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| Goddammit, I have withdrawal symptoms now.. need.. more.. NHK! The ending was alright, but like lots of people here said, I wanted some more romance between Sato and Misaki. Now he treats her like some little girl, even though she is what, 18-19? And I cried this episode again lol.. This time because of the series ending. Anyway, great show, definitely a 10 and one of my favorites. Just wish the ending was a bit longer and that there weren't those "filler" episodes about the MMO game and Mouse Road, or at least they were shorter. And the animation wasn't great at times. Still, this show made me cry 3 times, that's infinity times more than any other anime I've watched.. so yea xD |
| Hmmm this anime was perfect until after episode 13, and it started going downhill ever since (specially with the pyramid scheme arc, which was nothing more than filler...). The last two episodes weren't bad, though I'd have preferred if the anime had taken a different direction, focussing more in Sato breaking free of his NEET state and not so much in Misaki... An anime which could have ended with a 10/10 ended with an 8/10. Sad :( |
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| Woot. This ep was an emotional ride. Nice ending. I loved the music in this show. 7,5/10 |
| What I like the most about this anime is that it really captures that sense of reality, I mean there are a lot of young adults who suffer like Sato with no job and poor social skills and the constant thought of feeling like a huge failure. This goes down as one of my favorite animes. It was a good ending, it was funny and sad. We can only hope Sato and Misaki will grow more feelings for each other. And people who hate this anime, they're just apart of the NHK conspiracy ;) |
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roccomem said: Personally, this is my favourite anime series of all time. It just pushes so many of the right buttons for me. It's well voice acted, has a perfect soundtrack, the story is realistic (although granted has its ups and downs) but the ending... Now I know the issue with the Sato/Misaki relationship is pretty much all over the place amongst fans and casual viewers alike. In my opinion, the series WAS building up a relationship between these 2 characters. The fact that Sato pretty much declares his love for her in this final episode (also signing a contract which binds the two together for life) proves this. In one way, these two do end up together but the series refuses to present that relationship in a romantic light even though: that's what they've been building up from episode 1, Misaki is not so young that a relationship would be inappropriate, both are lonely and both admit to needing each other in their own socially inept way. I 100% agree with the people demanding an OVA for this series. I don't think that they need a full-on sequel but an OVA adding a little more detail to where the characters are now would be a god-send. I'd sell my soul to see it. I am creating a petition at change.org in attempt to let the fans speak for themselves and demand what the series was building up during its 24 episode run. If you feel the same, please sign it! http://www.change.org/p/gonzo-make-an-ova-for-welcome-to-the-nhk I doubt they would make an OVA to a 2006 anime just because some fans ask for it, but it surely would be amazing if they did. |
Hxste said: Why are people always so upset about the romance in this series? That was never the whole point of the show. Misaki and Satou have social problems that they want to gradually fix, and they know going into a relationship won't solve any of that. That's exactly why they ended up in another contract so they can both grow out of being socially inept. Dating each other will just put more of a burden on their personal issues. because misaki is qt. but yeah, you're right. |
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| That surely was a nice watch. Good series, very good even, definitely, although not perfect. I think it started great and even got awesome, but somewhere in the middle it did get bit worse, the whole part with MMO and multilevel marketing felt somewhat out of place and was bit boring compared to the rest, but it's still okay. Fortunately though it gets back to being good later on. Overall it was pretty cool, the very finale is kind of unsatisfying though. What's strange for me is how Sato is clearly in love with Misaki at the beginning, doesn't stop thinking about her and all that, and then it suddenly stops until the very last episode he loves her again? Well, whatever. One thing I don't get though, why are people saying they do not end up together? I think it's pretty obvious they do, with what they say, and the contract they make. But well, I guess making it more obvious would be better in the end, I think a single kiss at the end wouldn't ruin a thing, and would definitely satisfy everyone, including myself. Open endings are really boring and annoying me lately. I kinda didn't like how they ended the whole Yamazaki and their game thing but whatever. This Nanako girl just accepted all that and left, honestly? They worked on the game for like the whole series and it just ends up like this? Great anime really, manages to mix up drama and comedy in a nice way, and even has some romance in there too, but is far from being perfect, especially the ending. Other than that, I really like the opening and it's drumming, it's cool. OST is also pretty nice. Overall a 8/10 from me. |
ImaishiNov 15, 2014 5:29 PM
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klooha said: I kinda didn't like how they ended the whole Yamazaki and their game thing but whatever. This Nanako girl just accepted all that and left, honestly? They worked on the game for like the whole series and it just ends up like this? You know, I actually really liked that part, I think somewhere in the last few episodes Sato looks at the game disc and remembers the times he spent with Yamazaki, and then realizes how shitty the game turned out to be. They spent all that time making it, and had dreams to become a big company and make money, but what it ended up was a half assed game no one would ever play. Just shows how life can be a total bitch sometimes. |
| I've seen welcome to the NHK who knows how many times now and I even own the complete DVD box set and the light novel (some day the manga too!) I quite enjoy this series and it has been my favorite for years now. I figured I'd finally respond to this post after had seeing that last episode dozens of times and then some. I can honestly say that I actually liked the ending it was very well done! now I could be a bit biased as to why but.. for those of you asking these questions such as.. "Why didn't sato and Misaki kiss? why didn't they end up together officially at the end of the series?" Well I can honestly say I think it would be completely out of character for the entire series if they had added such a scene! While it does imply that they support each other in emotionally considering their psychological issues.. I don't think I could imagine them actually kissing in the Anime unless they decided to make a season 2 for more plot development. All in all Sato still didn't learn very much about Misaki despite their long journey together. The show and it's dark humor is what makes the show but it also has it's serious moments! and I like how it actually talks about real life issues that people actually face. The need to feel important, to have superiority, Dreams that die, how life isn't always what it's cracked up to be, abuse and how it can mentally damage someone, how an average person can do a 180, how neets have trouble breaking free from their life style, social anxiety and more. I loved this show because... well for one I could relate and I think honestly the way it was open ended leaves the audience to conclude for them selves what happens next. Now not everyone is always satisfied with that sort of conclusion I think with this type of Anime it was by far much more preferred! I think if it had been an anime more so focusing on romance as it's main theme then perhaps! but it was only a small brief part of what the actual series was about. Now I don't have a problem with people disliking the show it really isn't for everyone.. however if you're looking for a romantic comedy you might want to look else where. I didn't feel the romance elements the few it had made the series. I mean sure sato had a point where all he could think about was Misaki but again what did he really know about her? even in the end he didn't know much.. considering she has issues with being honest with people because of her background. The relationship between them is either bound to succeed or be a horrible fail. |
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| Let me be honest here: this was an excellent conclusion to a series which always tries to question the existence of an upper being controlling the lives like of us. To answer that - the acts of conspiracies. This anime is surprisingly optimistic, to that end it does so, and manages very well. "Blame all your misfortunes to the NHK!" Technically, to vent our frustrations on an imaginary being, and live our life for its fun parts, and not for its painful moments. Although significantly its use of black comedy has dropped for the second half, the conclusion is satisfying - it answers to people interested in the shroud of mystery surrounding Misaki, to people who wanted some defining romance out of this, and to the people llike me, who just wanted to see how well can this anime pull of by manipulating society, human relations and dark humour into an anime. NHK is an anime without any character to be hated. While some people dislike Hitomi (I can see from the comments here and there); in NHK, everyone is actually living (leeching) off by the different situations and scenarios given to them, and are unmotivated to break free of that repetitive chain of 'life', thus nobody is to be blamed for their own 'bad life', but due to circumstances set upon themselves. By blaming their misfortunes and mundane on conspiracies, Satou does not realise his own situation throughout the anime, in fact, he is actually living off a good life, that is if he actually sits down and recap for the past 24 episodes. His journey throughout the anime in fact deserves to be consider a good life already. However, if viewed in a different light, everyone is to be hated for being irresponsible to the end and admittance of trying to be motivated to live life to the fullest in this anime. The conclusion thus makes this questionable, giving viewers the opinion as to liking or hating the characters, presenting a sort of 'happy end' to Yamazaki and Hitomi etc. I personally feel that the opinion presented by the author is one of people being unsure/denial of the goodness in their own lifes, and just because adversities seem bitter and painful, many tend to reminisce on their own regrets without realising the happiness around them. They start to question on the definition of a 'good life' by comparing theirs with others, and start to blame all their 'not according to plans' on an upper existence. They spend the rest of their lives living in constant paranoia, wasting the precious lives given to them. 10/10 for NHK, being considerate about the various motifs left behind by the author, and also overall the great black comedy utilised throughout the entire course of the anime. |
| "If you reject me, I'll blast a hole in you!" Kanzaki H. Aria Just kidding.  |
| I thought the ending was good and bad. It was good because you can't just magically have all your lives problems solved so quickly in an anime so it was good that the creators kept it realistic and he was just some crossing guard at the end. It was bad because I wanted Misaki and Sato to be in a relationship but it makes sense for it to be more like it was at the end where they are just dependent on each other given the events in the story that have brought them together. This was a great anime. It taught me many good lessons about life in general. I give this anime a 9/10. As of now I'm deciding which place on my top 10 anime list I'm going to place it at. Its going to be somewhere between 4 and 7. |
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| I'd agree with others in that it would've been nice to see Sato and Misaki together but the series didn't really stick out as a romance type in my opinion so I think they're fine how they are. Maybe they would've gotten together sometime in the future, who knows? Overall, I'd rate this a 9/10. |
| Good watch though it's a bit unfortunate that it peeked at the group suicide arc |
| Read the novel or manga. It's way more rewarding. |
| ... o_o What a crazy, tense finale. I feel... discontent, somehow. I mean, it's a happy ending by all rights, but nothing is settled. Satou and Misaki are just temporarily "okay," and that's about it. At least Satou isn't a hikikamori anymore...? But, honestly, I kind of feel like Yamazaki got the worst end of the stick. Again, yeah, he's got a happy ending by all rights - he's got a stable life, he's engaged, etc. But all of it was forced upon him. He has a happy ending in the same sense that a man who's forced into an arranged marriage with a fairly decent person has a "happy ending." Or the way a dude who gives up his dreams of being a rock star or whatever to settle down with a well-paying 9 to 5 job 'cause he got a woman pregnant and has to provide for a family now has a "happy ending." Yeah, it could be worse, but in the end, you're still just settling what what you can get. None of it is what he wanted out of his life, but he's stuck with it until he's DEAD. Just left there trying to have an optimistic outlook, as there's no point in bitching about it when there's nothing you can do... hell, man, that's tragic. The romance was done perfectly, in my opinion. There was no formal declaration of it, but the contact had might as well been; that kind of "relationship" is the one that suits both Satou and Misaki best. It's dysfunctional and quirky just like them. And regardless, whether they're in a relationship or not hardly matters when they both admitted they love each other. Anyway, this series was quite a ride. The comedy is gut-wrenchingly hilarious, the drama is incredible tense and unsettling, and both were very unique and well executed. I especially liked the copious amounts of social commentary that both the comedy and drama aspects. The social critique was incredibly well done; it's difficult to find a series that even has so much critique, let alone executes it so well. Still feel awkward about the ending, though. |
 ☩ Discord: the.path.to.pathos ☩ RateYourMusic ☩ last.fm |
| I remember dropping this show a couple of times from my Plan to Watch list cause it just seemed like a dull show but after picking it up again while thinking I was going to watch a okay/dull anime things sure turned around, the characters were simply amazing and the story was something different then usual which I enjoyed more then I thought I would. I can tell why this show has helped many to move on in their lives which is probably another reason why the show is scored pretty high. Gonna miss Satou and Misaki for sure. |
RainesJan 31, 2015 8:19 AM
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| Ok. This was, is and always will be my favorite anime of all time, for reasons that will take me around half an hour to elaborate upon. And am a bit disappointed to see a LOT of people disappointed with the ending or is begging for an OVA or something. First of all, the romance wasn't the point. Happy endings wasn't something someone should expect a lot of from a series that presents basically the most relatable, realistic scenes of pure depression. We were lucky enough to have even seen something such as a contract from both of them to promise that they'd live along with the fact that they've all really gotten much happier with their lives after everything they've been through. And no. I don't believe going further the romantic sub-plot would add anything good if not entirely ruin everything the show has come to thus far. Satou and Misaki dating, kissing and all that, is not something people who've been deeply affected by the anime would enjoy. It's an amazing show guys. Don't have to ruin it by forcing the romantic sub-plot to bloom. |
| No matter what kind of life a person leads, they will always die in the end. That is only fair. And in life did you know a person only has two choices to choose from? "To do" or "Not to do"! That's it!! - "god" (Oyasumi Punpun) |
| You need to become self-sufficient in order to have a healthy relationship, so it's good with me that they didn't end up together. I think the show could have been much better with half its length. Still it's very good. Don't be lazy and don't allow negative thinking to rule your life, people. |
| at first I thought a happy ending is not possible in this anime, but wtf happy ending for all the characters, yay!!! |
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| I am speechless. This was excellent. |
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| I appreciated many of the long written comments here. Truly a great anime to elicit such love |
| Such a great end every one is happy with there current life little style and Life is full of Conspiracy |
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| 10/10 anime, perfect , such a depressing one |
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| This anime has been done really well. I'm truly impressed. The guy who made this must've been a really great psychologist. Damn. I could relate to almost every character at some point. And I don't know if I can ever truly love this show, because it made me feel so uneasy at those moments. Made me laugh at things I once cried over. It is a masterpiece, in a league of its own. Yeah, it's amazing when you're practically speechless after having finished a show, a good sign I'd say. Oh also, Satou and Misaki are now probably one of my favourite characters of all time :) And one of my favourite pairings, too xP cuz reasons >_> |
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| The ending was a little bit disappointing because Satou and Misaki aren't together but overall it was one of the best series I've ever watched. At first I thought it's a comedy with original lineup but after few episodes it turned out more serious series what in my opinion made it such a good anime. |
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| Brilliant... just brilliant. These last few episodes brought a perfect ending to the series. A much better ending than I thought it would have to be honest. Glad it managed to surprise me. Then again, it surprised me every single moment it got serious throughout these 24 episodes. The comedy was good, but it's the serious topics and the drama that really got to me. Shed plenty of tears in total, because yea, I can relate to a lot of it. One of the best anime I've watched, definitely. Might be Top 5. I'm sticking with a 9/10 for now, but man, these last few episodes are easily 10/10 material for me at least. So we'll see, might change the score later. |
| damn that song still brings out the feels. dont worry thats completely natural after NHK, advice dont watch intoxicated lol |
| This is a really impressive animated depiction of reality. I could relate to some things, especially those deep topics and feel uneasy about it but that's what I love about the show. I swear I'll watch this again after years, it's something worth remembering :D 10/10! |
| "Having someone saying you're okay as you are and being needed by that person... It was nice to have someone like that..." — Taiga Aisaka |
| satisfying ending, and thats it. 10/10 |
| ... OK, what the heck happened this episode?! It was kind of crazy and not really in a good way IMO. When Misaki first fell backwards I was super happy and thought "WOW they did it, that's bumping my rating up!" ... except then of course, she's saved >_< I like how Satou kind of brings the "conspiracy" thing back up and the NHK ... except then he decides to kill himself to save Misaki? What? O_O So then I was like, "OK, that's not as good as I originally thought but hey, that still kinda works" except LOL NOPE CONSTRUCTION ... so yeah, well ... so they both end up living and moving on with their lives (Satou even moves out! :O) along with Yamazaki and of course Senpai~ They DO end up signing a new contract (which honestly kind of freaked me out with the whole "we die together" thing but ... I guess if it works for them?!) and OF COURSE Satou realizes his "romantic" feelings for Misaki ... *sigh* If there was one show I was hoping a dumb romance wouldn't be forced in it would be this one, but nope, I'm wrong once again -_-" Right so even after all that, this WAS one of the most "original" animes I've seen. I mean how often do you see something about how depressing life as a hikikomori is? I DID really enjoy most of it (though somehow it took me years to finish this, so my memory's a bit foggy) - OK, animation wasn't great but hey it's old, I did like MOST of the characters (SENPAI ;P) and the music was GREAT! I just, you know, kind of wish they had a more "fitting" ending to that whole depressiveness, though I guess they didn't wanna go TOO crazy and stuck with the tried and true method of everybody's happy (relatively speaking). Ah well, I guess it's about time I finally finished this off, so I'll go ahead and give it a 8/10 |
| Slightly disappointed with the ending as nothing really happened afterwards with Satou and Misaki... |
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garble said: I rewatched this after 2 years. And loved it as much as i did the first time. I for one loved the ending, it was perfect for me. The last scene and then the credits made me smile. One thing i could not understand though, on the clifftop when Sato tries to kill himself to 'save' Misaki, how does he thing he's saving her? That just makes no sense to me. Could anybody please explain? Thanks Wasn't it to take down the conspiracy, aka God, who raised from the sea? Because it was God who caused all the bad things (according to Misaki). So by throwing himself into him with the "bomb" in his hand, he would end the conspiracy and Misaki wouldn't experience anything bad again. That's what I got out of it... Anyway, a really great series that everybody should watch. The multi-level marketing scheme is something I've noticed on Facebook and other places, but not really thought about until I saw it in the series. The ending wasn't too satisfying for me. Open endings, like Elfen Lied, always want me to get more, but they end the show and doesn't give us anything to really wrap up the story and end it properly. All in all a great show, 9/10. |
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| I have similar feelings to EvianBubble. I really enjoyed most of the show - I could relate to all the main characters in some way, especially Satou, but the ending was just a finger towards every NEET or hikikomori. Moral of the story? Find yourself a boyfriend/girlfriend and everything is going to be alright. Yamazaki, Senpai, Satou, Misaki (even though their relationship is not explicitly stated) all went through some serious hardships, but the final happy ending simply nullifies their ordeals. There was no struggle, no slow change, but just a sudden solution to all character's problems. To add to it, I really wanted to like Misaki, but her motivation is just disgusting. She calls Satou worthless without paying it much thought, expects him to adore her without getting anything back, and ultimately tries to guilt-trip him by committing suicide. And that final contract... 'if you leave me, I will kill myself.' Well, healthy relationship indeed. First half of the show was great, so ultimately it's 7/10 from me, though I really wanted to give it a 9 at some point. Wasted potential was just too much. |
garble said: See that's what confuses me. He doesn't honestly believe that he has a bomb in his hand does he? And if he does, is that his paranoia and crazyness kicking in? My thinking is that Sato goes with the flow. He doesn't think and just does stuff. So in that moment he thought that by killing himself he could somehow prevent Misaki from doing the same. By some messed up way of thinking, sort of like guilting her out of it. Thoughts? Considering his actions throughout the show, it wouldn't surprise me that he actually believes he has a real bomb in his hand. He's obviously suffering from some mental disorder, so imaging things like that wouldn't be too strange for him. Just look at the ways he believes he's a real warrior in that PC game, or when he talks to the refrigerator, microwave, and so on. Yeah it's true that he goes with the flow. That might have something to do with it as well, could be a mix. |
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| Overall I enjoyed this series and I thought it was unique. Some parts were funny. I liked how a lot of things were realistic. For example, their game didn't magically become a success, and Yamazaki actually went home, unable to follow his dream. The MMO game and pyramid scheme episodes felt unnecessary. Apparently, it seems like the cure for the hikikomori was simply to cut off their food supply... That was what caused both Satou and that MMO player to finally go get jobs. |
Mirai, zura~!  |
| This show was good overall. It was even great at times but then it also had a lot of ridiculous parts in it that undercut the meaning. The show also contained an assembly of the most naive characters I have ever witnessed. The messages (in between and in the end) were pretty good but the implementation wasn't. I usually don't care a lot about production values but this is the final, yet small, minus in this show. The animation was , wacky and inconsistent to the point where it deserved to be called terrible. Passages with bulky drawn characters and 4 fps? wow. 7/10 in the end I guess. |
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| well damn, that was pretty damn good, i approve lol |
| I know they didn't show Misaki and Satou kiss or anything, but since this wasn't exactly a romance show I didn't mind at all. They showed that they are basically together and are relying on each other, but are taking the relationship slow which makes perfect sense because they both still have a lot of problems to work on. Other than that, Satou's brave charge was really freaking cool, and now that weird running scene in the first episode makes sense haha. Also I knew that last line was coming but it was still great to hear it ^_^ I was really impressed by this show. I'm giving it a 9/10. |
| ~ The world is not beautiful, therefore it is. |
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