Kotaku East

Nothing Says Japanese Culture Like Star Wars

Every spring in Japan, families with sons set up samurai armor displays so that their boys grow up to be healthy, strong, and understand the true power of the Force. Wait, what? I have three sons, so in preparation for Children’s Day on May 5, we set up this small suit of armor (or “yoroi”…

Square Enix released a Star Ocean 5 teaser. Famitsu.com has also published some official screenshots (here), which we’ve also added to our earlier report.

You Can Wear This Freaky Cat Head in Tokyo

Live in Japan? Got plans for this weekend? You know, you can always put on this large, unsettling cat head. As reported on BuzzMag and Togetter, this “Real Cat Head” will be on display starting this Saturday at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum. It will be part of a larger, free exhibit that will run…

Aldnoah.Zero Is About Personal Failings as Much as Giant Robots

The first season of Aldnoah.Zero took the mecha anime formula of Gundam and turned it on its head—giving the super powerful mecha to the villains and leaving the heroes with vastly inferior mecha. The second season continues using this inverted formula but also focuses on one man’s tragic fall from grace. [This review contains massive…

Now This Is Hardcore Photography

You might think you are into photography. You probably have a camera—maybe two. You go to cons and you take photos of cosplayers . But you are not hardcore. Not like this guy. At the Nipponbashi Street Festa earlier this spring in Osaka, one photographer caught people’s attention with his gear set-up. It’s like a…

Here’s Your Complete Theatrhythm: Dragon Quest Song List

We’ve already been able to rock out to two Theatrhythm games full of Final Fantasy tunes , so now it’s time to have one focusing on Square Enix’s other JRPG giant, Dragon Quest—complete with 65 tunes to show off. [*Note: Whenever possible I have linked to the original version of a given song. If that…

First Look at Star Ocean 5

There’s a Star Ocean 5? Yes. Yes, there is. The newly announced game is headed for the PlayStation 3 and the PlayStation 4 Titled Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness, the game is the fifth instalment in the main series and is being developed by Tri-Ace, the studio that originally launched Star Ocean in 1996 on…

The Up All Night Stream Plays One Piece Pirate Warriors 3 [Stream Over]

Well, would you look at that! It’s once again time for Luffy and the crew to lay waste to thousands of pirates and marines as they sail the seven seas looking for adventure and treasure—only this time on the PlayStation 4. Update: The stream is now complete, but you can check it out in its…

A Disappointing Xenoblade Chronicles X Comparison

So Xenoblade Chronicles X is coming to the Wii U. Good news for those looking forward to a sprawling RPG. Slightly less so if you remember the game’s 2013 trailer. Via YouTube user Gundamzerostrike, here is the most recent Xenoblade Chronicles X trailer compared with the 2013 one. Found on the GameFAQs forums, here is…

Forget Batman, a Japanese Superhero Is Patrolling the Streets

Don’t get me wrong. That Batman outside Tokyo is great. But Batman is an American comic book character. There’s something special about suddenly seeing a Japanese superhero out and about and doing good on the home turf. Recently, people have been spotting someone dressed up as Kamen Rider on the streets of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan.…

That Final Fantasy Arcade Fighting Game Looks Bonkers

I wasn’t really that excited after seeing the Dissidia Final Fantasy debut trailer. Nor did the news that Team Ninja was developing the game do that much for me. But this latest trailer? You have my attention, Tecmo Koei. Make that, my full attention. The game will launch first only in arcades for a year…

The Dragon Ball Science Museum

Like science? What about Dragon Ball? Then, this exhibit could be for you. Titled “Dragon Ball Meets Science*,” the exhibit lets visitors ride a Flying Nimbus that measures brain waves, check out optical illusions, and unleash a Kamehameha. It’s science and technology with a Dragon Ball spin. The science exhibit was first exhibited in Nagoya,…

The Anime Version of Real-Life Anime Creators

Shirobako is set in an anime studio, giving viewers an inside (and often, clever) look at how anime is made. Many of the characters are inspired by folks working in animation. Which makes sense! If this is going to be an insider’s look at anime, then it should be filled with insiders, no? When characters…

Newly announced Monster Hunter Stories is a cuted-up JRPG take on Monster Hunter. It’s for the 3DS and will be out in 2016 in Japan. The Western release hasn’t been announced.

In Japan, The Order: 1886 Is Penis and Nipple Free

While The Order: 1886 might not have been a very good game, it was equal opportunity with nudity. In one scene, for example, there’s an exposed breast and a penis. That is, unless you played the game in Japan. Warning: This article contains content some readers might find objectionable. Here you can watch the original…

When Your Teacher is a Tentacle Monster, You’ve Got to Kill Him

Of course, that’s easier said than done when he has superpowers and can move at mach 20. Recently, a lot of popular anime and manga have been getting live-action adaptations. Many of these have turned out to be lackluster. However, Assassination Classroom bucks that trend by creating a film that is true to the spirit…

New Steins;Gate Game and Anime to Tell an Intriguing Story

Last week, 5pb. announced a new Steins;Gate game and anime are in the works. And while there have been spin-offs and fandiscs to Steins;Gate previously, Steins;Gate 0 is the first to be touted as a vital part of the main story. [This article contains massive spoilers for Steins;Gate.] The original Steins;Gate is a phenomenal visual…

The Kojima Rumors Are True, Says Metal Gear Singer [Update]

There have been rumors that Hideo Kojima is leaving Konami. Those rumors, claims Metal Gear singer and voice actor Donna Burke, are allegedly true. Donna Burke sang the breathtaking “ Heavens Divide” for Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker. More recently, she sings “Sins of the Father” for Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain and…

It’s Official, Goku Has Blue Hair in Dragon Ball Z

That blue-haired Goku is the real deal, it seems. This is the character as a Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan. Or SSGSS. Heh. But there’s a good reason explanation for what’s going on here. This is apparently a Super Saiyan that has absorbedSuper Saiyan God powers. So, that’s why this is a Super Saiyan God…

Anime Satirizes Life, Shocks Its Editors

The third season of the anime Gintama started off with a bang. Or rather, a bawling parody of a disgraced politician. The first episode of the new season of Gintama began with a press conference in which the protagonist, Gintoki Sakata makes a public apology that the series did not end properly, and is having…