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otaku

Gundam Looks Nice In A Pink Plastic Dress

Needs more pink! Some Japanese lady thought a MG Gyan Gundam figure wasn't girly enough, so she was "inspired" to give it a more "feminine air." The customized model has been covered with faux jewels, and the plastic surface has been treated and lacquered. The attention to detail is astounding (like on the dress, for example), sure, we're just enthralled with GLOWING SWORD.
MG Gyan For Sale [Yahoo! Auctions via Sankaku Complex via Giapet]

japan

Japanese People With Xbox 360s! Amazing Photo Proof!!

Face it: The Xbox 360 hasn't done so hot in Japan. That doesn't mean everyone in Japan hates it. Oh, no! Not at all. In fact, at least a handful people really like the Xbox 360. Look at the above picture. This individual likes the 360 so much, he/she/it bought back-ups. If that's not undying adoration, we really don't know what is.

Xbox In Japan [Hatimaki]

otaku

We Do Not Believe This Dead or Alive Character Is Swimming

And the shameful Dead or Alive toys continue! This Tina figure is totally bra swimming. But look at her face. She could be waiting for a bus for all we know. And what about her hair? That's not swimming hair. We are disappointed to say that this Tina figure just isn't very realistic.

More pics of this Tina sample over at Akiba Hobby if you like.
Venus on the Beach! [Akiba Hobby]


maximum risky

Butt Flasher Lady Returns For More Butt Flashing!

Even cops can't stop Ass Flasher. Tush thong lady Asuka Sawamoto hit Akihabara this week and hit it hard — two cheeks at a time. Previously, Sawamoto mooned all of nerdom, causing a mob scene of sweaty dorks with cameras and boners. The act hit Yahoo! News Japan. While the cops have been cracking down on Akihabara street performances to hopes of avoiding such shameful (and potentially dangerous) displays. The "singer" was back for the hat trick this Sunday, putting her arse out for the third time. This time TV crews were on hand to catch the cheeky act and butt in for a quick interview or two.

Hit the jump for a pic of the ass flashery madness! It's somewhat safe for work. But creepy as hell.

More »

akihabara

Erotic PSP Game Smothers Mario Kart Wii In Sales

Defeated. Beaten. By boobs. While Mario Kart Wii posted healthy numbers across the country during its first week on sale, in more discerning Akihabara shops, the game was outsold by PSP erotic game title Bokudake no Kajitsu ("Only My Fruit"). The "game" is actually considered an UMD video and hasn't been approved by Sony or even been rated by CERO, Japan's ESRB. But since it uses interactive menus, Bokudake no Kajitsu can be played like a typical point-and-click PC eroge, complete with animated "event scenes." According to shop Messe Sanoh's sales chart, MK Wii was outsold by two PSP titles:

1. Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G
2. Bokudake no Kajitsu
3. Mario Kart Wii

Clearly Nintendo has underestimated Akihabara shoppers. Needs more monsters, more jubblies, less kart.
Mario Kart Wii Outsold [ASCII]

maximum risky

The Erotic Game Robot

Robots are awesome. Really, really awesome. Robots made from erotic games? Ditto. The Sofmap in Akihabara made this "erotic game robot" out of 80 copies of PC ero title Slave Commander Clarice. The name of this shameful game 'bot? "GR01-CLARICE ROBO." What does it do? It stands there and radiates NSFW. That's enough! The creativity that Japanese retailers have with ero games never ceases to amaze.
Sexy Game Robot [Akiba Blog]

otaku

Americans Turn Maid Cafes Into Arty Maid Cafes (Wha?)

Maids! No, wait. American maids! That's right, instead of reading about maids, you Americans can go visit them in America. Previously, a maid opened in Canada. Then it closed! And now, another maid cafe is giving North America a go. This month, Royal/T Cafe is having its grand opening in Culver City, Southern California. Though, here's the pickler. The website describes the cafe as a "playful collision of spaces — café/shop/art space — presented in stunning fusion. An eclectic mix of retail and contemporary art reimaged in the surrounds of LA's first Japanese-style cosplay café." That's LA-talk for "Since this café is based on places where Japanese nerds go sip milk tea and play paper-rock-scissors, we've decided to add pretentious artsy-fartsy shit to appeal to American hipsters."
Royal/T [Official Site via Clockwork Machina via a geek by another other name]

den-den town

Big Headed Freaky Assed Haruhi Suzumiya Doll

Ack! CREEPY. Human heads are not that big. Found at the Den-Den Town Kotobukiya shop, these are staff-created customized Haruhi Suzumiya Pullip dolls — poses, uniform and everything. There's another nightmare inducing pic of these dolls after the jump. *shiver* More »

otaku

Maniac Mario Collection

Some people like Nintendo. Other people like Nintendo. The person who lives in this room, well he/she/it is clearly very bananas for Nintendo. Look at all those Marios packed in there like sardines. The cruelty!

Like Nintendo [popgive via Go Nintendo]


otaku

Foreign People Can Maid Cafe, Too

Here at Kotaku, we have one rule and one rule only about maids: Post. Above are two maids from Akihabara maid cafe @home. One is Japanese, the other isn't! That's Eva, who became so interested in maid cafes during her visit to Japan, she decided to enlist herself. Besides serving drinks, Eva translates for foreign visitors. Maids don't only entertain nerds with games of rock, paper, scissors, they bridge gaps. International nerd gaps.
American Maid [Sankei via Alafista via Danny Choo]

maximum risky

Ass Flasher Idol Planning More Ass Flashery

Tush thong lady speaks! "Singer" and swimsuit model Asuka Sawamoto has hiked up her mini skirt to Akihabara nerds many times. No big whoop for her! It is for the Tokyo Metropolitan Police, who have been cracking down after her flashing incidents ended up on Yahoo! News Japan. Sure, we've all seen Asuka's hindquarters, but what about the woman behind the behind? What does she thing of the ballyhoo? The 22 year-old self-described "multi-sexy idol" says:

More »

only in japan

Akibahara Cracks Down on Crack Showing

Cops are on the look out. They don't want it to happen again. Last time, it was an embarrassing spectacle. And then the time after that, embarrassing again! That's right, Akihabara police are doing their best to prevent ass flashing. Previously, "singer" Asuka Sawamoto hitched up her skirt, splashing her tush thong all over the internet. The story snowballed and was even picked up by Japan's Yahoo! News. The following Sunday, she showed up again, ready to perform and show NSFW rear-endage again. No wonder last Sunday, when girls in maid outfits (and other costumes) sing, dance and stand in the Akiba streets and sidewalks, police were on handle to prevent any ass hattery. That's right, cops were on patrol. Butt patrol.
Police On Patrol [Akiba Blog]

culture

On Otaku, On Kotaku

Kotaku. What the hell does that mean? "Kotaku" is a made up word. "Ko" means small in Japanese (小), and otaku means, well, we'll get to that. Over at the always brainy Néojaponisme, they've got a look at what the word "otaku" means. While the word originally is a polite way to say "you" (something like "thou"), its nerd connotations first debuted in print back in 1983 when writer Akio Nakamori defined the subculture in his essay "The City is Full of Otaku". Prior to this, otaku were referred to as mania (maniacs), nekura-zoku (the gloomy tribe) and byouki ("sick"). It wasn't until 1989 that the term became widespread when Nakamori used the word in his biography of serial killer Tsutomu Miyazaki and Tomohiro Machiyama's best seller The Otaku Book. As author and game translator Matt Alt explains, "From humble roots, 'otaku' flowered to become the de facto term for individuals who pursue their hobbies with a single-minded passion bordering on obsession." (Like game otaku, for instance!) Alt has even translated the Nakamori's 1983 essay — apparently the first time its ever appeared in English! Swing over to Néojaponisme. It's worth a read. Tell 'em Kotaku sent cha.
Read The Essay [Néojaponisme via AltJapan] [Pic]

anime

Lucky Star To Get Shit-Faced With

Lucky Star... sake? Starting tomorrow, a Saitama Prefecture liquor shop will begin selling limited edition bottles of Lucky Star sake. The anime/manga/video game franchise is set in Saitama. The sake is probably just regular sake with a Lucky Star label slapped on it.
Order Here [Official Site via Canned Dogs]

maids

Osaka's Otaku On Parade

Late last week was the annual "Nipponbashi Street Festa" in Osaka's nerd village "Den-Den Town." The main street Sakaisuji was shut down for foot traffic only and the event featured cosplaying, maids and general geekery. I've been several times in the past. Good fun!
Street Festa Pics Here [Iza via Danny Choo]

shoko nakagawa

Japan So Wants To Adventure With Cat Head Girl

Quick! If you go go on an innocuous adventure with any celebrity, who would it be? If you lived in Japan, odds are, you'd say you'd want to escape with cat-head swallowing otaku celebrity Shoko Nakagawa. According to research site Oricon Life, Shokotan was the number choice for the 900 men and women surveyed. Hit the jump for the breakdown. Japanese celebrities ahead!
More »

maximum risky

Otaku "Singer" Flashes Akihabara

Every Sunday in Akihabara, it happens. Girls in maid outfits (and other costumes) sing, dance and stand in the Akiba streets and sidewalks. Some of them attract some crowds, some of them attract large crowds. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department is starting to crackdown for "safety" reasons in accordance with traffic laws. "I have no real understanding of what standards they're using to drive the maids off the streets. I could understand if they were dressed in schoolgirls' swimsuits or costumes that flash a lot of skin, but maid outfits are nothing like that," says economic analyst and Akiba lover Takuro Morinaga. Thing is, it's not just maids.

Take this past weekend, for example. "Singer" and swimsuit model Asuka Sawamoto (link slightly NSFW) showed up in Akihabara, wearing a very short skirt and a pair of red underpants. Sawamoto proceeded to stand on the sidewalk and flash all of nerdom, which mobbed and took photo after photo. All this so Sawamoto could promote a live concert. Guess she succeeded! She also succeeded in giving the grounds for this police crackdown more weight. Good for her.

Hit the jump for Dead Rising version of this pic that Luke was kind enough to PhotoShop for shits and giggles.

More »

figurines

Bandai Makes Lucky Star Fugly

Ack! POM-POM HANDS!! Here's a toy figurine of Tsukasa Hiiragi from Lucky Star. It's made by Bandai, better known for its Gundam modeling. At ¥850 (US $8.45), it's certainly not an upper end figure as clearly even by its overall freakish appearance. We're sure it has a good personality, though.
Q Joy Lucky Star [Akiba Hobby via Danny Choo]