Awesome Japanese light gun uses your smartphone to turn real world into huge first-person shooter

https://ift.tt/2VvMYLQ Casey Baseel

X-Tag features 64-player battle royales, multiple weapons, and power-ups, but it’s a game you play in the real world, not on a screen.

There’s a new shooting game that’s just been announced in Japan, called X-Tag. It’s got all the bells and whistles gamers have come to expect from a modern first-person shooter, like team or battle royale modes, multiple weapons with various strengths and weaknesses, and a map screen that directs you to power-ups waiting for pick-up on the battlefield.

Like a lot of games these days, you play X-Tag with your smartphone, but it’s actually not a mobile game. The action doesn’t take place on your screen, but all around you in the real world, because X-Tag uses your phone’s processing power to run an awesome game of incredibly advanced laser tag.

The X-Tag unit itself is a light gun, powered by a pair of AAA batteries, with an impressive maximum range of 50 meters (164 feet). It’s also got a 360-degree light receptor on top to register hits. The most important part, though, is at the back, where there’s a clamp for you to put your smartphone horizontally.

Using the X-Tag app (a free download for iOS or Android phones), you and the other players synch your phones and guns, with the system acting as scorekeeper and keeping track of how many hit points each player has left and how much time is remaining in the match. You can choose between a two-team grudge match, with up to 16 players on each team, or a winner-take-all battle royale mode for up to 64 players.

Right now, that may sound like a pretty standard, if large-scale, game of laser tag, but X-Tag utilizes each player’s smartphone to allow for extremely deep gameplay mechanics. For starters, you get a radar screen that shows where your teammates are (via GPS tracking), and also power-ups, which you can activate by going to the location shown on the map.

Power-ups include grenades (which you can toss by drawing a line towards nearby enemies on the radar), health-replenishing drinks (which you can use yourself or administer to wounded teammates, since you won’t die in one hit), damage-reducing armor, and a radar booster that gives a temporary peek at the location of all your opponents.

Your gun itself can also be configured as a number of different firearms, such as a pistol, machine gun, or rocket launcher. While the physical X-Tag unit itself obviously doesn’t transform, different guns have different rates of fire, ammo capacities, and damage levels.

X-Tag even lets you customize an avatar that appears in mid-match chat messages between teammates and the ranking screen once the fight is over. Higher rankings get you more points, which can be exchanged for new clothes, hairstyles, and accessories for your digital representation.

While the game’s stylized teaser video shows its schoolgirl heroine referring to a tablet strapped to her wrist, the actual game only requires your smartphone docked with the gun. Manufacturer Takara Tomy says the X-Tag bracket is compatible with smartphones between 58 and 85 millimeters (2.3 and 3.3 inches) in width and 13 millimeters (0.5 inches) or less in thickness.

X-Tag is priced at 5,400 yen (US$48), which seems pretty reasonable for all this awesomeness. Preorders can be placed here, but the product won’t be shipping until December. Still, it sounds like an incredible Christmas present, and we’re kind of hoping the people who run Tokyo’s real Metal Gear infiltration game figure out a way to incorporate them into the experience.

Source: Takara Tomy via IT Media
Top image: Takara Tomy
Insert images: YouTube/タカラトミー TAKARATOMY, Takara Tomy
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Japanese Streetwear Styles w/ MISBHV, H&M, UFO, A-Cold-Wall, Swankiss, Y’s, COS, Chrome Hearts & Rick Owens

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While out for a walk on the streets of Harajuku, we came upon this trio whose streetwear looks easily caught our attention. Let’s take a closer look at their ensembles:

At the left is Ryosuke, a 21-year-old student. He is clad in a black denim jacket with white graphic prints and distressed denim detailing from MISBHV, worn over a snake print button down shirt from H&M and tucked into purple UFO pants. Black sneakers from A-Cold-Wall, a furry Kangol fedora hat, a silver chain belt, and multiple silver knuckle rings from Chrome Hearts completed his look. In addition, he is carrying a black waist bag with white straps from A-Cold-Wall. Ryosuke likes listening to Uverworld, and he is active on Instagram.

Sporting a dark streetwear look at the middle is Neo Tokyo. She stepped out in a resale dark grey jacket, worn off-shoulders and styled with a black long sleeve ruffle dress from Swankiss, which features sheer polka dot collar and hem detailing. She donned black tights, resale black lace-up sneakers, a grey furry hat, and a snakeskin coin purse with a chain strap from Yohji Yamamoto’s Y’s label. Neo likes to shop at Clique Tokyo, and she likes the music of 2Pac. Neo Tokyo is also active on Instagram.

Meanwhile, at the right side is Ryohei, a 21-year-old H&M staffer. He is dressed in a resale brown maxi coat, worn over a tan zip-up jacket with an oversized asymmetric collar from COS. He finished off his minimalist street style with black-and-white sneakers from Rick Owens and a black ribbed beanie. Ryohei’s fashion favorite is Rick Owens, and he loves the music of Justin Bieber. For more on Ryohei, follow him on Instagram.

Click on any photo to enlarge it.

Tokyo Street Style

Documentary about man with no limbs discusses what it’s like to be disabled in Japan

https://ift.tt/2EsY3GO Dale Roll

Hirotada Otatake was born with no arms or legs, but it didn’t keep him from trying to do good things in this world.

Having a disability, whether physical or mental, doesn’t have to be something that holds you back, which is something we can learn by watching the Paralympics or listening to a one-armed woman play the violin.

Educator and author Hirotada Otatake, born with no arms or legs, has become a voice and partner in the fight for minority rights in Japan, and an inspiring image for people all around the world with all he has achieved. In an interview with YouTube channel Asian Boss, Otatake talked about what it was like to grow up with a disability, and what he has striven to accomplish in spite of it.

The 20-minute interview starts in Otatake’s apartment, and shows him learning to use robotic prosthetic legs, step by step. The process is exhausting and difficult, but he hopes he can one day use them regularly to walk, sit, and climb stairs. But the practice is not for his sake alone; he hopes that his experience with the prosthetics will help make “a contribution to the advancement of prosthetics and social welfare” for disabled people.

Asian Boss’s reporter Hiroko then asks Otatake about his childhood, and what sort of experiences he had growing up. How did the other children react to his disability? Did anyone impact his life? As you’ll see from the interview, a couple of teachers played a huge role in encouraging his emotional and intellectual growth as a child, which helped him see what he was capable of.

Otatake has also written several books, the first of which was published when he was still a university student. He describes the unexpected backlash he received about his book from some members of the disabled community in Japan, and how that made him feel about his writing and his role as a celebrity. The interview also touches on other consequences of fame, such as scandals in his personal life, difficulties in his career as an educator, and how his friend and manager helped him get through it all.

The interview is fascinating, and puts much into perspective. Otatake is not a perfect person by any means, but his work supporting the youth of Japan, the disabled community, and the minorities fighting for their rights can’t help but leave us with admiration for a man who has worked hard to be the best person he can be.

Source, images: YouTube/Asian Boss
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Tokyo church cancels anime singer’s concert because of her involvement with adult video games

https://ift.tt/2XFEqUG Casey Baseel

Discovery of Rekka Katakiri’s erogame contributions cause venue to pull plug on event less then three weeks before it was scheduled to be held.

On March 16, singer/songwriter and Tokyo native Rekka Katakiri was set to hold a concert. While Katakiri isn’t a household name in Japan, she’s built up a loyal fanbase through her 20 years singing theme songs for anime and video games, and so while she wouldn’t need a huge, stadium-sized venue, she decided on one with a distinct visual appeal, which seems like a smart call, considering how important aesthetics are to otaku.

And so the concert was going to held at a church in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward. However, on February 27, Katakiri received a notice from the church saying that they were no longer willing to serve as host for the concert, even though ticket sales had already started.

▼ A sample of Katakiri’s music

The reason? The church had discovered that in addition to singing theme songs for mainstream anime like When They Cry: Higurashi and Kokoro Connect, Katakiri has also supplied songs for erogames, or, as they’re also sometimes called in English, porn games.

“[Your] work with adult games does not fit with the image of a church facility as a holy place,” said the cancellation statement, along with “Not disclosing such work is tantamount to false representation.”

▼3/16ライブ開催に関しまして お騒がせいたしまして申し訳ございません。予定しておりましたLTN10につきまして、大変申し訳ございません、 【開催場所の変更】 を行うこととなりました。 経緯をお伝えいたしますと、

—
片霧烈火は活動20周年アルバム出る🌟3/16ライブ✨6-7月東名阪✨ (@katakiri_rekka) February 27, 2019

In a series of tweets detailing the situation, Katakiri insists that she made no effort to conceal or lie about her involvement in the erogame industry. However, she also believes that the problem was partially her fault. “To let them know my background and resume, I sent them the link to my website,” the singer says, “but recently I’ve been primarily promoting my personal [non-game or anime-related] songs,” and apparently it wasn’t until some time much later that the church noticed her connection to adult games.

“I regret not being clearer in describing my relationship to the adult game industry,” Katakiri tweeted, though she also explained that she had several discussions with the venue in the lead-up to the scheduled concert, and had voluntarily chosen not to include any songs that could be seen as “sexual or evil” in tone in her planned setlist.

“Had the venue known about my work with adult games from the beginning, they likely would have simply refused to host the concert upfront,” continued Katakiri. “I deeply apologize for the insufficient coordination on my part, and for the great inconvenience I have caused everyone.”

However, one thing Katakiri is not apologizing is for is for singing songs used in erogames. “In both my personal and contracted work as a musician, I put the utmost effort into creating music. I have no regrets, and instead feel nothing but gratefulness to the industry,” she declared.

The sudden cancellation has left Katakiri and her helpers scrambling to find a new site for the concert, and she says they’ve now narrowed it down to two candidates. Unfortunately, neither is as large as the initially intended church, and so additional ticket sales are being suspended, but the singer says that either of the two locations she’s looking at will be able to accommodate all current ticketholders. However, should the change in location prevent any of them from attending, Katakiri, in one more act of contrition, says their ticket purchase price will be refunded.

Still Katakiri says talks with the replacement venues are going well, and that it’s looking likely that the concert will be neither cancelled nor postponed, but instead take place on March 16, as originally planned.

Source: Twitter/@katakiri_rekka via Hachima Kiko
Top image: YouTube/rekka katakiri
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Eating a bag of Rhino Beetles from Kumamoto’s bug-food vending machine【Taste test】

https://ift.tt/2Ta9ZY4 Master Blaster

Our intrepid reporter completely loses his cool biting into the sizable bugs.

A lot has been said about the impending food difficulties the world faces and the potential of insects as a viable food source. And bit by bit, six-legged gourmet offerings have been trickling into the public, the most notable of which has been the highly successful edible insect vending machine in Kumamoto City.

Serving up all types of creatures from crickets to scorpions, the machine is said to be raking in hundreds of thousands of yen a month. To find out more, we sent our reporter Masanuki Sunakoma to check it out. Masanuki was chosen, of course, because he generally really hates insects and would be the most entertaining to watch.

Masanuki approached the store where the machine was said to have been installed. It was a balloon store called Discover Balloon with brightly colored and shiny floating party decorations, in stark contrast to the box of horrors that stood in front of it.

The flag read “World’s First Insect Vending Machine” which temped Masanuki to go inside demand proof of the claim from one of the balloon store clerks – anything to get out of what he was assigned to do.

Looking through the machine’s selection, there are about 10 types of items including grasshoppers, crickets, diving beetles, and rhino beetles. There were too many to choose from, especially when your desired number is zero, so Masanuki did go inside and asked the balloon store staff for a recommendation.

Inside the store more insect foods were being sold. The clerk told our paling reporter that for beginners, the chocolate covered grasshoppers or crickets were the easiest to keep down. However, Masanuki wasn’t sent down there to nibble on chocolates like some wealthy dowager at a tea party.

“On the other hand,” the clerk added, “the diving beetles and rhino beetles are the most terrible because of the way they look.”

That was all Masanuki needed to hear. As much as it pained him to, he bought a pack of rhino beetles for 1,300 yen (US$12). They plunked out of the machine in a futuristic looking tube.

Inside the tube was shiny vinyl resealable pouch to keep his dead bugs fresh.

And inside that was a plastic baggie with five big black lumps rattling around inside. They appeared to have been lightly salted – as if that would make a difference.

Like many Japanese kids, Masanuki used to have a few of these large non-threatening insects as pets. But like most people, at a certain age that wonder and open curiosity about bugs had somehow transformed into abject fear and loathing.

He tried to reconnect with that childlike courage as he pulled out a big male and held it in his fingers. Maybe it wasn’t so bad after all. It just sort of looked like a big M&M.

Let’s just turn it over and…

▼ “Gyahhhh!”

It was no good. Even as a child, Masanuki never wanted to eat one of these things. The little guy stared at him with all of its rigor-mortised arms folded as if pleading with him not to eat it. It also looked as if it might suddenly spring back to life and fly away at any moment.

But these thoughts weren’t helping at all, so our soon-to-be-traumatized writer grabbed the rhino beetle by the horn and braced himself.

Once inside his mouth, all that was left to do was bite down and…

▼ “NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!”

▼ “GHOOOOOOOOGH!!!”

The texture of the beetle was significant, and there way no way Masanuki could delude himself into thinking it was anything but a large dead bug in his mouth. That being said, there wasn’t much flavor. It had a kind of earthy scent and felt like he was eating egg shells.

Still, eating a rhino beetle left an impression on him that would last a lifetime. It was a bit like what he imagined hell would be like.

Luckily for Masanuki, the future of eating insects probably isn’t going to be popping dead carcasses into our mouths whole, much like the way we don’t normally rip into the entire dead bodies of chickens and cows.

A better example of viable insect food would likely be more in line with the BugMo Protein Bars which were also on sale at Discover Balloon. But surely there will still be a demand for whole rhino beetles for those special times when you want to make a grown man hop around a balloon store screaming.

Vending machine information
Discover Balloon
7-8 Kitasendanbatamachi, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto-shi, Kumamoto-ken
熊本県熊本市中央区北千反畑町7-8
Website (Discover Balloon)

Images ©SoraNews24
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The new Pokémon anime movie is entirely CG, and it might take some time to get used to it【Video】

https://ift.tt/2H8qQmW Casey Baseel

Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution remakes the Pokémon franchise’s first film in full CG, and the trailer shows Ash and pals like we’ve never seen them before.

Earlier this week, we got our longest preview yet of the upcoming Western-made Detective Pikachu movie, which pairs live-action actors with computer-animated versions of the anime/video game franchise’s famous Pocket Monsters. But there are actually two movies with CG Pokémon coming out this year, and the second is a made-in-Japan full CG reboot of the very first Pokémon theatrical feature.

Sort of like how 2017’s theatrical Pokémon feature, I Choose You, went back to the beginning of protagonist Ash’s/Satoshi’s journey to become a Pokémon Master, Japan’s next Pokémon movie is a retelling of the events of 1998’s Mewtwo Strikes Back, titled Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution. But while the story of Ash going up against a genetically engineered Pokémon that rebels against its human creators will be familiar, the visuals, as shown in this just-released trailer, are all-new, as this is the first time for a Pokémon anime to be full CG.

For long-time fans of the Pokémon anime, the trailer can look a little jarring. Yes, the Pokémon video games abandoned pixel graphics quite some time ago in favor of polygons, but the more sophisticated models used for Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution mean fewer vague details for your imagination to fill in, particularly since they don’t seem to incorporate any of the sort of cel-shading used in the games to give them a more hand-drawn look. The result is that some of the Pokémon species are smooth in texture that they look a little plasticky, almost like figures or toys (at the other end of the spectrum many of the Pokémon in the Detective Pikachu trailers look more scruffy than fluffy).

▼ “Incredibly smooth and shiny” are descriptors that can also be applied to the hindquarters of Team Rocket’s Jessie/Musashi.

But it’s the designs for the humans in Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution that are going to take the most time to get used to. Whereas the CG Pokémon are an extended evolution of what’s been gradually happening in the games over the past few decades, Ash has strictly been part of the anime arm of the franchise, and his cohorts Misty/Kasumi and Brock/Takeshi only show up in certain games, making for bigger gap between how fans generally picture them and these extra-detailed CG models.

▼ Brock’s constantly closed eyes, for example, seem quite a bit stranger when they’re rendered in a more realistic 3-D space.

That said, fans will no doubt be happy to see the old gang together again on the big screen after Brock and Misty were replaced by new characters in the last two Pokémon anime movies. And while the CG Pocket Monsters, at least right now, might not look as cute as their hand-drawn predecessors, Mewtwo does look unsettlingly sinister

Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution opens on July 12 in Japan.

Images: YouTube/ポケモン公式YouTubeチャンネル
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SoraNews24 is looking for a new writer, and it could be you!

https://ift.tt/2EqkIDx SoraNews24

Here’s your chance to go from reading SoraNews24 to writing it.

As we flip the calendar over to March, we’re less than a month away from the blooming of the cherry blossoms in Tokyo. But as happy as we are about the return of the sakura, there’s something else we’re even more excited about, and that’s the debut article of the newest member of the SoraNews24 writing team!

Our new writer is intelligent, thoughtful, and clever. So what’s this new writer’s name? Well, we won’t know that until you tell us yours.

SoraNews24 is seeking a new writer, someone who:

● Is enthusiastic about trends, news, and events happening in Japan and Asia
● Writes in English in a professional, lively, and engaging style that goes beyond direct translation
● Speaks and reads Japanese at an advanced level (equivalent to JLPT N2 or better)
● Has experience living or travelling extensively in Japan, plus a good sense of humor
● Possesses a solid knowledge of Internet and social media culture

This is a part-time, telecommuting (work-from-home) position, and since our love wraps around the globe, applicants both domestic and international are welcome.

To apply, send us:
1. Your resume, written in English
2. Your resume, written in Japanese
3. An English version of the Japanese-language article linked to below, incorporating as much of the original content as you can plus any necessary additions to present the topic in a manner that would be interesting and entertaining for our English readers.
新宿歌舞伎町のカプセルホテル『はたごや』が格安なのに超快適 / 終電で帰らない夜ってマジで最高ォォォオオオオ！
4. An original English-language article of your own, approximately 400-500 words in length, that you think would be of interest to our readers. The article can be based on an existing news story or your own experiences and observations.

Once you’ve got those put together, send your documents via e-mail to the following address:
recruit@en.rocketnews24.com
with 「英語版ライター募集／Your Name」 as the subject line. Further details, including compensation, will be discussed with qualified applicants.

We’re looking forward to hearing from you soon!