The Xenos
04-28-2007, 04:48 PM
I noticed Calling Manga Island's new column (http://www.comicbookresources.com/columns/index.cgi?column=cmi&article=2755) features two manga adaptations of Densha Otoko.
I mainly know the story through the TV J-drama my friends showed at our anime club. I wasn't too impressed by it. It seemed too cheesy and too much like a sitcom or even standard American romantic comedy. It also really played up the 'Otaku' culture and its sometimes creepiness for laughs. At the same time, it seemed
Of course, the thing that bugged me the most was the product placement. They even nickname the female lead character after a specific brand of fine China and Tea Cups. A friend who liked the serious told me that sales of this brand skyrocketed. It was then that I call BS. I just found this article (http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/waiwai/archive/news/2005/08/20050802p2g00m0dm015000c.html) to confirm those sales numbers. It also points out a specific tea or tea room that was fetured in the program. My friend also told me how that became popular too.
So that got me wondering, was this whole thing a marketing scam to begin with? Are Densha and Hermes just characters made up to capture the attention of the Japanese market, specifically the otaku culture? There is money to be made off the nerds and Densha Otoko was a way to capitalize on that market.
Adding to this, supposedly the real couple refuses to come out into the public spotlight. Nevermind that the entire story comes from a messageboard where anyone can post anonymously. The only proof that this story is true is from an anonymous messageboard? C'mon.
One site that seems to share this conspiracy theory is this one:
http://www.pliink.com/mt/marxy/archives/000613.html
Now I don't know how good the manga is, but the TV show rather stunk. Sure it was cute, but it was too artificial for my taste. The product placement surpassed the lame product placement you see in most Hollywood films. It's this glossy commercial exterior and its questionable origins which make me think that this whole story is fake. It all seems manufacured by giant Japanese companies trying to squeeze money by preying on the romantic hopes of lonely nerds.
I mainly know the story through the TV J-drama my friends showed at our anime club. I wasn't too impressed by it. It seemed too cheesy and too much like a sitcom or even standard American romantic comedy. It also really played up the 'Otaku' culture and its sometimes creepiness for laughs. At the same time, it seemed
Of course, the thing that bugged me the most was the product placement. They even nickname the female lead character after a specific brand of fine China and Tea Cups. A friend who liked the serious told me that sales of this brand skyrocketed. It was then that I call BS. I just found this article (http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/waiwai/archive/news/2005/08/20050802p2g00m0dm015000c.html) to confirm those sales numbers. It also points out a specific tea or tea room that was fetured in the program. My friend also told me how that became popular too.
So that got me wondering, was this whole thing a marketing scam to begin with? Are Densha and Hermes just characters made up to capture the attention of the Japanese market, specifically the otaku culture? There is money to be made off the nerds and Densha Otoko was a way to capitalize on that market.
Adding to this, supposedly the real couple refuses to come out into the public spotlight. Nevermind that the entire story comes from a messageboard where anyone can post anonymously. The only proof that this story is true is from an anonymous messageboard? C'mon.
One site that seems to share this conspiracy theory is this one:
http://www.pliink.com/mt/marxy/archives/000613.html
Now I don't know how good the manga is, but the TV show rather stunk. Sure it was cute, but it was too artificial for my taste. The product placement surpassed the lame product placement you see in most Hollywood films. It's this glossy commercial exterior and its questionable origins which make me think that this whole story is fake. It all seems manufacured by giant Japanese companies trying to squeeze money by preying on the romantic hopes of lonely nerds.