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Kotaku East
Japan’s Most Dangerous Hacker Served with a Wanted Poster and a Bounty
Mugshots. Artist’s sketches. Physical descriptions. Those are what you see on typical wanted posters in Japan. But this is not your typical wanted poster. It’s not even your typical crime. Instead, this wanted poster features descriptions of programming languages, viruses, and internet use. But like most wanted posters, this one also has a hefty reward.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 4, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Afraid of his Mom, Chinese Kid Hides at Net Cafe
A ten year-old boy hid himself in an internet cafe in Changsha, Hunan province, for four days after receiving bad marks on his end-term exams. The boy, called Rui Rui, didn’t go to the net cafe to ease his pain—Voice of China reports that instead, he was hiding there to avoid punishment from his parents.…
By Eric Jou Published February 4, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Xenoblade Chronicles developer Monolith Soft is hiring
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 4, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Behold the Largest Robot Lantern in the World (Apparently!)
We’ve seen giant Gundam robots—real ones and totally fake ones. This isn’t a Gundam robot, but it is giant. And it’s a lantern. So burn, baby, burn. Billed as the “Tallest Robot Lantern in the World”, the 12 meter tall, 2.5 light up statue was shown in the city of Shuzhou, China. In a perfect…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 2, 2013 -
Kotaku East
There are Neon Genesis Evangelion branded false eyelashes. No, really.
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 2, 2013 -
Kotaku EastThis Isn’t Japan’s Britney Spears Meltdown
Remember when Britney Spears cut off all her hair? That was disconcerting. This week, Minami Minegishi, a member of Japan’s biggest girl group AKB48, appeared in a YouTube video, apologizing and crying. Her head was shaved. Likewise, disconcerting. Online in Japan, however, people wondered if this was some kind of sick punishment for a tabloid…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 2, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Japanese Superheroes Getting Really, Really Effeminate
Whether it’s the Power Rangers, Ultraman, or Kamen Rider, male Japanese superheroes have one thing in common: they are tough and masculine. These poses aren’t. Blogger BakAnki snapped pictures of the superhero figurines doing poses that are, as he explained, “girly” or “photomodel-ish”. “In all seriousness,” explained BakAnki on Figure.Fm, “it’s actually harder to do…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 1, 2013 -
Kotaku EastYou Got Your Castlevania in my Katawa Shoujo!
Last January saw the release of Katawa Shoujo, a fan-made visual novel based around the idea of dating girls with physical disabilities. When I first heard the concept of the game and then heard it was being made by a group who met on 4chan, I was sure it would be a horribly insensitive, offensive…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published February 1, 2013 -
Kotaku East
When Cosplay Makes You Want To Diet
Ajo is a regular at Taiwanese game events, decked in dangerously skimpy garb. She’s one of Taiwan’s most famous cosplayers. For Ajo, cosplay has been more than a hobby, but a way to strive to drop 40 pounds and look like the idealized characters she adores. On her Facebook page (via Rocket News), Ajo recently…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 1, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Joysound Dive Turns Your PS3 into a 90,000 Song Karaoke Machine
There are more than a few Karaoke video games out there, from Karaoke Revolution to SingStar to Lips. Each of these games come with dozens of songs per disk—and some allow for more songs to be purchased as DLC. But Joysound Dive goes a step beyond these and quite literally takes the Japanese Karaoke experience…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published February 1, 2013 -
Kotaku EastFumito Ueda Surfaces, But Not for The Last Guardian
Wondering what Fumito Ueda is up to these days? Even after leaving Sony, Ueda has apparently continued to work on the eagerly awaited The Last Guardian, which is years in development. Sony promised the game still lives. Promised! Ueda recently surfaced in an official Sony video. But he isn’t talking about The Last Guardian. Oh,…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 1, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Space Pirate Captain Harlock Looks Fantastic in Movie Trailer Form
Wowzers! Space Pirate Captain Harlock is getting a movie, and hot dog, it looks great The sci-fi space pirate series debuted first as a manga in 1977. According to Oricon, the upcoming CG flick is due out this fall. Space Pirate Captain Harlock [MarkBartle@YouTube] You can contact Brian Ashcraft, the author of this post, at…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 1, 2013 -
Kotaku EastThe Full Metal Gear Rising Will Probably Feel Quite Different From The Demos
Metal Gear Rising Revengeance will be hitting stores in less than 3 weeks and anticipations are high. In this week’s Weekly Famitsu, Platinum Games producer Atsushi Inaba and director Kenji Saitou, along with Konami’s Kojima Production producer Yuuji Korekado and scenario writer Etsu Tamari sat down to talk about their upcoming Metal Gear. Metal Gear…
By Toshi Nakamura Published January 31, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Thank China for Mona Lisa’s New Hair Style
The Mona Lisa might be a masterpiece, but that hairdo is so dated! That’s perhaps why a Chinese net user decided to give Lisa del Giocondo the hair style of a Chinese college student. Online in China, commenters were impressed with the new ‘do. “Woah, she’s so beautiful!” wrote one commenter, while in neighboring Japan,…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 31, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Why Monster Hunter Is So Popular In Japan (And Struggles Everywhere Else)
The Monster Hunter series wasn’t always the “monster” (heh heh) hit it is currently. Originally released for the PS2, the first game, Monster Hunter, and its sequel, Monster Hunter G, sold less than a million copies each. It wasn’t until the game went hand-held to the PSP with Monster Hunter Portable (Monster Hunter Freedom in…
By Toshi Nakamura Published January 31, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Creepy Woody Trolling the World’s Coolest Figures and Toys
Creepy Woody is one pervy figure. But he’s not just a giant horn dog. He’s also trolling rad toys, like the Metal Gear Rex. What a jerk! Website TheOneCam is a collection of amazing figure photos and amazing Woody photos. Previously, Kotaku featured some of the site’s more pervy Woody pics. Above, here’s a look…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 31, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Nintendo’s President Expresses His Commitment To Bringing A Profit
Nintendo’s current president and regular spokesperson for Nintendo’s online press conference, “Nintendo Direct,” Satoru Iwata spoke today at an analyst presentation meeting on Nintendo’s plans for the upcoming business year. During the presentation, Iwata spoke of his “commitment” to a business profit goal of ¥100 billion (US$ 1.1 billion) by the end of the next…
By Toshi Nakamura Published January 31, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Sorry, You Can’t Worship Hello Kitty Anymore
Hello Kitty is more than a cartoon cat. She’s a cultural institution. No wonder, then, that the character was recently enshrined in a Shinto shrine, which is located in Kofu, Japan. Bad news, however, if you were planning on making alms in front of the enshrined Kitty-chan. The iconic cat has since been removed, only…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 31, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Skeleton Totoro Is Not Cuddly Cute. At All.
Oh Totoro, how I just want to pounce on your big, furry belly! The titular character from My Neighbor Totoro is one of anime’s most adorable creations. But take away the fur and the fat, and you get something quite unsettling. Via Albotas, this is the work of artist J★RYU. Check out more of his…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 31, 2013 -
Kotaku East
How a Banana Becomes Art
Back in 2011, Keisuke Yamada became an internet sensation. His art was spectacular. It was also bananas. See, Yamada sculpts using bananas—a material which is very tricky to work with because the color and the texture rapidly changes. Yamada must sculpt quickly. This month, Yamada appeared on Japan’s biggest morning program, showing off some of…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 30, 2013