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Cel Shaded
Jason Yadao
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‘Train Man’ is America-bound
Perhaps one of the bigger recent franchises to launch in Japan is "Train Man" ("Densha Otoko"), the story of a budding romance between two strangers on a train and the members of a popular Japanese Internet community who helped it flourish. Last week, word came from CMX and Viz that they were releasing some of the manga from this franchise stateside.
CMX's version, the three-volume "Densha Otoko -- The Story of the Train Man Who Fell in Love With a Girl," by Wataru Watanabe, is scheduled to debut on Oct. 11. Meanwhile, Viz will start releasing Hidenori Hara's three-volume series as "Train Man: Densha Otoko" sometime this fall ...
Coincidentally, Oahu Anime Explorer has two activities that have ties to "Densha Otoko." The group has launched a monthly trivia contest in which participants who submit the correct answers at the monthly meeting are eligible for prizes. The question for the June 24 giveaway: "Out of 100 Akihabara males, how many would stop and save a girl in trouble like Densha Otoko?"
Also in the early planning stages is a real-life activity similar in scope to the series. Club director Kell Komatsubara tells me that their parody, "Bus Stop Guy," could be taped for screening at next year's Kawaii Kon anime convention. For more information, check out www.oahuanimeexplorer.com.
Random plugging
Courtesy of Wilma J.:
If you're a young girl with magical powers who suddenly gets kicked out of her house to fend for herself, you might start hooking up with strange men to survive. That's what happens to Rahzel in the Tokyopop manga "Dazzle." Alzeid, the aforementioned strange, surly man, reluctantly takes on the headstrong girl as a partner of sorts on his quest for revenge against his father's killer.
So far, "Dazzle" isn't living up to its name for me, but if you're drawn to series that go from silly to serious and back again, this one's for you ...
Cel Shaded, a look at the world of Japanese anime and manga, appears every Monday. Reach
Jason S. Yadao at
jyadao@starbulletin.com