The story goes that one night, a normally wimpy guy, finds the courage to save a girl from being harassed by some old drunk in a train. The same day, the guy reports the fact to a message board. Specifying that he thought that he felt something for her.
A couple of days later, she sends him a present to thank him for having helped her. The guy, again, shares the events on the message board. He’s very timid and insecure. A 23 years old otaku (devoted to manga, anime and videogames, with little or no experience with girls). The girl, instead is slightly older, taller, good looking, mild mannered and from a rich family.
Otaku are most definitely not the ideal target for most Japanese women. As an example, the poster that I have in my room, and that I’ve been told I should get rid of, is something that an otaku would hang.
The place where otaku hang in Tokyo is Akihabara (from here the word akibake). A place where one can find the latest computer parts, but also, events about new anime and games.. some of which explicitly meant for a public of otaku (filled with cute girls !), and also special cafe’s where one is served by cute girls dressed as maids (moeee (from 萌える moeru, a word of recent use around Akihabara to express introverted sense of cuteness (?!)).
Anyway, the story continues with the guy being supported by the people on the message board in trying to find the courage to get involved with the girl, while trying to acquire skills to hide his being otaku.
It’s a love story of modern times, supposedly a real one, which became widely popoular on a famous Japanese message board.
Not long ago the book came out and, recently the TV series and a movie.
I missed the TV series, actually I found out about it only when it was too late, but, luckly a friend gave me a link to where one can find the episodes on the net, even with English subtitles made by fansub groups (really useful as the dialogue at times is really fast paced and it can get quite complex to follow !).
I’m at the 10th episode, of 11 total, plus a special finale, it’s quite good, dramatic but funny, too. I can see why it had so much success.
Well.. doesn’t happen everyday to meet a beautiful girl that one actually feels like feeling something for (they are usually stuckup bitches (products of our society, nevertheless)). The problem with most adult people is not so much that they can’t find someone, but more that they can’t find someone they truly like.. can’t blame people for that, since there is so little passion in everyday life..
The girl in the series is clearly likeable. A somewhat perfect Japanese prototype: very pretty, thin, gentle, introverted, educated (partially raised in LA, a detail used to give her a “from another world” and “English speaking” look, although, normally, a Japanese girl raised in LA would find it hard to be gentle, introverted and thin 8).
The guy, on the other hand, is pretty wimpy, shy to the point that he has to take so much courage just to call a girl up.
The story strikes a chord especially for those otaku-oriented individuals that can put themselves in the shoes of the male protagonist.
While I don’t consider myself an Akihabara-otaku, I can definitely appreciate the point of view of the guy. He finds a girl that likes him for his humane personality, a girl that doesn’t take advantage of him, and, at the same time, he tries his best to try to please her.
This story reminded me that it’s OK to be shy and mild-mannered. One should take pride in that (within the due limits 8).
Time to ZZZZ.. I need to be in shape for tomorrow night.. going to see Armin Van Buuren, wooo !!
moooooooooooo(e)
Posted by Davide Pasca in Society, Japan