Kotaku East

Square-Enix’s New RPG Harkens Back To Their Big 90s Classics

Do you miss playing Squaresoft RPGs on your SNES? Then have I got the game for you: I Am Setsuna. Like many in their late 20s and early 30s, I was introduced to JRPGs back in the days of the good old SNES. While my first was Final Fantasy VI, these days I feel that…

In Japan, Sony is launching a new company called Forward Works for the smartphone market. Using Sony’s practical know how, the company will use PlayStation IPs for apps in the Japan and greater Asia region.

Gyeongbokgung at Night. Seoul, South Korea. By Lexi JPGs is a photo peek into wherever gamers might find interesting. If you’re a photographer and have images you want to share, drop us a line!

In Japan, Nintendo is trying to trademark its iconic “coin sound” from Super Mario. It’s hard to believe that they haven’t already!

Nintendo Denies It’s Ending Wii U Production Anytime Soon

Respected Japanese newspaper Nikkei published a rumor this morning that the Wii U will soon be ceasing production to make way for the upcoming NX. Nintendo is now denying that report. Nikkei reports Wii U production will apparently end before the year is out. The reasons Nikkei gives are a lack of popularity compared to…

Track: Nippon | Artist: Sheena Ringo | Album: Nippon (Single) Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to – and gaming to – at the moment.

How Blade Runner Teaches Bad Japanese Table Manners

It’s something I’ve noticed. I’ve noticed it in the US, and I’ve noticed it among Westerners who visit Japan. After breaking apart chopsticks, they begin rubbing them together. There might be reasons why Westerners do this with chopsticks: maybe they are worried about splinters or maybe it’s something else. Maybe it’s Blade Runner’s fault. Early…

Tokyo Looks Best at Night

And in the rain. I’ve always liked Tokyo in the rain. Expect if I’m out walking in it. Then, it sucks. These cool photos are from Instagram user Liam Wong, who also is a graphic designer at Ubisoft. You can see how he brings an artistic flair to his Tokyo photos. Okay, okay. Tokyo also…

Mad Max: Fury Road Livens Up College Graduations

Take this as a warning: Post-graduation life is one brutal wasteland. Students at Tama Art University in Japan didn’t only dress up as Immortan Joe and War Boys, but created a Fury Road style vehicle, guitar guy all. (It’s probably for the best that it’s sans flames.) As previously reported (here, here, and uh, here),…

Ten Catchy Anime Theme Songs from Winter 2016

As the winter 2016 season comes to a close, let’s look at some of the best anime theme songs it had to offer. Anime: Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu Song: “Usurashi Shinjuu” Artist: Megumi Hayashibara Why I Love It: This lounge singer-style Jazz song is so unlike the vast majority of anime themes out there, I…

Waiting Game. Osaka, Japan. By Edward ‘Edo’ Ofori JPGs is a photo peek into wherever gamers might find interesting. If you’re a photographer and have images you want to share, drop us a line!

Tales of Zestiria the X, the upcoming Tales TV anime, will begin broadcast this summer in Japan.

Meet South Korea’s High School Esports Team

Forget basketball or baseball. These students are members of their school’s official League of Legends team. And like many young esports hopefuls, their dream is to go pro. According to Daily Esports and Fomos (via tipster Sang), principal Bang Seung Ho of Ahyeon Polytechnic High School in South Korea created an esports department (which was…

How’s Miitomo doing? Nintendo reports that in the first three days that the app launched in Japan, Miitomo racked up over a million users. In case you missed it, check out Kotaku’s Miitomo walkthrough.

Toads Are Pretty Good at Pokémon Cosplay 

Just as long as they stick with Venusaur or Ivysaur. Twitter user Shuka Moe, who’s doing research at the Tokyo University of Agriculture, has proven just that. If you are curious how the outfits were created: Which leads to: Then, there’s this: Shit just got real. Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture,…

One Piece Creator On Drawing Boobs

Eiichiro Oda, workaholic and One Piece creator, was asked how to draw the curvy bodies of the characters in his famed manga and anime. As noted on 2ch, the first question, actually, was whether or not Nico Robin’s first name, Nico, explicitly meant “ニ個” (literally, “niko”, or here “two round spheres”), because of her breasts.…

The Erased Live-Action Movie is Plagued by a Nonsensical Ending

Time travel murder mystery Erased is not only a hit manga in Japan but one of this season’s best anime. The new live-action movie is likewise fantastic, if you ignore its nonsensical final act. Erased (like the anime and manga that spawned it) follows Satoru. An aspiring manga artist in his late 20s, he spends…

Genko-an Temple. Kyoto, Japan. By Evan Largent. JPGs is a photo peek into wherever gamers might find interesting. If you’re a photographer and have images you want to share, drop us a line!

Winnie the Pooh Facial Packs Are Nightmare Fuel 

There are an array of different facial packs featuring different Disney characters. They usually look somewhat silly, but the Pooh bear one looks frightening. The packaging looks harmless enough. But as Japanese site Togech points out, wearing the mask makes people look like goblins. Could it be the location of the character’s eyes? Winnie the…

Paint roller? Nope! This is an official Splatoon lint remover, Famitsu reports. It’s the latest real-world Splatoon product, joining the likes of the Splattershot water gun. Hope it’s overpowered against lint…