Japan loves Colonel Sanders more than I think America ever has, really, but this takes the french-frilled cake: alafista reports on a Kentucky Fried Chicken in Akihabara that has dressed up its Colonel Sanders mascot in a frilly maid dress, vaguely a la Emma in style. Colonel Sanders is too classy for those short-skirt-and-petticoat getups!

I suddenly have this mental image of maids serving giant greasy buckets of KFC chicken, how about you?

Ooh, I’ll have to make time for this when I’m in LA for Anime Expo: Clockwork Machina reports on the Royal /T Cafe, a maid cafe opening up in Los Angeles this Saturday.

Now, there have been some attempts to run a maid cafe in North America– I believe there was one in Canada that closed last year. But mostly, maid cafes that have succeeded here have been temporary: an event at a convention or an occasional feature of a shop.

The cafe’s grand opening is Saturday the 12th, and the place triples as a manga cafe, shop, art room, and is even available for special events. They’re actually in Culver City, and they offer a relatively impressive menu.

Back in March I reported on a new offshoot of the maid cafe phenomenon: a Mother Cafe, featuring 19-40+ year old women, which has now opened in Osaka. The Mainichi has an article on the new otaku hot spot, and some of the features a Mother-type maid can offer:

Staff are encouraged to make even the shyest customers feel at ease, and their motherly ministrations extend to hand-feeding anybody who orders a slice of cake.

Asahi Geino notes that regulars will be able to designate their own “mother” to serve them every time they visit at no extra cost, with “moms” instructed to make sure they nag repeat visitors about their lifestyles to make the experience as real as possible. (By Ryann Connell)

I like the concept of a MILF cafe, but I don’t know how much I’d want to pay to get nagged.

* Hey, I’m Italian, I’m allowed.

‘Cause 25 is old, old, old! OLD I tell you!

No, seriously, Canned Dogs reports that Mandarake is opening up a new cafe called “Mother,” which will feature women over the age of 25– the company’s first venture into the otaku cafe world, and a pretty cool entry too, if you ask me. For the guys who get fed up with the inane chatter of the 24-and-under set, a chance to enjoy the inane chatter of hot 25+ women!

The cafe’s going to open up in Osaka, and is currently seeking its maids.

Oh baby baby. Not impressed by those fake Yokos (from Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, of course)? Well, don’t worry your pervy head for one minute longer: Gainax and Ichijinsha have your back! They’ve just released a new book of art featuring our favorite buxom red-head sniper, cleverly titled Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann: Yoko Photo Collection.

The book just hit streets in Japan today with an MSRP of ¥1890 (about $17.68) and features, as you see in the preview below: bathing Yoko, bikini Yoko, tennis Yoko, maid Yoko, Wait-Weren’t-You-In-Onegai-Sensei? Yoko, and classic sniper yoko.

You’re welcome. ♥ And yes, do want.

Original source: Ichijinsha
Secondary source: Ultimatum

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.

Japan Probe reports that people flying into Osaka are being greeted with a photo op: a group of cosplayers! Shown in their article are two maids, one of the ten million characters from Gundam Seed that I can never remember the name of, and a Rei Ayanami. Oh, and one of the maids is also a catgirl (double RAWR!).

Kotaku’s report (by Bashcraft) makes note of the recent foreigner-fingerprinting scheme, but having seen this article about the cosplayers, I have a brilliant plan to make the fingerprinting more amenable to the foreigners. It’s very simple:

Train cute maids and other cosplayers to do the fingerprinting.

Who would say no to being fingerprinted by Rei or Asuka? You could even have a couple of charming butlers– maybe a Walter and a Hayate –to help out with any nervous foreign ladies who arrive. Then we gaijin are charmed into giving you our fingerprints. And phone numbers. And money, probably. C’mon, it’s a win-win!

Original source: Mainichi
Secondary source: Japan Probe, Kotaku, Danny Choo

Japan Probe spotted a video of a maid café which bases itself on Rozen Maiden, which I’d heard of before, but in this video they’re actually offering a kickboxing class.

The maid who teaches the class first introduces them to her doll self (I say her, because she has boobs, but she refers to herself as “boku,” probably just a reference to the character Souseiseki, a female doll who does the same– just in case that confuses any of you). Then she gets them started on jabs and hooks, along with phrases based on the characters, like “nishiwa no jou” (I think that’s what they said– it would mean “Gardener’s Princess,” presumably a reference to Souseiseki’s twin, Suiseiseki) or “hanamaru kikku” (Flower Circle Kick).

All three girls who are the students are presumably part of the show that’s running this special. Two of them seem to find it kinda fun and funny, but one of them seems slightly horrified. It’s a good watch. ;)

Original source: 2ch via Tarasuko’s 2ch Summary
Secondary source: Japan Probe

The Mainichi reports that a taxi service staffed by hot maids intended for the physically impaired has had to close– due to otaku pretending to be disabled to get access.

…Nikkan Gendai notes that maid-obsessed otaku came from all over the country to ride in the taxis, swathing themselves in bandages or pretending to have broken bones to circumvent the Road Traffic Law’s ban on the able-bodied using vehicles designed for the disabled.

How depressing is that? I mean, c’mon, you “able-bodied charlatans” (as the Mainichi puts it) are perfectly capable of marching your fully-functional selves to a maid cafe any ol’ time. Yeesh.

You know, I kinda figured that the west would like maid cafes, but “Jenny” at BlogTO reports that the iMaid Cafe in Toronto, the first Japanese-style maid cafe (or maid cafe at all, I think) has now closed after only a year in business. And I didn’t even manage to get there…