Densha Otoko
| Densha Otoko | |
Cover of the novel's first edition | |
| 電車男 | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Romance, comedy |
| Novel | |
| Written by | Nakano Hitori |
| Published by | Shinchosha |
| English publisher | |
| Published | October 22, 2004 |
| Manga | |
| Train Man: Densha Otoko | |
| Written by | Hidenori Hara |
| Published by | Shogakukan |
| English publisher | |
| Magazine | Weekly Young Sunday |
| Demographic | Seinen |
| Original run | January 6, 2005 – September 5, 2005 |
| Volumes | 3 |
| Manga | |
| Densha Otoko: The Story of a Train Man Who Fell in Love With A Girl | |
| Written by | Wataru Watanabe |
| Published by | Akita Shoten |
| English publisher | |
| Magazine | Champion Red |
| Demographic | Seinen |
| Original run | March 20, 2005 – February 20, 2006 |
| Volumes | 3 |
| Manga | |
| Train Man: Go, Poison Man! | |
| Written by | Hitori Nakano |
| Illustrated by | Daisuke Dōke |
| Published by | Akita Shoten |
| Magazine | Weekly Shōnen Champion |
| Demographic | Shōnen |
| Original run | March 20, 2005 – January 20, 2006 |
| Volumes | 3 |
| Manga | |
| Train Man: A Shōjo Manga | |
| Written by | Machiko Ocha |
| Published by | Kodansha |
| English publisher | |
| Demographic | Shōjo |
| Published | June 13, 2005 |
| Related | |
Densha Otoko (電車男; translated as Train Man) is a Japanese movie, television series, manga, novel, and other media, all based on the purportedly true story of a 23-year-old otaku who intervened when a drunk man started to harass several women on a train. The otaku ultimately began dating one of the women.
The event, and the man's subsequent dates with the woman, who became known as "Hermès" (エルメス, Erumesu), were chronicled on the Japanese mega-BBS 2channel. This led to the compilation of the relevant threads in a book, followed by several manga versions, a movie, a theatrical play later released as a DVD, and finally a TV series.
Densha Otoko is a popular example of the "nice guy" class of Japanese geeks who wish to lead normal lives, but are too shy to find a girlfriend, or speak openly only online. The television series uses a large number of computer-bound extras.