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Kotaku East
Darth Vader Is Teaching Japanese People English
Is this a joke? Nooooooooooo! This is for real. A Darth Vader-themed English-Japanese dictionary was released this month in Japan. According to website Japan Star Wars, the dictionary is priced at 3,131 yen (about $31), comes in a Darth Vader case, features Vader binding, and has a collection of Lord Vader’s English phrases. [Photo: Gakken]…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 28, 2014 -
Kotaku EastSee How An Anime Master Manipulated Space And Time
The late Satoshi Kon — director of Paprika and Paranoia Agent — was one of the greatest animators to ever walk this earth, and the impact his body of work had on cinema is so rich and dense, we’re only now fully unpacking it. If you don’t believe me, see for yourself: In this excellent…
By Chris Person Published July 25, 2014 -
Kotaku EastFighting in This RWBY Fan Game Feels Just Like the Series
This week marks the start of the second season ofRWBY, the fairytale and anime-inspired web series by the crew over at Rooster Teeth. But as a single new episode left me wanting more, I decided to try out the fan game RWBY: Grim Eclipse Based on the series’ “Red” trailer, the hack ‘n slash survival…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published July 25, 2014 -
Kotaku East
Crossdressing Ex-Maid Allegedly Torches Building in Attempted Robbery
Last month, security camera footage showed what appeared to be a woman with long hair and a skirt entering a building in Tokyo’s Ueno in the middle of the night. An hour passed, and the figure emerged from a building, which was soon engulfed in flames. Today, that suspect was arrested: A 27-year-old man. The…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 25, 2014 -
Kotaku East
M3‘s First Half is a Bottomless Pit of Depression and Despair
I have watched some depressing anime in the past, but none have been quite on the level of the bottomless pit of despair that is M3: The Dark Metal Good – A Different Kind of Mecha Anime M3 is the story a group of a people living on the border of the Dark Realm—a bubble…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published July 25, 2014 -
Kotaku East
Neptunia‘s Heaving Bosoms Freak Me the Hell Out
I am no stranger to the Neptunia video game parody franchise with its anthropomorphic personifications of game systems, companies, and series. However, one thing has always freaked me out when playing them: the characters’ constantly heaving chests. In the Neptunia games, the story is largely told with visual novel-style cutscenes—i.e., 2D anime-style drawings of the…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published July 25, 2014 -
Kotaku EastPikachu Taking Elevators and Escalators
Did I say Pikachu? Sorry, I meant Pikachus. Plural. This ad marks an upcoming Pikachu event in Yokohama. The name of the event is “Pikachu Tairyou Hassei Chuu” (ピカチュウ大量発生チュウ) or loosely, “Loads of Pikachus Springing Out.” The event kicks off on August 9 in Yokohama. Expect many Pikachus. ピカチュウ大量発生チュウ！CM [PokemonCoJp] To contact the author of…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 25, 2014 -
Kotaku East
The Path to Enlightenment? For This Man, Pornography
For Buddhist monks in Thailand, life is strict with loads of rules. Days are spent meditating and chanting. This apparent monk, however, spent his day doing something else. As pointed out by Coconuts Bangkok, these images first appeared on Facebook site FuckGhost, and they apparently show a Thai monk looking at adult movies. The one…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 25, 2014 -
Kotaku East
Sony’s Game Consoles Look Cute When They’re Small
Two decades of PlayStation! That sure is alotta PlayStation. As part of the commemoration, Takara Tomyis releasing a series of miniature PlayStation consoles, starting with the PS2. You cannot play these! These are 1/6 scale versions, but for PlayStation fans, this is a neat way to look back at the past fourteen years of PlayStation…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 25, 2014 -
Kotaku East
They’re Making a PlayStation Optimus Prime Transformer
You thought they’d stop at a Mega Drive Megatron? Ha! Oh, no. There’s an Optimus Prime PlayStation Transformer in the works, too. Currently, there is only an artist rendering, but this 19cm Optimus Prime will transform into the first generation PlayStation. It is slated to be announced in early 2015, so it will be a…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 25, 2014 -
Kotaku East
Ronaldo Kinda Sucks at Japanese Sitting
In Japan, the “correct” way to sit is called “seiza” (正座). The word itself means “correct” (正) “sitting” (座). What Christian Ronaldo is doing is incorrect sitting. People do seiza when they’re in formal situations. Here, Ronaldo is enjoying Japanese ceremony, so seiza is the proper way to sit. For example, like this: [Photo: takenoko]…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 25, 2014 -
Kotaku East
Tokyo’s Giant Godzilla Statue Looks Amazing in the Rain
Previously, Kotaku publishedphotos of Tokyo’s new giant Godzilla statue when it was nice and sunny. But right now, the weather’s awful in Tokyo, and giant Godzilla has never looked better. Twitter user Zan Woo uploaded these truly fantastic pics taken earlier tonight of the giant Godzilla as it was pissing rain. The weather suits Godzilla…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 24, 2014 -
Kotaku East
Dark Souls Director Wants to Make a Warm, Fuzzy Game
Earlier this year, From Software of Demon’s Souls, Dark Souls, as well as the upcoming Bloodborne fame was purchased by Japanese corporate giant Kadokawa with Dark Souls‘ director, Hidetaka Miyazaki, taking on the reins as president of From Software. In terms of the buyout, very little looks to change with From Software, Miyazaki assured in…
By Toshi Nakamura Published July 24, 2014 -
Kotaku East
The Sport of Japanese Apologizing
After losing a game, you might think what this Japanese baseball team did was rather extreme. Then again, you might think this is pretty great. High school baseball is a big deal in Japan. All the teams hope to make it into the national tournament held at Koshien Stadium, home of the Hanshin Tigers. The…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 24, 2014 -
Kotaku East
What Devil’s Third is About and Why it’s a Wii U Exclusive
Devil’s Third, was announced as a Wii U exclusive at E3 this year. A bit of a surprise considering the game was originally slated for release on the PS3 and Xbox 360. So why the change in platforms? And what’s the game about? “It’s because [Nintendo] loves games more than anybody. It’s because they love…
By Toshi Nakamura Published July 24, 2014 -
Kotaku East
Tron Light Cycle Banned from Chinese City Streets. Wait, What?
A man in Nanjing, China owns a Tron Light Cycle replica—make that, a Tron Light Cycle he cannot ride on the streets of that city. According to People’s Daily, the man, who is surnamed Yu, said the Tron Light Cycle runs on an electric motor and can hit speeds of around 120 mph on a…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 24, 2014 -
Kotaku East
Inside Japan’s Newest Video Game Museum
Japan’s new video game museum, the Huis Ten Bosch Game Museum, opened earlier this month. Here’s a look at what’s inside. Unlike many video game museums that tend to focus on the retro and old, the Huis Ten Bosch Game Museum focuses on all of video game history up to modern day. (Note: No Xbox…
By Toshi Nakamura Published July 24, 2014 -
Kotaku East
Cosplay Turns Bath Time into Fun Time
Bathing is important, sure—especially in Japan, where families take baths together. Why not make it more interesting by covering yourself in face paint, like this dad? Recently, photos of this cosplaying father have been appearing on numerous Chinese websites (here and here, for example). The photos seem to originate from a net user who goes…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 24, 2014 -
Kotaku East
All-You-Can-Eat French Fry Buffet Begins in Japan
I hope you’ve brought your appetite and love of french fries. Because in Japan, a fast food chain is rolling out an all-you-can-eat french fry buffet. Starting today, burger joint Lotteria is letting customers stuff their faces with as many fries as they can in sixty minutes. All that one needs to do is order…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 24, 2014 -
Kotaku EastIs This Adult Stealing a Baseball from a Kid? A Special Report.
Recently, the above GIF has been appearing on numerous Japanese sites. Commenters have been criticizing the woman based only on this animated image. But what’s going on? Time to delve deeper. The incident happened recently at a game between the Yokohama DeNA Baystars and the Chunichi Dragons. The Baystars are owned by mobile game company…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 23, 2014