Welcome To The NHK Collection [DVD]

Hurray!! At last! Welcome to the N.H.K. is finally getting a UK release early next year!

I love this series! I watched it online earlier this year and enjoyed it very much. I also recently finished reading the light novel too, but out of the light novel, manga and anime - I think this is the best version to go for in my opinion!

Welcome to this strange and satirical dark comedy about a 22 year old college dropout - Sato Tatsuhiro - who suffers from being a hikikomori (the Japanese equivalent of a shut-in/recluse). What follows is a humorous tale about Sato trying to overcome his social problems, which leads to a number of misadventures and habits he can't seem to get out of. Some of them involve: sleeping 16 hours a day, being afraid to go outside, creating a hentai game with his next door neighbor, becoming an otaku (collecting anime/manga figures etc.), doing drugs, which adds to his paranoia and makes him hallucinate that his TV, radio and refrigerator are alive; downloading over 2 gigabytes of porn, accidentally joining an online suicide club, spending hours, days, and even weeks playing an RPG game...

From that description, it may sound like this series is only aimed at otaku fans and people who enjoy loads of fanservice. However, that is simply not the case... What the series does is it pokes fun at Japanese society/culture, whilst using those situations for great comedic effect and telling a very human tale of a young man's struggles in modern society. In many ways, the main character reminds me of me and my similar social problems...

According to Sato, all of his (and other people's) problems are the result of a conspiracy. A conspiracy set up by a shady organization, which is also responsible for turning people into hikikomoris, called the the N.H.K. (a Japanese TV broadcasting company similar to the BBC) As luck would have it, Sato's savior seems to be a young cute girl by the name of Misaki Nakahara who takes it upon herself to cure him of his hikikomori ways. Unbeknownst to Sato though, Misaki has her own ulterior motives and seems to know a lot about him than she lets on.

I also like the series' music too. From the intro song 'Puzzle', to the annoyingly catchy anime song that plays full blast by Sato's creepy and annoying next door neighbor - Puru Puru Pururin - to the bizarre but funny ending song - Odoru Akachan Ningen...

The series is about 24 episodes long and will spread out over 4 discs.

My main criticism would be that the animation is either average/good one minute, and then becomes weak and basic the next. I find it quite jarring...

Apart from that: Recommended!

Meet Tatsuhiro Sato, a 22 year old Hikkikomori. Hikkikomori is a syndrome in which the subject chooses to stay inside and has little to no social life and are also NEET (Not in Employment, Education or Training). Sato believes that there is a conspiracy from the TV station - NHK that is creating mass amounts of Hikkikomori via airing addictive anime shows. Since he graduated from high school he has adopted his reclusive personality and has developed a sad and lonely existence in which he sleeps 16 hours a day, drinks cheap beer and watches more than his fair share of internet porn. However, when the beautiful Misaki approaches Sato with the intent to cure him of his Hikkikomori ways, he can't decide whether she can be trusted or whether she is just another agent of the nefarious NHK.
Determined to ditch his old habits and make a new start for himself, he decides to create a video game with his Otaku next door neighbor - Yamasaki. If he accomplishes this, he will no longer be labelled a useless Hikkikomori. However, the game just so happens to be a hentai game. So between game production, juggling his ever-changing feelings for Misaki and coping with his array of surreal and mindboggling hallucinations, Sato embarks on a crazy and life changing journey in the hopes of regaining some form of normality.

From the very first episode, Welcome to the NHK becomes a compulsive and addictive watch that has elements of comedy, romance and pure wierdness. With exception to the bizarre hallucinations on Sato's part and his sadistic and depraved imagination, NHK is actually a very realistic show with an important and powerful message behind it. Sato is character who has his fair share of problems at the start of series, but the series creates an imaginative and thought provoking story arc for this character which sees some interesting growth and characterisation. While the anime rendition of Welcome to the NHk is not as extreme as the manga, the series still blurs the line between comedy and bad taste; especially when Sato's depraved side sees him dowloading 120 GB of internet porn and photographing schoolgirls from provocative angles, while hiding in some bushes. However, despite this, Sato is a character that every male can relate to. While his antics are incredibly extreme and often OTT, he still comes across as likeable and relateable.

This region 1 release of welcome to the nhk contains virtually no special features except for some trailers. The 24 episodes on these 4 discs contain the option of whether to watch in english or Japanese with subtitles. Personally, I'd say the english dub is better due to the spectacular performances from Chris Patton (Sato) and Greg Ayres (Yamasaki). On top of all this, the studio Gonzo animation is top notch and looks simply gorgeous.

If you are looking for an original anime series that is hilarious, wierd, poignant and scarily realistic with an important message behind it, then Welcome to the NHK may be the one for you. However, I'd only really recommend this to hardened anime fans who have some knowledge about Japanese culture, but there is still something that anyone can relate to in this show. An well rounded and thoroughly entertaining series, Welcome to the NHK exceeds expectaions and has an equally fantastic and thought provoking finale. Watch welcome to the NHK, but prepare to be transformed into a Hikkikomori during the run of this brilliant and enticing show.

Wow, to me this was a fantastic story. It centres around the 'life' of Sato, a reclusive young shut-in with a prodigious pornography collection and an assortment of advice dispensing household appliances. (My fave was the lisping fridge) and mystery girl Misaki who attempts to cure him of his intense social anxiety.

The storyline is very well written and frighteningly realistic (for an anime of course), as Sato attempts to create a hentai game with his geeky neighbour. At first, the show can seem a little anarchic, but ater finishing the third episode I was fully drawn into the show and its uncompromising view on the unsavory aspects of collecting and gaming. There is little light in this show, and things always seem to get worse.

The characters are rounded, the voice dubs are well done (haven't seen the subbed version yet), and the soundtrack is top notch. The only fault I found was that the animation was slightly lackluster, but they weren't terrible.

Four discs, no special features. The show has some language, partial nudity and deals with suicide themes. Overall, I highly recommend this series.