In an article titled "Korean Otaku Turn Aprons Up at 'Moe' Warm, Fuzzy Feelings," Mainichi Daily looks at the differences between Japanese otaku and Korean otaku, and how the concept of "Moe" does is almost non-existent in Korea's otaku culture:

"There's still a concept close to moe in Korean otaku culture. There's a word 'haakku,' which means to get excited, or feel good. But this word doesn't really apply to the gaming or cosplay worlds here, yet it does apply to kinky stuff, [...] In Korea, Lolicon is outlawed and maid cafes were a flop."

According to a press release from Capcom, the video game publisher will team up with manga publisher Gakken to create a manga titled The Secrets of Video Games, an educational manga about video games.

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MangaCast translates the weekly Doujinshi ranking (05/05) in Japan according to Toranoana, and the weekly BL Doujinshi ranking (05/05) in Japan according to Toranoana's BL specialty store Princess Side.

MangaCast translates the weekly Doujinshi ranking (04/29) in Japan according to Toranoana, and the weekly BL Doujinshi ranking (04/21) in Japan according to Toranoana's BL specialty store Princess Side.

According to theOtaku.com, a manga store's guard was injured by a Japanese teenager when he tried to stop the boy from shoplifting:

A teenager in Japan reportedly went into a used goods store in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan and stole about ??6,000 (about $50) worth of manga, then fled the scene. He was chased by a security officer, but managed to escape by stabbing him in the arm with a 9 cm (about 4 in.) blade.

Moetan, the popular English study guide from SansaiBooks, will be adapted into an anime TV series this July. The pre-site can be found at www.ink-chan.com

MangaCast translates the weekly Doujinshi ranking (04/21) in Japan according to Toranoana, and the weekly BL Doujinshi ranking (04/21) in Japan according to Toranoana's BL specialty store Princess Side.

According to Japan Times, Foreign Minister Taro Aso is urging French Presidential Candidate Segolene Royal, who view manga as being violent and pornographic, to read manga:

As the French presidential election campaign enters its last days, Foreign Minister Taro Aso gave advice to one of the highest-profile candidates in the race: Read more Japanese comics.

Via: Precocious Curmudgeon

From Times Online comes an article titled "Fantasy funeral brings out thousands of real mourners," which looks at a funeral held earlier this week in Tokyo for Raoh, the antagonist from Tetsuo Hara's Fist of the North Star series. Over 2,500 mourners appeared at the funeral held for Raoh, who will die in the upcoming Fist of the North Star movie.

Additional Info:
- Thousands attend funeral for fictional Raoh [ Newsarama Blog ]
- Thousands Turn Out To Pay Their Respects To Raoh [ animeOnline ]
- Fist of North Star's Raoh's Real Life Funeral [ Manga Jouhou ]

Manga and Internet cafes are common throughout Japan. Due to their cheap costs, the privacy of their cubicles, the ability to order food, access to the internet, video games and more, manga and internet cafes have become more than just a hangout place for young people with nothing else to do.

According to a recent news report in Japan, manga cafes are becoming a place of refuge for the poor who can't afford to live in their own home or a hotel. According to an article from Japan Times:

Experts say the customers, dubbed "Net cafe refugees," are becoming more visible in the 24-hour facilities in tandem with the rise in the number of "working poor," those who have jobs but cannot escape poverty.

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