How much time do you spend reading anime blogs, visiting forums, or chatting on 2channel? Do you have enough time after socializing on line to do a little of the same with real people? Or maybe you consider gossiping with the store clerk about a recent risqué resin cast model to be plenty?
Is there room in your life for love after an online existence? Hell yes! And if it can happen to Densha Otoko (Train Man) over in Japan, American otaku have a shot at romance as well.
Densha Otoko is the (allegedly) true story of a Japanese otaku who finds love and life after the internet, thanks to his heroism. The story unfolded “live†on the 2chan message board and has since inspired four manga, a TV series and a movie. This story captivated the hearts of Japan and many people were sad when Densha finally unplugged from the message board. On the other hand, they were thrilled that one of their own could find true love since it meant there was hope for themselves.
Densha (Train) was an ordinary, wired otaku. He led a happy (sort of) life, online at the popular Japanese message board 2chan. Densha would frequent Akihabara to get his otaku fix and he’d take the train for those excursions. On the train ride back from one such visit, Densha is witness to the violent ramblings and attacks of a drunk, older business man.
The drunkard first harasses a group of women on the train who are conversing, belittling them and shouting in their faces. He then moves on to attack a pretty young lady reading a book. Yelling at her and slapping the book out of her hand, he reduces her almost to tears. No one on the train looks up from their laptops or books. No one speaks up to defend the women and that’s when Densha makes the move that changes his life. Standing up and rushing the old man, he attempts to stop the drunk’s tirade. His attempt isn’t what I would call a success, but it was an attempt, which is more than what anybody else on the train did.
Apparently, however, the women consider what he did a smashing success and rush to thank him. They all want his address in order to send him a formal thank you since they feel so grateful for his intervention. He obliges them all, with a nervous smile for the pretty young woman and a mumbled apology.
After he gets home, he pours his heart out to the 2chan community, leaving out nothing of his fear and apprehensions. To his surprise, the community is enthralled by his story. They want all the details and harangue him for more of the story.
The next day, Densha receives in the mail a set of expensive tea cups from the bag company Hermes . The sender is the same young lady he shyly gave his address too the day of the harassment incident. Stunned, he turns to his 2chan friends for advice on what to do next. What unfolds is a beautiful story of courage and true love.
Takayuki Yamada plays Densha superbly. He’s a thoroughly convincing, clueless geek who really comes across as an otaku who lives mainly for his anime and his electronics. The way Takayuki played Densha was one of the best parts of the movie. Even after Densha undergoes a makeover, he still emits otaku rays like crazy. His halting speech that alternately shyly stutters then babbles on thoughtlessly made my heart ache for him. You can take the otaku outta Akihabara but you can’t take Akihabara outta the otaku. But Densha learns, and he’s a quick teach. Taking all of his 2chan comrades’ advice to heart, he overcomes his shy otaku-ness to at least pass as “normalâ€.
Hermes (the on line nickname for the damsel in distress) is played by Miki Nakatani. Her character is a quiet young professional. Someone, one would think, who would never agree to dinner with Densha. Yet she does agree and Miki’s performance as a sheltered, advantaged woman is as well played as Takayuki’s performance as a clueless otaku.
The love story is sincerely touching and the actors (can’t say enough) were brilliant. The 2chan community was a hoot. We get to see all the otaku who cheer Densha on. Some are not so otaku, some are so otaku they make Densha look normal.
Each time Densha types another chapter in his adventure, the 2chan crew throw in their advice and their musings about the situation. My fave bit with the 2chan board is when the otaku trio enact “love is a battle fieldâ€; literally.
The cinematography was creative. When the 2chan members are on line, the screen splits to show each individual. When Densha types his story, the words waver with his emotions and the Japanese emoticons come to life on screen.
Densh Otoko had laughs, it had love and it almost made me cry (I was too tired for the weepy emotions to effect me). What it didn’t have was a decent ending. It actually had four endings. If the movie had just chosen one, it would have been perfect. I’m guessing the studio took a page from Peter Jackson’s Return of the King and blessed this movie with multiple endings. I kept wanting to get up and turn the DVD player off, but each time another “ending†rambled on screen. Finally, the movie ended…buuuttt at the end of the credits is yet another ending. Ha, I lied! There were five endings!
Aside from the less than satisfactory wrap up(s), this movie was a complete delight. It’s a great movie to inspire hope in any otaku. Spread the word and maybe you can find love tonight…
Densha Otoko received 
out of a possible score of four gummies.
