Japan Reacts

Category: Uncategorized

  • Late-Night 5ch Post Asking ‘Anyone Want to Chat?’ Turns Into First-Date Jitters Support Group

    Just past 1 a.m., a thread titled “I want to have a relaxed, rambling chat” popped up on 5ch’s News VIP board. The original poster admitted they couldn’t settle down ahead of a first date planned for Saturday, and from there the conversation drifted into Uma Musume, writing novels with ChatGPT, and manga talk.

    1Anonymous2026/08/21(金) 01:19:41.192ID:ID:33tJn5CO0
    I want to have a relaxed, rambling chat
    10Anonymous2026/08/21(金) 01:25:15.152ID:33tJn5CO0
    >>8
    I just can't sleep lately.
    Lately I've been burning incense and listening to ASMR to somehow manage to fall asleep.
    12Anonymous2026/08/21(金) 01:26:13.903ID:QA9acLSc0
    >>10
    Well, I mean, here we are on a board like this at this hour…
    15Anonymous2026/08/21(金) 01:30:18.732ID:33tJn5CO0
    If I've got one worry, it's that there's someone I like, and we're going on our first date this Saturday — I have no idea what to do and I'm a nervous wreck.
    20Anonymous2026/08/21(金) 01:32:07.952ID:QA9acLSc0
    >>15
    What, is this a humble-brag? Go post it on X.
    28Anonymous2026/08/21(金) 01:38:15.186ID:ZS8SUVJ60
    Can't sleep either, but I can't really help with love advice.
    30Anonymous2026/08/21(金) 01:39:18.449ID:33tJn5CO0
    >>28
    Doesn't have to be love advice. I'd honestly be happy just hearing what everyone's into lately.
    33Anonymous2026/08/21(金) 01:40:41.731ID:ZS8SUVJ60
    I'm hooked on Uma Musume (the horse-girl gacha game).
    Today I walked 18k steps
    just to buy a store-exclusive item.
    35Anonymous2026/08/21(金) 01:42:16.565ID:33tJn5CO0
    >>33
    I played Uma Musume a bit way back, but training up the characters took forever, so I quit.
    Walking 18km for love is beautiful.
    Didn't you use public transit or a bike?
    41Anonymous2026/08/21(金) 01:43:58.573ID:ZS8SUVJ60
    >>35
    I take the train around Tokyo after work,
    but the stores near stations almost never have it in stock, so I end up walking the whole way.
    43Anonymous2026/08/21(金) 01:45:48.337ID:33tJn5CO0
    >>41
    Ah, I see. That's rough, good work.
    If it were like 5km I could see it being a fun little stroll, but 18k in this brutal heat is no joke… hang in there.
    49Anonymous2026/08/21(金) 01:53:24.925ID:j9z5R/8y0
    I want to believe OP is actually a woman posing as a man, screening out guys with ulterior motives.
    51Anonymous2026/08/21(金) 01:55:05.032ID:33tJn5CO0
    >>49
    Well, take it easy and stick around.
    60Anonymous2026/08/21(金) 02:02:22.908ID:KUlJOTLZ0
    Hmm, what I'm into lately…
    My current thing is writing novels while bouncing ideas off ChatGPT.
    65Anonymous2026/08/21(金) 02:04:08.125ID:33tJn5CO0
    >>60
    If it's novels, I bet you're into that "aloof/cold-hearted" romance genre?
    61Anonymous2026/08/21(金) 02:02:24.786ID:33tJn5CO0
    Random personal tangent, but I'm hooked on the manga "Even the Student Council Has Its Weak Points." Ecchi content aside, it wraps up the hard days in this warm feeling — would love to hear from anyone who knows it.
    62Anonymous2026/08/21(金) 02:03:05.701ID:KUlJOTLZ0
    >>61
    I know the name.
    Is it really that heartwarming a series…?
    77Anonymous2026/08/21(金) 02:11:03.196ID:ZS8SUVJ60
    Alright, I'll post a pic of my bedside.
    79Anonymous2026/08/21(金) 02:12:12.748ID:KUlJOTLZ0
    >>77
    It's wall-to-wall Bourbon snacks (the Japanese confectionery brand), that's amazing.
    80Anonymous2026/08/21(金) 02:12:30.508ID:33tJn5CO0
    >>77
    Wow!!!! I seriously admire this kind of setup, but I'm too scared to drop money on pricey figures, so I always just settle for the arcade crane games instead…

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (News VIP) thread “Someone please be my late-night talk buddy”.

  • Gen Z: “Stop Paying with Cash, People Are Waiting!” Middle-Aged Woman: “Sorry… But It’s First-Come, First-Served, So Please Wait Your Turn.”

    A post from a young person venting frustration over cash payments at convenience stores went viral on X (formerly Twitter), and 5channel users were split on the issue too. The complaint “I hate having my time wasted” drew pushback like “just get in line ahead of them” and “you should build more buffer into your schedule” — while others pointed out that poor signal reception often slows down cashless payments, and that fumbling for a point card can make things even slower, turning the very idea of “speed” itself into the real point of debate.

    1Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 14:36:22.78ID:ID:qAe1lpp5d
    Young People Say "Stop Paying Cash" at Convenience Stores — Here's Why Some 40-Somethings Still Won't Go Cashless
    A post expressing irritation at an "old guy" fumbling with coins while paying at a convenience store drew attention on X. To today's younger generation, people who still pay with cash may just seem like an annoying waste of time.
    5Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 14:38:18.95ID:0L80PAER0
    What are they in such a rush for, anyway?
    11Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 14:40:36.16ID:7pFa48Fr0
    >>5
    Even if you're not in a hurry, I get not wanting some total stranger to eat up your time.
    17Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 14:41:36.11ID:QuAi2XgC0
    >>11
    Just build some buffer time into your schedule.
    You're the one forcing your own convenience onto other people here.
    26Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 14:43:27.62ID:Anyepw8Y0
    >>11
    Then just get in line before the lady does.
    9Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 14:39:56.60ID:Anyepw8Y0
    What actually takes longer than cash is when someone tries to pay with some "Pay" app without knowing how it works — fumbling with their phone, asking the clerk over and over, redoing it each time.
    22Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 14:42:31.22ID:TYqLmmL20
    >>9
    That's really it in a nutshell 🥺
    Cashless or cash, if you're slow, you're slow.
    25Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 14:43:09.18ID:/sKUuQel0
    Clerk: "That'll be 580 yen. How will you be paying?"
    Capable me (unlocking my phone): "Electronic payment."
    Clerk: "Please select it on the monitor button."
    Capable me: "Is PayPay okay as a barcode payment?"
    Clerk (tch): "Yes."
    Capable me: "Got it. Opening the app now. Huh? Signal's weak 😣"
    85Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 14:59:52.47ID:BHGgFaZU0
    >>25
    Wait, is this the guy?

    https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/1924352211846414336/pu/vid/avc1/1272×720/iWgfaflTzU_vsraE.mp4?tag=12
    36Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 14:46:47.91ID:uyaTgr68H
    Suica (Japan's IC transit/e-money card) is the best. No need to unlock your phone or hold up a barcode — it's fast. Just make Suica the universal standard already.
    47Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 14:48:27.82ID:PAWZFfdK0
    >>36
    *Bwaap!* "Insufficient balance, please top up" — and now you're topping up right there at the register.
    49Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 14:48:51.36ID:7pFa48Fr0
    >>17
    I think it's more like: next to their own inconvenience, forcing their convenience onto others just doesn't register. Super selfish, but honestly, I get the feeling.
    111Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 15:09:34.43ID:Ozte+FQz0
    >>49
    By that logic, an old lady slowly paying in cash and eating up everyone else's time is just her own business, right?
    58Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 14:51:09.86ID:PAWZFfdK0
    >>56
    You just don't know — the irritable old guys are slow AND they snap at you if you point it out.
    60Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 14:51:30.30ID:hSZAOLAh0
    I mean, the way these people talk, it's like everyone around them is supposed to accommodate them as a given.
    Meanwhile they show zero consideration for anyone else — who do they think they are, medieval nobility?
    Not being able to wait through a normal checkout is ridiculous to begin with.
    84Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 14:59:30.73ID:cBaQtFwi0
    >>60
    Time spent waiting for them is wasted time.
    Time they make others wait? Doesn't even cross their mind.

    Honestly, that's basically everyone — young and old, men and women alike.
    Same goes for cars passing each other on narrow roads, not just checkout lines.
    64Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 14:52:52.21ID:38DK7lWYd
    By the way, me: "I'll pay by card, tap payment" →
    "Don't need the receipt" → *briskly strides off* (walking absurdly fast)

    How's that for an image??
    69Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 14:53:46.94ID:4U66u0q30
    >>64
    Sounds like you mumble fast, so I bet the clerk looks confused.
    89Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 15:01:53.51ID:cBaQtFwi0
    >>64
    Honestly, I'm more worried about your daily life if that kind of thing gives you a sense of superiority.
    78Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 14:57:39.10ID:38DK7lWYd
    Saw some news recently that Uniqlo-style self-checkout might start spreading beyond Uniqlo itself.
    Don't you dare make me wait. I'm nice to store staff, but I show you all no mercy.
    88Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 15:01:25.50ID:zLfGd1xF0
    >>78
    If it's an RFID-based self-checkout, even old guys can handle it easily, so don't worry, good for you.
    80Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 14:58:22.02ID:kHT6voGb0
    Please stop being cashless and then fumbling around looking for your point card anyway — you end up slow regardless.
    82Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 14:59:12.23ID:/sKUuQel0
    >>80
    The weak in-store signal is part of the problem too!
    94Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 15:03:10.35ID:qaeH7PIu0
    The only place you'd really have to line up is a convenience store around lunchtime, no? Do you ever wait that long paying anywhere else?
    97Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 15:04:36.97ID:38DK7lWYd
    >>94
    Pharmacies are pretty much always crowded.
    Though honestly, to the people complaining about convenience stores/supermarkets at lunchtime — if you don't like it, don't go at lunch.


    You corporate slave, you.
    103Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 15:06:18.70ID:cBaQtFwi0
    >>94
    Morning convenience stores can have lines too depending on the location — construction workers ("dokachin," slang for manual laborers) coming in for their morning food.
    107Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 15:08:29.80ID:dgVX8tAH0
    More than cash payers, it's the people ordering cigarettes or fried snacks at the counter that irritate me.
    109Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 15:08:56.48ID:38DK7lWYd
    >>107
    Honestly I don't get that one. Let people eat what they want to eat.
    112Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 15:10:13.66ID:bznKF/hk0
    Docomo's signal is so bad I struggle with electronic payments wherever I go. Never had this problem with Y!mobile — what's going on with mighty Docomo?
    116Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 15:11:28.75ID:0nxNa4WZ0
    >>112
    Seriously, same. Ahamo (Docomo's budget plan) is so bad it's insanely stressful.
    115Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 15:10:51.89ID:EAFtskhU0
    Cashless is already slower as it is — if you made the lady go cashless too, it'd only get even slower.
    117Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 15:11:46.97ID:+veVGIGl0
    >>115
    Cashless is slower?
    127Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 15:15:58.45ID:eZCvl3vG0
    I'll pick up a parcel, pay a utility bill, grab cigarette brand No. 69, do the age verification for alcohol, buy an Ichiban Kuji lottery ticket, and pick out some oden — all in one trip.
    129Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 15:16:37.01ID:QvEXIL7u0
    >>127
    Add a bulk-waste disposal sticker to that too.
    131Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 15:17:56.11ID:YhI5t6uO0
    >>127
    Super thick skin, lol.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5channel (Nandemo Jikkyo G) thread “Gen Z: “Stop paying with cash, people are waiting!” Middle-aged woman: “Sorry… but it’s first-come, first-served, so please wait your turn.”“.

  • Cool Japan Fund to Be Abolished — METI Weighs Skipping Next Year’s Budget Request

    It’s been reported that Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) has begun coordinating to abolish the “Cool Japan Fund,” a public-private fund saddled with a massive cumulative deficit.

    The thread lit up over the fact that animators reportedly received almost no support while large sums flowed to Yoshimoto Kogyo (Japan’s biggest comedy/talent agency), the ownership structure behind the “COOL JAPAN PARK OSAKA” theater complex in Osaka Castle Park, and debate over exactly when — and under which administration — the fund was even established.

    It has emerged that METI has begun coordinating to abolish the “Cool Japan Fund” (formally the Overseas Demand Cultivation Support Corporation, or “CJ Fund”), a public-private fund carrying a massive deficit. METI plans to forgo its budget request for next fiscal year’s Fiscal Investment and Loan Program allocation, which serves as the fund’s source of investment capital.

    [Photo] What’s the real story behind Cool Japan’s failure? Overexpansion into too many sectors and staffing shortages also to blame

    The information came from interviews with multiple government officials. The Prime Minister’s Office reportedly shares METI’s position and is inclined to accept it. If the fund is abolished, some of the capital the government contributed may end up unrecoverable.

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

    2Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 19:55:13.96ID:9672W6aw0
    What did it actually do, specifically?
    26Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 19:57:35.38ID:B6YbIuKN0
    >>2
    Eh, whatever. What matters more than the past is what we do from here.
    77Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 20:03:43.01ID:fc9Vu3M20
    >>2
    Animators didn't get a single yen out of it — it all went to middlemen skimming their cut and to corporations. And somehow big money also went to Yoshimoto Kogyo, which never lifted a finger to promote anything overseas.
    292Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 20:26:03.28ID:sWjNqSJt0
    >>2
    The "Comedians Who Live Overseas" project (settling Japanese comedians abroad to build a fanbase from scratch): stationing comedians in various countries to grow their popularity from zero, co-producing TV shows with local stations, even producing idol groups made up of local youth…
    https://www.cj-fund.co.jp/investment/project/vol7/
    17Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 19:57:01.65ID:Kg1ucmhO0
    Is this the same fund that sent ¥10 billion to Yoshimoto?
    22Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 19:57:22.66ID:BA7wsUmE0
    >>17
    What?? That's awful.
    30Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 19:58:39.49ID:dls2N58z0
    The huge deficit here is mainly from the spider-silk company investment (widely believed to mean Spiber, the synthetic spider-silk biotech firm) — it's not the skimming/middleman structure you guys think it is.
    215Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 20:18:23.52ID:XC+bn9eD0
    >>30
    No criminal "collusion" has ever been uncovered, but because this was a flagship policy of the administration in power, there's strong criticism that it was run at the arbitrary discretion of politicians and bureaucrats.

    * PR over substance: Projects were chosen for their public-relations optics rather than being rigorously vetted for market viability or profitability.

    * Bureaucrat-led reviews in name only: Because the ministries ran the process, it lacked the harsh risk assessment you'd get from private-sector investors.

    * Justified after the fact by "policy significance": Even when a project ran a deficit, it was excused as "contributing to spreading Japanese culture," making it easy to keep funding it.

    * Slow to pull the plug (avoiding accountability): Admitting failure would mean political and bureaucratic responsibility, so they couldn't cut their losses and kept money-losing projects on life support.
    44Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 20:00:13.49ID:vQAJqdk80
    Yoshimoto and Cool Japan really don't seem connected. What exactly were they doing?
    63Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 20:02:33.75ID:jL4FTlKz0
    >>44
    They stationed comedians who weren't selling well in Japan overseas. What they actually did once they got there is unclear.
    78Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 20:03:47.83ID:0fdPgUQ20
    >>44
    The "COOL JAPAN PARK OSAKA" theater facility in Osaka Castle Park
    http://news.yoshimoto.co.jp/2018/07/entry84593.php

    Ishin (Osaka Ishin no Kai, the regional political party that dominates Osaka politics) and Yoshimoto are deeply tangled up in it.
    97Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 20:05:39.56ID:ZT+LsrV90
    >>44
    There's a theater called "Cool Japan" built jointly by Yoshimoto, Dentsu (Japan's biggest ad agency), and the Osaka-area broadcasters. That's just a small slice of the cozy relationship between the Cool Japan Fund and Yoshimoto, though.
    101Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 20:06:22.53ID:n6LGYeoE0
    Who on earth created this organization anyway?
    161Guard [Lv.0][Sprout]2026/08/20(木) 20:12:59.81ID:4XvUo7k30
    >>101
    The DPJ (Democratic Party of Japan), under the Noda administration.
    197Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 20:15:57.99ID:F95SdlMn0
    >>161
    It was founded in November 2013, so that's the Abe administration.
    113(；ﾟДﾟ) Coro-neko Movie (working title) 10 ◆EFvlPnIYE33o2026/08/20(木) 20:07:19.34ID:3ijI/HBG0
    American guy: "I don't know anything about current anime lol. As long as we've got Dragon Ball Z, Sailor Moon, Project A-ko, and Cowboy Bebop, we're set lol"
    209Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 20:17:33.97ID:AlGLRLMv0
    >>113
    They know full well — foreigners watch almost all the newest anime and manga for free online.
    158Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 20:12:52.32ID:dj8fM+DB0
    >>1
    COOL JAPAN PARK OSAKA
    https://cjpo.jp/

    "COOL JAPAN PARK OSAKA" is an operating company and multi-theater complex inside Osaka Castle Park, set up with investment from 13 private companies — including Yoshimoto Kogyo and the Osaka-area TV stations — plus the public-private fund "Overseas Demand Cultivation Support Corporation (Cool Japan Fund)."

    Member companies (11 listed):
    MBS Media Holdings, Inc.
    Asahi Broadcasting Group Holdings Corporation
    Kansai Telecasting Corporation (Kansai TV)
    Yomiuri Telecasting Corporation
    TV Osaka Corporation
    H.I.S. Co., Ltd.
    JTB Corporation
    NTT Docomo, Inc.
    Jikei Group
    Famima Digital One Co., Ltd.
    Yoshimoto Kogyo Holdings Co., Ltd.
    182Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 20:14:46.48ID:DCp3BZMo0
    >>158
    What is this? So they're just handing money out to Osaka TV stations?
    192Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 20:15:25.99ID:qaSqH0kQ0
    >>158
    >MBS Media Holdings, Inc.

    Founder Sugi Michisuke (a leading figure in Osaka's postwar business/media world) must be crying somewhere.
    207Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 20:17:18.12ID:0mTbUoxp0
    The usual (a stock reaction image regulars post to editorialize without words)
    266Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 20:23:38.96ID:AgnQToeR0
    So who's actually going to take responsibility, and how?
    277Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 20:24:39.08ID:xzOSDTQL0
    >>266
    The public that keeps voting for the LDP (Liberal Democratic Party, Japan's ruling party) keeps "taking responsibility" for it, don't they…
    281Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 20:25:01.20ID:OMmjsQAF0
    >>266
    Cut Diet members' take-home pay to ¥5 million.
    If that causes seats to go unfilled at the next election, well, that'll tell you something.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5channel (News Speed+) thread “[Breaking] Cool Japan Fund to Be Abolished Amid Massive Cumulative Deficit.”

  • [Baseball] Hiroshima Sweeps Chunichi With Walk-Off Win; Dragons Fall to 4th Straight Loss After Abreu Wild Pitch

    In Central League play on August 20, the Hiroshima Carp scored a walk-off win over the Chunichi Dragons, closing out the series with a three-game sweep. The Dragons’ loss — which involved a wild pitch from pitcher Ariel Abreu — was their fourth in a row, and on 5channel (5ch, Japan’s largest anonymous forum board) the team’s slump became the talk of the thread, with posters reaching for nicknames like “Zombie” (Hiroshima’s injury-depleted, patchwork lineup) and “Chuni-Dora” (a jab pairing “Chunichi” with chūnibyō — “eighth-grader syndrome,” Japanese slang for delusions of grandeur — mocking the Dragons’ habit of talking a big game before collapsing). The thread also argued over in-game strategy and roster depth.

    Chunichi　0 1 0　 0 0 0　 0 0 0　 ｜1

    Hiroshima　0 0 0　 0 1 0　 0 0 1X ｜2

    [Battery]

    Source: nikkansports.com / Original article here

    6(｡･_･｡)ﾉ ◆jN6K3cbEWjLT Hunter[Lv.1629][SSR Weapon+120][UR Def Limit+102][1st Dan Forest]2026/08/20 (Thu) 20:55:39.70ID:b6GNxm2O0
    Our Chuni-Dora is back, lol
    7Anonymous2026/08/20 (Thu) 20:56:29.02ID:/Tl/CoB+0
    So 'Zombie' turned out to be a debuff, not a buff, huh. Well… guess that tracks.
    12Anonymous2026/08/20 (Thu) 20:57:31.54ID:bAW2gLsE0
    Chuni-Dora can't even beat a zombie-plagued Hiroshima
    14Anonymous2026/08/20 (Thu) 20:58:57.04ID:LtSLusXW0
    >>12
    Well, to be fair, the "gray" players (guys under a cloud of suspicion but never officially punished) have been cleared out of the first team…
    28Anonymous2026/08/20 (Thu) 21:05:06.36ID:SCMf8ANp0
    Chunichi's just too pathetic (´^ω^｀)
    A walk-off balk is about the only pattern they've got left, huh
    30Anonymous2026/08/20 (Thu) 21:06:29.49ID:FhBWtDeN0
    >>28
    Didn't that already happen back in the Tatsu(nami) era? (a nod to former manager Tatsunami Kazuyoshi, nicknamed "Tatsu")
    29Anonymous2026/08/20 (Thu) 21:05:47.74ID:Woj+EsvW0
    Getting swept by a zombie-tier Hiroshima team missing all its stars — how weak do you have to be?
    34Anonymous2026/08/20 (Thu) 21:07:52.09ID:AytWBuRc0
    >>29
    Well, they just dropped 3 straight to the one team they absolutely couldn't afford to lose to.
    37Anonymous2026/08/20 (Thu) 21:09:26.81ID:jAYzzUnj0
    5-game win streak
    → "The Dinosaur Awakens!! Our real battle starts here!!!" (a pun on Dragons/dinosaurs)

    And then
    → ●◯●●●◯●●●● 2 wins, 8 losses
    132Anonymous2026/08/20 (Thu) 23:17:26.14ID:WqSUdfWp0
    >>37
    What is that, a "section rapid" service? (a train that's only fast for part of the route, then stops at every station the rest of the way — i.e., their hot streak didn't last)
    57Anonymous2026/08/20 (Thu) 21:30:24.05ID:Lh42JDEi0
    Weaker than a zombie squad, huh
    134Anonymous2026/08/20 (Thu) 23:20:22.21ID:WqSUdfWp0
    >>57
    Honestly feels like watching straight-up false advertising.
    61Anonymous2026/08/20 (Thu) 21:34:32.06ID:EVbQOjp50
    You really send Oomori in as a pinch-runner for Montero? There was a real chance the lineup would've come back around to Montero in extras — shouldn't they have kept Oomori in reserve as a card to play later?
    80Anonymous2026/08/20 (Thu) 21:56:19.99ID:A+0athJ10
    >>61
    With runners on first and third in a walk-off spot, the runner on first can advance to second for free without risking a force-out, or you could even try a delayed steal — hence sending in Oomori to run. If the steal works, you want Sasaki to come through with the hit, but if they walk him intentionally to load the bases, you pinch-hit Akiyama. Their pitcher's already wild, so Akiyama might draw a walk too.

    That's probably how the Carp bench was thinking.
    62Anonymous2026/08/20 (Thu) 21:34:33.49ID:uQeUNkwG0
    Chunichi should get themselves tested for zombie-ism. Only a zombie loses 3 straight to zombies.
    81Anonymous2026/08/20 (Thu) 21:56:52.75ID:bwrJAnDY0
    I heard the guys carrying Hiroshima are Dominican. Did Chunichi's Dominican pipeline dry up or something?
    86Anonymous2026/08/20 (Thu) 22:02:13.86ID:D+sJRa2n0
    >>81
    Abreu's Dominican too, you know.
    99Anonymous2026/08/20 (Thu) 22:21:21.51ID:ViyClF/j0
    They were in the pennant race up until early summer last year too, so it's not like they're actually weak. Aim for third place with what's left of the season.
    106Anonymous2026/08/20 (Thu) 22:28:37.33ID:ViyClF/j0
    >>99
    Just to be clear, I was talking about the Carp there. Dragons — good luck next season and beyond!
    117Anonymous2026/08/20 (Thu) 22:46:02.70ID:waqHnryt0
    Ozone (the Nagoya neighborhood where the Dragons' home dome sits) is northeast of central Nagoya, right? Northeast has been considered the "kimon" — the unlucky "demon's gate" direction — in Japanese tradition since ancient times. Don't you feel like there's just a gloom hanging over that direction?
    123Anonymous2026/08/20 (Thu) 22:53:54.06ID:gXaOohIL0
    >>117
    Chunichi had the best run in franchise history during the 2000s though.
    149Anonymous2026/08/21 (Fri) 00:25:37.10ID:dotDkgqo0
    Hiroshima's a zombie, but Chuni-Dora's just a corpse.
    151Anonymous2026/08/21 (Fri) 00:39:07.79ID:4mIUTkFy0
    >>149
    For Hiroshima it's the players who are zombies. For Chunichi, it's the manager who's the zombie. Inoue's results should've gotten him fired ages ago, and yet he just keeps managing on like the undead.
    156Anonymous2026/08/21 (Fri) 01:28:32.13ID:WY+Jjcnx0
    >>149
    No.
    A rotting corpse.

    *This article was compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Geisports Bulletin+) thread “[Baseball] Central League: C 2x-1 D [8/20] — Carp win walk-off for 3rd straight win; Chunichi’s Abreu wild-pitches his way into a sweep, 4th straight loss.”

  • Japan’s Potato Harvest Is Bumper This Year — So Why Is It Weighing Lifting the US Import Ban? Farmers Say “Unacceptable”

    Even though this year’s domestic potato harvest is a bumper crop, it’s come to light that Japan is considering lifting its ban on importing potatoes from the United States. Growers are pushing back hard, with one saying, “As a producer, I absolutely cannot accept this when it comes to imports.” On 5channel, users traded views on the risk of nematodes (cyst nematodes, a destructive soil pest) spreading to Japanese farmland, the fact that fast-food chains already serve some US-grown fries, and Japan’s recent easing of rules on fungicides and pesticides used on imported produce.

    This year’s potato harvest is excellent. So why is Japan considering lifting the ban on US imports right now? What will it do to prices?

    ■ Ban on US Potato Imports to Be Lifted?

    Potato farmer: “As a producer, I absolutely cannot accept this when it comes to imports.”

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

    2Anonymous2026/08/20 (Thu) 20:48:55.38ID:IuocJc4Z0
    Japanese potatoes must be 'anti-Japan,' then (a jab mimicking the reflexive '反日/anti-Japan' label Japanese nationalists slap on anything they dislike).
    42Anonymous2026/08/20 (Thu) 20:56:14.07ID:6+Yfpdru0
    If they're going to do this, I'd really rather they trial it on some remote island first.
    6Anonymous2026/08/20 (Thu) 20:50:22.71ID:2v6ypPNa0
    > If even a little soil clings to the potatoes, pests or disease could be hiding in it, and they could get into fields and spread.

    Isn't that just as true of the processed potatoes we already import?
    71Anonymous2026/08/20 (Thu) 20:59:51.05ID:qeCRxXGn0
    >>6
    Basically, what gets imported is already processed.
    Some unprocessed potatoes do come in too, but anything with soil still on it is strictly off-limits.
    64Anonymous2026/08/20 (Thu) 20:58:52.92ID:GQZYVmSO0
    Haven't McDonald's and 'Kenchiki' fries always been like this anyway? ('Kenchiki' is slang for KFC, from 'Kentucky.')
    77Anonymous2026/08/20 (Thu) 21:00:23.27ID:d7epqnHv0
    >>64
    McDonald's long fries are American, but I thought KFC's and Mos Burger's were domestic?
    93Anonymous2026/08/20 (Thu) 21:02:17.68ID:GQZYVmSO0
    >>77
    There was a KFC fry shortage a while back, and the reason was that shipments from America weren't coming in.
    103Anonymous2026/08/20 (Thu) 21:03:49.06ID:d7epqnHv0
    >>93
    Huh, is that right — anyway, what's with calling it 'Kenchiki' lol
    I think just 'Kenta' works fine (both are just nicknames for KFC).
    116Anonymous2026/08/20 (Thu) 21:05:18.54ID:XsQ1VT6Q0
    >>93
    KFC's fries aren't even that good, so I wouldn't miss them.
    83Anonymous2026/08/20 (Thu) 21:01:10.46ID:YpCSDtQO0
    From what I'm seeing on social media, what everyone's actually worried about isn't the bumper harvest — it's the risk of cyst nematodes spreading into Japanese potato fields.
    91Anonymous2026/08/20 (Thu) 21:02:07.37ID:YI24XYmn0
    >>83
    Just a bunch of leftists ('payoku,' a derisive online slang for left-leaning commentators) stoking fear over stuff like that.
    101Anonymous2026/08/20 (Thu) 21:03:31.57ID:qeCRxXGn0
    >>83
    We've genuinely been burned by cyst nematodes before.
    If we end up with the pale cyst nematode on top of it, we'd have to start breeding resistant varieties from scratch again — that's seriously bad news.
    97Anonymous2026/08/20 (Thu) 21:03:04.16ID:ZgTZ8LAZ0
    >>91
    Worrying about your food is just common sense.
    212Anonymous2026/08/20 (Thu) 21:17:44.11ID:W1hMNbLO0
    No telling how much chemical they douse this stuff in before shipping it over.
    Remember all the fuss about oranges…
    221Anonymous2026/08/20 (Thu) 21:18:43.43ID:d7epqnHv0
    >>212
    Does anyone even eat oranges at home anymore?
    Feels like I haven't touched one in maybe 10 years.
    246Anonymous2026/08/20 (Thu) 21:22:26.88ID:maZnFp/K0
    >>212

    Watch out for fungicides and herbicides — Japan is loosening its rules against the global trend.

    Imported produce sometimes carries harmful pesticides that aren't approved for domestic use. Take the 'fungicide' applied to lemons, oranges, grapefruit, and other citrus imported from the US. These are so-called 'post-harvest pesticides,' sprayed after picking to keep mold from forming during the sea voyage from America to Japan.
    https://www.news-postseven.com/archives/20181126_807466.html?DETAIL

    That article's from 2018, but apparently the regulations really were loosened since then.
    No wonder they're drenching this stuff in chemicals before sending it our way.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5channel (Newsflash+) thread “Ban on US Potato Imports Set to Lift! Why Now, With Such a Bumper Harvest?“

  • [DeNA] Shintaro Fujinami Yanked After Allowing 3 Runs in 2⅓ Innings — Walks First Two Batters of the 3rd

    DeNA starter Shintaro Fujinami was pulled early from the mound after allowing 3 runs in 2⅓ innings against the Giants on the 20th. The moment that really caught eyes was in the 3rd inning, when he walked the first two batters he faced back-to-back — and 5channel (Japan’s largest anonymous forum, often shortened to “5ch”) lit up with reactions to his control problems. Commenters also debated how he should be used going forward, including whether he should switch to a fielding position.

    August 20, 2026, 6:55 PM

    ◇NPB Central League: DeNA vs. Giants (20th, Yokohama Stadium)

    DeNA starter Shintaro Fujinami was pulled from the mound after allowing 3 runs in 2⅓ innings.

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

    6Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 19:05:12.99ID:YlysND9A0
    He's always like this, and yet
    he's some kind of mystery player who keeps getting chances.
    He'll probably be pitching for someone again next year too.
    106Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 19:42:06.53ID:43AQ4gah0
    >>6
    Head office insisted, 'We'll fix him with AI!' — dead serious.
    If that fails, the whole company might come crashing down too…
    124Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 19:49:30.71ID:CpgsKOrs0
    >>106
    Yeah, they said 'we can correct it through data analysis!' lol
    They don't want to admit they were wrong, so now they're just letting him pitch as a do-or-die gamble.
    132Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 19:53:41.06ID:MyorY4IK0
    >>106
    If DeNA can really fix this guy with AI, then SoftBank — whose actual core business pours tens of thousands of times more money into AI — should be able to redirect that power into baseball and win not just the Japan Series but the World Series with no trouble at all…

    (Note: DeNA is an IT/mobile-games company that owns the Yokohama DeNA BayStars; SoftBank, a major tech/AI investor, owns the rival Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks — the joke plays on both teams’ parent companies being tech giants.)

    27Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 19:11:02.31ID:W8fUurPC0
    A change of scenery might turn him into a completely different pitcher.
    35Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 19:13:10.86ID:uNmMiK3F0
    >>27
    Pretty sure his scenery's already changed a bunch of times, and this is what we got?
    77Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 19:25:13.65ID:mbZo0+uO0
    >>27
    Maybe he should try javelin throwing.
    127Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 19:50:03.49ID:Ivhd1W/20
    >>27
    If he got reincarnated in another world, those hit-by-pitches might make him the hero who slays the demon lord.

    (Note: a joking reference to “isekai” fantasy stories where the protagonist is reborn in another world with special powers.)

    37Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 19:13:22.88ID:W6kiNIDP0
    Walking two guys on 8 straight balls was a sight to behold.
    45Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 19:14:49.32ID:PtBOIiTw0
    >>37
    If he'd gotten even one swing out of them, fine, lol
    but having every single pitch just watched and taken, that's rough.
    69Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 19:23:39.66ID:fRy41b9B0
    Wasn't there talk about him going overhand, since even if it slips it'll only miss vertically instead of sideways? Whatever happened to that?
    161Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 20:09:27.85ID:0a+Jhv320
    >>69
    His real flaw is he can't step straight with his left leg to begin with, so even overhand his leg would just wobble around and end up drilling a right-handed batter instead.
    80Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 19:25:59.57ID:fRy41b9B0
    There's maybe a slim chance of converting him to a position player —
    put him in the outfield, outfield.
    85Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 19:28:19.61ID:D1yBgXeN0
    >>80
    Right field's been solid lately with Encarnación — don't go sending some weirdo out there.
    81Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 19:27:03.23ID:F6MqEogn0
    If 3 runs in 2⅓ innings is the baseline, by that math you could let him go all the way to 6 runs over 6 innings — he's basically a pitcher you can calculate around.
    Why not let him throw longer?
    82Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 19:27:25.49ID:D1yBgXeN0
    >>81
    Please, let's not — spare the poor guy.
    100Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 19:37:50.40ID:D1yBgXeN0
    Lately whenever I watch high school baseball, I catch myself thinking these pure, hardworking high schoolers might turn into another Fujinami once they turn pro — and I watch with that in mind.
    168Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 20:15:05.79ID:4EPjoxEy0
    >>100
    I mean, the whole environment changes completely —
    for one thing, way more money starts flowing in —
    and it turns out he was the type who falls apart because of that.
    151Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 20:05:34.62ID:5Li7rWi30
    He's even said pro practice is easy since there's less of it than in high school — and he made it this far on just his high school training, so his potential really must be high.
    173Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 20:17:53.75ID:Ivhd1W/20
    >>151
    Not many people say 'potential' in a Fujinami thread anymore, lol.
    Still, his name recognition and how much buzz he generates really are something — a guy who mastered being a professional, just in the worst possible sense.
    185Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 20:23:45.17ID:4EPjoxEy0
    >>151
    It's not just [veteran pitcher] Noumi — even Messenger tagged him as a guy who doesn't practice.

    (Note: Atsushi Noumi is a veteran pitcher and former Fujinami teammate on the Hanshin Tigers known for his strict work ethic; “Messenger” refers to Randy Messenger, a former Hanshin Tigers import pitcher and teammate, known by the nickname “Messe.”)

    172Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 20:17:37.46ID:W8fUurPC0
    His raw arm strength is strong enough he could probably at least handle left field.
    Plus the DH is coming to the league next season,
    so he could stick around in pro ball for another 5 years.
    174Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 20:18:38.73ID:ILKXiMWr0
    >>172
    Wasn't it true that back in high school he actually hit a home run off Ohtani?
    176Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 20:20:00.56ID:Ivhd1W/20
    >>172
    If he ever cut loose with a full-strength throw from left field to home, I'm scared for the fans on the third-base side — they might end up critically injured, lol.
    183Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 20:22:17.18ID:D1yBgXeN0
    >>172
    Please, just let this season end with Watarai in left and Encarnación in right.
    I'm begging you, please 🙇

    (Note: Shohei Ohtani, referenced for his famous high school-era matchups; Ryusei Watarai is a young DeNA outfielder.)

    *This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5channel (Entertainment & Sports News+) thread “[DeNA] Shintaro Fujinami Pulled After 3 Runs in 2⅓ Innings — Walks First Two Batters of the 3rd Inning to Create a Crisis.”

  • 2026 Summer Koshien Is a “Total Crop Failure”: Pro Baseball Scouts Point to the Reasons Why

    This year’s Koshien tournament (Japan’s storied national high school baseball championship) is reportedly being called “not just a weak crop, but a total crop failure” by pro baseball scouts. Scouts gathered behind the backstop have apparently agreed that, aside from Yokohama High’s Oda, there’s almost no one else worth chasing.

    On 5channel (Japan’s largest anonymous forum), the debate over what’s behind this ranged from complaints about how much of high school baseball is just sitting on the bench, to salary comparisons between pro baseball and the J.League (Japan’s top pro soccer division), all the way to comparing the average height of Japan’s WBC baseball team against Japan’s World Cup soccer team.

    “This summer isn’t just a weak year for talent — it’s a total crop failure.”

    So says a scout from the Pacific League (one of Japan’s two pro baseball leagues).

    Behind the backstop at Koshien sit scouts from all 12 Japanese pro teams, plus scouts from MLB clubs. Setting aside a standout talent like Oda (Yokohama), who took the mound on the 18th, the scout continues that there are simply too few players left worth following.

    Source: nikkan-gendai.com / Read the original article

    5Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 21:10:47.69ID:MHePTOkL0
    Well yeah, kids who actually want to play a sport
    aren't going to want to do something where you just stand around swinging a stick most of the time
    166Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 21:38:23.73ID:pCuslvJT0
    >>5
    And the other half of the time you're just sitting on the bench lol
    12Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 21:11:48.16ID:5qzXL2xP0
    >>6
    Guys like Oda have a ton of MLB scouts showing up too
    Bet they're relieved his team got knocked out
    35Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 21:15:37.79ID:rvp04ZAR0
    >>12
    Oda's nothing special
    46Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 21:17:21.99ID:Ds8p0rZz0
    >>35
    Specifically, what's not special about him?
    207Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 21:45:54.57ID:Rba1/zYv0
    >>35
    So from a pro scout's eyes, who's the best pick this year?
    19Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 21:12:39.56ID:rSCBVRmy0
    The money's just on a different level from soccer
    baseball guys can earn several times to dozens of times more
    44Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 21:17:01.45ID:rvp04ZAR0
    >>19
    The median pro baseball salary is only around 20 million yen (~$135,000), which is less than J1 (Japan's top soccer division)
    49Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 21:18:35.94ID:gOO/SJUt0
    >>44
    Pro baseball averages 50 million yen (~$340,000) vs. the J.League's average of 12 million yen (~$81,000)
    Wait, are we leaving out J2 and J3? wwww (lol)
    51Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 21:19:04.02ID:Uef657E/0
    >>49
    "Pro baseball"
    wait, aren't the independent leagues technically pro baseball too? lol
    57Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 21:20:12.80ID:rvp04ZAR0
    >>49
    In every country the top division is treated as a separate league from the ones below it
    and if you're counting soccer's lower divisions, you'd have to count baseball's independent leagues too
    92Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 21:25:32.70ID:8cpyZtJU0
    https://image-tm.s2mr.jp/i/original/1787228719025.jpeg

    Looks like the shrinking player pool is finally showing its effects, huh lol
    109Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 21:28:12.80ID:OutxuuMT0
    Unpopular with kids, fewer players overall, so now it's nothing but small, short guys 😂
    131Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 21:32:19.82ID:PVu9NnVM0
    >>109
    Baseball players ('yakyuu,' a mocking respelling of yakyu/baseball favored by its online critics) are finally shorter than soccer players ('ball-kickers,' a derisive nickname for soccer players) 😨

    2026 WBC Japan national baseball team, average height: 179.9cm (5'11")


    2026 World Cup Japan national soccer team, average height: 181.35cm (5'11.5")



    🥹
    138Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 21:33:35.01ID:Gz3V9XQC0
    >>131
    Darvish (Yu Darvish, listed at 6'5") was probably propping up that average
    162Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 21:37:43.37ID:FAdkg18t0
    If talent were really flowing to soccer, you'd expect a Japanese Messi or Ronaldo to show up by now, right?
    Baseball has Ohtani, the best player in the world
    and plenty of other Japanese guys are tearing it up in MLB too
    167Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 21:38:25.87ID:cD7edILX0
    >>162
    Soccer isn't a low-competition niche sport the way baseball is
    183Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 21:40:05.97ID:XX5o+TWI0
    >>162
    Still below Dominican and Venezuelan players though
    191Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 21:41:26.69ID:wrPN5KMd0
    >>162
    Over 80% of the world's baseball players are in Japan or the US
    and yet the number of Japanese MLB players is way too small

    Ichiro once said that if Japanese players really had the talent, every single MLB team should have a Japanese player on it, the way Dominicans are everywhere

    The numbers we've got now are honestly pretty sad
    196Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 21:44:06.40ID:FAdkg18t0
    >>191
    Japanese baseball is world number one
    and we've got Ohtani, the best player in the world
    201Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 21:45:11.59ID:IjhyXzcm0
    >>196
    Being "world number one" at baseball doesn't really mean that much
    202Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 21:45:13.88ID:wrPN5KMd0
    >>196
    This year Japan only made the quarterfinals
    out of 24 countries total lol
    228Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 21:49:23.21ID:ggm35MZn0
    >>196
    The moment other countries actually get serious, that "world number one" turns out to be a cardboard cutout that barely makes the quarterfinals

    Ohtani's past his prime too, so winning that so-called "world" tournament again looks like a long way off

    *This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5channel (Entertainment & Sports News+ board) thread “[High School Baseball] The 2026 Summer Koshien Goes Beyond a “Weak Crop” to a Total Crop Failure… Pro Baseball Scouts Point to the Cause of the Anomaly.”

  • Giants’ Lineup Gets Shut Down by DeNA’s Baba — 5ch: “Only the Giants Get Shut Down by Baba”

    In the Giants–DeNA game at Yokohama Stadium, the Giants’ lineup was completely stifled by DeNA starter Baba, and the live-thread lit up over their struggles. Opinions split over acting manager Abe’s bullpen moves and Sasahara’s sacrifice bunt, while shortstop Izumiguchi also drew harsh criticism for his defense, with posters asking “isn’t his footwork bad?”

    16Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 19:57:28.59
    Handing the game to a reliever who walks a guy on four straight pitches right after we'd closed it to a 2-run game? Brain dead.
    25Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 20:01:20.92
    >>16
    Well, he's only managing 'in place of' Abe.
    He has to run it the way Abe would.
    Blame Abe.
    50Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 20:05:50.25
    Well, it's Mori pitching, so… but seriously, isn't Izumiguchi's footwork bad?
    52Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 20:06:25.92
    If the next one's a force-out at second again, I'm gonna lose it.
    Don't think I've ever seen that before.
    57Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 20:09:03.26
    A wild-armed reliever like Morita is a death sentence.
    And the Giants go bail out a guy with control problems by having Sasahara bunt lol
    58Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 20:09:06.98
    Garbage game, the pace is way too slow.
    60Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 20:09:50.68
    Sounds like the Chin (5ch slang/slur for the Hanshin Tigers, whose game was on at the same time) are about to lose. Our army just needs to hold on and close this out.
    62Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 20:12:07.74
    Only the Giants get shut down by Baba, I swear.
    77Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 20:15:24.80
    Didn't even realize it, but DeNA's been scooping up all the Giants' castoffs (players the Giants released or didn't re-sign).
    78Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 20:15:47.96
    Maybe it's because I watched Sakamoto at shortstop for so many years, but this guy just doesn't cut it.
    79Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 20:16:56.37
    At this rate they're gonna have a rough time once the pitch clock gets introduced.
    80Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 20:17:02.11
    Got a bad feeling either Izumiguchi or Daru is about to hit into a double play.
    88Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 20:19:18.77
    Ordering Sasahara to bunt against a pitcher like this Baba, and having it fail — the sheer level of Hashigami's (a Giants coach/strategist) blunder is something else.
    92Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 20:20:31.71
    Pitch clock and ABS (Automated Ball-Strike system, i.e. robot umps) would fix everything.
    109Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 20:26:53.99
    If there were a pitch clock, I wonder how many violations Baba would've racked up today.
    123Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 20:27:49.71
    >>109
    He'd have at least 10 violations.
    120Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 20:27:37.53
    What was even the point of making Kishida captain?
    126Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 20:28:16.22
    >>120
    Well, Takuzo wasn't exactly great as captain either, so…

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5channel (Hello! Project board) thread “Giants Acting Manager 108“.

  • Perfect World Posts 118 Million Yuan Loss in H1 — Even With Hit Game’s 2 Billion Yuan in Sales, Ad Spending Drags It Down

    Perfect World, the Chinese gaming giant behind titles like NTE, has announced a loss of 118 million yuan for the first half of 2026. While worldwide cumulative revenue from its flagship title topped 2 billion yuan, a 213% year-over-year surge in marketing spending is being blamed for pushing the company into the red.

    On the thread, comments included “It’s ranked 8th on the PlayStation Store and still posted a loss?” and “Maybe they just spent too much on ads.” Discussion also turned to how differently sales break down between the PS5 version and the PC/Android versions.

    China’s Perfect World falls to a 118 million yuan loss in H1 — Yihuan’s (the Chinese title of NTE) 2 billion yuan in sales couldn’t offset a 213% jump in marketing spend

    Source: finance.biggo.jp / original article here

    4Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 17:42:56.68ID:UWYb9zTx0
    Huh, surprisingly not that profitable?
    Didn't it rake in something like 30 billion (yuan) at the start?
    7Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 17:45:33.52ID:mNBqplI40
    >>4
    Apparently they spent too much on ads.
    10Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 17:46:57.57ID:2OlMaiCu0
    >>7
    So that includes the stealth-marketing (paid promotion disguised as organic hype) push before launch too?
    Mugendai (another Chinese gacha title) is pretty bad about that too.
    16Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 17:49:25.03ID:o16GqcSP0
    >>10
    Calling everything 'stealth marketing' is so cringe.
    11Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 17:47:14.45ID:3py/eX8z0
    But this is ranked pretty high on the PS5 sales charts and still isn't profitable?
    Is the PS5 just… not selling?
    62Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 18:17:04.86ID:f2YNRXkfd
    >>11
    Sales are great, but marketing costs put it in the red.
    74Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 18:24:10.23ID:DkfKwsz4d
    >>11
    It only looks decent relative to a dying village (5ch slang for the PS5's shrinking market) — on trash-station (a mocking nickname for PlayStation) that's nothing special.
    Most people are fine playing on their phones; nobody's going out of their way to fire up a giant oversized 'smartphone' [i.e. the PS5] just for this.
    15Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 17:49:22.22ID:61DR0GlV0
    Doesn't Narushio (fan nickname for Wuthering Waves) ever post a loss? Three years in and its concurrent-player number of 1.7 (unit unclear in the original post) is basically Priconne-tier (as in Princess Connect Re:Dive — shorthand for 'past its prime').
    17Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 17:50:19.10ID:hFaOWt6o0
    >>15
    That's probably some sloppily-counted concurrent number anyway.
    35Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 17:59:28.38ID:cLJ+0Kj50
    >>15
    Unlike NTE, it's actually doing well in China.
    20Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 17:51:36.52ID:GatQq7nb0
    If you're gonna criticize it, at least check the current PS Store rankings first, yeah?
    1. Genshin Impact
    2. Apex Legends
    3. eFootball
    4. Zenless Zone Zero
    5. Gundam
    6. Fortnite
    7. Wuthering Waves
    8. NTE
    9. Endfield
    10. Overwatch
    27Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 17:56:11.25ID:m9ta+Vzf0
    >>20
    8th place and still a loss, huh.
    Yep, trash-station strikes again.
    33Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 17:58:32.68ID:+R2MjFPnr
    >>20
    There was an update and it only moved from 11th to 8th, so that's barely a rebound…
    Judging by the trend, most people have already quit.
    Feels like folks uninstalled NTE and reinstalled Genshin Impact instead.
    There was a wave of 'it's Snezhnaya now, guess I'll come back' [Genshin's newest region, a big draw for returning players].
    Given that kind of movement, it seems like most PS users haven't expanded their storage and are just juggling games on the built-in drive.
    71City Boy ◆Tokyo/ax2s2026/08/20(木) 18:22:41.01ID:GQY4Bcm20
    >>20
    That might be true on PS, but across the whole market Fortnite has passed eFootball and is way out in front at #1.
    The Gaming Legends season kicks off today too.
    24Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 17:55:53.98ID:dVH2pJ1S0
    The Sony fanboys (ゴキ, literally 'roaches' — a derogatory nickname for PlayStation loyalists on this board) kept saying PS5 was selling like crazy domestically, but…
    34Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 17:58:45.47ID:xHQlegaU0
    >>24
    Even if it sold well, there's only 7 million PS5 owners in Japan at the most generous estimate — that's nothing to work with.
    This is a game built around a 1.3-billion-person market [China].
    38Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 18:01:11.84ID:dVH2pJ1S0
    Every time I check, Endfield is completely outside the sales charts — averaging below 200th place. It's dead.
    129Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 19:19:09.29ID:Ro5ysLSN0
    >>38
    Well, that's a game meant to be played on PC.
    It's on PS5 too, but apparently you can't even use keyboard and mouse there.
    50Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 18:07:46.94ID:dVH2pJ1S0
    PC and Android make up 60%

    According to Perfect World Games' official H1 2026 earnings released August 19, NTE's worldwide cumulative revenue — over 1.4 billion yuan as of June 30 — passed 2 billion yuan as of August 18. Official PC plus official Android together account for roughly 60% of the total.
    53Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 18:08:39.48ID:61DR0GlV0
    >>50
    Do you even need the PS5 version?
    99Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 18:36:44.07ID:1hGkhA7e0
    >>50
    There's zero benefit to paying through PlayStation — they leak your personal info all the time, and there's no points or anything either.
    59Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 18:14:44.63ID:zXkY+GCxd
    >>1
    NTE launched late on Steam and is already #2 in sales today — it was #1 yesterday.
    67Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 18:21:06.74ID:j210spR00
    Wasn't this the game the mobile-gacha crowd used as a stick to beat Japanese games with?
    72Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 18:23:13.31ID:OssrW0c50
    >>67
    That's basically all I remember about it.
    Actually, the only people I remember playing it were the diehards (the original Japanese word here is ambiguous, possibly a typo for a harsher slang term mocking obsessive players).
    Even if I saw it in a YouTube ad, it's just the same reskinned garbage game as everything else, so it doesn't stick in my memory.
    79Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 18:26:26.52ID:Az64zRFq0
    Spending too much on ads just means their PR team is dumb.
    81Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 18:27:31.17ID:Jj8Y3SZ70
    >>79
    Well, the plan was probably to blitz ads, reel in a ton of easy marks as players, and cash in big…
    152Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 20:11:48.71ID:oewy3gDl0
    >>79
    That's just how China does things across the board.
    They can only compete on scale.

    *This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Hardware/Industry board, aka “Geha” — short for the console-war-focused game hardware forum) thread “NTE operator Perfect World falls into the red.”

  • Japan Weighs Lifting Ban on US Potato Imports Despite Bumper Harvest — Farmers Furious

    Despite a bumper harvest of domestically grown potatoes this year, it has emerged that Japan is considering lifting its ban on US potato imports. Growers have pushed back, with one saying, “As a producer, I absolutely cannot accept this when it comes to imports.” On 5channel (5ch, Japan’s largest anonymous forum), users debated concerns over cyst nematode damage to farmland, the fact that some fast-food chains already use American-grown potatoes, and the loosening of fungicide and pesticide regulations on imported produce.

    This year’s potato harvest is excellent. So why is Japan considering lifting the ban on American imports right now? What will it do to prices?

    ■ Lifting the ban on US potato imports?

    Potato farmer: “As a producer, I absolutely cannot accept this when it comes to imports.”

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

    2Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 20:48:55.38ID:IuocJc4Z0
    Japanese potatoes are anti-Japan, obviously (a sarcastic meme format where absurd things get jokingly branded 'anti-Japan').
    42Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 20:56:14.07ID:6+Yfpdru0
    If they're going to do this, I'd like them to test it on a remote island first.
    6Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 20:50:22.71ID:2v6ypPNa0
    > If even a little soil clings to the potatoes, pests could be hiding in it, and (there's a risk) pests get into fields and spread from there.

    Isn't that the same risk with the processed potatoes we already import?
    71Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 20:59:51.05ID:qeCRxXGn0
    >>6
    Basically what's imported now is already processed. Some unprocessed ones do come in, but soil still attached is strictly forbidden.
    64Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 20:58:52.92ID:GQZYVmSO0
    Haven't McDonald's and 'Kenchiki' fries always been like this anyway? (Kenchiki = slangy nickname for Kentucky Fried Chicken/KFC)
    77Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 21:00:23.27ID:d7epqnHv0
    >>64
    McDonald's long fries are American, but I thought KFC ('Kenta') and Mos Burger used domestic Japanese potatoes?
    93Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 21:02:17.68ID:GQZYVmSO0
    >>77
    There was a KFC fry shortage a while back, and the reason given was that supply from America wasn't coming in.
    103Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 21:03:49.06ID:d7epqnHv0
    >>93
    Huh, is that right. Anyway, what's with calling it 'Kenchiki' lol — normal people just say 'Kenta'
    116Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 21:05:18.54ID:XsQ1VT6Q0
    >>93
    KFC's fries aren't even that good, so I wouldn't miss them.
    83Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 21:01:10.46ID:YpCSDtQO0
    From what I'm seeing on social media, what people are actually worried about isn't so much the bumper harvest — it's the risk of nematodes spreading to Japan's potato farms.
    91Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 21:02:07.37ID:YI24XYmn0
    >>83
    Just the usual leftist agitators (パヨク／'payoku', a mocking online slur for left-leaning commentators) stirring up fear over stuff like that.
    101Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 21:03:31.57ID:qeCRxXGn0
    >>83
    We've genuinely been burned badly by cyst nematodes before. If we get hit with the white potato cyst nematode too, we'd have to start breeding resistant varieties all over again — that's seriously bad news.
    97Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 21:03:04.16ID:ZgTZ8LAZ0
    >>91
    Worrying about your food supply is completely normal though?
    212Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 21:17:44.11ID:W1hMNbLO0
    You never know how much chemical spray they douse this stuff with before shipping it over. Remember all the fuss about oranges…
    221Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 21:18:43.43ID:d7epqnHv0
    >>212
    Do people even eat oranges at home anymore? Feels like I haven't touched one in maybe 10 years.
    246Anonymous2026/08/20(木) 21:22:26.88ID:maZnFp/K0
    >>212

    > Watch out for fungicides and herbicides — Japan is loosening regulations against the global trend

    Imported produce sometimes carries harmful pesticides that aren't permitted domestically. One example is the 'fungicide' used on lemons, oranges, grapefruit and other citrus imported from the US. These are so-called 'post-harvest pesticides' — sprayed after harvest, during the sea voyage from the US to Japan, to keep mold from forming.
    https://www.news-postseven.com/archives/20181126_807466.html?DETAIL

    That's a 2018 article, so this deregulation happened a while ago, huh.
    No wonder they ship this stuff drenched in chemicals.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Breaking News+) thread “US Potato Imports Set to Be Allowed! Why Now, With a Bumper Harvest?“