Review Rating - Densha Otoko TV Series (2005)
The year is 2005. I was in middle school, the 7th grade to be exact. I was really into anime. I religiously followed Naruto, Bleach, with a love for Samurai Champloo and FLCL. Sometime in 2005 or 2006, my dad introduces me to Japanese tv dramas or "dorama" in Japan. The series is a modern day reverse cinderella story based on "true" events from Japan's popular 2channel message board about an "otaku" or nerd, who saves a beautiful woman on the train from a drunkard. Below is a description of the actual story from Wikipedia:
"On March 14, 2004, at 9:55 p.m., an anonymous user posted in a 2channel thread for single men to talk about their woes. According to his account, he had been sitting next to a young woman on the train when a drunken man entered the car and began to badger a particular woman.The poster took the risk of telling the man to stop bothering the passengers, who were all women. 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 in his life, the poster was amazed to find the woman thanking him deeply for saving her from harassment.The young woman requested his address, telling him that she wanted to express her appreciation for his act, before they parted ways.The poster, upon returning home, shared his experience with other posters in the thread and was eventually nicknamed "Densha Otoko" (Train_Man).
(Atsushi Ito plays Yamada Tsuyoshi a.k.a. Train Man)
A few days later, Train_Man received a package from the woman: an expensive set of cups and saucers made byHermès, a French luxury goods company. Flabbergasted, the man turned to the 2channelers for advice; he was soon convinced that the tea set was too expensive to be a mere thank-you gift. Following the advice and suggestions of the other posters, Train_Man eventually contacted the woman.
(Ito Misaki plays Aoyama Saori a.k.a. Hermes)
The man who wrote admitted things about himself, such as the fact that his number of years without girlfriends equaled his age, that he was an Akihabara nerd and an otaku, and that he had never been on a date. Because of this last fact, he consistently posted updates on his situation, asking for advice on everything from restaurant choices to what clothing to wear. After an enjoyable first date, they began meeting regularly. Following the 2channelers' collective advice, he got a haircut, updated his wardrobe, and began to emerge from his shell. After several dates, his demeanor 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, there was a mass celebration; posts began flowing in congratulating the new couple, and extravagant Shift JIS art pictures were posted.
(Various internet personalities that populate the A-Chan website)
Train_Man's posts continued for a while longer, but on May 17, there were posts about the couple being on the verge of having sex, and several forum members made inappropriate comments on the subject. Later that night, Train_Man left the boards for good." -Wikipedia
I immediately fell in love with the series. The quirky cast of characters, cheesy love story and setting in Akihabara all drew me into their world. The magic of storytelling is an interesting one, especially considering I was totally against the themes of the drama. The netizens of A-Chan are really what make this drama stand out more than anything. It's a large ensemble cast of characters and honestly, without them, this show would be like every other cheesy love story. Behind the scenes, the built every set and room that each character lives in. Throughout the series, the continue to help and guide Tsuyoshi through rough waters.
Despite me praising the drama for it's simplicity, there are some cons however. The dialogue is very very cheesy and some of the lines they say just make you question why the character is even talking in the first place. They take overwriting on a literal level. Yamada is a character you are annoyed at and feel sorry for throughout the entire series. There is a scene in episode 1 where he wants to call Hermes but at the same time, he can't because he's too chicken. I feel as though he relies on the netizens of A-Chan too much.
Fast forward eight years. July 2013 - It was my first time out of the country and I traveled to Tokyo, Japan. I went to Akihabara and yes, I saw Otaku in real life. They did look like Train Man in the series and it's surprising because it shows how much the producers replicated the lifestyle and culture of otaku.
(Above: This is an actual picture I took in Akihabara - July 2013)
Overall, I give this series a 9/10 for it's humor, cheesiness and large cast of characters. It lacks a bit of quality and the dialogue could have been written better. I've watched it multiple times and it's always entertaining. It's the first Japanese drama that I ever saw, how could I resist a positive rating?
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