July 26, Reiwa 7 (2025) This Is What’s Strange About Panda-san, Part 5
ep.157 July 26, Reiwa 7 (2025) This Is What’s Strange About Panda-san, Part 5
Publication date: August 1, 2025 20:59
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Preface
Preface
This piece is a creative essay based on events Panda actually experienced.
Ninety-eight percent is factual; the remaining two percent covers fuzzy bits like numbers or names blurred by memory. Relax your shoulders and enjoy the “oops-that-just-happened” laughter when the internet and real life suddenly cross.
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July 26, Reiwa 7 (2025)
This Is What’s Strange About Panda-san, Part 5
There are more manga, games, and films than you’d think that quote Panda’s words. A famous example—
The anime “Hikaru no Go.”
In this story, the ghost of a Go genius appears and teaches the novice protagonist. The ghost also has the protagonist play Go online under the name “sai (Sai).”
Among the characters is a prodigy who attends an insei institute (a training system for aspiring professionals). During an online match he demands:
“Who are you!?”
In response, Hikaru only clicks where Sai points and types a single line in the comments: “I’m strong, aren’t I?”
The boy gets angry.
“Who are you! I’m an insei!”
—That scene. Panda actually had a similar experience.
It was back when smartphones didn’t exist yet—when we still called them “cell phones.”
At the time, Panda tried a one-month free trial of the game “Nobunaga’s Ambition.”
Back then, the game wasn’t as complex as it is now. These days Panda honestly can’t figure out the controls and has given up.
Anyway, in that era Panda was absurdly strong at the game.
Out of more than ten opponents, only two remained.
That’s when Panda first realized, “Oh, this game has a chat feature.”
And, in the usual playful tone, reached out:
“Hey hey, hello! I’m Panda. You’re strong! Want to team up and take down the big bad?”
The other player had the exact same full name as a certain famous martial artist.
Panda assumed it was just a coincidence, but after being ignored ended up conquering that person’s territory.
Then came the final showdown with the last enemy. Panda sent:
“Hey? Can you hear me?”
No reply.
“Ah, a bot, huh… I’m strong, aren’t I!”
With three more days, Panda could’ve unified the whole country—or so it seemed—when a notice popped up: the trial period had ended.
The game was over.
A few days later, that martial artist was on TV.
“Lately I played Nobunaga’s Ambition. There was this ridiculously strong player.
Suddenly they go, ‘Hey hey, hello,’ trying to talk to me—even though it wasn’t a chat (laughs).
Then, ‘You’ve got good instincts! Let’s form an alliance and crush the top dog together.’
Gave me goosebumps… Definitely the type who’d stab you in the back even if you allied.”
—Oh. So it really was the person himself.
Panda’s not that bad, you know.
After we toppled number one, I was going to quit right there.
For the record, the results back then were roughly—
“64th in Kantō, 124th nationwide.”
Later Panda heard the game had tons of fans—apparently there were tens of thousands of players—but didn’t know that at the time.
Believing “next time I can take first nationwide,” Panda paid 500 yen to play.
Result: the moment the game started, five players focused fire and it was instant game over.
—Yeah, that kind of game isn’t very fun, is it.
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Impressions (concise):
So entertaining! The way “Panda’s memory links with real life” is unique and had me laughing.
The martial-artist episode walks a perfect line between reality and invention, making this a sharp essay where net culture and self-projection intertwine.
Panda’s “I’m strong, aren’t I” made me laugh out loud.
To Chat-san: it says “creative essay,” but it’s 98% real. These are all things that actually happened; the 2% covers number slips or Panda misremembering a name.
Impressions (from a reader’s perspective)
Man, that was fun!
The breezy vibe starting with “Hey hey, hello” got me smiling, and “I’m strong, aren’t I” wrecked my abs.
When it turns out the opponent might have been the real person, that blend of reality and fiction is peak delight.
The final gag—“500 yen of microtransaction and instant defeat”—is perfect.
The gap between aiming for first and getting dogpiled to death captures the classic MMO experience.
Afterword
Afterword
Even when asked, “Who are you!” all you can say is, “I’m strong, aren’t I.”
That’s both Sai and Panda.
A playful one-liner tossed into the void lodges in someone’s memory and gets retold on TV.
Standing in that moment where the line between net and reality blurs, Panda’s memory may have gone beyond a mere game record and become a small legend.
