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[bryant]

Awwww! Train Man! Awwwwwww!

OK, that was the sweetest little romantic comedy ever. Sort of like a Douglas Coupland novel without the reflexive defensive snarkiness, or like Megatokyo without the self-loathing. As S. pointed out, the characters were all treated with respect, even our adorable otaku (who should be played by Jason Schwartzman in the inevitable remake). It's a nice love story that doesn't depend on coincidence or amusing accident to move it along.

Also, and I think most appealing, it's as much a story about the community that helps Train Man to his beloved as it is a story about the two of them -- which is to say, they have equal importance. The Greek chorus of bulletin board users who give Train Man advice are given weight, personality, and characteristics of their own, which make them a real community rather than a plot device. In fact, one of my favorite parts of the whole movie was the clever staging business between Professional Man and Mac Girl. Nice and understated and eloquent.

Grade: A+.

Comments

[amberley.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen the movie (I really want to), but there's also a 10-episode Japanese TV series Densha Otoko available fansubbed on bittorrent, that I highly recommend.

Jonathan Clements suggests that Japanese TV shows are where anime was 10 years ago in reaching the west, and has written The Dorama Encyclopedia as a guide to shows 1953-2000 or so. It makes for strange but fascinating reading.

[bryant]

After a bit more research, it appears to be scheduled to get a release in US theaters in September.