WELCOME TO THE NHK Anime on DVD Review
An hikikomori (stay at home
shut-in) and a NEET (not educated, employed or trained) are both social
statuses that go hand in hand, and although this complex is an increasing trend
in Japan it is handled with black humour and at times deft reflection in this
saga of Sato, a man who is heavily influenced by the strange characters that
force their way into his life and eventually break down the proverbial barriers
housing his antisocial extremities. One character in particular is Yamazaki, an
otaku (obsessed fan) who convinces Sato to go into business with him and make a
gal game (dating simulator) and a mysterious girl Misaki, who goes out of her
way to re-educate Sato back into the world.
Conspiracy!
Conspiracy! Perhaps it is all a conspiracy, yells Sato's kitchen appliances as
he convinces himself to never venture outside again. The opening is a stunning
display of a man so far gone from this world, and yet there is still a glimmer
of desperate longing and frustration. Sato is a 16 hour a day sleeper, life
passes around him as he stays in his confined, disgusting but most importantly
safe apartment. To add to his seemingly increasing madness repetitive Jpop
music blares through the walls and through his eyes we get the point of view of
an hikikomori; the audio is distorted, nothing is moving like it should and
people's faces past and present become blurs and cynical, harmful forces. He
convinces himself that it must be a conspiracy. The NHK to everyone is a major
media corporation in Japan but to him this acronym takes on dark undertones;
the social withdrawal association! At this point in Welcome to the NHK it is
clear that Sato's brain does not function well and has gone soft from years of
disuse. The most basic known norms and social conventions in contemporary
Japanese society are overlooked, ignored and misunderstood by him due to his
ineptness of comprehension. Even subcultures and fringe societies that the mainstream
views as antisocial are mysteries to him.
It is
these social matters and disillusionment with reality that strongly set up this
unique series, that microanalyses Sato and puts him into increasingly desperate
and complicated situations. Regardless of his happiness and attempt to step
back into the world there is an inner struggle prevalent through most scenes and
the decisions he makes which creates a lot of tension. The first episode sets
up these base concepts well and introduces the catalyst for his gradual
transformation and this is Misaki; a seemingly innocent and stable girl who
takes Sato under her wing, although she is much younger, and teaches him life
lessons, philosophy and social conventions. The other major force in his life
is Yamazaki, not your typical otaku as he loses his temper frequently, but
comparable to Sato he is a socialite. He introduces Sato to porn and it is Sato's
over imagination and hilarious metaphor-taken-literally scenarios that provide
the strongest scenes in Welcome to the NHK. He is told to surf the internet to
find 'inspiration' for their dating sim game and what Sato imagines is a rough
sea and himself desperately reeling in naked pictures of women onto his boat.
Sato certainly
is late to the party; uncensored porn, video games and online role playing games
are all life changing revelations for him, of course none of these things make
him a better person, they just aid his receding into other questionable
subcultures and all, in their own way are an escape from reality as he spends
days obsessively clicking, wanking or typing in his bedroom. Together Misaki
and Yamazaki as well as some characters from his past, all intervene to change
Sato's life and not necessarily for the better. He endures a lot of strange
events and remains rather pessimistic, not much really sways his antisocial
tendencies; an hikikomori to pervert transition is not entirely satisfactory as
a life altering transformation but it does provide some truly hilarious scenes.
But it is Sato's stubbornness that is the base for Welcome to the NHK, and his
underlying weakness that lets life lead him and not the other way around.
Misaki's nightly patronizing turns into genuine life lessons which Sato just does not comprehend despite the obvious hints dropped. But there is a basic level of understanding in his head and the antisocial hilarity is broken up with scenes of serious reflection as slowly throughout the series details about his life and how he got to this present situation are revealed. Some of the plot conventions become quite predictable and overly melodramatic. Ultimately Welcome to the NHK overstays its welcome with some weak pacing that seeks to expose (one after the other), every outlet of Japanese pop culture and antisocial aspects that are too quickly explored and dismissed and thus every episode is a string of forced contention. Although the series takes place over a long period of time it does not really feel this way, and the finale is very disappointing and unnecessary given that the events could have unfolded at any time.
Other than the forced English dub which is not suggested as this is a
very Japanese tale, Welcome to the NHK is ultimately highly recommended. Looking
past the forced pacing it is quite fascinating to get an insight not only into
a hikikomori, but also problems that Japan is notorious for including perverts,
online gaming addiction, suicide pacts formed online, scams, cults and other exploitative
dark forces.
It is
interesting to watch Welcome to the NHK, the themes of conspiracy are repeated
throughout the show and as a viewer the possibility that it can all end as an
actual crazy conspiracy is quite high. Sato's metamorphosis is not rushed, but
his exposure to societal elements is. Regardless Welcome to the NHK looks favorably at society and the decency in people and is a big wake up call for
Japan and often hilarious to boot!
