Porn, Hentai, Get Rich Quick Schemes, Suicidal Tendencies, Online gaming, Conspiracy’s, Relationships and just being unemployed, paranoid and utterly withdrawn from society is basically what this anime explores in a very comical way.
I watched the original airings in 2006 but was anxious to see how the English dub would come out so now its all licensed it’s time for my review on it!
Animation
NHK is brought to you by the anime powerhouse GONZO yes gonzo the same company that brought you Full Metal Panic, Gantz, Last Exile and even Afro Samurai…err ok…so how come the animation in NHK seems to be on the cheapo side?
Opening and closing are quite creative and even though its not on the same level as other gonzo works its still nicely done with flashy colouring.
In regards’ to the general animation it just seems a bit sloppy but colourful.
Character designs seem quite simplistic and pale it just feels really dumbed down especially compared to Gonzo’s usual BIG EYED character designs. Background and scenery just seem bearable nothing special at all.
Sadly animation is definitely the lowest point for NHK, I guess Gonzo felt it didn’t need all the glitz and glamour for a comedy drama as apposed to something like hellsing, but I feel that they cut back a little too much…o well say-la-v.
Sound
Sound is quite good in all aspects, as mentioned I just recently watched the English dub for my second viewing and found it just as good as the Jap (which does not happen often) although I did notice the F word thrown into the English dub which was a exec decision I guess? Either way it’s all good here.
I quite like the opening theme…nice visuals too lol
Story
The story in NHK is a progressive journey through the many addictions picked up by our depressed/paranoid college dropout Sato. As you watch Sato delve into one addiction after another you get a first hand look at how many people use these things to escape from reality. Some of it is hilarious some of it is sad and some of it can be relatable to many people.
By the time you reach the end you can tell there is a message this series is trying to present to its viewer and I’m happy to say I found it to be a positive one. All The characters seem to have their own personal struggles which gives the story depth and realism. The best comedy drama’s are usually the ones people can relate to and the overall story comes across more like funny stories you hear about other people you don’t know.
It’s well written, well presented with tons of laughs. Decent ending too!
Character
I would say with all the characters (except misaki yawn) you have your good moments, Great moments and your annoying moments but really its all good because it flows well with the story.
The range of characters start out small but further in you meet more people with more problems and basically you just see their situations and decide if ya like them or not then and there.
I found Sato’s old classmate Hitomi to be frustrating but then again it turned out she was extremely paranoid so can I sympathise?…Nahhhh!
Enjoyment
I like Comedy and I like drama but not girly drama…NHK just had me in stitches’ most of the time and other times I just found myself saying yea I can relate to that. It was quite nostalgic VERY ENJOYABLE!
Value
If you like comedy-darmas with a Genshiken feel try this out it’s the kind of anime you might relate to or at the very least you can learn something about reclose people and how some people can get addicted to things easily without asking for help.
I loved it, it just seemed real to me, something I could relate to and it had some classic moments. Definitely adding it to my collection.
If not for the Gonzo's surprisingly lazy animation on this project it woulda got a 10
Planet Tyro Rating: First Class
planettyro.com
