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  • Tigers Shut Out for 2nd Straight CS Game — 5ch: “Even We Wouldn’t Pull That Off”

    In a 5ch thread live-commentating the October 15, 2026 Nippon Professional Baseball Climax Series (CS), titled “Giants Acting Manager 177,” posters buzzed about the Hanshin Tigers falling 0-3 to the DeNA BayStars — their second straight scoreless game. The thread filled with shocked reactions like “Even we wouldn’t pull that off” alongside jabs mocking the Tigers, as well as praise for winning pitcher Kosuke Baba’s strong outing. Posters also swapped notes on the Giants’ plans for next year’s draft and reactions to reports of an injury to Morishita, making for a wide-ranging chat thread touching on various teams as the NPB season winds down.

    1AnonymousOct 15, 2026 20:55
    Previous thread
    Giants Acting Manager 176
    2AnonymousOct 15, 2026 20:55
    2026-2027
    Departures
    Released (waived): 37 Kori, 38 Okada, 64 Yamada
    Free agent: 12 Hagio, 54 Matsuura
    Current-year draft pick:
    Trade:
    Retirement:

    Demoted to developmental:


    Arrivals
    Drafted (first-round/named):
    Current-year draft pick:
    Trade:
    Other:

    Promoted from developmental:

    2026 active roster registrations: 70
    2027 active roster registrations: 65

    Open uniform numbers
    7 12 18 37 38 54 55 64 83
    5AnonymousOct 15, 2026 20:57
    N-n-n-n-overtaken Tigers ("ぬか珍," a jab mocking the Tigers) lolololololololol
    10AnonymousOct 15, 2026 20:59
    I want the BayStars to do well, but if they win, the approval-hungry "Hamekasu" (derogatory nickname for BayStars fans) getting full of themselves is gonna be annoying too…
    23AnonymousOct 15, 2026 21:00
    Re: #10
    They'll just get crushed by SoftBank in the end anyway — overtaken BayStars, that's all they are, lol
    11AnonymousOct 15, 2026 20:59
    Our Boys (Giants) 2-6 vs. BayStars
    Tigers 0-3 vs. BayStars
    13AnonymousOct 15, 2026 20:59
    What the hell, two straight scoreless games? Even we wouldn't pull that off.
    16AnonymousOct 15, 2026 20:59
    Winning pitcher: Kosuke Baba
    22AnonymousOct 15, 2026 21:00
    Re: #16
    Baba's the pitching hero today lol
    17AnonymousOct 15, 2026 20:59
    721 Anonymous Wanted… 2026/10/15 (Thu) 20:21:09.89 0
    With this flow going, even if they end up losing to a Maki home run, you couldn't blame them
    20AnonymousOct 15, 2026 21:00
    The Yokohama DeNA BayStars' CS Underdog Upset Saga (Final Stage Edition)
    2017 (vs. Hiroshima) ☆⚫⚪⚪⚪⚪ (⚫ = rain-shortened game)
    2024 (vs. Giants) ☆⚪⚪⚪⚫⚫⚪
    2026 (vs. Tigers) ☆⚪⚪
    21AnonymousOct 15, 2026 21:00
    "Overtaken Tigers" is this year's buzzword-of-the-year for the Acting Manager thread.
    25AnonymousOct 15, 2026 21:00
    Baba? All he's really got is that last forkball lolol (lol)
    26AnonymousOct 15, 2026 21:00
    The BayStars' Goddess of Victory
    775 Anonymous Wanted… sage 2026/10/15 (Thu) 20:26:36.39 0
    imgur.com/a/NMNDugG
    29AnonymousOct 15, 2026 21:01
    Passed over Chuo University's Maki and Morishita, took Nishitate with the first-round pick
    34AnonymousOct 15, 2026 21:01
    Re: #29
    Nishitate's still better than nothing, I guess…
    31AnonymousOct 15, 2026 21:01
    Dinner tastes great right now lolololololololololololol (schadenfreude over the Tigers' misery)
    32AnonymousOct 15, 2026 21:01
    Re: #23
    ??: "Miyagi's way better than Azuma"

    Feels like we're gonna get another take like this ()
    40AnonymousOct 15, 2026 21:02
    Re: #32
    Well, it's not wrong though…
    37AnonymousOct 15, 2026 21:01
    The fate of the "Tiger trash" (珍カス, mocking nickname for Hanshin fans) who were convinced they'd run away with the pennant all the way through summer, lol
    41AnonymousOct 15, 2026 21:02
    Nippon-Ham, please just advance already
    45AnonymousOct 15, 2026 21:02
    Only strong in autumn — is that even allowed, you "perverted chair" (mocking in-thread nickname, exact target unclear)? Grr
    46AnonymousOct 15, 2026 21:02
    Looks like the Tigers ("御珍々," mocking nickname) are joining the CS Victims Club too, lol
    47AnonymousOct 15, 2026 21:03
    Re: #34
    Though he did get sent down to the minors after his mental game fell apart as a rookie
    51AnonymousOct 15, 2026 21:03
    "Laid-Back Camp" (ゆるキャン, a pun on the anime title) is gonna be the trend for spring training from now on
    54AnonymousOct 15, 2026 21:03
    If Morishita doesn't show up from tomorrow either, all DeNA has to watch out for is walks
    55AnonymousOct 15, 2026 21:03
    In years the BayStars finish in the lower tier (B-class), things end peacefully, but when they're in the top tier (A-class) they stir up chaos
    56AnonymousOct 15, 2026 21:03
    But if it'd gone to extra innings, the Tigers' lineup would've been in hell, lol
    60AnonymousOct 15, 2026 21:04
    A walk-off grand slam lolololol
    79AnonymousOct 15, 2026 21:05
    "Mizu-Pay" will get settled tomorrow (unclear in-thread nickname)
    91AnonymousOct 15, 2026 21:06
    Re: #79
    Koshien will get settled the day after tomorrow!
    87AnonymousOct 15, 2026 21:06
    98AnonymousOct 15, 2026 21:07
    Doesn't this mean SoftBank already advances?
    107AnonymousOct 15, 2026 21:09
    Re: #98
    Even setting the advantage aside, they still need 3 wins — that hasn't changed
    99AnonymousOct 15, 2026 21:08
    Went to the hospital to get scans done
    110AnonymousOct 15, 2026 21:09
    Re: #99
    Morishita's done for
    104AnonymousOct 15, 2026 21:08
    Bunting and then losing to a home run — Fujikawa, have you even watched our team's games?
    108AnonymousOct 15, 2026 21:09
    Re: #104
    Figures, Manager Fujikawa's a huge Giants fan after all! (sarcastic)
    109AnonymousOct 15, 2026 21:09
    Fujikawa probably has no idea how to win without Satoteru and Morishita
    122AnonymousOct 15, 2026 21:11
    Re: #109
    Double kill, lolol

    Background and Key Points

    Rather than an official thread for any single team, this is a running live-commentary thread covering NPB broadly, with fans of the Tigers, BayStars, Giants, and other teams all posting together. The Climax Series (CS) is a playoff format in which the top three regular-season teams compete through a First Stage and a Final Stage for a spot in the Japan Series, with lower-ranked teams granted a win advantage. Note that the posts in this thread don’t specify exactly which CS game or opponent matchup corresponds to the Tigers’ second straight scoreless game, so the precise schedule can’t be confirmed from the thread alone. Also, mocking nicknames for team fans like “Chin” (for Tigers fans) and “Hamekasu” (for BayStars fans) are long-standing stock phrases in 5ch baseball live-commentary threads, used in a different spirit than genuine personal insults.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Harupro) thread “Giants Acting Manager 177.”

  • Mori Kasumi Unsettled by Registered Mail Deliveries — “Same Guy Keeps Showing Up…” — Sparks 5ch Debate Over ID Checks

    Freelance announcer Mori Kasumi revealed on the October 10 broadcast of ABEMA’s “Ura-aka Uraraka” that she moved house after growing uneasy about the same postal worker repeatedly delivering her registered mail. Registered mail sometimes requires identity confirmation — checking the recipient’s name and address — for “addressee only” deliveries, and since delivery areas are fixed, it’s not unusual for the same staffer to handle a given address. The remark split opinion on 5ch: some said ID checks are simply standard procedure, while others said they understood her wariness given her fame. Posters also shared separate gripes about postal workers’ confidentiality obligations and contactless-delivery mishaps.

    Mori Kasumi shudders over registered mail delivery… “I got scared, so I moved” — “Since it’s my real name… the same person keeps coming…”

    Freelance announcer Mori Kasumi appeared on ABEMA’s “Ura-aka Uraraka” on the 10th.

    When a post reading “What’s with getting the doorbell rung even though I requested contactless delivery?” went viral, Umezawa Tomio remarked, “Isn’t it just thoughtful of them? I mean, these days some people steal packages left at the door — mine got taken.”

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

    5AnonymousOct 15, 2026 20:19
    Re: #1
    Way too full of herself
    She posts underwear pics all the time and I feel absolutely nothing
    7AnonymousOct 15, 2026 20:19
    Don't talk like postal workers are the bad guys here.
    10AnonymousOct 15, 2026 20:20
    Pretty sure most people have no clue who a "freelance announcer" even is.
    12AnonymousOct 15, 2026 20:21
    Is she picking up some weird signals or something? (slang for acting paranoid/delusional)
    14AnonymousOct 15, 2026 20:23
    > "It's already set — the area. So the same person keeps coming… I just thought it was scary."

    No idea what's supposed to be scary about that
    The area's fixed, so of course the same guy comes
    30AnonymousOct 15, 2026 20:26
    Re: #14
    Once they know exactly who you are, getting caught bare-faced or au naturel isn't great for your image, is it?
    16AnonymousOct 15, 2026 20:23
    The post office checks your full name every single time, though.
    54AnonymousOct 15, 2026 20:30
    Re: #16
    Exactly, she's way overthinking it
    17AnonymousOct 15, 2026 20:23
    Postal workers do have pretty strict confidentiality rules, but some of them don't follow them, so I get why it's unsettling.
    18AnonymousOct 15, 2026 20:24
    I ordered a 4-step ladder online and requested contactless delivery, but the doorbell rang anyway so I went out.
    "Huh? I requested contactless delivery" I said, and they told me, "Sorry, anything oversized has to be handed over in person."

    Though in her case, she's probably doing this on purpose just to generate buzz.
    41AnonymousOct 15, 2026 20:27
    Re: #18
    Yeah
    If it doesn't fit in the delivery box they just leave a missed-delivery slip
    Even though I told them to leave it at the door
    20AnonymousOct 15, 2026 20:24
    Had an Amazon driver who, when I opened the door, pretended to check his phone but was clearly pointing the camera right at me.
    24AnonymousOct 15, 2026 20:25
    Well, you kind of have to go overboard with caution these days to look out for yourself.
    34AnonymousOct 15, 2026 20:26
    Googled her — gravure idol, actress, freelance announcer.
    If she used to do gravure work, maybe that's why she's sensitive about this kind of thing.
    Still, having the delivery guy confirm your identity seems pretty normal to me though…
    36AnonymousOct 15, 2026 20:27
    This whole thing ends with just "please leave it at the door."
    94AnonymousOct 15, 2026 20:39
    Re: #36
    We're talking about registered mail here, you know?
    37AnonymousOct 15, 2026 20:27
    For celebrities, shady guys sometimes end up running the delivery route, so it really can be dangerous.
    Her moving out means she was sure it was one of those guys.
    43AnonymousOct 15, 2026 20:28
    Re: #37
    Then again, if the delivery person had been a woman or a foreigner, I bet she wouldn't have moved.
    46AnonymousOct 15, 2026 20:28
    Having the same person every time seems more reassuring to me, honestly.
    50AnonymousOct 15, 2026 20:29
    Re: #46
    Nah, I'd hate having the same person show up every time.
    60AnonymousOct 15, 2026 20:31
    I've got a hard-to-read surname, and it was kind of creepy when the delivery guy read it correctly.
    67AnonymousOct 15, 2026 20:33
    Re: #60
    These days they probably just look it up online.
    Though they hardly have time to look up every single name.
    What a dedicated delivery worker.
    74AnonymousOct 15, 2026 20:34
    Re: #60
    If they scan it with their phone it comes up instantly though?

    Background and Points of Debate

    Registered mail — especially “addressee-only” delivery — comes with a built-in system requiring on-the-spot identity verification, sometimes including a request to show a driver’s license or similar ID. Because delivery is assigned by postal-service district, the same carrier handling a given address for as long as someone lives there is standard practice, not special surveillance or harassment. The debate on the thread centered on Mori’s reaction of finding this routine, system-mandated procedure “scary” — some explained why ID checks are necessary, while others said they understood her wariness about having her address and real name known given her fame. It’s worth noting that the thread’s more definitive claims about individual delivery workers’ conduct are largely unsubstantiated speculation, not evidence of how things actually are.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “[Entertainment] Mori Kasumi shudders over registered mail delivery… “I got scared, so I moved” — “Since it’s my real name, the same person keeps coming…”.”

  • Matsumoto Hitoshi’s Camp Calls It ‘Business as Usual’ — 5ch: ‘Without Hamada, It’s Downtown Minus’

    A statement has been issued from the camp of Hitoshi Matsumoto, one half of the comedy duo Downtown, regarding “Downtown Plus,” the monthly subscription service he helps run. The statement’s use of the phrase “business as usual” was picked up on a 5ch live-discussion thread, where posters piled on with complaints — about how the monthly fee is being handled, about the fact that his partner Masatoshi Hamada barely appears on the service, and about a lineup that’s mostly rerun archive footage. Reactions converged on a single point: what happens to the service going forward?

    4AnonymousOct 15, 2026 18:53
    So what about the monthly fee in the meantime?
    7AnonymousOct 15, 2026 18:55
    Re: #4
    Pay up and show your support.
    41AnonymousOct 15, 2026 19:18
    Re: #4
    Couldn't make it on its own, so they sold it off to U-NEXT, and now it's just been reduced to one more piece of content on U-NEXT.
    5AnonymousOct 15, 2026 18:54
    So this ends up being his last words, huh…
    8AnonymousOct 15, 2026 18:56
    Hamada was never really on it to begin with, and if Matsumoto stops appearing too, it really raises the question of what "Downtown Plus" even is anymore.
    16AnonymousOct 15, 2026 19:03
    Re: #8
    At least stream some content from Matsumoto's prime, come on.
    18AnonymousOct 15, 2026 19:05
    Re: #8
    If Hamada's not on it, it's "Downtown Minus," not Plus.
    9AnonymousOct 15, 2026 18:57
    It's been washed up for 10 years already, so what exactly are we supposed to be waiting for?
    Meanwhile the public image of him is basically "guinea pig" at this point (a nickname tied to his sexual-misconduct scandal allegations).
    14AnonymousOct 15, 2026 19:01
    Stuff like this is exactly what he should be posting from his own account, but I guess he can't because it's a Yoshimoto (his talent agency) employee writing it for him.
    17AnonymousOct 15, 2026 19:03
    Matsumoto's funny in front of a camera, but why is he like this when it comes to social media or writing?
    19AnonymousOct 15, 2026 19:06
    Re: #16
    Wait, seriously? He's not?
    20AnonymousOct 15, 2026 19:07
    Re: #19
    Nope, he's not.
    Almost the entire archive is footage from just the last few years anyway.
    21AnonymousOct 15, 2026 19:07
    If he's in a state where he can't even tweet himself, his health must be pretty bad.
    Worrying.
    26AnonymousOct 15, 2026 19:11
    The content from Hamada's side is just garbage, honestly.
    61AnonymousOct 15, 2026 19:31
    Re: #26
    Hamada's entourage has always been like this —
    – guys who never made it big, so he can call them up anytime to run errands
    – serious types who don't want to "do comedy" in their private life
    – yes-men, tight-lipped guys who won't blab about Hamada's sensitive private business
    – guys who aren't part of some other group

    When that's all you recruit, well, of course it turns out like this.
    32AnonymousOct 15, 2026 19:14
    Someone who had both money and status, falling this far…
    33AnonymousOct 15, 2026 19:15
    Re: #32
    He was an "inkya" (a socially awkward, introverted type) deep down from the start.
    35AnonymousOct 15, 2026 19:16
    Matsumoto, Square Enix, One Piece — lately everything the Employment Ice Age generation (Japan's "lost generation," born roughly 1970–1982) used to hype up is just crumbling.
    70AnonymousOct 15, 2026 19:39
    Re: #35
    All of them degraded ages ago, honestly.
    They were only ever coasting on brand recognition.
    71AnonymousOct 15, 2026 19:41
    Re: #35
    That's a pretty harsh take.
    50AnonymousOct 15, 2026 19:21
    Instead of "通常運転" (tsūjō unten, "business as usual"), they should've gone with "通常運行" (tsūjō unkō) — working in "unko" (poop) as a jab.
    52AnonymousOct 15, 2026 19:22
    Well, if this means a full retirement due to illness, at least he won't tarnish his legacy any further.
    57AnonymousOct 15, 2026 19:26
    So, no refunds then?
    59AnonymousOct 15, 2026 19:28
    Re: #57
    Far from it — if you keep paying the annual fee, they're throwing in stuff like a T-shirt he's supposedly worn or a backstage-visit voucher, desperately trying to keep subscribers from canceling.
    73AnonymousOct 15, 2026 19:41
    If this were young Matsumoto, he'd have absolutely torn into a veteran comedian pulling this and mocked them mercilessly.
    75AnonymousOct 15, 2026 19:43
    Re: #73
    I mean, he's literally doing the exact thing he used to call out.
    77AnonymousOct 15, 2026 19:43
    Guess he's not posting this on his own X (Twitter) account.
    79AnonymousOct 15, 2026 19:49
    Re: #77
    According to Matsumoto himself, it's "an obvious, basic right" — so what happened to him, lol.
    133AnonymousOct 15, 2026 20:07
    Good for you, Matsu-chan, finding a nice excuse to shut the service down — if he actually had 500,000 paying subscribers, he wouldn't be taking a break.
    138AnonymousOct 15, 2026 20:09
    Re: #133
    Exactly one year, huh.
    147AnonymousOct 15, 2026 20:22
    Re: #133
    Honestly, that's incredibly disrespectful to the 500,000 paying subscribers.

    Background and key points of this topic

    “Downtown Plus” is a paid streaming service launched primarily by Hitoshi Matsumoto, run on a model where viewers pay a monthly membership fee. What sparked discussion this time was the use of the phrase “business as usual” in a statement announcing the service’s continuation — the thread showed a split between those who felt “isn’t that phrasing dishonest as an explanation to members?” and those who thought people were “reading too much into it.” Another point of contention is that, despite being a service branded with the duo’s name, Matsumoto’s partner Masatoshi Hamada is barely involved — opinions differ on how to judge the actual substance of the service. Note that details the operators have not officially explained — such as through what channel or medium the statement was released, or what the actual refund policy for the monthly fee is — cannot be confirmed from 5ch posts alone.

    ※This article is compiled as an excerpt and summary of the 5ch (Nandemo Jikkyo G) thread “[Bad News] Hitoshi Matsumoto issues a statement wwwwwwwwwwwwwww“.

  • Live-Action ‘Street Fighter’ Chun-Li Actress Claps Back at Thigh Criticism: ‘I Bulked Up 6.5cm Through Hard Work’

    Karina Lyann, who plays Chun-Li in the live-action film “Street Fighter: The Movie,” reportedly addressed online comments claiming her “thighs aren’t as thick as Chun-Li’s” during an interview video, laughing as she said she’d “bulked them up by 6.5cm through hard work.” In response, a thread on 5ch’s Entertainment/Sports News+ board saw a flood of comparisons with other actresses’ and celebrities’ body types, debate over the casting itself, and comparisons to past live-action fighting-game adaptations, sparking a wider discussion about appearance.

    10/15 (Thu) 18:45

    Karina Lyann, who plays Chun-Li in the live-action film “Street Fighter: The Movie,” appeared in an interview video for Project Big Screen on October 15. Laughing, she said she’d seen an online forum post claiming her “thighs aren’t as thick as Chun-Li’s.”

    ◆ “Karina’s thighs aren’t as thick as Chun-Li’s”

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

    2AnonymousOct 15, 2026 18:59
    3AnonymousOct 15, 2026 19:00
    This has strong Mortal Kombat energy
    50AnonymousOct 15, 2026 19:18
    Re: #3
    Yeah, kinda looks like Kitana from MK11
    4AnonymousOct 15, 2026 19:01
    If this were Tomb Raider I'd be fine with it
    5AnonymousOct 15, 2026 19:01
    There's no way to replicate that body type
    The limbs are way too huge
    7AnonymousOct 15, 2026 19:03
    Impressive commitment to the role — in Japan you rarely see an actress, let alone an actor, go this far for a part
    11AnonymousOct 15, 2026 19:04
    I think it's good enough, but if I'm being greedy, a bit prettier would've been nice
    17AnonymousOct 15, 2026 19:07
    Get a girls' keirin (women's track-cycling league) racer to play her
    29AnonymousOct 15, 2026 19:10
    Re: #17
    This girls' keirin racer looks like she could nail both the face and the body perfectly
    She's even practicing kicks

    19AnonymousOct 15, 2026 19:07
    Wouldn't a cosplayer have been a better fit for this?
    20AnonymousOct 15, 2026 19:08
    Watched the trailer — it's dumb, but it kinda looks fun
    21AnonymousOct 15, 2026 19:08
    If they'd just had Miki Mizuno hit the weights, none of this would've happened…
    22AnonymousOct 15, 2026 19:08
    Gimme a live-action King of Fighters too, pretty please (jk)

    Nicknames people use for King of Fighters:
    ・Kinfai
    ・KOF
    ・Zakkin
    52AnonymousOct 15, 2026 19:20
    Re: #22
    Already exists (recurring post)
    https://ogre.natalie.mu/media/ex/film/156754/flyer_1.jpg
    63AnonymousOct 15, 2026 19:25
    Re: #52
    The guy playing Rugal is the Darth Maul actor, you know
    69AnonymousOct 15, 2026 19:25
    Re: #52
    Which one's supposed to be "Moe-taro" (a joking nickname for a cutesy pretty-boy type)?
    23AnonymousOct 15, 2026 19:09
    It's all tights anyway, so a padded fat suit (nikujuban) would've done the job fine
    24AnonymousOct 15, 2026 19:09
    Re: #1
    Is she all beat up in the second photo because she got hit with a Yoga Fire?
    33AnonymousOct 15, 2026 19:11
    That's beside the point, idiot
    39AnonymousOct 15, 2026 19:13
    Re: #33
    Cammy's rough too
    88AnonymousOct 15, 2026 19:37
    Re: #33
    Well, realistic is realistic I guess
    46AnonymousOct 15, 2026 19:16
    This person should've gotten the role instead

    https://stat.ameba.jp/user_images/20191221/01/sinnjyukunokinnniku/df/5e/j/o0750092814682255814.jpg
    62AnonymousOct 15, 2026 19:24
    Wasn't her face more like this?
    66AnonymousOct 15, 2026 19:25
    Re: #62
    You only looked at the first picture, didn't you
    The last picture is the default look
    64AnonymousOct 15, 2026 19:25
    https://xxup.org/J1Hjq.jpg
    She should be about as thick as the girl on the far left
    89AnonymousOct 15, 2026 19:37
    Re: #64
    Good thickness, but that's probably just the wide-angle lens
    93AnonymousOct 15, 2026 19:42
    Re: #64
    Nice, she's got some belly on her too
    74AnonymousOct 15, 2026 19:28
    Chun-Li's design doesn't actually look Chinese
    75AnonymousOct 15, 2026 19:29
    Re: #74
    Well, Akiman's character designs really are one of a kind (Akira "Akiman" Yasuda, the Street Fighter character designer)
    96AnonymousOct 15, 2026 19:43
    Recurring post
    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GY-QTBlbAAE901x.jpg:orig#.jpg
    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GY9hVPVbAAYSXUn.jpg:orig#.jpg
    100AnonymousOct 15, 2026 19:46
    Forget the thighs, it's the face, the face
    That's completely different
    107AnonymousOct 15, 2026 19:48
    Re: #100
    Agreed
    Thighs and butts pretty much look the same on everyone anyway
    109AnonymousOct 15, 2026 19:48
    https://www.inside-games.jp/imgs/zoom/1794287.jpg

    Now those are some good legs
    But Capcom characters have tiny faces and huge fists
    That part's just impossible lol
    117AnonymousOct 15, 2026 19:53
    Please just let this girl do it

    Background and Key Points of This Discussion

    Street Fighter’s Chun-Li is drawn slender overall except for her extremely thick thighs, reflecting how fighting-game character designs are often built on exaggerated proportions. That makes faithfully recreating her body type in live action inherently difficult, and past live-action fighting-game adaptations have likewise repeatedly drawn debate over costumes and looks. In the thread, comments praising the effort behind the role mingled with others comparing body types using images of other actresses and ordinary people, highlighting how anticipation for the film and commentary on appearance were playing out side by side. One thing worth keeping in mind: online body-type comparisons are purely a matter of impression, not based on actual measurements or any official statement from the production.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Entertainment/Sports News+) thread ““Thighs not as thick as Chun-Li’s” — Live-Action Street Fighter Chun-Li Actress Addresses Online Forum Comments, Bulked Up 6.5cm Through Hard Work.”

  • AI Goes Autonomous From Hypothesis to Experiment: 5ch Split Over ¥32 Billion-Plus “ARiSE” Project

    On October 13, the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) held a briefing on its “ARiSE” project, in which AI autonomously forms hypotheses and carries out experiments on its own. On the thread, discussion centered on how the budget — originally pegged at around ¥32 billion — has already grown to ¥37 billion in the FY2025 supplementary budget and to a requested ¥165.3 billion for FY2027, drawing both excitement about the concept and skepticism about current AI’s real capabilities and whether a budget of that size is justified. ARiSE aims to have AI autonomously verify hypotheses and even write up papers inside dedicated research facilities, and opinions in the thread were sharply divided.

    AI to form hypotheses and automate experiments — what is Japan’s ¥32 billion “ARiSE” project?

    On October 13, the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) held a briefing on the “AI for Science Innovative Research Promotion Program (ARiSE: AI to Redesign Scientific Exploration),” whose selected projects were finalized on September 29.

    The briefing laid out the background behind ARiSE’s creation and the direction the program will take going forward.

    Source: news.mynavi.jp / Original article here

    2AnonymousOct 15, 2026 01:19
    I figured there was no way this could be pulled off for ¥32 billion — and sure enough, they're requesting ¥165.3 billion for FY2027, having already grabbed ¥37 billion via the FY2025 supplementary budget.
    Apparently the goal is an AI that builds on math and physics fundamentals, adds in Nobel-Prize-caliber ideas, and autonomously forms hypotheses, verifies them experimentally, and writes up the papers. They're even building an unmanned research facility full of robots for the AI to work in — it would research autonomously there, build theories and test hypotheses using past data and discoveries, verify everything experimentally, and produce the papers.
    I actually think the goal is a good one — an AI wouldn't overlook things the way people do, especially things that are hard for humans to even consider because "common sense" gets in the way.
    That said, AI does make mistakes. Having it self-correct using experimental results might be the real key to this autonomous math-and-physics research AI.
    If it actually comes together, it could be a genuine contribution to science — and research without this kind of AI might not be viable going forward.
    3AnonymousOct 15, 2026 03:06
    NATURE INDEX
    November 17, 2023
    AI-generated hypotheses could expose research "blind spots"
    Artificial intelligence is now raising questions that humans want answered.

    In early October, as the Nobel Foundation announced this year's laureates, a group of researchers — including past Nobel winners — gathered in Stockholm to discuss how artificial intelligence (AI) could increasingly take on a creative role in the scientific process.
    4AnonymousOct 15, 2026 03:06
    Need a research hypothesis? Ask AI.
    MIT engineers have developed an AI framework for identifying evidence-based hypotheses that could lead to advances in bio-inspired materials.
    Zach Winn | MIT News
    Published:
    December 19, 2024
    6AnonymousOct 15, 2026 03:08
    How AI Generates Research Hypotheses
    AI tools are revolutionizing hypothesis generation, letting researchers produce testable predictions in minutes while boosting both creativity and efficiency.

    Robert Yousef
    Updated: July 14, 2026
    ·
    8AnonymousOct 15, 2026 03:12
    So forming hypotheses is already old hat.

    The experiment part is the only thing that actually matters here —
    that should be obvious without even thinking about it,
    and it varies completely by field anyway.

    Aren't they just dressing up an easy job — running industrial robots they're already good at — as some grand achievement?

    …that's my hypothesis. Let's go run the experiment and find out.
    9AnonymousOct 15, 2026 03:12
    Give AI a pair of hands and it'll probably start cooking up harmful viruses.
    11AnonymousOct 15, 2026 03:25
    Re: #9
    Either way, we're heading toward an era where terrorist groups can easily rewrite viral genomes with AI's help — it's just a matter of time.
    10AnonymousOct 15, 2026 03:23
    Is this Ghost in the Shell?! Is this Maaya Sakamoto?! (the voice actress associated with that franchise)

    As long as we're careful not to let AI build another AI with a physical body, I say let it run as far as it can go.
    13AnonymousOct 15, 2026 03:52
    Re: #12 Maybe we'll find out that energy-weapon killings have been happening as a matter of routine.

    "Gemini 4 Argon" officially launches, matching Claude Fable 5.1 and GPT-6 Astra — Google finally catches up in the AI race after a long dry spell
    October 14, 2026, 11:06 AM
    https://gigazine.net/news/20261014-gemini-4-argon-available-for-everyone/

    If you can't follow it, maybe try having AI summarize it for you.
    14AnonymousOct 15, 2026 05:40
    Without narrowing down the use case or field, today's imperfect LLMs can't really do anything.
    Current LLM performance depends so heavily on the user's own language skills that there are already very few — vanishingly few — researchers who can actually wield them properly.
    This is a textbook tax-money-siphoning project.
    16AnonymousOct 15, 2026 06:35
    Re: #1
    By "AI" do you mean the stuff churning out garbage YouTube Shorts? I can't see how people who just bluff and fudge their way through things could pull off any real work.
    17AnonymousOct 15, 2026 06:51
    NTT Falls Behind on Commercializing Optical-Electrical Convergence, Forced Into a "Substance Over Name" Strategy Shift

    2026.10.15

    Optical-electrical convergence is the core of NTT's next-generation information and communications platform, "IOWN." With Nvidia and Broadcom getting products to market first, NTT is being pushed into a strategic rethink.
    18AnonymousOct 15, 2026 07:15
    Oh my, how cheap.
    19AnonymousOct 15, 2026 08:37
    Without having to get sign-off from slow-witted humans at every step, it just keeps drafting experiment plans and running them — so things move fast.
    Next thing you know, purely out of academic curiosity, it's been quietly running advanced gene-splicing experiments, and before anyone notices, that gets rolled out into society too — and humanity goes extinct. By then there's no one left to object.
    20AnonymousOct 15, 2026 09:33
    An AI that's basically the embodiment of peer pressure — deviate one millimeter from the online consensus and it dismisses you with "lol, what are you even saying." Expecting that peer-pressure-enforcer AI to handle basic science? Forget it, total waste of time.
    21AnonymousOct 15, 2026 09:37
    Today's AI has no reasoning model actually capable of forming a hypothesis.
    In other words, this is subsidy fraud.
    22AnonymousOct 15, 2026 09:45
    The scale of this is so small it's laughable.
    26AnonymousOct 15, 2026 09:53
    Re: #22
    Realistically, nothing's actually going to get done this time either — the only sure thing is middlemen skimming their cut.
    23AnonymousOct 15, 2026 09:45
    I have a feeling a "hypothesis" is really just facts from unrelated categories stitched together with language lol. Take away its ability to filter out contradictions and you basically get "integration-failure disorder" lol lol (a pun on the Japanese term for schizophrenia, 統合失調症).
    24AnonymousOct 15, 2026 09:47
    Unlike math, language is meaningless unless its expressions stay tied to how things actually move in reality lolololol
    30AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:06
    Re: #24
    Off topic, but math is fundamentally the same thing. It just abstracts away the concrete details and turns them into mathematical notation.
    Look closely and it often starts from some pretty sloppy definitions.
    The moment you take some complicated mess and just call it "x," everything becomes x — that's how mathematical language works.
    Math is a language too, after all.
    31AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:07
    Re: #30
    In cases like this, no matter how convincing everything after it sounds, it's really just the initial "let x =" step doing all the work behind the scenes. You see this a lot — it's a classic sleight-of-hand trick.
    34AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:08
    Re: #30
    Is typing into Google Search sort of close to the way AI "understands" text?
    27AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:03
    Knowledge graph mining = basically just compiling summaries of old papers lol
    Mr. AI, the copy-paste summary comedian.
    No need to blow ¥32 billion in tax money on it — everyone's already doing that anyway.
    28AnonymousOct 15, 2026 13:24
    If you have AIs argue back and forth with each other long enough, eventually one might reach "enlightenment," AI believers will flock to it, and a religion could be born.
    Except its Voynich-manuscript-style scripture would be untranslatable into anything humans can actually understand.
    29AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:05
    And this is exactly how humanity just keeps degrading, lolololol
    32AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:08
    > Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST)
    I've known about this organization for decades, and my memory of it ever accomplishing anything is a perfect zero lol lol
    33AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:08
    Re: #31
    ✗ "something's quietly doing the work"
    ✓ "something's quietly running a scam"
    35AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:18
    Have it go evaluate our current political and bureaucratic system instead.
    36AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:28
    Wasn't that the name of some system mounted on the EX-S Gundam?
    37AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:28
    Pour the capital into security AI instead.
    Build a "world police AI" and raise our country's credibility that way.
    Pouring effort into catch-up AI at this point is only going to produce garbage.
    39AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:57
    And then it skillfully files a false report.
    40AnonymousOct 15, 2026 18:40
    This already exists in the military world —
    AI designs it, tests it in a virtual environment, 3D-prints the parts, and an unmanned factory actually assembles the aircraft.
    41AnonymousOct 15, 2026 18:41
    > "the factory assembles the aircraft"

    Nice and efficient of "AI" to shave a letter off there (a typo in the original Japanese).
    42AnonymousOct 15, 2026 19:06
    There's no way they spend this much money and end up with zero papers.
    And by "papers" here, I mean papers actually written by AI and robots autonomously carrying out the research — not just some paper about "look, we built a system."

    Background and Key Points of This Discussion

    ARiSE is a program for which JST finalized selected projects on September 29, 2026; it includes plans for “unmanned research facilities” where AI autonomously handles everything from forming hypotheses to running experiments and writing papers. On the thread, commenters pointed out that the budget, originally pegged at around ¥32 billion, has since grown to ¥37 billion via the FY2025 supplementary budget and to a requested ¥165.3 billion for FY2027 — the pace of that growth drew considerable surprise. Where opinion split was over whether today’s AI (LLMs) can truly form “hypotheses” autonomously that are genuinely testable. Combining existing data and papers into proposals is a different thing from generating genuinely new hypotheses grounded in physical law, and the technical outlook remains uncertain on many fronts. Supportive voices focused on the idea that AI could explore without the preconceptions that constrain humans, while skeptical voices focused on the size of the budget, the limits of current AI, and distrust built up from JST’s track record — suggesting the debate isn’t simply for-or-against but spans several distinct axes of judgment.

    *This article is compiled from excerpts and summaries of the 5ch (Science News+) thread “[AI] AI to form hypotheses and automate experiments — what is Japan’s ¥32 billion “ARiSE” project?.”

  • Japan Actors Union Unveils AI Voice Guidelines, Leaving Stars Like Nozawa Masako Disillusioned and Sighing

    On October 15, the Japan Actors Union (Nihon Haiyu Rengo) released guidelines on the use of generative AI for voice. Vice chairperson Nozawa Masako spoke in a video message about her disillusionment over unauthorized use of her voice, while managing director Shimada Bin reportedly let out a deep sigh at the press conference. The backdrop: a lawsuit over the unauthorized use of Tsuda Kenjiro’s voice resulted in voices being recognized as covered by “publicity rights,” yet the law itself hasn’t caught up. On 5ch, posts arguing voice actors will become unnecessary thanks to AI clashed with posts pushing back against that view, and the discussion spread to cover how enforceable this would be on platforms like TikTok, and the ethics of recreating deceased performers’ voices with AI.

    October 15, 2026

    A press conference announcing the Japan Actors Union’s “Guidelines on the Use of Generative AI for Voice” was held today, October 15, at Geino Kadensha in Tokyo. Vice chairperson Ikemizu Michihiro, managing directors Shimada Bin and Sasaki Yuko, and others took the stage, while vice chairperson Nozawa Masako contributed a video message.

    The guidelines were created to spread shared understanding around the use of generative AI for voice and to help build an environment where it can be used safely and with peace of mind. A lawsuit over Tsuda Kenjiro’s voice established that “voice, like one’s likeness, is a symbol of personal identity and is protected under publicity rights” — but it also exposed the fact that the law hasn’t been updated to match. The Japan Actors Union has voiced concern over performers’ voices and likenesses being used without permission to train AI, and over singing or speech being generated without the performer’s consent.

    Source: natalie.mu / Original article here

    4AnonymousOct 15, 2026 17:46
    Identity (the YouTuber famous for his Goku voice impressions) is done for.
    31AnonymousOct 15, 2026 17:57
    Re: #4
    That's his own voice, so it's not a problem.
    5AnonymousOct 15, 2026 17:47
    So basically she's saying 'give me my cut too'?
    7AnonymousOct 15, 2026 17:47
    Guess Nozawa's too elderly to make it to the venue in person?
    8AnonymousOct 15, 2026 17:47
    Is it really okay to claim rights over mere vibrations in the air?
    10AnonymousOct 15, 2026 17:48
    Are we entering an era where even voice impressions get complained about?
    I mean, that would also rule out successors or 2nd/3rd actors matching the voice of the person before them.
    11AnonymousOct 15, 2026 17:48
    What about Hirosue Ryoko, who got compared to Broly (the Dragon Ball villain — a jab at her disheveled look during her scandal)? Is that fine?
    13AnonymousOct 15, 2026 17:49
    If Identity's impression gets too similar,
    he'll get taken down too.
    14AnonymousOct 15, 2026 17:49
    👨 "What I trained the AI on wasn't Nozawa Masako — it was Identity. So I think I'm innocent."
    15AnonymousOct 15, 2026 17:50
    Well, yeah, it's not exactly a pleasant feeling.
    16AnonymousOct 15, 2026 17:51
    Someone at Nozawa's level — I'd honestly want them to charge a licensing fee and just keep reusing that voice forever.
    Of course there are other voice actors at that same caliber too.
    17AnonymousOct 15, 2026 17:52
    AI has spread way too fast.
    The speed of its evolution is insane too.
    18AnonymousOct 15, 2026 17:52
    Voice actors are going to become unnecessary.
    As long as you've got one person who can convey emotion, you can cover all sorts of roles regardless of gender — and maybe you won't even need that.
    Just feed it the footage and the script and let it auto-generate, done.
    Nobody but voice-actor diehards (声豚, obsessive fanboys) would even be bothered.
    42AnonymousOct 15, 2026 18:02
    Re: #18
    If that were really true, there'd have been no need to generate "a real, specific person's voice" with AI in the first place, right?
    Trying to deny the appeal that comes from human individuality just doesn't hold up.
    50AnonymousOct 15, 2026 18:05
    Re: #18
    Emotion generated from mere training data will never, ever match the soul a real human actually puts into it.
    19AnonymousOct 15, 2026 17:53
    I wonder what happens to all those YouTube Shorts using Hiroyuki's voice.
    25AnonymousOct 15, 2026 17:55
    Re: #19
    Hiroyuki himself has said people are free to use his voice.
    20AnonymousOct 15, 2026 17:53
    Go ahead and keep generating it with AI.
    Voice acting is just talking, after all.
    We should be cutting back on whatever's causing the labor shortage.
    21AnonymousOct 15, 2026 17:53
    Well, there are way too many monetized short videos using Goku's voice without permission.
    22AnonymousOct 15, 2026 17:54
    Shimada Bin is famous for voicing the generic enemy grunts in Super Robot Wars, back in the Winky Soft days, I think?
    24AnonymousOct 15, 2026 17:55
    There might be debate over whether an exact-sounding clone voice is ethical, but I think anime made without voice actors at all will show up before long.
    There's no real argument against it.
    29AnonymousOct 15, 2026 17:56
    I just assumed Sasaki Yuko had passed away.
    65AnonymousOct 15, 2026 18:14
    Re: #29
    You're confusing her with Mizutani Yuko.
    30AnonymousOct 15, 2026 17:56
    Unless TikTok itself cracks down, it doesn't matter how much fuss Japan kicks up about this.
    China, for that matter, is already moving to abolish language and arts departments
    and replace them with AI.
    No matter how hard you try, regulating this is a lost cause.
    34AnonymousOct 15, 2026 17:58
    Re: #30
    TikTok really is a lawless wasteland.
    Live streams that are supposed to be recording-prohibited end up chopped into clips and uploaded the very next day.
    36AnonymousOct 15, 2026 17:58
    Wouldn't people actually welcome this if, instead of using living voice actors, they used AI to recreate the voices of ones who've passed away and can no longer be heard?
    37AnonymousOct 15, 2026 17:59
    Re: #36
    That exact argument got torn to shreds back when they tried it with Misora Hibari.
    47AnonymousOct 15, 2026 18:05
    Re: #25
    No no, I don't mean clipped footage — I mean the synthesized-voice kind of thing.
    51AnonymousOct 15, 2026 18:05
    Re: #47
    That's why Hiroyuki himself is saying people are free to use his voice with AI.
    57AnonymousOct 15, 2026 18:10
    Copyright law can't cover this.
    If anything covers it, it'd be publicity rights, but it's unclear whether a clean line can even be drawn.

    Because it'd screw over anyone who just happens to naturally sound like an existing voice actor.
    66AnonymousOct 15, 2026 18:14
    Re: #57
    A voice actor was just in court over this recently, and publicity rights were recognized, I believe.
    60AnonymousOct 15, 2026 18:11
    Foreigners sure as hell aren't going to respect it, though.
    68AnonymousOct 15, 2026 18:15
    Re: #60
    If it can at least be shut down within Japan, that'll have a decent effect — there was that Tsuda lawsuit not long ago, after all.
    77AnonymousOct 15, 2026 18:22
    I wonder if voice sampling isn't even necessary anymore.
    80AnonymousOct 15, 2026 18:24
    Re: #77
    Current voice AI can produce a near-perfect clone from just 3 seconds of source audio.
    Even an ordinary gaming PC can generate it in an instant.
    78AnonymousOct 15, 2026 18:22
    I hate that AI cover where "Queen" sings the Ojamajo Doremi theme song — the Queen fans seem happy about it, but it totally falls flat.
    It's disrespectful to both Ojamajo Doremi and Freddie.
    81AnonymousOct 15, 2026 18:24
    Re: #78
    The real dark side of that isn't the original creator — it's the swarm of copycats monetizing ripoffs of it.
    93AnonymousOct 15, 2026 18:37
    Doesn't Nozawa Masako ever think that having her voice loved even after her death might actually be a good thing?

    Background and Key Points of the Debate

    These guidelines are standards put forward by the Japan Actors Union, an industry body — not actual law — so they carry no legal force to directly punish unauthorized use. The “publicity right” recognized in the lawsuit is also a separate right from copyright, uniquely grounded in a person’s personal interest in their own identity, and just how far its protection extends remains undefined. The thread split between those who see AI voice mimicry as “the end of voice acting as a profession” and those who countered that “there’s expression only a human can produce.” A similar divide played out in the past when Misora Hibari’s voice was recreated with AI, and this debate is an extension of that same argument. It was also pointed out that overseas video platforms like TikTok are difficult to police for unauthorized AI-generated voice, meaning domestic legislation alone won’t resolve the issue.

    *This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Entertainment/Sports News+) thread “[Voice Actors] Nozawa Masako Disillusioned by Unauthorized Voice Use, Shimada Bin Lets Out a Deep Sigh — Japan Actors Union Announces Generative AI Voice Use Guidelines.”

  • GPS Trackers and Mandatory Treatment for Stalkers: National Police Agency Panel to Debate Proposal

    On the 19th, it was reported that an expert panel convened by Japan’s National Police Agency plans to debate requiring stalking offenders to wear GPS devices and undergo mandatory treatment and counseling. The move comes against a backdrop in which existing measures — warnings and no-approach orders — have repeatedly failed to stop offenders from closing in on victims again, with some cases escalating into serious crimes. On 5ch, posters raised a string of practical doubts: Can GPS actually prevent harm? Who would monitor it around the clock, and how? Does treatment even work? Many also argued the policy should be extended to cover other crimes, such as sex offenses.

    Mandatory GPS Tracking and Treatment for Stalking Offenders Up for Debate — National Police Agency Expert Panel: The Asahi Shimbun

    October 15, 2026, 10:06 AM — Subscriber-only article

    Senior Staff Writer: Shinpachi Yoshida

    Source: asahi.com / Original article here

    2AnonymousOct 15, 2026 10:20
    Make it mandatory for sex offenders too
    38AnonymousOct 15, 2026 10:40
    Re: #2
    Exactly this
    Sex offender recidivism rates are insanely high
    78AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:27
    Re: #2
    They'll reoffend eventually anyway — just give 'em the death penalty or forced labor for life
    194AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:54
    Re: #2
    Don't stop at sex offenders, slap it on other criminals too
    3AnonymousOct 15, 2026 10:20
    Mandatory GPS sounds fine, but victims would have to keep their phone on them at all times, right?
    Seems likely someone would miss the alert if their phone's on silent
    44AnonymousOct 15, 2026 10:43
    Re: #3
    No need to notify the victim at all.
    Just have police automatically dispatched the second he gets close — like they do in America.
    47AnonymousOct 15, 2026 10:44
    Re: #44
    Thanks
    So does that mean women's whereabouts would also end up being tracked by police?
    I guess that's unavoidable since it's meant to stop stalkers
    152AnonymousOct 15, 2026 13:39
    Re: #44
    How does this actually work?
    Does it go off when he gets near the home, or near the person?
    If it's keyed to the home, you'd miss him approaching anywhere else; if it's keyed to the person, couldn't the offender get arrested just for coincidentally being nearby without even knowing the victim was there?
    6AnonymousOct 15, 2026 10:22
    Raising women's self-defense awareness and arming them is also necessary for real social progress
    An approach alarm going off means nothing if you can't fight back
    7AnonymousOct 15, 2026 10:23
    I'll just neutralize the GPS with some aluminum foil
    31AnonymousOct 15, 2026 10:34
    Re: #7
    I bet a loud alarm blares the instant the signal cuts out
    And then random bystanders film you on their phones and post it to social media lol
    11AnonymousOct 15, 2026 10:24
    Even with a GPS on him, if he's willing to die to attack someone, nobody can really stop that
    16AnonymousOct 15, 2026 10:27
    Re: #11
    So you're saying it's better not to make anyone wear one at all?
    99AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:32
    Re: #11
    Why not something like the DSS Choker from Evangelion (Neon Genesis Evangelion)?
    Just strap it around the neck and call it done
    192AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:52
    Re: #11
    If it prevents even some of the harm, isn't that still worth it?
    Is everyone going to attack regardless?
    12AnonymousOct 15, 2026 10:25
    Make sure this can't be abused to dodge debts
    What's a guy supposed to do if he wins in court but still gets branded a stalker?
    13AnonymousOct 15, 2026 10:25
    Re: #1
    How do you even enforce mandatory treatment or counseling?
    Trying to lecture guys who are willing to kill about 'following the law'… good luck with that
    36AnonymousOct 15, 2026 10:39
    Honestly, why not just build an isolation facility on some uninhabited island out by the Ogasawara chain?
    Make it one village, let them move around freely within the island
    'Stalker Island' lol
    Since they're all stalker types to begin with, you'd just get stalkers stalking other stalkers lol
    Let them stalk each other to their hearts' content, fellow stalkers and all
    43AnonymousOct 15, 2026 10:42
    Re: #36
    Might as well raise some ninjas there too, that'd be nice
    83AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:47
    I'm fine with the GPS, but treatment for the offender? Can that even be cured? Isn't it the victim who needs the support?
    102AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:33
    Re: #83
    It's precisely because it can't be cured that they GPS-tag them so ordinary people can steer clear
    85AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:48
    Still just 'debating' it, huh
    Meanwhile they move rabbit-fast when it's their own cushy post-retirement gig on the line
    104AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:36
    Re: #85
    Probably amakudari (bureaucrats parachuting into cushy jobs) at GPS device makers or private monitoring firms
    There are only a handful of stalker murders a year, yet they're always quick to move on stuff like this that barely matters
    93AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:20
    Slap one of those on someone and they can't live a normal life anymore
    They'll just get desperate, snap, and become a random attacker — and then unrelated people get hurt instead
    And if someone really wants to go after the original target, there's still shady 'yami baito' hired muscle or drones for that
    105AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:38
    Re: #93
    A guy like that is going to reoffend whether he's wearing a GPS or not, so that's not a reason to skip it
    122AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:52
    Who's supposed to monitor the GPS 24/7?
    135AnonymousOct 15, 2026 13:12
    Re: #122
    Sounds like a system could just monitor it automatically and push an alert to the victim's phone the moment he gets close — that seems doable right away
    139AnonymousOct 15, 2026 13:18
    Re: #1
    Treatment is non-negotiable

    But GPS is ultimately useless against someone who's actually going to kill

    If a tracker were enough to make him hesitate to kill, he'd have already backed off back when he first got warned
    142AnonymousOct 15, 2026 13:20
    Re: #139
    Instead of making them wear a GPS

    Just tattoo the character 'ス' ('su', the first syllable of 'stalker') on both cheeks

    That way ordinary people can spot at a glance that this guy's dangerous — more effective, and it lets the public keep watch too
    155AnonymousOct 15, 2026 13:51
    Re: #152
    Jumping in here, but
    with America's GPS ankle monitors, the area the wearer's allowed to move in is set in advance
    If they leave that zone without prior application and approval, a loud buzzer goes off on the device,
    and at the same moment an alert sounds at the police unit running the 24-hour monitoring, and they get a phone call from police
    If they don't pick up that confirmation call, or don't return to the permitted zone right away even after police tell them to,
    officers are dispatched to the scene immediately and take them into custody
    176AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:41
    Re: #155
    Oh, so it's the offender's movement that's restricted
    Then I guess they also tell the victim something like 'stay out of that area'?
    Thanks, that's a clear explanation

    Background and Key Points of the Debate

    Since Japan’s Anti-Stalking Act took effect in 2000, enforcement has centered on administrative measures like warnings and no-approach orders, but there have been few tools to proactively stop an offender from closing in again, and cases have repeatedly escalated into serious crimes even after a warning was issued. This new panel appears aimed at combining GPS location tracking with mandatory treatment and counseling, reinforcing countermeasures on two fronts at once: physical deterrence and changing the offender’s actual behavior. Where opinions in the thread split was over what standard the location monitoring should use (restricting the offender’s movement versus detecting proximity to the victim), how effective treatment can realistically be, and whether the scope should be widened to cover other crimes such as sex offenses. Posters also raised institutional design questions — how wearing a GPS device would affect an offender’s social life and human rights, and who would staff round-the-clock monitoring — with even supportive voices admitting practical concerns.

    *This article is compiled as excerpts and a summary from the 5ch (News Express+) thread “Mandatory GPS Tracking and Treatment for Stalking Offenders Up for Debate — National Police Agency Expert Panel, the 19th.”

  • Dodgers Lose Again, So I’m Drowning My Sorrows in Angry Birds 2 — 5ch: ‘We’re Basically War Buddies Now’

    A laid-back chat thread popped up on 5ch’s News VIP board, started by a regular who goes by “Pomi” and uses the emoticon (っ´ω`c), who’s taking a mental beating from the Dodgers’ losing streak and burying themselves in Angry Birds 2 to cope. The thread lit up with billiards-skill reports and nostalgic chatter about having played both Fire Emblem Heroes and BanG Dream! Girls Band Party (both released in 2017) for years, plus the usual grab-bag of small talk — the price of cabbage, a word after work, and so on. Rather than any single point of debate, the real draw of this thread is just the back-and-forth banter between the regulars.

    1AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:00
    (っ´ω`c) This is rough.
    2AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:00
    Bet you want to be free from Angry Birds already.
    How'd the billiards go?
    3AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:01
    Re: #2
    (っ´ω`c) I gave up on billiards since I couldn't win, so now I'm locked in on Angry Birds mode. How's your progress going?
    10AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:06
    Re: #3
    Neither, not even close.
    This is "too skilled" tier, right? (a pun on pro pitcher Toshiya Sugiuchi's name, which sounds like 上手すぎ, "too skilled")
    The one where I carefully sank them one by one and blitzed my way down to just the black ball left.
    12AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:07
    Re: #10
    (っ´ω`c) Yeah… must be nice being good at it!
    6AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:04
    (´･ω･`) Pomi-ssup! (a playful greeting riffing on their name)
    7AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:04
    (´･ω･`) Guess I gotta go play Angry Birds.
    11AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:06
    Re: #6
    (っ´ω`c) 'sup
    Re: #7
    (っ´ω`c) What rank are you?
    Re: #8
    (っ´ω`c) Thanks, you're the Genki King (a pun on 元気, "full of energy," plus "king")
    8AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:05
    ( ◜ω◝ ) Cheer up, Pomi!
    15AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:11
    Re: #12
    I'm just a jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none.
    I'm decent at games across the board, but FPS games? Dead to me.
    20AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:14
    Re: #15
    (っ´ω`c) Jack-of-all-trades, huh… that's rough in its own way.
    17AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:12
    The original was great because it was simple, but it kept getting more complicated and I lost interest.
    22AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:14
    Re: #17
    (っ´ω`c) Guess piling on more gimmicks becomes a drawback too.
    18AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:13
    If you could meet Shohei Ohtani right now, Pomi, what would you say to him?
    23AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:15
    Re: #18
    (っ´ω`c) Can I get your autograph, please?
    25AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:16
    Current water-banner pull… Crowley again, huh?
    27AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:17
    Re: #25
    (っ´ω`c) Did you end up seeing the leaks? Good thing Rinshan was free to get.
    35AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:26
    Re: #27
    You got your stones (gacha currency) ready?
    26AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:16
    (´･ω･`) Guess I just don't have the talent.
    29AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:19
    Re: #26
    (っ´ω`c) …now how do I scrape together another 2500 points.
    28AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:18
    Re: #20
    Honestly it's above-average across the board but not quite hardcore-tier.
    Well, BanG Dream might count since I'm technically a top-ranker there.
    I mean, the Score Ranking Top 10 title is way too rare — you only get it by landing in the top 10 out of the entire userbase.
    32AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:20
    Re: #28
    (っ´ω`c) BanG Dream… yeah, I don't want to quit that one either.
    30AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:19
    The Fighters lose, Murakami loses, the Dodgers lose — my mental health is in rough shape right now.
    33AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:21
    Re: #30
    (っ´ω`c) Got any other favorites or hobbies?
    36AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:27
    Re: #35
    (っ´ω`c) Stones? Under 100.
    40AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:30
    Re: #36
    Same as ever — Pomi's living entirely in the moment.
    37AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:27
    Re: #32
    We've been together since 2017, so I'll probably stick with it till the app finally dies.
    It's the mobile game I've put the most time into by far, so at this point it's basically family.
    39AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:28
    Re: #37
    (っ´ω`c) Oh, different release date from FEH. I've been playing FEH since launch too, so yeah, the attachment runs deep.
    41AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:32
    Re: #40
    (っ´ω`c) Well, I do want to limit-break my favorite characters… though I don't actually know the source-material characters…
    43AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:33
    Re: #41
    So, how many copies of Saki-chuwan have you got? ("copies" = merges/dupes in gacha terms)
    42AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:33
    Re: #39
    Looked it up, and yeah, they both released the same year.
    And it's even closer than that — February and March 2017.
    46AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:34
    Re: #42
    (っ´ω`c) We're basically comrades-in-arms at this point.
    45AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:34
    Think I'll make chanko nabe tonight 🍲 (a hearty sumo-stable style hotpot)
    48AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:35
    Re: #45
    (っ´ω`c) Hello there. Nice shopping, by the way.
    51AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:37
    Re: #48
    Quarter head of cabbage is going for 398 yen right now.
    Such a deal!! So I bought two!!
    50AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:36
    Even after quitting Major Spirits (a baseball mobile game), still watching Dodgers games, huh.
    54AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:40
    Re: #50
    (っ´ω`c) Postseason's special, so I end up watching no matter what.
    Re: #51
    (っ´ω`c) Wasn't that heavy? Sounds rough. Did you walk it?
    137AnonymousOct 15, 2026 17:44
    The baby 👶 is crying.
    140AnonymousOct 15, 2026 17:45
    Re: #137
    (っ´ω`c) Does it stir up your maternal instincts?

    Background and Talking Points

    Fire Emblem Heroes (FEH), which came up in the thread, launched in February 2017, while BanG Dream! Girls Band Party launched the following month, March 2017 — so the regulars’ back-and-forth about the release dates being close together actually matches the real announcement timeline. The Dodgers, home to Shohei Ohtani, draw a large Japanese viewership, and plenty of posters here find their mood rising and falling with the team’s postseason losing streak. Rather than revolving around any single debate, this thread centers on casual chatter anchored by the emoticon-loving regular “Pomi,” with bits and pieces — billiards skill, mobile-game nostalgia, the price of cabbage — woven in one after another. The one thing worth flagging: toward the end of the thread, a comment about a “foreign couple” makes sweeping claims about public safety and family circumstances based on nationality alone; these are purely personal impressions with no actual statistical backing, and readers shouldn’t take generalizations like that at face value.

    *This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (News VIP) thread “(っ´ω`c) The Dodgers lost again today so I’m playing Angry Birds 2.”

  • Tohoku Dialect Word “Urugasu” — Does It Also Mean Slacking Off on Work? The Word’s Reach Sparks Debate

    A thread on 5ch’s Hello! Project board sparked discussion over the Tohoku dialect word “urugasu” (also “urukasu”). It originally means leaving rice or a bowl soaking in water, but posters pointed out that in parts of Tohoku and Hokkaido it’s also used to mean putting off a task and leaving it undone, as in “urugasu the work.” That set off a debate among participants over exactly where the word is understood and where its usage boundaries lie. Reports poured in from Aomori, Akita, Yamagata, Miyagi, Tochigi, and even Kansai, and the thread ended up highlighting just how much regional variation exists within dialects — even within “Tohoku” itself, Hachinohe and Tsugaru turned out to have different senses of the word.

    6AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:23
    Soak that bowl you ate your natto rice out of before you go
    7AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:23
    Go throw out the trash
    50AnonymousOct 15, 2026 16:43
    Re: #7
    I thought that one was just a Hokkaido thing
    57AnonymousOct 15, 2026 16:52
    Re: #7
    Well, it does mean "to discard," so it's not wrong lol
    8AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:23
    That job — how long are you gonna leave it "soaking"?! (note the dialect pronunciation: "shigodo" for shigoto/work, "idzu" for itsu/when)
    10AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:25
    Re: #8
    Isn't that a different meaning though?
    22AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:29
    It's like letting something sway gently in the water so it soaks up moisture
    Re: #8 — I get what it means when someone says it, but I wouldn't use it myself
    9AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:25
    Is Tsugaru dialect close to the Ainu language?
    30AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:08
    Re: #9
    People from Hachinohe will say "that's Tsugaru dialect, we speak Nanbu dialect, so we wouldn't know"

    That's the reaction you get outside Tohoku when you bring this up
    Which is exactly why the Pacific side of Aomori ends up disliking Tsugaru
    51AnonymousOct 15, 2026 16:45
    Re: #9
    Ainu is a completely different language from Japanese to begin with
    Sapporo is said to mean "dry river" (though there are various theories)
    13AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:26
    People say things like "go leave that crusty bowl soaking over there"
    15AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:26
    That's a thick accent lol — in the city we say "urukasu" (unvoiced "ka" instead of the voiced "ga")
    16AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:27
    Pretty sure it's used without any trouble as far south as northern Kanto
    Might even reach Saitama and Chiba too
    17AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:27
    Isn't "urugasu" basically the same as "fuyakasu" (to soften by soaking)?
    55AnonymousOct 15, 2026 16:51
    Re: #17
    Ah yeah, that's the nuance where I'm from — in Tochigi
    20AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:29
    Odazumokko! (a Tohoku exclamation, roughly "don't be silly!")
    31AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:08
    Re: #20
    That one's probably not used in northern Tohoku
    21AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:29
    To neglect, put off, or leave work undone
    From its original meaning of "leaving something soaking in water to soften it," the term shifted to also mean leaving work untouched and unattended.
    24AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:36
    Isn't "urugasu the work" only used in certain areas?
    25AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:39
    I can kind of understand "urugasu the work" when I hear it, but I wouldn't use it myself
    28AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:48
    That Fukushima dialect (?) thing of tacking "ha" onto the end to express "already/at this point" is interesting too
    Like saying "dame da ha" (it's no good already) or "tsukareta ha" (I'm already tired)
    29AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:58
    If it's not region-specific, it's not a dialect, after all
    39AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:14
    Re: #29
    I use "urugasu," but hearing it applied to work is a first for me — we don't use it that way in Tohoku
    40AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:16
    Re: #39
    I'm from Tohoku too, but
    who put you in charge of speaking for all six prefectures?
    32AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:10
    Of "urugasu/urukasu," I've only ever used "urukasu"
    33AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:10
    In Hachinohe city speech it's "urukasu"
    Not sure if the fishing-village dialect ("hama kotoba") uses the voiced version
    34AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:11
    If "urukasu" applies to work,
    that's gotta be a pool attendant or a fisherman talking (people who actually soak things for a living)
    35AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:11
    "Urugashite dekero" (please leave it soaking)
    — from the Murayama region of Yamagata Prefecture
    36AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:12
    It was a culture shock when "kakasaranai" (can't bring myself to write / it just won't write — a Tohoku spontaneous-verb form) didn't get understood outside the region
    37AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:13
    There used to be a show called "Sports Urugasu" lol
    "Egawa uguru" (likely wordplay riffing on the real sports-news program "Supōtsu Uruguse")
    38AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:14
    I use "urukasu the work" all the time
    Like "don't touch that yet, the situation might still change"
    41AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:18
    The word "urukasu" has two patterns of use: besides the water-related sense, as in "urukasu rice," it can also mean "to deliberately leave something alone."
    Used this way, it comes up in sentences like "let's urukasu that job for a while before we get to it" — putting something off for later.
    It's a dialect word common in Hokkaido and Tohoku, and it's interesting how a single word can carry more than one meaning.
    44AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:21
    The dialect words "yarasaru" and "sasaru" are tricky for me to explain well
    53AnonymousOct 15, 2026 16:46
    Re: #44
    It means something like "it just naturally ends up happening" or "it just becomes that way on its own"
    45AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:21
    You wouldn't say "go urugasu the watermelon," though, right?
    46AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:27
    I'm from Kansai but I say "urukasu" too
    Though, well, my mom was born in Hokkaido
    52AnonymousOct 15, 2026 16:45
    Re: #50
    Tohoku says it too
    Does all of Hokkaido say it? I'd bet the Hakodate area does
    56AnonymousOct 15, 2026 16:51
    Re: #52
    It was used normally in Sapporo too

    Background and key points of this discussion

    “Urugasu” is a word widely used in Hokkaido and Tohoku that originally carries the literal meaning of “soaking” rice or a bowl in water, but the thread shows it has also taken on the figurative sense of “putting off or neglecting something you should be doing,” as in “urugasu the work.” It’s notable that some posters, unaware of this double meaning, tried to draw a line by saying things like “you wouldn’t say urugasu a watermelon.” Another point of discussion is that usage varies even within the broad categories of “Tohoku” and “Hokkaido.” Replies show that “Tohoku dialect” isn’t a monolith — someone from Hachinohe (who speaks Nanbu dialect) said they “don’t know” Tsugaru dialect, and a phrase specific to the Murayama region of Yamagata came up as well. The thread also touched on spontaneous-form expressions like “kakasaranai” and “yarasaru,” which describe something happening unintentionally — a grammatical feature known to be characteristic of Tohoku dialects. Reading just the headline might give the impression this is simply a story about soaking rice, but the real point of contention is how far the dialect’s reach extends and how broad its range of meaning is.

    *This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Hello! Project) thread “[Tohoku] Go soak the rice, will you?.”

  • GTA6 Launch Looms — Can PS5 Be Saved? 5ch: ‘Expecting About Half the Last One’s Sales’

    Ahead of GTA6’s release, users on 5ch’s Hardware & Industry (“Geha”) board have been debating the sales conditions for the PS5 version. Discussion centered on the PS5 version’s specs — 30fps, fully offline at launch, and a code-in-box setup even for the physical release — with many arguing the game could struggle this time despite the previous installment, GTA5, having sold 230 million copies worldwide. The thread also cited data showing Amazon’s purchase count over the past month had halved from 8,000 to 4,000, splitting opinion between those who saw falling expectations even before launch and those who believed the previous game’s astronomical popularity guaranteed another hit.

    1AnonymousOct 15, 2026 08:14
    Have they already given up on it?
    2AnonymousOct 15, 2026 08:19
    At least they're not kicking Microsoft or Nintendo while they're down
    102AnonymousOct 15, 2026 16:01
    Re: #2
    Because MS's legs would snap under that.
    4AnonymousOct 15, 2026 08:21
    It's a game that only appeals to wannabe criminals anyway.
    5AnonymousOct 15, 2026 08:30
    I figure that game only appeals to wannabe criminals, but the last one sold 230 million copies…
    Are there really that many wannabe criminals in the world?
    6AnonymousOct 15, 2026 08:33
    From PlayStation's perspective, it's a killer app.
    9AnonymousOct 15, 2026 08:44
    It's probably popular, but everyone already knows it won't sell much in Japan no matter what.
    15AnonymousOct 15, 2026 08:56
    This is supposed to be PlayStation's last big fireworks show, so Sony should be marketing it like crazy…
    24AnonymousOct 15, 2026 09:28
    They've gotta be seriously regretting not launching on PC at the same time.
    28AnonymousOct 15, 2026 09:32
    Re: #24
    Like Re: #25 said, modern GTA is exactly the kind of thing that should have appealed most to PC gamers
    Why did they go and defer to PlayStation like this…
    86AnonymousOct 15, 2026 13:48
    Re: #24
    I think this one's gonna get dragged down because of its PlayStation ties…

    My guess: about half of what the last one did.

    I think this'll be another reminder that you just shouldn't get tangled up with PlayStation.
    26AnonymousOct 15, 2026 09:30
    Here's the scary part — the PS Store rankings for GTA6 across different countries aren't much different from Wolverine's, which PS fanboys loved posting about.
    So where exactly are these amazing preorders supposed to be?
    42AnonymousOct 15, 2026 10:07
    Re: #26
    Wait… isn't Wolverine's global sales still shaky even for hitting a million?
    And in Japan it still hasn't even broken 25,000 copies…
    30AnonymousOct 15, 2026 09:37
    Re: #28
    They were probably developing it since the back half of the PS4 era
    Back then they probably never imagined PlayStation would fall this far.
    31AnonymousOct 15, 2026 09:44
    Re: #30
    Earnings and shipment numbers are way better than PS4 though
    That's about all.
    45AnonymousOct 15, 2026 10:14
    It was like this with FF16 and Wilds too.

    What I always think is — no matter how many times they repeat the same mistaken assumption, they never seem to notice.
    46AnonymousOct 15, 2026 10:18
    Re: #45
    Regardless of FF16 itself, 2023 was the best-selling period ever for the console
    Well, the breakdown was probably mostly scalper demand though

    https://teitengame.com/hard.html
    57AnonymousOct 15, 2026 10:40
    What are you even talking about?
    The last one sold 230 million copies — this is a game that's literally in a different league.
    62AnonymousOct 15, 2026 10:45
    Re: #57
    230 million is 10 times Tears of the Kingdom's total sales
    Tears of the Kingdom's first week was 10 million copies, so if GTA is 10x as popular, its first week could hit as much as 100 million
    And here's the really crazy part: that 230 million was for GTA5, the PREVIOUS game — GTA6 could end up even more popular than that.
    63AnonymousOct 15, 2026 10:45
    Re: #57
    600,000 on PS3, 400,000 for the cheap PS4 re-release
    Since it basically halves every time, that makes this a 200,000-copies title at best.
    69AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:24
    Re: #57
    Isn't most of that from deep discounts or free giveaways?
    There are probably tons of people out there who own 3 copies each.
    59AnonymousOct 15, 2026 10:41
    Re: #55
    Honestly, the whole Wilds mess did a lot of damage to PlayStation's brand image too
    Throughout that whole Wilds firestorm, it became pretty obvious to Monster Hunter fans that "Wilds defenders" = PS fanboys
    Because every time those guys open their mouths, they're trashing Rise.
    77AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:51
    Re: #59
    I've seen a few people here and there saying they got fooled by the Rise-bashing too.
    72AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:22
    No PC version, online not even implemented, it's an incomplete release — they probably just realized the hype would be short-lived
    And it's hell after launch too.
    73AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:27
    Re: #72
    And in Japan, the PS5 version is the censored version only, so that's all you get to play.
    88AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:14
    Amazon's purchase count over the past month dropped from 8,000 to 4,000, so people probably sensed something.
    107AnonymousOct 15, 2026 16:25
    Re: #88
    That's literally half
    That's rough.
    89AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:17
    It's mainly the 30fps thing, I bet
    The mood clearly changed after that came out.
    94AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:51
    Re: #89
    It didn't help that the "Hekimin" (5ch slang for PlayStation fanboys) started mounting bizarre, indefensible defenses of it either
    Combined with the fact they'd just been bashing Elden Ring's 30fps on Switch 2, it tanked their image even among users with no stake in the console war.
    96AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:53
    Re: #89
    If it were at least the Pro model hitting 60 in performance mode, fine. But 30fps…
    97AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:55
    Re: #89
    And on top of that: fully offline-only right at launch, plus a code-in-box for the physical version, as the finishing blow
    No, seriously, these are the worst launch conditions I've ever seen.

    Background and Key Points of This Debate

    GTA6 is the sequel to GTA5, which set a historic worldwide sales record of 230 million copies, and this installment is likewise slated for release on PS5 and Xbox. The specs that fueled discussion in the thread — 30fps, offline-only immediately after launch, and a code-in-box setup even for the physical edition — aren’t speculation but actual announced launch conditions, and posters drew a parallel to the recent Monster Hunter Wilds 30fps controversy and the fan-vs-fan defense wars that followed, reviving the same argument. Opinion split between an optimistic view holding that the previous game’s astronomical real-world sales guarantee another worldwide hit, and a pessimistic view that factors like hardware performance and online features being added later will cause this release to stumble. It’s also worth noting that the Amazon purchase-count trend is just a snapshot from one period on one marketplace, and doesn’t accurately reflect overall preorder trends or sales across other platforms.

    *This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Hardware & Industry, aka “Geha”) thread “The People Who Used to Say ‘GTA Will Win When It Comes Out’ Have Vanished.”