Ro's Recz

Densha Otoko is the first Japanese show that I ever watched, as I watched it on DVD over 10 years ago. The show came out in 2005, and until recently, it was also the only Japanese show I had ever watched.

Densha Otoko literally translates to “Train Man” in Japanese, and it is about about a young Japanese man who stops a drunk man from harassing a woman on a train. The show then becomes about the relationship between the man and the woman he saved.

In the show, the main character is “Densha”, who is an otaku. In Japan, an otaku is someone who is typically super passionate about either anime and manga. While anime and manga have become much more mainstream internationally, the term otaku is not a compliment in most cases. Densha is also stereotyped to be the kind of otaku who stays in his room most of the day and has his parents bring him food (this is after he has graduated from school).

The show is funny because the girl Densha saves is known as “Hermes”, and she is a really popular Japanese girl. Densha and Hermes would typically never meet in a normal situation, but they have been united because of this one train incident. Throughout the show, Densha keeps an online blog detailing his relationship and encounters with Hermes. This is the majority of the show, and all of the other “otakus” on the web try to help Densha build his relationship.

The show is a bit childish, but it is funny because it exaggerates all of the stereotypes typically seen in people in Japan. The show is old, so it might be difficult to find, but if you can find a DVD or online version, Densha Otoko is worth watching!