| | This reviewer had not intended to post on 2chan's famous Train Man, since news of his heroic antics has already been done to death in blogs. Even Wired magazine has an article on the fellow, and one surely knows that if news is seen in print, it isn't news anymore. However, recent developments cast the event in a different light.
Whether due to well-meaning intent ("You too can get girls and be a hero, no matter how geeky and socially inept you are!") or blatant capitalistic greed ("Time to cash in!"), the story of Train Man is now fodder for mass-media entertainment. Most people are probably aware that Train Man was a nameless gamer in Tokyo's infamous Akihabara, which may be roughly characterized as a ghetto for otaku. While he was on the train one day, he happened to be front and center when a drunken rough started verbally abusing women. When the drunk started actually hitting girls, he stepped in and basically placed a citizen's arrest on the man until the police arrived. Hailed as a hero, he managed to give one girl his address before his overwhelming awkwardness and inability to have a conversation with attractive members of the opposite gender caused him to flee the scene. The girl sent him a care package with her phone number attached, the entire 2chan community egged the guy on to call her, and the rest is real life fairy-tale history.
In general, there is no sense in discouraging art about life imitating art, as it is the next development in the inexorable progression of things. However, the idea that someone would take a beautiful story such as this and make a subpar production for a quick buck leaves this reviewer somewhat confused. Surely the Train Man is elated at having his own story captured in manga and anime - he is, after all, a consummate fan. On the other hand, it almost seems that telling the story for money cheapens it - particularly if the production is anything less than the full treatment a big-name series such as Naruto or Bleach would warrant. While this reviewer has not actually handled the unimaginatively named Densha Otoko, the cover and art samples suggest that even Psycho Trader Chinami had a more competent art team. The illustrator, Hidenori Hara, is a virtual unknown in manga who apparently has not produced anything of note since winning an award in 1987 with Snow Festival (Fuyu Motogari.) If Train Man truly is a hero who stands for otaku everywhere, he should get top billing.
Sadly, the business world does not work by "shoulds;" either the money is there or it isn't. Perhaps the saddest thing about this development in the Train Man saga is that the money isn't there - thereby proving that otaku ultimately have little interest in reality, even their own.
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| | Posted 1/9/2007 11:46 AM - 88 Views - 18 eProps - 11 comments
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