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Kotaku East
“Something” Will Happen to The World Ends with You
Remember The World Ends with You? In a recent interview with Tetsuya Nomura, the he said this about the game: “Now, I still can’t say anything… But, something, perhaps there will be something.” Hope it’s not a social game! [FF-Union]
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 23, 2012 -
Kotaku EastUnmasking “the Most Famous Woman” on the Russian Internet
Valeria Lukyanova is the self-proclaimed “most famous woman on the Russian-language internet”. The 21 year-old Ukrainian first made a splash in her native Ukraine and neighboring Russia a few years back with her anime-style Barbie doll looks. Previously, Kotaku ran photos of Valeria, who is also known as “Amatue” and “Boginya” (“The Goddess” in Russian).…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 23, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Controversial Idol Commercial Leads to Complaints about Homosexuality
Japan’s biggest girl group, AKB48, starred in a new series of candy ads that aren’t only raising eyebrows, but also ire. In the ads, the girls passed pieces of Puccho soft candy to each other via their mouths, making it look like they are kissing. The commercial has been getting complaints from parents concerned about…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 23, 2012 -
Kotaku East
These Japanese People Totally Meh Sony
Beleaguered electronics giant Sony is having a tough time. It’s not only battling a strong yen and strong rivals, but also a giant lack of buzz. Just look at these folks on Japanese TV. No buzz! In the above photo from Japan’s TBS News, two women are asked if there are any Sony products they…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 20, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Shop Online, Get Your Goods Delivered by a Wannabe Model
Good-bye FedEx! Hello, Tao Girls! For the equivalent of a mere $US1.60, one day soon you can apparently get packages delivered by young, fashionable ladies. In addition to product listings, Taobao.com, China’s fastest growing online retail business, also features an array of young Chinese women posing in pictures as well as looking for modeling gigs.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 20, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Japan’s Crappiest Looking Game Is Addicted to Delays
Boy, Daisenryaku Perfect: Ruler of the Battlefield looks like dung. Maybe its horrible addiction is to blame—it’s addiction to game delays. The game was delayed last spring and pushed to fall 2011. Then, it was pushed to this April. It was supposed to be out yesterday, but was once again delayed to “further improve quality…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 20, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Man Goes Berserk in Arcade, Ends Up Unconscious in the Hospital
Yesterday evening, 25 year-old Kengo Katou kicked an arcade cabinet at “Play Hard” game center in Kasugai City. He’s now in a coma. After kicking the cabinet, arcade staff told him to knock it off. According to eyewitness accounts, Katou then became enraged and started acting violently. He pulled one employee’s hair and began throwing…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 20, 2012 -
Kotaku East
How China Has Apple (and the World) by the Balls
The iPad and the iPhone must be made in China. Ditto for, well, most everything. And it’s not only because of cheap Chinese labor. Or sprawling factories. Or lax regulations. Those are reasons, but there’s another one. And it’s one you might not expect: mud. The iPad—like other electronics—requires a large amount of rare earth…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 20, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Climbing on the Side of a Building To Save a Suicidal Woman
This week, a 32 year-old woman climbed out on a 12th floor window in China’s Dongguan City. Threatening to kill herself, the woman, tossed aside the rescue rope. Below an air mattress was inflated in case she jumped and hundreds of spectators assembled to watch. After three hours of trying, a firefighter climbed down the…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 20, 2012 -
You’ve Got Final Fantasy XIII in my Fire Emblem!
In the above Fire Emblem: Kakusei image, there’s a character named “Lightning”. In Final Fantasy XIII, there’s a character named “Lightning”. Hey, wait a second… This seems to be a player’s My Unit creation—and one that really, really looks like Final Fantasy‘s Lightning. Lightning appearing in Fire Emblem would make more sense than, say, Mass…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 20, 2012 -
Studio Ghibli Boss Is Glad Japan Lost World War II
Even for people in Japan, it’s easy to forget how awful World War II was. Entire cities were firebombed. Children were killed. Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Horrible. That’s not counting the havoc the Japanese military unleashed throughout Asia and the Pacific. The whole thing was rotten. But for famed anime producer Toshio Suzuki, something good came…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 20, 2012 -
Kotaku East
This Mona Lisa Optical Illusion Will Blow Your Mind
On your right is Leonardo’s Mona Lisa. On your left is a mirror image of the painting with a manga image stuck in her eye. Move back from your monitor? Does it disappear? If you move further back (like several feet from your screen), the manga will completely disappear into her face. Check out the…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 19, 2012 -
Kotaku EastNow You Can Have a $250 Alarm Clock
Because that’s exactly what the world needs, another alarm clock! I wake up to my iPhone, so I guess Sony figured PS Vita owners would want the same. But do they really need to get Trophies for that? Besides a variety of skins, there’s “Mezamashi Doumei” or “Alarm Clock League”. It’s built on the concept…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 19, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Japan Turning KFCs Into Fancy Schmancy Bars
For decades, KFC has been a Japanese fast food staple. Whether it’s Christmas dinner or baseball superstitions, Japan is enamored with The Colonel. And the country is about to get a really fancy one. A new KFC is opening in Tokyo’s Shimo-Kitazawa. It’s aimed at late night customers in their 20s and 30s, and it…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 19, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Cosplay Isn’t Simply Dressing as Video Game Characters
Or as anime characters. Or manga characters. Or movie characters. It’s simply “costume play”, and Japanese photographer Yuji Susaki explores that in this series of photos, “Cosplay: Made in Japan”. Susaki is perhaps more known for his fashion pics, celeb portraits, or artistic nudes. For this cosplay series, Susaki roped in well-known Japanese cosplayers like…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 19, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Drink Gundam Coffee, Eat Gundam Churros, Buy Gundam Things
Today, Tokyo is getting its second Gundam cafe. This one is in Odaiba, near the Fuji TV building. Out front, there’s an enormous one-to-one scale Gundam—you know, if you can’t find the cafe. Inside, you can guzzle Gundam coffee and munch on Gundam snacks. There is also a Gundam “theme park”, Gundam Front, with attractions,…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 19, 2012 -
Kotaku EastWhat Can We Expect from a Made in China Iron Man?
China makes, well, everything. And, as recently revealed, the next Iron Man flick is going to be made with a Chinese co-partner. The movie will be shot in China and contain “Chinese elements”—like things the Chinese government wishes to promote? Iron Man 3 Trailer: Made in China [YouTube]
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 19, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Watch as This Crappy Comic Disappear from Your Very Eyes
Akihiro Hino, boss of game maker Level-5, is responsible for Gundam Age. And Gundam Age is a bit crap, so everyone hates it. Want to see just how unpopular it is? CoroCoro Comic is a Japanese magazine filled with manga and aimed at Japanese kids. The most popular manga take up the most real estate…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 19, 2012
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