I grew up during the 1980s. And like most kids, I watched a bunch of Arnold Schwarzenegger movies. If only I had lived in Japan. I could’ve grown up with something even better: His commercials. But good news! After a long absence, Arnold Schwarzenegger has returned to Japanese advertising, appearing in a Kowa coffee commercial.…
While growing up, I, of course, knew the Mario and Sonic themes, but it wasn’t until I first played Final Fantasy VI that game music really started to affect me. To say I have a soft spot for the series’ music is an understatement—which is why I am ecstatic that Theatrhythm: Curtain Call has 109…
Any old movie fans out there? In yesterday’s Pokemon episode, trainer Diantha made her anime debut. She might remind you of one of Hollywood’s biggest stars. In Pokemon: XY, Diantha is a famous movie actress—as well as a Pokemon trainer. She also looks somewhat familiar! As pointed out by Japanese site Pokemon-Matome, Diantha recreates an…
Check out a sneak peek at Maple Story 2, which is slated to go into close beta this year in South Korea. The game’s release date is still TBA. 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, bringing…
Nintendo just announced that Ike from Fire Emblem is returning to Smash Bros. So, he’s not a new character to the series, but he now looks…different. And in Japan, some are mocking his pumped up appearance. On popular game sites like Hachima and My Game News Flash, there are commenters calling the muscular Ike a…
Coming off of their recent movie release, THE IDOLM@STER girls are back with a new game that looks like it’s learned from past mistakes. The latest addition to Bandai Namco’s ever popular IDOLM@STER franchise, THE IDOLM@STER ONE FOR ALL came out on the PS3 last week and so I decided to see what it had…
“Yokai Watch? WTF is that?” was my first response when I heard about the 3DS game that had Brian ransacking toy stores Yokai Watch (妖怪ウォッチ) is pretty much a Pokemon style game from Level-5 of Professor Layton fame, where the objective is to collect cute little fairy-like monsters – called Yokai – to battle with.…
The Ishikawa Watanabe Laboratory at the University of Tokyo recently showed off its very cool 3D gesture tech. Using high-speed camera, the system is able to track hand movements at 500 frames per second. The lab hopes the tech can be used by surgeons. I say bring on the video games. High Speed Gesture Recognition…
Hyrule Warriors is Zelda meets hack-and-slash. It’s an idea just crazy enough to work. “With the Warriors series, we’ve had collaborations with Gundam, Fist of the North Star, and One Piece, but we also wanted to do something with Nintendo.” Hyrule Warriors producer, Hisashi Koinuma said in an interview with Weekly Famitsu. According to Koinuma,…
SF Magazine is a well-known sci-fi magazine in Japan. Launching in 1959, it’s still published today. And in July 1973, the cover looked like BioShock BioShock was released decades later in 2007 (the above image features a still from the 2010 sequel). But wow, look at the similarities—especially the similarities with the Little Sister from…
In your time on the internet, you’ve probably seen a ton of cat videos. Cute ones, funny ones, and jumping ones. But, you know what was missing from them? Taiwanese baseball announcers, that’s what. Recently, the Facebook page for internet feline friends MuMu and MianMian uploaded the following YouTube clip, which features an audio track…
Good news, Dragon Quest fans! DQ creator Yuji Horii tells VJump that the next Dragon Quest won’t be a smartphone game, but perhaps, more of a weighty title. Meaning? Don’t expect a casual game, but hopefully, something closer to a traditional DQ experience.
It seems like there’s always a new photo trend, doesn’t it? Some are big. Some are small. Well, this one could have you shaking your head. Literally. Earlier this week, head-shaking photos were uploaded to bulletin board Viper 2ch, with the original uploader writing, “You’re able to forget your troubles hahahahahaha.” In Japanese, this is…
It really is. But getting your hands on this collectible Pullip doll is bound to be difficult. Pullip is a line of fashion dolls, and the latest addition is a limited edition Sailor Moon doll that is priced at 17,280 yen (US$171). The doll even comes with a cute little Luna plush toy. Pre-orders start…
Demon Souls and Dark Souls director Hidetaka Miyazaki has been named the president of From Software, the company said in an official release. That’s terrific news for fans of those games. Good news for him, too.
One of Japan’s most popular baseball teams, the Hanshin Tigers, released a new poster that looks exactly like the poster for X-Men: Days of Future Past. That’s no accident. To promote the movie’s release, as well as an upcoming interleague game with the Tigers’ minor league all-stars, posters have been plastered near Osaka Station as…
Forget “Gangnam Style.” Forget “Bar Bar Bar.” 2014 could be the year that we all start dancing to “Ear Attack.” By “we,” I mean “you”—or, at least, someone you know. Below, you can watch the video for “Ear Attack.” It’s a tune by a new Korean pop group called Badkidz. At the time of posting,…
Here’s a thought: If the West is too lenient regarding controlled substances, then perhaps, Japan is too strict? As reported by Asahi News, Japanese popstar Aska of the wildly popular group Chage & Aska was recently arrested for allegedly possessing stimulants, including MDMA. Increasingly, Japanese authorities have been cracking down on drugs and celebrities. Instead…
Zelda Musou (aka Hyrule Warriors), the hack-and-slash Zelda game, will be out August 14 in Japan. According to a Famistu leak, Team Ninja is also working on the game with Koei.
A well-known university outside of Osaka, Japan has changed its English name. The reason? So it won’t be confused with perverts. Previously, Kinki Daigaku* (近畿大学) was known as Kinki University, but as News2U reports, the university is hoping to become more global. Thus, starting in April 2016, its English name will be Kindai University. In…
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