We'll probably never know whether the unlikely saga of the anonymous Japanese geek known as Densha Otoko (the "Train Man") actually happened or not -- many, many people have attested to the veracity of the tale, but others (some irredeemably cynical folks, I imagine) have been understandably skeptical, at least about the details (for those unfamiliar with the whole Densha Otoko phenomenon, which has been translated into a manga, bestselling book, movie, and now this ongoing TV series, check out here or here or here, and if you can read Japanese, here for the original posts). I suppose it's nice to think that the saga actually unfolded in roughly the way the geek said it did, but look at it this way -- even if it didn't, hey, at least someone managed to get a funny, heartwarming, and decidedly entertaining show out of the guy's imaginary ramblings.





Densha Otoko, currently airing on Japan's Fuji TV, follows the adventures of a shy, awkward, socially inept fellow with a hankering for games and toys and gadgets (the Japanese derisively call these sorts of people "otaku") named Tsuyoshi Yamada (played by Atsushi Itoh): the young man gets no respect from his family, is looked down on at work, and spends his free time doing various geeky things that he seems to be mildly ashamed of. One night, while on a train, he notices a belligerent drunk accosting a pretty young woman (Misaki Itoh, whom you might remember as Natsumi from the live-action You're Under Arrest), and uncharacteristically rises to her defense. She thanks him profusely, and after the two exchange addresses, later sends him an expensive tea set as a gift. Astonished, Tsuyoshi turns to the Internet (in real life, the "Train Man" turned to the notorious Japanese 2ch forum, but they call it something different here) for advice from other hapless otaku on how to go about romantically pursuing the woman -- since, being a hopeless geek, he obviously has no idea where to start.

This premise is admittedly thin, and seems bound to thin even more as the series progresses (how long could it possibly take for Tsuyoshi to overcome his geeky side?), but in this first episode, at least, the story is delightfully executed; it's virtually impossible not to feel some sympathy for the underdog Tsuyoshi and his plight, and to root for him as he nervously learns the ropes of romance and attempts to woo the girl. Moreover, it's filled with genuinely funny, lighthearted moments, the best of which effectively prevent the show from getting too bogged down in schmaltzy, sentimental earnestness (schmaltzy earnestness being something that the Japanese very often overdo for some reason). Additional little mini-stories, about the motley collection of internetters who give Tsuyoshi advice, add a sort of harmony to the main plot.

The crazy internetters are, in fact, arguably the most fun and definitely the most original aspect of the show: they are made up of a huge cast of extras, and the techniques used to represent them and their comments are absolutely spot-on. Quick, spontaneous cuts, which almost always flow seamlessly together at a mile a minute, are cleverly directed into the narrative, and after a while the viewer begins to grow accustomed to the peculiar quirks of the individuals, despite the high number of them.





The casting? Excellent. Atsushi Itoh, as Tsuyoshi, overplays the geekiness sometimes, but the fact that the guy really does look like a fashion-challenged geek helps immensely; casting directors have a tendency to put really good-looking actors in roles like these and then to nerdify them up by sticking a pair of dorky glasses on their faces, which rarely fools anyone. Atsushi Itoh, though not hideous, is almost exactly right: he's an average-looking guy who (in this first episode) could obviously benefit from a makeover, but not so much that we'd wind up raising our eyebrows in suspicion at how good he looks afterward. Misaki Itoh, as the girl Saori, doesn't have to do very much in this first episode, but she's certainly pretty enough, and she seems capable of pulling off the sort of innocent sweetness that the audience will require in order to believe that she'd ever want anything to do with a guy like Tsuyoshi.

I can't recommend Densha Otoko highly enough: the production values are high, the material is funny and intelligent, and the characters are all attractively likable. This is very good stuff.

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