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Kotaku EastJapanFirst Look At Final Fantasy Brave Exvius…The Musical
As previously reported, free-to-play game Final Fantasy Brave Exvius is being turned into a musical. Here’s a glimpse of what it might look like, which seems to be fancy threads. Final Fantasy Brave Exvius The Musical will debut this March with runs in Tokyo and Kobe. It’s written by Fumiya Matsuzaki, who previously penned the…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 2, 2019 -
Kotaku EastJapanLupin III Anime Voice Actor Makio Inoue Has Died
Makio Inoue is most famous for voicing Lupin III’s Goemon Ishikawa XIII. Today, it was announced that the long-time voice actor had passed away at the age of 81. Inoue got his start with minor characters in Astro Boy and other roles at Tezuka Productions in the early 1960s. In the 1970s, he had breakout…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 2, 2019 -
Kotaku EastJapanBeloved Anime Character Finally Gets His Own Store In Tokyo
Doraemon, a blue robotic cat from the future, now has his own store in Tokyo’s Odaiba—the first of its kind for the character, apparently. The shop, called Doraemon Future Department Store, features an array of Doraemon related goods. What makes Doraemon so cool is that he always pulls out an array of gizmos from his…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 29, 2019 -
Kotaku EastJapanWatch Star Wars Kabuki Right Here
When the one-off performance of Star Wars kabuki was announced, it made sense. Star Wars is deeply influenced by Japan, so it seemed as though this would work. That it did, but better than I could’ve imagined. The kabuki version is a fascinating take on Star Wars. Even the program was excellent. The performance was…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 28, 2019 -
Kotaku EastJapanPro And Amateur FPS Players See Differently, According To Comparison
Have you ever wondered why some people are better at first-person shooters than others? One important difference might be how people see while playing. Nikkei recently posted a clip tracking a professional FPS player’s vision while playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and compared the data to the vision of an amateur player. Both players…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 27, 2019 -
Kotaku EastJapanThe Best Cosplay Of Tokyo Comic-Con 2019
This year’s Tokyo Comic-Con wrapped up over the weekend. There were big stars, merch, comics, and yes, cosplay. Let’s have a look at the best get-ups of the show. Since this is Tokyo Comic-Con, the cosplays are typically Western comic book, movie, or TV characters—though, this isn’t always the case.
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 26, 2019 -
Kotaku EastJapanJapan’s First Nintendo Store Opened Last Friday, But Lines Are Still Hours Long
Nintendo Tokyo opened on Friday. Lots of people came to the first day, and you’d think that by today, the crowds would have subsided. Nope! Twenty minutes after opening today, the wait reached 4 hours. Within 45 minutes, it was over 6 hours. Even this afternoon, at 3:15 PM, the wait was around 2 hours.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 25, 2019 -
Kotaku EastJapanPoll: People In Japan Reveal Which Famous Game Franchises They Haven’t Played
Have you played every big-time game franchise? Are there any well-known game series you haven’t checked out? In Japan, a recent poll asked people about which famous series they haven’t played. There were 2,362 votes in this Goo Ranking poll. Here are the top responses. 16. Persona series – 44 votes 15. Taiko no Tatsujin…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 22, 2019 -
Kotaku EastJapanInside Tokyo’s Newest Pokémon Center
This week, a new Pokémon Center is opening in Tokyo. Yesterday, Kotaku showed a short preview of the shop. Today, let’s have a closer look. The Pokémon Center opens this week in Shibuya. With is dark, sleek interior and life-sized Mewtwo display, it does look different from other Pokémon Centers. So does the merch. Just…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 20, 2019 -
Kotaku EastJapanYears Later, Some Can’t Tell Who’s On Street Fighter II Turbo‘s Japanese Cartridge
You are looking at the cartridge art for Street Fighter II Turbo’s Japanese release. It’s not only different from the US version but more mysterious. Can you tell who is on the cover? Ryu? Chun-Li? Which character is it? Twitter user Tekitouaki wrote that for years, he thought that Ryu was on the cartridge art. …
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 20, 2019 -
Kotaku EastJapanInside Japan’s First Nintendo Store
This week, Nintendo Tokyo will open its doors to the general public. Today was a press preview, allowing for a peek inside for what to expect. Naturally, there is a ton of merch, including some excellent Japan-only items. The statues and the store layout look nice! There is also a Pokémon Center right next door!
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 19, 2019 -
Kotaku EastJapanFinal Fantasy VII Remake‘s Tifa Voice Actor Has Gotten Threats
In 2005’s Kingdom Hearts II, Ayumi Ito first voiced Tifa Lockhart and since then has continued to be the character’s Japanese voice. Naturally, she will be returning for next year’s Final Fantasy VII Remake, but sadly, she has recently received threats of violence. The Sankei News reports that earlier this summer, a woman in her…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 18, 2019 -
Kotaku EastJapanHong Kong Fans Read A Lot Into A Hideo Kojima Tweet
To promote Death Stranding, Hideo Kojima has been going on a world tour. It was announced early last month with Kojima visiting cities across the globe. Below are the locations included in the original announcement. It was recently announced on the PlayStation Hong Kong Facebook account that Ludens Ducks signed by Kojima would be part…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 14, 2019 -
Kotaku EastJapanPeople Are Putting Mai Shiranui In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Since Nintendo isn’t including King of Fighters character Mai Shiranui in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, fans have started adding Mai any way they can. As previously reported, director Masahiro Sakurai said Mai would not be added to the game because, as he explained, “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is for good boys and girls of many…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 13, 2019 -
Kotaku EastJapanTeenagers Spent Almost Two Years Making Unicorn Gundam Out Of Cardboard
High school students in Japan decided to bring the RX-O Unicorn Gundam to life. The statue is for the school’s cultural arts festival. Twitter user Tosshii and some classmates worked together on the creation, which took about two years to finish. Here is the front: And the back: As Kotaku previously reported, Bandai Namco built…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 12, 2019 -
Kotaku EastJapanIn Japan, Fans Question Famitsu-Related Cameos In Death Stranding
Online in Japan, fans are wondering why the mascot character and the official representative for the country’s biggest game magazine Famitsu appear in Death Stranding Famitsu recently gave the game a perfect score—one of only 26 to get the coveted 40/40 in the publication’s history. A thread on 2ch, the country’s biggest bulletin board, pointed…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 11, 2019 -
Kotaku EastJapanAnime Eyes Still Look Horrible On Real People
Anime eyes might look OK in, well, anime, but on real-life humans, they look freaky as hell. Previously, we saw giant anime eyes brought to life with Robert Rodriguez’s Alita: Battle Angel. This time around, big eyes are back, but as a pointed play on anime conventions like schoolyard renai (love)—and more importantly, a way…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 8, 2019 -
Kotaku EastJapanIconic Anime Spacecraft Recreated In Straw
Each year, folks in the town of Chikuzen, Japan, create sculptures out of rice straw to mark the fall harvest. Previously, they made a Godzilla statue. This year, they’ve brought Space Battleship Yamato to life. According to Nico Nico, the rice straw version is over 54 feet long and at most 15 feet high. The…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 8, 2019 -
Kotaku EastJapanUniversal Studios Japan’s Super Nintendo World Is Coming Together
Super Nintendo World won’t open at Universal Studios Japan until next spring. But recent snapshots show how construction is coming along. It looks like this area of the theme park will be impressive and noticeable. Twitter user L.C.A. Studios has been documenting progress. It’s possible to see the Super Mario flagpole from different parts of…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 7, 2019 -
Kotaku EastJapanYes, This Gundam Helmet Was Crocheted
Twitter user Namio’s hobby isn’t just crocheting, but crocheting woolen Gundam helmets. It took days to crochet each helmet. The RX-178 Gundam Mk-II helmet, for example, took four days, with Namio working on them from morning to night for two of those. The result is glorious. Perfect for winter, too. Yes, that’s a crocheted face…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 6, 2019