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* {{Leitmotif}}: Misuzu’s is ‘[[StarWars The Imperial March]]’. It's both her background music and Tsuyoshi's ringtone.
** Technically a BootstrappedLeitmotif, since, [[StarWars y'know]].
** Technically a BootstrappedLeitmotif, since, [[StarWars y'know]].
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* {{Leitmotif}}: Misuzu’s is ‘[[StarWars ‘[[Franchise/StarWars The Imperial March]]’. It's both her background music and Tsuyoshi's ringtone.
** Technically a BootstrappedLeitmotif, since,[[StarWars [[Franchise/StarWars y'know]].
** Technically a BootstrappedLeitmotif, since,
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* SurprisinglyGoodEnglish: Hermes speaks fluent English in a British accent.
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* ComicallyMissingThePoint: [[spoiler:Kazuya]] uses the ‘Chicken Game’ and is told that he will never get married, and his only girlfriend will be [[ADateWithRosiePalms his right hand]]. He answers triumphantly that it’s not true--he is [[ASinisterClue left-handed]].
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* ComicallyMissingThePoint: [[spoiler:Kazuya]] uses the ‘Chicken Game’ and is told that he will never get married, and [[MasturbationMeansSexualFrustration his only girlfriend will be [[ADateWithRosiePalms his right hand]]. He answers triumphantly that it’s not true--he is [[ASinisterClue left-handed]].
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* [[spoiler:TheyDo: Tsuyoshi and Saori.]]
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has been merged with Old Maid - dewicking
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* ChristmasCake: Yuuko, Saori's friend, is frustrated because she is 30 and unmarried. As soon as she meets Matsunaga, she only considers dating him because he is rich and she will finally stop being single.
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* OldMaid: Yuuko, Saori's friend, is frustrated because she is 30 and unmarried. As soon as she meets Matsunaga, she only considers dating him because he is rich and she will finally stop being single.
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trope's been disambig'd
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%%* HollywoodNerd: Movie!Densha is a Type 2, while Tsuyoshi Yamada (Densha) in the TV drama is more of a Type 1.
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''Densha Otoko'' (''Train Man'' in English) is a franchise that, as of the time of this writing, consists of a book, a film, a television drama, and five different manga adaptations, all of which are based on forum posts in 2ch.
The main character is [[NoNameGiven a nameless otaku]] living in Akihabara. One evening, as he is taking the train home, he sees a drunk {{salaryman}} accosting a woman. Overcoming his shyness, he intervenes, and in gratitude, the woman asks for his address and mails him an expensive Hermès tea set as a thank-you gift. The otaku relays this information on the forum he frequents, whereupon he is given the moniker ‘Train Man’. He seeks the advice and support of his fellow forumgoers to tidy himself up and ask ‘Hermès’ out.
The main character is [[NoNameGiven a nameless otaku]] living in Akihabara. One evening, as he is taking the train home, he sees a drunk {{salaryman}} accosting a woman. Overcoming his shyness, he intervenes, and in gratitude, the woman asks for his address and mails him an expensive Hermès tea set as a thank-you gift. The otaku relays this information on the forum he frequents, whereupon he is given the moniker ‘Train Man’. He seeks the advice and support of his fellow forumgoers to tidy himself up and ask ‘Hermès’ out.
to:
''Densha Otoko'' (''Train Man'' in English) is a franchise that, as of the time of this writing, that consists of a book, a film, a television drama, and five different manga adaptations, all of which are based on forum posts in 2ch.
The main character is [[NoNameGiven a nameless otaku]] living in Akihabara. One evening, as he is taking the train home, he sees a drunk {{salaryman}} accosting a woman. Overcoming his shyness, he intervenes, and in gratitude, the woman asks for his address and mails him an expensive Hermès tea set as a thank-you gift. The otaku relays this information on the forum he frequents, whereupon he is given the moniker ‘Train Man’. He seeks the advice and support of his fellowforumgoers forum-goers to tidy himself up and ask ‘Hermès’ out.
The main character is [[NoNameGiven a nameless otaku]] living in Akihabara. One evening, as he is taking the train home, he sees a drunk {{salaryman}} accosting a woman. Overcoming his shyness, he intervenes, and in gratitude, the woman asks for his address and mails him an expensive Hermès tea set as a thank-you gift. The otaku relays this information on the forum he frequents, whereupon he is given the moniker ‘Train Man’. He seeks the advice and support of his fellow
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* AnimeOpeningParody: The opening parodies the [[Anime/DaiconIIIAndIV Daicon IV]] anime sequence, using the same music and key sequences but using Mina (a character from a ShowWithinAShow on ''Train Man'') instead of the heroine and with flying trains instead of flying swords.
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* ShoutOut
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* ShoutOutShoutOut:
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** The animated intro for the TV series and the use of the song ‘Twilight’ are nods to ''Daicon IV'', one of the fan-made animations that lead to the creation of Creator/StudioGainax.
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** The animated intro for the TV series and the use of the Music/ElectricLightOrchestra song ‘Twilight’ "[[Music/{{Time}} Twilight]]" are nods to ''Daicon IV'', ''[[Anime/DaiconIIIAndIV Daicon IV]]'', one of the fan-made animations that lead to the creation of Creator/StudioGainax.
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** A lot towards ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam'', but probably the most notable is the otakus’ rendition of the ‘fallen comrades’ moment after Operation Odessa, with one otaku in particular getting WAY too immersed in his portrayal of Amuro:
to:
** A lot towards ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam'', but probably the most notable is the otakus’ otakus' rendition of the ‘fallen comrades’ "fallen comrades" moment after Operation Odessa, with one otaku in particular getting WAY too immersed in his portrayal of Amuro:
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No longer a trope.
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* YourCheatingHeart:
** [[spoiler:Saori’s father, leading to her parents’ messy break-up and eventual divorce.]]
** [[spoiler:Saori’s ex-boyfriend, who told her he was married and had a child after a two year long relationship and a ''proposal'', leaving her with severe trust issues and an aversion towards dating.]]
** Misuzu has slept with married men.
** [[spoiler:Saori’s father, leading to her parents’ messy break-up and eventual divorce.]]
** [[spoiler:Saori’s ex-boyfriend, who told her he was married and had a child after a two year long relationship and a ''proposal'', leaving her with severe trust issues and an aversion towards dating.]]
** Misuzu has slept with married men.
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%%* {{Adorkable}}
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* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: The abused housewife disappeared after her first and only appearance.
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* {{Hikkikomori}}: A side character is this. [[spoiler:By the end of the series, he gains the courage to finally go outside]].
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** The couple on the message board.
** The divorced man on the message board who gets back together with his ex.
** The divorced man on the message board who gets back together with his ex.
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** The animated intro for the TV series and the use of the song ‘Twilight’ are nods to the one of the fan-made animations that lead to the creation of Creator/StudioGainax.
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** The animated intro for the TV series and the use of the song ‘Twilight’ are nods to the ''Daicon IV'', one of the fan-made animations that lead to the creation of Creator/StudioGainax.
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* RealSongThemeTune: Music/ElectricLightOrchestra’s ''Twilight'' and [[Music/{{Styx}} Styx's]] "Mr. Roboto."
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* ArtsyBeret: A beret-wearing artist (apparently on a world tour) is one of the people talking to "Densha" on the message board.
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%%
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%% Administrivia/ZeroContextExample entries are not allowed on wiki pages. All such entries have been commented out. Add context to the entries before uncommenting them.
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[[quoteright:290:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/densha_otoko.gif]]
''Densha Otoko'' (''Train Man'' in English) is a franchise that, as of the time of this writing, consists of a book, a film, a television drama, and five different manga adaptations, all of which are based on forum posts in 2ch.
The main character is [[NoNameGiven a nameless otaku]] living in Akihabara. One evening, as he is taking the train home, he sees a drunk {{salaryman}} accosting a woman. Overcoming his shyness, he intervenes, and in gratitude, the woman asks for his address and mails him an expensive Hermès tea set as a thank-you gift. The otaku relays this information on the forum he frequents, whereupon he is given the moniker ‘Train Man’. He seeks the advice and support of his fellow forumgoers to tidy himself up and ask ‘Hermès’ out.
----
!!The series in general contains examples of:
%%* {{Adorkable}}
%%* BeYourself
%%* TheChikan
%%* GiveGeeksAChance
%%* HollywoodNerd: Movie!Densha is a Type 2, while Tsuyoshi Yamada (Densha) in the TV drama is more of a Type 1.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: ‘Train Man’ and ‘Hermès’.
** The TV series gives names to the leads, but they remain nicknamed in BBS discussions.
%%* {{Otaku}}
* PunBasedTitle (''Densha Otoko'' means ‘Train Man’ and rhymes with ''densha otaku'', which is Japanese for ‘{{trainspotter}}’)
%%* RescueRomance
%%* ThePowerOfFriendship
* ScrapbookStory: The book consists entirely of the 2ch forum posts.
%%* SexAsRiteOfPassage
* ShoutOut
** Quite a few real anime items show up on the Otaku's shelves.
** The animated intro for the TV series and the use of the song ‘Twilight’ are nods to the one of the fan-made animations that lead to the creation of Creator/StudioGainax.
** The movie poster also shows up in the TV drama.
** A lot towards ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam'', but probably the most notable is the otakus’ rendition of the ‘fallen comrades’ moment after Operation Odessa, with one otaku in particular getting WAY too immersed in his portrayal of Amuro:
--->-- ''Matilda-san... Matilda-san... '''MATILDA-SAN!!!'''''
** Film/PrettyWoman. The song was also used for his clothes shopping montage.
%%* ShrinkingViolet
%%* SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan
%%* TrueCompanions
%%* UglyGuyHotWife
!!The 2005 live-action film contains examples of:
* BeautifulAllAlong: In the movie at least, Densha turns out to be a hottie after getting a haircut, contacts, and a fresh wardrobe.
* SurprisinglyGoodEnglish: Hermes speaks fluent English in a British accent.
* ThoseTwoGuys: The 2channers, consisting of Those Three Otaku, a hikikomori, a nurse, and a man and woman who [[spoiler:are revealed to be husband and wife late in the movie]].
!!The 2005 TV series contains examples of:
* AccidentalPervert: Yamada volunteers to get a girl’s balloon that got stuck in a tree, and accidentally looking into a strange woman’s window while she’s getting dressed. She responds with swift anger.
* AdaptationExpansion: ‘Densha’ and ‘Hermès’ are given names--Tsuyoshi Yamada and Saori Aoyama, respectively--friends, families, and work lives; most notably, ‘Densha’ has two fellow otaku friends named Matsunaga and Kawamoto and an abusive client he’s assigned to named Misuzu Jinkama, and ‘Hermès’ has a brother named Keisuke, two friends named Kaho and Yuuko, and a close friend named Kazuya Sakurai.
%%* AlmostKiss: See DudeShesLikeInAComa below.
* AmicablyDivorced: [[spoiler:Saori’s parents reconcile and finalise their divorce following an inspirational speech by Tsuyoshi.]]
* ArrangedMarriage: Saori’s mother tries to set her up with different men in the beginning of the series, much to Saori’s chagrin. By the end of the series, [[spoiler:her mother is looking for a new man for herself instead]].
* AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther:
** Tsuyoshi’s parents.
** Also Yuuko realizes that, despite all his nerdy traits and that she initially planned to get with him for his money, she truly started to care for Matsunaga.
** When Tsuyoshi is hospitalized after waiting for Saori in the rain, his sister Aoi admits that despite how much she complaints about Tsuyoshi's personality, she does care for him and encourages Saori to be with him.
* BabiesEverAfter: [[spoiler:Tsuyoshi’s parents declare in ep. 11 that they’re expecting another child.]]
* BadBoss: Tsuyoshi’s supervisor, who practically bullies him.
* BetaCouple:
** [[spoiler:The JIS artist hikikomori and his old girlfriend, who also happens to post on the board, inspired by ‘Densha’, re-unite in their own subplot.]]
** [[spoiler:Matsunaga and Yuuko, despite a minor hitch in the road.]]
** [[spoiler:Ushijima and the Korean girl from the bar he frequented.]]
* BerserkButton: Never lie to Saori, even if it’s something insignificant, unless you can pass it off as something else. She will struggle really hard to ever trust you again.
* BlatantLies: [[spoiler:Kazuya]] relies on this too often for his own good. [[spoiler:It never works for long.]]
* BookEnds:
** Parodied in ep. 11. [[spoiler:Kazuya and Misuzu happen to almost run into each other on the street while contemplating their loneliness, when a random pervert tries to molest Misuzu; she starts beating him up, but pretends to be helpless when Kazuya comes by so he’ll come and ‘save’ her. Shortly after, Kazuya is seen broken-hearted, recovering from repeated injuries, and is in such poor shape he forms a club of men who’ve been dumped by Misuzu.]]
** In the final scene in ep. 11, [[spoiler:Tsuyoshi and Saori are seen riding off to their future on the train, when Tsuyoshi notices the drunkard who harassed Saori]].
* BrickJoke: Matsunaga, Tsuyoshi's friend, is particularly fascinated by a voice actress’s ankles. [[spoiler:When he dumps Yuuko, he tells her it’s because her ankles are fat, although it turns out it was a lie and he was just afraid of getting hurt in the relationship.]]
* ButtMonkey: Tsuyoshi, during the first half or so of the series. [[spoiler:Kazuya becomes this afterwards, though it’s often self-inflicted, in a sense.]]
* ChristmasCake: Yuuko, Saori's friend, is frustrated because she is 30 and unmarried. As soon as she meets Matsunaga, she only considers dating him because he is rich and she will finally stop being single.
* ComicallyMissingThePoint: [[spoiler:Kazuya]] uses the ‘Chicken Game’ and is told that he will never get married, and his only girlfriend will be [[ADateWithRosiePalms his right hand]]. He answers triumphantly that it’s not true--he is [[ASinisterClue left-handed]].
* DeliberateValuesDissonance: Tsuyoshi, seeking some dating advice, asks his father how he managed to win over his mother. His father tells him how he stalked her and aggressively chased away her ''fiancé'', and Tsuyoshi realises he might be asking the wrong person.
* DivorceIsTemporary:
** ‘Densha’ inspires a divorced man to reconcile with his estranged ex-wife and get back together with her.
** Averted with [[spoiler:Saori’s parents]]: [[spoiler:Her mother]] refuses to sign the divorce papers. [[spoiler:It was because of Tsuyoshi that she realizes it’s for the best to break up and be cordial for Saori’s sake.]]
* DoubleStandardAbuseFemaleOnMale:
** Misuzu’s abusive attitude towards (mainly) Tsuyoshi is PlayedForLaughs. Her abuse of Tsuyoshi is ''bad''.
** When Yuuko kicks [[spoiler:Matsunaga]] for dumping her, it’s used as a gag.
* DoubleStandardRapeFemaleOnMale: TheChikan who try to molest Saori and Misuzu are seen as disgusting people, but when [[spoiler:Misuzu almost rapes Tsuyoshi]], it’s PlayedForLaughs mostly.
* DudeShesLikeInAComa: [[spoiler:Kazuya]] almost kisses Saori when she's briefly sleeping off her inebriation, but she wakes up before he does without realising what he's doing.
* FaceHeelTurn: [[spoiler:Kazuya, when he finally notices how pretty Saori is.]]
* FanNickname: In-universe example. Tsuyoshi and other otakus refer to it as ‘Akiba’, and Tsuyoshi has to correct himself when bringing it up while talking to Saori.
* GambitRoulette: [[spoiler:Kazuya]] tries his luck with this repeatedly. It fails him repeatedly.
* GoldDigger:
** Misuzu is very much this, to the point she has no shame at all at using this to advance up the corporate ladder. [[spoiler:She dumps Kazuya on the spot when his father’s company goes bankrupt.]]
** Saori’s friend Yuuko starts dating [[spoiler:Matsunaga]] when she discovers he’s the heir of a very wealthy family.
--->'''Kaho:''' Have you no shame?\\
'''Yuuko:''' Of course not. It flew out the window once I turned 30.
* GoodAngelBadAngel: Appear before [[spoiler:Kazuya]] when he debates whether or not to [[spoiler:make a move on Saori]]. Ultimately, the Bad Angel punches the good angel in the face, marking [[spoiler:Kazuya]]’s FaceHeelTurn.
* GreenEyedMonster: [[spoiler:Kazuya, who starts desiring ‘Hermès’ after reading the board, and sabotages Tsuyoshi’s efforts every chance he gets when he realises she’s actually Saori.]]
* HaveWeMet: Saori introduces Tsuyoshi to Kaho, who mistreated him in profound disgust earlier. She doesn’t remember him.
* HistoricalHeroUpgrade: In the series, after [[spoiler:Tsuyoshi and Saori get together]], the forum members [[spoiler:bid ‘Densha’ a heartfelt good-bye as he ‘graduates’ from the single men’s board]]. In real life, when Densha and Hermes got together and it seemed they were about to sleep together for the first time, the board members started making rude remarks and Densha just left.
* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: Saori can’t tell [[spoiler:Kazuya is manipulating her and Tsuyoshi every chance he gets and winds up believing Tsuyoshi was making fun of her on the board]].
* HumiliationConga:
** Tsuyoshi goes through this in NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished below, and it doesn’t end there: after he painstakingly collects all of his papers from the gutter, a surge of water gushes out all over him, and Misuzu chews him out for being late. (As a matter of fact, Misuzu is fond of torturing him in general.)
** [[spoiler:Kazuya]] undergoes this frequently when his plans explode in his face.
* JapaneseSpirit: Mentioned by name and briefly paraphrased as the ‘otaku spirit’ by other board members.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Misuzu, though the ‘heart of gold’ part shows only little, and only after [[spoiler:she finds out about the board]]. She’s basically just a {{Jerkass}}, it’s just a matter of where she directs it.
* KarmaHoudini: Misuzu. She slept with ''a lot'' of men, dumping them unceremoniously, and treats Tsuyoshi poorly on regular basis. By the end of the show, she decides to travel around the world, breaking the hearts of even more men.
* UsefulNotes/KoreansInJapan: One of the subplots was about Ushijima (the Osaka Tigers fan) trying to find the girl he was in love with, a Korean girl named ‘Tiffany’, who worked at the bar he frequented (all he had from her was a polaroid photo with her name wrote in hangul). Ushijima also intended to propose marriage to her so she could stay in Japan with him, but it seems like she’s seducing Ushijima to get money from him and leave. [[spoiler:It turns out that she was scammed by a false talent agent and she was too ashamed to return to Ushijima without his money. Ushijima still proposed to her without the ring and she accepted]].
* LaserGuidedKarma: Almost every manipulative scheme [[spoiler:Kazuya]] tries to win Saori’s affections blow up in his face spectacularly (and rather hilariously).
* LastNameBasis: Tsuyoshi and Saori address each other by their last names ([[TruthInTelevision which is the norm in Japan, actually]]). [[spoiler:After they get together, Saori refers to Tsuyoshi by his first name.]]
* {{Leitmotif}}: Misuzu’s is ‘[[StarWars The Imperial March]]’. It's both her background music and Tsuyoshi's ringtone.
** Technically a BootstrappedLeitmotif, since, [[StarWars y'know]].
* LikeBrotherAndSister: Kazuya and Saori. [[spoiler:Kazuya changes his mind about Saori when he learns that she’s ‘Hermès’.]]
* {{Moe}}: Discussed in-universe by Tsuyoshi and his friends, mostly with regard to anime, and a particular board member expresses this sentiment repeatedly towards ‘Hermès’. When Saori comes to Akihabara and is confused by the otaku terminology, she evokes this tenfold in Tsuyoshi and his friends when she asks in confusion what it means.
* NeverMyFault: One of the men who complain about Misuzu says his life was ruined after his wife discovered their affair, other men say they’d wasted a lot of money on presents for her. This hardly sounds like it was actually ''her'' fault.
* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: Yamada comes across a young girl whose balloon flew into a tree, and agrees to help her get it back. The balloon flies away when he can’t get it, and he winds up [[AccidentalPervert looking into a strange woman’s window]] and getting chewed out by her and falling out. The girl [[{{Jerkass}} calls him an idiot and throws his papers into the gutter]].
* NotSoStoic: Saori briefly loses her composure when [[spoiler:Tsuyoshi collapses in front of her, having waited for her for hours in the rain]].
* PaperThinDisguise: [[spoiler:Kazuya]] pretends to be ‘Densha’ and tell the board members that ‘Hermès’ dumped him, using a very poor imitation of Tsuyoshi’s speech patterns. They see right through it and shame him away.
* PerspectiveFlip: The 12th episode is partially this, giving more focus to Matsunaga and Ushijima (the forum member whose computer broke).
* PitySex: [[spoiler:Misuzu wants to ‘help’ Tsuyoshi this way after he gets dumped by Saori, so he’d forget about her; he refuses, adamant in his affection for Saori.]]
* PoorCommunicationKills: [[spoiler:Keisuke gives a passing glance at the board and concludes that Tsuyoshi has been making fun of his sister online. She tells him never to see her again. It takes tremendous efforts from Tsuyoshi, the other board members, and Saori’s friends to get Saori to actually read the board and realise her mistake.]]
* ProfessionalButtKisser: Tsuyoshi’s supervisor’s attitude towards the CEO’s son. His demeanour changes radically when he talks to him as opposed to Tsuyoshi.
* ProtagonistCenteredMorality: We’re supposed to side with Tsuyoshi even when he calls Saori ''25 times'' without getting an answer after being told [[spoiler:''she had a fiancé'']], and resent his supervisor for his attitude towards him, despite having a very good reason for it (namely, Tsuyoshi is not only fairly incompetent, he’s been taking too many days off without proper prior notice).
* ProudToBeAGeek: Some otakus regard those who are ashamed of being an otaku with little respect.
* RaceFetish: The woman from NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished above happens to be black, and accuses Yamada of this.
* ReallyGetsAround: Misuzu, so much that by the end of the series, [[spoiler:the men she dumped form a union]].
* RealSongThemeTune: Music/ElectricLightOrchestra’s ''Twilight'' and [[Music/{{Styx}} Styx's]] "Mr. Roboto."
* [[spoiler:RelationshipUpgrade: Tsuyoshi and Saori. There’s even a song that plays often as background music about this theme.]]
* RubeGoldbergDevice: [[spoiler:Kazuya]] builds one for an elaborate proposal to Saori on her birthday. He winds up activating it by mistake when he realises the party changed its venue and has to run out to catch her.
* SchmuckBait: Yamada has just finished collecting his papers from the gutter when he hears a rumbling noise from the pipe leading to it. Does he realise what’s going on and move aside? Does he realise he’s late for work and go, realising his curiosity will probably have to go unsatisfied? No! He looks straight into the pipe for a few seconds and doesn’t move aside when he realises what’s going on. Guess what happens next.
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney: Tsuyoshi’s company’s CEO’s son bosses Tsuyoshi’s supervisor around due to his position. [[spoiler:When the supervisor defies him, he winds up demoted and later fired.]]
* ShoutOut: The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJHRtklMRwc opening animation]] pays homage to Creator/HideakiAnno's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJHRtklMRwc DAICON IV animation]].
* ShowWithinAShow: ''Anime/GetsumenToHeikiMina''.
* ASinisterClue: [[spoiler:Kazuya]] is left-handed.
* SoundEffectBleep: When Misuzu swears at [[spoiler:Kazuya]] after dumping him, her swearing is apparently so bad it’s replaced with a ''roaring'' sound effect.
* SureLetsGoWithThat:
** When looking for a socially acceptable hobby to bring up, Tsuyoshi tells Saori he surfs the net; she thinks he means surfing, as in with a surfboard and everything, and he goes along with it, trying to learn to surf before he has to demonstrate his skills. [[spoiler:[[EpicFail It goes awful.]]]]
** When [[spoiler:Kazuya]] tries to bring Saori to see his RubeGoldbergDevice and propose dramatically, he accidentally drives past where [[spoiler:Tsuyoshi has been waiting for Saori in the rain for hours]]. She thinks that’s where he was going to take her, and he grudgingly claims it is.
* [[spoiler:TheyDo: Tsuyoshi and Saori.]]
* ThoseTwoGuys: Kawamoto and Matsunaga, Tsuyoshi’s two otaku buddies.
* TranquilFury: No matter how hurt or angry she may be, Saori will always be the paragon of calm, polite, gracious demeanour.
* VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory: The original events, as reported on the original board, have been ‘embellished’ for dramatic/comic effect.
* WorthyOpponent: [[spoiler:Kazuya]] sees Tsuyoshi as this.
* YouAreNotAlone: Repeatedly emphasised. The similarity between ‘Mina’ and ‘''minna''’[[note]]皆, ‘everyone’[[/note]] is pointed out to underline the importance of co-dependence.
* YourCheatingHeart:
** [[spoiler:Saori’s father, leading to her parents’ messy break-up and eventual divorce.]]
** [[spoiler:Saori’s ex-boyfriend, who told her he was married and had a child after a two year long relationship and a ''proposal'', leaving her with severe trust issues and an aversion towards dating.]]
** Misuzu has slept with married men.
* ZanyScheme: [[spoiler:Kazuya]] repeatedly tries these to win over Saori. [[spoiler:They fail invariably.]]
----
%%
%% Administrivia/ZeroContextExample entries are not allowed on wiki pages. All such entries have been commented out. Add context to the entries before uncommenting them.
%%
%%
[[quoteright:290:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/densha_otoko.gif]]
''Densha Otoko'' (''Train Man'' in English) is a franchise that, as of the time of this writing, consists of a book, a film, a television drama, and five different manga adaptations, all of which are based on forum posts in 2ch.
The main character is [[NoNameGiven a nameless otaku]] living in Akihabara. One evening, as he is taking the train home, he sees a drunk {{salaryman}} accosting a woman. Overcoming his shyness, he intervenes, and in gratitude, the woman asks for his address and mails him an expensive Hermès tea set as a thank-you gift. The otaku relays this information on the forum he frequents, whereupon he is given the moniker ‘Train Man’. He seeks the advice and support of his fellow forumgoers to tidy himself up and ask ‘Hermès’ out.
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!!The series in general contains examples of:
%%* {{Adorkable}}
%%* BeYourself
%%* TheChikan
%%* GiveGeeksAChance
%%* HollywoodNerd: Movie!Densha is a Type 2, while Tsuyoshi Yamada (Densha) in the TV drama is more of a Type 1.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: ‘Train Man’ and ‘Hermès’.
** The TV series gives names to the leads, but they remain nicknamed in BBS discussions.
%%* {{Otaku}}
* PunBasedTitle (''Densha Otoko'' means ‘Train Man’ and rhymes with ''densha otaku'', which is Japanese for ‘{{trainspotter}}’)
%%* RescueRomance
%%* ThePowerOfFriendship
* ScrapbookStory: The book consists entirely of the 2ch forum posts.
%%* SexAsRiteOfPassage
* ShoutOut
** Quite a few real anime items show up on the Otaku's shelves.
** The animated intro for the TV series and the use of the song ‘Twilight’ are nods to the one of the fan-made animations that lead to the creation of Creator/StudioGainax.
** The movie poster also shows up in the TV drama.
** A lot towards ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam'', but probably the most notable is the otakus’ rendition of the ‘fallen comrades’ moment after Operation Odessa, with one otaku in particular getting WAY too immersed in his portrayal of Amuro:
--->-- ''Matilda-san... Matilda-san... '''MATILDA-SAN!!!'''''
** Film/PrettyWoman. The song was also used for his clothes shopping montage.
%%* ShrinkingViolet
%%* SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan
%%* TrueCompanions
%%* UglyGuyHotWife
!!The 2005 live-action film contains examples of:
* BeautifulAllAlong: In the movie at least, Densha turns out to be a hottie after getting a haircut, contacts, and a fresh wardrobe.
* SurprisinglyGoodEnglish: Hermes speaks fluent English in a British accent.
* ThoseTwoGuys: The 2channers, consisting of Those Three Otaku, a hikikomori, a nurse, and a man and woman who [[spoiler:are revealed to be husband and wife late in the movie]].
!!The 2005 TV series contains examples of:
* AccidentalPervert: Yamada volunteers to get a girl’s balloon that got stuck in a tree, and accidentally looking into a strange woman’s window while she’s getting dressed. She responds with swift anger.
* AdaptationExpansion: ‘Densha’ and ‘Hermès’ are given names--Tsuyoshi Yamada and Saori Aoyama, respectively--friends, families, and work lives; most notably, ‘Densha’ has two fellow otaku friends named Matsunaga and Kawamoto and an abusive client he’s assigned to named Misuzu Jinkama, and ‘Hermès’ has a brother named Keisuke, two friends named Kaho and Yuuko, and a close friend named Kazuya Sakurai.
%%* AlmostKiss: See DudeShesLikeInAComa below.
* AmicablyDivorced: [[spoiler:Saori’s parents reconcile and finalise their divorce following an inspirational speech by Tsuyoshi.]]
* ArrangedMarriage: Saori’s mother tries to set her up with different men in the beginning of the series, much to Saori’s chagrin. By the end of the series, [[spoiler:her mother is looking for a new man for herself instead]].
* AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther:
** Tsuyoshi’s parents.
** Also Yuuko realizes that, despite all his nerdy traits and that she initially planned to get with him for his money, she truly started to care for Matsunaga.
** When Tsuyoshi is hospitalized after waiting for Saori in the rain, his sister Aoi admits that despite how much she complaints about Tsuyoshi's personality, she does care for him and encourages Saori to be with him.
* BabiesEverAfter: [[spoiler:Tsuyoshi’s parents declare in ep. 11 that they’re expecting another child.]]
* BadBoss: Tsuyoshi’s supervisor, who practically bullies him.
* BetaCouple:
** [[spoiler:The JIS artist hikikomori and his old girlfriend, who also happens to post on the board, inspired by ‘Densha’, re-unite in their own subplot.]]
** [[spoiler:Matsunaga and Yuuko, despite a minor hitch in the road.]]
** [[spoiler:Ushijima and the Korean girl from the bar he frequented.]]
* BerserkButton: Never lie to Saori, even if it’s something insignificant, unless you can pass it off as something else. She will struggle really hard to ever trust you again.
* BlatantLies: [[spoiler:Kazuya]] relies on this too often for his own good. [[spoiler:It never works for long.]]
* BookEnds:
** Parodied in ep. 11. [[spoiler:Kazuya and Misuzu happen to almost run into each other on the street while contemplating their loneliness, when a random pervert tries to molest Misuzu; she starts beating him up, but pretends to be helpless when Kazuya comes by so he’ll come and ‘save’ her. Shortly after, Kazuya is seen broken-hearted, recovering from repeated injuries, and is in such poor shape he forms a club of men who’ve been dumped by Misuzu.]]
** In the final scene in ep. 11, [[spoiler:Tsuyoshi and Saori are seen riding off to their future on the train, when Tsuyoshi notices the drunkard who harassed Saori]].
* BrickJoke: Matsunaga, Tsuyoshi's friend, is particularly fascinated by a voice actress’s ankles. [[spoiler:When he dumps Yuuko, he tells her it’s because her ankles are fat, although it turns out it was a lie and he was just afraid of getting hurt in the relationship.]]
* ButtMonkey: Tsuyoshi, during the first half or so of the series. [[spoiler:Kazuya becomes this afterwards, though it’s often self-inflicted, in a sense.]]
* ChristmasCake: Yuuko, Saori's friend, is frustrated because she is 30 and unmarried. As soon as she meets Matsunaga, she only considers dating him because he is rich and she will finally stop being single.
* ComicallyMissingThePoint: [[spoiler:Kazuya]] uses the ‘Chicken Game’ and is told that he will never get married, and his only girlfriend will be [[ADateWithRosiePalms his right hand]]. He answers triumphantly that it’s not true--he is [[ASinisterClue left-handed]].
* DeliberateValuesDissonance: Tsuyoshi, seeking some dating advice, asks his father how he managed to win over his mother. His father tells him how he stalked her and aggressively chased away her ''fiancé'', and Tsuyoshi realises he might be asking the wrong person.
* DivorceIsTemporary:
** ‘Densha’ inspires a divorced man to reconcile with his estranged ex-wife and get back together with her.
** Averted with [[spoiler:Saori’s parents]]: [[spoiler:Her mother]] refuses to sign the divorce papers. [[spoiler:It was because of Tsuyoshi that she realizes it’s for the best to break up and be cordial for Saori’s sake.]]
* DoubleStandardAbuseFemaleOnMale:
** Misuzu’s abusive attitude towards (mainly) Tsuyoshi is PlayedForLaughs. Her abuse of Tsuyoshi is ''bad''.
** When Yuuko kicks [[spoiler:Matsunaga]] for dumping her, it’s used as a gag.
* DoubleStandardRapeFemaleOnMale: TheChikan who try to molest Saori and Misuzu are seen as disgusting people, but when [[spoiler:Misuzu almost rapes Tsuyoshi]], it’s PlayedForLaughs mostly.
* DudeShesLikeInAComa: [[spoiler:Kazuya]] almost kisses Saori when she's briefly sleeping off her inebriation, but she wakes up before he does without realising what he's doing.
* FaceHeelTurn: [[spoiler:Kazuya, when he finally notices how pretty Saori is.]]
* FanNickname: In-universe example. Tsuyoshi and other otakus refer to it as ‘Akiba’, and Tsuyoshi has to correct himself when bringing it up while talking to Saori.
* GambitRoulette: [[spoiler:Kazuya]] tries his luck with this repeatedly. It fails him repeatedly.
* GoldDigger:
** Misuzu is very much this, to the point she has no shame at all at using this to advance up the corporate ladder. [[spoiler:She dumps Kazuya on the spot when his father’s company goes bankrupt.]]
** Saori’s friend Yuuko starts dating [[spoiler:Matsunaga]] when she discovers he’s the heir of a very wealthy family.
--->'''Kaho:''' Have you no shame?\\
'''Yuuko:''' Of course not. It flew out the window once I turned 30.
* GoodAngelBadAngel: Appear before [[spoiler:Kazuya]] when he debates whether or not to [[spoiler:make a move on Saori]]. Ultimately, the Bad Angel punches the good angel in the face, marking [[spoiler:Kazuya]]’s FaceHeelTurn.
* GreenEyedMonster: [[spoiler:Kazuya, who starts desiring ‘Hermès’ after reading the board, and sabotages Tsuyoshi’s efforts every chance he gets when he realises she’s actually Saori.]]
* HaveWeMet: Saori introduces Tsuyoshi to Kaho, who mistreated him in profound disgust earlier. She doesn’t remember him.
* HistoricalHeroUpgrade: In the series, after [[spoiler:Tsuyoshi and Saori get together]], the forum members [[spoiler:bid ‘Densha’ a heartfelt good-bye as he ‘graduates’ from the single men’s board]]. In real life, when Densha and Hermes got together and it seemed they were about to sleep together for the first time, the board members started making rude remarks and Densha just left.
* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: Saori can’t tell [[spoiler:Kazuya is manipulating her and Tsuyoshi every chance he gets and winds up believing Tsuyoshi was making fun of her on the board]].
* HumiliationConga:
** Tsuyoshi goes through this in NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished below, and it doesn’t end there: after he painstakingly collects all of his papers from the gutter, a surge of water gushes out all over him, and Misuzu chews him out for being late. (As a matter of fact, Misuzu is fond of torturing him in general.)
** [[spoiler:Kazuya]] undergoes this frequently when his plans explode in his face.
* JapaneseSpirit: Mentioned by name and briefly paraphrased as the ‘otaku spirit’ by other board members.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Misuzu, though the ‘heart of gold’ part shows only little, and only after [[spoiler:she finds out about the board]]. She’s basically just a {{Jerkass}}, it’s just a matter of where she directs it.
* KarmaHoudini: Misuzu. She slept with ''a lot'' of men, dumping them unceremoniously, and treats Tsuyoshi poorly on regular basis. By the end of the show, she decides to travel around the world, breaking the hearts of even more men.
* UsefulNotes/KoreansInJapan: One of the subplots was about Ushijima (the Osaka Tigers fan) trying to find the girl he was in love with, a Korean girl named ‘Tiffany’, who worked at the bar he frequented (all he had from her was a polaroid photo with her name wrote in hangul). Ushijima also intended to propose marriage to her so she could stay in Japan with him, but it seems like she’s seducing Ushijima to get money from him and leave. [[spoiler:It turns out that she was scammed by a false talent agent and she was too ashamed to return to Ushijima without his money. Ushijima still proposed to her without the ring and she accepted]].
* LaserGuidedKarma: Almost every manipulative scheme [[spoiler:Kazuya]] tries to win Saori’s affections blow up in his face spectacularly (and rather hilariously).
* LastNameBasis: Tsuyoshi and Saori address each other by their last names ([[TruthInTelevision which is the norm in Japan, actually]]). [[spoiler:After they get together, Saori refers to Tsuyoshi by his first name.]]
* {{Leitmotif}}: Misuzu’s is ‘[[StarWars The Imperial March]]’. It's both her background music and Tsuyoshi's ringtone.
** Technically a BootstrappedLeitmotif, since, [[StarWars y'know]].
* LikeBrotherAndSister: Kazuya and Saori. [[spoiler:Kazuya changes his mind about Saori when he learns that she’s ‘Hermès’.]]
* {{Moe}}: Discussed in-universe by Tsuyoshi and his friends, mostly with regard to anime, and a particular board member expresses this sentiment repeatedly towards ‘Hermès’. When Saori comes to Akihabara and is confused by the otaku terminology, she evokes this tenfold in Tsuyoshi and his friends when she asks in confusion what it means.
* NeverMyFault: One of the men who complain about Misuzu says his life was ruined after his wife discovered their affair, other men say they’d wasted a lot of money on presents for her. This hardly sounds like it was actually ''her'' fault.
* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: Yamada comes across a young girl whose balloon flew into a tree, and agrees to help her get it back. The balloon flies away when he can’t get it, and he winds up [[AccidentalPervert looking into a strange woman’s window]] and getting chewed out by her and falling out. The girl [[{{Jerkass}} calls him an idiot and throws his papers into the gutter]].
* NotSoStoic: Saori briefly loses her composure when [[spoiler:Tsuyoshi collapses in front of her, having waited for her for hours in the rain]].
* PaperThinDisguise: [[spoiler:Kazuya]] pretends to be ‘Densha’ and tell the board members that ‘Hermès’ dumped him, using a very poor imitation of Tsuyoshi’s speech patterns. They see right through it and shame him away.
* PerspectiveFlip: The 12th episode is partially this, giving more focus to Matsunaga and Ushijima (the forum member whose computer broke).
* PitySex: [[spoiler:Misuzu wants to ‘help’ Tsuyoshi this way after he gets dumped by Saori, so he’d forget about her; he refuses, adamant in his affection for Saori.]]
* PoorCommunicationKills: [[spoiler:Keisuke gives a passing glance at the board and concludes that Tsuyoshi has been making fun of his sister online. She tells him never to see her again. It takes tremendous efforts from Tsuyoshi, the other board members, and Saori’s friends to get Saori to actually read the board and realise her mistake.]]
* ProfessionalButtKisser: Tsuyoshi’s supervisor’s attitude towards the CEO’s son. His demeanour changes radically when he talks to him as opposed to Tsuyoshi.
* ProtagonistCenteredMorality: We’re supposed to side with Tsuyoshi even when he calls Saori ''25 times'' without getting an answer after being told [[spoiler:''she had a fiancé'']], and resent his supervisor for his attitude towards him, despite having a very good reason for it (namely, Tsuyoshi is not only fairly incompetent, he’s been taking too many days off without proper prior notice).
* ProudToBeAGeek: Some otakus regard those who are ashamed of being an otaku with little respect.
* RaceFetish: The woman from NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished above happens to be black, and accuses Yamada of this.
* ReallyGetsAround: Misuzu, so much that by the end of the series, [[spoiler:the men she dumped form a union]].
* RealSongThemeTune: Music/ElectricLightOrchestra’s ''Twilight'' and [[Music/{{Styx}} Styx's]] "Mr. Roboto."
* [[spoiler:RelationshipUpgrade: Tsuyoshi and Saori. There’s even a song that plays often as background music about this theme.]]
* RubeGoldbergDevice: [[spoiler:Kazuya]] builds one for an elaborate proposal to Saori on her birthday. He winds up activating it by mistake when he realises the party changed its venue and has to run out to catch her.
* SchmuckBait: Yamada has just finished collecting his papers from the gutter when he hears a rumbling noise from the pipe leading to it. Does he realise what’s going on and move aside? Does he realise he’s late for work and go, realising his curiosity will probably have to go unsatisfied? No! He looks straight into the pipe for a few seconds and doesn’t move aside when he realises what’s going on. Guess what happens next.
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney: Tsuyoshi’s company’s CEO’s son bosses Tsuyoshi’s supervisor around due to his position. [[spoiler:When the supervisor defies him, he winds up demoted and later fired.]]
* ShoutOut: The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJHRtklMRwc opening animation]] pays homage to Creator/HideakiAnno's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJHRtklMRwc DAICON IV animation]].
* ShowWithinAShow: ''Anime/GetsumenToHeikiMina''.
* ASinisterClue: [[spoiler:Kazuya]] is left-handed.
* SoundEffectBleep: When Misuzu swears at [[spoiler:Kazuya]] after dumping him, her swearing is apparently so bad it’s replaced with a ''roaring'' sound effect.
* SureLetsGoWithThat:
** When looking for a socially acceptable hobby to bring up, Tsuyoshi tells Saori he surfs the net; she thinks he means surfing, as in with a surfboard and everything, and he goes along with it, trying to learn to surf before he has to demonstrate his skills. [[spoiler:[[EpicFail It goes awful.]]]]
** When [[spoiler:Kazuya]] tries to bring Saori to see his RubeGoldbergDevice and propose dramatically, he accidentally drives past where [[spoiler:Tsuyoshi has been waiting for Saori in the rain for hours]]. She thinks that’s where he was going to take her, and he grudgingly claims it is.
* [[spoiler:TheyDo: Tsuyoshi and Saori.]]
* ThoseTwoGuys: Kawamoto and Matsunaga, Tsuyoshi’s two otaku buddies.
* TranquilFury: No matter how hurt or angry she may be, Saori will always be the paragon of calm, polite, gracious demeanour.
* VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory: The original events, as reported on the original board, have been ‘embellished’ for dramatic/comic effect.
* WorthyOpponent: [[spoiler:Kazuya]] sees Tsuyoshi as this.
* YouAreNotAlone: Repeatedly emphasised. The similarity between ‘Mina’ and ‘''minna''’[[note]]皆, ‘everyone’[[/note]] is pointed out to underline the importance of co-dependence.
* YourCheatingHeart:
** [[spoiler:Saori’s father, leading to her parents’ messy break-up and eventual divorce.]]
** [[spoiler:Saori’s ex-boyfriend, who told her he was married and had a child after a two year long relationship and a ''proposal'', leaving her with severe trust issues and an aversion towards dating.]]
** Misuzu has slept with married men.
* ZanyScheme: [[spoiler:Kazuya]] repeatedly tries these to win over Saori. [[spoiler:They fail invariably.]]
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