DESCRIPTION

CAST

NOVEL ComedyNHK ni Youkoso!
MANGA ComedyNHK ni Youkoso!

REVIEWS

• 

  nflstreet

  90/100
  Very great anime about trying to unbecome a NEET and re-enter normal life

  

  Welcome to the NHK is one of the best anime that I’ve ever watched. This is probably because it was the first anime that got me into watching anime ‘as a hobby’, or because it’s just a very good anime. Welcome to the NHK is an anime that has the themes of hopelessness, loneliness, anxiety, and how it can keep us down. What we see around us can be changed by it, and we can make ourselves think that everyone about us is out to get us and laughing at our very existence, even though it is all just in our head. Welcome to the NHK aired in 2006, but its very story is ever so relevant in the current day.

  The protagonist in Welcome to the NHK is Sato Tatsuhiro. Sato is a 22-year-old hikikomori (someone who has withdrawn from all social life). He spends his days in his small apartment, without having a job or going to school, sleeping the day away and living life without a purpose. Sato has been a hikikomori for over three years, after he had a panic attack while walking to school the first summer at university. He blames his being a hikikomori on the NHK (Nihon Hikikomori Kyokai (Japan Social Withdrawal Association)), an imaginary organization whose sole purpose is to keep him from escaping from being a hikikomori. He hallucinates often, which fuels his conspiratorial theories and makes him go more insane. At the beginning of the anime, he has no reason for existing, just laying down all day, seemingly waiting to die. The only time he goes outside is at night, to either go to a convenience store or to the park – any other outside activity would probably give him a panic attack.

  Sato’s life changes one night when he meets Misaki, a younger girl that says she wants to help him to get out from being a hikikomori. Sato knows almost nothing about Misaki, but Misaki knows all about Sato and his life. Even before meeting him, she already knew his name, birthday, and even the fact that he dropped out of university. Sato hesitates at first to accept her offer, pretending to not be a hikikomori, but eventually accepts her offer.

  

  Sato also interacts with Yamazaki, his next-door neighbor, often. Sato and Yamazaki were friends in high school, making their reunion sweet at first. Both are shocked at the developments in each other’s life’s that happened in-between the four years since Sato graduated high school; Sato becoming a hikikomori, and Yamazaki becoming an otaku. Besides Misaki, Yamazaki is the only (mostly) positive influence on Sato.

  

  The only other reoccurring character in this series is Hitomi, who was Sato’s senior in high school. She recruited him to be in the Literature Club, which they were the only members of. She was the person who introduced Sato to the idea of conspiracy theories and is partially the reason why Sato thinks that the ‘NHK’ is plotting to make him a hikikomori for the rest of his life. When they meet again in the anime, Hitomi seems to have her life together. In reality, she is only able to hold her life together because she’s on many medications.

  

  Sato’s takes quite the journey throughout the anime. At times, he seems to finally be breaking out of his shell and unbecoming a hikikomori, only to be sucked back in by unfortunate outcomes and internal forces. When things are going good, Sato often over-thinks, and thinks that whatever good situation he’s in is just the NHK plotting to make him turn into an even more socially-isolated hikikomori. Although gullible, Sato can be quite smart for someone in his situation – he just is not able mentally to get out of his rut. Misaki and Yamazaki try hard to get him to return to regular life, but Sato often reverses the progress he makes.

  Almost everything about Welcome to the NHK backs up its excellent and enthralling story. Its soundtrack excites, depresses, or gives the viewer anxiety. The relationships Sato builds up with others are satisfying to see, even if he is constantly messing them up. The animation isn’t that good, but this isn’t the type of anime where that matters all that much. Overall, Welcome to the NHK is a brilliant anime that showcases the struggles of a man trying to re-enter society.

  ---

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• 

  CryingLad

  100/100
  An amazing and well written story about an Ultra-NEET learning how to function in society.

  [This review will contain Spoilers for the show!]()

  
  

  [(SPOILER AHEAD) STORY:]()
  Tatsuhiro Satou is the main character, he is a hikikomori and a NEET for nearly 4 years. He is certain that a secret society called NHK (Nihon Hikikomori Kyokai) is behind all of this, they are behind him being such a loser. Yeah we can already tell that our man Satou is a bit mental.

  He soon gets picked for a "project" to help his hikikomori and NEET state. The project leader is no other than Misaki Nakahara. She tries everyday to help Satou become a functional member of society, Satou signed the contract to come along to these sessions, though reluctantly. This is the part of the story where Satou's life changes.

  Over the span of the story MANY things happen that have a huge impact on the life of Satou and even Misaki.
  Satou got to meet a guy he once knew in School, a huge otaku. This was the first major step for Satou because both Satou and Kaoru Yamazaki (The Otaku) decided to make an EroGame, Satou finally got to work on something plus he even got into a hobby.

  The story of NHK ni Youkoso! is slow but the pay off is amazing, the way they handle all of the big and heavy topics is phenomenal.
  From the way they handled the sheer despair Satou feels due to the crushing anxiety and loneliness to the scene with him meeting an old friend who makes him come to a suicide meet up.

  On the subject of that meet up, this is the scene which really hit me right in the feels, that and the last one. Misaki and even Yamazaki tried to find Satou as fast as possible as soon as they learned what he was up to. You could hear and see their worried expressions and how they wanted Satou to live on. They way it was handled, my goodness.

  All in all, everything flowed so smoothly together. Each scene had a purpose and was either explaining or setting up some plot. The characters also each had their own purpose to the story and it would be hard to see how the show would go without one of them.

  

  
  

  [CHARACTERS:]()
  I loved the character development in NHK, it was slow but felt natural. The characters grew so well along the span of the show.

  Satou - The NEET who doesn't like the outside, he believed that everything was a conspiracy made by the NHK. Throughout the show he grow a bit more mature everytime. Gaining a hobby, working with a friend, talking to people. All of that made him realise that things aren't so bad.

  Misaki - The one who kick started the whole story, at first she was an Angel who wanted to save Satou, she tried so hard and even managed to get attached to Satou. She did manage to complete her goal but also some of her dark secrets got spilt, remember how I said the last scene was very hard hitting too? Yeah it was her scene, she was depressed but Satou chased such lengths to save her as well, like she did to him.

  Yamazaki - The Otaku (former)Kouhai of Satou, he went to college to learn game development. He also changes over time. He gets a girlfriend but then gets news from his family that they want him back, he soon faces his fears and moves on from the city life.

  Hitomi - The senpai of Satou, she was the one who made Satou believe in all these conspiracies. Satou had a long crush on her, which is why he went with her to that meet up even though he didn't know what it was. Soon we know that she is married and Satou was forced to move on. She also get better over the span of the show.

  Megumi - The one who got Satou into a pyramid scheme. After dealing with the scheme Satou managed to help her and her brother. Especially her brother since all he did was sit in his room and only communicate through the in-game chat. Soon enough he gets a job.

  I want talk about more characters but I hope you are seeing just how intricate the story is, each interaction helps both Satou but also other people around him mature and move on with their lives. Honestly such a good story.

  

  
  

  [ART/ANIMATION:]()
  NHK has decent art-style for the time it was made (2006), I like myself some old looking stuff so its all good for me, though appeared to have a very slight blur. The animation was smooth and good. It potrayed the emotions of the characters very well, which is key to NHK.

  

  
  

  [MUSIC:]()
  The OP and EDs of NHK are all amazing and catchy. I found myself listening to them many times after completing the show.
  The OST is also good, it fits the vibe of the scene it is currently in very well.

  

  
  

  [OVERALL OPINION:]()
  NHK ni Youkoso! is an amazing story of how people change and move on even in the hardest of times. The lives of the characters changed into something so positive and great over the span of the show it truly was great seeing all of that unveil. This show has became an instant favourite of mine when I finished it.

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• 

  Gigifty

  100/100
  A deeply personal story that offers a high contrast of sensations

  (this text is spoiler-free, unless emotions are considered spoilers)

      Everything in this world has no value unless someone truly values it, this is a concept that is applicable to everything including art, particularly because different people can interpret the same art piece in completely different ways. The case of "Welcome to the nhk" is especially interresting if we take in consideration the intention of the novel's author, he had the simple intention of writing a story full of dreams and hope, but the end result isn't as one-sided as intended. "Welcome to the nhk" is a work of contrasts, it can give both hope and despair, it is often comedic but it knows very well when and how to be serious, and this where it succesfully creates memorable and thought-provoking moments. And even if the show is surrounded by sadness it has a pretty colourful look, and this contrast of sadness and bright colours is exceptionally well presented in the opening that is accompanied by a track that manages to sound both grandiose and depressing at the same time. And this beautiful distinction is suprisingly well transfered through the majority of the soundtrack, that manages to be so peaceful, yet so sorrowful. Another great merit of the show are its characters, basically they are a bunch of losers, a bunch of worthless, yet very likeable losers, that are always put in thriling situations that effectively engage the viewer.
      But what is the moral that Nhk offers, well... technically it is that the only you can help yourself, but the events of the show might be interpreted completely different, that you can not change yourself without the help of others, which is a difficult thing to take because you can't know if you will ever meet the person that can help you, since this is something that is mostly out of our control. And also because of that even if it gives some fairly clear answers on how to solve problems like anxiety and hikikomorism, it makes problems like loneliness and sadness seem even more difficult and unsolvable. But the main question remains, is "Welcome to the Nhk" capable of giving hope, and yes, it is, but not in a simple, obvious way, yes Nhk is full of sorrow, but only the viewer is able to find hope in this swamp of despair that life is, or at the very least this is how I interpreted it.

  Puru puru pururin pururin
  Puru puru pururin purupururin
  Puru puru pururin pururin

  Onna no ko wa fushigi na koto ni
  Keetai dake ja ikiteyukenai
  Mune ippai no ai to yuuki ga taisetsu nano yo

  Atashi pururin purupururin
  Pururin purupururin
  Rinrin purupurupururin pururu

  Mashumaro mitai ni
  Honwa ka de
  Uruurushichau
  Yume to kibou no yume to kibou no
  Mahou shoujo
  Sore ga atashi nano yo

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