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Kotaku EastJapanPeople Are Putting Mai Shiranui In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Since Nintendo isn’t including King of Fighters character Mai Shiranui in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, fans have started adding Mai any way they can. As previously reported, director Masahiro Sakurai said Mai would not be added to the game because, as he explained, “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is for good boys and girls of many…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 13, 2019 -
Kotaku EastJapanTeenagers Spent Almost Two Years Making Unicorn Gundam Out Of Cardboard
High school students in Japan decided to bring the RX-O Unicorn Gundam to life. The statue is for the school’s cultural arts festival. Twitter user Tosshii and some classmates worked together on the creation, which took about two years to finish. Here is the front: And the back: As Kotaku previously reported, Bandai Namco built…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 12, 2019 -
Kotaku EastJapanIn Japan, Fans Question Famitsu-Related Cameos In Death Stranding
Online in Japan, fans are wondering why the mascot character and the official representative for the country’s biggest game magazine Famitsu appear in Death Stranding Famitsu recently gave the game a perfect score—one of only 26 to get the coveted 40/40 in the publication’s history. A thread on 2ch, the country’s biggest bulletin board, pointed…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 11, 2019 -
Kotaku EastJapanAnime Eyes Still Look Horrible On Real People
Anime eyes might look OK in, well, anime, but on real-life humans, they look freaky as hell. Previously, we saw giant anime eyes brought to life with Robert Rodriguez’s Alita: Battle Angel. This time around, big eyes are back, but as a pointed play on anime conventions like schoolyard renai (love)—and more importantly, a way…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 8, 2019 -
Kotaku EastJapanIconic Anime Spacecraft Recreated In Straw
Each year, folks in the town of Chikuzen, Japan, create sculptures out of rice straw to mark the fall harvest. Previously, they made a Godzilla statue. This year, they’ve brought Space Battleship Yamato to life. According to Nico Nico, the rice straw version is over 54 feet long and at most 15 feet high. The…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 8, 2019 -
Kotaku EastJapanUniversal Studios Japan’s Super Nintendo World Is Coming Together
Super Nintendo World won’t open at Universal Studios Japan until next spring. But recent snapshots show how construction is coming along. It looks like this area of the theme park will be impressive and noticeable. Twitter user L.C.A. Studios has been documenting progress. It’s possible to see the Super Mario flagpole from different parts of…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 7, 2019 -
Kotaku EastJapanYes, This Gundam Helmet Was Crocheted
Twitter user Namio’s hobby isn’t just crocheting, but crocheting woolen Gundam helmets. It took days to crochet each helmet. The RX-178 Gundam Mk-II helmet, for example, took four days, with Namio working on them from morning to night for two of those. The result is glorious. Perfect for winter, too. Yes, that’s a crocheted face…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 6, 2019 -
Kotaku EastJapanPokémon Queen Shoko Nakagawa Helped Do Animation For Last Sun & Moon Episode
Shoko Nakagawa’s connection to Pokémon runs deep. She’s hosted several of the variety shows, including Pokénchi, which currently airs in Japan. She has done Pokémon commercials and press conferences, she’s sung Pokémon anime theme songs, and she’s even voiced characters. Now, she’s doing animation. If you are keeping score, Nakagawa started hosting variety show Pokémon…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 6, 2019 -
Kotaku EastJapanStreet Fighter Pro And Model Found True Love At An Arcade
Pro-gamer Fuudo is a world-class Street Fighter player. Yuka Kuramochi is a very popular pin-up model. The couple just announced their marriage. The two became friends in an arcade and thanks to a Street Fighter IV tournament. Though there is this humorous image floating around with Kuramochi and her future husband sitting despondently in a…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 5, 2019 -
Kotaku EastJapanSeven-Minute Final Fantasy VII Remake Ad Is The Longest Commercial Ever On Japanese TV
Clocking in at seven minutes long, this Final Fantasy VII Remake ad is the longest commercial to ever air on Japanese television. It’s like a seven-minute short film about people into Final Fantasy VII. As pointed out on GameSpark, the commercial aired over the weekend during an annual 27-hour block of programming hosted by Beat…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 4, 2019 -
Kotaku EastJapanStar Wars Getting An Official Kabuki Adaptation
Ichikawa Ebizo XI will star in and supervise the official kabuki adaptation of Star Wars. The famed actor will play Kylo Ren. According to Mantan Web, the kabuki adaptation will feature scenes from each of the films in the latest trilogy. The performance, however, will be for one night only on November 28 in Tokyo.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 4, 2019 -
Kotaku EastJapanGold And Platinum Monster Hunter Sculptures For Only $81,000 Each
If you are in the market for Monster Hunter sculpture and have lots of money to spend, have I got two items for you! Created to celebrate Monster Hunter’s 15th anniversary, here is a Gold Rathian, made from 24K gold, and a Silver Rathalos, made from Platinum. Each is 8,800,000 yen ($81,462) or you can…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 1, 2019 -
Kotaku EastRecreating Awkward Gundam Animation
Custom figure artist Dau Lau Boc Khoi has been bringing to life awkward Gundam animation in hand-sculpted polymer clay. Early Gundam animation was not so great and produced some truly awkward, meme-worthy examples of bad animation. Those images now live on as sculptures. “Quick project for a stressful week,” wrote the artist on Facebook. Typically,…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 1, 2019 -
Kotaku EastJapanNintendo Switch Sales Up 50 Percent
The Nintendo Switch is doing quite well. According to the company’s most recent financials, sales jumped 50 percent from July to September when compared to the same period last year. As Bloomberg reports, Nintendo sold 4.8 million Switch consoles during this period. Out of those were 1.95 million Switch Lites. Game sales also increased 48…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 31, 2019 -
Kotaku EastJapanJapan Getting Life-Sized Godzilla Theme Park Attraction
A life-sized Godzilla head and upper body will be unveiled at the Nijigen no More amusement park on Awaji Island, Hyogo Prefecture. This is the first life-sized permanent attraction of its kind at a theme park. The entire statue will be around 120 meters long. Park visitors will take on the role of researchers and…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 31, 2019 -
Kotaku EastChinaOne Million Fake Toys And Figures Seized In China
Shanghai police have seized one million fake toys after raiding a factory in the city of Dongguan. According to Chinese site The Paper, included among the fakes were Pokémon, Dragon Ball, One Piece and Gundam items. The massive raid took place this past August and netted over 1,200 toy-making tools and equipment. China News reports…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 30, 2019 -
Kotaku EastJapanJapanese Government Honors Shigeru Miyamoto As Person of Cultural Merit
Each year, the Japanese government honors people for their important cultural contributions. Included in this year’s Person of Cultural Merit honorees is Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto. Congrats! Those awarded the merit come from a variety of fields including the arts, music, science, and academia. Twenty individuals were named as Person of Cultural Merit recipients, including Miyamoto.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 29, 2019 -
Kotaku EastJapanBad Tourist Behavior Leads To Photography Crackdown In Kyoto’s Gion
The Gion is one of the most picturesque parts of Kyoto. Earlier this year, Kotaku reported that tourists had been making the lives of geisha and maiko, who work in the area, difficult. Now locals have had enough. As you can see in the footage below, a tourist mob stalks its photo prey. There have…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 28, 2019 -
Kotaku EastJapanIn Japan, Nintendo Giving Refunds For Tokyo Mirage Sessions After Family Friendly Changes
When Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore is released in Japan, the game will be based on the modified Western release. Starting today, Nintendo is offering refunds for its local customers. Last week, Nintendo apologized for not initially announcing that Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore was based on the family friendly Western version, recognizing that it…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 25, 2019 -
Kotaku EastJapanFor A Rug, There is No Better Dragon Quest Monster
Out of all the characters and monsters in Dragon Quest, there is no better one for a rug than Liquid Metal Slime See what I mean? The character’s liquid-metal part is a bit larger than in Dragon Quest, but it all works so well. As Famitsu reports, the rug went on sale in Japan last…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 25, 2019