Kotaku East

Chinese Sixth Grader Steals From Mother To Buy Digital Currency

A sixth grader in China recently stole over $1000 worth of money from his mother to spend on video game currency. After finding out that he had stolen the money, the mother called the police to make a complaint against the net cafe that sold him the currency, gaining her a partial refund. China’s People’s…

Tencent Pisses Off Chinese Fans By Buying Manga Rights

Despite all that you read about the tensions between China and Japan, Japanese manga is highly celebrated in China. Chinese people cosplay as Japanese manga characters. They watch Japanese manga inspired animations. And they read manga—that is, until now. Earlier this year, the Chinese internet giant Tencent signed a publishing deal with Shueisha inc, the…

Good news! Game Center CX, the great Japanese video game program, is being turned into a feature film. It’ll be out in spring 2014 in Japan.

Protesting Piracy in China with…Blow-Up Dolls

Late last week at Peking University in Beijing, China, men wearing skimpy underwear and carrying inflatable friends streaked the university’s north campus and tried to jump into Weiming Lake. Then, university security showed up. That’s when all hell broke loose. Note: This post contains content some readers might find objectionable. Campus security seized the men,…

Watch the First 8 Minutes of the new Ghost in the Shell Right Here

Back in February, we showed you the first trailer of the newest installment of the Ghost in the Shell franchise, Ghost in the Shell: Arise. With the Japanese theater release of the first chapter, border: 1 Ghost Pain, a week away, fans are getting a special gift: The first eight minutes of the film are…

The Japanese Games Kicking Ass At E3

Back in 2009 at the Tokyo Game show, Keiji Inafune, creator of Mega Man, Onimusha, and Dead Rising said the following: “Man, Japan is over. We’re done. Our game industry is finished.” But as this E3 is quick to show, this is hardly the case. Perhaps Inafune’s comment ended up being a wake-up call—a game…

Bakemonogatari is an Amazingly Well-Directed Anime

As we’re coming up on the summer anime season, I’ve been purusing the upcoming shows looking for what I should keep an eye on. One anime, in particular, has stood out to me as a must watch: Monogatari Series Second Season There’s just one problem, I haven’t seen either of the preceding two series, Bakemonogatari…

I Never Knew I Needed a Sailor Moon Brawler in My Life

As I’ve mentioned before, when I was a kid, there wasn’t much in the way of anime readily available. On TV there were only two anime programs: Sci-Fi channel’s Saturday anime, and Sailor Moon. So needless to say, I watched me a lot of Sailor Moon Yet even at that time, I didn’t pick up…

A Bestiary of Japanese FPS Player Types

Anyone who has played a First-Person Shooter online has encountered one of “those” players; the prepubescent brat who will kill them and then mock their corpse in some manner, the lone mute killing machine who will wordlessly charge through the map, efficiently slaughtering anything that gets in their way, the loudmouthed newbie whose sole reason…

According to its Director, Kingdom Hearts 3 Was Revealed a Little Early

Kingdom Hearts fans were overjoyed to the teaser announcement of Kingdom Hearts 3 at E3 on Monday. Tired of the wait? Ready to party? Well, don’t too hyped up – the wait isn’t over just yet. In an interview with Famitsu.com, director Tetsuya Nomura noted that the announcement for the first official numbered sequel in…

The Truth about Japan’s Amazing “Book Towers”

Jenga, this ain’t. Hundreds of books carefully stacked, creating what’s known as a “tower pile” (tawaa tsumi or タワー積み) in Japanese. Store employees spend thirty minutes—or more—to create these book sculptures that delight some and upset others. Traditionally, books in Japanese bookstores are stacked in small piles or placed on shelves—like anywhere else. The book…

Yakuza Series Developer Offers His Opinion On the New Consoles

As seen from thephotograph, the well-tanned Yakuza series developer, Toshihiro Nagoshi was walking among the crowds at E3 this year. Hopefully basking in the saturated spectacle of upcoming consoles and games. Nagoshi wrote on his blog about the Sony conference and the announcements from Microsoft and Sony (Unfortunately, due to flight delays, he was unable…

Garbage Can That Looks Like the Mac Pro Is a Hot Item in Japan

You know how people are comparing the new Mac Pro to a garbage can? Turns out one Japanese garbage can is already reaping the rewards. Below, you can see the Mac Pro. No, strike that. Below, you can see a garbage bin by Osaka-based design firm Ideaco. It really, really looks like the new Mac…

Inside the Japanese Arcade That Looks Like a Hong Kong Slum

Japan has an array of arcades. Many of them have their own personalities, but only one of them looks like this. Located in Kawasaki and called “Anata no Warehouse” (“Your Warehouse”), this arcade is apparently based on Hong Kong’s Kowloon Walled City. Back in 2009, Kotaku reader Landon checked it out, saying, “It’s 18 years-old-and-up,…

Secret of Mana illustrator Hiro Isono recently passed away due to heart failure. May he rest in peace.

Why Some in Japan Aren’t Thrilled with Final Fantasy XV‘s Setting

As the game’s trailer states, Final Fantasy XV is a fantasy based on reality. A select group of Japanese gamers don’t exactly seem thrilled with that. What is bothering a handful of players is that the latest game has elements that seem, I dunno, commonplace? That is, if you live in Japan. Here’s what I’m…

Shin Megami Tensei IV Is as Deep and Interesting as It Is Hard

In recent years, the Shin Megami Tensei series has found new life in the West thanks to the popularity of spinoff titles Persona 3 and Persona 4. But now, after a decade since the release of the third game in the core series, comes Shin Megami Tensei IV And while it is a game that…

If Playing Animal Crossing is as Boring as Watching the Movie, I’m Out

This past week saw the Western release of Animal Crossing: New Leaf for the 3DS. Despite having never played an Animal Crossing game myself—largely due to its part in the most heartbreaking gaming tale I have ever heard—I decided it would be fun to sit down and watch the 2006 Animal Crossing anime film. This…

This Game’s DLC Lets You Hit Level 99 In An Hour

I’ve already talked a bit about how hard Shin Megami Tensei IV was on the default difficulty—and how the game makes you humiliate yourself in order to switch to easy mode. But if even easy mode is still too much for you, you can always download the first DLC dungeon. It completely breaks the game.…

Brock from Pokémon Can Drive, Pilot, or Operate Almost Anything

Remember Brock from the Pocket Monsters anime? He left the series a few years back to go be a Pokémon Doctor, but can still lives on in our hearts as the dude who can operate nearly anything put in front of him. That includes rockets. And drawbridges. Recently on 2ch, Japan’s largest online forum, an…