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Kotaku EastJapanPopular Magical Girl Anime Gets A Magical Boy
Debuting in 2004, the Pretty Cure series has become a mainstay of kiddy anime in Japan. One thing that has been a mainstay in the Pretty Cure shows is the appearance of magical girls. Yesterday’s episode, however, was different. Traditionally, Pretty Cure been aimed at little girls, but like with many anime, its audience is…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 3, 2018 -
Kotaku EastJapanForget LEGO, Here Are The Best Nanoblock Builds
Nanoblocks are small building bricks, with the smallest clocking in at 4mm × 4mm × 5mm. These blocks are small, hence the nano name. Here are the winners of the 2018 Nanoblock Awards There are different categories, such as under 200 pieces or limitless pieces. Here are the standout custom builds Which can do this:…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 30, 2018 -
Kotaku EastJapan
Metal Gear Mecha Brought To Life As A Small Robot
Students at the Aichi Institute of Technology in Japan have built a miniature robot version of the Metal Gear Solid 4 Rex mecha. And yes, it moves. The parts were customize built and then wired Here is the Rex robot in action Cool project!
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 30, 2018 -
Kotaku EastK-Pop Pick Of The Day: Lost N Found
We haven’t listened to good, old-fashioned idol pop in a while, haven’t we? Lovelyz is an eight-member girl group that debuted in 2014 under Woollim Entertainment (the same agency behind Infinite), which makes them the same “age” as Red Velvet, Akdong Musician, GOT7 and WINNER. While Lovelyz hasn’t quite reached the level of popularity that…
By Seung Park Published November 30, 2018 -
Kotaku EastJapan
Trying To Appeal To Japan, Game Changes Character Art
To appeal to Japanese players, the Chinese-developed smartphone game Daikoukai Utopia Golden Age Voyage is getting new character art. According to the game’s official Twitter, the character art is going to be switched out for designs mostly by the Japanese illustrator known as Cheese Pan (Cheese Bread). Forty characters already have new illustrations Here are…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 29, 2018 -
Kotaku EastJapan
Behold, The Ultimate Gaming Onesie
The is the 4G for Gamer onesie from Japan’s Bauhutte. It has hoodie holes for headphones and finger holes for controller and mouse use. What about if you need to go to the bathroom? Well… You never need to take off the 4G!
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 29, 2018 -
Kotaku EastK-Pop Pick Of The Day: The Space Between
I love it when K-Pop music videos turn into episodes of K-drama lite (barring, say, 20-minute-long monstrosities), and the video for The Space Between is one of the best I’ve watched. It’s a classic K-drama plot condensed into the running time of an average pop song, but it’s got everything you’d expect: a screwball mix-up,…
By Seung Park Published November 29, 2018 -
Kotaku EastSouth Korea
Cute Characters Get Thirsty, Too
In the anime BanG Dream!, the pink bear Michelle is one of the members of the pop group Hello, Happy World! In real life, there is a thirsty cosplayer in there. The result is nightmare fuel. Update November 29 – 12:30am: As several readers have kindly pointed out, this is the very thirsty @thegadgetfish: Via…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 28, 2018 -
Kotaku EastK-Pop Pick Of The Day: Thank U Soooo Much
If the Dragonball Z scouter cameo wasn’t enough reason for Yubin’s just-released Thank U Soooo Much to jump the line for a feature, its gorgeous 80’s-inspired music surely is. Thank U Soooo Much (hereby referred to as TUSM) is Yubin’s second solo release, following Lady which came out in June of this year. Even the…
By Seung Park Published November 28, 2018 -
Kotaku EastJapan
Super Realistic Japanese Dioramas
This is the work of Satoshi Araki, who is known for his “chou riaru” (超リアル) or “super real” dioramas. Araki’s work has been featured in magazines and on Japanese TV. He’s even written books, giving tips on how to make super real dioramas The detail is staggering See? If you like Araki’s dioramas, you can…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 27, 2018 -
Kotaku EastJapan
The Dreamcast Turns Twenty Years Old Today In Japan
The Sega Dreamcast went on sale on November 27, 1998. Twenty years ago! Can you believe it? The console launched nearly a year later in the United States on September 9, 1999 While the console was discontinued on March 31, 2001, the Dreamcast was first home to numerous classics, including Shenmue, Sonic Adventure, Rez, Space…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 27, 2018 -
Kotaku EastK-Pop Pick Of The Day: So
Jaurim released a new album for the first time in five years, and I am here for it. Jaurim, by Jaurim, is their tenth studio album and the first since 2013’s Goodbye, Grief. From our previous musings on this uniquely eccentric band, you know that they’re one of Korea’s most adaptive and versatile performers; their…
By Seung Park Published November 27, 2018 -
Kotaku EastJapan
Anniversary Japanese Kit Kat Set For Only $55
Do you like Kit Kats? What about Japanese Kit Kats? To mark the 45th anniversary of when the chocolate treats first went on sale in the country, a special set of 35 Kit Kats is going on sale in Japan. There are an array of Japanese centric flavors, including sweet potato, Japanese strawberry, momiji manju,…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 22, 2018 -
Kotaku EastK-Pop Pick Of The Day: A Long Dream
SE SO NEON is one of the most interesting Korean indie artists active today. Just look at this gorgeous music video, which is reason enough to feature it for today’s pick. The music video for A Long Dream was created by German-Japanese artist Hoji Tsuchiya, via a painstakingly labor-intensive stop-motion process. The simplistic visuals complement…
By Seung Park Published November 22, 2018 -
Kotaku EastJapan
Miss Universe Japan Will Compete As Sailor Moon
Representing Japan, Miss Universe contestant Yuumi Kato is dressing as Sailor Moon for the country’s national costume. Makes sense, I guess! Of course, she’ll wear other outfits, but this one is for competition Born in Nagoya, Kato speaks four languages (Japanese, Chinese, English and Malay). She will compete at this year’s Miss Universe on December…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 21, 2018 -
Kotaku EastJapan
Japan Is Building A Massive, Life-Sized Gundam Statue That Moves
Over the past few years, several life-sized Gundam statues have gone up in Japan. Either they didn’t move at all or didn’t move that much. During a recent press conference, a fourth anniversary Gundam project was announced. At Gundam Factory Yokohama, an 18-meter “moving” Gundam statue will be erected in summer 2020. Above is the…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 21, 2018 -
Kotaku EastK-Pop Pick Of The Day: The Red Shoes
Swing, baby, swing! I’ve previously mentioned my love of saxophones, and that love most definitely extends to big band music—and when that big band comes with an unashamed lifting of early-twentieth-century aesthetics and choreography, IU’s The Red Shoes has practically got me groveling at its feet. We’ve been (slowly but steadily) hitting the major points…
By Seung Park Published November 21, 2018 -
Kotaku EastJapanNissan’s Carlos Ghosn Always Seemed Doomed
In Japanese, there is an expression: deru kui wa utareru (出る杭は打たれる). It’s the equivalent of the English phrase, “The nail that sticks up gets hammered down.” The expression immediately lept to mind yesterday when I read that Carlos Ghosn, the man credited with saving Nissan, had been arrested for allegedly using company money for personal…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 20, 2018 -
Kotaku EastK-Pop Pick Of The Day: First Snow
Here in New York, home of the Kotaku mothership, we just got our first dusting of snow last week. (In November!) It was a fair bit more than a dusting, actually; it was the kind of snow that makes people stop whatever you were doing and gaze at the flurry for a few seconds, lost…
By Seung Park Published November 20, 2018 -
Kotaku EastJapan
Check Japan’s Tiny Electronics Shops For Retro Gaming Finds
Sometimes in Japan, it feels like all the good retro game stuff has been snapped up by famous retailers. That, or it’s fetching a premium on internet auction sites. Yet, if you look, there are definitely neat finds. Just ask Twitter user Daitora While in the city of Ome for a local festival, Daitora popped…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 19, 2018