NHK ni Youkoso!
Welcome to the N.H.K.

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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.

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.

Shutting yourself in your room is so tempting. Nobody talks to you; nobody harasses you and most importantly nobody judges you. Finally peace and quiet down that pool of chaos that we call our mind. But that, as many things, is something temporary.

Welcome to life! Get ready for the best and biggest journey you’ll ever have. Meet Satou Tatsuhiro. This guy will accompany you on your trip. Or actually, you will be accompanying him on his trip. Satou is 22 year old and is an amusing character with idiotic quirks. You’d probably want to know that Satou has shut himself in his room for the ... past three years and is rapidly approaching the fourth one. He lives in a one-room apartment; doing things completely on his own including cooking, watching TV and being lonely. He also likes playing erotic videogames and is doing drugs.

Would you still like to accompany Satou on his trip? It’s okay, you don’t have to. It’s understandable if you think that all those things he does is disgusting and not acceptable as a normal functioning human being. So let me ask this one important question: What IS normal?

Welcome to the NHK! centers around this one question. No doubt that you and everyone around you has wondered what is acceptable and normal in this world to do so that nobody will think you’re weird. That’s human nature. No one wants to come across as somebody weird that can’t function in society. No one wants to be at the mercy of others, constantly in need of help. But at the same time, we all need help. Even something petty and small like feeling lonely can’t be overcome by one single person and could turn into a vast problem.

Satou doesn’t understand that. So what he does is something that many people would do when it all gets too complicated: shut himself in. Physically and mentally. This is what this manga is all about. Either go with the flow and live your life by the rules of society, or be an outsider and do things your way. But the thing is for Satou, it’s not a choice, he’s forced to live alone in his apartment. Not because somebody told him to, even worse, he told himself he had to. He can’t live by the rules of society. Problems like not being able to talk normally to strangers arise when trying to get a job are seriously huge rocks in his life that hinders his way. He does not choose to be an outsider and live with all these problems he didn’t ask for. He wanted to have a normal life, with a normal job and normal people around him. And it didn’t happen. Getting something so normal, so plain that many people in this world have, is so unbelievable difficult for a shut-in like Satou. And now he’s stuck in his own apartment, getting addicted to it and is rotting away.

And then there comes an angel. A savior, somebody who cares about you and thoroughly believes that you deserve a normal life. You deserve those things that other people get to have. Her name is Nakahara Misaki. An 18 year old girl who’s strangely interested in oddballs like Satou. The two meet when she and her grandma knocked on his door to talk about religion. She knew something was going in there and she wanted to help by providing Satou counseling. But why? Why would a young female stranger help somebody who has shut himself away from society? The answer is as simple as getting a feeling of self-worth.

Misaki is not different from Satou, only that she thoroughly realizes her problem and does something about it, albeit in a dubious manner. She helps Satou simply because she wants to help herself. Her feelings of defeat, hatred and resentment all flushes down through Satou and she regains new strength. In a way, she’s using Satou to make herself feel better. But is that normal? Satou is already in a position where he can’t go lower much further so any help is appreciated. And if it means that the other party gets to feel better, it’s a nice bonus. The action is what matters, not the thought behind it. Or is it?

The series makes you wonder about Misaki’s actions. It makes you realize that she’s just another human being with problems and trying to solve them. The interaction between Satou and Misaki is truly remarkable. Satou is the kind of character which you can easily relate to. Because his problems are so common, although in a less extreme form with most people, you can put yourself easily in his shoes and understand what he’s going through. This puts you at a position of a judge. You’re perceiving Misaki’s actions through Satou’s eyes while formulating your own opinion about it in your head. The manga does not tell you directly what is wrong or right, you simply see things through Satou’s eyes. And because the writer of the manga created Satou in a way that he’s in a low position and as such does not give you a solid opinion of his own, you are free to interpret the story in your own way.

Too bad that the story itself is not so special. Great characters create great stories. But in this case, it is not the case. Do not expect a manga about the psychological problems of a person shutting himself away from society. That is simply not it. All the characters are open, some are funny and some are sad but never does it take you to the depths of the human mind. The story is almost that of a slice of life series. There is no common thread through the story, events just happen because they happen. There is no goal where the characters work towards and therefore marks when the series is supposed to end. There are simply just some characters with problems and things occur. Not too deep and definitely not too shallow. It’s just that the story does not impress overall. You’re waiting to see the characters, to see how they will develop and how they will interact with each other. And therefore, you’re seeking an unfolding story to act as a playground for those things. It’s almost as if the events in the manga happen at random without the will of the writer, maybe it’s intentional but it’s probably not.

Welcome to the NHK! is a manga like none other. It’s classified as a romance series combined with some humor. If it were to have a label that’s just right for this manga, it would be ‘’fun psychological problems’’. It will never talk about the deep aspects of human psychological problems of shutting yourself away from society, but it does talk about what those problems do with you on a global scale. And with humor, something very important to note. The characters will make you instantly fall in love with them. Satou is just the nice guy next door with some problems and Misaki is not necessarily a complex characters but does make you think about her actions. And those two ultimately mix together amazingly well in a manga with an okay story and solid art.

They say desperate times ask for desperate measures. Those times may not come often, but when they do, they show which choices truly matter.

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)

-Note: English is not my native language, I apologize for possible mistakes. (Review in English and Spanish)

To start those who think that the manga is the same or follow the same things as the anime of Welcome to NHK and therefore prefer not to read the manga, I clarify that this is not the case, and that although they start from the same story and base in this many different situations occur and even the personality and history of certain characters is something different and highlight...

The story follows our protagonist Satou, which starts at 22 years of age and ends with more than 23, ... an ex-university student who abandoned his studies due to social weaknesses and lack of self-confidence, as well as having problems adapting to society and having a fear of it. This led him to become a hikikomori for 4 years (move away from society, being in seclusion social or serious social withdrawal) after all that time one day he meets Misaki "The Angel Misaki or the Goddess Misaki" how does he call her, a pretty young girl that before all prognosis and reality for the protagonist seeks to help him out of his hikikomori problem without any reason and motive, is this really like that?. And his neighbor Yamazaki, an old acquaintance of the school and otaku and a lover of eroges and pornography who also does not live a good life and who likewise serves as a great and important support, all three embark on a fun and interesting story in which we can see the emotional and mental weaknesses and problems of them and other characters develop throughout the story, which is full of several psychological situations, melancholys, depressing, overcoming and interesting turns.

Personally, between his animated adaptation and his manga, I think he came to touch me or affect me more and not quite positively, there are many situations that I would have loved to see animated, but in general I prefer as things remained as they are.

The most complicated character to come to understand and know is Misaki, which suffers from personality disorder and reaching the moment of history is very evident, is not even a person as benevolent as Satou can come to believe at the beginning, it turns out to have a personality very different from the Misaki of its animated version, without a doubt the protagonic trio has its problems, the protagonist Satou is the worst of all and the one who most needs to get out of his problem, but all the main characters that come to approach him are not even close to being in a good situation and when I say all are practically all.

Undoubtedly a manga worth reading, perhaps it felt elongated at the end, but all those humorous situations with black touch, those situations that even touch the subject of suicide on more than one occasion make it one of the best stories that I think every manga and anime fan should read and look yes or yes, although I warn you not to expect a conclusive ending for almost any character that is presented to us,is an end that I personally felt more open and not so good that its animated version, although of course anime this is not leave it "closed" neither.

Although that does not stop being good. My note is 8.7/10 with approximately 9

And nothing remember that we live in a conspiracy and if by chance you feel referenced or you see yourself in the story, remember is only the fault of the evil organization N.H.K!!!

-------------------------------------------------------Español/Spanish--------------------------------------------------------------------

Para comenzar los que piensan que el manga es igual o sigue las mismas cosas que el anime de Welcome to NHK y por eso prefieren no leerse el manga, les aclaro que eso no es así, y es que aunque parten de la misma historia y base en esta ocurren muchas situaciones distintas e incluso la personalidad e historia de ciertos personajes es algo diferente y a destacar...

La historia sigue a nuestro protagonista Satou que comienza con 22 años de edad y termina con mas de 23, un ex-universitario el cual abandono sus estudios por debilidades sociales y falta de seguridad en sí mismo, así como tener problemas para adaptarse en sociedad y tener un temor a ella, esto lo llevo a convertirse en un hikikomori por 4 años (apartarse de la sociedad, estar recluido o alejamiento social grave) después de todo ese tiempo un día conoce a Misaki "La Angel Misaki o la Diosa Misaki " como llega a llamarle, una linda jovencita que ante todo pronóstico y realidad para el protagonista busca ayudarle para salir de su problema de hikikomori sin ningún tipo de razón y motivo ¿es esto realmente así? y su vecino Yamazaki un viejo conocido de la escuela, otaku y amante de los eroges y la pornografía que tampoco lleva una vida nada buena y que de igual manera le sirve como un gran e importante soporte, los tres se embarcan en una divertida e interesante historia en la que podremos ver las debilidades emocionales , mentales y problemas de ellos y otros personajes desarrollarse a lo largo de la historia, la cual está llena de varias situaciones psicológicas, melancólicas, deprimentes, superación y de giros interesantes.

Personalmente entre su adaptación animada y su manga creo que este llego a tocarme o afectarme más y no del todo del lado positivo, hay muchas situaciones que me hubieran encantado ver animadas, pero en general prefiero tal y como las cosas quedaron.

El personaje más complicado de llegar a comprender y conocer es Misaki, la cual sufre de trastorno de personalidad y llegando al momento de la historia es muy evidente, no es ni de cerca una persona tan benévola como Satou puede llegar a creer al principio, resulta tener una personalidad algo diferente a la Misaki de su versión animada y es evidente, sin duda el trio protagónico tiene sus problemas, el protagonista es el peor de todos y el que más necesita salir de su problema, pero todos los principales personajes que llegan a acercársele no están ni de cerca de estar en buena situación y cuando digo todos son prácticamente todos.

Sin duda un manga digno de leer, quizás se sintió alargado al final, pero todas esas situaciones humorísticas con toque negro, esas situaciones que llegan a tocar incluso el tema del suicidio en más de una ocasión lo convierten en una de las mejores historias que creo todo fan del manga y anime debe conocer y mirarse sí o sí, aunque te advierto que no esperes un final conclusivo para casi ningún personaje que se nos presente, es un final que personalmente lo sentí más abierto y no tan bueno que su animación que tampoco es que lo deje cerrado, aunque no por eso deja de ser bueno.

Mi nota es 8.7/10 con aproximado a 9

y pues nada recuerden que vivimos en una conspiración y si por casualidad te sientes referenciado o te ves a ti mismo en la historia, recuerda es solo culpa de la malvada organización N.H.K.

The anime NHK ni Youkoso is about a slightly unhinged individual who slowly learns how to reassociate with society, through painful realisations and the help of a lonely highschool girl. The manga NHK ni Youkoso is about a fucking insane person who is slowly manipulated and beguiled by his "friends" which slowly leads his mental health into a downwards spiral and his life into an irreparable mess.

There's something to be said about just how sadistic and unyieldingly explorative of the "NEET" condition Tatsuhiko Takimoto is in this manga. This manga is like a rollercoaster, only it's all down. Down, down, down. You keep thinking your ... descent is nearly over but... it just keeps going. For anime viewers: the first half of the manga covers almost all of what happens in the anime, so the latter half is all new content. And if you thought the anime took Satou to lows, the second half of this manga leaves most readers with some kind of discomfort with how they are living their lives that I have come to term "Post-NHKism". It's a real thing... no need to look it up. The hyperbolic humour of Satou's greatly exaggerated actions and overreactions is more finely honed and the comic relief moments are very well timed. If I had to say where NHK shines the most; it's in tone. You're laughing on one page and hopelessly depressed in the next, it strikes an excellent balance between the humour and the real moments. This is definitely something I believe it is underrated for. If I had to say where it shined second-best, it would be it's cast of broken characters.

The MC, Satou, is a 22-year old unemployed college dropout who spends nearly all of his time in his small apartment. He is very easily agitated into a worked-up state and is very impressionable. This makes him very easily manipulated by the people who surround him, and in fact they all do. The manga follows Satou on his journey to rid himself of his hikikomori status and reenter society. It has heavy psychological aspects, each character is damaged in some way and uses Satou to soothe their own nasty insecurities. However this ends up taking a toll on Satou. It never overtly says this, but the reader is left to assume that Satou would be much better if he had never met them and found a job. Subtleties and clever inferences like this are a big positive in my book.

On the other hand it does have it's flaws. It's easy to see why Gonzo chose to only animate the first half, the plot of the second half is much less directionless. It seems to meander a bit and doesn't really seem sure itself which direction it's headed in. It also has some dull moments when the fast paced comedy and characterization is broken up for segments of dialogue. The biggest fault however is the ending which seemed rushed and much more ambiguous than it needed to be. Not to mention the climax was very similar to a scene that had already happened in the manga, it felt as though Takimoto was out of ideas and reused content to settle his manga quickly.

But these details seem trivial when I admire the overall composite of what NHK is. It's an emotional look into the mindset of a NEET hikikomori that many can relate to. And on top of that it holds up a mirror to our own lives and reflects our dissatisfactions and anxieties about our own futures. If you're looking for a powerful and evocative story that will leave you reevaluating your attitude to life, then I completely and utterly recommend NHK ni Youkoso.

The manga is very different from the anime, as you could see Misato's personality and motives in it more, as well as more in depth chapters of the characters. When I first heard of it, I didn't like Misato from the anime as she seemed unrealistic, and it was my fault for being closed minded. However, a year later, I decided to give the manga a try as my memory of the anime was forgotten. I loved it. There was so much more personality and realistic flaws with each character, and the story didn't seem as rushed. The storyline was more clear and understanding (although ... running out of ideas at the near end) and made me stuck to the manga. I related to Misato from my younger self, as her reasons in the manga for why she stuck to the MC. I recommend this to people who wants to read something that leaves a memory, that while life can have bittersweet moments, there will always be people for there you. That sometimes we can't all have what we think is the best for us. This manga is good for people who wants something that can tug at their heart, yet also make them genuinely interested in these characters.

(just for the record, this is a slight alteration of my anime review)

Welcome to the NHK (NHK for short) is one of the best cathartic manga ever created and it even retains a large portion of realism about it. It was also never turned into a slutty cashcow despite its fame and success. This is the story of a bunch of mentally unstable characters who try to find a solution to their problems. Most of those solutions though end up being nothing but an excuse to escape reality or even life in general. Which is exactly what makes this show so good; it is all ... a big pile of messed up people trying to solve their problems the wrong way. And what makes it even greater is how all these problems are based in real life and not in some fictional universe. Drugs, eroges, pyramid scams, suicide groups, all these are existing issues in modern Japan, which is heavy on NEETs and hikikomoris. Reading this manga is like learning of the problems many face in Japan or by extension in the modern world altogether.

Another thing that is sooo good in this show is how all these issues are not used in a superficial way, just as shallow colorization. For example, another show named Kamisama Memo-chu has a NEET hikikomori loli detective (lol?) in it. There is also Boku Wa Tomotachi which is about anti-social people trying to make friends. The premise in those shows is used as nothing more but a shallow excuse to sell to male NEETs and hikikomoris. There is also Sayonara Zetsubo Sensei which has a hikikomori character in it and everyone practically represents a mental disorder, yet everybody there is just a non-evolving comical caricature with no real depth. I like that show a lot for its social criticism but I like NHK more for having an on-going plot and character immersion on top of all that.

Speaking of the characters, they are all interesting for the aforementioned reason; trying to find a solution to their issues, usually in a wrong way. You see the full course of what actual people involved in these shady business go through and how they are eventually destroyed or saved by them. In fact the mangaka was deeply involved in all that too at a time and this show is his way of telling how he felt first hand, including ways to get saved by them and move on with your life. So you see how everybody is not only based on real life issues portrayed by someone who ACTUALLY was part of the same problem, you also see how they gradually are affected and find catharsis in the end.

This makes the whole thing a very personal work, art imitating life, as well as the artist expressing himself instead of going for shallow fan catering crap (as most do). I respect that and I like it a lot. Having real life issues also makes it very easy for the viewer to sympathize with the cast or even identify with their problems, especially if he is somewhat involved himself in a similar way. I understand that eventually the characters are dealing with the issues in a rather light manner and get over them easy, as well as admitting the lead hero is NOT really a hikikomori since he is leaving his home and talks with other people instead of running away all the time. Ok, the realism part only goes up to a point, yet it is still a hundred times closer to the real thing than Kamisama Memo-chu or Boku Wa Tomotach. The show approached these issues a lot closer than anyone else and for that it stands as the best in this specific topic. Until some other show appears to get even closer, I consider NHK to be the king of this particular hill.

Beyond all that, the artwork values are fine too for this sort of show. The protagonist has these dilutions that make home appliances to talk about some conspiracy, a thing that makes his line of thought more understandable. The problems the characters face are also presented in a rather realistic manner and you see how people deep in trouble acting all crazy, which again makes the artwork to be part of the story and not some unrelated trippy imagery, purely for style rather than substance.

So there you have it, a manga that does things right. It has a very interesting topic, based on real life, it has development in its issues, it has characters relevant to those issues, it has trippy artwork at times, interesting dialogues, it is cathartic, it is a personal work, and it is not fan catering. It is the recipe of success.

Now go read this manga, love it, and be very wary of your eroge collection or your fridge will suddenly say you have been targeted for termination by the Men In Black.

If I were to describe this manga in one word I’d say it’s illogical. Let me explain.
Welcome to the N.H.K. centers around the life of an unemployed and socially withdrawn young man named Satou Tatsuhiro – a hikikomori. A hiki-what? For those of you who don’t know, a hikikomori is a NEET (Not in Employment, Education or Training) who is afraid to go forth in the society and is not able to interact with people. Now one day, Satou meets a mysterious young girl named Misaki who claims that she can cure him of his social withdrawn syndrome and make him a normal person. They ... both enter into a contract whereby they meet every night at a park and Misaki carries out her “project” to cure Satou. Sounds good, doesn’t it? Yes, the plot is attractive but that’s it. The execution is bland, over stretched and senseless. First off, the story is directionless and things happen without reason. There are countless unnecessary plot lines that start off absurdly and end up inconclusively. For instance, in the last volume, Yamazaki starts rambling something about a “revolution”. I don’t know where the heck did it come from but he continuously urges that he has to start a revolution. Then he goes out with Satou and Misaki, plants some flowers and that’s it. We never hear of his revolution again. Now who in the world can figure out a connection between these two things? I must have missed something, you might say. Maybe. And if I did, I can say it for sure that most of you will be missing a whole lot of things throughout the manga.
On the bright side, what I liked the most about Welcome to the N.H.K. was its humor. There will come many scenes where Satou will create a situation of embarrassment for himself in front of other people and you’ll laugh your head off. The art complements these scenes with screwed-up faces of Satou – all sweaty with eyes and mouth wide open, sometimes completely rotten with cheeks and eyes sunken in. I still remember the scene where Misaki was about to kiss Satou but he became so nervous and stressed-out that his eyes shrunk and his face turned black, just like a zombie’s. Misaki quietly turned away. Unfortunately, comedy became scarce in the later volumes and was replaced by romance. It would not have been a problem if, as I said earlier, the story were not so illogical. Moreover, there was no chemistry between any of the characters. Because of this, many scenes which were supposed to be serious and emotional just went over my head.
Coming to the art, I must say that it was surprisingly good. The characters were just fine and the background was very well detailed. There were few and clean strokes, just what was required.
Besides manga, Welcome to the N.H.K. spanned two other art forms – a one volume light novel which started it all and a 24 episode anime. I’d read the novel before reading the manga, so a little bit of comparison is inevitable. The manga followed the novel closely in the beginning but ended on a completely different note. The novel was short and compact but the manga was over-stretched. The humor element was more in the manga than in the novel. One of the main theme of the novel was of a conspiracy. The protagonist Satou believed that the broadcasting company N.H.K. was in a conspiracy to create hikikomories and otakus by airing anime. But in the idea is not given much weight in the manga. Overall, I think the novel was a little bit better than the manga.
For me, Welcome to the N.H.K. was a mixed bag of good humor and some memorable characters but at the cost of a very crappy story. Read it at your own risk. Which reminds me to warn you of the mature nature of the manga. It revolver around a lot of urban subcultures like lolicon, internet suicides, drugs and erotic games and thus is not suitable for younger audiences.

tl;dr: A darkly comedic manga about a group of social misfits trying to deal with reality.

I have heard that the manga for this is worse than the anime, which may be true, but as I haven't seen the anime, all I can say that the manga is still magnificent. The comedy is the type that somewhat feels like it’s the type where you're supposed to be laughing at the characters being weird and strange, but if you can sympathize with the characters its much darker, wherein the comedy is rooted in how absurd and sad everything is. Nothing ever works out how it's supposed to go. Generalized ... morals and sophistry are great but they never actually work. The problems that a lot of people have aren't that they don't know they have a problem or even that they don't know the solution. They very well know the problems and the solution, but due to various circumstances, they're unable to act on the solution, mainly fear of change, the unknown, or losing something. The world is complicated and dumb after all, so why shouldn't it be scary? And human relationships are even more complicated and dumb. But what can you do? All of this is shown through the set of main characters, who all have issues centered around those themes, but approached from different angles. They're both good people and horrible people, all having moments where they show great kindness, selflessness, or something to that extent, but also all having moments where they show themselves to be scum. Misaki I found especially interesting, as her character felt like a yandere that was terrible at her role. Ultimately, this is very much a story about the journey and not the end, because the ending quickly rushes something together, but in the end the entire point of the manga felt like it was "there is no point, deal with it", so I have no clue how they could have ended this in a way that wasn't completely weak, so I can't fault them for it to much. The art was decent.

It's kind of strange seeing a series go for realism in the way these books touch upon it, this indifferent world full of anxious, insecure and a lot of the time just plain horrible people makes for some of the most interestingly written characters I've ever had the pleasure of coming by. The lows are depressingly low and the highs are short and sweet in a story full of characters that you will suffer with and for. I believe that packing a story so full of conflicting emotions is something that takes nothing less than genius even if it is paced a bit all over ... the place it's still a story i will come back to, and until then. I'll wait.

Welcome to The NHK is a darkly funny, sad and sometimes disturbing manga.

The characters are well thought out and you genuinely grow to care for them even with all their flaws. I know most people would compare this to Palahniuk’s (writer of Fight Club) work, but I beg to differ. Whereas Palahniuk romanticizes the underworld and outcasts, this does the complete opposite. Most of the humor is found at the expense of the characters and their sad, absurd situations.

The story tends to drag every once in a while, but the characters and overall story get you through those couple of moments.

This would be ... difficult for me to recommend, because I would think only people of a certain niche would enjoy this. If you are planning on reading this you must have a dark sense of humor. Overall I enjoyed this it was a lot of fun to read.

Honestly, this manga, unlike its anime adaptation of the study Gonzo, leaves much to be desired, here I will make a review.

1 - History: The main protagonist is Tatsuhiro Satou, a former university entering its 4th year of unemployment. It takes a totally exclusive life as hikikomori, where finally reaches the bizarre conclusion that what is happening has to do with a conspiracy. A day that did not seem that nothing in his life would change, meets Misaki Nakahara, a mysterious girl who wants to try to cure his reclusive Tatsuhiro problem. Tatsuhiro Misaki is presented with a contract, which basically says that every day ... should be in the park at night, where Misaki will read books, proposals, methods, etc., to Tatsuhiro order to try to desist from its style lifetime. In these outings, many issues discussed, where most somehow converge in psychology or psychoanalysis. This is where the plot begins to unfold to evolve throughout history. The story is very good for me, but the truth is somewhat less than the anime and now tell you why.

2 - Development: In manga has 8 Volumes / Volumes of 5 chapters, that is, 40 chapters in total, and talking about the development of the manga, is well below the anime in many ways, as speeding much development was very fast and very unsatisfactory, another negative thing is that many events, such as on the island, felt that solved nothing because if, in comparison anime that had events that gave him more sense to those chapters, and the truth Satou has a very good evolution compared to anime, where he manages to get a job.

3 - Drawing: Drawing with respect, is for me, much higher compared to anime therefore the character designs look great, and funds like the picture look good detailed and worked.

4 - Characters: The characters really are good, most even come to you to please remain for me, Misaki, who for me is the best female character and my favorite, who throughout the chapters, will go helping Satou to it can be more social and stop being a hikikomori, Satou, the protagonist is a good character who will go through various situations in order to become more social, and also to help his friend with a game Yamazaki. Those are the characters, but as I said before, do not have a good outcome unlike the anime.

As a curiosity before moving to my conclusion and scores, the NHK the abbreviated name "Nihon Hikikomori Kyokai" which is much seen in the manga and anime, also comes from the name of a TV channel of Japan called NHK "Nippon Hōsō Kyōkai "or" public Japan Broadcasting ".

Now if we go with the score:

History: 8, the story remains very good, despite its development a little rushed.
Development: 6, many things resolvidas of nowhere and end up feeling not convinced me.
Drawing: 8, the character designs are superior to anime and better made, and further funds are very well done.
Characters: 7, the characters are very good, but they have a very good development that say, comparison of anime.

Final Note: 7/10

The sleeve good, but honestly did not taste much, I put before 8/10, but it drops a point for the aforementioned reasons, in conclusion, would not recommend much, but still worthwhile and not in my favorites, therefore I recommend much more the picture is better developed and has better ending.

this is a good manga that gets very close to greatness but falls flat on its face near the end where it just becomes kind of a word soup that you're not sure you even understand TOO well- however, it does a good job of representing how insane each character is in its own way, especially in the conversations between satou & misaki and yamazaki's speeches, so i'll give it that (lol).
ignoring the missed potential of this manga, where it could have been used to maybe expand a bit more into the depths of japanese society and worked a bit more with it's characters, ... i think it's genuinely funny and the characters are so delusional it makes it interesting to see how they interact with each other and what happens to them. at the same time, it's genuinely depressing and embarassing to read at some points, so be prepared.

ART 10/10: no complaints about this. the art style fits this very well, both in the comical and serious moments, and the lineart is so satisfying on the panels where you can clearly see each pen stroke (this makes me sound crazy)

CHARACTERS 8/10: i get it, they're mentally insane and quitting an addiction/changing your lifestyle is not done in the blink of an eye. but the repetitive arguing between the characters with no clear resolution still gets kind of tedious! it's like they're always dealing with the same conflict and never ever decide on anything.

CONCLUSION: i reccomend it! it was funny and actually very thought-provoking for me. but as i said, be mentally prepared for mentions of suicide, pedo & rape jokes, and delusional people making bad life decisions.

I don't know what to say when talking about NHK. I really enjoyed it in the end, I found myself to love the characters -though admittedly their personalities are pretty frustrating most of the time. At first, I wasn't fond of the premise, following a hikikomori around as they constantly make promises of redemption that are never kept was kinda grading...but the psychological spins that would unravel made up for some of that. I think the main thing for that kept this from being something more special than it was, is the fact that you have quite a dark premise with some quite realistic themes ... following characters with low-key personality disorders and schizophrenic tendencies, you would think that by its final pages they would come off with something a bit more fundamentally impactful. In the end, it felt as if Tatsuhiko Takimoto's black-comedy-esc take on a psychological romance ended at a bit of a lul.

The main issues with the story for me were how some chapters seemed to plod along and in some instances felt like we were going in a bit of a circle with the characters. If that was tightened up and replaced with some more concrete character decisions, instead of the consistently wish-washy ones that we actually got, it would have elevated the story and felt like more of a progressive tale. Instead, it feels as though the characters haven't really moved very far from their starting point, I guess the one thing that can be said as a positive in that front is that it seems Satou and Nakahara have come to terms with their issues and have accepted them, finding solidarity together.

Outside of this grievance, I found NHK hilarious at times, super captivating at others and even though he annoyed me a lot, I was always routing for Tatsuhiro to change and loved the bonds created with Mizaki and Kaoru, even though they can come across as rather hollow at times.