Kotaku East

This $22,000 TV Makes Blu-ray Look Bad

Remember when Blu-ray first came out? And Sony was trumpeting it (and the PS3) as the paramount of HD clarity? Well, yes, Blu-ray still looks fantastic. Thing is, this LG TV just looks fantasticer. Today, LG unveiled a new LCD-TV in South Korea. According to The Wall Street Journal, it’s 84-inches across and boasts a…

Dead or Alive‘s Sexualized Females Aren’t Going Anywhere

Dead or Alive isn’t only about curvy ladies. It’s a proper fighting game. But some might not like—or cannot get pass—DOA’s hyper sexualized female fighters. What does Team Ninja, DOA‘s developer, think about those reactions? Team Ninja head ninja Yosuke Hayashi told website MCV that the goal is to make the female characters look “as…

Square Enix launched a teaser site with lightning for its new Final Fantasy XIII game with…Lightning.

Holy Crap, an Army of Robots Ready To Slice Your Noodles

A Chinese cook is the brains behind these noodle-slicing robots. Japanese superhero Ultraman inspired the appearance, but necessity inspired the concept: last year, the cook needed help slicing the Northern Chinese dish “knife cut noodles” and created a robot friend to pitch in. Now, the cook is mass-producing the robots—robots with pissed-off eyebrows—and selling them…

A Topless Fashion Model Makes This Commercial More than Memorable

That’s model Stav Strashko strutting about for the Toyota Auris. The Ukrainian-born Tel Aviv resident has made waves in the modeling world for his striking, androgynous good looks. And now Stav’s doing the same for Toyota. Japanese mass media and popular culture seem more than open to individuals who cross gender roles or shake them…

The Little People Make This Metal Gear Model Cool

This Metal Gear Rex plastic model kit from figure maker Kotobukiya might not look so impressive if you compare it to the insane (and huge) Rex figure from ThreeA. But this Kotobukiya version has more than a Rex. It also has little people. That’s right, the 1/100 scale comes with teeny-tiny Metal Gear characters: Liquid…

This November in Japan, Vita title Hot Shots Golf 6 is coming to the PS3 with Move support.

Hatsune Miku: Project Diva Extend is More Than Just Another Music Game

Hatsune Miku, the virtual idol, is truly a star in Japan. From a lowly beginning as a piece of music composition software, she now does everything from TV commercials to live concerts via hologram—in addition to “singing” thousands of fan-made songs across the internet. Since 2009, Miku—and her many virtual idol friends—have starred in a…

No, Really, There Is One Piece Perfume

For those of you who’ve always wanted to smell like One Piece, you’re in luck! Namco Bandai is offering perfume crafted in the image of One Piece characters Luffy, Boa, and Ace. Luffy smells fresh and green, Boa smells fruity and floral, and Ace smells of citrus and lavender. Bandai’s online shop is currently sold…

Funny, I Don’t Remember Digimon Being This Sexy

My memory is foggy. I’m getting older. But I sure don’t remember Digimon being this sexualized. Do you? Today, Namco Bandai announced some new Digimon content, including touch-based mobile title Digimon Crusader. The game, which is an RPG, seems way more adult than the Digimon games I remember. Maybe because the first wave of Digimon…

The Adulterous Shame of Green Hats

Luigi has it rough. He has to play second banana to Mario, save for those occasional movements when he can strike out on his own. But, heck, the new Luigi’s Mansion game was delayed to next year. But that’s the least of the character’s troubles. See, Luigi wears a green hat. In China, Luigi’s get-up…

Why Hatsune Miku is the World’s Most Popular Virtual Idol

Hatsune Miku is more than a little big in Japan. She appears on billboards, in TV commercials, and gives sold-out concerts to legions of fans the world over. Of course, being a popular singer in and of itself isn’t something that out of the ordinary. However, what makes her unique is the rather large obstacle…

Rent iPhone 5 Parts Right Now for Under $8,000!

According to Chinese site NetEase, iPhone 5 parts are floating around Shenzhen, where the device is supposedly assembled. Floating around for a price, that is. The site has numerous photos of what’s purported to be iPhone 5 parts, but it adds (via MIC): “…taking a peek at it will cost you money. If you want…

Watch Hatsune Miku Sing and Dance to Call Me Maybe

Hatsune Miku: Project Diva Extend is a music game starring virtual idol Hatsune Miku. It plays similar to most music games. When a shape lines up with its corresponding shape-outline, press the button on the PSP that matches the shape. The game also includes an edit mode which not only allows you to remake the…

Report: Internet Cafe Forces Humiliation on Japanese Customers

If you’re Japanese and you’re in Korea, you might want to check your email or play some computer games. Good thing the country has thousands of net cafes (called PC bang). Too bad this one is run by a jerk. The above image is making its way through cyberspace in both South Korea and Japan.…

Is It Possible to Make Pokémon More Adorable? More Beautiful? Yes, It Seems.

Because, let’s face, it: Pokémon are already pretty damn cute. Yet, Japanese artist Ginger Ale is turning up the adorable meter up to ten (eleven?) for this series of Pocket Monster art. Love the pastels, and the whole watercolor look. There’s a nice children’s book vibe going on that really doesn’t exist in the games…

Man Arrested for Being King of All the (Fake) Pirates

Tokyo police arrested a 21 year-old Chinese man for violating Japanese copyright law. The man, a student at a Japanese vocational school, was taken into custody for selling phony One Piece figurines. Since February 2011, the man allegedly sold approximately 1,300 fake One Piece figures via online auctions, earning ¥5 million (US$63,000). The man got…

Retired School Principal Inspires Other Retirees To Save Internet-Addicted Youth

Playing hooky is pretty common. I did it, and I’m sure some of you have too. Interestingly enough in China, one 84 year-old retired middle school principal has actually made a hobby out of catching students cutting class. Retired junior high school teacher and principal Xu Dezheng has been visiting internet cafes over the last…

This Awesome Robot Art Was Built With Broken Toys and Old Electronics

Andrea Petrachi is a sculptor. He doesn’t use clay or marble. Instead, he creates with broken toys and discarded electronics, from electric shavers and audio connectors to old doll heads and figurine parts. His work is a mishmash of plastic and metal, joined in their common bond: they’ve been tossed aside for trash. His work…

China, You Are Allowed To Make TV Shows Based On Video Games.

Earlier this month, we reported that the Chinese State Administration for Film, Radio and Television (SARFT) came out with six guidelines that could affect the future of Chinese television. Those six guidelines included a ban on the creation of TV dramas based on online video games. Now it appears that SARFT has come out and…