Kotaku East

This July, the manga version of Neon Genesis Evangelion is ending its long run. The final entry in Yoshiyuki Sadamoto‘s manga version will appear in an upcoming issue of Young Ace. The manga began in December 1994. To contact the author of this post, write to bashcraftATkotaku.com or find him on Twitter @Brian_Ashcraft Kotaku East…

Behold, Japan’s Geekiest Taxi Cabs

In Japan, taxis are typically black. Sometimes, they’re white or even yellow, but generally, people think of them as being dark-colored and dull looking. These taxis, however, are anything but. You are looking at “itataku” (痛タク). “Ita” (痛) literally refers to “pain”, but it’s now slang for things covered with geeky stickers, whether that’s cars,…

How Empathy Takes the Fear Out of Horror

After playing Saya no Uta – The Song of Saya this past week, I’ve been thinking a lot about horror games. And when it comes to me personally, I have to accept that all my life I have been a complete wuss when it comes to the horror genre. While watching a horror movie or…

One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda, who is sidelined with an illness, sent out word to One Piece readers, apologizing for making people wait for the next issue. In the statement, he seemed in good spirits and really wanted folks to read the “new development” in the upcoming One Piece. Good to know! To contact the…

Korean Mother Reshaped Her Daughter’s Face with a Spoon (Apparently!)

Instead of shelling out for plastic surgery, one mother in South Korea decided she could make her daughter beautiful through things like massaging her child’s face. With a spoon. This week on popular Korean show Martian Virus, the mother discussed how she thought, even as a baby, that her daughter was ugly, worrying that the…

Clothing Stereotypes Exist In Japan, Too

Recently on 2ch, Japan’s largest forum, people have begun collecting images of college students decked out in similar outfits. Online in Japan, this largely became a way to poke fun at college students—because, hey, making fun of college students is universal, no? Not all these photos depict college students (though, most seem to). What’s more,…

Here Are Ten Games Japanese Players Recommend

2013 is approaching the halfway point and this year, we’ve already seen several heavy-hitting game releases. Oftentimes it’s difficult to choose a single game to buy out of several when you have a limited budget. The biggest and most influential factor in making a choice is usually other players’ opinions. Gamer recommendations will trump the…

Now, This Is One Stunning Retro Japanese Console

The Twin Famicom is an interesting game console. Produced by Sharp, it was Nintendo’s Famicom console and Disk System melded into a single console. While it looked nice enough, there is a way to make it look better: Lots and lots of gloss. Via Tiny Cartridge, this is the work of Slovenian artist Zoki64, who…

In South Korea, Japanese anime Jin-Roh is being turned into a feature film with Kim Ji-woon (The Last Stand) directing. According to Hankooki (via tipster Sang), actor Kang Dong-won is being floated as the possible lead. To contact the author of this post, write to bashcraftATkotaku.com or find him on Twitter @Brian_Ashcraft Kotaku East is…

Wikipedia Writers Sure Know Their Hentai

Outside of Japan, the word “hentai” is used to refer to a certain type of Japanese anime, manga, or video games. It’s a genre. In Japan, it’s not. Recently on 2ch, Japan’s largest forum, people discovered the Chinese language Wikipedia entry for “hentai”. Many thought it was hilarious how long the entry was. It’s really,…

Sure Seems Like Jaleco Is Either AWOL, Or Worse, Dead

Remember Bases Loaded? And Wii role-playing game Ougon no Kizuna (above)? Or that Japanese truck driving game? The company known for those titles, Jaleco, seems to have fallen off the map. This afternoon, Kotaku phoned Jaleco’s Tokyo office. There was no answer, and a recording said the number was “no longer in service”. As noted…

I May Have Misjudged Freedom Wars

My good friend Martin has a saying whenever we talk about upcoming movies: “Trailers lie.” Rarely will what we see in a trailer accurately encapsulate what the actual finished movie or game will be like. A trailer is designed specifically to garner interest, and not necessarily to truthfully describe what it’s selling. And yet, even…

Chinese Newspaper Confuses the Japanese Military with…DeviantArt

A website for Chinese newspaper Global Times recently published photos of a new Japanese military helicopter “design concept”. Too bad it’s not real. It’s not even made by the Japanese military. On Global Times’ website Huanqiu.com, the text reads, “This appeared online today; it seems to be a concept for a Japanese Self Defense Force…

What Chinese People Think About The New Xbox

The original Xbox and Xbox 360 weren’t allowed to be sold in China due to the country’s console ban. With the ban looking to stay in place for the foreseeable future, the availability of the Xbox One as well as other next-generation consoles in China is questionable. Regardless of the availability, Chinese gamers are still…

“Offensive” Sex Buddha Statue Removed from Bar

A statue of Buddhist deities engaged in what looks like sexual intercourse was dubbed “crude and blasphemous” in China. According to Xinhaunet and ShangahaiIst, a bar in Lijang, Yunnan province commissioned the four-meter tall statue. It has since been removed after complaints. The bar’s owner decided to have the statue removed after repeatedly having to…

Origami Gives You Instant Derp

Look at these cool dudes! They’re so serious. If only there was an easy way to make them look like total goofballs. Turns out, there is. Here’s the “serious” cover of Weekly Jump, featuring popular manga Gin Tama So, how do you make this look ridiculous? Origami! Good times. The images were originally uploaded to…

Man Mistakenly Beaten For Playing Mobile Games On Bus

Mobile games are great; they allow people to game pretty much everywhere. From gaming during the daily commute to gaming while waiting for the bus, mobile games can enrich people’s daily lives. Sadly, for one man in China, the joys of playing mobile games had lead to an undeserved beating. According to China’s GuangMing Daily,…

Here’s What People in Japan Think of Xbox One

The original Xbox had a rough time in Japan. Ditto for the Xbox 360. How are things faring for the just announced Xbox One? Um… Xbox Japan put a translated version of the presentation online for Japanese gamers to watch (yes, as Famitsu points out, the console is getting a Japanese release). And on 2ch,…

Japanese Artist Paints Amazing Finger Art on an iPad

And not just on an iPad, but also on an iPhone. Shizuoka-born artist Seikou Yamaoka uses his fingers and an app called ArtStudio to produce truly stunning digital works. In the above video, you can watch Yamaoka bring Johannes Vermeer’s masterpiece “Girl with a Pearl Earring” to life on his iPad Mini. The video is…

Popular Cat Meme Creator in Trouble with the Law

During the 1980s, a cat photo fad swept Japan. Dubbed “Nameneko” (なめ猫), the pictures featured feline friends dressed as high school thugs. The trend went global, spreading to the U.S. for a brief time. But this month, the trend’s creator is in hot water for tax evasion. In 1979, the story goes that then young…