
Library Reviews
Train Man
Once upon a time, from the early days of the new millennium, when the net was text and flip phones ruled.

A timid, young worker confronts an old drunk who is harassing a train carriage of even more timid older ladies. After his moment of bravery, and a mountain of police admin, our hero heads home. He deals with his unusual day by recounting it to the members of his online community. These were text message boards not the truncated clip fests of today. Originally put out by his ordeal, he is paralysed when he later receives a thank you gift from a young lady who was also on the train. Being uncertain as to what to do next he again consults his message board.
This endearing, and hugely funny, post-millennial romance is notable for many reasons. Firstly, the book is entirely composed of actual message board posts. It is purportedly a true story. Nakano Hitori is the pen name of an observer who set about collecting all the messages by Train Man and ones branching off from his original posts. Now, some decades removed, it is an eye opening (or nostalgic) throwback to a primitive form of social media. It was a hit property and spawned a media franchise with numerous manga versions, a film and a drama series. It also had societal significance. In the 90s, young male homebodies with hobbies like watching anime, were side-eyed as dangerous, antisocial loners. Not least due to an infamous murder case. Train Man helped rehabilitate the perception of otaku in Japan into socially awkward but well meaning individuals.
Brave Father Online
Work hard, retire early, get sucked into online gaming with your son.

This movie opens with a fairly stock scenario, that of a distant, workaholic father’s estrangement from his household. However this comedy drama has atypical factors. The catalyst for dad’s betterment is a video game. Both of his children are well adjusted, working adults that still happen to be living in the family home. There are also several post millennial themes such as online anonymity, virtual communities and non-traditional careers.
Final Fantasy XIV is central to this film so anyone that hates it, or gaming, can steer clear. For everyone else, this is a schmaltzy, feel-good story with just enough unusual about it to stand out. Adorkable moments abound, some from the son but chiefly the dad who clearly has an unindulged aptitude for gaming. A pity that dedicated CGI wasn’t used for the in-game portions. Yesterday’s eyecandy isn’t holding up that well today. Authenticity does benefit and the underwhelming graphics are still capable of getting the story across.
As far as digital subcultures go, this bears some parallel with Train Man. In that story, a timid commuter stands up to a drunk and wins the admiration of a lovely onlooker. The romance unfolds totally via the medium of text posts to an online forum where the commuter seeks advice on dating and keeps his community updated on his efforts. Brave Father Online could conceivably have been the Train Main character reconnecting with his father. Except that both stories are purportedly based on true events.
SandLand
The late, great Akira Toriyama wanted to draw a tank to amuse himself and it grew into a manga.

Earth of the future is a desert with water, resources and relics being precious commodities. The Demon race has also emerged and competes with survivors. Sounds like a bleak post apocalyptic horror except that this is the work of Akira Toriyama. True to his comedic style, the demons are more like misunderstood pranksters and the main one is helping partly so that he can get his hands on a PlayStation. It is an action adventure with refreshingly different characters, some familiar earnestness-decency tropes and is in-fact, devoid of fanservice.
SandLand is a stand alone, one volume manga and is a complete story in itself. In 2024 its animated film adaptation was released and was part of the line up for the 2024 Japanese Film Festival. Since then, a 13 episode ONA has been completed. Part retcon and part sequel, it consists of an altered retelling of the main story, with new characters appearing, before branching off onto new adventures.