Train_Man: Densha Otoko, Vol. 1 [Paperback]

Hitori Nakano (Author), Hidenori Hara (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 17, 2006 | Series: Train-Man (Book 1)

A real-life thread on an internet forum started it all. A nerdy otaku meets a girl on a train and posts an urgent query on the web--How the heck do you talk to girls? What should he wear on the date? Where should they go? The forum's response was amazing, and the thread grew incrementally longer as the nerd's relationship with the woman developed. Eventually published in book format to become a best seller, the thread spawned a blockbuster movie, a hit TV series, as well as this heartwarming manga adaptation of an entire internet community rooting for love and romance.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This is the could-be-true story of your basic never-been-kissed geek who, prompted by an uncharacteristic act of courage and fairy godmothers in the form of an Internet chat community, finally manages to score a date. The real Train_Man's story created a media sensation in Japan, generating a bestselling novel, a blockbuster movie, a hit TV series and multiple manga deals, including three separate English-language treatments. By now, it's the stuff of pop-culture legend: when a drunken old man begins harassing female passengers on a train, Train_Man jumps to their defense, prompting one of the women—the younger, cuter one, natch—to send him a pair of Hermes tea cups by way of thanks. Unsure what to do, our young hero, a self-described "gamer/ anime otaku" who's never had a girlfriend, turns for advice to online buddies who send him notes of encouragement as well as advice on how to dress, where to go and, most importantly, how to screw up enough courage to call the young woman back and ask her out. No surprise that the ending to this particular story is happy, which helps explain its wild popularity. In this () version aimed at young men (seinen), the story's silly sweetness, as conveyed by Hara's efficient, uncluttered drawings, make it a fast, fun read. (Oct.)
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About the Author

Densha Otoko was based on an online thread on 2Channel, Japan's largest internet bulletin board site. The fictitious name, Hitori Nakano, was selected as the author's name when this story was published in book format. When read in the Japanese order, with surname followed by given name, Nakano Hitori is homonym for a phrase which means "one among many" to represent all the single men who gathered on the online discussion forum which hosted this thread.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: VIZ Media LLC; 1 edition (October 17, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1421508486
• ISBN-13: 978-1421508481
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,359,690 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Train man takes his first steps towards true love., October 30, 2006

By 

N. S. Michael (New Mexico) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Train_Man: Densha Otoko, Vol. 1 (Paperback)

Densha Otoko is based on a Japanese internet meme that may or may not have happened in real life. The story goes that the Train Man, who is a seriously introverted otaku, helped several office ladies fend off a rude drunkard. Afterwards, one of the gals sends him a really expensive gift in thanks. Touched, and more than a little attracted as she was very cute, Train Man calls her and, with MUCH HELP from his internet buddies, starts to court her.

Both Viz and CMX are putting out rival versions of the story in manga form. This is the review for the Viz release.

The artist in Viz's version, Hidenori Hara, has a style that is very loose and casual, while still being consistent and pleasing. Train has over 200 pages in which to begin his courtship of the beautiful Hermes and Hara uses them liberally, brisky moving through the opening situation of the drunk on the train and moving right on to Train obsessing over his first phone call after recieve an expensive gift in thanks from Hermes.

Much of the advice given by the chatters on 2chan is put out in full text (as opposed to the CMX version where the chatters are often represented by emoticons talking to each other), and their appearances are limited to their interaction in the internet. Their real life personas only get frames in relation to their reading or making posts on the chatlog. I find this works very well in keeping the realism, limiting the character action to Train and, eventually, Hermes.

This volume covers, as mentioned above, their meeting, Train's panic attacks as he decides to contact Hermes again, and their first date in it's entirety, with their second date ending the book on a cliffhanger as Train meets Hermes friend (and the chatters are nervous about her intentions).

I bought both releases and find myself unable to recommend one over the other save for on one point. More action happens in this version... with the CMX release only going until right before the first date starts. This version also has more pages, clocking in around 20 higher than the CMX version.

One of my favorite little touches in this version, is the fact that even though Train and Hermes are called by those names by the chatters, when they actually interact, Train and Hermes have their actual names replaced by their nicknames in brackets. It sounds confusing when I type it out, but is a really effective tool to underscore their budding relationship and possible intimacy.

In terms of the maturity of the presentation, I'd go with this, the Viz version. The art while more casual and loose than the CMX version also doesn't present it's characters as overly dressed ten year olds. Granted, this is Trains' first experimentation in dating, so he IS basically a child, but Hermes, in her few scenes, is treated pretty much the same, and feels more childish in the other book as opposed to this one. So, Viz has an older feel to it than the CMX version.

Personally, I'm buying both to see how each artist interprets the events, but I'd recommend previewing both to take a look at the art and see which one you like better. Each has their strong points with fairly few negatives, so I leave it to you to decide which you like better... or not, and buy them both. Heh.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars AN OTUAKU GAINS A BACKBONE, November 30, 2006

By 

Sesho "www.sesho.libsyn.com" (Pasadena, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Train_Man: Densha Otoko, Vol. 1 (Paperback)

A young otaku is making his return trip from Akiba on the train, trying to mind his own business and blend into the scenery as best he can. But when an old drunk begins to harrass some women sitting by him (including a cute girl his own age), he goes against his better judgement and confronts the drunk, knowing that he's probably asking for a beating. Luckily, another bystander steps up and restrains the guy until security can be called. The women insist on getting the otaku's contact information so they can thank him properly. Soon, he receives an expensive Hermes tea cup set from the cute girl on the train and her phone number is written on the recipt in the box. Knowing he's not exactly a ladies man, the otaku begins to make posts on Japan's most popular web forum, asking for advice on what to do next. He gets a lot of differing responses but he'll have to pick the right one and also up his courage to call her. The people on the internet begin calling him Train Man and the girl he likes Hermess.

The Train Man story is "supposedly" based on actual web posts from a real otaku. Who knows if it's true or whether it was some hoax like Blair Witch Project that was made to seem real. Regardless, the Train Man story exploded in Japan and was adapted into movies, tv shows, manga, and novels. This is the Viz manga version, but CMX and Del Rey also have their own adaptations available. This is the only version I have read so far and I have to admit, it is pretty darn good! The Viz version comes off as a feel-good comedy romance that makes you smile as you read it. The story of an introverted nerd coming out of his shell is pretty cliched at this point, but the otkau Train Man is even worse than most losers of this type. The difference here is that he gains strength and is able to change for the better in order to meet up with the girl. Knowing you have a problem is half the battle. It's cool to see him get a jump on his life, not with the aid of fairies, robot maids, or being thrown into a harem, but by getting advice from REAL people and drawing on his own willpower. Good book.

4.0 out of 5 stars Train Man in Manga Form, September 6, 2007

By 

Michael Valdivielso (Alexandria, VA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

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This review is from: Train_Man: Densha Otoko, Vol. 1 (Paperback)

Hopless geek saves women on train from drunk guy. One of the women sends him a really nice gift. He asks if he can take her out to dinner in return. He goes to the internet for advice. The rest is history.
In fact the story has become a movie, a TV series, a text novel using edited threads from the internet and at LEAST four manga series. This is one of them. I selected the VIZ media manga because I happen to trust them and because of the nature of this version's reviews. Good artwork, smooth but not too slow a story, good character designs even if HERMES looks a tad too young. They even kept the Japanese emoticons in the story.
The last page has a Train Man FAQ so people are not totally confused. I plan to get the next volume. I already KNOW the ending but I like to see the many different ways one tale can be told.