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Kotaku East
Manga Artist Sells Used Sex Toys Online…with Rice
Manga artist Pikupikun is considered a dreamboat by his adoring fans. When not drawing erotic manga, he often posts pictures of himself in the shower or in frilly outfits. And when he’s not doing that, he’s furiously masturbating—something that actually caused him to once miss a publication deadline. Last week, he put not one, but…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 5, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Good Thing the PlayStation 2 Didn’t Derail a Japanese Passenger Train
On November 4, a sixty year-old man noticed something suspicious at a railroad crossing in Yabu, Japan: a large black box. He called the police, and an officer showed up on the scene, only to discover the large black box was a PlayStation 2. After the man, who was crossing the railroad tracks, noticed the…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 5, 2012 -
Kotaku East
China’s Homegrown Console Still Lives!
China’s first officially not really for video games but really for video games console, the CT510 has received a much needed price drop, sort of. The price drop seemed interestingly timed as the Lenovo-backed eedoo, the people behind the CT510, set up shop across China to lure in consumers. Not only did the price drop…
By Eric Jou Published November 5, 2012 -
Kotaku East
How Japan’s Nuclear Fears Are Manifested in a Cartoon Character
Many Japanese are anti-nuclear—and for good and obvious reasons. The nuclear disaster at Fukushima has made many question how safe nuclear power is, resulting in the country’s decision to take 48 of its 50 nuclear plants offline. It’s also why the government is pledging to end its dependence on nuclear power in the future. But…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 5, 2012 -
Kotaku East
F**k You, Ugly Pikachu!
Earlier this month, the fifth annual Wenzhou International Animation Festival was held in China. There were cosplayers, anime, and truly frightening Pocket Monster statues. These photos appeared on Taiwanese site CK101, and show how pleased at least one attendee was with the large Pokémon pieces. The statues, which ranged from 2 to 4 meters tall,…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 5, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Valkyria Chronicles: Where Histories Diverge
Historical fiction is one of those concepts that gaming handles best. Whether it’s Einstein building a time machine to kill Hitler or assassins battling Templars in the Renaissance, gaming alone among popular media allows people to interact with a world both familiar yet radically different from our own. Valkyria Chronicles is one of the best…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published November 2, 2012 -
Kotaku EastA New Voice for Pikachu
For fans of the Pokémon anime, Pikachu “talking” has always been pika-pika noise. And the voice of Pikachu has been Ikue Otani Yes, the Mystery Dungeon games have the Pocket Monsters talk to each other with in-game text. But this, this is just messed up. The newest entry’s latest teaser brings that to life with…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 2, 2012 -
Kotaku East
How to Play Valkyria Chronicles 3 Even if You Don’t Speak Japanese
In the year-and-a-half since the Japanese release of Valkyria Chronicles 3, it’s become painfully apparent that it will not be leaving Japanese shores–at least in the foreseeable future. If you are one of the many fans of the series dying to play the newest Valkyria Chronicles, fear not! You are not alone. Thanks to the…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published November 2, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Report: Teen Commits Suicide After Seeing His Favorite Naruto Character Die
Seeing an anime character die allegedly inspired a 14 year-old Russian boy to jump one hundred feet to his death, says a report. According to Mail Online, Leonid Hmelev committed suicide after seeing his favorite character, Naruto character Itachi Uchiha, die in anime Naruto: Shippuden. The character’s death reportedly saddened the boy. It’s been known…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 2, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Valkyria Chronicles 3 is The Best Game Of the Series
From the moment I laid eyes on the first Valkyria Chronicles’ trailer, I knew it would be a game I would love–for the art style, if nothing else. As it turned out, the graphics, while as beautiful as I had expected, were only one part of a great game. The plot was excellent, the setting…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published November 2, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Yikes! Hair Snakes!!
Japanese popstar Kyary Pamyu Pamyu really got into the Halloween spirit this year, with an array of festive hairstyles, including Medusa and the “Legendary God Hand Hair”. メデューサ [@pamyurin] みよ！ [@pamyurin] 夜の仮装はこれ！ [@pamyurin]
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 2, 2012 -
Kotaku East
This New Bravely Default Sure Has Some Crappy Art
It really, really does. Shame because so much of the art for the 3DS game is stunning. This newly announced Bravely Default isn’t for the 3DS, however. It’s a free-to-play browser game called Bravely Default: Praying Brage The game’s main illustrator is Square Enix’s Akihiro Yoshida, who worked on Bravely Default. Yoshida’s work is fantastic.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 2, 2012 -
Kotaku East
This Hawkeye Figure Aims for the Bull’s-Eye
Adding to their long list of pretty amazing look-alike figures, Hong Kong collectible company Hot Toys has recently released the underappreciated archer, Hawkeye, to their Avengers lineup of the 6-inch Movie Masterpiece collection. The figure was originally slated for a September release, but was delayed until late October. Was it worth the wait? I’ve always…
By Toshi Nakamura Published November 1, 2012 -
Kotaku East
The Rise of China’s Board Game Cafes
China is a big place but with its huge population (1.4 billion) mostly gathered in urban environments, space is becoming more of a commodity. Grown from this need for space, “board game cafes” began to spring out in major cities much like internet cafes did. In early 2010 a new trend broke out in China,…
By Eric Jou Published November 1, 2012 -
Kotaku East
My Model Building Skills Are Not This Awesome
Gunhed, the 1989 film that’s since become a cult hit, is getting a new Gunhed plastic model kit from Kotobukiya. At the Kotobukiya shop in Akihabara, there’s a big display on the kit, showing off various versions of the kit completed by several highly talented model makers. The resulting pieces are wonderful. If only I…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 1, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Hatsune Miku on the PS3 Lets Players Pick Up Where They Left Off
Hatsune Miku -Project Diva- f has been one the biggest PS Vita titles as of yet. Selling over 159,000 copies in its first week, the PS Vita rhythm game featuring the famous virtual idol will be getting a PS3 version, Hatsune Miku -Project Diva- F. Notice the big F! According to the developers, in an…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 1, 2012 -
Kotaku East
The PS3 Gets Certified in China, Which *Might* Mean No More Console Ban
Video game consoles are available throughout China. Officially, they are banned. But that might be changing. According to this China Compulsory Certificate document (via Sina Weibo and TechinAsia), Sony was issued a compulsory safety mark necessary to sell products in China. The document originally surfaced on Chinese social networking sites, but it can also be…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 1, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Today Is “Sushi Day” in Japan
While certainly not a national holiday, November 1 is “Sushi Day” (“Sushi no hi” or すしの日) in Japan. Good news if you love sushi. Sushi Day was started in 1961 by the country’s sushi guild as a way to promote the food. November was selected because it’s after the rice harvest and seafood is especially…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 1, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Man Allegedly Charges $9,000 in Virtual Money to His Company, Ends Up Arrested
Over the weekend a Chinese Security guard was caught using company phones overnight to telecharge for virtual currency that can be used with video games. He spent about 60,000 RMB of the company’s money. The 23 year-old security guard from Anhui province, nicknamed “Xiao Zhu”, joined the company in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province in February. He…
By Eric Jou Published October 31, 2012
