Otaku no Kamisama

I read something cool in Wired today, thought I'd just share it with you all.

LOVE TRAIN

IT WAS A FAIRY-TALE ROMANCE. A very nerdy fairy-tale romance.
On March 14, 2004, the guy who would become known across Japan as Train Man was just a lonely otaku heading home from Tokyo's Akihabara district, famous for its gadgets and anime. A pretty young woman sat next to him on the subway. He likely wanted to talk to her, but, being a geek, he just sat there.
When an elderly alcoholic began harassing women in the car – and accidentally hit the pretty girl in the face – the geek summoned his nerve and confronted the drunk. When the train stopped, the police arrived and apprehended the old man. All the ladies – including the pretty girl – crowded around the nerd-hero, praising his bravery and asking for his address so they could send formal thank-yous. Train Man scribbled his information in the pretty woman's notebook. Then he fled.
When he got home, he posted the entire story on 2Channel, a Japanese Web site that's a bit like Slashdot and LiveJournal combined. He ended his post by cursing himself for leaving before he got the girl's address. "I totally freaked out," he wrote.
A few days later, a package arrived in the mail. In it were two fancy tea cups ... from the pretty girl! With her phone number on the packing slip! He naturally passed the news along, and the 2Channel bulletin board buzzed with excitement. Train Man – as he's known – posted again, noting, "My hands are shaking. I'm holding the phone, but I can't dial." Forum members did their best to stoke his courage. One wrote: "Remember: She's only one girl. You have all 2Channel on your side!"
Readers anxiously hit Refresh as Train Man updated them in real time during that awkward phone call. (A typical post: "DINNER! WHERE?") Then the 2Channel community became his crowdsourced dating adviser: "Get enough sleep, cut your nose hair, have breath mints, charge your cell phone, brush your teeth, take enough money, take a shower, and – in case of an emergency – wash your penis properly."
Train Man tirelessly chronicled his courtship. On May 9, 2004, the thread exploded when he reported, "I kissed her lightly, but she said, 'More,' kissing me 3-4 times." Overnight, he became Otaku no Kamisama – God of the Geeks.
In October 2004, a book-length transcript of the 2Channel threads sold over a million copies. Several manga serializations followed, as well as an anime, a live-action film (set for US release on DVD in February), a TV drama, a stage play, and even a porn knockoff. So far, though, Train Man's actual identity remains a mystery.
Some say he's real, others insist he was cooked up by some clever 2Channel posters. The book's publisher, Shinchosha, agreed to set up an email interview with Train Man, but acted as an anonymizing go-between.
"I don't think I could've done it without 2Channel," writes Train Man, who says he's still dating the pretty girl. So far, his life hasn't changed much: He works at the same company, visits Akihabara, buys comics, and watches anime. And, of course, he still posts about stuff like videogames on 2Channel. Once an otaku, always an otaku.
– Brian Ashcraft