By REBECCA P.
My thoughts
Train Man grabbed me from the get-go for some reason. The story itself is an uncliche storyline stemming from a cliché story plot. Geeky guy meets beautiful woman. Guy has no clue what to do. However, it’s not that the geeky guy with a beautiful girl is anything new in manga, but Train Man does give some interesting twists in the form of the online web. At any rate, it starts when Train Man (identity never exposed) saves a group of women from a pervert. Relieved to have been saved and have found a nice young man, the women take his contact information and one responds by sending him tea cups as a gift. By this point he has posted the story on a forum and is receiving response after response of what to do. Thanks to encouragement from members of the forum he calls her and asks her on a date. Thus, a friendship begins, but will it lead where Train Man wants it to?
Train Man sets itself up as a quirky title. However, the quirkiness comes mainly from the involvement of the internet. That being said, the characters are people you probably know in real life or can picture in your head. However, the characters are a bit dull and the dialogue is not witty although it carries the story at a smooth pace. As far as artwork goes, Train Man fares averagely. What does pick up art-wise are the expressions of characters. It’s easy to imagine exactly what each character is thinking or feeling, but it doesn’t really convey beyond the pages.
Technology is what sets Train Man up as being just another manga. The simple nature and general geek-beautiful woman cliché are forgotten as the story moves along. The story is told from a guy’s perspective which sets it in the small genre of romance manga from a guy perspective. There’s not a lot to Train Man, but it does suffice as not your typical manga.
Train Man is a quick read and an easy manga to digest. The ending of the first volume doesn’t warrant the immediate “I must read the next volume!” effect, but it does leave you curious. If you’re looking for an easy to read and somewhat quirky title, Train Man will be a pleasant read for most manga fans (especially if you’re into the technology age).
