Train Man: Densha Otoko (2005)

I absolutely adore this movie! From the original and fresh story line to the great cinematography and quirky soundtrack, so many elements of this movie are wonderfully executed and work together flawlessly.

I am someone who appreciates cultures. Especially getting a sneak peek, almost "fly on the wall" glimpse into niche sub-cultures. This movie definitely gives you that feel. Welcome to Nerd-Dom! Land of the introverted and not particularly brave. The filming of this movie makes you feel as if you are literally transported right into Akihabara, Tokyo. BAM! You are suddenly walking among the otakus, sitting in the manga cafes or browsing the loud, blustering computer hardware stores. I swear it's an almost magical experience.

The story is fast-paced and witty. There are moments that will have you falling out of your chair with laughter, other moments that might bring a tear to your eye, and yet some moments that will have you shouting at your screen! All of the actors involved do an excellent job of balancing between these emotions--especially Takayuki Yamada, who pulls off a believable, yet gradual, transformation of the main character. All of the sub-characters play into the story line so well that you don't feel as if this is a story about one person or two people. It feels like it's everyone's story! It's the story of many people being impacted by the actions and courage of one brave nerd. :)

If ever you're looking for a different kind of love story, this is it! Without giving too much away, this is a story about courage and being bold. It's about how if you want something in life, you have to be unafraid and take a chance, no matter how difficult it might be. Even if you might think you're undeserving, in life, you have to at least try.

It's a universal and simple message, but this movie succeeds in presenting it with a lot of heart.

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As a current socially awkward CS student whose been single all her life, I related to the Densha Otoko (main character) far too much. And NOT only do I love this movie, it gives me HOPE!

The story is an odd twist on a common trope: a nerd falls in love, and has no idea what to do, and needs a makeover. When it comes to romcom tropes, there's no real "evil" rival character that does horrible things to get the guy/girl, so if you're the type to hate such characters (me!), you have nothing to fear! It's about the Densha Otoko improving himself as a person in order to get the girl, which is always a nice thing to see.

The scenes where the Densha Otoko asks the Internet what to do are well-executed, and the scenes where Internet commenters read his updates are small stories all on their own. (If you're well-versed in Japanese entertainment: a fun game to play is to see how many unnamed actors/actresses you know playing these commenters.)

The characters aren't too complex, but they're sweet and endearing; you can't help BUT root for them. Hermes (the woman's nickname) is essentially the sweet and cute lady character, and the Densha Otoko is the "resorts to the Internet for advice to move forward via his tablet" character that's been gaining traction in Japanese entertainment (before tablets were a thing, of course). However, he isn't haughty and I'm-so-smart-y as the stereotypical tablet-dependent character; if anything, he's like a little boy asking his big brother for girl advice. He's a ON (Original Nerd) that learns from nice people on the Internet on how to socialize, and [spoilers].

Takayuki Yamada is one of the best actors in Japan--maybe in the world, given his forays into film festivals with a couple of his recent movies--and his portrayal of the Densha Otoko is no exception. As attractive as he is, he was able to convince me of Densha Otoko's pure, unadulterated ON-ness. More than convinced, I truly believed he was the Densha Otoko. Hermes's character isn't too special, but Nakatani Miki showed her capability of playing a Sweet Lady character (so I wouldn't watch this movie to see her acting chops).

I'd recommend this to the socially awkward, nerds, fans of Takayuki Yamada, those who've been single all their life, and people who like using the Internet.

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