Densha Otoko / Final Impressions / First Impressions

Short Summary:
Reading the entire message board, Saori is moved to tears by Tsuyoshi’s messages as Densha Otoko. She rushes out to find him, but Kazuya has other plans. He calls Tsuyoshi, telling him that Saori is in trouble, then takes Saori to Akihabara himself. She can’t find him at the secret spot, so she runs everywhere looking for him. Kazuya calls her and tells her to meet him at the subway station where he intends to pull off another complex proposal. She goes there looking for Tsuyoshi and accidentally runs into him, much to Kazuya’s surprise. They go back to the rooftop where Tsuyoshi stumbles through what he wants to say, but with Saori’s support, he finally confesses to her. Saori returns his feelings and adds on a kiss. They spend the rest of the night together making out after Saori gives him a present (a necklace matching her own). In the next days, Densha Otoko realizes that its time to leave the message board. After everyone shares their stories of how Densha motivated them, Tsuyoshi makes the 1000th post in the thread (2ch board threads can only go 1000 posts before having to be recreated). With the phenomenon over, everyone returns to their normal lives. Saori and Tsuyoshi board a train and ride off together.

This episode ended the series almost exactly like I expected it to, with only a few surprises (which aren’t really even surprises). Saori searches for Tsuyoshi, they find each other, mutually confess, share several tender moments, and then Tsuyoshi bids farewell to the message board and everyone moves on. Not so much predictable as just the ending I wanted to see.
And so I really had a good time watching the episode. From the ending song playing over the radio to Kazuya’s usual antics to all the tearful moments, I never ceased to be entertained. The relationship which we’ve been rooting for the entire season finally blooms, and we get not one kiss, but several. The only thing that irks me a bit is the fact that Saori is the more aggressive player in their relationship. It doesn’t seem to fit with her character (nor Tsuyoshi’s, but that’s a different matter).
Past all the joyful moments, there were also quite a few funny ones. I think my favorite scenes have to be the final Kazuya proposal scheme (and Kazuya’s expression when he sees Tsuyoshi), the Misuzu and Kazuya scene, and the censored kissing shot. I’m glad they didn’t sacrifice any humor in the final episode, since that’s part of what makes this series unique.

Final Thoughts: Densha Otoko is a series that I admittedly picked up on a whim. It had gotten quite a bit of press, and I was curious about the story. What I watched was a modern Pygmalion story that gave a glimpse into an otaku’s life turned upside down by a girl he saves. Itoh Atsushi and Itoh Misaki play the lead characters wonderfully, with Atsushi-san making quite a good nerd and Misaki-san being very beautiful and elegant. With a powerful supporting cast (special mention goes to all of the message board personalities), the story creates tons of laughs and tears. I would strongly recommend this drama to anyone.
Now to wait for the Densha Otoko special coming in two weeks….

21 Comments

  2. The french kiss is cencored, it makes me think about Girls Bravo 1st season for some unknown reason. XD

    Jinkama as a playgirl is so funny, she’s the madame devil of the year.

    The specials will feature Densha’s otaku friend A, who turns out to be a rich guy, with Aoyama’s friend.

    stevency
    Reply

  3. The part when all the 2ch forumers gathered on the fictional platform to send off Densha and Hermes was particularly touching, though I felt the scene leading to the 1000th post on 2ch was a little draggy.

    But all in all, a predictable happy-ever-after ending with no compromise on the humor (especially enjoyed the censored “adult” kiss).

    Now I’m waiting in earnest for the special to see what sparks fly (or kicks? as in the last episode) between Densha’s otaku friend Matsunaga and Hermes’ friend Yuko… >_

    ahmad
    Reply

  4. ahmad, the platform is real, it’s Shin Kanaya station located at Shizuoka. 😉

    They change the station nameplate to Akihabara, platform 1 is bound for Love country (愛国) and platform 2 is bound for Happiness(幸福).

    This is a reference to the classic song and a love charm of “From the country of love to Happiness”(愛の国から幸福へ), 愛国 and 幸福 was 2 abandoned station in Hokkaido, Northern Japan. It was said that buying the tickets from 愛国 to 幸福 can bound lovers tighter, a kind of love charm here.

    The detail of the station I refered(with a photo of it):
    http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%96%B0%E9%87%91%E8%B0%B7%E9%A7%85

    Sorry if I had shown too much on my Japanese train guru side. But I won’t think normal people will find out the deeper meaning of it. 🙂

    stevency
    Reply

  6. stevency,

    i thought that was shin-kanaya! i used to live in shizuoka, not far from where it was. i once took that train to meet one of my best friends who was living out in kawane there in the middle of the night. beautiful little train. they run special tours there during cherry blossom season — watching that train go by in a whirlwind of cherry blossoms is quite the sight. glad i wasn’t the only one who noticed the train!

    eladyland
    Reply

  7. stevency, you know your stuff!

    Yeah, I was almost moved to tears when everyone on the message board bid their final farewell to Tsuyoshi before he leaves. The train scene heightened the effect. T_T

    Like Omni, I also picked up this j-drama on a whim, curious as to what the fuss is all about. After watching the succeeding episodes, it got me thinking that even otaku’s can feel love towards a person, and not a fictional one.

    Ronin AnimeLover
    Reply

  12. Just finished all the chaps, it’s an amazing dorama!!! one of the best I’ve ever seen although is a little bit cheesy and short. Aoyama-san is pretty goergeous, haha!!!! 😉

    Jhvx
    Reply

  13. i’ve just finished watching the whole series. it is definitely one of the best jap drama i’ve watched. partly b’cos its based on a true story. and oso b’cos ito misaki is really really beautiful. the whole story is really touching and at the end, makes you want to see more of it. 2 thumbs up!

    HowarDy
    Reply

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