Brian Ashcraft

Here’s What a Live-Action Square Enix TV Show Looks Like

You know that Square Enix games have a certain look. The outfits, the weapons, and the hair all look very Square Enix-y. So if you thought a live-action TV based on a Square Enix game would look like, well, Square Enix, then you’d be right. Based on a card battle game for iOS, Android, and…

Japanese Viewers List This Summer’s Most Popular Anime

It’s so hot! There’s a good way to pass the time: Watch anime. And recently, male and female anime viewers were polled over their favorite shows of this summer. As Zaikei reports, download music site Recochoku polled 578 people between July 25 and August 5, asking them to name which anime of the summer they…

Inside a Bitcoin Mine in Rural China

Last year, Kotaku showed images of a Bitcoin mining operation in Hong Kong. It was fancy! However, these recent photos of a Bitcoin mine in northeast China are anything but. Website The Coinsman recently published photos of a Bitcoin operation that’s located in the Chinese countryside. [Photo: The Coinsman] The Coinsman reports that the three…

If SNK Made StarCraft…

SNK does not make StarCraft. Blizzard makes StarCraft, and SNK made its name with 2D games like Samurai Shodown and The King of Fighters. But if SNK made a game with Blizzard’s characters, it might look like this. As tipster Sang points out, these 2D pixel renderings were created by Korean net users Black Security…

Inside the Intense World of Japan’s Underground Drifting

You are not watching an episode of anime Initial D. This isn’t a video game! Here’s a look at underground drifting in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. Albo Agunday, who filmed this video, tells Kotaku: The way it worked this night is that some cars would line up and go one or two or three at a…

Sony is holding a press conference on the afternoon of September 1 in Tokyo. Promising “the latest announcements,” it will be broadcasted online.

In Japan, McDonald’s Jumbo-Sized Cola Is a Forever Alone Reminder

Small. Medium. Large. Jumbo-sized! The latest McDonald’s drink size for Japan doesn’t come with one slot for straws, but two. Available for a limited time, it’s big enough to share…for those who have someone to share with. Like this! [Photo: mizukiaaaluv] But, as noted on website BuzzPlus, for those who don’t have much of a…

Let’s Hope the Attack on Titan Live-Action Movie Is This Amazing

Here’s the opening theme song for Japanese anime Attack on Titan matched with scenes from a Bollywood musical. The result is magical. Apparently, the clip was originally uploaded to Nico Nico, but has since popped up on sites like Attrip. Other people have also done Attack on Titan opening theme mash-ups (for example, here’s Attack…

Is This The Oldest Image of a White Dude in Japan?

Blond hair. A big nose. These aren’t just the white people stereotypes Japanese people have today. They also could describe one unusual individual in a 13th century Japanese scroll. Here, compare to the white people stereotype that still exists in Japanese popular culture: According to the Tokyo National Museum, the scroll dates from the Kamakura…

Today, Sony Computer Entertainment announced that president Hiroshi Kawano is resigning as of August 31. Starting September 1, the position will be filled by board member Atsushi Morita.

How Lady Gaga Finally Delighted Nationalists in Japan

Last week, Lady Gaga wandered around Tokyo. Her outfit made some people (not all!) on the Japanese internet upset. But when she left, she donned clothes with nationalistic Japanese connotations, making some unhappy folks happy. The outfit that originally got under the skin of some Japanese online featured the Korean script for “color” (컬러). The…

Is This Blue Burger Amazing? Or Disgusting?

As previously noted, the color blue is an appetite suppressant. Yet, here we are, with a blue burger designed to look Earth. I’m not sure I could eat this, and boy, I love burgers. Part of me thinks it’s amazing that there is a chicken burger that looks like our planet. The other part of…

Science Museum Turns Lockers into a Giant Periodic Table

While visiting the Nagoya City Science Museum, Twitter user Kantaku noticed something very cool: the coin lockers. See how they’ve been turned into a giant periodic table? The name of each element is written below each symbol in Japanese, allowing visitors to store their belongings in Helium, Calcium, Oxygen, Potassium, and more. The number of…

The Official Pikachu Maid Costume

Considering how popular maid cafes are in Tokyo’s gaming district, it shouldn’t be a surprise that the Pikachu Cafe got a maid outfit of its own—temporarily, at least! That’s celebrity Rika Adachi working as a maid and restaurant manager in a special event held at the cafe. According to Inside Games, this is the first…

A Look Back at Geek Fashion in Japan

Remember the 1990s? I do! While there were some very cool styles, there were some truly awful ones, too. Then, there’s this: 1990s Akihbara fashion. Recently postedagain online, these scans show off what some people (well, these people) were wearing in Tokyo’s geek district of Akihabara in a much simpler time. Note that some of…

Today, Sony revealed that a 500GB Charcoal Black PlayStation 3 is going on sale in Japan from August 28 for 25,980 yen ($253). The current 250 GB models (here and here) are priced at 23,790 yen ($232) each and will ceased being shipped by late August in Japan. No word about how this impact PS3s…

“Stunning New Pokemon Project” To Be Announced

There’s a new Pokemon project in the works. More details will be revealed in a “big announcement” next week. So yes, this is an announcement of an announcement, with the teaser site saying, “This summer, details of a stunning new project from Pokemon will be announced.” The teaser site specifically states, “shougeki no shin purojekuto”…

Why Yokai Watch Shoplifting Made the Evening News in Japan

Right now, Yokai Watch is incredibly popular in Japan. The 3DS games, the kiddy arcade games, the toys, and the anime are all smash hits. And one network news channel recently reported about a Yokai Watch shoplifting incident. Look, shoplifting is wrong. Don’t do it. But TBS News, a major Japanese television broadcaster, recently ran…

It’s Like Avatar, But with a Naked Runner and a Sex Doll

Recently, a naked man painted in blue paint carrying a blow-up doll was spotted running around Beijing. And yes, photos ended up online. Warning: This article contains content some readers might find objectionable. Online in China, the press has been making comparisons to the James Cameron film Avatar (for example, here are major Chinese sites…

The Delicate Beauty of Japan Sweets Will Amaze and Delight You

“Wagashi” (和菓子) is the name for traditional Japanese sweets. And in Kyoto, those confectionaries are an artform. As noted by website Spoon & Tamago, Kyoto-based photographer Hajime Nakamura has been taking photos of beautiful wagashi—as well as the nature that inspired them. The resulting comparisons are truly inspiring. Eating in Japan is a highly visual…