Kotaku East

Don’t Be Fooled, “Pet Crab Walking” Is Not a Trend in China

Following up on the faux cabbage pet trend that fooled some Western media is this: crab walking. It is not a trend in China! Just trying to cut this off at the pass before some Western media outlet tries to pass this off as an actual trend—which is what happened with the cabbage nonsense. As…

Ghibli’s Newest is a Tale of Friends, Family, and the Supernatural

This last weekend in Japan saw the release of When Marnie Was There, the newest film from the acclaimed Studio Ghibli. It is an excellent tale of friendship and family all set against the backdrop of an incredibly personal supernatural story. Good – A Supernatural Mystery When Marnie Was There is one of those movies…

“Kimchi Slap” Looks Painful and Gross

You know kimchi, right? I love kimchi. I could eat it all day long. Just don’t try to slap me in the face with it, though. As tipster Sang points out, Everbody Kimchi is a South Korean drama set in the kimchi industry. On a recent episode, one character got slapped in the face with…

A South Korean court ruled that the cancelled One Piece exhibit can be held because the manga does not glorify Japanese imperialism and portrayed the Rising Sun imagery in a negative light. “Taking these reasons into consideration, the court concluded that the museum cannot unilaterally cancel the showing,” reports Asahi (via ANN).

​Iconic Video Game Series Reimagined as Anime Girls

The Neptunia series has a long history of turning video game consoles and companies into anime girls for their games. But the new spin-off game, Hyper Goddess Faith Noire: Ultra Goddess Black Heart, takes it a step further and gives famous Japanese game franchises their own anime girl treatment. [Note: As the names of these…

The Luigi Death Stare Is Lethal Enough for a Japanese Commercial

Yes, the meme might be over, but that doesn’t mean the Luigi Death Stare can’t be used as a Mario Kart 8 selling point in Japan. マリオカート8 TVCM3[Nintendo@YouTube via Siliconera] To contact the author of this post, write to bashcraftATkotaku.com or find him on Twitter @Brian_Ashcraft Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture,…

The Spring 2014 Anime Season in Gaming Gifs

This past anime season didn’t have too many series that featured video games or gaming culture. However, the ones that did are eminently gif-able. No Game No Life Mekaku City Actors Nanana’s Buried Treasure Ping Pong Special thanks to TAY author FruityDrinksfor helping me find these gaming moments. Kotaku East is your slice of Asian…

Oh Hey, It’s Inflatable Pikachu Vagina

Ages ago, a particular Pikachu bouncy house was noticed in Japan. The entrance looked like, for lack of a better word, a Pikachu vagina. Earlier today, it was reported that the “giant Pikachu” was once again making an appearance. Eager folks, climb right on in! Note: This article contains content some readers might find objectionable.…

Family Of Dead Internet Addict Compensated $120,000

How much is a life worth? In China, apparently about $120,000. That’s how much the family of a 19-year-old young woman received after she died at an internet addiction camp earlier this year. Chinese internet website iFeng.com reports that the family of the young woman, surnamed LingLing, will be given compensation for her death amounting…

Sony Is Selling the PS Vita with a Dick Joke

As part of a PS Vita summer campaign, Sony has released a new Japanese ad on YouTube that can be described as ballsy. That, or a cheap sight gag. In the spot, schoolkids are getting changed for their summer swimming lessons, and after one kid drops his towel, another kid’s jaw drops and he says,…

A Look Inside Japan’s Reptile Cafes

So far, Kotaku has introduced an array of animal cafes in Japan: cat cafes, black cat cafes, owl cafes, bunny cafes, squirrel gardens and even penguin bars. Now, check out the country’s reptile cafes. In Japan, there isn’t simply one reptile cafe. There are several, such as the Yokohama Subtropic Teahouse in, well, Yokohama, Reptile…

Terrifyingly Large Insect Found in China

No, I wasn’t planning on sleeping tonight anyway. Or the rest of this month, for that matter. Earlier this month in Sichuan, China, the Insect Museum of West China went on an expedition and found the largest dobsonfly of its kind, Xinhua reports. Look at those mandibles. They are pure nightmare fuel. If you are…

Report Shows Just How Disgusting Fast Food Can Be

Over the weekend, fast food companies in China have come under attack after an undercover report by the media revealed that the companies could be serving expired meats — some that may have been expired for over a year! Shanghai’s Dragon TV reported that a major meat supplier for fast food brands such as KFC,…

Yokai Watch Used to Score Sex, Says Dubious Magazine

Let me say that I don’t believe the suspect magazine article in question. However, I do think that this is a rather interesting, if not totally unfortunate, example of just how popular Yokai Watch has become in Japan. Note: This article contains content some readers might find objectionable. Earlier this year, Kotaku first reported that…

This Pool Is Probably At Maximum Capacity

Over the weekend, temperatures in northern China reached upwards of 100 degrees Fahrenheit! That’s about 40 degrees Celsius. To avoid the heat, many chose to visit public watering holes such as public pools. It appears way too many people had the same idea. Chinese news agency Xinhua took a series of photos of one swimming…

Studio Ghibli Might Quit Making Feature Films, Says Report

This summer, there’s a new Studio Ghibli movie. According to one reported insider, it could be Ghibli’s last. Studio Ghibli is best known for iconic anime like My Neighbor Totoro, Grave of the Fireflies, and Kiki’s Delivery Service. Last year, the creator of many of Ghibli’s best known works, Hayao Miyazaki, retired from making feature…

As Far As Shower Scenes Go, This Is Pretty Funny

Hot and steamy. Usually shower scenes are sexy. Screw that! This one is unintentionally different. Just look at the water shooting off those fake eyelashes. The above images are from drama After Aura (光環之后) from popular Chinese internet company Letv.com. The dramas the company shows are rather slick, and After Aura is an over-the-top potboiler.…

Chaika: The Coffin Princess is a Fun Fantasy Adventure

Regular readers of my reviews know I love character and thematically driven anime—but that’s not to say I don’t enjoy a good, straight-up adventure when I come across one. And that’s exactly what Chaika: The Coffin Princess is. Good – A Solid Fantasy Adventure After the defeat of the evil emperor, the world has transitioned…

Gundam Side Stories is Nothing But an Inept Play on Your Nostalgia

For decades, Gundam has had some impressive side story games that explore the war in the original Gundam. So you’d think an HD collection like Gundam Side Stories would be a godsend—and it would be if it were more than just an inept play on your nostalgia. Good – A New Gundam Side Story When…

Let’s See How Cosplayers Compare To the Characters They Love

Cosplay is about love—love of a particular work or love of a specific character. Recently on Twitter in Japan, cosplayers have been comparing their cosplay pics with the original source material they brought to life. As noted on Ameba News, cosplayers have been using the hashtag #原作の隣に自分のコスを貼る, which translates to “Putting my cosplay next to…