Kotaku East

Track: Colors | Artist: Utada Hikaru | Album: Utada Hikaru Single Collection Vol. 1 Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to – and gaming to – at the moment

Why the Triforce Is On The Grave of the Game Boy’s Creator

The Triforce. It’s an iconic symbol in gaming. And as Kotaku previously pointed out, the original design is part of Japanese culture. It’s also on the grave of a legendary Nintendo designer. Here’s why. Few of us will impact the world like Nintendo’s Gunpei Yokoi did during his life. Whether that was creating the Game…

Few Artists Can Draw Engines Freehand Like This

Then, there’s the fact that the illustration was done completely from memory. Last year, our colleagues at Sploid showed how Korean artist Kim Jung Gi could create impressive illustrations without prior sketching. While serving in his country’s armed services, Kim was able to work with a wide variety of machines. His art shows a deep…

Iron Man Plus Panda Is Iron Panda

Nearly twenty-feet high, this marvelous sculpture recently went on display in Shenyang, China. [Photo: ChinaFotoPress/ChinaFotoPress via Getty Images] Robert Downey Jr. might be cool and all, sure, but he’s not panda cute. Nor is he, as far as I know, twenty feet tall. [Photo: ChinaFotoPress/ChinaFotoPress via Getty Images] Beijing artist Bi Sheng created the work,…

Previously, the CEO of Japanese game company ImageEpochwent missing and his Twitter page vanished. Now, the studio has officially started bankruptcy proceedings, owing 43 creditors 1.1 billion yen or US$9 million.

Takoyaki stand. Osaka, Japan. By Luke Plunkett | Kotaku 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!

Five Must-Watch Anime for Spring 2015

This season there are 50 new anime on the air, so it can be more than a little difficult to know which ones to watch. But now that the season has reached its half-way point, we at Kotaku East come bearing our recommendations. Fellow Kotaku author Toshi Nakamurai and I have spent the past few…

Years Later, Revisiting Manga Drawings from Childhood

Toraneko is a Japanese artist and illustrator. When she was a kid, she wasn’t just into video games, but also into drawing manga based on them. Now, as an adult, she can show how far her skills have come. Via Twitter, she did just that. Here is the cover to Pokémon manga she drew when…

Selfie Level: Expert

You might think you are something else. That your selfie ability is pro level or simply unparalleled. Maybe it is. But can you do this? I’m sure you can if you tried! These no-hand selfie snaps have been appearing on Chinese social networking site Sina. We’ve seen a similar style with the “Caught Me Sleeping”…

The Real Pokémon Theme Park: A Look Back

With the news of a Nintendo collaboration with Universal Studios, many fans are excited for the theme park possibilities. Will there be a Mario Kart ride? How about a Pokémon one? Well, ten years ago, there was an entire amusement park in Japan dedicated to Pocket Monsters. Dubbed Pokémon The Park 2005 (and, like the…

Track: Nai Mono Nedari | Artist: Kana-Boon | Album: Boku ga CD wo Dashitara Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to – and gaming to – at the moment

Where Dragon Ball and Instant Noodles Meet

Do you love Cup Noodles? There’s a new flavor: Vegeta. As in vegetables… and as in Dragon Ball. The packaging is done in orange and red. It reads even reads “Vegeta” (ベジータ) in Japanese, just like the character’s name! This is no accident. According to ASCII, this Vegeta-branded Cup Noodle will feature Dragon Ball’s Vegeta…

Hideo Kojima Shows off Metal Gear Figure With Soft Boobs

Quiet from Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is a deadly sniper in skimpy clothes. There’s apparently a reason for the character’s sexy outfit. Ditto for this figure. The reason for the figure is, of course, that lots of fans will buy this figure. Make of that what you will! Today, Metal Gear Solid…

This Is Not “Fuck You” in Japanese Sign Language

It’s really not. This is the gesture for “siblings” (兄弟 or “kyoudai”) in Japanese Sign Language. Just like with spoken languages, sign language has evolved differently in different countries (here’s a helpful list of sign languages). So, people who know American Sign Language obviously won’t be able to communicate with people who use Japanese Sign…

One-Ton Bomb from WWII Temporarily Closing Osaka’s Geek Street

Today, anime retailer Animate sent out an unusual tweet: Its shop in Osaka’s Nipponbashi neighborhood will be closed for several hours tomorrow. The reason? A one-ton bomb. This past March, construction workers discovered the one-ton bomb in Nipponbashi, Osaka’s geek district also known as “Den-Den Town.” According to NHK, the bomb was American-made and dates…

Why So Many Movies in Japan Are Based on Manga and Anime 

Surely, you’ve noticed? Recently, in Japan, there’s a glut of movies based on manga and anime. There must be a reason for this. There most certainly is. It is a rather simple and somewhat obvious reason. But here, let Beat Takeshi tell it. Beat Takeshi, of course, is a famed comedian, actor, and filmmaker—among many…

Xenoblade Chronicles X is Pure Scenery Porn

Xenoblade Chronicles X may be on a system far less graphically powerful than the PS4 or Xbox One, but that doesn’t stop it from having some of the most beautiful alien scenery I’ve seen in a game. At this point, I’ve been playing Xenoblade Chronicles X for around 20 hours. And in that time, I’ve…

Yoshimitsu Goes Full Tentacle Monster for Tekken 7

It shouldn’t really be a surprise that Yoshimitsu is in Tekken 7. What is a surprise is how he looks. The characters appearance does change from game to game. Let’s have a look back at some different Yoshimitsu incarnations from over the years: And now… Here’s another screenshot via Famitsu: Below, you can watch the…

Track: Anthem of Shibuya | Artist: Momus | Album: Ping Pong Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to – and gaming to – at the moment

“Annoying” Japanese Video Game Slang

Every field of specialty has its own jargon. Terms that can hold different or specific meaning within that field as opposed to outside. “Frag” “noob” “pwn”… These are words that were either born or altered by gaming. Japanese gaming has its own words too. A thread on 2ch, Japan’s biggest online billboard, posed an interesting…