Kotaku
Iconic Street Fighter Artist Illustrates How the Internet Is Full of JerksEver notice how there's always people online who seem to know everything? That take pleasure in showing they know everything when they notice mistakes? And then others gang up, too? Maybe you are sometimes guilty of that. Maybe I am, too. Maybe that's the problem.


Akiman, best known for his Street Fighter art, does a good job of explaining this online problem in an illustration he titles "Internet".



Iconic Street Fighter Artist Illustrates How the Internet Is Full of JerksThe character in glasses says, "One plus one is three."

Iconic Street Fighter Artist Illustrates How the Internet Is Full of JerksAnother smiling character appears and says, "It's two" and slaps the character across the face.


Iconic Street Fighter Artist Illustrates How the Internet Is Full of JerksThen, the next smiling character in line also says it's two and then pokes the character in the glasses.


Iconic Street Fighter Artist Illustrates How the Internet Is Full of Jerks"It's two, stupid," says the next smiling character in line, kicking the character and knocking off his spectacles.


Iconic Street Fighter Artist Illustrates How the Internet Is Full of JerksFinally, another smiling character, wielding a sharp object, says "It's two, you idiot. Die!" Then the character who was wearing glasses screams in pain as he's stabbed.


And that is Akiman's take on the mob mentality of the internet. Agree? Disagree?


インターネットを描きました [@akiman7]



Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest talking points from Japan, Korea, China and beyond. Tune in every morning from 4am to 8am.
Kotaku
There's Now Darth Vader "Energy Cola" Pepsi in JapanLike everyone, Japan loves Star Wars. It also loves Darth Vader, who has sold everything from smartphones phones to pachinko on Japanese TV. Japan also loves energy drinks.


And so, we have this: Pepsi Energy Cola with Vader's face plastered all over it. The Dark Lord of the Sith actually wants you to "Give yourself to the dark side" and drink this caffeinated beverage. The can says so! Dooooo it!


Pepsi Energy Cola is a Japan original, created under Suntory, that went on sale last summer. The drink contains royal jelly extract, ginseng, guarana extract, and caffeine, among other ingredients.


The Vader version launched this fall and is now available across the country, giving Pepsi drinkers ample opportunity to give themselves to the dark side.


「ペプシ エナジーコーラ」新発売 [Suntory via Rinkya]



Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest talking points from Japan, Korea, China and beyond. Tune in every morning from 4am to 8am.
Kotaku
How to Get an Online Girlfriend (or Boyfriend), a Dating Guide for Japanese NerdsSingle? Looking for love? Spend time on the internet? Have I got a book for you. A Japanese book. With some dirty pictures.


But let's skip those and talk about how we can help you find your Juliet or Romeo.


Recently, a book called A Guide to a Truly Correct Net Love Life went on sale in Japan. Japanese site Akiba Blog checked out the book, which is aimed at those who are "serious" about getting a girlfriend, and the cutesy drawings seem also to be aimed at straight Japanese otaku (geeks).


But never mind that! There are very important things here no matter what you are or whom you like. Such as? Well, as the guide points out, the three most important things you need in your search for online romance are a desktop PC, a mobile phone, and a digital camera.



How to Get an Online Girlfriend (or Boyfriend), a Dating Guide for Japanese Nerds

There's also advice on how to use dating sites properly and more immediate nuggets like "shaving those neckbeards, and getting clean clothes that fit you so you can appeal to your future squeeze."


Obvious stuff, but this guide seems to cover all the bases—like most Japanese guidebooks do, whether they are on mainstream guides to business manners or parenting.


How to Get an Online Girlfriend (or Boyfriend), a Dating Guide for Japanese Nerds This page also gives advice on how to take a photo of yourself to upload online or shared with friends.


How to Get an Online Girlfriend (or Boyfriend), a Dating Guide for Japanese Nerds


Other practical advice includes not talking about sexual preferences or favorite body types. You might say, "Well, I know this." Well, I say, some folks don't! Likewise for the correct way to write emails and the incorrect way.


How to Get an Online Girlfriend (or Boyfriend), a Dating Guide for Japanese Nerds


There are words of caution, too. If you see the same photo under various user names, that photo probably belongs to a "sakura". In Japan the word "sakura" (偽客) literally means "fake" (偽) "customer" (客). Usually, these are paid phonies who often stand in line for video games or hardware, and these fakes exist on dating sites, too!


How to Get an Online Girlfriend (or Boyfriend), a Dating Guide for Japanese Nerds


The guide continues into the real world, providing advice, like "Don't accompany your date home" or "Don't touch!"


One later chapter explains how you can keep your love connection going (send only one email a day!). And, yes, there's the inevitable fan service picture of the relationship being consummated, but the book appears to be more than simple fan service. There's some practical, earnest advice for those hoping to meet someone online.


ネットで彼女をゲットするハウツー本 「本当に正しいネット恋活術」 [アキバBLOG]


(Top photo: アキバBlog)

Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest talking points from Japan, Korea, China and beyond. Tune in every morning from 4am to 8am.
Kotaku

Jaws were on the floor when Square Enix showed the three minute Agni's Philosophy demo earlier this year in Los Angeles. They were on the floor this weekend when Square Enix once again showed off the tech. To dazzle like that takes time. A lot of time.


While showing off the mind-blowing demo this weekend, Square Enix said (via Game Watch) that planning took six months and developing it took another six months. That's an entire year for three minutes of footage.


Square Enix wanted to use the demo to show off its new engine, the Luminous Engine, so no doubt the game company put much effort into the demo and wanted everything perfect and stunning so they could show they're ready for the next generation.


With any new tech, there was learning on the go, which might be what made the clip's development take so long. From what Kotaku saw this weekend, the Luminous Engine *seemed* to be manageable for developers. In the above clip, from 4Gamer, you can see the engine in action.


As with anything, the early experiences using new tech will be time consuming, but development will gradually become more streamlined. It better, because months and months is okay for a short tech demo, but not for actual game development.


Agni's Philosphy ライブエディットムービー [4Gamer@YouTube]


「Agni's Philosophy」の舞台裏を明らかにする"アート編" [Game Watch]



Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest talking points from Japan, Korea, China and beyond. Tune in every morning from 4am to 8am.
Kotaku

The Colorful World of My Little Pony CosplayAny My Little Pony fans in the house? Any, dare I say, Bronies? Friendship isn't the only magic. Cosplay is, too.


Children of the 1980s remember the splash the ponies made when they were first introduced—and are now perhaps pleased to see My Little Pony get the smart animated series it deserves.


My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic has also spawned a new generation of fans, eager to show their affection for all things Pony, whether that be through art or cosplay.


Most of My Little Pony cosplay is heavy on Pony personifications—though, there are, of course, the standout fursuits. The personification cosplay does open different levels of interpretation and expression.


This gallery shows off some of the internet's best Pony cosplay, though not all! Have a look as you try to figure out who pulled off the best My Little Pony cosplay.


Click the lower corner of each image to expand to full size.


And in case you missed it, here is Kotaku's review of the first Friendship is Magic comic book.


(Top photo: MrHugoDrax/Sandman-AC/thebooradlus/)

The Colorful World of My Little Pony Cosplay[Antiquity-Dreams]
The Colorful World of My Little Pony Cosplay[AtalontheDeer]
The Colorful World of My Little Pony Cosplay[ayumicosplay]
The Colorful World of My Little Pony Cosplay[BiZria]
The Colorful World of My Little Pony Cosplay[BreeFaith]
The Colorful World of My Little Pony Cosplay[CourtoonXIII]
The Colorful World of My Little Pony Cosplay[EclecticManiac]
The Colorful World of My Little Pony Cosplay[Ex-Shadow]
The Colorful World of My Little Pony Cosplay[FoxOFWar]
The Colorful World of My Little Pony Cosplay[FrancescaMisa]
The Colorful World of My Little Pony Cosplay[KamiyamaYummy]
The Colorful World of My Little Pony Cosplay[KoiCosplay]
The Colorful World of My Little Pony Cosplay[Kyo-kun90]
The Colorful World of My Little Pony Cosplay[MrHugoDrax]
The Colorful World of My Little Pony Cosplay[NikitaCosplay]
The Colorful World of My Little Pony Cosplay[Sandman-AC]
The Colorful World of My Little Pony Cosplay[Solo-dono]
The Colorful World of My Little Pony Cosplay[sophiecabra]
The Colorful World of My Little Pony Cosplay[StarberryLemonade]
The Colorful World of My Little Pony Cosplay[Swoz]
The Colorful World of My Little Pony Cosplay[thebooradlus]
The Colorful World of My Little Pony Cosplay[Tink-Ichigo]
The Colorful World of My Little Pony Cosplay[YayaCosplay]
The Colorful World of My Little Pony Cosplay[youronlydoll]


Kotaku

The title of this video—which I got tipped to from the Twitter feed of Gawker colleague Adrian Chen—led me to believe it'd be focused on the pot-smoking antics of someone playing video games. There's no marijuana in evidence but the proceedings are still pretty loopy.


Sure, it looks like nothing so much as some improv while playing Super Mario World but the randomness of it all is what makes me laugh. I guffawed at the "Maaaario" bit because I grew up on Long Island and the affectionate humming along is something we've all probably done while playing along to our favorite games.


Kotaku

Sure, Put Pokémon and The Avengers Together, Nobody is Stopping YouWe may never be able to chart the depths of fandom that led us to pictures like this, but scratching our heads at them is only half the fun. The other half is realising the artist is maybe onto something.


We've seen some messed-up fan fiction in our time, but to be truly bizarre, the crossover universes have to be entirely unrelated, and slightly creepy to boot.


This ticks both those boxes.


FerioWind [DeviantArt, via juststark]


Sure, Put Pokémon and The Avengers Together, Nobody is Stopping You Sure, Put Pokémon and The Avengers Together, Nobody is Stopping You Sure, Put Pokémon and The Avengers Together, Nobody is Stopping You Sure, Put Pokémon and The Avengers Together, Nobody is Stopping You Sure, Put Pokémon and The Avengers Together, Nobody is Stopping You Sure, Put Pokémon and The Avengers Together, Nobody is Stopping You Sure, Put Pokémon and The Avengers Together, Nobody is Stopping You Sure, Put Pokémon and The Avengers Together, Nobody is Stopping You Sure, Put Pokémon and The Avengers Together, Nobody is Stopping You


Kotaku

What a Video Game Graveyard Looks LikePhotographer Thomas Schultz found this decrepit old garage last year in Arizona. It's full of long-gone arcade machines. His series of photos, called Video Decay, is as beautiful as it is tragic. Especially since one of the cabinets is the amazing old Atari Star Wars game.


Video Decay [FlickR, via Geek Art]



What a Video Game Graveyard Looks Like What a Video Game Graveyard Looks Like What a Video Game Graveyard Looks Like What a Video Game Graveyard Looks Like What a Video Game Graveyard Looks Like What a Video Game Graveyard Looks Like What a Video Game Graveyard Looks Like What a Video Game Graveyard Looks Like
Kotaku

Hope Your Eyeballs Are Ready For This Explosion of ArtIf you're a fan of Roger Dean, 70s sci-fi, old rock n roll posters or just awesome concept art, Pascal Blanché's work should be just about the best thing you see today.


The former art director on Runescape, for which we've featured his work before, Blanché is now back at Ubisoft Montreal, a studio he's worked at on-and-off for the last decade.


You can check out more of Pascal's work at his personal site and CGHub page.


To see the larger pics in all their glory (or, if they're big enough, so you can save them as wallpaper), right-click on them below and select "open in new tab".


Fine Art is a celebration of the work of video game artists, showcasing the best of both their professional and personal portfolios. If you're in the business and have some concept, environment or character art you'd like to share, drop us a line!

Hope Your Eyeballs Are Ready For This Explosion of Art Hope Your Eyeballs Are Ready For This Explosion of Art Hope Your Eyeballs Are Ready For This Explosion of Art Hope Your Eyeballs Are Ready For This Explosion of Art Hope Your Eyeballs Are Ready For This Explosion of Art Hope Your Eyeballs Are Ready For This Explosion of Art Hope Your Eyeballs Are Ready For This Explosion of Art Hope Your Eyeballs Are Ready For This Explosion of Art Hope Your Eyeballs Are Ready For This Explosion of Art Hope Your Eyeballs Are Ready For This Explosion of Art Hope Your Eyeballs Are Ready For This Explosion of Art Hope Your Eyeballs Are Ready For This Explosion of Art Hope Your Eyeballs Are Ready For This Explosion of Art Hope Your Eyeballs Are Ready For This Explosion of Art Hope Your Eyeballs Are Ready For This Explosion of Art Hope Your Eyeballs Are Ready For This Explosion of Art Hope Your Eyeballs Are Ready For This Explosion of Art Hope Your Eyeballs Are Ready For This Explosion of Art
Kotaku

We Might be Getting a Game Called Yoshi's Land for the Wii USo, remember how last week a guy got accidental access to a "mock" debug menu for the Wii U? There might be more to it than that.


While messing around in there, a description of a game called Yoshi's Land Wii U was found. That listing has since been found on retail sites.


Seeing as Nintendo is yet to announce the game, don't count this as confirmation, as retailers are free to conjure up whatever fantasies they want for their systems. But having them listed alongside the Miiverse description is certainly interesting.


Yoshi's Land [Future Shop]


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