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Kotaku East
The Third Berserk Movie is by Far the Most Violent Thing I Have Ever Watched
Over the past year, Berserk has returned to the limelight in a big way with a trilogy of movies based on the first arc of the popular manga. I panned the first of these movies as an ugly, inferior rehash when compared to the 1997 anime adaptation of the story. I felt that the second…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published February 5, 2013 -
Kotaku EastYou Got Your Castlevania in my Katawa Shoujo!
Last January saw the release of Katawa Shoujo, a fan-made visual novel based around the idea of dating girls with physical disabilities. When I first heard the concept of the game and then heard it was being made by a group who met on 4chan, I was sure it would be a horribly insensitive, offensive…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published February 1, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Joysound Dive Turns Your PS3 into a 90,000 Song Karaoke Machine
There are more than a few Karaoke video games out there, from Karaoke Revolution to SingStar to Lips. Each of these games come with dozens of songs per disk—and some allow for more songs to be purchased as DLC. But Joysound Dive goes a step beyond these and quite literally takes the Japanese Karaoke experience…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published February 1, 2013 -
Reviews
I Was Not Expecting the Third Ace Attorney Musical to be a Time Travel Story
Ace Attorney 3: Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth is the third official Ace Attorney musical performed by the all female Takarazuka Revue. When I reviewed the first musical last year, I said it was a better telling of the story than the source material. When I reviewed the second musical, I lauded it for being a darker…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published February 1, 2013 -
Kotaku EastThis Karaoke Game Has More Than a Few Game Tunes (Can You Name Them?)
Calling Karaoke “popular” in Japan is like calling water “wet.” Places where you can rent your own Karaoke room (for small or large groups) cover Japan’s metropolitan landscape and nearly every bar has an aging Karaoke machine that sees nightly use. So of course, Karaoke video games are nothing new. However, most Karaoke games only…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published January 29, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Yamato 2199 is a Beautifully Retold Classic (And It’s Only Half Done)
Before there was Macross, before there was Gundam, there was Yamato. Space Battleship Yamato (called Star Blazers in the West) is the original space opera anime and a cornerstone of anime popular culture in Japan. Now, nearly 40 years after its original television debut, a 26-episode remake of the original series is being aired in…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published January 29, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Yamato 2199 is a Bold New Way to Make an Anime
Space Battleship Yamato (Starblazers in the West) is one of the cornerstones of anime. Created by Yoshinobu Nishizaki and the legendary Leiji Matsumoto (Galaxy Express 999, Captain Harlock, Daft Punk’s Interstella 5555), it is the original space opera anime and has had a prominent place in Japanese popular culture for nearly 40 years. With the…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published January 29, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Why I Always Keep Coming Back to Chrono Trigger
Over the course of my 28 years of life, I’ve beaten more video games than I can count. I’ve never been the type of gamer who finds one game and sticks with it for months or years. Rather, from childhood on, I was the kid who would rent a different game from the local Blockbuster…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published January 25, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Run for Money Evokes Memories of Pac-Man and Mario Kart
Run for Money Toshochu: Escape the Greatest Hunters in History is one of the most popular 3DS games released in Japan in 2012. Just like the popular Japanese game show it’s based on, Run for Money pits players against Matrix-like agents (called “hunters”) in an over-the-top game of tag. What results is a game that…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published January 25, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Magi is Like Being Showered in Pure Imagination (And it’s Only Half Done)
From Lodoss War to Slayers, Claymore to Berserk, there are a lot of fantasy anime out there. But for better or worse, a large chunk of fantasy anime are built around the Western-based fantasy framework—with knights, dragons, wizards, castles, and princesses populating these tales. But this year, one of the most popular anime currently airing…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published January 25, 2013 -
Kotaku East
For Years I Hated Ghost in the Shell, Then I Grew Up
Last week, fans rejoiced at the announcement of a new Ghost in the Shell anime set to come out sometime in 2013. So far, information on the new anime is scarce, with little more than rudimentary staff information and a single piece of character art to tide us over. Still, I cheered as loud as…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published January 22, 2013 -
Kotaku East
The First Arc of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is True to its Roots (For Better or Worse)
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is one of the most recognizable and longest running manga in Japan—there are currently over one hundred volumes in print. So it’s no surprise that there is a new JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure anime airing this season in Japan. Starting back at the beginning of the story, this anime is set to cover…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published January 22, 2013 -
Kotaku EastThis Game is Like a Mix Between Tag and Mario Kart
Run for Money Toshochu: Escape the Greatest Hunters in History on the 3DS, while virtually unheard of in the West, it is one of the most popular 3DS game of last year in Japan. Much like the TV show it is based on, Run for Money Toshochu: Escape the Greatest Hunters in History is set…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published January 22, 2013 -
Reviews
The Yakuza TV Show is Action Packed From Beginning to End
The Yakuza franchise has definitely been one of the most popular video game properties in Japan for the last few years. Not only has there been at least one main series game every other year, but there have been several spin-off titles as well (not to mention a live-action movie). One of these titles is…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published January 18, 2013 -
Kotaku East
I Think I Need to Join Trophy Whores Anonymous
My name is Richard and I have a problem. When it comes to games, I am a completionist. If there is a nook left unexplored or some random item that needs to be collected, I feel compelled to spend hours getting the job done. What’s odd is I don’t find it fun to do these…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published January 18, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Five Reasons Yakuza 5 is Not For Me
Until I sat down and played Yakuza 5, my knowledge of the Yakuza series was limited, to say the least. I knew the characters and some of the story (from wikis, friends, and the movie), but when it came down to playing the series, the most time I had spent with it was in playing…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published January 18, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Why Final Fantasy VI‘s Kefka is the Best Video Game Villain of All Time
From Bowser and Dr. Robotnik to M. Bison and Dr. Wiley, gaming has had many iconic villains. But as well known as those villains are, some of the best villains are found in the Final Fantasy series. When you think of Final Fantasy villains, who immediately comes to mind? If you were playing games in…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published January 15, 2013 -
Reviews
The Yakuza Live-Action Movie is Black Comedy Gold
In 2007 Japanese director Miike Takashi made a live-action film adaptation of the first game in the Yakuza series: Yakuza: Like A Dragon. Despite living in Japan and being a fan of Miike’s work, I had never really gotten around to seeing the movie even in the five years since it came out. But with…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published January 15, 2013 -
Kotaku EastSee Yakuza 5’s Street Brawling, Taxi Driving, and Drum Playing in Action
After four main games and two spin-offs, you probably have a pretty good idea of what to expect from Yakuza 5: weapon-filled brawling action across Japan’s major metropolitan areas. While brutal and cinematic, the brawling aspect is only the smallest part of what you can do in Yakuza 5. Many side activities return from past…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published January 15, 2013 -
Kotaku EastJapan’s Most Recommended Anime Films of 2012
Back in November, 1,049 Japanese people were asked by survey company goo Ranking to choose which animated or Tokusatsu (think Godzilla or Power Rangers-style) movies of 2012 they would recommend to other people. Here are the top five recommended films of 2012—all of which are anime. #1 — The Wolf Children Ame and Yuki The…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published January 11, 2013
Richard Eisenbeis
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