Brian Ashcraft

Today in Japan, NHK revealed the debut trailer for Aya to Majo (Aya and the Witch), Studio Ghibli’s upcoming CG film. The trailer is streaming on NHK’s site and hasn’t been posted on official YouTube channels. Have a look! 

Japan’s Biggest Manga Of 2020 Is Demon Slayer

Last year, the unthinkable happened. The One Piece manga was knocked from the top spot for the first time in twelve years. In its place was a new manga sales champion: Demon Slayer. That was no fluke. As Kotaku reported earlier this year, the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba dominated Japan’s Oricon sales chart for…

Immortalized in the opening of anime Durarara!!x2 Ten, the Silk Hat arcade in Tokyo’s Ikebukuro has announced it is closing on January 11, 2021. This is the latest in a number of arcades closing in Japan that are closing during the pandemic. 

Track: I Will Follow | Artist: U2 | Album: Boy 

Sega Shows Old Handheld Prototype Publicly For The First Time

In 1995, Sega released the Genesis Nomad in North America. The 16-bit portable was a handheld console with an LCD screen and able to play Genesis cartridges. In a recent YouTube clip, Sega’s Hiroyuki Miyazaki showed off the hardware’s prototype for the first time. Here is the Nomad’s final product version. The design is in…

Thirty-Four Years Later, Ys 1 and II Are Getting PC Floppy Disk Ports

Japanese game developer Nihon Falcom has announced that decades after their original releases, both Ys1 and Ys II are getting ported to the X68000, a Japan-only PC from Sharp that first went on sale in 1987. In 1987, Ys I: Ancient Ys Vanished was first released on the PC-8801, then later that same year on…

Track: Grace Kelly Blues | Artist: Eels | Album: Daisies of the Galaxy 

First Look Inside Super Nintendo World, Which Opens In Japan Next February

Here it is. What we’ve all been waiting for. This is the first look inside the eagerly anticipated Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios in Osaka. Announced in 2015, the park was originally slated to open this year, but due to the global pandemic, it was delayed. Super Nintendo World has been coming along nicely!…

Fans In Japan Don’t Want These Anime Turned Into Live-Action Movies

In the past few years, there have been a handful of popular anime turned into live-action films. A few have been good, but many have not. Recently, Joshi Spa, a popular site aimed at Japanese women, polled 200 of its women readers ranging in ages from 30 to 49, asking them which anime they did…

Marvel’s Avengers Didn’t Sell As Expected, Says Square Enix

Earlier this month in Japan, Square Enix held a briefing for investors. This week, the Tokyo-based game company finally released an official transcript of the meeting. During the presentation, Square Enix President Yosuke Matsuda said, “The HD Games subsegment posted an operating loss as initial sales of Marvel’s Avengers were lower than we had expected…

Track: All You’re Dreaming Of | Artist: Liam Gallagher | Album: All You’re Dreaming Of (single)

Report: Saudi Arabian Investors To Acquire Stake In SNK

In 2015, game company SNK was acquired by Chinese investors. Now, it seems, the company has new investors in Saudi Arabia Eikichi Kawasaki originally founded the company in 1978 as Shin Nihon Kikaku. Famous for its hardware and fighting games, the company became a giant in the Japanese gaming industry. In its heyday, signs at…

What Smash Bros. Creator Masahiro Sakurai Thinks Of The PlayStation 5

“I was able to snag a PS5 on launch day!” Smash Bros. creator Masahiro Sakurai begins in his latest Weekly Famitsu column. He was fortunate enough to get a pre-order at a chain retailer, noting that the supply outweighed the demand and that it seems he was quite lucky. None of this should be surprising,…

Track: The Man Who Sold The World [2020 Mix] | Artist: David Bowie | Album: Metrobolist

Super Mario Maker For Wii U Is Removing Course Share Function [Update]

Today, Nintendo announced that Super Mario Maker for Wii U is ending the game’s online course share function on March 31, 2021. Kotaku has reached out to Nintendo of America but did not hear back prior to publication. Update November 25 – 9:15pm: Nintendo of America confirmed the same announcement to Kotaku. The article and…

Play As Milla Jovovich’s Character In Monster Hunter: World

To mark the release of the live-action Monster Hunter movie, Milla Jovovich’s character, Captain Natalie Artemis, will be playable in an upcoming Monster Hunter World: Iceborne event. According to Capcom, the crossover event will kick off internationally on December 4, with Artemis taking part in two limited-time-only quests, each with special rewards such as materials…

NCSoft, coming off its baseball team’s championship win, is shutting down their South Korean headquarters after a positive covid-19 case emerged. The country’s Ministry of Health and Welfare is doing contact tracing and sanitizing the office, while employees will work remotely until November 26. [Thanks Sang for the tip!] Update November 25 – 9:15pm: An…

Square Enix Aims For Work-Life Balance With Permanent Work-From-Home Option

In Japan, the global pandemic has led to some—but certainly not all—Japanese companies have employees work from home. Square Enix wants to make this choice permanent for its employees. “Rather than utilizing work from home solely as a means of preventing infections during the current pandemic, the Company will establish it as a permanent and…

Track: Sonatine I – Act of Violence | Artist: Joe Hisaishi | Album: Sonatine OST (Movies of My Dreams) 

Korean Baseball Team Celebrates Championship With A Video Game Sword

Overnight, the NC Dinos defeated the Doosan Bears, winning their first Korean Series championship. At the end of the game, the Dinos players gathered around the pitcher’s mound and celebrated the best way they could—with a giant videogame sword. This is not the trophy, but rather a clever way the team’s owner can drum up…