Maid Cafes Just Got Creepier: Mom Cafés.
06. Apr, 2008
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Those silly otaku are finally wishing they had met their moms. See? Never leaving your room does have implications.
They are finally putting down their Gundam model constructor kit. They are finally putting Street Fighter II down. Some of them are even facing that big yellow orb in the sky and huffing and puffing their way on over to “Mother Café,” a particularly maternal café in Osaka with “older looking women” who are actually instructed to nag you about things… “Just to get the experience to be more accurate.”
“Takeshi-kun! You really need to pay for your visit this time.”
“But moooommmmm.”
“No, seriously, you actually have to pay for this.”
“Seriously?”
You’d think you could experience nagging from your actual mother, if you wanted to. So how in the world did this place come into existence?
Apparently, “Mother Café” was created because “there wasn’t really anywhere that had a library of over 10,000 different manga, and also allowed people with a bit of a maniac streak about them to pursue their hearts’ desire.” Maniac streak is right.
The Mother Café’s boss (for some reason I have the image of an angry, old, Norwegian woman) said that they staff their café with women who are capable of understanding worries people have and have experience dealing with people of all ages. They want it to be a kind of therapeutic café where customers feel at ease enough to open their hearts to the staff.
Well, I suppose if they open their wallets as well, that’s all that really matters…
I don’t know about you, but I’d be completely creeped out and on edge the entire time, especially if they were trying to act like my mom.
“Koichi, would you like to tell me how your grades are?”
“Hmmm, let me think. No.”
If a customer is lucky enough to find a “mother” that doesn’t completely terrify them, though (or nag you too much about being a loser), they can have that mother serve them every time they come for a visit, at no extra charge.
Can you imagine though? I wonder how many people ask their moms for money to go to a Mother’s café…
This sort of thing definitely wouldn’t fly in America, but I can kind of seeing it doing somewhat well in Japan. There’s a complicated relationship between children and the mother, which I’m not particularly willing to go deep into (right now). Still, the otaku culture has come up with some even stranger things, so putting a Mother’s Café past them would definitely be a mistake.
What do you think? Would you pay some older looking lady to nag you?
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That mom maid in the picture above is totally moe-moe.
Moe-moe?
Ahh Japan… so strange… :
Well, whatever… if it makes money…
I get enough nagging from other people… haha.
I’d honestly just be irratated… It ticks me off trying to do work while my parents ask me about it. I have horrible homework concentration. Maybe the nagging people can make sure I get things done? Nah. I would rather stay home than pay for someone to nag at me.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moe_(slang)
The link does an okay job of explaining the term. Moe is a term typically used by anime/manga otakus, the type that Koichi is referencing in the article.
Interesting…? Haha.
Doesn’t it have a meaning somewhere along the lines of “Heart Warming/Melting”?
I’ve heard the term 萌え coming from one of the hosts on Domoto Kyoudai saying it to their guest 石川梨華. Basically all I heard from her was “Please come again my master” (not positive on the translation) and he responded with “萌え”. The link below explains what I’m talking about. Its a recording of the show, but you’ll have to watch about 12 minutes into the video to see the part I’m talking about.
http://www.veoh.com/videos/v312955w8Z9Ryse
Also I heard the “Maid” this is getting more popular in Akihabara. Some how the transition from electronic goods to girls arriving in maid outfits is taking place. I seen an article about it somewhere on the net, but I can’t seem to find it.
She’s scary that’s what she is!
This is what happens when boys sleep in the same bed as their mothers until the age of like, 8 or 9 years old. Oh, well.
Why norwegian? :P
This story warms my heart!
Oedipal! HA!
Okay, something’s odd. Whenever i give a point to a member a message pops up(something along with like, “send error report” or “don’t”) and i get thrown out of the page. Anyone got the same thing or is it just me?
you just got a point from me. Looks like it’s working now, at least
very interesting. Has anyone see the golden eggs episode with the moe moe guys? That’s what it reminds me of.
bwahahahahaha!
I just remembered how at first I was thinking “Moe” from the Simpsons. I was like, ‘Is it a sad, pathetic, suicidal person?” I guess I was only 25% correct. Maybe less…
ok, this is what I think: C-R-E-E-P-Y.
I swear I didn’t spot her photoshoped face until I read this comment hahaha
It’s just as scary as a DAD cafe. I can’t imagine a guy (besides an otaku) who would actually go to a MOM cafe, I mean, just try saying it out loud…
I always thought moe had something to do with videogames. Oh well, thanks for clearing that up…
What the hell is that ! I would not like to go at a Café where my MOM give me my espresso. Rather keeping my espresso machine at home and ask my wife for my green tea !
Oh and for who it can interest my baby is safe !
this is the right place for me.
I would say melting would probably be more accurate, but it’s kind of like, obsession, no?
Only time I’ve seen it used was by a bunch of squeling girls in an anime…
To me it seems one of those type of words that don’t translate well to English or just unique to the language. Sorta like the Swede word ‘lagom.’
The cafe is looking for someone who is over 25 years old meaning my grandma can work !!
yahoo
I think I would laugh the whole time there xD
I mean, you expect it! I’d love to go for laughs.
It would definetly be an experience. =P
At first, I thought she was a robot xD
Haha grandma stoires! xD
I can imagine mine just going on and on about
“Back in MY day, I had to walk 20 miles front and back to go fetch water in a stream!!”
That would be hilarious!! 8)
Oh my, Imagine YOUR mom working there and your freidns have her as their waitress! 0.0
O noes
Kill it with Fire koichi please
Where I live “momo” is slang for a mormon person.
HAHAHAHA, even though that pic looks photoshopped
OMG that thought bubble is sooo gross! and oedipal moe moe! haha
whatt? why would i do that…fufufu.
I’ll just say it isn’t and pretend that granny is in the best shape I’ve seen a granny before haha mek mek mek mek
I think these Otaku’s want to have a caring ‘mom’ presence in their life. Maybe they are nagged at home, about getting married or playing too many video games. What otaku wants that? It’s definitely weird, though. But I am not surprised, I find it less creepier than most maid cafes, why? Because they are looking for understanding from mother like figures, not cuteness from a girl suppose to look…an unappropriated age.
OMG MOE MOE!!!!!!!!!! (^_^)/ LOL……um…..sorry…I spazzed ^__^ ;;;;
I think I’m going to take my mom to japan…. I think I could make a fortune with her at this Cafe :)
I never think Japan can get wierder
It always does…
you know there is also a tsundere cafe
silly stuff
Yea, i saw this on the news a while back. I was creeped out too. I think the reason is that there are just too many Japanese workoholics that have to go to places like that for escape
I definitely wouldn’t pay some strange old lady to act like my mom. I am a little intrigued by the cafe that I heard about in Tokyo that has young men dressed as high school students as its servers. That looked like fun. :-D
That is photoshopped… right? なんか怖い…
most amazing photoshopping ever, really. jk
That is photoshopped… right? なんか怖い…
most amazing photoshopping ever, really. jk
Great article. I had a lot of fun reading it.
That mom maid in the picture above is totally moe-moe.
That mom maid in the picture above is totally moe-moe.