Trainman aka "Densha Otoko"

[Taro Toporific]

[Captain Japan]

Finally, the whole story seems too good to be true -- reportedly there is speculation on the Web that it might be an elaborate hoax.

I'd say it is most certainly a hoax.

With the advice of his online supporters, he gets a stylish new haircut, buys new clothes, and decides to get contact lenses. They have another dinner date, at which a friend of hers checks him out, and start exchanging cell-phone messages daily. In April they have tea together at her home using the gift teacups and in May he goes shopping with her for a computer.

[jingai]

How about "Densha Otaku" about the life of a f'ed Nihonjin who recites all the station names seconds before the overhead announcment and spends his Sundays taking pictures of trains.

[Captain Japan]

Here's Marvin's version of the story as via Shukan Jitsuwa...
The Train Man: From God of the Geeks to Playboy Prince
Mainichi's Marvin Feltcher

Japan is besotted with "The Train Man," a story of apparently pure love that became an instant bestseller, but actually purged of its most naughty bits, according to Shukan Jitsuwa (12/9).

"The Train Man," or more correctly "Densha Otoko," is a collection of e-mail messages sent in to Ni-Chaneru, Japan's most popular Internet chat site.

He adds a bit of juice...

But amid the tale of innocent love are surprises the best-seller doesn't reveal, which involved graphic details of what The Train Man and Hermes got up to after they rode off into the sunset.

"It turns out The Train Man was an erotic writer as good as any of those who do it for a job," the writer tells Shukan Jitsuwa. "He posted loads of messages about the steamy sessions he and Hermes had enjoyed after getting together. It's totally removed from the innocent love impression given off in the earlier collection of messages, which is probably why it wasn't included in the book."

Indeed, the men's weekly continues, explaining in graphic detail the messages The Train Man posted describing his romps with Hermes and how various tenacious touches and sloppy slurps resulted in screams and writhing throes of ecstasy. The Train Man perhaps describes the situation best: "We devoured each other with the same relish that you would tuck in to a meal after 10 days of fasting," Shukan Jitsuwa quotes him as writing.

I still think this is all heap of shit. Any thoughts, Marvin?

[Marvin Feltcher]

Sorry!

[Captain Japan]

[Captain Japan]

This part is pretty good:

Confused, I asked Hiro, a manga connoisseur and self-proclaimed otaku, what he thought. You've got it backward, he explained. "Densha Otoko" is not about an otaku in love. To the contrary, it's a story of a guy who ditches his otakuness for love. And that's why "Densha Otoko" is destined to remain a fad rather than become a trend. Because for hard-core otaku, the very idea is an impossibility. Despite all reports to the contrary, they are convinced that anonymous Densha Otoko is fictional.

[Mulboyne]

Asahi: (Japanese Only) Stars chosen for "Densha Otoko" - The Film.

[Kanchou]

Bit of a followup: I noticed the first volume of a manga adaption in Tsutaya.

I must say the character design on the cover seemed... politically correct.

[Atarashii]

[Mulboyne]

Interesting that they call him "wota" rather than "otaku"

[Mulboyne]

Japan Times: "Densha Otoko" Review
Train Man is beyond sexually hapless -- he is beyond sex, period. Unlike the multitudes of otaku with their bookmarked porn sites and handy soapland guides, Train Man is frightened silly by the very idea...Which leads to the next question: What's in it for Ms. Hermes -- a smart, attractive professional who in the real world would be dating real men?...When she finally held his hand, in what was intended as a big romantic moment, I was half expecting her to take out her hankie and wipe his nose...What are today's shy guys going to learn from Train Man? Love can be yours, as long as you have an online support group? It's easier to shut the door -- and log on to the "desperate housewives and their hot pets" site.

[Molokidan]

I haven't seen the movie, but I do recommend the weekly drama. Even if you don't buy into the whole "true story" stuff, there's still some hilarious moments. The guy just a total geek -- some parts are really over-the-top.

I think it's on Thursdays at 10 on TV Tokyo.

[IkemenTommy]

[Kuang_Grade]

[amdg]

[IkemenTommy]

Bang bus.. oh wait

[IkemenTommy]

Season finale this week.
My prediction: The train man will not get laid and him and Hermes-tan will just be friends.

[emperor]

Werent we recently discussing a new phenomenon of Japanese women looking for otaku as husbands cause theyre dependable / wont cheat on them?

...that is until playstation 5 ships with a wirelessly connected realdoll with lifelike secreating orifaces, authentic moaning, with vibrating thumbsticks and coloured buttons instead of nipples

[IkemenTommy]

Werent we recently discussing a new phenomenon of Japanese women looking for otaku as husbands cause theyre dependable / wont cheat on them?

Would choosing to go to a comic fest event at Makuhari Messe instead of being with your wife qualify as "cheating?"

[emperor]

Werent we recently discussing a new phenomenon of Japanese women looking for otaku as husbands cause theyre dependable / wont cheat on them?

Would choosing to go to a comic fest event at Makuhari Messe instead of being with your wife qualify as "cheating?"

Chances are she was crushed by one of the stacks of comics piled high in the pokey apartment... she started to smell and he thinks that shes ignoring him with her stonefaced expression: so he dosent really care if she objects
..oh wait im confusing otakus with 3 years old children and retards... my bad!

Id probably give it a watch if i were in country, i like the effect with the text flying by the windows of the train; almost makes you think its a professional production for a second..

he looks like a stereotypical weirdo serial killer in his anorak and the bit at the end of the ad where he walks up and the lights go out seem as if hes about to gut her..

[IkemenTommy]

Otaku geek; nerd; enthusiast

They often hang out @ Akihabara (aka Akiba) in herds playing video games, reading manga comics, watching anime (either robotic, romantic, hentai, doujin, or any combination thereof), building ham radios and computers, going to a manga kissa (kind of like an internet cafe), or meido kissa (maid-themed cafe), etc. They are pretty much the opposite of what we called "the Jocks" in high school.

[emperor]

Otaku defined...

Is that for my benefit? I do actually know what an otaku is, i lived 10 minutes from akihabara for a year.

the scenario with the body crushed by comics and the inability of the otaku to deal with the smell and lack of communication with a corpse points to some geeks inability to deal with people and real life situations on a typically human level

[emperor]

[quote="Cnet"]August 31, 2005 6:30 PM PDT
Japan: Where being a geek can save you money
Being a geek has been chic since the heyday of the technology boom, but a movie theater in Japan is taking the idea a step further, encouraging people to celebrate their inner nerd.
A movie theater south of Tokyo is offering discount tickets to moviegoers who proudly declare themselves "otaku," the Japanese word for "geek," when they purchase tickets, according to The Associated Press. The promotion is taking place as a movie called "Densha Otoko"--or "Train Man"--plays]
now you just need to traverse the south of Tokyo to find the cinema and then you can use the Y100 youve saved to put towards that next manga or monthly edition of train-freaks-journal

[Taro Toporific]

...the Japanese DVD release of Napoleon Dynamite will be using the title of Bus Man...

That is ridiculous. What the hell does 'bus' have to do with the movie????

Some Japanese people wonder what "bus" has to do with with the movie too......like the "geisha" at Weekly Teinou Bee Woman (the Japanese side of the Geisha asobi blog).

[IkemenTommy]

Frustrating densha game

[emperor]

Frustrating densha game

I hate that game...so much....

[IkemenTommy]

I know. I came so close from scoring Erumesu-tan and I died..

[Neo-Rio]

I managed to finish that game on the highest level, but not after a lot of initial swearing at my PC. Holy crap, I'm surprised I did it. The game is almost totally unfair in places.... but I scored my wallpaper download!

[IkemenTommy]

Did anyone else see the finale?
It was good ending and I liked it way better than the movie.

Has anyone read the book?
I tried to skill up on my Japanese by getting the book but there is no narration and all it is is some blog entries from 2channel.

And you can read in its entirety on the web at places like here