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  • Juice=Juice’s Kawashima Miho: “Even My Regular Clothes Are Amore!” — Her Voice Coach’s Catchphrase Goes Viral

    In the latest issue of “anan,” Juice=Juice’s Kawashima Miho revealed that when she showed up to a voice-training session in her regular clothes, her instructor told her, “You’re amore even in your regular clothes!” “Amore” is known in Hello! Project circles as the catchphrase of a private instructor who coaches several members, and on 5ch’s Hello! Project board, reactions ranging from “this joke again” sparked a wider discussion covering how many members actually train under this instructor and past episodes of members studying under a different coach.

    1AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:13
    Juice=Juice Kawashima Miho Interview (excerpt)
    I found out my member color when I
    joined the group and met the other members for the first time.
    3AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:13
    "You're amore even in your regular clothes!"

    Played back in my head in Teacher Sugai's voice
    5AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:15
    Amore Kawashima
    6AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:16
    Wanna see Mippuru's (Kawashima's nickname) lips turn gold-shiny
    8AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:19
    Re: #7
    Just go read anan
    9AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:19
    Re: #7
    Juice=Juice's Kawashima Miho is featured in the magazine 'anan,' on sale today! Also available as an e-book!
    https://kizuna.5ch.io/test/read.cgi/morningcoffee/1791929332/
    10AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:19
    https://stat.ameba.jp/user_images/20261014/23/juicejuice-official/de/9e/j/o1080144015831751574.jpg
    https://stat.ameba.jp/user_images/20261014/23/juicejuice-official/0f/8b/j/o1080144015831751575.jpg
    Even your hair volume is amore
    11AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:19
    Re: #7
    Managed to read it for free at Tower Records
    12AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:21
    I bet regular readers just assume the voice trainer is a woman
    14AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:22
    Mippuru, the chosen child of amore
    No wonder she got picked as the MV thumbnail
    15AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:24
    That's right, I'm a woman of amore
    Take it as you like, go ahead and laugh
    17AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:25
    So you're amore at night too, huh
    18AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:25
    Sugai-chan's got Rosy under his control, you know
    19AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:28
    Hero Lip Tattoo Tint
    https://aprilskin.jp/products/heroalldaytattootint?srsltid=AU7gw4WcA6qClIX77LQ4dXjKFhcI9qbFBXJUaOmAmI9DYmW6MoQgE_4D
    20AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:29
    >Apparently your lips turn gold-shiny when you put it on

    So this is what that looks like
    https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0518/8924/2269/files/251103_hero_allday_plumping_tint1_02.gif?v=1778566947
    22AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:38
    Wait, so what does that even mean?
    24AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:41
    That's seriously impressive tech
    25AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:43
    Phew, good, the voice trainer's a woman then
    29AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:52
    How long are you gonna keep milking this "amore" bit ( ̄▽ ̄)
    40AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:27
    Re: #29
    Said the loser with nothing worth milking lol
    30AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:01
    The fact that you can tell exactly who the teacher is, lol
    34AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:14
    Red is the color that stands for number one
    Like the Red Ranger in Gorenger, President Trump, a red traffic light…
    Shows she already sees herself as the future lead
    38AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:22
    Re: #34
    Isn't that Akiyama Mao's color though
    36AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:16
    I'm pretty sure the Juice=Juice members Sugai trains are Kudo, Matsunaga, Irie, Ishiyama, and Kawashima — five of them
    39AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:25
    Re: #36
    It's well known that Danbara trains elsewhere, but is that really the complete list?
    44AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:43
    Re: #36
    What a questionable lineup, again lol
    37AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:17
    Sugai-chan's connection to Juice started because Miyamoto begged him, but I wonder if any Hello! Project members were already getting private lessons from him before that
    43AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:42
    She went to a vocal school run by one half of Hana*Anal*Hana (a crude pun on the real duo name Hana*Hana) back when she was little
    45AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:44
    Kojima Izumi (Hana*Hana)
    @otoshigoro
    Just for a little while, I got to teach voice training to adorable, precious little Miho-chan✨
    She's become the wonderful idol she was dreaming of being back then, and she's thriving😢✨
    Take care of yourself and keep at it🫶
    46AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:46
    At Akiyama's 2025 bar event she had on a red cap, looked just like a Trump supporter
    47AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:47
    Her stage outfits: amore
    Her regular clothes: amore
    Her nights: amore too
    49AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:49
    Born in Garlic Country, Nose Prefecture, Nose Village, Nose Block (age: Nose)
    Family name: Nose, given name: Nose
    Nickname: Nose
    Height: Nose cm
    Weight: Nose kg
    Graduated from Garlic Academy, Nose Department
    Went from the Nose Trainees up to Nose Juice=Juice (a pun — 汁/"juice" standing in for the group's name)
    Favorite "nose" saying: "Garlic Nose"
    Favorite folktale: "Nose Taro, Born From a Nose"

    Now open: the Jiro-style ramen shop, Kawashima branch!
    All our garlic is locally sourced!
    Come try it with freshly picked garlic piled on extra extra high!
    59AnonymousOct 15, 2026 16:09
    The fact that you don't even need to say the name and everyone still knows exactly who it is — that's some next-level fame

    Background and Key Points of This Topic

    It’s well known within Hello! Project that there’s a private voice-training instructor whose catchphrase is “amore,” and the thread notes that several Juice=Juice members — including Kudo, Matsunaga, Irie, Ishiyama, and Kawashima — are coached by him. The connection reportedly started when Miyamoto introduced Sugai to the group, and it’s not unusual for members to take private vocal lessons on their own. What really got the thread going was how much mileage posters were getting out of the “amore” catchphrase, plus a side story about Kawashima having once trained under a different instructor — Kojima Izumi of the duo Hana*Hana — which revealed an interesting overlap of fan memories and personal connections. One thing readers might easily misunderstand is that this “teacher” isn’t official group staff but an outside instructor hired privately, something separate from the group’s official lesson structure — without that context, the thread is harder to follow.

    ※This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Hello! Project board) thread “Kawashima Miho: “The other day I went to voice training in red clothes again, and the teacher laughed and said, ‘You’re amore even in your regular clothes!’””.

  • Touhou Koumakyou: New Classic Physical Edition Hits Shelves December 17

    On October 15, Shanghai Alice Reprise announced that a physical edition of “Touhou Koumakyou: New Classic” (for Nintendo Switch/Switch 2) will launch on December 17. Coming roughly a month after the digital release, the announcement quickly drew reactions on 5ch’s Hardware/Industry (Geha) board. Thread participants pointed to September’s digital sales rankings — 14th place for the Switch version and 7th for Switch 2 — and the discussion ranged from the strength of the Touhou IP and the lack of a PS5 version to the series’ growing popularity among younger fans.

    Shanghai Alice Reprise announced that a physical edition of “Touhou Koumakyou: New Classic ~ the Embodiment of Scarlet Devil.” for Nintendo Switch 2/Nintendo Switch will launch on December 17, 2026.

    Source: gamespark.jp / Original article here

    10AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:04
    Touhou Koumakyou's ranking on September's monthly download chart:
    Switch: 14th
    Switch 2: 7th

    PS5's monthly ranking isn't out yet so who knows, but you can probably guess.
    12AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:06
    Re: #10
    Didn't expect it to do that well in the crowded Switch/Switch 2 market.
    I underestimated Touhou Project.
    No, seriously.
    55AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:30
    Re: #10
    The original download version was only about ¥2,000, so it must have sold a serious number of copies to chart that high.
    If it's doing this well on the Switch store and apparently did pretty well on Steam too, just how popular is this thing?
    15AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:09
    They all look the same to me.
    26AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:14
    Re: #15
    You could say the same about Gradius or other famous shmups.
    Actually, that's true of plenty of games outside the shooter genre too.
    38AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:20
    Re: #26
    On top of that, the names are hard to remember.
    18AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:11
    Until recently, whenever something like this happened, there'd be someone going 'Please, a PS5 version too…' but those guys have disappeared lately lol
    22AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:13
    Re: #18
    Doesn't matter anyway, PlayStation's discontinuing discs.
    35AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:19
    Re: #18
    Well, the higher-ups' policy is to phase out physical media, so there you go.

    Re: #19
    Guess content strength really matters after all.
    Makes Sony, who couldn't maintain their own IPs and basically killed most of them, look even more incompetent.
    19AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:12
    Re: #12
    People are still cranking out fan works for it.
    It's in constant demand for rhythm games.
    Even people who don't know Touhou know the music or the "Yukkuri" characters (slow-talking voice-synth meme characters).
    And now the original source material itself shows up.

    That's a kind of IP strength in its own right.
    89AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:16
    Re: #19
    For the past few years I've only watched Yukkuri Nikki (a "diary" video series narrated by Yukkuri voice-synth characters).
    It's great for killing a bit of time.
    I'd be happy if they added more Yukkuri-style content if possible.

    I don't know anything about the original Touhou though.
    I'm curious about it.
    20AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:12
    Among younger people, Reimu and Marisa probably have higher name recognition than any Final Fantasy character.
    37AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:19
    Re: #20
    I'd guess it's pretty high — you even see Touhou characters in the character-goods corner at Daiso (100-yen shop).
    42AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:21
    Re: #20
    What's popular specifically is ""Yukkuri"" Reimu.
    28AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:15
    I don't think this needs much processing power, but is there actually any difference between the Switch and Switch 2 versions?
    30AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:17
    Re: #28
    Compatibility stuff, or the cartridge price bump?
    Well, the image shows a game card, but it might actually be a key card in reality, so who knows.
    29AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:15
    Well, if you're not a fan, I guess it's fair to say they all look the same.
    34AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:19
    Re: #29
    Same with falling-block puzzle games — if you're not into them, a new entry just looks like "what's different from the last one?" to outsiders.
    56AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:31
    Give us Hisoutensoku too, please.
    57AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:32
    Re: #56
    Releasing that balance-wrecked, slot-machine-tier trash game wouldn't sell anyway.
    And it probably wouldn't have cross-play either.
    59AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:38
    Kishida from Kishida Kyoudan (a doujin circle) said that kids who've "graduated" from Pretty Cure apparently start getting into Touhou next.
    Apparently those frilly outfits are popular with young girls, and I think he mentioned Touhou stickers are even sold at 100-yen shops.
    77AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:00
    Re: #59
    Wait, seriously?
    I never expected it to be popular with little girls…
    Yukkuri stuff aside, I always figured the original Touhou was pure otaku content…
    71AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:49
    Most people who buy a game like this probably never even clear it, they just admire it.
    Given how fast the Steam concurrent player count dropped off, not many people are actually playing it.
    72AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:50
    Re: #71
    The story itself is over in about an hour, so of course that's how it goes.
    76AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:56
    Looking at the achievements/trophies, only a bit over 10% cleared Normal without continuing on either the Steam or PS5 version.
    The majority probably just use unlimited-lives mode to watch the ending and call it done.
    Especially true for the Switch version, which has more casual players.
    Grinding for a one-credit clear is really just arcade-game logic anyway.
    85AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:11
    Re: #76
    If it were a bit over 10% for a no-continue clear on Lunatic difficulty, that'd make sense, but that's for Normal no-continue…?
    80AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:06
    The game is only 1.2GB, yet the Switch 2 cartridge costs ¥1,210 more than the Switch one?
    Man, tough times (blame soaring semiconductor prices).
    84AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:09
    Re: #80
    Switch 2 game cards only come in 64GB, with 32GB only just recently added, so there's not much flexibility.
    That's why even low-capacity games tend to end up using key cards.
    83AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:08
    For indie titles at least, physical releases must really matter.
    Whether to put out a physical version should be each publisher's own call — a blanket ban just doesn't make sense.
    86AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:12
    Re: #83
    Indie titles?
    Capcom, Square Enix, Bandai Namco, and Sega are all putting out physical editions for their games releasing next year too — what are you talking about?
    93AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:25
    In addition to the "New Classic Edition" game card, the physical edition comes with the following:

    A download code for the "Classic Edition" and the soundtrack player

    A reversible jacket styled after the 2002 Embodiment of Scarlet Devil

    Koumakyou character & bullet-pattern stickers

    Marisa's Guide to Solving Incidents
    96AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:26
    Shanghai Alice Reprise
    @SAliceReprise

    It's been about a month since Touhou Koumakyou: New Classic launched.

    In quick response to requests for a physical edition,
    we've decided to release a physical version of Touhou Koumakyou: New Classic for Nintendo Switch / Switch 2!

    It launches December 17 (Thursday)!
    Pre-orders are open now,
    so please check with your local game shop to reserve a copy!

    The physical edition comes with 3 bonus items:
    ・A reversible jacket styled after the 2002 Embodiment of Scarlet Devil
    ・Koumakyou character & bullet-pattern stickers
    ・Marisa's Guide to Solving Incidents

    This really was decided on short notice, so if you're interested, please contact your local store soon.
    https://touhou-project.news/shanghai-alice-reprise/
    99AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:28
    Re: #93
    Re: #96
    This is exactly what we need, this right here.
    98AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:27
    Apparently, without anyone noticing, Flandre became hugely popular with little girls.
    Where did that even catch on?
    103AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:31
    Re: #98
    …Maybe because her sparkly wings are pretty?
    100AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:28
    Re: #97
    Whether to release a physical copy is the publisher's call — how is that "owning" anyone?
    109AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:37
    Re: #100
    Digital just doesn't sell on Switch… 😭😭
    107AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:36
    What's the difference between the Switch and Switch 2 versions? Just resolution?
    110AnonymousOct 15, 2026 15:38
    Re: #107
    The Switch 2 version supports mouse controls.

    Background and Key Points of the Discussion

    The Touhou Project originally began as a shooting game series made by a doujin circle, and its policy of broadly permitting fan works has let the name spread — via music arrangements, “Yukkuri” (slow-voiced meme) videos, and other surrounding content — even to audiences who don’t know the main series itself. This time, “New Classic” getting a physical edition roughly a month after its digital release is an unusual move, and the digital sales rankings cited in the thread (14th for Switch, 7th for Switch 2) were seen as a factor that helped push the decision through. The thread also noted, as context for questions about pricing, that Nintendo Switch 2 game cards mainly come in 64GB, with the 32GB option added only later, meaning even low-capacity titles tend to end up priced higher than expected. Whether a PS5 version exists remains purely speculation within the thread, and this article does not treat that point as fact.

    *This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Hardware/Industry (Geha)) thread “[Good News] Physical Edition of “Touhou Koumakyou: New Classic” for Switch 2/Switch Launches December 17!“

  • Kenta Ito Joins Mei Nagano’s First Produced Drama — 5ch: ‘A Cast of Actors with Baggage’

    It was announced on the 15th that actor Kenta Ito will appear in “Himachi no Joou” (The Queen of Himachi), a DMM TV original drama starring actress Mei Nagano in her first role as producer. Based on the manga of the same name by Kurese Kayahara, the ensemble drama is set in “Himachi,” a red-light district in Tottori Prefecture, with Nagano playing Ayane Ichijo, a woman aiming to run a hostess club as a “kuroofuku” (a black-suited floor manager, not a hostess herself). On 5ch, comments focused less on the show itself and more on the two stars’ previously controversial histories, with a string of posts jokingly nominating other actors and actresses known for their own past scandals to “join the cast too” — while some posters admitted they had no idea what kind of service DMM TV even was.

    October 15, 2026, 12:00 PM

    It was announced on the 15th that actor Kenta Ito will appear in “Himachi no Joou” (The Queen of Himachi), a DMM TV original drama exclusively streaming this winter, starring actress Mei Nagano, who also serves as producer for the first time.

    Based on the manga of the same name by Kurese Kayahara, the ensemble drama is set in Asahi-cho, a red-light district in Tottori Prefecture known as “Himachi.” Nagano plays Ayane Ichijo, a former top-ranked hostess from Kabukicho, who now aims to run Japan’s No. 1 hostess club not as a hostess herself, but as a “kuroofuku” — a black-suited floor manager.

    Source: hochi.news / Original article here

    3AnonymousOct 15, 2026 13:32
    And to think she used to be Japan's top 'pure and innocent' actress…
    5AnonymousOct 15, 2026 13:32
    Nah… Hit-and-Run Taro is still Hit-and-Run Taro.
    7AnonymousOct 15, 2026 13:33
    Damn, that's rough, Kentaro Sakaguchi! I've got major Kentaro-withdrawal now… call it 'Centaur-withdrawal' (pun: "Kentaro-loss" sounds like "kentaurosu," i.e. centaur)
    8AnonymousOct 15, 2026 13:33
    This casting feels almost like trolling…
    17AnonymousOct 15, 2026 13:39
    Let's get Non Style's Inoue and Tsutsumishita in there too
    20AnonymousOct 15, 2026 13:40
    Re: #17
    Gotta throw in Wagaya's Sugiyama and Yonsendoshin's Tsuzuki too lol
    41AnonymousOct 15, 2026 13:57
    Re: #20
    Honestly, I think offers like that would be fine
    They're not getting normal work anyway, so it'd be like easing back into society
    If they don't want it, they just don't have to take it
    18AnonymousOct 15, 2026 13:39
    If Maya Imamori showed up in this lineup too, I'd lose it lol
    21AnonymousOct 15, 2026 13:41
    Isn't this the one that was serialized on Manga One?
    22AnonymousOct 15, 2026 13:41
    Never heard of this… DMM? Is that like SOD or something? (SOD is a well-known Japanese adult-video studio)
    67AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:24
    Re: #22
    Pretty much, yeah
    23AnonymousOct 15, 2026 13:42
    Kentaro Shimizu went to V-Cinema, Kentaro Ito goes to DMM
    26AnonymousOct 15, 2026 13:44
    Curious who's gonna play the host and the hostess roles
    28AnonymousOct 15, 2026 13:45
    A movie where the floor manager does a hit-and-run and the hostess has an affair?
    29AnonymousOct 15, 2026 13:45
    Guess that makes Nagano and Deguchi 'pole sisters' then (slang for two women linked to the same man)
    30AnonymousOct 15, 2026 13:47
    Thought 'wow, what a lineup' — and sure enough, this isn't even on terrestrial TV lol
    31AnonymousOct 15, 2026 13:47
    Pudding x ground meat
    A night-industry manga that feels so tacked-on
    It's so over-optimized for the algorithm it gives me heartburn
    32AnonymousOct 15, 2026 13:47
    I like the host-club manga I'm currently writing better than Himachi
    34AnonymousOct 15, 2026 13:48
    Nippon TV was planning to milk 'Kyou kara Ore wa' a bit longer, but
    they've completely missed their window now (´・ω・`)
    Yuichi Fukuda's crew keeps vanishing one scandal at a time
    35AnonymousOct 15, 2026 13:49
    I thought the 'Donketsu' drama might be worth signing up for DMM for
    Kept meaning to subscribe eventually but missed my window lol
    36AnonymousOct 15, 2026 13:49
    Didn't know they were making DMM originals
    Must have money to burn
    40AnonymousOct 15, 2026 13:55
    Who's even gonna watch this
    42AnonymousOct 15, 2026 13:57
    Re: #40
    The adult video industry
    43AnonymousOct 15, 2026 13:57
    Kenta Ito was in 'Toyotomi Brothers,' right
    45AnonymousOct 15, 2026 13:59
    If you rounded up all her exes you could make quite the cast
    46AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:01
    DMM TV

    At launch, the lineup included around 4,600 anime titles,
    plus roughly 120,000 pieces of content overall, including 2.5D stage productions, dramas, and variety shows.

    The service particularly emphasizes its anime lineup, stating that it
    "aims for 100% coverage of new anime releases, aside from titles exclusive to other platforms."[9]
    47AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:03
    Original Dramas

    Kenshiro ni Yoroshiku (Regards to Kenshiro)[23]

    Akai Ringo (Red Apple) – co-produced with Asahi Broadcasting Television, exclusive streaming[26]
    Subsuku Kanojo (Subscription Girlfriend) – co-produced with Asahi Broadcasting Television, exclusive streaming[26]

    Wingman – co-produced with TV Tokyo and Toei Video, exclusive streaming
    49AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:05
    The Rena Nonen drama on DMM TV was actually good
    50AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:06
    A lead with baggage
    Bet they're getting him cheap
    51AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:06
    Apparently Nagano will do Netflix and DMM TV but turned down an ABEMA offer (according to Tokyo Sports)
    54AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:07
    She's persistent, huh
    Wish someone could just blacklist her already

    Background and Key Points of This Discussion

    DMM TV is a video streaming service operated by DMM.com, offering a wide range of genres including anime, dramas, and variety shows. Because the company is also known for its adult-content business (FANZA), some posts in the thread showed confusion, asking things like “Isn’t that like SOD?” In reality, though, it’s a mainstream service that emphasizes coverage of new anime releases, and “Himachi no Joou” itself is an original drama produced in a style close to terrestrial TV. What divided the thread wasn’t opinions on the show’s content, but rather how to handle the two leads’ controversial pasts — most posts jokingly listed other actors and actresses with similar histories, with little mention of the source manga or story itself. Since this is still just an announcement ahead of streaming, judgments about the drama’s quality and performances will have to wait until it actually airs.

    ※This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Geisoku+) thread “[Drama] Kenta Ito joins Mei Nagano’s starring/first-producer project — plays a lovable “ex-boyfriend” in “Himachi no Joou” [Ailuropoda melanoleuca★].”

  • Scientists Develop ‘Super Ice’ With 10x the Compressive Strength of Regular Ice — 5ch Reacts: ‘Still Can’t Beat Azuki Bars’

    A research team including Israel’s Hebrew University announced the development of a composite material called ‘BioPykrete,’ which has roughly 10 times the compressive strength of ordinary ice. While regular ice shatters all at once under strong force, this material doesn’t break suddenly — it gradually deforms instead — and it’s envisioned as a building material for use in the Arctic and Antarctic. Reactions on 5ch split largely into two camps: food-related jokes referencing things like azuki bars and Turkish ice cream, and more technical discussion pointing out the reinforcement mechanism using cellulose nanofibers and its resemblance to the WWII-era ‘Project Habakkuk’ iceberg aircraft carrier plan. Some comments also questioned what the ‘compressive strength’ metric actually means, with opinions split over whether this is simply about hardness or how it would actually perform in practical use.

    ‘Super ice’ with roughly 10 times the compressive strength of ordinary ice has been developed

    A research team including Israel’s Hebrew University has developed a composite material called ‘BioPykrete,’ which has roughly 10 times the compressive strength of regular ice.

    While ordinary ice shatters all at once under strong force, BioPykrete doesn’t break suddenly — instead, it gradually deforms.

    Source: sciencedirect.com / Original article here

    2AnonymousOct 14, 2026 23:52
    Can't beat azuki bars though
    3AnonymousOct 15, 2026 00:08
    That'll break your teeth
    4AnonymousOct 15, 2026 00:25
    >We're considering it as a candidate building material for the Arctic and Antarctic

    There are the Eskimo (Inuit, maybe?) packed-snow block igloos, but
    in Antarctica, a house made of this 'Super Ice' would probably hold up better
    Meanwhile Super Cup (the Glico ice cream brand) discontinued their matcha flavor though
    5AnonymousOct 15, 2026 00:35
    Behold, the Azuki Bar Aircraft Carrier!
    6AnonymousOct 15, 2026 00:41
    Mix in carbon fiber and additives, compress and stir it together, and boom — Super Ice.
    Same idea as concrete.
    Just can't recycle it though.
    7AnonymousOct 15, 2026 00:43
    This would make the ultimate murder weapon for a mystery novel — 
    melt it and the evidence disappears.
    Might even work as an air-gun pellet.

    Just remember to wear leather gloves, or your sweat will give away your DNA.
    8AnonymousOct 15, 2026 01:01
    Wait, are we talking about azuki bars here?
    9AnonymousOct 15, 2026 01:17
    Wonder if whiskey on the rocks with this would taste good
    10AnonymousOct 15, 2026 01:21
    If it's hard and slow to melt, that'd be great in summer —
    bite-size pieces you could just keep in your mouth forever
    12AnonymousOct 15, 2026 01:28
    Sounds like a next-level version of Turkish ice cream (dondurma) — sounds tasty
    13AnonymousOct 15, 2026 01:34
    Doesn't matter to me — I think ice cream tastes best once it's started melting
    I already let mine sit for 15 minutes after taking it out of the freezer; who knows how many hours this stuff would need
    14AnonymousOct 15, 2026 01:43
    If I packed this ice for a picnic, would everything stay ice-cold the whole time? 🥺
    15AnonymousOct 15, 2026 02:52
    Gonna team up with Imuraya-san (makers of the azuki bar). SHALL DO SO.
    16AnonymousOct 15, 2026 02:53
    Sometimes when you drop ice into a drink it cracks with a sharp 'pak' — if this dense ice did the same thing, would it shatter explosively? Or does the compression give it enough strength to resist that?
    17AnonymousOct 15, 2026 03:28
    Won't it just explode?
    18AnonymousOct 15, 2026 04:08
    This is perfect for pulling off the perfect crime.
    19AnonymousOct 15, 2026 04:36
    The one flaw with this invention: it melts when it's warm!

    Shocking, I know!
    20AnonymousOct 15, 2026 06:29
    Is it even safe to eat that stuff?
    21AnonymousOct 15, 2026 06:33
    Wouldn't this run afoul of Meiji's trademark?

    …oh wait, 'Super Cup' is a Glico thing, not Meiji, isn't it?
    22AnonymousOct 15, 2026 07:32
    Come on, bump up the mass more.
    23AnonymousOct 15, 2026 07:35
    It's about compressive strength, right?
    Haven't read the source so I'm not sure, but isn't this more about 'resisting compression' rather than just being hard or high-pressure?

    Well, not sure what that's actually useful for, though.
    Can you shape it under compression after it's frozen?
    Like, could you press block ice to easily make the snow statues for the Sapporo Snow Festival?
    24AnonymousOct 15, 2026 07:44
    Sounds like it's basically cellulose nanofiber bound together with ice.
    Sure, it's strong and being a natural material it won't pollute the environment, but…
    feels pointless to use ice as the binder.
    Wouldn't it be better if the binding material itself were natural too?
    26AnonymousOct 15, 2026 08:07
    If it doesn't melt, it's no good for chilling drinks.
    27AnonymousOct 15, 2026 08:21
    Would be great for iced tea if it doesn't dilute the drink.
    28AnonymousOct 15, 2026 08:38
    I feel like there was a perfect-crime trick using an icicle somewhere — this could pull off the same thing.
    29AnonymousOct 15, 2026 08:39
    Wasn't there something like Ice I through Ice XXII or so for the different ice phases?
    30AnonymousOct 15, 2026 08:47
    Still can't beat Shinkansen ice cream though lol (famous for being rock-hard when served)
    31AnonymousOct 15, 2026 09:09
    Could be used as armor plating for an iceberg aircraft carrier.
    32AnonymousOct 15, 2026 09:20
    Real 'high-minded' stuff (he wrote 登/'ascend' but glossed it くだらない/'pointless' — i.e. it's actually dumb) lol lol
    33AnonymousOct 15, 2026 09:45
    Pretty sure azuki bars would make a sturdier building material.
    34AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:37
    Could come in handy for ice-type magic.
    35AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:52
    It's just compressive strength, so it's not actually all that useful.
    36AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:07
    Would an ice rink made of this be easier or harder to skate on, I wonder.
    37AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:16
    Guess you'll need a Super Ice Pick to go with your Super Ice.
    38AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:35
    Imuraya, hurry up and stock up on this —
    this is bigger than just azuki bars.
    39AnonymousOct 15, 2026 13:27
    But it still melts, right?
    40AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:10
    These guys are trying to build the iceberg aircraft carrier Habakkuk again. (Project Habakkuk — the WWII British plan for an ice-based aircraft carrier)
    41AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:24
    Feels like this could be applied to all sorts of interesting things.

    Background and key points of discussion

    The name ‘BioPykrete’ evokes ‘Pykrete,’ a composite of ice and wood pulp devised during World War II, and indeed commenters cited ‘Habakkuk’ (the name of the British Royal Navy’s planned iceberg aircraft carrier project). This research modernizes that idea, reinforcing ice with natural materials like cellulose nanofibers instead of paper pulp, with an eye toward use as a building material in the Arctic and Antarctic. Where the thread split was over how to interpret the figure ’10 times the compressive strength’ — some took it simply as meaning the ice had gotten harder, while others questioned what the number really meant, pointing out that being resistant to compression doesn’t necessarily say anything about brittleness or impact resistance. One point readers could easily misunderstand is that this isn’t some special ice that stays frozen at room temperature — it’s a composite material that still keeps the ordinary property of ice: it melts as the temperature rises.

    *This article is composed as an excerpt and summary from the 5ch (Science News+) thread ‘[Materials] ‘Super ice’ with roughly 10 times the compressive strength of ordinary ice has been developed‘.

  • Expo Angola Pavilion Construction Bills Go Unpaid — Angolan Government Covers ¥17 Million Out of Pocket

    The Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai marked the first anniversary of its closing on October 13, 2025, but the unpaid construction bills for the Angola Pavilion remain unresolved. According to reports, even though the Angolan government had paid the general contractor, GL Events Japan, in full for the construction work, the third-tier subcontractor Iroha Construction (Tsurumi Ward, Osaka) stopped paying the companies beneath it, leaving a fourth-tier subcontractor unpaid. Angola reportedly stepped in and covered about 17 million yen out of its own pocket “for humanitarian reasons.” On 5ch, commenters piled on criticism of the multi-layered subcontracting structure and of Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura’s remark that it was “a matter between private parties,” while discussion also spread around revelations that an accountant at Iroha Construction is suspected of embezzling more than 120 million yen.

    [Exclusive Report! Expo Construction Bill Non-Payment Scandal] Angola “Covers” ¥17 Million — What’s Behind This Unusual Move… What Can Japan Do? Association Vice Chair Governor Yoshimura’s Take

    MBS News

    October 13 marked one year since the Expo’s closing. A “lying down” Myaku-Myaku statue has returned in front of Osaka City Hall, and commemorative events are being held at the theme park — the excitement, it seems, is still alive.

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

    6AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:17
    So where below the main contractor did it actually stop, and for what reason?
    25AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:26
    Re: #6
    Sounds like they're suing the third-tier subcontractor, so it's probably like:
    Country (Angola) → main contractor: paid in full
    Main contractor → 2nd tier: paid in full
    2nd tier → 3rd tier: paid in full
    3rd tier → 4th tier: unpaid
    Something like that
    64AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:50
    Re: #6
    An accountant at Iroha Construction (written 一六八, read "Iroha"; Tsurumi Ward, Osaka), the third-tier subcontractor on the Angola Pavilion, has been criminally reported to Osaka Prefectural Police for allegedly embezzling over 120 million yen, including construction payments. In August, the company president's home was searched on suspicion of violating the Construction Business Act.

    A company rumored to have ties to Ishin (Osaka Ishin no Kai)
    11AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:19
    > Kita-san has at least gotten through the immediate crisis, but has filed a lawsuit against the third-tier subcontractor demanding the full unpaid amount, and says he plans to return the money Angola gave once he recovers it.
    They must already know the name of this third-tier company from their own reporting, right?
    Just name and shame them already
    21AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:24
    Re: #11
    In the non-payment scandal over construction of the Angola Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, the third-tier subcontractor that held back payments to fourth-tier contractors and is now facing lawsuits and criminal complaints is Iroha Construction (一六八建設).

    • Internal trouble and non-payment:
    Inside Iroha Construction there was internal turmoil, including a criminal complaint alleging an accountant embezzled company funds. Partly because of this, payments (totaling over 100 million yen) to partner companies and subcontractors further down the chain came to a halt.
    13AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:19
    I used to work day-labor jobs on construction sites.
    I can understand things up to about the second-tier subcontractor — there's a clear setup, like "this crew handles this task."

    But there are just way too many layers of subcontracting.

    If you're not being paid a set amount for the job itself, just an hourly wage, then honestly, the claim that it's effectively disguised temp staffing (haken) holds up.
    31AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:29
    Re: #13
    The structure itself is the problem
    On paper it looks multi-layered, but in reality it's just work divided up by specialty
    They need to change it so the main contractor manages everything directly
    22AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:24
    Wait, so Angola actually paid the full amount properly?
    And the main contractor just stole it?
    23AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:25
    Re: #22
    Yep
    Some Japanese guy took the money and disappeared
    40AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:35
    This free-for-all "skimming structure," top to bottom, is exactly what's driving Japan's decline
    Short of something like a war that wipes out a huge chunk of the population, it probably won't get fixed
    It's a system where the people raking in the most money are the ones who break the least sweat lol
    47AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:38
    Re: #40
    The guys making the money can secure positions where they won't die even in a war, so nothing changes
    50AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:39
    Typical, the great skimming nation showing its true colors
    What a great country, Japan
    62AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:48
    Re: #50
    They handed the job to a French company and Japan's stuck covering all the damage
    53AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:40
    GL Events Japan, the Japanese subsidiary of France's GL Events

    Stiffed people on construction payments at the Osaka Expo
    Also ran operations into the ground at the Nagoya Asian Games, a huge embarrassment for Japan

    At the Yokohama flower expo too, they were picked as the construction agent, but couldn't line up a single subcontractor, leaving construction impossible lol
    65AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:52
    Re: #53
    Re: #62
    The Angola Pavilion has nothing to do with GL Events
    63AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:48
    I wonder how much got skimmed off by the time it reached the fourth-tier subcontractor
    68AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:53
    Re: #63
    No, that's wrong
    Angola already paid GL Events Japan in full
    It's the main contractor, GL Events Japan, that hasn't paid the first-tier subcontractor
    The first-tier subcontractor has no money, so it can't pay the sub-subcontractors or the ones below them either
    69AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:55
    Yoshimura: "It's a matter between private parties," "I don't know whether there was actually any non-payment"

    Angola: "humanitarian reasons"
    98AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:08
    Re: #69
    Yoshimura really does dodge anything that might make him accountable, doesn't he
    The ultimate Mr. Irresponsible
    76AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:57
    Osaka should just pay it up front and then go collect from whoever skipped out on the bill
    77AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:57
    Did the "village chief" photo book end up a smash hit seller? (mocking nickname 5ch uses for pavilion reps)
    81AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:59
    Re: #77
    There's no demand for that lol
    78AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:58
    Thanks for letting foreign capital in, Yoshimura

    82AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:00
    The truth behind the Expo budget's 80% overrun
    Yoichi Ochiai: It was garbage, riddled with "skimming"
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s36N5dOCJUU
    89AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:04
    Re: #82
    Compared to the pavilions that completely ignored projected visitor numbers and could only let in a handful of people, the foreign pavilions that kept processing visitors without limiting entry contributed way more to the Expo, don't you think?

    Why were the Japanese pavilions designed so badly? lol
    141AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:47
    I know the name of the Angola "village chief" but I have no idea what they look like
    178AnonymousOct 15, 2026 13:19
    Re: #141
    This
    154AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:55
    Yoshimura's the one who pushed this through, and now he's just left it hanging
    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GvGX8WjaAAEJTWi.jpg
    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Gt7ruULWIAAAoVf.jpg
    175AnonymousOct 15, 2026 13:16
    Re: #1
    > "We want to do everything we can, and we are doing it, but there's simply no basis for us to front the payment"
    You're not doing anything!
    How about Osaka Prefecture takes the lead and tries crowdfunding instead
    It'd fill up in no time
    Don't talk out of the side of your mouth, we can see right through to what you really mean
    What an idiot lol
    https://newsdig.ismcdn.jp/mwimgs/c/a/680mw/img_ca9f31e64b00d27b2ff1f8612a445a46276557.jpg

    Background and Talking Points

    Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai marked one year since its closing on October 13, 2025. Regarding construction of the Angola Pavilion, the main contractor GL Events Japan (the Japanese subsidiary of a French company) reportedly received the full construction payment from the Angolan government, and the problem arose within Japan’s domestic multi-layered subcontracting structure. At the third-tier subcontractor, Iroha Construction, an accountant has been criminally reported and accused of embezzling over 120 million yen, including construction payments, and in August the company president’s home was searched on suspicion of violating the Construction Business Act. This may have led to the non-payment reaching the fourth-tier subcontractor. On the thread, praise for Angola (“Angola is admirable”) appeared alongside criticism that “this just exposed Japan’s skimming structure,” and there was strong backlash against Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura’s comment that there was “no basis” for the prefecture to front the payment. While there was notable frustration that this was handled as one company’s cash-flow problem rather than with public support, it should be noted that the embezzlement case itself is still under investigation, and where ultimate responsibility for the non-payment lies has not been settled.

    ※This article is composed from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (News Flash+) thread “[Expo Construction Bill Non-Payment Scandal] Angola ‘Covers’ ¥17 Million — What’s Behind This Unusual Move… What Can Japan Do? Association Vice Chair Governor Yoshimura’s Take“.

  • Dragons Name Kudo as New Manager — Fans Call Team President’s ‘We Want Results Fast’ Demand Way Too Much to Ask

    The Chunichi Dragons announced that Kudo Kimiyasu will take over as manager next season. Kudo, a Nagoya native, used his introductory press conference to set goals of repaying the hometown fans and winning the pennant. Meanwhile, the team president’s comment — “Honestly, we want results fast. We want the team competing for the title right away” — struck many as an unreasonably urgent demand for a club stuck in a long slump. Thread opinion split between optimists who think the Dragons have a shot at a top-three finish simply because the Tigers and Giants are expected to decline, and pessimists who argue that swapping managers means nothing unless the front office changes its reinforcement policy and team-building approach.

    On the 15th, the Chunichi Dragons officially announced Kudo Kimiyasu as first-team manager for next season.

    That day, new manager Kudo held his introductory press conference at a hotel in Nagoya, saying, “Since I’m originally from Nagoya myself,

    my top priority is playing baseball that makes the fans of Nagoya happy. And of course, my ultimate goal is to win it all and take the championship,” he said.

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

    3AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:20
    Going from last place to champions the very next year? Hasn't happened in a while.
    8AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:22
    Re: #3
    What about the Yakult Swallows?
    7AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:22
    But if they actually win it all, the players' salaries are gonna go up~
    9AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:22
    With the front office like this, it's already game over.
    10AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:22
    Even Kudo can't win a championship in just one year.
    11AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:23
    Let's start with a .500 record — they've been in a slump this long, after all.
    12AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:23
    Talent-wise they should be able to make the top three.
    Especially next year — the Tigers are losing Sato Teruaki ("Satoteru") to the majors so they'll be weaker, and the Giants are turning into a retirement home, so really only the BayStars have a top-three spot locked up.
    27AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:26
    Re: #12
    For some reason there are a lot of people around the Dragons who just can't see reality like this.
    50AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:35
    Re: #12
    At the end of the day the Tigers' pitching is stable, the Giants will reinforce, and they'll get crushed by DeNA — there's no way they're making the top three.
    13AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:23
    This is the front office that did nothing in their 90th anniversary year.
    14AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:24
    Cut the low-motivation players and reinforce the roster.
    Bring in some foreign middle relievers — there's plenty to do.
    17AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:24
    Nothing's gonna change unless the front office changes.
    18AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:24
    Changing just the manager and coaches doesn't mean anything.
    19AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:25
    He's getting the same treatment Nomura Katsuya got back in his Hanshin days.
    21AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:25
    Sounds like the coaching staff is going to be all former-Dragons guys too.
    This won't be easy.
    23AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:26
    I thought this was a team that didn't really care whether it won or not.
    26AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:26
    Well, it just says "competing for the title."
    If it said "must win it all, no excuses!" that'd be dumb, but…
    28AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:27
    Kudo: "The manager is middle management. I won't touch team-building or player coaching since getting involved there would throw off the balance."
    The club: "Get us results fast."

    Lol, the club's the one who can't be patient here.
    30AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:27
    Honestly, I want a trillion dollars too.
    31AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:28
    Talent-wise there's no problem.
    They were just losing a ton because of bad in-game management until now.
    32AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:29
    So the club actually thinks the roster is already good enough?
    This might be rough, who knows.
    33AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:29
    Even just Chunichi making the Climax Series would be pretty fun, so go for it.
    37AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:29
    It's not an exaggeration to say they already have the best talent in the Central League.
    It really does come down to the manager.
    42AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:30
    Re: #37
    No way.
    The Tigers and Giants are both better.
    41AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:30
    Winning it all aside, they could make the top three, right?
    Next year's probably 1st Tigers, 2nd DeNA, 3rd Dragons.
    43AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:31
    Re: #41
    Isn't it more like 1st Tigers, 2nd Giants, 3rd Dragons?
    44AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:31
    Is it really okay for some outsider to come in and burn through the talent that Tatsunami and Inoue finally managed to develop?
    Is this really fine?
    51AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:36
    Re: #44
    Actually, Hoshino getting trashed with this kind of talk is kind of sad, now that I think about it.
    Honestly I don't think Nomura would've won a title even if he'd stayed on as manager for another two or three years.
    45AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:31
    Re: #42
    Tigers aside, the Giants' lineup is way too weak now — talent-wise they're a bottom-half team.
    Their DH candidates are Maru and Sakamoto.
    52AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:37
    Re: #45
    The Giants are 3rd in the league in runs scored and their pitching's good too — they're easily above average in talent.
    47AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:32
    I thought the plan was to build up strength over about three years.
    Competing for the title right away seems rough, doesn't it?
    The Dragons aren't SoftBank.
    48AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:35
    Re: #47
    Well, that's true, but if the other teams are doing the same thing at the same time,
    the overall standings don't really change.
    DeNA built up its roster gradually like that and got stronger, but the Tigers did the same and won the pennant 3 times in 4 years.
    60AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:41
    Even as SoftBank's manager he only won the pennant 3 times in 7 years, so if you just look at the regular season he's a pretty mediocre manager.
    Though his postseason record was ridiculously strong.
    85AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:57
    Re: #60
    For a team like the Dragons (nicknamed "Chuni-Dora") where 3rd place is the best-case scenario, he's a perfect fit, isn't he.
    74AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:47
    Even with this, attendance keeps going up — are Dragons fans masochists or something?
    75AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:47
    Re: #74
    Not masochists.
    Hardcore masochists.
    83AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:51
    Re: #74
    If they want to grow attendance from here, they'll need to expand the terrace seats — it was already that packed this year.
    92AnonymousOct 15, 2026 13:08
    Wait, seriously, Kudo?
    Can't believe he actually took the job.
    101AnonymousOct 15, 2026 13:16
    Re: #92
    If they win it's "Lord Kudo," if they lose it's just "same old Chunichi," so it is what it is.
    There's no downside for him.

    Background and Talking Points

    This managerial change comes after the Dragons have spent recent years stuck in the bottom half of the standings, reportedly finishing dead last again this season. Kudo Kimiyasu brings a track record of three pennants in seven years as SoftBank’s manager, but his regular-season winning percentage wasn’t especially outstanding, a point several thread commenters raised. The team president’s comment about wanting “results fast” never touched on front-office issues like player salaries or roster reinforcement, which is why the thread kept circling back to doubts about whether a managerial change alone can actually improve the team. Opinions on next season’s Tigers, Giants, and BayStars rosters varied widely as well, and since every team is still mid-reinforcement, the optimistic view that “the Dragons have a shot at the top three” tends to overlook that it depends entirely on rival teams stumbling.

    ※This article is compiled and summarized from the 5channel (Nandemo Jikkyo G) thread “[Sad News] Chunichi Dragons team president: “Honestly, we want results fast. We want them competing for the title right away”.”

  • Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse Launches Today — 5ch Calls It ‘Just Another Mass-Produced Metroidvania’

    Konami Digital Entertainment’s Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse, the latest entry in the Akumajou Dracula series, launched on October 15. On 5ch’s Hardware & Industry (‘Geha’) board, users shared impressions from the demo and the game’s first hours — while the action was well received, harsher comments called it out for “not feeling like Dracula at all” and looking like “just another mass-produced indie Metroidvania.” Here’s a rundown of the points that split opinion: how little leveling up seems to matter, a soundtrack many felt lacked punch, comparisons to Metroid, and surprise at a price tag under 5,000 yen.

    Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse, the latest installment in Konami Digital Entertainment’s Akumajou Dracula series, launches today, October 15.

    Source: news.denfaminicogamer.jp / Original article here

    2AnonymousOct 15, 2026 08:08
    Beat Joan of Arc and made it to the next area.
    It's fun.
    3AnonymousOct 15, 2026 08:15
    Written in katakana, the name sounds like it could be a snack brand.
    4AnonymousOct 15, 2026 08:17
    Nice, it drops on Steam at 1pm. (Probably means スチーム/"Steam" — looks like a typo for that.)
    6AnonymousOct 15, 2026 08:19
    I played the demo, it was fun, so I bought it.
    It was cheap too.
    7AnonymousOct 15, 2026 08:19
    Named after Dracula's Curse, the Western title for the NES masterpiece Akumajou Densetsu?
    11AnonymousOct 15, 2026 08:26
    Does leveling up actually raise any numbers? You can pick up attack and defense boost items though.
    12AnonymousOct 15, 2026 08:30
    Re: #11
    Haven't checked that closely, but leveling up should raise your HP.
    I'm pretty sure the life you lose from taking damage goes down too.
    14AnonymousOct 15, 2026 08:35
    Metroid
    Castlevania

    Which do you like better?
    17AnonymousOct 15, 2026 08:43
    Re: #14
    If we're talking which I like more between Metroid and Akumajou Dracula, I'd say Metroid edges it out a bit on innovation.
    Turning into a ball and squeezing into crazy tight spaces was genuinely groundbreaking.
    19AnonymousOct 15, 2026 08:45
    Sorry to break it to you, but HP/MP don't go up.
    Only stuff like attack power increases, and even that barely gives a noticeable effect when you level.
    There's basically zero RPG elements.
    The early-access reviews complained about this a ton too.
    20AnonymousOct 15, 2026 08:47
    Re: #19
    Thin RPG elements are fine by me.
    If you want that stuff, go wait for the next old-school Bloodstained game.
    21AnonymousOct 15, 2026 08:48
    Re: #19
    I definitely felt noticeably stronger after leveling up.
    23AnonymousOct 15, 2026 08:53
    Reviews seem good, but Metroidvanias all unlock the same way.
    Even the Ender Lilies developer said it — double jump, wall break, grapple hook, nothing ever changes.
    27AnonymousOct 15, 2026 08:56
    Re: #23
    Well, the term "Metroidvania" itself comes from Symphony of the Night and the Dracula games that followed it, so this is in a sense the original.
    Metroid is Metroid, not a Metroidvania.
    25AnonymousOct 15, 2026 08:54
    Help me out, I can't even beat the axe-throwing boss at the start of the demo.
    Someone give me a strategy.
    44AnonymousOct 15, 2026 09:31
    Re: #25
    Go into the custom options and set damage dealt x2, damage taken 0, and EXP x3.
    You'll be literally unstoppable.
    74AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:30
    Re: #25
    It's not an axe, it's a cross.
    In this game circling behind enemies is incredibly effective, so: knock the cross down with your sword → jump over the enemy when it charges in to get behind it → keep your distance and wait out its big swing → close in and mash attacks → when it backs off and throws the cross, knock it down again.
    Repeat.
    29AnonymousOct 15, 2026 08:59
    Re: #20
    You're the one who brought up the RPG elements in the first place.
    30AnonymousOct 15, 2026 09:00
    Re: #29
    I was just wondering whether leveling up actually does anything.
    31AnonymousOct 15, 2026 09:01
    On the Castlevania side I picked up the discounted Advance Collection and Dominus Collection and had fun with them.
    For Metroid I've only played the Super Famicom one and want to try more, but I don't know what to get.
    36AnonymousOct 15, 2026 09:16
    Re: #31
    Just get Metroid Dread.
    Or grab the NSO expansion pack and play Fusion and Zero Mission on GBA.
    33AnonymousOct 15, 2026 09:04
    A new one's coming out normally too, so Dread's a safe pick. Otherwise you can play the GBA ones through NSO online.
    47AnonymousOct 15, 2026 09:35
    Re: #33
    Re: #36
    So Dread's really the only one worth buying new, huh.
    Guess I'll go with that.
    34AnonymousOct 15, 2026 09:14
    Isn't the Switch version a total minefield though?
    Insanely long load times, choppy framerate.
    40AnonymousOct 15, 2026 09:26
    Re: #34
    There's a demo, just download it and find out yourself.
    37AnonymousOct 15, 2026 09:17
    Is it more fun than Silksong?
    60AnonymousOct 15, 2026 10:14
    Re: #37
    In Silksong the trash mobs chase you forever and boss retries are as tedious as ever, so for me it was a lot of pointless stress — I quit around Carmelita.
    I also think that death/soul system just doesn't mesh well with an exploration game.
    That said, I do think the map design and action are great.
    41AnonymousOct 15, 2026 09:26
    When it comes to Dracula, the music IS basically the whole evaluation, so what's with this half-hearted, fake-stylish soundtrack?
    You're supposed to hook players right away with something like "Beginning" or "Vampire Killer."
    Please don't tell me the only arrangement in the entire game is "Bloody Tears."
    59AnonymousOct 15, 2026 10:14
    Re: #41
    What do you mean "the whole evaluation"? (The original phrasing "100割" is oddly redundant — 割 already means 10%, so it reads like saying "1000%.")
    75AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:33
    Re: #41
    Yeah, the music is underwhelming.
    They should've brought Yamane-san back. (Michiru Yamane, the series' longtime composer.)
    45AnonymousOct 15, 2026 09:31
    I want a new Bloodstained.
    48AnonymousOct 15, 2026 09:35
    Re: #45
    It's already in development, isn't it?
    54AnonymousOct 15, 2026 10:06
    I played the demo, but even though it's titled Castlevania, it doesn't feel like Dracula at all.
    In a bad way, it just feels like one more mass-produced indie Metroidvania.
    56AnonymousOct 15, 2026 10:08
    Re: #54
    Totally agree.
    It leaned so hard into generic Castlevania tropes that it ended up feeling flavorless and boring.
    Maybe it'll feel more satisfying once the full release unlocks more abilities?
    55AnonymousOct 15, 2026 10:08
    I figured it'd be around 8,900 yen like most games these days, but it's under 5,000 yen.
    At that price I might actually buy it.
    86AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:35
    Re: #55
    Konami games are all nicely affordable, that's a plus.
    Easy to pick up.
    57AnonymousOct 15, 2026 10:10
    Re: #56
    If you like those cookie-cutter indie Castlevania-likes, you'd just play one of those to begin with.
    For a game released under the Dracula name, this is kind of a letdown.
    61AnonymousOct 15, 2026 10:16
    Re: #57
    I bet this one lands better with Western audiences.

    Background and Key Points of This Discussion

    The term “Metroidvania” itself traces back to the exploration-action lineage opened up by 1997’s Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, and took hold as a portmanteau of Metroid and Castlevania. Despite this new entry carrying the Akumajou Dracula name — the very series that gave the genre its roots — threads repeatedly describe it instead as “just another mass-produced indie Metroidvania.” The core of the debate is that the genre’s originator seems to have ended up on the generic, personality-less side of the genre it created. The complaint about leveling up having little effect lines up with what demo reviews already noted, so players expecting RPG-style growth are likely to come away disappointed. On price, the game was set cheaper than most current packaged releases, and that gap from market expectations fed into the favorable “what a deal” reactions — worth noting that’s a separate axis of response from the evaluation of the game itself.

    *This article excerpts and summarizes the 5ch (Hardware & Industry / “Geha”) thread “Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse Launches Today!.”

  • Nikkei Plunges Over 3,000 Points Intraday, Breaks Below 65,000 for First Time in Two Weeks

    On October 15, 2026, the Nikkei Stock Average fell sharply for a second straight day on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, with the day-on-day drop exceeding 3,000 points at one stage. Intraday, the index dipped below 65,000 for the first time in roughly two weeks, extending a global sell-off in semiconductor and AI-related stocks triggered by the “CoreWeave Shock” in the United States. On 5ch, opinions split over whether the index could fall below 60,000, the panic among individual investors who had just started buying stocks under the new NISA tax-free investment program, and whether the AI investment boom is a bubble or the dawn of a massive new industry.

    The Nikkei Stock Average is falling sharply for a second consecutive day on the Tokyo Stock Exchange on the 15th. The day-on-day decline exceeded 3,000 points at one point. Intraday, the index also dipped below 65,000 for the first time in about two weeks. Following a sell-off in semiconductor stocks on U.S. markets, related issues are also being sold off in Tokyo.

    Selling is concentrated in AI and semiconductor-related names that carry heavy weight in the Nikkei index. Declines are notable in stocks such as Tokyo Electron, Advantest, and SoftBank Group. Kor…(continues in the paid edition, 404 characters remaining)

    Nikkei (Japan’s Nikkei newspaper), updated October 15, 2026, 10:47 JST)

    Source: nikkei.com / Original article here

    7AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:15
    Even calling it a bubble feels off — it's so narrowly concentrated that it doesn't even feel like a bubble.
    85AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:49
    Re: #7
    Same as the dot-com bubble — this time it's a semiconductor bubble.
    We managed to muddle through the deflationary recessions okay, but an inflationary recession is going to put a lot more people on the streets.
    13AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:18
    What are the actual odds the Nikkei breaks below 60,000?
    14AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:18
    Re: #13
    About the same odds as Minister Yana resigning within a week.
    18AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:21
    Re: #13
    It's way overbought right now, and the institutions are about to start moving in to squeeze money out of the new-NISA crowd.
    It'll almost certainly break 60,000.
    Actually, the institutions will launch a brutal sell-off specifically to trigger panic selling among the new-NISA investors and force it under that line.
    160AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:13
    Re: #13
    If we assume Kioxia drops to 10,000 yen, that's roughly a 20% decline from here. Since the Nikkei tends to move in sync with it, I'd guess the bottom for this leg is somewhere around 52,000.
    16AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:20
    I heard it was heading to 100,000 so I dumped my entire net worth — 200 million yen — into it…

    If this blows up on me, my life is over…
    19AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:21
    Re: #16
    It just shot up way too fast, so it's just correcting now, that's all.
    127AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:02
    Re: #16
    Even if it gets cut in half you'd still have 100 million yen left, so you'll be fine.
    224AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:28
    Re: #16
    If you wait it out until the end of the year it'll recover to 70,000, so there's no need to panic.
    27AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:27
    Re: #18
    There's no point with NISA unless you just leave it alone and don't even check it for like 5 years.
    251AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:32
    Re: #27
    The institutions know full well that almost nobody making their individual-stock debut through the new NISA has that kind of discipline.
    28AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:27
    For anyone who's never traded stocks: what's scary about a 5% daily drop is that if it kept falling for 20 straight trading days, that's a combined 100% drop — meaning the share price would hit zero yen. Re: #1 (this isn't actually how percentage math works — it's a tongue-in-cheek exaggeration)
    72AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:43
    Re: #28
    I—It's not like I'm falling for your bait or anything…! (riffing on a classic tsundere line, "it's not like I like you or anything")
    125AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:02
    Maybe I'll just pick up a 4.3x leveraged bull ETF on Japanese stocks.
    175AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:17
    Re: #125
    Where do they even sell something like that?
    191AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:21
    Re: #175
    Probably somewhere in Nakano?
    209AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:24
    Re: #175
    Through SBI or Rakuten or somewhere like that.
    148AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:08
    Everyone doing NISA just had their life ruined lmaooo
    170AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:15
    Re: #148
    If anything, the people NOT doing NISA are the ones who are screwed. Long-term NISA investors planning to cash out 20 years from now aren't bothered at all. You're mixing up day trading with dollar-cost averaging.
    167AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:14
    You guys seem awfully relaxed. Still sitting on unrealized gains in the hundreds of millions of yen or something lol
    171AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:16
    Re: #167
    I'm not living off stock trading, so as long as I'm not in the red, I just figure stuff like this happens sometimes.
    179AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:18
    Re: #167
    I'm not really affected much. If anything, I feel like I'm up.
    223AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:27
    By the way, why is it even falling today?
    231AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:28
    Re: #223
    Minister Yana has decided to resign.
    237AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:29
    Re: #223
    Nikkei down 3,255 points in morning trading — AI-related stocks plunge on the "CoreWeave Shock"
    280AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:38
    Of course the bubble's going to burst — they're pouring enormous sums into a business that doesn't even turn a profit.
    285AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:39
    Re: #280
    That's not right.
    AI development is a bigger investment than the Manhattan Project was for nuclear weapons.

    Whoever wins AI wins the world.
    China is pouring insane amounts of money into it too.

    We need America to win this one, or we're in trouble.
    295AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:41
    Re: #280
    You have absolutely no clue what you're talking about lol

    Background and Key Points of This Discussion

    The direct trigger for the Nikkei’s drop of more than 3,000 points is said to be a global sell-off in semiconductor stocks after funding and credit concerns flared up again around U.S. AI cloud company CoreWeave. Because the decline was led by index heavyweights like Tokyo Electron and Advantest, which carry outsized weight in the Nikkei, the index’s percentage drop looks larger than any actual deterioration in the real economy — worth keeping in mind. Some posts in the thread speculated that institutional investors were deliberately provoking panic selling among new-NISA investors, but that is just one way of reading the situation, not a verified fact. There was also a post claiming that “insurance premiums are calculated from NISA gains,” but in reality the tax-exemption rules of the new NISA program and the rules for calculating social insurance premiums are entirely separate systems, so linking the two that way is misleading. Within the thread, views were split between treating the sharp sell-off as a temporary correction caused by the index’s heavy concentration in semiconductor and AI stocks, and a more pessimistic take that this marks the start of a bubble bursting.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (News Flash+) thread “[Stock Prices] Nikkei Drops as Much as 3,000 Points, Falls Below 65,000.”

  • Pro Baseball’s Climax Series Sparks Debate on 5ch: ‘It’s Absurd That Winning the Pennant Doesn’t Guarantee a Spot’

    Japan’s professional baseball Climax Series (CS) touched off a heated debate on a 5ch thread, as users traded views on a system that lets the regular-season champion get shut out of the Japan Series if they lose the CS, as well as on the fact that the same CS format is forced even on a runaway Pacific League champion like SoftBank. What began as a thread sparked by Giants and Hanshin fan reactions spiraled into questions about whether the CS should even continue, comparisons with Major League Baseball, and talk about strike-zone calls.

    1AnonymousOct 15, 2026 10:07
    Feels good, doesn't it
    2AnonymousOct 15, 2026 10:08
    Once the Giants missed the pennant, they're basically bottom-tier (B-class) anyway — winning or losing this is just a bonus round for them
    3AnonymousOct 15, 2026 10:11
    "We'll win it! Because we're the Giants."
    "We'll win it! Because we're Hanshin."

    The fans themselves are the ones being overconfident
    4AnonymousOct 15, 2026 10:12
    The Giants act like they win the pennant every single year — that's almost impressive
    6AnonymousOct 15, 2026 10:13
    Honestly, cut back the interleague games and put more weight on the CS instead
    Japan really undervalues short playoff series
    7AnonymousOct 15, 2026 10:14
    Hanshin's only just gotten back to even
    The Giants, though… well, lol
    8AnonymousOct 15, 2026 10:14
    It's weird they get home field for every single game on top of an advantage win
    9AnonymousOct 15, 2026 10:27
    If Hanshin as they are right now made the CS, I can only picture it ending close to a 33-4 blowout
    10AnonymousOct 15, 2026 10:29
    The 1st-place team gets several days of calm prep time while 2nd and 3rd fight it out
    The team that wins through only gets one day off before playing again
    Doesn't burning your best pitcher just to advance put you at a disadvantage for the rotation?
    11AnonymousOct 15, 2026 10:31
    Slapping on a half-baked advantage like that is exactly why people start saying 'it devalues the regular season' and kill the buzz
    The regular season and the postseason are separate things
    12AnonymousOct 15, 2026 10:31
    If they want to beef up the CS, they should just add more teams
    13AnonymousOct 15, 2026 10:31
    Playing 140 games just to narrow 6 teams down to 3 (lol)
    14AnonymousOct 15, 2026 10:32
    Bet they wouldn't be complaining if their own team was the one winning
    15AnonymousOct 15, 2026 10:33
    Same dynamic as Morning Musume and Angerme fans losing it over Juice=Juice's rise (a Hello! Project idol-group fandom rivalry)
    16AnonymousOct 15, 2026 10:34
    Seriously, if they don't reform this soon, the gap with MLB is just going to keep widening
    18AnonymousOct 15, 2026 10:42
    Still, just casually watching it, something about it feels off
    But I guess it can't be helped since it's good for ticket sales
    20AnonymousOct 15, 2026 10:44
    Playing 140 games only for it to get flipped like this — nobody wins from that
    21AnonymousOct 15, 2026 10:45
    A rule where you win the pennant race but still can't play in the title decider makes zero sense
    22AnonymousOct 15, 2026 10:49
    People should realize that whoever wins, nothing in their own life actually changes
    23AnonymousOct 15, 2026 10:49
    Since there's no promotion or relegation anyway, they might as well just split it into three divisions already
    24AnonymousOct 15, 2026 10:49
    No, it's definitely more fun with it
    If you think it's unnecessary, you're just not enjoying baseball
    26AnonymousOct 15, 2026 10:53
    Don't need it
    It gets boring because a team that only won a handful of games gets to show up in it
    31AnonymousOct 15, 2026 10:58
    Re: #26
    It'd be more boring if a team that's in a slump shows up and just gets stomped instead
    27AnonymousOct 15, 2026 10:54
    In the Pacific League, even the Hawks — who ran away with the pennant by 11.5 games — still have to play the CS
    Don't complain about a gap that small in the Central League
    28AnonymousOct 15, 2026 10:54
    Whoever shows up is just going to get swept aside by the Hawks anyway, so they might as well hurry into the offseason
    29AnonymousOct 15, 2026 10:55
    Doing this with such a small number of teams in the first place is pointless
    30AnonymousOct 15, 2026 10:57
    They won the pennant, so as far as I'm concerned that season's baseball is already over
    I personally think of the postseason as a separate thing from the league season
    32AnonymousOct 15, 2026 10:59
    The CS is run based on the season standings, so calling it 'a separate thing' doesn't really hold up
    33AnonymousOct 15, 2026 10:59
    I don't see it that way
    It only means something if you become the top of the Central or Pacific League
    The idea that you can win the pennant and still not get to play for that is ridiculous
    34AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:00
    It's not even a matter of boring or not
    There's no way a 2nd- or 3rd-place team is going to get anyone excited
    35AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:01
    In MLB, it's not even treated as a separate thing — the regular season is treated as nothing more than a qualifier
    36AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:01
    But DeNA's the only team with even a slim chance of beating the Hawks
    37AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:03
    If Hanshin — who got caught up to by the Giants despite that much of a talent gap — goes up against a SoftBank team that's a tier or two above them, it'll be a repeat of that 4-33 blowout
    38AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:03
    I think terrestrial TV broadcasts will disappear eventually too
    39AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:04
    People just accept it because 'that's the rule,' but I bet the majority actually think it's unnecessary
    43AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:07
    After watching the MLB postseason, NPB just looks lame, outdated, and low-level
    Why don't they show that strike-zone-and-pitch-location overlay that's standard on MLB broadcasts?
    48AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:09
    Re: #43
    You can actually see that now on the official NPB app
    They'll probably use it to build toward adopting ABS (Automated Ball-Strike system) eventually
    50AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:11
    Re: #48
    Getting proud of 'progress' over just that is very fitting for a has-been country, lol
    55AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:13
    Re: #50
    Huh? I'm just saying they introduced the same thing
    Call it a has-been country or whatever, but it's the broadcasters who choose not to use it
    58AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:22
    NPB's the only one who's happy about the CS
    63AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:27
    Re: #58
    Are you saying other countries with a CS-like postseason aren't enjoying it either?
    You might want to explain that a bit more clearly

    Background and Key Points of the Debate

    The Climax Series (CS) was introduced in the Pacific League in 2004 to combat falling attendance once the standings were effectively settled late in the season, then expanded to both leagues starting in 2007. Because the first-place team gets a one-win advantage but also has to wait several days while the lower seeds battle it out, the thread split over just how ‘fair’ that setup really is. The clash between doubts over a rule that can let a pennant winner miss the Japan Series entirely, and calls to simply enjoy the short playoff series on its own terms, is a classic version of the long-running debate over whether the CS should exist at all. The fact that the same format applies even to a runaway champion like SoftBank underscores just how lopsided the Pacific League has become, while also reaffirming the CS’s original purpose of preventing meaningless late-season games.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hello! Project board) thread ‘Giants and Hanshin fans losing it on X over not wanting the CS, lol.’

  • ‘I’ll Pay ¥9 Million for Sperm Donation’ — 70-Something Man Scammed Out of ¥38 Million in Mie

    A man in his 70s from Suzuka City, Mie Prefecture, was offered ¥9 million in exchange for “sperm donation,” then was instructed via LINE by someone posing as a lawyer to buy as many as 571 gift cards at convenience stores, ultimately being swindled out of roughly ¥38 million in total. Why did he go along with a deal that, looked at calmly, doesn’t even add up — paying ¥38 million just to receive ¥9 million? The thread debated why elderly people make such easy targets for scams, how judgment can shift with age, and the fact that stores never stopped him from buying gift cards in bulk, with reactions mixing sympathy for the victim and sheer disbelief.

    “I’ll Pay ¥9 Million for Sperm Donation” — 70-Something Man Scammed Out of ¥38 Million | Mie TV Broadcasting

    2026.10.15 10:05

    A man in his 70s living in Suzuka City, Mie Prefecture, was swindled out of roughly ¥38 million after sending gift card numbers and other details exactly as instructed via LINE by someone posing as a lawyer.

    Source: mietv.com / Original article here

    7AnonymousOct 15, 2026 10:49
    Japanese people are easy to scam, honestly
    Especially the elderly
    That's why fraud never goes down
    84AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:06
    Re: #7
    Women get taken in by romance scams, men get taken in by sperm-donation scams… how are we even supposed to defend against this?
    170AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:33
    Re: #7
    Pure herd-mentality, full-on baby-boomer-generation mindset on display
    Stuff like 'ditch the car' or 'take up shigin (traditional chanted poetry)' — there's no logic or reason behind any of it
    11AnonymousOct 15, 2026 10:50
    Imagine scamming someone out of ¥38 million with something like this — seriously, anything can be turned into a scam
    112AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:12
    Re: #11
    For men in their late 70s, the dementia rate is already over 10%
    But it's also an age where people around them still assume they're fine
    So if scammers specifically target that group, they've got roughly a 1-in-10 shot at successfully conning them
    And nowadays, with all the personal data leaks out there, organized crime groups have mountains of that kind of data sitting around, which lets them run scams really efficiently
    12AnonymousOct 15, 2026 10:51
    "I'll give you ¥9 million, so pay me ¥38 million"
    224AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:48
    Re: #12
    Just on its own, that doesn't even add up, does it
    14AnonymousOct 15, 2026 10:51
    Why would anyone fall for something like this?
    80AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:05
    Re: #14
    And somehow it's always the guys who fall for these rookie-level scams who turn out to have piles of money saved up…
    15AnonymousOct 15, 2026 10:51
    LOL, 571 gift cards
    It says he used multiple convenience stores, but…
    Did the clerks just look the other way?
    He must've been buying 10+ cards at a time in one go — that's clearly suspicious
    159AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:28
    Re: #15
    As long as it counts as sales, money beats morals every time
    16AnonymousOct 15, 2026 10:52
    Was browsing Threads and saw an elderly man, posting under his real full name, trying to contact a scammer posing as a woman over and over
    This one's already a lost cause
    Even when people comment telling him it's a scam
    He's too far gone with dementia to listen
    208AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:42
    Re: #16
    Chilling — there was someone messaging the scammer from an account under their real full name, with photos of their grandkids posted right on it
    21AnonymousOct 15, 2026 10:53
    Liars don't feel a shred of guilt when they lie, that's the truly scary part — just dump them in some sketchy NPO facility way out past the edge of society, in some monkey enclosure
    24AnonymousOct 15, 2026 10:54
    Re: #21
    There are plenty of people out there that awful, basically on the level of a personality disorder
    23AnonymousOct 15, 2026 10:54
    People who fall for scams have had control of their own judgment talked right out of them
    The actual premise of the scam itself can honestly be almost anything
    It's not necessarily the victim's fault
    But like in this case, when something's already off with the victim, the odds of them getting taken go way up
    30AnonymousOct 15, 2026 10:55
    Re: #23
    This type of person gets scammed even when they're not elderly
    There's no saving them
    26AnonymousOct 15, 2026 10:55
    Was talking to an 81-year-old guy and he said women are at their best in their 60s — made me realize there's still a lot about the world I don't understand
    This guy probably had something going on too that an article just can't capture
    180AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:36
    Re: #26
    Well, it's probably like how 20-somethings look to a 40-year-old, so I kind of get the appeal of someone a reasonable bit younger lol
    200AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:41
    Re: #26
    It's probably because a woman around 60 who's been through caring for her own aging parents tends to be kind to people her parents' age
    Whereas for women in their 30s-40s, old men basically register as gross, smelly, something to avoid
    38AnonymousOct 15, 2026 10:57
    I've got no money, so there's no way I'll ever get scammed — totally safe (yeah, sour grapes much)
    46AnonymousOct 15, 2026 10:59
    Re: #38
    The livestreamer: 'Go borrow from a consumer loan company. Sell your organs too. Are you really okay with me and my family dying of stage 4 cancer?'
    53AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:01
    Those old guys you occasionally see bragging that they get mistaken for someone in their 40s, even though they look exactly their age — they're the easiest marks for scammers
    55AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:01
    Re: #53
    You can kind of guess what sales pitch worked on him lol
    62AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:02
    I heard sperm quality declines after 40 — can guys in their 70s even still have kids?
    74AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:04
    Re: #62
    For men, look up how old Al Pacino was when he had a kid — you'll laugh
    81AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:05
    On social media you can just sit in your room clicking away, so it's probably easy
    Even if most of it is wasted effort, landing just one person can bring in huge money
    93AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:07
    He already had ¥38 million and still wanted more money?
    Humans really are greedy
    108AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:12
    Re: #93
    It's not just about the money — he gets talked into believing he still has worth
    Once you poke at the helplessness and despair of growing old, people who've already slipped into dementia fall instantly…
    111AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:12
    Re: #93
    Trump: 'Facts.'
    131AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:17
    The logic of paying ¥38 million to get ¥9 million
    151AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:25
    Re: #131
    Apparently Osaka people don't fall for 'it's me, it's me' scams (impersonating a relative on the phone), but they fall for tax-refund scams more than anywhere else in Japan
    175AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:34
    Re: #131
    It's the 'this will get refunded to you later' tactic, right?

    Background and discussion points on this topic

    Losses from these “special fraud” scams nationwide are estimated at hundreds of billions of yen a year, and elderly victims still make up a large share of that total. Posing as lawyers or public officials and making contact over LINE, then having victims buy gift cards instead of handing over cash and send in the card numbers, has become the dominant method in recent years precisely because it’s harder to trace and harder to prosecute. The thread zeroed in on why he agreed to a seemingly irrational deal — paying ¥38 million to receive ¥9 million — but what tends to get overlooked is that this kind of scheme isn’t really targeting the victim’s reasoning at all; it’s engineered to exploit time pressure and a reflexive deference to the authority of a ‘lawyer’ title. Buying gift cards in bulk at a convenience store could draw a clerk’s attention as a suspicious transaction, but that isn’t enforced consistently across every store, exposing the limits of front-line fraud prevention.

    *This article is compiled as excerpts and a summary from the 5ch (News Express+) thread “‘I’ll Pay ¥9 Million for Sperm Donation’ — 70-Something Man Scammed Out of ¥38 Million in Mie.”