Tag: ti: Train Man

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comedy drama, melodrama literary adaptations romance

Train Man

“Train Man” (Densha Otoko) directed by Murakami Shosuke, was released in 2005.

This romantic comedy film is not the first exposure of the story to the public. It was originally from a Japanese bulletin board website thread called ‘ch2’ in 2004. In fact, the story has been published in books, manga, drama and play too. However, the film, starring Yamada Takayuki and Nakatani Miki as the two main characters, has features that show colours of Japanese culture, its trends, and aspects of Japanese people in its own style.

A 22-year-old man (Yamada Takayuki starring as Densha otoko), who likes to wander on Akihabara Street, is a computer engineer. One day, on his way to home, he was struck by the beauty of a goddess-like woman (Nakatani Miki starring as Hermes) on the train. Suddenly, a drunk man causes a nuisance to people on the train and picks up on the woman. There, Densha otoko somehow saves her from the drunkard, and as gratitude, she asks for his address in order to send him a thank-you gift. And the love story begins. Densha otoko posts his first encounter with Hermes, and people all around in Japan get interested in this geeky guy’s love affair. After few days, he receives a set of Hermes mugs from her, but with his age equaling the number of his years without a girlfriend, he doesn’t know how to meet her again. So, he asks for advice from people from the website.

The number of people who coach Densha otoko increases day by day, and at some point, people become so involved that they feel like it is their own matters. They give advice on what to say, what to wear, which restaurants to eat at, when to ask out, based on their own experience. These people include a nurse who had been dumped by her boyfriend, a married salaryman who has no conversation with his wife, a married woman who feels lonely, three young men who almost live at a manga-book shop, and a cynical young man who shut himself up from his family and the outside. They cheer Densha otoko up and give genuine advice.

It is noticeable in the beginning that Densha otoko is a total otaku, a slang word for geek. (Even in the name, the assonance in the two words show similarity. i.e. otaku & otoko) However, the image of otaku is only present in the beginning of the film until Densha otoko gets a total make-over for the first date with Hermes. He cuts his long hair, takes off his glasses and replaces his glasses with contact lenses, gets dressed into a pair of trendy denim jeans instead of trousers that his father would wear. Although Densha otoko is reflected as an otaku, it doesn’t necessarily make the story about how an otaku comes to fall in love with a beautiful woman. In fact, his switch of image in the beginning occurred to me as a beautification of real otaku people in order to make it a love story between a normal man and woman. It molds negative aspects of otaku so that more audiences become interested and feel sympathy for Densha otoko.

Other than the image of otaku in the film, there are some other cultural aspects that can be observed. In the scene where Densha otoko sees Hermes for the first time, people’s reaction toward the drunken man is kind of comical but interesting at the same time. People don’t try to make eye contact with the drunkard and nobody stand up to him. I thought this showed how Japanese people don’t like to speak up in public, and how the influence of individualism is currently present in public places such as the train. I wondered what would have happened if the same situation occurred in Canada, and I think anyone would have stopped the drunken man, for their own safety and for others.

On the other hand, there are some aspects of the traditional culture of Japan shown too. For example, Hermes and the other ladies who were saved by Densha otoko from the drunken man, ask for Densha otoko’s address to express gratitude. This cultural exchange of gifts is one of the unique customs in Japan. When someone receives a service or a gift from another, people always pay them back and give thanks.

There were two certain scenes that brought me to think about people’s different treatments depending on appearance. A campaign girl who advertises a man’s cosmetic product gives out samples of the product to every man passing by on a street. There she comes up to Densha otoko to give out the samples but she abruptly turns away after looking at his appearance. However, after Densha otoko transforms, the same girl holds the sample until he takes it. I thought that in her attitude, she represents how young Japanese people really are attached to appearance. These scenes can be compared to one of the scenes at the climax, when Densha otoko unintentionally goes back to the geeky outlook to find Hermes on Akihabara Street. (Watch and find out what happens!)

The fact that this movie only took 25 days to film explains why the story unfolds quickly without details. Even so, the film is quite easy to understand, and I think the director adequately threw in scenes that illustrate aspects of the story itself as well as some of current trends of Japan. However, it is a sweet romantic-comedy movie which reminds people of their first dates and makes the audience to feel the nervousness again. Plus, those who need help with dating may find tips after watching the movie!

Categories
comedy drama, melodrama gendai-geki literary adaptations romance

The Explosion of Otaku Culture in Mainstream Japan

Based on a true story, Densha Otoko is the story of a nerdy and socially awkward man who, through the help of other posters on a forum called 2-Chan, is able to come out of his shell and have a relationship with a beautiful and kind young woman. Densha Otoko, or Train Man, was released in 2005 by Touhou and directed by Murakami Shosuke.  The film stars Yamada Takayuki as the nerdy and socially awkward Densha Otoko, Nakatani Miki as the beautiful and kind Hermes, as well as a group of largely unnamed characters who play the role of posters on the internet forum.  Although the film is often called a romantic comedy, compared to other iterations of the Densha Otoko story, the film contains surprisingly little comedy.

The film starts on a train, as the main character referred to only as Densha Otoko is on his way home from the nerd-mecca of Akihabara.  While on the train, a drunkard is harassing the passengers, including one young woman who had been reading.   Densha Otoko bravely stands up and confronts the passenger, and takes the brunt of his drunken rantings until he’s finally dragged away at the next station.  The young woman, referred to only as Hermes (a high class brand in Japan), asks for his address so she can send a thank you gift.  When Densha Otoko returns home, he quickly logs on to 2-Chan to tell others about his experience on the train, of course using the screen name “Densha Otoko.” A few days pass, and a package containing a tea set with the brand name Hermes comes from the woman, and the outpouring of advice from other posters on 2-Chan convinces him that he should ask her out for lunch to thank her.  Relying on advice from the posters, he continually plans dates and even engages in extensive research to help her buy a computer.  However, before Hermes leaves for a trip to France, there is a problem on their date and when she returns, she seems to be conflicted about seeing him.  The conclusion is truly one to make the viewer think, and the intriguing ending certainly won’t be spoiled here.

The billing as a romantic comedy is certainly a fair genre label, however the film does so much more than simply give a good romance story.  For many, Densha Otoko is their first real exposure to otaku (roughly translated as nerd) culture in Japan.  The film was a big hit with women, many of whom could most likely identify with Hermes in her seeming naivety with regards to that world.  There is a great scene after their first date when they’re going home on the train, where they are both standing near the doors.  The angle of the medium-shot shows the middle of the door directly between the two, as they’re standing at least two feet or so apart.  This spacial division as well as the visual division caused by the vertical black rubber on the inside of the doors is a subtle reminder that the two characters are from completely different worlds.

The character of Densha Otoko is, however, quite a stereotypical otaku, and the film suffers as a result.  With his greasy hair, lack of any noticeable fashion sense, and his impossibly inept social skills, he is the embodiment of what many think of otaku in Japan.  Other characters who are posters on 2-Chan are similarly the stereotypical image of an otaku, and unfortunately the film merely perpetuates this stereotype.  The character development of Densha Otoko is one of a progression from this stereotypical “kimoi” (gross) otaku to a well-dressed and cool-looking man.  In the end, the character of Densha Otoko is really a character to whom not much thought was given, and is nothing more than an amalgamation of various mainstream prejudices pertaining to otaku, ultimately limiting the usefulness of the film as an introduction to otaku culture.

While the film does have its problems with regards to characters and portrayal of otaku, it still stands as a good introduction to otaku culture for those unaware of what it may entail, and is especially useful for learners of Japanese modern culture.  Although I recommend this film, I recommend it with a grain of salt and emphasize that the viewers must also take the film with a grain of salt.  It is, however, at the end of the day, an enjoyable romantic comedy that can appeal to both genders, and has a poignant ending that causes reflection by the viewer as to the nature of human relationships.

Categories
comedy drama, melodrama gendai-geki shomin-geki

Train_Man

Train Man (Densha Otoko) (2005) is a romantic drama directed by Murakami Shosuke, and stars Yamada Takayuki as the protagonist (known as Train_Man; his username on the online forums which he frequents and which play a large role in the film), and Nakatani Miki as the love interest (referred to as Hermess, because of a set of Hermès cups she sends as a thank-you gift to Train_Man.)

Purportedly based on a true story, the film follows the protagonist, Train_Man, as he struggles to woo a woman whom he saved from being accosted by a drunkard on a train. Train_Man is an otaku (a Japanese term referring to someone who is an obsessive fan of something, primarily video games, manga, etc) in his early twenties, who has never had a girlfriend and spends his time either at work, where he is a computer engineer, shopping for toys, or at home on the computer. Cripplingly, unbelievably shy, Train_Man attempts to stand up to an intoxicated businessman on the train home one day, and later receives a thank-you gift from the woman the businessman was harassing. He relates the story to his anonymous friends online (anonymous to himself and to each other, but revealed to the audience as being an angsty teenage boy, a possibly early-thirties man, a similarly aged woman, a meek female nurse pining over a lost love, and three more otaku who spend seemingly all of their time in an internet café of some sort, reading comics and playing video games). His friends initially brush it off as a semi-exciting but unimportant encounter, until hearing that the woman has sent Hermès cups, which they unanimously deem “too expensive to be just a thank-you”, and they encourage Train_Man to pursue “Hermess”. What ensues is a haircut and new clothes for Train_Man, and an awkward courtship with Hermess, Train_Man faltering and stumbling and being nervously sweaty every step of the way.

Train Man revolves largely around internet usage, and text plays a huge role throughout the film, as (with the exception of Train_Man and Hermess) the only communication between the main characters is done via typing online. Much of the exposition in the introduction is presented with text appearing in windows and on signs in various shots, as Train_Man narrates and explains who he is. Throughout the film, different words and key points are highlighted through similarly appearing text, or typed emoticons, used commonly in online forums to convey different emotions. In one instance, the climactic and final word of an important line is not even uttered, but is merely shown being typed into an online entry on a computer screen. All of the lines from the characters interacting with each other online are narrated transcripts of their conversation in the forum, and often their text will be shown as they speak as well. When Train_Man’s friends are goading him on as he talks on the phone with Hermess, their encouragement is expressed not through speech, as most of their interactions are presented (though, again, sometimes along with aforementioned text), but through a shot of increasingly large and excited looking words appearing on a forum thread on Train_Man’s nearby computer screen. This shot may just be a simple a point of view shot from Train_Man’s perspective–this is, after all, what he really is looking at as he speaks to Hermess on the phone–but it is also a representation of his team of friends as the single, intangible, anonymous entity that they are. The rest of their interactions are generally shown with more typically film-appropriate dialogue: talking and shots of their faces­ (even if the other participants in the conversation don’t see or hear them) but this is possibly the only instance in which the characters are shown as only text on a screen, as they would appear to each other.

Another large theme of the movie, which again ties back into internet usage and culture, is reliability vs. reliance. Train_Man’s network of friends help and encourage him the whole way through, giving him advice and collaborating to plan his dates for him, but the line is blurred between being a help or a hindrance when he is unable to do anything without them. As they are so beneficial in the organization of the dates, Train_Man comes to depend on them, and when a snag in the plans is inevitably hit, he isn’t confident enough to act on his own to improvise a new one, and abandons Hermess in the middle of a date to go online and ask for help, which, unsurprisingly, does not end well. By the end of the film, his internet friends are still presented as a positive influence in his life, and a good support group, but the point seems to be made that moving on and pursuing more interactions in real life might be better. All of the characters involved in the online forum have their own private issues hinted at, which cause them all to become somewhat reclusive and which have brought them online in the first place. The three otaku in the internet café all cry together over never having had a girlfriend themselves, the reclusive and angsty boy won’t eat or seemingly even venture outside his room. The final message seems to be an encouragement for people to wean themselves off of reliance on anonymous chat rooms, etc for social interaction, but the film in no way discourages it completely, and the friendships Train_Man makes online are still represented as positive and meaningful.

As the world progresses technologically and online interactions hold increasing importance, the way we think of friendship, of love, of communication, of people, will have to be reconsidered. Train Man is a bit cheesy at times and a bit cliché at others, but is still overall an interesting attempt to address the complex societal structures and relationships of the next (digital) generation.

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