Posted by Mush on 04.14.2011, 03:09 AM:
Welcome to the NHK
Instead of studying for finals, I stumbled across Welcome to the NHK, watched the whole series in four days, and can't get it out of my head. So instead of studying for finals, I'm writing a review.
Welcome to the NHK / NHKにようこそう!
Overall review: ★★★☆
Music: ★★★☆
Animation: ★★☆☆
Characters: ★★★★
Story: ★★★☆
Welcome to the NHK is about a hikikomori named Satou Tatsuhiro. (A hikikomori is a social recluse who spends years in self-imposed isolation, rarely going outside). His life is empty and lonely, and he wishes he could escape his circumstances. He blames a massive conspiracy, which he calls the Nihon Hikikomori Kyoukai (Japan Hikikomori Agency), for manipulating Japanese culture to keep people like him in social isolation.
A mysterious young girl, Nakahara Misaki, tasks herself with curing Satou of his ways. Meanwhile, Satou's neighbour turns out to be Yamazaki Kaoru, a high school acquaintance who he once rescued from bullies, and who is now a full-time Otaku. The two of them become a sort of dysfunctional support group for Satou.
The story relentlessly delves into many dark social problems, like depression, suicide clubs, and internet addiction. Its creator is actually a hikikomori himself, who claims to continue to struggle with the same problems as Satou.
I was really gripped by the characters, all of them... even though their behaviour sometimes made me so frustrated. Satou hurts the people who try to help him, Yamazaki is borderline misogynistic and nearly as much a bad influence as good, and Misaki is at once so persistent and also so far from being persistent enough.
Actually I think I sympathized a little too much with the story for comfort. I'm prone to becoming quite reclusive myself, and it made me wonder how far I could sink if left to my own devices, and how I would escape that situation.
Anyway, the anime lost points on animation for two episodes with very noticeable sub-par cel quality. (It looks like the rough storyboard sketches were used directly in the animation with no cleanup, maybe a budget shortfall or something).
Also, there was a fairly substantial amount of nudity/adult themes... most of it is justified by the characters' mindsets, especially Yamazaki's moe inclinations and Satou's hyperactive imagination. But some of it is clearly fanservice.
Overall I highly recommend this to anyone who will watch it! Now I just have to stop thinking about it long enough to focus on exams...
__________________
|