Kotaku East

Chinese People Pulling Insane Loads

Alain Delorme’s photo series “Totems” shows an another side of China’s migrant workers. Make that, a truly amazing side. According to Delorme, each worker in the photo looks “like a superhero able to carry around this kind of load.” The photos, however, have a meaning that’s deeper than the sheer spectacle. “It is above all…

From “Penis” to “Horse Salmon”, Foreign Names Can Be Funny in Japanese

You might think your name is normal in your family’s native tongue. Maybe it is. But put it in a different language, and sometimes, all hell can break loose. In Japanese, foreign words and names are written in a writing system called katakana. Unlike most Japanese names, which use kanji characters that have intrinsic meanings,…

Hong Kong Residents Supposedly Can’t Live Without Their Phones

Many people have called the dawn of the smartphone the death of manners and conversation. Some people are often too busy checking their phones to mind their manners. While it’s not really a huge deal, Hong Kong’s Ta Kung Newspaper says otherwise. Ta Kung Pao, a Beijing backed Hong Kong based newspaper, put out a…

Hey Children, Here’s a $20,000 Mecha Just for You!

The mecha wizards at Japan’s Sakakibara Machinery Works are back. Previously, the factory rolled out the Landwalker, a large mecha you could buy. And now? It has a newly revamped mecha for little kids. How sweet. As pointed out by sister site Gizmodo Japan, the Kid’s Walker Cyclops has a claw to grab things and…

This JRPG Team Is Niche, Even for Japan

Screw the West! This new role-playing brand certainly does not explicitly say that, but you have to admire a tagline that says it’s aiming at a specific type of player in Japan. A niche within niche! The tagline, which you can see in the above image, reads, “An RPG made for ‘Japan’s particular customers.'” Compile…

Rent Go-Karts in Tokyo’s Geekiest Neighborhood

Ah yes, Akihabara. When you think of Tokyo’s “Electric Town”, you probably think of retro game shops, arcades, and a sea of anime, manga, and collectible figurines. Add go-karts to that list. Dubbed “Akiba Cart”, this service allows you to rent go-karts and drive them in the nerd paradise that is Tokyo’s Akihabara. Each kart…

The newest trailer for Vanillaware’s side scroller Dragon’s Crown shelves the questionably-designed Sorceress, showcasing the ridiculously muscular Dwarf instead—although, he looks more like a viking on steroids than a dwarf. Dragon’s Crown is coming to PS3/Vita on July 25.

Steins;Gate Might Be the Best Anime I Have Ever Seen

This coming weekend, Japan will see the release of the new Steins;Gate movie, Steins;Gate: The Burden of Déjà Vu So in preparation for this film—and because of the numerous recommendations I received when reviewing the pseudo-sequel Robotics;Notes—I sat down and watched the visual novel-based 2011 anime this last week. And not only was it one…

This Is One Monster Phallus

Surely, the people who designed this Monster Hunter USB fan must know. They must! Look at it. This official Monster Hunter product goes on sale this June in Japan, is priced at around US$40, and resembles a cock. A cock that lights up and spins. モンスターハンター ハンターUSB卓上ファン [Hobby Search] Kotaku East is your slice of…

Fantasy Life Mixes Animal Crossing with Final Fantasy

JRPGs are often a dime a dozen in Japan but late last December, Level 5 released Fantasy Life for the Nintendo 3DS in Japan (which experienced shortages in its first week on sale). And what is it about Fantasy Life that sets it apart from the crowd? It’s that the game mixes the adventure of…

What “Nerd Fashion” Will Make You Look Unpopular in Japan

Earlier this week, Yahoo Japan (via Otaku.com) posted a poll that revealed how Japanese females thought they could pick out unpopular guys. The take away? Apparently, if you are wearing pretty much anything, you’re so not cool. Over three hundred females participated in the poll, which was on fashion that screams lame-o. Fifty-five percent admitted…

People in China Are Being Buried…to “Gangnam Style”

“Gangnam Style” seems so 2012. It is! But what does that matter when you’re dead and want to oppan funeral style? The song continues to get airplay in China, among the living and the dead, it seems. First noted by a Weibo user (via ShanghaiIst), “Gangnam Style” is being used as dirges at funerals in…

You Don’t Need Combat to Have a Good RPG

When it comes to gaming, RPGs represent the pinnacle of storytelling with games like Final Fantasy VI, Chrono Trigger, Mass Effect, Skyrim, and Earthbound. While many games from many different genres do indeed have compelling stories, storytelling, more than any other facet, is what RPGs are known for. But despite this, RPGs always seem to…

When English Textbooks Are Trolls

English is a hard language, especially for some Japanese people. The grammar is different. The pronunciation is different. And sometimes, the textbooks are strange. Please be aware that I’m not talking about so-called “Engrish”. Often, that’s the result of syntax errors (i.e. using Japanese sentence structure or literal translations in English). Making fun of that…

Japan’s Female Mecha Pilot President Is Getting a New Game

Guild 01 for the 3DS was released last year as an anthology of games by 4 notable game creators. One of those games in particular is getting its own spin-off. Liberation Maiden was a shooting game from the mind of Gouichi Suda (Suda 51), creator of games like Killer 7, No More Heroes, and the…

Meet Gonzo, “the Final Boss of the Internet”

This is Gonzo. He’s a Japanese comedian, and his thing is the tambourine. He’s a tambourine master And as YouTube user Crossbow321123 pointed out, Gonzo is “the Final Boss of the Internet”. Excellent description, but let’s add this: the Final Boss of the Internet in his final form. If you aren’t familiar with Gonzo, he…

PSY’s Newest Video Banned for an Odd Reason

PSY’s video for “Gentleman” is getting plenty of play online. However, on Korea’s biggest television network, it’s banned. The reason might seem rather unusual. In the first six seconds of the “Gentleman” video, PSY strolls down a street and kicks a traffic cone. That’s why the video is being banned on the Korean Broadcasting System,…

See What Censorship Has Done To These Manga

The late great George Carlin once famously spoke of words that cannot be said on television (Well, basic cable at least). Japan, too, has its own list of words and phrases that are taboo. As of last count, there are over 350 words and phrases deemed “problematic” if used on air. While none are legally…

There Might Be a New Metal Gear Solid Collection

Yesterday, Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima tweeted out this picture. He wrote that he was in the process of checking whatever was in it. He didn’t say what. However, the Korean Game Rating Board might have. As of yesterday, the Korean Game Rating Board posted an entry on something called “Metal Gear Solid The Legacy…

Few Humans Can Play Video Games Like This

One man. Two Dance Dance Revolution pads. No shoes. What follows is nothing short of amazing. The DDR player’s name is TAKASKE, and he is Japan’s barefoot arcade wonder. ゲームはスポーツだなｗｗｗｗｗｗ [ぴょんそく] Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest talking points from Japan, Korea, China and beyond. Tune in every…