Nothing short of brilliance. Read this treasure.

The manga has always been my least favorite of the 3 versions of this story (for me it's anime>novel>manga), but I'm trying to see if there are any panels I'd want to get tattooed on me, so here we go again.

ok, esperava mais

Very interesting to see the world from a hikikomori point of view

Welcome to the NHK (NHK for short) is one of the best cathartic manga ever created and it even retains a large portion of realism about it. It was also never turned into a slutty cashcow despite its fame and success. This is the story of a bunch of mentally unstable characters who try to find a solution to their problems. Most of those solutions though end up being nothing but an excuse to escape reality or even life in general. Which is exactly what makes this show so good; it is all a big pile of messed up people trying to solve their problems the wrong way. And what makes it even greater is how all these problems are based in real life and not in some fictional universe. Drugs, eroges, pyramid scams, suicide groups, all these are existing issues in modern Japan, which is heavy on NEETs and hikikomoris. Reading this manga is like learning of the problems many face in Japan or by extension in the modern world altogether.

Another thing that is sooo good in this show is how all these issues are not used in a superficial way, just as shallow colorization. For example, another show named Kamisama Memo-chu has a NEET hikikomori loli detective (lol?) in it. There is also Boku Wa Tomotachi which is about anti-social people trying to make friends. The premise in those shows is used as nothing more but a shallow excuse to sell to male NEETs and hikikomoris. There is also Sayonara Zetsubo Sensei which has a hikikomori character in it and everyone practically represents a mental disorder, yet everybody there is just a non-evolving comical caricature with no real depth. I like that show a lot for its social criticism but I like NHK more for having an on-going plot and character immersion on top of all that.

Speaking of the characters, they are all interesting for the aforementioned reason; trying to find a solution to their issues, usually in a wrong way. You see the full course of what actual people involved in these shady business go through and how they are eventually destroyed or saved by them. In fact the mangaka was deeply involved in all that too at a time and this show is his way of telling how he felt first hand, including ways to get saved by them and move on with your life. So you see how everybody is not only based on real life issues portrayed by someone who ACTUALLY was part of the same problem, you also see how they gradually are affected and find catharsis in the end.

This makes the whole thing a very personal work, art imitating life, as well as the artist expressing himself instead of going for shallow fan catering crap (as most do). I respect that and I like it a lot. Having real life issues also makes it very easy for the viewer to sympathize with the cast or even identify with their problems, especially if he is somewhat involved himself in a similar way. I understand that eventually the characters are dealing with the issues in a rather light manner and get over them easy, as well as admitting the lead hero is NOT really a hikikomori since he is leaving his home and talks with other people instead of running away all the time. Ok, the realism part only goes up to a point, yet it is still a hundred times closer to the real thing than Kamisama Memo-chu or Boku Wa Tomotach. The show approached these issues a lot closer than anyone else and for that it stands as the best in this specific topic. Until some other show appears to get even closer, I consider NHK to be the king of this particular hill.

Beyond all that, the artwork values are fine too for this sort of show. The protagonist has these dilutions that make home appliances to talk about some conspiracy, a thing that makes his line of thought more understandable. The problems the characters face are also presented in a rather realistic manner and you see how people deep in trouble acting all crazy, which again makes the artwork to be part of the story and not some unrelated trippy imagery, purely for style rather than substance.

So there you have it, a manga that does things right. It has a very interesting topic, based on real life, it has development in its issues, it has characters relevant to those issues, it has trippy artwork at times, interesting dialogues, it is cathartic, it is a personal work, and it is not fan catering. It is the recipe of success.

Now go read this manga, love it, and be very wary of your eroge collection or your fridge will suddenly say you have been targeted for termination by the Men In Black.

This was recommended to me - I thought it was a novel before realizing on Kindle that it was a manga...
Characters are disturbing (to say the least) and really remind me of alt-right conspiracies and young men (meninists) in the West. 1/5 for me.

ติดใจอย่างแรงตั้งแต่ดูอนิเมแล้วรู้ว่าเป็นเรื่องเกี่ยวกับ hikikomori

ชอบเรื่องนี้ตรงที่นำเสนอปัญหาสังคมของมนุษย์หลายๆแบบ(แต่เน้นไปที่ hikikomori)
จริงๆแล้วก็ลึกซึ้งนะ แต่ทำได้ดีรึเปล่าอันนี้ไม่แน่ใจ (เพราะก็ไม่ค่อยเข้าใจจิตใจฮิกกี้หรอก) แต่ก็ชอบที่ได้อ่านเนื้อเรื่องทำนองนี้

ปล.ชอบอนิเมะมากกว่า ดูบ้าดี แม้รูปในมังงะจะแรงกว่า

Welcome to the NHK was such an odd read. The focus was not so much the plot but more the emotions and thought process of the characters. That being said, the main character is a hikikomori, unemployed and unable to function properly in the outside world. He is surrounded by other characters who have issues as well, and there is a pervading sense of being hopeless and stuck in an unfortunate condition by your own psychology.

Despite the depressing atmosphere, what made this manga very good was how relatable it was. The delusions the main characters makes himself believe in order to avoid living in the real world is simultaneously hilarious, sad, and echoing the excuses we make for ourselves when procrastinating. In other words, a person unable to deal with reality would find this manga very realistic. A few key scenes would probably be familiar and reminiscent of life.

The ending was quite confusing, but despite that the series was thought provoking and had great emotional impact.

Meandering and a bit long-winded, but perfectly captures the feeling of directionlessness that can come to define one's early 20's (myself included). Bad decisions, ennui and alcohol...a truly nostalgic and bittersweet read.

Real rating: 5.8/10
Manga/GN rating 7.5/10
********************SPOILER*****************************
Do you enjoy the surreal? If not this work is not for you.
What we have here in this manga is a surrealist look at the disenfranchised, the broken, the mentally unhinged and their place in our world. Fantastical escapes whether they are narcotics or literature can lead us all into the same dark places cut off from the world to an extent that our minds unravel and society becomes but a notion we can no longer comprehend.
Our two main characters are castaways in our society and of this they are well aware. They struggle with their deficiencies in a brutally poetic manner their loathing and state of decay should make the reader do no more than pity, but in their delusional concept of modern love they twist along the boundaries of the dutiful societal need for relationships and the glamorised lover's suicide pacts that line our collective literature for the last millennia.

If, at this moment, you're thinking damn does this book sound messed up pat yourself on the back. It is. It's about a socially screwed up guy with some serious mental issues. That summary up there isn't lying to you. But all the really awkward scenes and conversations aside---this was interesting.

This is a manga book that stabs at social issues associated with manga, anime, and Japanese society. I've not read too many like this. The book is well aware of how screwed up it is, just as Satou is. He knows what he likes and thinks about is wrong, he knows he's socially incapable and everything else. He hates himself for these things and this is why Welcome to the NHK is worth reading.

We all have our awkward quirks, but we're generally able to get by with keen suppression of them, but Satou cannot so easily accomplish this. He also has people around him who aid and abet his issues.

This manga is a mess and a half and that's why I liked it. Great art, interesting story, and potential for entertainment. It is rated Mature for a reason, though.

this review can also be read on our blog! http://anonomanga.blogspot.com/2012/0...

inizio molto bello e promettente, simpatico, ma con lati scuri che devono essere ancora raccontati. Lui come hikkikomori mi sembra un caso recuperabile, alla fine esce e con le persone ogni tanto ci parla.