Comics / Manga

Train Man

By Julie Gray
November 14, 2006 - 22:41

Train Man Cover

“Lonely hearts unite!”

It is almost impossible to deny the hype over the Train Man franchise. ‘Densha Otoko’ as it is known in native Japanese, was more than just a phenomenon. At the time of writing, there has since been several manga released, a TV show and a movie all based on the true story of an ‘Otaku’ (Japanese word for geek) who falls in love with a girl he meets on a train. This manga written by Machiko Ocha is based on the original ‘Densha Otoko’ by Hitori Nakano, who as it turns out, is not a real person at all. Confused yet? If you get to the end of this manga, it will all make sense.

This manga is written incredibly well. The story behind Train Man would not have been easy to adapt into a manga. The way that this manga has been written gives you the impression that the main character, Ikumi Saiki, has very little going on his life until he meets the girl of his dreams on a train. But that isn't the most important part of the story. The most important part of the story is what he does in the internet chat room, ‘Channel 2’. And to be able to capture that element in a manga is great. Without it, the story just wouldn’t be anywhere near as interesting.

The most important thing for any story is to ensure the characters gel well together and that the story flows. It’s difficult to juggle all of the different angles in this manga but once you get the hang of it, you will enjoy the manga so much more. The interaction that takes place between Ikumi and his online ‘buddies’ in the chat room is essentially what makes this story so interesting. Even though Ikumi has never met any of these people, it is easy to see how their thoughts and messages had an influence on Ikumi’s actions and ultimately, his life. This is emphasized well in the manga. If you have ever frequented an online chat room before, you will instantly recognize the online language that is used throughout the manga. This gives the story a sense of realism. To think that there must be dozens of stories like this one playing out on message boards all over the world is both a scary and bewildering thought.

If nothing else, Train Man is a love story of global proportions. Although ‘online relationships’ are nothing new in this day and age, Train Man narrows it down a little to prove to the world that everyone, no matter what their background or nationality, has a right to be loved. That in essence is the message behind the story of the Train Man. And as much as this story is part fairy-tale, part reality, it’s written with that message in mind.

The art work and animation in Train Man is also well done but we particularly liked the use of ‘Ascii art’. Again, this gives the story a sense of realism that is often not found in manga. Ascii art is very much a part of geeky online culture and it’s great that this manga captures all of those elements. You can definitely see that the author of this manga really did her homework researching the real life culture of an otaku. All of these elements make the manga incredibly enjoyable to read.

As for the characters, one cannot help but wonder about the real life otaku in the story and whether or not he still has his ‘hermes’. Whilst the Train Man phenomenon entertained thousands of people throughout the world, we simply cannot forget that this story is about two real individuals whose lives were played out on an online message board for the world to see. It’s no wonder the original couple wanted to remain anonymous!

Train Man is one manga you should not miss. It’s a great story and is captured so well in this manga, you almost feel like you're part of the experience. We are really looking forward to more work from this talented manga-ka. If you're interested in reading a preview of this manga, you can do so here at Del Rey's website.

Train Man includes extensive translation notes, an afterword by the author and also a special article titled 'Train Man: how an Otaku created a pop culture phenomenon' by William Flanagan.

Art Work: 8/10
Story: 10/10
Overall Rating: 10/10

Contact the author: Julie@thecomicbookbin.com

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12