Kotaku East

Real-Life Princess Mononoke Yakushima, Japan. By Romell Roberts. 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!

Blow-Up Dolls Make VR Sex Worse

Don’t worry. This gentleman is fully dressed, and he isn’t actually making love to this blow-up doll. Oh good. Note: This article contains content some readers might find objectionable. At this month’s Ocufes, a regular event dedicated to the Oculus Rift in Japan, there were loads of VR demos to try, including this: This comes…

Never Before Has an Anime Reminded Me So Much of High School

The first (excellent) season of My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU was two parts cynical comedy, one part drama. Season two is the exact opposite—and an anime that reminded me so much of my own high school existence, I often felt ill with remembered embarrassment. [This review contains spoilers for both the first and second seasons…

I Just Finished The New Ace Attorney. It Was Fantastic.

Ever wanted to know what Ace Attorney would be like if ittook place in 1901? Well, if you speak Japanese you can—and it’s awesome. The setting is the unquestionable star of Dai Gyakuten Saiban: Naruhodo Ryunosuke no Boken. The game takes place in Japan, London, and on the high seas at the turn of the…

Grand Theft Auto Would Make for a Cute Anime

Doraemon is one of Japan’s most beloved anime. Grand Theft Auto is a hugely popular video game series. Put them together, and you get this. This was created by an artist named En, who drew this series because Doreamon is his favorite cartoon and GTA is his favorite game. He did not specify which Grand…

Angel Beats: The Kotaku Anime Review

While the popular anime Charlotte didn’t quite make the cut for our must watch anime of this season, watching it has encouraged me to go back and check out other works by writer Jun Maeda: namely his 2010 hit, Angel Beats Angel Beats is the story of a group of dead teenagers—“living” in a sort…

Metal Gear Solid Weddings Are Both Romantic and Sneaky

If you are looking for a special theme for your wedding, how about Metal Gear Solid cardboard boxes like in this PlayStation ad? In this spot for The Phantom Pain, the bride thanks her father and Metal Gear Solid for the various things she’s learned over the past 28 years, such has never giving up…

View from the temple. Kyoto, Japan. By Anthony Le. 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!

So, I Fought the Boss with a Trillion Hit Points

I’ll admit, when I first heard the concept of a game where you fight a boss with a trillion hit points, I expected a fun tactical game with cutesy anime girls. What I didn’t expect was an emotional fist to the gut. Makaishin Trillion is a new game for the PS Vita from Compile Heart…

“Sprout Heads” Are a Trend in China

Putting sprouts in your head, it seems, is now a thing in China. According to The Beijinger and ShanghaiIst, folks have taken to wearing plastic sprouts in their hair, because they think it’s cute. Bean sprouts seem to be the most popular. I think it kind of looks like Pikmin, but hey, that’s me. [Photo:…

You Can Buy Boobs for Cosplay

Anime and video game characters often have unrealistic proportions. But you shouldn’t let that prevent you from cosplaying as your favorite characters. Note: This article has content that might be NSFW. In Japan, a special effects maker called Anime Body Parts has a range of, well, anime body parts for sale. Need elf ears? They’ve…

Square Enix and SNK Playmore Drop Their Lawsuits Against Each Other

I guess we can all be friends now. It started with a copyright infringement allegation—Square Enix published manga, High Score Girl, was using characters owned by SNK Playmore without permission. Then things got heated with a counter-suit from Square Enix. Now, nearly a year later, it looks like the two companies are ready to kiss…

Square Enix just launched its official Tokyo Game Show site. According to Famitsu, Star Ocean 5 will be playable for the first time at the show.

Kind of Like Battlefield 4 Shanghai, China. Via Kurtis Jacques. 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: Yeah! Meccha Holiday | Album: T.W.O | Artist: Aya Matsuura Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to – and gaming to – at the moment.

The First Gen Nintendo DS Is Alive and Trending on Japanese Twitter

Bulky. Heavy. Ugly. That was the original Nintendo DS. And just when you think that handheld was dead, it starts trending on Twitter in Japan. As Japanese website Dechisoku points out, this week, a tweet asking if people still had their original DS portables led to many Japanese Twitter users uploading photos of their Nintendo…

Mod Splatoon into Skyrim? Sure, Why Not. 

Well, we can add Splatoon to the lengthy list of Skyrim mods. This mod brings what looks like Splatoon’s Splattershotgun to Skyrim, letting players cover enemies in orange or blue. [Image: Higeyoshi] [Image: Higeyoshi] Dubbed “Peryitoon,” the mod’s name is a word play on “Peryite” and Splatoon. According to the mod’s creator Higeyoshi (via My…

The New Lupin the Third Anime Series Looks Terrific

For the first time in thirty years, there’s a new Lupin the Third animated television series. So far, the show certainly seems promising. A few years back, we got a Lupin the Third spin-off anime which centered on Fujiko. But this latest one, which debuts this October in Japan, is classic Lupin the Third. It’s…

A stroll in Yanaka Cemetery. Tokyo, Japan.By Armand Ghedira. 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!

Dragon Ball Family Portraits

I have family portraits. You probably do, too. So, why shouldn’t Dragon Ball characters? Thanks to Alberto Cubatas over on Deviant Art (via JeFusion), they do! Cubatas went one step further than the big Dragon Ball family image (above) and has been breaking them down into their individual families. [Image: Alberto Cubatas] [Image: Alberto Cubatas]…