Kotaku East

K-Pop Pick Of The Day: Fantasy

Pink Fantasy’s latest song, Fantasy, gives me some serious Dreamcatcher-esque, anime-opening vibes. Which is to say: I love it. This eight-member girl group debuted in 2018 with Iriwa, which was composed and written by Super Junior’s Shindong and hews more closely to the traditional girl group K-Pop sound. I’m glad Pink Fantasy decided to experiment…

K-Pop Pick Of The Day: Cherries Jubiles

Yukika first popped up on my radar as the artist behind the lovely, city pop-esque throwback Neon. Cherries Jubiles may sound a bit more pedestrian at first, but stick around; there’s a payoff. The payoff being, of course, the song’s sudden transformation into yet another city pop homage. Yukika keeps the original melody, but layers…

In Photos: 2,000 Dancing Pikachus (And Their Fans) Take Over Yokohama, Japan

The sixth annual Pikachu Outbreak is taking place this week in Yokohama, Japan, and 2,000 dancing Pikachus have taken over the city. I spent a night surrounded by giant electric mice, and those who love him. I’m not exaggerating when I say that Yokohama, a city about an hour outside of Tokyo, has been well…

Samurai Slices A 100 Mph Baseball in Half

Master swordsman Isao Machii is back! This time he’s here to cut a fastball in two. This latest clip is done in one continuous take so you can see that Machii doesn’t need camera trickery. He only needs a sword. In the clip, they show how the radar clocks the ball’s speed at 161 km/h…

Yokohama Train Station Covered With Pikachus

Each summer, a “Pikachu Outbreak” event is held in Yokohama. It features marching and dancing Pikachus. This year’s event not only featured the sights of Pikachu, but also the sounds. Sakuragicho Station, the adjacent station to where the event is held, was covered in Pikachus as you can see in these photos taken by Twitter…

K-Pop Pick Of The Day: Hit

Seventeen’s latest, Hit, is a powerful, thumping, anthem-esque banger of a song that deserves a spot on many a workout playlist and gym soundtrack. The chants at 2:35 are especially motivational, and it doesn’t hurt that the tempo of Hit is at a perfect steady jogging speed. (That is, if I ever jogged.) Seventeen is,…

Japanese News Station Apologizes After Misquote About Kyoto Animation Fire Victim

Fuji TV, one of Japan’s largest television networks, has apologized after an unfortunate misquote that called director Yasuhiro Takemoto an “idiot.” Takemoto was one of the victims of last month’s tragic Kyoto Animation fire. Yasuhiro Takemoto helmed some of Kyoto Animation’s most popular anime. The 47-year-old took over directing duties for Lucky Star and would…

Zelda Fans Protest, Smash PS4 Over Very Similar Chinese Game

Open-world game Genshin Impact has been described as an anime Breath of the Wild. Some Zelda fans in China are not happy about it. At all. The Chinese-developed RPG’s first gameplay footage was shown recently at the China Joy gaming expo. As ZhugeEX and CCN report, the game has been called out for allegedly copying…

Publisher Of Satoru Iwata Book Says Unauthorized Translations Will Be Subject To Criminal Charges

A collection of Iwata Asks interviews done by former Nintendo president Satoru Iwata was recently published in the book Iwata-san. The book is in Japanese, and there are talks about doing official translations. The book is being published by Hobonichi, the company founded by famed copywriter and Earthbound creator Shigesato Itoi. According to the official…

McDonald’s Cups Inadvertently Feature Sexual Imagery, Mocking Ensues

In Japan, McDonald’s has released a new series of cups for its McFizz soda drinks. The cups are supposed to show a young woman and a young man on each side. When you finish the drink, it looks like they are smooching on the lips. But people have found something else entirely. [Updated: 8/1/19, 7:28…

K-Pop Pick Of The Day: Happiness

This week marks the fifth anniversary of one of my favorite contemporary K-Pop groups, Red Velvet. They arrived on the scene with Happiness in 2014. (Where does the time go?) Red Velvet’s debut wasn’t the smoothest. Happiness came when dissatisfaction with SM Entertainment’s management of their current artists was reaching a tipping point; this was…

K-Pop Pick Of The Day: Summer Night

As we close the book on July and move into August, it’s important to remember that autumn—and its welcome respite from the oppressive summer heat—is still almost two months away. The only thing to do, therefore, is keep on playing those summer songs, and hope they can ease our sweaty suffering a little bit. Gray…

Forget Hug Pillows, Here Is An Anime Boy Hug Speaker

Instead of hugging a pillow, let this speaker hug you. Behold the hug speaker, ready to wrap you in music and a soothing embrace. The huge speaker depicts Ixa, the hero from Level-5’s Otome Yusha mobile game. You can wear him outside. Take him on dates (with other dates). Or get coffee together. And when…

Anime Made Realistic, Oh Goodness Why

Previously, Kotaku reported that the characters in one of Japan’s most beloved anime were getting realistic versions. They have and do they ever look awful. Sazae-san is the longest-running animated TV show in the world. Debuting in 1969, the anime is a cultural institution in its native Japan. The main character is Sazae, who is…

A StarCraft concert is being held in South Korea on August 24 at the Sejong Center in Seoul. Sol Chin is conducting, and she previously conducted the World of Warcraft: Live Concert in South Korea. In case you missed it, have a listen right here.

36 Confirmed Dead After Fire At Kyoto Animation, Suspected Arsonist In Custody [Updated]

A fire, suspected to be arson, at a Kyoto, Japan animation studio has left at least 36 people dead and hospitalized more with injuries. A 41-year-old man, allegedly seen pouring a flammable liquid at the site and setting it on fire, has been taken into police custody. This story has been updated since its original…

Fire-Themed Anime Edited After Kyoto Animation Tragedy

In the anime Fire Force, firefighters must contend with people who suddenly burst into flames. In the wake of the tragic fire at Kyoto Animation, the latest episode has been edited. As Yomiuri and ANN report, the episode was delayed but will be broadcasted today. The episode, however, will be edited with new narration and…

K-Pop Pick Of The Day: I Am Not Alone

SoRi’s I Am Not Alone is a breath of raw, fresh, emotional air in a K-Pop landscape that often seems suffocated by expectations. Too much in K-Pop, choreography is shackled by rules and guidelines, bound by the realities of line distribution, group formation, and the television camera. (In some cases, idols may even perform a…

Junichi Masuda Reminds People: Game Freak Makes The Pokémon Games

Quick! Who has made the mainline Pokémon games? That’s right, Game Freak. But some people think the answer is Nintendo. According to Junichi Masuda, lots of people do. In a recent clip on Game Freak’s official YouTube Channel, Masuda recalled how when Pokémon first came out, it was called a Nintendo game. While the game…

K-Pop Pick Of The Day: You And I

If there was an award for “Song That Would Be Perfect For An Anime Opening”, Dreamcatcher’s You And I would be an immediate contender. Dreamcatcher is one of those groups that are currently treading water in that grey zone between unqualified success and abject failure; their releases never blow it out of the park, but…