"Densha Otoko" The Series. A "Sort-of" Retro Review
I work in the Oakland/Berkeley section of the Bay Area in Northern California. Berkeley is known to be one of the most ethnically diverse areas in the state. On any given day, my clientele are people from all parts of the globe. The interesting thing is, of the many people of Asian descent who I serve, Japanese are few and far between. But amazingly, the moment I had decided to book a trip to Japan to see Hello! Project, I must've had two to three new Japanese clients per day come proverbially "out of the woodwork"! Naturally, I was excited about my trip so I told them all about it. After getting past the part where they laughed at me for liking Morning Musume, on more than one occasion they asked me if I had seen a television series called "Densha Otoko". To be honest, their description of the show did not totally grab my interest, but they were all so enthusiastic about it. I decided there must be something to it, so I eventually gave it a try. I'm glad I did...
Densha Otoko (2005)
"Densha Otoko" is a Japanese television drama that aired on Fuji TV in the summer of 2005. There were 11 episodes, followed by a special called "Another Ending ~ Train Man vs. Guitar Man", and a second special that aired a year later called "Densha Otoko Deluxe". It is a "true story" based on a chat thread from the Japanese Mega BBS-2channel. From what I understand, this series had "Who Shot JR?" type ratings. There is also a theatrical version with different actors, but I have not seen it. Anyway, everyone told me the TV series is far superior.
Now at this point you might be wondering what this has to do with J-pop, J-rock, or Hello! Project for that matter. There are a few connections. First off, it is the quintessential "wota valentine". Why, you ask? The answer to that question begins with the central character.
Atsushi Ito stars as our hero, Yamada Tsuyoshi. He is a "poster boy" of Akihabara. Watches anime, collects games, hangs out with his equally nerdy friends in Maid Cafes. He is obviously proficient with all electronics, and naturally has NEVER had a girlfriend. This description is the definition of an "Otaku". He is constantly "stepped on" by everyone in his life. Music is never mentioned, but it is obvious to me that if this guy listens to anything, it would be AKB48 and Morning Musume! (I bet he would love Koha-chan!)
Yamada is riding home on the train after a typical day in Akiba. Enter Saori, played by the beautiful model/actress Misaki Ito, and an incident that would change both of their lives. A drunken man gets on the train and immediately begins harrassing the passengers. When the drunken pervert viciously accosts Saori, Yamada does what he has never done before. He defends Saori, and gets his ass kicked for his trouble. Saori, obviously touched by Yamada's act of bravery, asks for his address so she can send him a proper "Thank You", setting off feelings Yamada has never felt before. In short, a desire to grow up, become a man, and fall in love.
The problem is dating, being a man, getting the girl, and being cool are completely foreign concepts to Yamada. So what does he do? He turns to the other Otaku on the internet chat boards for dating advice! They coach him on being confident, changing his look, learning to dress, calling her, how to act. And most importantly convince him to hide that he is a huge "Akiba Otaku", a fact that will surely scare Saori away! This is all even funnier considering most of the other people on the message board have little experience with the opposite sex as well. Kind of the "blind leading the blind". The interactions on the internet (many of the characters "on the net" are played by comedians) are the funniest moments of the series. He is dubbed "Densha Otoko" (Train Man) by someone in the chat room, and Saori is called "Hermes", named after the Hermes Teacups she sent Yamada as a thank you present. Yamada's most prized trophies!
The following 10 episodes are a series of short stories centered around the efforts of Yamada to win the love of Saori. And since Yamada gives daily reports of his experience on the message board, the underlying fear of what might happen if Saori finds out her relationship with Yamada is quickly becoming an Internet Sensation! Atsushi Ito plays Tsuyoshi's otaku personality so "over the top", that it is off-putting for some at first. I mean this guy is the biggest geek in recorded film history. He whines, stutters, shakes, cries, but it is all done to tremendous effect. Many ask "What does Saori see in this guy?" And that is really the point of the entire series. What she does see in him, and what he finally begins to see in himself. It is a mix of funny, sad, and poignant moments that leave you on the edge of your seat, unwilling to wait for the next episode. I was lucky enough to be able to watch the entire series on Veoh at my leisure. But as every episode ended on a "cliffhanger", it must have been torturing to have to wait a week between shows!
The second connection to the J-pop world are some of the actors in the series.
Ogori Shun ~ Morning Musume's "Yaguchi-robber" plays one of the main characters in the chatroom. This was filmed around the same time as Yaguchi's departure.
Sonim ~ Goto Yuuki's partner in EE Jump, is "Tiffany" one of the computer nerds' former girlfriends on the first special.
AKB48 ~ Would it be a story about Akihabara without AKB48? The are briefly shown in Densha Otoko Deluxe in a scene shot in front of the AKB48 Theater.
Then you have the "eyecandy" factor. And in Densha Otoko, there is plenty of it!
Misaki Ito ~ Actress/Model is Saori, Yamada's love interest
Sato Eriko ~ Actress/Gravure Idol plays Saori's super-sexy best friend Kaho, who initially hates Yamada
Shiraishi Miho ~ Actress/Model plays Jinkama, Yamada's "oversexxed" and bullying co-worker, in what I thought was an award-worthy performance!
Koide Saori ~ Actress/Singer plays Karin/Mina, the Anime voice actress who Yamada and his friends "drool" over.
Horikita Maki ~ Actress/Model as Aoi, Yamada's tormenting younger sister.
Sakurai Chizu ~ as Ryoko, ex-girlfriend of the character played by Ogori Shun
The other aspect of Densha Otoko that I love is the music they utilized throughout the series. It has a beautiful score, alternating appropriately from quirky to melancholy to amazingly ethereal. Although the program does have some Japanese music in it, the soundtrack consists mainly of favorites from Styx, Earth Wind and Fire, Roy Orbison, The Beach Boys, and especially Electric Light Orchestra. ELO's "Twilight" was masterfully used throughout the show as the main theme, and was played over the opening credits of each episode...
I cannot emphasize enough how much I loved this television series. It was the perfect thing to get me ready for my Japan experience. All of the episodes and specials are available in their entirety, subbed in English AND Spanish on Veoh. It is a big commitment (all episodes and specials total 12-13 hours). But I challenge you to watch the first two episodes and see if it hooks you the same way it did me. And if you make it to the tenth episode, it is one of the most memorable moments you will ever see on TV! I also have the DVD box set. But as far as recommending that...
I have seen three different versions of the box set available on Ebay. The one I own has a cover photo similar to the photo at the top of this article. The problem is that the English subtitles on my version are by far the worst I have ever seen on ANY media of any kind. At times it is completely unintelligible. The names of the characters change throughout the series, and most of the characters and places are given Chinese names!!! (I think the DVD was made in China). If anyone knows if one of the other versions has better subs, please let me know. The subtitles on the Veoh uploads are MUCH better.
In my opinion, there are many (myself included?) around International Wota who will "identify" with this series!
CK in California
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Comments
For quite obvious reasons, this dorama was very famous around the anime community back when it was released, I discovered it through an anime forum back when there were 2 episodes or so released. It was my first dorama, and still one of my favorites (now it's 4th place, loses to GTO, HYD and Nobuta wo Produce...)
About the origin of the series, you forgot to say that it was released as a book before being adapted to film and TV series. The book is mainly a compilation of the whole 2-channel thread about Densha. If you're interested, there's an English translation of the original posts here. And add me to the group of people who told you that the TV series is far superior.
I love Shiraishi Miho's character in this! I laughed every time they played that Star Wars tune when she appeared. She does deserve an award.
Where's the credit to Sambomaster and their great "Sekai wa Sore wo Ai to Yobun da ze", Densha Otoko's ending theme? Or maybe it's just me thinking that was great...