Every now and then I find that fate decides to remind me that I’m not as culturally knowledgeable as I like to think I am. Suddenly, with no warning, I’ll be hit by one reference after another regarding some random, out of the blue bit of pop culture. I usually take these instances as a sign that perhaps I should follow Fate’s instructions and study whatever topic it’s repeatedly throwing in my face. After I make the effort and learn something new, the references subside and life returns to normal.

    Recently, just such an instance occurred. It seemed no matter where I turned, no matter what I was watching, listening, or reading, I was constantly being bombarded by The Electric Light Orchestra. Go figure. It cropped up in a recent episode of the new Doctor Who series, and two nights ago my friend Blair popped up out of nowhere with a long list of funny music videos I should watch. Of course, smack dab on the top of the list was none other than The Electric Light Orchestra. I took the hint and headed straight for Wikipedia.

    I was expecting nothing more than to spend five minutes learning a bit more about ELO so that hopefully the cavalcade of references would cease. But what I found instead was something delightfully unexpected – and no, I’m not talking about a newfound appreciation for disco. Bleugh, just don’t even go there.

    At the end of wikipedia’s article on the band, there was a long list of trivia, which included a list of recent television programs that have included their music. Naturally, at the top of this list was the aforementioned Doctor Who episode, bringing the whole experience full circle. But right below Doctor Who was a rather interesting blurb about a television phenomenon that just exploded in Japan.

Apparently, everyone in Japan has been going ga-ga over a show called “Densha Otoko” (Train Man), the story of an Otaku – an anime geek – who has no backbone whatsoever. That is, until he sees a beautiful woman on the train one evening being threatened and harassed by a violent drunkard. Unable to bear it, the Otaku stands up and defends her against her assailant. Of course, he soon receives a bloody nose for his trouble, but he successfully played the part of the knight in shining armor, and soon this gorgeous woman is helping him up, asking if there’s anything she can do to thank him for his kindness and courage. There follows a charming story about how this shy, unkempt geek attempts to woo a woman any man in Japan would give anything to be with.

    The television show was so incredibly popular in Japan that it spawned its own comic series, a cartoon, and a feature film which will soon be making its way to the States in January. A major Hollywood studio has even bought the rights to the film so that, naturally, as Hollywood does, it can take a cute, culturally significant foreign story and completely botch it in translation (a la ‘Shall We Dance’.)

    I was eager to see what all the excitement was about, but I thought that since obviously I’m not in Japan, I wouldn’t have a chance to see the original series. I figured I’d have to wait for the movie like everyone else. But then I had a thought… if there are people out there who spend countless hours translating Japanese cartoons and providing them for fans with English subtitles over the Internet, maybe someone had created a fan-sub of ‘Densha Otoko’ too…

    I went straight to YouTube, and within seconds I was staring at a long list of episodes from the original live action series. Less than a minute after reading about this phenomenon, I was able to watch the very first episode, all from the comfort of my own bed. Gotta love the Internet!

    I’ve been pretty disillusioned with television lately – I only watch one show a week, and even that’s nothing but silly fluff. But suddenly I’ve found myself completely hooked on a show from the other side of the world. It’s one of the cutest, happiest, most interesting things I’ve seen in a while. Hence why I’m blogging about it – if you too are looking for something fun to watch while waiting for something good to come up on American TV again, please do check out ‘Densha Otoko.’ I just finished episode four and I’m absolutely hooked! Heck, I even cried like a baby toward the end of the episode. It’s just plain fun stuff, so check it out, won’t you?

    It’s funny where all the Internet can take you on a sleepless night. What started out as a simple query about some random band from the 70’s led me to something I’d been needing for a while – a good, happy show to keep me entertained and upbeat while stuck in bed. Thank goodness for that. 🙂