Kotaku East

PS3 game Atelier Totori: Alchemist of Arland 2 is getting ported to the PS Vita this fall in Japan.

Pure Nerd Insanity: Two Men Skydiving with a Girly Hug Pillow

The last time we saw Nervli (aka Melonpan), he was unboxing otaku stuff. In the bathtub. Now, he’s back—this time, with a man strapped to his back and a hug pillow strapped to his front. Oh dear. That’s right, Nervli jumped out of an airplane with an instructor (as required for novice jumpers!) and a…

The next Nintendo Direct will be tomorrow. It will cover the Wii and the 3DS, but not the Wii U.

Watch the Leaked Shin Megami Tensei IV Trailer

Here you go, the trailer for the upcoming Shin Megami Tensei IV. The trailer is short on specifics, but does reveal that the 3DS game will be out next year. For those keeping track, that’s 2013! Shin Megami Tensei IV trailer is heavy on the atmosphere [Japanator] Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet…

This Is Perhaps the Nerdiest Car in Japan

Perhaps! There are lots of nerdy cars, but damn, this is pretty nerdy. This Toyota Auris has been customized in the image of Gundam character Char Aznable. The concept car was shown at a recent hobby event outside Tokyo. When asked if this concept car would ever see production, Toyoto told The Mainichi, “If there…

Strange Beams of Light Zapping Japan or iPhone Glitch? YOU PICK!

During these last few weeks of August, the weather has been strange in Japan. Seemingly every evening, it’s been raining with lightning storms. Several folks have snapped photos of lightning striking. The result is truly odd. The photos show beams of light. Online in Japan, people are saying the images look like something out of…

Square Enix is serious about a new Lightning FFXIII game and has the Japanese Twitter account to prove it.

I’m Confused, A Chinese Game With Iron Man And Kratos Can’t Be Bad Right?

Sick of playing Chinese games that involve historical fantasy or martial arts fantasy, I set out looking for a new type of Chinese online multiplayer game to play. Unfortunately, The Legend of Shengdao wasn’t the game to help me escape a sea of mediocrity, despite its crazy visuals. At first glance, The Legend of Shengdao…

Squid Love and Soccer Crab, Meet Japan’s Silliest Movie Maker

Back in 2007, Japanese filmmaker Minoru Kawasaki told SlashFilm, “I want to be silly for the rest of my life!” Well, so far, that’s exactly what he’s done. Influenced by Ultraman and Japanese monster movies, Kawasaki is a master of the brilliantly absurd. His films have followed a wrestler who turned into a squid, a…

Here, Catch All These Brand New Pokémon Toys!

At the recent Chara Hobby event outside Tokyo, a whole slew of new Pocket Monster toys were on display. Many of the toys, viewable in the above gallery, will be in crane games in Japanese arcade games. Snag ’em if you can! 【キャラホビ2012】「ポケットモンスター ベストウイッシュ」、サトシ＆デントがフィギュア化 [インサイド] Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing…

Anime Director Arrested for Threatening to Stab People in Osaka

In June 2008, Tomohiro Kato announced online that he was going to unleash an attack in Tokyo’s geek mecca, Akihabara. He ended up driving a rented truck into a crowd and going on stabbing rampage. Seven people ended up dead and ten were injured. Kato was sentenced to death. This July on the night of…

This Sushi Looks Disgusting, Colorful

Maguro? Check. Salmon? Check. Ikura? Check. Normal colors? Um…. Here’s a sushi combo platter that looks anything but typical. Spotted in China by Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, who also looks anything but typical, the image went viral in Japan. Some said the colorful sushi looked unappetizing, while others wondered if it was safe to eat. It’s…

How Dragon Quest Just Pissed Off Its Most Famous (and Oldest) Fan

Dragon Quest X is an online MMORPG. That might’ve made some fans pleased, but one in particular—legendary actress Keiko Awaji—is not happy. “What I’m interested in is Dragon Quest,” Awaji recently said on Japanese TV. Instead of, like she has in the past, gushing about why she loved Dragon Quest, this time, she talked about…

Japanese Company Turns Human Ladies into Plastic Models

For years (decades, even!), photo correction has erased human physical flaws. Thanks to software like Photoshop, retouching has improved and is available to more people. But not everyone is good at Photoshop. Enter Bijyo Photo, a Japanese service that will make your face smaller, your skin lighter, and your boobs bigger. But will it actually…

School Days HQ is a Beautiful, Shocking, Yet Flawed Title

School Days HQ is a visual novel about a highschooler trapped in a love triangle with the girl of his dreams… and the friend who helped him get the girl of his dreams. Recently released in the West in the form of an HD remake, it is one of the most famous visual novels in…

SimCity Social Says Hello Japan in an Odd Way

There are some Western creations—take Total War, for example—which do an amazing job of recreating Japan. Then there are other Western creations—say, Kill Bill—which do a wonderful job of riffing on Japanese pop culture. Then there’s stuff like SimCity Social. SimCity Social is an online social game for Facebook. Brad, our SimCity Social firefighter, just…

Developer Says Chinese Site Stole His Entire Game Engine

There have been reports of Chinese developers ripping off browser games or smartphone games. Nothing new! This, however, is slightly different. Developer Dominic Szablewski says the game engine he developed (and sells) is being copied and sold in China. The engine Szablewski created is Impact—it’s a JavaScript Game Engine designed to create HTML games. The…

No Box? Half Price! The Art of Buying Used Games in Japan

This last week I took my annual trip to the US to visit family. Like always, while I was there, I made sure to hit up the used game stores and buy games that have never come out in Japan—i.e. Dead Space, Command & Conquer Red Alert 3, etc. Despite having lived in Japan for…

Oh, Link and Mario, How You’ve Grown!

The years have flown right by. Think about your first time to play a Zelda or a Mario title. You’ve changed. But so have Link and Mario. Next January, Japan’s Medicom is releasing a trio of Mario and Link “Ultra Detail” figurines. They measure about 2.3 inches tall and are priced at ¥730 (US$9). For…

Squirtle, You and Your Pokémon Friends Are Creepy

Cute? These Pocket Monsters aren’t cute. They’re creepy. But that’s the point: artist Vaughn Pinpin redesigned the first generation of Pokémon starters if they were characters in a Tim Burton movie. The result is brilliant—creepy, but brilliant. Pinpin is planning to re-do the first 151 Pocket Monsters in the Pokédex all dark and quirky like.…