Previously Kotaku mentioned how Judgment, the PS4 game with Japanese superstar Takuya Kimura, lets players beat up enemies with a sex toy. That was just the beginning.
Takuya Kimura is one of the most famous celebrities in Japan. He was a member of the boy band SMAP, he appeared in some of the highest rated Japanese TV dramas ever and he even voiced Howl in Howl’s Moving Castle. Fans refer to him simply as “Kimutaku.”
(In case you missed it, you can check out our own Tim Roger’s translation of the demo as well as his Takuya Kimura explainer.)
Here’s Takuya Kimura.. The actor who plays Detective Takayuki Yagami in Judge Eyes. It looks just like him as well 👌🏽.. #JudgeEyes pic.twitter.com/ABTd5yKu0A
— RONIN714 (@TheLastRonin714) September 11, 2018
For many Japanese players, the appeal of Judgment is going bananas with Kimutaku. And that, you can most certainly do.
温めますかフィニッシュでもちゃんとドロップアイテムもらえるんだぁ~。#ジャッジアイズ #PS4sharehttps://t.co/D6WqRwzPcr pic.twitter.com/wae8waVlRc
— K−TAMU (@sizue_san) December 9, 2018
キムタクいつビーム撃てるようになったんや草生えるわこんなん pic.twitter.com/0VsGmD7bfl
— メ.トロン星人ヤキュウボウ (@AlienMetron_Cap) December 13, 2018
https://twitter.com/a/status/1073171287952941056
You can destroy a yakuza office.
https://twitter.com/a/status/1073166074777100289
You can make a dramatic exit.
日本危険ネ!怖いヨ!
外国人にトラウマ植え付けるキムタク #PS4share pic.twitter.com/DKIwuCmpE1— Eiji@EVOJapan(4/26~5/20) (@EijiERJ) December 7, 2018
You can destroy a convenience store, among other establishments.
https://twitter.com/a/status/1073019161213689856
Even though you are playing a character that Kimura brings to life, you’re really just playing his celebrity persona.
出ましたキムタクの ちょっと待てよ!#ジャッジアイズ#PS4share pic.twitter.com/ATBf4NTA3n
— 名乗る名前はない (@h_y515) December 4, 2018
For example, in Judgment, his character says, “Chotte mateyo” (Hey, wait a minute!), which the character he played in the 1997 TV drama Love Generation said. It’s since become a famous Kimutaku catchphrase.
カメラを向けるとポーズとって目線をくれる海藤さんがかわいすぎる!! #ジャッジアイズ #キムタクが如く #PS4share pic.twitter.com/HRnRwK8bjf
— K−TAMU (@sizue_san) December 13, 2018
In Judgment, that’s not all you can do with this Japanese icon.
さなちゃんとデート。ストーリーの都合上キムタクのご尊顔がぼこぼこやん。#キムタクが如く
#PS4share pic.twitter.com/JWQm00zisO— 成瀬 雪花 (@naruse326) December 13, 2018
ゲーセンなうw #ジャッジアイズ #キムタクが如く #PS4share pic.twitter.com/YwJ6pMehzL
— K−TAMU (@sizue_san) December 13, 2018
ジャッジアイズプレイ♪
初めての自撮with自販機and室外機w
キムタクもキャラになるとかわいく思える摩訶不思議アドベンチャー🎵#ジャッジアイズ #キムタクが如く pic.twitter.com/wH3526sqRF— 鏡@夢旅人 (@614mirror511) December 13, 2018
As in Yakuza 6, you can take selfies.
キムタクでボコボコにしてやりました☆ pic.twitter.com/vKIjad1HMy
— てれれ (@terere_ereret) December 13, 2018
https://twitter.com/a/status/1070269635583299585
Lots of selfies.
https://twitter.com/a/status/1073011005964267520
You can buy panties and tell the clerk that they’re not a gift and will be used asap.
https://twitter.com/a/status/1073057366893969408
https://twitter.com/a/status/1073062979644485632
You can visit a place of prostitution.
https://twitter.com/a/status/1073414941791510528
The establishment lists options, which in-game are tongue-in-cheek puns on sexual services. Those listed, for example, include “Dave” (デイブ or deibu) in Japanese instead of “vibe” (バイブ or baibu), which is short for “vibrator.” Many of the other words stand for much more explicit things.(Obviously, the game won’t show explicit sex!)
https://twitter.com/a/status/1072475377300398080
Kimutaku’s persona has always seemed carefully managed. As with boy band members in Japan, his image has been largely clean and fairly tame by American celebrity standards.
On Japanese TV, he’s been presented as a fantasy male, able to sing, act, dance, cook—do anything well, really. Granted, in SMAP comedy skits, Kimutaku wasn’t afraid of dressing up in silly costumes (like a dog or in outrageous Shibuya fashion) and act ridiculous. Even though he might be investigating things in Judgment, the possibilities play against his cool guy image.
パンティ干すキムタクとかなかなか見れないよな。 #PS4share pic.twitter.com/7SbrwyTVtq
— ずぅみん (@IwaizurmiN) December 13, 2018
For fans, just putting Kimutaku, at one time Japan’s biggest boy band singer, in these kinds of situations is unreal!
Judgment will be released in the West next winter.
Comments
4 responses to “Sega’s New PS4 Game Shows A Different Side Of A Japanese Superstar”
Very keen
Yukuza thats not Yukuza? Ok, cool. Lets hope this comes out on PC….
So it’s yakuza 7 in all but name.
I’m still not very far into my Yakuza play. Started at 0, half way into kiwami 1. Looks great!
Prediction: Kimtakuza is 2019 GOTY.
Also, one of the ad servers caused Firefox to go into an endless ram leak that crashed my computer. Last I checked before everything started shitting the bed was Firefox using 4.8gb of ram and it climbing by 200mb every 5 seconds or so.