Densha Otoko - Net Hatsu, Kakueki Teisha no Love Story
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Description
From Viz: A hopeless geek, a beautiful woman, and a fast connection--could the Internet be his ticket onto the express train to romance? A real-life thread on an Internet forum sparks a nationwide phenomenon! 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 their date? Where should they go? The forum's response was overwhelming, and the thread continued to grow along with their relationship.
I thought the writing was excellent. Let's just get that out there. The art style didn't really bug me. It suited the story well, but wasn't spectacular by any stretch. The dialogue though was the bread and butter of the manga. My only problem was that at a lot of times it felt like it was being needlessly padded for length to reach three volumes. This caused the pacing to suffer a bit. Despite that though, it is definitely worth a read as it will make you laugh and put a smile on your face.
Just to be clear, there was no otaku in this manga, like someone said ealier. The fact that (the supposedly nerdy otaku) otoko-san was miraculously so knowledgeable in dressing and being so convenient talking to a girl after a night made the story a bit unrealistic too. But if we could set those minor details aside and enjoyed this as the story of a geek trying to change himself for the girl he loved with a whole discussion board's backup, its would make a great read (though I'm sure some fan of the original drama/novel would disagree, all fine!).
And the art is fine. Not gorgeous, but very very likable, and each character is quite dishtinguisable. Wonder why so many people dont like it 0_o?
Well, this manga wasn't really targeted at me, being a girl and all, but I LOVED it. What an awkward guy Densha was in the beginning, but that's what makes the story so cute. Definitely a good read for girls too, and the way it's portrayed through a community thread is really interesting.
Have to agree with some of the previous reviewers though, it's a bad portrayal of an otaku. I mean,
Spoiler (mouse over to view)
he just throws all otaku-related stuff away (except for a few figurines and a dvd-compilation) even though it has been such a big part of him. I get the idea of him cleaning himself up, becoming more focused on being neat and all, but throwing your hobby away completely? That just seems really unnatural to me.
But nonetheless, this is an awesome read. I was also grinning like an idiot throughout this one.
I think many people can associate with the guy in this manga, first-date wise and inexperience with girls. It's a great read. It might be awkward at times, I mean the main character starts off as an awkward guy, but the manga really accomplishes to touch you. Can't recommend this enough. If you haven't read it yet, READ IT.
I started reading this because of the comment below that said he/she can't stop grinning like an idiot. hahaha!! I know what you mean!!! I was ALSO GRINNING like an idiot as I'm reading this... It's so fascinating--the whole forum phenomenon. I can't help cheering for the densha-otoko!!! So innocent in these romantic matters. So lovable!! OMG OMG!!! hahahah sooooo cuteeee!!! One thing is interesting thought....at least as far as I am now, there's no mention of real name--just "densha" and "hermes." keeping up with the nicknames used in the forum thread. quite interesting tid bit. It's like this: densha-otoko asks the forum for advice about dating this girl he met in the train: about whether he should call her, maybe ask her out for a date? if so where? what to talk about? what to do during the date? pointers for conversation? fashion? etc. ...so as a result, multiple people are depicted in the manga as the ananymous people who participated in this thread and giving densha-kun advice--they are following his love life and transformation from an otaku to a "regular" dating man. to them, following densha in forum is like following a real-life drama. Also the manga describes how densha's dating thread has been growing more and more in popularity. More and more people have been following it. The art is not particularly beautiful, but it's okay enough.
Honestly. Wow. I'm not a romance guy, never have been. But damn. This just jumped into my top 3 reads of all time. I'm sure everyone that has been part of an online community at some point or another has had one of those moments when it felt like a true meeting of minds across the gulf of cyberspace, where even the trolls and lurkers join in and contribute something to the whole. This is a manga for those moments.
I may not be an akiba-kei, but I am by no means a sociable man, so I suppose I saw a lot of myself in Densho. Yet even if you're not a hikikomori like me, or an otaku like Densha, this is a must read. I mean it. Stop reading this comment and start reading Densha Otoko, because the sooner you start, the sooner you'll understand what I mean.
There is no way that you can read this and not enjoy it, I felt like an idiot having a huge grin on my face while reading this manga. It is sweet and lovable story that everybody should read.
What a ride this was! I was smiling and rooting with the rest of the posters cheering Densha on through his journey! The art was just great: lively and full of personality, and it suited the story. A short, but great read.
Fuck with the art! That´s not the important part and it doesn´t make a big difference, I felt just like the guys who support him. It was one of the best mangas I´ve read. 10!!
I gave 7, just because I think there is a probability of 70% for this story to be true. The art is "comme si comme ça", I do not have particular dislike towards any sort of drawing.. I spent an afternoon reading it (a lot of time wasted).. finally I just wish that the story would be true and the roles in the real life could live a happy life.
Briefly, I think: this is not a cliched story (you could choose to read it), only if you believe it happened somewhere sometime..
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I was also grinning like an idiot throughout this one.
