Movies - Densha Otoko

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	Movies - Densha Otoko

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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.

Densha Otoko (, literally "Train Man") is the allegedly true story of a Japanese 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 subesequent 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 on June 2005, and a television series which aired on Fuji TV from July 7th to September 22nd 2005 (plus a bonus episode on October 6th 2005).

Some attest to the truth of the story, such as the TV series producers who got in contact with 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. This story is 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, and Densha Otoko is a typical sample of this young generation.

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.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Densha Otoko ]

This page is based on the copyrighted Wikipedia article Densha Otoko; it is used under the GNU Free Documentation License. You may redistribute it, verbatim or modified, providing that you comply with the terms of the GFDL.

Movies - Densha Otoko

Original posts on 2 Channel

Television series

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