[Categories: Anime Reviews]
Welcome to the NHK episode 12: Welcome to the Offline Gathering!
A common problem with 24+ episode series is that they lose momentum around their midway point, with meandering storylines and large portions of unwholesome filler to wade through that make the whole affair sag in the middle like an old mattress. Welcome to the NHK ran the risk of doing the same until the events of episode 11 and this, the twelfth outing, that mark the end of the first half. Satou’s out to see the world!
Welcome to the Offline Meeting! carries an air of foreboding and gloom that is all the more worrying because Satou is blissfully ignorant of what is likely to happen. What I found interesting is that, in a strange and roundabout way, he actually has a positive effect on a situation that is infinitely more serious than he is aware. I honestly have no idea of what will happen next - nor would I want to until I see the next episode for myself - but his clumsy and naive presence had a calming effect on Hitomi and the others. But will a socially inept hikikomori be able to save these people…or himself?
I’m not sure if we’re going to learn any more about the tragic characters but it would be a shame for the story to move on after their time onscreen without learning more about them. The whole ep hinges on the fact that Satou has no grasp whatsoever on the situation that surrounds him, as he tries to use the change of scenery and company to overcome his problems. It’s quite ironic that, as his companions try to cast away their lives, Satou is also trying to leave his old self behind.
There is also some heavy irony with the bright and breezy backdrop playing host to some dark and twisted ideas and behaviour; not content with tackling the issue of the hikikomori with irreverence and humour, Welcome to the NHK addresses another unpleasant social issue. Perhaps the saddest thing of all is, it’s taken a morbid journey such as this to highlight that both Satou and Hitomi still have friends and family back home who care about them - even though they are burned-out and mentally unstable. It’s clear to the viewer now but I have no idea if either of our two holidaymakers can escape before it’s too late.
The first half of Welcome to the NHK leaves our hero in a precarious position, miles away from those who would in any other situation be there to help him. It’s a welcome change of direction for a series that had really explored every avenue of its original setting though: there’s only so much you can see of a guy who sits at home taking life advice from his fridge and some fans have already grown impatient with the way the series is headed. From here, it’s going into more heavy-going territory but I think this is where the series will get really interesting.
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