On to the spoiler free, actual review. Welcome to the NKH, or NHK for short, is without doubt one of the best anime series I have ever watched. Watching this anime made me realize why so many protagonists in other anime are bland slates for the viewer to project on to: because it is a safe decision. Watching the protagonist of the NHK makes the viewer feel uncomfortable, which some shows probably want to avoid. The protagonist of the NHK is anything but blank, he is very pathetic, but very relate-ably pathetic. He is a hikikomori (basically an agarophobe, he has a phobia of going out of his apartment). Throughout the anime, we get to listen to his inner monologue, which feels a lot like something that an actual person would think (which makes sense, since the author of the novel the anime is based is also a hikikomori).
Most people, at some point in their life, have had thoughts like the protagonist of NHK (though, of course, not to that extent). A lot of viewers will see a bit of themselves in the protagonist. Out of all the slice of life anime, this has to be the best and most realistic one. No one's problems are solved out of the blue. NHK is one of the few anime where I didn't hate any of the main characters. Most of them were relatable and their interactions and motivations were nicely fleshed out. At the core of NHK lies the message that life isn't perfect, but that doesn't mean it isn't worth continuing.
The music and the art have been used very well for the purposes of storytelling. The lyrics of the songs match the situations they are presented very well.
What really stood out about this shows was that it never really tried to appease the viewer at the risk of compromising its quality. That is something you do not see often in shows, and this show is definitely better for it. I was quite impressed by this. Watching this show might make it harder to return to watching your standard assembly line anime.
I personally think that NHK is a work of art. I know that term is thrown around a lot, but I really think it holds true for the NHK. I'm sure that it even has provided some impetus for some people to bring about some sort of positive change in their lives due to how realistically it deals with certain issues. I personally knew about this anime for a long time, but I delayed watching it because it seemed like such a chore to watch a 24 episode slice of life anime. It wasn't, and I'm glad I watched this anime.
