Kotaku East

Don’t Let The Zombie Apocalypse Stop You From Being Cute

Ever thought The Walking Dead would be better with cute anime high school girls? Well, Japan has heard your prayers. School-Live! is the story of four students, their teacher, and their dog who are holed up in their high school during the zombie apocalypse. However, instead of focusing simply on survival, the small group tries…

My Love Story! Is Truly a Delightful Anime

I’d say my heart grew three times, but then I’d be in the hospital with an exploded rib cage. Sometimes it’s nice to see good things happen to good people. I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that My Love Story! has been the bright spot in my week for the past six months.…

Freaky Giant Cat Also Has A Big Heart

This enormous fake cat might look creepy, but let’s not be so quick to judge. There’s a gentle soul under that nightmare fuel. Earlier this year, Kotaku first reported that Kuroneko Yamato (Black Cat Yamato), a Japanese shipping service, set up a huge cat-faced billboard in Shibuya. Now, this fall, the company rolled out a…

Arashiyama Bamboo Grove. Kyoto, Japan. By Aeron. 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!

The Attack on Titan Subtitle Disaster [Update]

This evening, the live-action Attack on Titan movie was shown at theaters across North America. Some moviegoers have been waiting for this day. The subtitle screw up, though, they could’ve done without. Update: Funimation issued a comment regarding this issue, which can be read in full below. At a showing tonight in San Francisco, there…

Even for Japanese TV, This Show Is Surreal

Actually! The vast majority of Japanese television is rather tame. But every year or so, there are a couple shows that are, ahem, unusual. Bless them. Amid the variety programs and talk shows, many Japanese TV programs have celebrities walking around different places, eating local cuisine. If you’re into regional culture, the shows aren’t boring,…

The Anime Studio That Made Samurai Champloo and Gangsta. is No More

Well, that’s disappointing. Manglobe (マングローブ), the anime studio behind such hits as Samurai Champloo, The World God Only Knows series, and this past season’s hit, GANGSTA. is kaput. According to a report from animeanime.biz, Manglobe had started procedures for bankruptcy on the 29th after being in a state of insolvency for some time. Apparently this…

Nintendo’s New Text Bot is Kooky

You know that red mushroom guy that hangs around with Mario? Apparently he’s got a little friend. His little friend is nuts. LINE is a free texting app that is freakishly exceedingly popular in Japan. Like Facebook, companies can have official accounts that people can friend for regular updates and bonuses and such. Some such…

A Look Inside the Neon Genesis Evangelion Bullet Train

This fall, a Neon Genesis Evangelion bullet train will begin service in Japan. If you thought the outside was something else, wait until you see the inside. This is more than a fancy wrapping. Inside, the train’s first two cars are Evangelion themed. According to Tetsudo Shimbun, there are Evangelion Unit-01 themed seats in the…

Tokyo Tower. Tokyo, Japan. By Karl Raso. 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: Move Over | Album: Move Over Single | Artist: Glim Spanky Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to – and gaming to – at the moment.

A Typical Japanese RPG With an Important Difference: Hardcore Sex

For a Japanese role-playing game, Alpha Ride looks like standard stuff. But for a game with screwing, it’s anything but. Note: Some readers might find the content of this article objectionable. The stereotype is that your typical adult PC game in Japan is set in a high school (or whatnot) and is less about traditional…

In Japan, There’s a Superhero Who…Plants Rice

Meet Chojin Neiger. Unlike other heroes who spend their time battling foes, Neiger is often found farming, not fighting. Japan is filled with cute, local characters. But Chojin Neiger, who takes his look from Power Rangers style heroes, is a bit different! He protects Akita Prefecture, working in the rice paddies. When he’s not doing…

Akihabara Reflection. Tokyo, Japan. By Marcin Strzyżewski. 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!

Breaking Japan’s Big No-No One Photo at a Time

In Japan, there’s one rule that, more than anything, will probably make people upset when broken. These fashion photos destroy that rule. Forget things like eating on trains (a definite no-no in Japan) or sticking chopsticks into a bowl of rice (which is reminscent of Japanese funeral rites). Those are bad manners, sure, and are…

A Very Special Nintendo Bento

During New Year’s in Japan, people eat special food called osechi ryouri (お節料理). Nintendo is ready to 1up that traditional cuisine with Mario and friends. In the past, Japanese business, including food markets, would completely shut down for New Year’s. People would eat osechi, serving the food in stacked bento boxes, over the course of…

These Short Ninja Slayer Games Are More Fun Than the Anime

This week I decided to catch up on Studio Trigger’s newest anime, Ninja Slayer. And I had more fun with these official Ninja Slayer Unity games than I have watching the anime so far. These two games, Hurry! Ninja Slayer! and Let’s Run Away Leopard, are found on the official website for the Ninja Slayer…

Live-Action One Piece, But… Different

In Japan, they’re making a live-action One Piece! It’s for the stage. As previously mentioned, it’s kabuki. Now, we get a decent look at how the characters will be brought to life. This summer, Kotaku reported that the One Piece kabuki production will follow the Summit War Saga and plans to remain faithful to the…

When Epic Fantasy Becomes a Locked-Room Mystery

At first look, Rokka: Braves of the Six Flowers looks to be yet another anime following the archetypical fantasy plot of a group of heroes journeying forth to defeat an evil demon god. However, the anime’s true form is that of a locked room mystery where the only person who can solve the crime is…

If Ever a Game Needed Explaining, It’s Gal Gun

Two words: Orgasm. Gun. Welcome to the latest in Kotaku’s series of explainer articles where we drag in a random disembodied voice and have a little intimate chat about a game, comic, or something else our readers might find interesting. However, this time I am just exploiting the system. After spending two solid days doing…