Kotaku: Idoru

Is This Girl Real or Virtual?

Brian Ashcraft — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 02:00:00 EDT

For years, gamers have developed feelings for characters that don't exist in the traditionally tangible world. They might look real, but the characters are a composition of art and reality. They are virtual. More »

The Queen of Pokémon

Brian Ashcraft — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 02:00:00 EDT

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In the West, when someone says Pokémon, you think about your favorite Pocket Monster, the cartoons, or the games themselves. The same goes for Japan, but there's something else that comes to mind. Make that, someone else. More »

When You Have Too Much Money, Questionable Judgment, and Like Idols

Brian Ashcraft — Fri, 27 May 2011 02:00:00 EDT

There's a good reason this gentleman is covering his face. If you just spent a hundred thousand bucks on girly pop music, would you show yours? More »

The Young Girl Who Loves Old Games

Brian Ashcraft — Tue, 24 May 2011 02:00:00 EDT

After one of Japan's most beloved gaming mascots Takahashi Meijin revealed that he was leaving Hudson Soft, 23-year-old pin-up model Haruna Anno took to Twitter and her blog. She knew that he was leaving beforehand and talked to Takahashi about his decision, revealing that the conversation made her weep. But there's an upside. More »

These Guys Will Freak You Out, Then Amaze You

Brian Ashcraft — Tue, 17 May 2011 04:00:00 EDT

At the Taipei Game Show earlier this year, event areas had girls on stage dancing to pop tunes. But that's not where the real action was. More »

Dead Wii Is Funny. Dead Lady Is Not.

Brian Ashcraft — Fri, 13 May 2011 02:00:00 EDT

In Japan, pin-up model Aki Higashihara's blog is notorious. It's called the "Death Blog", after manga Death Note. In the popular comic, writing people's names in the "Death Note" notebook leads to their demise. On the Japanese internet, the same is said about Higashihara's blog. More »

Sleep with This Voice Actress (Again)

Brian Ashcraft — Mon, 09 May 2011 07:30:00 EDT

When voice actress Rie Tanaka isn't capturing the hearts of otaku, she's snuggling up next to them vicariously through her hug pillow. One Rie Tanaka hug pillow has been available for purchase. Until now. More »

A Man In A Dress Fights A Woman In A Dress

Brian Ashcraft — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 06:30:00 EST

When Yuichiro "Jienotsu" Nagashima isn't dressing up as girls from bullet hell shooters, he's kicking people's ass. He's a professional K-1 kick boxer. But is he any good at fighting games? More »

Revenge Of The Akihabara Flasher

Brian Ashcraft — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 02:00:00 EST

Back in 2008, before the stabbings, Akihabara was a carefree place. Otaku ("geeks") roamed from shop to shop, maids passed out fliers and cosplayers posed up a storm. The Akihabara Massacre changed all that, but things are normalizing. Want proof? The area's most famous flasher is ready to hit the streets of Akiba once again. More »

Metal Gear Nut Turned Stripper Is Now A Fugitive

Brian Ashcraft — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 02:00:00 EST

Since she was 15 years of age, Minako Komukai worked as a pin-up model. Somewhere along the line she got into Metal Gear Solid and drugs. More »

Can Somebody Please Help This Lady Find Her Monsters?

Brian Ashcraft — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 03:00:00 EST

This past weekend, collectible figurine event Wonder Festival was held in Chiba, Japan. Collectors and cosplayers gathered for the festivities. Voice actress Haruna Ikezawa was in attendance, and she ended up having a rotten time. More »

Nintendo Bringing 3D Bikinis To The Masses

Brian Ashcraft — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 08:30:00 EST

The Nintendo 3DS is poised to take glasses-free 3D to the great unwashed. That's not all, it seems. More »

Japan's Biggest Pornstar To Become China's Biggest Popstar?

Brian Ashcraft — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 02:00:00 EST

Sola Aoi, star of adult films like Oral Infection and Perverted Neighbor, has already captured the imagination of China with her ample talents, but is looking to do the same with her singing voice. More »

No Game Is This Scary

Brian Ashcraft — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 04:00:00 EST

Night of Sacrifice is an upcoming horror game for the Wii. A melodramatic, alarming teaser trailer of bikini model Saya Hikita playing through it showed the 21-year-old ending up in tears. But the game can't be that scary, can it? More »

3,000 Mega Man Fans Got This Lady A Job

Brian Ashcraft — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 07:00:00 EST

Making decisions by yourself on who to hire is hard. It's easier when you have 3,000 people do it for you, which is exactly what happened for this Mega Man Legends voice actress! More »

Can This Pop Princess Be A True Gamer With No PS3?

Brian Ashcraft — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 02:00:00 EST

During the last decade, Japanese singer Maki Goto was a big pop star. Now, she's a big gamer. That is, a big gamer apparently without a PS3. More »

Who Was That Masked Model?

Brian Ashcraft — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 02:00:00 EST

In Japan, there are idols for everything, whether it be trains, personal computers or, of course, video games. They have one thing in common: they're all smiley and cute. But what about an idol that never showed her face? More »

This Wii Game Scares A Bikini Model To Tears

Brian Ashcraft — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 08:00:00 EST

Usually Saya Hikita is smiling. Not today. Today, she is crying. More »

Kinect's Not So Popular In Japan, But This $1,000 Shirt Is

Brian Ashcraft — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 16:00:00 EST

When Kinect went on sale in Japan, there was a big promotional event at a retailer in Akihabara. Over a hundred people lined up, and roughly half of them are now in possession of a very valuable collectible. More »

Naughty Kids Don't Get Coal, They Have To Watch This

Brian Ashcraft — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 07:00:00 EST

To promote the PlayStation Move, Sony dressed two idols in Santa suits and gave them Move controllers. Ready to lose 12 minutes of your life? No, seriously. More »

What Do You Want For Your 3rd Birthday? A Gun? Hot Pants?

Brian Ashcraft — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 06:00:00 EST

Japanese actress Rei Okamoto might not be voicing protagonist Aya Brea in upcoming PSP title The 3rd Birthday, but that doesn't stop her from posing with a pistol and dangerously short shorts. More »

Go Go (Away) Kamen Rider Girls!

Brian Ashcraft — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 02:00:00 EST

This year marks the fortieth anniversary of masked, motorbike-riding super hero "Kamen Rider" ("Masked Rider"). How will this milestone be marked? Why, with hotpants. More »

This Woman Is The Nintendo Wii Killer

Brian Ashcraft — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 07:00:00 EST

Meet Aki Higashihara. She might look like your typical Japanese pin-up with a blog and a smile, but she is anything but. This is the woman who could be killing the Nintendo Wii. More »

In 2010, Japan Went Mad For Game Addiction, Dog Politics and Outer Space

Brian Ashcraft — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 02:00:00 EST

Publisher Jiyu Kokuminsha (via Pink Tentacle) revealed its annual list of the sixty most important Japanese words or phrases of 2010 that sum up the year's trends and events. More »

Japan: We Love Cars, Kinect, Notsomuch

Brian Ashcraft — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 04:00:00 EST

PS3 exclusive Gran Turismo 5 might be released a week after Kinect hits Japan on November 20, but the game already looks set to run over Microsoft's motion control system this holiday season. More »

The Moment You Know You Ain't Popular

Brian Ashcraft — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 02:00:00 EST

Popularity is a fickle thing. Some people are loved, adored. Some are not. Most never become accurately aware of what the masses think of us. Shizuka Oya did earlier this month. More »

15 Second Schoolgirl Spot Gets 3 Minute Making-Of Documentary

Brian Ashcraft — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 07:00:00 EDT

Seventeen year-old idol Karin Aiba is promoting PSP game Dangan-Ronpa in 15 second TV ads. The making-of documentary is way longer and has added curry eating. Mmm curry! More »

Hello Duck Face

Brian Ashcraft — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 09:00:00 EDT

Anime and video game voice actress Aya Hirano continues her move into mainstream Japanese entertainment. Today, she appeared on popular afternoon show Waratte Iitomo! ("It's Okay to Laugh!"). Yes, that's a big deal! More »

Sleep With This Voice Actress's Pillow Cover

Brian Ashcraft — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 04:00:00 EDT

In Japan, Rie Tanaka (Phantasy Star Portable, Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3) is such a popular voice actress that last year she got her own trading cards. This year, she's getting her own hug pillow cover. Progress! More »

Young Idol Date Scandal Ends In Resignation, Tears

Brian Ashcraft — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 06:00:00 EDT

Earlier this month, 56-year-old Sakura Wars co-creator Hiroji Oji was spotted staying over at 22-year-old AKB48 singer Sayaka Akimoto's residence. The scandal that ensued made the papers and the morning talk shows. More »

The Sakura Wars Creator, The Young Idol And The Rumored Sleepover

Brian Ashcraft — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 05:00:00 EDT

Hiroi Oji is noted for many things. Creating video games like Sega's Sakura Wars, penning manga and even writing musicals. He's what Japan calls a "hyper creator". But he's now being known for something else entirely. More »

Let's Call It A Rejection Simulator

Brian Ashcraft — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 04:00:00 EDT

This behind-the-scenes look at the AKB 48 dating simulator shows the girls doing more than simply mugging for the camera. They're throwing themselves at it. More »

Some Lady In A Bikini Playing Dead Rising 2

Brian Ashcraft — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 07:30:00 EDT

As part of a promotion for Dead Rising 2, Capcom had pin-up model Izumi Hinata play through the game in a bikini. She sits on a blue inflatable ball. She bounces on it. Up and down, up and down. More »

Who Is Going To Buy This?

Brian Ashcraft — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 02:00:00 EDT

Japan's biggest girl group, AKB48, is getting its own PSP game and PSP hardware. There is even a bundle that comes with kisses! But really, who is going to buy this? More »

Girls With Hardware Are Called Hardware Girls

Brian Ashcraft — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 03:00:00 EDT

Arcade cabinets, retro game consoles and CPUs. "Hardware Girls" isn't just photos of beautiful hardware, it's also pics of beautiful girls. More »

Video Game Idol Scores Atari Condoms

Brian Ashcraft — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 04:00:00 EDT

Haruna Anno is not a simply an idol. Run-of-the-mill idols aren't kick ass at Street Fighter and... Spelunker. Anno is a game idol. And she's got Atari raincoats to prove it? More »

This Costume Is One Thousand Bucks

Brian Ashcraft — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 02:00:00 EDT

Some cosplayers make their own costumes. Some buy them. The price range for costumes can go from affordable to totally not. More »

Voice Actress Pisses Off Otaku

Brian Ashcraft — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 06:00:00 EDT

Voice actress Aya Hirano doesn't seem to want to be a voice actress anymore. The 22-year-old is trying to make the leap to mainstream celebrity and ticking off her rabid fan-base in the process. More »

Idols In Training Cut Their Teeth On Arcade Game

Brian Ashcraft — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 06:00:00 EDT

In early 2006, members of Japanese idol group AKB48 were standing on Akihabara street corners passing out fliers. Now they're the biggest female group in Japan. What a difference a few years make. More »

How A Japanese Political Party Used A Virtual Singer

Brian Ashcraft — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 09:00:00 EDT

Democratic Party of Japan member Kenzo Fujisue apparently has a "secret plan" to tap into the country's youth for the upcoming July election. Does that plan involve a virtual idol? More »