[Categories: Anime Reviews]
Welcome to the NHK episode 14: Welcome to Reality!
Welcome to reality, indeed. After the last episode it’s inevitable that the tension is wound back down to normal levels but we are still treated to some insightful character-driven stuff thanks to the emotional fallout. We see some more of the Offline Meeting group and the strange dynamic between Satou and Misaki gets some attention.
The Offline Gathering was a pleasant surprise in that it injected life into the notorious series midpoint section but here is what could be the last chance to examine the suicide club and their motives. It’s a time to take stock of their actions and it pulls no punches in showing the after-effects of what they have done (or, more to the point, what they didn’t do). There are some tearful reunions and reconciliations but they are all grateful for Satou’s involvement.
And so the cruel irony continues: Satou inadvertantly thwarted a group suicide attempt and earned their respect and gratitude in the process but he is still the one left on his own and in the depths of dispair. The sight of seeing them being given a second chance at life and cheerfully waving goodbye to their new-found friend is painful for him, especially when he knows that there is precious little waiting for him when he gets home. Apart from a drunken and irate Miyazaki of course, who is none too pleased with the inconvenience this has all caused him.
The other interesting issue this episode highlighted is how Misaki reacted to all this. There are a fair few viewers of this show who are hoping for a Satou/Misaki pairing before the end and while I’m unsure whether or not such a resolution is too conventional for a show like Welcome to the NHK!, it doesn’t seem so improbable. Their relationship as it stands is a pretty messy and unclear one, especially from Satou’s own point of view: I shared his puzzlement at her cowering, defensive reaction to his frustration at the situation he was in, and can only guess at the numerous secrets she is still concealing that explain such bizarre behaviour.
The dynamic between the two of them is always interesting, mainly for their awkwardness and the ways in which they are both quite clearly unused to social and romantic interactions. Satou is undoubtedly confused at Misaki’s clumsy and easily-misunderstood displays of affection and concern but I’m pretty sure she really cares about him - if it weren’t for the nail-biting cliff hanger at the end I’d say this was turning into a romance.
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