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  • Controller-Free Console ‘Nex Playground’ Coming to Japan Next Year — 5ch: ‘A Chip That Costs Pennies’

    According to a report from gaming news site automaton-media, developer Nex plans to bring “Nex Playground” — a controller-free gaming system that uses a camera and AI to read body movement — to Japan in 2027. In the US, it’s sold as a $249 console (as low as $239 on sale) bundled with the “Play Pass” subscription service, which gives players unlimited access to over 60 games on top of the 5 titles included at purchase. On the thread, opinions split over what the Japanese price would be: some predicted a price in the ¥20,000s, banking on cheap hardware costs being recouped through subscription revenue, while others countered that the US price should simply be converted directly into yen.

    Developer Nex plans to bring the controller-free gaming system

    “Nex Playground” to Japan in 2027. Also, this fall SEGA will release,

    from the “Sonic” series, titles including “Sonic Force: Rival Rush,” and

    Source: automaton-media.com / Original article here

    9AnonymousSep 28, 2026 07:43
    Nah, this is just Kinect.
    12AnonymousSep 28, 2026 07:47
    Re: #9
    Kinect projects light into the room and captures human movement in 3D based on the distortion of that light.
    NEX, on the other hand, uses AI to convert 2D camera footage into 3D and captures joint movement that way.
    So they're actually completely different things.
    13AnonymousSep 28, 2026 07:51
    Re: #12
    Isn't this closer to EyeToy?
    28AnonymousSep 28, 2026 08:19
    Re: #12
    The capture method doesn't matter. What the player actually has to do is no different from Kinect — meaning it's just a hassle.
    We don't hold a controller because the hardware forces us to, we hold it because we WANT to play that way.
    Even the Mario Kart wheel controller gets abandoned pretty fast.
    16AnonymousSep 28, 2026 07:56
    Re: #1


    I bet a lot of people in Japan don't have this much space 🥺
    20AnonymousSep 28, 2026 08:02
    Re: #16
    The sofa's way too far from the TV for its size.
    19AnonymousSep 28, 2026 08:02
    If the regular US price is $250, that'd put Japan at around ¥40,000?
    Way too expensive, no way.
    23AnonymousSep 28, 2026 08:08
    Re: #19
    It uses the Amlogic A311D2, a mature 12nm chip that only costs a few thousand yen to make, it's a subscription-required model, and it's got a lead who's ex-Sega and knows the Japanese market well — so it might come out around ¥9,800.
    22AnonymousSep 28, 2026 08:03
    >Nex Playground comes with 5 games included at purchase. And by subscribing to the "Play Pass" service, you get unlimited access to over 60 games published by Nex. Individual games aren't sold separately — it's a subscription-only platform.

    So is the console itself cheap?
    24AnonymousSep 28, 2026 08:11
    Re: #22
    It got a price hike in April, so it's around $239 on sale now.
    Before the hike it was $199 on sale.
    25AnonymousSep 28, 2026 08:13
    There's no way this sells.
    They're probably gonna price it at like ¥50,000, right?
    27AnonymousSep 28, 2026 08:17
    Re: #25
    Since it's a subscription model, they don't need to recoup costs through hardware sales, so even at the high end it's probably in the ¥20,000s.
    30AnonymousSep 28, 2026 08:20
    Re: #27
    It's $249 for the console PLUS a subscription in America — what's your basis for thinking Japan gets it cheaper?
    40AnonymousSep 28, 2026 08:35
    Re: #30
    Because the hardware is barely a step up from a ¥2,000 webcam, so the production cost is cheap.
    37AnonymousSep 28, 2026 08:29
    Switch 2 went to the trouble of adding a camera, so they should do something similar with it.
    I thought they'd use it more in Mario Party, but it's really just a bonus afterthought.
    46AnonymousSep 28, 2026 08:45
    Re: #37
    Since it's all done in software, it's actually possible to copy it outright, but apparently it's common knowledge in the game industry that console bundle add-ons don't sell.
    They could straight-up copy it with next-gen hardware, but by then NEX might have IPO'd and become a heavyweight player.
    38AnonymousSep 28, 2026 08:31
    Nintendo's mistake was simply joining the high-performance arms race.
    They should've just stuck with the Switch philosophy that fun isn't about graphics.
    43AnonymousSep 28, 2026 08:39
    Re: #38
    Same goes for motion capture tech — even RC drones sell for like ¥3,000 these days. Instead of chasing resolution and frame rates, they should've been turning mature, cheap tech like that into fun experiences.
    39AnonymousSep 28, 2026 08:33
    It might sell to families, or it might not.
    But that's got nothing to do with a hardware-war board ("geha")…
    41AnonymousSep 28, 2026 08:36
    Re: #39
    Game hardware (that's what "geha" is short for).
    45AnonymousSep 28, 2026 08:42
    Re: #40
    That's not a reason — they're already selling it with fat margins in America.
    What's the reason Japan alone would get a different business model?
    That's just wishful thinking, isn't it?
    47AnonymousSep 28, 2026 08:47
    Re: #45
    There's a lead who knows the Japanese market inside and out, so the chance of them botching it with a ridiculous price is zero. They might launch it high and then discount it later, though.
    48AnonymousSep 28, 2026 08:49
    Re: #47
    If they really knew the market well, they wouldn't release something like this at all.
    51AnonymousSep 28, 2026 08:55
    Re: #47
    What's your basis for saying that?
    It's a different topic, but you see this all the time in next-gen console threads — "it might get pricier, it might get cheaper" — with zero actual basis. Same thing here.

    Right now all we actually know is the US price.
    50AnonymousSep 28, 2026 08:55
    Re: #48
    I think it'll sell at least a million units.
    52AnonymousSep 28, 2026 08:56
    Re: #50
    You mean 10,000, right?
    66AnonymousSep 28, 2026 09:38
    Re: #50
    At least a million? I see — well, one thing's for sure, you clearly don't understand the Japanese market.
    55AnonymousSep 28, 2026 09:07
    Is this thing still selling over there?
    61AnonymousSep 28, 2026 09:12
    Re: #55
    Converted to yen that's ¥33,814, and it's listed on Amazon as having sold over 6,000 units in the past month.
    57AnonymousSep 28, 2026 09:09
    C'mon guys, you're old-timers ("oji") and you didn't bring this up…
    65AnonymousSep 28, 2026 09:19
    Re: #57
    What even is this lol lol
    62AnonymousSep 28, 2026 09:14
    Re: #61
    Thought it'd be a one-hit wonder, but it's surprisingly still selling well.
    63AnonymousSep 28, 2026 09:17
    Re: #62
    It's so easy to use, and if you think of it as a diet expense it feels cheap — I bet a lot of people keep the subscription going for that reason.
    67AnonymousSep 28, 2026 09:41
    Seems like you could do the same thing by hooking a USB camera up to the Switch, but given the current climate, maybe they just won't make games that require extra peripherals.
    68AnonymousSep 28, 2026 09:53
    Re: #67
    Motion capture itself is mature tech so it can be copied, but NEX's hardware concept and business model can't be.

    Hardware:
    Low price, compact, no controller, camera built into the unit.

    Business model:
    – Effectively a subscription-required model
    – Keeps releasing mini-games one after another so players never get bored
    – Collaborates with all kinds of IP (music, sports, movies, gaming schools) to pull in those users
    69AnonymousSep 28, 2026 09:57
    It's a licensed-IP-games-plus-subscription-hardware setup, so structurally it's similar to what PlayStation is now.
    Feels like PlayStation minus the flood of cheap Chinese shovelware ("gunball"-style filler games), aimed at non-otaku normies ("riajuu") instead.
    71AnonymousSep 28, 2026 10:06
    Re: #69
    Feels like they filled exactly the gap nobody else was in.
    The fact that a move this clever was still up for grabs is pretty impressive.
    91AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:33
    Even all of Japan's big corporations combined don't come close to Microsoft, yet Japanese people are acting all cocky about this — it's embarrassing.
    Don't forget MS is a monster with a ¥600 trillion market cap.
    92AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:34
    Re: #91
    Bottomless Gates money (lol)
    93AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:38
    Re: #91
    An unprofitable division (lol)

    Background and Key Points of This Topic

    Nex Playground captures joint movement by using AI to convert 2D camera footage into 3D, making it technically distinct from Kinect, which measures depth via projected light. In the US, it uses a general-purpose chip believed to cost only a few thousand yen to produce, and generates revenue through subscription fees rather than hardware sales — a structure drawing attention for potentially sidestepping the pricing hurdle that has historically kept controller-free devices from catching on in Japan. That said, the prices floated in the thread — “¥9,800 in Japan,” “in the ¥20,000s” — are speculation based on the US price and estimated chip cost, not an official announcement from Nex. It’s also worth noting that Nintendo’s Switch 2, despite including a camera, hasn’t pursued similar functionality, underscoring how hard it is for such features to catch on as built-in hardware extras.

    *This article was compiled by excerpting and summarizing the 5ch (Hardware/Industry (Geha)) board thread “[Nintendo in Trouble] “NEX Playground,” Which Beat Xbox in Last Year’s US Black Friday Sales, Confirmed to Launch in Japan Next Year.”

  • Beaujolais Nouveau Lands at Haneda: Heatwave Pushed the Harvest a Month Early, But Release Date Stays November 19

    France’s new-vintage wine, Beaujolais Nouveau, arrived at Haneda Airport on September 28 for its traditional unveiling. France was hit by a record-breaking heatwave this year, pushing the grape harvest up by about a month, but the release date remains unchanged at November 19. On 5ch threads, this perennial seasonal topic drew the usual buzz — though the conversation focused less on the wine’s taste and more on distribution and business angles: rising prices in recent years, accusations of “marketing over substance,” and price/satisfaction comparisons with other imported wines and Japanese sake.

    9/28 (Mon) 9:09

    Kyodo News

    Beaujolais Nouveau, France’s new-vintage wine, arrived at Haneda Airport on the 28th, where an unveiling event was held. France was hit by record-breaking heat from a heatwave this year, pushing this year’s grape harvest earlier than usual. The wine arrived about a month ahead of schedule, but the release date remains unchanged at November 19.

    Source: topics.smt.docomo.ne.jp / Read the original article here

    12AnonymousSep 28, 2026 09:56
    Tashiro Masashi used to do the commercials for this (a comedian now better known for repeated drug busts than his old ad work).
    55AnonymousSep 28, 2026 10:16
    Re: #12
    21AnonymousSep 28, 2026 09:58
    Is it that time of year already?
    Which is it, "Beaujolais Nouveau" or "Bojorē Nouveau"? (debate over how to spell the French name phonetically in Japanese)
    My phone's IME keeps suggesting "Bojorē Nouveau" as the first option though
    32AnonymousSep 28, 2026 10:03
    Re: #21
    It's not so much that both are "correct" — it's more that different outlets just spell it differently, which makes no sense.

    Apparently in actual French pronunciation, "Bojore" without the long vowel sounds more natural.
    24AnonymousSep 28, 2026 09:59
    The media loves this story.
    Every single year.
    27AnonymousSep 28, 2026 10:01
    Re: #24
    The fact that you remember they do this every year means you're pretty into it yourself.
    59AnonymousSep 28, 2026 10:18
    Re: #24
    Nobody in France is dumb enough to actually drink Beaujolais Nouveau, let alone fly it in and pay premium prices for it.
    They're looking at us Japanese and going
    "pfft, hehe"
    behind our backs.
    28AnonymousSep 28, 2026 10:02
    Wine's normally something you age, but Nouveau found its value by appealing to Japanese people who like things fresh-picked instead.
    So of course they serve it fresh right away — what else would you expect, duh.
    76AnonymousSep 28, 2026 10:29
    Re: #28
    Beaujolais has poor soil that isn't suited to growing Pinot Noir, the grape normally used for serious wine.
    So they grow Gamay instead and manufacture value through speed — using a special rapid fermentation method (carbonic maceration) to make it as fast as possible.
    It's a "special wine" that was never meant to be aged in the first place.
    Aging Beaujolais Nouveau doesn't add much value.
    100AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:01
    Re: #28
    If you just want fresh-picked, cheap bottled wine is plenty tasty — that already covers it.
    31AnonymousSep 28, 2026 10:03
    Re: #21
    "Nouveau" or "Nouvo," either works.
    That's just how Japanese is.
    106AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:14
    Re: #31
    "Nuvo" works too (yes, like the old Morinaga candy)
    https://www.morinaga.co.jp/museum/history/detail/img/images/detail/article_142.png
    200AnonymousSep 28, 2026 13:23
    Re: #106
    What's actually inside is "Kiri no Ukifune" (a cheap sake brand), you know.
    35AnonymousSep 28, 2026 10:04
    What's the actual reason this gets special media coverage every single year?
    36AnonymousSep 28, 2026 10:04
    Re: #35
    You get to drink the year's release before anywhere else in the world.
    38AnonymousSep 28, 2026 10:05
    Re: #35
    It's probably similar to "arabashiri" in sake (the first unfiltered pressing of the season).
    42AnonymousSep 28, 2026 10:08
    Back in the day, people were just being played by the industry into thinking this wine was something special.
    51AnonymousSep 28, 2026 10:14
    Didn't this used to be under 2,000 yen a bottle?
    61AnonymousSep 28, 2026 10:19
    Re: #51
    Between the weak yen and the whole Russia-Ukraine situation,
    prices roughly doubled in 2022 (starting around ¥3,850).

    Then in 2023 they came down about 15%, and it's been flat ever since.
    65AnonymousSep 28, 2026 10:20
    Poor Chilean wine, getting looked down on just for being Chilean.
    There's no better value-for-money wine out there.
    70AnonymousSep 28, 2026 10:24
    Re: #65
    Chile's vines were originally transplanted from Bordeaux.
    Thanks to the TPP it's cheap in Japan,
    but in Europe high tariffs make it several times the price of European wine.
    Meanwhile French wine grapes are degrading due to global warming,
    and even the French are drinking less wine these days.
    84AnonymousSep 28, 2026 10:37
    I don't even drink alcohol at all, let alone wine, so I honestly don't get the appeal.
    87AnonymousSep 28, 2026 10:39
    Re: #84
    Just think of it as basically a "new product launch" and you're good.
    129AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:51
    I recently read "The Drops of God" and watched the anime too.
    Thinking that once I retire, I might get into wine as a hobby.
    133AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:55
    Re: #129
    When you buy this and drink it, make sure to say "oooh!" and really lose yourself in the moment.
    146AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:07
    Bonito or tuna in season are pretty good, but Beaujolais just isn't that great a wine.
    If you're going to spend that kind of money on Beaujolais, you'd get more satisfaction from a nice Rhône wine or a good Chilean bottle instead.
    Sommeliers probably think that deep down too, but they can't say it out loud — bad for business.
    179AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:41
    Re: #146
    The crowd that cares about quality and the crowd that buys Nouveau are just different customers.
    It used to be something you could buy casually and enjoy, but idiots started hyping it up with talk of "vintage" and "once-in-a-century harvest," and that's what soured everyone on it.
    153AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:13
    Back when the Beaujolais Nouveau craze first hit, the yen was strong and prices were lower overall, so a bottle was only about ¥1,500.
    Now it's ¥3,000-5,000.
    I'm honestly amazed people still buy that stuff.
    If you're spending ¥3,000 on alcohol, you could get a daiginjo (premium sake) instead.
    154AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:14
    Re: #153
    Sake is just tastier than wine, honestly.
    Feels like you might as well go cheap on wine anyway.
    159AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:17
    Re: #154
    I like cheap wine, but personally wine agrees with me more than sake does.
    Though lately I've just been drinking whiskey highballs and beer lol
    165AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:20
    Re: #154
    With wine, unless you spend around ¥5,000 at a liquor store or ¥10,000 at a bar, you won't hit that "wow, this is good!" bottle.
    If you know what you're doing you can find a good one for about ¥3,000.
    But if you're spending ¥3,000, sake tastes better for the money.
    170AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:25
    Same with wine — I feel like most types of alcohol taste better aged.
    So why did "Nouveau" of all things become the thing everyone prizes?
    Am I the only one who thinks that's kind of a waste?
    173AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:29
    Re: #170
    Beaujolais' soil just can't grow grapes that make genuinely great wine.
    So they decided to sell it as "Nouveau" instead — not-that-great wine, marketed on speed rather than quality.

    Background and Discussion Points

    Beaujolais Nouveau is a new-vintage wine made from Gamay grapes grown in France’s Beaujolais region and fermented over a short period. As the thread explained, the region’s soil isn’t suited to producing age-worthy wine, so its commercial value instead comes from a rapid fermentation method (carbonic maceration). While the release date stays fixed every year, the weak yen and rising import costs have pushed retail prices up into the several-thousand-yen range, and more voices are distancing themselves from its old image as a “fun, casual seasonal buy.” The thread’s discussion centered less on the taste itself and more on the strength of the marketing behind it, along with comparisons to similarly priced Chilean wines and Japanese sake. The heatwave-driven early harvest is also cited as one more example of how global warming is affecting grape-growing in recent years.

    *This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (News Speed+) thread “[Wine] Beaujolais Nouveau Arrives at Haneda — Heatwave Pushes Harvest a Month Early, Release Date Unchanged.”

  • Hello! Project shows spark debate over older fans attending — 5ch: “It’s an optics problem”

    A thread on 5ch’s Hello! Project board titled “Old men and grannies really shouldn’t be allowed at shows anymore, right?” took off. It started with a crowd photo from a show in Ise, where the strikingly high average age of the attendees became the talking point. Opinions in the thread clashed head-on: some argued fans should hold back voluntarily because “it looks bad,” while others countered that what people like and where they go is nobody’s business but their own. At the same time, some pointed out that older fans have supported the group for decades and represent a demographic that helps attract sponsors from certain industries — turning it into something messier than a simple generational spat.

    1AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:49
    Saw that crowd photo from the Ise show and had some thoughts
    2AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:49
    Re: #1
    Yeah, exactly
    offshore = company, right?
    4AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:52
    If it weren't for the old men and grannies, there'd be no Juice=Juice today
    6AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:54
    The Ise crowd is still tame.
    If you want the group with the strongest 'nursing home' vibe in all of Hello!…
    8AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:56
    It's honestly embarrassing
    The age range is way different from other idol groups
    9AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:56
    Juice=Juice always looked after its older fans
    and now it's the hottest act around
    10AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:56
    You should try going to one of Risachi's or Ressa's bar events sometime
    14AnonymousSep 28, 2026 13:00
    If skipping a show is going to kill you,
    why not just move a little further underground (into the indie/'chika' idol scene)?
    16AnonymousSep 28, 2026 13:00
    Hello! Project's old-timers basically have zero social life otherwise — the only time they get out and share something with other people is at a Hello! show
    17AnonymousSep 28, 2026 13:00
    What's actually shocking is that this thread
    is full of old men itself
    18AnonymousSep 28, 2026 13:02
    The Ise crowd is going to become the benchmark from now on —
    people will get mocked based on whether they're above or below that level
    20AnonymousSep 28, 2026 13:02
    Re: #18
    Then pretty much every group is wiped out, lol
    23AnonymousSep 28, 2026 13:04
    Re: #18
    Sounds like you only just found your way to Hello! Project
    19AnonymousSep 28, 2026 13:02
    I'm no old man
    It pisses me off that you can jump on the bandwagon now and still trash-talk the people who've supported the group all along
    22AnonymousSep 28, 2026 13:03
    Re: #19
    Just stay home
    It's an optics problem!
    21AnonymousSep 28, 2026 13:02
    New, young fans don't stick around because the first time they show up, they end up witnessing a full nursing-home scene
    Come on, Showa-era old-timers, hold back a little
    24AnonymousSep 28, 2026 13:05
    Speaking as someone almost 30, having at least some Showa-generation fans around actually keeps things comfortable
    At a genuinely young scene like iLiFE!, the average fan age is barely over 20
    Don't worry though, Hello! is never going to end up that dominated by young people
    25AnonymousSep 28, 2026 13:05
    I decided back when I turned 40 that I'd 'graduate' from shows once I hit 50
    This year I actually did it
    Had about a month of withdrawal symptoms
    27AnonymousSep 28, 2026 13:06
    I decided back when I turned 40 that I'd 'graduate' from shows once I hit 50
    This year I actually did it
    Had withdrawal symptoms for about a month, but surprisingly, I felt totally clear-headed after that
    29AnonymousSep 28, 2026 13:07
    Wasn't there a photo from some AKB-family bus tour that was full of old people too?
    31AnonymousSep 28, 2026 13:08
    If you cut the older fans out, you'd be left taking photos with like three people
    32AnonymousSep 28, 2026 13:09
    There've been fewer old-timers at Juice=Juice shows lately…
    it's kind of sad, considering they supported the group back when it wasn't even popular
    33AnonymousSep 28, 2026 13:09
    It's kind of heartwarming, honestly — like a company employee trip
    36AnonymousSep 28, 2026 13:10
    You see AKB48-family fans at idol festivals here and there, but it's overwhelmingly male, and those male fans are even older than Hello!'s crowd — that's wild
    In Hello!, the fans who follow so-called 'grandpa-killers' like Ishii or Fukuda are basically the average age for most 48-family groups and members
    They broke big something like ten years after Morning Musume, so why is their fanbase that much older?
    51AnonymousSep 28, 2026 13:15
    Re: #36
    Ressa's fans average 60 years old, and AKB still tops that — that's impressive
    37AnonymousSep 28, 2026 13:10
    Here's a tip for going to shows: if you skip whatever you personally consider the single most important show of the year, you can surprisingly get over the habit
    38AnonymousSep 28, 2026 13:10
    Exactly
    No need to hit every single date on a tour either
    39AnonymousSep 28, 2026 13:10
    Re: #38
    Right
    Just gradually cut back
    46AnonymousSep 28, 2026 13:13
    Re: #39
    That never really ends, though
    Even if you start by telling yourself you'll just stop traveling to away shows, between tours, festivals, bus tours, and fan club events, you're never actually going to 'graduate'
    Short of flat-out skipping your favorite member's bar events Re: #39
    it's just not going to happen
    40AnonymousSep 28, 2026 13:11
    It's actually the opposite: having Showa-generation fans in the crowd is exactly what makes it possible to land insurance or health-food sponsorships down the line
    You could never run that kind of ad campaign with a fanbase like iLife! or Kawalab's
    Having a different customer base from everyone else is the strength

    It's also why RESCENE, the biggest K-pop girl group right now, became the first idol act to land a deal with the convenience-store chain CU — because their fandom isn't 'women-only' (a crude slang term implying an all-female, sponsor-unfriendly fanbase)
    43AnonymousSep 28, 2026 13:12
    Re: #40
    Lol
    They're not at the age where you buy insurance anymore
    they're at the age where you collect on it
    41AnonymousSep 28, 2026 13:11
    If you're only going out of a sense of obligation, there's a pattern where skipping shows you really wanted to attend, a few times over, actually helps you get over it
    You realize it wasn't that you wanted to go — you just felt like you had to
    42AnonymousSep 28, 2026 13:11
    The old-timers are migrating away from Juice=Juice shows to somewhere else
    47AnonymousSep 28, 2026 13:14
    Checked out the Hello Pro Kenshuusei (trainee) announcement event and there were a ton of old men there
    52AnonymousSep 28, 2026 13:15
    Re: #47
    Of course Hello Pro Kenshuusei events are full of old men
    it's so old-man-heavy that the vibe is actually really safe and orderly

    Background and points of contention

    Hello! Project has roughly 30 years of history since Morning Musume’s 1997 debut, and the fans who followed from day one have simply aged right along with it. Because of that, it’s well known among fans that Hello! Project’s live audience tends to skew older than other idol groups’. The thread’s central fault line came down to one question: should older fans hold back for the sake of “optics”? That drew pushback from people who saw it as excluding fans who’ve supported the group for years, set against concerns that a highly visible older crowd makes it harder for new, younger fans to stick around. There were also arguments that an older audience makes it easier to attract sponsors from industries like insurance and health foods — showing this is a more complicated issue than simple taste, with a business angle woven in too.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hello! Project board) thread “Old men and grannies really shouldn’t be allowed at shows anymore, right?.”

  • Yuko Nakazawa Attends Juice=Juice’s Fukuoka Show — Ruru Danbara: ‘She Gave Me Such Kind Words’

    Yuko Nakazawa, the founding leader of Morning Musume。, revealed on social media that she attended Juice=Juice’s Fukuoka concert. She raved, “It was fun from the opening all the way to the end” and “Hearing all 11 members of Juice=Juice sing together left me overwhelmed.” Juice=Juice’s Ruru Danbara responded on her own account, writing, “Nakazawa-san came to see us together with her daughter.” On 5channel’s Hello! Project board, some pointed out an affinity between the two groups — noting that early Morning Musume。 was itself a vocal-focused lineup — and warmly welcomed her as Hello! Project’s “founding mother,” while others questioned her show of support for a different group.

    3AnonymousSep 28, 2026 08:48
    yuko_nakazawa_
    🍹🍹

    I went to see Juice=Juice's Fukuoka concert.

    From the opening entrance
    to the very end,
    it was fun the whole time!
    Seriously so much fun!!

    Amazing vocals, incredible vocal power.
    Dance performance in perfect sync.
    And within that, each member's own personality
    really shone through — it was so good.
    Even the sway of their costumes felt like part of the show.
    They looked so cool, and so cute.

    That big anthem everyone gets hyped for —
    getting to hear and see it with all 11 members of Juice=Juice singing
    was so moving, I was overwhelmed with emotion.

    Everyone in Juice=Juice,
    thank you for the best time!!

    Still basking in the afterglow ✨

    https://www.instagram.com/p/Ddzzj2dMwiC/
    4AnonymousSep 28, 2026 08:53
    An assassin sent from the old flagship group…
    6AnonymousSep 28, 2026 08:58
    761 Anonymous (WatchoiW 240a:61:600a:2eab:*) Sat 2026/09/26 17:31:59.59 0
    Snuck in at the last minute when general sale reopened and ended up in the back row —
    looked over and there was big sis Nakazawa.
    7AnonymousSep 28, 2026 08:59
    No photos taken together?
    8AnonymousSep 28, 2026 08:59
    It genuinely moved me that Nakazawa-san tried out Moreme (a flattering selfie-filter app).
    9AnonymousSep 28, 2026 09:01
    Morning Musume。 got its start from a rock-vocalist audition, so in its early days it was a vocal-focused group — for those original members, Juice=Juice probably feels closer to home these days.
    10AnonymousSep 28, 2026 09:04
    The great founding mother of Hello! Project.
    11AnonymousSep 28, 2026 09:05
    Hello! Project's benevolent mother.
    12AnonymousSep 28, 2026 09:06
    So she got a royal audience with Danbara?
    13AnonymousSep 28, 2026 09:07
    That's some seriously gushing praise.
    Somebody needs to give the JJ members actual feedback or they'll never grow.
    14AnonymousSep 28, 2026 09:08
    Juice=Juice's Ruru Danbara: "At our fall tour's Fukuoka stop, Yuko Nakazawa came to see us together with her daughter! She gave us so many kind words too."
    http://kizuna.5ch.io/test/read.cgi/morningcoffee/1790464385/
    15AnonymousSep 28, 2026 09:08
    Nakazawa's the puppet emperor of the Later Han,
    and Danbara's Cao Cao (the general who really held the power behind the throne).
    51AnonymousSep 28, 2026 09:41
    I used to be really into it back in the day…
    but these days I'm well aware I've finally come to my senses.
    52AnonymousSep 28, 2026 09:43
    So the old guy who's always losing his mind online used to be a Musume。 otaku, huh? lol
    54AnonymousSep 28, 2026 10:06
    She just went up a notch in my book.
    55AnonymousSep 28, 2026 10:37
    Wasn't it her eldest daughter who got hooked on Juice through Moreme?
    56AnonymousSep 28, 2026 10:49
    This kind of thing is happening around other OGs (graduated former members) too —
    Saito-san's husband joined the fan club as well.
    58AnonymousSep 28, 2026 10:52
    The founding mother has made her move.
    59AnonymousSep 28, 2026 10:53
    For the upcoming 30th anniversary,
    big sis Nakazawa is going to be the main highlight.
    61AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:02
    She did say she's planning to dance at the 30th anniversary.
    66AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:02
    Rika Ishikawa reunited with Yui Okada.
    https://www.instagram.com/p/Ddz6OgVKZ9d/?stkn=bDlhNGlnd2djc2xm
    73AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:02
    Did big sis Nakazawa abandon Musume。?
    93AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:07
    It's just that Nakazawa's daughter is a Juice fan.
    101AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:20
    If Nakazawa-san has abandoned Morning Musume。, please stop getting involved with the current members.

    Background and Key Points of This Story

    In 1997, Yuko Nakazawa was chosen as Morning Musume。’s founding leader through a singing audition produced by Tsunku♂ of Sharan Q, making her the starting point of Hello! Project itself. Juice=Juice is known for a lineup built around strong vocal ability, which is why some in the thread note it resembles early Morning Musume。 — a comment rooted in that history. Where opinions diverge is over how to view a graduated member attending a concert by a different group and publicly praising it: some are simply happy for her, while others ask whether she’s “betrayed” Morning Musume。. This reflects the gap between Hello! Project fandom’s deep-rooted culture of prizing single-minded devotion to one’s favorite group, and the reality that a graduated member watches over all her juniors without playing favorites — more a mismatch in fan psychology than any real controversy.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5channel (Hello! Project board) thread “Yuko Nakazawa was at Juice=Juice’s Fukuoka concert!!!!!!!!!!“.

  • Yakult’s Takahashi Keiji Pulled After Giving Up 7 Runs on Just 4 Hits, Fans Dismayed: ‘Act Like a Pro’

    On September 28, Sporting News Japan reported that Yakult Swallows pitcher Keiji Takahashi was pulled mid-game after allowing 7 runs on just 4 hits, sparking discussion on 5ch’s Entertainment & Sports Breaking News+ board. Since Takahashi is a left-hander with experience on the Samurai Japan national team, posters had harsh words, many saying to ‘act like a pro.’ The thread grew into a broader debate about why high-school-drafted left-handed pitchers tend not to blossom into stars, and about whether Yakult currently has an ‘ace’ who can serve as a role model for younger teammates — with some naming pitcher Yamano as an ace candidate, and others countering that the bar for ‘ace’ on this team is set far too low.

    7 Runs Allowed on Just 4 Hits: Fans Lose Faith in Yakult Lefty, ‘Act Like a Pro’… Despite Samurai Japan Pedigree, ‘When Did It Come to This?’

    Mon, Sep 28, 5:50 AM JST

    Sporting News Japan

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

    4AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:21
    Why's a Yakult fan talking in Tora-ben? (the Kansai-flavored slang associated with Hanshin Tigers fans)
    58AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:58
    Re: #4
    Huh?
    Plenty of Hanshin fans actually speak standard Tokyo dialect.
    5AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:22
    Oh, Tomochin's husband. (his wife is idol Tomomi Itano, nicknamed 'Tomochin')
    He was called a promising young prospect when they first got married…
    19AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:29
    Re: #5
    High-school-drafted lefties basically never make it big.
    Since the Heisei era, only Kazuhisa Ishii and Yusei Kikuchi have reached 100 career wins in NPB.

    Kawaguchi, Kawachi, Tsujiuchi, Terajima…
    Even guys hyped as the headline pick of a first-round draft lottery routinely fizzle out and vanish without a trace. And even ones like Naruse who broke out in their early twenties end up unable to win past 25, then it's the retirement track past 30 — that's the typical arc for a high-school lefty.
    15AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:26
    Surprised he ever made Samurai Japan, though he was pretty good in the Japan Series.
    31AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:44
    Re: #15
    Not that surprising — his Japan Series outing was dominant.
    He was supposed to keep improving from there.
    Back then his wife was treated as his 'agemanko' (a woman believed to bring her partner good luck), but his luck ran out when he got tied down with a strange woman.
    21AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:32
    Yakult really doesn't have a pitcher right now who can show the younger guys what an 'ace' actually looks like.
    22AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:34
    Re: #21
    Yamano, obviously.
    However you slice it.
    25AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:38
    Re: #22
    Nah, that's just this year, isn't it?
    Who knows about next year.
    You can't call him an ace unless he puts up at least 7 wins consistently for a minimum of 4-5 years.
    26AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:39
    Re: #22
    He has one decent year and suddenly he's the ace, however you slice it?
    The bar for 'Yakult ace' is really low, huh.
    23AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:36
    Why don't high-school lefties ever pan out?
    I guess through high school, just being left-handed is already a huge advantage on its own?
    48AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:51
    Re: #23
    >Why don't high-school lefties ever pan out?

    Masa Yamamoto, Imanaka.
    30AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:42
    Re: #26
    Of course the bar for 'ace of the Scrub-alt' (a mocking nickname mashing up Yakult with 雑魚, 'scrub') is low — they're headed for last place again this year anyway.
    33AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:46
    Re: #30
    Ah, sorry, my bad — I meant it as an ace who can develop the younger guys and serve as a role model.
    In that sense, I don't think a pitcher who just popped up out of nowhere with a low bar carries much weight.
    35AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:46
    Re: #31
    That's just plain dumb, honestly.
    By that logic, you'd have to prioritize whoever's been hot the last few games over their whole-season numbers.
    43AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:50
    Re: #35
    If he suddenly dominated in the Japan Series, it's not the least bit strange to think he's built for the big stage in short series, and it's natural to want to bank on that.
    Conversely, there have definitely been players who had great regular seasons but couldn't step up in a short series.
    37AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:47
    He's just a batting-practice pitcher who happens to throw lefty.
    49AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:52
    Re: #37
    Six walks/HBPs — disqualified even as a batting-practice pitcher.
    38AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:47
    Maybe he should try a change of scenery?
    Somewhere like Nippon-Ham, Rakuten, or the Carp.
    40AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:49
    By rights, Okugawa should already have several years of results under his belt and be Yakult's ace by now.
    45AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:51
    Re: #40
    If only he'd gotten Tommy John surgery sooner.
    61AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:00
    It's fine for a batter's wife to be in the public eye, but not for a pitcher's wife — look at Ochiai's or Nomura's wives.

    For pitchers, about the only one is Darvish's ex-wife. I think Wakui's wife was in the spotlight too, but name one other pitcher who married a celebrity, kept her in the public eye, and still performed well.
    Almost all of them stay out of the spotlight and support quietly from behind the scenes.
    Elite ballplayers all across Japan follow this pattern, and that's the result.

    Starting pitchers push their bodies so hard that they need at least four days to recover before their next start.
    65AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:01
    Re: #61
    Matsuzaka: 'Tell me about it.'
    66AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:02
    And here I thought there was already a deal worked out with the Giants through the 'Tokyo Alliance' (a fan conspiracy theory about backroom cooperation between Tokyo-area teams).
    No way a guy at Takahashi Keiji's level should be self-destructing like this.
    81AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:22
    Re: #66
    Huh? Third-rate Takahashi has been walking and hitting batters and self-destructing in plenty of games besides the Giants ones too.
    He had 6 walks/HBPs against DeNA back in July as well.
    80AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:22
    He's never even thrown enough innings to qualify for the ERA title, and he can't handle a normal turnaround on 6 days' rest.
    It's nothing but good outings followed by blowups, zero consistency.
    Fans are already fed up with him.
    100AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:32
    Re: #80
    I kept thinking he should just switch to relief, but that doesn't look feasible either.
    Guess it's the chopping block.
    83AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:23
    There are other pitchers just like this out there — why does Takahashi alone get singled out for criticism?
    85AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:24
    Re: #83
    I figured all of Yakult's starters were about this level, then it turns out there's a guy on another planet going 12-4 lol.
    86AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:24
    Feels harsh to criticize him when he only allowed 4 hits.
    89AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:26
    Re: #86
    6 walks/HBPs in 3 innings.
    91AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:28
    Re: #86
    2.2 innings, 4 hits, 4 walks, 2 hit batters, 7 runs.
    Garbage.
    104AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:36
    Takahashi Keiji has never qualified for the ERA title or won double digits in a season — he's stuck at 'promising young player' status, but hey, maybe this is just his level.
    He might break out for the first time at 30, like Hanshin's Haruto Takahashi did.
    109AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:38
    Re: #104
    Haruto Takahashi basically missed 4 years to injury though…
    Turns out Hanshin fans weren't lying when they said 'if he's ever at full health, he's unstoppable.'

    Background and Key Points of the Discussion

    Keiji Takahashi is a high-school-drafted left-hander who joined the Yakult Swallows as the team’s first-round pick in the 2019 draft, and he was selected for the Samurai Japan national team at the 2023 World Baseball Classic. The recurring claim in the thread that “high-school lefties rarely become stars” was based on one poster’s assertion that only Kazuhisa Ishii and Yusei Kikuchi have reached 100 career wins in NPB since the Heisei era began — worth noting this wasn’t backed by any rigorous statistical analysis. Opinion was also split, without a clear resolution, over what actually makes an “ace”: whether it should be judged on this season’s stats alone or on a multi-year track record. As for the outing itself, the line was 2.2 innings, 4 hits, 4 walks, 2 hit batters, and 7 runs allowed — suggesting hits allowed were actually low, and that control trouble from walks and hit batters was the main cause of the runs.

    *This article is compiled as an excerpt and summary of the 5ch (Entertainment & Sports Breaking News+) thread “[Yakult] Fans Lose Faith in Pitcher Keiji Takahashi After 7 Runs Allowed on 4 Hits, ‘Act Like a Pro’… Despite Samurai Japan Experience, ‘When Did It Come to This?’.”

  • Why Do Restaurants Make You Order via Smartphone but Skip the Customer Wi-Fi?

    ITmedia reported that while more restaurants are getting customers to order via smartphone using QR codes, a striking number of them don’t provide free Wi-Fi for customers to use — and the story sparked a reaction on 5channel’s News Express+ board. In the thread, some pointed to the running costs restaurants want to avoid by skipping Wi-Fi, and others said they actually welcome ordering on their own phone over touching a shared tablet for hygiene reasons — but others argued it’s unreasonable for restaurants with poor signal to make customers foot the data bill. Opinions split between the store-side logic of cutting costs and customer frustration over having to cover their own data costs, over whether QR-code ordering is really justified.

    Why Do Restaurants Make You Order via Smartphone but Skip the Customer Wi-Fi? (1/2) – ITmedia NEWS

    Published: September 28, 2026, 7:00 AM

    Updated: September 28, 2026, 10:59 AM

    Source: itmedia.co.jp / Read the original article here

    4AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:19
    If the signal's bad there, they should really provide Wi-Fi.
    9AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:20
    Re: #4

    Places with bad signal would go out of business doing this lol
    317AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:53
    Re: #4
    That's exactly like a place near me.
    With one bar of signal it keeps freezing up, like something's wrong, and you have to reload the page.
    7AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:20
    I just don't go to places like that.

    I avoid places with tablets sitting out too — phones and tablets are dirtier than socks.
    223AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:43
    Re: #7
    By that logic, aren't menus dirty too?
    321AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:53
    Re: #7
    Sounds like you're the type who brings your phone or tablet into the bathroom at home.
    31AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:23
    Come to think of it, a place like that
    could get flooded with fake orders from outside

    though that would count as obstruction of business.
    42AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:25
    Re: #31
    To prevent that, requiring LINE registration is becoming the standard.
    182AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:41
    Re: #42
    If it's just that much, the restaurant should provide a dedicated device.
    52AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:26
    Do you guys seriously reconnect to the Wi-Fi every single time just to order?
    58AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:26
    Re: #52
    I've got unlimited data, so I don't bother connecting each time.
    64AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:28
    Re: #52
    People like that are a tiny minority.
    71AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:28
    Better hog the store's Wi-Fi to get my money's worth
    …just kidding.
    74AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:29
    Re: #71
    You'll just get charged for it via the otoshi fee (the mandatory small appetizer charge at Japanese izakayas).
    81AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:29
    Re: #71
    So you're gonna keep reloading the menu page until you feel you've gotten your money's worth?
    Sounds exhausting lol
    167AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:39
    "A chain restaurant might be one thing, but it's even more true for small and mid-sized restaurants that don't have a lot of tech-savvy staff."

    Then just don't do smartphone ordering in the first place. Why should I have to burn my precious data allowance?
    194AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:42
    Re: #167
    What you're using up is packet data, not "gigs."
    294AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:51
    Re: #167
    Things like no register fraud, no order mistakes —
    it simplifies the annoying closing-time work for the restaurant.
    But they shouldn't be pushing that burden onto customers.
    179AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:41
    Re: #158
    When they clear the plates and wipe the table, I wish they'd properly wipe down the tablet too.
    At family restaurants I go grab a wet wipe first and clean the tablet before ordering.
    185AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:41
    Re: #179
    But that's just smearing the grime around.
    200AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:42
    Re: #185
    It's sticky, so doing that is still better than nothing.
    206AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:43
    Re: #200
    Makes me think ordering on my own phone is just better after all.
    Places like McDonald's are basically all mobile order now anyway.
    217AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:43
    Re: #200
    Just carry your own bottle of Kitchen Haiter (a common bleach spray) and splash it on whenever needed.
    180AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:41
    Whether to go or not is the customer's choice, so if a place doesn't have working Wi-Fi, you just don't go there — isn't that all there is to it?
    193AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:42
    Re: #180
    Then post it at the entrance.
    You can't just walk out once you're already inside and at the ordering stage.
    197AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:42
    Re: #180
    Basically, you only find out after you've already entered the store, so customers end up feeling like they've been "tricked."
    204AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:43
    A basement-level place where only Docomo has signal, no Wi-Fi either —
    and they still make you QR order. I laughed.
    241AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:45
    Re: #204
    So you're saying go outside to order?
    242AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:45
    Re: #204
    If you can't order verbally, just leave.
    209AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:43
    Ordinary people just don't get why the so-called 'educated class' keeps pushing this argument so anxiously.
    Overseas, this kind of infrastructure consolidation has sent national productivity soaring,
    and countries doing the same thing with AI on top are growing at an insane pace.
    Yet Japan alone keeps falling behind, productivity keeps dropping, and it's becoming irreversible.
    236AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:44
    Re: #209
    There's no such country, as always (a stock 5ch retort meaning "here we go again").
    255AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:45
    Re: #209
    If you're going to call yourself part of the "educated class," at least teach them the simple fix: have the restaurant keep one spare phone on hand so customers who forgot theirs can order too.
    345AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:57
    Re: #209
    You'd probably blame the bubble bursting on Wi-Fi too…
    339AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:56
    I'll say it again —
    why are you so deathly opposed to Japan's productivity improving?
    I'm not trying to bait you, but Japan alone is getting left behind the rest of the world's rising productivity, you know?
    Are you saying anyone who pushes for that no matter what is unforgivable and has to stop? That's a pretty dangerous way of thinking.
    351AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:58
    Re: #339
    If restaurants just install tablets themselves, that spending happens right there and productivity goes up, no?
    359AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:58
    Re: #339
    It's the opposite — it's precisely because productivity is falling.
    This is basically solved just by keeping QR ordering as the main method while having one staff member carry a phone to also handle verbal orders. But here you are, embarrassingly steamrolling everyone with the delusion that you alone are right.
    367AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:59
    Re: #339
    It's because it lowers customers' time efficiency.
    Table turnover drops too, so it's only struggling, run-down places that adopt it.

    Background and Key Points of This Discussion

    Mobile ordering (QR-code ordering) offers a major benefit to restaurants struggling with staff shortages: fewer order mistakes and less hassle with register reconciliation. On the other hand, investing in network infrastructure tends to be avoided as an added cost. For customers on budget SIM plans with capped data, a system that eats into their data allowance every time they place an order can be a real burden that’s hard to ignore. In the thread, some said they actually prefer ordering on their own phone over a shared tablet for hygiene reasons, while others criticized the fact that the burden of cost-cutting ends up falling on customers’ data usage — leaving no consensus on whether store-side rationality or customer burden should take priority. Note that some posts that veered off into a debate comparing productivity with other countries have been omitted here, since they aren’t directly related to the Wi-Fi installation issue itself.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5channel (News Express+) thread “Why Do Restaurants Make You Order via Smartphone but Skip the Customer Wi-Fi?.”

  • Why Won’t Third-Party Blockbusters Sell on Switch 2? 5ch Weighs In: ‘The Third-Party Killer Reputation Is Earned’

    With opening-week numbers showing just 60,000 units for Resident Evil Requiem and 30,000 for Elden Ring on Switch 2, 5ch users debated why big-budget third-party titles are underperforming on the console. Explanations ranged from Nintendo’s enduringly loyal fanbase, to the industry norm that a later port doing 10-20% of the original version’s sales counts as a win, to the possibility that existing owners are sticking with their PS5 or PC versions. At the same time, posters kept correcting each other over whether titles actually launched day-and-date, underscoring just how tricky simple sales comparisons can be.

    1AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:54
    Switch 2 Third-Party Blockbuster Sales
    Resident Evil Requiem: 60,000
    Elden Ring: 30,000
    9AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:57
    The 'Third-Party Killer' reputation isn't just for show! (a long-running nickname for Nintendo consoles that crush third-party sales)
    124AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:36
    Re: #9
    It's not 'killing' anything — it's just that stuff sells fine as long as it's not a 'blockbuster.'
    13AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:58
    Feels like the first time in 700 years… (a stock 5ch exaggeration for 'ages')
    31AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:01
    Re: #13
    Go back to hell, you 'dog-made blockbuster.' (mocking wordplay swapping 犬/dog into 大作/blockbuster, jabbing at hyped third-party titles)
    15AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:59
    Average person: 'I'd buy it on Switch 2 if it were good, but it's clearly an inferior port, so I won't.'

    That's just the truth.
    37AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:01
    Re: #15
    'What's a PlayStation?' That's the reality (lol). People go on about it being 'downgraded,' but to average folks who only know Nintendo (and don't care about anything else), there's no comparison to even make, lol
    16AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:59
    Maybe after actually playing games that get hyped as 'masterpieces' on other platforms, people ended up convinced that Nintendo's own games are just more fun after all.
    27AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:00
    Re: #16
    Happens all the time with PS games too — a mass free trial exposes the quality, and then 'nobody plays it even for free.'
    36AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:01
    It's because they all ignored the original Switch, right? Elden Ring is a port arriving 4 years late.
    That's the whole story — PlayStation's edge is fading even in third-party 'blockbusters.' It'll eventually get overtaken there too, just like with Falcom and Atelier games.
    71AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:17
    Re: #36
    On top of that, third parties are probably realizing they can't expect new users to come to PS anymore.
    39AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:02
    First of all, just ditch the game-key cards already. (Switch 2 cartridges that are often just download vouchers, not the actual game data)
    130AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:38
    Re: #39
    Hyperdimension Neptunia isn't on a key card, you know? Go buy it!
    45AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:06
    Re: #37
    So it's simply that nobody's interested, huh…
    78AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:19
    Re: #45
    Because it's not a Nintendo game, that's why.
    51AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:09
    Re: #1
    It's because Nintendo's own games are more fun and better known 😃
    52AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:11
    Re: #51
    There's no title on Switch 2 that's outsold Elden Ring's 30 million copies.
    58AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:15
    To begin with, that's just how later ports go — hitting 10% of the original version's sales counts as a pass, 20% is a triumph.
    For Switch-to-PlayStation ports it's even worse, with some cases coming in under 1%, let alone 10%.

    It's true the day-and-date launches like Resident Evil and Onimusha feel underwhelming, but those are franchises born and raised on PlayStation, so building up an audience takes time.
    I just hope Capcom takes the long view here.
    66AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:16
    Re: #58
    But Pragmata isn't even a PlayStation-born franchise, and it still didn't sell on Switch 2, did it?
    67AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:16
    Re: #56
    That's like saying you can't even count to 40. Don't be ridiculous.
    72AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:18
    Re: #67
    Well, you've only got 20 fingers (and toes) to count with.
    69AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:17
    Re: #1
    Both Elden Ring and Onimusha showed a 'red' (high) first-week sell-through rate in Famitsu's data, so it's certain they sold above what the makers expected.
    88AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:22
    Re: #69
    This is a common misconception, but 'good sell-through rate = sold as well as the game company expected' isn't actually correct.
    Shipment volume is driven by retailer orders, so even if it matches retailers' expectations, that doesn't mean the game company is satisfied.
    87AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:22
    I'll just say it: Persona 4 ended up roughly 50/50 between platforms, and if Persona 6 launches day-and-date, I think the Switch version would actually outsell the rest.
    95AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:25
    Re: #87
    No way. Persona 3 Reload on Switch 2 already flopped miserably.
    96AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:25
    Re: #95
    With RPGs specifically, the Switch version tends to have the advantage in day-and-date releases, so you can't call it impossible.
    104AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:30
    Re: #96
    If it's day-and-date, PC wins for sure. Persona 3 Reload on Switch 2 was a miserable flop at just 6,000 copies, while the Steam version sold as much as 1.9 million.
    108AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:32
    Re: #104
    Wait, was Persona 3 actually a day-and-date release?
    110AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:33
    Re: #104
    I looked it up and it was totally different from that. Did I mix it up with something else?
    99AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:27
    People who wanted to play Elden Ring already played it on PC or PlayStation.
    103AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:29
    Re: #99
    PS5: Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree Edition — 24,012 units (sitting unsold on shelves everywhere)
    Switch 2: Elden Ring Tarnished Edition — 27,604 units (sold out nationwide, #1 on the Nintendo Store download chart)

    Lol, PS5 didn't even win the day-and-date comparison to begin with.
    111AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:33
    Re: #108
    Within about half a year, they put out a port so obviously botched and half-hearted you could tell just from the pre-release info.
    116AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:34
    Re: #111
    Sorry, I don't know about Persona 3 since it wasn't day-and-date — I'm talking about day-and-date releases here.
    114AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:33
    Re: #108
    Persona 3 wasn't day-and-date, but Persona 5 Royal's remaster was — and PC won by a landslide.
    118AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:34
    Re: #114
    What's this 'Persona 5 remaster' you're talking about?
    119AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:34
    Compared to PlayStation, where several Story of Seasons titles that normally sell 100,000-300,000 units domestically end up with sales on later ports so low they're barely even trackable, at least these Switch 2 ports have numbers you can actually see — that alone makes them better off.
    126AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:36
    Re: #119
    More chances for people to try it out isn't a bad thing, I guess, but did it actually accomplish anything? I wonder if it added even 10,000 units worldwide.
    129AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:37
    Ah, the Royal remaster, right — I thought you meant there was a remaster of the original vanilla Persona 5.
    131AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:38
    Re: #129
    Glad you finally get it. So now you understand it's impossible for Switch 2 to win even in a day-and-date release, right?

    Background and Key Points of This Discussion

    The “60,000 units” and “30,000 units” figures cited in the thread mainly come from domestic retail weekly sales tallies such as Famitsu’s data, and it’s worth noting these don’t include digital downloads or overseas sales. Switch 2’s installed base in Japan far exceeds the PS5’s, creating a structural advantage for Nintendo titles that isn’t visible from raw sales comparisons alone. Also, the “first-week sell-through rate” is the ratio of units sold to units shipped to stores, and a high sell-through rate doesn’t necessarily mean sales met the publisher’s own expectations — a point raised in the thread (post 88) that holds up as industry practice. Throughout the thread, posters repeatedly corrected each other over whether titles were actually released day-and-date, a recurring example of how conflating different release formats derails these kinds of discussions.

    *This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Hardware/Industry, “Geha”) thread “[Mystery] Why don’t third-party blockbusters sell on Switch 2…“

  • Final Boss Reveal Timing: Early, Mid, or Late? 5ch Debates It Hard

    On 5ch’s “Nandemo Jikkyo G” board, a thread heated up over which is best for RPGs and manga: a final boss who’s “there from the very start,” one “whose true identity is revealed midway through,” or one who “shows up abruptly right at the very end.” Posters traded opinions citing specific titles like Lost Odyssey, Final Fantasy VI, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, and Dragon Quest. The “revealed midway” pattern won the most support as the “safe bet,” while plenty of voices also praised the structure where an enemy commander visible from early on simply turns out to be the true final boss. On the topic of an ally character secretly being the final boss, names likely to spark debate came up too — like Rinoa (FF8).

    1AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:47
    Midway reveal is the safest bet, honestly
    3AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:48
    "The enemy commander who's there from the start just turns out to be the true final boss"
    10AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:53
    Re: #3
    That's exactly how Lost Odyssey did it
    17AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:55
    Re: #3
    Kefka and Kalra are good examples of that working well
    7AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:51
    "This guy's the root cause from the start" types are usually just the opening act
    9AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:52
    Re: #7
    If the apparent root cause just stays the final boss, it might actually feel refreshingly novel
    116AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:38
    Re: #7
    If Masa from Higanjima (a horror manga about a vampire-infested island) turned out NOT to be the final boss, the whole series' reputation would flip overnight
    13AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:53
    You've gotta drop the name at least a little beforehand, or you end up like Mildrath (Dragon Quest V's final boss, who appears with almost no buildup) — people just go "wait, who?"
    21AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:57
    Re: #13
    Yeah, like having the current apparent-final-boss casually mention there's someone above him
    16AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:55
    If it all wraps up as neatly as Hoshin Engi (Soul Hunter), a late reveal is fine, but things rarely go that smoothly.
    Don't a lot of recent works just show the final boss early on?
    31AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:00
    Re: #16
    Even Joka (Hoshin Engi's true final boss) had a bit of foreshadowing, at least
    18AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:55
    A crazy-strong boss showing up out of nowhere at the end can work too, depending on how it's handled
    20AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:56
    Re: #18
    Pepsiman lmaooo
    23AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:57
    Re: #18
    Danganronpa V3, maybe
    22AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:57
    Saluin had that classic Seven Heroes final-boss vibe, then suddenly turns into some baffling "Destroyer" entity
    36AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:01
    Re: #22
    That's the avatar of destruction summoned by the demon nobles
    26AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:58
    They hint at it the whole time and then it just never shows up
    28AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:59
    Re: #26
    That's just getting cancelled, isn't it!
    38AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:02
    Re: #26
    In a way, Hajime no Ippo counts as that too
    39AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:03
    Re: #26
    El Shaddai, maybe?
    29AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:59
    There from the start: DIO
    Revealed midway: Yoshikage Kira
    Shows up at the very end: Wonder of U
    37AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:02
    Re: #29
    People often say it's a shame the JoJolion villain wasn't brought in from partway through instead
    43AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:05
    Games where the protagonist becomes the final boss are always masterpieces
    46AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:06
    Re: #43
    Well, Live A Live and NieR count too
    49AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:10
    Re: #43
    Utawarerumono, maybe?
    51AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:10
    Re: #43
    Depending on the route, GTA V too
    61AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:18
    Quests to stop some big revival pretty much always fail, huh
    69AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:19
    Re: #61
    "We stopped it!" doesn't exactly make for dramatic tension…
    72AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:20
    Re: #61
    Well, if you actually stopped it, the story would just end…
    78AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:21
    Re: #61
    Occasionally you get "we stopped the FULL revival — if it had completed, we'd have been finished," and I love that one
    63AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:18
    Stuff like "a being formed from all of humanity's malice gathering together" is such a letdown, right?
    65AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:19
    Re: #63
    Hey, don't trash-talk Persona
    77AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:21
    Re: #63
    Just once I'd like it to be everyone's goodwill gathering together instead
    89AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:26
    Are there any cases of an ally who's there from the start turning out to be the final boss?
    90AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:26
    Re: #89
    Utawarerumono
    91AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:27
    Re: #89
    This'll start a flame war, but — Rinoa (FF8)
    94AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:28
    Re: #89
    It felt more like an exhibition match, but Naruto's final fight was against Sasuke too
    98AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:31
    What about a final boss who's around from early on but just keeps fleeing over and over?
    104AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:34
    Re: #98
    As long as you can tolerate the "gets hit with poison bugs and takes a hole clean through him every time but somehow survives" routine, it's fine, right?
    119AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:40
    Re: #98
    Just who is this "Naraku" guy anyway? (a nod to Inuyasha's villain, infamous for endlessly fleeing and regenerating)
    122AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:43
    Re: #98
    Baikinman, Bowser, Dr. Wily — those are all perfectly good examples

    Background and Key Points of This Discussion

    The timing of a final boss’s reveal is a classic fork in narrative construction, generally splitting into two types: the “plain sight” pattern, where the mastermind visible from early on simply turns out to be the true enemy, and the “twist” pattern, where an unexpected entity appears at the end. Though it wasn’t raised in the thread, the twist pattern risks feeling like a “bolted-on villain” if the foreshadowing isn’t handled carefully, while the plain-sight pattern carries the mirror-image weakness of struggling to sustain tension through to the finale if the early impression is too weak. The “revealed midway” pattern earned praise as the “safe bet” likely because it’s easier to balance the amount of foreshadowing against the impact of the reveal. The titles cited — Lost Odyssey, FF6, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, and others — are mostly works that have been out or running for a long time, and the relative lack of references to recent titles suggests this classification itself may be a somewhat dated framework.

    ※This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Nandemo Jikkyo G) thread “Final boss: “there from the start,” “revealed midway,” or “shows up at the very end” — so which one’s actually correct?.”

  • One Piece: Zoro Dons His Bandana and Awakens Conqueror’s Haki — Fans Split Over Art Quality and Power Creep

    In the latest chapter of One Piece, Zoro ties on his bandana and unleashes Conqueror’s Haki, sparking a flood of reactions on 5ch’s Nanidemo Jikkyo G board. Rather than excitement, the thread was dominated by complaints about the art — “the direction has gotten worse,” “it used to hit harder with one big splash panel” — along with pointed remarks that Conqueror’s Haki has become so common among characters that it now amounts to a “bargain sale.” Commenters also noted the still-blurry distinction between Armament and Observation Haki, and voiced concern over creator Eiichiro Oda’s health amid his frequent hiatuses — the thread blending genuine excitement with a sense of fatigue toward the long-running series.

    5AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:49
    The art direction has really gone downhill, no joke
    10AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:51
    Re: #5
    Back in the day this would've been one big, impactful splash panel
    8AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:50
    If he's tying on the bandana, the cape just seems like it'd get in the way
    9AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:51
    Back in the day guys like Mimura and Sanma wouldn't shut up about One Piece on TV (famous comedians who were vocal fans) — now nobody even brings it up
    11AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:51
    Powers up just by putting on a bandana!
    So cool 🤮
    13AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:51
    Devil Fruit powers barely matter anymore, it's all turned into a Haki stat-check. If you don't have Conqueror's Haki you're useless in a fight
    17AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:53
    Re: #13
    Probably meant as a buff for Devil Fruit users — otherwise nobody would need crewmates
    14AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:52
    He's had a lot of breaks lately, hope Odacchi's doing okay (affectionate nickname for creator Oda)
    15AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:53
    Guess all it takes is tying on a bandana and glaring hard to bring out your Haki
    16AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:53
    Conqueror's Haki users are a dime a dozen now, why's everyone acting so terrified?
    19AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:54
    With an ending like this, shouldn't the last panel just be Zoro's cool bandana face and then 'see you next week'?
    20AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:55
    'You can't even land a hit on the late-game dungeon bosses without Conqueror's Haki' — sounds like a broken game
    32AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:00
    Re: #20
    Like Joy Boy did, Haki can apparently be stored in objects — so maybe Usopp could load Luffy's Conqueror's Haki into a bullet and snipe with it? Probably
    22AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:56
    I got more hyped watching Chopper pop a Rumble Ball
    75AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:21
    Re: #22
    Fishman Island arc
    Rubber-boy: "That's nothing but doping!!" (mocking nickname for Luffy)
    23AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:56
    Sorry, when's the one eye finally supposed to awaken?
    24AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:56
    There's something stuck in his left shoulder area
    A hose?
    26AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:56
    Yikes! (pissing himself)
    Is this really what used to be Japan's top-selling manga? Genuinely sad
    27AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:57
    Aaaaaaah
    Shaking
    Trembling
    Tears and snot gushing everywhere
    ⭐︎To be continued!!! Next issue: on hiatus
    28AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:57
    Wait, if taking it off makes him weaker anyway, why'd he ever take the bandana off in the first place?
    30AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:59
    Can he not just end a chapter on a cool note for once, seriously 😅
    Guess Oda still thinks Enel's goofy faces are eternally funny
    31AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:00
    I think this one's better than usual, though the old 'trying to cut through steel' scene was cooler.
    Let's pretend Somars never happened
    33AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:00
    Also, forcing a reaction like that out of someone he already drew blood on just makes the swordsman look worse.
    Imagine if Mr. 1 had freaked out in fear right before getting sliced apart — that would've ruined the whole scene
    34AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:01
    The Knights of God are way too small-time.
    How's the story even going to handle the villains in the Laugh Tale arc…?
    35AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:01
    It's basically a Conqueror's Haki bargain sale at this point.
    Couldn't they have at least kept it limited to the top of each faction?
    36AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:01
    The scared guy's face looks like something out of a Maniwa Kazuo comic (manga artist known for exaggerated grotesque expressions)
    37AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:02
    Wasn't Zoro supposed to be the Armament Haki guy and Sanji the Observation Haki guy?
    38AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:03
    Re: #37
    I assumed they'd each master their own type and cover for each other in battle
    44AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:04
    Re: #37
    Usopp could've specialized in Observation Haki too — just coating his bullets with Haki would already make him decently useful
    50AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:06
    Why does this end almost exactly the same way the last chapter did?
    57AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:10
    Re: #50
    Probably came up with several versions of the same cliffhanger and couldn't decide which one to use
    64AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:15
    There's no way the old sense of style is coming back at this point, so let's just wrap it up already
    66AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:17
    Re: #64
    Seriously, I wish the pacing would pick up — at this rate who knows how many more years this'll drag on
    67AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:17
    Who's this pathetic, grubby old man crying like that?
    Also he just looks like he's acting tough against some nobody
    71AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:19
    Re: #67
    He's a senior officer under the final boss's crew
    72AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:19
    Re: #67
    Well, his base strength is probably around Jinbe's level — he's just buffed by Im-sama
    110AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:42
    I get Armament and Observation Haki, but what actually is Conqueror's Haki supposed to be at this point?
    115AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:44
    Re: #110
    I used to think it was a special-bloodline Haki, like a 'king's vessel' or something tied to the Will of D. — but now that Zoro can use it, it's just become a confusing mess of a concept
    117AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:44
    Re: #110
    Didn't they just call it 'presence/intimidation'?
    120AnonymousSep 28, 2026 12:45
    Re: #110
    Apparently it's about 'the self,' lol
    Honestly it's just psyching yourself up, wrapping yourself in an aura, and punching or slashing — there's basically no difference from Armament Haki
    And of course nobody explains why that alone can cut through an immortal's heart

    Background and Talking Points

    Conqueror’s Haki was originally portrayed as a rare trait held by only a handful of figures, such as Whitebeard and Shanks, but in recent years more and more characters — even within the Straw Hat crew itself — have gained the ability, leading commenters to describe the setting as having inflated to the point of a “Conqueror’s Haki bargain sale.” The fact that the story keeps moving forward without clearly explaining the difference between Armament and Observation Haki has fed complaints that the series has become “less a battle of abilities and more a Haki stat-check.” On the art side, many readers unfavorably compared this chapter’s paneling to the impact of past full-page splash panels, calling the direction “degraded,” compounded by ongoing worries over Eiichiro Oda’s health given his frequent hiatuses. Zoro’s bandana has long served as a visual cue for a Haki awakening, but this time many readers felt that on its own it fell flat.

    *This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Nanidemo Jikkyo G) thread “Zoro Finally Ties On His Bandana and Masters Conqueror’s Haki!!!!!!”

  • Individual JGBs vs. NISA? Cautious Savers Debate Asset-Building on 5ch

    The thread kicked off with a simple question aimed at people who say “investing scares me because I might lose money”: why not just buy individual government bonds, which come with a principal guarantee? Posters pointed out that these bonds pay higher interest than an ordinary savings account and won’t lose principal unless Japan’s finances collapse entirely — though others pushed back, arguing the interest gap isn’t that big and the paperwork hassle isn’t worth the modest payoff. As the discussion rolled on, it branched into monthly investing in All-Country index funds (オルカン) and the S&P 500, bank time-deposit campaigns, and how much to keep as an emergency fund, with the conversation trending toward a consensus: mix bonds, savings, and stocks according to your own risk tolerance.

    1AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:07
    Unless Japan's finances completely collapse, you get your money back — super low risk. And if Japan DID go bankrupt, the yen would be worthless paper anyway, so bonds are basically savings accounts on steroids.
    Plus the interest is like 5-6x what most ordinary savings accounts pay.
    Other than being locked in for a year, it's genuinely great — why isn't everyone buying these?
    8AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:13
    Maybe it's that it's a bit of a hassle for not much payoff. That's the downside, I guess.
    9AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:13
    Re: #8
    If you put in a decent amount, the difference really adds up.
    11AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:14
    Pretty much every self-employed person maxes out their Small Enterprise Mutual Aid plan (小規模企業共済, a tax-advantaged retirement fund for sole proprietors) anyway — that's basically their investment right there.
    13AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:15
    Re: #11
    But most people in the world aren't self-employed.
    16AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:16
    Re: #9
    I guess the logic is: people willing to deal with the hassle go for stocks since they pay off more, and people who hate hassle won't bother with bonds either if the payoff's only slight.
    22AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:18
    Re: #16
    Hmm.
    Forget the hassle-haters, but even for the stock-picking crowd, I'd still recommend buying at least a little.
    I'm in All-Country index funds (オルカン) myself, and sure, that'll outperform, but I hold a solid chunk of bonds too just to keep my mental steady during a crash.
    Panic-selling wipes out everything you gained.
    23AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:20
    Aren't banks getting nervous with everyone piling into investing?
    My retired mom brought home a flyer saying NISA's too confusing for her at this point so she wants a time deposit instead — 3 million yen for 3 years at about 1.9%. No risk of losing principal and a guaranteed +300k, that's actually pretty solid.
    She might end up out-earning me, and I only just started NISA this year.
    24AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:21
    Re: #23
    Bank time deposits have gotten better lately too, though sometimes that rate includes a promotional campaign bonus.
    26AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:22
    Re: #23
    It's decent, but for something like a 3-year horizon, individual bonds actually beat a time deposit.
    Time deposits are better suited for 6-month or 1-year terms.
    25AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:22
    The truth is most people just aren't that interested in money.
    27AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:23
    Re: #25
    Really?
    Feels like talk about investing and saving has been picking up lately.
    28AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:23
    Re: #24
    Yeah, it included the campaign bonus.
    Looks like the condition was opening a new account.
    I did research the bank first before giving my okay.
    A friend told me I should just borrow that 3 million and build a portfolio to grow it myself, but that felt too risky, so I had her put it in a time deposit instead.
    You never know how much longer a parent's going to be around, after all.
    33AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:25
    Re: #28
    I think that's the right call.
    Even with a campaign bonus, if the conditions line up for you, it's a good deal.
    29AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:24
    This'll be my first time getting in.
    Throwing in a few hundred thousand yen I made off semiconductor stocks.
    40AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:27
    Re: #29
    Nice.
    Shore up your defense too and build up that grip strength 💪 ("握力," forum slang for the willpower to hold a position through a downturn instead of panic-selling)
    34AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:25
    I'm a second-generation business owner, but among my freelancer friends it's all "Mutual aid fund? What's that? Tax savings sound like a pain," kind of guys.
    42AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:28
    Re: #34
    Uh…
    Are they rich or just completely indifferent?
    35AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:25
    I think it's fine to take on risk with NISA while you're still working — if you lose money, you can just keep working to cover it.
    Shifting to defensive assets is a conversation for after you retire.
    43AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:28
    Re: #35
    My risk tolerance is low, so I buy bonds too, for the grip strength (holding power).
    Of course I'm buying All-Country funds as well.
    36AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:25
    Even at 5x an ordinary savings rate, that's just 5x 0.1% —
    only 0.5%. An All-Country index fund gets you 3%+.
    39AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:27
    Re: #36
    Which bank has a 0.1% rate?
    My local regional bank pays 0.4% on ordinary savings.
    And right now you can get about 1.9% on a 3-year bond and 2.2% on a 5-year one.
    41AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:27
    At this point buying these "crap bonds" (ウン国債, a pun on うんこ/"poop" + 国債/"bonds") is on the same level as buying Chinese stocks.
    44AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:28
    Re: #41
    Chinese stocks don't come with a principal guarantee though…
    72AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:42
    Keeping money in a bank has its own risk, you know —
    and I don't mean the deposit-insurance payout cap (ペイオフ) kind of risk.
    73AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:43
    Re: #72
    What kind of risk is that?
    Seriously, fill me in.
    77AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:44
    Re: #72
    Because inflation is expected to keep rising over the long run.
    74AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:43
    The thread title (スレタイ) is already something, but
    the All-Country/S&P zealots scare me too.

    Life is long and there will be times you need cash,
    yet they're assuming you can keep contributing for 10+ years straight.
    Not many people have the mental fortitude to keep buying in while watching their losses grow during a downturn.
    76AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:44
    Re: #74
    This is seriously true.
    If you don't have the mental bandwidth for it, I think you should raise your bond allocation and keep more in savings.
    84AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:47
    Re: #74
    Normally you wouldn't put your emergency fund, or your kids' tuition savings if you have kids, into investments anyway.
    You buy All-Country funds assuming your money's locked up long-term.
    75AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:44
    The yen itself is the thing that's crashed the hardest, if you think about it.
    79AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:45
    Re: #75
    Ordinary savings accounts are the real danger.
    Go with All-Country funds or bonds — or at minimum a time deposit with a decent rate.
    81AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:46
    Re: #75
    There's also the risk of the U.S. forcing a stronger yen on us, so it's not so simple anymore.
    98AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:53
    Re: #75
    Buy low, sell high is the basic rule — so if not now, while the yen's cheap, when?
    82AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:46
    Honestly, point-hunting (ポイ活, stacking up credit-card/loyalty reward points) is safer.
    3% a month with zero risk.
    85AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:47
    Re: #82
    If we're going there, a side hustle pays even better with a higher return rate.
    But we're talking about ordinary asset management here.
    87AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:48
    Re: #82
    You should factor this in too —
    2% from a variable-rate individual bond,
    plus 2% from a Mizuho Rakuten card, and just living normally nets you 4%.
    92AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:52
    You should wait a bit longer on bonds — the rate's going to climb.
    94AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:52
    Re: #92
    Maybe, but there's also a non-zero chance it drops, so I'll just buy in now while I can.
    97AnonymousSep 28, 2026 11:53
    Re: #92
    That's exactly why you go with the 10-year variable-rate type.

    Background and Key Points of This Debate

    Individual government bonds (such as the 10-year variable-rate type) are issued by the state, so the principal is protected, and recent market rates run around 1.9% for the 3-year bond and 2.2% for the 5-year — well above what most banks pay on ordinary savings (roughly 0.1-0.4%). That said, they generally can’t be cashed in for the first year, and the payoff is small unless you’re investing a substantial sum. NISA and All-Country index funds (オルカン, tracking a broad global stock index), on the other hand, offer no principal guarantee but open the door to long-term capital gains and a tax-free allowance — which takes the mental discipline to keep contributing even while your position is underwater. The thread’s central disagreement was which of these to build around: bonds that are guaranteed but grow slowly, or stocks that can grow more but can also fall. Most participants were converging on the idea that combining both, weighted by age and whether you already have an emergency fund, is the sensible approach. The conversation also touched on how to value dollar-denominated assets amid the weak yen — a reminder that this isn’t a topic with one simple right answer.

    *This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Nandemo Jikkyo G board) thread “Mystery faction: ‘Investing is dangerous! I won’t do NISA because I might lose money!’ — So why not just buy government bonds?.”