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Intersections:GenderandSexualityinAsiaandthePacific
Issue20,April2009

TrainManandtheGenderPoliticsof
Japanese'Otaku'Culture:TheRiseof
NewMedia,NerdHeroesandConsumer
Communities
AlisaFreedman
Figure1.TrainManbook
cover.Source:amazon.co.jp

Introduction

1. TrainMan(Denshaotoko)hasbeenoneofthemostsignificantrecentJapanesepopularculture
phenomenaandrepresentstheinterrelationshipbetweenthedevelopmentofnewmedia,
marketingtrendsandnotionsofmasculinity.[1]Asentimentallovestoryofanawkwardnerdand
afashionableworkingwomanbasedonsupposedlyrealevents,TrainManwascollectively
writtenthroughanonymouspostsontheinfluential2ChannelInternetforumfromMarchtoMay
2004andcentresonthecoupleandtheonlinecommunitywhoencouragedthem.TrainManand
mostofhissupportersare'otaku,'generallynegativeslangforanavidfanwhobrings'a
passionate,singlemindedintensitytobearonhisobjectofobsession.'[2]InTrainMan,otaku
areportrayedasspendingtimeandmoneyonobtainingknowledgeaboutandowningthingsthat
providethepotentialforparticipationinglobalnetworksthatrunparalleltobutoftendonot
opposelocalgroupsoffamily,schoolandwork,whichhaveformedthebackboneofJapanese
society.ThistaleoflifealteringlovehasbeensoldasanInternetbook(professionallypublished
papereditionofastorycreatedandfirstmadeavailableonline),afilm,aserialisedtelevision
drama,fourmangaseries,astageplayandevenanadultvideo.Becauseofthecommercial
appealofTrainMan'ssuccessfulromanticrelationship,corporateinterestsandthemassmedia
havepromotedtheprotagonistasrepresentinganewsexualisedidentityandaharbingerof
consumerfads,whilecontinuingtodescribetheexistenceofotakufanculturesasasymptomof
Japanesesocioeconomicproblems.

2. Iarguethat,alongwithchangingtheformofthebookandfurtheringcrossmediapromotion,the
protagonistofTrainManhasencouragedmorediscussionsaboutsocialexpectationsfor
Japanesemeninthemassmediaduringatimeoffallingmarriageandbirthratesthananyother
realpersonageorfictionalcharacter.MediadiscoursesaboutTrainManreachedaheightin
2005and2006whenglobalfandomsofJapaneseotakuculturegrewandfertilityrateswere
declaredanationalproblem.Innewsmagazinesdevotedtoissuesofmarriageandfamilyand
theconcurrentspateofbooksaboutheterosexualrelationships,TrainManhasbeendescribed
asapotentialmarriagepartnerforcareerwomen,ademographicblamedformarryinglate.At
thesametime,hehasbeenpromotedasanidealconsumer,loyaltobrandsandwillingtospend
moneyonselfimprovement.

3. Asdiscussedbelow,althoughexposingcontradictionsinherentingendernormspromotedby
stateinstitutionsandbroadeningconceptionsofmasculinityinthepopularimagination,most
journalisticaccountsandmarketingcampaignscentringonTrainManrecastpatriarchalnotions
ofloveandfamilyforthetwentyfirstcenturyInternetgeneration.Inmassmediadiscussions
aboutTrainMan,exemplifiedbythoseinweeklynewsmagazinestargetingamiddleclass
educatedreadership,thekindofotakuculturerepresentedbytheprotagonisthasbeen
mobilisedtoadvocatetheconservativenotionthatindividualhappinessismosteasilyachieved
byconformingtosocalledmainstreamsociety.Reflexively,otakusuchasTrainManhavebeen
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ascribedwiththepotentialtochangethesocietytowhichtheyonceconformed.Instriking
contrast,femaleotakuhaveoftenbeenseeninadifferentlight.Crimesagainstbothmaleand
femaleotaku,especiallyinTokyo'sAkihabaradistrict,areextremeexamplesrevealingthatTrain
ManandhisfancommunitymightnotbeidealsacceptedbytheentireJapanesepopulation.
Membersofotakucommunitieshavealsovoiceddissent.

4. Inthispaper,IfirstexplorehowthismalecharacterhasshapedJapanesemediaandpublishing
trends,furtheringthesuccessofcellphonenovels(keitaishsetsu)andothernewbookforms.I
thenraisequestionsaboutthesocial,economicandideologicalimpactoftheimageof
masculinitythatthestoryconveysandhowithasshapedrecentdiscussionsaboutwomen,
motherhoodandlabour,inadditiontomenandmarriage.Toprovideamorecompositeand
perhapslessmediatedexaminationofTrainMan,Ihaveresearcheduntraditionalacademic
sources,includingInternetforums,websites,advertisingcampaignsandblogs,alongwithwidely
circulatingbooksandmagazinesissuedbycommercialpresses.Byanalysingalimitedsample
ofthealmostcountlessonlinefansitesdevotedtootakuculture,Iattempttounderstandthe
mixedreactionsofmembersofthecommunityTrainManissaidtosymbolisetothe
incorporationofthestoryintodominantheteronormativestatediscourses.[3]

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

HowFansCreatedTrainManandEngenderedMediaTrends

TrainManwasmadepossiblebyandexemplifiestheculturalinfluenceoftheexpansive2
ChannelInternetforum.Foundedin1999bythethentwentythreeyearoldNishimuraHiroyuki,
2Channelreceivesmorethan500millionpageviewsamonth.[4]All2Channelusersremain
anonymousorareaddressedbynicknames,enablingthemtochataboutsubjectsthatmightbe
tabooinfacetofaceconversations.Tokeeptopicscurrentandsavebandwidth,threadsare
limitedto1,000posts,andusershavethepowertocontinuediscussionsbyaddingthreads.
PostsontheBBS(InternetBulletinBoardSystem)cannotbedeleted.Alongwithtextmessages,
2channelsubscriberspostASCIIartwork,oftenelaboratepicturesmadeoutofletters,
punctuationmarksandotherprintablecharacters.

Thestorybeganafterashytwentytwoyearold,giventhehandle'TrainMan'onthesecondday
ofthediscussion,protectedawomanfromadrunkonaTokyotrain.[5]Althoughsuch
harassmentiscommononTokyotrains,helpfromastrangerisnot,andthewomansentTrain
ManexpensiveHermesbrandteacupstoshowhergratitude.WhilethechoiceofHermescups
isunusual,giftgivingisanacceptedwayofshowingappreciationinJapan.Inapostthatwas
partofalargerforumoncomputergamesonaboardfor'dokuotoko,'thetitleofwhichisapun
formenwhoareboth'single'(doku)andregardthemselvestobeasunattractiveas'poison'
(alsopronounced'doku'),TrainMan,whohadneverhadagirlfriend,askedforadviceonhowto
invitethewoman,affectionatelynicknamed'Hermes,'onadate.

Fromthestart,TrainManappearedasanexceptionallysensitiveandcaringperson,withwhom
many2Channelsubscribersfeltasenseofempathyandadesiretohelp.Thestorydeveloped
astheonlinecommunity,mostlymen,offeredanddebatedsuggestionsonhowTrainMancould
makeHermesfallinlovewithhimandasTrainManreportedtheeventsofhisnewrelationship
andfeelingsabouthowhislifewaschanging.Thestoryincreasinglyattractednewwritersand
readersandspreadfaroutsidethe'poisonman'board.

In2004,thefiftysevendayonlineconversationthatincludedatotalof29,862postswasedited
intoasixchapterstoryof1,919postsandmadeavailableonafreewebsite.[6]Fansrendered
thewebsiteintootherworldlanguages,suchasthe2006Englishtranslationby'Project.Densha.'
TrainManreachedaglobalaudienceandwasparticularlypopularinotherpartsofAsiaandwith
JapanesecommunitiesinEuropeandtheUnitedStates.[7]Eachchapteroftheonlinenovel
detailedaseparate'mission'thatTrainManneededtocompleteinordertofurtherhisromance
andincludedsuchtasksasinvitingHermestodinnerandholdingherhand.Theresulting
narrativeofboymeetsgirlandboytriestotakecontroloftherelationshipfocusedasmuchon
TrainManasthefancommunitywhosupportedhim.

TrainManandhissupportersareselfidentified'otaku,'aderogatorytermcoinedinstudiesof
antisocialbehavioursinthefirsthalfofthe1980sandmadenotoriousbyserialkillerMiyazaki
Tsutomuin1989.[8]Especiallyfromtheearly1990s,otakubecameaformofaddressamong

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10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

likemindedfans,asevidentinthe1991culthitmockumentaryOtakunobideo(OtakuVideo).
Althoughappliedtootherfandoms,thetermisnowmostlyusedbothplayfullyandpejorativelyto
denoteardentcollectorsofmanga,animeandcomputertechnologies.Becauseoftheglobal
popularityoftheseformsofpopularculture,otakuhashadmorepositiveconnotationsabroad
thaninJapan.Otakuimpliestheconstantdesiretolearnmoreaboutahobby,eitherforprofitor
forpleasure,andthesenseofprideinbeingabletotradeinknowledgeofthingsthatareoften
cuttingedge.Someoftheworld'srichestandmostinfluentialmenhavebeentechnologyotaku,
includingMicrosoft'sBillGatesand2Channel'sadministratorNishimuraHiroyuki,showingthe
powerandprofitabilityofthisformofgeekculture.

Especiallyindiscussionsamongfans,otakuaredividedintosubgroups.TrainManrepresents
the'Akibakeiotaku'orthepredominantlymaledenizensofTokyo'sAkihabaraelectronics
district,asubculturethatisnottoofarremovedfrommainstreamurbansociety.InTrainMan,
Akibakeiotakuareportrayedasmanifestingbothconspicuousconsumptionandproduction,
givingrisetonewtrends,vocabulariesandbehavioursthroughtheshareddesireforbrandsand
commodities.MembersofAkibakeiInternetforums,intervieweesinmediareportsandbloggers
havegenerallyexpressedamixofshameandprideinbelongingtothesecommunities
feelingsarticulatedbyTrainMan.

ThroughtheonlineconversationthatoftenreadsasaguidetofashionanddatinginTokyo,Train
Mangainedconfidence,especiallyashechangedhisclothingandhairstyle.TrainManhidbut
didnotgiveuphisotakuidentity.Inapivotalpointintheirrelationship,heusedhisknowledgeof
computerstoimpressHermes,whosenicknamealsoshowsanassociationwithconsumer
culture.

On9May2004,TrainManpostedon2ChannelthathehadconfessedhisloveforHermes,
and,accordingtotheeditedstory,theonlinecommunitycelebrated.Loveconfessionsarea
stockpartofJapanesefictionandfilm,butTrainManunconventionallydiscussedhisfearsand
feelingswithothercharacters,ratherthanjustmakingthereaderprivytotheseprivatethoughts.
Inthelastpostsincludedinthestory,the2ChannelsubscriberstellTrainManthathehad
successfullygraduatedfromhislessonsonhowtobeanidealromanticpartnerandnolonger
neededtheadviceoftheotakucommunity,whohave,inturn,learnedfromhisexample.Histask
wastonowadvanceinto'mainstream'society,rememberingthepeoplewhohelpedhim
motivateandmobilisetochangebutleavinghisformerlifebehind.Theparticipantsintheonline
discussiongaveTrainManasendoffandbadehimwell,implyingthat,althoughahero,hewas
nolongeroneofthem.AccordingtoTrainManwebsitesandblogs,itisrumouredthatthecouple
isstilltogether,althoughtheirrealidentitiesremainunknown.

Notably,notionsofmobilityareintegraltoTrainMan'sidentityformation,forhehadtoleaveone
communitytoenteranother.Ironically,TrainMan'stransformationwasencouragedbymany2
Channelsubscriberswhomanifesttheirwithdrawalfromsocietythroughspatialretreat,feeling
morecomfortableinteractingwithpeopleonlineratherthanfacetoface.Insomeversionsofthe
story,afewofTrainMan'ssupporterswerehikikomori,predominantlyyoungmenwhoenclose
themselvesintheirhomesandrefusetoparticipateintheworldoutside.Whileperpetuating
stereotypesofwomeningeneralandofsubculturesofmen,TrainManhasinfluencedthe
developmentofanewkindofromanticmaleheroinJapaneseliteratureandvisualmedia:the
compassionate,motivatedotakuwithdisposableincomeandleisuretime.TrainManmarksa
departurefromcommonimagesofthestoicmiddleclassbusinessman,afigurewho
representedtwentiethcenturyJapanesesocialideals.Yettobethisotakuhero,TrainMan
neededtomoveoutsidehiscommunityandprovethatwantedtoandcouldconformtonotionsof
malebehaviourthathavedominatedthepopularimaginationsincethepostwarperiod.Thus,
theconstructionofTrainMan'sidentityisfraughtwithcontradictions.

AsnewsofTrainManandhissupportersspread,Japanesepublishingcompaniesviedtoturn
thepopularwebsiteintoabook.On4June2004,Nishimuraawardedthepublicationrightsto
thirtyfouryearoldShinchpublishingcompanyeditorGunjiYoko,whohadproducedfive
successfulbookssince1998butremainedacontractratherthanalifetimeemployee.Because
ofthecurrentJapanesepublishingfocusonsocalledpopularratherthanmorehighbrow
literatureandinpartduetofinanciallosses,especiallyinsalesofmonthlyperiodicals,ithas
becomeanindustrynormtocontractyoungeditorswhoarefamiliarwithbooktrends.As
exemplifiedbyGunji,thischangehasmadeitpossibleforwomentoworkinhigherlevel

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15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

positions,but,withoutmuchsecurity,theyoftenneedtodemonstratethattheirjobsare
necessary.GunjiwasabletoacquiretheprojectfromNishimurabecausesheproposed
designingthebooktoresembleanonlinechat,completewiththeASCIIartworkthatappearedin
the2Channeldiscussion,ratherthandevelopingthestoryintoamoreconventionalnovelwith
elaborateplotlines,characterdescriptionsandeloquentuseoflanguage.[9]Forherefforts,
Gunjiwasawardedthehonourofthe2006NikkeiWomanoftheYearawardinthecategoryof
hitmaker.Additionally,publishedatatimeofproliferationof2Channeluserguidesandthe
popularisationofASCIIart,asevidentinsuchonlinefadsastheFlashanimated'Kikkoman
FightSong,'TrainManheightenedthedominationofNishimura'sInternetempire.[10]

AlthoughthestorywebsiteisstillavailableforfreeandtheURLaddressisevenlistedinthe
backofthebook,morethan260,000copiesofTrainMansoldinthefirstthreeweeksafteritwas
releasedon22October,andsalesreached1.5millioninthespringandsummerof2005,when
thefilmandtelevisionseriesaired.[11]Accordingtoasurveypublishedinthe22November
2004issueofthenewsmagazineAERA,whichhasfocusedinrecentyearsonmarriageand
familyissues,70percentofthecustomerswhopurchasedTrainManduringthefirstthree
weeksweremenandmostlikely2Channelparticipants,but,afterNovember2004,46percent
ofbookbuyerswerefemale,achangethatwasinpartduetoadvertisingcampaignsandthe
waysthatnewsofthestoryspreadthroughtelevisionandothermedia.[12]Ingeneral,most
readerswereolderthanthatofothernovelswrittenintextmessageformats,suchasthe
teenagedAmericanInternetGirlsseriesbyLauraMyracle.[13]

Producedatatimewhenpublishingcompanieswereseekingtorevivesales,TrainMan
epitomisedanewformofthebookandtransformedtheactofreading.Thecollectiveauthoris
listedasNakanoHitori,acommon2Channelphrasemeaning'oneamongus.'[14]Noeditor's
nameisprovided.BecausethepostsareanonymousandtherealTrainManandHermesare
unknown,notionsofcopyright,royaltiesandpressreleaseschanged.IfTrainManwerereal,he
shouldreceivepartofthecopyright,whichnowbelongstoNishimura.[15]The364pagebookis
arrangedintosixmissions,allentirelycomposedofonlinepoststhosebyTrainManshadedin
gray.Aclosingdiscussionon16May,aweekafterTrainMan'sconfessionoflove,servesasan
epilogue.[16]Verylittleexplanationisgiven,implyingthatthetargetreaderisfamiliarwiththe
storyandformat.Thestoryistoldalmostentirelythroughdialogueandmakesthereaderfeelas
thoughsheisoverhearingaconversationamongacrowd.Thisnewnarrativeformallowsthe
plottounfoldinrealtime.

ThebookisfulloflanguagescreatedbyJapaneseInternetusers,resultinginadifferent
appearanceonthepageanddemandingfamiliaritywith2Channeltobefullyappreciated.[17]
Oftenfocusedonthevisualityofwordsandpuns,aspectsofthislanguageincludeusing
homophonesforChinesecharacters,atechniquethatisnotnewandwasusedfortransliteration
ofWesternwordsintoJapaneseinthenineteenthcentury.Thisisevidentintheauthor'sname
NakanoHitori.Inaddition,longvowelsoundsareshortened,shortonesarelengthened,similar
butincorrectcharactersareused,andtwowordphrasesareabbreviatedintotwosyllables,a
commonwayofreferringtocontemporarybuzzwordsandbrands.Forexample,thepopular
coffeeshopStarbucksiscalled'Staba.'

TrainManfurtheredtheintersectionbetweenJapaneseliteratureandnewmedia,demonstrating
atransformationinwaysthatInternettechnologywasaffectingculturalproduction.Internet
novelsinadifferentformatwerepublishedbeforeTrainManbutwerenotcommercially
successful.Forexample,in2000,filmdirectorIwaiShunjipostedaninteractiveonlinewebsite
aspartofplansforafilmabouttherelationshipbetweenaHongKongpopstarandaTaiwanese
teen.Japaneseadolescentsloggedontotalkaboutproblems,includingschoolbullying,in
additiontorespondtothestoryaboutmusic.IwaipublishedthepostsinthebookRirishushuno
subete(AllAboutLilyChouCho)inAugust2001andreleasedpoignantbuthorrifyingfilmbythe
sametitleaboutthreemonthslaterbythesamedistributor,RockwellEyes.[18]Unlikethisand
otherearlierInternetnovels,TrainManandthebooksithasinspiredlightheartedlyimpart
positivemessagesandbeginwithchanceencounters.

Additionally,thesuccessoftheTrainManInternetnovelwasperhapsinstrumentalinadvancing
publishingcompanyexperimentationwithothernewbookformswrittenbyamateurauthorsand
enabledbynewmedia.Aprimeexampleisthegenreof'cellphonenovels'thatdevelopedwhen
telecommunicationsprovidersbeganofferingunlimitedtextmessagingintheirmonthlyplansand

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flourishedespeciallybetween2006and2007.MostofJapan'sbestsellersintheseyearswere
cellphonenovels.Readers,predominantlyyoungwomen,subscribetomostlyfreewebsitesto
receiveinstallmentsofthesedialoguedriven,singleauthoredstoriesontheircellphones.They
canthenreadthismobileformofpopularliteratureontrainsandinotherpublicspaces,thereby
changingthenatureoftelling,circulatingandconsumingstories.Notably,likeTrainMan,cell
phonenovels,whichcanbeobtainedforfree,arepublishedasbooksthatsellhundredsof
thousands,evenmillions,ofcopiesandaremadeintotelevisiondramas,filmsandmanga.For
example,Ayunomonogatari(DeepLove),byanauthorknownonlyasYoshi,hadgrossed
around4.8millionyenby2005andthesupposedlynonfictionalKoizora(LoveSky),byMika,
rankedthirdonthenationalbestsellerlistin2006andearned12.4millionyen.[19]Theformat
andlayoutofcellphonenovelsaremoreconventionalthanthatofTrainMan.

20. AlthoughafewdisparagingpostsandobsceneexamplesofASCIIartappearedon2Channel,
theywerenotincludedintheTrainManwebsiteandbook.[20]Accordingtothecalculationsby
journalistAndKenji,only6.4percentoftheentire2Channelonlineconversationwasincluded
intheeditedwebsiteandbook,andtherewereatleastfourdifferentendingsthatwereless
optimisticthantheonethatendedthepublishednarrativeandtherebypreventedadditional
interpretationsofthestory.[21]Instead,theInternetcommunityappearsunifiedintheirsincere
desiretohelp'oneofus.'Anoteonthelastpage,presumablybyNakanoHitori,praisesTrain
Man'scourageandthe2Channelusers'senseofcommunity.BeneathisanASCIIartpictureof
twoMoncats,the2ChannelmascotalongwithGikoneko,anotherASCIIartcatfigure,
representingTrainManandHermes.Hermesremarksthat2Channelsupportersareallgood
people,astheywalkoutanexitdoor,showingherapprovalofthekindsofotakuportrayedand
therolethatmobilityplayedintheirstory.[22]

21. Accordingly,TrainMancanbereadasaprimeexampleofthe'purelove'(jun'ai)storiesthat
wereproliferatingatthetimeandmarketedtowardbothmenandwomen.Purelovestorieshave
emergedasadistinctgenrewithitsowndefiningconventionsandtropes.Inmostcases,oneor
moreofthecharactersfallsinloveforthefirsttime,andthecoupleneedstoovercomeobstacles
tobetogether.Thestoriesendoracharacterdiesbeforethelovecanbecomesoiledwithmore
mundaneaspectsofdomesticlife.[23]Todate,themostpopularpurelovestoryhasbeen
KatayamaKyoichi's2001Sekainochshinde,aiosakebu(CryingOutLove,IntheCenterof
theWorld),nicknamed'Sekach.'Publishedin2001,Sekachbecamethebestselling
Japanesebookofthetwentyfirstcenturyin2004inpartbecauseoftheeffortsbyaShogakukan
publishingcompanysalesmantomobilisethebook'sfanbaseandthepromotionbysuchyoung
actressesasShibasakiK,whoappearedinthemovieversion.Asevidentinsuchcellphone
novelsasDeepLove,manyrecentpurelovestorieshaveincreasinglyfocusedonunderdog
characterswhoseeklostinnocenceandsalvationthroughheterosexualromance,suchas
teenagedprostituteswhohadtoselltheirbodiesforreasonsbeyondtheircontrol.

22. InadditiontorepresentingchangesinthecontentandformofcontemporaryJapaneseliterature,
TrainManexemplifiedthenewwaysstoriesweremarketed.Namely,thephenomenonfurthered
theemphasisoncrossmediapromotionthatwasespeciallyshowntobesuccessfulwithSeka
ch,whichwasmadeintoamanga,filmandserialisedtelevisiondramain2004andaKorean
moviein2005.FourmangaversionsofTrainMan,usingconventionsofbothseinenandshjo
genres(graphicnovelstargetingboysandgirls,respectively)werepublishedin2005oneseries
wastranslatedalmostimmediatelyintoEnglishandFrench.AplaywasstagedinSeptember
2005onamultimediasetcomprisedofsmallinterlockingrooms,conveyingasenseofthe2
ChannelindividualswhosupportedTrainMan.[24]Adaptationsweretimedtomaintainthe
popularityofthetrend.Inaddition,companionvolumes,sociologicalstudiesandselfhelpbooks
werepublishedinthesameyear,markingoneofthefirsttimesinrecentyearsthatpopular
fictioninspiredexaminationofJapanesesocialstructuresandindividualpsychology.Prime
examplesareOtsannimowakaru?jun'aimanuarutetteikaiseki(TheStoryofTrainManA
CompleteGuidetoPureLovethatEvenYourFatherCanUnderstand)bythe'TrainMan
FriendshipSociety'andArigato!Denshaotoko50manninganamidashitajunai(ThankYou,
TrainMan!:ThePureLoveStorythatMade500,000PeopleCry).[25]

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Figure2.TrainManDVD
(JapaneseVersion).Source:
amazon.co.jp

Figure3.TrainManTelevisionDramaAdvertisement.Source:
DramaWiki

23. ThemostsuccessfuladaptationsofTrainManweretheJune2005blockbusterfilm,shotin
twentyfivedaysunderthesupervisionoftelevisiondirectorMurakamiMasanoriandreleased
aroundamonthlatertomixedcriticalreviews,andthetelevisionseries,whichairedThursdays
at10:00p.m.from7Julyto22September2005ontheFujiTelevisionChannel,withspecial
episodeson6October2005and23September2006.Whilethebookistoldentirelyfromthe
pointofviewofTrainManandhissupporters,thefilmandtelevisiondramashowaspectsof
Hermes'lifeandportrayherastakingmostoftheinitiativeinthebuddingromance.These
changesmighthavebeenduetoconventionsoffilmandtelevisionmelodramasorwereadded
tomakeTrainManamoreempatheticcharacterwithperhapsagreaterappealtothetarget
consumerdemographicofeighteentothirtyfouryearoldfemaleviewers.Thefilmanddrama
haddifferentcasts,buttheactorwhoplayedTrainManinthefilmmadeacameoappearancein
thedramaandviceversa.TheTrainManmoviereliedontheactor'sstarpower,butthemale
leadYamadaTakayuki(whostarredintheSekachtelevisiondrama)wassaidtobetoo
handsome.[26]

24. InMay2005,FujiTelevisionrepresentativeshandedoutfliersinAkihabara,requesting'real'
otakutoactasextrasinthetelevisiondrama,whichwasmoresuccessfulthanthefilminterms
ofcharacterdevelopmentandparodiedthepeopleitcelebrated.[27]Thelastepisodeofthis
extremelypopularserieswasviewedbymorethan25.5percentofthenationaltelevision
audience.[28]Thethemesongsequence,ascenefromananimeseriescreatedfortheTrain
Mandrama,wasmadetoseemlikeanexistingtwentysixepisodeprogram,completewith
femalevoiceactressesandmerchandise.Itwasproducedasarealseries,Getsumentoheiki
mina,looselytranslatedasMoonFacedRabbitWeaponMina,thatairedfromJanuarytoMarch
2007onFujiTelevision,thesamenetworkasthedrama.Thetelevisionseriesendedinavery
'adult'kiss,thekindthatisrarelyshowninprimetime,whichwassignificantly,initiatedby
Hermes.Althoughanadultvideo,TheKissingandSexofTrainManwascreated,therehas
beennoanimatedversionofthetaletodate.

25. Thefilmandthetelevisionseriesclearlyvisualisedtheclassmessageinherentinthestory.For
example,themanwhoharassedHermesonthetrainappearedtobeworkingclass,andHermes
andTrainManoftencarriedthingswithrecognisableculturalcapital,especiallydesignergoods
andbagsfromAkihabarashops.Bothvisualformsdepicteddifferentkindsof2Channelusers,
andInternetpostsinfluencedthecontentandvisualcompositions.Inadditiontovariousotaku,
thefilmandtelevisiondramashowedhurtandlonelypeople,includingbatteredwomen,
alienatedmarriedcouplesandhopelessyouth,allofwhomlearnedfromTrainMan'scourage.
Otakucharacterswerealsousedtomakeaudiencesawareofpressingnationalissues,suchas
domesticviolenceandhikikomori.Throughhappyendingsandthroughstunningvisualfinales,
theyconveyedthemessagethatpeoplecouldimprovetheirlivesiftheytriedhardenough.

26. ByshowingingreatdetailtheeffortsmadebyTrainManandhiscommunityandtheirjoyin
achievingtheirgoalofahappyromanticrelationship,themediaemployedthecommercially
successfulJapaneseformulaofwhatIcall'gambaru'or'tryyourbestandyouwillsucceed'films.
Ingambarunarratives,thefallenherofindsconfidencebyexcellingatanunusualhobbyoran
unlikelyfeatwiththehelpofacoachandotherplayers.Thecoachandotherplayers,inturn,
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learntolovetheactivitythroughobservingtheplayer'shardworkandtherebyfindhopeinother
aspectsoftheirownlives.DifferentfromsuchAmerican'zerotohero'moviesasKarateKidand
Rocky,inJapanesegambarufilms,theindividuallearnstobeabettermemberofagroupor
family,schoolorworkplace.FamousexamplesincludethefilmsShallWeDance?,thetaleofa
salarymanwhofindsmeaninginmiddleclasslifethroughthesubcultureofballroomdanceand
Waterboys,basedonthetruestoryofahighschoolboys'synchronisedswimmingteam.

Figure4.Chikanotoko
(PervertMan)BookCover.
Source:amazon.co.jp

Figure5.DVDofBusMan
(NapoleonDynamite).
Source:amazon.co.jp

27. In2005,differentpublisherscreatedspinoffInternetbooksinthesameformatthatwerealso
supposedlybasedontruestoriesofotakuaskingforloveadviceandsharingtheirrelationships
on2Channel.ThisfurtheratteststotheprofitabilityoftheTrainManphenomenonandthelong
acceptedJapaneseculturalnotionthatgoodideasshouldbeemulated.Forexample,Chikan
otoko(PervertMan)beganwithapostbyanerdobsessedwithanimeandreptileswhowas
mistakenforamolester.Thecollectiveauthor'snameisgivenasItanoSumito,literally'those
wholiveonline,'anditwasmadeintoafilmandmanga.[29]TheJapanesetitleoftheAmerican
filmNapoleonDynamiteisBasuotoko(BusMan),whichwasreleasedonDVDinNovember
2005andsometimesmarketedindisplaysnearthoseforTrainMan.
TheGenderPoliticsofMainstreamOtakuCulture

28. TrainManfuelledthefascinationamongmainstreamdomesticaudiencesforsocialminority
groupofotaku,whohadalreadybecomepartofJapan'sglobalimageof'grossnationalcool,'to
borrowaphrasefromjournalistDouglasMcGray,andanewformofsuperpowerthroughthe
exportofpopularculture.[30]Thisgrowinginterestwasexemplifiedbythefeatureexhibitatthe
NinthBiennialInternationalArchitectureExhibitionJapanesePavilionin2004onthewaysthat
otakuconsumercultureandcommunalnetworkshavetransformedcityspaceandurbandesign.
[31]JapaneseguidebookstoAkihabaraproliferatedin2005and2006butreflectedtheviewof
otakuasanurbancuriosity.Newlargescalebuildingsandshopshaveopenedinthe
neighbourhood,includingtheAkihabaraCrossfieldcomplexcomprisedoftwoskyscrapers.A
trainlinelinkingTsukubaUniversitytoAkihabaraopenedin2005.[32]Additionally,theTrainMan
phenomenonoccurredatatimewhennerdculture,especiallythatofcomputergeeks,was
becomingpopularworldwide,asevidentinsuchAmericantelevisionprogramssuchasHeroes
starringtheJapanesecharacterHiroNakamura,whosometimesspeaksinJapanese.Theword
'Theotaku'wasincludedintheOxfordEnglishDictionary(OED)in2007.

29. Ontheotherhand,theJapanesemassmediahasespousedthebeliefthatotakuareacause
andsymptomofthepossiblebreakdownofJapanesesocietyandhaveassociatedotakuwith
sexualperversionandthegrowinggapbetweentherichandpoorduringatimeofeconomic
restructuring.ThismakesthepromotionofTrainManallthemorestriking.Prejudicesagainst
otakuhaveevenresultedinhatecrimes.Forexample,especiallybetween2005and2007,atthe
peakofthediscussiononTrainMan,themediareportedseveral'otakuhunts'muggingsand
beatingsofmaleotakuandafewcasesoftherapeofwomenworkingasmaidsinAkihabara
cafs.Theattacks,perpetratedmostlybydelinquentyouth,wereparodiedinthe2006televised
versionofprizewinningauthorIshidaIra'ssciencefictionnovelAkihabara@DEEP,thestoryofa
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30.

31.

32.

33.

groupofsuperherootakuwhoprotectAkihabara,whichalsobecameamangaandmovie.This
latenightserialiseddramastarredmembersofthebeautifulboybandJohnny'sJr.andfamous
youngcomediansdressedlikestereotypesofotaku.

Misunderstandingsandbiasesagainstotakuwerealsoapparentinthemediadiscussionsabout
KatTomohiro,thetwentyfiveyearoldwhomurderedthreerandompeoplebyrunningthem
overwithatruckonthepedestrianstreetsofAkihabaraandthenfatallystabbedfourotherswith
aknife,onSunday,8June2008theseventhanniversaryoftheOsakaIkedaElementary
Schoolkillings.Accordingtoglobalreports,onereasonwhyKatcommittedthis'Akihabara
Massacre'wasbecausehewasanotaku,citingasproofthefactthathepostedthousands
warningsabouthiscrimeonacellphoneInternetsite,spentmostofhistimeshutinhishome
connectingwithpeopleonlineratherthaninperson,drewpicturesinmangastylewhenhewasa
highschoolstudentandpossessedseveralanimeDVDs.[33]NewsarticlesalsonotedKat's
'passionforAkihabara,'withoutprovidinganswerstowhyhewouldchoosetoattackaplacehe
consideredasanctuary.[34]However,inhisposts,Katbemoanedthefactsthathewasan
underemployedtemporaryworker(haken)atafactoryinShizokaPrefecture,whothoughtthat
hehadlosthisjobthedaybeforecommittingmassmurder,anddidnothaveagirlfriend,rather
thandiscussinganotakuidentity.Themainstreammassmedianotedotherfactorsthatcould
haveledtoKat'shorrendouscrimes,includinghisfrustrationswiththeJapaneseeducational
examinationsystemandhisinabilitytobecomealifetimecompanyemployee.Yetperhapsin
responsetopublicfearsconcerningKat'scrimes,assomecriticscharge,theJapanese
governmentdecidedtofinallyexecuteMiyazakiTsutomu,theoriginal'otakumurderer'on17
June2008,tendayslater.[35]

ThepopularityofTrainManisinpartduetoitsclaimsofrealismandpromotionasa'truelove
storyfortheInternetgeneration,toparaphrasethetaglinefromtheAmericantranslation.[36]The
truthclaimhas,ononehand,madeTrainManatopicofmediadebatesaboutnationalissues
facingJapanandhasmadechangesinthepublishingindustrymorestriking.Conversely,ithas
spurreddebateamongpeoplewhoconsiderthemselvesmembersoftheotakucommunityabout
whetherTrainManisapositiverolemodel.ConspiracytheoriesthatTrainManwasnottrueand
wasinsteadcreatedbyFujiTelevisionandDentsuAdvertisingCompany,incollusionwith2
Channel'sNishimuraandperhapstheJapaneseGovernment,havealsocirculatedinbooksand
online,andcriticshavemeticulouslycataloguedtheaspectsofthestorythatdidnotseem
possible.Forexample,ifTrainManistwentytwoyearsold,whydoesheposton2Channelthat
hehasbeenworkingforthreeyearsatajobthatrequiresauniversitydegree?Whywoulda
youthlikeTrainManusetheverb'dial'inreferencetoacellphone?Theexpensivebrand
teacups,whichTrainManseemstohavereceivedtooquickly,areastrangethankyoupresent
forayoungman.Thetimeofthecouple'sfirstdateisabitmysterious,forTrainManand
Hermeswenttotworestaurantsintwohours,thefirstbeingaJapaneserestaurantthat
conventionallyservesmealsslowly.Lastly,thewebsiteinwhichallofthepostswerecompiled
wascreatedtooquickly.[37]

Throughaconfluenceofmarketingforcesandmediadiscourses,theheightoftheTrainMan
phenomenoncamein2005,theyearthatformerPrimeMinisterKoizumideclaredJapan'slow
fertilityratestobeanationalproblem.Havingsteadilydeclinedafterfallingbelow2.0in1975,
birthratesreachedathenalltimelowof1.25.[38]Becausemarriagehasbeenviewedin
governmentandjournalisticdiscoursesasameanstopaternity,latemarriagealsobecame
issueofnationalconcern.In2005,theaveragemarriageageformenwas29.8andtwentyeight
forwomen.[39]Althoughfertilityroseslightlyby23,000babiesin2006,theMinistryofHealth
predictsthattheJapanesepopulationwilldropby30percentoverthenextfiftyyears,and40.5
percentofthenationwillbeolderthansixtyfivein2055.[40]Abirthrateof2.8isneededto
stabilisetheJapanesepopulation.[41]TheJapanesegovernmenthastakenmeasurestoraise
thenumberofbabies,includinginstitutingchildcarefacilities,taxincentivesandfamilyleave
lawsandhasshownawarenessthatthefallingbirthratesarerelatedtochangesingenderroles
andthatbothmenandwomenneedtobebetterabletocombineresponsibilitiesoffamilyand
workoutsidethehome.[42]

Insteadofmerelyblamingwomenforselfishlychoosingcareersovermarriageandfamily,AERA
andothernewsmagazineshavepublishedlengthydiscussionsaboutwhymen,especiallythose
withsocalled'highspecs'ofadvancededucation,elitejobsandgoodlooks,arechoosingto
marrylateornotatallandabouttheneedtochangethesalarymansystemsothatfatherscan

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playalargerroleinthefamily.Themainreasonsgivenformenwhodonotmarryarebasedon
emotions,implyingthattheycouldmarrybutchoosenotto.[43]Popularculturehasplayedarole
inprovidingimagesthatmainlysupportthesedominantdiscourses,andthecharacterTrainMan
becameameanstopromotemarriage,andtherebyparenthood.Tothebestofmyknowledge,
TrainManhasonlybeenfeaturedinmainstreamjournalisticdebatesaboutheterosexualmen.

34. TrainManshowsthatanotakuhasthepotentialtobecomeanewkindofidealman,solongas
hecouldacquirethelooksandcommunicationskillsthatwouldmakehimdesirabletowomen
andhelphimconformtomainstreamsociety.TrainMandidnotrelinquishhisotakuidentityand
spentasmuchtimeon2ChanneldiscussinghishobbiesashedidHermes,buthegained
confidenceandcharmbychanginghisphysicalappearance.Expressedinthetermsusedin
blogsandmassmediaarticlesinjest,whileimplyingpublicfearsofsubculturesbehindthe
humour,TrainManwentfrombeinganAikibakeiotakuto'moteotoko'or'popularguy,'aman
withthestyle,confidenceandmoneytoconducthimselfwellinromanticrelationships.[44]
FashionplaysalargepartinthestoryandwastheprimefactorthatdistinguishesTrainMan
fromthementhatHermeswouldordinarilychoose.

35. Notably,globalnarrativesofsociallyineptyetintelligentmenpursuingcapable,stylishwomen
seemtosharesimilarplotconventionsand,althoughteachingthatbeautyismorethan'skin
deep,'donotchallengegendernorms.Acommonfeatureofmost'geekgetsthegirl'narratives
isthegeek'stransformationscene.Thisclimaticmomentwhenthegeeksuccessfullyappearsto
acceptmainstreamnormsofmasculinityconvincesthegirlofhisinnerbeauty,thereby
reaffirmingstereotypesofbothmenandwomenandadvancingconsumerculture.Inmost
cases,afterthemaleunderdog,themoreempatheticcharacter,dramaticallyaltershis
appearance,hebecomesthedominantpersonintherelationship.[45]

Figure6.BookCoverofthe
FashionGuideforOtaku.Source:
KinokuniyaOnlineStoreBookWeb

Figure7.BookCoveroftheTrain
ManStylingBible.Source:
apparelclick

36. TrainManbecametheiconofthefashionindustrytargetingmen,foradvertisersrealisedthe
potentialofotakuasaconsumerforcewillingtospendmoneyonhobbiesandawareofthe
socialstatusassociatedwithbrandnamegoods.EspeciallyaftertheTrainMantelevision
drama,manualswerepublishedtohelpotakubecomemoreattractiveromanticpartners.For
example,theOctober2005Datsuotakufshungaido(FashionGuideforOtaku),writtenin
mangaformat,isthestoryofanotakuwhogetsthegirlbecausehelearnshowtodress.[46]The
December2005Denshaotokosutairingubaiburu(TrainManStylingBibleforOtaku)isa
compendiumofwinnerschosenfrom135entriesina2005contestsponsoredbytheweb
companyApparelClick,openonlytofashionacademystudentsaroundthesameageasTrain
Man,todesignclothingoutfitsthatwouldturnAkibakeiotakuinto'Moekei,'otaku.('Moe'is
commonotakuslangforsomeonewhoissexuallyattractiveor'hot.')[47]Althoughreadersare
mostlikelyfashiondesignersandaficionadosfamiliarwithApparelClickratherthanthetarget
consumers,theseguidesattempttoprofitfromthebeliefthatallotakuaremembersofa
subcultureunifiedbyshame,whodesiretodisguisethemselvesasasteptobecomingmore
participatorymembersoflargersociety.[48]AmainthemeofTrainManisthatitisokaytobean
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37.

38.

39.

40.

41.

42.

otakusolongasyoudonotlookoractlikeoneinpublic.

Itisimportanttoacknowledgethatnotallotakuhavefeltpositivelyaboutthementalitydepicted
inTrainManorthediscourseonmasculinityitengendered.Manyinsteadhaveexpresseda
senseofprideatbeingpartofacommunityapartfromgreatersocietyandwereangeredbythe
suggestionthattheyshouldchange.Forexample,inhisMarch2005400pagebookmanifesto
thatsold33,000copiesinitsfirstthreemonths,Denpaotoko(RadioWaveMan)andthe
September2005sequelDenpataisen(RadioWaveCrusade),prolificjournalistandself
proclaimedextremeotakuHondaTorucriticisedTrainManforadvancingthenotionthatotaku
areinferiortomembersofmainstreamcultureandthattheyshouldtransformtheiridentitiesfor
whathescornedas'lovecapitalism'(renaishihonshugi)thatmightleadtounfulfilleddesires.[49]
HondastatesHermesshouldhavebeenwillingtochangeforTrainMan,andheshouldhave
madeherintoanAkihabaraotaku.[50]Forexample,inDecember2005,theAkibaBlog,reported
signsplacednearsalesdisplaysoftheTrainMantelevisionseriesDVDinAkihabarathat'Real
OtakuDon'tDesireLive3DWomen.'Behindtheextremelymisogynisticsloganlaytheideathat
otakumightwanttoseekalternativestomainstreamvisionsofromance.[51]Inoneepisodeof
thetelevisiondramaAkihabara@DEEP,theotakuheroesdiscusstheimpossibilityofa
relationshiplikethatbetweenTrainManandHermes.

Blogsandwebsitesalsoreflectthefactthatotakumenarefindingromanticpartnersintheirown
communities.Onlinedatingsiteshavebeenfoundedtopairmenandwomenwithsimilar
hobbiestoshare'otakulifestyletogether.'[52]Thismightalsoimplythatfemaleotakuareseen
asequalstomen,differentfromthewayHermeswasobjectifiedbyTrainMan'ssupporters.

FemaleotakuhavereceivedmoremediaattentionsincearoundthetimeoftheTrainMan
phenomenon,but,ratherthanbeingembroiledindiscussionsaboutthefamily,theyhavemost
oftenbeenshowcasedasacreativeforceofconsumersandproducersofJapan'sflourishing
mangaandanimeindustriesandasbravepioneermembersoffandomsgenerallydominatedby
men.Althoughpositive,thesereportspresentfemaleotakuasanomaliesratherthanrolemodels
andrevealaspectsofgendersegregationinotakuculture.Therewasaspateofarticlesabout
andguidebooksforfemale'railfans,'trainenthusiasts(affectionatelycalled'tecchan'or'tekko')
whentheTBSnetworkairedaserialisedtelevisiondramaaboutthetopic,TokkyuTanakasan
go(TanakaExpressNumberThree),watchedbyanaverageofonly9percentofthenational
audience)onFridaynightsinthespringof2007.[53]The'OtomeRoad'inTokyo'sIkebukuro
districtoffersshopsforfemaleotaku,includingtheSwallowtailbutlercafthatwasopened
(perhapsinparody)asanalternativetothemorenumerousandpopularmaidcafsserving
men.[54]

Lastly,TrainManhasbeenperceivedastheprototypeofasuitablemarriagepartnerforcareer
women,agrowingdemographicblamedformarryinglate.Ononehand,Hermesexemplifies
manyofthecharacteristicsofheroinesofpurelovestories.[55]Sheiswealthy,fortwoHermes
teacupscostabout$220.Especiallyinthefilmandtelevisionversions,sheisportrayedasthe
daughterofanuppermiddleclassfamilyandearnsherownincomeasaprominentcompany
employeebutseemswillingtoquitherjobaftermarriage.Sheiscompassionateandforgivingof
others'characterflaws.Additionally,intheserialiseddrama,HermesspeaksEnglishfluentlyand
travelsabroad,shorthandwaystoindicateacharacter'ssophisticationthathavebeen
conventionsofJapanesetelevisionprogramssincethe1980s.

Ontheotherhand,althoughthetermisnotstatedinthestoryandthemovieandtelevision
versionsdownplaythefactthatHermesisolderthanTrainMan,Hermesrepresentsthemedia
figureofthe'loserdog'(makeinu),anunmarriedwomaninherthirtiesorfortieswhoembraces
hercareerandtimewithfriendsandspendsmoneyonfashionableentertainmentsorgoods
ratherthanonfamily.ThetermwaspopularisedbySakaiJunko,prolificessayistandauthorof
booksonrelationships,inher2003bestsellingselfhelpbookMakeinunotoboe(Distant
HowlingoftheLoserDogs),writtenpartlyinresponsetotheJapanesepopularityofthe
AmericantelevisionprogramSexandtheCity,whichalsodepictsmarriageasoneofwomen's
lifegoals.ThThelesserusedbutmorepositivetermforthesewomenis'ohitorisama,'coined
around1999forwomenwhodinebythemselvesinrestaurantsandadoptedinfeministUeno
Chizuko's2007bookOhitorisamanorgo(GrowingOldAlone).[56]

Sakaiadvocatesthat'Nomatterhowsuccessfullytheyareintheircareers,unmarriedwomenin

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theirthirtiesare"loserdogs"untiltheyfindhusbandsorbecomesinglemothers.Wivesand
mothersare"winnerdogs".'[57]Sakaiadvisesthat'loserdogs'shouldcontinuetospendmoney
onthemselvesandlookfashionabletoshowthattheyarenotashamedoftheirsinglestatusand
thatitisbetheirownchoice.Yetsheadmonishesthatunmarriedwomenintheirthirtiesand
fortieskeepinmindthatJapanesesocietyhaschangedsincetheBubbleEra,thetimewhen
theycameofage.Theyshouldaccordinglyadjustthequalitiesthattheystereotypicallyvaluein
men,suchastheabilitytoappearrecognisablyeliteinurbansociety.Inher2005humorous
essaycollectionSonohito,dokushin?(StillSingle?),Sakaiwritesthatthepairingof'loserdogs'
andthekindofotakurepresentedbyTrainMan,bothofwhomexemplifyaspectsofconspicuous
consumption,maybeacountermeasuretolatemarriageandfallingbirthrates.[58]

43. Overall,regardlessofwhetherthestorywasbasedonrealeventsormerelyonthepossibility
thatitcouldhavehappened,TrainManpresentsanimportantimageofmasculinitythatarose
fromtheinterrelationshipbetweennewmedia,communitiesandahistoricalcontextofchanging
genderroles.TrainManhashadalastinginfluenceonthewaysthatotakuculturehasbeen
examinedinordertofindpossiblesolutionsto,ratherthanmerelybeingblamedfor,pressing
nationalissuesandtounderstandtwentyfirstcenturysocialandeconomicpatterns.Thetrans
mediaphenomenonsymbolisesthepowerofonlinefancommunitiestoestablishculturaltrends
withlargerpoliticalimplicationsandrevealshowthepermeableboundariesbetweensocalled
mainstreamJapananditssubculturesprovideinsightintocontradictionsinherentinthe
discoursesunderlyingJapan'snationalgrowth.FewInternetnovelsinformssimilartoTrainMan
havebeenpublishedafter2006,perhapsbecausethetrendisnolongerasalluring.Thebook,
however,hashadanenduringimpactuponthewaysthatstorieshavebeenwritten,marketed
andconsumed,asevidentintheproliferationofcellphonenovels,andithasshapedtelevision
andfilmcharacters.Whileencouraginggreateracceptanceofcommunitiesthatexistapartfrom
largerpublicsociety,thistaleoflove,intheend,advocatedconformityinsteadofalternative
formsofmarriageandfamily.WhileTrainManisanentertainingrolemodelandexemplarofthe
powerselfachievement,hehashelpedchampionthesocialstatusquo.
Endnotes
[1]TheauthorwouldliketothankMarkMcLelland,FranMartin,CarolynBrewer,thetwoanonymousreaders,David
Goodman,KumikoSato,andthemembersoftheUniversityofOregonCOL[TV]studygroupfortheirhelpful
suggestionsandinsightsonglobalfandoms.
[2]ChrisBaker,'Animefreaksnowhaveaguide,'inWired,15December2004,URL:
http://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/news/2004/12/66020,siteaccessed4April2008.
[3]IamindebtedtoKumikoSatoforthesuggestionthatIconsulttheAkibaBlog,arichonlineresourceofAkihabara
culturefoundathttp://www.akibablog.net/.
[4]LisaKatayama,'MeetHiroyukiNishimura,thebadboyoftheJapaneseinternet,'inWired,19May2008),URL:
http://www.wired.com/techbiz/people/magazine/1606/mf_hiroyuki,siteaccessed6June2008.
[5]Intheoriginalonlinediscussion,TrainManwasfirstreferredtoas'Post731.'
[6]AndKenji,FinsaretaDenshaotoko(CrackingtheStoryofTrainMan),Tokyo:OhtaBooks,2005,p.5.Theofficial
TrainManeditedwebsitecanbefoundathttp://www.geocities.co.jp/MilkywayAquarius/7075/trainman.html.
[7]The'Project.Densha'siteishttp://www.rinji.tv/densha/.
[8]Theterm'otaku'hasbeencreditedtoessayistNakamoriAkio(realnameShibaharaAnsaku)inhis1983seriesof
'OtakuInvestigations'(Otakunokenky).Thetermoriginatedfromanhonorificformofsecondpersonaddress,which
Nakamorinoticedfansuseinreferencetoeachother.MiyazakiTsutomuwasarrestedinJuly1989forkillingfourgirls,
agedfourtoseven,andbeingasexualpredatortootherchildren.Becausehepossessedanexorbitantamountof
animeandhorrorvideosanddiscussedhismurdersinreferencetothesemedia,hiscasestartedapublicpanicabout
otaku.See,forexample,MachiyamaTomohiro,'MondoTokyo:otaku,'inCruisingtheAnimeCity:AnOtakuGuideto
NeoTokyo,ed.PatrickMaciasandTomohiroMachiyama,SanFrancisco:StoneBridgePress,2004,pp.1315,p.14.
[9]'Shinchsha:27sai,anoissatsunohongatenkideshita'[MemberoftheShinchPublishingCompany:Withthis
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OneBook,SheMadeaTurningPointinHerCareeratAgeTwentySeven],NikkeiWoman,1January2006,pp.6263,
p.62.IwouldliketothankShioriTakeuchiforrecommendingthisarticle.
[10]Themainstreamconsumptionof2ChannelASCIIartisexemplifiedbythepopularityoftheFlashanimatedsong
'Fight!Kikkoman,'whichwasbasedonthesoysaucebrandname.Inthesong,anASCIIartsuperherofightsfood
relatedvillains,includingketchupman,andteachesGikonekothefoodsthattastebestwithsoysauce.Thesongwas
createdby2ChannelusersandhasnoconnectionwiththeKikkomanCompany.IwouldliketothankHenryOshirofor
bringingthissongtomyattention.EnglishexplanationsforthemaincharacteristicsanddesignsofASCIIartwere
featuredintheMay2008issueofWiredmagazine.LisaKatayama,'ArtandASCII:thestoriesbehindallthose
brackets,slashes,andcarets,'inWired,19May2008,URL:
http://www.wired.com/techbiz/people/multimedia/2008/05/mf_hiroyuki_ss,siteaccessed20June2008.
[11]Denshaotokookangaerutomonokai(TrainManFriendshipSociety),Otosannimowakaru?:Junaimanuaru
tetteikaiseki(ACompleteGuidetoPureLoveSoThatEvenYourFatherCouldUnderstand)Tokyo:Koarabukkusu,
2005,p.7JanetAshby,'HeyMr.Trainman,'inJapanTimes,18November2004,URL:
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgibin/ek20041118br.html,siteaccessed8March2007.ABritishEnglishtranslation
waspublishedin2006byConstableandRobinson,butanAmericanEnglishversionwasnotprinteduntil2007byDel
ReyBooks,asectionofRandomHousedevotedmostlytomanga.
[12]SuzukiAtsufumi,'Denshaotoko'wadarenanoka'netaka'surukomiunikesshon(Whois'TrainMan'?:hisstory
hasbecomethebasisofcommunication),Tokyo:Chkronshinsha,2005,pp.69,72,and111.
[13]LaurenMyracle,ttyl,NewYork:HarryN.Abrams,Inc:2004ttfn,NewYork:HarryN.Abrams,Inc.,2006l8r,g8r,
NewYork:HarryN.Abrams,Inc.,2007.
[14]ForanexplanationofNakanoHitori,seeSuzuki,'Denshaotoko'wadarenanoka,p.140.
[15]TheShincheditorinchargeoftheTrainManprojectexplainedthepublicationprocedureinapublicrelations
website:'Denshaotoko,ganbare!'(KeepTrying,TrainMan!),URL:
http://www.shinchosha.co.jp/wadainohon/471501/01.html,siteaccessed17April2007.
[16]NakanoHitori,Denshaotoko(TrainMan),Tokyo:Shinchsha,2004.
[17]Foralistofcommon2ChannelInternetslangtranslatedintoEnglish,see'2ChannelEnglishnavigator,'URL:
http://4ch.net/2chportal/2chindex.html,siteaccessed18March2007.
[18]IwaiShunji,Ririshushunosubete(AllAboutLilyChouChou),Tokyo:RockwellEyes,2001.
[19]'Futsnowakamonogakeitaishsetsubesutosermozokuzoku'(Averageyoungadultreadersturningtocell
phonenovels:thebestsellerscontinue),inAsahi.com,11February2007,URL:
http://www.asahi.com/culture/news_culture/TKY200702100253.html,siteaccessed1March2008.
[20]Forexample,TrainManloggedoffat12:32a.m.on17March,aftersuccessfullymakingdinnerplanswithHermes.
2Channelsubscriberscontinuedtochatlateintothenight,sharingdoubtsthatTrainManwouldhavethecourageto
startaromanticrelationship.ThisscepticismdoesnotappearintheeditedwebsiteorInternetnovel.Foradiscussion
aboutandexamplesofthe2ChannelthreadsandlewdASCIIarteditedoutofthepublishedversions,seeAnd,
FinsaretaDenshaotoko.
[21]And,FinsaretaDenshaotoko,p.5.
[22]NakanoHitori,TrainMan,p.364.
[23]Suzuki,'Denshaotoko'wadarenanoka,p.60KaoriShoji,'Japangrippedbyobsessionwithpurelove,'inJapan
Times,30December2004,URL:http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgibin/ek20041230ks.html,siteaccessed1March
2007.
[24]TanakaNobuko,'Salarymannightmares,otakudreams,'inJapanTimes,5September2005,URL:
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgibin/ft20050907a1.html,siteaccessed14May2007.
[25]Arigat!Denshaotoko(ThankYou,TrainMan!),Tokyo:Takarajima,2005Denshaotokookangaerutomonokai
(TrainManFriendshipSociety),TheStoryofTrainMan'ACompleteGuidetoPureLovethatEvenYourFatherCan
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Understand(Otsannimowakaru?jun'aimanuarutetteikaiseki),Tokyo:Koarabukkusu,2005.
[26]TrainManhadalimitedinternationaltheatricalreleasein2006andwasshownmainlyinanimeconventionsandin
citieswithlargeJapanesecommunities.VIZMediareleasedaregiononeDVDforAmericanaudiencesinFebruary
2007,withatagline'Alovestoryforthegeekinallofus.'
[27]'FujiDenshaotokodorama"koanaotakunokata"oAkibadeekiutoradaibosh'(Massrecruitmentof'realotaku'
tobeextrasontheTrainManFujiTelevisionDrama),inAkibaBlog,16May2005,URL:
http://blog.livedoor.jp/geek/archives/22132166.html,siteaccessed10June2008.
[28]FukuiYheiandUchiyamaHiroki,'Denshaotokonoiyaonnaron'(Trainman'sargumentagainstwomen),in
AERA,17October2005,pp.1619,p.16.
[29]ItanoSumito,Chikanotoko(PervertMan),Tokyo:Futabasha,2005.
[30]DouglasMcGray,'Japan'sgrossnationalcool,'inForeignPolicyMagazine,no.130(MayJune2002):4454.
[31]KenzoTange,OkadaToshio,et.al.,'Japanesepavilionatthe9thBiennaleInternationalArchitectureExhibition
2004,'URL:http://www.designboom.com/snapshots/venice04/japan.html,siteaccessed6March2008'Otaku':
Persona=Space=City,inLaBiennalediVenezia:JapanesePavilion,URL:http://www.jpf.go.jp/venezia
biennale/otaku/j/exhibit.html,siteaccessed6March2008.
[32]SugiuraYumiko,'Tsukubaotakugayattekita'(TheTsukubacityotakuhavearrived),inAERA,19December
2005,pp.6061.
[33]ForasampleEnglishlanguageblogresponsetotheJapanesemediacoverage,see'TomohiroKatoAkihabara
Killer,'inJapanProbe,URL:http://www.japanprobe.com/?p=4822,siteaccessed10June2008.
[34]LeoLewis,'TokyoknifemanTomohiroKatorecordedkillingspreeonmobilephoneblog,'inTheTimes,9June
2008,URL:http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article4094961.ece,siteaccessed9June2008.
[35]See,forexample,MartinFoster,'Japanhangsthreeconvictedkillers,'inNewYorkTimes,18June182008,URL:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/18/world/asia/18japan.html?_r=1&ref=world&oref=slogin,siteaccessed18August
2008.
[36]NakanoHitori,TrainMan,BonnieElliott,trans.,NewYork:DelReyBooks,2007.
[37]Denshaotokookangaerutomonokai,Otosannimowakaru?,pp.45960.Foradiscussiononthetruthvalueof
TrainMananddifferencesbetweentheofficialwebsiteandtheeditedbook,see'Denshaotokosannozenhatsugen'
(CompleteremarksbyTrainMan),URL:http://www.geocities.jp/sunrisesunset77/,siteaccessed18April2007.
[38]ThehighestpostwarfertilityratesinJapanwerein1947,when2.69millionbabieswereborn.In2005,1.08
peopledied,butonly1.08millionbabieswereborn.SeeKitazumiTakahashi,'LowbirthratethreatensJapan'sfuture:
support,jobflexibilitymaypromptcouplestohavemorechildren,'inJapanTimes,9November2006,URL:
http://classified.japantimes.com/ads/kkc/2006/kkc20061109a1.htm,siteaccessed1March2008.
[39]Latemarriagehasbeenattributedtoavarietyoffactors,includinglifestylechangesamongyouth,highratesof
unemploymentandlossoftraditionalfamilystructuresandthecommunitythatsupportedthem.Accordingtothe
JapaneseHealth,LaborandWelfareMinistry,thepercentageofunmarriedmenandwomenoverthirtyfiveinJapan
rosefrom7.5in1990to18.6in2005.SeePhilipBrasor,'What'slovegottodowithit?Holdingonforawhile,'inJapan
Times,10September2006,URL:http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgibin/fd20060910pb.html,siteaccessed23
September2007AnnetteSchadSeifert,'Copingwithlowfertility?Japan'sGovernmentmeasuresforagenderequal
society,'workingpaper,DeutschesInstitutfrJapanstudien,2006,p.5.Perhapsbecauseoftheimprovingeconomy,
therewere18,000moremarriagesnationwidein2006(foranestimatedtotalof732,000couples)thanin2005.
Kitazumi,'LowbirthratethreatensJapan'sfuture.'
[40]'Japanbirthrateshowsrarerise,'inBBCNews,1January2007,URL:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia
pacific/6222257.stm,siteaccessed2March2008.
[41]Kitazumi,'LowbirthratethreatensJapan'sfuture.'
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[42]SchadSeifert,'Copingwithlowfertility?,'p.5.
[43]KimuraKeikoandKuzutaniShingo,'KekkonnandanjonohonneDokushindanjo1200nintetteichsa'(The
bottomlineaboutdifficultiesinfindingaspousedetailedsurveyof1,200singlemenandwomen),inAERA,3January
2005,pp.1621,pp.1718ShirakawaTkoandKuzutaniShingo,'Takaispekkuotokokekkonsazu'(Menwith'high
specs'whodonotmarry),inAERA,3January2005,pp.4649,p.47.
[44]SakaiHirokazuandFukuiYhei,'Denshaotokonomoteotokokenky,'(TrainMan'sstudyofpopularguys),in
AERA,27June2005,pp.1419,p.16.Foranexamplemediaarticlecontrasting'Akibakeiotaku'and'popularguys'in
termsofmarriageandlifestylechoices,seeFukuiYheiandMurabayashiTakanobu,'Denshaotokoninaritai
bokutachi'(WewanttobelikeTrainMan),inAERA,28February2005,pp.1217.
[45]ThesenarrativetropesaretakentoextremesintheAmericanrealitytelevisionprogramBeautyandGeek(begun
in2005),inwhichcouplescomprisedofa'gorgeousbutacademicallyimpaired'womananda'brilliantbutsocially
challenged'mancompeteinan'ultimatesocialexperiment'forthechancetowina$250,000prize.The'missions'in
thefirstseasonwerestrikinglysimilartothoseintheTrainManstory.Asaplottwistinseasonfour(2007),oneofthe
couplescomprisedamalebeautyandafemalegeek.Accordingtotheofficialprogramwebsite,thisreversalraised
concernswhethertheothermenwouldfeelintimidatedandthewomenwouldtrytogivethe'geek'acosmetic
makeover.SeeCWNetworkOfficialWebsite:BeautyandtheGeek,http://cwtv.com/shows/,siteaccessed8June
2008.
[46]Kuze,TorendoPuro,andHaruseHiroki,Datsuotakufaashungaido(FashionGuideforOtaku),Tokyo:Ohmsha,
2005.
[47]KikuchiFumie,Denshaotokosutairingubaiburu(TrainManStylingBible),Tokyo:SogoHoreishuppan,2005
'Denshaotokosutairingubaiburu"Koreissatsudeakibakeikaramotekeinihenshindekiru"'(TrainManStyling
Bible:ChangefromAkibakeitoMotekeiWiththeHelpofThisOneVolume),inAkibaBlog,URL:
http://www.akibablog.net/archives/2005/12/1_15.html,siteaccessed25May2008.FormoreinformationontheApparel
Clickcontestandthewinningentries,see'Denshaotokofashhunkdineitokontesto,'(TrainManFashionCoordinator
Contest),URL:http://news.livedoor.com/article/detail/1449047/,siteaccessed25May2008.Inthespringof2005,
ApparelClicksponsoredafashioncontestaroundthethemeofCalpismilksodaandreceivedmorethan500entries.
[48]See,forexample,SakaiHirokazuandFukuiYhei,'Denshaotokonomoteotokokenky,'p.16.
[49]HondaTohru,Denpaotoko(RadioWaveMan),Tokyo:SansaiBooks,2005HondaTohru,Denpataisen(Radio
WaveCrusade),Tokyo:tashuppan,2005FukuiYheiandUchiyamaHiroki,'Denshaotokonoiyaonnaron,'pp.17
and19SakaiHirokazuandFukuiYhei,'Denshaotokonomoteotokokenky,'p.14.SayakaYakushiji,'Aworldofhis
own:create,erase,redraw,'inAsahi.com,4June2005,URL:http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald
asahi/TKY200506040207.html,siteaccessed10June2008'Denpataisen'shijsho,kobamumotekeiomezasu
bokutachinotamenogoshinrekuchhon(RadioWaveCrusadeTheVeryFirstAnti'PopularGuy'PrimerforUs
Otaku),AkibaBlog,18September2005,URL:http://www.akibablog.net/archives/2005/09/post_30.html,siteaccessed
11June2008.
[50]See,forexample,FukuiYheiandUchiyamaHiroki,'Denshaotokonoiyaonnaron,'p.19SakaiHirokazuand
FukuiYhei,'Denshaotokonomoteotokokenky,'p.14.
[51]'Somosomojijitsuno'ota'wa,3Dniyokujshimasen'(Realotakudonotdesire3dwomen),inAkibaBlog,9
December2005,URL:http://www.akibablog.net/archives/2005/12/dvd_3d.html,siteaccessed9June2008.
[52]'Otakuotagettonishitadeaikeisaito,'(Onlinedatingforotaku),inAkibaBlog,11October2007,URL:
http://www.akibablog.net/archives/2007/10/otakudeaikei071011.html,siteaccessed14June2008.
[53]'Moeotsukamubijinesusensu'(Thebusinesssensetoprofitfrom'moe'),inAERA,18July2005,pp.1617
AriyoshiYukaandSugiuraYumiko,'Moeruonnaotakuotokonogajnishinshutsu'(Growingranksoffemaleotaku
advancingintoamalestronghold),inAERA,20June2005,pp.4245.Examplesofbooksonhowtobeafemale'rail
fan'includeJoshitetsu(RailsforWomen),Tokyo:MarbleBooks,2007andTekkonoheya(FemaleRailFan'sRoom),
Tokyo:Kotsshimbunsha,2007.Manywomenarehesitanttoadmitthattheyareotakubecauseofthecontinued
negativeconnotationsofthesubculture.
[54]AkamuraAkemi,'Forfemale'otaku,'acoffeehousealltheirown,'inJapanTimes,24April2006,URL:
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgibin/nn20060424f1.html,siteaccessed8June2008.
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[55]Suzuki,'Denshaotoko'wadarenanoka,pp.6466.
[56]UenoChizuko,Ohitorisamanorgo(GrowingOldAlone),Tokyo:Hken,2007.
[57]SakaiJunko,Makeinunotoboe(DistantHowlingoftheLoserDogs),Tokyo:Kodanshabunko,2006,pp.8and9
KaoriShoji,'Oneday,Japan'slosingdogswillhowlinunison,'inJapanTimes,15April2004,URL:
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgibin/ek20040415ks.html,siteaccessed10September2007.
[58]FukuiYheiandUchiyamaHiroki,'Denshaotokonoiyaonnaron,'p.17.Especiallysince2005,therehasbeena
plethoraofsociologicalstudiesandselfhelpbooksonmenandwomenmarryinglate.InadditiontoSakai,authors
offeringselfhelpbooksandsociologicalstudiesofotakuandmarriageincludeWatanabeShinandSaitoTamaki.

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Studies,CollegeofAsiaandthePacific,AustralianNationalUniversityinthehostingofthissite.
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