Kotaku East

Anime Fans Are Good at Spotting Alleged Tracing

Or maybe, I should say train fans. Whichever! Nice eye. Or eyes. On a recent episode of anime Sound! Euphonium, the character Kumiko is shown riding a train—a train that looks very slick. [via Yaraon] Like something you would only see in an anime? Um, no. A train that, as commenters pointed out online in…

The Second Parasyte Movie Isn’t Terrible

Despite my feelings for the first movie, I had to see it all through to the end. I used to laugh at peoples’ overreactions to live-action adaptations. And then I heard they were making a two-part, live-action adaptation to one of my most favorite manga series ever, Parasyte And then I saw the trailer And…

The Trailer for Star Ocean V with English Subtitles

Star Ocean V is a thing and it’s coming. Sadly, Square Enix hasn’t seen it fit to offer the announcement trailer in English for Western fans of the series. Fear not; that’s why I’m here. Star Ocean V: Integrity and Faithlessness, the fifth installment of the main Star Ocean series will take place between Star…

Nintendo is finally making money again, posting a 41.8 billion yen ($350 million) net profit. It doesn’t stop there, because Nintendo is forecasting its profit to double over this year. “A new source of revenue is expected from a gaming application for smart devices which will be released this year,” Nintendo stated.

This Isn’t a Manga Drawing

This may look like a black and white manga drawing. But no, it’s a three-dimensional figure with a custom paint job. Previously, Kotaku profiled Japanese figure maker mumumuno53 (here and here). Those earlier works were in living color, but his latest effort evokes black and white. From nearly every angle, the custom paint job makes…

Phoenix Hall. Uji, Kyoto Prefecture, 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!

Please, Look Inside Pikachu’s…Vagina?

Oh god. Surely, the people who made this inflatable Pikachu know? They have to. Warning: This article contains content some readers might find objectionable. A few years ago, images surfaced of a Pikachu bouncy house in Japan with the entrance in a rather interesting place. To refresh your memory: Yep. But if you thought that…

It’s Condom Day in Japan, and People Keep Screwing Around

Today is May 6th. Online in Japan, that’s Condom Day. On Twitter, people keep effing around. Glad to see they’re playing it safe! There are numerous unofficial “days” in Japan. For example, there’s Pocky Day. There’s Sushi Day. And yes, Condom Day. None of them are official national holidays. Why is today Condom Day? In…

Found It, My Favorite Studio Ghibli Cosplay 

Look. At. That. A Robot from Castle in the Sky walking around the streets of Osaka. With long arms and a thin neck, the robotic proportions don’t exactly lend themselves to cosplay. I’d imagine coming up with a wearable Robot outfit would be harder than, say, a Totoro costume. It’s certainly not a logical choice…

The Twitter page of missing Japanese game exec Ryoei Mikage has been deleted. It was still online early last month. It’s not now.

Track: Kaze wo Atsumete | Artist: Happy End | Album: Kazemachi Roman Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to – and gaming to – at the moment

The Difficulty of Recreating Anime with Cosplay

Cosplay is often concerned with bringing characters to life in our three dimensional world. One group of cosplayers goes the extra strep by recreating anime scenes. This is Tux Team. Previously, we’ve featured their amazingly accurate Big Hero 6 cosplay. Today, let’s have a look at some of their anime recreations—which aren’t easy to pull…

The Up All Night Stream Plays Xenoblade Chronicles X [Stream Finished]

Xenoblade Chronicles was one of the best RPGs the Wii had to offer; and while we didn’t exactly love last month’s 3DS port of the game, we’re still excited to play the Wii U sequel. So join us as the Up All Night Stream plays Xenoblade Chronicles X Update: The stream is over but you…

Love, Loss, and Music Collide in this Heartbreaking Tale

Warning: This anime might just make you cry. Your Lie in April is the story of Kousei, a young piano prodigy who, after the death of his mother, had a mental breakdown and ultimately lost the ability to hear the music he played. Three years later, he meets his playboy best friend’s new girlfriend, Kaori—a…

Sega’s Newest Free-to-Play is a Plot-Heavy RPG

Late last month Sega released their newest mobile game: Hortensia Saga. But unlike many free-to-play mobile games, this one has an expansive fantasy plot to back up its addictive gameplay. Hortensia Saga is a medieval fantasy tale of war and chaos. Three years ago the king was betrayed and murdered by one of his dukes…

Old PlayStations Make Great Clocks

The original PlayStation isn’t only a fantastic console. It also makes a wonderful clock. Twitter user Rurue0111 created this do-it-yourself time keeper. It lights up when you press the power button. And when it’s bright, the console clock looks like this: [Photo: Rurue0111] Here, you can see it in action. How cool is that? It’s…

Track: Sono Nukumori ni Yo ga Aru | Artist: Sambomaster | Album: Atarashiki Nihongo Rock no Michi to Hikari Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to – and gaming to – at the moment

When Cute Characters Are Too Damn Big for Japan

No doubt, you’ve see those photos of train station employees stuffing Tokyo commuters into crowded trains. This is something like that, but adorable. Meet Norurun. The character is a yuru kyara mascot for the Tokyu train lines. “Norurun” is a Japanese pun: “Noru” (乗る) means “to ride,” while “runrun” (ルンルン) can mean “bouncy” or “euphoric.”…

Yurikuma Arashi Tackles the Subject of Homosexuality in Japan

Yurikuma Arashi does something I would have thought impossible: It uses an outlandish premise to explore the prejudice facing gay people in Japan—and does so effectively. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. On its most superficial level, Yurikuma Arashi is the story of a world where a meteor crashed to Earth, giving the bears of…

Some Anime Characters Are Perfect for Cigarette Art 

Japan has already had bento art,latte art, toast art, banana art, and more. Looks like, cigarette art might be next the medium to bring anime and video game characters to life. Smoke if ya got ‘em! The cigarettes, that is, not the characters. As noted onGameOver, artist Shinrashinge uploaded photos of his “tobacco art,” which…