Description: Computer engineer Otaku (the Japanese term for "geek") is an average young man, dressed in unstylish clothes and dorky glasses. But as luck would have it, he encounters a pretty young woman on a commuter train and saves her from a lecherous molester, falling in love with her at first sight. A few days later he receives a thank-you message from the woman along with a set of Hermes teacups. Having never had a girlfriend or received a gift from a girl in his life, Otaku seeks out his pals on his BBS website for advice using his codename Train_Man (Densha Otoko): "How should I ask her out?" Deeply interested in Train Man's first love, his BBS pals eagerly supply him with advice. Encouraged by their support, Train_Man undergoes a total makeover for his first-ever date with "Hermess". Little does he know that he is about to ignite an Internet phenomenon...
Amazon.com: A supposedly true combination of a romance and a Pygmalion story, Densha Otoko began as an on-line tale that captivated audiences in Japan: there's a novel, a TV show, and a manga series, in addition to this feature. The title character is a textbook otaku, an anime and video game nerd who divides his time between the electronics stores in Tokyo's Akihabara district and the computer in his cluttered room. One day on a commuter train, he prevents an obnoxious drunk from bothering a pretty girl. She sends him a set of Hermès teacups as a thank-you and a tentative romance begins. Train Man has no idea how to behave with a girl, so an on-line posse tells him how to dress and what to say. Ultimately, his example inspires them to go out into the world. Director Masanori Murakami effectively uses a split screen to create the on-line community. Takayuki Yamada makes a wonderfully maladroit Train Man: when he calls Hermès for the first time, he holds the phone as if he were about to commit seppuku. Miki Nakatami infuses Hermès with a winning mixture of gentleness and independence. This touching romance will delight Gen-Y and -Z members, whose lives are bound to the Internet. (Unrated, suitable for ages 13 and older: minor violence, alcohol and tobacco use)--Charles Solomon
fun show I saw some of this show at a con one year and though it be fun to watch. I must say after watching it. It's very much like the Japanese to make a show like this. I enjoy it and would remand it to any body.
Densha Otoko: great film about contemporary Japanese youth This was an awesome movie. I teach a basic high school Japanese course and had been looking for a film about contemporary young people in Japan without anything sexual or violent. I was worried at first if they would find it too romantic but surprisingly they were riveted from the opening scene, in Akihabara, the Tokyo Electronics district. The film gives lots of insight into the habits, language, and social lives of Japanese twenty-somethings. It was a bonus that the film's characters are mostly "otaku", geeks, like my students, so they could really relate to the characters' difficulties interacting with live humans in the real world, even as they fluently socialize with each other online. Good flick, lots of fun, emotional at the end. It's in Japanese, so you need subtitles if you're not fluent.
Fun movie, very enjoyable Ran across this movie as a flyer in another Japanese movie. The story is interesting and fun - a little schmaltzy. I recommend it.
fun movie for anyone this is a really fun movie to watch. i've never seen a movie quite like this.
as far as the dvd extras go. they have a bunch of background info explaining japanese culture around where this movie takes place.
Well Done English Translation (Subtitles) Being a native speaker of the Japanese language, I watched the film with Japanese voice and English subtitle. Often, with other movies, I find myself frustrated with translation being not so accurate, but this film didn't irritate me. It is impossible for translation to convey the exact context, and therefore one can achieve the BEST possible translation. I say that the best possible translation effort was made with a success in this film. The quality of translation matters when one watches foreign films.
As a comedy I think this film is entertaining. They used this film as one of films shown for Japanese Film Festival in Miami, and I could see other audiences having good time in the theater. I thought the film conveys the culture of Japanese high-tech communication in a proper fashion. Although I am not exactly a nerd (some of my friends say I am, but I insist that I am not), I have had an experience a few years ago where I had to receive support from a certain group of anonymous Japanese persons online, who understood a very specific issue, and I think my overcoming that issue had a lot to do with the online support from people I didn't even know their names.
It is true that Japanese online community has unbelievably strong bond and influences to us in a way that wasn't so before Internet came along. That I can say for sure from my own experience.
Anything Goes Trivia
Megaton Man
Tailipoe
Trevor
