IC Forum Archive

Akiramenai · Posts: 5

# Title: 電車男 / Densha Otoko
# Also Known As: The Train Man
# Episodes: 11
# Genre: Romance
# Viewership:
# Air time: Thursday 10:00-10:54 PM
# Broadcasted by: Fuji TV
# Broadcast period: 2005-07-07

Densha Otoko
I came across this show two weeks ago, a friend of mine told me to watch it. And so I did.

mappyman · Posts: 1

i agree.
this show without a doubt is one of the best j-dramas ive ever watched. helps that i know the Otaku culture well and man did they hit the nail right on the head.
I love the 2channel refrences and little ascii monas doing scene transitions too!
the main guy (who was also the nerdy guy on Battlefield Baseball btw) is really crazy but man he nearly had me in tears near the end of episode 1. it was THAT good of a show!

Ganbare Densha Otoko!

chazumaru* · Posts: 480

Damn I thought it was a post from FIRE!!!!.

Thanks for the links, though.

Persona-sama · Posts: 1145

They all look too pretty to be posters of a message board.

This is my controversial, non-controversial response!

(I also scanned a newspaper article about this from the LA Times a while back. I think it's still up around here:
http://www.mooglecavern.com/persona/4cha/denshaotoko.jpg

Wait.. this is about a movie. Oh well, same idea.)

LegatoB · Posts: 1546

The 2ch posters are great.

Kazu · Posts: 894

aw, after watching sekai no chuusin de ai wo sakebu (FINALLY they did release the final episode) Densha is next to "Slow Dance" the j-drama i'm into right now.

and boy, Densha is >hilarious<. The spirital succsessor to genshiken? Well, have to wait to state that, but it might be possible.

[edit]
finished watching the first episode this afternoon, and boy, this Drama isn't great, it's drftgy!!!

it caught me off-guard with all it's greatness, i didn't expect it to be that good. still have to think about it again. Wow.

legatob wrote:

The 2ch posters are great.

they are so hardcore - can someone over there (Japan) get some of them to register here? that would be too good to be true, wouldn't it?

aderack · Posts: 5018

Tim has something to say about this series.

...

Like, watch for him in the closing credits.

special blend · Posts: 154

LW Joestar posted pics of Tim somewhere.

LW Joestar · Posts: 1358

special blend wrote:

LW Joestar posted pics of Tim somewhere.

I might have...

108 · Posts: 2600

Yeah, I'm in there.

I'm also in the last episode.

You forgot to mention the closing song is

Sambo Master -- 世界はそれを愛と呼ぶんだぜ

I have much more screen time in the full video for that song, which begins airing on next Thursday night.

Valkyrie wrote:

legatob wrote:

The 2ch posters are great.

they are so hardcore - can someone over there (Japan) get some of them to register here? that would be too good to be true, wouldn't it?

Well, I'm here. I posted in the Densha Otoko thread way back when.

Oh?! Are you saying you wanted a JAPANESE person?

YOU GOD DAMNED RACIST!!

Kazu · Posts: 894

108 wrote:

Valkyrie wrote:

legatob wrote:

The 2ch posters are great.

they are so hardcore - can someone over there (Japan) get some of them to register here? that would be too good to be true, wouldn't it?

Well, I'm here. I posted in the Densha Otoko thread way back when.

legatob wrote:

you happen to be that awesome guy?

108 wrote:

Oh?! Are you saying you wanted a JAPANESE person?
YOU GOD DAMNED RACIST!!

not in particular since i can read your posts without having to search for a subfile. But you might include a sub-file in every post ... if you like!
it would be a damn cool feature to have subs even in posts.

Sub · Posts: 696

i'm RIGHT THE FUCK HERE

IN A POST

Edit: I watched it, and it was really good. More depressing than the otaku himself was probably the realization that I had a whole bunch of his Gundam merchandise (guys NCS is selling the poster behind his computer for six bucks if you're interested).

Kazu · Posts: 894

Sub wrote:

Edit: I watched it, and it was really good. More depressing than the otaku himself was probably the realization that I had a whole bunch of his Gundam merchandise (guys NCS is selling the poster behind his computer for six bucks if you're interested).

and he's a keroro gunso-fan. hell how can ANYONE not be keroro-fan i often wonder.
Episode 2 didn't meet my expectations in a way, but i must admit that episode 1 left me with exorbitant expectations, and a second glance at the episode did proof that it's worth being a Densha Otoko-episode.

and i like the intro-animation so much. i want that figurine, too.

Rufus · Posts: 8

I appreciate the opening animation's resemblance to this.

Kazu · Posts: 894

now what's that? since i'm

newave · Posts: 616

Sweet thanks for the link...i was hoping for a torrent ever since Tim peaked my interest over at LPN....

Rufus · Posts: 8

It's a small animation the people who eventually became Gainax made for an Osaka anime convention in the 80s. This seems to be the only English website about it, but its recently updated enough to mention Densha Otoko on the trivia page. There was a good parody of the Daicon videos in the 5th episode of FLCL as well.

newave · Posts: 616

Rufus wrote:

It's a small animation the people who eventually became Gainax made for an Osaka anime convention in the 80s. This seems to be the only English website about it, but its recently updated enough to mention Densha Otoko on the trivia page. There was a good parody of the Daicon videos in the 5th episode of FLCL as well.

I used to have a decent mpg of it....gotta love the cheesy ELO song....

aderack · Posts: 5018

Okay. I watched the first episode, then turned the second one off fifteen minutes in.

It's not bad. It spends way too much effort making the lead a sad sack. I got tired of seeing this guy fumbling around and making himself miserable because he's a nerdy guy with no self esteem, and everyone bullying him on top of that, and fate seeming to be against him because it suits the plot. Especially since the general trajectory of the story is so obvious, and all any of this does is delay the inevitable.

Each episode could easily be half as long just by chopping out the redundant misery. At a certain point it goes past comical and just becomes annoying.

I feel like I'm watching Megatokyo: The Series.

Kazu · Posts: 894

charlie · Posts: 211

What are you guys using to view the subtitles? Does WMP support sub files or do I gotta re-encode the video with the subs myself?

Akiramenai · Posts: 5

charlie wrote:

What are you guys using to view the subtitles? Does WMP support sub files or do I gotta re-encode the video with the subs myself?

BSplayer (http://www.bsplayer.org/) combined with the Sony BSPlayer v2.0 skin (Click!)

Still waiting for the 3th ep subs. :x

Kazu · Posts: 894

charlie wrote:

What are you guys using to view the subtitles? Does WMP support sub files or do I gotta re-encode the video with the subs myself?

mplayer.
the "doraemon-mediaplayer" so far...

the ep. 3 subs will won't come out till monday/thursday since the subber-person is moving this weekend (at least he said he will) .. so still waiting for the subs ....
and i like that mina-figurine. she's awesome...

extralife · Posts: 3316

aderack wrote:

I feel like I'm watching Megatokyo: The Series.

Ouch. That sort of sinks any interest.

LW Joestar · Posts: 1358

extralife wrote:

aderack wrote:

I feel like I'm watching Megatokyo: The Series.

Ouch. That sort of sinks any interest.

While there is an element of thruth to that statement, it's really not THAT bad. The show is actualy quite enjoyable.

aderack · Posts: 5018

It is better than Megatokyo, yes. Still. You get the idea.

Sub · Posts: 696

LW Joestar wrote:

extralife wrote:

aderack wrote:

I feel like I'm watching Megatokyo: The Series.

Ouch. That sort of sinks any interest.

While there is an element of thruth to that statement, it's really not THAT bad. The show is actualy quite enjoyable.

Yeah; despite the whole story being typical otaku wish-fullfillment stuff, I'm kind of enjoying it for its exaggeration (though i kind of wish this girl he's after had some kind of personality; any at all will do).

Kazu · Posts: 894

Sub wrote:

Yeah; despite the whole story being typical otaku wish-fullfillment stuff, I'm kind of enjoying it for its exaggeration (though i kind of wish this girl he's after had some kind of personality; any at all will do).

you might watch the "You are under Arrest"-jdrama then, since there she's playing a more lively character. although it might spoil the fun to see her in densha, i suppose.

chazumaru* · Posts: 480

I just saw the two first episodes. Interesting stuff. The natural evolution of shows like Genshiken. Japan definitely accepted Otakus as the people who will save their fucked-up economy, so now they need to believe they can get integrated to society up to the point of banging cute girls. I especially like how they lost total will to creaet any sort of credible plot from the second episode, as the real story isn't exciting enough to entertain for more than half an hour.

Is there a sub for the third show yet ?

108 · Posts: 2600

chazumaru* wrote:

Japan definitely accepted Otakus as the people who will save their fucked-up economy, so now they need to believe they can get integrated to society up to the point of banging cute girls.

Actually, this totally isn't the point at all!!

I have . . . a whole lot to say about this. I will reveal all when I've seen the entire series. I'll be nice and truthful-like about everything, I swear.

Kazu · Posts: 894

i have seen the two (famous (and hilarious)) Daicon-Openings and if i recall correctly, Densha bought (episode 1) a small ship which could resemble that ship that is dropped onto the "Nautlius" from Nadja .. hell, i don't know why that came to my mind when seeing that short scene but i have to watch it once again to be sure.

and the episode 3 subs seem to be halfway done ...

chazumaru* · Posts: 480

You can get the Daicon / FLCL related stuff here.

charlie · Posts: 211

108 wrote:

Well, I'm here. I posted in the Densha Otoko thread way back when.

So in the ending credits, are all those other people also 2ch posters who helped out the original Densha Otoko?

Kazu · Posts: 894

chazumaru* wrote:

You can get the Daicon / FLCL related stuff here.

thx for that link, since i'm a nadia-fan as well it's nice to get some stuff

108 · Posts: 2600

charlie wrote:

108 wrote:

Well, I'm here. I posted in the Densha Otoko thread way back when.

So in the ending credits, are all those other people also 2ch posters who helped out the original Densha Otoko?

Yes . . . and no!!

Akiramenai · Posts: 5

Subs for ep 3 are finished: Download !

charlie · Posts: 211

108 wrote:

charlie wrote:

108 wrote:

Well, I'm here. I posted in the Densha Otoko thread way back when.

So in the ending credits, are all those other people also 2ch posters who helped out the original Densha Otoko?

Yes . . . and no!!

Thanks for clearing that up for me Tim!

Kappuru · Posts: 492

If anyone wants to read it, the original bbs format of densha otoko is here.
http://www.geocities.co.jp/Milkyway-Aquarius/7075/trainman.html

108 · Posts: 2600

charlie wrote:

108 wrote:

charlie wrote:

108 wrote:

Well, I'm here. I posted in the Densha Otoko thread way back when.

So in the ending credits, are all those other people also 2ch posters who helped out the original Densha Otoko?

Yes . . . and no!!

Thanks for clearing that up for me Tim!

You're welcome!!

There's not . . . much more to say. Sambo Master needed extras for the show; the people on 2channel were pissed that Orange Range had been picked to do the song for the movie, because they wanted Sambo Master. Why there's this battle between Sambo Master and Orange Range in the geeks' minds, I don't know. Maybe because one of them is artificial, trite, and terrible, and the other is totally awesome in a misunderstood way.

Anyway, they rallied and rallied and finally Sambo Master was picked to do the song. The way this all came about is actually kind of boring. It is also, however, a wonderful example of the internet being used as a tool to accomplish something. Anyway, it was announced by Sony Music people, on 2channel, that they wanted extras for the video that will run at the end of the episode. That was the only place such information was released, and it was kind of buried.

They ended up with 200 extras in, I guess, about a day.

This, however, was not how I found my way in. No, no, I had secured a spot about two days before the thread went live.

Oh yes.

chazumaru* · Posts: 480

Thanks for keeping track of the releases, akirametal.

Akiramenai · Posts: 5

chazumaru* wrote:

Thanks for keeping track of the releases, akirametal.

No prob Chaz, tomorrow I'm going to Egypt so I won't be back in two weeks (or forever). :)

Torrent for the OP + ED:
ED [Densha Otoko] Sekai wa Sore wo Ai to Yobun da ze by Sambo Master
[Densha Otoko] Mr. Roboto by Styx.mp3
[Densha Otoko] Pretty Woman by Roy Orbison.mp3
OP [Densha Otoko] Twilight by Electric Light Orchestra.mp3

Download torrent!

KonamiCode · Posts: 88

Tried watching the first episode, I got super annoyed by the main character almost instantly so I forwarded to the end for the SamboMaster song and to try to spot TIM ROGERS. I didn't see him and I didn't think the song was as up to par with some of their other songs. Tim, is there a longer version available or is that it?

stabo10 · Posts: 47

Ever since I first heard of this thing, it has bothered me.

Thankfully, this guy has figured out why.

"According to the story, an otaku wants to get to know a woman he encountered on the train. He solicits romantic advice from bulletin board participants and keeps them apprised of his progress. The story has a happy ending, of course. The geek gets the girl and reaps the congratulations of his online advisers.

The predictable story irritates Honda. He says the heart-warming ending is not an otaku victory, but rather a failure."

---------------------------

As a side note, if you replace 2ch with "Caltrops and Livejournal" and Otaku, well, with whatever an Otaku is if he plays FPSes instead of galgames, you get something similar to this online romance story I witnessed unfold firsthand, best summarized here by this actual written letter to the "Denpa Otoko" in question's mother:

http://www.livejournal.com/users/evilneps/295836.html

Really though, the similarities between Denpa Otoko and Jhoh are striking. Look at how both chose to visually represent themselves.

Denpa Otoko book cover

Jhoh Cable's avatar in his self profile section

Ukyo · Posts: 99

Wow, I love how it started on 7/7! haha.

This thing is a bit too drawn out, and overly dramatic, but I think that's the style they were going for. If you can't find drama in real life, where can you turn to?

I'm a bit bothered by the main character, he whines a bit too much, it's pretty refreshing that it's trying to throw in a bit of comedy, though, I can recall far too many "serious dramas" that are equivalent to soap operas.

What I like about this show is that it portrays the internet boards pretty well, how many times have you flamed or been flamed; and not only that, it reflects the personas and their reasons why they post such things by showing characters (albeit hyperbolic versions of what people consider normal.) They seem to only portray the hardcore otaku in this, which is a bit of a drag, I've yet to see an actual "gamer" so oh well...The girl has very little character so far, that or they just wanted her to seem distant as they focused on Densha Otoko's view of the matter. The way they handle events, by not actually presenting them in chronological order is nice, although the whole thing seems to have gotten into too much of a rhythm, and thus is too predictable. The musical selection says it all.

I like it though, it's "different."

Baron Patsy · Posts: 573

stabo10 wrote:

Ever since I first heard of this thing, it has bothered me.

Thankfully, this guy has figured out why.

"According to the story, an otaku wants to get to know a woman he encountered on the train. He solicits romantic advice from bulletin board participants and keeps them apprised of his progress. The story has a happy ending, of course. The geek gets the girl and reaps the congratulations of his online advisers.

The predictable story irritates Honda. He says the heart-warming ending is not an otaku victory, but rather a failure."

---------------------------

As a side note, if you replace 2ch with "Caltrops and Livejournal" and Otaku, well, with whatever an Otaku is if he plays FPSes instead of galgames, you get something similar to this online romance story I witnessed unfold firsthand, best summarized here by this actual written letter to the "Denpa Otoko" in question's mother:

http://www.livejournal.com/users/evilneps/295836.html

Really though, the similarities between Denpa Otoko and Jhoh are striking. Look at how both chose to visually represent themselves.

Denpa Otoko book cover

Jhoh Cable's avatar in his self profile section

Um. Denpa Otoko and Densha Otoko are two very different things, first of all. One is the Train-Man story, one is a book written defending otaku culture.

Also, that situation that you described bears a link to Densha Otoko that is tenuous, at best. And pictures like that are fairly common, so the link there is also rather weak.

108 · Posts: 2600

Oh, fuck. The new Sambo Master video was just on TV.

I'm in it, screaming, for like ten seconds. I look like such a fucking jerk.

YES!!

As a side note, the latest episode of Densha Otoko, episode 4, really pissed me off. The guy is being more of a fucking asshole than ever. I wanted to hit him. The scene in the rain, with the surfboard, (you'll see) made me spit up Coca-Cola, which is a damn near capital offense in this house.

The episode deals with, slightly, the increase in popularity of the densha otoko thread on 2ch. It ends with . . . well, a big development. And the next episode seems to be the one where he gets the brilliant idea to try being himself around her.

I guess the movie is less irritating, though this is clearly more . . . thoughtful. Though are these thoughts . . . important?

It's a capsulization of otaku, is what it is. It's otaku in a box. When they call him an otaku, it's all about his looks, and his social retardation; it tells us he's a freak, it doesn't show us.

I was telling my friend that they need to make a movie about an otaku man whose life is changed when a new character introduced in his favorite fighting game (you see the otaku lined up, all waiting in line, at the arcade, whenever a new character is introduced; only a small percentage of them will ever make that character THEIR character) and he decides to make that character his new character.

Or something.

Or a movie about manga-writing which isn't totally fucking wacky and bizarre.

Anyway. My next most-looked-forward to piece of Japanese pop-culture is the "NANA" movie opening on September 3rd.

So!!

stabo10 · Posts: 47

Baron Patsy wrote:

Um.

Sorry, but you're incorrect.

Kazu · Posts: 894

Ukyo wrote:

I'm a bit bothered by the main character, he whines a bit too much, it's pretty refreshing that it's trying to throw in a bit of comedy, though, I can recall far too many "serious dramas" that are equivalent to soap operas.

Well, yeah - Densha called her up several times but then he's whining around "but i CAN'T call her, really!" ... gosh, he did call her five times or so and NOW he can't anymore?!
We~eell, maybe that will improve after ep.5

Ukyo wrote:

What I like about this show is that it portrays the internet boards pretty well, how many times have you flamed or been flamed; and not only that, it reflects the personas and their reasons why they post such things by showing characters (albeit hyperbolic versions of what people consider normal.) They seem to only portray the hardcore otaku in this, which is a bit of a drag, I've yet to see an actual "gamer" so oh well

One of them has a Mushihime-Sama-poster over his TV screen (ep.4) ... it's that guy which had that a Sakura-Taisen-figurine in the first three episodes.

I like that little gimmicks like the five little figurines (with the ANA-uniforms) the aircraft-nerd has ... except Denshas room, it's kind of ... mainstream?
Densha says he is a "normal" otaku-person, but he has way too much Gundams and Rei/Asuka figurines ... the other posters (like the one with the glasses who get's nervous all the time) have some thing they're after and collect huge amounts of that stuff, but densha isn't into anything at all. His room looks like he's an otaku just for being an otaku, not for anythings sake (trains, games, hentai, whatever).
But maybe i'm wrong and seeing things a wrong way...

Ukyo wrote:

...The girl has very little character so far, that or they just wanted her to seem distant as they focused on Densha Otoko's view of the matter.

She very much looks like a doll, sitting there in her room, pretending to read a book - and then she is called by densha, finally, now she can do anything except looking like a dumbass. Her room is also too impersonal to be true.

So i would say the setup of the two main characters rooms lacks something which makes them believable. I wonder why, though ...

Ukyo · Posts: 99

Yes but if you notice, when all the other Otaku fans are going crazy about the voice actress, he has his pathetic disposable Kodak camera, and looks almost confused as to the way the others are reacting. I think he is in fact more of an Otaku because of the ideology and not the actual fandom. How he rants over Mina it seems like he was made to enjoy the details of the anime, as much as the anime itself...

That or they decided to go with very mainstream animes that would seem recognizable for the non-anime inclined, and so it would seem "extreme" when in fact it is not so. Kind of like alleged "gamers" who talk about Halo and add in Metroid, because Samus is so totally hot.

They both seem to be people who are not exactly fit for the places they are in, this could be on purpose, and very well be quite genius on the part of the director, or it could be stilted acting, and I could be appreciating something that isn't there...Which is probably more likely...

yellowlightman · Posts: 359

Valkyrie wrote:

I like that little gimmicks like the five little figurines (with the ANA-uniforms) the aircraft-nerd has ... except Denshas room, it's kind of ... mainstream?
Densha says he is a "normal" otaku-person, but he has way too much Gundams and Rei/Asuka figurines ... the other posters (like the one with the glasses who get's nervous all the time) have some thing they're after and collect huge amounts of that stuff, but densha isn't into anything at all. His room looks like he's an otaku just for being an otaku, not for anythings sake (trains, games, hentai, whatever).
But maybe i'm wrong and seeing things a wrong way...

There's nothing normal or mainstread about having that many friggin' Gunpla kits. Admirable maybe, but not "normal." Regardless, there's enough Gundam material to be a Gundam-specific otaku, really