Anime Fix

Welcome to the NHK : 8.4/10
TV Series; 24 Episodes
Jul 10/2006 – Dec 18/2006

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Psychological, Slice of Life

Original Authors: Tatsuhiko Takimoto, Satoru Nishizono (script)
Production Studio: Gonzo, Studio Easter
Director: Yusuke Yamamoto
Music Composition: Pearl Brothers, Masao Fukuda (producer)

Plot
Tatsuhiro Sato lives the life of a recluse, in the city of Tokyo. He dropped out of college at the age of 19, and has been struggling as a Hikikomori, going on 4 years now. Due to a conspiracy by the evil organization, the Nihon Hikikomori Kyokai, Tatsuhiro cannot function in a public setting. Somehow managing to live off the meager allowance provided by his parents, he has fully secluded himself from all interpersonal contact. One girl, Misaki Nakahara believes she may have the cure to Tatsuhiro’s hikikomori lifestyle. Reluctantly, Tatsuhiro finds himself reaching out to make some kind of connection, trying to ignore that glimmer of hope that he has long been seeking, as a means of escaping the conspiracy that has stalled his life.

Conclusion
This series is a magnificent production, musically and emotionally. It brings similarities to many of its mid-90s antecedents, then bringing philosophical inquisitions within science fiction, Welcome to the NHK presents its philosophies in a modern era with realistic characters. It sparks similarities in its character structure and the burning questions it raises to Cameron Crowe’s Vanilla Sky. This series is base, perverted, delusional, and interesting. The characters presented are extremely well done, and its music creates powerful moods from scene to scene. Any viewer seeking introspection and self-actualization through an emotional rollercoaster would find this anime both highly rewarding and severely frustrating. Criticisms aside, this series is definitely a potent and appealing story.
Characters

Tatsuhiro Sato acted by Yutaka Koizumi
Living alone, detached from anyone that could possibly impact him, he fills his days with self-deprecation and hallucination. After so much time away from the world, Tatushiro has reached a breaking point, and now seeks to find a way to conquer the conspiracy of the NHK. Tatsuhiro encounters a number of attempts by the NHK to prevent him from gaining the hard-working and interconnected life that he seeks. Koizumi does extremely well with the multi-faceted reactions of the character. His ability to capture the melancholic interior monologue as well as the anxiety of psychosomatic hallucinations is commendable. His talent becomes a little shaky in the more adrenaline filled scenes, but in many ways, this discomfort with excitable speech fits the character perfectly.

Kaoru Yamazaki acted by Daisuke Sakaguchi
A graphic design and programming student, he lives in the apartment adjacent to Tatsuhiro. He was once Tatsuhiro’s kouhai in middle school and often picked on for his stubborn attitude and forceful opinions. He now lives the life of a self-proclaimed Super Otaku, deriving a majority of his entertainment from his obsession with Bishoujo Anime characters. It is his ambition to use the co-operative project of Game Creation as a means for breaking the hikikomori cycle that Tatsuhiro suffers from. Sakaguchi is brilliant. His ability to make dynamic volume changes, slurred speech when necessary, and provide the key explanations of motivation that the script requires, all define him as an ideal supporting role.

Misaki Nakahara acted by Yui Makino
Working with her aunt as a door-to-door solicitor, she manages to catch the eye of Tatsuhiro. Upon seeing him run out of the manga shop she works at without filling out the application he came for, she follows her compulsion to embark upon a project of her own design; its goal, to extract Tatsuhiro from the self-imposed prison of a Hikikomori. Makino creates a delicate and uncomfortable character, never capable of saying the right thing at the right moment. Her ability to capture both the masochistic and generous aspects to the characters’ nature is highly impressive. At key moments, her voice intonations signify the fragility of her character, defining the role far beyond the abilities of the script.

Hitomi Kashiwa acted by Sanae Kobayashi
Once the leader of the two member (her and Tatsuhiro) literature club in high school, she now works full-time as a civil servant. Success has not provided her the escape from the desolation and despair she clings to. She is the self described noir-style femme fatale, an antagonist that has supposedly prevented Tatsuhiro from venturing a successful path. Kobayashi wonderfully plays out the depressed, masochistic, yet arrogant role that has been written. Her ability to instill the strongest of emotions in both the main character and the viewer sporadically adds an extra dynamic that this series requires.

Genre
This series is terrible as a comedy. There are the briefest of moments where its characters’ complete impotence may inspire laughter, but they are often times wrought with sorrow and empathy. Any attempts at romance are also demolished by the awkward and inept character interactions, preventing the viewer from clinging to any strong sense of joy at the possible outcomes of each encounter. In many aspects, this series’ characters destroy the possibility of it fitting the genres within its storyline. However, this is easily one of the most impressive psychological animes ever created. The unique vision of its script provides the viewer appropriate timed explanations, and consistently allows for extended contemplation of each characters situation. Sympathetic lines and scenes proliferate from episode to episode, creating an interesting development to an otherwise mundane storyline.

Style
Though there are episodes in which the animation is far from appealing, the character designs, particularly in the more poignant scenes, bring to life the pathetic and troubled emotions that are intended. Visual and auditory hallucinations often make for interesting alterations to the animation style. The use of seasons to represent the undulating emotional rollercoaster within the script works magnificently, and allows for a multitude of colors to act as mood enhancers, from the hazy exhaustion of summer, through the bleak and dark winter, into the vibrant and luxurious spring. Musically this series is at an apex. The slow introspective melodies provide for smooth segueing scene to scene, and capture the constant emotional flow that this series seeks to instill. Every character mood and scene sentiment is fleshed out by the brilliant musical selection throughout this series. Truly, Welcome to the NHK is one of the more remarkable musical productions existing within not just anime, but all visual media.

Opening Theme: #1: “Puzzle” by ROUND TABLE feat. Nino (eps 1-12)
#2: “Puzzle -extra hot mix-” by ROUND TABLE feat. Nino (eps 13-23)

Ending Theme: #1: “Odoru Akachan Ningen” by Kenji Ohtsuki and Fumihiko Kitsutaka (eps 1-12)
#2: “Modokashii Sekai no Ue de” by Yui Makino (eps 13-22,24)

Themes
To describe all the themes existing within this series would make for well more than just a review, perhaps a light novel. Consistent throughout, there is great emphasis on a lack of control. Tatsuhiro blames the NHK for his predicament, he is addicted to the life of a hikikomori, and though he hates himself for it, he fears any attempt at salvation, knowing that this will require him to change. Within the series, Maslow’s Heirarchy of Needs is alluded to, as the hikikomori can only exist because food, clothing and shelter are all provided for. A couple of times during this series, hikikomori’s escape their seclusion because they are forced into the choice between getting a job or death by starvation. This lack of control also presents itself in the gross immersion by Tatsuhiro in a multitude of addictive behaviors, including video games, self imposed erotic stimulation, and television. Rampant anxiety and depression do not hold every character stagnant in this series, but still manage to create within all a general pessimism and bleak perspective of the present and future. For a number of these characters, it is important to find a higher power to fault for the disorder and despair that has fallen upon them. The NHK fills the role of God, an ordered creation that can be blamed for causing any variety of suffering that life can bring. This is their escape from chaos, the creation of a foe and antagonist, something that can be conquered, creating hope that is necessary to live through today and into tomorrow.
There are a few more possibilities presented as escapes from the lack of control that plagues Tatsuhiro. Early on, Misaki is viewed as the Guardian Angel archetype, providing the support and necessary tools to escape the pit of despair that Tatsuhiro finds himself in. However, the cycle of self-loathing that Tatsuhiro has created prevents him from attempting this method, but also defines it as being slightly futile, as Misaki cannot fill the role of a heavenly being, being the fragile human that she is. Another possibility is Tatsuhiro’s attempts as a writer. He creates the opinion for himself that success will make his self-deprecating lifestyle acceptable. He wishes to define his self-worth by means of money or critical accolades for his video game creation. This proves a hollow venture as the game design that was worked on for 6 months time finds little success from his meager attempt to market it.
Beyond a lack of control, this series also attempts to define the human psyche in an anonymous internet world. From online video game communities, where the interaction is solely about a fictional character created for the purpose of game accolades, to the brooding forum of self-loathing that creates a suicide pact. The internet becomes described as a place for those with little self-esteem to lash out and demean the unseen person before them, a proposal that the human psyche requires itself to be better than someone else. Misaki also follows this format in real life, with the mental imagery of talking down to someone creating a feeling of superiority and adding value to the shattered self image that her or Tatsuhiro hold. These are characters that find no middle ground; they describe life as 90% pain and suffering and 10% happiness and joy. There is a consistent emphasis on the enduring hardships that become viewed as omnipresent. As character after character cannot bear their own pain, but can stand even less to watch someone else succumb to the despair with which they are inflicted. We are gradually shown each character exclaiming “I am lonely,” even in the most optimal situations, happiness simply becomes characterized as an alien feeling, for which the most common response is retreat, isolation, and despair. The air of this series is extremely heavy, and though each character seems able to battle through their hardships, the viewer is continuously left wondering if it is solely chance, that at their lowest moments the right person will be able to say the right thing, and save a life in the process. When transferring these strongly realistic characters in their strongly realistic dilemmas to a real parallel, this anime does little to shine a possibility for hope and a better tomorrow. It provides an empty and hollow delivery, as it would seem for these characters fate simply allows them another day, but it may not turn so fortunately for others.