Brian Ashcraft

It’s Like That Shocking Head Shaving Apology Never Happened

Last week, Japanese singer Minami Minegishi shaved her head after a tabloid photographed her leaving a boy band member’s house. In the strict world of Japanese idols, dating boys is a no-no. Cover-ups, however, are totally fine. After Minegishi’s group AKB48 uploaded her shaved head video apology on its official YouTube channel, the clip soon…

The Magic of Skyrim Mods: A Naked Man Swimming in Cabbage

Just when you think you’ve seen it all, you really have not. The wonderful world of Skyrim mods never ceases to delight and amaze. These screenshots recently popped up online in Japan, with a forum commenter pointing out that The Elders Scrolls V: Skyrim was a game in which you could play in a river…

Wii U title Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge is headed to the PS3 and the Xbox 360, Famitsu is rumored to report.

This Enormous Transformers Snow Sculpture Will Blow Your Mind

There’s more than meets the eye at this year’s winter festival in the northern Japanese city of Asahikawa. There’s a huge Transformers snow sculpture. Since 1959, the city of Asahikawa has held an annual winter festival, and this year, Japanese toy maker Takara Toy is rolling out this enormous piece of snow art. “More Than…

Namco and Nintendo are teaming up for yet another Mario Kart arcade game. Details here

Don’t Object to This Ace Attorney Cosplay

Legal eagle game series Ace Attorney has players use their wits as they collect evidence and go to trial. But the legal sleuth aspect isn’t only why fans love the Ace Attorney games. They love the sense of humor and colorful characters. The games have captured the imagination of players across the world, and the…

North Korea Uses Call of Duty and “We Are the World” in Truly Bizarre Propaganda

If those North Korean propaganda games weren’t odd (and unsettling) enough, the country’s state media is incorporating Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and “We Are the World” to show the U.S. under attack. Yeah Never mind that “We Are the World” was written by Americans (Lionel Richie and Michael Jackson) or that North Korea…

Nintendo’s Satoru Iwata recently said the Wii U’s NFC, currently under development, is planned to be tested this year.

McDonald’s in China Is Sorry about Serving Detergent

In Northeastern China, a McDonald’s restaurant served a customer detergent instead of Coke. He was taken to the hospital and was diagnosed with erosive gastritis, after being served detergent in a Coke cup at a McDonald’s in Northeastern China. The customer’s girlfriend drank it, thinking it was soda. She then experienced a burning feeling in…

Wearing Cosplay Outfits Is the Best Way To Protest

A pair of Angry Birds are, wait for it, angry. Garfield and Donald Duck are rightly pissed, too. And don’t get the Chinese God of Wealth started. He’s livid Several migrant workers cosplayed as famous characters to draw attention to unpaid wages. According to Offbeat China, the five workers sat in front of China National…

Studio Ghibli anime Kaguya-hime no Monogatari has been delayed to this fall, because the storyboards weren’t finished.

Ouya Is Coming to Stores. So, You Can Buy It There, Too.

Didn’t get in on that Ouya Kickstarter? Well, fret not. Today, the folks behind the open-source Android-based game console just brought word that Ouya is coming to select retailers. That’s right, you can buy it in stores. “Just so you know, you’re still getting yours as promised, before they’re ever in stores. Wanted to be…

Listen to Tomb Raider IN JAPANESE

The latest Tomb Raider game will be out in Japan this spring. The game is getting a Japanese language version, with voice actress Yuhko Kaida bringing Lara Croft to life. In case you were wondering, Lara speaks excellent Japanese. In case you missed it, check out Kotaku‘s Tomb Raider preview トゥームレイダー CROSSROADS 日本語吹き替え版トレイラー [YouTube] Kotaku…

Anyone Can Draw Snake from Metal Gear. Um, Maybe Not.

Art is hard. You must practice. But some pictures are easier to draw than you think, once you have the steps. Take Snake from Metal Gear Solid. You can draw Snake. I think. Recently on 2ch, Japan’s largest bulletin board, a Metal Gear fan provided a nifty how-to for drawing Naked Snake from Metal Gear…

Get a Good Look at The Terrible Enemies in The Last of Us

Shaping up to look like a truly scary game, The Last of Us is populated with gruesomely infected enemies called Runners and Clickers. (More here.) Here’s a handful of screens of the enemies as well as some images of the lush, frightening setting. Have a look. Naughty Dogの最新作「The Last of US」プレビュー&インタビュー [Game Impress Watch]

Perhaps the Worst English Translations of 2013 (Or the Best?)

Living in Asia, you get used to mangled English. It stops being a source of amusement, and you can feel empathy for those trying to express something in another language. Then, every once in a while, you see something that makes you stop and go what. The. Fuck. Today, literally. The website of the Capital…

Japan’s Most Dangerous Hacker Served with a Wanted Poster and a Bounty

Mugshots. Artist’s sketches. Physical descriptions. Those are what you see on typical wanted posters in Japan. But this is not your typical wanted poster. It’s not even your typical crime. Instead, this wanted poster features descriptions of programming languages, viruses, and internet use. But like most wanted posters, this one also has a hefty reward.…

Hello Kitty in Spaaaaaaaaace!

Seventh graders at Cornerstone Christian launched Hello Kitty into space. For science. Yes, science! The coolest bit is that after her space flight Kitty-chan was recovered 47.5 miles from the launch site. The onboard GPS and a loud beeper help locate the cat. One small step for cartoon felines, indeed. Hello Kitty in Space [Melody…

Man Explains Why He Slept with WoW Guild Members

A chat log in which a Chinese gamer discussed his one-night stands has gone viral in China. In the chat log, the gamer dished on sleeping with several female guild members. The gamer was asked, “So you switched servers and came into our guild just to do our girls?” His reply was simply, “For the…

Xenoblade Chronicles developer Monolith Soft is hiring