ANIME EVOLUTION SERIES Full list of the review series can be found on this page, 3rd post from bottom: http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?uid=251338&show=userpage&do=blog&blogid=29009&page=0Welcome to the NHK (NHK for short) is one of the best cathartic anime ever created and it even retains a large portion of realism about it. It was also never turned into a slutty cashcow despite its fame and success (as much as I love Neon Genesis, the franchise has turned to a brothel of merchandising). Yet all that pale in comparison to the most amazing, unbelievable, exceptional, mind-bogging, shocking, mesmerizing, seat-jumping, screen-gluing, jaw-dropping element of this show that has baffled psychiatrists, rocket scientists, and film critics for years. And that element is how this show is made by GONZO … and it’s actually very good. I know it is a very hard thing to accept but it is true; GONZO actually made an amazing anime for once. And I don’t give a rat’s ass if you are a hardcore fan of Last Exile, The Count of Monte Christo, Gate Keepers, or any other piece of shit they have cursed us with; I consider all those to be nothing but abominations of storytelling, full of god-ugly 3D models and distant/cold/uninteresting characters. Plus they are heavy on fantasy or sci-fi, mostly unneeded mumbo jumbo to hide their otherwise piss poor storylines and cop-out characters. Next to those, NHK is ten times cheaper to produce, twenty times more realistic, and fifty times more understandable and enjoyable. So don’t mind me showing the middle finger to anything else they have made (with a few exceptions such as Kaleido Star and Vandread). The basic reasons GONZO didn’t screw up for a change are rather easy to figure out. First of all they decided to adapt an already very good manga WITHOUT straying away from the story to the most part and and didn’t head for random fan service BS, as they USUALLY DO. They also adopted a story that was not heavy on visual effects, a thing that for them translates to lots and lots of HORRIBLE CGI !!!So anyways, this is the story of a bunch of mentally unstable characters who try to find a solution to their problems. Most of those solutions though end up being nothing but an excuse to escape reality or even life in general. Which is exactly what makes this show so good; it is all a big pile of messed up people trying to solve their problems the wrong way. And what makes it even greater is how all these problems are based in real life and not in some fictional universe. Drugs, eroges, pyramid scams, suicide groups, all these are existing issues in modern Japan, which is heavy on NEETs and hikikomoris. Watching this show is like learning of the problems many face in Japan or by extension in the modern world altogether. Another thing that is sooo good in this show is how all these issues are not used in a superficial way, just as shallow colorization. For example, another show named Kamisama Memo-chu has a NEET hikikomori loli detective (lol?) in it. There is also Boku Wa Tomotachi which is about anti-social people trying to make friends. The premise in those shows is used as nothing more but a shallow excuse to sell to male NEETs and hikikomoris, and are otherwise piss-poor in everything. There is also Sayonara Zetsubo Sensei which has a hikikomori character in it and everyone practically represents a mental disorder, yet everybody there is just a non-evolving comical caricature with no real depth. I like that show a lot for its social criticism but I like NHK more for having an on-going plot and character immersion on top of all that.Speaking of the characters, they are all interesting for the aforementioned reason; trying to find a solution to their issues, usually in a wrong way. You see the full course of what actual people involved in these shady business go through and how they are eventually destroyed or saved by them. In fact the mangaka of the original story was deeply involved in all that too at a time and this show is his way of telling how he felt first hand, including ways to get saved by them and move on with your life. So you see how everybody is not only based on real life issues but are also portrayed by someone who ACTUALLY was part of the same problem. Something akin to what Hideaki Anno did with Neon Genesis and turned out great for being honest and presented first hand. You see how the characters gradually are affected and find catharsis in a most familiar way exactly because it is based on real facts. This makes the whole thing a very personal work, art imitating life, as well as the artist expressing himself instead of going for shallow fan catering crap (as most do). I respect that and I like it a lot. Having real life issues also makes it very easy for the viewer to sympathize with the cast or even identify with their problems, especially if he is somewhat involved himself in a similar way. I understand that eventually the characters are dealing with the issues in a rather light manner and get over them easy, as well as admitting the lead hero is NOT really a hikikomori since he is leaving his home and talks with other people instead of running away all the time. Ok, the realism part only goes up to a point, yet it is still a hundred times closer to the real thing than Kamisama Memo-chu or Boku Wa Tomotach. The show approached these issues a lot closer than anyone else and for that it stands as the best in this specific topic. Until some other show appears to get even closer, I consider NHK to be the king of this particular hill. Beyond all that, the production values are fine for this sort of show. They have lots of quality drops at points but it’s not like the premise of the show needed great visuals to tell its story properly. The protagonist has these dilutions that make home appliances to talk about some conspiracy, a thing that makes his line of thought more understandable. The problems the characters face are also presented in a rather realistic manner and you see how people deep in trouble acting all crazy, which again makes the animation and the artwork to be part of the story and not some unrelated trippy imagery, purely for style rather than substance (I’m looking at you SHAFT). In a similar fashion, the music is also good, nice songs and dialogues directly related to the issues of the story and not random troll jokes for superficial laughing (points at SHAFT). So there you have it, an anime that does things right. It has a very interesting topic, based on real life, it has development in its issues, it has characters relevant to those issues, it has trippy animation at times, good songs, interesting dialogues, it is cathartic, it is a personal work, it is not fan catering, and it is not heavy on GONZO CGI. It is the recipe of success. Now go watch this anime, love it, and be very wary of your eroge collection or your fridge will suddenly say you have been targeted for termination by the Men In Black. And now for some excused scorings.
ART SECTION: 7/10 General Artwork 2/2 (well-made) Character Figures 1/2 (generic) Backgrounds 1/2 (basic and have quality drops) Animation 1/2 (basic) Visual Effects 2/2 (trippy) SOUND SECTION: 9/10 Voice Acting 3/3 (corny but eventually mature) Music Themes 4/4 (very fitting with the feeling of the series) Sound Effects 2/3 (ok I guess) STORY SECTION: 8/10 Premise 2/2 (interesting) Pacing 2/2 (fine) Complexity 2/2 (rich context) Plausibility 1/2 (goes easy on the problems but makes sense) Conclusion 1/2 (cheesy) CHARACTER SECTION: 8/10 Presence 2/2 (strong) Personality 2/2 (rather cheesy but well founded) Backdrop 2/2 (everyone has some) Development 1/2 (overblown but it’s there) Catharsis 1/2 (overblown but it’s there) VALUE SECTION: 9/10 Historical Value 3/3 (all-known) Rewatchability 2/3 (high if you dig its style) Memorability 4/4 (extremely smart to the point of forever remembering it) ENJOYMENT SECTION: 10/10 Loved it for its themes alone. VERDICT: 8.5/10