Brian Ashcraft

Cosplayer Is a Perfect Hiro from Big Hero 6

If you are wondering what a live-action Big Hero 6 would look like, my guess is this. Cosplayer Jin does an incredible job of bringing Hiro to life, right down to his facial expressions. It’s as though she was born to cosplay this character. Here is Jin’s take via her Tumblr: I usually disagree when…

Nintendo’s AC Adapter Policy Isn’t Fair

The New Nintendo 3DS XL does not come with an AC adapter. If you don’t have one, you must buy one. Nintendo says there’s a good reason for that. Whatever that reason is, it’s not fair. The New Nintendo 3DS is an updated version of the 3DS, and it’s truly a fantastic handheld. I cannot…

Three Years Later, the PSP Gets a Firmware Update

Today, Sony released firmware 6.61 for the PlayStation Portable. Um. What? According to Sony, the update improves system software stability. For those keeping score, the last time Sony updated the PSP’s firmware was in August 2011. The update, however, is currently only for Japan. It will be announced for elsewhere at a later date. Keep…

Becoming a Japanese Animator Is Hard

There’s been a deceptively difficult question on the test to get a job at Toei Animation. Below, you can see a drawing that, according to a 2ch user, has appeared on the studio’s employee entrance exam. Toei, of course, is famous for an array of anime, and some of Japan’s most famous animators, including Hayao…

Majora’s Mask Spawns Photoshop Meme in Japan

Blame Nintendo for this. No, really. Blame them. Not that a Majora’s Mask meme is a bad thing! This one is actually rather amusing. Taking a page from the Square Enix playbook, Nintendo released hi-res art of Majora’s Mask last night. [Photo: Nintendo] As well as the above image of Nintendo honcho Satoru Iwata. Heh.…

A new Rhythm Heaven game is headed to the Nintendo 3DS this summer in Japan. It will feature in excess of a hundred rhythm games, over thirty of which are new to the series.

Popular online game Kantai Collection is getting an arcade game from Sega. Location tests begin this month in Japan.

Can You Tell What’s Chocolate? The Eagerly Awaited Sequel 

Maybe this man is biting a shoe. Or maybe, he’s biting a shoe made of chocolate. That’s right, your favorite sweet tooth quiz is back. Surely you remember last year how Japanese TV show Ultraman Dash had its celebrity panel try to discern what items were real and what were sweets? This January, Ultraman Dash…

Man Stuffs PS4 and Xbox One into a Single Laptop

Modder Eddie Zarick took one PlayStation 4 and one Xbox One and put them into one laptop. Because, why not, really. Previously, Kotaku has featured Zarick’s work, such as the custom-made PS4 laptops he created. This latest project, however, was specifically requested by one of Zarick’s customers. It took about a month to complete. According…

​Four-Year-Old Kid Pulls Off a Killer Bruce Lee 

You might like Bruce Lee. You might love him. But can you do this? Maybe you can! But could you when you were still in preschool? I know I couldn’t. What’s cool is that the kid isn’t only doing a solid job of matching Lee’s moves from flicks like Game of Death, but the tyke…

Shooting Incident Outside Sega Exec’s House

Hajime Satomi, the CEO of Sega Sammy, is one of Japan’s richest individuals. And early this morning, there was a frightening gun incident at his house. Thankfully, the Sega exec and his family were not at home. Satomi founded pachinko machine maker Sammy Corporation, which bought Sega in 2004. He is now the director of…

19-Year-Old Kid Creates Badass Fighting Anime

There are shades of Dragon Ball here, and well, pretty much every epic anime battle brawl you can think of. That being said, this is pretty darn cool. As noted on NicoNico, the animation is a solo work, created by a 19-year-old in Guangzhou, China. Nice job! The clip has been impressing Japanese net users…

Disney Artist Pays Homage to Studio Ghibli

Jin Kim, Character Design Supervisor at Walt Disney Animation Studios, drew this Big Hero 6 piece to express his gratitude to Studio Ghibli’s Hayao Miyazaki. Of course, Miyazaki is famous for creating anime like My Neighbor Totoro, which Kim’s wonderful tribute references. The drawing was first posted online last November, but it’s been recently creating…

Japanese Maids Sure Make Frying Pans Exciting

Then again, I’ve never really thought that seriously about frying pans. One hundred Japanese maids show off these non-stick cooking pans in this Direct Teleshop spot. That’s a lot of maids. And a lot of frying pans. To contact the author of this post, write to bashcraftATkotaku.com or find him on Twitter @Brian_Ashcraft Kotaku East…

Artist Screws with Street Signs, Ticks Off Japanese Cops

For the past few years, French artist Clet Abraham has been putting up removable stickers on street signs through Europe. Since late last year, he’s been in Japan. And now, he’s allegedly in trouble with the law. Abraham puts up his stickers during the night, creating street art that surprises people during the day. Some…

Naruto Live-Action Actors Look Dirty

They’re making an official Naruto musical. And now, we finally get a look at the whole cast all dressed up in their Naruto costumes—and covered in grime. Is “dirty” the new “gritty”? Get these ninja some soap! As previously mentioned, the stage version is called Live Spectacle Naruto and features actors Kodai Matsuoka as Naruto,…

GIFs Make Monday Bearable

Monday sucks. It always sucks. So here are some animated GIFs to help get your through the morning. These GIFs were originally uploaded to 2ch (via Himasoku). Some of these you might know and love and have seen before. Others might be new to you. Hopefully they’ll bring a smile to your face. To contact…

Pokémon Wasn’t The Biggest Seller in Japan Last Year

In 2014, Japan saw the release of big Pocket Monster games Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. The games sold a ton in Japan, but not enough to reign supreme. A new challenger has taken the crown: Yokai Watch That’s right, Famitsu is reporting Yokai Watch 2 outsold Pokémon ORAS in 2014. What’s interesting about…

Last Year’s Biggest Selling Cosplay Outfits in Japan 

Not every cosplayer makes his or her outfit. Many of them buy them. And Japan’s largest cosplay outfit company Cospa just released its biggest sellers of 2014. As pointed out on Nico Nico, this list is Kantai Collection heavy, but there are a few surprises, such as Legend of the Galactic Heroes making the list.…

You’re Not Looking at Real Japanese Food. This Is Art

Well, I’m now hungry. You? Over on Pixiv, there is a series of “realistic Japanese meals” illustrations. Damn, they look good. Good enough to eat. Udon [by 麝香丸] Aji furai (Deep fried Japanese mackerel) [by イエローケーキ] Soy Sauce Ramen [by Buttercup] Tamago kake gohan (Raw egg over rice) [by ななつ] Ten-don (Tempura over rice) [by…