Trainman

The movie Densha Otoko (Trainman) has been released on Thursday. It is the latest media release based on a thread on the popular message board 2 Channel, where in 2004 an Otaku sought advice on how to approach a beautiful girl he had rescued from a drunk on the train and fallen in love with. As a clumsy geek who has probably never talked to a woman before, his chances of dating the designer-clad "Miss Hermes" would normally be zero. However, a huge number of helpful replies and encouragement ensued, while he kept asking for advice and posting about his progress until the happy end. Published as a book - hyped as the first ever novel to be taken from the Internet - it turned into a bestseller with more than 1.5 million copies sold, and was followed by several comicbook releases and a TV drama.

Regardless to whether this story is true or not, an interesting aspect is that both male geeks and single careerwomen refuse to conform to the still fairly rigid gender roles in Japanese society and therefore make a much less strange combination than the storyline would like to have us believe. Otaku choose to dedicate their life to their obsession with Manga or other trivia, opting out of the salaryman lifestyle of total dedication to the company. Single careerwomen refuse their assigned role by doing exactly the opposite and choosing work and a self-determined lifestyle over marriage and life as a housewive. Both groups are viewed very negatively in Japan - Otaku is definitely not a positive expression, and the name for single careerwomen in their thirties, "Makeinu" (underdog) is even worse.

According to this probably not completely fact-based article, some women are finally realizing this and start to discover Otaku as perfect husband material. An Otaku might be strange - but is bound to be much less demanding and macho than a high-flying salaryman at one of the big companies for example, and there is no need to worry about him having an affair.