Brian Ashcraft

A Serious Look at Big Anime Eyes

Kyoto Animation is one of Japan’s most famous anime studios. Besides its shows, the studio is famous for another thing: large eyes. This piece originally appeared 10/21/15. Many anime characters have abnormally large eyes. And many studios in Japan have their own house style. Kyoto Animation is no exception! What’s interesting is that the anime…

Miyazaki Gives Clear Answers On The Future Of Dark Souls, Armored Core

During a recent round table at Namco Bandai headquarters in Tokyo, I asked From Software’s Hidetaka Miyazaki about the future of Dark Souls, as well as what else the studio is working on. The good news is yes, a new Armored Core is coming. The bad news is that, at least for the foreseeable future,…

Track: Isse no, se! | Artist: Tokyo Karankoron | Album: We Are Tokyo Karankoron Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

Police Dealing With Pokémon Go Chaos In Tokyo 

In the past few days, a rare Pokémon has been spotted in Tokyo’s Odaiba. Loads of people have shown up to catch it, and the crowds have become so big that the police were called in to handle the situation. Which has looked like this: Damn. Folks have been running to catchLapras, ignoring traffic lights…

Hideaki Anno Is Finished With Godzilla, Moving On To Evangelion 

Earlier this summer, Hideaki Anno apologized to Evangelion fans, saying he was sorry to keep them waiting. Now he says he’s working hard on Eva. The hold up has been Godzilla Resurgence, which Anno helmed. The movie has been a smash hit in Japan, and as Yahoo! Japan reports, when he was asked whether or…

Like the Gintama anime? Good news,they are doing a new season. The premiere date hasn’t been announced yet, so no word on that.

Chocolate Pumpkin French Fries Coming To McDonald’s In Japan

The regular chocolate fries were not disgusting, so maybe these will be good? To mark Halloween, which is now very much a thing in Japan, McDonald’s is putting out fries with chocolate and pumpkin sauce. They’ll be available from September 28*. Maybe we’ll get a Halloween burger, too? *Jack-o’-lantern not included. Kotaku East is your…

The Sound of Summer. Kyoto, Japan. By Scottylosophy. JPGs is a photo peek into wherever gamers might find interesting. If you’re a photographer and have images you want to share, drop us a line!

Rez Infinite’s Area X Is An Incredible Japanese VR Experience 

To be honest, I wasn’t that excited when I showed up at Enhance Games’ office in Tokyo’s Aoyama to play Area X, a new area in Rez Infinite for PlayStation VR. I’d played Rez and Rez HD, so I thought Rez in VR would be no big deal. Besides, VR usually makes me sick, and…

Track: Kelly Watch The Stars | Artist: Air | Album: Moon Safari Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

How Final Fantasy XV‘s Heroine Changed Since Last Year

At this year’s Tokyo Game Show, we got a new Final Fantasy XV trailer. Just like we did last year! Know what that means? Comparisons, that’s what. Via 2ch, here is how Lunafreya Nox Fleuret stacks up in the 2015 and 2016 trailers. She’s changed considerably over the course of the game’s development, but with…

South Korea Is Leading The World In Rest Stop Restrooms

It appears the greatest rest stop bathrooms in the world are located in South Korea. Besides chic places to pooh and tinkle, there are restrooms inspired by the Hollywood movie Roman Holiday, the book The Little Prince, and even the Apollo missions. Rest stop toilets are typically not so great. When they’re good, they’re clean,…

Hot. Death Valley, California. By noMSG JPGs is a photo peek into wherever gamers might find interesting. If you’re a photographer and have images you want to share, drop us a line!

The Five Best Anime Movies for Little Kids

Sick of Disney? Anime movies can provide a great alternative for young viewers, opening up new cultures and ideas. However, a lot of anime isn’t for children. Here are five wonderful and age-appropriate anime films that little kids will love. This piece originally appeared 3/2/16. What is anime? In short, it’s the Japanese word for…

Metal Gear Survive Gets 15-Minute Demo And Lots of Dislikes

Konami sure is trying. Gotta give them that. But if YouTube likes are any indication, loads of people aren’t feeling Metal Gear Survive. As Kotaku UK previously explained in great detail, Metal Gear Survive is a co-op stealth game in which you sneak up and kill zombies. During the Tokyo Game Show, Konami showed off…

Track: Emily (Live) | Artist: Paul Desmond | Album: Summertime Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

Square Enix is opening a new cafe in Tokyo’s Akihabara on October 1. It’s called, wait for it, Square Enix Cafe. Check out the menu here.

Japan Has A Kit Kat Museum

Of course it does! Clearly the country that has an array of Kit Kat flavors needs a museum to show them off. Recently, Japanese site Fashion Press visited the Tokyo museum, which is, sadly, only opened for a limited time. More below: The Kit Kat Museum is located at the Nescafe in Harajuku and runs…

Watch The New Resident Evil CG Animated Movie Trailer

As previously reported, Capcom is making a full-CG RE movie called Resident Evil: Vendetta. Here is the movie’s debut trailer. Resident Evil: Vendetta will be out next spring in Japan. No word yet on an international release. Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest talking points from Japan, Korea,…

The Best Bus Stop in Tokyo. Mitaka, Tokyo, Japan. By Jun David | Tofu Prod JPGs is a photo peek into wherever gamers might find interesting. If you’re a photographer and have images you want to share, drop us a line!