Trains in anime/manga

[Zeether]

There are quite a few anime/manga series out there with trains in them, but how many are you able to recognize? I read the series "Mahou Sensei Negima" and there's a couple trains that make appearances:

 

 

205 series train in chapter 1. The school in Mahou Sensei Negima has its own station on the Kawagoe line according to one of the guidebooks (it's stated it's near Omiya), which makes sense since they operate 205s on there!

 

 

E4 series Shinkansen in chapter 28. They board it at Omiya station:

 

 

In one of the later chapters a woman tried to drown some of the characters with water magic in a train, not sure which type it is but it's from JR:

 

 

Also, the school in Negima has its own tram system, they look a bit like older trams from Milan I think? Not really sure but one of them seems to have a single arm pantograph swapped on and in a later chapter there's a double decker tram like one from Hong Kong which gets destroyed by a spell.

 

 

Oh, and one of the girls in the series runs a restaurant out of a tram...and it can fly! I'm going to link the concept art page from the manga because it's too big to fit here and would probably break tables (also someone should totally kitbash this): http://i.imgur.com/PWH4hcp.jpg

 

I know Love Hina had a tram featured prominently too that stopped outside the inn it takes place at. Anyone else know of some trains they've seen in anime or manga? I saw images from 5cm Per Second and there's a couple of trains in that which are very lovingly rendered as per usual with Shinkai's works.

Edited March 3, 2014 by Zeether

[ToniBabelony]

Well...

 

[JR 500系]

Interesting!

 

What's strange is that the signboard was written 'Oomiya' on the top (which I think is trying to avoid being sued?) and Omiya at the bottom... haha¬  Also the Shinkansen Asama using an E4?

[ToniBabelony]

What's strange is that the signboard was written 'Oomiya' on the top (which I think is trying to avoid being sued?) and Omiya at the bottom... haha¬

I think it's more of an incapable translator and letterer who don't know how station signs look, rather than legal issues. :p

[JR 500系]

I think it's more of an incapable translator and letterer who don't know how station signs look, rather than legal issues. :P

 

HHmmm interesting Toni. The drawings were clearly showing the logo JR too on that 205 and on the last train (the one with the water). It also uses the accurate name of Asama and stated the JR Shinkansen... Perhaps JR has endorsed this?

Edited March 3, 2014 by JR500 のぞみ

[ToniBabelony]

HHmmm interesting Toni. The drawings were clearly showing the logo JR too on that 205 and on the last train (the one with the water). It also uses the accurate name of Asama and stated the JR Shinkansen... Perhaps JR has endorsed this?

 

JR probably has nothing to do with it and tolerates the usage of the logos in the comics. In Japan they usually don't make a much of a fuss about these things. Self, as a professional comic artist, I avoid commercial brandings, because you never know...

[kvp]

In one of the later chapters a woman tried to drown some of the characters with water magic in a train, not sure which type it is but it's from JR:

 

Also, the school in Negima has its own tram system, they look a bit like older trams from Milan I think? Not really sure but one of them seems to have a single arm pantograph swapped on and in a later chapter there's a double decker tram like one from Hong Kong which gets destroyed by a spell.

The JR train is a 113 or 115 series. The tram is from hakodate (number 39), it's a nostalgic unit with a single arm pantograph.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/28/JRW_113_series_B05.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/68/Hakodateshiden30kei.JPG

[Zeether]

The JR train is a 113 or 115 series. The tram is from hakodate (number 39), it's a nostalgic unit with a single arm pantograph.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/28/JRW_113_series_B05.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/68/Hakodateshiden30kei.JPG

 

Thank you for pointing those out! That Hakodate tram is really cool, they probably built replicas of it for Mahora (the school in Negima) since there's multiples of it going around. Also they don't seem to have overhead wires but it is a series about magic so that could be explained away easily :P

 

And yeah, "Oomiya" is a translation error of sorts. The name is right there in English below it too so it wasn't really necessary to do that. It's not the official translation, which I think left it alone because, well, the English station name is there.

 

Here's the tram in Love Hina, the paint scheme looks familiar but I can't quite figure out what it is:

 

Edited March 3, 2014 by Zeether

[kvp]

That looks like a Kagoshima tram in kintaro paint. Maybe in the past they were used in Kanagawa too where the story takes place.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/Kagoshima_City_tram_809.jpg

Actually the Tokyo tram network did use this paint scheme before it was demolished and the paint looks similar to an old arakawa line tram:

http://th00.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/f/2012/193/7/5/toden_arakawa_line_in_tokyo_by_hirolu-d5711u9.jpg

[dabsan]

Derailed Shinkansen 0 Series in Dragon Head Manga

 

 

[200系]

Dabsan, That actually looks like it's supposed to be a 200系 (with some 100系 features mixed in) and not a 0系. The nose shape, windshield (both shape and location, the windscreen sports the post 1992 modified side windows) cross section shape (as far as I can see) all scream 200系 to me, though the roof details are clearly based on the 100系 (the artist seem to have forgotten to add pantographs though (probably doesn't care enough though ;)))

 

 

 

What's strange is that the signboard was written 'Oomiya' on the top (which I think is trying to avoid being sued?) and Omiya at the bottom... haha¬

I think it's more of an incapable translator and letterer who don't know how station signs look, rather than legal issues. :P

 

 

As it looks like a fan translation (scanlation) I wouldn't be surprised if this was the case (There's a typo on the E4系 page as well). Seems like the translator tried to capture the way Ō/Ou is pronounced, and in turn messed it up in English. It's a bit redundant as well considering the accurate romanization (Ōmiya) is directly underneath it.

 

Granted, providing 100% accurate translations can be quite challenging (especially context) even for professional translators.

 

 

Anyway a few anime trains from my own collection:

 

What appears to be a C57形 in Sora No Woto:

 

 

Kashima KiHa 6000形 in Girls und Panzer:

 

 

JR East E217系 (Old Yokosuka scheme) in Sky Girls:

 

[ToniBabelony]

As it looks like a fan translation (scanlation) I wouldn't be surprised if this was the case (There's a typo on the E4系 page as well). Seems like the translator tried to capture the way Ō/Ou is pronounced, and in turn messed it up in English. It's a bit redundant as well considering the accurate romanization (Ōmiya) is directly underneath it.

 

Granted, providing 100% accurate translations can be quite challenging (especially context) even for professional translators.

 

To be honest, saying this as a former Japanologist, there are no 'correct' translations or transcriptions of Japanese, only standards. The transcription of 大宮 into Hepburn, and most other methods, is indeed written as Ōmiya. However, in this comic the JSL method was used, in which it is written as Oomiya. This method can also be used with other more popular methods, but the most common is Hepburn for non-native speakers (even in Japan where Kunrei is the standard, but is largely ignored by most companies and even government departments), in which long vowels are written with a chōonpu. The station name could also have been written as Ohmiya actually, which would also have been correct, but not very common outside of Japan.

 

It's good that at least Yale was not used. Man, I hate the Yale transcription. It should burn and be forgotten.

 

To stay on topic, Sazae-san features a LOT of trains in either the openings of the anime and scenes (mostly the commuter runs), as well as in the comic.

 

An example of a train featured in the anime opening sequence: Meishin Train.

[Dani]

Nice and very funny thread, thanks all!!

[dabsan]

Dabsan, That actually looks like it's supposed to be a 200系 (with some 100系 features mixed in) and not a 0系. The nose shape, windshield (both shape and location, the windscreen sports the post 1992 modified side windows) cross section shape (as far as I can see) all scream 200系 to me, though the roof details are clearly based on the 100系 (the artist seem to have forgotten to add pantographs though (probably doesn't care enough though ;)))

 

 

 

 

As it looks like a fan translation (scanlation) I wouldn't be surprised if this was the case (There's a typo on the E4系 page as well). Seems like the translator tried to capture the way Ō/Ou is pronounced, and in turn messed it up in English. It's a bit redundant as well considering the accurate romanization (Ōmiya) is directly underneath it.

 

Granted, providing 100% accurate translations can be quite challenging (especially context) even for professional translators.

 

 

Anyway a few anime trains from my own collection:

 

What appears to be a C57形 in Sora No Woto:

 

 

Kashima KiHa 6000形 in Girls und Panzer:

 

 

JR East E217系 (Old Yokosuka scheme) in Sky Girls:

 

 

Thanks 200系, yeah you are totally correct, my mistake! Also maybe the pantographs came off in the derailment! :laughing1:

[Densha]

I have tons of screenshots I took from anime featuring trains. Almost all are real trains. But I'm too lazy to post them here. ^^;
 

To be honest, saying this as a former Japanologist, there are no 'correct' translations or transcriptions of Japanese, only standards. The transcription of 大宮 into Hepburn, and most other methods, is indeed written as Ōmiya. However, in this comic the JSL method was used, in which it is written as Oomiya. This method can also be used with other more popular methods, but the most common is Hepburn for non-native speakers (even in Japan where Kunrei is the standard, but is largely ignored by most companies and even government departments), in which long vowels are written with a chōonpu. The station name could also have been written as Ohmiya actually, which would also have been correct, but not very common outside of Japan.

I usually write things out like おお in 'oo' and not use 'ō' because I don't know of a quick way to write it and the difference between おお and おう gets lost in transcription.

Maybe I should into look which romanization belongs to which standard some time, I think I'm using some kind of combination of modern and traditional Hepburn now. Not that it really matters at the moment.

[The Next Station Is...]

I now get the whole train drifting meme... I didn't even realise there was a doujin game. I'm impressed but my wife isn't :)

[NEX-989]

in the Field Trip episode of K-ON they are going to Kyoto by Shinkansen (700 series)

and on Waiting in the Summer there is a short scene at a Shinkansen Station showing an E2 1000

 

 

[kvp]

Probably everyone knows it, but a few pictures from the digimon series:

http://marron.extracaffeine.com/odaiba/yurikamome.html

(the series pretty much copied the real tokyo without any modifications)

 

The japanese part of the full metal panic series takes place around the Keio line (and the author's own old high school):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bb9SmBszsdg

The train in the linked video is a keio 7000 in its old paint:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keio_7000_series

(ps: can someone read the station name in the video?)

[JR 500系]

Probably everyone knows it, but a few pictures from the digimon series:

http://marron.extracaffeine.com/odaiba/yurikamome.html

(the series pretty much copied the real tokyo without any modifications)

 

The japanese part of the full metal panic series takes place around the Keio line (and the author's own old high school):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bb9SmBszsdg

The train in the linked video is a keio 7000 in its old paint:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keio_7000_series

(ps: can someone read the station name in the video?)

 

Well according to google, It read out in Japanese as Eri-Kuchi ... Sounds really weird...

 

And yes there was a scene of DE-10 with lotsa electric generators in the Eva Re-make movie. Attached pic*

[ToniBabelony]

Probably everyone knows it, but a few pictures from the digimon series:

http://marron.extracaffeine.com/odaiba/yurikamome.html

(the series pretty much copied the real tokyo without any modifications)

 

There is one episode (saw it incidentally on TV), where they destroy Fuji TV's HQ building. It was hilarious to see the ball-studio drop like a bass. xD

 

And yes there was a scene of DE-10 with lotsa electric generators in the Eva Re-make movie. Attached pic*

 

DD51 to be correct ;) Bandai made these rakes as B-Train sets a short while ago.

[kvp]

 

Well according to google, It read out in Japanese as Eri-Kuchi

I think i found it by comparing all station names from a network map, it's Kokuryō, with the first symbol missing it's internal content (the small lines in the rectangle). This station was demolished in 2012.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kokuryo_Station_200511,_platform.jpg

[Keikyu]

A bit late to the party but oh well.

 

I now get the whole train drifting meme... I didn't even realise there was a doujin game. I'm impressed but my wife isn't :)

 

The games are pretty damn fun, I own 3 of them.

 

As for pictures:

 

 

All 3 of those appear in 5 Centimetres per Second. I'm unsure of the first, Odakyu 5000 is the first thing I thought. Second looks to be a 113 or 115, again I dunno. And Last i know for sure is an Odakyu 2000.

 

 

This shows up occasionally in Nichijou, as for what it is I am unsure. A 107 something or other I think.

 

 

Keikyu 1000 briefly shows up in Gyo, and is derailed soon after by walking dead fish.

 

Unsure what this is from Hanako and the Terror of Allegory. Later panels seem to imply an Odakyu 2000 from close up. Also has what I think is a Tokyo Metro 7000 later on.

 

 

And lastly this is briefly show in Children who Chase Lost Voices. Same guy who made 5 Centimetres per Second. DE10 I think the running number had it as.

[The Next Station Is...]

And lastly this is briefly show in Children who Chase Lost Voices. Same guy who made 5 Centimetres per Second. DE10 I think the running number had it as.

A quick detour from the topic - the guy is Makoto Shinkai and everything he's done is just pure magic; I'd happily rate him alongside Hayao Miyazaki of Studio Ghibli fame.

[Densha]

 

Well according to google, It read out in Japanese as Eri-Kuchi ... Sounds really weird...

I think i found it by comparing all station names from a network map, it's Kokuryō, with the first symbol missing it's internal content (the small lines in the rectangle). This station was demolished in 2012.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kokuryo_Station_200511,_platform.jpg

 

Weeep... late reply. The 口領 from the video is probably pronounced as Kouryou whilst the real station name's (国領) pronunciation is Kokuryou. So the pronunciation is also very similar. A parody on an existing station indeed. Edited March 23, 2014 by Densha

[Keikyu]

A quick detour from the topic - the guy is Makoto Shinkai and everything he's done is just pure magic; I'd happily rate him alongside Hayao Miyazaki of Studio Ghibli fame.

 

I've only seen 2 of his movies thus far but they are gorgeously animated. Nearly every frame would make a suitable wallpaper.