Brian Ashcraft

Some Say Frozen Ripped Off a Japanese Anime. Here’s Why.

Disney’s hit animated feature Frozen follows the story of two sisters—the older of which is able to wield snow and ice. Then, suddenly, that sister’s personality changes for the worse, and the younger sister tries to save the day. Sound familiar? The official line is that Frozen is based on The Snow Queen. That isn’t…

I Want a Giant Cat To Carry Me To Work, Too

Morning commutes in big Japanese cities are notoriously awful. If only people had giant cats to keep them company! The most recent commercial for Fit’s chewing gum is one of the more memorable Japanese commercials of late. The commercial marks the fact that the gum’s flavor lasts for fifty minutes and the song’s refrain keeps…

Ever Wonder Why Japanese Trains Aren’t Late? Here’s Why.

Trains in Japan are incredibly punctual. Being on time is counted down to the centiseconds. And unless there’s an accident, Japanese trains simply are not late. In the above Discovery Channel Asia video, you can see some of the reasons why the country’s rails run, well, like clockwork. Super Japan: On-time Metro [Discovery Channel Asia@YouTube]…

Inside South Korea’s Coolest Military Theme Park

This is the Wanju Military Theme Park in South Korea. If only more video game first-person shooters were this colorful! The self-described “military theme park” is an airsoft pellet gun map that uses the GunPower system. According to YouTube user Ds4odk, this system employs wireless BB detectors—one on the front, one on the back, one…

Are the Attack on Titan Fries Big Enough for You?

Today, fast food chain Lotteria launched its new bucket of Attack on Titan french fries. It’s literally just a massive bucket of fries—but served up in an AoT container. I guess you could say it’s a titan-sized bucket? Or maybe you were hoping for something larger? Website Gigazine ordered the fries, which clock in at…

This University Cares About What Truly Matters: Being Good At Gaming

Starting next year, if you are really, really good at video games, you can use your gaming skills to get into one of South Korea’s best universities—just like being a talented football or basketball player can help your admissions odds. According to PGR21 (via tipster Sang), Chung-Ang University will begin accepting eSports applicants next year,…

The Strangest Dick Drawings You’ll Ever See (NSFW)

In your life, you’ve probably seen your share of dick doodles. But I can guarantee you’ve never seen any quite like this. Note: Some readers might find this article’s content objectionable. Meet Yuuki Tokuda The illustrator’s work varies. Some drawings are wonderfully realistic Others are wonderfully strange. Just so you don’t think Tokuda only draws…

What’s the Point of Releasing the Xbox One in Japan, Anyway?

Today, Microsoftannounced that the Xbox One will be out in Japan in September 2014. That’s almost a year after it was released in North America and parts of Europe. But, really, why bother? Online in Japan, many gamers were amused by the fall 2014 release. “September, lol. It’s already forgotten,” wrote one commenter on 2ch,…

Crimea’s Attorney General Spawns Anime Fan Art

With all the turmoil in Crimea, a press conference clip of the new Prosecutor of the Crimean republic, Natalia Poklonskaya, went viral in Japan, spawning anime-style fan art. As website Voice of Russia points out, Poklonskaya recently gave a no-nonsense press conference. “I tell the truth and I’m not afraid of this truth. I am…

The Challenge of Leaving Castlevania (and Konami) Behind

Koji Igarashi is 46 years old. Dubbed “Iga” by fans, he’s best known for his work on the Castlevania series. Nearly half his life was spent making games at Konami. Yesterday, he announced he was leaving that company, and in an exclusive interview with Kotaku, he explains why. “I was at Konami for 24 years,”…

Beloved Castlevania Producer Koji Igarashi Leaves Konami

Koji Igarashi, a veteran game producer best known for his work on the Castlevania series, has left Konami. His last day at the Tokyo-based game company was March 15. Igarashi joined Konami in 1990, and wrote the hit game Tokimeki Memorial before moving on to Castlevania with the classic Symphony of the Night. With his…

Wanna-Be Japanese Celebrity Arrested for Stealing 22 Leotards

In Japan, there are some people who are famous simply for being famous. They are called “tarento” (タレント) and appear on variety shows and talk shows. Misaki Hashigawa isn’t one of those people. But as of today, she’s famous online! According to Jiji and Sankei News, this “self-styled tarento” was arrested for stealing twenty-two leotards.…

Dumb Japanese News Show Falls for Angry German Kid Video

Last night, a weekend news show hosted by Beat Takeshi covered the dangers of internet addiction. To illustrate that, the program, called Jouhou 7 Days News Caster, showed a clip from the infamous Angry German Kid video. For proper context, you can see the whole segment below, which is on “internet dependence.” Note the ominous…

Talented illustrator Hyung-Tae Kim, who previously worked at NCSoft, is setting up his own studio in South Korea called Shift Up. The studio is already working on a new mobile game. [Thanks for the tip, Sang!]

One Piece and Dragon Ball Destroy Tokyo Street

The front of department store Shibuya Parco in Tokyo is a mass of rubble! One Piece’s Luffy threw a massive punch into the pavement. Just wait until Goku unleashes that kamehameha! This sculpture will be on display until March 23 and was installed to promote manga fighting game J-Stars Victory Vs. Check out the photos…

Skimpy Flight Attendant Uniforms Called “Dangerous”

From the end of May, Japanese budget airline Skymark is rolling out a new Airbus A330-300 addition to its fleet. To mark the occasion, the airline is also introducing new uniforms for its female cabin crew. Very, very short uniforms. Today, one of the largest papers in Japan, Mainichi, reported how the country’s labor union…

Whoever Made This Anti-Weed Poster Must Have Been High

Those who grew up in America during the 1980s might remember those “Just Say No” posters. They were anti-drug propaganda, and Japan has them, too. Though, this particular poster looks like it was made by people stoned outta their minds. Recently, uploaded by Twitter user Xxtakoxx, this anti-drug poster reads, “Bad. Definitely. Marijuana.” The image…

You Need a Big Garage to Fix Giant Mecha

At Japanese theme park Nasu Highland, there is a new Gundam exhibit called “Zaku Repair Shop.” The exhibit houses an enormous MS-06S ZAKU II bust that measures around 6.5 meters tall. While it’s not the full mecha, it is one-to-one scale. It’s big. This isn’t a first for the theme park, which has also exhibited…

First Look at the Persona-Branded 3DS XL

Upcoming spin-off title Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth is getting its own emblazoned 3DS XL. This is it. Well, the back of it, anyway. As you can see, it reads “3DS LL” because in Japan, “XL” is called the “LL.” And here is the front, courtesy of Famitsu: I like how you have to…

You Will Never Guess Who Created This Game

I’m pretty confident that if you just watched the trailer for this game, you would have no clue who made it. Here’s a hint: One of the creators is a Japanese developer you’d never imagine involved with a game like this. This is Colors: Break Bricks, an Android app in which you destroy blocks. Here’s…