amane Kanata)
    189AnonymousSep 24, 2026 06:46
    Mikochi!? 😲 (nickname for Hololive's Sakura Miko)

    204AnonymousSep 24, 2026 07:00
    Re: #189
    Mongolian Tanmen "Nakasotsu" (a pun on the famous spicy ramen brand Nakamoto, swapping in 卒 for 本 — slang for a middle-school dropout)
    283AnonymousSep 24, 2026 08:20
    New Hololive anime just dropped ✋
    286AnonymousSep 24, 2026 08:23
    Re: #283
    Where's Haachama? 😡 (nickname for Hololive's Akai Haato)
    300AnonymousSep 24, 2026 08:29
    Re: #283
    Is anyone actually gonna watch this?
    327AnonymousSep 24, 2026 08:57
    Man, I'd like to eat
    some real meat just once in my life
    328AnonymousSep 24, 2026 08:58
    Re: #327
    331AnonymousSep 24, 2026 09:00
    Re: #328
    Looks tasty~🤥 *crunch crunch, munch munch*
    338AnonymousSep 24, 2026 09:11

    I bought one, so what?
    340AnonymousSep 24, 2026 09:12
    Re: #338
    Probably a stolen image but I'll ask anyway
    what's this taste closest to?
    368AnonymousSep 24, 2026 09:34
    370AnonymousSep 24, 2026 09:42
    Re: #368
    Ohhoo 🔨👴🏿🏹
    371AnonymousSep 24, 2026 09:44
    Re: #368
    So cute (*´`)
    380AnonymousSep 24, 2026 09:52
    Are you guys off on paid leave today and tomorrow?
    382AnonymousSep 24, 2026 09:53
    Re: #380
    Remo-tofu 😏 (pun blending "remote" [work] and "tofu")
    385AnonymousSep 24, 2026 09:55
    Re: #382
    Bet you're actually on paid leave but playing humble like you're working
    387AnonymousSep 24, 2026 09:56
    Re: #382
    They're asking what your job is
    If you're an adult you should answer the question
    394AnonymousSep 24, 2026 09:59
    401AnonymousSep 24, 2026 10:02
    Re: #394
    The guy playing Chiikawa in the live-action version?
    416AnonymousSep 24, 2026 10:19
    Re: #394
    Who's this old guy
    395AnonymousSep 24, 2026 10:00
    398AnonymousSep 24, 2026 10:01
    Re: #395
    Danchou 😍 (nickname for Hololive's Houshou Marine, meaning "captain")

    Background and Talking Points

    “Live Anything General” is a chat-only board on 5ch that runs almost nonstop around the clock, with posters cycling in and out through the night and into the morning while continuously dropping new topics. In this thread too, a string of hard-to-verify topics circulated one after another, including a game’s Gundam collaboration announcement and an image claimed to show a new Hololive anime. It’s worth noting the anime news was backed only by a posted image, with no official announcement confirmed anywhere in the thread. Since each topic tends to get just a quick one-line reaction before the conversation moves on, these live threads rarely develop into deep discussion of any single subject — a pattern typical of this kind of thread.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (“Live Anything General”) thread “No way a thread’s still up this late at night 🥲.”

  • Streamer Hori Daisuke: “Okay, I admit the 30-minute sleep thing was exaggerated — it’s really 3 hours.” 5ch: “Isn’t that still impressive enough?”

    Streamer Hori Daisuke, who has long claimed to sleep just 30 minutes a day, has admitted he “exaggerated” and revealed his real sleep time is “3 hours a day.” Hori is known for publicizing extreme short sleep and restrictive eating habits, and this correction became a hot topic on 5ch’s “Nanademo Jikkyo G” board from early morning. Some in the thread defended him, saying “3 hours is still plenty impressive,” while others questioned his credibility, asking “isn’t it a problem if he was exaggerating to make money?” — opinions were split.

    1AnonymousSep 24, 2026 07:37
    Normal people sleep 8 hours, so I think he's earned the right to proudly call himself a "short sleeper" (ショースリ, slang for short sleeper).
    2AnonymousSep 24, 2026 07:38
    Impressive or not doesn't matter — lying to collect money is just wrong.
    8AnonymousSep 24, 2026 07:41
    Re: #2
    It's impressive, so it's fine that he made money off it.
    Getting a little carried away with exaggerated wording happens all the time.
    3AnonymousSep 24, 2026 07:39
    I just want to hole up in my futon for 30 hours straight.
    4AnonymousSep 24, 2026 07:39
    The talent to hype up something this dumb and rack up views is honestly impressive.
    5AnonymousSep 24, 2026 07:40
    If 3 hours is already impressive enough, why exaggerate at all?
    11AnonymousSep 24, 2026 07:41
    Re: #5
    Chalk it up to youthful folly.
    9AnonymousSep 24, 2026 07:41
    Didn't he also claim to eat 0-1 meals a day, only 3 meals a week?
    16AnonymousSep 24, 2026 07:43
    Re: #9
    That's nothing, honestly.
    Even I only eat one meal a day.
    Some regulars on this board (なんG民, i.e. board regulars) even go one meal every two days.
    12AnonymousSep 24, 2026 07:42
    Even 3 hours a day is medically rare enough to be a research subject.
    Still sounds like a major exaggeration.
    14AnonymousSep 24, 2026 07:42
    Sleep's done, so next up is probably appetite or libido.
    19AnonymousSep 24, 2026 07:45
    Re: #14
    I mean, most people do some version of abstinence and fasting anyway, just to different degrees.
    But being a natural short sleeper is a talent amateurs can't fake.
    15AnonymousSep 24, 2026 07:43
    If he keeps saying stuff like that, people are gonna start demanding refunds…
    17AnonymousSep 24, 2026 07:43
    Re: #8
    If he lied, that's fraud.
    23AnonymousSep 24, 2026 07:46
    Re: #17
    It'd be pretty lame to get genuinely furious at a circus sideshow act.
    22AnonymousSep 24, 2026 07:46
    That's a 6x difference — sounds like fraud.
    25AnonymousSep 24, 2026 07:47
    Re: #22
    3 hours and 30 minutes look kind of similar on paper, so it feels more like a 1.2x difference to me.
    26AnonymousSep 24, 2026 07:47
    There's a good chance even the 3-hour claim is exaggerated.
    Can't trust any of it anymore.
    31AnonymousSep 24, 2026 07:49
    Re: #26
    It's probably exaggerated.
    The latest research shows even genuine short sleepers get 4-5 hours of sleep.
    3 hours would make him a research subject —
    if it's actually true.
    30AnonymousSep 24, 2026 07:49
    Probably even 3 hours is a stretch.
    It's more like he only does 3 hours once or twice a week.
    44AnonymousSep 24, 2026 07:53
    Re: #30
    PM Takaichi has also said 3-hour sleep is basically her norm, so maybe it's more doable than you'd think.
    35AnonymousSep 24, 2026 07:50
    Honestly, he looks like he sleeps a normal 7 hours.
    98AnonymousSep 24, 2026 08:34
    Re: #35
    Nah, he's had those intense, hollow "Baki eyes" (バキ目 — a piercing stare like the manga character Baki, often linked to sleep deprivation) for a while now, so the short sleep is definitely real.
    56AnonymousSep 24, 2026 08:05
    Re: #23
    Not really sure what you're getting at.
    60AnonymousSep 24, 2026 08:10
    Re: #56
    It'd be embarrassing if someone flipped out at a circus sideshow yelling 'I've been deceived!'
    It's the same thing here.
    63AnonymousSep 24, 2026 08:12
    Re: #60
    People defending Hori always seem to be missing the point somehow.
    77AnonymousSep 24, 2026 08:19
    Re: #60
    Are you saying Hori's a clown?! What an absolute joke! 🤡
    61AnonymousSep 24, 2026 08:11
    3 hours of sleep a day plus microsleeps scattered throughout — that's a fairly common type, honestly.
    62AnonymousSep 24, 2026 08:11
    Re: #61
    Honestly, even that much looked like it was killing him — just sleep normally, man.
    72AnonymousSep 24, 2026 08:17
    High school grad who's designed chemical plants and built guitars as a professional player — the guy's clearly a genius regardless.
    75AnonymousSep 24, 2026 08:17
    Re: #72
    Yeah, he's the type of genius who could've easily gotten into Tokyo University but dropped out anyway.
    86AnonymousSep 24, 2026 08:26
    Why is Takasu's son so fixated on Hori?
    Ever since their collab?
    88AnonymousSep 24, 2026 08:30
    Re: #86
    Well, he is technically a doctor, after all.

    Background and Points of Debate

    Hori Daisuke has built his streaming career around claims of extreme sleep deprivation and restrictive eating, and this latest move revises his self-reported “30-minute sleep” down to a more realistic “3 hours.” What split the thread was how to judge this correction. Some pointed out that “even 3 hours of sleep a day is rare enough to be a medical research subject,” suggesting the number itself, if true, would still be impressive. Others remained skeptical of his credibility altogether, noting “30 minutes to 3 hours is a 6x difference” and “there’s no telling if even the 3-hour claim is true.” The debate ultimately comes down to where to draw the line — is this just ordinary exaggeration, or a factual misrepresentation tied to his monetized content that deserves real scrutiny? The thread never reached a clear consensus.

    *This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (“Nanademo Jikkyo G”) thread “[Mystery] Hori Dai: “Sorry, I admit the 30-minute sleep thing was exaggerated. It’s really 3 hours a day” ← Isn’t that still impressive enough?.”

  • Tokyoite Says Moving to Nagoya Was So Livable It Changed Their Life — Post Racks Up 20,000 Likes

    A poster who moved from Tokyo to Nagoya declared that it was “so livable it changed my life” and that “there’s no going back to Tokyo,” and the tweet racked up 20,000 likes, sparking discussion on 5ch’s “Nanjo G” (Everything Live) board. When an example surfaced of a 1LDK apartment in central Nagoya renting for just ¥70,000 a month, commenters piled on in disbelief at the gap with Tokyo rents. At the same time, opinions split over quality-of-life factors — the near-disappearance of the Nagoya dialect in favor of standard Japanese, the lack of entertainment and events, and the local temperament — turning the thread into a broader debate over the livability of Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka.

    1AnonymousSep 24, 2026 07:14
    Nagoya Relocation Promotion Dept. 🍉 Sparkling Nagoya Life
    @NAGOYA_iJU
    If you're ever burned out, just come to Nagoya.
    6AnonymousSep 24, 2026 07:15
    A 1LDK in the city center for ¥70,000 a month? That's insane.
    7AnonymousSep 24, 2026 07:15
    lol you do nothing on your days off
    I actually want to go out and have fun, so a sleepy backwater with nothing going on is a no for me
    9AnonymousSep 24, 2026 07:16
    Re: #7
    What can you actually do for fun in Tokyo that you can't do in Nagoya?
    61AnonymousSep 24, 2026 07:39
    Re: #9
    Break the Asian Games (a jab at Nagoya/Aichi's troubled bid to host the Asian Games)
    88AnonymousSep 24, 2026 08:24
    Re: #9
    Events there are like a lap behind everywhere else
    8AnonymousSep 24, 2026 07:15
    Man, I wanna live in Nagoya
    Tokyo's rough to live in
    11AnonymousSep 24, 2026 07:16
    If you're a Tokyoite living somewhere cramped and packed, moving to any moderately-sized regional city is gonna feel easy
    12AnonymousSep 24, 2026 07:16
    People walk slow
    The cityscape's boring
    The food's bad
    No events

    If you can put up with that, go for it
    20AnonymousSep 24, 2026 07:20
    Re: #12
    There are plenty of events
    Even the Chiikawa ramen pop-up launched in Nagoya first
    43AnonymousSep 24, 2026 07:30
    Re: #12
    If anything, I feel like people walk slower in Tokyo
    Everyone's staring at their phone, drifting along at a snail's pace right in the middle of foot traffic — it's so annoying
    15AnonymousSep 24, 2026 07:18
    Honestly, the people are the biggest dealbreaker
    Even if the job and the environment are great, the people are so awful that you end up leaving anyway
    22AnonymousSep 24, 2026 07:20
    Re: #15
    There's no prefecture out there with worse personalities than Tokyoites, is there?
    31AnonymousSep 24, 2026 07:22
    Re: #22
    It's a village-mentality society, so it's way harsher than Tokyo
    93AnonymousSep 24, 2026 08:31
    Re: #22
    Honestly, both Aichi and Kansai are still way warmer than Tokyo by comparison
    18AnonymousSep 24, 2026 07:19
    Being able to live in central Nagoya in a 1LDK for like ¥70,000 is insane





    24AnonymousSep 24, 2026 07:21
    Re: #18
    Man, Nagoya sounds nice
    33AnonymousSep 24, 2026 07:23
    Re: #18

    I'm "emigrating" to Nagoya (lit. "moving to America" — joking that it feels like a different country)
    101AnonymousSep 24, 2026 08:38
    Re: #18
    Isn't central Nagoya's city scale more like Tokyo's suburbs?
    30AnonymousSep 24, 2026 07:22
    I'm at my limit living in Tokyo, so I'm moving back to Kansai next year
    44AnonymousSep 24, 2026 07:30
    Re: #30
    I wanna get out of Tokyo too 🥺
    36AnonymousSep 24, 2026 07:25
    Didn't it get flooded or something?
    41AnonymousSep 24, 2026 07:29
    Re: #36
    Zero deaths or serious injuries, only 40 cases of flooding above floor level
    For comparison, Chiba was…
    37AnonymousSep 24, 2026 07:28
    I don't have the confidence to speak Nagoya dialect
    42AnonymousSep 24, 2026 07:29
    Re: #37
    Nagoya's all standard Japanese now
    The dialect's dead
    Even the intonation follows the Tokyo style, so it's basically standard Japanese
    54AnonymousSep 24, 2026 07:36
    Gifu, a bit further inland, is good too 😤
    58AnonymousSep 24, 2026 07:38
    Re: #54
    Gifu's great, right
    It's like 3 seconds from Nagoya, the town's clean, it's the ultimate bedroom community
    72AnonymousSep 24, 2026 08:01
    Guess nobody's considering moving to Osaka
    74AnonymousSep 24, 2026 08:02
    Re: #72
    Not really much reason to pick Osaka, huh

    Background and Key Points of the Discussion

    Threads like this are a 5ch staple — a recurring “Tokyo vs. the regions” comparison built around rental prices that flares up periodically. This time the spark was a post from an account promoting relocation to Nagoya, and the figure of ¥70,000 for a 1LDK in central Nagoya struck a chord. Compared to rent for the same conditions in Tokyo’s 23 wards, the gap is huge, and that’s what’s driving most of the positive reaction. Where opinion split was over what “livability” actually means: alongside praise for the rent and cost of living, there was disagreement over cultural quality-of-life factors like the decline of the Nagoya dialect, the shortage of events, and complaints about local temperament. It’s worth noting that the “20,000 likes” figure comes from a screenshot of the original tweet and wasn’t verified within the thread’s discussion itself. Also, since the thread contained many blanket generalizations lumping together residents of specific regions, comments amounting to baseless stereotyping have been excluded from this article.

    ※This article is compiled as an excerpt and summary from the 5ch (Nanjo G) thread “[Photos] Tokyoite: “Moved to Nagoya, it was so livable it changed my life. Can’t go back now.” — 20,000 likes.”

  • ‘Ikizurai-bu’ Reportedly Overtakes Liella! in Just One Year, Sparking Debate on 5ch

    The Love Live! school idol unit “Ikizurai-bu” has reportedly overtaken the once hugely popular “Liella!” in popularity after just a single year, sparking discussion on 5ch’s Love Live! board. Commenters noted that after Liella! shot up in its first year, it lost steam in year two following “self-inflicted” missteps such as changes to the group’s lineup, and many argued that the “neatly paved path” laid out by the production side makes it harder for fans to feel any sense of ownership over the group. Others questioned the reliability of the source cited as evidence of Ikizurai-bu’s popularity, and opinion was also divided over comparisons with Nijigasaki.

    1AnonymousSep 23, 2026 11:36
    Don't you have any respect for your seniors?
    7AnonymousSep 23, 2026 12:17
    I mean, Hasu also passed them in a year — the bar's just set too low, isn't it?
    8AnonymousSep 23, 2026 12:22
    Liella! was just as popular in year one
    but it self-destructed in year two and that was that
    9AnonymousSep 23, 2026 12:25
    Ikizura was just walking along normally, that's all
    11AnonymousSep 23, 2026 12:35
    Riera pulled off a rocket start in year one
    but took a spectacular tumble in year two
    13AnonymousSep 23, 2026 13:23
    Ikizura doesn't have many female fans though
    Does it get lines forming outside the women's restroom like Aqours or Liella?
    14AnonymousSep 23, 2026 13:27
    Watching Muse, Aqours, Nijigasaki, Hasu, and Tori, I keep thinking that being welcomed by otaku right from the launch, like Liella was,
    and having a neatly paved road laid out by the production committee, really isn't a good thing
    without a sense of crisis — a “we'll never lose” or “we'll show them” mentality — this is what you get, and watching Liella really drives that home
    15AnonymousSep 23, 2026 13:51
    Re: #14
    This is so true
    When the path already looks neatly laid out (or at least seems that way), it's hard for fans to feel “we have to be the ones supporting them!” and it doesn't win much sympathy either
    22AnonymousSep 23, 2026 15:00
    Re: #14
    There's actually a pretty goofy lyric that goes something like “we'll never lose, we're gonna win”…
    16AnonymousSep 23, 2026 13:56
    I heard Liella's cast finally started developing a sense of crisis recently
    but even though the anime's poor quality that delivered the finishing blow wasn't the cast's fault, it was already too late
    25AnonymousSep 23, 2026 15:12
    Re: #16
    The voice actors having to develop a sense of crisis is way too much, lol
    sounds like it must have already fallen apart on the inside
    17AnonymousSep 23, 2026 14:04
    As long as Love Live is a work of fiction, any “sense of crisis” can only ever be either negligence on the production side or a deliberate dramatic device — it's not like fans or members feeling a sense of crisis actually lets them touch the production plan

    If there's staging good enough to let you enjoy being fooled, that's all you need to feel good. Even if the voice actors' opinions do get reflected, it'll take at least a few years from the start. Bandai Namco isn't stupid enough to go in without even a plan for the first few years. Whether the plan actually works out is a separate matter
    19AnonymousSep 23, 2026 14:14
    Re: #17
    It's obvious that every series has a path laid out for it, not just Liella — but at least hide the path
    The problem with Liella is it didn't even try to hide it
    18AnonymousSep 23, 2026 14:07
    Even a newborn fawn can stomp a grasshopper that's past its prime
    20AnonymousSep 23, 2026 14:16
    It really is “the story we make come true, together” (µ's famous tagline)
    you can't leave the fans behind
    21AnonymousSep 23, 2026 14:55
    https://x.com/yaraon_kanrinin/status/2102553418464428342
    Public opinion
    24AnonymousSep 23, 2026 15:06
    What even was Liella!, a group whose popularity only lasted one year…
    26AnonymousSep 23, 2026 15:26
    If things go the normal route, Tori's probably got an anime adaptation somewhere down the line too, but it really is easier to root for a group that says “no plans yet” or “we want to become an anime” instead
    27AnonymousSep 23, 2026 15:28
    I hope it doesn't end up like the “Tekoki Live” crowd (a crude joke nickname for a certain long-running unit), dragging out the same “um… we don't have any anime plans…” bit for like six years straight
    28AnonymousSep 23, 2026 15:29
    Guess we're down to only the “Amyo” feed now, huh (obscure fan-stream slang)
    29AnonymousSep 23, 2026 15:44
    μ's, Nijigasaki, and Ikizura are all the same breed
    30AnonymousSep 23, 2026 16:14
    It's true they're more worth rooting for than a group like Liella that just obediently walks the rails the adults laid down for them
    31AnonymousSep 23, 2026 16:17
    Hoping IkizuLive doesn't turn into some “high-class underground idol” act like Liella did
    32AnonymousSep 23, 2026 16:19
    IkizuLive's fine for now since they're still performing live while carrying their characters
    34AnonymousSep 23, 2026 16:38
    If it were an odd number, the yellow one would end up center, right?
    It's exactly because it's an even number that the blue balances it out — lucky save
    36AnonymousSep 23, 2026 16:41
    Watching how much the purists (diehard original-lineup fans) despise Tori, the fanbases of “Soap” and Tori are just too far apart to call them the same type
    37AnonymousSep 23, 2026 17:28
    IkizuLive's excitement was abnormal from their very first live
    timing-wise, it's clearly largely because Aqours fans flowed over to them
    38AnonymousSep 23, 2026 17:32
    Come to think of it, wasn't Ikizura's group color light blue?
    39AnonymousSep 23, 2026 18:32
    The group color is orange
    though the series' image color is light blue
    41AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:19
    The 1st live was basically all vocals layered over each other, and the 2nd didn't do that, but you could really tell that besides the two from the “Seishun Soda” duo, nobody else could actually sing
    Judging by how the production side thinks, they probably figure making a bunch of different pairings lets them show off character chemistry and relationships, which sounds like a good deal, but it's spread too thin and every relationship ends up shallow
    Compared to a unit that's stuck together the whole way through, the bond just isn't the same
    42AnonymousSep 23, 2026 19:52
    Not even close to Liella!, don't make me laugh
    At best they're on par with Nijigasaki
    43AnonymousSep 23, 2026 21:54
    I've been following since μ's
    and now that Aqours has settled down, Ikizura is just the right next thing to switch over to
    I know quite a few people around me who feel the same way

    There are probably plenty of people who fully enjoyed the tasty early days of both Liella! and Hasu, but stopped following closely once those groups self-destructed by adding or cutting members

    Of course, if Ikizura pulls some weird move later and self-destructs too, I'll drift away again
    44AnonymousSep 23, 2026 21:57
    Also, I feel like the characters themselves are strong
    Even in the cheap “talking heads” animated shorts, every character really stands out
    This part definitely feels like Sakurako Kimino's writing
    46AnonymousSep 23, 2026 22:16
    With Liella, even when they get an anime you can't see the characters' personalities
    it's built entirely out of a pile of “poke them like this, they react like that” reaction gags
    47AnonymousSep 23, 2026 22:44
    Ikizura breezed past Nijigasaki from their very first outing
    in performance, in turnout, even in acting
    48AnonymousSep 23, 2026 22:54
    Well, realistically Ikizura is basically Nijigasaki, just younger and with better performance
    49AnonymousSep 23, 2026 23:00
    There's no future for weak-song “Gara-Riella” (a mocking jab at Liella/Riera)
    50AnonymousSep 23, 2026 23:06
    It's funny how “Hissatsu Mai Mai Mode” beats literally every Nijigasaki solo song
    56AnonymousSep 24, 2026 01:39
    Re: #50
    I guess the strongest Nijigasaki solo is Chase?
    Honestly that song's kind of boring
    It's got this weird faux-stylish vibe, kind of like Liella
    HIBANA is like a hundred times stronger

    Background and Key Points of the Discussion

    The Love Live! franchise has a history of rolling out a new school idol unit every few years — μ’s, Aqours, Nijigasaki, and Liella! — and the “Ikizurai-bu” discussed here represents the newest generation in that lineage. Where opinion in the thread split was over whether momentum right after a debut is enough to judge a group’s future prospects. Many pointed out that Liella! was similarly popular in its first year but lost momentum in year two due to lineup changes, and some argued that the “neatly paved path” laid out by the production side makes it harder for fans to develop a sense of ownership. Meanwhile, a post presenting the tweet quoted in comment 21 as “public opinion” drew pushback arguing it merely reflected opinion within the fan community itself. A point readers may easily misread is that these kinds of in-franchise popularity comparisons are often based on the impressions of hardcore fans rather than on objective metrics like sales figures or attendance numbers.

    *This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Love Live!) thread “Why Did Ikizurai-bu Surpass Liella in Just One Year?”

  • Tired of ¥130,000 Rent, Poster Weighs Moving to the Countryside — 5ch: “You’re Expecting Too Much From Rural Life”

    A poster paying ¥130,000 in rent wrote on 5channel’s News VIP board that “as long as there’s a convenience store, I’d be fine living in the countryside.” In response, other users offered a string of reality checks, including “there’s no way you’re getting an auto-locked, newly-built 1LDK for ¥40,000” and “the more rural it gets, the more a car becomes essential, and that adds transportation costs too.” Some pointed out that low rent isn’t only about location — the region’s low minimum wage also affects how cheaply the buildings themselves are constructed — exposing a gap between the “rural life” the poster imagined and the actual state of the rental market.

    1AnonymousSep 23, 2026 23:45
    Rent is so high it's killing me
    Honestly, as long as there's a convenience store nearby, I'm fine living in the countryside
    I'm paying ¥130,000 rent right now — how much cheaper could it get out there?
    8AnonymousSep 23, 2026 23:47
    A convenience store within 5 minutes by bike works for me
    And as long as Amazon delivers next-day, that's fine too
    Don't really need anything else
    10AnonymousSep 23, 2026 23:48
    Re: #8
    Saitama's the only option then
    They've got an Amazon warehouse there, orders arrive within 12 hours
    43AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:14
    No way you're getting an auto-locked 1LDK (one-bedroom-plus-living/dining/kitchen apartment) for ¥40,000 lol
    45AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:15
    Re: #43
    Wait, really? Even out in the countryside…?
    48AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:16
    Re: #45
    Budget at least ¥50,000
    You're expecting too much from rural living
    54AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:19
    Re: #45
    An auto-locked 1LDK apartment is basically a nice single-person building to begin with
    That kind of thing just doesn't exist in the countryside, and definitely not for ¥40,000 lol
    At ¥40,000 you're not getting auto-lock, and you're probably not getting a 1LDK either
    47AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:16
    You want a separate bath and toilet too, right?
    50AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:17
    Re: #47
    Eh, I don't really care about that
    I only ever shower anyway, I just hate old fixtures and old rooms
    My current place is only about 5 years old
    51AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:17
    Re: #50
    Do you even need auto-lock?
    56AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:20
    Re: #50
    Even a place built 5 years ago is tough to find for ¥40,000, even a studio
    55AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:19
    Re: #53
    My income doesn't change no matter where I go, so the local minimum wage doesn't matter to me
    64AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:23
    Re: #55
    It's because the minimum wage there is low
    Landlords have to keep rent cheap to match it
    So the buildings get built cheap too
    OP's assumption that 'it's cheap because it's rural' is about geography, but
    for the people actually working there, geography doesn't factor in
    which means the buildings themselves have to be cheap
    70AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:25
    Re: #64
    I get that
    But the minimum wage thing doesn't really matter to me
    I'm not planning to actually get a job and work there anyway

    Re: #65
    That's fine by me
    But would a convenience store even exist in a place that rural…
    71AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:26
    Re: #70
    There are Zennissyoku chain stores (a regional grocery co-op chain) for that
    75AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:28
    Re: #70
    You planning to commute there?
    You'll need to factor in transportation costs too
    61AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:22
    Dead-in-the-middle-of-nowhere is fine by me, as long as there's a convenience store or supermarket within about 5 minutes by bike
    62AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:22
    Re: #61
    If you said that to an actual country local, they'd snap at you for acting like those are reasonable conditions…
    65AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:23
    Re: #61
    Can you handle a bus every two hours, with the last one around 6 PM?
    84AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:33
    I don't think you'll find it, honestly
    There were probably tens of thousands of people thinking the same thing as OP during COVID
    That demand alone probably filled up most of the good, cheap-because-it's-rural properties
    You're probably better off just staying where you are for good
    89AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:36
    Re: #84
    I see… if I just went smaller, there are places under ¥120,000 even in the city, but… I see

    Re: #85
    So you're saying the countryside is mostly 1K units?
    Guess I'll just have to look in the suburbs for something around ¥60-70,000…
    Honestly, ¥120,000 for a newish 1LDK in Umeda is actually pretty cheap given current market rates
    But still, high rent puts real pressure on daily life, especially when you're self-employed
    96AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:40
    Re: #89
    There are plenty of 2DK units (two rooms plus a dining-kitchen)
    The kind couples or young families with small kids live in
    I've almost never seen a 1LDK out there
    101AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:42
    Re: #96
    A 2DK means it's probably fairly old, right?
    As long as it's been fully renovated and looks clean inside, I'm okay with that, but…
    112AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:47
    Re: #96
    Mine's a 2DK too
    Rent's at least ¥40,000 with a parking space included
    But it's 30 years old
    93AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:39
    Come live in my hamlet…

    Though there's not even a vending machine within walking distance…
    95AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:39
    Re: #93
    Not being able to drink would be too rough, no way
    97AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:41
    Re: #93
    Sorry, I know this might sound rude, but I have to ask honestly — how do you even live out there… how do you do your shopping?
    99AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:41
    Re: #90
    Then maybe you should just stay in Umeda?
    I think that rent includes the convenience factor
    Well, it won't get dramatically cheaper, but you could consider Nara — places like Saidaiji, Yamatokoriyama, or Ikoma, the Osaka commuter-town area

    I underestimated car-less rural living myself as a college freshman too
    But the stress of not being able to go where I wanted, when I wanted, was brutal — I got my license and bought a used car right away
    107AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:44
    Re: #99
    Maybe I am asking for too much and should just stay in Umeda…
    I mean, any area where I wouldn't struggle to shop even at night would work, not necessarily a convenience store specifically…

    Re: #100
    Sorry, I guess I just vaguely assumed that much would be available just because it's rural
    113AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:48
    Re: #107
    I think you should recognize that saying 'a convenience store is enough' only comes from currently being in an environment where you can go anywhere you want, anytime

    Once you actually move there, it's completely different
    For small things, like suddenly craving Gyoza no Ohsho (a fried-rice-and-gyoza chain) and there's not one nearby
    Or having to worry about the last train home when you're out drinking with friends
    You need to be prepared for things like that
    122AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:51
    Re: #112
    Is the inside still from back then? Or is it a fully renovated unit?

    Re: #113
    Yeah, that's true, I guess…
    Not being able to eat out when I want to might be stressful…
    In Umeda you can eat out pretty much anywhere, 24 hours a day
    If I moved to the countryside I was thinking of buying an electric bike, but I guess even that wouldn't be enough?
    128AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:56
    Re: #122
    When I renovated two of my units into 'designer' style places
    I got a ton of weird inquiries
    Stuff like 'I'll go elsewhere if it's this price, lower it'
    Or 'I came from Tokyo and expected it to be cheaper, lower it'
    Or 'I work remote and want to keep a cat'
    105AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:43
    Have you never looked into what people living in the countryside are actually like?
    Plenty of people post videos about it
    106AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:44
    Are there ¥40,000 rentals in the countryside? → Yes
    Are there newish auto-locked 1LDKs? → No

    Maybe you'd have a shot in a college town, that's about it
    115AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:48
    Re: #105
    No, I mean there are some, but I meant more like a town that's at least somewhat developed rather than the super-rural image you get from videos — figured ¥40,000 might work there…

    Re: #106
    So it's not about ¥40,000 not going far enough, it's that newish auto-locked units just don't exist in the first place…
    I'd be fine with an old building too, as long as it's been fully renovated inside
    121AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:51
    Re: #115
    Sounds like you're picturing a commuter town
    You might find something if you search carefully enough
    135AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:58
    Re: #115
    Well, there's no demand for it, so it can't be helped

    Re: #122
    In a commuter town or the suburbs you don't strictly need a car, but
    it's still rough in summer or on rainy days
    143AnonymousSep 24, 2026 01:01
    Couldn't you just install a smart lock instead of auto-lock?
    You can put one in yourself for around ¥30,000 — wouldn't that work?
    145AnonymousSep 24, 2026 01:02
    Re: #143
    Isn't 'auto-lock' here referring to the shared entrance auto-lock, not your own door?
    148AnonymousSep 24, 2026 01:04
    Re: #145
    Ah, that's the one, huh
    But you occasionally see people on VIP making threads about getting locked out of the entrance — is entrance auto-lock even necessary?
    Feels like just locking your own room should be enough
    150AnonymousSep 24, 2026 01:04
    Re: #145
    Thinking about it more, crime rates are probably low in the countryside anyway, so is a shared-area auto-lock even necessary?

    Re: #146
    I'm not totally clear on where the line is, but yeah, that's basically it
    So the second- or third-largest city in a low-population prefecture is probably the ideal spot
    146AnonymousSep 24, 2026 01:03
    It's becoming clear that what OP wants is countryside rural enough for masked palm civets to show up, but not so rural that boars or bears do
    149AnonymousSep 24, 2026 01:04
    Re: #146
    These days, if you've got masked palm civets showing up, you've got bears, boars, and deer showing up too

    Background and Key Points of This Debate

    What the thread was really arguing about was the assumption itself that “rural = cheap rent.” One point raised was that low rent isn’t just about location (a geographic factor) — it’s also that buildings themselves are built cheaply to match the area’s low minimum wage. Auto-locked, newly-built 1LDK units are essentially urban properties aimed at single renters, and since there’s almost no supply of them in rural areas, commenters repeatedly pushed back on the idea that you could keep those features while cutting rent. The other sticking point was a mismatch in what “rural” even means: the poster was picturing something more like suburbs within walking distance of a convenience store, while other posters described a lifestyle built around buses running only a few times a day, a car being mandatory, and having to plan around the last train home — leading to a lot of talking past each other. A common misconception the thread called out is assuming that cheap rent alone means urban-level building specs; commenters repeatedly pointed out that the combination of “¥40,000 rent” and “auto-locked, newly-built 1LDK” essentially doesn’t exist in rural Japan.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (News Speed VIP) thread “I Want to Live in the Countryside.”

  • Voice Actress Hina Sakurai’s Solo Event Sparks Debate Over ¥8,800 Ticket, ¥14,000 Farewell Package

    A solo event for voice actress Hina Sakurai (nicknamed “Hiina”) was announced, and its pricing — ¥8,800 for a regular ticket, ¥14,000 for a farewell meet-and-greet package with bonus perks — became a hot topic on 5ch’s Love Live! board. The event came in response to fan requests to “drop the bundled events and just do a solo show,” but once the prices were revealed, many pointed out they were steep compared to other voice actors’ fan meetings. At the same time, some argued that limiting the advance lottery to a single round preemptively silenced complaints about wanting multiple chances to win tickets, sparking a mix of praise and criticism.

    1AnonymousSep 22, 2026 22:37
    Ticket price: ¥8,800!
    Farewell meet-and-greet: ¥14,000!
    Is this a concert or what?
    5AnonymousSep 22, 2026 22:48
    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HS0B2wtbYAAJHMQ.jpg?name=orig
    Kind of like paying for front-row seats.
    Still, that's pricey though.
    6AnonymousSep 22, 2026 22:58
    Sure there are various perks bundled in, but that's a bold price for a solo event.
    7AnonymousSep 22, 2026 23:10
    Who the hell is Jimmy Onishi supposed to be here? (random comedian/artist name-drop — seems to be a non sequitur)
    8AnonymousSep 22, 2026 23:29
    I'd think this is still the phase where you're supposed to be growing your fanbase, but she's already switched into cash-grab mode — no need to rush things like this.
    14AnonymousSep 23, 2026 07:35
    Re: #8
    She's not exactly young anymore, and since she's signed to an agency, results are expected of her — so isn't this about right?
    With a capacity under 800, it should fill up easily.
    10AnonymousSep 23, 2026 01:08
    Fan club and bar events with a farewell meet-and-greet included usually run around ¥9,000. ¥14,000 for front row + goods + farewell is pretty steep, even bundled together.
    11AnonymousSep 23, 2026 01:42
    So now it's not just Love Live! — even solo voice actor events are adopting the tiered upgrade pricing model.
    Guess they're just ignoring the casual fans who'd go just because they're a little curious.
    12AnonymousSep 23, 2026 01:51
    Not worth it unless it's a full live show.
    Also, if you're going to upgrade the front seats, you should downgrade the back seats to match.
    I keep saying this: adjust it so total revenue balances out to what it normally would be.
    13AnonymousSep 23, 2026 02:05
    Arisa Komiya has always done her fan meetings for ¥10,000, including a handwritten autograph handed to you personally plus a farewell send-off, so this feels a bit pricey by comparison.
    15AnonymousSep 23, 2026 07:46
    If it's going to cost this much, they might as well bring in her fellow hometown celebrity Hideki Matsui as a guest. (Matsui: famous former NPB/MLB baseball player)
    16AnonymousSep 23, 2026 08:55
    Doesn't seem like anything but S-seats will sell out.
    The back seats are gonna feel pretty lame at this rate.
    18AnonymousSep 23, 2026 09:36
    Since most applicants will go for the perk package, picking the regular ticket basically guarantees you the very back row.
    And yet this'll probably sell out anyway.
    21AnonymousSep 23, 2026 12:26
    Everyone said, "Ditch the bundled events, just do a solo one"
    And this is what we get when it actually happens.
    25AnonymousSep 23, 2026 15:23
    Re: #21
    And on top of that, by limiting it to a single advance lottery round, they've shut down everyone who was complaining.
    This'll probably fill up just fine, right?
    22AnonymousSep 23, 2026 12:43
    You people lack the humility to gratefully accept what you're given.
    Go spend a year training at Eiheiji temple or something. (a famously strict Zen Buddhist monastery)
    23AnonymousSep 23, 2026 13:15
    Still way better than a bundled event.
    If the high ticket price makes more people give up on applying, the odds improve for the rest of us — totally welcome.
    24AnonymousSep 23, 2026 13:27
    Even with other live shows and cast events happening around the same time, Hiina's fans ("Hi-ota") will still pay up, so the odds will probably stay tough. Even when Mītanu did hers at Nikkei Hall, it filled up just fine.
    26AnonymousSep 23, 2026 15:29
    Sorry, I'm just a random passerby who doesn't really know much about her, but what exactly does this event even involve?
    27AnonymousSep 23, 2026 17:00
    You just drink coffee.
    28AnonymousSep 23, 2026 21:56
    If every seat comes with earphones for live ASMR, then ¥14,000 would actually be worth it.
    29AnonymousSep 23, 2026 23:20
    Even after everyone said to ditch the bundling, the Non & Hina event costs less than half this even without a farewell meet-and-greet. It depends on perks and seating, but this one definitely lands on the pricier side.
    30AnonymousSep 23, 2026 23:39
    Between all the stacked seat upgrades, expenses are already brutal, and now even solo events are jumping on the high-priced-seat cash grab everywhere you look.
    It'd be fine if regular seats still had a decent shot at winning, but some organizers only let goods-included applicants win during the paid early-access lottery — wonder how this one's going to handle it?

    Background and Key Points of This Discussion

    When it comes to pricing for solo voice actor events, a format known as the “upgrade system” — where the base admission fee stays the same but front-row or perk-included seats cost extra — has become increasingly common in recent years. Commenters compared the event to Arisa Komiya’s autograph session (¥10,000) and other voice actors’ fan meetings, and while the base ¥8,800 ticket price itself wasn’t seen as unusually high, many voices singled out the ¥14,000 premium plan with the farewell meet-and-greet as a bold move. At the same time, some speculated that limiting the advance lottery to a single round was a deliberate move to preempt complaints about wanting multiple chances to win tickets — suggesting reactions went beyond simple criticism of a price hike. It should also be noted that the event’s specific content (whether it centers on a talk show or a live performance, for example) hasn’t been clarified in the official announcement, so speculation in the thread remains just that — speculation.

    *This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Love Live!) thread “Hina Sakurai’s “Hina-Puchiino” Event!!.”