Kotaku East

An Inside Peek at the Patlabor Movie

In Japan, they’re making a live-action Patlabor. And so far, it looks great. Next year will seea 12-part episodic live-action Patlabor, with each episode clocking in at 48 minutes. The following year will usher in a feature film. Famed director Mamoru Oshii, who co-created Patlabor and is noted for The Ghost in the Shell anime,…

Lupin III VS Detective Conan Wastes Much of Its Crossover Potential

When you think of great anime detectives, Detective Conan is probably the first one to come to mind. And when you think of great anime criminals, you probably think of Lupin III. So it’s no surprise that Lupin and Conan are starring in Lupin III VS Detective Conan: The Movie which opened last weekend in…

“Round Head” Plastic Surgery Seems Excessive, Even for South Korea

For better or worse, South Korea is famous for its plastic surgery. Maybe the procedures help some put a better face forward. One offers a rounder head. One plastic surgery clinic in Seoul claims to offer the surgery for those “ridiculed” for having a flat or sunken back of the head. The procedure takes under…

The Kill La Kill Soundtrack Has Funny Titles, But Awesome Songs

For all its over-the-top action and side-splitting humor, my favorite part of this season’s breakout anime, Kill la Kill, may just be its awesome soundtrack. And as it hits shelves on Christmas day here in Japan, it’s pretty much the best Christmas gift I could hope for. The soundtrack was composed by Hiroyuki Sawano—whose music…

Pirate penguins expected in 2014. Hey, remember that pirate game for the 3DS? The one with the penguins, from Mega Man creator Keiji Inafune, slated to arrive in 2012? Well, it didn’t arrive in 2012. Or 2013. And now, its official website has been updated to show a Japan release date of 2014. Maybe someday!

Is This the Oldest Working Comic Book Artist in the World?

Honestly, I don’t know. I do know that 91 year-old manga creator Shigeru Mizuki has a new serialized manga starting later this month. Mizuki is best known for creating supernatural horror manga GeGeGe no Kitaro Going on sale on December 25 in the January issue of Big Comic, Mizuki’s latest manga is titled Watashi no…

In Japan, New Metal Gear Bundle Comes with a Puma Jacket

If you plan on buying Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes next spring, there are several bundlesto choose from. One of which comes with a jacket. It was just announced. MGS V: Ground Forces is teaming up with Puma for a limited edition “Diamond Dogs” branded MGS V-themed jacket. The jacket is available for the…

China’s Horrible Pollution Is Certainly Not Fashionable

What’s in this season? Masks, it seems. At a recent outdoor jewelry show in Shenzhen, China, the models strutted their stuff on the runway in masks. This comes as many Chinese cities battle hazardous air quality and pollution in what’s being called a “smog crisis.” Not everyone in attendance wore masks. These folks did, though.…

Bug Sex Book Sparks Surprising Controversy

The Insect Copulation Field Guide (昆虫交尾図鑑 or Konchuu Koubi Zukan) features illustrations of bugs bumping uglies. Illustrations that are causing a fuss online in Japan. People are saying they’re copies. Published on December 7 in Japan, the book was illustrated by a young Japanese art college student named Shoko Hasegawa. Online, people are saying her…

In China, Online Games Just Keep Getting Better

2013 seems to be a great year for China’s online video game market with the release of some pretty cool online games. Deviating more and more from the standard click and grind RPG format, Chinese game companies have been pumping out interesting and visually appealing games, foreign and domestically-developed alike. One such example is Blade…

Goofy Kaiju Flick is Sci-Fi Meets Hentai

Earth Defense Widow (地球防衛未亡人 or Chikyuu Bouei Miboujin) stars actress Mitsu Dan as a widowed member of an Earth defense force, out to save the world from deadly kaiju. If only they didn’t turn her on. If only! Dan, a widowed ex-geisha, is a member of a defense force known as JAP (yes, that is…

China’s Internet Cafes Are Disappearing. What’s Going On?!

China, the middle kingdom. The Orient. The place where the legality of game consoles are suspect has always been the home of internet cafes. The number of internet cafes, which served as dens to many of China’s netizens, has suddenly gone down over the course of 2011-2012—by as many as 10,000. Now, you may be…

Female Ninja Serve Up Noodles Amidst Silly Complaints

Men no Sato (麺の里) or “Noodle Village” is a female ninja, or kunoichi(くノ一), restaurant. The restaurant originally opened last year in Tokyo’s Tachikawa, but recently announced it was reopening in nerd paradise Akihabara. Below you can see photos of the different noodle dishes, as well as the staff in their seemingly Naruto-inspired kunoichi costumes. Akihabara…

China’s Underground Dwellers Find Their Homes Cemented Shut

China is a place of extremes. On the streets of Beijing, one can see cars that only ever appear in the New York Auto Show and extremely posh women holding the latest designer bags from Paris. But beneath that splendour is a hidden part of China: a class of residents living below the poverty line.…

Korea’s Most Famous StarCraft Player Is Now a Poker Pro

BoxeR (aka Lim Yo Hwan), the brilliant StarCraft player, recently retired from eSports These days he’s appearing on a South Korean reality show as well as cutting this teeth on a new career: poker pro. According to Donga Ilbo (via tipster Sang), Lim announced his new career decision three days ago. The eSports icon will…

Hong Kong in all its Hazy, Timelapse-y Glory

Hong Kong is a dense metropolis of over seven million people, but from up here, it doesn’t look that busy at all It looks almost peaceful, if a bit dark. LittleBigWorld is calling their latest timelapse film Hazy Hong Kong, and sure enough, there’s lots of haze, along with lots of little people hurrying along…

In South Korea, Japanese Anime Gets Excessively Censored

Sometimes anime needs to be censored. Maybe it’s cultural reasons. Maybe it society’s values. Maybe there just aren’t enough fig leaves. Below, you can see an image from the Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic anime as it aired in Japan when Sinbad first appears before Aladdin. Yes, Sinbad is sporting a strategically placed fig leaf.…

Some of the Ugliest Cats on the Internet

When you think of “cats” and “internet,” you probably think of adorable fuzzy critters. Not all cats are cute. Some are downright ugly. In Japan, website Naver has done a round-up of “totally not cute cats.” These aren’t even cats that are adorably ugly. They’re just… homely! To be fair to these felines, some of…

By Day, Manga Artist. By Night, Ageless Vampire.

Manga artist Hirohiko Araki is famous for two things. One is JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. The other? Being an ageless vampire. Okay, okay. Araki is not an actual vampire. But he sure looks like one. The man is 53 years old! And as noted last year when he was 52, he looks really good for being…

Polka Dots Can Make Anything Sexy. Even Sumo.

This isn’t censorship. It’s called “mizutama kora” (水玉コラ) or “polka dot collage.” Here, it makes a fairly tame photo seem racy. Because sometimes, it’s not what you see, but what you don’t see. Are you ready to see some sexy sumo? Warning: This article might have content some readers will find disagreeable. Others might find…