Kotaku East

When Manga Legends Collaborate You Get More Than Just an Awesome Manga

They say great minds think alike, but sometimes it’s more entertaining when they don’t. Akira Toriyama: Creator of the world-famous Dragonball and long-time character designer for the Dragon Quest series. Masakazu Katsura: Creator of such classics as Video Girl Ai, DNA2, and the ongoing Zetman manga series as well as the character designer for the…

I’m Embarrassed to Play Dating Sims—And I Shouldn’t Be

I’m not going to lie, even after talking about the virtues of the genre, I am still embarrassed to admit I occasionally play dating sims—and I shouldn’t be. It’s funny. If I say I play Angry Birds, Call of Duty, or Street Fighter, I never feel embarrassed. Games have been a part of my life…

Fans Angry After US TV Shows Are Pulled From Chinese Sites [UPDATE]

Once a upon a time, people living in China could legally watch some of the most popular American television shows online for free. That was last week. Over the last half decade or so, Chinese online video sharing websites have been slowly but surely bringing in American, British, and Korean television shows over to China…

Man Photoshops Himself Into Girlfriend’s Childhood Photos

Sure, I’ve engaged in a little bit of creeper-like behavior with a few of my former girlfriends in the past, as shocking as that may be—but this is something else. Spotted on China’s Twitter-like microblog, Weibo, and plastered all over China’s various media photo slideshows, is a series of photos of a photographer named Wan,…

Chinese Man Makes $2,400 A Month Selling Smartphone Screen Protectors

Let’s face it, modern smartphones, with their giant glass screens, are in constant danger! Those glorious screens can be easily scuffed. To protect them, people often put on screen protectors—and in China, applying screen protection might actually be a profitable livelihood. Currently trending on China’s Twitter-like microblog Weibo is the story of a young man…

What Are the Most Nonsensical Japanese Game Titles?

Over the past week, I’ve been playing a Japanese dating sim by the name of New Love Plus+. And as ostensibly odd as that title is, it is far from the oddest Japanese game title I have come across. Now, while I could just list all of the crazy Japanese game titles I know, I’m…

How I Wooed a Virtual Girl in Just 74 Days

Last week I asked your help in deciding which of the three possible romantic foils in Japanese dating sim New Love Plus+ I should try dating. The winner by a landside was fighting gamer Rinko Kobayakawa. But before I could get to the dating part of the game, I had to first successfully woo her.…

It’s a Lot of Fun Watching a Little Girl Take over the World

World Conquest Zvezda Plot is an anime with a quirky premise: Watch as a little girl and her evil generals try to take over modern day Japan. It’s exactly as fun as it sounds. Good – Team Rocket Protagonists In classic superhero anime, there is always some kind of evil organization trying to take over…

Avril Lavigne’s Latest Video isn’t Racist, But It is Disappointing

Canadian music artist Avril Lavigne released her latest music video for her song, “Hello Kitty,” and it has some people up in arms claiming it’s racist. It’s really not. The music video for “Hello Kitty” has Lavigne singing and dancing on site in Japan with a backup cast of Japanese women dancing and waving with…

So, I Married an Anime Battleship Girl

Japan’s biggest gaming phenomenon of 2013 has hit its 1 year mark, and to mark the occasion, I finally utilized one of the more recent added features to the game. In one year, the Japanese browser game known as Kantai Collection (艦隊これくしょん) – aka Kan Colle (艦これ) – has amassed over 1.9 million users, or…

Nobody Is #1 In The New Smash Bros. Games, And That’s A Good Thing

One of the features of the new Smash Bros. games that was revealed in creator Masahiro Sakurai’s Nintendo Direct was the Global Smash Power system. While most people may have overlooked it as a vague ranking system, it offers much more potential than you would think at first glance. In his semi-weekly column in Weekly…

Microsoft has revealed the exact release date of the Xbox One in Japan: September 4. According to Microsoft, 48 Japanese companies have registered to develop games for the console so far, including Bandai Namco, Capcom, Konami, and Square Enix. Gematsu has the full, translated list

D’aww… Kim Jong-Un Used To Look So Cute

It’s hard to imagine the rotund dictator and supreme leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea was ever a cute innocent child, especially after what he did to his uncle last year. But lo-and-behold, North Korean central news agency KCNA recently released a series of photos of the young leader for all to see.…

Project Diva F 2nd is More of the Same (And That’s Not a Bad Thing)

It’s no exaggeration to say that Hatsune Miku is the most popular virtual idol in the world; so it’s not surprising that a new iteration of Project Diva was recently released in Japan. And while Project Diva F 2nd isn’t vastly different from its predecessors, it is a welcome addition for anyone who enjoys music…

Japan’s “Huge Boob Producer” Has a Desk Surrounded by Boobs

Seriously, what were you expecting? Note: The article contains NSFW photos. Kenichiro Takaki, producer of such busty games as the Senran Kagura series and self-proclaimed “Huge Boob (爆乳) Producer” was on twitter earlier today and decided to let the world see what his desk at home looks like. “Meanwhile, the school bathing suit zone at…

If You Like X-Men, You’ll Probably Like Hamatora

They live among us. People born with special powers, but they look just like you and me. But no, this isn’t the story of the X-Men, it’s an anime called Hamatora Good – Fun Mutant Powers Hamatora is the story of a group of mutants (or “minimum holders” as they are called) who have opened…

Dating Sims Improved My Japanese

When I announced my intention to date a virtual girl in the newest iteration of Love Plus by asking all of you to help me choose which romantic foil to go after, I noted that it would not be my first dating sim. Moreover, I mentioned that dating sims are the best tool I know…

Yes, That’s Japan’s Self-Defense Force Covering a Hatsune Miku Song

I hesitate to call it a “military band” because technically Japan doesn’t have a military – it has a “Self-Defense Force.” Senbon Zakura (千本桜), one of the popular songs featuring virtual idol Hatsune Miku, made its debut to the internet back in 2011. Since its initial release, the song has become one of Miku’s staple…

Chinese Porn Identification Officer is Sickened By Porn

Somewhere in the world, some guy might think being a porn censor is the best job in the world. Sitting around and watching porn all day may look good on paper to some, but according to an actual Chinese government porn watchdog, the job is sickening. Censorship is a big part of what makes China…

The 13 year-old video game console ban was “lifted” late last year with the creation of the Shanghai Free Trade Zone. Since then, there have been revisions to the regulations on how the FTZ will be governed. Today, People’s Daily reports that the regulations are now set and game consoles are okay for sale in…