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Kotaku East
Barakamon is Touching, Heartfelt, and Utterly Wonderful
Every season, there is one anime that stands above the rest. And for this past summer season, that anime is Barakamon Good – A Loss of Self Worth Barakamon is the modern day story of Handa, a young professional calligrapher who punches an aged gallery owner in the face for criticizing his work. Because he…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published October 28, 2014 -
Kotaku East
Like to Zone Out? This Competition Is For You.
Yesterday, there was competition in Seoul. People competed to see who could space-out the most. Wait, what? As reported by major Korean news sites and TV networks (via tipster Sang), the event had criteria to select the most spaced out contestant. [Photo:seoulmania] To win, you needed to look spaced out for three hours, you needed…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 28, 2014 -
Kotaku East
When Japanese Game Titles Go From English to …English?
The Evil Within was released across the world in the past few weeks. However, in Japan, its country of origin, it has a different English title: Psycho Break. Of course, this is far from the first time a Japanese game with an English title has been renamed after it has left Japan. Perhaps the most…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published October 28, 2014 -
Kotaku East
Wasabi Toothpaste Sounds Like a Painful Way to Brush
When you hear wasabi, you probably think of sashimi or sushi. Maybe add toothpaste to that list as well? No, let’s not do that. This month, Japanese retailer Village Vanguard is rolling out wasabi-flavored toothpaste. The toothpaste smells like wasabi, it has a wasabi-like texture, and most importantly, it tastes like wasabi. If you’ve ever…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 28, 2014 -
Kotaku East
This App Will Help You Improve Your Japanese
I’ve mentioned a few games in the past to help you improve your Japanese language ability. However, when it comes to learning all aspects of Japanese, KanjiBox is the best study tool I have found. KanjiBox is an iOS app designed to teach Japanese Kanji and Kana (letters) as well as vocabulary. Moreover, it is…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published October 28, 2014 -
Kotaku East
Porco Rosso Sunglasses, Yours for $480
Studio Ghibli is teaming up with Japan’s Washin Optical for official Porco Rosso sunglasses. They’re kind of expensive. The glasses come in two variations. There is the “Period Piece Model,” which is made like sunglasses were in the 1920s and 30s, which is when the anime takes place. The lenses are made from glass, while…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 28, 2014 -
Kotaku East
Japan Has Crepe Vending Machines
The vast majority of vending machines in Japan have drinks or cigarettes. But some of them offer other items. This one, for example, has crepes. That’s right. Crepes. Spotted in Kagoshima by blog Kansaitei Kyushu, this refrigerated vending machine offers different crepes, from mixed fruit and chocolate banana to plain chocolate sauce and caramel pudding.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 27, 2014 -
Kotaku East35-Year-Old Man Screws Up His Neck by Playing With His Phone in Bed
Swiping, checking your phone, and playing games in bed seem like a good idea, that is until you hear about the middle-aged man who’s now got the neck of a 70-year-old. Taiwanese media, and Chinese media, report that a 35-year-old man in Taichung, Taiwan is now suffering from neck problems after spending about 3 hours…
By Eric Jou Published October 27, 2014 -
Kotaku East
Olaf from Frozen Hanging Out in Tokyo
Like anyone else in the teeming metropolis, Olaf spent the other night taking trains, meeting friends, and getting something to eat. What else do you expect him to do? Build a freakin’ snowman? Obviously, this costume is for Halloween, which now gets a lengthy celebration in Japan (there were Halloween parades this past weekend, for…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 27, 2014 -
Kotaku East
Father Goes Berserk In Net Cafe
A father in Xinyu, Jiangxi province has been arrested and detained by Chinese police after going on a rampage in an Internet cafe,Tencent news reports. The detained, Mr. Lin, was celebrating his wife’s birthday when he noticed his eldest son was missing. Apparently, Lin knew that his son had a penchant for Internet gaming and…
By Eric Jou Published October 27, 2014 -
Kotaku East
Naruto Fans Recreate Ninja Exams
The long-running Japanese manga, Naruto, is coming to an end later this year. To celebrate its extensive run, a few college students in China’s Guangdong province have recreated one of series’ best story school-related story arcs! Tencent’s QQ Games news reports that at least 30 students got together to take part in the cosplay recreation.…
By Eric Jou Published October 27, 2014 -
Kotaku East
Final Fantasy VII Comes To Life in Glorious Plastic
Square Enix doesn’t just make video games. It also makes toys. Cool toys. Like these. The company’s Play Arts line is bringing Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children to life with Cloud Strife, Tifa Lockheart, Barret Wallace, and Red XIII The Cloud figure is 12,960 yen (US$120), while the others are 10,584 yen ($98). Red XIII…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 27, 2014 -
Kotaku East
The Reality and Fantasy of Cosplay
Making good costumes isn’t easy and neither is taking good cosplayphotos. Like a fashion or a movie shoot, there is behind-the-scenes magic that goes into bringing the cosplay to life. As pointed out by Japanese site Kinisoku, recently some cosplayers have been sharing peeks at how they brought their pics to life. For example, cosplayer…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 27, 2014 -
Kotaku East
Beat Takeshi Hates Anime and That’s Okay
Famed comedian, actor, director and television personality Beat Takeshi does not like anime. In particular, he mentioned the anime of Studio Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki. But don’t think for a second he doesn’t recognize anime’s importance. He does. During the Tokyo International Film Festival, Takeshi was asked about the sort of things that are important…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 27, 2014 -
Kotaku East
Tokyo Ghoul Builds an Emotional World of Horror and Violence
This past summer’s anime Tokyo Ghoul may ostensibly be a dark and twisted horror story about superpowered monsters who feed upon humanity; but beneath its surface, it’s so much more. Good – Ghoul Society Tokyo Ghoul takes place in a world quite similar to our own but with one major difference: Humanity is not at…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published October 24, 2014 -
Kotaku East
A Good, Horrible Look at Korea KFC’s Double Down
In South Korea, KFC’s take on the Double Down is, well, something else. You might have seen the promotional pics. Let’s have a look at pics of the actual sandwich. While the Double Down that was launched in 2010 in the U.S., it was two pieces of fried chicken with cheese, sauce, and bacon. KFC…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 24, 2014 -
Kotaku East
Why These Chinese Sanitation Workers Dress Like Spider-Man
You might think this is just some gimmick. But it’s more than that. Much more. The Spider-Man outfits are a reminder these two men are risking their lives. Website Zhangjiakou Online and ShanghaiIst are reporting that sanitation workers Liu Jiancheng and Zhang Chengqing have recently changed uniforms from this: To this: Not just because Spider-Man…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 24, 2014 -
Kotaku EastLet’s Rank Fatal Frame, Best to Worst
The Fatal Frame series is one of the creepiest survival-horror game series out there and certainly my personal favorite of the genre. But as with all series, some games are better than others. So let’s rank them, shall we? A few notes before we start. These are not Kotaku‘s picks for the pecking order of…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published October 24, 2014 -
Kotaku East
Cartoon Dog Cafe Will Rot Your Teeth with Sweetness
This is cute. Really, really cute. Is too much? Probably! But golly, Japanese cafes don’t get much more adorable than this. You are looking at the Pom Pom Purin Cafe, which opened its doors this week in Tokyo’s Harajuku. This is the first of its kind in the country. If you are not familiar with…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 24, 2014 -
Kotaku East
Metallic Iron Man Figures Are the Best Iron Man Figures
I’ve been waiting a year for this. (cue the Black Sabbath music) Since the announcement of Hong Kong collectible toy company’s ambitious new Movie Masterpiece Diecast line of figures – figures that use actual metal parts – I’ve spent countless hours oogling over the images of theIron Man 3 Mark XLII suit. I almost immediately…
By Toshi Nakamura Published October 23, 2014