Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
milkysalad
While there are standout elements in this series, the overall experience is hindered by inconsistent narrative choices and a protagonist who is difficult to root for.
The Highlights:
The primary successes of the show lie in its supporting cast. Misaki is exceptionally well-developed and serves as a highlight of the series. Similarly, Yamazaki stands out as a hidden gem; both characters are voiced well and have distinct personalities that provide some much-needed depth to the world.
The Drawbacks:
The main issue lies with the protagonist and the overall pacing. The narrative often builds toward a significant climax only to lose its momentum due to sudden, jarring shifts in tone or moments that feel out of place. Because the lead character's actions are frequently frustrating rather than c…
Read at the sourcederpsderps
The first thing i will say about this anime is that it is most definitely a product of it's time. It is OVERWHELMINGLY 2006 to a decent degree, but I do feel that is does set the stage for what it meant to be a hikikomori at that time... especially compared to what that might look like nowadays. It's almost the perfect time setting for it though, funnily enough.
Almost every aspect of this show is touched on fully: why the characters do the things they do, why they are the way they are, and most of all, their progressions. Sato, the MC, is not a great person. I would even go as far as to say he is quite a pathetic individual at the start of the show - that may be harsh, but I do not think there's any kinder word to describe him after the first ~4 episodes. His character development though…
Read at the sourcemrkib
I really did try to like this show, but it just doesn't hit that hard, EVEN though I could relate to most of these topics. It's still amazing though!
Problems:
The biggest issue with this show is the EXTREME romanticization of being a shut-in. It felt more like a dream that every shut-in has rather than a more realistic interpretation of the problem. Case in point, the girl of your dreams popping up at your front door to save you from your problems. I mean, she literally did all of the work for Satou's recovery (he did jackshit). He only saw her with sexual intentions, used her for food, practically made her a maid, and threw her around like she was worthless. This does seem like something a shut-in would do, but I just had to say it because he's a piece of shit. Not saying Misaki is per…
Read at the sourceOll1397
No matter how many years go by since I first watched Welcome to the NHK, it always manages to stick out in my mind. I don't think it's because of its quality, don't get me wrong it has some great moments, but it can be inconsistent and at times a bit painful to watch. Similarly, I don’t think its writing is quite as tight as many may remember. It is well paced, and its subject matter is genuinely interesting, but it’s handling of it can still be clumsy and even tactless at its worst. What it undoubtedly does have going for it however is its ability to create moody vibes and emotional catharsis. It has this atmosphere of goofy yet jaded melancholy, one that now 20 years later has a strangely alluring nostalgia to it. Couple that with an excellent soundtrack, fun surrealist sequences and a s…
Read at the sourcemilkysalad
TLDR: Never in my life have I hated a character as much as this main character. Every time I thought the story was FINALLY going somewhere, they dropped the ball harder than a modern nuke could wreck the world. Even my dad wasn't as disappointed when he left our family as I am right now for wasting my time on this "highly-rated show."
Pros: Misaki is great; Yamazaki was the hidden gem of this anime.
Cons: Literally everything else.
12+ years on MAL, hundreds of anime watched, dozens of manga read, yet 0 reviews written. Now here I am. I am so freaking annoyed that I have actually written a review. First of all, it took me over a decade to finish this anime; I tried to watch it so many times but could never get past the first few episodes. I kept coming back because of its high rating—sur…
Read at the sourceBottomHat
I usually do not give media a 10, I do not believe in such a thing as perfect media, everything has issues, welcome to the NHK has it's issues too.
But this anime, this series, it came to me at a time where I was in a deep depression with nothing to orientate myself on, nothing to hold onto, nowhere I could see, and then I saw the main character, and the way I resonated with him made me very self conscious about the direction I am currently going in, I started implementing change, looking for local community, socializing more, focusing on my studies more, I am now in a much healthier place then when I started the anime, it's characters and themes forcing me to confront both my past, present and future, forcing my moral system to act, I watched this at the right time in my life, and I am mo…
Read at the sourceTrendurduran
This is my first Rewiew and English is not my first language,
So this anime is avokes mix of emotions in me, the tragedies they had on their past and seeing how they are dealing with is very concerning because people like Misaki and Sato exist in real life , characters avoiding life and realities and seeing how they making those choies felt real, instade off confronting their problems they choose temporary excapes, this is the one of the first thing you notice on anime, characters are not angels they have needs and wants. The characters are portrait realisticly, they speak and acts like ordinary persons, they arent portrait as geniuses or heroes, their traumas are deep, the anime makes you wonder how uniqe we are on our own through traumas.
The moral of the show is time keeps on moving w…
Read at the sourceHawreAli12345
IF anybody told you this anime is good, DO NOT BELIEVE THEM and do not waste your time, it's nothing but stockholm syndrome since it's a long two-cour anime
First of all, this anime tries soo hard to be relatable but the author clearly doesn't have any idea what is he going on about, the MC is a piece of shit and doesn't not care about anyone but himself throughout the whole fucking show, he is ignorant, selfish, and just a dump retard, now I wouldn't have problem with that if it was what the show was trying to sell you, and the journey is about him redeeming himself, BUT NOO even until the last episode he is what he was in the first episode, I can go on and on about how this is just bad writing, There is nothing to look for, it's not meaningful in any way what-so-ever, there is nothing t…
Read at the sourceComplexMaJa
"I know things can't continue like this forever, but at the same time I also want to remain like this. Although I know it isn't realistic, I keep thinking that suddenly, one day, a surprise will occur and everything will resolve itself."
Welcome to the N.H.K. is a hard watch for me, in a good way, though, since the core message of the anime is meant to be the uncomfortable truth of real life. Growing up is scary, and it's something that I am very afraid of, especially at this part of my life where I'm not a kid anymore. My 18th birthday is literally next month, and I am scared—terrified of changing—but at the same time, I HAVE to change.
I don't think my situation is as bad as Satou's, but I heavily relate to his way of living: wake up, school, game, eat, sleep, repeat. And during long b…
Read at the sourceLegionIscariot
Welcome to the NHK is an interesting anime.
Its a comedy drama about mental illness. Particularly Hikikomori an extreme form of social isolation and personal confinement.
The anime also deals with stuff like extreme paranoia, depression, drug use, and suicidal thoughts.
The MC Satou is approached by a very cute girl Misaki who asks him to sign a contract with her and she will help him with this hikikomori syndrome.
Misaki does have Satou's best interest at heart. She cares about him and wants to make him better. But she also has her own personal demons to deal with. A need to have people depend on her so she doesn't feel useless in life.
Its a very interesting story all the way up to episode 13 where something very dramatic happens.
But after that it goes downhill. The MC gets worse…
Read at the sourceHellomyson
This series made me realize how easy it is to surrender more agency than we realize, and that changed my perspective on life. I see myself in sato’s pessimism, misaki’s dependency, hitomi’s nostalgia. This is the only anime that’s ever made me get up and do the projects i’ve been procrastinating on for months now, and for making me realize that.. it’s brilliant.
The story isn’t anything unique, but a representation of life entering adulthood after highschool. The different fears of adulthood are represented by the characters, albeit not perfect, but imperfectly grounded.
I would highly recommend this series for all ages.. because it’s never too late to change your perspective and presumptions about the life and its problems around you. The series sheds a fresh light into what it takes…
Read at the sourcelikhon_1917
Man, Welcome to the N.H.K. completely broke me and put me back together. I usually just watch standard anime, but this one hit way too close to home.
The Vibes and Visuals
Super raw: The animation isn't flashy, but it perfectly shows how messy and claustrophobic anxiety feels.
Distorted reality: The weird hallucinations capture that exact feeling of your mind playing tricks on you.
Overwhelming world: The contrast between his dark, messy room and the bright outside world is insane.
The Feeling and Joy
Deeply relatable: It validates that scary feeling of being stuck while everyone else moves on.
Pure satisfaction: When Satou makes even tiny progress, you feel this massive wave of genuine joy.
Grounded comfort: It sounds weird, but seeing characters struggle this hard actually makes you feel…
Read at the sourceBowlerConspiracy
"I wonder if New Year's grated yams are good?
Couldn't say..."
-- the following is an examination of Satou as a character and how the world around him reacts and bends, with references made to the actions occurring in the show. reader discretion is advised. --
Satou is one of the easiest characters to root for that I've ever seen.
He's incredibly malleable, mutable for my fellow comp sci-ers, impressionable - everything that comes at him is absorbed, processed, and changes exactly who he is. He gets a visit from from a 'NEET Awareness' group about jobs, and has a sudden urge to get a job and prove himself. He hears about visual novels and suddenly he's a fanatic, collecting figures and exclusives and blowing through his savings for a brand new fad. He gets caught in a pyramid scheme for…
Read at the sourceNotTommy9
What a series. Welcome to the N.H.K. has to be the most real, intense and sincere depiction of the struggles and obstacles of simply living life. It dives into subcultures like hikikomori and otaku without shying away from the more disgusting and unappealing aspects of them. It shows the protagonist, Sato, a hikikomori, tired and regretful of the life he's living, how he wound up in the position he's in, and how he's trying to improve with the help of some friends. It's a really touching story that's unlike anything I've ever seen.
I love how on some level, every character sees what's wrong with them and is just afraid or unsure of how to make progress. Sato knows he's hikikomori, is in despair about how his life is but is too anxious to go out and try to overcome his situation. Similar…
Read at the sourceBassCadet
A very difficult subject that leaves you with a bitter taste after each episode. I wholeheartedly recommend this study in "people as damaged goods". All characters are far from perfect, always struggling, trying to find the cheat code to peace -and life simply does not care punching them back. It seems like a dark comedy but at times it cuts deep and shows no mercy (it's life after all). Tatsuhiro starts as funny and clumsy but as the show goes on we get to see how hopelessly antisocial he has become and how he is hurting others as well as himself. Misaki herself, in trying to help him also enables him and although she is a corrective character in all this mess she too has issues and motives that show she needs help herself. Yamazaki might be the most stable character in this but he too la…
Read at the sourcemkmkmk321
It reflects reality brilliantly. I think people who dislike this anime and complain about how awful the characters are are probably just in denial about that. There are characters I relate (to some capacity) with in NHK, and there are definitely characters I associate with people I know in real life.
It's uncomfortable and bleak and the world it shows is is far from pleasant. That's what makes the show so good. It's so based in reality and nothing unbelievable happens. It's a slice of life if the genre actually tended to depict life. People aren't perfect and the characters in NHL definitely aren't, too. I'm also fond of the artstyle, music, and pacing. The only episode I was hesitant about was the one largely centred in the MMO but that was SO necessary and led to one of the greatest ep…
Read at the sourceSharaqi_1
Welcome to the NHK is an anime about the protagonist resisting change. Furthermore, it is about the people around him resisting to change and refusing to change as well. Throughout the story, we see how this affects the different people in the protagonist's life and it all culminates in a finale which leaves the watcher feel satisfied in the character development. The writing and the development in this show are incredible and its themes will truly have the watcher ponder their own personal actions and the meaning of life itself. This anime is nothing short of perfection for the individual seeking change and growth to happen in their life.
Read at the sourceFlamingo_Dreams
I honestly really liked Welcome to the NHK, it was very amusing and painful to watch, there is a lot of happy, silly quirky moments but it can get serious and a bit sad at times. It really shows what reality is when we don't pretend like everything is okay. Please watch it was very amazing! I watched this for a class where I had to write a paper about this series, and it was very amusing and surreal. RECOMMEND 100/100.
It is indeed unpredictable, so many things happen so you do get bored at all! All the characters have their own flaws, and I liked how real they felt. I think a lot of people would enjoy this series. You'd get some good laughs out of it, and maybe a tear or two. I would at least watch 1-3 episodes before deciding if you like it or not, it's very eye catching.
Read at the sourceghostinthefella
I'm a huge fan of early 2000s culture, obscure anime/manga, and art that explores depression and failure - all categories that apply to this anime. So I would think I'd love this. In fact, I first attempted watch this in highschool, a period where I pushed off most all social responsibility or outward activities. A period of my life where you could say I was most like a hikikomori. But it didn't click then, either. I believe there's something essential to Welcome to the NHK that's misleading. I think it has less curiosity in Sato's dilemmas and more interest in making a consumable anime fable out of the hikikomori. When we do get to see him sitting with himself, wrestling his demons or rationalizing his shame, the series is at its best. But much of the series is not in this space. There ar…
Read at the sourceReze_My_Beloved
The type of show that you finish and think to yourself 'That's gonna change my life' (afcourse it doesn't but it does stick with you).
A great show with a great cast of characters. Very grounded and realistic too. While watching, I ended up self-reflecting a lot and seeing myself in the characters (mostly in Satou and Yamazaki-- yamazaki is the goat btw) should I be concerned LOL. I don't wanna spoil anything in this review so I'm just gonna leave a dramatic ending statement.
Lonely people need each other but rarely do they meet, or express that need to each other. When it does happen, it's like a miracle from God that's enough to make a non-believer have faith. It may not last forever but try to enjoy and make it last as much as you can!
Lastly, all our suffering is due to an evil plo…
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