Train Man

"Train Man" will be released in the U.S. on September 22, 2006, starting from New York. See "Train Man" official site for the updated screening schedule.

Charming love story, based on a unique Internet-based best seller non-fiction novel. A shy geek computer engineer meets a beautiful girl on a train, and happens to save her from a drunk man. She sends him an appreciation gift, but he is too shy to face this girl, so he turns to the internet bulletin board for advice. Many anonimous people start to cheer him from the other side of the Net.

The first half is so hilarious, and the latter half mainly is to appreciate the cuteness of the Train Man. The main character Takayuki Yamada's acting is so realistic when it comes to his "geeky" behavior, and when he starts to open up his emotions to the girl, his smiles turns so charming.

While the emotional exchanges among the Net friends are warm and caring, the real worlds' people are indifferent to Train Man's problems. The contrast is an interesting and real situation in Japan, and made me wonder why people cannot behave in real world like on the Net.

(November, 2005)