[Categories: Anime Reviews]
Welcome to the NHK episode 13: Welcome to heaven!
This episode was an ordeal to watch. Not because it isn’t good - in fact, it’s possibly the best one yet - but after it succeeded in making me care so much about the characters some really bad things are happening to them now that make it an almost painful experience.
For all the bits of humour this episode is just so sad. I’m not denying that Satou’s weakness has backed him into a serious corner but after he makes an effort to help the ’suicide club’ and is betrayed so shamelessly, I can’t help but feel sorry for him. I anticipated a change of direction but never expected it to be as dark and downbeat as this: now the series is taking a more serious stance it’s getting really good, but don’t think for a second that it makes for more comfortable viewing.
SPOILERS
I’d seen Hitomi as a tragic victim before but at the end of the day it was her paranoia that set Satou on his course to being a hikikomori in the first place. Granted, he didn’t help himself by falling in with her but love and friendship are areas where the dividing line between conscious decisions and the emotions that people cannot control becomes blurred. However, while I can forgive Hitomi for dragging Satou into her escapade (how was she to know it was all a misunderstanding and he didn’t feel as hopeless as she thought?) the fact that she abandoned him when a better offer came along left me feeling sick to the stomach.
Misaki didn’t exactly help as much as she should have done, either. At the time of watching I was caught up in my surprise at how she was being so brutally honest about herself in order to save him - her lack of self-worth being broadcasted to make him step away from the edge. After thinking about what she said, I realised why she’s doing all this for him and the reasons are not admirable ones. The fact that she’s had any positive effect on his life at all has been through accident - she has been lucky that her relationship with him hasn’t gone wrong in the same way that his relationship with Hitomi did. If there is ever going to be something special between Satou and Misaki, it will be because they are both as pathetic as each other; I hope that they can learn from each other’s mistakes and draw something positive from all this.
END SPOILERS
Amidst all the pessimism, we get the character backgrounds that I was looking for from the suicide club and the new end theme is more in keeping with the show’s atmosphere. The new mix of the opening theme isn’t quite up to the standard though: I found Round Table’s Chobits theme almost unlistenable, their Gunbuster 2 effort a grower but Puzzle is a great tune that conveys the more optimistic messages of the series - the guitar melody doesn’t quite fit in as well as the brass section to my mind.
A review of this ep wouldn’t be complete without pointing out how Yamazaki’s character really shines. Criticise the lame otaku all you like but he has proven to be Satou’s true ‘best mate’ when all else has failed him. All along he is the guy to share a beer, be there for Satou in his hour of need and above all being motivated by nothing apart from good, honest friendship. Despite that, ep #13 was a really upsetting and grim affair.
Only when it gets so depressing does Welcome to the NHK! become really good…a thought that’s as ironic as the ‘Welcome to Heaven!’ episode title itself.
*sigh*
Posted on October 8th, 2006 @ 4:56 pm
Too bad many have dropped this after episode one or two. I didn’t, and I’m sincerely thankful I didn’t. I have been skeptical about this series before, but now I’m among its most avid fans.
I agree: Yamazaki is Satou’s best friend. He’s pretty sour about it, but he’s a very kind and dedicated friend - and totally honest at that.