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  • HORI Launches ‘Arcade Classic Pro’ Stick for Switch 2/PC at ¥39,980

    HORI has begun taking pre-orders for the “HORI Arcade Classic Pro for Nintendo Switch™ 2,” a full-scale arcade stick for Nintendo Switch 2 and PC. Priced at ¥39,980 (tax included), it measures roughly 50cm wide, 29cm deep, and 11cm tall — reproducing the size of an actual arcade cabinet control panel. On 5ch’s Hardware/Industry (“Geha”) board, posts reporting instant pre-orders piled up, alongside concerns about the availability of replacement parts (since it’s made-to-order) and the trackball’s durability, plus calls for a Switch 2 grip controller.

    Whoa, out of nowhere?

    Finally, I’ve been waiting for this!!

    Source: youtube.com / Original article here

    3AnonymousSep 14, 2026 17:58
    Pre-ordered instantly!


    Everyone hurry up too!!
    20AnonymousSep 14, 2026 18:24
    Re: #3
    Lol, you bought the ocarina controller too
    24AnonymousSep 14, 2026 18:34
    Re: #3
    Not getting the Wolverine one?
    5AnonymousSep 14, 2026 17:59
    Details here

    HORI Arcade Classic Pro for Nintendo Switch 2 Arcade Classic Pro
    ¥39,980 (tax included)
    https://horistore.com/shop/g/gNSX-181/
    65AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:47
    Re: #5
    Made-to-order, huh
    I'd think the trackball is the kind of thing that gets dirty and stops working eventually — I wonder if the unit will be sold separately
    Also, since it's officially Nintendo-licensed, I wish they'd added a wake-from-sleep function
    6AnonymousSep 14, 2026 18:00
    I always wondered why HORI seemed cold toward Switch,
    but I guess when they do release something, they really deliver.
    7AnonymousSep 14, 2026 18:01
    Re: #6
    Nah, if anything they're making bank off Switch accessories
    9AnonymousSep 14, 2026 18:06
    Re: #6
    They literally made a dedicated ocarina controller…
    31AnonymousSep 14, 2026 18:46
    Re: #6
    Come on, they went out of their way to make an ocarina — that's not "cold"
    8AnonymousSep 14, 2026 18:02
    Re: #7
    Ah no, I know they put out a ton of Hori Pads and cases and stuff
    I just meant they never release arcade sticks
    10AnonymousSep 14, 2026 18:06
    Re: #8
    Probably because there weren't any decent fighting games on Switch 2 until Street Fighter 6 showed up…

    Guess stuff like GBVS or Guilty Gear wasn't enough to justify making an arcade stick
    11AnonymousSep 14, 2026 18:07
    I'm curious about the durability of the loop lever — rumor has it the real arcade ones break easily
    Hope the replacement parts can be bought per-unit
    21AnonymousSep 14, 2026 18:29
    This is great, but please hurry up and release a grip controller for Switch 2 too

    Re: #11
    Since it's made-to-order and probably won't be produced in the same numbers as a regular retail item, that makes it even more of a worry
    17AnonymousSep 14, 2026 18:14
    40,000 yen, huh
    It'll probably end up getting scalped at a premium anyway
    Wish they'd offer an analog lever option for the control unit too
    Two analog levers and you could pretend it's Virtual On
    39AnonymousSep 14, 2026 18:57
    Re: #17
    Virtual On's twin sticks are actually digital, you know
    The analog twin-stick games came before that — like Cyber Sled and "Command" (likely short for Namco's Cyber Commando)
    I think Command got an Arcade Archives release
    26AnonymousSep 14, 2026 18:36
    A proper introduction video dropped too

    [New Product Introduction] HORI Arcade Classic Pro for Nintendo Switch™ 2
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=beCdVOpe2SY
    28AnonymousSep 14, 2026 18:43
    Re: #26
    They're saying more attachments are planned down the line too
    Excellent
    34AnonymousSep 14, 2026 18:51
    Sticks on both sides seems like it'd be easy to do
    but the "Bellabo switch" people were requesting is probably a no-go given how few compatible games there are and durability concerns lol
    36AnonymousSep 14, 2026 18:53
    Re: #34
    Yeah, the "Bellabo switch" is definitely not happening
    41AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:00
    Isn't this for PC?
    42AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:03
    Re: #41
    Supported platforms are Switch 2 and PC
    43AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:04
    The thread title doesn't mention Hori or Arcade Archives, so it almost got duplicated
    44AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:06
    Re: #43
    My bad
    I could've taken more time to make a proper title,
    but I was scrambling to get the thread up right after pre-ordering lol
    Though since it's made-to-order, those extra few minutes probably won't change the delivery date anyway
    50AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:14
    But man, this thing is way too huge
    Do you really need 8 buttons on a special control panel…?
    55AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:16
    Re: #50
    Well, think of it this way — a lot of games can be covered with just this one unit
    52AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:14
    Can you play Crazy Climber on this?
    56AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:16
    Re: #52
    Like our man Takayoshi wrote,
    I get the feeling they'll sell the stick unit separately fairly soon, to make games like Ribble Rabble and Crazy Climber easier to play — what do you all think?
    Going by their philosophy too, they seem pretty strongly pro-Crazy Climber
    54AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:15
    External dimensions: approx. 50cm (W) x 29cm (D) x 11cm (H)

    Huge! So thick!!
    96AnonymousSep 14, 2026 21:24
    Re: #54
    Arcade cabinet control panels were always huge anyway, so if you want that authentic feel, the controller's gonna end up big

    And since you set it down on a surface to use it, making it bigger means it also has to be heavier or it won't sit stable
    63AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:26
    Is this coming to Arcade Archives?
    66AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:52
    Oh, the control panel unit is swappable?
    If Virtual On had come out, maybe they could've done twin sticks too
    67AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:55
    Re: #66
    Probably doable, but the mounting would likely feel pretty awkward
    69AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:57
    No rolling/rotary switch?! Come on!
    70AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:58
    Re: #69
    Were there even any compatible games for that?
    76AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:14
    Re: #69
    Probably left out for cost reasons, but if the paddle had a push-in function,
    you could at least kind of fake it
    101AnonymousSep 14, 2026 21:47
    Guess I should've been collecting my Arcade Archives on Switch
    I went and collected them all on PS instead
    107AnonymousSep 14, 2026 21:57
    Re: #101
    Guess you've got no choice but to buy a converter along with it
    On the Switch side, you can't even use a Cyber Stick without an adapter, and there aren't many steering wheel options either
    104AnonymousSep 14, 2026 21:53
    It's not a cheap purchase, so I wanted to check buyer reviews before deciding, but it's made-to-order, huh…
    105AnonymousSep 14, 2026 21:55
    Re: #104
    Guess the best bet is just trying the feel of it on the demo unit at TGS (Tokyo Game Show)

    Background and Key Points of This Topic

    HORI has put out a wide range of Nintendo Switch peripherals over the years — pads, cases, and more — but had never released an arcade stick. Thread posters point to the lack of serious fighting-game support on Switch as the likely reason (>>10). The new model supports both Switch 2 and PC and features a swappable control unit, but because it’s made-to-order, it may reach the market in smaller numbers than a mass-produced item, leading several commenters to worry about whether wear-prone parts like the trackball will be sold separately as spares. Since owned Arcade Archives (“Aké-aka”) titles are tied to the platform they were bought on, the arrival of a peripheral built seriously for Switch also left some fans lamenting that they “went and collected them all on PlayStation instead.” Given the hurdles posed by both the price and the made-to-order purchase format, some said they’d rather use demo units at the Tokyo Game Show (TGS) to judge the feel of the controls before deciding.

    *This article is composed of excerpts and a summary from the 5ch (Hardware/Industry, “Geha”) thread “It’s Finally Here: HORI Arcade Classic Pro.”

  • Odakyu Romancecar Collides with Combine Harvester — All 150 Passengers Unhurt, 5ch Cries ‘Deploy!’

    On the morning of September 14, a combine harvester that had gotten stuck at an Odakyu Line railroad crossing in Odawara City, Kanagawa Prefecture, collided with an Odakyu Romancecar train. None of the roughly 150 passengers and crew aboard the train were injured, nor was the man in his 70s who had been driving the combine. On 5ch’s News Speed+ board, the thread lit up with a wide range of topics — jokes about giant-robot “combining” sequences sparked by the word “combine,” technical points about the structure and ground pressure of farm machinery, and trivia about the Odakyu Romancecar’s front observation seats.

    Sept 14 (Mon), 11:43 AM

    TBS NEWS DIG Powered by JNN

    This morning, a combine harvester got stuck at an Odakyu Line railroad crossing in Odawara City, Kanagawa Prefecture, and collided with a train. No injuries were reported.

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

    2AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:29
    If he's got JA (agricultural co-op) insurance, his optional coverage will pay for this
    42AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:38
    No 'Victory' today (riffing on the catchphrase from combining-robot anime Combattler V)
    3AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:29
    Let's Combine! (the transformation call from combining-robot anime)
    102AnonymousSep 14, 2026 17:16
    #3, #5, #24
    ❌ 'Let's' Combine
    ⭕ 'Retsutsu' Combine (a stuttery in-joke mispronunciation)
    130AnonymousSep 14, 2026 17:36
    #102 Deploy, deploy~🎵 (robot-anime battle-cry callback)
    6AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:29
    How rural do you have to be to run into a combine harvester out there
    32AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:35
    #6
    It's Odawara
    Yeah, it's the boonies
    9AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:30
    Farmhand Warrior Combine

    Our house is a farmhouse~♪ (parody mashing up a tokusatsu hero name with a jingle-style lyric)
    62AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:47
    #9
    Go on, simmer it down
    All the produce in the fields and paddies (parody of the Cutie Honey theme lyric 'simmer down the flames of love')
    25AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:33
    What even is a 'combine'?
    30AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:34
    #25
    The machine that harvests and threshes rice in the paddy
    (does both jobs — hence 'combine')
    199AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:35
    #25
    Technically it's a 'harvester,' but us dumb Japanese folk (lit. 'ponji,' self-deprecating slang) just borrowed the 'combine' from 'combine harvester,' and it stuck
    27AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:33
    The Burning Man's Red Tractor
    That's you, buddy
    121AnonymousSep 14, 2026 17:28
    #27
    Just realized the difference between a tractor and a combine
    Thanks
    29AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:34
    Recommended banned words:
    'Tornado'
    'Yo-yo'
    'Our, our…' (all cues that'd send this thread straight into Combattler V references)
    37AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:36
    #29
    Super Electromagnetic Spin
    Yep, banned-word filter bypassed (a Combattler V attack name)
    72AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:54
    #29
    V! V! V! Victory! (the Combattler V catchphrase)
    38AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:36
    Do you know Kaisei Station?
    63AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:47
    #38
    All I know is it was a filming location for Ikimonogakari's song 'SAKURA'
    187AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:22
    #38
    Wait, rapid express trains stop there now?
    46AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:40
    #1
    In this case,
    which one gets reincarnated into another world — the combine?
    Or the Odakyu Romancecar? (riffing on 'isekai' anime tropes)
    47AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:40

    THIS is what a combine looks like?!
    Amazing the old guy driving it came out okay…
    69AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:52
    #47
    They're actually pretty expensive, you know
    48AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:40
    Combine, 1! 2! 3!
    53AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:41
    #48
    4! 5! Deploy!
    59AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:42
    #48
    This was literally all I could come up with
    94AnonymousSep 14, 2026 17:13
    #48
    4, 5, and off to the fields we go♪
    78AnonymousSep 14, 2026 16:58
    (;゚Д゚) Coooorn-bine, one-two-three,
    four-five, DEEEPLOY!
    Shaking the very earth, the suuuper electromaaagnetic robooot♪ (parody of the Combattler V theme song)
    109AnonymousSep 14, 2026 17:18
    Even though the rails at a crossing are embedded flush with the road, is there really enough strength to hold up when a combine's weight rolls over the gap?
    Didn't it just get run over, bend out of shape, and get itself stuck?
    114AnonymousSep 14, 2026 17:22
    #109
    It's got to be lighter than the train, at least,
    and it's not exactly fast either
    144AnonymousSep 14, 2026 18:08
    #109
    Combines run on rubber tracks, so their ground pressure is so low they can cross mud deep enough to swallow rubber boots without sinking
    But in exchange they're built flimsy — on paved roads they can only manage 2-3 km/h, any faster and they shake so violently they look ready to fall apart
    117AnonymousSep 14, 2026 17:26
    Is the Romancecar the one that leaves Shinjuku going 'fiiin~'?
    Is it really all that great?
    132AnonymousSep 14, 2026 17:38
    #117
    It's handy for sneaking off on an affair trip

    #118
    Isn't that pretty much true of all private railways?
    Plenty of 'express' trains that turn into local stops after Tanashi, or after Kawagoe-shi, and so on
    118AnonymousSep 14, 2026 17:26
    LOL, the Odakyu Line 'express' from Honatsugi to Odawara stops at literally every station
    166AnonymousSep 14, 2026 18:41
    With that front observation window, what happens to the passengers sitting there?
    174AnonymousSep 14, 2026 18:54
    #166
    It's the EXE model, so that's the driver's cab up front, not a passenger seat

    Background and Key Points of the Discussion

    “Combine” (kombain) is Japanese shorthand for a combine harvester — a machine that both cuts and threshes rice in one pass. As posters in the thread explained, because it runs on rubber tracks its ground pressure is so low it can barely sink even into deep mud, but that same design makes it structurally delicate, capping it at just 2-3 km/h on paved roads. Farm machinery getting stuck at railroad crossings is a recurring story during harvest season, but this time it was fortunate that no one — on the train or driving the combine — was hurt. The thread also touched on the Odakyu Romancecar: while some Romancecar models do have a front observation seat, posters corrected the record to note that the EXE model believed to be involved here has a driver’s cab at the front instead — worth knowing, since many people assume “Romancecar” automatically means a front-view seat.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (News Speed+) thread “[Kanagawa] “Odakyu Romancecar” collides with combine harvester — no injuries among roughly 150 train passengers and crew, no injuries to the man in his 70s driving the combine — Odawara.”

  • Capcom Is Firing on All Cylinders — New Releases and Remasters Alike Are All Hits

    A thread blew up on 5ch’s “Live News G” board discussing just how well Capcom is doing lately. This year’s new release Pragmata has been well received, and posters are also praising back-catalog titles like Monster Hunter Stories 3 and the Onimusha remake. Dragon’s Dogma 2 and Monster Hunter Wilds caught heavy criticism at launch, but their sales are said to be holding up regardless — and the thread wanders into talk of Capcom’s Osaka headquarters expanding, plus the inevitable comparisons to a struggling Square Enix.

    1AnonymousSep 14, 2026 18:54
    Sounds like literally every game they've put out lately is a hit
    2AnonymousSep 14, 2026 18:55
    Well yeah, they're expanding headquarters
    4AnonymousSep 14, 2026 18:56
    Re: #2
    Where to?
    53AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:17
    Re: #2
    Didn't they buy up some land in Osaka City a while back? So they are moving?
    88AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:31
    Re: #2
    Everyone's ignoring it but that reply doesn't even make sense
    5AnonymousSep 14, 2026 18:57
    Just cranking out Street Fighter, Resident Evil, and Monster Hunter is enough to set them for life
    10AnonymousSep 14, 2026 18:59
    Re: #5
    But this year's new IP Pragmata was a hit, and they even struck gold digging up ancient Onimusha for a remake
    12AnonymousSep 14, 2026 18:59
    Re: #5
    If SF6's concurrent player count ever dips, they'll probably just slap a 'Super' or 'Ultra' on it and bolt on new content 🙂 (a nod to Capcom's habit of re-releasing fighting games as upgraded versions)
    6AnonymousSep 14, 2026 18:57
    Dragon's Dogma 2
    Monster Hunter Wilds
    Going from back-to-back 'trash game' launches to a full comeback like that is genuinely impressive
    16AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:00
    Re: #6
    Plenty of people are enjoying both of those too, and they're selling well, so it's not really fair to call them flops
    18AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:01
    Re: #6
    Those two probably got fixed up by the big expansions, I'd guess
    9AnonymousSep 14, 2026 18:58
    Monster Hunter Stories 3, the game people forgot even exists
    15AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:00
    Re: #9
    Wasn't that in an Apple product announcement or something?
    26AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:05
    Re: #9
    It was surprisingly fun though
    38AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:11
    Re: #9
    No joke, it's a legit masterpiece ("神ゲー", literally "god-tier game")
    13AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:00
    Pragmata was great
    Thought it'd get repetitive, but it never got old
    24AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:04
    Why does Capcom even keep its headquarters in Osaka? Surely the Tokyo branch functions as the real HQ by now
    28AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:07
    Re: #24
    If you're dealing with Nintendo, isn't Kansai more convenient?
    31AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:08
    Re: #24
    No, Osaka handles everything from development on down as the actual HQ. The Tokyo office is basically just there for PR. Not sure what's supposed to be weird about the Osaka HQ
    57AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:19
    Re: #24
    'From Osaka to the World' is literally the company slogan — other regions aren't even on their radar
    25AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:05
    Capcom's always been good at making solid action games
    With the times shifting, fewer people play RPGs these days, so what Square Enix makes doesn't sell like it used to
    Meanwhile more people are into action games, so Capcom's stuff sells — that's my impression anyway
    Though it might also be that Square Enix keeps putting out half-baked stuff nobody actually wants
    34AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:08
    Re: #25
    Square Enix is still dominant when it comes to RPGs specifically — it's just that RPGs themselves aren't what they used to be
    42AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:12
    Re: #34
    'We'll sell it on Switch too' → ends up flopping on Switch. That's the sorry state of things
    44AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:14
    Re: #42
    Square Enix literally just said they ported stuff to Switch 2 successfully and it's turning a profit

    Meanwhile they openly admitted FF7 Rebirth on PS5 missed its sales target in that quarter's earnings report lol
    47AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:15
    Re: #42
    Dragon Quest VII did decently well at least
    32AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:08
    Going on and on about Square Enix in a thread like this is a real sickness
    They don't even seem that interested in Capcom itself
    41AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:12
    Re: #32
    Square Enix even botched the Torneko [Mystery Dungeon] port — genuinely embarrassing company
    91AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:32
    Re: #32
    Can't help it, this Wilds fan worships Square Enix
    33AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:08
    Well, considering it started out looking like blurry, low-grade 'okonomiyaki-quality' graphics on 3DS (slang for muddy, mushy visuals), they really took a gamble
    If it had stayed looking like that it never would've sold this well
    35AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:09
    Re: #33
    Big difference from Yo-kai Watch, which only sold because it was on 3DS
    146AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:00
    Re: #33
    Still better than that garbage P2G (Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G)
    60AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:19
    Looked into it — it's not a relocation, just an expansion
    The restaurants nearby are probably packed with Capcom employees
    66AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:22
    Re: #60
    The UI team posts photos of their lunch from nearby spots on X every week
    All of it looks delicious, honestly jealous
    74AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:26
    Re: #60
    More development buildings means more games coming out more often? That's great news
    70AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:24
    It's been over 5 years since Devil May Cry 5 was a hit — why do they stubbornly refuse to make 6?
    It's not like Itsuno is the only person on earth who could make that game
    73AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:26
    Re: #70
    My impression is they botched the protagonist handoff [to Nero]
    Bringing Nero back at this point doesn't really change much
    83AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:28
    Re: #70
    It's not just Itsuno — the battle planner left too
    That's probably why Dragon's Dogma 2's combat feels clunkier than the first game's
    97AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:38
    Capcom doesn't really have any characters from Osaka, huh
    Meanwhile SNK has Robert and Kensou
    135AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:53
    Re: #97
    Street Fighter does technically have Kansai-dialect characters if you count Hakan and Lucia

    Background and Talking Points

    In recent years, Capcom has focused its development resources on flagship series like Monster Hunter, Resident Evil, and Street Fighter. Dragon’s Dogma 2 and Monster Hunter Wilds, described in the thread as “a comeback after back-to-back stinkers,” drew criticism over technical issues at launch, but recovered in both reputation and sales after major updates. Square Enix, meanwhile, is grappling with a broader shrinking market for the RPG genre that has long been its bread and butter — so the comparisons drawn in the thread reflect less on Capcom’s individual strength and more a shift in popularity between RPGs and action games overall. As for why the headquarters is in Osaka: Capcom was founded there in 1979, and despite talk early in the thread of a “move to Tokyo,” later posts correct the record — it’s simply an expansion of the existing Osaka headquarters, not a relocation.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Live News G) thread “[Good News] Capcom Suddenly on an Absolute Tear This Year.”

  • Woman: “I wish someone had told me sooner that marriage and childbirth get harder once you hit your late 30s”

    A woman’s post reading “I wish someone had told me sooner that marriage and childbirth get harder once you hit your late 30s” went viral on a thread in 5ch’s “Livegalileo” (a general live-commentary board). Commenters brought up singer Koda Kumi, who was once publicly slammed for making a similar remark, with some saying sarcastically “she said it and people just attacked her for it,” while others argued this kind of information should really come from family. Meanwhile, some pointed out that the marriage rate for men in their 30s is already around 50%, questioning why late marriage gets framed as a women-only issue.

    7AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:55
    Did some guy from J-board (a 2ch/5ch sports-and-news board) sneak into Girls Channel (a women's gossip forum) and spam "women really shine in their 40s" as a psy-op, and did it actually work?
    9AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:56
    Re: #7
    This was going on way before that.
    16AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:59
    Re: #7
    I sometimes go on Girls Channel and give advice like "women are happier staying single" and "men are trash, don't bother marrying one." I'm not lying, so it's fine, right? 🤔
    25AnonymousSep 14, 2026 21:02
    Koda Kumi said this exact thing and everyone just piled on and criticized her for it. This is basically the Galileo Galilei of the Heisei era (persecuted for telling an inconvenient truth).
    30AnonymousSep 14, 2026 21:05
    Re: #25
    Same with the "Christmas cake theory" (a 1990s saying likening women past 25 to unsold Christmas cake) — stuff old folks just took for granted back then.
    32AnonymousSep 14, 2026 21:07
    You say "I wish someone had told me," but normally someone in your family tells you this. Your mom or grandma should've said something — if you didn't listen, that's on you.
    38AnonymousSep 14, 2026 21:09
    Re: #32
    🦉 How to undo a bra hook 🦉
    Bet a lot of people here don't even know that one. Not really in a position to call others clueless.
    37AnonymousSep 14, 2026 21:08
    Grandma: "Aren't you going to get married? Grandma's worried about you."
    Woman: "Uh… can't hear you, can't hear you."
    That's basically how it really goes.
    40AnonymousSep 14, 2026 21:10
    Re: #37
    Too busy with work every day to even see grandma.
    45AnonymousSep 14, 2026 21:11
    Honestly, living alone costs more than raising kids does, so real estate companies and the women's fashion industry ran campaigns promoting it, and it worked way too well — to the point the country's now past the point of fixing it.
    48AnonymousSep 14, 2026 21:12
    Re: #45
    Yeah, that's basically it.
    47AnonymousSep 14, 2026 21:12
    Re: #40
    I got an earful from relatives at a funeral. You're bound to hear something whenever relatives gather, whether it's New Year's or a funeral. Grandma, uncles, aunts — they'll definitely say something.
    51AnonymousSep 14, 2026 21:13
    Re: #47
    Do you know how to undo a bra hook?
    50AnonymousSep 14, 2026 21:13
    I wonder how, 100–200 years from now, people will look back on today's countries that worship free love above all and end up childless and shrinking because of it.
    53AnonymousSep 14, 2026 21:14
    Re: #50
    Artificial wombs are about to hit the market, so anyone with money will just have kids even in old age.
    60AnonymousSep 14, 2026 21:17
    So it's going to become an era where any old man or woman without personality or intelligence issues can have kids — including lesbian and gay couples, of course.
    63AnonymousSep 14, 2026 21:19
    Re: #60
    Artificial wombs won't work for old women even so — donor sperm or not, there's no way for a woman that age to have her own biological child.
    61AnonymousSep 14, 2026 21:18
    What about you guys? If you're getting up there in years and still single, you're not exactly one to talk about that woman.
    67AnonymousSep 14, 2026 21:20
    Re: #61
    Stop.
    Just stop, please.
    62AnonymousSep 14, 2026 21:19
    If you just live a normal life you'd naturally pick up on info like that, though.
    70AnonymousSep 14, 2026 21:22
    Re: #62
    That's because women who live a normal life end up getting married…
    74AnonymousSep 14, 2026 21:23
    Re: #70
    Men who live a normal life end up getting married too, you know.
    76AnonymousSep 14, 2026 21:24
    Re: #74
    The marriage rate for men in their 30s is already down to half these days.
    89AnonymousSep 14, 2026 21:30
    Every guy knows this, so why don't women? Shouldn't it normally be the other way around?
    91AnonymousSep 14, 2026 21:31
    Re: #89
    Men are the ones being evaluated, so we know full well that once you hit 35 or so, you're basically written off. Women, though, seem to think all the attention they got when young will last forever. It's the same with men's physical stamina — it declines and you don't notice until it's already happened, you just can't tell in advance.
    96AnonymousSep 14, 2026 21:34
    Even if she had been told, pretty sure she still wouldn't have done anything about it.
    99AnonymousSep 14, 2026 21:36
    Re: #96
    Once you start living alone, you stop having people around you for long stretches of time — you go from being surrounded by family to being around only coworkers.
    98AnonymousSep 14, 2026 21:35
    She's a victim of mass media, honestly. Magazines and dramas used to be full of stuff glorifying career women while looking down on stay-at-home wives.
    100AnonymousSep 14, 2026 21:37
    Re: #98
    Yeah, that's exactly how the Heisei era (1989–2019) felt.

    Background and Key Points of This Topic

    The “Christmas cake theory” mentioned in the thread is a phrase from the 1990s that crudely compared a woman’s “marriageable age” to unsold Christmas cake, and it has been brought up again and again in debates over attitudes toward the ideal age for marriage and childbirth ever since. Medically, it’s well established that egg count and quality decline with age, and the statistical probability of natural conception drops after the late 30s — but exactly when and from whom this knowledge should be passed on varies greatly depending on family environment and upbringing, so it’s not something that can be reduced to simple blame based solely on one person saying “I didn’t know.” The thread also brought up Koda Kumi’s past remarks and the “marriage rate among men in their 30s,” but it’s easy to overlook that marriage rate is the result of social choices, whereas declining fertility is a biological change tied to age — two issues that really should be discussed on separate terms.

    ※This article is compiled as an excerpt and summary from the 5ch (Livegalileo) thread “[Sad News] Woman: “I wish someone had told me sooner that marriage and childbirth get harder once you hit your late 30s”.”

  • ‘Yabai Tshirt-ya’ Sells Only Half the Tickets for One Tokyo Show — Band Asks ‘Why Though?!’

    On September 14, the rock band “Yabai Tshirt-ya-san” (lit. “That Awful T-shirt Shop” — a self-deprecating name) revealed ticket sales figures for their tour on their official X account. As part of their 10th-anniversary year, the band is in the middle of a solo tour running since August, with six shows scheduled at Zepp Haneda in Tokyo between October and November — but the fifth show, on November 10, has reportedly sold only about half as many tickets as the others. The band pleaded “Why though?!” and “It’s such a rare chance!”, pointing out that it’s their first unrestricted live-house show since the pandemic. On 5ch, users traded jokes about the band’s name and songs, while others pointed out the gap in ticket sales compared to other artists.

    9/14 (Mon) 18:05

    Rock band Yabai Tshirt-ya-san updated their official X account on the 14th, revealing the current state of ticket sales for their solo tour.

    The band, marking the 10th anniversary of their major debut and currently on their solo tour “‘Magical Tank-top Parade’ ONE-MAN TOUR 2026” since August, posted under the heading [Sad News]: “We’re doing 6 shows at Zepp Haneda in Tokyo in October and November, but only the 5th show on 11/10 has sold half as many tickets as the others.” They continued, “Why though?!?! Tank-top Flower for Friends is such a great album!! Plus, the tour for this album happened during the pandemic, so it was our first-ever hall tour — meaning this is actually our first chance to enjoy it in a live house with no restrictions, and it’s such a rare opportunity!!!!!!”

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

    2AnonymousSep 14, 2026 18:31
    SHUT UP!!!!!!!!!!!!
    3AnonymousSep 14, 2026 18:31
    So is it a band or a T-shirt shop?
    Pick one already
    56AnonymousSep 14, 2026 18:59
    Re: #3
    The band's the T-shirt shop —
    Yazawa's the towel shop (referring to rock legend Eikichi Yazawa, famous for his towel merch)
    4AnonymousSep 14, 2026 18:32
    It's still two months out, it'll be fine!!!!!
    6AnonymousSep 14, 2026 18:32
    Success Blocken!!!!!! (shouting the title of one of their songs)
    8AnonymousSep 14, 2026 18:33
    It's rare, which is exactly why people are wary and it's not selling
    9AnonymousSep 14, 2026 18:34
    Fun fact: Yabai Tshirt-ya-san is actually made up of former BUMP OF CHICKEN members
    36AnonymousSep 14, 2026 18:46
    Re: #9
    Not a single true word in that whole post
    Impressive, honestly
    110AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:56
    Re: #9
    Hey! Come back and say something
    That was kind of funny lol
    10AnonymousSep 14, 2026 18:35
    Are they popular or are they a rare gem? Pick a lane
    11AnonymousSep 14, 2026 18:36
    I know them from the SB69 collab
    14AnonymousSep 14, 2026 18:36
    Listening to them in the morning or late at night really wakes you up
    15AnonymousSep 14, 2026 18:37
    Does everyone know the band Ice Cream Neverground?
    16AnonymousSep 14, 2026 18:37
    Sh-sh-sh-sh-sh-Shoujouji
    temple guy, right? (echoing the classic folk song 'Shojoji's Raccoon Dog Festival')
    17AnonymousSep 14, 2026 18:37
    Because the cute girl in their fanbase got married…
    18AnonymousSep 14, 2026 18:37
    I used to listen to them nonstop up through 'Kawa-E'
    Looked it up, that was 8 years ago lol
    23AnonymousSep 14, 2026 18:40
    It's just not an era where you can make big money off music anymore
    77AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:27
    Re: #23
    The band name was originally a jab at musicians who do nothing but sell merch
    27AnonymousSep 14, 2026 18:43
    The name just isn't good
    52AnonymousSep 14, 2026 18:56
    Re: #27
    Never heard a single one of their songs
    29AnonymousSep 14, 2026 18:43
    There it is, finally!!!!!!!!!!
    45AnonymousSep 14, 2026 18:53
    Re: #29
    Oh, that actually changes my impression a bit lol
    31AnonymousSep 14, 2026 18:44
    Fix this ripoff-supermarket system already — trying to sell unsold stock at full price forever
    Don't shove the stuff that's about to expire to the front of the shelf!!
    32AnonymousSep 14, 2026 18:45
    Calling them a popular band is a stretch when I don't know a single song
    People are just laughing at the weird band name
    35AnonymousSep 14, 2026 18:46
    They're a boring enough band that even Kyuso Nekokami looks good by comparison
    37AnonymousSep 14, 2026 18:48
    If they renamed themselves 'Yabai Tonkatsu-ya-san' and picked a fight with Yabaton, they'd sell out for sure (Yabaton is a famous Nagoya tonkatsu chain)
    39AnonymousSep 14, 2026 18:48
    Just the one date, huh
    This'll sell out once it gets closer to the show
    40AnonymousSep 14, 2026 18:49
    Still wearing your Michishige T-shirt?
    I've been wearing mine as everyday wear this summer too (Sayumi Michishige, ex-Morning Musume, known for her merch)
    41AnonymousSep 14, 2026 18:49
    Doesn't this just mean they can pull a crowd at festivals but struggle to sell out solo shows?
    Vaundy's already sold out a national tour two years in advance, for comparison
    64AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:04
    Re: #41
    Even Bialystocks is selling out
    And that's still months to half a year away
    42AnonymousSep 14, 2026 18:50
    'Internet Daisuki Man' — if they leaned all the way into dirty lyrics, guys would love it but women would hate it (referencing one of their song titles)
    43AnonymousSep 14, 2026 18:51
    Hotels in Tokyo are so expensive you'd have to really love them to bother going
    44AnonymousSep 14, 2026 18:51
    They're loud and obnoxious even at festivals
    46AnonymousSep 14, 2026 18:54
    Ah, this is that same old 'we've got a ton of unsold tickets' thing again

    Background and Discussion Points

    Yabai Tshirt-ya-san formed in 2012, and their name is said to derive from a self-deprecating joke about “musicians who put a lot of effort into selling merch.” The topic that sparked this thread is that just one out of six scheduled shows is selling more slowly than the rest — not that the tour as a whole is struggling. On multi-date tours, it’s not unusual for a single show to lag due to the day of the week or timing, and commenters pointed to acts like Vaundy and Bialystocks, whose shows months to half a year out are already sold out — framing this less as a simple popularity problem and more as a quirk specific to that one date. At the same time, a fair number of commenters questioned how well-known the band’s name and songs actually are, and the disagreement over the link between name recognition and turnout is something the original article alone doesn’t fully clarify.

    ※This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “Popular band Yabai Tshirt-ya-san’s [Sad News]: Tokyo tour tickets not selling — ‘Why though?!’ ‘It’s such a rare chance!’.”

  • Actor Hiroshi Fuse’s Talent Agency Files for Bankruptcy — We Asked the Man Living in His ¥300 Million Mansion, ‘What Now?’

    It’s been reported that Bariki-ya Co., Ltd., the talent agency headed by actor Hiroshi Fuse (68), received a bankruptcy commencement order from the Tachikawa Branch of the Tokyo District Court on August 4. Fuse is known for starring in “trendy dramas” like *I’ve Always Loved You* and for his role on the variety show *Ito-ke no Shokutaku*, and he reportedly still lives in a ¥300 million mansion. On 5channel’s Entertainment/Sports News+ board, opinions split between posters pointing out that it’s the company, not Fuse personally, that went bankrupt, and others countering that small companies almost always require the president’s personal guarantee. Speculation also flew about whether reports of his past ¥200 million annual income were true, and about why his TV appearances dried up.

    [Exclusive] Popular 68-Year-Old ‘Trendy Drama’ Actor Faces Bankruptcy… Life Upended by Caring for His Parents — We Asked the Man Living in a ¥300 Million Mansion, ‘What’s Next?’

    On August 4, Bariki-ya Co., Ltd., the talent agency where Hiroshi Fuse serves as representative director, received a bankruptcy commencement order from the Tachikawa Branch of the Tokyo District Court.

    Fuse is best remembered for starring in numerous “trendy dramas” in the past, and he also won over households nationwide on Nippon TV’s variety show *Ito-ke no Shokutaku*.

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

    4AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:42
    Whenever I hear 'trendy drama actor,' all I picture is someone who blew all their money and had to sell the mansion.
    19AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:46
    Re: #4
    That's just your Junichi Ishida image talking.
    6AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:42
    Re: #1
    The ¥200 million annual income thing's gotta be fake, right?
    70AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:58
    Re: #6
    Back in the day he was always the lead or near-lead in some drama or other. ¥200 million+ wouldn't be surprising at all.
    8AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:42
    Isn't this guy in the same box as Leo Morimoto? (5ch slang implying 'quietly faded from the spotlight')
    9AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:43
    Just from the headline I thought it was Junichi Ishida.
    10AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:43
    It's rare that *Ito-ke no Shokutaku* became such a huge hit with that particular lineup of regulars, right in the middle of the era when edgy variety shows starring young comedians ruled TV.
    11AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:43
    I remember watching that drama with Hiroshi Fuse and Tsuru-chan where he gets dumped in the lamest way possible. That was back when Senri Oe was still singing.
    46AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:51
    Re: #11
    I watched that too — wasn't he Tsurutaro's younger brother, running a kimono shop? Played the popular-with-the-ladies role.
    13AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:44
    Post a picture of both Akira Fuse and Hiroshi Fuse — which one's which? Is the intense-looking one Akira?
    15AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:44
    He did something awful to Cho-chan, didn't he.
    16AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:44
    Hey mister, that's so trendy! Mm, Trendy Angel! (riffing on the comedy duo Trendy Angel's catchphrase)
    18AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:45
    Whoa… Hiroshi Fuse ended up like this…?
    21AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:47
    Fuse Akira
    Fuse Hiroshi
    Kume Akira
    Kume Hiroshi
    22AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:47
    I know him as 'Hyper DVD Guy.'
    24AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:47
    Relapsing again and again like that — rough for Hiro Furumura.
    26AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:47
    Are all the regulars from Ito-ke no Shokutaku still alive?
    38AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:49
    The 'you' in *I've Always Loved You* refers to Fuse's character, right? He got totally overshadowed by Shiro Sano's Fuyuhiko though. Maybe that's where his luck started running out.
    82AnonymousSep 14, 2026 21:01
    Re: #38
    Brings back memories. You only find that out at the very end, right.
    44AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:51
    > He was seen that day walking with a long piece of cardboard tube as a makeshift cane.

    Does that mean he can't even afford a cane?
    117AnonymousSep 14, 2026 21:08
    Re: #44
    He's right on the borderline of needing a cane or not. It's easier with one, so he ends up using whatever's handy as a substitute. If he falls and hits his head it'll be bad news, so he really should carry one — but at 60-something, carrying an actual cane probably feels too 'old man' for him.
    66AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:56
    The bankruptcy is the company's, right? If the house isn't pledged as collateral, there's no personal guarantee involved. This kind of misleading framing is exactly what today's trash media does.
    99AnonymousSep 14, 2026 21:05
    Re: #66
    Nah, for small/mid-size companies the owner's personal guarantee is basically mandatory. Textbook limited shareholder liability like that only really applies to big corporations.
    69AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:58
    The Monkey's Paw
    Shadow Tag
    The Man Who Drinks Water
    86AnonymousSep 14, 2026 21:02
    Re: #69
    You list all that and forget 'Murderer Mr. Takahashi'? No way.
    73AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:58
    Wasn't his wife Kaori Tsuchiya?
    74AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:59
    Re: #73
    That's Fukkun you're thinking of — Fukawa, not Fuse.
    79AnonymousSep 14, 2026 21:01
    Even after bankruptcy, doesn't the house get seized?
    122AnonymousSep 14, 2026 21:09
    Re: #79
    The bank probably figures it's still recoverable, collateral included. Tokyo real estate's been rising, so their call is that it's fine to leave things as-is for now — but they'll move to seize it the moment things look shaky.
    81AnonymousSep 14, 2026 21:01
    Can't figure out why the money dried up. According to a FLASH article, here's what he said:

    > In an interview with web media outlet 'bjb': 'Even now I still get the occasional TV offer, but I rarely come across a project I find genuinely interesting, so I turn them down.'

    > The article adds: The scandal over his affair badly damaged Fuse's image, and combined with his own defiant attitude, his TV appearances as an actor kept declining.
    100AnonymousSep 14, 2026 21:05
    Re: #81
    So which is it — is he just being picky, or did the offers actually dry up?
    91AnonymousSep 14, 2026 21:03
    Had to look him up before it finally rang a bell.
    103AnonymousSep 14, 2026 21:06
    > He was seen that day walking with a long piece of cardboard tube as a makeshift cane.

    Does that even work as a cane?
    109AnonymousSep 14, 2026 21:07
    Re: #103
    Probably the long cardboard core from a roll of plastic wrap or aluminum foil.

    Background and Talking Points

    What went bankrupt this time wasn’t Hiroshi Fuse himself, but Bariki-ya Co., Ltd., the talent agency he heads, with the order issued by the Tachikawa Branch of the Tokyo District Court. On the thread, the point that split opinion the most was between posters noting that ‘bankruptcy = the company,’ meaning his home wouldn’t be seized without a personal guarantee, and others countering that for small, closely-held companies a representative’s personal guarantee is essentially standard practice. Fuse became widely known in the ’90s for ‘trendy dramas’ like *I’ve Always Loved You* and as a regular on *Ito-ke no Shokutaku*, but his TV appearances reportedly declined after reports of an affair. Whether the reported ¥200 million annual income was accurate, and whether he was simply choosing his projects or the offers had actually dried up, remains unclear from his own comments alone, and the thread never got past speculation on that point. One thing readers can easily misunderstand is that a company’s bankruptcy doesn’t mean Fuse lost all his personal assets — whether assets like his home are seized right away depends on whether there’s collateral involved and on the lending institution’s judgment.

    *This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5channel (Entertainment/Sports News+) thread ‘[Entertainment] Popular 68-Year-Old ‘Trendy Drama’ Actor Faces Bankruptcy… Life Upended by Caring for His Parents, We Asked the Man Living in a ¥300 Million Mansion ‘What’s Next?’.’

  • Morning Musume Composite Photo Sparks ‘Reconciliation’ Jokes as Makino and Kitagawa End Up Glued Together

    A thread went up on 5ch’s Hello! Project board about a composite group photo of Morning Musume members past and present, apparently produced by the group’s management. Because of how the photo was laid out, Mariai Makino and Rio Kitagawa ended up pressed right next to each other, setting off a wave of joking “reconciliation” comments from posters. Alongside that, people pointed out that photo editing had made the 6th-generation members look like completely different people, and that it was hard to tell who some of the pictured members even were — with the rough quality of the composite itself becoming the main topic of conversation.

    1AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:43
    At this point you can just call it a reconciliation, right?
    2AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:43
    https://gzo.ai/i/EHYA74b.jpg
    4AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:46
    Re: #2
    Where's my Sayu in this?
    Oh wait, never mind — what happened to these three 6th-gen members' faces lol

    Eririn, Reina, Sayu — none of these even look like them
    27AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:51
    Re: #4
    lol
    They should've just made a thread out of this instead
    33AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:52
    Re: #4
    Reina's turned into Kurumi Takase or something lol
    3AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:45
    Re: #2
    The 12th gen are getting way too much special treatment
    6AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:47
    Re: #3
    If everyone before them had quit, it'd only be one photo, so they lucked out
    7AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:48
    The 12th gen probably doesn't have a group photo because they didn't get along
    10AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:48
    Re: #7
    Probably because Nonaka's still in the group
    11AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:48
    Top right is 6th gen
    Bottom right is Kitagawa
    18AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:49
    Re: #11
    I get it, but they look like totally different people
    16AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:49
    17AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:49
    Can't tell who's between the 13th-gen member and Kitagawa
    22AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:50
    Re: #17
    That's Mariai Makino, right?
    34AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:52
    42AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:53
    Re: #34
    Yeah, yeah!!!
    This is the shot I actually recognize lol
    49AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:54
    Re: #34
    Mikitty's bone structure is on another level, total celebrity face (Mikitty = Miki Fujimoto's nickname)
    67AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:57
    Re: #34
    Yeah, this one right here lol
    52AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:54
    Only a handful of them were ever truly amazing:
    Abe
    Goto
    Tsuji & Kago
    Ishikawa
    Fujimoto
    Takahashi
    Tanaka
    Michishige
    Sayashi
    Sato
    And it's been how many years since Sato already?
    No new aces have come up since
    99AnonymousSep 14, 2026 21:02
    Re: #52
    I'd love to see a Dream Morning Musume reunion lineup with these members
    63AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:56
    Re: #2
    Why does every single 12th-gen member get their own individual slot lol
    68AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:57
    Re: #63
    And a huge one at that
    71AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:57
    Re: #63
    Probably because they're the ones who did the most for the group
    72AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:57
    Haga's doing the 20th-anniversary pose, this whole thing's a mess
    81AnonymousSep 14, 2026 21:00
    Re: #72
    Lmaooo
    The agency really half-assed this
    94AnonymousSep 14, 2026 21:01
    Re: #72
    Nice catch
    137AnonymousSep 14, 2026 21:13
    Re: #72
    I guess depending on how you look at it, the 0 in her left hand could pass for a 9?
    77AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:59
    Re: #2
    Rio Kitagawa's ended up looking like Momo Kitahara
    Honestly this version's cute too

    139AnonymousSep 14, 2026 21:14
    Re: #77
    Who even is this lol
    104AnonymousSep 14, 2026 21:03
    Sorry, but who are the four people in the top right?
    117AnonymousSep 14, 2026 21:06
    Re: #104
    Michishige, Tanaka, Fujimoto, Kamei
    118AnonymousSep 14, 2026 21:06
    Is this the 1st-gen group photo from after they'd already turned into 'aunties'?
    122AnonymousSep 14, 2026 21:07
    Re: #118
    Probably from when they shot the MV for their 20th-anniversary song 'Morning Coffee'
    121AnonymousSep 14, 2026 21:07
    Kaga looks exactly like she does in real life, but Yokoyama's slightly off
    126AnonymousSep 14, 2026 21:07
    Re: #121
    Nah, both of them are slightly off
    143AnonymousSep 14, 2026 21:15
    Who is this lol

    150AnonymousSep 14, 2026 21:16
    Re: #143
    Looking dignified lol
    There's a bit of a 'Chii' vibe to this one (nickname of another member she resembles here)

    Background and Key Points

    Morning Musume was formed roughly 27 years ago, and counting graduates, more than 40 members have passed through the group over its history. What sparked discussion this time was a composite group photo — apparently official material from the group’s management — bringing together members from every generation. Because it stitched together source photos shot at different times with varying image quality across generations, the composite was prone to mismatched facial outlines and coloring. Opinions in the thread split between people enjoying the joke that Mariai Makino and Rio Kitagawa’s close placement amounted to a “reconciliation,” and those pointing out that the edited faces of the 6th-generation members looked like entirely different people. The flood of replies devoted to identifying which past members appeared in the photo also reflects just how long Morning Musume’s history is and how many members the group has had.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hello! Project board) thread “[Reconciliation] Management’s historical Morning Musume photo accidentally squishes Makino and Kitagawa together lol.”

  • Rosy Chronicle’s Emergency Livestream Hit by Audio Trouble — 5ch: ‘Choppy Streaming in the Reiwa Era? Seriously?’

    Starting at 7:30 PM on September 14, idol group Rosy Chronicle held an emergency live stream on YouTube titled “Even If You Scold Me, I Won’t Cry; Even If You Love Me, I Won’t Cry.” On 5ch’s live-commentary thread, viewers began flagging technical problems almost immediately — hard-to-hear audio, choppy video — and doubts about the agency’s streaming setup spread quickly. At the same time, plenty of comments focused on the members’ expressions and outfits, making for a thread that mixed frustration over the glitches with genuine attention to the performance.

    Rosy Chronicle

    @Rosy_Chronicle

    //

    Source: youtube.com / Original post here

    7AnonymousSep 14, 2026 17:29
    No Hazumi in it, so it's not sumo then
    8AnonymousSep 14, 2026 18:21
    Evening — "Even If You Scold Me, I Won't Cry; Even If You Love Me, I Won't Cry"
    9AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:28
    Is Souman probably at school?
    Nah
    Isn't Hanarena a student too though
    10AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:28
    Emergency Summer 'Inazuma Call' Tutorial (a synchronized fan chant used at idol shows)
    12AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:30
    It's officially confirmed to be about 'Naji-Ai' talk after all (fan shorthand for the stream's title)
    18AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:32
    Skipped the ad and the main stream started right away
    19AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:33
    Audio and picture that already scream 'this is gonna be a janky stream'
    23AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:34
    Guess they decided to go with Kamirena as center
    Good call
    26AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:35
    Had YouTube open the whole time waiting and it just never started, what is this
    Refreshed the page and then I could watch it
    29AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:36
    The stream's such a mess in every way, I'm losing the will to watch
    30AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:36
    A stream where they stuck the loud one in the back
    31AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:37
    Are they only streaming because the MV's been racking up views??
    33AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:38
    They're probably not even using a phone, just some cheap webcam you'd clip onto a PC
    36AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:39
    Shouldn't they test the stream first and then start it like an hour later or something
    46AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:42
    Reina-chan is so cute (*´д`)
    49AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:42
    Feels like they're leaning into the song more than usual
    65AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:47
    The front row and back row have such different energy, you'd never guess it's the same group
    66AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:48
    Choppy streaming in the Reiwa era? What's going on with the agency's internet connection
    69AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:49
    The content looks so interesting but the audio, come onnnn!!!!
    78AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:51
    The agency should properly edit this stream and re-upload it
    81AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:52
    Is that forehead-baring hairstyle from early spring considered a 'dark history' now? (an embarrassing past look, in idol-fan slang)
    84AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:54
    Honohono's thin, sparse bangs are bugging me
    91AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:57
    Kamirena-chan is super cute today
    98AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:58
    Re: #91
    She's always cute!!
    93AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:58
    1,000 people showed up and this is the quality? Rough
    96AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:58
    Karin-chan mentioned using some long skinny camera that looks like a remote control, so that's probably why
    https://cdn-ak.f.st-hatena.com/images/fotolife/H/HLJH8008/20241008/20241008160118.jpg
    97AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:58
    Hey, if you're gonna do this, give more advance notice
    I was home the whole time and only just noticed
    100AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:59
    Gothic's audio is so bad it sounds like she's saying 'oshikko' (pee)
    102AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:59
    Hasumipi and Payumechi did a 3-person Instagram Live together recently
    though Hasumi only appeared by voice
    111AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:02
    Honohono's barefoot
    152AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:12
    I think this every time there's a terrible stream, but why don't they test it before going live
    155AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:13
    Re: #152
    Do they seriously have zero awareness that people are watching
    Doesn't feel like the work of an actual talent agency

    Background and Talking Points

    This stream was announced via the group’s official X (formerly Twitter) account, and most of the thread’s reaction focused less on the stream’s actual content than on its technical quality. Small idol groups’ livestreams often lack the dedicated studios and broadcast equipment of major agencies, which makes webcam or smartphone streaming prone to audio and video trouble. On 5ch’s idol-related threads, pointing out this kind of ‘rough streaming quality’ is practically a recurring topic, and this time too, comments like ‘they should test it before going live’ kept popping up. That said, whether the root cause was the connection or the equipment never went beyond speculation within the thread, and the posts don’t make clear whether the agency ever offered an explanation.

    *This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Hello! Project) thread “■ Rosy Chronicle ■ YouTube Live: Emergency YouTube Live Stream of “Even If You Scold Me, I Won’t Cry; Even If You Love Me, I Won’t Cry” ■ 19:30- ■ 1.”

  • Morning Musume-Led Stage Play ‘Stacy’s’ Airs on TV — 5ch Reacts: ‘Best Hello!Project Stage Production Ever’

    On September 14 at 8:00 PM, the Nihon Eiga Senmon Channel aired the musical ‘Stacy’s: Reslaughtered Girl Opera,’ starring Morning Musume. Originally staged in 2012 and directed by Kenichi Suematsu, the show is set in a near future overrun by the ‘Stacy phenomenon,’ in which girls who suddenly die come back as zombies. To coincide with the broadcast, a live-reaction thread sprang up on 5ch’s Hello!Project board. While some posters hailed it as ‘the greatest Hello!Project stage production ever,’ the thread mostly buzzed with detailed back-and-forth about which members had speaking lines and the circumstances behind cast changes at the time.

    1AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:18
    Stacy's: Reslaughtered Girl Opera 【Two Months Straight: The World of 'Hello!Project' Acting】
    Starring: Morning Musume. Director: Kenichi Suematsu. A musical set in a near future overrun by the 'Stacy phenomenon,' in which girls who suddenly die come back as zombies. (2012, 120 min)
    9/14 (Mon) 20:00–22:10, Nihon Eiga Senmon Channel
    2AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:22
    This is the greatest Hello!Project stage production ever made
    3AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:25
    https://gzo.ai/i/4ZO6oeP.jpg
    10AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:50
    Re: #3
    Ma-chan is soooo cute (Nagasaki dialect for 'kawaii')
    4AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:29
    People tend to assume only Tanaka, Sayashi, Kudo, and Ishida have lines, but actually Ikuta gets some too
    13AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:57
    Re: #4
    Turns out the only decent role Iikubo ever really got was 'the Attendant' (『ご学友』, a formal companion role) in this
    5AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:31
    Didn't have this recorded. When's the rerun?
    7AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:39
    9/25 at 6:25 AM, right after 'Sleeping Beauty' (『眠れる森の美女』)
    https://www.nihon-eiga.com/timetable/daily/20260925.html
    8AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:41
    A miracle of a production where the ages of the characters and the actual Musume members lined up perfectly. There's a flavor there you can only get when the actors' real ages match the roles — something a skilled adult actor playing 'young' just can't replicate.
    9AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:48
    But that's not how it turned out
    12AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:53
    I've seen the Shimokitazawa run
    14AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:57
    They're running this for two months? They should have the Hello!Pro members promote it more
    15AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:58
    This one has a zombie video too
    16AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:58
    Doesn't look any different in 4K, but I guess I'll watch that version anyway
    17AnonymousSep 14, 2026 19:59
    Recording started
    19AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:01
    Was Reina even in this? Honestly the only ones I remember are Sayashi and Duu
    20AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:02
    Even if you set your recording reservation by searching 'Wada Shunsuke,' this one doesn't come up (Wada Shunsuke, a composer often used as a search keyword for related recordings)
    24AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:03
    Right, this was an Oken (Kenji Ohtsuki) work
    26AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:04
    Where's Chayu?
    27AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:04
    Zukki's name is in the credits
    28AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:04
    Chayu's not in this?
    29AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:04
    Ma-chan was only in her first year of middle school — she could actually memorize lines?
    31AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:05
    Re: #29
    She doesn't have any lines though
    30AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:05
    Kawai Gaku, now that's nostalgic
    32AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:06
    So Iikubo's in this one but not in LILIUM
    33AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:06
    She's not? What kind of stage production is this lol
    35AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:07
    This was right after Sayu became leader, yet Sayu herself isn't even in it
    41AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:10
    Is this actually any good?
    44AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:12
    Re: #41
    You'll get it once you watch the whole thing. I felt the same way around this point in the story on my first watch too
    46AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:12
    Compared to LILIUM, the quality on this one is pretty rough
    47AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:14
    Not exactly something I'd want to hug, once it's been split into 165 pieces
    51AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:15
    I read it because it's Oken's universe, but I didn't think it was all that interesting. Boyoyo~n
    54AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:20
    Actually, Reina was a stand-in for this role, you know. Gaki-san (Goto Maki) was originally supposed to play it
    56AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:22
    Re: #54
    Why'd they swap her out?
    55AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:20
    I heard Oken's older brother worked on this as a cameraman, and passed away in an accident shortly after this
    57AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:23
    Weather's bad so it's full of static, can't watch it properly
    58AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:24
    There was a member holding milk and coffee backwards at some point, who was that again?
    60AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:25
    This is getting kind of ominous. Is this actually a scary story?
    63AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:28
    Re: #56
    My bad, mixed it up. It's not this one — Reina was the stand-in for Mitsui in the previous year's stage production

    Background and Talking Points

    ‘Stacy’s: Reslaughtered Girl Opera’ is a stage production written and directed by Kenichi Suematsu, originally staged in 2012 and starring members of Morning Musume. Reactions to this broadcast were split — some praised how closely the performers’ real ages matched their roles, while others felt it didn’t quite land — showing there’s a real range in how people receive the work. The thread was also full of behind-the-scenes tidbits that have never been officially compiled, like who did and didn’t have lines and the circumstances behind cast changes; it’s worth noting these are based on posters’ memories rather than officially confirmed facts. More than a decade after the stage run, some of the members who appeared have since gone on to lead roles, and several posts carried that particular sense of hindsight that comes from looking back with that knowledge.

    *This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Hello!Project board) thread ‘■ Morning Musume ■ Stacy’s: Reslaughtered Girl Opera ■ 20:00-22:10 Nihon Eiga Senmon Channel ■‘.

  • Saori Yoshida to Make Singing Debut — Major Single ‘I’m Here’ Drops October 28

    Saori Yoshida, who won gold in women’s wrestling at three straight Olympics — Athens, Beijing, and London — has been confirmed for a major solo debut as an artist under Tokuma Japan Communications. She’ll release the single “I’m Here” on October 28, with a release event also planned. On 5ch, comments ranged from skepticism about the move (“who’s even the target audience for this?”) to personal well-wishes (“hope she finds happiness”), with a string of posts comparing her singing style to other celebrities-turned-musicians like Mikuru Asakura, Aimyon, and Motoko Obayashi — a mix of bafflement and curiosity over the surprise announcement.

    Saori Yoshida confirmed for singing debut — major single “I’m Here,” theme “Going for the win, now” — release event also planned

    Former Japan national wrestling team member Saori Yoshida has been confirmed for a major solo debut as an artist under Tokuma Japan Communications. She’ll release the single “I’m Here” on October 28.

    Yoshida won gold medals at three consecutive Olympics: Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, and London 2012.

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

    6AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:27
    I'd love to know who's actually asking for this
    14AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:29
    I just hope this person finds happiness
    Hasn't she had any luck meeting someone?
    21AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:30
    Is this a solo guitar-and-vocals type of thing?
    61AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:37
    Re: #21
    Thought it'd be some fired-up fight anthem, but nope — it's an acoustic guitar ballad called I'm Here
    22AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:30
    Guess being the 'strongest of the primates' means you get to do whatever you want (her old wrestling nickname)
    25AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:31
    Mikuru Asakura's singing was kind of an EXILE vibe, but Yoshida might be going more Superfly?
    26AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:31
    Isn't this supposed to be an entrance theme for when she switches to women's pro wrestling?
    27AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:31
    Wait, she's a guitar girl now??

    She might just breeze past Aimyon
    34AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:32
    She's turning into Motoko Obayashi from Deka Moni (a TV unit of tall female celebrities)
    35AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:32
    If she's doing this dead serious, I might die laughing
    36AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:32
    This has more impact than Denny losing
    37AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:32
    Saori be like: 'That's right, that's right, that's right, that's right — alriiight!!' (her signature post-match victory catchphrase)
    38AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:33
    Wish she could've fought Bull Nakano in her prime
    40AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:33
    Feels like it's been a while since we got news like this
    Sensing an economic upturn
    43AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:33
    She should team up with the son of Goro Kishitani and Kaori Okui
    And just have his mom write the song too
    45AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:34
    Not even a world-class prophet
    could've seen this one coming
    46AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:34
    Major promotion, singles match debut?
    49AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:34
    Wish she'd become a pro wrestler instead
    55AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:35
    You guys kept calling her 'cute' as a joke and now she's actually starting to believe it
    Take responsibility
    62AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:37
    The kind of work that comes to someone who racked up a bunch of gold medals and even got the People's Honor Award
    is showing up in weird commercials and travel shows
    71AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:39
    Re: #62
    Medalists in super-niche sports really aren't that big a deal
    Outside Japan nobody would even notice her, so getting this much exposure here is actually a pretty good deal
    75AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:40
    Kinda reminds me of that 'That's the spirit!' catchphrase performer
    76AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:40
    There's an actress who looks a lot like her, you know.
    Must be bad for that actress's business
    77AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:40
    Her image took a hit after the Icho bullying scandal
    79AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:41
    Can she even play guitar? Who's producing this?
    81AnonymousSep 14, 2026 20:42
    A scene from the music video (imagined)

    Background and key points of this story

    Saori Yoshida won gold at three consecutive Olympics, from Athens 2004 to London 2012, and also received Japan’s People’s Honor Award. Tokuma Japan Communications is a real record label spanning genres from enka to anime songs, so this announcement reflects a genuine major-label music contract rather than a one-off publicity stunt. On the thread, skepticism about commercial viability (“is there even demand for this?”) sat alongside comparisons to other non-musicians turned singers like Mikuru Asakura and Aimyon, plus plenty of straightforward support for her new venture — no single view dominated. One thing readers might misread: athletes launching music careers isn’t unheard of, and performers with combat-sports backgrounds releasing songs have precedent, so Yoshida’s case is really an extension of that pattern. That said, specifics like her singing genre or production team hadn’t been announced at the time of writing, so most of the thread’s speculation on those points remains just that — speculation.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geisoku+) thread “[Wrestling] Saori Yoshida confirmed for singing debut! Major single ‘I’m Here’ out October 28, release event also planned.”