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Kotaku EastJapanA Better Look At The New Ghost In The Shell 3D Anime
Last fall, when the teaser for the full-3D animation Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 was released, there was a range of reactions. Some were totally put off, while others thought it looked okay. Now, thanks to the latest trailer, we can get a better look at the anime. And you know what? Maybe it does…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 27, 2020 -
Kotaku EastJapanNintendo Japan Will No Longer Service The Original Wii [Update]
Today, Nintendo Co. Ltd. has announced that it’s going to end repair service for the original Nintendo Wii. The console launched in Japan on Dec. 2, 2006, and went on to sell over a hundred million units worldwide, making it one of the most successful consoles ever. After March 31, Nintendo will no longer be…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 27, 2020 -
Kotaku EastJapanThe Most Downloaded Switch Games In Japan Last Year
Do you wonder which Switch games were downloaded most in 2019? Would you like to know? Well, good news, because Nintendo just released a list of them. There are two lists, actually. The first is for download-exclusive games. Let’s have a look! And here are the top 30 downloads for retail games: Any surprises? Any non-surprises?
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 24, 2020 -
Kotaku EastJapanWhy Anime Art Styles Change
A new decade has begun. The style of anime that we see over the next 10 years will be different from the last 10. This is natural. But are there reasons that we can pinpoint and break down? Turns out, there are. Above are illustrations by artist Date Naoto demonstrating how anime-style art has evolved…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 23, 2020 -
Kotaku EastJapanNew Digimon TV Anime Reboot Coming This Spring
The Digimon TV anime is back. The original series debuted in 1999, and the reboot will begin airing this April in Japan According to ANN, the series is set in the year 2020 and features an all-new story starring Taichi (aka “Tai”) and the reptile Digimon Agumon Have a look at the first trailer: While…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 21, 2020 -
Kotaku EastJapanThe Next Giant Gundam Statue Is Coming To Yokohama
Last fall, a new giant Gundam statue was announced. At the time, it was said the statue would move. This week, more details were revealed about the upcoming life-sized Gundam. According to The Mainichi, the Gundam will be erected near Yokohama’s Chinatown in the Yamashita Futo harbor in a special area that will be called…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 21, 2020 -
Kotaku EastJapanIn Japan, It’s Now Easier For Tired Workers To Sleep At Work
Japanese company Bauhutte, which specializes in gaming chairs and desks, is selling this “under-desk bed.” Is the fact that this product exists a good thing or a very bad one? Apparently, it’s aimed at white-collar workers. Famitsu describes it as a way for office workers to take a quick power nap while at work. When…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 20, 2020 -
Kotaku EastJapanThe Way Hayao Miyazaki Works Sounds Stressful
Have you ever wondered about Hayao Miyazaki’s process? How he works? For 15 years, as head of Studio Ghibli’s international sales, Steve Alpert saw that up close. In his forthcoming memoir Sharing a House With the Never-Ending Man: 15 Years at Studio Ghibli, he describes the famed animator’s methods. Below is an exclusive excerpt from…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 16, 2020 -
Kotaku EastJapanWhat Happens When Guile Lets His Hair Down
For years, we’ve seen Guile’s hair when it’s up. The iconic character has even been used to sell hair gel in Japan. But what happens when he lets it down? Twitter user Ishiyuki has provided this helpful guess as to how his hair works. It shows the different lengths of Guile’s hair to achieve this…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 15, 2020 -
Kotaku EastJapanJapan Has A New Evangelion-Themed Train
This isn’t the first Neon Genesis Evangelion train. It probably won’t be the last, either. Back in 2015, there was an Evangelion bullet train that ran between Osaka and Fukuoka. There was also this Asuka-themed Fuji Railway train. Starting this month, an Evangelion-wrapped train is running from Chubu Centrair International Airport in Aichi Prefecture to…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 15, 2020 -
Kotaku EastJapanThe New Pokémon Movie Is Pretty Much Ash Meets Tarzan
The trailer for the upcoming Pokémon anime feature has been revealed. The movie is called Pocket Monster: Koko, and the trailer shows Ash meeting a Tarzan-like character. Below is said trailer. Compared to the recent spate of Pokémon movies, this seems rather…different, no? The poster’s tagline reads, “I want to tell you” in Japanese. Pocket…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 10, 2020 -
Kotaku EastJapanNintendo’s Old Headquarters Will Be Turned Into A Hotel
Nintendo’s old card-game headquarters is being turned into a hotel. Guests can stay at the Kyoto property starting in 2021. The building, which dates from the first half of the 20th century, held the head offices for the Marufuku Nintendo Card Co., which Fusajiro Yamauchi founded in 1889. It would go on to become the…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 10, 2020 -
Kotaku EastJapanPlatinum Games Goes Into Business With Tencent
Osaka-based studio Platinum Games has announced that it’s going into a capital tie-up with Tencent Holdings. As the Chinese conglomerate invests in the game maker, Platinum Games President Kenichi Sato states, “Our company’s independence will not be changed.” Platinum Games was founded in 2007 and is perhaps best known for its Bayonetta series and Nier:…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 7, 2020 -
Kotaku EastJapanDragon Ball Z, Uh, Baseball Equipment Going On Sale In Japan
Japanese sporting goods company Mizuno is teaming up with Bandai for some Dragon Ball Z themed baseball equipment. Included are Vegeta-themed catcher’s gear as well as Goku, Shenron, Piccolo, and Frieza emblazoned gloves. Check out these Dragon Ball Z baseballs. The goods go on sale next year. This isn’t the first time DBZ has trotted…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 20, 2019 -
Kotaku EastJapanHayao Miyazaki’s New Film Is 15 Percent Finished
After three and a half years in production, Hayao Miyazaki’s upcoming feature film Kimi-tachi wa Dou Ikiru ka (How Do You Live?) is fifteen percent completed. That’s as of this past October, according to Studio Ghibli producer Toshio Suzuki (via ANN) in a recent NHK documentary. Suzuki explained that for past productions, Miyazaki would direct…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 18, 2019 -
Kotaku EastJapanWoman Arrested For Allegedly Making Death Threats To Anime Retailer
Animate is a large retailer of anime, manga, and video games with well over a hundred stores in Japan. A woman has been arrested for allegedly sending threatening emails, including one in which “kill” (殺す or korosu) was apparently written 3,852 times. Over a several week span in August, she allegedly sent threatening emails that…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 11, 2019 -
Kotaku EastJapanFull Metal Panic Manga Creator Apologizes After Tweets About Greta Thunberg
Over the weekend, manga creator Shouji Gatou took to Twitter, writing what he thought about environmental activist Greta Thunberg. Today, he has apologized, calling his earlier remarks “awful.” “I hate this kid,” he wrote in a now-deleted tweet about Thunberg, reports NicoNico. “If I pulled the strings that controlled the world, I would like to…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 10, 2019 -
Kotaku EastJapanAnime Studio Mysteriously Vanished, With Artists Unpaid And Unhappy [Update]
Tear Studio churned out shows like this year’s Why the Hell Are You Here, Teacher!? and last year’s Lord of Vermilion: The Crimson King. And Fragtime, a movie the studio animated, is currently in theaters. Tear Studio, however, seems to have suddenly vanished. Update – December 17 – 5:00 AM EST: AWOL anime maker Tear…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 10, 2019 -
Kotaku EastJapanSlot Machine Logo Sure Looks Familiar
This is the logo for an upcoming slot machine called Wheel of Fortune. I’m sure I’ve seen it before. OH RIGHT. It’s not an exact copy, but there certainly are many close similarities. As pointed out on Hachima, this is from Tokyo-based pachinko and slot machine maker Kita Denshi. The logo was included in a…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 6, 2019 -
Kotaku EastJapanGainax President Arrested After Taking Nude Photos Of Teenage Girl
The president of Gainax, best known for the Evangelion series, has been arrested. Tomohiro Maki, age 50, was taken into police custody after taking illicit photos of a teen. Update: 12/5/2019, 7:50 a.m. EST: Studio Khara, which currently makes the Evangelion movies, issued a statement completely distancing itself from Maki, saying he is not involved…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 5, 2019