Kotaku East

Twitter Is Where People Go When Witnessing Crimes

Honestly don’t know if I’ve ever seen someone tweet a photo of an armed robbery in progress. Well, I have now. The tweet read, “There’s a robber now at Kurumaya Ramen,” tweeted @0503Daiki. The photo, which has now been retweeted over six thousand times, shows a man in a white t-shirt, brandishing a knife at…

The Future Diary: Redial Is the Ending the Series Was Missing

Last week, I took a look at one of my favorite anime of the last few years, 2011’s Future Diary. Late last month, a single-episode OVA sequel called The Future Diary: Redial (Mirai Nikki: Redial) was released in Japan. It fixed the one major problem I had with The Future Diary: the ending. [This review…

Chinese Building Looks Like a Giant Bird Cage

It’s not every day you get to see a Chinese building that looks like a giant steel bird cage. Well, that day is today. According to Xinhua, one of China’s largest sites, the two-story building recently appeared in Wuhan, China. It’s actually a facade for a club, designed to look like a birdcage, complete with…

What It’s Like to Watch Movies on the Oculus Rift

There is no doubt that the Oculus Rift VR headset, with its 3D display and tilt sensors, is designed for gaming. But that’s not all it can do. There are several apps that allow you to watch movies on it as well. [Note: The following observations were made on an Oculus Rift development kit, not…

American Developers Comment on Japanese Video Games’ Weaknesses

Back in the 1980s and 90s, if you played arcade games or console games, you played Japanese games. Lots of them. But maybe things have changed. Why? At a recently held game developers’ convention in Japan, Kento Kojima, a lead animator at 2K Games, gave a presentation on things he has learned working for an…

This Japanese Horror Film Star Is Really Good at Baseball

Ever see the original version of The Ring? You know, the Japanese horror movie in which a character named Sadako climbs out of a television to KILL PEOPLE. Turns out, Sadako is good at baseball. Like holy crap good. Recently, Sadako threw out the first pitch at the Seibu Dome in a game between the…

Puzzle & Dragons Z is coming to the 3DS in Japan on December 12. No word on a Western release.

Make Any Bad-Ass Figure Instantly Cute

Predator doesn’t look so scary when decked out in a frilly skirt, huh? In the last twenty-four hours, it’s become somewhat of a thing online in Japan to put hair scrunchies on figures. You see, the scrunchies look like dresses! The trend apparently began yesterday, after a 2ch user used a scrunchie to give a…

There’s a New Layton Game. It’s…Different.

Tonight in Japan, Level-5 just revealed the latest entry in its Layton puzzle series. It’s titled Layton 7. It looks, well, different. According to Famitsu, this is the “latest entry in the Professor Layton series.” The game is headed to iOS, Android, and Nintendo 3DS. Details are scant, but the design looks to be a…

New Inazuma Eleven is coming to Japan this fall…as an online game. And it’s name? Inazuma Eleven: Online. Now, that’s clever. Starting this winter on PC, it’s free-to-play with microtransactions. No word on Western releases.

Even the Deer Are Polite in Japan. (You’re Kidding, Right?)

Just look how this cute critter bows. This Japanese deer must be so polite. All Japanese deer must be so polite. Ha. Ha, ha! Um, no. In Nara, Japan’s ancient capital, there is a public park filled with deer that roam freely. In the past, the deer were considered sacred—messengers of the Gods! And look,…

So many platforms! Next year in Japan, Level-5 is bringing its mobile RPG Wonder Flick to the PS3, the PS4, the PS Vita, the Wii U, and the Xbox One. No word on a Western release.

Watch the Birth of the Yu-Gi-Oh Championships’ New ‘King of Games’

With all the world championship tournaments going on over the last few months, one tournament was sort of left in the wind. While this might have happened earlier this month, it’s still interesting. During this year’s Yu-Gi-Oh World Championships, a new King of Games was crowned. After a two-day tournament between 26 expert “duelists”, Taiwanese…

Anger Over Korean Poo Wine Video

Earlier this month, Vice released a video purporting to introduce a “traditional” Korean drink made from human feces. Online in South Korea, people are reportedly not pleased. On Korea’s Chosun TV, the clip was dubbed “derogatory.” Korean site Dailian said the clip lacked proper fact checking. Other Korean sites also criticized the “poo wine” video.…

China’s Military Says Pacific Rim Is American Propaganda

Pacific Rim is doing very well in China, despite some tiny subtitle problems, proving again that the Chinese love giant robots. However, even with all the popularity, the Chinese military isn’t very happy, claiming that the movie is nothing more than propaganda to spread “American values and ideas”. Last Friday, an article appeared in the…

Japan’s Real Life Kick-Ass Is Very Helpful

In the movie, a regular teenager is determined to become a superhero. For 27 year-old Tadahiro Kanemasu, he just wanted to be a Good Samaritan. For the last several months, Kanemasu has set up shop outside Tokyo Metro’s Honancho Station. The station doesn’t have an elevator or escalator, which can make it incredibly difficult for…

This Isn’t The King of Fighters Game You Are Expecting

So, there’s a King of Fighters game coming out! Hooray! It might be different from what you are expecting. KOF diehards will be quick to point out that SNK Playmore has strayed from formula for King of Fighters games in the past. Heck, there’s been a King of Fighters shooting game for goodness sake! As…

A Thousand Escaped Crocodiles Aren’t Terrorizing China. Apparently!

You might have heard how a million cockroaches escaped from a roach nursery in China? Did you hear the one about the crocodiles? Flooding in South China’s Guangdong province damaged the enclosure at a crocodile farm in the city of Shantou, Chinese state media China Daily reports. The 11-hectare nursery held approximately 11,000 crocodiles to…

Chewbacca’s Name in Japanese Sure Is Stupid

Accomplished pilot. Loyal friend. Iconic hairy dude. Chewbacca is all of these things, but in Japanese, he’s more. He’s an “average moron.” I say “Chewbacca,” and you think, well, probably “Chewbacca.” But in Japanese, the name might involve different connotations. Now, there are several theories about the origin of the Chewbacca moniker that range from…

Mysteries, Murders, and Diaries That Tell the Future

2011’s The Future Diary is one of my favorite anime from the past few years. And with the release in Japan of the epilogue OVA The Future Diary: Redial, now is the perfect time to take a look back at what makes The Future Diary such an amazing ride. Good – A Gripping Premise The…