It is no catharsis to use a Nintendo DS stylus to restore beauty to the ravaged mythical Japan of Okamiden, not while the real Japan stands bruised by natural disaster. Recent events, however, have transformed the simple video game adventures of Okamiden's spirited wolf cub into an unintentional tribute to a nation's magnificence.

While the story of Capcom's upcoming DS adventure Okamiden is that of tiny wolf god Chibiterasu, it's the characters the young deity meets that paint the picture of a Nippon worthy of being saved from rampaging demons. Let's meet some!

In April 2006, Okami was released on the PlayStation 2 in Japan. The game was a critics' favourite and a commercial flop.

While You Were Sleeping was a well-received romantic comedy starring the luminous Sandra Bullock and the irrepressible Bill Pullman.

It’s also the name of a regular section here at Kotaku, where we round up all the best news coming in overnight, to save you trawling down the page for an excuse to not start work. Don’t say we’re not good to you!

Our latest look at Capcom's portable take on Okami was full of breaking wind.

Nowadays video games are, at best, a means to an end at the Consumer Electronics Show. They are used to highlight television fidelity, or 7.1 surround sound or 3D. But there's still one company that puts games first: Capcom.

We've been doing Reader Reviews for a while now on Kotaku, but this may be a unique entry. Alastair Christie, having mad Japanese reading skills, decided to import a Japanese copy of the upcoming Okamiden, sequel to cult classic Okami on PS2, and was kind enough to write up a reader review on it.

Capcom's official Okami Facebook page is running a giveaway; first three to spot this lost-dog poster in New York will get a plush Chibi. See the page for details on submitting your entry.

Okamiden's Chibiterasu gets a pair of slippers, as seen at Capcom's Tokyo Game Show mini-store. They're out this December (in Japan) for ¥3150 ($39).

Capcom will be invading the Penny Arcade Expo later this week with a chance for you to go hands-on with eight of their upcoming games.

Adorable, pocket version of Okami with a touchscreen twist, Capcom's Okamiden is due out early next year for the DS.

Found over on the e-Capcom online store for Capcom Japan, this adorable little soft book cover includes a button, picture of Chibiterasu's cub face and a bookmark that looks like his tail.

New video game convention equals new trailers of two of the most promising upcoming DS games, 2010's Ghost Trick and 2011's Okamiden, both from Capcom.

Capcom isn't just about fighting games, they also make some delightfully quirky Wii and DS titles. Take for instance Wii Samurai hack-and-slash Sengoku Basara, and DS games Okamiden and Ghost Trick.

For such a revered game, Okami shipped on PS2 and Wii with little fanfare. There was no fancy, expensive edition shipping with a set of paintbrushes and an authentic wolf's skin. Okamiden is looking to make amends!

For all the magic, combat and cleavage that features in Capcom's Okami games, there's always a white elephant in the room: the dogs are cute, and they are cuddly.

What were our favourite games of E3 this year? Let's take a look!

Okami is a PlayStation 2 classic. The game is getting a spin-off called Okamiden for the Nintendo DS. Does it look like it's a worthy successor to the original?

Okamiden, a DS successor to PS2/Wii classic Okami, seemed like a good idea at the time. Now there's a 3D Nintendo handheld, though, does anyone else wish the game was destined for that platform instead?