posts tagged “Welcome to the NHK!”
[Anime Reviews]
22 Oct 2006
Posted by Martin [Tags: Welcome to the NHK!]
Just when it looked like Satou’s situation had reached a turning point, it all goes pear-shaped again with another distraction that provides him with another ‘convenient’ escape from reality. The news his mother delivers in her phone call isn’t an announcement of bereavement or some emergency as hinted at by the sirens in the background…it is, as far as Satou’s concerned, much worse!
I’ll admit straight off that my knowledge of online RPGs is similar to that of sport, i.e. zilch. Put it down to my complete lack of competitiveness, whatever. Anyway, many of the gags in this episode went over my head, with the exception of one or two FF parodies. Because of this, the portrayal of the subculture will probably strike more of a chord with other viewers. This isn’t necessarily a less enjoyable episode though: what little I understood of it was another interesting piece of social commentary on NEETs, geeks and the like, delivered with Welcome to the NHK!’s typical pull-no-punches approach.
Basically, Satou is looking for an easy way out again. Threatened with having to make inroads into normality, he’s considering making a fast yen through a fantasy world without leaving the comfort(!) of his own home instead. Sadly, after the ‘Offline Meeting’ arc, the series has set itself a high standard for its second half so this doesn’t quite make the grade: the bottom line is that it isn’t really covering any new ground. Satou has a problem, then seeks out a situation that will probably do him more harm than good. There are some anime/gaming in-jokes, and he digs himself deeper into his hole with Misaki and Yamazaki looking on in exasperation.
I’m not sure how he will get out of this new situation - the only certainty is that it won’t work out in the long run. Apart from this observation of the obvious, I don’t know what the RGP arc can possibly add to the series without stalling things. There’s a possibility of some social interaction in the form of a strange catgirl (who reminds me of Myrle from Escaflowne, which is probably 100% intentional) but unless there’s some sort of ‘real world’ meeting between her and Satou I don’t know whether that will be a wasted opportunity on the part of the show’s writers. I’m certainly curious as to who she is - hopefully that’ll be addressed in the next episode.
Maybe I’m wrong about all this and the new storyline injects some fresh life into the series and keep it moving; beond the sharp social commentary and parodies, both of which have been covered already, I’m worried that this will be little more than a few filler episodes. One thing’s for sure though: something needs to be done about Satou’s new ‘bright idea’. He’s chasing a false hope again, and needs to be dragged back down to earth.
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[Anime Reviews]
16 Oct 2006
Posted by Martin [Tags: Welcome to the NHK!]
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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[Anime Reviews]
08 Oct 2006
Posted by Martin [Tags: Welcome to the NHK!]
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*
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[Anime Reviews]
01 Oct 2006
Posted by Martin [Tags: Welcome to the NHK!]
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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[Anime Reviews]
23 Sep 2006
Posted by Martin [Tags: Welcome to the NHK!]
Oh dear. Everything seems to be going really wrong now! Misaki decides that her ‘project’ has failed, Satou’s sempai (whose name is now revealed to be Hitomi) is suffering all manner of problems, both professional and personal, and the deadline for Satou’s and Yamazaki’s game unveiling looms. All in all this is a decidedly un-comedic episode.
A number of scenes reveal more of Hitomi’s issues; including work pressures, an unreliable boyfriend and her own drug addiction. There are hints of an ‘offline meeting’ that are dropped in here too but more on that in a bit. One thing that’s clear is it’s taking its toll on her emotionally.
Meanwhile Satou and Yamazaki are having problems of their own but there isn’t much humour to be wrung out of this either. It might have turned out alright for them both had the events that transpired in the ep’s second half not thrown a spanner in the works; how things will go for the ambitious creators is anyone’s guess now.
This episode is mostly about the women in Satou’s life though, namely Hitomi and, to a lesser degree, Misaki. The most worrying thing of all is this ‘offline meeting’: after some more really pleasant flashback scenes Satou decides to accompany Hitomi wherever she wishes to go - he’s aware of how much she needs some support right now but the worst of it is that he doesn’t know what all that entails. Misaki’s reaction to the developments is pretty telling too: is she concerned about losing the project or losing Satou…?
All this bears out my suspicion last time that this stage in the series is a turning point at which the atmosphere becomes much darker and tackles some quite heavy issues. I always await each new episode with great anticipation and watch them ASAP; next time I’ll be sitting down with my usual enthusiasm but I don’t think I’ll be at all cheered by what will happen.
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[Anime Reviews]
16 Sep 2006
Posted by Martin [Tags: Welcome to the NHK!]
Two posts in a day I know, but I have one hell of a backlog going on here…anyway, in Welcome to the NHK! it’s all going a bit wrong for everyone. In the same way that the op theme is bright and breezy and the end song is a bit messed up, ep #10 starts bright and breezy and ends, well, messed up.
Welcome to the Dark Side neatly sums up an episode in which the cheery lightness of ep #9 is undone as Satou’s mental state deteriorates. It begins perfectly fine as he and Yamazaki are working hard on their game, albeit a little distracted with their memories from the events of the festival. Unfortunately things take a turn for the worse for Yamazaki and it has a knock-on effect on Satou. It’s a conspiracy!
Satou is saying what we were all thinking when it comes to the mysteries surrounding Misaki. I don’t exactly condone following someone around and spying on them but his curiosity in this case is a least understandable: what he finds only adds to the myriad of questions though. The fact that she knows all of his personal details can probably be explained by the fact that he gave her his CV at the beginning of the series; as for knowing his movements and activities from day to day, Yamazaki’s conclusion is a sinister one that could explain a lot. It’s a real shame since things were going so well between Satou and Misaki but he has a pretty good reason to be worried.
The upshot of all this is Satou’s descent back into paranoia and isolation, with a possible end to the counselling sessions. His lack of rationality is clear and the prospects are bleak: quite what episode #11 has in store I don’t know, but it may herald a more permanent change in atmosphere and direction for the whole series. I’m also not sure how this can be stretched to 24 episodes, but since I still haven’t read any of the manga I can’t even hazard a guess.
It may have begun as a fun rom-com but this instalment of Welcome to the NHK! has some unpleasant developments from the point of view of Satou and his friends. That may hinder my enjoyment of the show in future but at least there are some details that will keep me watching: we don’t yet know precisely why Yamazaki’s upset and Misaki’s reaction towards the end hinted at how close she and Satou have become, whether he is willing to admit it or not. Things are not looking good for any of them now - I really hope it all turns out alright in the end!
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[Anime Reviews]
14 Sep 2006
Posted by Martin [Tags: Welcome to the NHK!]
As you might have guessed from the lack of recent updates I’ve had my hands full lately. Suffice to say I’ve had one hell of a time so all things considered the lightweight, feelgood escapism of episode #9 is all the more welcome as far as I’m concerned.
This ep gives Yamazaki some much-needed background, adding more details that allow us to understand why he’s the way he is. To say the poor bugger is a little embittered is an understatement…or is it…? His antics contribute much of the comedy value in this episode, no doubt making an appeal to the ‘lonely otaku’ demographic of the target audience. But then, who’s complaining as long as it’s still funny?
Thanks to Yamazaki’s boundless enthusiasm he and Satou are back into the game creation thing (a venture can only end in tears for them both!). The subtitle of this ep had me worried that the series would give us the obligatory Beach Episode© but Welcome to the NHK sidesteps the most obvious pitfall to give an alternative: Yamazaki is to present the gaming masterpiece to the world at the upcoming summer gaming convention. Their masterpiece now has a deadline!
Of course, there probably will be the beach-orientated fanservice episode sooner or later but for now the series is staying with its characters but keeping enough details in the dark to maintain the viewer’s interest. We still know next to nothing about Misaki, although one thing is clear: Satou is having to come to terms with his feelings for her. Or more accurately, Satou is having to come to terms with the fact that he has feelings for her in the first place. Even he is aware of how this could just as easily save him or plunge him even further into the depths of hikikomori-ness.
Welcome to the NHK is still progressing well. Granted, it meanders a bit this time around in order to follow a few anime conventions with cultural festivals, flashbacks and so forth but even at times like this it’s still fun to watch.
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[Anime Reviews]
07 Sep 2006
Posted by Martin [Tags: Welcome to the NHK!]
If anyone remembers an old episode of Spaced in which Brian the artist tries to lie to his mum about his job and lifestyle you’ll have a rough idea about the discomfort and suspense that ep #8 of Welcome to the NHK offers. More or less, at least. This is when Satou’s desparate plan to keep his dark secret from his family is about to go into full swing.
There were two very telling pieces of characterisation that occured in this outing. The first is that of Satou’s mother and the relationship he shares with her: she turns out to be a very understanding(!) and unassuming(?) parent who Satou has got along with very well over the years, which makes it all the more painful for him to lie to her. This wasn’t really explored in detail last time so it’s great to learn more about the maternal figure who, until now, was a shadowy and frightening character.
If the pleasant and approachable nature of Satou’s mum was a surprise, there’s another one that offers considerable food for thought. At various points in this episode Misaki doesn’t quite behave in the confident and all-knowing manner that she initially showed in the counselling sessions; bit by bit we see some glimpses into her character and life which throw up quite a few questions. It’s a little early for me to speculate I suppose but Misaki appears to have a few problems of her own…
The main event of the episode is still the dreaded ‘meeting the mother-in-law’ thing, which is one of my favourite moments of the series so far. At times it’s downright excruciating as we see Satou uncomfortably but desparately lying with all the conviction he can dredge up; what makes it so fascinating and compelling is the motivation behind it and the end result (and no, I won’t tell you how the meeting ends! :p). Once again we see how Satou’s guilt shows through and how well his mum takes it all - for the longest time I really didn’t know whether he would get away with it or not.
All in all this was a great episode with some moments of humour and touching character-driven stuff. In terms of new developments from all this the story has plenty to work with in future instalments so I daresay that this is where Welcome to the NHK gets really interesting. I think the man himself sums up this episode the best.
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[Anime Reviews]
27 Aug 2006
Posted by Martin [Tags: Welcome to the NHK!]
Things are looking decidedly bleak for Satou after the fiasco at college last week: he’s back to his reclusive ways more than ever, having nightmares and conversing with his fridge again. Not healthy behaviour, as I’m sure you’ll agree! On top of that, his mum wants to visit and see how he’s getting on.
Satou is, as Misaki points out at one point, a hopeless liar so he has to come up with some interesting ruses to fool his mum during her visit in the next episode: she’s under the impression he has a girlfriend and a job! He’s really backed himself up into a corner here, with painfully hilarious results: he does consider passing a cross-dressing Yamazaki off as his girlfriend before rejecting the idea - use your imagination there because I won’t inflict the visual reconstruction onto you! Suffice to say, this episode ups the weirdness factor with some brilliant mind’s eye headtrippery.
While Yamazaki can help Satou in pretending to be employed, Satou still has to find a pretend girlfriend to fool his mother. The first choice, his sempai from high school, is unavailable so Misaki steps in. The result of this is a really pleasant sequence in which Misaki and Satou have a practice-run ‘date’; or rather, a practice-run date is the reason she gives for taking him out. Even though it’s only a measure to get Satou out of a tight spot, I can’t help but feel that this experience has done him a lot of good. Admittedly, he can’t shake off the feelings he has for his sempai but Misaki’s company could really help the poor guy’s emotional wellbeing.
With some gleefully whacked-out dream sequences and the tenderness of Satou’s day out with Misaki, this was an enjoyable episode but the most interesting events will no doubt take place in the next outing. There’s a considerable amount of mystery surrounding Misaki (I’m not the only one to have suspicions either) and even Satou’s sempai too, so Welcome to the NHK promises to get even stranger and more interesting as time goes on.
As an aside, the op theme is starting to grow on me: it happens to be by the same artists (Nino and Round Table) who performed the op theme for Gunbuster 2.
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[Anime Reviews]
20 Aug 2006
Posted by Martin [Tags: Welcome to the NHK!]
This is an interesting episode in which Satou has a quick break from the scenario writing and tries to overcome his fear of the outside world: he winds up going to college! Admittedly he has ulterior motives (i.e. seeing if Yamazaki really does have a girlfriend who studies there) but it is a step in the right direction, right? Right…?
I really enjoyed the early scene with Misaki, in which she clearly shows that she doesn’t have as much of a grasp on the whole counselling thing as she has led Satou to believe. As authoritative as she may sound and as much as she inspires Satou, I’m still questioning whether her tactics actually work or whether it’s progressing through dumb luck.
This was another funny scene though, with some fairly surprising revelations. Spurred on by the shocking news and Misaki’s misplaced ‘advice’ he heads out to the local college, which results in some of the best head-trippery since the first episode. It makes for quite uncomfortable viewing actually, as our hero gingerly tries to get around a crowded college in the daytime and negotiate his first lecture in years. You probably don’t need me to tell you how things pan out; suffice to say I was cringing at his efforts and feeling quite impressed with the manic visuals that accompany his paranoia.
All this leaves Satou with something of a social quandrary in regards to Yamazaki…what will he say, if anything, to his buddy about what he’s learned? My guess is that he’s too nervous to broach the subject again, which is probably for the best. No doubt we shall see.
From what I’ve heard the manga is superior overall to this adaptation, although I must admit the pacing isn’t too bad at this stage and the humour and more serious themes are balanced well throughout. Had I read the manga prior to this no doubt I’d be viewing things in a different light but Satou’s antics and the puzzling behaviour of Misaki are proving to be entertaining enough to keep me interested for now.
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