Kotaku East

The Latest Final Fantasy XV Video – Now in English

For those of you who don’t understand that newfangled moonspeak that is Japanese. Last week, Square Enix released a stream where Final Fantasy XV art director Yusuke Naora and world map director Yasuyuki Matsunami talked with a host about just how friggin huge the world of FFXV was The visuals were impressive and all, but…

Introducing the Apple iPie 6 Plus

While this isn’t exactly made by Apple, it is made with apples. Sweets shop Taroan, located in the Japanese town of Aizubange, recently introduced its latest desert, the iPie 6 Plus. As reported on J-Town, even the ads were tongue-in-cheek, as was the in-store display. [Photo: cr015963] [Photo: Kazu05726] [Photo: AYAH_UKUF] Here is what the…

The Up All Night Stream Plays OneChanbara Z2: Chaos [Game Complete]

While the last time I played OneChanbara Z2: Chaos, I had my head inside a giant breast (no, really), I enjoyed it enough to be excited to try it again. So now join me now as I control a team of bikini clad girls with giant swords and brutally kill hordes of zombies. Update: Well,…

Sony Tests Fear with Spit and Science

The Evil Within is one scary game, huh? Sony, apparently, can now prove just how scary it is. All it needs is your saliva. In the following clip, Sony says it gathered a group of fifty people (both men and women) to watch the scariest horror movie as selected by one hundred horror fans. Then,…

The Guardians of the Galaxy in Anime Gifs

In Japan, there is currently an anime airing where the Avengers have basically been trapped in Poké Balls by Loki. To tie in with the recent movie, the Guardians of the Galaxy showed up in all their anime glory. And even though the anime isn’t available outside of Japan, there’s no need to worry: I…

Valkyria Chronicles is My First and Only SRPG Love

This week, Sega announced that formerly PS3-exclusive Valkyria Chronicles would be coming to PC November 11, 2014. Just the idea that more people will get to experience this game makes me giddy. Why? Because the Valkyria Chronicles series is my first and only SRPG love. From the beginning, I’ve never really liked SRPGs. This is…

The Irregular at Magic High School Tells an Entertaining Story Poorly

With its complex magic system, excellent setting, and entertaining adventures, The Irregular at Magic High School is an anime I very much wanted to like. Unfortunately, it has several major problems in how it is constructed that hurt the anime overall. Good – A Futuristic World of Magic and Adventure The Irregular at Magic High…

School Tries To Recreate Studio Ghibli Food

A junior high school the city of Mishima, Japan figured out a way to make school lunches fun: Serve Ghibli food. Recently a school flier for “Ghibli School Lunches” appeared on Twitter, racking up 14,000 retweets. Below, you can see the flier, which states that the Ghibli lunches will be served between October 27 and…

Final Fantasy Agito Plus, the PS Vita version of Final Fantasy Agito, was supposed to be out next January in Japan. Its release date is now TBA.

Drink Hello Kitty Coffee in Tokyo

And, if coffee isn’t your thing, you can always eat Hello Kitty food. From November 14 to December 25, the limited time only Hello Kitty Cafe will open in Shibuya’s Parco. As Momo points out, the establishment will serve an array of Kitty themed eats and drinks. Have a look. This isn’t the only Hello…

Here’s the Yakuza Zero Trailer in English

You saw the 15 minute JapaneseYakuza Zerotrailer. Now you can understand it. Sega has made no announcement for an international release of their latest Yakuza game, but that didn’t stop us from translating and putting English subtitles to the dramatic story trailer. Check it out below. Note: With no script or Japanese subtitles, I had…

The Wild World of Japanese Pepsi Flavors

The world has seen some unusual Pepsi flavors. But the reigning champ for variety and inventiveness is still Japan. Earlier this week, Kotaku reported that Pepsi Pink, a strawberry and milk flavored drink, will soon be available in Japan. That beverage, however, is just the tip of the iceberg. Like Doritos, there is a wide…

The Creator of Smash Bros. Needs a Vacation

Director Masahiro Sakurai reflects on his workload on the latest Super Smash Bros., and holy hell, what a workload it is. Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS is out and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U is almost complete. In his latest column in Weekly Famitsu, Sakurai took a moment to reflect on the development…

Man Arrested for Selling One Piece Money

A 45-year-old man was arrested in Japan for selling U.S. legal tender with anime characters on it. His crime? Violating the characters’ copyright, reports TBS News. Tomoaki Tanahashi, who works in television in Nagoya, was nabbed for allegedly selling four one-dollar bills with One Piece stickers on them, with each going for between 1,500 and…

Nintendo’s Newest Hardware Will Monitor Your Sleep

Today, Nintendo announced that it has begun work on a new platform. It’s not quite what you’d expect. Developed with US-based ResMed, Nintendo is working on a new QOL (quality of life) platform that uses sensors and the cloud to monitor people’s lifestyles. For example, the non-wearable QOL sensor can be placed next to a…

Hey Kids! Learn How To Be a Manga Artist in 14 Days

Just fourteen! That’s two weeks. This kit will turn you into a manga artist. All you need is skill. Oh, and a desire to work in a grossly underpaid industry. But hey, this isn’t about money. This is about manga. Dubbed 14 Day Manga Artist Course, the kit is aimed at youngsters and comes with…

Korean Schoolbook Doodles Make Learning More Fashionable

You know how textbook illustrations often look old fashioned? Time to get out those pens and markers and bring them into the 21st century! Sometimes the dated illustrations are due to the subject matter or other times they’re because of the age of the book itself. For the past couple of years, students in South…

Incredibly Small Zelda, Pokémon, and Mario Dioramas

There are small dioramas, and then there are these. They are teeny. Using putty, plastic, and a whole bunch of patience, a NicoNico user named ” A” created miniature versions of Pallet Town from Pokémon Red, Hyrule from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and the Bob-omb Battlefield from Super Mario 64 To give…

Nintendo Might Be Making Money Again

After what seemed like a truly difficult period, Nintendo looks like it could turn its first yearly profit in four years. According to Reuters, Nintendo revealed that it turned a 9.3 billion yen ($86.1 million)* operating profit during the period starting in July and ending in September. Reuters adds that analysts, however, were expecting a…

McDonald’s Turns into Japan’s Most Popular Video Game Anime

A McDonald’s in Tokyo’s Odaiba has been turned into the fictional fastfood joint Mogmog Burgers from the extremely popular video game and anime series Yokai Watch. As reported on Inside and AnimeAnime, the restaurant is a recreation of Mogmog Burgers, with the burgers actually served up in a special Mogmog box The inside of the…