Been a few years since I watched this, but I recall enjoying this one quite a bit, which led me to check out the manga. That said, I expect this to be more basic than I hoped...
Animation - 6
Sound - 6
Characters - 8
Story - 7
Enjoyment - 8
Animation:
Good use of slapstick, exaggerated facial expressions to emphasis the dark, and often wacky humour (as seen in Great Teacher Onizuka), but for the most part, the animation is so-so bordering on poor, as I recall some scenes having very clear signs of budget cutting and low FPS, where the models and mouth animation seemed very out of place. On the other hand, aside from poor animation at times, it's nice to see more realistic art style, which suits the dark humoured mood of the show, which borders on drama at times.
Sound:
Pretty forgettable soundtrack, only noticeable in the more melancholic and depressing scenes of the show, although I found the OP became quite catchy after a while. VA played their parts suitably, but at the same time, recalled no exceptional performances. The song that stood out the most and always reminded me of the show again and again was that virus of a song: Puru Puru Pururin. Took so long to get that out of my head.
Characters:
Here's where the show really shined, thanks to the unusual relationships each character shared with one another. Satou is undoubtedly who most viewers connect to most easily, being the lazy recluse, who always at the back of his mind, wish he had the will to pull himself out of the gutter and do something worthwhile; which is where the character Misaki comes in. She acts as an agent with the potential to help Satou save himself from wasting his life away as a NEET, and unusually (for anime standards) does not retort to a simple, romance relationship between the two although the sexual tension is always there, the creators (thankfully) choose not to indulge us that easily. The supporting cast, (most notably Yamazaki) create amusing situations as they become more involved in Satou's life. Despite the apparent extreme contrast of personalities, the interactions do not become too unbelievable, and as the show goes on, the main cast, and even those with only a few brief appearances become well rounded and sympathetic to the viewer, all possessing their own hopes and dreams to change like Satou.
Story:
The story lies somewhere between a coming of age, slice of life and dark comedy. While it appears to be a simple effort of Misaki to pull Satou out of his NEET ways, the introduction of Yamazaki and others pushes Satou into a wide range of wacky situations, including a pyramid scheme, a global conspiracy, a MMORPG, a cult and even college. Very quickly, the "therapy" takes backstage and the interactions of Satou with characters in unfamiliar environments creates quite a unique and entertaining trip for the viewer.
Enjoyment:
Whether the interest lies in Satou himself, or cast the around him depends largely on the viewer, but for me, I found much amusement from the recluse depiction of Satou, and especially the RPG arc (having been an MMO addict in the past). I'd say that to get the most of Welcome to the NHK, the viewer should be a reasonably seasoned anime viewer, as much of the show's humour lies, not so much in knowing references like Genshiken, but simple familiarisation with Otakudom, hikkimoris etc. Surprisingly, it has a better ending than the manga, considering it's a Gonzo show. From what I've been told, the novel ending is very similar to the anime. As a depiction of an Otaku/Hikkimori lifestyle, it's pretty light hearted, but nowhere near as much as Genshiken. Those looking for a darker and more grim outlook on the recluse lifestyle, should check out the manga Ressentiment. |