Kotaku East

Hearing “Ebola” After Eating Bat Meat Can’t Be Good

On August 4, one of Japan’s largest newspapers, the Asahi Shimbun, published a story on eating bat meat. You know what happened that same day? Another Japanese site warned that bat meat could be spreading Ebola. That’s unfortunate timing. The Asahi Shimbun article was titled “I Tried Eating a Whole Bat.” The writer described her…

Regarding those misconstrued Studio Ghibli comments Kotaku previously pointed out, producer Toshio Suzuki recently said he was talking about changing the the way Studio Ghibli works. What’s more, he said, “It looks like Hayao Miyazaki also wants to make something.” There’s talk of Miyazaki doing an animated short, which wouldn’t break his retirement from animated…

I Had No Idea Electric Guitars Were So Damn Dangerous

Well, they are electric. But, I guess I’d never really thought about it. But if you’ve never wondered what happens if there isn’t proper grounding, watch this. That’s Bae Chul-soo, the singer for the legendary Korean band Song Gol Meh. The clip is super old, but was recently unearthed on Japanese site Livedoor News. The…

A Guide To China’s Biggest Game Convention… Through Selfies

Throughout the years, China Joy has been labeled various names by both the foreign and Chinese press. Some have called it a show about busts, others have called it a giant sea of people. Personally, I call China Joy fun! Now, bear with me, China Joy isn’t exactly fun. There isn’t a lot of news…

The Lady with the Bug-Filled Hair is Back

It’s summer! In Japan, that means watermelon, trips to the beach, and Shoko Nakagawa covered with insect shells. Note: Some readers might find this objectionable. Because, well, it’s kinda gross. In late July and early August, you can hear cicada (セミ or semi) chirping in Japan. And each summer for the past several years, celeb…

Eagerly Anticipated Anime Spawns Amusing Water Meme

Kantai Collection, which Kotaku first covered in June 2013, is getting an anime series next year. And the trailer for it has already spawned an amusing meme. Let’s have a look. In one part of the anime trailer (which you can see below), the character Akagi glides across the face of the water, firing an…

Hello Kitty Leads a Moment of Prayer

The scion of all things pink and cute, Hello Kitty is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. In Taiwan, where they love all things Hello Kitty, a celebration for the silent cat’s birthday turned into a more somber affair. Last week, multiple explosions from a gas leak killed at least 26 people and injured 267…

Teacher Warns Parents: Anime Leads to Bad Grades

Chinese students, like students across the world, have summer break: a time when they’re free to pursue non-scholarly activities. Unfortunately for a group of students, their interest in anime and comics have been hindered by an overzealous teacher. Sina Games reports that earlier this week, a text message went viral on China’s twitter-like Weibo. The…

In Japan, Buy an $18,000 Evangelion Statue from 7-Eleven

Attention Neon Genesis Evangelion fans! Make that, Eva fans with lots and lots of money to spend. 7-Eleven if offering a limited edition statue for a large amount of money. According to 7-Eleven, the Evangelion Unit-01 statue measures around two meters tall and is priced at 1.836 million yen (or US$17,892). It’s limited to 25…

Alleged Toy Thief Threatened with Internet Shame

Besides anime and manga, retail chain Mandarake also specializes in retro toys. One of the rarest was apparently stolen earlier this week. Mandarake says it captured the alleged thief on a security camera and now it wants the toy back. Or else. The missing toy in question is a Tetsujin tin wind-up toy made by…

Resident Evil Is Getting an HD Remaster

And it’s coming to the PlayStation 3, the PS4, the Xbox 360, the Xbox One, and PC in glorious high definition. According to Famitsu, this is an HD remastering of the 2002 remake, with the goal of keeping the game’s sheer terror. Capcom assures that it isn’t making any unnecessary changes to the game that…

Brynhildr in the Darkness Plays with Clichés to Make a Thrilling Story

Take all those overused rom-com anime clichés, throw them into a sci-fi thriller with dark themes and a liberal helping of ultra-violence, and you get one of the most entertaining and well-written anime of this year’s spring season Good – A Sci-Fi Suspense Thriller Murakami is a high schooler studying to become an astronomer with…

On This TV Program, a Woman Gets Pissed at You. That’s It.

For those who like being yelled at, well, here’s a short television program just for you. The name of the program is I Want Risa Yoshiki to Get Angry at Me. The show is only five minutes long, and it’s broadcasted at around 1am this month only. So, it’s not a mainstream show! But the…

This JRPG’s Facial Recognition System Could Be Better

Much like the Miis on the Nintendo 3DS, the new JRPG Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines allows you to create a character by taking a picture of yourself with the Vita’s camera. Of course, why limit it to being based on your face when there are so many pictures of famous people out there? Thus, I picked…

Call Your Mom, Thank Her Right Now

Firstborn children aren’t the only ones that turn one. So do new mothers. Here’s a beautiful expression of gratitude. About three months ago, my wife gave birth to our third son. Maybe because I was there in the delivery room, and maybe because we still have a little baby at home, this commercial really hit…

SNK Playmore confirmed to Siliconera that a new 3D King of Fighters game is in development. The company didn’t provide any further details, and they are currently in the process of “large scale developer hiring” for the new game.

Nothing Says Summer Like Japanese Jock Itch Commercials

Each summer, dermatology company Ikeda Mohando rolls out a new series of jock itch medicine commercials. They are… unforgettable. The Delicare M’s cream commercials really make the best of a rather unpleasant topic (sweaty balls!). They’re playful and funny, with earlier ads getting attention online a few years back. And yes, these ads are broadcasted…

Report: Studio Ghibli Will Be Taken Over [UPDATE: Debunked]

According to Japanese news site ZakZak, Studio Ghibli is apparently set to be purchased by Japanese online entertainment company Dwango. This news comes as Studio Ghibli producer Toshio Suzuki recently said the studio needed a “short rest” and that they were considering “making a big change to the larger view of Studio Ghibli.” Dwango runs…

Who Knew Surgical Masks Made Awesome Transformers Cosplay?

I didn’t! Then again, I’ve never really thought about it. Zawachin is a makeup artist and internet celebrity who became famous for impersonating famous Japanese stars…while they are wearing sickness masks. That’s her thing! The vast majority Japanese people wear masks when they are sick, worried about getting sick, or have pollen allergies. However, more…

The Second Kenshin Film is Just as Good as the First

Two years ago, classic 90s anime/manga Rurouni Kenshin made its way to the big screen. It was an excellent live-action adaptation—easily one of the best I have ever seen. The second film, Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno, is equally as well done—something even more impressive given the amount of story it has to cover. Good –…