Brian Ashcraft

Chinese Building Looks Like a Giant Bird Cage

It’s not every day you get to see a Chinese building that looks like a giant steel bird cage. Well, that day is today. According to Xinhua, one of China’s largest sites, the two-story building recently appeared in Wuhan, China. It’s actually a facade for a club, designed to look like a birdcage, complete with…

American Developers Comment on Japanese Video Games’ Weaknesses

Back in the 1980s and 90s, if you played arcade games or console games, you played Japanese games. Lots of them. But maybe things have changed. Why? At a recently held game developers’ convention in Japan, Kento Kojima, a lead animator at 2K Games, gave a presentation on things he has learned working for an…

This Japanese Horror Film Star Is Really Good at Baseball

Ever see the original version of The Ring? You know, the Japanese horror movie in which a character named Sadako climbs out of a television to KILL PEOPLE. Turns out, Sadako is good at baseball. Like holy crap good. Recently, Sadako threw out the first pitch at the Seibu Dome in a game between the…

Puzzle & Dragons Z is coming to the 3DS in Japan on December 12. No word on a Western release.

Make Any Bad-Ass Figure Instantly Cute

Predator doesn’t look so scary when decked out in a frilly skirt, huh? In the last twenty-four hours, it’s become somewhat of a thing online in Japan to put hair scrunchies on figures. You see, the scrunchies look like dresses! The trend apparently began yesterday, after a 2ch user used a scrunchie to give a…

There’s a New Layton Game. It’s…Different.

Tonight in Japan, Level-5 just revealed the latest entry in its Layton puzzle series. It’s titled Layton 7. It looks, well, different. According to Famitsu, this is the “latest entry in the Professor Layton series.” The game is headed to iOS, Android, and Nintendo 3DS. Details are scant, but the design looks to be a…

New Inazuma Eleven is coming to Japan this fall…as an online game. And it’s name? Inazuma Eleven: Online. Now, that’s clever. Starting this winter on PC, it’s free-to-play with microtransactions. No word on Western releases.

Even the Deer Are Polite in Japan. (You’re Kidding, Right?)

Just look how this cute critter bows. This Japanese deer must be so polite. All Japanese deer must be so polite. Ha. Ha, ha! Um, no. In Nara, Japan’s ancient capital, there is a public park filled with deer that roam freely. In the past, the deer were considered sacred—messengers of the Gods! And look,…

So many platforms! Next year in Japan, Level-5 is bringing its mobile RPG Wonder Flick to the PS3, the PS4, the PS Vita, the Wii U, and the Xbox One. No word on a Western release.

Anger Over Korean Poo Wine Video

Earlier this month, Vice released a video purporting to introduce a “traditional” Korean drink made from human feces. Online in South Korea, people are reportedly not pleased. On Korea’s Chosun TV, the clip was dubbed “derogatory.” Korean site Dailian said the clip lacked proper fact checking. Other Korean sites also criticized the “poo wine” video.…

Japan’s Real Life Kick-Ass Is Very Helpful

In the movie, a regular teenager is determined to become a superhero. For 27 year-old Tadahiro Kanemasu, he just wanted to be a Good Samaritan. For the last several months, Kanemasu has set up shop outside Tokyo Metro’s Honancho Station. The station doesn’t have an elevator or escalator, which can make it incredibly difficult for…

This Isn’t The King of Fighters Game You Are Expecting

So, there’s a King of Fighters game coming out! Hooray! It might be different from what you are expecting. KOF diehards will be quick to point out that SNK Playmore has strayed from formula for King of Fighters games in the past. Heck, there’s been a King of Fighters shooting game for goodness sake! As…

A Thousand Escaped Crocodiles Aren’t Terrorizing China. Apparently!

You might have heard how a million cockroaches escaped from a roach nursery in China? Did you hear the one about the crocodiles? Flooding in South China’s Guangdong province damaged the enclosure at a crocodile farm in the city of Shantou, Chinese state media China Daily reports. The 11-hectare nursery held approximately 11,000 crocodiles to…

Chewbacca’s Name in Japanese Sure Is Stupid

Accomplished pilot. Loyal friend. Iconic hairy dude. Chewbacca is all of these things, but in Japanese, he’s more. He’s an “average moron.” I say “Chewbacca,” and you think, well, probably “Chewbacca.” But in Japanese, the name might involve different connotations. Now, there are several theories about the origin of the Chewbacca moniker that range from…

Bad News for the PS Vita: No Monster Hunter 4 Anytime Soon

Remember how popular Monster Hunter was on the PSP in Japan? And how it became a system seller for the Sony hardware? And how the PSP was pretty much the machine Japanese people used to play Monster Hunter? Remember that? This time around things are different. Monster Hunter 4 is coming to the 3DS, and…

Joker Plastic Surgery? Permanent Duck Faces? I’m Not Sure Which!

In Asia, making “duck faces” is considered cute. And in South Korea, it’s cute enough for plastic surgery. This is “lipline surgery” or, as tipster Sang points out, literally “liptail surgery” (입꼬리 수술 or “ipkkori”). Recently, Reddit posted an image of someone who seems to have undergone the procedure, adding that this is a “new…

Ready for Gran Turismo 7? Gran Turismo creator Kazunori Yamauchi said his studio has conceived a PS4 version of their PS3 game Gran Turismo 6. However, Joystiq reports it will take some time to get out (surprise!), and it’s possible the game might be what’s eventually Gran Turismo 7. The keyword here is “eventually.”

Controversy Over the Chinese Pacific Rim Translation

Pacific Rim is a smash hit in China. People love it, even if the subtitles are iffy. There is one subtitle translation in particular that has made the evening news in China. The on-screen subtitle for Elbow Rocket, Gypsy Danger‘s rocket-powered punch, reads “Pegasus Meteor Fist” in Chinese. No biggie, right? It was changed, so…

Crap Air Makes for Fake Tourist Photos in Hong Kong

The pollution in Hong Kong is bad. Real bad. Besides the health risks, it makes the air all hazy. And that sucks for something far less serious: Photo ops. Just as Bloomberg reports that Hong Kong’s air pollution has hit a “very high level” and the city is covered in a blanket of haze, NetEase,…

Colonel Sanders Dressed Up Like Never Before

In Japan, Kentucky Fried Chicken is an institution. So is putting Colonel Sanders in a variety of different outfits, including anime characters, samurai, and school children. Oh, and maids! This is a Colonel Sanders statue. There are typically located inside or in front of KFCs in Japan. For years now, the Colonel statue has been…