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Kotaku East
What Do Steve Jobs, Brutal Dictators, and Japanese Porn Stars Have in Common? Playing Cards.
That’s because the folks at Chinese playing card company HCG churn out an array of cards featuring, not only the movers and shakers of modern history, but also those who move and shake in Japanese skin flicks. The company’s most recent decks include Steve Jobs, Muammar Gaddafi, Osama Bin Laden, and Japanese porn stars like…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 18, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Madoka Is Flicking You Off All in Good Fun
At the recent AK-Garden hobby show in Japan, the figurine of Puella Magi Madoka Magica‘s Madoka Kaname got an array of customized (and amusing) accesories. Have a look. Puella Magi Madoka Magica is a magical girl anime that has spun off into manga and video games. And now, she’s giving you the bird. How…magical. 小物パーツ系使用例がまどか率高すぎかつ「MADか☆マギカ」状態な件…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 18, 2012 -
Kotaku EastIf This Is the Future of Gaming, Then We’re All Gonna Look So Stupid
If you thought you looked like a goober while playing plastic guitars, you ain’t seen nothing yet. Mocap Games promises players a full immersive experience that puts them directly in the game. That isn’t necessarily a good thing. It is a good thing for those who like looking like goobers. Recently, Mocap Games shows off…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 18, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Meet The Most Fashionable Badass Mecha on Earth
Louis Vuitton evokes images of pricy brand name goods, durable bags, and high fashion. It does not evoke images of giant mecha, wielding giant swords. That, however, might change. You are looking at a Gundam Astray Louis Vuitton mod. I never thought the LV monogram would work on a blade sheath. It does. It really,…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 18, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Can You Spot the Real Chinese Apple Shop?
In China, there are honest-to-goodness Apple Stores. There are also authorized Apple resellers. But there are also many unauthorized ones. Of course, official Apple Stores in big Chinese cities like Beijing look like official Apple Stores anywhere in the world. The authorized resellers, however, are easier to fake, which is why they’ve popped up all…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 18, 2012 -
Kotaku East
In This Tokyo Toy Heaven, Kids Are Not Allowed
“Toique” is a new Tokyo space that offers a place to play with toys. The shelves are stacked with playthings. There are colorful tubs packed with toys. Big tables invite you to sit down and solve puzzles or play with blocks. However, this isn’t kid’s play. In fact, those under the age of 15 are…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 18, 2012 -
The Legend of Zelda Nursery Welcomes a Brand New Hero
Cole Bradburn is expecting a son. And when his new, little hero arrives, he’ll have a Legend of Zelda nursery waiting for him. Make that, a hand-painted Zelda nursery. Bradburn and his friend Wes of Yoshi’s Island nursery fame both spent over 150 hours (over the course of 3 months) to paint the nursery; Wes…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 18, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Teenager Lured Little Girl with Video Games. Then, He Raped Her.
Early this past March in China’s Gushi County, 14 year-old Xiao Qiang told seven year-old Xiao Hua she could play games on his mobile phone. He lured her into a room in an abandoned shoe factory. There, he proceeded to sexually assault her. After raping Xiao Hua, the boy continued to bully and abuse her…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 15, 2012 -
Kotaku East
A Small Fleet of Cars. Pokémon Cars.
If you collect Japanese toy cars, you’re well aware of the Pikachu toy car. This wasn’t a one off dealio. Japanese toy maker Takara Tomy is running a campaign this summer with Toyota dealers to give away Pokémon mini toy cars as part of a promotion with the new Pocket Monsters feature film. This month…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 15, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Decades Later, Dirty Doorknob Manga Locks Up an Adult Film Version
Last year, Kotaku profiled the male and female photographers behind Doorknob Girl, a collection of photos featuring young women licking doorknobs. The NSFW photos, which are now available in book forum, sexualize an object that most view as innocuous: the doorknob. But this wasn’t a first. Over a decade ago, an underground manga artist named…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 15, 2012 -
Kotaku East
South Korea To Ban Those Gold Farming Bots
According to the South Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, roughly sixty percent of game items for sale were acquired via bots. In online games, these programs allow players to hunt and collect items without controlling them directly. And soon, these programs will be outlawed. The Korea Times reports that the country has decided…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 15, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Oh, The Ways Japanese Anime Has Changed Over the Years
These image of popular anime K-On! has been making its way through the Japanese internet. They show K-On! as the anime actually appears now as well as how it “would” appear if it had been drawn in the 1990s, the 1980s, the 1970s, and even the 1960s. K-On!, of course, is not a decades old…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 15, 2012 -
Kotaku East
How Japan’s Most Wanted Criminal Almost Escaped at a Comic Book Cafe
On March 20, 1995, Japan experienced the country’s worst act of modern terrorism. It was domestic terrorism carried out by the religious cult Aum Shinrikyo. Members of the doomsday group released sarin gas on the Tokyo Metro, killing thirteen and injuring thousands more. Ten male Aum Shinrikyo members carried out the attack: five of them…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 15, 2012 -
Foxconn Suicide Followed by Suspicious Rumors
This week, a 23 year-old Foxconn worker fell to his death from a Foxconn company apartment. It’s believed to be a suicide. Today, Foxconn confirmed the worker’s death, which happened outside Foxconn’s Chengdu plant at a company apartment. The suicide is the first since Foxconn and Apple reached agreement over improving conditions for its 1.2…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 14, 2012 -
Microsoft Not Attending Tokyo Game Show or Gamescom
Today, Microsoft announced that it will not be appearing at either Gamescom or the Tokyo Game Show. Instead, it will rely on its partners and, in Japan’s case, its own events. In an interview with Famitsu, Microsoft stated that it was not abandoning Japan and is planning end of the year promotions. Microsoft did say…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 14, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Beware Parents! Your Child Could Get into The Animes.
Via Tumblr Yaoi Fight, here are some signs that your child might be under the influence of the substance commonly known as “The Animes”: •making an account on deviantART.com – While it appears innocent, this website is actually a black market for different types of “The Animes.” It contains the highest concentration of animes abusers…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 14, 2012 -
Kotaku EastIn Taiwan, the Weather News Is Fit for an Apocolyptic Future and Huge Mecha
Rain has been hitting Taiwan hard. As Taiwanese people check the weather, they might notice something familiar: that 3D rainfall map sure looks like something out of Neon Genesis Evangelion. The font and the interface resemble Evangelion style computer graphics in what *looks* to be a clever, viral Eva cross promotion with Taiwan’s Next Media…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 14, 2012
Brian Ashcraft
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