Kotaku East

Studio Ghibli Is Not Dead Yet

Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki recently saidthat his studio’s demise was “inevitable.” Today, there are quotes from Ghibli producer Toshio Suzuki that are causing people to freak out, believing that the beloved animation house has decided to stop making films. People, stop freaking out. For now. Last night, Suzuki was profiled on MBS program Jounetsu Tairiku…

Eggs and Plastic Bottles Thrown at Japanese Porn Star in China

While politicians bickered, one thing China and Japan could always find common ground on was anime. And, uh, pornography. Which is why this recent incident was all the more surprising. Japanese adult video stars Emiri Okazaki and Anjyu Kitagawa were guests at the Dalian International Adult Expo, an adult goods convention in Dalian, China. [Photo:…

This Pokémon Bread Looks Like Crap. Literally.

Pocket Monster Dedenne just got its own Pokémon bread. Congrats! Too bad the snack looks like… Shit. [Photo: fla_mofu] Above, you can see an image posted by Twitter user fla_mofu, who wondered if it was alright that Dedenne’s bread looks like poop. Pokémon bread (ポケモンパン or Pokémon pan) is a long-standing snack food, with each…

Japan Wants To Create A Space Force

The Mainichi Shimbun is reporting that Japan plans to create a “space force” within its existing Self Defence Force, hoping to have it operational by 2019. Took them long enough. Its role will be to monitor “dangerous debris floating in Earth’s orbit”, as well as “protecting satellites from collisions with such debris”. The force will…

Solid Gold Monster Hunter Statue Costs $29,000

Capcom’s Monster Hunter series is turning ten, which means it’s time to celebrate… with a three million yen statue. The collectible is going on sale in Japan tomorrow. With a price tag of exactly 2,990,000 yen, or $29,089, the statue, which shows an armored Felyne warrior wielding a giant sword, weighs 120g, measures 55 by…

Kawai Complex Is Silly, Light-Hearted, and Ultimately Goes Nowhere

The Kawai Complex Guide to Manors and Hostel Behavior is the story of the everyday life of a group of eccentric, diverse people living under one roof. It’s silly, lighthearted, and—like most slice-of-life anime tales—ultimately goes nowhere. Though, in this case, that may not be a bad thing. Good – Eccentric, yet Relatable Characters Aside…

Bumblebee Begging on the Streets for a Trip to Cybertron

People dress up as famous characters and ask for money all the time. But how many of them dress as Bumblebee and ask for money for a trip back to Cybertron? Recently in Chengdu, China, the cosplayer was spotted with a sign asking for ten yuan so he could find Optimus Prime and get back…

Neptunia Makes for a Surprisingly Good SRPG

So far the Neptunia franchise has been three mediocore RPGs and a passable IDOLM@STER parody—so my hopes weren’t the highest going into its first strategy RPG. But let me tell you, there is a lot to love in Hyper Goddess Faith Noire: Ultra Goddess Black Heart—even with its impressively complicated name. Good – Characters and…

The Neptunia SRPG’s Special Attacks Love Playing with Gaming Nostalgia

The newest game in the Neptunia series stars some of the most well-known game franchises reimagined as anime girls. But the character designs are far from the only shout-out to these series. You should see some of the special attacks. When I think of the Yakuza series, the first thing that comes to mind is…

Check Out The Xbox One’s China Exclusives

So, the Xbox One’s going to launch in China. Big whoop right? From Microsoft’s press briefings, the system will launch in China with a fair amount of Western games, such as NBA 2K14 and Titanfall. But apart from these, the Windows company has got its hands on a few China exclusives as well! Slated for…

K-pop Video References Hiroshima and Features Racist Slurs [Update]

The new single for Korean pop group Red Velvet is called “Happiness.” Its video is making some people anything but happy. While the tune is catchy, the background of one scene flashes a series of old newspaper articles, with titles like “Japs Hit By Atomic Bomb Equal To 20,000 Tons,” “Bomb Blasts Hiroshima,” “Allies Tell…

Huge One Piece Boat Docks in Hong Kong

Well, this is pretty cool. At Times Square in Hong Kong, there’s currently a big One Piece event underway, complete with a life-sized version of the One Piece ship, the Thousand Sunny…that you can board! [Photo: Times Square] [Photo: Times Square] At the event, called “One Piece Docks in Hong Kong,” there are also life-size…

In less than a month, 3DS game Yokai Watch 2 has shipped over two million copies in Japan. That’s…a lot!

Are You Worried About Studio Ghibli? Miyazaki Apparently Isn’t.

Because, really, why worry? Famed animator and Studio Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki seems convinced of its demise. Ghibli is best known for classic anime like My Neighbor Totoro and Princess Mononoke. Below, you can see stills from the Studio Ghibli documentary The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness, which was originally released in Japan last year.…

I Really Like the Final Fantasy XIII Series Now

I previously wrote that a 3-part short novella epilogue to the Final Fantasy XIII trilogy was being released. Now that I’ve had a chance to sit down and read them all through, I actually like the game series a whole lot more. The three parts of Final Fantasy XIII Reminiscence – tracer of memories –…

Who Needs Fans When There Are Cheering Robots?

Humans fans? Ha, whatever! Nobody needs them anymore, especially when there are robots fans. Just ask South Korea. The Hanwha Eagles, a Korean Major League Baseball team, is introducing a cheering section comprised of bots. Here, watch for yourself: And here is how the robots were made: Eagles Forever, Fanbot 팬봇 [한화이글스 via ROK Drop]…

Why Vita Fans Are Confused and Angry Over This Game

Online multi-player for Freedom Wars, the PS Vita multi-player action game, is still as of yet unavailable, but vague wording in the promotional material is getting some Japanese gamers angry before it’s even out. In my import preview ofFreedom Wars, I wrote that while the game did need polish in certain areas, it was, as…

McDonald’s Rolls Out Tofu Nuggets in Japan. Yes, Tofu Nuggets.

McDonald’s is introducing tofu McNuggets. With carrots and edamame. Oh, and fish. These come in the wake of a food scandal that showed chicken nuggets being made with rotten meat. Recently, website Weekly ASCII checked out the nuggets, which are actually called “Tofu Shinjo Nuggets” (豆腐しんじょナゲット), with “shinjo” referring to a type of fish patty…

Making Anime Idyllic and Beautiful

Nizo Yamamoto made his name as a background artist and art director—a really, really great one. If you are familiar with his name (you should be!), you’ve probably seen films he’s worked on, such as the films he worked on while at Studio Ghibli, such as Castle in the Sky, Princess Mononoke, Grave of the…

Japanese Gamers Vote on Their Favorite Developers

Do you have a favorite game developer? One who makes your interest in a game spike the minute you know they’re involved? Turns out a lot of Japanese gamers do too. Some might surprise you, some might not. Japanese site Freshers(フレッシャーズ) conducted a poll last month asking 500 people if they played video games. Those…