Train Man (2005)

This film is apparently based on a true story about a nerdy computer/anime geek who is very shy who saves a young lady from a drunk on the train. Their relationship slowly develops from there. As the train man, Takayuki Yamada does a very good job being angst ridden as he goes out with the very pretty Miki Nakatani. He has a support network of computer geeks who give him dating advice, root for him and sometimes envy him. Its this element that makes the movie a lot of fun. The film is quintessentially Japanese, as Tokyo comes alive, full of bright lights and ultra modern. You want to fast forward to see what happens, but don't. Just enjoy it, its a nice story well filmed and with good acting. I recommend it to any fan of romantic comedy.

Densha Otoko (Train Man), while containing an interesting premise based on a possibly real story that was posted on Japan's popular 2ch forum, misses the mark once too often during its running time and can't cross the line into rom-com history.The story follows Train_Man (Takayuki Yamada), a Gundam otaku (not "otoku" as some reviewers have posted; otaku is some sort of nerd/geek who spends a great deal of time and money on Japanese animation collectibles; otoku has to do with being economical) who comes to the aid of Hermes (Miki Nakatani) as she's harassed by a chikan/pervert on a train. To pay him back for his heroics, she sends him a thank you gift. Meanwhile, Train_Man spends his days on 2ch, getting advice about how to win her over and become her boyfriend since he has never been out with a girl before. The rest of the film is spent with Train_Man as he changes his appearance to shed his geeky exterior and win the girl of his dreams.That Hermes is the "girl of his dreams" is one of the film's problems, as her character is sorely underdeveloped and a bit silly. We never see her character go through any sort of development or arc and her manner of speaking is hilariously polite and formal, NEVER conversational. This is no fault of Miki Nakatani's, who is an excellent actress (just watch Memories of Matsuko for evidence of her skill), but more the fault of the filmmakers who, despite the film's "based on a true story" marketing scheme, create more of a fantasy than a true romantic comedy. Because of that, it's hard to get behind the character of Train_Man as he's so eager to get the girl, he drops his otaku exterior to become an outgoing, handsome, socially normal young man. That he gets the girl only after he changes his look and personality also gives the film an air of superficiality.There's a lot from the 2ch transcripts that never made it into the film, such as how many posters thought Train_Man was a disgusting person. In the film, the entire forum is portrayed as a loyal supporter. And the idea of shut-ins (hikikomori) giving dating advice to an otaku, while sort of humorous, just doesn't play out as well as it should. Again, an amusing film, but nothing special.

Sweet love story. Cinematography is excellent. Enjoyed seeing Tokyo(esp. Akihabara) in a positive, clean light as opposed to the usual stereotyped noise/adverts. Went out and bought the soundtrack. Very melodious but atmospheric, mostly variations on the piano theme. It certainly adds to the surrealness of some scenes, but stands up very well on it's own. Slightly clichéd view of a net geek, but fun all the same. Hard to pull off a romance with two such different people, which shows the skill of the cast in creating the growing bonds of love between them. The loneliness of living in the big city is portrayed well, it may be especially poignant in Tokyo where many people find difficulty in approaching others and are often waiting for that "accident" to happen. The chance encounter provides an introduction which can be built on. Trainman is shown to be a caring person, brave enough to stand up to bullies to help others. This gives us the necessary key to go on rooting for him through the story.Will have to watch the TV serial now !

If you've spent much time chatting on the Internet, you've probably had a conversation along these lines at some point: "They should make a movie like this!" "Naah... who wants to see a movie about a bunch of people sitting at computers typing?" Densha Otoko finally answers that question, and does it in superb style. By use of split-screen, and computer text overlaid on real environments, it makes the online chats visually interesting and fast-paced.But this isn't just some technical storytelling exercise. At its heart, it's a funny and charming romance. Unlike just about every other "naive protagonist gets dating advice" movie, this one is astonishingly pure-hearted.On consideration, I dropped it a point because I felt the character of the love-interest was under-developed. Her role in the romance never quite got fully believable. As even the minor characters are properly developed, perhaps she was intentionally left as a mysterious figure.I really hope this gets a wider audience outside Japan. This is a wonderful, wonderful film, but the central role played by typed Japanese text is going to be a barrier to international audiences. Perhaps the best we can hope for is a competent Hollywood remake. Please, no Jennifer Lopez.