Ranked #126

Welcome to the NHK (Manga)

Ok, first off let me say that this is definitely not what you would call an 'average' Shounen manga. If anything , this is more psychological in its nature, and in turn it can be pretty thought provoking at times. However, in the same breath, it can also seem to drag in places - which makes it kinda bland. But in saying that, the good definitely outweighs the bad. The manga tends to dwell on certain psychologies of the characters, and it often gets as close to reality as any manga will ever get. Every single character has some flaw that they have to deal with. And that makes them somewhat relate able to the reader.

This is one of those stories that never ceases to amaze you, taking into context the situations that the protagonist seems to find himself in. I must stress though that some might not be able to fully appreciate this manga, some might not even get it - although, ironically I do, which speaks volumes about me I guess. It's nothing too deep, or hard to understand - it just takes a while for it to sink in. This is very character orientated, which is something that the reader needs to be conscious about when reading it. The art is very well done throughout, as well as the character development. You really start to feel for some of the characters and what they are coping with.

The one thing that bugs me about this manga is the ending - its too abrupt for my linking and slightly inconclusive. However, it's such a small flaw to point out. Its still an enjoyable manga to read.

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This is one of my favorite manga and, since it had few reviews, I thought I could add a bit more of information for those who are uncertain whether to read this or not.

Well, as it says on the synopsis, this manga follows the life of a hikikomori, who thinks an organization called NHK is targeting him. (oh really?!) xD
The main character actually posseses psychological problems, such as paranoia ,which leads him to believe his life is being controlled by NHK, and all the bad things that happens to him are their doing.

Suddenly, he meets a girl called Misaki who says he had been chosen to participate in her "project", and that she could help him have a normal life.
Just saying this the story sounds cute doesn't it?
Well, don't be fooled, because this manga isn't by any means cute nor lighthearted. Even thought on it's genres is written: Comedy and Romance, it's story and character relations are not gonna be like anything you have ever seen before. To describe it in one word I think: "bizarre" (or to use one that's not as strong) "unusual" would be the most suited.

It is a comedy though, since it does have humor, but the humor the author uses is extremely sarcastic and cynical that sometimes even made me feel a little bit uneasy.

Another strong point is the characters, their personalities and problems are so well-made and realistic that makes you think a real person could have the same problems and, many times, act the same way the characters did.(which was probably the author's intention (lol))

Well, if you want to read an amazing manga that is not cliche, this is a must.





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After re-reading Vol. 1-6 before moving onto the final two volumes, I finally managed to finish reading the NHK manga just now. My feelings are pretty mixed about it... I enjoyed reading it a lot but, at the same time, I was often thinking that there was way too much needless content included - far more than in any other version of the NHK story. Because the huge amount of needless content, my enjoyment levels dropped quite a lot after the first two volumes. If only for the fantastic art I can't score it lower than 8/10, though.

Vol. 8 was by far the most disappointing volume in the entire series. It all seemed so pointless and, in comparison to the earlier volumes, it was far less entertaining. There was lots of chatter included yet I never really cared about what was being said, or even followed a lot of it. The story just never went anywhere in the final volume, instead going around in circles as Misaki pushed forward with her love contract, Satou went along with it because he had nothing else and Yamazaki rambled incomprehensibly about starting a revolution. All I saw was the difficult to follow conversations of not-so-sane people that were put in to extend the story to 40 chapters.

While I'm still covering the negatives, I'll also say that I wasn't best pleased with how the original story was changed in order for NHK to become an eight volume manga. There were lots of small (but important) changes that were made in the manga version, some of which seemed to have been made as the manga was on-going, an example of which being how Satou first said he wasn't a virgin (in the novel and anime he slept with his senpai whilst still at school) and then later said he was. The most bothersome change was how, in the manga, Misaki only lied about having a bad childhood - it made her difficult to like character into an even more hard to like character. Too many changes were made in order to extend the length of a fairly short story.

On the flipside, I liked the first two chapters of volume 7 a lot. The events that took place in those chapters never occurred in either the novel or anime, and they were only able to work so well because Satou was still a virgin in the manga. Kashiwa's easily my favourite character in NHK, and the so near yet so far romance between Satou and her is the most emotional part of the NHK story for me, so a few chapters that gave the pair more time together were very welcome additions. It was nice to see Satou confess his feelings in this version of the story...even if he later went back on what he said because he didn't have what it would've took for him to take his relationship with her onto the next level.

I don't like how open ended every aspect of the NHK story is, but I've always found the relationship between Satou and his senpai (Kashiwa) to be touching. I actually came close to crying during episode 14 of the anime simply because Satou let her go. The reader/viewer fully understands why Satou doesn't do what his heart tells him to with her, but it's always hard to watch when you know the two could've been happy together. If only Satou had had the balls to put his arm around her when she was crying way back when he wasn't a recluse and she wasn't a married woman - his future might have turned out slightly happier. What makes the whole thing even more agonizing is the fact that Satou is a better match for her than her the guy she ended up marrying...

Anyway, to sum it up, my thoughts are that, although still very good, the manga version of the story is the weakest of the three versions of the NHK story. It has some nice additions to the story but the majority of the new content doesn't actually add anything. We didn't need to see Satou spend time at his parents, coming up with masturbation plans whilst he was supposed to be finding work, and we also didn't need to see Satou spend some time wondering around homeless. The novel was a bit too short, the anime got the length just right and the manga dragged on for too long. I don't feel bad about spending over £40 on the manga but I do feel I should've spent the money on buying the anime instead. read more

Welcome to the N.H.K.
This manga is so awesome I could barely write a review on it. It almost leaves me speechless.
Let's start with the story. It's a very cute story about a hikikomori and a girl who is trying to save him from himself. The romance, and sometimes hate, between the main characters is simply hilarious. Then there's the next door neighbor who is a complete otaku and a riot. His views on society are just hilarious.
Now, the art was amazing, in fact I've read all of his other work and I still have yet to find an artist I like as much as this guy. His characters just look cool.
My enjoyment of this manga is simply out of this world. It is my favorite. It beats out all manga I've read, and all anime I've seen by a lot.
Overall, it's just awesome. A masterpiece. read more

Welcome to the N.H.K. covers a LOT of topics in today's society. What makes the story so amazing is that it injects humor and seriousness with perfect timing that it all blends so well as a whole.



We see topics like lolicon, maid cafes, suicides, ero games, etc. and blended with the more "common" plot elements like drugs, sex, perseverance, finding one's self, love and many more. What's more striking is that it does reflect society so much that you can't help but sympathize with the characters. It doesn't matter how exaggerated their stereotypes are, you will still feel their pains and their joys.

Like most epic novels, each chapter feels like just a snippet of the characters' daily lives, but when you actually finish the series, you'll realize that each chapter plays is essential for the whole story. You can't just leave something out and feel that the story would still be the same.

I may just be struck with the story because I can actually relate to Satou(albeit his case is a real exaggeration of mine) but I do believe this story can shake the foundations of one's views or even just provide a new perspective to life. I did. Some parts really made me want to just stand up and go forth and shine.

I really recommend any manga or anime or game fan to read this(of course with precautions on the M rating as this has some adult content) read more

NHK ni Youkoso!

This is absolutely the best manga I've read so far and I'm quite sure many will be able to appreciate this. Even if it's directed to an older audience.

As for the genres of the manga, how the "romance" and "psychological" parts weaved together with each other for me was what made this series so great. I can't deny that some parts of N.H.K. sent some chills down my spine, due to how the characters behavior often tends to affect the others in a somewhat sad way and then it's hard not to feel some sympathy for the one who's having a difficult time (though this is not always the case). I also think the manga does a good job in reflecting obstacles that often occurs in our daily life in a very realistic way, making the serie overall easier to appreciate. As for the character development in the series it's fine, thus making the story progress become great and adjusted. The only thing that really bothered me was the ending, but that's a matter of opinion.

To sum it up; this is a manga that's truly recommended to read, it's funny and dead serious at the same time. read more