Brian Ashcraft

First Look at the New Macross Anime 

Hey! There’s a new Macross anime. It’s called Macross Delta. There are things you expect—such as Valkyries—but some bits look kind of unusual. You know, like the castle and the fancy outfits. Below, is the anime’s debut trailer: Macross Delta is set in the year 2067 and marks the start of a “new Macross history.”…

Kushikatsu in Shinsekai. Osaka, Japan. By Louise Saul. 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!

Track: My Neighbor Satan | Artist: Boris | Album: Smile Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to – and gaming to – at the moment.

Anime Actor’s Cocaine Arrest Proves You Should Never Do Drugs in Japan

You’re an adult. It’s your life. Your body. Make your own choices. But if I’m going to offer one bit of advice, it’s this: Don’t do illegal drugs in Japan. Just don’t. Case in point: The Japanese media reported that voice actor Ai Takabe, who starred in the comedy-slice of life anime Kill Me Baby,…

Joining the delayed KanColle PS Vita game is the arcade game. The game’s staff says it’s been pushed back to spring 2016 due to a manufacturing delay. The title was supposed to hit arcades this fall in Japan.

How To Improve Fortune Cookies: Add Cats

Fortunes are nice and all, but getting little felines in your cookies are way better. IT Media reports that these cat cookies are available via Japanese site Felissimo. Each one comes with a small cat that is as big as a fifty yen coin—which is about the size of an American nickel. Japanese websites like…

Japan Now Has Anime Contact Lenses 

And they’re called, wait for it, “Anime Contact.” Clever! For well over a decade, there have been contacts designed to make your eyes look larger. These aren’t just worn by cosplayers, but regular folks, too. The difference here is that these lenses attempt to make your eyes not only look expressive, but like they belong…

Kurama Fire Festival. Kyoto, Japan. By Jason Smith. 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!

Today, We Lost a Great Japanese Illustrator 

Respected artist Noriyoshi Ohrai died earlier today, reports the Japanese media. You might not know his name, but you should know his work. Born in 1939, Ohrai illustrated a wide variety of works—from pulp fiction covers and history books to Hollywood blockbusters and video games. He first really made a name for himself with his…

The Tokyo Hostel That Looks Like a Bookstore

At Book and Bed Tokyo, you can fall asleep with any of the books the hostel has. Or manga, if you prefer those. According to Inside Games, hostel Book and Bed Tokyo was built with idea that this is a bookstore you can sleep at. The books aren’t actually for sale, but during your stay,…

“Help, my mom is addicted to computer games!” On a recent episode of South Korea variety show Hello Counselor (via tipster Sang), a grade schooler seeks help over his mom’s incessant gaming.

Japan’s Geeky New Trend: Strange-Looking Heads

In Japanese, they’re called “igyou-atama” (異形頭) or, literally, “strange-looking heads.” They are oddly wonderful. This trend is directly connected to a series of anti-piracy public service announcements that play in Japanese movie theaters. Over the past few years, cosplayers would sometimes dress as these anti-piracy characters. There was also the inevitable fan art. [Photo: kameeeeeeeeen]…

A Touch of Assassin’s Creed The London Museum of Steam and Water, UK. By Daniel New. 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!

Track: Yasashii Kimochi | Artist: Chara | Album: Junior Sweet Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to – and gaming to – at the moment.

Meme Targets Characters That Don’t Understand Ears

In anime and Hollywood movies, you’ll see it: Characters who don’t know how ears work. This is the “There isn’t an ear there” meme. Can’t follow? Here, let Ted help: [Photo: X-Weibo] Traditionally, the worst offender has been kiddy anime Shima Shima Tora no Shimajiro [Photo: entermeus] See what I mean: [Photo: kirbyshimajiro] [Photo: vitao]…

Fist of the North Star Meets Japanese Rugby

Japan is doing rugby like only Japan can: with an anime! Here’s the official rugby anime that was screened at the Japan Pavilion in London during the 2015 Rugby World Cup. It’s inspired by the iconic manga and anime Fist of the North Star Japan will host the 2019 Rugby World Cup, and its team…

The Lupin III Anime’s Opening Hides an Optical Illusion

Don’t you love visual tricks? (Be warned, like many optical illusions, not everyone can see this!) As pointed out on 2ch, if you cover one of your eyes while watching the new Lupin III anime opening sequence, the images appear to leap out at you. Here, watch the credits. Be sure to cover one of…

Claiming Censorship and Discrimination, Artist Stands Up to… LEGO

Famed artist Ai Weiwei is working on a series of portraits using LEGO. But the Danish toy company wants nothing to do with it. Last year, Ai did a series of LEGO portraits, featuring a series of famous political activists and dissidents who had either been jailed or exiled. The BBC Reports that Ai planned…

Lake Kawaguchi. Yamanashi, Japan. By Robert Arellano. 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!

Twitch’s Uphill Battle For Japan

In the West, Twitch is an internet superpower. In Japan, things couldn’t be more different. Mainstream success will be tough, but not impossible. Nothing is impossible. Originally launched as part of streaming site Justin.tv, Twitch carved a unique niche through game streaming. It’s not only a live-streaming pioneer, but with with over one hundred million…