Brian Ashcraft

How YouTube Just Screwed “Gangnam Style” [Update]

“Gangnam Style” has been nothing short of an internet phenomenon. But a new YouTube tweak might help bring that phenomenon to a swift end, regulating PSY’s “Horse Dance” to something that’s so September 2012. As Korean pop culture site Omona They Didn’t points out, YouTube has changed how it ranks videos. Starting this week, YouTube…

Manga Loving Student Stabs Teacher with a Ball-Point Pen

On October 1, a teacher in Aichi Prefecture, Japan warned a 14 year-old student several times about reading manga in class. When he wouldn’t stop, she took the manga away. That then angered the junior high school student. According to ANN News, the 14 year-old allegedly grabbed a pen off the teacher’s desk and then…

Covering a PlayStation Controller in Stickers Isn’t Very Gangster

To mark the release of crime saga Yakuza 5, Sony is putting out a special (tacky—sorry!) PS3 bundle, complete with a gold colored PS3 controller. The controller is just gold—kinda ho hum. Know what can jazz it up? Stickers. Today, Sega showed off the Yakuza 5 controller, which now comes with customized stickers. Stickers that…

When Pokémon Walked the Earth, Like Dinosaurs

Growing up, I loved reading dinosaur books—you know, those books with colorful dinosaur illustrations that rattled off each creature’s vital statistics. Over on DeviantArt, artist RJ Palmer has done something similar, but with Pocket Monsters. And goodness, the results are spectacular. There have been lots of “realistic” Pocket Monster illustrations, but the 22 year-old art…

It’s Like Pictionary, But With a Crappy Artist

I love art—adore it. Yet, I’m not very good at drawing. I wish I was better, and my lack of illustration talent is probably why I enjoy appreciating the work of others that much more. So going into today’s Gaming App of the Day, I could immediately identify with the game’s main character. That’s right,…

Who’s White and Who’s Japanese in Anime? Once Again, the Internet Compares.

Earlier this year, there were discussions online in Japan on the “whiteness” of anime characters. That discussion, it seems, is not over. A recent Japanese thread titled “Even After Seeing This, You Can Declare Anime Characters Japanese?” (これを見てもアニメキャラは日本人って言い切れるかい？) picked up this issue once again, trying to suss out the physical characteristics of anime characters and…

Cosplaying Lady or Not, Blue Noodles Look Disgusting

This weekend in Tokyo’s geek mecca, Akihabara, eatery LittleBSD wheeled out a noodle selling kiosk. LittleBSD isn’t your typical restaurant—it’s cosplay themed. These weren’t your typical noodles—they were blue. The noodles were “negi sio ita yakisoba” (ネギ塩痛焼きそば) in the image of virtual idol Hatsune Miku. “Negi” (green onions) is what the virtual idol is often…

Bravely Default‘s Inevitable Sequel Will *Probably* Be on the 3DS

On Twitter, a Japanese gamer said she or he purchased a 3DS just to play Square Enix’s latest role-playing game Bravely Default—then asked the game’s official Twitter, if there were a sequel, would it also be a 3DS title? Here’s the reply: “Depending on the circumstances, I don’t think it would change. Because I think…

How Burger Dreams Turn into Burger Nightmares

You know how promotional photos for fast food restaurants always look delicious? And then you get the burger, and it looks like a dog’s breakfast? That’s often the case, and the special burger tower that’s hitting Lotteria doesn’t look to be an exception. Japanese site Rocket News has photos of both tower burgers (which you…

These Kentucky Fried Chicken Flavored Potato Chips Look Finger-Licking Good

Starting on October 25 and for a limited time only, KFC Japan is launching a new flavor of fried chicken called “uma shio shouga chicken” (旨塩生姜チキン) or “savory salt ginger chicken”. According to Tokyo Walker, KFC worked with Japanese snack maker Calbee to bring this flavor to potato chips—also for a limited time only. This…

Youkai Watch, announced last year by Level-5, is headed to the Nintendo 3DS.

First Look at the New Iron Chef Host (Does This Man Love Bell Peppers?)

I love bell peppers. You know who else loves bell peppers? Iron Chef’s original chairman Takeshi Kaga. When news broke last month that Iron Chef was returning to Japanese TV after a 13-year hiatus, it wasn’t known whether or not Kaga would be returning with the show. Turns out, unfortunately, he’s apparently not. Instead, actor-singer…

Japan Isn’t Getting a PS Vita Price Cut Yet. It’s Getting Two New PS Vita Bundles.

This November, two new PS Vita bundles are hitting Japan. There’s a Bonus Pack which comes with a 3G/Wi-Fi PS Vita, 20 hours of pre-paid 3G data, a cradle, protective film, and a 32GB memory card, plus AR cards, etc. Then, there’s a Standard Pack, which comes with a 3G/Wi-Fi PS Vita, 20 hours of…

Here’s Where Gangnam Style Didn’t Hit It Big

A pop sensation. Over four hundred million YouTube views. Number one on the charts in multiple countries. PSY and his tune “Gangnam Style” are a global sensation. But are they? There’s at least one country where the tune never really caught on: Japan. Online in Japan, stories have appeared, wondering why the country isn’t into…

After stating that Mario Wii U was “full 1080p HD”, Nintendo now says it’s just “high definition”.

Famed for Masturbation Toys, Tenga Has a Different Product for Japanese Arcades

While Tenga made its name with its self-pleasuring aids, it’s bringing something slightly different to game centers: a pillow that, um, looks like one of its self-pleasuring aids. This 25cm “Tenga Throat Cup” cushion is dubbed as “big size” and large enough for you to stick your hand in and rest your head on. Just…

Finally! A Cooking School for Japanese Nerds

Tokyo’s Akihabara is soon getting a geeked out cooking school. Dubbed Kitchen A La Mode, it’s a moé style cooking class, aimed at otaku. “While I’m an otaku, I like cooking,” Kitchen A La Mode’s manager told Japanese site Akiba Blog. “Even if there are otaku who cook, there are those who do not cook…

No Sensible Person Would Ever Do This

Boy, this is depressing: a 3DO and a Dreamcast box with Mr. Sega on it chucked out along with pots, pans, an old rice cooker, plastic bottles, umbrellas, and various other crap. With cords coming out of the Dreamcast box, it’s safe to assume there is a console in it. “I discovered this scene the…

Japan is making a live-action Gatchaman movie.

Nothing Says Windows 8 Quite Like Anime Schoolgirls

Microsoft and anime girls are not strangers in Japan. In fact, you could say that Microsoft and Japanese anime girls are a thing. And not a new thing at that! For Windows 7, Microsoft had an OS character—or OS-tan, as they’re called. OS-tans are anime personifications of operating systems that are created online by fans.…