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  • Kayoko Okubo’s Last Boyfriend Was 8 Years Ago — She Tries a Dating App; 5ch: ‘Marriage That Isn’t About Money Is Basically Impossible’

    Comedian Kayoko Okubo (55) appeared on Nippon TV’s special “Otona ga Kaidan Noboru 2-Hour SP” (“Adults Climbing the Stairs”) on September 17 and tried a dating app for the first time in her life. Her last relationship was eight years ago, and on the show she spoke with enthusiasm, saying, “If there’s a good person waiting down that road, I’d like to try dating again.” Following the report, a 5ch thread buzzed with a range of opinions — from the difficulty a financially independent single woman faces finding a partner who isn’t after her money, to views on TV using romance as entertainment fodder.

    Last boyfriend was 8 years ago… 55-year-old Kayoko Okubo: “I haven’t given up on love entirely” — signs up for a dating app for the first time, results revealed

    Comedian Kayoko Okubo (55) appeared on Nippon TV’s special “Otona ga Kaidan Noboru 2-Hour SP” (airing at 8:54 p.m.) on the 17th, taking on dating-app life for the first time.

    Asked by the show’s staff what she wanted to try for the first time, Okubo named “a dating app.” She continued firmly, “If there’s a good person waiting down that road, I’d like to try dating again.”

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

    4AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:31
    Okubo seems like the type with pride in the bad sense, you know?
    8AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:32
    She's gotten too financially successful — there's no man on her level anymore.
    11AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:33
    With money there are endless chances, but marrying someone who's completely not after your money is basically impossible.
    12AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:33
    I've actually started thinking Okubo looks pretty cute lately.
    And apparently she's still into younger guys, even now~
    15AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:34
    Back in the Showa era, being single past 50 got you branded a real oddball or problem case, but I think it's fine now since this isn't an era where you have to force yourself into marriage.

    If I write that, I'll probably get replies like "you're just telling yourself that," but I'm married with kids, so…

    Even so, isn't it fine to live in a world where being single is okay too?
    22AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:39
    At least she's had the experience of being loved — that's something.
    There are plenty of 55-year-old virgins out there who've never dated at all.
    41AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:03
    Re: #22
    There aren't, lol. That's just you, lol.
    24AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:43
    Like Aya Sugimoto or Ayako Fuji, she could easily buy herself a younger, good-looking boyfriend or husband who does the housework — but the fact that she doesn't have one means that kind of thing already feels like a hassle to her. It just gradually goes that way.
    25AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:43
    There are people who get married inside nursing homes too, you know.
    26AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:44
    Is romance really all there is to life? Older, wealthy single women I know get on just fine without a man. If it's just fodder for her show business, sure, I get it, lol.
    28AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:47
    Wealthy women who aren't popular with men don't need to depend desperately on a man, so they end up like Okubo.
    29AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:48
    Okubo's smile is cute.
    She probably has plenty of friends to hang out with as it is.
    I'd bet a bunch of gold-digging guys who took her "pitiable, unpopular older woman" TV persona seriously and got the wrong idea keep swarming her — probably pretty annoying.
    30AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:49
    Isn't that true for plenty of men too? Even an older, wealthy guy who says "I don't want a woman who's just after my money" is basically stuck with money-chasers only.
    31AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:49
    If she were just an ordinary fan favorite, she'd have her pick, though.
    33AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:50
    A blatant tie-up promotion with a dating app.
    Commercial TV has really hit rock bottom.
    34AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:51
    Okubo's loaded, so I'd recommend her.
    36AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:56
    Re: #11
    If Okubo wants someone who's not after her money, the only way is to quit the app and date someone she already knows personally.
    40AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:01
    Re: #36
    Even among people she already knows outside the app, finding someone who's completely not after her money is basically impossible.
    43AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:05
    Re: #40
    Aren't all the men around Okubo already well-off themselves?
    38AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:57
    I love the story where Okubo, fed up with always paying for dinner, snapped at her boyfriend, "Don't you have any pride?" — and he shot back, "The moment I started dating you, I already had no pride left."
    42AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:05
    I like Okubo, but I like Tomochika even more — is that weird of me? (Tomochika is another Japanese comedian)
    45AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:08
    Re: #43
    Even a guy with a normal income of his own might not act like a gold-digger right now, but if he's thinking "marrying Okubo means a comfortable retirement," that's still being after her money.
    46AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:10
    Since she's got money, I guess all she can do is keep a gold-digger as a pet.
    47AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:12
    Come on, she's clearly not really into it — she's just desperate to land more work.
    48AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:16
    She should just accept her earning power as part of her own charm and be okay with a guy who's after her money — but the fact that she couldn't do that is exactly how she ended up where she is now.
    50AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:19
    People who can earn a lot of money are good at their jobs, so they often also have strong opinions, pride, and ego. If two people like that click, great, but there are plenty of cases where it doesn't work out. So it's also fine for a woman to choose a partner who says "I don't have money, but I'll devote myself to you." Plenty of female celebrities and female CEOs go that route too.
    54AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:23
    Not giving up on romance — so she still wants to date even at 55, huh.
    68AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:38
    If Okubo were just an ordinary person, marrying her would honestly be a great catch. She's smart, funny, reliable, and healthy.

    But in reality she's a wealthy celebrity, so a normal marriage just isn't in the cards for her.

    Background and Key Points of This Topic

    Kayoko Okubo has long played the role of an “entertainer who’s kept romance at arm’s length” on TV, and her dating-app attempt this time was partly seen as an extension of that persona. The thread split mainly over how hard it is for a financially independent woman to find a partner who isn’t after her money — the view that “anyone other than a money-chaser is basically impossible” came up repeatedly, while a number of comments framed this not as Okubo’s own peculiar situation but as a structural issue shared by older, high-earning singles in general. It’s also worth noting that the specific “results of signing up for the app” mentioned in the headline aren’t spelled out anywhere in the show’s information, the source article, or the 5ch discussion, so what actually came of it remains unknown.

    *This article is composed of excerpts and a summary from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News Fast+) thread “[Entertainment] 55-year-old Kayoko Okubo, last boyfriend 8 years ago: “I haven’t given up on love entirely” — signs up for a dating app for the first time, results revealed.”

  • Hidden Chamber Deep in Tutankhamun’s Tomb? Could Be the Lost Tomb of Stepmother Nefertiti

    Analysis by an international research team suggests a previously unknown, massive chamber may lie deep within the tomb of Tutankhamun — hailed as the greatest archaeological find of the 20th century. The leading theory is that it could be the tomb of Queen Nefertiti, Tutankhamun’s stepmother, and the findings were published as a paper in the September 17 issue of the British science journal Nature. On 5channel, some users questioned whether this really had appeared in Nature, while others confirmed the paper was real and that it was already causing a stir in archaeology circles. Some replies explained the backstory: Tutankhamun’s tomb sat in an inconspicuous spot in the Valley of the Kings, which spared it from looters, and it was later buried by a flood and forgotten for 3,000 years. Others simply wondered why, after so many decades of research, this was only coming to light now.

    Published 9/17 (Thu) 20:59

    TBS NEWS DIG, Powered by JNN

    An international team’s survey has found that another massive royal tomb may be connected to the tomb of Egypt’s King Tutankhamun, regarded as the greatest discovery of the 20th century. The findings were also published today (the 17th) in the British science journal Nature.

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

    15AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:36
    Guess it's possible to find something like this only now, even after decades of research.
    43AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:49
    Re: #15
    It's directly tied to the tourism industry, so they're deliberately releasing info bit by bit.
    22AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:40
    >>'Could be one of the most important discoveries of this century'
    Isn't that Japanese phrasing a bit off?
    Are you even Japanese…
    If you're gonna say it, just say
    'The greatest discovery of the century!'
    79AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:09
    Re: #22
    That's because Japanese can't really express plurals.

    In English-speaking cultures, they dislike making such a naive absolute claim, so they use the plural and phrase it as 'one of' them. But since Japanese has no plural form, it ends up reading like a contradiction.
    105AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:24
    Re: #22
    The original text is:
    'It could be one of the most important discoveries of this century.'
    The Japanese word for 'most' implies the single top spot, so a lot of people picture just one thing. But the English 'most' isn't so much 'the single top' as it is 'the top-tier group.'

    English words and Japanese words don't always map one-to-one, you know.
    23AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:40
    An 'Unknown Chamber' in Tutankhamun's Tomb? Exclusive Coverage of the Egypt Survey [Hodo Tokushu]
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwpSwrwH5-k
    TBS did a documentary on this a few years back.
    51AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:54
    Re: #23
    Honestly, the narrator's voice sounded so old it was hard to make out what she was saying.
    33AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:43
    Is Tutankhamun's tomb a different thing from the three great pyramids of Giza?
    35AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:44
    Re: #33
    Tutankhamun's tomb was in a hard-to-find spot, which is why it mostly escaped looters — it's not a pyramid.
    48AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:52
    Re: #33
    A king who only reigned a few years couldn't have had a tomb that huge built.
    49AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:53
    Re: #33
    Yeah, it's a different thing. There's about a 1,000-year gap from the pyramids. By Tutankhamun's time, tombs were being dug into the Valley of the Kings in Luxor instead. Tutankhamun's tomb was actually looted shortly after it was built, but right after that a flood completely buried it, and it stayed forgotten for 3,000 years.
    37AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:46
    If only Professor Yoshimura were still alive… (Sakuji Yoshimura, Japan's best-known Egyptologist)
    39AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:47
    Re: #37
    Professor Kawae's still around, isn't he
    115AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:29
    Re: #37
    Wait, did he die? For a second I thought so, but he's still alive lol
    But it's rough seeing how much he's changed.
    44AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:49
    There was an exclusive breaking-news flash on TV just now, and TBS News posted it on YouTube about 30 minutes ago too, but it got pulled almost instantly.
    This isn't just someone mixing it up with an old news story, right?
    70AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:05
    Re: #44
    The paper is properly published in Nature, and Egyptology folks are buzzing about it on Twitter, so it's not fake.
    https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-02621-2
    63AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:00
    I used to watch every Egypt-related show without fail, so this gets me hyped.
    Realistically though, if they ever actually found something, wouldn't Cleopatra's tomb be the biggest deal?
    65AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:01
    Re: #63
    Ramesses II
    68AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:03
    Re: #63
    Cleopatra was on the losing side and took her own life — I wonder if she even has a proper tomb?
    89AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:16
    Fifi asleep (Fifi: an Egyptian-born TV personality popular in Japan)
    121AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:31
    Re: #89
    Lmaooo
    123AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:31
    Re: #89
    Not exactly right, but not far off either
    133AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:37
    Re: #89
    That's some overflowing talent right there
    127AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:33
    Only now? Why's this taking so long?
    Is this an industry only incompetent people work in?
    130AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:35
    Re: #127
    Donations aren't coming in
    152AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:47
    Re: #127
    It's a precious cultural asset and a major tourism resource, so I doubt they can just casually knock down a wall.
    140AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:41
    If they open up whatever's sealing that huge chamber in the back, won't the pyramid collapse?
    143AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:43
    Re: #140
    It's cursed. Or maybe that's exactly the kind of trap it is.
    147AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:44
    Re: #140
    Could be. It's a cash cow for tourism, so no wonder they're being cautious.
    163AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:52
    It was built with technology far more advanced than anything we have today, so honestly they're probably too scared to touch it.
    I don't think money's even the main issue.
    174AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:59
    Re: #163
    Yeah, it really was an astonishing civilization.

    There's something fundamentally different about it, almost otherworldly.
    183AnonymousSep 18, 2026 01:05
    Re: #163
    By Nefertiti's time, Sumer had already collapsed and Babylon was in decline too. It was a world 1,000 years after Sumer and 500 years after Babylon — an era when the mighty Hittites and Egypt were going head-to-head for real. Even Egypt didn't have ironworking technology back then; the Hittites held a monopoly on it.
    169AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:54
    https://www.sponichi.co.jp/entertainment/news/2025/07/17/jpeg/20250717s10041000389000p_view.webp

    Background and Key Points

    This announcement appears to lend fresh support to a hypothesis first proposed in 2015 by British Egyptologist Nicholas Reeves: that Nefertiti’s tomb lies hidden behind the walls of Tutankhamun’s burial chamber. Radar scans at the time also pointed to the presence of a hidden space, but subsequent surveys produced negative results too, and the debate over whether the theory is true has dragged on for years. In the thread, when users asked why new findings would only surface now despite decades of research, some pointed to the deliberate pacing of disclosures given the site’s role as a tourism resource, and to the caution involved in deciding whether to break through a wall. Worth noting to avoid confusion: Tutankhamun’s tomb itself is separate from the pyramids both in era and location — it was built in the Valley of the Kings.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5channel (Breaking News Plus) thread “[Egypt] Could Another Massive Royal Tomb Lie Deep Within Tutankhamun’s Tomb? Possibly Stepmother Nefertiti’s”.

  • Is “Men Run Hot” Outdated? 5ch Debates the Rise of “Secretly Cold” Men in the Office

    Contrary to the image that “men run hot,” a growing number of men reportedly can’t bring themselves to say they’re cold in air-conditioned offices — a news report on this sparked a lively debate about perceived temperature on 5ch’s News Express+ board. The discussion ranged from the relationship between muscle mass, body fat, and feeling hot or cold, to the psychology of younger employees too embarrassed to put on a layer, all the way to the perennial question of “who actually controls the office AC, anyway.” Sightings were also reported of a “thermostat guardian” who secretly resets the AC back up, with opinions split between those who blame body type for cold sensitivity and those who call it a gendered assumption.

    Have you ever heard the term “secretly cold-sensitive men”?

    While the image of “men running hot” remains deeply entrenched, it’s said that quite a few men struggle with feeling “cold” from air conditioning during summer or other warm periods.

    (details omitted)

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

    3AnonymousSep 17, 2026 19:55
    With that attitude you'll never cut it as a blue-collar worker
    111AnonymousSep 17, 2026 21:36
    Re: #3
    Bet he'd collapse the second he became a blue-collar worker lol
    5AnonymousSep 17, 2026 19:57
    Fat = runs hot

    That's why
    if you're average weight or thin, you get cold
    13AnonymousSep 17, 2026 20:00
    Re: #5
    Actually fat people are surprisingly cold-sensitive too
    Muscular people are more likely to run hot
    130AnonymousSep 17, 2026 21:55
    Re: #5
    Heard that fat itself gets cold, so that's why they feel cold
    27AnonymousSep 17, 2026 20:06
    More muscle means you radiate more heat, so you run hot
    Going forward, being ripped just isn't eco-friendly
    28AnonymousSep 17, 2026 20:08
    Re: #27
    But they're also more resistant to cold, so it evens out
    41AnonymousSep 17, 2026 20:15
    If both the guys and the girls think it's cold, then who's actually in charge of the thermostat?
    Some okama? (dated, often derogatory slang for effeminate or cross-dressing men)
    50AnonymousSep 17, 2026 20:21
    Re: #41
    The women at my workplace apparently like the room itself kept cold
    then they use spot cold-proofing gear for specific body parts
    43AnonymousSep 17, 2026 20:16
    Are there even fat people with poor circulation (hiesho, chronic cold sensitivity)?
    51AnonymousSep 17, 2026 20:22
    Re: #43
    A muscular heavyweight like a sumo wrestler definitely runs hot
    But if it's just plain fat with zero exercise, it wouldn't be strange for them to feel cold
    Basically it comes down to muscle mass
    46AnonymousSep 17, 2026 20:18
    Summer AC chill is way more uncomfortable than actual winter cold
    But the women at my office are the ones controlling the thermostat
    63AnonymousSep 17, 2026 20:29
    Re: #50
    I get that — I don't want my hands and feet cold, but I like my face cold enough to sting a little
    79AnonymousSep 17, 2026 20:37
    Re: #63
    "Cool head, warm feet" is the ideal
    But hot air rises and cold air sinks, so it never works out that way
    It'd be fine if the air actually circulated well, but it rarely does
    68AnonymousSep 17, 2026 20:30
    "Male cold sensitivity"
    somehow that phrase really creeps up on you.
    76AnonymousSep 17, 2026 20:34
    Re: #68
    Even men get cold sensitivity if they do desk work with zero exercise — I know a guy like that
    Guess it really comes down to keeping your body in shape
    71AnonymousSep 17, 2026 20:31
    Pathetic for a man to be cold-sensitive
    Foreign tourists walk around outside in just a T-shirt even in winter
    117AnonymousSep 17, 2026 21:38
    Not long ago everyone was saying "set the AC higher for the environment," but nobody says that anymore
    Even though things keep getting more serious
    122AnonymousSep 17, 2026 21:43
    Re: #117
    Thinking puny human activity can change the global environment, or that humans can control it, is a bit arrogant lol

    Humans are powerless in the grand scheme.
    124AnonymousSep 17, 2026 21:45
    Re: #117
    It worked too well — now we've got a whole generation of old folks who refuse to turn on the AC
    147AnonymousSep 17, 2026 22:07
    The image of men running hot only applies when they work outdoors
    My boss, who got promoted from fieldwork to a desk job,
    kept complaining about being cold
    So basically, white-collar workers are unhealthy
    149AnonymousSep 17, 2026 22:11
    Re: #147
    I do fieldwork, but I wear an air-conditioned jacket plus a dry-ice vest
    It's less "cold" and more just "freezing"
    148AnonymousSep 17, 2026 22:11
    My scalp area is cold, what should I do about that?
    154AnonymousSep 17, 2026 22:16
    Re: #148
    Dye your bald head red
    and the Red Team will give you props
    162AnonymousSep 17, 2026 22:27
    When I got a seat near the AC controller
    no matter how many times I lowered the temperature, it kept mysteriously resetting to 28°C (82°F)

    Because whenever someone dropped it below 27°C, someone else promptly bumped it right back up to 28°C
    173AnonymousSep 17, 2026 22:52
    Re: #162
    28°C (82°F) is scorching hot
    Are you out of your mind?
    168AnonymousSep 17, 2026 22:37
    Men are just turning more feminine these days

    Background and Key Points of This Debate

    When it comes to office room temperature, the Ministry of the Environment’s long-recommended “28°C for cooling” guideline often gets cited, but perceived temperature varies enormously from person to person, and the thread repeatedly pointed out that a single set temperature can’t guarantee comfort for everyone. Many commenters attributed cold sensitivity to differences in muscle mass or body fat, but this isn’t a medically established explanation — it’s more of a folk theory — so that premise should be treated with caution when reporting on it. The stereotype that “men run hot” itself seems to be based on an image of outdoor fieldwork, and as desk-based work becomes more common, it may be increasingly out of step with reality. Meanwhile, the question of “who actually controls the office AC” is a recurring theme on these threads, often treated as a microcosm of workplace power dynamics around gender and status.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (News Express+) thread “[Health] Men Who Can’t Say “I’m Cold” — Is “Men Run Hot” Outdated? The Reality of the Rising Number of “Secretly Cold-Sensitive Men” in the Office.”

  • Revealing She’s a Woman Gets Her No Extra Love — 5ch: ‘No Reactions, Just Feels Empty’

    A poster on 5ch’s Newsspeed VIP board lamented that “nobody believes me even when I reveal I’m a woman,” and when they posted a photo as proof, the thread barely gained traction — instead drawing appraising replies like “who cares if she’s dumb, it’s the body that matters.” The discussion gradually shifted into a debate over what “being showered with attention” actually means in concrete terms, with some users suggesting the poster try livestreaming, while others dismissed “I’m-a-woman-but” threads outright as attention-seeking nuisances — exposing a real divide over the thread’s basic premise.

    1AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:16
    No one believes me even when I say I'm a woman. Even when I post proof, the thread just dies down. Maybe it's because the way I talk isn't cute enough.
    2AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:16
    Post it then.
    5AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:18
    Re: #2
    Even when I post it, nobody reacts and it just leaves me feeling empty, y'know
    7AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:19
    Re: #5
    Enough talk, hurry up and post it already
    9AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:23
    https://gzo.ai/i/jRcTsXu.jpg

    My desk. Only a woman would have stuff like this, right?
    18AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:28
    What do you even mean by "showered with attention"? What treatment are you actually after?
    I'm not saying post a photo, but without one, all we've got to judge "elegance" by is your wording and the vibe of your writing.
    26AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:36
    Re: #18
    Yeah, I guess. Acting all cutesy just feels gross to me, so I can't bring myself to talk in a cute way.
    25AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:35
    https://gzo.ai/i/oWHRFC9.png
    Claim me (be my exclusive guy)
    27AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:37
    Re: #25
    Thought you were some old guy, my bad. Guess I'll hear you out.
    28AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:37
    Re: #26
    Okay, you don't need the cute talk then.
    What's up?
    31AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:39
    Re: #28
    Nothing but bad stuff has been happening lately, one unlucky thing after another, it's rough — say something funny.
    33AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:41
    Re: #31
    You should check out recent footage of Fukuroda Falls.
    It's even better when you compare it to how it normally looks.
    35AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:43
    Re: #33
    Oh, so this is one of those calming videos?
    34AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:42
    Starting a thread in the middle of a weeknight was your first mistake.
    36AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:43
    Re: #34
    Just get whatever guy's already here to go all in and claim you.
    39AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:44
    "I'm-a-woman-but" threads are already considered flat-out annoying and people just want them gone, you know?
    If it's attention you're after, go do it on social media.
    42AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:45
    Re: #39
    This is social media too, isn't it?
    41AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:45
    Show you're a woman on a voice-chat app and guys will swarm you endlessly like monkeys.
    44AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:46
    Re: #41
    I want to be claimed right here on VIP though.
    45AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:46
    But I bet you don't even wear tights in winter, do you?
    49AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:47
    Re: #45
    Tights are pricey and run the second you look at them wrong. Also, my grandma always told me to show off bare legs while I'm young.
    51AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:48
    Sometimes people go quiet because their right hand's busy with… other things.
    58AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:51
    Re: #51
    Film it and post the video here.
    52AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:48
    I'll reply since this thread slipped past my filter, but
    "I'm a JK (high schooler) but…" threads always end up flooded with guys hunting for dates — it's the same pattern every time,
    so I've added those keywords to my ignore list.
    59AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:51
    Re: #52
    Ah, one of those "I don't want women on VIP" types. Guess those people exist too.
    55AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:49
    Re: #35
    Hmm, that one's more of a "too intense, lol" kind of video.

    If you want something calming, how about a video that just plays the sound of spring water flowing?
    61AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:52
    Re: #55
    Got it. Watched a bit of it — some old guy's face was in the shot too, which was kind of funny. Thanks.
    68AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:56
    Why not just start streaming?
    70AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:57
    Re: #68
    If I did, would you come watch?
    77AnonymousSep 18, 2026 01:01
    Re: #70
    I'd come if the timing works out.
    But what kind of stream would you even do?
    If it's a lewd stream, people would flock to it for sure.
    81AnonymousSep 18, 2026 01:07
    Re: #77
    Dunno. I'm bad at talking, and singing's about the only thing I'm any good at.
    69AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:57
    You say you're not confident, but it sounds like you've got something good going for you.
    71AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:57
    Re: #69
    I'm just good at making it look that way.
    85AnonymousSep 18, 2026 01:09
    Put something between your thighs and post a pic.
    88AnonymousSep 18, 2026 01:13
    Re: #85

    https://gzo.ai/i/qrcHHL0.jpg

    Had a handheld fan nearby so I used that.
    109AnonymousSep 18, 2026 01:28
    I'm such a masochist that VIP guys' comments genuinely turn me on. I want you to talk to me even harsher.
    141AnonymousSep 18, 2026 01:52
    Teach me how this "showered with attention" thing is even supposed to work.
    142AnonymousSep 18, 2026 01:53
    Re: #141
    Exchange contact info with me and tell me my face is cute.

    Background and Key Points

    “I’m-a-woman-but” threads are a long-running staple format on anonymous boards like VIP, and since there’s no way to verify anyone’s identity, nobody can ever confirm whether the claim is true. In this case too, even after proof photos were posted, the thread failed to gain much traction, and the discussion shifted into questioning the very premise that “being a woman should mean getting preferential treatment.” The thread split between users demanding photos or a livestream and those who dismissed this kind of self-declared thread outright as an annoying bid for attention, telling posters to take it to social media instead. One thing readers might misread is that a thread getting a lot of replies isn’t proof of being “showered with attention” — mocking and appraising comments count toward that same reply total. It’s also worth keeping in mind that on an anonymous board there’s no way to verify a poster’s claimed gender, so the thread’s core premise can never actually be confirmed either way.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Newsspeed VIP) thread “Is the era of being showered with attention just for being a woman over?“

  • Concern Grows Over Nagura Jun’s Health After ‘Blank-Faced’ Moment on Shabekuri007 — 5ch: “Something’s Not Right”

    Jun Nagura (57) of the comedy trio Neptune drew attention on social media after appearing blank-faced and stepping away to the restroom during filming of the September 14 broadcast of ‘Shabekuri007,’ sparking a wave of concern for his health on 5ch as well. Nagura has long been rumored to suffer from a herniated disc in his neck, and it’s also widely known that his older brother received an 8-year prison sentence for assault and other charges in 2023. Beyond simple worry over his health, the thread saw a mix of reactions — including suspicion about how the show was edited and comments about his chemistry with co-stars.

    “Something’s not right” “Worried” — Viewers stunned by Jun Nagura’s “blank-faced” look on Shabekuri007… leaving mid-taping for the restroom, a string of odd absences raising concern over his health

    Concern for Jun Nagura (57), of the popular comedy trio Neptune, has been mounting on social media.

    It started with the September 14 broadcast of the talk variety show ‘Shabekuri007’ (Nippon TV).

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

    4AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:08
    Re: #1
    Wasn't there already news before about some kind of mental health issue? He's got a beautiful, cheerful wife — maybe the family situation is complicated?
    7AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:09
    Re: #4
    What's shown on camera and what's really going on behind the scenes are two different things.
    15AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:13
    Re: #4
    Something about how Nagura's neck hernia wouldn't heal and it turned into depression.
    35AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:21
    Re: #4
    Marina's apparently really hands-on about it — she reportedly said something like "I almost want to be his primary doctor myself." (Marina = his wife)
    9AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:10
    Never seen him actually doing much talking lately.
    10AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:10
    Lately it feels like they're editing the show to make Nagura look like a screwup.

    Probably works out well for him publicity-wise, but flip that around and it also comes across as kind of malicious editing.
    12AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:12
    He seemed in great spirits — first time in a while I've seen an energetic Nagura.
    Go on another trip with Uchimura and Otake again.
    13AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:12
    Did Horiken flying-kick him from behind and give him whiplash or something?
    93AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:44
    Re: #13
    Something about him grabbing Nagura's head and vaulting over him like a vaulting horse.
    21AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:15
    Speaking of vacant eyes, that's short-sleeper Hori for you —
    never seen anyone look sleepier than that guy.
    23AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:16
    He's got the money — he should just take a year or two off and relax with Marina.
    25AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:17
    Doing 'Jungle Panic' would probably perk him right up. (a game segment from one of their shows)
    26AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:17
    Not sure how to put it, but something's just off.
    Even on that Prime Video show where he got his friends together to compete, his energy and expression seemed weird — it bugged me.
    30AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:18
    There's nothing dumber than worrying about some guy you only see on TV.
    31AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:19
    Lately on Neptune League too, he's sometimes not there.
    Did it flare up again?
    32AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:20
    Isn't his brother about to get out of prison or something?
    34AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:20
    If he's dealing with caregiving on top of all that emotional baggage and family power dynamics, no wonder he's pulling back from TV.
    37AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:21
    First Himura and Date, now Nagura huh.
    Nagura's seemed off for a while now too — not sure if it's andropause or depression.
    41AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:23
    Last time he had a rough patch, it lined up with his brother getting out of prison.
    52AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:28
    Re: #41
    According to reports, he got an 8-year prison sentence at the Kobe District Court trial in May 2023,

    so he's not out yet.
    59AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:31
    Stepping out to the bathroom mid-taping lol
    76AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:38
    Can't depression be fully cured with medication?
    86AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:42
    Re: #76
    It's tough if you can't get away from the root cause.
    105AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:52
    Celebrities are better off not going public about depression.
    You get looked at that way forever afterward.
    108AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:54
    Re: #105
    Even without going public, his expression has looked depressed the whole time.
    You can just tell by looking.
    109AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:55
    Nagura's been like this ever since it came out about his brother, hasn't he…
    110AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:55
    Re: #109
    Yeah, that's probably worn him down a lot.
    115AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:57
    According to Horiken, when the Dodgers win he's in a good mood and chatty, but when the Dodgers lose he just freezes up with a blank expression.
    118AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:58
    Re: #115
    Wait, was it the Dodgers again?

    Background and Key Points

    Jun Nagura also had a period around 2011 when health issues reduced his public appearances, which is why viewers who remember that are voicing renewed concern now. His older brother’s assault case already resulted in an 8-year prison sentence handed down by the Kobe District Court in May 2023 — that’s already-reported, public information. On the other hand, theories floated in the thread, such as a relapse of depression or medication side effects, are purely viewer speculation; no official explanation has come from Nagura himself or his agency. Some also questioned the show’s editing choices, and this mix of genuine health concern and frustration with the production is what characterizes how reactions spread this time.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Entertainment/Sports News+) thread “[Entertainment] “Something’s not right” — Viewers stunned by Jun Nagura’s blank-faced look on Shabekuri007… leaving mid-taping for the restroom, a string of odd absences raising concern over his health.”

  • “What If FF Had Kept Evolving in Pixel Art?” New Trailer for ‘Resonance’ Revealed

    On September 17, Square Enix released the final trailer for Final Fantasy Resonance, a new title said to take the pixel-art style of Final Fantasy and evolve it further as-is. In the 5ch Geinou/Sports News+ thread, some voiced nostalgia for the richly detailed pixel art of late-SFC-era titles like FF6 and Dragon Quest VI, while others vented frustration with the Octopath Traveler series and Dragon Quest remakes, which use the similar pixel-x-3D “HD-2D” style. Many also pointed out that what’s truly been lost isn’t the visuals but the “good old-fashioned fantasy world” feel, and opinion was split over whether the series’ tone changed starting with FF7 or with FF9.

    Final trailer released for Final Fantasy Resonance — the latest title making “what if FF had kept evolving in pixel art” a reality

    September 17, 2026, 12:40

    Square Enix has released the final trailer for Final Fantasy Resonance.

    Source: news.denfaminicogamer.jp / Original article here

    2AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:37
    So if it 'evolves,' are they ditching the ATB system?
    3AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:40
    Just hurry up and give us the definitive version of the original Romancing SaGa already
    4AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:41
    Nah, forget it.
    Give up.
    A company that hasn't made a good game this century isn't gonna pull this off.
    5AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:42
    Both FF6 and Dragon Quest VI
    had gorgeously detailed pixel art, being the final entries of their series on the SFC.
    FF6 especially.
    19AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:52
    Re: #5
    Honestly FF6's level of detail wasn't my taste.
    I prefer the FF4-5 range.
    6AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:44
    Pixel art was fun because we played it on CRT TVs.
    Why would you even do that on a high-res monitor now?
    22AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:53
    Re: #6
    That's exactly why they're going back to their roots on tiny smartphone screens.
    7AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:45
    I genuinely don't get what's good about HD-2D.
    24AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:53
    Re: #7
    Honestly I think it's garbage.
    Octopath Traveler, 2, 0
    every time I bought one hoping it had evolved a bit, it was garbage, so I've decided never to buy HD-2D again.
    Thanks to that I didn't get fooled by the Dragon Quest I·II·III remakes either.
    No matter how many years pass, it hasn't evolved one bit — that's HD-2D for you.
    9AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:45
    It's basically just like Octopath Traveler, right?
    10AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:47
    Final Fantasy's stories are trash, honestly.
    Not interesting at all.

    Dragon Quest got popular because it has this fairy-tale-like world you just can't help wanting to dive into.
    26AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:54
    I wonder how much content it has — maybe around 30 hours?
    37AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:05
    Re: #26
    There are about 3 extra scenarios, so the total volume is over 3 times the main story — it's absurd.
    The story has some tearjerker moments here and there, but overall it's pretty flippant and lightweight.
    33AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:02
    What's with the Stand-like thing behind each character? (a "Stand" here nods to the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure spirit-companion trope)
    36AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:05
    Re: #33
    It's promo for characters from past FF titles.
    39AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:06
    Re: #33
    Just leftover vibes from summoning them in the gacha game.
    34AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:05
    It's not just about being pixel art.
    What matters is that good old-fashioned fantasy world setting.
    Things started going wrong around FF7.
    69AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:30
    Re: #34
    FF was originally more of an ancient-fantasy setting, you know.
    Maybe influenced by Dragon Quest, it somehow shifted to medieval, and by 9 it ended up like that.
    Originally, anything went.
    71AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:31
    Re: #34
    Exactly.
    Around when the world field stopped being a single overworld map,
    it stopped feeling right.
    48AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:11
    Xenoblade 1 and 2 made me cry. The story was as good as Dragon Quest or FF in their prime.
    62AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:21
    Re: #48
    Was there a part in Xenoblade that made you cry?
    Well, it did seem like something anime otaku would go for.
    Not sure about 2 though.
    50AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:12
    They should've properly evolved FF12 instead.
    That sense of actually adventuring was strongest in 12.
    And yet the main story didn't get left behind either.
    54AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:16
    Re: #50
    12 was fun.
    61AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:21
    FF was good up through 6.
    Starting with 7 it turned into a cheesy movie.
    65AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:23
    Re: #61
    8 is amazing though.
    Was that made by the staff from 2?
    It's a total mess but somehow it holds together.
    Pure genius.
    64AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:23
    No good… every time I see a character with this haircut, I lose all motivation.
    Who on earth keeps designing these lame characters over and over?
    67AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:28
    Re: #64
    Feels like a small, dated character cobbled together by ripping off bits from all over the place.
    73AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:34
    This is just a rehash of some gacha game that got shut down, right?
    16 changed too much — 14 or 7 Remake is the proper evolution.
    76AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:36
    Re: #73
    16 would've been better off not being an FF game — then it wouldn't get needlessly compared to past heroines.
    75AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:35
    FF hasn't been a good old-fashioned fantasy world since the very first game lol
    A classic fantasy setting doesn't have a space station show up.
    99AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:51
    Re: #75
    Anything went lol
    It was ancient fantasy, so anything was fair game lol
    Things got weird from 9, when it somehow tried to match Dragon Quest's style.
    81AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:41
    The people making Square Enix's games should probably read more novels and poetry or something.
    The language keeps getting shallower, with characters just stating their emotions outright.
    I think early RPGs had that depth precisely because their means of expression were so constrained.
    It's the same reason a song that just repeats 'I love you, I love you' doesn't sell — indirect expression is what actually hits you.
    89AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:44
    Re: #81
    That's the trend these days.
    Even Demon Slayer explains everything through dialogue, and a lot of isekai light novels ("narou-kei") cram in just as much dialogue and exposition.
    93AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:46
    Re: #81
    This goes for any medium, but
    when a sad scene literally has someone say 'this is sad,' it kills the mood, doesn't it?
    87AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:44
    As a kid I loved FF so much, I used to get so excited about release news and new info.
    Now watching the footage, my heart doesn't move at all. Guess that's aging for you.
    94AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:48
    Re: #87
    If being able to predict that it's just gonna be some half-baked, sub-novel-tier story and lame battles counts as 'getting old,' then yeah, I guess that's what it is.
    100AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:53
    Re: #87
    Personally I feel FF12 was the turning point — FF12 itself was just plain boring. FF13 has some battle highlights but everything else about it is boring.
    FF10 honestly had boring combat too and plenty of dated gameplay elements, but it had things going for it — the story, its distinct Asian-inspired world, and being the first game with voice acting.
    88AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:44
    I'm just not interested in FF music made by some random composer who isn't Nobuo Uematsu.
    90AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:46
    Re: #88
    The battle themes always follow that 'da-da-da-da-da-DAN' formula lol

    Background and Points of Discussion

    HD-2D is a Square Enix rendering technique that combines pixel-art characters with 3D backgrounds and lighting effects, used in the Octopath Traveler series and the Dragon Quest III: And Then Into Legend… remake, among others. In the thread, nostalgia for FF’s pixel-art era gets mixed together with opinions on recent HD-2D titles themselves, so it’s worth noting these are related but distinct topics. Opinions on when FF’s style shifted are also split, with some pointing to FF7 onward and others to FF9 onward — where players draw that line of “change” largely depends on their own formative experience with the series. All of this reflects individual thread participants’ impressions, and should be read as a separate discussion from any evaluation of Resonance itself.

    ※This article was compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “[Square Enix] The Latest Title Making “What If FF Had Kept Evolving in Pixel Art” a Reality — Final Fantasy Resonance: Final Trailer.”

  • Juice=Juice’s 3 Members Team Up With Panda Dragon — Collab Video Sparks Buzz

    Three members of the idol group Juice=Juice — Arisawa Ichika, Kawashima Mifuu, and Hayashi Nia — teamed up with dance video creator “Panda Dragon,” whom they met at “#PomFes,” to post a video of themselves dancing to the song ‘More! Mi Amore’ (a pun on “moreru,” slang for looking extra glamorous/photogenic). The video reportedly climbed into the top tier of views on Panda Dragon’s channel, and on 5ch’s Hello! Project thread, reactions like “Nobody can beat Juice=Juice” poured in. At the same time, the discussion also drifted into comparisons of popularity with other Hello! Project members.

    info__paragon

    【 Juice=Juice × Panda Dragon 】

    Had the pleasure of appearing together at #PomFes

    Source: instagram.com / Original post here

    2AnonymousSep 17, 2026 22:06
    Came away thinking nobody can top Juice=Juice
    3AnonymousSep 17, 2026 22:07
    Ugh… look at them, such an in-demand act
    5AnonymousSep 17, 2026 22:09
    It's racking up enough views to land around 13th if you sort Panda Dragon's channel by popularity (and it still looks like it's climbing)
    8AnonymousSep 17, 2026 22:15
    Kind of rare seeing Arisawa show up in something like this
    9AnonymousSep 17, 2026 22:28
    🐼Panda Dragon🐲
    info__paragon
    1 hour ago
    【 Juice=Juice × Panda Dragon 】
    Had the pleasure of appearing together at #PomFes
    Dancing to 'More! Mi Amore' 🔥 with #JuiceJuice's Arisawa Ichika, Kawashima Mifuu, and Hayashi Nia
    https://tiktok.com/@info__paragon/video/7686474052311010568
    11AnonymousSep 17, 2026 22:37
    Yeah, 'More Mi' really is the one (fan shorthand for the song 'More! Mi Amore')
    43AnonymousSep 17, 2026 22:51
    Guess Hong Kong-san's Excel rankings are getting updated again (a fan famous for tracking member popularity stats in a spreadsheet)
    44AnonymousSep 17, 2026 22:58
    Mippuru's gonna get overshadowed again (fan nickname for Kawashima Mifuu)
    45AnonymousSep 17, 2026 22:59
    EBiDAN → underground idol scene → Johnny's next, huh?
    46AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:33
    reisakuringo
    https://www.
    tiktok.com/@juicejuice_uf/video/7686442774568242439
    47AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:35
    Panda Dragon is honestly great, isn't he — he's put up TikToks for my group too, and unlike those half-assed creators out there, the guy's actually skilled

    Background and Talking Points

    Panda Dragon is a popular creator who posts numerous dance videos on TikTok and Instagram, and collaborating with idols to boost visibility has become a common tactic in and around the idol industry in recent years. Exactly what kind of event “#PomFes,” which sparked this collaboration, actually was isn’t spelled out in the thread — posters could only guess it was some sort of gathering bringing together multiple performers. It’s also worth noting that the ranking cited in the thread — the video coming in around 13th by view count — is just an unofficial observation made independently by a fan, not a figure officially announced by anyone. While plenty of commenters were happy to see the video take off, reactions weren’t uniform, with the discussion also touching on whether it’s fair for collaborations to concentrate on certain members, and drifting into comparisons of popularity with members of other groups.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hello! Project) thread “Juice=Juice and Panda Dragon’s ‘More! Mi Amore’ Video Is Here ｷﾀ━━━━(ﾟ∀ﾟ)━━━━!!.”

  • Sayashi Riho’s “Koufuku Shikkaku” Sparks Big Buzz — 5ch: “She Should Just Come Back”

    Manety, the manager of former Morning Musume member Sayashi Riho, posted on X about the new song “Koufuku Shikkaku” (“Happy Disqualification”), saying she’d been told by the Morning Musume director that it’s “a genuinely good song” and that Matsuoka Mayu had also offered warm words about it on the radio. Sayashi currently stars in a drama depicting a romance between two women, and 5ch saw a flurry of posts comparing the scale of the response, and her Spotify monthly listener numbers, to other Hello!Project graduates. While some worried about ticket sales for her tour, others reported a wave of new fans drawn in by the drama, leaving posters split over how much room Sayashi still has to grow.

    Manety🧪🥼@manetty_re

    Even the Morning Musume director told me “Koufuku Shikkaku” is a genuinely good song — Sayashi’s really been putting in the work, y’know 😭

    Matsuoka Mayu also had kind words for it on the radio. I’ll keep grinding it out, inch by inch (lit. “advancing on my belly” — a phrase for slow, steady effort against the odds) 🫡

    Source: youtube.com / Original post here

    3AnonymousSep 17, 2026 22:38
    It's not really "the director," it's Tsunku♂, isn't it lol
    4AnonymousSep 17, 2026 22:40
    This kind of self-promotion is so on-brand for Manety.
    5AnonymousSep 17, 2026 22:42
    The arrangement's by someone Tsunku uses from time to time.
    7AnonymousSep 17, 2026 22:44
    Well, there's probably a connection.
    Riho-riho (her nickname) came to Chayu's (fellow idol's nickname) final live twice last year.
    Chayu's director was basically that same guy for eight years — if he wasn't out of town, you'd usually spot him at Chayu's events.
    9AnonymousSep 17, 2026 22:46
    She should just come back like Asakura did.
    Hello!Pro fans are suckers for that — she'd get three times the support she's getting now.
    15AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:10
    Re: #9
    Even Sato, who never left, is struggling with falling draw.
    Sayashi's draw has fallen even further than hers — she'd struggle too if she came back.
    11AnonymousSep 17, 2026 22:50
    Going back to the current Morning Musume would just drag her reputation down.
    12AnonymousSep 17, 2026 22:51
    Is the lesbian drama actually any good?
    I'm recording it just in case.
    17AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:22
    Re: #12
    I've seen a few people say this is the first time they'd even heard of Sayashi and they joined her fan club because of it — biggest response any of her acting work has gotten so far.
    18AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:25
    Kind of sad seeing Ri-ho's tour not sell out in the first round, even at that venue capacity.
    Her next tour should fill right up thanks to the drama buzz though.
    19AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:28
    First time Sayashi's had an actually decent solo song.
    21AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:37
    Re: #19
    Yeah, I think so too.
    20AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:30
    Ogata Risa
    10,171 monthly listeners

    Sayashi Riho
    7,539 monthly listeners

    Yamazaki Yuba
    1,223 monthly listeners

    Kishimoto Yumeno
    836 monthly listeners

    Kannagi Maro
    621 monthly listeners
    22AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:42
    Re: #20
    What about Sato Ma-chan and Tamura Mei-mei?
    23AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:47
    Why does this always end up tangled up with Hello!Project?
    24AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:47
    Sato's excluded since she never left the agency.

    Tamura Mei
    11,892 monthly listeners
    26AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:49
    Manety — raised by Fujimoto, and went on to raise Mano-chan herself.
    27AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:50
    The drama just started for Sayashi, so I think she's only going to grow from here.
    29AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:52
    Re: #27
    She's had resources poured into her for over 15 years, from her Morning Musume days through her new agency, and you're saying she's only going to grow from here…?
    28AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:52
    Manety only ever develops pretty girls with red as their member color, so after Ripo (Riho's nickname), if it's Yonekira, Mifu, or Geta, that's exactly Manety's type.
    30AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:52
    Her co-star Konishi Sakurako is so cute — I'm jealous Sayashi gets to kiss her over and over.
    35AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:57
    Re: #30
    Sayashi's type is Fuku-chan, so Konishi Sakurako's a bit too slim for her taste — cute, though.
    31AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:54
    Re: #29
    The MV just dropped, they're about to ramp up the promo push for "Koufuku Shikkaku" — how long are you idiots gonna keep bringing up Morning Musume?
    34AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:56
    Re: #31
    It's just a fact that she had an absurd amount of resources poured into her back in her Morning Musume days.
    32AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:55
    Sayashi's fans and Manety are good at slapping labels on things — hyping "she's arrived!" — but it's a shame the results rarely follow through.
    Same thing happened with the Death Note stage play, everyone was hyped early on but it fizzled in the end. Hope she pulls through this time.
    33AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:56
    The response is on a totally different level from her past dramas, so I hope they don't let this chance slip by.
    38AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:00
    Re: #33
    The drama that actually got the biggest response for Sayashi was the one where she danced with Yamada Ryosuke and Ohashi Kazuya.
    37AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:59
    Yuri fandom is full of people just chasing the trend, so the crowd turns over really fast.
    Once a new GL (Girls' Love) drama starts, they probably won't stick around.
    41AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:01
    The author of the yuri manga this is based on said a season 2 depends on the response.
    42AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:02
    Re: #41
    Getting a season 2 for a GL drama takes buzz on the level of "Ayahiro" or "Chaser Game" —
    the bar's nothing like it is for BL dramas.
    43AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:03
    Is there really that much buzz? First I'm hearing of it.
    46AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:06
    Re: #43
    It just means it's the biggest response of any of Sayashi's work so far.
    It's yuri, so one particular corner of the internet is just loud about it.
    44AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:04
    The source material was already popular worldwide, so attention is naturally high.
    49AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:10
    You can tell they're really going for it with this one.
    It resonates with general audiences too.
    58AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:27
    Apparently the counting method changed, so the numbers come out higher than before.
    59AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:29
    Re: #58
    Sounds like they added a method that counts a play after just 1 second, plus one where even the same person replaying it over and over gets counted every time.
    63AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:33
    Quit dropping Morning Musume's and Matsuoka's names every time.
    Do it on your own strength.
    64AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:35
    Re: #63
    Among Hello!Project OGs, the only ones who can actually pull that off are Tsuji and Fujimoto.
    Even the OGs who left UP-FRONT end up relying on Hello!Pro and its fans in the end.

    Background and key points of this discussion

    Sayashi Riho was a member of Morning Musume。’14 from 2011 to 2015, and has focused on stage plays and dramas since leaving the group. Manety is a manager at the same talent agency who has handled several Hello!Project graduates, and this post is seen as part of that same pattern. Opinions split in the thread over whether Spotify monthly listener counts really back up the claim of a “big response,” with some pointing out that the play-counting method was recently changed, making simple comparisons difficult. It’s also worth noting — something not obvious from outside the fandom — that the show she’s currently in is a so-called GL (Girls’ Love) drama depicting romance between women, and that the market size and the bar for a sequel differ from BL dramas, making it hard to compare its buzz directly to works in other genres. Among fans, opinions also diverge on how to weigh this latest response, given the long history of the agency putting significant resources behind her dating back to her Morning Musume days.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hello!Project) thread “Manety: “Even the Morning Musume director told me Koufuku Shikkaku is a good song. Sayashi’s really been putting in the work. I’ll keep grinding it out, inch by inch.”“

  • Fukushima’s ‘Alta’ Supermarket, Famous for Its ¥250 Bento, Goes Bankrupt — 5ch: ‘Even at Zero Cost, That’s Only ¥250 Profit’

    On September 16, 2026, it was reported that Fukushima City supermarket “Alta,” known for its signature ¥250 bento, has entered bankruptcy proceedings. The price, said to have been set as a pun on “fukkou” (recovery), had remained unchanged for years since the earthquake, but on 5ch the prevailing view is that sales of everything besides the bento — the store’s main draw — never picked up. The thread was split on the management decision itself: some said “they should have just raised the price,” others pointed to fewer people buying bento at all as more households cook rice at home, and still others questioned how much profit could ever be made at a ¥250 price point in the first place.

    [Bankruptcy News] Famous for its dirt-cheap “¥250 bento” — Fukushima City’s “Alta” enters bankruptcy proceedings | Fukushima News | TUF

    Wednesday, September 16, 2026, 11:34

    Domestic

    Source: newsdig.tbs.co.jp / Original article here

    2AnonymousSep 16, 2026 17:43
    So they should've just raised the price lol. No need to stubbornly hold out until you go bankrupt lol
    12AnonymousSep 16, 2026 19:58
    Re: #2
    This was a supermarket.
    The bento was just a loss-leader to draw customers in.
    Sales of everything else must have been weak.
    3AnonymousSep 16, 2026 17:59
    No way. Everyone meet up in front of Alta before it disappears.
    4AnonymousSep 16, 2026 18:07
    Doesn't look like there are any rice paddies around Shibuya's Alta though (mixing up the Fukushima supermarket with Tokyo's famous Shibuya Alta building)
    5AnonymousSep 16, 2026 18:22
    There goes another precious lunch break
    6AnonymousSep 16, 2026 18:32
    You guys are way too into this 'Ukiuki Watching' bit (the theme song of the TV show once filmed at Shibuya's Alta building)
    7AnonymousSep 16, 2026 18:33
    What's happening to the site now that Alta's gone?
    9AnonymousSep 16, 2026 18:58
    ¥250 is just absurd.
    Even for a bare-bones 'rising sun' bento — just rice with a single pickled plum — that's too cheap.
    11AnonymousSep 16, 2026 19:20
    Re: #9
    It had stayed at ¥250 the whole time as a 'reconstruction bento.'
    The staff here rarely even said hello, so the place had a bad image.
    10AnonymousSep 16, 2026 19:02
    The result of not getting a haircut
    13AnonymousSep 16, 2026 20:11
    Maybe even Tamori ate one there (longtime host of the TV show filmed at Shibuya's Alta)
    14AnonymousSep 16, 2026 20:22
    If even a loss-leader bento couldn't save it, the population decline in the trade area must be brutal.
    15AnonymousSep 16, 2026 20:26
    Might not have gone under if they'd priced it at ¥400.
    18AnonymousSep 16, 2026 22:06
    Even ¥398 would still be cheap — they should've just raised the price.
    19AnonymousSep 16, 2026 23:02
    Even selling ¥250 bentos, it's probably only 10 or 20 a day.
    That alone wouldn't rack up losses in the hundreds of millions — the supermarket business itself must have failed.
    20AnonymousSep 17, 2026 00:53
    There's usually a half-price ¥200 bento around somewhere nearby anyway.
    They don't sell out as fast these days either — maybe because everyone's cooking rice at home now.
    21AnonymousSep 17, 2026 01:03
    Is La Muu doing okay?
    22AnonymousSep 17, 2026 01:36
    I remember the news about it suddenly closing before.
    23AnonymousSep 17, 2026 04:44
    What's going to happen to the people left behind in the area?
    24AnonymousSep 17, 2026 08:00
    Re: #11
    Probably low pay and brutal hours.
    The strain always shows up in a place like that.
    25AnonymousSep 17, 2026 08:21
    Lately a lot of people just buy these discount loss-leader items and head straight home.
    26AnonymousSep 17, 2026 08:40
    If they priced the discount bento at market rate,
    the store probably wouldn't have gone under so easily, right?

    On days cheap ingredients come in, price it low;
    on days they're expensive, price the bento
    a bit higher too.

    Make today's price, sales volume,
    and stock levels viewable in real time
    on smartphones.
    Allow reservations too.
    29AnonymousSep 17, 2026 10:59
    In the end everyone just suffers, huh.
    The supermarket's nori bento went up to ¥600 too.
    I bought it half-price,
    but it just wasn't tasty, so I won't buy it again even at half price.
    Their ¥200 nori bento was mostly left unsold too.
    If it's no good, people won't buy it —
    even with rice, customers only buy brand-name varieties.
    30AnonymousSep 17, 2026 11:15
    So it was a desperation bento after all.
    Went out with one last defiant stink bomb, huh.
    31AnonymousSep 17, 2026 11:29
    People who ate it constantly and now say it was bad.
    32AnonymousSep 17, 2026 12:32
    ♪ Waratte Iitomo, Ukiuki Watch! (theme song of the long-running TV show once filmed at Shibuya's Alta)
    34AnonymousSep 17, 2026 14:16
    Fukushima just needs its York Benimaru.
    35AnonymousSep 17, 2026 15:07
    And now Fukushima City's got a Lopia!
    36AnonymousSep 17, 2026 15:32
    Rumor was even the staff were only told 'we're closing starting today' on the day itself —
    guess it's finally official now.
    37AnonymousSep 17, 2026 16:34
    Even if every single cost were zero, that's still only ¥250 in profit.
    The moment you build a strategy around that, you've already lost.
    38AnonymousSep 17, 2026 16:48
    Once you go dirt-cheap to draw in customers, it drags down the perceived quality of everything else in the store too.
    39AnonymousSep 17, 2026 21:21
    Should've just limited it to 10 servings a day or something (´・ω・｀)
    40AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:11
    ¥250 is about what a large serving of plain rice alone would cost.

    Background and points of debate

    A bankruptcy proceeding order differs from procedures like corporate reorganization or civil rehabilitation, which assume the business will keep operating — this is a liquidation-type insolvency process, where a court-appointed trustee sells off the company’s assets and distributes the proceeds to creditors. Opinion on the thread was divided over whether raising the price of the ¥250 bento could have kept the store afloat: some pushed for a price hike, while others argued that since the bento was always meant to be a loss-leading draw for customers, a price increase alone wouldn’t have fixed the underlying slump in the supermarket business itself. The observation that more households are cooking their own rice, driving down demand for bento in general, also points to a broader shift in local consumer behavior. That said, whether the ¥250 bento was the direct cause of the bankruptcy, or whether weak overall sales at the supermarket was the main factor, remains speculation within the thread and has not been confirmed as fact by any news report.

    *This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Business News+) thread “[Fukushima] Famous for its dirt-cheap ‘¥250 bento’ — Fukushima City’s ‘Alta’ enters bankruptcy proceedings.”

  • Yuki Uchida: “I Don’t Want to Work Anymore” — Husband/Manager Takashi Kashiwabara’s Script-Change Demands Spark Controversy

    Yuki Uchida (50) is starring in a Fuji TV drama series for the first time in 30 years — “Last Note” — which airs its final episode on September 17. The household viewership rating plunged from 5% for the premiere to 3.2% by episode two, and has continued to languish around 3% ever since. According to a source close to the production, Takashi Kashiwabara, who is both Uchida’s husband and her manager, has reportedly been demanding script changes on set, leaving Fuji TV staff at a loss over how to handle it. On 5ch, reactions were split, mixing doubts about the quality of Fuji TV’s scripts with comments aimed at Kashiwabara himself.

    “I Don’t Want to Work With Yuki Uchida Anymore” — Fuji TV Insiders Troubled… Behind the Scenes: Manager-Husband Takashi Kashiwabara’s “Script Change Demands”

    On September 17, “Last Note,” Yuki Uchida’s (50) first starring role in a Fuji TV drama series in 30 years, reaches its final episode.

    “The household rating for the premiere was 5%, but it plunged to 3.2% by episode two, and it’s stayed stuck around 3% ever since. Fuji TV had high hopes for this one — last year’s ‘Zoku Zoku Saigo Kara Nibanme no Koi,’ which also starred Uchida, opened at 9.4% and held strong in the 7% range, so the contrast is stark…” (a source close to the production)

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

    3AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:33
    Only
    Only
    Only
    Only You
    8AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:36
    Re: #3
    Ooooh~
    5AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:35
    Fuji TV probably wrote some crappy script anyway
    7AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:36
    Sadly, you guys don't get to be picky anymore
    They just have to keep scraping together cheap actors who won't turn down a Fuji TV offer
    and crank out dramas from scripts by nobody-writers, or the whole thing falls apart…
    9AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:37
    It's Fuji TV we're talking about — who are they to complain?
    10AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:37
    Wait, Yuki Uchida got married?
    And to Kashiwabara, of all people?
    11AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:37
    Isn't Kashiwabara the guy who was in "Shota's Sushi"?
    Look how far he's come.
    12AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:37
    Guess becoming a company president went to Kashiwabara's head.
    14AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:38
    Well, Fuji TV, sure… though NTV's no better

    Netflix would probably be better, they can actually do sex scenes
    16AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:39
    Fuji TV probably wrote some creepy script anyway
    like throwing in a sex scene for an age-gap couple story just because
    like that Sato Jiro gag — "patience, patience…" (a manga reference to a character's running joke of holding in frustration with a huge exaggerated sigh)
    17AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:40
    The big three Uchidas:
    Yuki Uchida
    Yuya Uchida
    Who's the third?
    21AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:42
    Wait, is Takashi Kashiwabara actually working as a manager these days?
    23AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:43
    Isn't Bunshun going to cry "pressure from above" on this one?
    If you're going to tear down the industry "custom" that's been in place since the days of Watanabe Productions' dominance, then get rid of idol culture and talent agencies altogether
    26AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:43
    They should just spell it out properly in the contract — in the end it's the network that has no backbone
    29AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:45
    Oh, Uchida went independent from her agency?
    What a cheap little article
    30AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:45
    An actor constantly demanding script changes is disrespectful to the writer. You're supposed to commit to the role as written.
    31AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:45
    Come on, up until now it was all "ageless beauty" this, "Lady Uchida" that
    and the second she puts out a crap drama with garbage ratings, suddenly it's a different tune lol
    39AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:48
    Didn't know Takashi Kashiwabara had quit acting
    70AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:59
    Re: #39
    Probably reeking of that vague showbiz-exec vibe now lol
    40AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:48
    They should do commercials together as a couple — such a waste, they're a good-looking pair
    46AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:51
    Re: #40
    He split from Burning Productions on bad terms and went independent, so there's no way commercial offers are coming his way
    41AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:50
    Why doesn't he ditch the manager gig and come back in front of the camera?
    He used to be a stunningly handsome guy
    44AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:51
    Re: #41
    Have you seen him lately?
    He looked kind of worn-down and off
    42AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:50
    But back when Uchida went through her first divorce, Hidetaka Yoshioka got trashed for it while Uchida was shielded
    whether it's here or in the Yahoo comments, everyone seems to just hate Fuji TV and pile on them, but you really can't tell who's in the right from this alone
    80AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:01
    Re: #42
    Because of the script-change demands
    87AnonymousSep 18, 2026 00:03
    Re: #42
    Why does demanding script changes automatically make Fuji the bad guy?
    43AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:50
    Her signature role is "Real Sound ~ Kaze no Regret ~," right?
    47AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:52
    Hiroko Hatano and Yuki Uchida, both from Burning Productions, huh
    49AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:52
    Not like I'm dying to watch Yuki Uchida act with that raspy, gravelly voice of hers anyway
    50AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:52
    You think Fuji TV is in any position to be picky about actors? lol

    Background and Key Points of This Story

    Compared to last year’s “Zoku Zoku Saigo Kara Nibanme no Koi” (also starring Uchida, which opened at 9.4% and held in the 7% range), this time “Last Note” saw its rating plunge from 5% at the premiere to 3.2% by episode two — and that steep drop is what kicked off this story. The article’s central claim, the “demand for script changes,” rests on the testimony of an anonymous production source; neither Uchida nor her agency has confirmed the specifics of the demand or the facts behind it. Reactions on 5ch ranged from doubts about the quality of Fuji TV’s scripts to comments targeting manager Takashi Kashiwabara personally, though a fair amount of that was thinly-sourced speculation, and such posts have been excluded from this article. Kashiwabara has a history as an actor, but his current, specific role could not be confirmed within the scope of this article.

    *This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “[Entertainment] ‘I Don’t Want to Work With Yuki Uchida Anymore’ — Fuji TV Insiders Troubled… Behind the Scenes: Manager-Husband Takashi Kashiwabara’s ‘Script Change Demands.’”