This movie, IMO, is an anthem to what it is like to be a geek. There are a lot of blogs about how this was only a dream, how the ending was not good, that the movie was not funny, etc. But I saw this movie from a geek's point of view. A young man, a geek to the core, with very little, if any, social skills when it comes to women. One day he witnesses some women being accosted on the train, and being a good guy, even though he is afraid, tries to assist. As it turns out, he really did not do anything but distract the drunk, and the result was that 3 women, one which would become his soon-to-be love interest, are totally grateful for his chivalry. The love interest wants to repay him for his kindness. Of course, this sets up the rest of the movie, where he heads online asking for help as he has no idea how to proceed. Six people come to his rescue. Three other very geeky guys, with some very funny scenes by the way, a nurse who is getting over a relationship, a young man who refuses to leave his bedroom and only talks to others online, a working man, and another woman. They all give him advice, like how to dress for that very important first meeting, getting his hair cut, and then, with the use of technology, offer him hints that he frequently checks for lines to say when he is with the young lady. Pure Shy Geek. As for the scene where their dinner plans are ruined and he's at the Internet cafe, the young lady was let down, since he had saved her once before from ruffians, and as soon as he dashed off to go find another place to dine she was accosted. She then sees him on the computer, but she does not know what he is doing. We then have the final scene in which we're back to the scene where a little girl is sleeping against him and he picks up the train pass, thinking it is hers. The little girl then gives the pass to the young lady, which I also saw as a link that they were meant to be with one another. And the reason the young lady did not notice him was that like every other nondescript person on the street, recall the scene where men's cologne is being passed out and the young lady passing it out does not even notice our hero since he's dressed in total geek attire, he was just one more nondescript person and explains why she did not take a 2nd look. The scene after the credits shows us a different geek on the train but the same drunk accosting young women, and this new geek does the same thing. And the young woman he was "saving" was not the same woman, Hermes. Then our hero, in regular attire, helps the new geek up. Simple story and done quiet well really and with a solid and plausible link between our hero and the six people who help him win the girl. And of course we find out what happens to the six people who were his friends. Watch the movie again if you're confused about some of it. If not, just sit back and enjoy it all.

I love this movie. I loved it before I'd even seen it, just by reading what it was about, but now I love it because it IS good. The character I can relate to, of course, is Densha Otoko, the main character. I feel just as hopeless as he does at times, and I have the same thoughts as him, "am I destined to be alone like this forever?" and such. The moment when he's standing before the girl and the end, and he sees himself on the TV-screen, freaking because he's ashamed of the person he sees - THAT I can relate to. The final, when the people say "Now is our time to find happiness", it's kinda, at least for me, a wake-up-call, to not just sit around watching other people change and become happy, but to get a grip on ourselves for once, if we haven't already. Sad, funny and inspiring all at once!

Sweet love story. Cinematography is excellent. Enjoyed seeing Tokyo(esp. Akihabara) in a positive, clean light as opposed to the usual stereotyped noise/adverts. Went out and bought the soundtrack. Very melodious but atmospheric, mostly variations on the piano theme. It certainly adds to the surrealness of some scenes, but stands up very well on it's own. Slightly clichéd view of a net geek, but fun all the same. Hard to pull off a romance with two such different people, which shows the skill of the cast in creating the growing bonds of love between them. The loneliness of living in the big city is portrayed well, it may be especially poignant in Tokyo where many people find difficulty in approaching others and are often waiting for that "accident" to happen. The chance encounter provides an introduction which can be built on. Trainman is shown to be a caring person, brave enough to stand up to bullies to help others. This gives us the necessary key to go on rooting for him through the story.Will have to watch the TV serial now !

Whether it was 40 years or 4 months ago, those who remember their first date will most certainty bath in the glow of empathy with this sweet little movie. It'll be an added bonus for those who are watching it with still the same person.But there's more. To the still uninitiated, this little gem is an eye-opener to the culture of Internet chat room. Through skillful interplay between split-screen and full screen, a group of our hero's best chat mates is shown to be his council of courtship advisors. This comprises a passionate young nurse, a young man (student, presumably) who locks himself up in his room with the computer most of the time, a man and a woman at their late twenties or early thirties (an office worker and a housewife respectively) and a group of three young chaps, the official clowns of the movie. We soon see how they are emotionally very involved with our hero's joys and woes, hopes and fears, which have become very much part of their own lives. There's also one nice little spoiler that is unveiled quite early in the movie.Our hero is a young "otaku", a term (neutral rather than derogatory) used to describe people who are so indulged in the virtual world of comics, animation and computer games that they have lost touch with real human beings, manifested in their acute shyness and inability to communicate with others. All these change when he, with a sudden surge of impulse, helps a lovely lassie that is molested by a drunken passenger on a train. The courtship is innocent and sweet, completely opposite to the other genre where the protagonists jump right into bed an hour after they first met. It's also funny, in a nice, gentle sort of way.One IMDb comment mentions that the character of the girl "Hermes" (nicknamed so because she sent him a set of Hermes cups to thank him) has not been as developed as even the supporting characters, and adds that this is perhaps intentional. I think so. The focus of the movie is on our hero the "Train man" and, to a lesser extent, the supporting characters. Hermes is an idolized figure and her sweet, composed charm contrasts perfectly with his nervous, tantalizing uncertainty. Incidentally, in the stage version of this true story, she doesn't even appear in person but is only a voice off- stage.Starting as a true story, "Train man" has taken Japan by storm, in every media conceivable – Internet story, comic, book, movie, stage play and, last but not least, hugely popular TV drama starring gorgeous Ito Misaki.