NHK ni Youkoso!

Twenty-two-year-old college dropout Tatsuhiro Satou has been a hikikomori for almost four years now. In his isolation, he has come to believe in many obscure conspiracy theories, but there is one in particular which he holds unshakable faith in: the theory that the evil conspirator behind his shut-in NEET (Not in Employment, Education or Training) status is the Nihon Hikikomori Kyokai (NHK)—an evil and secret organization dedicated to fostering the spread of hikikomori culture.

NHK ni Youkoso! is a psychological dramedy that follows Tatsuhiro as he strives to escape from the NHK's wicked machinations and the disease of self-wrought isolation, while struggling to even just leave his apartment and find a job. His unexpected encounter with the mysterious Misaki Nakahara might signal a reversal of fortune for Tatsuhiro, but with this meeting comes the inevitable cost of having to face his greatest fear—society.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Satou, Tatsuhiro Main

Koizumi, Yutaka Japanese

Nakahara, Misaki Main

Makino, Yui Japanese

Yamazaki, Kaoru Main

Sakaguchi, Daisuke Japanese

Purin Supporting

Shishido, Rumi Japanese

Kashiwa, Hitomi Supporting

Kobayashi, Sanae Japanese

NHK Agents Supporting

Kobayashi, Megumi Supporting

Hayamizu, Risa Japanese

Jougasaki, Akira Supporting

Tobita, Nobuo Japanese

Kusano, Yuu Supporting

Sawashiro, Miyuki Japanese

Satou, Shizue Supporting

Shou, Mayumi Japanese

Shibata, Tomonori Producer

Chiba, Makoto Producer

Arai, Hidemasa Producer

Yamamoto, Yuusuke Director, Episode Director, Storyboard

Reviews

Nov 13, 2025

Flugel3

Recommended

NHK ni Youkoso seems to be less about just Hikkikomori and NEETs and more of a story about trauma and human relations. The problems that the main cast face are all rooted in traumatic experience as a result of the very flawed world we live in. And in an attempt to protect themselves they all find various means to keep moving forward. Hence I actually believe Hikkikomori culture and such take a bit of a backseat in this show. It's a little more than just a comedy making fun of them as some reviews make it out to be.

I will say that the negative reviews ... on this show raise very fair points. The show does have a bit of a habit of saying certain unrealistic things. Things that DO sound very "Pull yourself up by your bootstraps." But I think those things are just insensitive ways of representing what the show is actually trying to say, that being, that we all need each other. This is shown particularly well in the ending of the Anime which is one of the best endings I have ever seen and is probably the biggest reason I rated this Anime so highly. It simply does such an amazing job at showing the connection that Misaki and Satou have. It was quite cathartic.

This is all to say, some of the criticism this Anime receives is a bit silly. This Anime isn't about YOU, the Hikkikomori, or about YOU being saved from this torturous world. It's a story about human connections, and how they ground us in reality.

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Nov 8, 2025

CoffeeAbuser285

Mixed Feelings

NHK ni Youkoso was a uniquely compelling experience — one I haven’t really seen replicated in any other anime. At first glance, it appears to follow Satou’s life as a hikikomori, but in reality, the story is about everyone in the show. Every character is damaged in their own way, shaped by past traumas that influence their decisions and behavior. Deep down, they are all fundamentally good people, but their actions often unintentionally hurt those around them.

What makes this anime stand out is its unflinching, unbiased portrayal of human behavior. Scenes unfold without judgment, inviting the viewer to interpret the characters’ actions through their own ... lens. The show simply observes people being people — flawed, complicated, and shaped by their past experiences. Some never heal, some never change, and some continue repeating toxic patterns out of habit or low self-worth. Others retreat further into isolation, hiding behind walls of defense and self-protection.

So why did I mark this as “mixed feelings”? Because NHK ni Youkoso will resonate differently depending on your perspective. If you prefer stories in black-and-white terms, you may find it frustrating. But if you appreciate nuance, psychology, and the messy reality of human relationships, this anime is truly remarkable.

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Nov 3, 2023

anatoliakarpova

Not Recommended

This is the most overestimated anime that i ever seen, the score 8 is simply a collective delirium, the anime have some good point, but this wont make a good anime, i will enumerate in three lists

Good points;
the soundtrack are really good

yes, are just this, i am thinking about for 10 minutes and i dont get any other good point

razoable points;
caracters: some of them are really good like yamazaki, he is a human that definily exist in some place in the world, some of them are strange to think about like misaki, but the satou is simply the devil, and i am not talking ... about the hikikomori he is, or the lack of social habilities, he is the worse people in the world, everyone are tryng do help him, but he cant take one corret decision about what to do, and it cannot be just "part of the anime proposition", he doesnt grow naturally and some other problems, like how deal with schizophrenia

the art; doesnt are bad, but its not a masterpiece or something like that

Bad points;

the story are really slow, and have like, 12 eps that just doesnt need to exist, this anime you can wacth in 3.0x speed without any problem, and just ignore 10 episodes, because nothing happen, and when happen its just a like piece of shit, the arc of island or the video game should be a joke, because they are really bad, and not make sense, the peoples that thinks that have a good stories are lying to yourself, because "cult people" think that a storie are good just for deal about complicaded topics

the MC i think that i spoke enough about him

and for last, the comedy is not comic

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

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