Kotaku East

The Book That Inspired “Totoro”

Ever wonder what the name “Totoro” means? It’s the mispronunciation of the word “troll” from a Norwegian children’s story, that’s what. My Neighbor Totoro is a 1988 classic from Studio Ghibli. It follows the adventures of two sisters with mysterious spirits given the “Totoro” moniker. The inspiration for the name is a fairy tale. You…

“Ninja Day” Is an Actual Holiday in Japan

February 22 is “National Ninja Day.” The Japanese holiday isn’t an official day off. That is, at least not for those unable to slip out of work. Why 2/22? It’s a word play, because in Japanese the number two is “ni.” You know, kind of like the “ni” in “ninja” (忍者), but with “nin” or…

Remember that 20th Anniversary PS4 charity auction? It seems things fell through with the winner bidder. Sony, however, is going to shell out the winning amount to Save the Children Japan, along with the other 15 million yen it had promised. The PS4 will go on display at the Sony Showroom in Tokyo.

Nintendo Really Likes Metacritic

This is actually rather sad. At an investor’s meeting today, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata talked a lot about how great Nintendo’s Metacritic scores are—even going as far as to brag that Nintendo’s current releases have higher Metacritic numbers than Sony’s or Microsoft’s. Um, congrats? Keep in mind that Iwata is talking to boring investor types.…

The Legend of Legacy Doesn’t Live Up to Its Pedigree

The Legend of Legacy has a pedigree other JRPGs can only wish for with its development team consisting of former Square Enix and Level-5 employees. But given that it comes from a team who had a hand in some of the most popular classic JRPGs of the 90s and beyond, this game is more than…

Amiibos Will Unlock NES and Super NES Games

Now, you buy Amiibos. You collect them. You scan them in. But Nintendo says Amiibos can—and will be—so much more. In the future, Nintendo says, they’ll unlock NES and Super NES games. Well, parts of them. In a recent investors meeting, Nintendo exec Satoru Iwata outlined the company’s Amiibos plans. “We are also planning a…

The New Danganronpa Smartphone Game is Basically Billiards

I don’t know what I was expecting for a smartphone game based on a series of murder mystery/death game visual novels, but it wasn’t billiards. Danganronpa: Unlimited Battle is like any number of other smartphone spin-off games. It has no plot and instead focuses on a collection mechanic. What’s not so normal about it is…

Japan Has a Technical School for Pro-Gaming

Dream of being a pro-gamer? Live in Japan? Good news! There’s now a school for you. Vocational institution Tokyo School of Anime is rolling out its first e-Sport curriculum, which is also the first of its kind in Japan. Until now the school has concentrated on those hoping to enter the anime industry and voice…

The Up All Night Stream Plays Tales of Zestiria [Finished]

With nearly 400,000 copies sold since its launch late last month, there is no question that Tales of Zestiria is a hit in Japan right now. So join me and let’s see what all the fuss is about. Update: Welp, the stream is done for the night. You can watch all three plus hours of…

Hayao Miyazaki Calls Charlie Hebdo Cartoons a “Mistake”

Last month, the Paris offices of satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo were attacked, leaving twelve dead. Recently, however, famed Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki said he believes the French paper’s Muhammad cartoons were a “mistake.” In a TBS radio interview, Miyazaki discussed the shooting, which took the lives of several of France’s most famous satirical cartoonists. Miyazaki…

Let Zelda Remakes Show You How Instruction Booklets Are Vanishing

These days, many companies—Nintendo, included—have been moving away from game booklets. That’s making some nostalgic for the days of printed instructions. Newly released The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D does not come with a printed instruction booklet in Japan, something Twitter user Cocoa was quick to point out was a buzzkill. [Photo:p_cocoa_f] There’s simply…

The Sources of One Piece. It Seems. 

Ever feel like you’ve seen One Piece characters somewhere else before? It’s not just you who thinks that. In the past, Kotaku has profiled the ways that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda allegedly borrowed from other cartoons. There was also that image showing the famous people that appear to have inspired numerous One Piece characters.…

Capcom is releasing an arcade version of popular smartphone music game Cytus. Dubbed Cytus OMEGA, the game gets a fancy cabinet for its Japanese game center release, which you can see in this 4Gamer pic.

From Dragon Ball to DoTA, Here’s a Resort for Geeks

This is Jed’s Island Resort. There are many places in the Philippines to unwind in the sun. There is only one resort with a DoTA Tauren Chieftain statue. Since 1995, Jed’s Island Resort has been severing vacationers in the province of Bulacan. The resort continually rotates out new statues that are often video game, anime,…

Arpeggio of Blue Steel Has Terrible Cuts and Great Additions

Recap movie Arpeggio of Blue Steel -Ars Nova DC- has 30 minutes of new footage. But while I liked what they added, I wasn’t crazy about what they took out. Arpeggio of Blue Steel was one of my favorite anime of 2012. So I was excited when I learned that a film version, Arpeggio of…

Blackface Continues in Japan. In 2015. [Update]

Above, you can see a photo the members of Momoiro Clover Z, one of Japan’s most famous idol acts, and long-time pop group Rats & Star. And this is apparently how they’ll appear on Japanese television next month. Update: Momoiro Clover Z has cancelled an appearance at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan. The group…

Kirby: Rainbow Curse Makes Me Want More Claymation-style Games

Is there anything cuter than Kirby claymationin this world? (Hint: No, no there isn’t.) Kirby: Rainbow Curse is the newest title in the Kirby series. Unlike last year’s Triple Deluxe, Rainbow Curse is not a traditional Kirby platformer. Instead, Rainbow Curse follows in the footprints of DS title Kirby: Canvas Curse. And let me tell…

Mario, I Don’t Recognize You Anymore

We’ve already seen Mario without his moustache. But via 2ch, let’s see that again. And minus the hat. And while we’re at it, ditch those overalls, put on a t-shirt, and wear glasses. It looks like the actor Nintendo hires to play Mario in his off hours. To contact the author of this post, write…

Pokkén Tournament, the Pokémon fighting game developed by Namco, will be out in Japanese arcades this summer.

Capcom Is Making An Attack on Titan Arcade Game

Today, Capcom announced an Attack on Titan game for Japanese arcades. That’s about all we know! According to Inside, all the Osaka-based game maker showed this afternoon at the Japan Amusement Expo were title cards revealing the project. So, sadly no game footage. The screen says “Capcom” and “Attack on Titan” (進撃の巨人). And this card…