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Kotaku East
War of the Farts
Today, we are lucky. For entertainment, we have television, video games, and the internet. Back in olden times, people had to be more creative with their diversions—make that, very creative. Scholars at elite institute Waseda University posted images from an Edo-era proto-manga scroll “War of the Farts”. Manga’s nascent beginnings are grounded in picture scrolls.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 20, 2012 -
Pokémon on iTunes. Hello Scam!
While Pocket Monsters company GameFreak brought its monsters to iTunes last summer with Pokémon Say Tap?, this is not that app. Rather, this app is from “The House of Anime” and Daniel Burford. The hell? A quick iTunes search shows that this is the same outfit responsible for app versions of Digimon and Yu-Gi-Oh, including…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 20, 2012 -
Kotaku East
The 3DS Is Not a Failure in Japan. It’s a 5 Million Sold Success.
While the 3DS had a rocky start—and any momentum it had was disrupted by March 2011’s tragic earthquake—the console has been on the uptick. You could even say it’s now going gangbusters in its native Japan. Today, Nintendo revealed that the 3DS has sold over 5 million units in Japan. It is the fastest Nintendo…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 20, 2012 -
Kinect. Coming Soon to a Japanese Arcade Near You.
Kinected | CHIBA, JAPAN: Konami showed off its new coin-operated Kinect game today. (Photo: Richard Eisenbeis | Kotaku) This is China’s iPad. The One Apple Is Getting Sued Over. Apple’s iPads are disappearing from Chinese stores shelves. The reason is that a Chinese company called Proview is contesting the use of the iPad moniker. More »…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 17, 2012 -
Kotaku East
The Girl’s Eyes Were Just Too Freaky
Upcoming Nintendo 3DS role-playing game for girls Girls RPG Cindere Life featured a hostess-type heroine with heroine with comically huge eyes. “Featured” because at some point, the game’s developer changed them. The new character design still features a big-eyed lady, but nowhere near as large as previously. Girls RPG is being developed by Level-5, the…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 17, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Lady Blames Anime for Suicides. I Blame Her for Stupidity.
Over the past two weeks in Russia, six kids have committed suicide. They apparently came from good homes. They did well in school. So why did they kill themselves? Child psychologist Olga Makhovskaya thinks she knows: Japanese anime. “Of course anime by itself cannot be the cause of teenage suicides,” said Makhovskaya. “But it is…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 17, 2012 -
Kotaku East
A Broken Back. Checking into the Hospital.
Earlier this week, my mother-in-law visited our place to give my boys and me some Valentine’s Day chocolate. When she was leaving with my father-in-law, she slipped and fell. She broke her back. My mother-in-law is now in the hospital and will be for a good bit to come. She also suffered from internal bleeding.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 17, 2012 -
Kotaku EastTekken Tag 2 Has a Surprising Option
With Tekken Unlimited Tag Tournament 2 (temp title), Tekken Tag 2 is coming to Japanese arcades. Besides tag team, it also allows players to play one character vs. one character—which defeats the purpose of tag, no? Here is the game’s trailer, unveiled earlier today at the AOU arcade show in Chiba, Japan. Be sure to…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 17, 2012 -
Kotaku East
It Was a Whole Day of Japanese Arcade Games
Today, AOU (All Nippon Amusement Machine Operators’ Union) kicked off its annual show AOU Expo in Chiba, Japan. Kotaku East’s Richard Eisenbeis and Toshi Nakamura were on hand to check out the day’s festivities. Here’s a look at what they saw. The show featured new games, such as a Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 17, 2012 -
Let China Show You How to Chun-Li and Final Fantasy
You might not know how to Chun-Li. You might not know how to Final Fantasy or SoulCalibur. Chinese photographer Mengjie Luan sure does. His work is showcases games like Final Fantasy Versus XIII, Street Fighter IV, and Dynasty Warriors, among others. The photos are dramatic and colorful. The 29 year-old has an eye for dramatic…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 17, 2012 -
Kotaku East
This is China’s iPad. The One Apple Is Getting Sued Over.
Apple’s iPads are disappearing from Chinese stores shelves. The reason is that a Chinese company called Proview is contesting the use of the iPad moniker. Proview originally trademarked the term “iPad” for a computer. This is Proview’s iPad. It looks nothing like Apple’s. That doesn’t matter. Proview’s iPad is short for “Internet Personal Access Device”.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 17, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Do You Want To Do It? With This Japanese Meme?
Whether it’s a Japanese video game or a comic convention, he’s bound to pop up. He even appeared on fan-made Valentine’s Day chocolate. He is the Yaranaika Guy, and he’s keen to know if you’d like to screw. So, would you? The Yaranaika Guy is manga character Takakazu Abe from 1987 gay manga Kuso Miso…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 17, 2012 -
A Minecraft Creeper Stands Erect
Crafty | TAIPEI, TAIWAN: A Creeper cosplay stood tall at a recent cosplay event in Taiwan. (Photo: Game Impress Watch) New Civilization V Expansion Brings Religion, Espionage Back to Series Developer Firaxis will release an expansion pack for Civilization V this spring, it said today. Civilization V: Gods & Kings will mark the return of…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 16, 2012 -
The Taiwanese Cosplayer Sweeping the Internet
Meet Rococo. The Taiwanese cosplayer is making waves in both her homeland and throughout Asia. Who is she? She’s Rococo! Like many great cosplays, the outfits are well done, as are the photos and backdrops. Some of the photos were taken at Peace Memorial Park in Taipei, while others were taken at National Taiwan University.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 16, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Head Full of Teeth. Awesome Eraser.
My eight-year-old son, Mini-Bash, apparently has a head full of teeth. His adult teeth are coming in funny, which means to make room for them, he’ll need to have some pulled—and probably braces. I had to get braces. My teeth as a little kid were all kinds of crooked. I really, really hated going to…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 16, 2012 -
Kotaku EastFirst Look at Buying Nintendo 3DS Downloadable Content
Theatrhythm Final Fantasy is apparently flying off store shelves in Japan. Gamers can beef up their Final Fantasy music game experience with some pricey DLC. Sister site Kotaku Japan put the game through its downloadable content paces. As Kotaku Japan pointed out, this is the first DLC for the Nintendo 3DS. The DLC is accessed…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 16, 2012 -
Man Screams, Takes Off Shirt. He Becomes a Dragonball Super Saiyan.
YouTube user KillaKarisma realized something. Give him a few minutes, and he’ll tell you about the time he saw a Chinese man set a paper on fire with only his hands and about how you, yes you, can become a Super Saiyan. Just like he did. It’s five minutes long—skip to around 3 minutes to…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 16, 2012
Brian Ashcraft
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