Train Girl

I think this story has the potential to be the equal and opposite of the Densha Otoko phenomenon. Twelve years ago the image of okatu as dangerously obsessive recluses was ameliorated by the story of the nerd who came to the rescue of a woman who was being threatened by a drunk on a train. Japanese media leapt on the plotline and produced a novel, four separate manga, a film, a play and a TV series. Since then otaku have moved into the mainstream of Japanese culture. But in December 2015 Asahi Shimbun published an article about a Hokkaido railway's decision to postpone the closure of an isolated train station because one student continued to use it to get to school. The railway decided to maintain the station (Kami-Shirataki) until her graduation. Unfortunately the publicity attracted a horde of train nerds who insisted on getting the student to pose for the camera, and the upshot is she stopped using the train. This would make a very neat bookend for the otaku era. Tomorrow is the closing date for the station. Source. Source.