Otaku

All the Awesome Cosplay We Spotted at San Diego Comic-Con, Day Four

It was the final day of San Diego Comic-Con, and the cosplayers went out in style.

Books & Comics Beth Elderkin Jul 24

Our Favorite Cosplay From San Diego Comic-Con 2017, Day One

San Diego Comic-Con 2017 got underway on Thursday, and it didn’t take long for the cosplayers to show their stuff.

Books & Comics Beth Elderkin Jul 21

Oculus Rift Lets You Rest Your Lonely Head on an Anime Woman’s Lap

It found you a car. It enlisted in the Navy. It gave this grandmathe thrill of her life. And now, at long last, the Oculus Rift is giving you a taste of what it’s like to know a woman’s touch sort of. Meet your new, anime, virtual girlfriend(‘s lap). It was only a matter of…

Tech News Ashley Feinberg Aug 4

This Teenage Mutant Ninja Backpack Holds All of the Pizzas

Who among us hasn’t secretly wished to find themselves suddenly mutated into a crime-fighting chimera, despite the risk of becoming another Dr. Baxter Stockman? Now you can live out your Ninja Turtle fantasies—without having to skinny dip in Ooze—thanks to this radical TMNT backpack. The TMNT backpack holds everything a ninja could need. In addition…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Oct 24

24 scintillating minutes of a German otaku licking his anime girl toys

Warning: Before you watch this video, you need to turn down the lights. Put on some soft music, preferably in the Marvin Gaye area. Maybe light some candles. And then, and only then, will you truly appreciate this terrifyingly lengthy video of a German anime fan slowly and deliberately licking every buxom anime figure he…

io9 Rob Bricken Jan 18

Japanese Maid Mods a Furby

This is Julie Watai. Don’t ask why she’s wearing a maid’s uniform — it doesn’t really matter. All that matters is that she’s WAY better at hacking Furbies than you are. [Julie Watai via Japan Probe]

Tech News Andrew Tarantola May 10

In Japan, this is where the hardcore geeks go to dance

I spent the past week chasing otaku in Tokyo. Otaku are geeky fans who love comics, videogames, and music – and in Tokyo there are so many otaku that they have created their own nightlife scene. Here’s what it’s like. For geeks in the West, it’s difficult to imagine what it would mean to have…

io9 Annalee Newitz Dec 6

Japanese Otaku Update: Now They’re Indulging In “Factory Night Jungle Cruises”

When planning your next Japan visit, better put aside a night for a “factory night jungle cruise” if you want to be right up there with the latest Japanese otaku craze. They literally visit factories, at night. According to Japan Trends, which brought the fad to our attention, the “factory love” is popular among photographers—which…

Tech News Kat Hannaford Mar 10

Japan’s 2-D Lovers: Falling In Love with a Body Pillow

Lisa Katayama of TokyoMango has a story in this week’s NYT Magazine about otaku in Japan who are in love with anime pillowcases. Yes, they are “dating” body pillows with cartoon prepubescent girls on them. What’s going on in Japan? It’s both a sad and a disturbing trend, this “2-D love” thing. It seems like…

Tech News Adam Frucci Jul 23

Is “Otaku Week” on MTV2 All About Dissing the Nerds?

A few bloggers say MTV’s “otaku week,” featuring anime convention videos, does nerdkind a disservice. But actually it’s a surprisingly non-judgmental look at a misunderstood bunch. The controversial video for most people looking at MTV’s seven-video series seems to be this one, showing a bunch of young guys goofing around while playing card game Yu-Gi-Oh.…

io9 Annalee Newitz Jan 7

A Man Needs a Mother – Japan’s Otaku Culture Dumps the Maid

In a cafe deep in the heart of Amerikamura, Osaka, tables of otaku are sitting down to tea and cake with women old enough to be their mothers. Mother Café is an otaku fetishist establishment staffed with women that give off a motherly vibe; maid cafés are so yesterday. Working up the courage to talk…

Tech News Chris Magor Apr 17

French Maid Skirt PC Case is Otaku Heaven

We’re no stranger to maid-inspired casemods and PC accessories, but this Maid PC computer case? It’s the perfect PC case for the kind of guy who wants his PC to look like the belly button to upper thigh area of a maid, but doesn’t want to spend the time and effort it takes to build…

Tech News Jason Chen Mar 10

SeXbox 3600: 10 Times the Sexy Time of an Xbox 360

Oh my god. So, the SeXbox would be a lot less creepy if it was filled with a bunch of obviously sex stuffs—vibrators, condoms, whatever. But it’s not. No, it’s so much worse than that. It’s just a cosplay costume, some lotion and a roter—rohtah in the original script, but I still have no idea…

Gadgets Matt Buchanan Jan 14

Japanese Bars Cater to Fans of Sentient Body Armor

In Tokyo’s district for otaku, or mega-fans, two bars will soon be recreating the Gundam anime universe. Featured in countless animated series, Gundam is a world where people wear sentient body armor, or “mobile suits,” for fighting. Also, sometimes, for loving. Patrons of the Gundam bars will be served by waitresses in full body armor.…

io9 Annalee Newitz Dec 13

Alien Tech Gets You A Date With A Supermodel

A shy fanboy buys a weird alien figurine that starts making all his wishes come true, including a supermodel date, in The iDol. But everything comes at a price, and the doll’s original owner is coming from outer space to look for it. The iDol looks like another zany Japanese comedy like Squid Wrestler, but…

io9 Charliejane Dec 13

Tokyo National University Begins Anime Graduate Program, Otaku Applicants Surge Overnight

Starting next year, the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts will have something that’s long overdue for an otaku-rich country: a two-year graduate degree in anime production—the first for a non-private institution in Japan. Courses will be taught by full-time professionals from the anime world including Koji Yamamura, and students will leave with two or…

Tech News Dango Dec 5

Japanese Bureaucrats Busted for Editing Gundam Wikipedia Entries on the Job

Six Japanese government drones in the Agriculture Ministry were given a verbal wag of the finger for dumping hours of worktime into editing Wikipedia, with one guy racking up over 260 contributions to Gundam-related entries. Speaking for the ministry on the matter, an official commented that “the Agriculture Ministry is not in charge of Gundam.”…

Gadgets Matt Buchanan Oct 5

Gizmodo Japan: Moe Shirt

If you could encapsulate Japan’s otaku culture into a single kanji character, it would likely be the word mo , a term that has hit the big time in the past year, helped along by the maid cafe boom in Tokyo and Densha Otoko (“Train Man”), a popular drama about an anime fanboy who wins…

Gadgets Johnb Feb 24

Sexy Cartoon PCs for You and Yours

Only in Japan folks, only in Japan. Here’s three interesting PC cubic consoles from Fast Corporation. You’d think they were for kids, but for some reason, I doubt it. The MOE-TR1S56-C33 is a Celeron D330, the MOE-TR1S56-P24 is Pentium 4 2.4A GHz and the MOE-TR1S56-P30 is a Pentium 4 3E GHz. All come with Windows…

Tech News Tgrumet Dec 21

All the Awesome Cosplay We Spotted at San Diego Comic-Con, Day Four

Our Favorite Cosplay From San Diego Comic-Con 2017, Day One

Oculus Rift Lets You Rest Your Lonely Head on an Anime Woman’s Lap

This Teenage Mutant Ninja Backpack Holds All of the Pizzas

24 scintillating minutes of a German otaku licking his anime girl toys

Japanese Maid Mods a Furby

In Japan, this is where the hardcore geeks go to dance

Japanese Otaku Update: Now They’re Indulging In “Factory Night Jungle Cruises”

Japan’s 2-D Lovers: Falling In Love with a Body Pillow

Is “Otaku Week” on MTV2 All About Dissing the Nerds?

A Man Needs a Mother – Japan’s Otaku Culture Dumps the Maid

French Maid Skirt PC Case is Otaku Heaven

SeXbox 3600: 10 Times the Sexy Time of an Xbox 360

Japanese Bars Cater to Fans of Sentient Body Armor

Alien Tech Gets You A Date With A Supermodel

Tokyo National University Begins Anime Graduate Program, Otaku Applicants Surge Overnight

Japanese Bureaucrats Busted for Editing Gundam Wikipedia Entries on the Job

Gizmodo Japan: Moe Shirt

Sexy Cartoon PCs for You and Yours

Trump Wants to Start Privatizing TSA in Latest Budget Proposal

Lost Warship From Battle of Copenhagen Found After 225 Years

These One-of-a-Kind Objects Are in the Wrong Museums

Two Songs We Really Wish Were the Anime Outros for ‘Steel Ball Run’

AI Training Data Giant Mercor Is Reportedly Looking to Buy the Work You Did at Your Old Job

Utah Is Giving Dr. AI the Power to Renew Drug Prescriptions

Here’s the Perfect Excuse to See ‘Project Hail Mary’ Again

US Airlines Are Hiking Bag Fees Amid Iran War Oil Crisis

AirPods Max 2 vs. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen): Which ANC Headphones Win?

The Best Gadgets of March 2026

AirPods Max 2 Review: Still Ridiculously Expensive and Ridiculously Nice

DJI Osmo 360 Review: The Best 360 Camera for the DJI-Pilled

Aqara Smart Lock U400 Review: Hands-free Unlocking at Its Best

MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ Review: A Solid 2-in-1 Laptop With Some Glaring Flaws

Sonos Play Review: Call It a Comeback

Sonos Era 100 SL Review: The Cheapest Way Into Wired Sonos Sound

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