AkibaBlog has a big, photo-heavy article on the new Mandarake Complex that has opened up in Akihabara. Games, manga, figures/toys, DVDs, doujinshi, costumes, cosplaying staff, you name it, they have it. Check it out and drooool.

AkibaBlog reports that Toranoana’s Akiba location will be hosting a Spice and Wolf cafe event to celebrate the series’ first DVD release. The food will include an apple tart and ice cream, grape juice, and…yeah, no clue what that other thing is. Nor do I recognize a date, though the first DVD is coming out April 2nd, so presumably that’s it.

Would so be there if I could!

A Reuters article reports on a new cram school in Japan. Maid cafe + school + so-bad-it’s-cute English = Cosplish, a new school where the teachers wear costumes and teach moeng (moe English).

The school founder, Yohei Suzuki, says he thought that since otaku culture is taking over the world, maybe Japanese people would be interested in otaku culture from outside of Japan. In spite of the goofy setup, he says that there is a serious side to his business: where most schools teach more formal, business-like English, “Cosplish” offers fun, practical English for regular people.

They even teach chat/txt speak like “gr8″ and “b4.” Thanks a lot, Suzuki, we totally needed more of that crap. (Have I mentioned that those AT&T commercial where some chit plays “ROTFL” in Scrabble makes my soul shrivel up inside?)

You’ve seen the man boogie his way through Akiba in a Storm Trooper outfit before, but have you seen him do the ultraviral Caramell Dansen? No? Well, we’ll just have to fix that!

Does the man have headphones built into that Storm Trooper helmet or what?

While all of us here in the U.S. are whining about how expensive anime DVDs are, let’s take a moment to feel pity for our Japanese brethren. Not only do they have to pay through the nose for anime DVDs (because yes, for the last time, DVDs are really expensive there)– they also are stuck paying money to get a girl to slap them.

Danny Choo reports on a new kind of maid cafe called the Akiba Girls Dormitory. Instead of sitting in a cafe being served by girls in maid or cosplay costumes, you get to hang out with a cute girl wearing pajamas in a “bedroom” (notably lacking an actual bed). You know, for those otaku who have never seen / will never see the inside of a girls’ bedroom. (Otaku who have sisters need not apply?)

Now the base prices aren’t too expensive– if you just wanna hang out and chat for a half hour, it’s ¥1680, about $15.72 USD. But the add-ons are COMEDY GOLD. Another ¥1000 ($9.35) to get her to change into a costume; ¥1000 to get her to read you a romance manga; and the best one? ¥1000 for “binta,” where she slaps you across the face.

You know, I’m willing to bet that I could get a cute girl in Japan to slap me across the face for free. (It just might also involve getting arrested.)

It’s also worth noting that if you’re female and wish to enjoy the “dorm”’s services, it costs less– only ¥1000 for the ‘normal’ course. I guess maybe it’s less effort to hang out with another girl? (Or maybe they secretly charge guys to watch these “girls-love” sessions?)

Anyway, if you’re curious, definitely check out Choo’s post about the place, complete with pictures. I do have to admit, “Sola-chan” is pretty damn cute.

Gunota Headlines spotted posts on Akiba Souken and Akiba Blog about a pair of Gundam cosplay bars that are going to open in Akihabara later this month.

They’re called Mobile Suit Bar Zeon and Mobile Suit Bar Federal Forces, and they are based on the original Gundam series, plus Z and ZZ. The food and drinks are themed and they’re currently seeking female staff.

Which I guess means you won’t be able to have Kira Yamamoto wait on you. How silly.

Original Source: Akiba Souken, AkibaBlog
Secondary Source: Gunota Headlines

“Single Asian female seeks Akiba’s King Nerd for otaku-good time! Must cosplay, have own slogan, poses.” Thanks, Kotaku.

• AnimeSuki forum user NeoSam has word of an anime adaptation of the light novel MM (”emu emu”). It appears to feature a put-upon guy and a couple of hot chicks. Where have I heard that before? (Where HAVEN’T I?)
• Add a new word to your vocab lists: “burusera,” according to OtakuNews, is short for “bloomer seller” and refers to the kind of girl who sells her panties to needy, greedy old men.
• Some of you may remember the brother-sister pair of otaku hunters who were arrested a while back– apparently they’ve earned themselves a year of jailtime. Remember kids, nerds have power these days.

My google alerts are really packed this morning– Bloomberg reports on the growing trend of maids moving out of the cafes and into other stores. In particular they’re talking about Candy Fruit, which has attendants dressed as maids working to sell their product: eyeglasses.

Apparently the government is starting to get concerned: they recently blocked a maid cafe from opening. The cafe was called “Love Love Hot Cake” and was going to serve pancakes with “saucy names.”

The article blames the whole maid cafe phenomenon on the anime Pia Carrot, which Broccoli promoted at a 1998 convention with a booth featuring maids dressed as the female lead, Carrot who served tea. They opened the first maid cafe (actually a restaurant) in Akihabara the next year.

Another interesting aspect of the article: one maid says that the maids of Candy Fruit are “perpetually 17,” and another “says she is 20 because maids in Kyushu never get old.” Huh.