Kotaku East

China’s Answer to Pokémon Is… In Space

Pokémon is huge. The Chinese people love it, I love it. But with the console ban, China hasn’t had any legally translated copies of Pokémon until recently, with the Chinese versions of X and Y. How has China lived without Pokémon? They created their own, in the shape of a free to play online browser…

Celebrate Being Single In China By Spending Tons of Money Online

Today, November 11th, is Veterans Day in the good old US of A. But in the far flung part of the world that is China, Nov. 11 stands for something completely different. In China, today is “Singles Day”, a day where people lament and celebrate being single and do so by spending buttloads of money…

These Are China’s Favourite Homegrown Mobile Games

Mobile games in China are huge — heck, they’re huge everywhere in the world. However, China is probably the only place in the world where the number of players of mobile games will overtake the United States’ whole population. According to a report by Nico Partners, China’s mobile game userbase will top the US population…

Snake Massages Look Utterly Horrifying

You’re stressed. You need to relax. Maybe you go for a massage? You know, one where they drape snakes all over your body and face. Um… This certainly doesn’t seem relaxing to me! But as AFP explains, Bali Heritage Reflexology and Spa in Jakarta, Indonesia is offering a 90-minute snake massage for 480,000 rupiah or…

Four Reasons to Be Excited for the Tales of Symphonia HD Remaster

Last month, the Tales of Symphonia Chronicles HD remaster was released on the PS3 in Japan, and it’s getting a Western release this coming February. And while we’ve all seen HD remasters before, there’s plenty to be excited about in Tales of Symphonia Chronicles. Two Games on One Disk Tales of Symphonia Chronicles is an…

Dog & Scissors Is a Funny, Yet Flawed, Anime

There are few anime that get me hooked enough to watch on a weekly basis—most times I save up and watch them in chunks. And despite having some glaring flaws, Dog & Scissors is one of the few that managed to keep me coming back thanks to its witty, over-the-top slapstick humor. Good – Over-the-top…

The Sexiest Fertilizer Commercial You’ll Ever See

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a fertilizer commercial as sexually charged as this. Actually, I’ve never seen a fertilizer commercial before. This Thai ad hit YouTube earlier this year, but was recently spotted by Japanese site IT Media ปุ๋ยนกแก้ว (มัน ใหญ่ มาก) [clubalchemists0149@YouTube via IT Media] To contact the author of this post, write…

Hayao Miyazaki Could End His Retirement, Says Ghibli Director

Remember when famed animator Hayao Miyazaki retired? No, not that time. When he retiredthis past September. Well, don’t be surprised if he comes out of retirement. Studio Ghibli’s Isao Takahata won’t be. Isao Takahata, of course, is the anime director, perhaps best known for Grave of the Fireflies. His upcoming film is Kaguya-hime no Monogatari.…

People Say It’s Raining Poop in Shanghai

You think the weather’s shitty where you live? Try the Nanhui District of Shanghai. According to China News, residents in Shanghai’s coastal area are complaining about what they say are feces falling from the sky. Yes, it’s raining poop. Apparently. The Chinese media is labelling this “fen bian yu” (粪便雨), or “fecal rain.” Residents are…

1 Person + 4 Years = One Amazing Stop-Motion Animation.

It never ceases to amaze me what people can do on their own, with the right determination and a little bit of time. This is Junk Head 1. A 30-minute stop-motion animated movie made by one man. Junk Head 1 takes place after a conflict between humans and clones. The clones have been driven far…

Vanillaware’s Butt Monster Is One Cheeky Pun

Perhaps you’ve heard that PS Vita game Muramasa Rebirth is getting new downloadable content? It looks to be an eyeful. Note: This article contains content that some readers might find objectionable. Talking about the DLC, which is titled Muramasa Rebirth: Genroku Legends, Vanillaware’s official Twitter account tweeted out the below image earlier today: Here’s it…

Working in the Game Industry Sure Worked Out for this Dude

Hisashi Koinuma became the Vice CEO of Tecmo Koei, one of the biggest game companies in Japan. Going into the game industry worked out for him. But it was a move that his parents may have had some reservations about. In an interview with Weekly Famitsu, Koinuma recalls spending his high school days hooked on…

Korean Pop Bands that Cosplay Are the Best

As far as South Korean boy bands go, Super Junior is about as big as they come. And if their music wasn’t enough to win you over, have you seen their cosplay? Their airport cosplay, that is. To celebrate Super Junior’s 8th anniversary, the group’s members decided to cosplay. Several of the members dressed up…

Smash Bros.‘ Director Doesn’t Have To Work Hard. But He Does Anyway

I don’t care what Smash Bros. creator Masahiro Sakurai does so long as he makes the next Smash Bros. Apparently, Nintendo seems to share that sentiment. But Sakurai is a man of values and does not abuse the trust that has been placed on his shoulders. Sakurai’s arm still has not healed, but that isn’t…

The Japanese Internet Is Ready to Amuse You with Goofy Pics

Feeling down? Need a laugh? Well, good news. The Japanese internet is here to turn that frown upside down. As previously reported, there are numerous threads that pop up on 2ch, Japan’s largest forum, dedicated to sillyand outrageous pics. The threads have titles like, “If you laugh, you die” or “If you laugh, you must…

That new Pikachu game starring…Pikachu apparently has a title. A recent Japanese trademark Nintendo filed lists “Meitantei Pikachu” (名探偵ピカチュウ) or “Great Detective Pikachu.” This might or might not be the game’s final title.

Chinese Cinema Turns Thor 2 into a Steamy Bromance

There are going to be some disappointed moviegoers in Shanghai, that’s for sure. As noted by Kotaku reader Mox Factor, the Shanghai Bona Insun International Cineplex accidentally (accidentally?) used a fan-made Photoshop image for a Thor 2 promotional image in the theater. A Chinese micro-blogger originally uploaded the image. Below, you can see the original…

The movie adaptation of Tokyo Vice, the non-fiction crime opus by Kotaku buddy Jake Adelstein, will be directed by Anthony Mandler, in his feature film debut. Playwright J.T. Rogers is penning the script. And Daniel Radcliffe stars as Adelstein. Filming is slated for mid-2014.

Japan’s Jumping Cat Leaps Like You Wouldn’t Believe

Have you seen this little guy jump? Holy smoke, he’s incredible. This is “Nya-suke,” aka “Jumping Cat,” who’s tabby living in Japan. As Nya-suke’s owner, Youtube user Jamuomii, explained, the average cat can jump about five times their height, which is typically about 150cm or 4.9 feet. Nya-suke can jump as high as 196cm or…

Some of the Strangest Japanese Games Are Erotic Games

They really are. Forget the sex and all that nonsense—it’s not for everyone and not what this is about. Because intentional and not, these games have truly odd images. Previously, Kotaku covered some peculiar adult games images. Here’s another round of scenes and art from various Japanese computer games, whether they are straight up erotic…