Category: News

Hello! Project OG Kigi Asakura has announced the release of her “2027 Wall Calendar” along with a release commemoration event, sparking discussion on 5ch’s Hello! Project board. The calendar is expected to be A2 size and priced at nearly 5,000 yen, prompting surprised reactions over the price hike, with posters recalling “these used to cost around 2,000 yen.” While bookstore perks include the calendar being handed to fans personally by Asakura and cheki (instant photo) sessions, the official site doesn’t specify whether there will be a handshake event or spell out other details, leaving fans to speculate. The calendar is also drawing attention as part of Asakura’s comeback activities after she left the entertainment industry to work as a pet groomer.

*This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Hello! Project board) thread “Kigi Asakura’s 2027 Wall Calendar Release Commemoration Event Announced!.”

The effective job-openings-to-applicants ratio for auto mechanics has hit 5.46, and the severe labor shortage shows no sign of easing. Against an offered annual salary of ¥3.47 million, job seekers are asking for ¥5 million — a gap of ¥1.53 million. In a twist, veteran mechanics already earning over ¥5 million a year can actually end up with a pay cut if they switch jobs. Amid the contradiction of EVs demanding more specialized skills while pay fails to keep pace, commenters on 5ch debated several angles: customers who complain about labor charges but never about parts costs, the growing number of foreign mechanics, and whether EVs spell the end of the trade or make mechanics more essential than ever.

The auto mechanic industry faces a severe labor shortage, with an effective job-openings ratio of 5.46. Yet the offered annual salary of ¥3.47 million falls ¥1.53 million short of the ¥5 million applicants want, and there’s even a reversal effect where veterans earning over ¥5 million take a pay cut by switching jobs. Why does advancing technology demand more specialized skills while experienced expertise goes unrewarded? We dig into the structural issues in this licensed trade’s job market.

Source: merkmal-biz.jp / Original article here

*This article is compiled as an excerpt and summary from the 5ch (Nanademo Jikkyo G) thread “Auto Mechanic Job-Openings Ratio Hits 5.46x! Industry Says: “The Reality Is We Can’t Get People Even Offering ¥3.47 Million a Year”.”

A casual exchange backstage at the summer festival LuckyFes between Ebata and Tsubaki Factory’s Yokaze became a hot topic on 5ch’s Hello! Project board. When Yokaze noticed a camera nearby and asked, ‘What’s that camera for?’, Ebata explained, ‘Apparently it’s an NHK crew doing a close-up feature.’ Yokaze just replied, ‘Huh…’ While many in the thread expressed surprise that an NHK camera crew had made it onto such a packed main stage, the conversation gradually shifted into a debate about the perceived gap in treatment between Juice=Juice and Tsubaki Factory, and the history behind it.

※This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Hello! Project board) thread ‘A moment at LuckyFes → Yokaze: ‘What’s that camera?’ Ebata: ‘Apparently it’s an NHK crew.’ Yokaze: ‘Huh…’‘.

The YouTube channel “WakatteTV,” known for provocative content built around academic pedigree, came under fire after a recent remark blew up for the wrong reasons. On 5channel threads, criticism spread fast — but so did defenses, with many arguing it’s “just their usual shtick” or that “it works as entertainment,” splitting opinion right down the middle. The discussion soon expanded to cover the fact that the channel’s central figure doesn’t actually have an elite academic background himself, the murky details of the cram school he runs, and even the broader debate over companies using university names as hiring filters.

115AnonymousSep 4, 2026 09:48

Well, if it's this, I guess it's understandable.

117AnonymousSep 4, 2026 09:49

Re: #115
Lol.
Yeah, that'd piss anyone off.

※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5channel (Nandemo Jikkyo G) thread “[Image] Controversial WakatteTV Gets Flooded With Defenders wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.”

News that Hideaki Sorachi, famous for ‘Gintama,’ has started promoting his new series using Gintama characters — reportedly because the new work is at risk of cancellation — became a hot topic on 5ch. Alongside comments like “He’s already made a fortune, isn’t that enough?”, the thread pointed out that new works from proven hit-makers like Masashi Kishimoto and Masami Kurumada have also been struggling across the board, sparking a debate over why even the most accomplished authors tend to have such a hard time with their follow-up series. The discussion also got lively over the sheer scale of Saint Seiya merchandising and the way character popularity spreads for Weekly Shonen Jump titles.

*This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Nanademo Jikkyo G) thread “Hideaki Sorachi begins a desperate struggle as his new series faces the threat of cancellation!!“

It’s been revealed that “FF7 Revelation,” the concluding chapter of the FF7 Remake trilogy, will launch on April 8, 2027, sparking a thread on 5ch’s Live News (Games) board. While original fans welcomed the news with comments like “Just getting more good-looking FF7 is satisfying enough on its own,” the CG and character design in Yuffie’s reveal scene drew criticism as “outdated by today’s graphics standards.” The thread filled with a mix of excitement and gripes — worries about the exploration elements that felt like such a slog in the previous game, ‘Rebirth,’ debate over the removal of save-data carryover, and speculation about when the mobile game ‘Ever Crisis’ will shut down.

47AnonymousSep 3, 2026 23:05

Re: #1

69AnonymousSep 3, 2026 23:15

75AnonymousSep 3, 2026 23:16

Re: #69
The graphics are kind of mediocre too. Where are they even putting the effort?

76AnonymousSep 3, 2026 23:17

81AnonymousSep 3, 2026 23:20

Re: #76
Modern Square Enix has dated taste, but they'll still go out of their way to put characters in tights just to avoid panty shots. If they're going to bother, they should redesign the outfits too.

106AnonymousSep 3, 2026 23:40

I think whoever designed the monsters up through FF6 was actually better. The character designs from FF7 onward feel kind of try-hard Western ("buta-kusai," a Japanese term for overly foreign-looking design).

By the way, the monster designs in FF Legends were done by that same FF6-era person.

110AnonymousSep 3, 2026 23:43

Ghost of Tsushima, 2020

113AnonymousSep 3, 2026 23:45

If you look closely, even Ghost of Tsushima has kind of a Pro Yakyuu Spirits (a Japanese baseball video game series) vibe to it lol

*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Live News, Games) thread “[Breaking] FF7 Revelation Confirmed for April 8, 2027 Release wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww”.

A thread appeared on a 5ch livestream board where the original poster, who had been trying to make a living playing pachislot, revealed that “my total earnings this year came to ¥160,000 — that works out to about ¥190 an hour.” Despite grinding long hours at it as his main job, he’d been steadily eating into his savings, and the conversation turned toward switching to other work like Uber. The thread touched on the difference between “equal-exchange” and “non-equal-exchange” halls (payout-rate systems that affect how easy machines are to beat), machine selection, and discomfort with how streamers portray their high-stakes betting — all underscoring just how hard it is to actually make a living as a pro player.

51AnonymousSep 3, 2026 23:35

You should just grind Shin Hanabi until it's gone
I just play it as "done unless a guaranteed-bonus symbol hits once my banked coins run out," and before I know it I've got 30,000 coins

54AnonymousSep 3, 2026 23:39

Re: #51
This is what my Shin Hanabi looks like, though?
I'm up over ¥1,000,000 on Versus, but Shin Hanabi alone just never feels like it's going to hit

59AnonymousSep 3, 2026 23:41

Re: #54
Your Final-round numbers are trash lol

68AnonymousSep 3, 2026 23:46

Re: #54
Your game count is way too low
If you just stubbornly grind out 7,000-8,000 games, that's a number you'd hit in about a month

*This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Nanademo Jikkyou G) thread “Guy Finally Realizes He Can’t Make a Living Off Slots.”

A thread appeared on 5ch’s “Nandemo Jikkyo G” board about the latest chapter of Hunter x Hunter. While the next issue was announced as a hiatus, the chapter itself showed Hisoka facing off against Tseri of the Phantom Troupe. Commenters poked fun at the Troupe for failing to spot Hisoka even though he’s brazenly gambling away at a casino, while opinions split over the claim that Tseri’s Nen ability resembles King Crimson from JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. Others broke down the tactic of rapidly re-entering Zetsu (the Nen state that erases your presence) right after dropping it, to keep striking from blind spots.

*This article is compiled as excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Nandemo Jikkyo G) thread “Hunter x Hunter: Hisoka vs. Tseri.”

Hello! Project fans have been buzzing over an unofficial ‘popularity ranking’ of the group’s graduated members (OGs). The yardsticks people used were informal at best — whether a member has her own solo calendar, and where she ranks in the fan community app ‘JP Room.’ Some argued that members with solo calendars tend not to sell as well on the group’s own merchandise, while others pointed out that hardcore fans buy multiple copies anyway, making a simple popularity ranking hard to pin down. The thread also dug into specifics on individual members, like Ozeki’s recent rise in popularity and how hard Ishida’s fans ‘stack’ purchases at events.

83AnonymousSep 3, 2026 22:16

※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hello! Project) thread ‘OG Popularity Ranking Gets Brutally Visualized lol.’

A thread on 5ch’s livestream discussion board looked back on how cute voice actress Hirano Aya was in her prime. Comments praising her looks poured in, like “Having a natural voice that sounds like an anime character AND a cute face was rare back then” and “Her school uniform cosplay from the Haruhi Blu-ray extras beat plenty of actual idols.” Opinions on her acting ability, however, clashed head-on — some argued she had “a skill level that set her apart from everyone else,” while others dismissed it as “overacting with no real individuality.” The debate expanded into comparisons with fellow voice actresses Mizuhashi Kaori and Kobayashi Yu, and even live-action actresses Toda Erika and Sawajiri Erika, but no consensus was ever reached.

47AnonymousSep 3, 2026 21:47

Re: #45
Kanetomo's got a cute face too — she looks like Adachi Yumi

53AnonymousSep 3, 2026 21:51

Re: #47
Yeah, I can see the Adachi Yumi resemblance.

※This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Live News general board) thread “Hirano Aya was seriously cute in her prime, personality aside.”