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Kotaku East
Only Dressing Up in Funny Costumes Will Save Us All
As the world gets increasingly tense, cosplay nerds in Taiwan have it all figured it out: there’s no better diplomacy than cosplay diplomacy. Bless them. These photos are from the recent Petit Fancy and the Comic World events, which were held near the prestigious National Taiwan University. Many of the cosplayers enjoyed dressing up as…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 18, 2012 -
The Writer of This Military Protest Might Surprise You
Two men in military garb. They bow slightly, and their hands make the universal motion for “go first”. The text reads loosely, “After you, Prime Minister.” This ad originally appeared in 1982. And now in 2012, it’s finding an audience with a new generation of Japanese, worried about the country building up its army, going…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 18, 2012 -
Kotaku East
This Looks Like New Final Fantasy Versus XIII Character Art [Update: No, It’s Not]
Don’t get too excited just yet! It’s only one Versus character (Noctis). And it’s only one drawing. What’s more, it looks vaguely like character art we saw earlier this year. But, it is apparently new, and it does feature other FF characters. Keep the dream alive! This art comes via a Kotaku reader, who says…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 18, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Um, There’s Pubic Hair on My iPhone
Pubes! If finding other people’s strands of hair wasn’t bad enough, there’s something worse. Way worse. That something we can all agree on, of course, is pubic hair. That’s the concept behind these “pubic hair stickers” (inmou shiiru or 陰毛シール). They’re not real pubes, but fake gag ones that you can shock your friends with.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 17, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Japanese Nationalism Swells in Tokyo’s Geek District
On the eve of an election, a politician stood before a crowd. The speech was fiery. And flags fluttered. If this were anywhere else, nobody would think twice. But this wasn’t anywhere. It was Tokyo. Akihabara to be exact. Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe lead his conservative Liberal Democratic Party to a huge victory yesterday,…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 17, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Your Favorite Manga Characters Are Ready To Beat the Crap Outta Each Other
Project Versus J is an upcoming team battle fighting game that, so far, features Goku from Dragon Ball, Luffy from One Piece, and Toriko from Toriko Check out that kamehameha. Damn The upcoming game is headed to the PS3 and PS Vita, and it ill help mark the forty-fifth anniversary of Weekly Jump. There are…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 17, 2012 -
Kotaku EastDon’t Talk Sh*t About Reggie’s Japanese. Just Don’t.
Reggie Fils-Aime is the Nintendo of America honcho. And while he works for a Japanese company, he’s no Japanese language wizard like in-house localizer Bill Trinen. He is, however, a vengeful, vengeful man. They don’t call that man the Regginator for nothing. The wrath of Reggie [DiskSystemChronicles@YouTube] Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 17, 2012 -
Kotaku East
From Cute to Anything But, This Is Plastic To Treasure
The Treasure Festa rolled through Tokyo this past weekend. The twice a year event showcases both upcoming and limited edition figures and statues. As in the spring, Japanese website Akiba Hobby was once again on hand to snap photos and document the expo. The above gallery is mostly bishoujo (beautiful young girls), but there’s a…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 17, 2012 -
Kotaku East
A Theme Park Dedicated to One Piece, Naruto, and Dragon Ball Opens Next Year
Next summer, a Weekly Jump “theme park” is opening in Tokyo. Weekly Jump, of course, is a popular weekly manga that features iconic titles like One Piece, Dragon Ball and Naruto. The theme park will be housed in a building complex in Tokyo’s Ikebukuro called Sunshine City. The theme park will have a Dragon Ball…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 17, 2012 -
Kotaku East
This Robot Toy Is Expensive, But Damn, It’s Beautiful
Just. Look. At. It. If you love Japanese robots, this deluxe super alloy Mazinger Z is definitely worth your attention. And maybe even your cashola. Priced at ¥36,750 ($440), this 30cm tall Mazinger Z leads the way in Bandai’s newest Soul of Chogokin series (“chougoukin” or 超合金 is Japanese for “super alloy”). The figure is…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 17, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Japan’s Love Affair with Pigtails
The pigtail, or as they’re called in Japan “twintail”, is not a new hairdo by any stretch. It’s not new in the West, and it’s certainly not new in Japan. But in the last few years, it’s become more popular than ever. Earlier this year, the Japan Twintail Association was created to promote and celebrate…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 17, 2012 -
The Wonderful World of Cat Cosplay
Cat cosplay, it seems, is a thing. Sometimes, it’s very clever, like this Cat Bus… cat. Sometimes, it’s cute, such as when people dress their cats up as frogs or chickens. And sometimes, it can get a little odd. Cat schoolgirl? Really? Here’s a smattering of cat cosplay. Dressing up your cat in a cute…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 15, 2012 -
These Lupin the Third Figures Want to Steal Your Shelf
Iconic Lupin the Third characters Lupin and his partner in crime Jigen are getting two new figurines for your posing enjoyment. Part of the Revoltech line, the figures will be out next February in Japan, with the Lupin priced at ¥2,980 (US$37) and the Jigen priced at ¥2,400 ($29). The Lupin figure is wearing his…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 15, 2012 -
Batman, Mario Kart and Transformers Peel Out as Japanese Toy Cars
Children (and adults) rejoice! Tomy’s Tomica toy cars are getting a handful of iconic wheels, such as the Batmobile, Optimus Prime, and Mario’s kart. The toy cars race out later this month in Japan, with each costing ¥630 ($7.50). Have a look, courtesy of Kotaku Japan 『バットマン』や『ポケモン』がミニカーに！ トミカ新シリーズ「Dream TOMICA」がリリース [Kotaku Japan]
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 15, 2012 -
China Turns Its Japanese Porn Dream into Horrible Nightmares
This is Sora Aoi. She is a former Japanese adult video actress who has been wildly popular in China. If one person can improve the tense relationship between the two countries, maybe it’s her! She’s so popular there that there are the inevitable cash-ins for those fans who want to get very close to the…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 15, 2012 -
Japanese Tooth Brushing Sure Can Be Terrifying
Good dental hygiene is important. So is not scaring the crap out of kids! Earlier this year, a photo appeared online of a Doraemon plush toy that had been filled with teeth in order to teach children how to brush properly. The result was an unintentionally frightening teaching tool. However, that mishmash is no anomaly.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 15, 2012 -
Controlling Your Toilet? Checking Your Poop? There’s an App for That.
Japanese toilet tech is world class. For decades now, the country’s loos have had more than heated seats and control panels. There’s all kinds of fancy toilet tech for high end models. That’s probably why when Japanese people visit, say, the U.S., the cold toilet seats and lack of throne features truly baffle them. Leading…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 15, 2012 -
Mob Blames Mass Effect For School Shooting, Is Embarrassingly Wrong
In the wake of the terrible tragedy in Connecticut, initial reports said the shooter was a 24 year-old named Ryan Lanza. Online, people quickly located a Ryan Lanza on Facebook and searched through his profile to see if there were any “clues” they could pin the shooting on. They found their clues… but the wrong…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 15, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Explaining the Difference Between Male and Female Otaku
In Japan, there are male nerds and female nerds. And there are key differences between the two, besides their gender: The way they shop and interact with fandom are not the same, reports Excite Bit An individual connected to otaku (geek) goods told Excite that there’s apparently a discrepancy in how much male and female…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 14, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Japan’s Solution to Boring Politics: Rad Manga Posters
Japan is holding a national election on December 16. No, wait! Don’t stop reading, because one politician just did something so very cool. It’s more a like manga-inspired art project than your typical politics. Before the election, boring posters of politicians go up across Japan. The posters feature headshots, and like I said, they are…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 14, 2012
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