-
Kotaku East
This Short Manga Shows How Tough Making Anime Can Be
A good anime, like any good artistic material, can move you, drive you, and stick with you for your entire life. Most of us only get to see the finished product (and maybe some behind the scenes footage from bonus features). While it is somewhat well-known that the working conditions for manga artists and animators…
By Toshi Nakamura Published January 24, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Here’s One Difference Between Pokémon Games in Japan and the West
In Japan, new Pocket Monster games means new logos. In the West, it does not. And that sucks! As pointed out by a KnowYourMeme user, here’s how the the logos for the Japanese versions and the Western versions of all the Pokémon games compare through the years. That’s right, the Japanese logos continue to evolve…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 24, 2013 -
Kotaku East
The Beauty of a Microwaved CD
Do not try this at home. Or at work. Or wherever. Microwaving a CD is dangerous. It’s also beautiful. Via Twitter user @ao_0356 comes this series of photos showing what happens when you fry a CD in the microwave. If the stills are not enough to satisfy your curiosity, here’s a YouTube video showing how…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 24, 2013 -
Kotaku East
No, The DS Is Still Alive In Japan
Nintendo’s DS. With over 152 million units sold worldwide, the dual-screen portable console is without a doubt Nintendo’s biggest seller ever. But now, 8 years after its initial release, currently being outsold by its successor, the 3DS, it seems the DS is almost completely ready to quietly disappear into the night from the Japanese market.…
By Toshi Nakamura Published January 24, 2013 -
Kotaku East
One thousand Foxconn workers are apparently on strike over salaries and bonuses.
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 24, 2013 -
Kotaku EastHow Did This Baby Stop Crying? Anime Music, Duh.
This adorable infant knows what he likes: anime. In the above video, originally uploaded to Nico Nico Douga, the darling baby only stops crying when he hears the opening theme song for Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, of course, is an incredibly popular manga and anime that is getting a new fighting game Anime:…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 24, 2013 -
Kotaku East
North Korea’s Propaganda Computer Games Are Violent, Crude and Cartoonish
While North Korea has the propaganda of military parades down pat, it needs to work on how it uses computer games to indoctrinate. Actually, it just needs to work on computer games. And once it has that down, the country can focus on brain washing. Uriminzokkiri is a web portal that pushes North Korean propaganda…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 23, 2013 -
Kotaku East
How One Store Explains the Xbox 360’s Lack of Popularity in Japan
This sign was apparently spotted in Japanese retail chain Momotaro, and it does an interesting job of explaining why the store doesn’t have many Xbox 360 games. The poster reads, “Teacher! Why are there so few new Xbox items at Momotaro? Is Xbox not popular?” Below that in green, it reads, “That’s not the case!…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 23, 2013 -
Kotaku East
As Far as Dollhouses Go, This Is Pretty Darn Amazing
This is not a real Japanese house. It looks like one. It is, well, a dollhouse—a dollhouse that looks like it’s straight out of the Japanese manga and anime YuruYuri. But it’s not. Someone made this. That’s a small, 100mm figurine of middle schooler Akari, a character from YuruYuri. In the manga and anime, she…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 23, 2013 -
Kotaku East
How a Foxconn uniform and an iPad ended up in a Chinese art museum.
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 23, 2013 -
Kotaku East
This Is The Anime Nerd Equivalent of Seeing Jesus in Toast
You know when people see Jesus in potato chips? Or in toast? This is kind of like that, but less delicious and not religious. That is, unless you think watching anime is some sort of holy experience. A recent thread on 2ch, Japan’s largest bulletin board, was pouring over this image by Johannes Schedler at…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 23, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Report: NeoGeo X’s Production Is Coming to an End [Update]
Released this past December, the NeoGeo X apparently won’t be produced anymore. According to Japanese site Gamer, production for the system is ending as of this month. Even though the machine carried the SNK and NeoGeo brands, the console was not designed and manufactured by SNK. Instead, it was the work of tech company Tommo.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 23, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Anime Females Vs. Real Women: Which Do Japanese Geeks Like Better?
The eternal question of whether or not otaku (geeks) like anime ladies over real ladies has apparently been answered. Or something! Over a four day period last fall, a Japanese tech firm used a free Senki Zessho Symphogear iOS app to poll male anime fans, asking them what kind of females they liked: 2D, 2.5D,…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 23, 2013 -
Kotaku East
For Years I Hated Ghost in the Shell, Then I Grew Up
Last week, fans rejoiced at the announcement of a new Ghost in the Shell anime set to come out sometime in 2013. So far, information on the new anime is scarce, with little more than rudimentary staff information and a single piece of character art to tide us over. Still, I cheered as loud as…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published January 22, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Put Your Own Face on Chocolate and Terrify Loved Ones
Soon, it will be Valentine’s Day. What better way to say “I love you” than by scaring the crap out of your darling? Do-it-yourself style restaurant FabCafe in Shibuya is holding a special event that will allow you to scan your face and print out a mold. Then, a silicon version of the mold will…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 22, 2013 -
Kotaku East
The First Arc of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is True to its Roots (For Better or Worse)
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is one of the most recognizable and longest running manga in Japan—there are currently over one hundred volumes in print. So it’s no surprise that there is a new JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure anime airing this season in Japan. Starting back at the beginning of the story, this anime is set to cover…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published January 22, 2013 -
Kotaku EastThis Man Is a Farting Noise Genius
In Japanese, making farting noises with one’s hands is called “te onara” (手おなら). And as universally funny as farting noises are (c’mon, they are funny), rocking out to “Canon Rock” with farting noises isn’t just humorous, it’s friggin’ awesome. Nico Nico Douga user Abeshi originally uploaded this clip. Talent like this is rare. We must…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 22, 2013