Welcome to the NHK! - Reviews

-Story-

I found the story for Welcome to the NHK! to be a compelling and unique one. I have never seen an anime with a plot like NHK. The story keeps you on the edge of your seat with suspense surrounding the characters next moves. There were also some moments that were so ridiculous that they made me laugh out loud, like when they all fall for the pyramid sceme. However it does have a very deep plot that makes you really think, and it doesnt treat you like a stupid moron. There were one or two points where I could see a plot turn from a mile away, but these are rather limited, and only one major plot turn stuck out to me as being predictable. There are several Climaxes, and when one is finished, a new one starts to build its way up. Also the ending wasnt the typical "Everything is absolutely Hunky-Doory". It really isn't a sad ending, or a happy ending. It is an good ending, that really finishes the anime in a great way.

-Animation-

The animation was good for most of the time. At times the art made it look like it was out of place with the rest of the anime. Also the character designs sometimes didn't seem all that original, and I was pretty sure that the real life toro toro looked a lot like the guy with glasses from the offline meeting. However there were scenes in which the animation and art was superb, and seemed really smooth.

-Characters-

The characters were simply put, unique in their own way. Sato is a Hikikomori, which is something that I had never heard of until I started watching NHK. Misaki has a very interesting backstory that you don't find out about until the end, which leaves you wondering throughout most of the anime about who she really is. Kaoru is a type of Otaku i have never seen before, and he also has an intreging past. I liked how he can call all women "whores", and then go see the fireworks with his friend from school that he has a crush on. Hitomi was intersting to me because of here insistence on conspiracies, which I feel is part of the reason that Sato became a Hikikomori in the first place. The minor characters also were unique in there own way, and had interesting back stories, which you rarely hear of for most animes. The characters are relateable due to their own frustrations with life, that many off us find in the real world that we live in.

-Overall-

How can I hate this anime? I can't. The plot was intreging and completely new and special. The characters were relateable and interesting to watch. The animation was decent and didn;t interfere with the plot, but helped it along the way. All I can really say now is that if you like strange animes like I do, then you should definatly check out Welcome to the NHK! It is worth watching and is a good way to waste time.

PURUPURUPURURIN PURU PURURIN will be stuck in my head forever.

This anime is about screwed up people living under strange circumstances. life is weird but it goes on. 

Its funny, meaningful, silly, and also makes you stop, think about, and question your life.

I very much enjoyed this anime. It's not typical. It's unique. 

Watching this one was interesting. It had a bunch of issues in it that people actually deal with and have a hard time dealing with along with having a good story plot to it on dealing with those issues. Sometimes it seems over the top and other times it makes you think about that episode and say "Oh so that's what that situation meant.".

So plot wise it was good, ending seemed a bit off but overall it was good.

Animation sequences were good, some episodes had more then one type of animation type in it, but not to many and usually stayed to just one type of animation style.

Music on this one was great, opening song is my favorite, and is something good to play over and over.

Characters had good interaction with each other and they all worked well within the episodes. Each Main and secondary character has a good background explanation at one point and allows you to understand that characters ways better.

Overall I liked this one and was enjoyed to have watched this one.

I must admit, I went into this one not really knowing what to expect - perhaps a relatively mindless comedy that provided an easy watch, a smidgeon of slice of life, or even a romance story. As always, I'd done very little research on the anime other than the AP synopsis, and therefore was pleasantly surprised when Welcome to the NHK! shattered all preconceptions.

Story: 8/10

Addressing the idiosyncrasies of Japanese culture and presenting it in a palatable format can be an unenviable task, and the issues dealt with in NHK can be pretty challenging. The story deals with the phenomenon known as 'hikkikomori', a uniquely Japanese cultural problem that can be loosely described as being a social recluse, crossed with intense agoraphobia. The actual definitions and impacts of a hikkikomori are very complex, but NHK does extremely well in presenting the entire thing in a humorous way that nevertheless maintains a slightly sombre tone underneath all the comedy.

The story follows Tatsuhiro Satou, a young man who (sometimes proudly) describes himself as a hikkikomori and shuts himself away from the world - how he deals with this condition is a large part of the story, as he progresses and regresses, battling with his inner demons. Convinced that he is being targeted by a global conspiracy machine known as 'NHK', Satou shuts himself away to escape harm - until a young lady named Misaki Nakahara steps into his life, with a promise to cure him of his reclusive ways! With a former classmate being discovered next door, the stage is set for Satou to either sink or swim as he tries to get to grips with his newfound opportunity.

Satou regularly infuriates and amuses in equal measure, generally stumbling into wacky situations, often with the other two main characters.The anime does keep it light-hearted for the most part, although some of the underlying implications of Satou's situations are genuinely quite saddening, and the tearjerker factor ramps right up towards the end at some stages. The ending is a little frustrating, but also perfect for the anime.

On the whole, considering the complexity of the whole hikkikomori thing, I thought that the story was very engaging and well-paced. I think many viewers could see parts of themselves in Satou and his reactions, which is both heartening and saddening at different times.

Animation: 7/10

The weakest score, but mainly due to my personal taste. The animation was generally consistent and fluid; production values dipped in a few episodes, but not many at all. NHK! has quite a unique style, being intensely surreal at times and razor-sharp at others, depending on the situation - Satou's random space-out moments where he envisaged the conspiracy unfolding had me convinced that someone in the design team was on the drugs. Other than feeling like I was in a Salvador Dali painting at times, the animation was crisp, with good colour and lighting effects in particular used - nothing spectacularly brilliant, but a notch above functional.

Sound: 9/10

Very good, difficult to find reasons to mark this down. The seiyuu were excellent, particularly the three main characters (Satou, Yamazaki and Misaki) - they were expressive and Satou's in particular was very convincing during the entire thing. Conveying complete zaniness and then dreary despair on a routine basis cannot be easy, and he did a great job. As for the sound effects and music, they were very much suited to the anime, with the ambient noise being sparingly used to great effect, and dramatic music occasionally being drummed up to heighten the tension. The OP is fantastic (albeit weird), and both endings were pretty decent too.

Characters: 9.5/10

Absolutely fantastic. Satou is mind-bogglingly irritating at times due to his inconsiderate attitude and inattentive nature, but despite this remains a character that you can empathise with hugely, and you'll end up cheering for him anyway. His progression (and reversals) make up the bulk of the character development, and I found myself surprisingly invested in his fate by the end. He proved to be a very intriguing character, impulsive at times and insanely downtempo elsewhere.

Misaki, by the end of the anime, had rapidly ascended to the peak of my list of 'favourite ever characters', second only to the mighty Kino. A sweet-natured young woman who seeks to 'rescue' Satou from total obscurity by implementing him within her mysterious 'project', she remains an upbeat but elusive character for most of the anime. Only as the anime progresses a little do her true intentions and past begin to be glimpsed, and we see shades of something other than bright optimism from her. Her relationship with Satou is fascinating, and more than once I wanted to throttle him due to what happens between them at varying points!

Yamazaki only enters the anime partway through, but nevertheless is given time to establish himself as a good foil to Satou, consistently driving him onward to greater things by encouraging his desire to become a 'creator'. Their relationship is explored quite thoroughly by the end, with some touching moments - it has to said that I found their insanity overwhelming at times, but generally they were great fun to watch.

The remaining characters (chief among them being Satou's former senpai, and a former classmate) are excellent to watch, and provide useful avenues to explore the anime's various issues and complexities. Even so, the focus is undoubtedly on the former three characters.

Overall: 8.8/10

It might seem to be an odd score, but I firmly believe that NHK! deserves higher than an 8.5, but didn't quite have the quality required to edge into the 9's. A little more cutting edge and ambition when discussing the social implications of being a hikkikomori wouldn't have gone amiss, although in fairness that's more a personal desire of mine rather than something which should've necessarily been applied - the anime might have gotten too technical otherwise, and lacking the focus on character development. The numerous layers of the series (comedy, drama, slice of life, social commentary) set it apart from other series, particularly when combined with the bizarre (at times) visual style.

A fantastic effort at describing the desolate world of a hikkikomori in Japan, whilst keeping the tone light-hearted for those who'd rather just have a comedy - really, the choice is yours. And that's what makes NHK! such a worthwhile watch. You can either really have a good think about it all, or just let your mind wander and enjoy the insanity. I'll be coming back to watch this one again and again.

Now it is unexpectedly very good I have to admit that, the story the characters and all were so good, I gave it a 5 stars so focus on that part, I had to cut down some small points here and there for some some small reasons, but other than that very good. I like it.