Futaba Channel

Futaba Channel (ふたば(双葉)☆ちゃんねる, Futaba Channeru, lit. "Double Leaf Channel, Two Leaf Channel"), or Futaba for short, is an imageboard in Japan. It is a popular Japanese imageboard dealing in otaku and underground culture.

Origin

Futaba Channel was set up on August 30, 2001, as a refuge for 2channel users when 2channel was in danger of shutting down. The 4chan imageboard is based on Futaba.

Concept

Futaba Channel consists of about 60 imageboards (three of which are oekaki boards) and about 40 textboards, with topics ranging from daily personal problems to junk food, sports, ramen, and pornography. There is also a place to upload general non-image files. Futaba is powered by a custom script based on GazouBBS. The Futaba script is open source and is used to run many Japanese and English imageboards.

Culture

Futaba has spawned a number of visual gags and characters; the OS-tans would be one such meme that has spread to western internet culture. Some of the characters that appear on Futaba Channel have entered the real world in the form of various real-life goods, such as figures, dolls or images printed on pillows. Such items are mainly produced by Japanese dōjin artists and groups.