Kotaku East

17 Minutes of Rube Goldberg Machines Will Make Your Day

In Japan, there’s a children’s educational program called PythagoraSwitch. The majority of it is a Sesame Street-style puppet program, but there are fantastic interludes with Rube Goldberg machines. Let’s watch those! Above, you can see what’s supposedly all of the show’s Rube Goldberg machines. My kids have grown up watching this program each morning, and…

Battlefield 4 Hurts China’s Feelings

Electronic Arts’ Battlefield 4 has been out for some time now, but now it seems China’s got a problem with its portrayal in the game. An opinion piece in China’s patriotic military newspaper, Zhongguo Guofangbao, says that games such as BF4 portray China in a bad light and purposely mislead Chinese youth. Now, here at…

These Are China’s Top Five Home-Grown Cartoons

Modern animation in China has largely been dominated by foreign imports. Anime like Naruto, Bleach, and One Piece are extremely popular. However, China’s own animation industry is slowly getting better; here is a list of some of their best home-grown cartoons. Rainbow Sea [星游记] Released in 2011, Rainbow Sea is a fairly new and popular…

I Had No Clue Hedgehogs Were So Darn Cute

Blame Sonic. Or Ron Jeremy. Blame someone or something! Because, really, I didn’t know hedgehogs were this adorable. As a photographer (er, hedgehographer?), Tokyo-based Instagram userShota Tsukamoto has been documenting his cute pet Darcy. Via website DDN Japan, here are some of the most memorable pics: Sonic got it all wrong. We didn’t want a…

Chinese CEO: China To Get Xbox One In Late 2014

China, the land where game consoles are currently still in a quasi-banned state, the console wars pretty much haven’t started yet. Gray market imports of both PlayStation 4s and Xbox Ones are slowly trickling in, but it seems that, after all, the scales might tip in Microsoft’s favour. According to an article published by one…

Forget Hunky Men, You Want to Date Buggy Men

In Japan, “otome” (maiden) games give players a slew of handsome men from which to choose. A recent game offers much more than that. Say hello to buggy men! New Japanese smartphone game Boyfriend (Fictitious) is amusing people on Twitter with its unusual dreamboats. Here, have a look (via Otaku News): These aren’t bugs, they’re…

Cutesy Side-Scrolling MMOs Are Not Supposed To Look This Good

It fits, considering the new cutesy MapleStory won’t be its typical side-scrolling self. Indeed, for MapleStory 2, they’re abandoning the now familiar side-scrolling look for the Korean-made online RPG in favor of a more traditional isometric business. Like Ragnarok Online, basically, but in full 3D. Not that the new cinematic trailer shows off any of…

Death Note Is Being Turned into a Musical

Nothing quite says “musical” like a notebook that allows you to kill people! Beats Cats, I guess? Hit manga Death Note has already been turned into anime, video games, novels, and live-action films. And in 2015, it will become a musical, website NariNari reports. A musical perhaps because they are running out of things to…

Iron Man Should Be In… Sailor Moon

Don’t believe me? Watch this short, yet epic animation and then believe. First-year animation students at South Korea’s Chungkang College of Cultural Industries created the clip they’re calling “Iron Moon” for a second semester project. Yes, that is Tony Stark doing the Sailor Moon S transformation. The stuff of dreams! Bravo, kids! 아이언문(Iron Moon)-청강 2013년…

Japan’s Manga-Hating Domestic Terrorist Allegedly Caught [Update]

The threats. The scares. The toxic chemicals. The man allegedly behind all of those has been arrested. According to NHK, police arrested 36 year-old Hirofumi Watanabe this Sunday. The Osaka resident was arrested for putting a container filled with a chemical that emitted potentially deadly hydrogen sulfide fumes at a Sophia University gymnasium in Tokyo…

A Real Japanese Castle Appears To Crumble Before Your Very Eyes

Yes, that’s a giant samurai sword slicing Osaka Castle in half. No, the sword is not real. The castle, however, is. According to Sankei (via 2ch), Osaka Castle is being illuminated with projection mapping until next February. In the news clips below, you can see it in action. Osaka Castle fell and burned during the…

Attack on Titan on the 3DS Makes Me Feel Like a Titan-Killing Badass

A few months back, we looked at all the games coming out based on this year’s hit anime Attack on Titan. Last week, the most anticipated of these, Attack on Titan: The Last Wings of Mankind for the 3DS, hit store shelves in Japan. The Last Wings of Mankind has two game modes. The first…

NouCome Is This Past Season’s Funniest Anime

When this fall anime season hit its midway point last month, I knew My Mental Choices are Completely Interfering with my School Romantic Comedy deserved a place on the list of five anime you should be watching. This is because it is easily the funniest anime I watched this past season. Good – Great Comedic…

Husband and Wife Freezing Their Butts Off for a PS4 Is Heartwarming

The PlayStation 4 won’t launch in South Korea until December 17. One man and his wife are lined up since two days ago with a banner that reads, “Waiting to buy a launch PS4.” The couple are already internet heroes. The man, 33 year-old Hong Suk Min and his wife, who’s also a big gamer,…

The Attack on Titan Mobile Game Is So Boring It Gave Me a Headache

With the release of 3DS title Attack on Titan: The Last Wings of Mankind this past week, now seemed like the perfect time to try out the Attack on Titan mobile game Attack on Titan: The Wings of Counterattack. Oh how wrong I was. Attack on Titan: The Wings of Counterattack is a mobile game…

Pro Gamer Retires So He Can Finish High School

Last night, professional StarCraft II player Kim “duckdeok” Kyeong Deok suddenly announced he was leaving eSports. He’s trading his keyboard and mouse for school books. “I have decided to retire S2,”tweeted Kim—news that surprised many. This past summer, Kim came in first at the 2013 WCS Season 2 Europe, winning US$20,000. “I was thinking about…

Chinese Kids Fighting Smog with Martial Arts

At an elementary school in Shijiazhuang, China, students have been practicing a series of “anti-smog” martial arts exercises. Kick smog’s ass, kids! The children are doing wushu exercises. But according to website iFeng, the school instituted the “anti-smog” moves to help protect the students against pollution. Shijiazhuang residents need all the help against smog they…

For 47 Ronin, Keanu Reeves Said His Lines in English And Japanese

Did you know Keanu Reeves can speak Japanese? Okay, he can’t. But he certainly made an earnest effort with his latest movie. Most of which we probably won’t get to see. Reeves is well known to be a hard working actor – say what you will about his acting quality, the man takes his preparation…

The first free-to-play game for the Nintendo 3DS, Initial D Perfect Shift Online, is starting to recruit beta testers in Japan.

Sausage Gloves Are Useful and Delicious

This is the best sausage glove I’ve ever seen. Well, it’s the only one I’ve ever seen. Japanese comedy site Daily Portal Z created a “sausage glove” to be used with smartphones. Why a glove? It’s cold outside. Why sausages, though? Back in 2010, some folks in South Korea began uses snack sausages as a…