Kotaku East

Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth: the Kotaku Import Preview

Digimon. Digital Monsters. Digimon are the champions. Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth follows a young teen (in my case, a girl named Ami) and her adventures in both the real world and the virtual reality world of EDEN. One day, she and her two friends, Nokia and Arata, are given the hacker ability to capture and…

Running Your Own Game Company Seems Exhausting

Maybe you have fantasies of becoming a famous game creator with your own game studio. You should also have fantasies of not sleeping. This is Akihiro Hino. He is the president of Level-5, the studio he founded and the studio behind Yokai Watch and Professor Layton. He writes, produces, and designs games. He also doesn’t…

Making a Zombie Film During a Zombie Outbreak is Wonderfully Silly

If your first thought at the outbreak of a real zombie apocalypse would be to grab a camera because the resulting footage will look great in your zombie movie, you’re probably a character in the newest Neptunia title. The Neptunia series was created around a fun concept: What if game consoles—i.e., the Playstation 3, Xbox…

Classroom Crisis: The Kotaku Anime Review

If I were to try to briefly describe what the anime Classroom Crisis is like, I’d say it’s similar to an 80s “save the rec-center” movie—only set on Mars and involving teenage rocket scientists. …Okay, actually, that may make it sound better than it really is. In the not-so-distant future, mankind has colonized Mars thanks…

Neko Atsume, the super cute Japanese mobile cat game, now has an English version courtesy of its latest update. You can grab it here for Android, and here for iOS once Apple approves the update.

Nintendo’s Bold Predictions for the Future

Yesterday, Nintendo unveiled its new mobile app Miitomo. Some folks were underwhelmed! They might be counting Nintendo out. Don’t count Nintendo out. In a newly published interview with Nikkei, Nintendo boss Tatsumi Kimishima briefly mentioned some of the Kyoto-based game maker’s ambitious plans. Kimishima explained that Nintendo started first with Miitomo because a communication app…

I Am a Hero Is a Manga That Does Zombies Right

Zombies—if you’ll pardon the pun—is a genre that just won’t die. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t still good stories to dig up if you look for them. I Am a Hero is one such gem. In terms of outbreak stories, Japanese manga has some really amazing go-to examples I like to bring up whenever…

Down the Alley. Okayama, Japan. By Liam Edwards. 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!

Nintendo Introduces a New Account System

Say hello to what’s being called “Nintendo Account.” Today in Tokyo, Nintendo unveiled its new account system, which will connect smartphones, PCs, and Nintendo hardware. Users will be able to make accounts via Twitter, Google Plus, and Facebook, Nintendo Network ID or email. With your Nintendo Account, you’ll also get info and even freebies for…

Conan Anime Erases Japan for South Korea

Literally! See, there’s localization, and then, there’s localization Earlier this year, the anime feature Detective Conan: Sunflowers of Inferno hit Japanese movie theaters. The movie centers around a Van Gogh painting that was believed to have been destroyed during a U.S. bombing raid during the Second World War. (You can read the full plot here.)…

The Story of NieR:Automata Tells of a Dark Future [Update]

Introduced at this year’s E3, Square Enix’s new NieR game, developed by Platinum Games, now has an official name and new information on one of its main characters. Officially titled NieR: Automata—because, sure—the action RPG takes place in a future where mankind has been driven from the planet by alien invaders and their mechanical creations.…

A Three-Month Break Didn’t Help This Anime

Blood Blockade Battlefront wasone of our favorites from the Spring anime lineup this year. But the final episode was delayed for three months due to apparently there being too much content. So, finally, after the three month wait, was the ending worth it? Well… Kind of… Blood Blockade Battlefront is a supernatural story that takes…

First Look at the New Macross Anime 

Hey! There’s a new Macross anime. It’s called Macross Delta. There are things you expect—such as Valkyries—but some bits look kind of unusual. You know, like the castle and the fancy outfits. Below, is the anime’s debut trailer: Macross Delta is set in the year 2067 and marks the start of a “new Macross history.”…

Kushikatsu in Shinsekai. Osaka, Japan. By Louise Saul. 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!

Track: My Neighbor Satan | Artist: Boris | Album: Smile Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to – and gaming to – at the moment.

Anime Actor’s Cocaine Arrest Proves You Should Never Do Drugs in Japan

You’re an adult. It’s your life. Your body. Make your own choices. But if I’m going to offer one bit of advice, it’s this: Don’t do illegal drugs in Japan. Just don’t. Case in point: The Japanese media reported that voice actor Ai Takabe, who starred in the comedy-slice of life anime Kill Me Baby,…

How To Improve Fortune Cookies: Add Cats

Fortunes are nice and all, but getting little felines in your cookies are way better. IT Media reports that these cat cookies are available via Japanese site Felissimo. Each one comes with a small cat that is as big as a fifty yen coin—which is about the size of an American nickel. Japanese websites like…

Japan Now Has Anime Contact Lenses 

And they’re called, wait for it, “Anime Contact.” Clever! For well over a decade, there have been contacts designed to make your eyes look larger. These aren’t just worn by cosplayers, but regular folks, too. The difference here is that these lenses attempt to make your eyes not only look expressive, but like they belong…

Kurama Fire Festival. Kyoto, Japan. By Jason Smith. 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!

Today, We Lost a Great Japanese Illustrator 

Respected artist Noriyoshi Ohrai died earlier today, reports the Japanese media. You might not know his name, but you should know his work. Born in 1939, Ohrai illustrated a wide variety of works—from pulp fiction covers and history books to Hollywood blockbusters and video games. He first really made a name for himself with his…