This promo clip looks like it could be promoting a myriad of things, the least of which is pro cycling. But that’s why the Nagoya Keirin Association had Japanese character designer Ikuo Nakamura and anime studio Madbox whip this up. The result is a jubblie anime lady named Pist-Star. Keirin is track cycling, which originated…
Earlier this year, Capcom opened an official Capcom bar, where people can get hammered. And this spring, it’s opening an official Capcom shop, where people can buy stuff. Other Japanese game companies have official shops in Japan—Konami, for example, has a Konami store in Roppongi Hills. The Capcom store, which is called Capcom Official Shop…
For a long, long time, Japanese anime has been moé. The word actually means “budding”, but it’s actually geek slang for cute things that give otaku warm fuzzy feelings. Screw warm fuzzy feelings. I’m sick of them! Aside from the momentarily blips of hope on the anime radar, the moé aesthetic has dominated Japanese TV…
Were you one of the oodles of theatergoers who packed into American cinemas to see The Hunger Games? The movie is raking in the box office cash—and it’s being hailed as a smash hit. But in Japan, people are referring to the flick as something else: “Hollywood’s version of Battle Royale.” Based on a 1999…
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I love bullet hell shooters—you know, those insane shoot ‘em up games in which you pilot a small craft into a storm of projectiles. They’re great. And the iOS handles them pretty well, too. This latest effort, Pig & Bullet, is less a bullet hell shooter and more a bullet hell trainer. Meaning, this game…
Online, 15 year-old Venus Palermo is “Venus Angelic”. With her huge anime eyes and pale skin, she plays up her doll-like appearance with special contacts and make-up. And this London-based teen is starting to gain followers in both Japan and the West. “Mommy cooks Japanese, thinks Japanese, goes to Japan with me,” Palermo wrote on…
Kid Icarus: Uprising is a stylus controlled 3DS game. Unless you are press down as hard as you possibly can while using the stylus, your 3DS should be fine! Nintendo builds its products to be tough; it builds them to last. Some players, however, get way into their stylus play. Check out this screen guard…
Another teaser website. Sick of them yet? This latest one from Namco Bandai is for a new title. The teaser site has a giant “X” on it. Fascinating. New Title [Namco Bandai]
To help lift the spirits of Tohoku, Japan, the area hit by March 2011’s earthquake and tsunami, illustrator Ninico Edomura created Zunko Tohoku. Named after zunda mochi rice cakes, she’s a 17 year-old, who excels at archery. And she’s copyright free. The idea is that the character will go viral via fan art and whatnot—thus,…
You step off the train. You head through the immaculate blue and white terminal and make your way to the surface. It’s like you’ve arrived in the future alright—only, a post apocalyptic one. These photos are making their way around Japanese forums and blogs, with some saying they resemble Fallout 3. According to Andy Tebay…
Oh no. Japan can do better—or rather, the girls at fashion magazine Koakuma Ageha can. How about a headphones hairdo? Or a glasses hairdo? Or cat ears? Or Tokyo Tower? You got it! While Koakuma Ageha is popular with hostesses (who, infamously, have big hair), I’ve never actually seen anyone, hostess or not, in Japan…
During the 1980s, the stereotype for Japanese women was that they wanted three things in a marriage partner: high education, high salary, and a tall man. These days, Japanese women are content with things that aren’t nearly so sky-high. For marriage partners, they’re fine with “average”. In Japanese, “sankou” (三高), or what would be localized…
Fans love Yoshinori Ono, producer of the Street Fighter series, for his upbeat attitude and crazy antics. He appears at countless events and always seems like he’s doing his best to promote Street Fighter—whether that be in person or on Twitter. Sadly, it sounds like Ono has pushed himself too far. The Street Fighter producer…
If video games aren’t being blamed for young men not joining biker gangs (um?), it seems they’re being blamed for a flagging interest in booze. During the 1990s, the amount of alcohol in Japan peaked. Since then, it’s been on the slide. Today, popular alcohol drinks are mixed with soda or soft drinks to make…
Ever feel like game character design has become, I dunno, bland? Shame because there’s so much inspiration, walking around in the hip parts of Japan. Please note that “regular” Japanese people do not dress this funky or outrageous. There’s a reason why these folks are popping up in these “street snap” photos, and that’s because…
This weekend, the Tokyo International Anime Fair rolls through Tokyo Big Sight. The annual event showcases new anime, as well as artists and voice actors. There are goodies to purchases and reveals of upcoming products—plus sticker covered “itasha” automobiles and cosplaying booth companions. Sister site Kotaku Japanattended TAF’s business days, snapping a slew of pictures.…
Fighting game Dead or Alive 5 won’t be out until this September, but the game’s full roster is apparently making its way online. NeoGAF forum member Sectus supposedly discovered would could be the full roster in the Dead or Alive 5 demo included with Ninja Gaiden III. In the demo, there is alternative costume data…
Sanrio, maker of all things Kitty, is joining forces with underwear maker Hanky Panky for a line of Hello Kitty intimates. Lingerie featuring the iconic Japanese character (who is really British!) will cost anywhere between US$27 and US$98, depending on the piece. According to Sanrio’s David Marchi, “A lot of people think this is jut…
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