Kotaku East

Anpanman creator Takashi Yanase passed away on October 13 in Tokyo. He was 94. May he rest in peace.

Servant X Service Is Your Average Sitcom in Anime Form

Back at the summer season’s halfway point, Servant X Service didn’t end up making my list of the five anime of summer 2013 you should watch. This is because, while being the funniest anime I watched last season, Servant X Service is still largely forgettable. Good – Parallel Plotlines One of the best aspects of…

Getting Married on a Tokyo Train Isn’t Exactly Romantic

But it sure is memorable. Yesterday, a young couple got married while riding public transportation in Tokyo. The young 20-something year-old couple, Nobuhiko and Sayaka, held their wedding ceremony on Tokyo’s Yamanote Line, reports FNN. Serving 29 stations, the Yamanote Line is not only Japan’s busiest train lines, it’s one of the busiest in the…

The New PS Vita Torn Apart

The new PS Vita was recently released in Japan. You probably know it has a new LCD screen. But what do the rest of its innards look like? Blue, orange, black, and gray, it seems! Japanese site 4Gamer took apart the new Vita for your viewing pleasure. In case you missed it, here are Kotaku‘s…

Surviving Two Traumatic Japanese Pranks Is Not Easy

Some pranks are very clever. Some are complicated. The above prank is very simple, but incredibly effective. The woman being tricked is actress Aki Takejo. This wasn’t the only prank she endured. Below, someone gives her a teddy bear with a bomb in it, telling her not to drop it. あき竹城ドッキリ１ [ikebukurosarah@YouTube] 百人隊ドッキリ [blackcataaa2010@YouTube] To…

“Chinese Food” Is The True Sequel To Rebecca Black’s “Friday”

The folks behind “Friday” are back! For better or worse, it’s not a day of the week that is getting immortalized in YouTube this time, but a cuisine. This is “Chinese Food.” Stupid? Offensive? Genius? If You Liked Rebecca Black’s “Friday,” You’ll Love “Chinese Food” [Gawker] To contact the author of this post, write to…

China Working To “Fix” Internet Addiction, Whatever That Means

The verdict on internet addiction as an real disorder in the West has yet to come. But in China, internet addiction is treated like a real thing. That’s why China’s Ministry of Culture is looking for a way to combat it. Over the weekend, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Culture’s Business department, Tuo…

The Successor to “Duck Lips” Is “Sparrow Face”

Remember when people were doing pouty duck lips? In Japan, the pouty-faced look has evolved. The result is “Sparrow Face.” In Japanese, “duck lips” are called “ahiru-guchi” (アヒル口) or literally “duck mouth.” This week, Twitter and Japan’s biggest online forum have been buzzing over the latest forced expression, which is called “chun-gao” (チュン顔 or ちゅん顔)…

Chinese Dude Made a Robot Roommate

D.I.Y. robot maker Tao Xiangli churns out incredible creations. Bless him. Tao, in his late 30s, first became famous online in China in 2008 with his homemade submarine. Tao had created a working submarine from scrap metal. Most recently, Tao revealed a homemade robot that he started working on in 2010. As noted by Vice,…

Perverts Are Making Pokémon X/Y All Salacious

Pokémon X/Y are not sexualized games. Yet, some players keep pointing to instances that seem unintentionally so. Damn them! Both X and Y allow players to interact with their Pocket Monsters by petting them. In Japan, however, this function is one reason why some Twitter users are dubbing the game “eroi” (エロい), or “erotic,” because…

One of China’s Best Anime Spans Five Films

Every 333 years a disaster is born onto the world of man and beast. In this fictional world, this disaster is known as “Kuiba.” In our world, this disaster is probably one of the best domestically produced Chinese animations in ages. Originally released in Chinese theaters in 2011, Kuiba and was touted as the one…

Hey Internet, Hamsters Don’t Get Cuter Than This

Is this hamster heaven? It sure as heck looks like it. YouTube user Heibonkinoko loves hamsters—and loves not only making videos of his pet hamsters, but also building little playhouses for them. The results are both adorable and creative. This is wonderful. Heibonkino [YouTube viaIT Media] To contact the author of this post, write to…

Calling Pikachu “Slow” Leads to Destroyed Childhood Dreams

Pikachu is not slow! Except for when he’s crossing the street in South Korea. Courtesy of YouTube and tipster Sang, the above video is titled “Pikachu, the Childhood Destroyer.” At around the thirty-second mark, as the crosswalk is ticking down the seconds before the light changes, someone says, “Pikachu is too slow. Shit, there are…

Chinese Newspaper’s HQ Now Looks Like a Golden Penis

You might have already known that the new People’s Daily headquarters, first erected this spring, looks like a schlong. But did you know it now resembles a golden one? Chinese site iFengreports that the building is now being covered with golden paneling to reflect light and make everything think, “Oh hey, that’s a golden dick.”…

Wrist-Slitting Doesn’t Need To Be Glamorized

Kill La Kill, the newest anime by the creative minds behind over the top mecha hit Gurren Lagann, is all about a girl searching for the person who killed her father. To do this she has a giant scissor-blade and a transforming school uniform. That’s where things get troubling. In the series’ lore, she slits…

Watch Us Play the Visually Stunning Arcadias no Ikusahime

Going into Arcadias no Ikusahime (The Warrior Princess of Arcadias) I expected two things: 1) A beautiful-looking game and 2) gameplay like that of an old school side-scrolling brawler. What I didn’t expect was having to control an army in real time while I did it. While there are many levels that are typical of…

“Cosplay Driver’s Licenses” Exist in Japan

Good news if you are a cosplayer! And if you have a car. And if you need to renew your Japanese driver’s license. You can legally pose for your license while cosplaying. Granted, this isn’t a mainstream trend by any means, but owning a “cosplay driver’s license” is certainly possible in Japan, where they’re also…

Okay, This Japanese Fast Food Chain Has Gone Mad

Should I get the rib patty? Or the beef patty? Or the fried shrimp patty? What about the cheeseburger? Screw it, you can get them all. At once. Behold the “With Everything Burger” (“zenbu nose baagaa” or 全部のせバーガー). Priced at 1,130 yen (US$11), it comes with lettuce, cabbage, egg, a slice of cheese, a cheeseburger,…

Japan’s Straw Beasts Are Huge, Wonderful, and Highly Flammable

It’s fall in Japan. And like every fall, rice is harvested, leaving behind straw to be hung and dried. In some rural areas, though, the rice straw has a special use: Making giant beasts. Kagawa Prefecture and Niigata Prefecture have the most famous “straw art festivals,” which are large straw sculpture displays. Traditionally, straw was…

A Great-Looking Game with a Beautiful Soundtrack to Match

Earlier this week we took a look at the stunning visual beauty of the backgrounds and enemy sprites of Arcadias no Ikusahime (The Warrior Princess of Arcadias). Of course, visuals are only half of the presentation package. Thankfully, Arcadias no Ikusahime has a quality soundtrack to match. Honestly, the soundtrack of Arcadias no Ikusahime seems…