Kotaku East

Meet Japan’s Boy Band Nazi

Is there anything more innocuous than Japanese boy bands? Not when one of their members dresses like a Nazi S.S. officer, tortures himself, and then has a dance battle. With himself. The actual video makes even less sense. Trust me. For his solo single “Black or White”, boy band singer Koki Tanaka, who is a…

Iron Chef Is Returning to Japan (Kitchen Stadium Lives!)

After a 13-year hiatus, Iron Chef is returning to Japanese television. The show, which originally ran from 1992 to 1999 in Japan, became a cult hit abroad after it was dubbed for Western audiences (see above). It’s not yet known whether host Takeshi Kaga and his bell pepper will be returning for the show. Gamers…

I See Lots of Milla Jovovich, But Not Much Bingbing Li

Late last week, stories surfaced that Bingbing Li, the actor who plays Ada Wong in the new Resident Evil movie, wants nothing to do with Japan. You know, the country that made Resident Evil. And it now looks like Li got her wish not to appear on the Japanese RE: Retribution movie posters. Li skipped…

Behold The Glory Of Taiwan’s Terrible 1990’s Live-Action Dragon Ball Movie!

Every now and then I would jump over the great firewall of China and check what’s on Facebook. Early this morning I discovered Dragon Ball Z: Saiyan Saga. This fan-made film brought joy to my eyes as I clicked on link after link trying to learn more about the project, however my joy was soon…

The Metal Gear Rising Demo Sure Looks Pretty

Here’s a photo of Raiden from the Metal Gear Rising demo that will appear at this year’s Tokyo Game Show. The image was snapped off a TV, but damn, it looks good. And check out those skies. There’s another image below, and heck, it looks nice, too. For all the too-good-to-be-true screenshots that often plague…

In Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3‘s story mode, you can “choose your own adventure”.

Are These 3DS Characters Making Fun of South Korea? I Don’t Think So!

One of the surprise 3DS hits of this summer was the 3DS Kobito Dukan game. Those little troll characters are increasingly all over the place with stickers, plush toys, and key chains available for those to purchase. According to a news report out of South Korea, some Koreans visiting Japan are making a mistake: They…

Shirtless Sailor Moon Is the Stuff of Nightmares

Next summer, Sailor Moon is getting a new anime. The above statue, however, is not a new character design. I’m not sure what the hell it is—other than a seemingly shirtless statue with scary drawn-in eyes. Otaku blogger Danny Choo spotted this at a shopping mail in Jakarta and decided to share the horror with…

Mega Man Online Might Be Cancelled

South Korea’s NeoWiz has been working on a MMORPG version of Mega Man, dubbed Rockman Online (Mega Man Online). However, corporate restructuring earlier this year appears to have impacted development. Rockman Online‘s lead artist, Kang Dong Hwa, seems to have indicated on his blog that the project has been shelved. However, he apparently did not…

Woman Transforms into a Dragon Ball Villain

Growing up, one of the greatest things I ever saw on television was when LeVar Burton got special effects make up on Reading Rainbow. The power of make up, especially special effects make up, still fascinates me. In the photos below, check out how a make up artist turned a lady into Dragon Ball‘s King…

The Latest Japanese Emoticons Are Freaky, Yet Wonderful

In Japan, they’re called “kaomoji” (顔文字) or literally “face character”. In short, they’re emoticons. These pictographs enable people to convey their mood online, whether that’s via chat, email, or in a forum. And now, those face pictographs have apparently evolved. Recently, Japanese TV showed off two new versions of typical kaomoji, (`_´) for “angry” and…

The Fictional (Yet Amazingly Popular) Singers of Japan

In the past we here at Kotaku East have talked a lot about Hatsune Miku and some of Japan’s other virtual idols. But the one thing we haven’t really touched on so far are the numerous fictional singers of Japan. While initially designed to be pop stars in manga or anime, these singers have transcended…

Bikini Lady with an Anime Head Is More Than *Just* Nightmare Fuel

Standing out in the world of Japanese pin-up models is not easy. Being attractive is often not enough! Anna Amamiya decided the best way for her to separate herself from the competition was an anime mask. Debuting in 2010, Amamiya released an image DVD, which featured her in various provocative poses, wearing said anime mask.…

Fans Make a Peaceful Online Protest for Final Fantasy Versus XIII

While Square Enix recently confirmed that it is still making Final Fantasy Versus XIII and that it’ll be out when it’s good and ready, some fans are having a hard time waiting. It’s only been six years. What’s the rush? Recently, a group of fans on the GameFAQs boards banded together to form Project Crystallis…

Project Diva f Takes a Few Missteps, But in the Generally Right Direction

As we move toward the end of the year, it can mean only one thing: it’s time for a new game with everyone’s favorite virtual idol, Hatsune Miku. Project Diva f, this year’s iteration in the series, is filled with firsts. There are new game mechanics, new songs, new costumes, and a from-the-ground-up graphical revamp…

Next year, Clamp’s supernatural manga xxxHolic is getting a live-action series in Japan.

This Beautiful Voice Belongs in a Ghibli Movie

If you’ve seen the wonderful Ghibli anime Whisper of the Heart (and if you have not, you should), you’ll know that the it features John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads” throughout. The Japanese version of that tune is fantastic. The lyrics are different, of course, but they’re still wonderful and rousing. So is this…

Nyan Cat Runs Amok in Project Diva f!

There were many things I expected when I picked up Hatsune Miku: Project Diva f: Vocaloid songs, Miku in tons of crazy costumes, the ability to make “Call Me Maybe” into a playable level, new touch screen controls, and a major graphical overhaul—as the series takes the leap from the PSP to Vita. What I…

The Z.O.E. Premium Bundle Is Pretty Damn Big

The upcoming HD version of Zone of the Enders is getting a “Premium Package”. It’s enormous and heavy. Don’t believe me? Compare below! The game and this jumbo-sized collector’s edition will be out in October. 重いw, 並べてみたw [@Kojima_Hideo] Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest talking points from Japan,…

The Geekiest Humidifier I’ve Ever Seen

And, let me tell you, I’ve been looking! So here you go, the Neon Genesis Evangelion humidifier, which is based on the iconic anime of the same name. It features Eva Unit 01 standing atop NERV head1quarters in Evangelion and looks more like a diorama and less like a humidifier. It also looks completely bonkers.…