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Densha Otoko
電車男
TV channel:Fuji Television
Production year:2005
Total number of episodes:12 (including one special episode)
Genres:Comedy, romance
Language:Japanese
Aired in Japan:July 7 - September 22 2005
Original time slots:Thursdays at 10:00 p.m.

is the allegedly true story of a Japanese otaku or geek in his early 20s who intervened when a drunk man was harassing several women on a train, and ultimately begins dating one of them.

The episode, and the man's subsequent dates with the woman, who became known as Hermès (エルメス), was chronicled on the Japanese mega-BBS 2channel.

The gripping drama led to the compilation of the relevant threads in a book, several manga versions, a movie released in June 2005, a theatre play (also released as a DVD) and a television series which aired on Fuji TV from July 7 to September 22 (a special episode aired on October 6 2005). A two-hour special is planned for September 2006. *

Many attest to the truth of the story, including the producers of the television series who contacted the real Densha Otoko, but it has not been proven that the story was authentic from start to finish.

Densha Otoko is a popular example of the "nice guy" class of Japanese geeks who wish to lead normal lives, but are too shy to find a girlfriend, or speak openly anywhere but online. The television series uses a large number of computer-bound extras to demonstrate the size of this class.

Besides its computer related side, this story also demonstrates the best side of "otaku": they are cooperative, competitive, and honest. In addition, the "office lady" style girlfriend is a common romantic fantasy of many geeks. If the story does contain a significant fictional element, this has been an anonymous mass collaboration, composed by many people on the Internet; there is no single author. The content represents all the anxiety, worries, and pure hearts of the otaku, making Densha Otoko a cross-sample of this young generation.

VIZ Media leading publisher for Shonen Jump and Shonen Sunday titles in the U.S has acquired the rights to the movie version of Densha Otoko. The movie was initially shown at Anime Expo 2006. The movie premieres September in New York and other major cities followed by a DVD release in January. The manga series will be published a month after the U.S movie premiere. *

Original posts on 2 Channel

In 2004, an anonymous user posted in a thread for single men to decry their woes. According to his account, he had been sitting next to a beautiful woman on the train when a drunken man entered the car and began bothering the other passengers, most of whom were female.

When he began to badger the beautiful woman, the poster took the risk of telling the man to stop bothering the passengers. The two struggled for a short time while the other passengers used this distraction to summon the conductor, who took control of the situation.

Never having done such a thing before in his life, he was amazed to find that the woman was thanking him deeply for saving her from harassment. They exchanged addresses and parted ways. The poster, upon returning home, began talking with other posters in the thread and was eventually nicknamed "Densha Otoko" (Train Man).

A few days later, Densha Otoko received a package from the woman he had saved. The package contained an expensive set of cups and saucers made by Hermès. Flabbergasted, the man turned to the 2channelers for advice; he was soon convinced that such a gift was too expensive to be a mere thank-you gift. Following the advice and suggestions of the other posters, Densha Otoko eventually contacted the woman.

After an enjoyable first date, they began meeting regularly, Densha Otoko all the while posting updates and asking for advice on everything from restaurant choices to what clothing to wear from other posters. Following their collective advice, he got a haircut, purchased new clothes, and began to come out of his shell. After several dates, his personality had changed for the better and this culminated a few months later in his confessing his love for her. She reciprocated, and when the 2channelers were informed of this there was a mass celebration; posts began flowing in congratulating the new couple, and extravagant ASCII art pictures were posted.

Because 2ch has an enormous impact on net culture in Japan, this story quickly spread throughout the media and became an instant hit. Its almost fairy-tale-like simplicity and emotional power drew people in. According to Densha Otoko and Hermes (the nickname of the woman, so named for the brand name of the tea set she sent him), they are still together.

Television series

The television series makes numerous references and homages to otaku culture. The opening animation is a homage to the legendary Daicon IV "Twilight" anime short, which was created by the founders of Gainax. Though rival anime studio GONZO produced the Densha Otoko opening and is referenced several times in the series, the producers acknowledged Gainax's work by putting their name in the credits before that of GONZO.

The series also makes use of Shift JIS art, or Japanese ASCII art during screen transitions and within the story itself. Introductory music from the first episode is Mr. Roboto by Styx. Subsequent openings play the song "Twilight" by the 1970s Birmingham rock group Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), which was also the song used in the Daicon IV opening. The ending song is Sambomaster's .

Getsumen Toheiki Mina

The animation sequences for both the opening and series shots of the metafictional anime series were produced by GONZO. Both GONZO and the producers of the Densha Otoko TV series put a concerted effort into creating the appearance of a long-standing franchise, from hiring seiyū Saori Koide (to play both the voice of Mina as well as Karin Takeda, Mina's voice actress) to recording an opening theme for the Mina series, "Start Me @ Starting Love" by Missing Link.

Several toys, "video games", custom figurines and other "merchandise" were made specifically for use by otaku in the series. One of the figures, valued at $4000, was inadvertently broken by actor Atsushi Itō during filming. Replicas of the original figure were later sold at the Winter 2005 Comiket.

On December 16, 2005, GONZO announced that a real version of Getsumen Toheiki Mina was in production, and that all existing sequences and properties from Densha Otoko would be used.

TV series cast

TV series staff

Movie version

The movie version starred Takayuki Yamada and Miki Nakatani was a big success at the box office, making the story of Densha Otoko popular. In a small movie theater in Tokyo, anyone who said that they were an otaku got a discount on tickets for the movie.

Atsushi Itō, who played Densha Otoko in the television series, has a cameo appearance as another character in the movie. Yamada also appears in the TV series, in a cameo in the first episode.

Manga versions

There are four manga adaptations of Densha Otoko:

Trivia

See also

External links

Japanese television series | Japanese films | 2005 films | 2channel | Internet memes | Manga | Japanese television dramas | Otaku

Tiān-chhia-lâm | Densha Otoko | Densha Otoko | Densha Otoko | 電車男 | 전차남 | Densha Otoko | Densha Otoko | 電車男

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Densha Otoko".

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