“Beauty of style and harmony and grace and good rhythm depend on simplicity.” - Plato.

This is a very simple manga and due to such simplicity it is very often down-played and underrated. Is simplicity really such a bad thing? Can a simple manga be a good manga? The question "What makes a good manga?" is one that has no definite standard answer. The world of - let's call it "creative work" thus encompassing a wider scope than just manga - is an open one. Ultimately it is as unlimited as one's imagination can be, therefore any answer to this question will be met with opposition by other people. Common answers point to a complex story in an engaging setting preferentially with several layers of depth beneath the basic plot, others mention well developed, fleshed out characters with a well-portrayed emotional and psychological profile as the true essential point. Sometimes I find myself in the minority by openly stating that mere simplicity when well executed can provide a good manga, as the quote by Plato indicates, even if it was taken out of context.

Plot/Story

"Simple" is without a doubt a keyword to describe this manga. The story is somewhat based on real life events. It is the manga adaptation of a very popular story that has spawned novels and movies as well. The real life story revolves around a lonely Otaku who started getting help from anonymous people on an internet anonymous board in order to get closer to a woman he had saved on the train one day. This manga adaptation is based on those threads and replies. But let me explain the actual manga's story a little bit more simplistically so you know what you're getting into here. A loser Otaku saves an attractive woman from a drunkard on the train, afterwards they exchange contact information and from there on, with the help of the many suggestions from several anonymous users he starts developing his relationship with her. Yes, I know. It is a very simple story. Fairly generic, fairly predictable. So what would make it worthy of anyone's time? Let me try to explain that.

This is one of the most heart-warmingly simple love stories you can come across in manga. One of those that will make you smile as you see the events playing out. It is not complex or particularly deep at all. There isn't much drama to be felt. But the romantic relationship between our main characters is one that you'll really want to see come true. Here's where the main draw of this sweet manga comes into play: the author doesn't strive for anything different - doesn't go for depth, forced drama or unnecessary awkward character development. He takes upon himself as simple a premise as they come and executes it very well without straying from the true "personality" of his creation. By adding a very good rhythm - that is usually missing in most romantic manga, let's be honest - likable characters and extremely pleasant comedy, the author compliments the oh-so-typical boy-meets-girl story with solid execution, resulting in a deliciously sweet, funny short manga that warms you up and brightens your day. The execution makes the manga worthy of a shot regardless of how typical the story is.

Harmony between the characters and the story-telling

The main character is easily relatable in a way. A simple guy who obsesses over his hobbies, still lives with his parents, works in a normal company and, as is easy to guess, has no luck with women, still a virgin obviously. The author took a great approach to the display of the manga by taking advantage of the "Based on true events" selling line of the story. Most of the events go by accompanied by the actual posts of the original Densha Otoko (translated as Train Man, the actual original real life poster/ main character chose this nickname to post in the threads) which a lot of the times are quite funny. This gives the manga a unique style of storytelling and allows it a pace that will draw you in easily. Even better - not only do we get the funny narration of the original Densha Otoko, we get the often hilarious comments of many of the anonymous users that helped him in his quest. Those comments provide some of the best moments in the manga as the author portrays the anonymous characters with simple images that somehow speak so much and go along so well with the original posts. As more and more of them join in and the rhythm speeds up you'll find yourself cheering along with them as if you were on that website reading the threads along with everyone. The impatience they feel and express when the Train Man takes too long to come back home and report his progress, the frustration they put up with at all the "I just can't do it guys!!" replies of Train Man and the joy at his achievements - you'll feel them too. Allow me to be cheesy here, there's a certain magic about this connection that you develop with such a simple manga and such shallow but strangely familiar characters. It's not magic though, it's just the skills of the author. That's how well portrayed this story is, the visual display is very well thought-out even if the art is somewhat sub-par. That being said I believe that this emotional ride is - at least partially - only possible due to the simplicity of the story.

Drawing Style

The drawing style of this manga is a fairly simplistic one as well. Perhaps owing much to the type of story it tells, there's a good fit between the art and the story-telling. The art itself is light-hearted and pretty goofy at times but does a great job of portraying the scenes as they should be seen and felt by the reader. Besides the simplicity of the art itself I should highlight the fairly experienced panel layout. The author clearly portrayed the scenes with attention to detail and captured every scene in the best way possible. These things make a sub-par art rise in value and altogether I can say that the art contributed to my enjoyment of this piece.

Enjoyment

As I have stated before, this manga has a contagious happy feeling throughout. It is the kind of manga that you read smiling from start to finish. The kind of manga that will have you cheering the main character through his efforts, laughing through his moments of awkwardness and excited at his predictable success (predictable from our perspective as readers). It is the kind of manga I can see easily going over people's heads if they assume a cynical approach but that shouldn't be interpreted as a negative aspect, it's just a byproduct of the manga's style. I will confidently say that through the sheer amount of positive feelings this series provides, it more than clearly accomplishes all the goals it set for itself as a light-hearted romantic comedy. It manages to not only be funny and cute, but also feels quite exciting and immersive, making it a thorough success of this poorly represented type of manga.

Overall

Now I have to say, as you can probably already tell, this manga won't appeal to everyone. It is very important to know what you're getting into. If you despise every "nerdy guy saves hot woman and ends up in love" story this is obviously not for you. If you only read story driven manga this is not for you. If you can't get emotionally involved in a story without drama and complex emotional and/or psychological developments this is not for you. But... If you're looking for a simple, funny, very heart-warming romantic manga that isn't too long nor drags on fruitlessly, doesn't lose itself in love triangles or forced drama this is right up your alley. Extra points if you like anonymous internet boards or forums and are used to posting it will probably be a boost to the whole experience. Try this out, it'll cheer you up for sure.

All things considered I give this manga a rating of 9/10.

Thank you for reading, I hope that if you give this manga a shot it won't come to disappoint you. If you found this review lacking or disagree with any of the points I mentioned, feel free to let me know by commenting on my profile or messaging me, it's a good chance for me to learn how to write better reviews.