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  • Daisuke Hori Called Out by Serious Lifters: ‘Your Form Is Just Wrong’

    Daisuke Hori’s weightlifting footage drew a wave of criticism from serious lifters on 5ch’s “Nandemo Jikkyo G” board, who pointed out that his form was wrong. Hori reportedly trained while sleep-deprived, and some users suggested his real goal wasn’t muscle growth but simply waking himself up. The thread was split between commenters who credited him for maintaining a decent physique despite the lack of sleep, and harsher critics who called his results underwhelming given how many years he’s supposedly been training. Hori’s refusal to budge from his own theories even when challenged by experts also became a talking point.

    2AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:20
    It's not weightlifting, it's just to wake himself up, you know
    12AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:21
    'Muscle synthesis runs on an 8-hour cycle, so I trained for 8 hours' ←🤔
    23AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:24
    Re: #12
    Digging his own grave with that weird excuse
    20AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:23
    The amazing thing about this guy is he pushes his own theory even in front of actual experts
    Does he not have a concept of embarrassment?
    77AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:51
    Re: #20
    That sheer stubbornness alone is a real talent
    Even when shown scientific evidence, he pushes back with anecdotes and mystery 'proof' without flinching — basically unbeatable, or rather, arguing with this guy is pointless
    102AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:34
    Re: #77
    He's basically a regular here himself (a poster on the 'Nandemo Jikkyo G' board)
    21AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:24
    He's actually got muscle on him, so isn't that fine?
    26AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:25
    Re: #21
    From a serious lifter's perspective, he's barely got any muscle — dude's scrawny
    30AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:26
    Re: #21
    For someone who's been lifting for years, this is honestly pretty lame
    32AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:27
    Re: #21
    This is nothing impressive at all
    36AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:28
    Lmao, not sleeping is literally sabotaging that 'muscle synthesis' he's talking about
    40AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:29
    Re: #36
    It'd be way more meaningful if he compared his training with sleep vs. without
    38AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:29
    But he was a short sleeper, so isn't that kind of impressive?
    42AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:30
    Re: #38
    You mean a 'micro-sleeper'? (even more extreme than a short sleeper — barely sleeps at all)
    43AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:30
    Re: #38
    If he wanted to really claim 'short sleeper' status, he should've slept about 4 hours, then done the workout as a wake-up call, and gone about his day without even showering
    46AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:31
    Mikiya Takasu is rich enough to build a whole home gym, yet here's equipment just lined up in an ordinary room — kind of surreal

    Using what looks like an expensive rug he got as a gift instead of a proper mat
    101AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:34
    Re: #46
    Bringing up Mikiya Takasu out of nowhere is genuinely unhinged, Hori fanboy
    How much do you hate Takasu, seriously
    53AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:34
    This guy really never says anything to people who actually seem strong, huh
    72AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:46
    Re: #53
    The people this guy has decided are 'beneath him':
    Mikiya Takasu, Sho Takeyaki, and Fumin Takada
    81AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:00
    Is it true that correct form matters more in lifting than time or reps?
    How big a difference does it actually make?
    82AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:02
    Re: #81
    That kind of thing changes every year anyway, so consistency matters most
    83AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:02
    Re: #81
    I think the gap is big enough that it's almost pointless if you're not loading the muscle correctly
    86AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:04
    Re: #81
    No idea about the difference in results, but you'll get injured
    112AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:44
    It's just exercise to wake himself up to cover for his own lie, so it's a bit much to lump him in with serious lifters
    113AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:44
    Re: #112
    This guy's serious enough to have actually competed in physique competitions though

    Background and Key Points

    Daisuke Hori is said to have a history of competing in physique competitions, and has repeatedly become a topic on 5ch thanks to his distinctive lifestyle and remarks. The core of this criticism is twofold: he presented exercise done while sleep-deprived as “weight training,” and the theoretical explanation he attached to it (things like an “8-hour muscle synthesis cycle”) didn’t match actual training science. Opinions on his physique itself were also split in the thread, with some praising him for maintaining his build despite the lack of sleep, and others calling it underwhelming given how many years he’s reportedly been training. The thread also contained unconfirmed rumors about his health and possible legal trouble, but since these can’t be verified, they are not covered in this article.

    *This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Nandemo Jikkyo G) thread “[Sad News] Daisuke Hori Gets Called Out by Serious Lifters for Doing His Weight Training Wrong wwwwwwwwww.”

  • New ‘The Apothecary Diaries’ Game Ditches Combat for a Puzzle-Solving Sim, Splits 5ch Fans — ‘The Apothecary Atelier’

    A livestream PV for a new game based on “The Apothecary Diaries” was released, sparking discussion on 5ch’s Hardware/Industry (Geha) board. With no combat, the game has players gather herbs while solving puzzles, leading some to dub it “Maomao’s Atelier.” The thread was split over whether the official “open world” label is justified, the game’s quality as a character-based tie-in, and whether convenience-focused features like bulk gathering are actually a good thing.

    5AnonymousSep 21, 2026 09:49
    Gust (the studio behind the Atelier series)… open world… ugh, my head hurts
    7AnonymousSep 21, 2026 09:50
    Watching that sluggish, controller-stick camera movement in the PV kills all my motivation
    12AnonymousSep 21, 2026 09:57
    Honestly, putting out something this half-baked won't even get 10% of the original's fans to buy it, so I don't see the point of making it.
    Nobody was even asking for a game.
    13AnonymousSep 21, 2026 09:58
    It's basically "Maomao's Atelier" — set your expectations too high and you'll be let down.
    I'm curious about the new Nobunaga's Ambition too, but I've bought every entry full price plus the Power-Up Kit since Souzou, and the only one I still actually play now is Souzou Sengoku Risshiden.
    Honestly I'm running out of patience with the series.
    14AnonymousSep 21, 2026 09:59
    Even as just a character tie-in game, being able to put out this level of quality nowadays is pretty nice
    15AnonymousSep 21, 2026 10:00
    Is an Atelier game with no combat even fun?
    Doesn't that mean you lose that satisfying rush of grinding away and suddenly seeing your damage numbers skyrocket?
    35AnonymousSep 21, 2026 10:30
    Re: #15
    The original story isn't about the heroine physically mowing down enemies,
    so it's probably like Dragon Quest Builders branching into something like "Poko-a" (a lighter, non-combat spin-off).
    16AnonymousSep 21, 2026 10:00
    Women in their 40s and up are the main target audience, so of course there's no combat
    19AnonymousSep 21, 2026 10:02
    Predicting the review video thumbnail:

    "This game sucks."
    or
    "This game is a masterpiece."
    21AnonymousSep 21, 2026 10:04
    This is basically just Atelier — I wonder if there's really no combat
    22AnonymousSep 21, 2026 10:08
    It's not an RPG, it's a puzzle-solving slice-of-life sim
    No combat at all
    Mainly about gathering herbs
    You restore stamina with poisonous herbs
    23AnonymousSep 21, 2026 10:08
    I'd actually buy a new Atelier game if Shallistera were the lead, but that'll never happen.
    It's a series where the character is everything, so if she's not exactly my type I just can't get into it.
    Wish they'd let you pick your protagonist from past entries.
    24AnonymousSep 21, 2026 10:10
    Re: #1
    There's actually a ton of area transitions
    26AnonymousSep 21, 2026 10:18
    Re: #24
    They probably kept the loading screens in on purpose
    25AnonymousSep 21, 2026 10:13
    This looks like a graduation project from a game design trade school
    27AnonymousSep 21, 2026 10:19
    Apothecary Atelier
    The Poison-Eating Girl Pharmacist
    28AnonymousSep 21, 2026 10:21
    They just slapped some detective elements onto the standard Atelier formula to make it feel like Apothecary, right? lol
    30AnonymousSep 21, 2026 10:24
    Are we seriously going to get some ridiculously long reaction animation every single time we pick an herb?

    That sounds like hell.
    31AnonymousSep 21, 2026 10:26
    Doesn't it seem way too easy to grab items, one after another?
    And that "gather all at once" option kind of kills the whole point of foraging, doesn't it?
    85AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:21
    Re: #31
    That's a bit of a stretch.
    Games that prioritized painstaking detail over convenience have gotten absolutely trashed before too.
    38AnonymousSep 21, 2026 10:39
    In this world, beautiful women get kidnapped and sold off instantly, so she wears makeup to look plain on purpose — and yet there's still no combat?
    42AnonymousSep 21, 2026 10:47
    Re: #38
    It's probably not so dangerous that you'd get jumped without warning multiple times a day lol
    39AnonymousSep 21, 2026 10:45
    Isn't the eye-shine, facial expression changes, and overall motion way too weak?
    Can people really find this cute?
    40AnonymousSep 21, 2026 10:45
    I tried watching it, but the commentary is pretty grating.
    They should really present it in a calmer tone.
    41AnonymousSep 21, 2026 10:46
    I'm pretty sure the original has a huge female fanbase.
    Could this be a stepping stone for Atelier to move into otome-game territory?
    43AnonymousSep 21, 2026 10:47
    This kind of Chinese-style harem/palace fantasy stuff has been trendy lately.
    Like "Futsutsuka na Akujo" (roughly, "The Undeserving Villainess") and similar titles.
    46AnonymousSep 21, 2026 10:57
    If you get to soak in the anime's atmosphere and you love the series, gameplay quality is secondary.
    I'm looking forward to it.
    47AnonymousSep 21, 2026 10:59
    Re: #1
    I figured it'd just be a slideshow-style visual novel, but it's open world?? 😮
    49AnonymousSep 21, 2026 11:02
    It's exactly this kind of thing getting labeled "open world" that keeps warping the whole conversation.
    Though really it's the media that started using "open world" as a slick marketing buzzword in the first place.
    58AnonymousSep 21, 2026 11:13
    Looks like it'll be fun to rip apart.
    69AnonymousSep 21, 2026 11:53
    People have started calling what's really just an "open field" game "open world." I wish people would at least use the terms correctly here on the Geha board.
    95AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:12
    Re: #69
    Wasn't "open field" originally a term Nomura coined anyway?
    70AnonymousSep 21, 2026 11:55
    I've never read the original or watched the anime, but is there combat?
    If there's no combat it might be a bit boring.
    71AnonymousSep 21, 2026 11:56
    Re: #70
    I've never read the original or watched the anime either, but

    going by the replies above, sounds like there's no combat.
    76AnonymousSep 21, 2026 12:04
    Man, that green outfit is really plain.
    Looks like a background NPC.
    87AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:35
    Re: #76
    It's obvious you've never read the original or watched the anime at all.
    89AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:01
    Re: #87
    This isn't a place where only people who've actually read it are allowed to post, you know.
    Obviously not.
    90AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:05
    Re: #89
    I never said don't post, lol.
    I just think it's funny that you're complaining while knowing this little about it.

    Background and Key Points of This Discussion

    This game comes from the development team behind the original “The Apothecary Diaries,” and as noted in the thread, its gathering-and-exploration-focused design owes a clear debt to the Atelier series. The lack of combat traces back to the source material itself: it’s a story about solving mysteries through pharmacological knowledge, not one where the heroine physically beats down enemies. Meanwhile, the term “open world” is often used as a marketing buzzword without a clear definition, and on the Hardware/Industry board, debates over how it differs from “open field” come up again and again. At the point this thread was posted, only the livestream PV had been shown, so the actual gameplay feel and amount of content remain unknown. It’s also worth keeping in mind that the “masterpiece” praise seen in the thread reflects hopeful expectations from fans of the original — pre-release reactions, as always, are a genuine mix of praise and skepticism.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hardware/Industry (Geha)) thread “[Good News] The Apothecary Diaries Open World Game Turned Out to Be a Masterpiece 🌿.”

  • CHARA’s Black-Haired Throwback From Her Debut at 23 Sparks Reactions — 5ch: ‘I Love “Tsumibukaku Aishite yo” (“Love Me Sinfully”)’

    On September 20, singer CHARA posted a black-haired throwback photo from age 23 on her Instagram ahead of her 35th debut anniversary. CHARA debuted in 1990 with the single “Heaven,” and is known for hit songs like “Tsumibukaku Aishite yo” (“Love Me Sinfully”) as well as her role in director Shunji Iwai’s film Swallowtail Butterfly. The post sparked a wave of nostalgic comments on 5ch about her songs and film roles, with the thread branching out into talk of her children with actor Tadanobu Asano and even a joking suggestion that CHARA, Char, and Chage should form a band together.

    CHARA’s Black-Haired Photo at 23 Draws Reactions! Shared Ahead of 35th Debut Anniversary: “Thought It Was Eliza for a Second,” “She’s Always Been Cute”

    Sun, Sept 20, 6:59 PM

    Singer CHARA (58) updated her Instagram on the 20th, sharing a photo from her debut 35 years ago.

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

    10AnonymousSep 21, 2026 12:58
    They're doing a 30th anniversary revival screening of Swallowtail Butterfly, and Chara is just relentlessly cute in it.

    Probably fried a lot of guys' brains back in the day.
    12AnonymousSep 21, 2026 12:59
    She bought a Swahili dictionary, found the word 'UA,' called up the university professor who'd compiled the dictionary to confirm its meaning, and used it as her stage name.
    44AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:22
    Re: #12
    That's Cocco (a different singer).
    14AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:01
    The psychology behind posting photos of your own younger self
    27AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:07
    Re: #14
    It's the mindset of someone confronting their own aging.
    Celebrities probably feel the fear of getting old and losing their looks more intensely than anyone else.
    15AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:02
    I wonder what happened to 'Shijin no Chi' ("Poet's Blood")?
    32AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:11
    Re: #15
    Crooked teeth like that were totally normal up through the 2000s.
    These days she'd get roasted online for it.
    67AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:42
    Re: #15
    Takehara Pistol is doing solo work now.
    20AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:04
    That sickly-sweet voice of hers is definitely a love-it-or-hate-it thing.
    77AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:07
    Re: #20
    It's less about the voice itself and more her vocal delivery and way of talking.
    Same with YUKI — it comes off like some kind of baby-talk act, I really can't stand it.
    23AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:06
    You probably won't believe it, but when Kaela Kimura debuted, I genuinely thought an angel had descended to earth.
    28AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:07
    Re: #23
    Watched the "Happiness" music video and was floored — she looks like a completely different person now.
    26AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:07
    Musicians from Kawaguchi City:

    Toshiteru Chiku (of Tama)
    CHARA
    Kayoko Yoshizawa
    72AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:59
    Re: #26
    I had a classmate named Chiku — apparently their dad was into the arts, so I randomly wondered if they were related to the guy from Tama.
    41AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:16
    The Indian enka singer guy!?
    47AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:24
    Re: #41
    That's Tiger Jeet Singh (the pro wrestler).
    45AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:22
    I want CHARA, Char, and Chage to form a band together.
    69AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:49
    Re: #45
    Throw CHAKA in there too.
    53AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:27
    I love 'Tsumibukaku Aishite yo' ("Love Me Sinfully").
    58AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:31
    I always liked 'Uso Tsuku no ni Narenaide' ("Don't Get Used to Lying").
    80AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:16
    Re: #1 Re: #58
    Even listening now, it's a great song — stylish, full of feeling, really something.
    Same with "SOUL KISS."


    Re: #53
    Her freewheeling, do-whatever-she-wants dancing is the best part too.
    62AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:37
    'Heaven's Kitchen♪ Heaven's Kitchen♪' — man, that takes me back.
    66AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:41
    Re: #62
    That's Ringo Sheena.
    76AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:07
    Shunji Iwai was basically a one-hit wonder with Swallowtail Butterfly.
    Haven't seen anything from him since.
    83AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:23
    Re: #76
    Uh, there's All About Lily Chou-Chou, a landmark of Japanese cinema.
    85AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:25
    CHARA's best album has to be Madrigal, right?
    93AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:46
    Re: #85
    For me it's Violet Blue, with SOUL KISS as a close second.

    Background and Key Points of This Topic

    CHARA debuted in 1990 with the single “Heaven,” and this post came ahead of her 35th anniversary in the industry. The film Swallowtail Butterfly (1996, directed by Shunji Iwai), which came up repeatedly in the thread, is one of her defining works — she starred in it and sang its theme songs — and its 30th-anniversary revival screening is part of the context behind the discussion. While the thread mostly centered on nostalgic talk about her songs and film roles, some posts veered into commentary on her family’s appearance and politically charged remarks about how Iwai’s recent work is regarded, and those portions have been left out of this article. The act of posting one’s own debut-era photos is generally seen as a way of marking a career milestone on one’s own terms.

    *This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “[Music] CHARA: “I’m Chara, who debuted with Heaven.” Black-haired photo at 23 draws reactions! Shared ahead of 35th debut anniversary.”

  • What’s Japan’s Most Famous Ramen Chain? 5ch Weighs In: ‘For Name Recognition, It’s Jiro’

    A thread on 5ch’s “Nandemo Jikkyo” (live-everything) board asking “Which ramen chain do you think is the most famous in Japan?” quickly filled with names like Tenkaippin, Ichiran, Ippudo, Jiro, Mouko Tanmen Nakamoto, and Hidakaya. As the discussion grew, it became clear posters couldn’t agree on what “famous” even meant — whether it should be measured by how many people have actually eaten there, or by store count and convenience-store exposure. Several posters also pointed out that Tokyo-area chains like Hidakaya, Kurumaya, and Ramen Shop are barely known outside the greater Kanto region.

    1AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:12
    Chains count too, right
    10AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:16
    Whether you'd actually go or even like it aside, if it's pure fame we're talking about it might be Tenkaippin.
    That name "Tenkaippin" ("number one under heaven") has a lot of punch to it too.
    19AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:21
    Us country folk from Fukuoka don't know Tenkaippin, Jiro, or Yamaokaya.
    So it's gotta be Ichiran or Ippudo as most famous.
    23AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:24
    Gotta be Sumire.
    It's been sitting on 7-Eleven shelves forever.
    30AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:29
    Gyoza no Ohsho obviously doesn't register as a ramen shop, so I'll say Ringer Hut.
    42AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:37
    Re: #30
    Wait, Ringer Hut is a ramen chain?
    I thought it was a pizza place.
    32AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:32
    Kukoke? (probably a typo for "koko ka?" — "is this the place?")


    52AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:42
    Re: #32
    So the shop is actually built lower than street level?
    73AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:55
    Re: #32
    Surely by now they've raised all the wiring and equipment up off the ground.
    34AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:34
    If it's purely a question of name recognition, it's Jiro.
    Even counting the infamy, literally everyone knows it.
    37AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:35
    Re: #34
    Nah, not really — outside Kanto its name recognition probably drops off a lot.
    46AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:38
    Is there anything besides Kurumaya?
    47AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:38
    Re: #46
    Kurumaya only exists in and around Kanto.
    55AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:44
    Re: #47
    Who cares about the boonies outside Kanto anyway lol
    61AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:48
    Ramen Shop and Kourakuen seem like strong contenders.
    64AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:49
    Re: #61
    Ramen Shop doesn't exist in western Japan.
    67AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:53
    Re: #65
    Then what would it be?
    68AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:53
    Re: #67
    Being spread across a wide area gives you more name recognition than being clustered in one spot, right?
    72AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:55
    Re: #67
    How do you not get that lol
    69AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:53
    You probably have no connection to that crowd so you wouldn't know, but people who don't eat ramen have zero awareness of Tenkaippin.
    75AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:56
    Re: #69
    Ramen Shop, Yamaokaya, and Kurumaya are even less known than that.
    76AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:56
    Re: #64
    Didn't know that — if so the Nakamoto theory is seriously plausible.
    You can eat it anywhere there's a 7-Eleven.
    78AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:57
    Re: #76
    Nakamoto has even fewer actual stores.
    79AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:57
    Re: #78
    If you're counting by 7-Eleven numbers the figures get insane.
    It's been a mega long-seller too.
    84AnonymousSep 21, 2026 15:01
    Re: #79
    Is Nakamoto the only one at 7-Eleven?
    There's instant noodles from other ramen shops too, plus ready-to-eat and microwave noodle products, no?
    80AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:58
    Sorry, are there actual total newbies out there who don't know Ramen Jiro?
    82AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:58
    Re: #80
    If you count the "inspired-by" copycat shops it seems like a lot of people know it, but limited to the actual direct-lineage shops, I feel like plenty of people don't.
    85AnonymousSep 21, 2026 15:01
    Re: #80
    Even if you say "the Mita flagship shop," people out in the provinces have no idea where Mita even is.
    86AnonymousSep 21, 2026 15:02
    Re: #84
    There's Sumire and others, but Nakamoto is the runaway bestseller among them.
    Every college kid and teenager out there is eating Mouko Tanmen.
    90AnonymousSep 21, 2026 15:04
    Re: #86
    That's beside the point.
    This is about whether it's stocked in stores or not.
    You're saying if it's stocked, that counts as name recognition, right?
    So does everyone actually know where the Nakamoto shops even are?
    If all they know is the 7-Eleven version, doesn't that mean they don't actually know the restaurant?
    92AnonymousSep 21, 2026 15:05
    Re: #90
    There's a whole write-up about the shop printed on the inside of the lid.
    Have you never actually eaten it?
    94AnonymousSep 21, 2026 15:06
    Re: #90
    The reason I can say that is because even in Tohoku, where there are no actual shops, everyone who eats Mouko Tanmen knows about Nakamoto.
    87AnonymousSep 21, 2026 15:03
    Nakamoto and Jiro are just places the "cheese gyudon" crowd goes to (5ch slang for a certain low-status otaku/NEET poster stereotype).
    Thinking about it normally, it's gotta be either Hidakaya or Kourakuen.
    89AnonymousSep 21, 2026 15:04
    Re: #87
    Only people from Kanto even know Hidakaya.
    Source: me, born in Tohoku.
    91AnonymousSep 21, 2026 15:05
    Re: #87
    Outside Kanto, Hidakaya only has a single location, in Niigata — it's basically a local chain.
    93AnonymousSep 21, 2026 15:06
    There's really no ramen chain with truly nationwide coverage.
    Even the top chains are missing from somewhere.
    96AnonymousSep 21, 2026 15:07
    Re: #93
    That's a tall order — even 7-Eleven, a convenience store, only made it into Okinawa a few years ago.
    95AnonymousSep 21, 2026 15:06
    Re: #92
    I went once back when they had a shop in Kameido and never went back.
    It was pretty bad.
    Couldn't taste any umami at all.
    97AnonymousSep 21, 2026 15:09
    Re: #95
    Well, that cup noodle sells like crazy.
    The package even has the shop owner's face on it, with a write-up about the shop on the lid — people from outside Kanto have been known to swing by the actual restaurant while traveling.
    99AnonymousSep 21, 2026 15:10
    Re: #97
    So what?
    By that logic Nissin Foods would be the overwhelmingly more recognized name.
    That's a separate thing from the ramen shop itself being recognized.
    103AnonymousSep 21, 2026 15:13
    Re: #99
    It's precisely because the ramen shop itself is recognized that it drives tourism — all my friends back home say they want to try Nakamoto if they ever go to Tokyo.

    Background and Key Points of This Debate

    Japan’s ramen chains tend to be regionally concentrated, which throws off any simple measure of “fame.” Hidakaya’s stores are almost entirely within the Kanto region, and Kourakuen and the frequently-cited Ramen Shop are similarly concentrated in eastern Japan. Tenkaippin, by contrast, originated in the Kansai region, while in Kyushu, Ichiran and Ippudo have a much stronger presence — meaning the “famous shop” people picture depends heavily on where they live. Mouko Tanmen Nakamoto, despite having relatively few physical locations, sits on convenience store shelves nationwide as a 7-Eleven cup noodle, giving it a distinctive kind of fame where people “know the name even if they’ve never eaten there.” Ramen Jiro is a similar case — its shops are confined to a handful of cities, but online buzz has made its name known nationwide. What split opinion in the thread really came down to a mismatch in definitions: whether “famous” should be measured by how many people have actually eaten at the shop, or by how many people simply recognize the name. That disagreement never got resolved, and it’s worth keeping in mind when reading the debate.

    *This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Nandemo Jikkyo board) thread “Which ramen chain do you think is the most famous in Japan?“

  • Domestic PC Shipments Projected to Plunge 37.8% — 5ch: “Motherboard Price Hikes Quietly Hurt the Most”

    Prices for PC parts — memory, graphics cards, CPUs, you name it — just keep climbing. The thread kicked off with a post griping that “everything except power supplies has gone through insane price hikes,” and it spiraled into a debate over whether sales are actually falling as a result. Citing data from research firm MM Research Institute, posters noted that domestic PC shipments for fiscal 2026 are projected to drop 37.8% year-on-year to 11.23 million units, with the decline blamed on a rebound from last year’s rush to replace PCs before Windows 10 support ended, plus soaring memory prices. Meanwhile, some argued “CPUs are at rock bottom” and “AMD’s graphics cards are staying reasonable,” showing just how differently each part category is being felt in people’s wallets.

    8AnonymousSep 21, 2026 08:02
    If you'd been paying attention, you'd have upgraded your PC by last November at the latest
    27AnonymousSep 21, 2026 08:18
    Re: #8
    I was paying attention enough to grab a Switch 2 and a Meta Quest, but figured a new PC could wait — so I cheaped out with a 1TB SSD, and now I seriously regret it
    9AnonymousSep 21, 2026 08:02
    Saw a guy who bought a PC with a 9800X3D and a 5070 Ti just so he could play AzuPro (a demanding new PC title)
    People with money really do have money
    11AnonymousSep 21, 2026 08:04
    Seriously, thank you, Wilds
    12AnonymousSep 21, 2026 08:04
    The crowd that upgraded for Wilds is just sitting back enjoying the show
    All hail Wilds
    13AnonymousSep 21, 2026 08:05
    Anyone who was actually going to buy a new PC pretty much already did it by last year, no?
    14AnonymousSep 21, 2026 08:07
    Truth is, "PC gamers" basically means Chinese players these days
    Play any cross-play online game and you'll feel how outnumbered you are
    15AnonymousSep 21, 2026 08:07
    What do you mean "CPUs are expensive"? 🤔
    They're ¥10,000–20,000 cheaper than at launch
    The 9800X3D alone went for ¥120,000 at one point and now it's ¥55,000
    Don't talk out of your ass if you don't even know the market 🙄
    16AnonymousSep 21, 2026 08:09
    Since Windows 10 support ended last October, businesses already replaced most of their PCs, so honestly nobody's all that bothered (´・ω・`)
    18AnonymousSep 21, 2026 08:11
    Re: #16
    They extended support to next October, so that bought me some time
    57AnonymousSep 21, 2026 09:43
    Re: #16
    Feels like prices went up after XP support ended too, if I remember right
    17AnonymousSep 21, 2026 08:09
    Heard the Radeon 9060 XT is selling well
    Probably shows up on the Steam hardware survey before long
    19AnonymousSep 21, 2026 08:11
    I mean, if you need one you just have to buy it
    That's the whole point of PCs and smartphones as a category
    20AnonymousSep 21, 2026 08:14
    Gaming PCs were never something that sold big outside a niche of enthusiasts to begin with
    Hearing "PC, PC" hyped nonstop on the console-war boards (ゲハ, a 5ch hardware/industry forum) makes it feel mainstream, but it really isn't
    Think about it for a second — there just aren't that many people willing to drop hundreds of thousands of yen on what's basically a toy for playing games
    21AnonymousSep 21, 2026 08:14
    That's why it's dying out
    If my current PC breaks, I'm going back to the library too

    Welcome back, Showa-era life. Goodbye, Reiwa (Japan's old vs. current imperial eras)
    23AnonymousSep 21, 2026 08:15
    Damn, how salty are you that you can't afford a gaming PC, you poor thing 😧
    24AnonymousSep 21, 2026 08:16
    Normally you just keep a base PC and swap parts out over time anyway
    26AnonymousSep 21, 2026 08:18
    Isn't it only holding up for work-use PCs and dropping everywhere else?
    30AnonymousSep 21, 2026 08:23
    Sales are obviously dropping (´・ω・`)
    > Research firm MM Research Institute (Minato, Tokyo) announced on the 28th that domestic PC shipments for fiscal 2026 are projected to fall 37.8% year-on-year to 11.23 million units. The decline reflects a pullback after last year's replacement-demand surge, along with soaring memory prices, among other factors.
    37AnonymousSep 21, 2026 08:30
    Re: #30
    Like the article says, companies replaced a ton of PCs when Win10 support ended
    2025 is said to have been up 32.6% year-on-year, so unless you compare against two years ago
    the noise is way too big to make sense of
    45AnonymousSep 21, 2026 08:42
    Families with kids must have it rough (´・ω・`) <about to go bankrupt

    "I'm in middle school now, buy me a phone — it has to be an iPhone!" → ¥200,000
    "We've got programming class at school, buy me a PC too!" → ¥300,000
    "I want a Switch 2!" → ¥60,000 + games × number of kids
    47AnonymousSep 21, 2026 08:53
    Re: #45
    Game consoles you can easily cut back on
    And honestly that's becoming the trend lately
    54AnonymousSep 21, 2026 09:20

    If your PC isn't running this, don't call it high-end
    66AnonymousSep 21, 2026 10:42
    Motherboard price hikes quietly hurt the most
    I wanted to move up from the B650, but…
    68AnonymousSep 21, 2026 10:56
    Re: #66
    Went with a B850 but picked AsRock, so now I keep checking my CPU temps now and then
    Should've just gone with MSI or Gigabyte
    72AnonymousSep 21, 2026 11:08
    Re: #1
    It's all thanks to AI, really
    Anyone can draw art now, chat with a bot, get research summarized, even make games
    The only ones struggling are the anti-AI holdouts stuck in the past
    79AnonymousSep 21, 2026 12:29
    Re: #72
    Outside of just generating an image or video and being satisfied with the finished product, we're running into "no PC powerful enough to actually use AI," and it's a real problem
    To do stuff like "whoa, Astra can build a whole game from one line of instructions," you need a beastly PC that can actually put that beastly AI to work
    73AnonymousSep 21, 2026 11:09
    Monitors are cheap though
    74AnonymousSep 21, 2026 11:13
    Re: #73
    Monitors are about to go up in price too
    Around 20%, so budget models won't be hit much, but almost everything else will
    81AnonymousSep 21, 2026 12:52
    Re: #73
    Gotta thank China and Korea for that
    82AnonymousSep 21, 2026 12:55
    Re: #1
    CPUs are at rock bottom
    And Radeon graphics cards are keeping prices reasonable too
    83AnonymousSep 21, 2026 12:57
    Re: #82
    https://www.nichepcgamer.com/archives/post-132323.html
    AMD: "We're raising prices! (^_^)"
    89AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:50
    PC nerds are idiots, so they go out of their way to buy expensive stuff, post it on social media, and bask in the glow of bragging about how much money they wasted.
    And it's not just PCs — in cars, motorcycles, home theater/audio, cameras, watches, and other enthusiast markets, there's no shortage of "romance cannon" products designed purely to get idiots to blow their cash.
    Idiots buy them, happily show them off, and revel in it. That's how the economy keeps turning. Compared to those hobbies, console gaming is actually a fairly cheap pastime.
    So the best strategy is to flatter idiots into overspending. Side note: during the American Gold Rush, the ones who made the most money weren't the dreamers chasing a fortune — it was the people selling them pickaxes and jeans.
    90AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:50
    There's actually a lot of overlap between road cyclists and the PC crowd, but with everything going up in price, I wonder how they're affording it all
    92AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:03
    Re: #90
    What do you mean "how" — it's probably just the money they're not spending on cigarettes and booze going into it instead
    You don't hear much about used high-end parts reeking of cigarette smoke, after all

    Background and Key Points of This Discussion

    PC market price trends are hard to read because several factors are at play at once. Following the end of Windows 10 support in October 2025, businesses in particular front-loaded their replacement purchases — and fiscal 2026 shipments are projected to drop sharply year-on-year as that rush fades. Where the thread split was over whether price hikes are actually driving people to hold off buying: some parts, like CPUs, have gotten cheaper than at launch, while others, like memory and motherboards, keep climbing, so it’s not something you can sum up in one line. A point readers can easily misread is that while the year-on-year numbers look like a “sharp drop,” the prior year itself had spiked due to a demand surge — and as posters in the thread pointed out, without comparing against two years back, “the noise is too big” to see the real picture. Growing demand for high-performance PCs to run AI workloads was also cited as one factor pushing parts prices higher.

    *This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Hardware/Industry (Geha)) thread “Aren’t PC sales dropping with everything except power supplies going through insane price hikes? Every price hike right now is just unreasonable.”

  • Roki Sasaki to Pitch in Relief During Playoffs, Manager Roberts Confirms

    Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has revealed plans to use pitcher Roki Sasaki out of the bullpen. Sasaki is set to return against the Padres, marking his second straight year of playoff relief duty. This season Sasaki held down a spot in the starting rotation, making 23 starts (5 wins, 4.75 ERA), but with a deep starting staff that includes Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Cy Young winner Blake Snell, and Tarik Skubal, the Dodgers plan to use four starters and shift the remaining three to the bullpen. Thread reactions were split between harsh takes calling it “a failing grade as a starter” and cooler heads noting “it’s about rotation logistics, not a lack of ability.”

    Roki Sasaki Moved to Bullpen Role, Manager Roberts Confirms — Set to Return in Padres Series

    Second Straight Year of Playoff Relief Duty: “It Makes Sense Given the Current Situation”

    Dodgers manager Dave Roberts stated in a post-game press conference that he plans to use pitcher Roki Sasaki out of the bullpen.

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

    3AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:31
    Roki failed as a starter!
    Demoted to relief!
    108AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:28
    Re: #3
    This is what happens when you keep chasing after him just because he's Japanese.
    Time he stood on his own two feet.
    8AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:35
    He got plenty of chances — is he just going to retire as a closer/reliever now?
    37AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:49
    Re: #8
    You clearly don't get it either, you're mistaken.
    This is just a postseason-specific role change.
    In the postseason you only need 4 starters, so 3 of the 7 starters just move to the bullpen.
    11AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:37
    Might as well put "Hotel New Otani" (a nickname for Ohtani, punning on the Tokyo hotel) in the bullpen too — hit a homer, then come out in the final inning as the hero who gets tossed in the air by teammates.
    63AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:59
    Re: #11
    More like he'd come out in the final inning and get roasted/exposed (a pun on 胴上げ "hero's toss" vs 晒し上げ "public shaming"), not celebrated.
    18AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:43
    Sheehan and Wrobleski look like they could work as starters too, right?
    23AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:44
    Re: #18
    No room for those two either.
    They'll probably end up as long relievers in the postseason.
    22AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:44
    He's the one who couldn't fully prove himself, so it is what it is.
    Honestly, given how things turned out, it was probably good that he came over before his salary went up.
    26AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:45
    Re: #22
    That post definitely sounds like it's got something mixed up.
    29AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:47
    I mean, honestly…
    This was decided from the start, wasn't it.

    So basically, Sasaki failed as a starter.
    45AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:52
    Re: #29
    That post shows zero understanding.
    30AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:47
    He's basically become a full-on postseason specialist since last year.
    52AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:54
    Re: #30
    If he can perform in the postseason like he did last year, I guess they're willing to overlook the regular season.
    35AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:49
    Having a 100mph fastball and a splitter but still posting a near-5.00 ERA as a starter — that's a fatal flaw for a starting pitcher.
    49AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:53
    Re: #35
    His QS rate is 4.5, so
    that's a passing grade for now.
    38AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:49
    They'd rather face the Brewers than the Cubs — playing the Cubs would be rough.
    41AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:50
    Re: #38
    For some reason they got hammered by them this year.
    But then again, last year they lost every game to the Brewers before ripping off 4 straight wins, so…
    39AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:50
    Sasaki should have trained more in Japan before coming over.
    43AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:51
    Re: #39
    In NPB, where they couldn't even figure out why his velocity dropped?
    51AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:53
    Re: #39
    I feel like if he'd stayed in Japan, he would've blown out his shoulder.
    47AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:52
    Is Snell even reliable at this point?
    48AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:53
    Re: #47
    And here he is being a total "Spelunker" (gaming slang for someone who's fragile/injury-prone).
    56AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:57
    He was a passable starter this season, so there's no shame in being used as a reliever in the postseason.
    59AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:57
    Re: #56
    Nah, pretty sure that's just a fail, honestly…
    72AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:03
    Roki's a bust — no way he can start.
    84AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:12
    Re: #72

    Roki's 23 starts this season actually topped Glasnow's career-high of 22 starts.


    Just FYI.
    89AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:14
    He's a big earner, so the only option here is to keep quiet and work as a reliever.
    Back to starting next year, maybe.
    93AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:16
    Re: #89
    He's on the MLB minimum guaranteed salary, though.
    106AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:28
    If Snell's no good, then Lauer or Wrobleski takes the rotation spot, and Roki's locked in as closer?
    123AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:39
    Re: #106
    Wrobleski was so bad in the first half he's barely recognizable, so I don't think he starts.
    If anything, Sasaki was more stable in the second half, so he's the one who'd go back to starting.
    Closer's got to be Tanner Scott — he's way better than he was last year.
    112AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:31
    Snell, Glasnow, Díaz —
    they should take those trash guys' salaries and give them to Roki and Rojas instead.
    118AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:36
    Re: #112
    The trouble is, when healthy, both Snell and Glasnow are Cy Young-caliber aces.

    Background and Key Points of the Debate

    Since MLB playoff rotations are typically built around four starters, it’s standard for teams that ran a five-man rotation during the regular season to shift their extra starter to the bullpen. The Dodgers have built their rotation around Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, and Cy Young winners Blake Snell and Tarik Skubal, so Sasaki’s move to relief is less a pure “demotion” and more a consequence of roster construction. Indeed, several thread posts pushed back against comments that chalked it up to a lack of ability, pointing instead to the manager’s remark that the move “makes sense given the current situation.” On the other hand, his 4.75 ERA this season falls short of what you’d want from a starter, and the fact that he’s now headed for playoff bullpen duty for the second year running suggests Sasaki still hasn’t locked down a spot as an unquestioned starter. Still, it’s worth noting that his 23 starts this season actually exceeded Glasnow’s career-high of 22 — so he was hardly short on opportunities.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports Express+) thread “[MLB] Roki Sasaki Moved to Bullpen Role, Manager Roberts Confirms — Set to Return in Padres Series.”

  • Giants’ next-manager candidates Hideki Matsui and Yoshinobu Takahashi appear together — 5ch: “The time has come to fulfill the promise made to Shigeo Nagashima”

    Former Yomiuri Giants stars Hideki Matsui and Yoshinobu Takahashi both appeared as instructors at the “Sanrio Baseball Academy” event held in Tokyo on September 12. With both men seen as leading candidates to become the Giants’ next manager, their joint appearance reignited media and fan speculation about a possible “cabinet appointment” (a term used for joining the team’s management). That said, the event was strictly a baseball clinic, and nothing has actually been decided regarding the managerial appointment. On 5ch, reactions were split — some expressed hope, while others were skeptical, arguing Matsui “wouldn’t give up his peaceful life” for the job, and others raised questions about the relationship between the two men.

    Giants’ next-manager candidate Hideki Matsui meets his “old ally” — expectations rise for a “Godzilla × Wolf” dream-combo appointment

    The Giants are hot on the heels of first-place Hanshin, with a come-from-behind pennant win looking increasingly realistic. Amid this, Hideki Matsui — seen as a candidate for the next managerial job — returned to Japan and met up with another leading candidate. Fans have been buzzing with speculation over the timing of his return and what he said and did there.

    The two former Giants players who appeared as instructors at the “Sanrio Baseball Academy” event in Tokyo on September 12 were Hideki Matsui and Yoshinobu Takahashi. After the event wrapped up, they fielded a question about the pennant race with Hanshin.

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

    2AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:35
    Watching Osaka night-view video channels on YouTube is way more fun than watching Peace-kun from Omiya Park (a local mascot at a Saitama park).
    3AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:36
    HERE IT COMES━━━━(°∀°)━━━━!!
    The Giants are getting their 10th straight pennant (V10)!!
    5AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:37
    No way it's Matsui.
    He's not going to give up his peaceful life just to get flooded with abuse.
    11AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:42
    Re: #5
    From his own perspective, being Giants manager is definitely the short straw he'd rather avoid — but if that "promise to Mr. Nagashima" really is about becoming manager, then maybe he'd actually do it.
    13AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:45
    Re: #5
    He'll do it.
    Fulfilling his promise to Manager Nagashima means exactly that.
    6AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:37
    The time has come to fulfill his promise to Shigeo Nagashima…
    7AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:37
    It's not that the Giants are surging — Hanshin just slumped.
    DeNA is the one actually surging, but it came a bit too late.
    9AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:40
    If Matsui becomes manager
    there'll probably be some no-expense-spared "celebration" reinforcements.
    24AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:51
    Re: #9
    The DH rule kicks in next year too, so yeah, we might see the Giants go all-out with reinforcements, limiter off.
    81AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:19
    Re: #9
    The newspaper company (Yomiuri) doesn't have that kind of money though.
    12AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:44
    Just reading the thread title gives off serious old-guy vibes.
    16AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:46
    Re: #12
    At least it's not Egawa and Nakahata — this still counts as Heisei era.
    19AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:47
    Matsui isn't great with words, so the "Reiwa kids" probably won't understand his intentions or strategy.
    84AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:21
    Re: #19
    You're way too much of a newbie fan when it comes to Matsui.
    38AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:57
    Even if Matsui becomes manager, the team doesn't have the talent, so winning the pennant is impossible.
    44AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:01
    Re: #38
    Just let him do it for 3 years — if it doesn't work out, he'll step down on his own.
    54AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:06
    These two are famously not on good terms, aren't they?
    65AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:12
    Re: #54
    Honestly, I've barely heard of any players who were close with Matsui.
    Maybe Yoshinobu Murata, at most?
    55AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:06
    Motoki might actually be a good pick, but is he dealing with an illness or something?
    57AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:08
    Re: #55
    As soon as Motoki and Miyamoto quit as coaches, the team won the pennant the very next year.
    71AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:15
    Would having co-managers really be a bad idea?
    74AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:16
    Re: #71
    It'd be hilarious if the two managers settled whose strategy to use mid-game with rock-paper-scissors lol
    78AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:18
    Re: #71
    That's basically the Giants right now.
    Hashigami is the acting manager, but it's Kawai who's actually calling the signs.
    Apparently Kawai decides the starting lineup too.
    83AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:21
    If he'd come back to the Giants even just as a pinch-hitter specialist near the end of his career, there might've been a chance.
    103AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:29
    Re: #83
    That would've been impossible while Watanabe (Nabetsune) was still alive.
    88AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:23
    Shigeo Nagashima reportedly hit Harimoto during his time as manager.
    You need to be at least that strict to manage a team.
    90AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:24
    Top 3 baseball commentators who barely talk:
    Yoshinobu Takahashi, Tadahito Iguchi, Hideki Okajima
    101AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:29
    Re: #90
    Do you not have ears or something?
    91AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:24
    Kuwata would be fine.
    100AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:28
    So Takahashi, who's already been manager once, would serve under Matsui?
    118AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:37
    Re: #100
    Yutaka Wada: "Yeah, exactly."
    107AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:30
    I really want to see Matsui as Giants manager soon
    but I wish he'd get some managerial experience somewhere else first.
    115AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:34
    Re: #107
    If he manages elsewhere first, it'll lose its freshness, so that's not happening.
    If anything, it'd be a farm-team (ni-gun) manager job — but you can't have a National Honor Award recipient doing that.
    114AnonymousSep 21, 2026 14:34
    Giants — age in their first year as manager
    *Since Tetsuharu Kawakami, first appointment only

    Tetsuharu Kawakami　1961　age 41
    Shigeo Nagashima　1975　age 39
    Motoshi Fujita　1981　age 49
    Sadaharu Oh　1984　age 43
    Tatsunori Hara　2002　age 43
    Tsuneo Horiuchi　2004　age 56
    Yoshinobu Takahashi　2016　age 40
    Shinnosuke Abe　2024　age 45

    Youngest: Shigeo Nagashima, 39
    Oldest: Tsuneo Horiuchi, 56

    Background and key points of this discussion

    The Giants are currently being led by acting manager Tadaki Hashigami following manager Shinnosuke Abe’s leave of absence. Some comments point out that batting coach Kazuhiro Kawai is effectively the one calling signs and setting the starting lineup, and this lack of clarity in the chain of command is part of what’s fueling interest in who becomes the next full-time manager. Since retiring as a player, Matsui has held roles such as advisor for the Yankees, but he has kept his distance from coaching on the Japanese baseball scene, so it remains uncertain whether a managerial appointment would go smoothly. On the thread, some commenters point to his “promise” with Shigeo Nagashima, while others voiced skepticism about him taking the job, citing the harsh treatment and public scrutiny that comes with it — producing a mixed reaction of hope and doubt.

    *This article is compiled by excerpting and summarizing the 5ch (Geisports Sokuho+) thread “Giants’ next-manager candidate Hideki Matsui meets his ‘old ally’ — expectations rise for a ‘Godzilla × Wolf’ dream-combo appointment.”

  • Mona Yamamoto, 20 Years After Leaving NEWS23: Recent Photos Spark ‘Whoa!’ and ‘I Forgot Her Old Face’

    Recent photos of Mona Yamamoto (50), the former anchor of TBS’s “NEWS23,” have gone viral on social media, sparking surprise that 20 years have already passed since she left the show. On 5channel’s Geinou/Sports Express+ board, many posts speculated about the timing of the article coinciding with the recent cabinet appointment of Goshi Hosono — the politician once reported to be dating her and nicknamed “Mona-o” (“Mona’s Man”) — while others revisited the affair scandal involving former pro baseball player Tomohiro Nioka. At the same time, a fair number of posts bluntly mocked her current looks by name, making for a thread with a mixed, uneven temperature.

    “Can’t tell who this is…” — Mona Yamamoto, 50, 20 Years After Leaving “NEWS23”: Completely Different Vibe in Recent Photos Draws Surprise, “Whoa!” and “I Forgot Her Old Face”: Nishi-Supo WEB OTTO! — the local sports media connected by “Oh!”

    2026.09.20 06:50 (Updated: 2026.09.20 06:50)

    “I changed my hairstyle,” she said, appearing in glasses…

    Source: nishispo.nishinippon.co.jp / Read the original article here

    2AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:32
    Watching Osaka night-view channels on YouTube is way more fun than watching Piece-kun from Omiya Park anyway (Piece-kun is a bird mascot at Omiya Park in Saitama).
    4AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:33
    The timing of dropping this now, lol
    70AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:52
    Re: #4
    That's obviously harassment aimed at that guy, lol
    8AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:33
    Since Mona-o just became a minister,
    the media probably thought, 'oh right, whatever happened to Mona?' and wrote this after digging through her social media.
    9AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:33
    The idiots on the Geinou/Sports board are still just squealing over the affair, as usual.
    12AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:34
    She's gone full Angela Aki (the singer-songwriter known for that look).
    13AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:34
    Didn't she appear on London Hearts or something after the scandal?
    18AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:35
    On the day of his own daughter's school sports day, Mona-o used his Diet member pass for a secret affair trip to Kyoto.
    19AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:35
    Hosono gets appointed minister again and this drops now? Come on.
    20AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:35
    Whoa… c'mon, don't… quit it… Re: #1

    by Goshi Hosono
    22AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:37
    Right after that whole scandal, Nioka got demoted to the farm team, and during a game some kid in the stands yelled 'Mon-aoka~!' (a mashup of "Mona" and "Nioka") — the whole crowd cracked up. Hilarious.
    27AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:38
    Re: #22
    'Daddy's a bad guy' — kids just blurt that stuff out without understanding what it means.
    25AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:37
    I figured she'd seem serious since she passed the bar exam, but I guess once you're the type to become a TV announcer, striking poses for Instagram is a habit you never quite kick.
    28AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:38
    Best case, she ends up on the Anna Umemiya track.
    (´・ω・｀) Just kidding.
    Worst case, the Hide & Rosanna route?
    29AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:38
    Kind of looks like An Lewis before 'Roppongi Shinju' became a hit.
    30AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:38
    Wait, who's 'Mona-o' written with the 'husband' kanji instead of 'man'? I thought it might be Shinjiro, but no, that's Christel.
    31AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:38
    It's kind of sad to think she probably took dozens of shots, picked the best one, and worked hard editing it before posting.
    35AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:39
    Re: #31
    (´；ω；`)
    34AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:39
    The photos of her with Hosono actually looked good — both of them tall, unlike the usual lineup of short, balding, dumpy old politicians.
    38AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:41
    Ah, the guy who's the origin of the 'Mona-o' nickname. She hasn't really changed, though — if anything she looks shinier and more energetic than before.
    39AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:41
    Even now, whenever that politician shows up, I still think 'Mona-o.' That scandal really left a mark, lol.
    41AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:42
    The legal world has become a landing spot for someone who screwed up.
    43AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:42
    Mona-o is ridiculously strong in elections — he jumped from the opposition to the LDP and became a minister.
    82AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:59
    Re: #43
    Mona-o had his wife read out a congratulatory message at their daughter's elementary school sports day while he was off enjoying an affair date in Kyoto.
    After it came out, he went into hiding and made his wife apologize to his support group on his behalf.
    I don't really get how that adds up to 'strong in elections.'
    44AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:43
    By the way, NHK's Taisuke Yokoo went to law school to become a lawyer — whatever happened with that?
    46AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:43
    I searched 'Mona husband'
    and Hosono comes up first.
    This is basically a curse at this point.
    47AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:44
    Made some good money off her once during the Arima Kinen (a major horse race).
    48AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:44
    After the Mona-o scandal, he made his comeback wearing a watermelon costume on 'Owarai Ultra Quiz' — total Kitano Talent Recycling Factory, lol (Takeshi Kitano is jokingly said to run a 'talent recycling factory' by relaunching disgraced celebrities' careers on his shows).
    49AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:44
    Well, of course this resurfaces now that he's a minister —
    I guess if he told the whole story from back then, it'd damage the Takaichi administration.
    72AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:52
    Wow, she worked hard for five years to pass the bar exam?
    If she had that kind of discipline, surely she could've resisted having an affair too.

    Background and Key Points of This Topic

    Twenty years ago, Mona Yamamoto left “NEWS23” amid overlapping affair reports involving Goshi Hosono, who she was reported to be dating at the time, and former professional baseball player Tomohiro Nioka. Hosono himself became a recurring figure in political news coverage under the nickname “Mona-o.” In the thread, many posts speculated about this recent-photo article coinciding with Hosono’s cabinet appointment, and a fair number revisited the previously reported episode in which he took an affair trip to Kyoto on the day of his daughter’s school sports day. At the same time, many posts directly mocked her current appearance, and the mix of sympathetic and harsh reactions in the thread isn’t fully captured in the article body above.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5channel (Geinou/Sports Express+) thread “[Freelance Announcer] Mona Yamamoto, 50, 20 Years After Leaving “NEWS23”: Completely Different Vibe, Recent Photos Draw Surprise — “Whoa!” and “I Forgot Her Old Face”.”

  • Angerme’s YouTube Premiere Steps in for Canceled Rock In Japan Set — 5ch: “That’s rare for them”

    After the September 21 show at ROCK IN JAPAN FESTIVAL 2026 was canceled, Angerme, who had been scheduled to perform, announced that the set they were set to deliver would premiere on their official YouTube channel starting at 6:25 PM instead. When it came out that the footage wasn’t a live stream but had actually been filmed the day before, fans reacted with a mix of surprise and disappointment. On 5ch’s Hello! Project board, reactions split between comments on the costumes and staging in what looked like an audience-free recording, praise for the workaround itself, and regret that it wasn’t broadcast live.

    Angerme

    @angerme_upfront

    ＼\❤‍🔥Premiering today at 18:25! ❤‍🔥/／

    Source: x.com / Original post here

    6AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:06
    Wait, what is this?
    Is it old footage, or an actual live stream?
    12AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:08
    Re: #6
    Apparently they're filming it right now and uploading it.
    9AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:07
    If you didn't buy a ticket and you're watching from home, don't you dare — that's shameless.
    This content is ours.
    Only we've earned the right to enjoy it.
    17AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:09
    Re: #9
    If it's only Angerme fans watching, that means low numbers — and then Ise is gonna end up posting another heartfelt statement about it again.
    53AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:36
    Re: #9
    Then don't go asking for refunds, you lot.
    10AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:07
    Didn't know there was a show more hollow than a half-empty Rock In Japan, but here we are.
    13AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:08
    @
    Chuo Ward, Chiba City, 8:30 AM

    If this isn't even the peak yet, then canceling the Rock In Japan show on the 21st really was the right call.
    https://video.twimg.com/amplify_video/2101818363332931584/vid/avc1/1280×720/taX0yRbYnaFgRotm.mp4
    15AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:09
    Ah, since it's a "premiere," it's not even live then.
    16AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:09
    Maybe they can't do a live stream because they don't have the confidence.
    18AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:09
    They can't go live because Goto keeps blowing her positioning.
    19AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:10
    Can Matsumoto Wakana actually sing "Taikibansei" (lit. "great talent, late bloom") properly?
    20AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:10
    I figured it'd just be a bunch of MVs stitched together, but they're actually doing a no-audience live.
    22AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:11
    You just don't get it.
    For an emergency situation like this, doing it LIVE is what matters most of all —
    even if the stream ends up glitching out.
    Go listen to Shabba Ranks.
    23AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:11
    Ahh, this is gonna blow up.
    Gonna top Juice=Juice, lol
    25AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:13
    Predicting tonight's Ise blog post:

    "We asked the staff if there was anything we could do for you all, and that's how this stream came together."
    27AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:14
    Shimoitani's actually one of the taller members in Angerme, so why's she in flats? Is she avoiding heels?
    33AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:18
    Re: #27
    Because it'd make her stand out too much.
    28AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:15
    Ado @ado1024imokenp

    "Feels kind of embarrassing that I'm the only one playing games right now."
    29AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:15
    This is exactly the kind of thing I wanted — though of course Peihana's not in it, lol
    30AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:16
    Well, I guess it's also about singing at least a little to keep their form up, instead of just resting.
    40AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:28
    So this was filmed yesterday — the hairstyle's the same as yesterday's.
    42AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:28
    This is gonna blow up.
    You can really feel the agency's strong intent to "get this out there."
    43AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:30
    How is this gonna blow up? Because they were so slow to act, they didn't even make it onto today's list of who's doing something.
    44AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:30
    Wow, so this is what Goto looks like these days.
    47AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:32
    Is that the outfit they were supposed to wear at Rock In Japan?
    After getting used to Juice=Juice's lavish costumes, this looks kind of cheap.
    48AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:33
    Honestly, I figured they wouldn't do anything at all.
    My bad.
    50AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:34
    It's pretty rare for Hello! Project to pull off something like this.
    51AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:35
    I wonder if part of the reason Ise called it their 4th show yesterday is that this was filmed right after.
    54AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:36
    The outfit in Re: #1 is the one I saw at Lucky Fes. Did they wear it elsewhere too, I wonder?
    55AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:37
    Yeah, seriously, better than doing nothing at all.
    When Lucky Fes got canceled, Milk live-streamed like two songs that day.
    57AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:37
    [Updated as it happens] Roundup: Alternative artist projects for the September 21 "Rock In Japan" show
    https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/4eee3937e4cd6e0113a71f2d4a9917802d049226
    58AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:38
    A lot of fans probably had their plans to attend fall through today, so this kind of thoughtfulness is nice to see.
    59AnonymousSep 21, 2026 13:38
    That's the sort of thing the main-stage artists get to do… go pick up a shift on Timee (a Japanese gig-work app) or something.

    Background and key points

    ROCK IN JAPAN FESTIVAL is held annually at Hitachi Seaside Park in Ibaraki Prefecture and is one of Japan’s largest outdoor music festivals; its shows are sometimes canceled due to weather and other circumstances. According to a news article cited in the thread (post #57), several artists arranged alternative projects following the cancellation of the September 21 show, and Angerme’s YouTube premiere appears to be part of that effort. Opinions in the thread split mainly over whether the footage was live or pre-recorded: fans who had hoped for a same-day live broadcast were disappointed, while others praised the group for responding in some form regardless. Some speculation about individual members’ health or conduct also appeared in the thread, but since it could not be verified, it has not been included in this article.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hello! Project board) thread “‘The performance scheduled for ROCK IN JAPAN FESTIVAL 2026 will premiere on Angerme’s official YouTube channel’.”

  • Why Does “Ear Hair” Sprout as You Age? 5ch Reacts: “Your Head Goes Bald, But Your Ears and Eyebrows Run Wild”

    As people reach middle age, hair on the ears, nose, and eyebrows suddenly grows thicker and coarser, while the hair on their head thins out — a phenomenon known as “senior hair.” A news article explaining this mechanism sparked a reaction on 5ch. Though the piece focused on why ear hair grows, the thread quickly expanded to cover hair troubles all over the body — eyebrows, nose hair, chest hair, shin hair — with users sharing everything from barbershop trimming methods to their own DIY grooming experiences. Many offered theories involving hormonal shifts and disrupted hair-growth cycles to explain the simple question: “Why does your head go bald while your ears and eyebrows run wild?”

    Published 9/21 (Mon) 8:13 AM

    BSS Sanin Broadcasting

    Isn’t anyone else bothered by “ear hair” — the hair that grows in middle-aged men’s ears?

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

    2AnonymousSep 21, 2026 10:58
    Kawauchi Yasunori-sensei — now there's a name I haven't heard in ages
    14AnonymousSep 21, 2026 11:01
    Re: #2
    Supposedly if you pulled one of his ear hairs, the one on the other ear would retract
    29AnonymousSep 21, 2026 11:05
    Re: #2
    There was even a time his photo got used on the Wikipedia "ear hair" page
    64AnonymousSep 21, 2026 11:18
    Re: #2
    Wait, "Kōhan-sensei" — the guy who created Moonlight Mask?
    13AnonymousSep 21, 2026 11:01
    Heard that as you age, DNA copying errors increase, and that's what makes extra stuff start growing
    112AnonymousSep 21, 2026 11:36
    Re: #13
    That's basically how cancer works
    Hair grows because the hair cycle goes haywire
    26AnonymousSep 21, 2026 11:04
    Only my eyebrows keep growing so I trim them with clippers
    My late grandpa had eyebrows just like Murayama Tomiichi's
    58AnonymousSep 21, 2026 11:16
    Re: #26
    I actually admire former PM Murayama's eyebrows, so when the barber asks "Want the long ones trimmed?" I always say no
    Though I do cut the occasional one that curls weirdly and pokes me in the eyeball
    35AnonymousSep 21, 2026 11:07
    By that logic, head hair should keep growing too
    42AnonymousSep 21, 2026 11:10
    Re: #35
    Good point…
    38AnonymousSep 21, 2026 11:08
    The top of your head keeps thinning out, so why do ear hair, eyebrows, chest hair, nose hair, and cheek hair just keep sprouting?
    39AnonymousSep 21, 2026 11:09
    Re: #38
    Probably getting sucked out of your scalp and over to your ears
    53AnonymousSep 21, 2026 11:14
    As you age, hair that used to stop growing at a certain length seems to forget where to stop, so it just keeps going — that's why you get those long drooping eyebrows like an old sage, and stray hairs run wild too
    Even my grandma's got a beard now
    56AnonymousSep 21, 2026 11:16
    Re: #53
    It's not just grandmas — plenty of women grow facial hair 🥲
    54AnonymousSep 21, 2026 11:15
    Head hair just keeps getting thinner and sparser, and then there's ear hair… (´・ω・｀)
    69AnonymousSep 21, 2026 11:19
    Re: #54
    The compounds your body uses for hair growth never make it all the way up to your scalp — they stop off around your ears
    63AnonymousSep 21, 2026 11:17
    Can't something be done about hair growing in all the wrong places while your head stays bald?
    76AnonymousSep 21, 2026 11:21
    Re: #63
    The head should matter more, yet the hair protecting it thins out while your arms and shins get hairier

    I tried a home flash hair-removal device, and it was like all the "stray hair energy" concentrated into whatever follicles survived — ended up with thicker, longer shin hair and looking even worse 😞
    70AnonymousSep 21, 2026 11:19
    It tends to grow a lot on the tragus, that little flap over your ear canal
    Pulling it out with a satisfying "pop" feels amazing
    81AnonymousSep 21, 2026 11:23
    Re: #70
    Wait, seriously?
    It gets long before you even notice
    and then it's just like, ugh
    I'm turning into an old man already
    73AnonymousSep 21, 2026 11:20
    It's always struck me as strange that armpit and pubic hair stay at a set length even if you never trim them
    Nose hair keeps growing too, but it only ever pokes a little out of your nostril — it never just keeps going forever
    78AnonymousSep 21, 2026 11:22
    Re: #73
    Hair is built to stop growing once it reaches a length that won't interfere with daily life.
    Even head hair, if left to grow long enough to protect the spine, stops around waist height.
    (assuming everything's working normally)
    79AnonymousSep 21, 2026 11:22
    The barber shaves my ears for me, but for some reason always leaves the thick or long hairs behind
    95AnonymousSep 21, 2026 11:27
    Re: #79
    At a Middle Eastern barbershop, they finish the haircut by lighting a cotton ball on fire and quickly singeing off your ear hair with it
    99AnonymousSep 21, 2026 11:28
    Honestly I don't get why your hair thins out while ear hair and the rest get thicker
    Head hair protects you from impacts, so losing it seems like a bad thing
    But ear hair getting thicker doesn't seem to have any upside at all
    What's actually causing this?
    146AnonymousSep 21, 2026 11:48
    Re: #99
    Put very simply, it's a hormone thing
    103AnonymousSep 21, 2026 11:30
    My nipple hair just keeps growing lol
    115AnonymousSep 21, 2026 11:37
    Re: #103
    That's the "don't pluck it or your money luck runs away!" prank Nakamura Masatoshi pulled on Shimada Shinsuke lol
    Apparently when the show came back, everyone burst out laughing at Shinsuke's nipple hair
    106AnonymousSep 21, 2026 11:32
    When you clean your ears, the hair inside sometimes catches on the wall on the other side, and when it snaps back it makes this rustling sound that gives you the chills
    113AnonymousSep 21, 2026 11:37
    Re: #106
    Lol that's hilarious
    118AnonymousSep 21, 2026 11:38
    Eyebrows end up looking like Murayama Tomiichi's too, don't they
    Wonder why that happens
    123AnonymousSep 21, 2026 11:39
    Re: #118
    Totally
    But that one's easy to spot, so I pluck the long ones out now and then
    124AnonymousSep 21, 2026 11:40
    My nipple hair situation is no joke
    128AnonymousSep 21, 2026 11:41
    Re: #124
    It doesn't actually grow from the nipple itself lol, you mean the areola, right?
    129AnonymousSep 21, 2026 11:41
    Re: #124
    Mine's no joke either, I pluck it in the bath sometimes
    But I've got basically no chest hair otherwise
    135AnonymousSep 21, 2026 11:43
    I can't wipe cleanly when I poop, so I trim my butt hair regularly
    138AnonymousSep 21, 2026 11:44
    Re: #135
    How do you even trim butt hair? You can't see back there
    161AnonymousSep 21, 2026 11:52
    Re: #135
    Let me tell you a story
    I do the exact same thing — shave my butt hair once a week with a disposable razor — but the other day I slipped and nicked the surface of my scrotum
    You know how the skin around each hair follicle on your scrotum has this slight little bump? Well, I got about 10 of those spots
    Didn't notice anything for about a week, then around week two I started feeling a weird pain and realized what happened
    At that point all 10 spots looked like moles — it was disgusting
    They scabbed over, and by week four the scabs naturally came off; even now, five weeks in, there's still a bit of a mark

    Anyway, the point is: your scrotum heals slow, so seriously be careful
    168AnonymousSep 21, 2026 11:53
    Re: #135
    Just realized something after writing that
    There's a chance you're actually a woman

    Background and Key Points

    The reason head hair thins while ear, nose, and eyebrow hair thickens with age is thought to come down to changes in how sensitive each hair follicle is to male hormones as the body gets older. Scalp follicles respond to hormones by shortening their growth cycle, producing only thin, weak hairs, while follicles in the ears, nose, and eyebrows respond the opposite way — soft vellus hair there gets replaced by coarse, thick terminal hair. Because follicles in different parts of the same body respond differently, you end up with the seemingly contradictory phenomenon of “going bald while your ear hair thickens.” The thread floated folk theories like “DNA copying errors” or “blood flow concentrating in the ears,” but neither is medically established — a shift in hormone sensitivity is the more widely accepted explanation. Episodes involving public figures like Kawauchi Yasunori, whose ear hair length became a talking point on TV, show that this phenomenon has been noticed for a long time.

    *This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Breaking News Plus) thread “[👂] What Causes “Ear Hair” in Middle-Aged Men? What Is “Senior Hair” — Nose, Ear, and Eyebrow Hair That Keeps Growing Thicker and Coarser?.”