"Welcome to the NHK!" is a masterpiece. When you watch it, you feel as if the characters were really REAL. It's as if it wasn't an anime. That's because NHK is all about everyday life and the issues every one of us has to deal with. Things such as friendship, love, dreams... even death, are all covered here. This anime is extremely emotional and depressive, don't be fooled by the "comedy" tag. While it is true that there are lots of funny elements thrown here and there, if you're a young man the chances are that you will share the pain and suffering of the main character - Sato Tatsuhiro.
Why do we even watch anime? Well some of the people on this website are anime otakus and some are not but whether you're an otaku or just a casual anime watcher, you will more than likely identify yourself with the characters in this anime. And therefore NHK becomes our story, the story of all anime otakus and/or Hikikomoris and what's most shocking is that this anime shows the daily struggles of people like us... or people similar to us anyway. That's why we share Sato's pain and that's why this anime is so emotional.
Story:
"Welcome to the NHK" follows young man, who, like so many young men these days is socially withdrawn. He's afraid to come out of his flat, he's afraid to talk to people - he's afraid of everything that has to do with the outside. He's doesn't have a girlfriend or even a normal friend for that matter. He's a total vegetable, a Hikikomori. He dropped out of college soon after his highschool graduation and has been locked in his flat for nearly 4 years. The worst thing is, he knows what he has to do to change his life... but he can't do it. Until that fateful day when a young girl named Misaki knocks on his appartment door, that is. Shortly after he meets Misaki he finds out that one of his highschool friends, Yamazaki has been living next to him all the time. And from that point on, the story mainly revolves around those three characters, Sato - Yamazaki - Misaki. At times it's hilarious to watch them but in the end, it's all about drama... or shall I say melodrama. Misaki tries to save Sato from his Hikikomori ways, but it's a hard task and there are many twists and turns on the way.
10 points for the story.
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Art:
The style is appropriate for this type of anime, therefore I'm not going to expand on this.
10 points.
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Sound:
Brilliant soundtrack, fits perfectly with the anime, especially the guitar solos.
10 points.
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Characters:
Let me say this: the characters are 100% genuine. In fact they're so original and believable, that they could pass for real life people. Their problems are our problems, their life dreams are our dreams, their struggles are our struggles. We connect with the characters because so many of us went through similar situations, from dropping out of college to losing a loved one. Everyone will find himself in this anime, and that's how we, the viewers become the main characters in a certain way.
10 points.
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Enjoyment:
This is weird, I was depressed while watching "Welcome to the NHK!" and I even shed a tear or two but I enjoyed it. If there is an anime series that can make you... well happy and sad at the same time then, this is it!
10 points.
And that concludes my review. Welcome... to the NHK!
