Brian Ashcraft

Oh My, How the Pokémon Anime Has Changed

The Pokémon anime debuted on Japanese television what seems like ages ago. The year 1996 is a distant memory. But last night, it came flooding back. As previously mentioned, Ash’s Charizard is returning to the Pokémon animated series as a regular character, er, Pocket Monster. What last night’s episode illustrated was just how different the…

After Over 13 Years, Ash’s Charizard Returns to the Pokémon Anime

Ash’s Charizard is back. That’s right, because tonight on Pokémon: Best Wishes!, Pocket Monster trainer Ash once again got his Charizard. Fans of the anime will know that this Charizard is the fifth Pokémon Ash nabbed, and tonight’s episode, told partly in flashbacks, gave the Pocket Monster’s backstory. The Charizard became Ash’s most powerful, but…

Square Enix Producer Says It’s Time To Say Goodbye to “Social Games”

There’s nothing wrong with social games, m’kay? Social games are fine. But maybe it’s time to ditch that moniker. According to Takehiro Ando, a mobile game producer at Square Enix, recently did a post on Famitsu titled “Sayonara Social Games”, that might not be a bad idea. Social games are suffering from some bad PR.…

I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen a revolver this big. Even in a video game.

This Isn’t Bad Fashion Photoshop, But Damn, It’s Close

In Japan, it’s become a rite of passage. For years now, the country’s youth have piled into sticker picture machines at their local arcades and snapped photos with friends. But times change, and so do trends. As the years go by, sticker picture companies must keep pace. That’s led to some unflattering photos. Almost a…

Sixty year-old Shigeru Miyamoto tells GameSpot it’s “strange” not to think about retirement. It is if you are Miyamoto!

A Truly Bizarre Domino’s Pizza Commercial

Hello, everyone! This is Scott. Scott Oellkers. He’s the president of Domino’s Pizza Japan, and he’s here to totally weird you out. If you don’t know who Hatsune Miku is, Scott will tell you all about the virtual idol—and tell you about how Domino’s Pizza is teaming up with Miku for a new iTunes app…

This is like Paperboy, but better (and with magnets!) [via IT Media]

Rumor: Sony Aiming for 16 Million PlayStation 4 Consoles for This Year

According to Taiwan’s Digitimes, sources at the PS4’s component makers are saying the plan is to begin shipping the PS4 this August, so it can arrive in stores by the end of the year. Foxconn and Pegatron Technology will apparently assemble the console for Sony, and the goal is to have an annual shipment of…

Meet Some of Japan’s Stupidest Twitter Users

Twitter sure is fun. It’s a great way to get information and communicate with others. It’s also a platform for people to be really, really stupid. Sometimes people forget that their tweets aren’t being broadcast to just their friends, but the whole world. Japan isn’t unique in having stupid folks online. Wherever there are people…

Japanese Site Compares Ridiculous Video Game Breasts to Real Breasts

Instead of just complaining about how ridiculous the digital breasts are in Vita hit game Senran Kagura Shinovi Versus, Japanese site Rocket News decided to compare them to real breasts. Eh… This post contains content some readers might find inappropriate. That’s 21 year-old pin-up model Erina Kamiya, who appears in the video in various states…

Nine Reasons Why (Some) Japanese Women Find Geeks Appealing

Are you a nerd? A geek? A straight male? Then, perhaps you might hit it off with some women in Japan. Over a thousand people replied to a recent poll on a Japanese research site on the appeal of otaku (“geeks”). A few years ago, when Train Man was at the height of its popularity…

The Pirate Bay Is Not Moving to North Korea

Earlier this week, there was chatter that The Pirate Bay, a popular BitTorrent site, had moved its servers to North Korea. That was a hoax. According to North Korea Tech, The Pirate Bay originally said it was setting sail for North Korea in the wake of ongoing pressure The Pirate Bay allows users to index,…

It’s Not the Size of Your Keyblade, But How You Use It

In the Kingdom Hearts games, Keyblades are the mysterious weapons wielded by the games’ main characters. I’ve always thought they’re pretty cool looking! Guess I’m not alone. Loads of KH players seem to think so! And the games’ biggest fans show their appreciation for Square Enix’s Kingdom Hearts and its interesting weapons the best way…

Sam Raimi dishes to Vulture on why he’s not doing the World of Warcraft movie.

Jalopnik covers why a Gran Turismo track might be based on an abandoned circuit in Iowa.

No Japan, These Are Not America’s Latest Killing Machines (Sorry!)

A steel, robotic killing machine that’s ready to take orders. It’s like something out of science fiction. Or, rather, an artist’s online portfolio. Yesterday, a different image of the above mecha was tweeted out in Japanese, with a note that this was “America’s latest model of an unmanned machine.” The tweet also noted the mecha…

Here, Enjoy the World’s Hottest Spin Kick

If you haven’t seen the 2003 Thai action flick Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior, you really, really need to. Here’s one of the film’s most memorable scenes, which just might be the closest we’ll ever get to Fei Long’s shienkyaku Ong-Bak went on to spawn two sequels, Ong-Bak 2 and Ong-Bak 3. The films’ mastermind, Tony…

In the two weeks since the PS Vita’s Japanese price cut, Sony says sales have quadrupled (via Game Revelation)

In China, Faking Pregnancy Is One Way To Get a Seat on the Subway

Snagging a seat on the subway or crosstown bus ain’t always easy, especially in China’s crowded cities. That’s why, according to The Beijing News, “pregnancy pads” are supposedly hot sellers. People with good manners give up their seats for elderly people and pregnant women. Hence why some Chinese women (apparently!) are shelling out between the…