May 29, 2011
Ever felt that life was so hard, that you just wanted to escape from it?
"Welcome to NHK" is truly a "revolution" in it itself. It is like the "revolution," that Sato mentions when he goes to the isolated island.
Although it's a fictional masterpiece, it is highly relevant to our lives and today's society. It presents an enormous range of social issues, that is not just found in Japan. Are you interested in people who are addicted to mmorpgs? Well then, you got it! Not to mention, you can sense that the author of the anime intended to critcize society.
Let's be blunt. Sato is a Hikikomori.
...
According to the Ministry of Health, a Hikikomori is a person who does not go to school for at least 6 months and does not work for 6 months. Instead, a Hikikomori would devote most of his or her time to a single pursuit, such as a hobby. You might find him unrealistic, but to say the very least, he is an extreme example of what society can do to a person.
Reality is harsh and we can all imagine being in Sato's position, devoid of much hope and feeling outcasted.
Being a Hikikomori, Sato becomes isolated and scared of what life outside really is.
Along the way, he meets complex individuals who try to cheer him up, the benevolent and loveable Misaki-chan and the friendly otaku, Yamazaki.
The characters are really thought-provoking and definitely the center piece of this anime.
Each and every character in this anime has a story to tell. At one point you might hate a character, but only to realise that their actions aren't that shallow. For instance, Megumi attempts to trick Sato twice. However, we learn that Megumi, herself, is in a pickle.
My favorite character of this anime is definitely Misaki. But, she herself is not perfect. Like every character in this anime, she faces problems of her own. Who is she? Who is god? Why is god so mean to her? It leaves, us the audience, wondering if there is any hope, when even the savior of Sato is not even flawless as she initially appears.
The artwork is not intended to represent today's modern anime. That is, it's not incredibly ecchi or overtly flashy. I liked that the illustrators tried to make the characters realistic. You have the standard real life palette of hair colors. If you were expecting characters with odd hair colors (think green), with the exclusion of Puripuri, then don't look here.
Just before you think that this anime is an emotional train wreck or something. That's not true at all. At times, the humor is vivid and provocative. You will definitely LoL at times.
This anime is really a great tale of life and it's nuisances. It's impeccably written and directed. I've never laughed so hard nor felt so much sorrow. You can say my limbic system was very stimulated at times. You can't miss this. Period.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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