Kotaku East

The Hello Kitty Facepack Is for Beauty, Not Terror

Oh, the lengths we go to be beautiful—not frightening. Beautiful. This is an official Hello Kitty beauty mask. In Japanese, it’s called “Hello Kitty Narikiri Facepack” (HELLO KITTY なりきりフェイスパック) with “narikiri” (なりきり) meaning “to turn into completely.” Makes sense. According to Livedoor News, the beauty mask has skin care supplements like hyaluronic acid and collagen…

Former Japanese Pop Queen Sure Looks Familiar…

In late 1990s, Ayumi Hamasaki became one of Japan’s biggest pop stars. She set style trends and was famous for constantly changing her appearance. But, maybe, she was doing something else constantly. Gamers might know Hamasaki as her songs have been used in games like Tales of Xillia and Onimusha: Dawn Of Dreams. One of…

Resident Evil: The Official Curry

And it’s called “Curry of the Biohazard.” Clever, that. Of course, in Japan, where this is sold, Resident Evil is known as Biohazard This “green herb healing curry” is made from coconut milk, chicken, beans, and green curry spices. The box says, “Have the Biohazard Green Herb Curry and survive” and “THEY ARE GOING TO…

Some Truly Unusual Japanese Pizzas

Who loves pizza? I love pizza! Pizza is the BEST. I also really love unusual pizza. You know, ones shaped like cars, Jack-o-lanterns, or made with chocolate bars. Welcome to the world of Aoki’s Pizza. Based in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, the local pizza maker has launched a series of, well, interesting pies over the years.…

Before You Play Inquisition, Watch the Dragon Age Anime

With the release of Dragon Age: Inquisition today, now is the perfect time to take an in-depth look at the anime film Dragon Age: Dawn of the Seeker—a movie that not only fleshes out the world of Dragon Age and the backstory of one of its most prominent characters but is also a fun fantasy…

When You’re a Cat, Serious Television Can Be Tricky

Meet Nyaanya. This four-month-old kitten just made her Japanese TV debut. Better yet, her Japanese TV news debut. And as this four-legged friend is finding out, television sure ain’t easy! There are cameras you are supposed to pretend don’t exist. That’s hard. Previously, Kotaku introduced Shuukan News Shinsho (or, loosely, Weekly News Digest), a current…

Expelled From Paradise is Ghost in the Shell Meets Trigun Meets Gundam

Imagine what would happen if you mixed the cyberpunk society of Ghost in the Shell with the frontier-like desert planet of Trigun and the giant mecha of Gundam. You’re in luck! It has already been animated and shown in Japanese theaters under the title Expelled From Paradise Good – A Sci-fi Western With Mecha Expelled…

We last heard of Ni-Oh! in 2012. The game, based on an Akira Kurosawa script, was announced in 2005. “I heard that it’s been stopped, but it’s actually very much in development,” Tecmo Koei’s Yosuke Hayashi told Venture Beat. “We still need a little time before showing it off, but it is starting to come…

The Return of Dragon Ball Z‘s Greatest Villain

Frieza died. The Dragon Ball bad guy is supposed to be in hell. But, by the look of this upcoming Dragon Ball Z anime movie poster, Frieza is coming back. Note that this isn’t the first time Frieza has returned to Dragon Ball, but this does look like it could be his most dramatic return.…

Big Hero 6 Makes for Touching Flipbook Animation

Tekken, the Japanese comedian named after the fighting game, is back with another flipbook animation. This time, it’s for Disney’s Big Hero 6 The spot is part of the movie’s promotional campaign. But, like Tekken’s other work, it’s surprisingly touching and sweet. 『ベイマックス』鉄拳「パラパラ漫画」オリジナルPV [Disney@YouTUbe] To contact the author of this post, write to bashcraftATkotaku.com or…

Papercraft Genius Creates Origami Dragons, Grim Reaper, and More

Paper can be used for a lot of things, including origami—and in ancient Asia, where paper was invented, one netizen has created some amazing paper folding art! Currently spreading around the Chinese interwebs thanks to folks at China Players (and Sina), these origami creations are the work of one Baidu message board user called 鈬鍢鋃銘鎶…

The Chinese Air Force Has a Mobile Game

Last month, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force announced that they’re releasing a mobile game. Now, after a month and much hoo-ha, they’ve finally released some additional information. Titled Golden Helmet, the game is named after a ridiculous military exercise to find the best pilots. Now, after some hype, the first video of the…

Creepy Anime Face Gets Its Own Photoshop Meme

If you’ve seen the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime, you are probably aware of Joey‘s chin. The character, known as Katsuya Jonouchi in Japan, has an infamous grin. And it’s recently spawned a Photoshop meme. This is what Joey Wheeler’s creepy chin looks like in the anime. And this. Online, his chin is called “creepy.” Under the tag…

Subway Station Gets an Actual Warlords of Draenor Dark Portal

At this point it almost feels like I’m repeating myself. Blizzard and NetEase have pulled out all the stops to get players in China hyped up for the Warlords of Draenor expansion—so much so that they’ve just installed an actual Dark Portal in one of Shanghai’s busiest subway stations! Over the weekend, images of an…

Burger King’s Berry Hamburger Sounds Awful

You know, like raspberries, cranberries, and blueberries. And the burger is called the “Premium Berry.” According to Ameba, the berries are cooked in red wine for a sweet-and-sour “BK Mixed Berry Sauce.” The hamburger also has actual blueberries on it, giving Premium Berry a very berry-y texture. Which is exactly what you want from a…

Attack on Titan Mini-Titan Is Certainly Freaky

Imagine this wandering around Tokyo. Actually, don’t imagine. Because this Sunday, it was. This “Mini Titan” (ミニ巨人 or mini kyojin) spent the day promoting the upcoming Attack on Titan art exhibit by appearing at book shops and manga sellers. The big-headed Titan sure looks freaky out and about. The following photos are from the exhibition’s…

Final Fantasy XV Gameplay Sure Looks Fantastic in HD

This is the Final Fantasy XV gameplay walkthrough. We’ve already seen it. We’ve even translated it. But here it is again, in 1080p. While the walkthrough doesn’t have the commentary, it does have stunning HD footage of the game in motion. Just gameplay, nothing else. FINAL FANTASY XV Walkthrough October 2014 [Square Enix@YouTube] To contact…

Huge Crowd at Pikachu Parade Causes Safety Concerns

This weekend, a Pikachu parade was held in Seoul, South Korea. Too many people showed up. The parade marked the first Korean to win the Pokemon World Championships. It was similar to the parade held this past summer in Japan—but minus the sea of humans. Don’t get me wrong! The event in Japan drew crowds,…

The Up All Night Stream Plays Captain Toad [Game Complete!]

Yesterday, Super Mario 3D World spin-off title Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker hit store shelves in Japan. That leaves just one question. Who’s up for joining me for some puzzle-platforming action? It’s probably important to note that, as I never played Super Mario 3D World, I have no experience whatsoever with Captain Toad. So don’t be…

OneChanbara Z2: Chaos Brings Zombie Killing and Fanservice Galore

If I were to sum up OneChanbara Z2: Chaos in four words, they would be “blood,” “swords,” “zombies,” and “fanservice.” Good – Fun Characters The previous game in the series, OneChanbara Z: Kagura, introduced a new pair of protagonist sisters to the series, Kagura and Saaya. The original pair, Aya and Saki, were cast as…