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Kotaku East
Let Hello Kitty Predict Your Death
Hello Kitty has an array of products—plush toys, stationary, underwear, and, yes, that infamous vibrator. According to website Hello Kitty Universe, there are also Hello Kitty tarot cards. Has the Grim Reaper ever looked so adorable? Put done that scythe and give me a hug! A hug OF DEATH. Hello Kitty Tarot Cards [Hello Kitty…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 29, 2012 -
Kotaku EastWho Is More Authentic? Lana Del Rey or Japan’s Virtual Singing Idol?
The Idea Channel poses this question, and boy is it an interesting one. Watch the above video and decide for yourself! Is Miku Hatsune A More Authentic Pop Star Than Lana Del Rey? [YouTube]
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 29, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Atelier Ayesha‘s 3D Characters Look So Good, They Almost Look 2D
The latest game in their Atelier series, game developer, Gust has announced that Atelier Ayesha will be released in Japan on June 28th on the PS3. A series spanning back to 1997, the Atelier series are JRPGs with a bit of alchemy to them. Players go on adventures to gather ingredients to make items that…
By Toshi Nakamura Published March 29, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Tokyo Jungle‘s Costumes Border on Animal Cruelty
As the release date for game developer Crispy’s Tokyo Jungle approaches, more details of the game have been released. The latest info is survival points and a costume feature. Survival points, as they are aptly named, are obtained by surviving the environment. How long your animal avatar has survived, how many calories they’ve consumed, how…
By Toshi Nakamura Published March 29, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Suggestive Games and Cute Food! Boys-Love Manga Comes Alive in This Tokyo Bar
In Japan, there are tons of maid cafes for nerds to patron and gaze at young women in maid outfits. But what about females who aren’t interested in looking at other ladies? Or dudes who don’t like girls? Where are they supposed to go? MiracleJumP in Tokyo’s geek district Akihabara is a “boys love” cafe…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 29, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Military Strategy? No, Orgarhythm Is a “Music Strategy” Game
Takeshi Hirai, the main programmer for Shenmue and the technical director for Space Channel Part 2, is bringing rhythm and tactical warfare together to the PS Vita. Scheduled for release in Japan this summer, Orgarhythm is “music strategy” genre game published by game maker Acquire, in which the player takes on the role of a…
By Toshi Nakamura Published March 29, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Lunatic Builds Transformers “Theme Park”
And I mean “lunatic” in the most admirable and amazing way possible. Under the guidance of sculptor Zhu Kefeng, a team of artists in China have cobbled together around 600 giant statues of Transformers (and some other cartoon characters) and put them all on display at a single location, the “Mr. Iron Robert Theme Park”.…
By Luke Plunkett Published March 29, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Japan Doesn’t Really Want Its Own Assassin’s Creed, Either
Wouldn’t Japan made a great setting for Assassin’s Creed? Beautiful cities, amazing weaponry, and, yes, ninja. The game’s developers begs to differ, saying that Japan wouldn’t make a good AC setting. But what does Japan think? Japan, for the most part, agrees. Sister site Kotaku Japan translated Kotaku‘s article, which detailed Ubisoft’s reasons for not…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 29, 2012 -
Kotaku EastIn China, Kids Are Turning into Anime Characters with Pointy Chins and Huge Eyes
It’s the new thing. Apparently! Young Chinese are uploading pic after pic of themselves looking googly-eyed into the camera, sporting sharp threads, and even sharper chins. The “pointy-style” isn’t just for girls as some guys are getting in on the act, too. The look really started to take off last summer when a girl named…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 29, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Catching Up with South Korea’s Cosplaying Superstars
Spiral Cats. How and why. Here is the simple answer. The famed cosplay group burst onto the scene a few years ago, and with their picture perfect costumes, professional quality photos, and that subtle charm called allure, people began to take notice online, which coincided with Spiral Cats’ initial goal of raising awareness of the…
By Chi Lee Published March 28, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Queens Blade MMORPG Has Sexy Women, No Apostrophe, Few Scruples
The new adults only MMORPG by Korean developer LivePlex is called Queens Blade, sans apostrophe. That’s how it’s printed in the upper left hand corner of the game’s homepage, which reads “The Queens Blade is registered trademark of LivePlex.” The game has nothing to do with the Queen’s Blade you may know, but it’s going…
By Chi Lee Published March 28, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Report: Overworked Foxconn Workers Complaining About Too Much Vacation
Remember when people would complain about those horrible working conditions at Foxconn plants? How employees worked too much? Now, people—well, Foxconn workers—are complaining about something else: too little work. According to China Business News (via TechInAsia), Foxconn workers on the iPad line are suddenly finding themselves twiddling their thumbs with loads of time off. And…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 28, 2012 -
Kotaku EastWould You Like To Watch a Fat Man Dancing to Cute Japanese Music?
Make that, a fat man in skivvies. And black socks. Sure you would! Here a large man gets down to , a popular remix from a boss battle them in Tohou’s maniac shooter Prefect Cherry Blossom. 日本のテクノダンスと紹介されていた、わら人形に五寸釘おじさん [Zaeega]
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 28, 2012 -
Kotaku East
When Games Force You to Read Books in Korea
In the top picture, you can see a yellow rubber band running around the case of a Korean copy of Red Dead Redemption. That rubber band came free with a used copy of that game, and it holds together the disc case and a booklet in the back. That booklet is the Korean translation of…
By Chi Lee Published March 28, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Cosplayers Selling Pics and Posing for Them
Usually when cosplayers pop up at events, they’re just there to pose for photos. But at Romket, they’re they to sell their cosplay discs and pose for pictures. Visitors must pay a ¥2,500 for the standard entrance fee. Coplayers offer their ROM discs for purchase—much like they do at Comic Market if you’ve attended that.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 28, 2012 -
Kotaku EastRelax! Sometimes Hollywood Doesn’t Whitewash *Everything*
Yesterday, it was revealed that Hollywood acquired the rights to the 1970s Japanese manga Lone Wolf and Cub. Upon hearing this, my heart sank. There are already a series of wonderful Lone Wolf and Cub films starring Tomisaburo Wakayama, older brother of legendary Zatoichi actor Shintaro Katsu. My heart sank because Hollywood, no doubt, is…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 28, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Why It Took Me A Year To Buy a 3DS
When the 3DS was announced in March 2010, I knew it was only a matter of time before I bought one. It wasn’t the wonder of 3D or even the games Nintendo was sure to release that gave me this moment of clairvoyance. It was the simple fact that eventually, I buy every system. The…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published March 27, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Marvel at China’s Movie Poster Rip-Offs
If you think Hollywood (or the game industry, for that matter) isn’t creative, check out the folks working China’s dream factory. Many of the posters are straight up copies, while some of them *could* be kwinky-dinks, such as the Hero and the DOA: Dead or Alive posters. One of the most interesting things about Chinese…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 27, 2012