NHK ni Youkoso!
Welcome to the N.H.K.

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This is one of my favorite manga and, since it had few reviews, I thought I could add a bit more of information for those who are uncertain whether to read this or not.

Well, as it says on the synopsis, this manga follows the life of a hikikomori, who thinks an organization called NHK is targeting him. (oh really?!) xD
The main character actually posseses psychological problems, such as paranoia ,which leads him to believe his life is being controlled by NHK, and all the bad things that happens to him are their doing.

Suddenly, he meets a girl called Misaki who says he had been chosen ... to participate in her "project", and that she could help him have a normal life.
Just saying this the story sounds cute doesn't it?
Well, don't be fooled, because this manga isn't by any means cute nor lighthearted. Even thought on it's genres is written: Comedy and Romance, it's story and character relations are not gonna be like anything you have ever seen before. To describe it in one word I think: "bizarre" (or to use one that's not as strong) "unusual" would be the most suited.

It is a comedy though, since it does have humor, but the humor the author uses is extremely sarcastic and cynical that sometimes even made me feel a little bit uneasy.

Another strong point is the characters, their personalities and problems are so well-made and realistic that makes you think a real person could have the same problems and, many times, act the same way the characters did.(which was probably the author's intention (lol))

Well, if you want to read an amazing manga that is not cliche, this is a must.

Ok, first off let me say that this is definitely not what you would call an 'average' Shounen manga. If anything , this is more psychological in its nature, and in turn it can be pretty thought provoking at times. However, in the same breath, it can also seem to drag in places - which makes it kinda bland. But in saying that, the good definitely outweighs the bad. The manga tends to dwell on certain psychologies of the characters, and it often gets as close to reality as any manga will ever get. Every single character has some flaw ... that they have to deal with. And that makes them somewhat relate able to the reader.

This is one of those stories that never ceases to amaze you, taking into context the situations that the protagonist seems to find himself in. I must stress though that some might not be able to fully appreciate this manga, some might not even get it - although, ironically I do, which speaks volumes about me I guess. It's nothing too deep, or hard to understand - it just takes a while for it to sink in. This is very character orientated, which is something that the reader needs to be conscious about when reading it. The art is very well done throughout, as well as the character development. You really start to feel for some of the characters and what they are coping with.

The one thing that bugs me about this manga is the ending - its too abrupt for my linking and slightly inconclusive. However, it's such a small flaw to point out. Its still an enjoyable manga to read.

After re-reading volumes 1-6 before moving onto the final volumes of Welcome to the NHK, I finally managed to finish reading the manga just now. My feelings are fairly mixed: I did enjoy my read but, at the same time, I was left thinking that there was waaaaaay too much padding forced in--far more than in the anime. Because of all the needless content, my enjoyment dropped considerably after the first two excellent volumes.

Volume eight was by far the most disappointing in the entire series. It all felt so pointless and, in comparison to the earlier volumes, it was far less entertaining. There was ... lots of chatter yet I never found myself caring about what was being said, or even following most of it. The story ultimately never went anywhere in the end; instead going in circles as Misaki pushed forward with her love contract, Satou went along with it because he had nothing else and Yamazaki rambled incomprehensibly about starting a revolution. All I saw were the difficult to follow conversations of not-so-sane people that were shoved in to extend the story to 40 chapters.

Whilst I am still covering the negatives, I will also add that I was not best pleased with how the original story was changed in the manga. There were lots of small (but important) alterations that were made; some of which seemed to have been made as the manga was on-going. A good n example is how Satou first said he was not a virgin (in the novel and anime he slept with his senpai whilst still at school) and then later said he was. The most bothersome change was how Misaki only lied about having a bad childhood in the manga: it made her already difficult to like character outright dislikeable... for no reason. Too many silly changes were made in order to extend the length of a fairly short story.

On the flipside, I did like the first two chapters of volume seven quite a lot. The events that took place in those chapters never occurred in either the novel or anime, and they were only able to work so well because Satou was still a virgin in the manga. Kashiwa's easily my favourite character in NHK, and the 'so near yet so far' romance between Satou and her is the most emotional part of the story for me. So, a few chapters that gave the pair more time together were very welcome additions. It was nice to see Satou confess his feelings in this version... even if he later went back on what he said because he did not have what it would have required for him to take his relationship with her forward. Life truly does suck.

In general, I do not like how open-ended every aspect of the NHK story is left, but I have still always found the relationship between Satou and Kashiwa moving. I actually came close to crying during episode 14 of the anime simply because, even. The reader/viewer fully understands why Satou doesn't do what his heart tells him to, yet it is hard to watch when you know the two could have been happy together. If only he had had the balls to put his arm around her when he was not a recluse and she was not married now--his future might have turned out slightly happier. What makes the whole situation agonising is the fact that Satou is a better match for her than her the guy she ended up marrying...

...Anyway, to sum it up, my thoughts are that, although still very good, the manga is definitely the weakest of the three versions of NHK's story. It has some nice additions but the majority of the new content does not actually add anything. We did not need to see Satou spend time at his parents, coming up with masturbation plans whilst he was supposed to be finding work, and we also didn't need to see him spend time wondering around homeless. The novel was a bit too short, the anime got the length just right and the manga dragged on for too long. I certainly do not feel bad about spending over £40 on the manga but I do feel I should have spent the money the anime instead. OH WELL!

Shutting yourself in your room is so tempting. Nobody talks to you; nobody harasses you and most importantly nobody judges you. Finally peace and quiet down that pool of chaos that we call our mind. But that, as many things, is something temporary.

Welcome to life! Get ready for the best and biggest journey you’ll ever have. Meet Satou Tatsuhiro. This guy will accompany you on your trip. Or actually, you will be accompanying him on his trip. Satou is 22 year old and is an amusing character with idiotic quirks. You’d probably want to know that Satou has shut himself in his room for the ... past three years and is rapidly approaching the fourth one. He lives in a one-room apartment; doing things completely on his own including cooking, watching TV and being lonely. He also likes playing erotic videogames and is doing drugs.

Would you still like to accompany Satou on his trip? It’s okay, you don’t have to. It’s understandable if you think that all those things he does is disgusting and not acceptable as a normal functioning human being. So let me ask this one important question: What IS normal?

Welcome to the NHK! centers around this one question. No doubt that you and everyone around you has wondered what is acceptable and normal in this world to do so that nobody will think you’re weird. That’s human nature. No one wants to come across as somebody weird that can’t function in society. No one wants to be at the mercy of others, constantly in need of help. But at the same time, we all need help. Even something petty and small like feeling lonely can’t be overcome by one single person and could turn into a vast problem.

Satou doesn’t understand that. So what he does is something that many people would do when it all gets too complicated: shut himself in. Physically and mentally. This is what this manga is all about. Either go with the flow and live your life by the rules of society, or be an outsider and do things your way. But the thing is for Satou, it’s not a choice, he’s forced to live alone in his apartment. Not because somebody told him to, even worse, he told himself he had to. He can’t live by the rules of society. Problems like not being able to talk normally to strangers arise when trying to get a job are seriously huge rocks in his life that hinders his way. He does not choose to be an outsider and live with all these problems he didn’t ask for. He wanted to have a normal life, with a normal job and normal people around him. And it didn’t happen. Getting something so normal, so plain that many people in this world have, is so unbelievable difficult for a shut-in like Satou. And now he’s stuck in his own apartment, getting addicted to it and is rotting away.

And then there comes an angel. A savior, somebody who cares about you and thoroughly believes that you deserve a normal life. You deserve those things that other people get to have. Her name is Nakahara Misaki. An 18 year old girl who’s strangely interested in oddballs like Satou. The two meet when she and her grandma knocked on his door to talk about religion. She knew something was going in there and she wanted to help by providing Satou counseling. But why? Why would a young female stranger help somebody who has shut himself away from society? The answer is as simple as getting a feeling of self-worth.

Misaki is not different from Satou, only that she thoroughly realizes her problem and does something about it, albeit in a dubious manner. She helps Satou simply because she wants to help herself. Her feelings of defeat, hatred and resentment all flushes down through Satou and she regains new strength. In a way, she’s using Satou to make herself feel better. But is that normal? Satou is already in a position where he can’t go lower much further so any help is appreciated. And if it means that the other party gets to feel better, it’s a nice bonus. The action is what matters, not the thought behind it. Or is it?

The series makes you wonder about Misaki’s actions. It makes you realize that she’s just another human being with problems and trying to solve them. The interaction between Satou and Misaki is truly remarkable. Satou is the kind of character which you can easily relate to. Because his problems are so common, although in a less extreme form with most people, you can put yourself easily in his shoes and understand what he’s going through. This puts you at a position of a judge. You’re perceiving Misaki’s actions through Satou’s eyes while formulating your own opinion about it in your head. The manga does not tell you directly what is wrong or right, you simply see things through Satou’s eyes. And because the writer of the manga created Satou in a way that he’s in a low position and as such does not give you a solid opinion of his own, you are free to interpret the story in your own way.

Too bad that the story itself is not so special. Great characters create great stories. But in this case, it is not the case. Do not expect a manga about the psychological problems of a person shutting himself away from society. That is simply not it. All the characters are open, some are funny and some are sad but never does it take you to the depths of the human mind. The story is almost that of a slice of life series. There is no common thread through the story, events just happen because they happen. There is no goal where the characters work towards and therefore marks when the series is supposed to end. There are simply just some characters with problems and things occur. Not too deep and definitely not too shallow. It’s just that the story does not impress overall. You’re waiting to see the characters, to see how they will develop and how they will interact with each other. And therefore, you’re seeking an unfolding story to act as a playground for those things. It’s almost as if the events in the manga happen at random without the will of the writer, maybe it’s intentional but it’s probably not.

Welcome to the NHK! is a manga like none other. It’s classified as a romance series combined with some humor. If it were to have a label that’s just right for this manga, it would be ‘’fun psychological problems’’. It will never talk about the deep aspects of human psychological problems of shutting yourself away from society, but it does talk about what those problems do with you on a global scale. And with humor, something very important to note. The characters will make you instantly fall in love with them. Satou is just the nice guy next door with some problems and Misaki is not necessarily a complex characters but does make you think about her actions. And those two ultimately mix together amazingly well in a manga with an okay story and solid art.

They say desperate times ask for desperate measures. Those times may not come often, but when they do, they show which choices truly matter.

What happens when a series about social issues is not really enlightening on said social issues but is praised because it addresses them?

Welcome to NHK in my opinion is among the "untouchable" series in an age I dub the generation of fantastic hypocrites.

It's not that manga has never been experimental or fantastic nor am I saying many of the fans of this series are dumb.

If anything I think it's the reverse. We've come to the point where intellectual laziness is so... on the surface that we now have a culture that's "smart" enough to belittle the moral cliches of underdog stories, harem, fighters shouting out ... their moves...things that were once isolated to Western anti-manga critics who couldn't appreciate the quirks of such romanticized storytelling.

You'd think this would be a good thing but the down side of this is that the very same intellectual otaku community can be forgiving if not apologists for these kinds of...I wouldn't say poorly presented because it does entertain...so I'd call it more of a inaccurate pseudo-social commentary going overboard.

Maybe it's because of my ignorance of the Japanese culture and the Japanese language but since I perceive myself as a hikikomori... things like the way a woman falls under the lap of this protagonist is just as bad in my opinion as the fantastic elements of portraying hikikomories as being totally in the dark in a cave-like room.

It's not so much that this has no realistic connection to how Hikikomories live but that there is a sense of "wrongly demystifying" the whole turmoil of a Hikikomories' life. But again, I'm mostly basing this from my own experiences and thoughts.

That said, it's really hard to go against this type of series which is why I claim it to be untouchable...especially from someone who isn't equipped with the communication ability to cement the cons of this series.

Still, I think even if there is someone with the right tools, it's going to be hard because it's about a series where you "excuse" the flaws and praise the... social clues the series gives you even if the clues themselves are mostly hollow and makes the character cheap.

The easiest example of this is the whole inclusion of the love interest in the first place. Even if you take away the fact that it's about a hikikomori and treat it as merely a manga character...you could easily see the shades of Mary Sue super qualities in the characters.

Without going into spoiler territory, the series just can't carry itself as being character oriented despite what one reviewer said. Instead, it relies on bizarre illusions, a cheap non-descriptive "conspiracy" to create a sort of equally cheap "passing the buck" atrribute in the protagonist, a character that has almost no difficulty in gaining talents and finally a character that for the most part is a Hikikomori "because" the plot asks him to.

It's really complicated to explain without pointing to each scenario specifically but this is the thing. Even in an average quality harem series, there tends to be a character study in between each scenario. Welcome to NHK for the most part replaces this with "time skips" and then immediately after that provides a sort of "eye dazzling" iconic image. (An example of this would be the getting caught naked in front of the computer pic that you might have seen in some imageboards or forums)

In many ways, these scenarios might seem like a good way to present the problems with humor but it doesn't. If you really look at most of the comments on this series, the fans don't really gain anything insightful to say except that they feel there's analogues of this series to their problem...which as controversial as this is, is like saying Christianity gave you the key to solving your problems even though you joined mostly for the community rather than the doctrine and instead of following the teachings of the Bible...you follow the teachings of the priests.

It's more feel good but...where is the substance? Where is this highly praised representation of social issues? There's mostly none.

Or rather, it's not about the series not giving anything to the social issues it addresses but that it mostly gives off a vague Barnum effect rather than any stand on the issues except the shallowest ways of addressing such issues.

Then again, these type of series are almost like a Hollywood film...a reviewer for example would mention Tyler Durden of Fight Club which is equally a shallow movie about a shallow subject that gives enough "Barnum effect" that it's fans think it provides some in-depth social commentary even if they as fans aren't really able to show that they have grown as a person or they have better understood their problems because of this series.

It's not easy justifying this though. In fact I keep going around and around on this point in a loop because I don't know how to pinpoint the con to one effective and efficient example.

Another analogy I thought of is akin to one character in the basketball anime Slam Dunk doing a between the legs dunk...it's fantastic if it happened...but the soul of what made Slam Dunk "inspirational basketball" would be lost in favor of "eye dazzling" if that happened even though each character has their "Genius" skills in the series.

It all goes back to this issue of fantastic hypocrites.

I'm not saying I'm immune to this and certainly in the past there has been fantastic elements to manga and anime series that I've looked past on (i.e. the liberties DragonBall took of the character Son Goku) but...it's the issue of "ridiculousness".

It's one way if one is merely anti-ridiculous or pro-ridiculous or even a shade of grey on both. It's another if we live in a generation where this attitude is wide spread to the point that these types of series are praised highly.

It's a case of extreme "ridiculous apologetic-ness" on one end (the shallowest and clearest examples again being things like Naruto being an orange ninja with a lame cloning power that he uses as offense rather than stealth or even in Hollywood analogues of people excusing the new Karate Kid despite the name being used to hump on a series and the protagonist using Kung Fu) to a separate case of "ridiculous praising" (i.e. there are many fans of this series that can say with a straight face that this series portrays the issues accurately minus there being a love interest falling in one's lap without realizing that if you took away the girl most of the events of this series won't happen the way it happened at all)

In the end though, I'm not really sharing this review to convince the reader to avoid this series. I think the premise of these type of stories begs them to be checked out regardless of their quality. Rather I post this as a sort of warning to those who find this series in anyway special. A warning in the sense of looking beyond the surface quality or the surface feeling this series gives out. That said, I would have hoped I could have been a whole lot better at communicating which areas one should not settle and be wary of praising but like I said, I'm not the best equipped at presenting the criticisms of this series but in a site where there are only positive reviews, it almost feels like a duty to share a negative one to balance out the perspective on this series but more than that, I hope this bad review could inspire someone to write a "better" bad review here and everywhere else where the balance is off just so we don't lose ourselves in the effect of "Manga becoming Air".

(Source of "Manga as Air" is found in the book Manga: 60 years of Japanese Comics since it seems neither Google or DuckDuckGo is showing an easy reference behind the meaning of that quote)

Welcome to the N.H.K. covers a LOT of topics in today's society. What makes the story so amazing is that it injects humor and seriousness with perfect timing that it all blends so well as a whole.



We see topics like lolicon, maid cafes, suicides, ero games, etc. and blended with the more "common" plot elements like drugs, sex, perseverance, finding one's self, love and many more. What's more striking is that it does reflect society so much that you can't help but sympathize with the characters. It doesn't matter how exaggerated their stereotypes are, you will still feel their pains and their joys.

Like most ... epic novels, each chapter feels like just a snippet of the characters' daily lives, but when you actually finish the series, you'll realize that each chapter plays is essential for the whole story. You can't just leave something out and feel that the story would still be the same.

I may just be struck with the story because I can actually relate to Satou(albeit his case is a real exaggeration of mine) but I do believe this story can shake the foundations of one's views or even just provide a new perspective to life. I did. Some parts really made me want to just stand up and go forth and shine.

I really recommend any manga or anime or game fan to read this(of course with precautions on the M rating as this has some adult content)

An excelent premise, good firsts volumes, but sadly, a poorly executed work and lots of wasted potential.

Welcome to the NHK is one of my favorite anime of all time, so i checked out the manga to see what it was like and... it was VERY dissapointing.
Leaving my expectations besides, the story and character arcs in this Manga are very poor. Both the Story and the Characters go in circles for WAY too long. You get angry at them because you don't feel any sort of progression in the story whatsoever.
None of them has any sort of real resolution or redeemable qualities at all! They end ... up being very annoying to read. Characters keep showing up, but they have nothing to say, and end up being pointless to the plot and message.
The fact that they don't progress or go in circles is used in the anime in a more meaningful way of "Don't give up, keep up on trying", but it's not the case in this manga. So it ends up just being repetitive and stretched out

The message and main point of the story gets completely lost, and by half of the manga you keep asking yourself "Where is this going for? What's the point to all of this?". And none of that gets resolved in a satisfactory way.
Not only because it's not well focused and executed, but also because the pacing is very bad. Super rushed or super slow, both in the wrong places.

In general, this manga keeps going in circles, offers no clear resolution to any character arc, and ends up feeling empty and wasted. I would suggest just checking out the Anime adaptation instead, which fixes and upgrades every single aspect of this Work. Very dissapointing work.

If I were to describe this manga in one word I’d say it’s illogical. Let me explain.
Welcome to the N.H.K. centers around the life of an unemployed and socially withdrawn young man named Satou Tatsuhiro – a hikikomori. A hiki-what? For those of you who don’t know, a hikikomori is a NEET (Not in Employment, Education or Training) who is afraid to go forth in the society and is not able to interact with people. Now one day, Satou meets a mysterious young girl named Misaki who claims that she can cure him of his social withdrawn syndrome and make him a normal person. They ... both enter into a contract whereby they meet every night at a park and Misaki carries out her “project” to cure Satou. Sounds good, doesn’t it? Yes, the plot is attractive but that’s it. The execution is bland, over stretched and senseless. First off, the story is directionless and things happen without reason. There are countless unnecessary plot lines that start off absurdly and end up inconclusively. For instance, in the last volume, Yamazaki starts rambling something about a “revolution”. I don’t know where the heck did it come from but he continuously urges that he has to start a revolution. Then he goes out with Satou and Misaki, plants some flowers and that’s it. We never hear of his revolution again. Now who in the world can figure out a connection between these two things? I must have missed something, you might say. Maybe. And if I did, I can say it for sure that most of you will be missing a whole lot of things throughout the manga.
On the bright side, what I liked the most about Welcome to the N.H.K. was its humor. There will come many scenes where Satou will create a situation of embarrassment for himself in front of other people and you’ll laugh your head off. The art complements these scenes with screwed-up faces of Satou – all sweaty with eyes and mouth wide open, sometimes completely rotten with cheeks and eyes sunken in. I still remember the scene where Misaki was about to kiss Satou but he became so nervous and stressed-out that his eyes shrunk and his face turned black, just like a zombie’s. Misaki quietly turned away. Unfortunately, comedy became scarce in the later volumes and was replaced by romance. It would not have been a problem if, as I said earlier, the story were not so illogical. Moreover, there was no chemistry between any of the characters. Because of this, many scenes which were supposed to be serious and emotional just went over my head.
Coming to the art, I must say that it was surprisingly good. The characters were just fine and the background was very well detailed. There were few and clean strokes, just what was required.
Besides manga, Welcome to the N.H.K. spanned two other art forms – a one volume light novel which started it all and a 24 episode anime. I’d read the novel before reading the manga, so a little bit of comparison is inevitable. The manga followed the novel closely in the beginning but ended on a completely different note. The novel was short and compact but the manga was over-stretched. The humor element was more in the manga than in the novel. One of the main theme of the novel was of a conspiracy. The protagonist Satou believed that the broadcasting company N.H.K. was in a conspiracy to create hikikomories and otakus by airing anime. But in the idea is not given much weight in the manga. Overall, I think the novel was a little bit better than the manga.
For me, Welcome to the N.H.K. was a mixed bag of good humor and some memorable characters but at the cost of a very crappy story. Read it at your own risk. Which reminds me to warn you of the mature nature of the manga. It revolver around a lot of urban subcultures like lolicon, internet suicides, drugs and erotic games and thus is not suitable for younger audiences.

The anime NHK ni Youkoso is about a slightly unhinged individual who slowly learns how to reassociate with society, through painful realisations and the help of a lonely highschool girl. The manga NHK ni Youkoso is about a fucking insane person who is slowly manipulated and beguiled by his "friends" which slowly leads his mental health into a downwards spiral and his life into an irreparable mess.

There's something to be said about just how sadistic and unyieldingly explorative of the "NEET" condition Tatsuhiko Takimoto is in this manga. This manga is like a rollercoaster, only it's all down. Down, down, down. You keep thinking your ... descent is nearly over but... it just keeps going. For anime viewers: the first half of the manga covers almost all of what happens in the anime, so the latter half is all new content. And if you thought the anime took Satou to lows, the second half of this manga leaves most readers with some kind of discomfort with how they are living their lives that I have come to term "Post-NHKism". It's a real thing... no need to look it up. The hyperbolic humour of Satou's greatly exaggerated actions and overreactions is more finely honed and the comic relief moments are very well timed. If I had to say where NHK shines the most; it's in tone. You're laughing on one page and hopelessly depressed in the next, it strikes an excellent balance between the humour and the real moments. This is definitely something I believe it is underrated for. If I had to say where it shined second-best, it would be it's cast of broken characters.

The MC, Satou, is a 22-year old unemployed college dropout who spends nearly all of his time in his small apartment. He is very easily agitated into a worked-up state and is very impressionable. This makes him very easily manipulated by the people who surround him, and in fact they all do. The manga follows Satou on his journey to rid himself of his hikikomori status and reenter society. It has heavy psychological aspects, each character is damaged in some way and uses Satou to soothe their own nasty insecurities. However this ends up taking a toll on Satou. It never overtly says this, but the reader is left to assume that Satou would be much better if he had never met them and found a job. Subtleties and clever inferences like this are a big positive in my book.

On the other hand it does have it's flaws. It's easy to see why Gonzo chose to only animate the first half, the plot of the second half is much less directionless. It seems to meander a bit and doesn't really seem sure itself which direction it's headed in. It also has some dull moments when the fast paced comedy and characterization is broken up for segments of dialogue. The biggest fault however is the ending which seemed rushed and much more ambiguous than it needed to be. Not to mention the climax was very similar to a scene that had already happened in the manga, it felt as though Takimoto was out of ideas and reused content to settle his manga quickly.

But these details seem trivial when I admire the overall composite of what NHK is. It's an emotional look into the mindset of a NEET hikikomori that many can relate to. And on top of that it holds up a mirror to our own lives and reflects our dissatisfactions and anxieties about our own futures. If you're looking for a powerful and evocative story that will leave you reevaluating your attitude to life, then I completely and utterly recommend NHK ni Youkoso.

-Note: English is not my native language, I apologize for possible mistakes. (Review in English and Spanish)

To start those who think that the manga is the same or follow the same things as the anime of Welcome to NHK and therefore prefer not to read the manga, I clarify that this is not the case, and that although they start from the same story and base in this many different situations occur and even the personality and history of certain characters is something different and highlight...

The story follows our protagonist Satou, which starts at 22 years of age and ends with more than 23, ... an ex-university student who abandoned his studies due to social weaknesses and lack of self-confidence, as well as having problems adapting to society and having a fear of it. This led him to become a hikikomori for 4 years (move away from society, being in seclusion social or serious social withdrawal) after all that time one day he meets Misaki "The Angel Misaki or the Goddess Misaki" how does he call her, a pretty young girl that before all prognosis and reality for the protagonist seeks to help him out of his hikikomori problem without any reason and motive, is this really like that?. And his neighbor Yamazaki, an old acquaintance of the school and otaku and a lover of eroges and pornography who also does not live a good life and who likewise serves as a great and important support, all three embark on a fun and interesting story in which we can see the emotional and mental weaknesses and problems of them and other characters develop throughout the story, which is full of several psychological situations, melancholys, depressing, overcoming and interesting turns.

Personally, between his animated adaptation and his manga, I think he came to touch me or affect me more and not quite positively, there are many situations that I would have loved to see animated, but in general I prefer as things remained as they are.

The most complicated character to come to understand and know is Misaki, which suffers from personality disorder and reaching the moment of history is very evident, is not even a person as benevolent as Satou can come to believe at the beginning, it turns out to have a personality very different from the Misaki of its animated version, without a doubt the protagonic trio has its problems, the protagonist Satou is the worst of all and the one who most needs to get out of his problem, but all the main characters that come to approach him are not even close to being in a good situation and when I say all are practically all.

Undoubtedly a manga worth reading, perhaps it felt elongated at the end, but all those humorous situations with black touch, those situations that even touch the subject of suicide on more than one occasion make it one of the best stories that I think every manga and anime fan should read and look yes or yes, although I warn you not to expect a conclusive ending for almost any character that is presented to us,is an end that I personally felt more open and not so good that its animated version, although of course anime this is not leave it "closed" neither.

Although that does not stop being good. My note is 8.7/10 with approximately 9

And nothing remember that we live in a conspiracy and if by chance you feel referenced or you see yourself in the story, remember is only the fault of the evil organization N.H.K!!!

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Para comenzar los que piensan que el manga es igual o sigue las mismas cosas que el anime de Welcome to NHK y por eso prefieren no leerse el manga, les aclaro que eso no es así, y es que aunque parten de la misma historia y base en esta ocurren muchas situaciones distintas e incluso la personalidad e historia de ciertos personajes es algo diferente y a destacar...

La historia sigue a nuestro protagonista Satou que comienza con 22 años de edad y termina con mas de 23, un ex-universitario el cual abandono sus estudios por debilidades sociales y falta de seguridad en sí mismo, así como tener problemas para adaptarse en sociedad y tener un temor a ella, esto lo llevo a convertirse en un hikikomori por 4 años (apartarse de la sociedad, estar recluido o alejamiento social grave) después de todo ese tiempo un día conoce a Misaki "La Angel Misaki o la Diosa Misaki " como llega a llamarle, una linda jovencita que ante todo pronóstico y realidad para el protagonista busca ayudarle para salir de su problema de hikikomori sin ningún tipo de razón y motivo ¿es esto realmente así? y su vecino Yamazaki un viejo conocido de la escuela, otaku y amante de los eroges y la pornografía que tampoco lleva una vida nada buena y que de igual manera le sirve como un gran e importante soporte, los tres se embarcan en una divertida e interesante historia en la que podremos ver las debilidades emocionales , mentales y problemas de ellos y otros personajes desarrollarse a lo largo de la historia, la cual está llena de varias situaciones psicológicas, melancólicas, deprimentes, superación y de giros interesantes.

Personalmente entre su adaptación animada y su manga creo que este llego a tocarme o afectarme más y no del todo del lado positivo, hay muchas situaciones que me hubieran encantado ver animadas, pero en general prefiero tal y como las cosas quedaron.

El personaje más complicado de llegar a comprender y conocer es Misaki, la cual sufre de trastorno de personalidad y llegando al momento de la historia es muy evidente, no es ni de cerca una persona tan benévola como Satou puede llegar a creer al principio, resulta tener una personalidad algo diferente a la Misaki de su versión animada y es evidente, sin duda el trio protagónico tiene sus problemas, el protagonista es el peor de todos y el que más necesita salir de su problema, pero todos los principales personajes que llegan a acercársele no están ni de cerca de estar en buena situación y cuando digo todos son prácticamente todos.

Sin duda un manga digno de leer, quizás se sintió alargado al final, pero todas esas situaciones humorísticas con toque negro, esas situaciones que llegan a tocar incluso el tema del suicidio en más de una ocasión lo convierten en una de las mejores historias que creo todo fan del manga y anime debe conocer y mirarse sí o sí, aunque te advierto que no esperes un final conclusivo para casi ningún personaje que se nos presente, es un final que personalmente lo sentí más abierto y no tan bueno que su animación que tampoco es que lo deje cerrado, aunque no por eso deja de ser bueno.

Mi nota es 8.7/10 con aproximado a 9

y pues nada recuerden que vivimos en una conspiración y si por casualidad te sientes referenciado o te ves a ti mismo en la historia, recuerda es solo culpa de la malvada organización N.H.K.

I used to watch "Welcome to the N.H.K." anime version in high school, I forgot about my impression of this anime and now after almost 4 years, I decided to read the manga version for nostalgia reason. Apparently, my age and situation make this anime more relatable than previous experience. I noticed some change in animation vs manga too like the use of drugs, a different conclusion for some characters, and the conflict is also more simple in the anime.

The manga itself has its shining moment like an interesting new conflict, expressive art, many funny scenes from its quirky character, and some dramatic scene that ... works in this manga version. Unfortunately, in the middle of the story, I found the two main characters became unbearable, fake development is done repeatedly, sometimes it feels too long for the character to be aware in the process of exploring the errors that make the story stagnant, and all these factors making execution of the story felt sluggish.

Overall, although the manga now its more relatable and have many details that are not in the anime version, "Welcome to the N.H.K." manga is full of unnecessary scenes that can be thrown to achieve the right execution and dramatic point. Therefore, I can not say this is a good manga, just average.

(just for the record, this is a slight alteration of my anime review)

Welcome to the NHK (NHK for short) is one of the best cathartic manga ever created and it even retains a large portion of realism about it. It was also never turned into a slutty cashcow despite its fame and success. This is the story of a bunch of mentally unstable characters who try to find a solution to their problems. Most of those solutions though end up being nothing but an excuse to escape reality or even life in general. Which is exactly what makes this show so good; it is all ... a big pile of messed up people trying to solve their problems the wrong way. And what makes it even greater is how all these problems are based in real life and not in some fictional universe. Drugs, eroges, pyramid scams, suicide groups, all these are existing issues in modern Japan, which is heavy on NEETs and hikikomoris. Reading this manga is like learning of the problems many face in Japan or by extension in the modern world altogether.

Another thing that is sooo good in this show is how all these issues are not used in a superficial way, just as shallow colorization. For example, another show named Kamisama Memo-chu has a NEET hikikomori loli detective (lol?) in it. There is also Boku Wa Tomotachi which is about anti-social people trying to make friends. The premise in those shows is used as nothing more but a shallow excuse to sell to male NEETs and hikikomoris. There is also Sayonara Zetsubo Sensei which has a hikikomori character in it and everyone practically represents a mental disorder, yet everybody there is just a non-evolving comical caricature with no real depth. I like that show a lot for its social criticism but I like NHK more for having an on-going plot and character immersion on top of all that.

Speaking of the characters, they are all interesting for the aforementioned reason; trying to find a solution to their issues, usually in a wrong way. You see the full course of what actual people involved in these shady business go through and how they are eventually destroyed or saved by them. In fact the mangaka was deeply involved in all that too at a time and this show is his way of telling how he felt first hand, including ways to get saved by them and move on with your life. So you see how everybody is not only based on real life issues portrayed by someone who ACTUALLY was part of the same problem, you also see how they gradually are affected and find catharsis in the end.

This makes the whole thing a very personal work, art imitating life, as well as the artist expressing himself instead of going for shallow fan catering crap (as most do). I respect that and I like it a lot. Having real life issues also makes it very easy for the viewer to sympathize with the cast or even identify with their problems, especially if he is somewhat involved himself in a similar way. I understand that eventually the characters are dealing with the issues in a rather light manner and get over them easy, as well as admitting the lead hero is NOT really a hikikomori since he is leaving his home and talks with other people instead of running away all the time. Ok, the realism part only goes up to a point, yet it is still a hundred times closer to the real thing than Kamisama Memo-chu or Boku Wa Tomotach. The show approached these issues a lot closer than anyone else and for that it stands as the best in this specific topic. Until some other show appears to get even closer, I consider NHK to be the king of this particular hill.

Beyond all that, the artwork values are fine too for this sort of show. The protagonist has these dilutions that make home appliances to talk about some conspiracy, a thing that makes his line of thought more understandable. The problems the characters face are also presented in a rather realistic manner and you see how people deep in trouble acting all crazy, which again makes the artwork to be part of the story and not some unrelated trippy imagery, purely for style rather than substance.

So there you have it, a manga that does things right. It has a very interesting topic, based on real life, it has development in its issues, it has characters relevant to those issues, it has trippy artwork at times, interesting dialogues, it is cathartic, it is a personal work, and it is not fan catering. It is the recipe of success.

Now go read this manga, love it, and be very wary of your eroge collection or your fridge will suddenly say you have been targeted for termination by the Men In Black.

The manga is very different from the anime, as you could see Misato's personality and motives in it more, as well as more in depth chapters of the characters. When I first heard of it, I didn't like Misato from the anime as she seemed unrealistic, and it was my fault for being closed minded. However, a year later, I decided to give the manga a try as my memory of the anime was forgotten. I loved it. There was so much more personality and realistic flaws with each character, and the story didn't seem as rushed. The storyline was more clear and understanding (although ... running out of ideas at the near end) and made me stuck to the manga. I related to Misato from my younger self, as her reasons in the manga for why she stuck to the MC. I recommend this to people who wants to read something that leaves a memory, that while life can have bittersweet moments, there will always be people for there you. That sometimes we can't all have what we think is the best for us. This manga is good for people who wants something that can tug at their heart, yet also make them genuinely interested in these characters.

tl;dr: A darkly comedic manga about a group of social misfits trying to deal with reality.

I have heard that the manga for this is worse than the anime, which may be true, but as I haven't seen the anime, all I can say that the manga is still magnificent. The comedy is the type that somewhat feels like it’s the type where you're supposed to be laughing at the characters being weird and strange, but if you can sympathize with the characters its much darker, wherein the comedy is rooted in how absurd and sad everything is. Nothing ever works out how it's supposed to go. Generalized ... morals and sophistry are great but they never actually work. The problems that a lot of people have aren't that they don't know they have a problem or even that they don't know the solution. They very well know the problems and the solution, but due to various circumstances, they're unable to act on the solution, mainly fear of change, the unknown, or losing something. The world is complicated and dumb after all, so why shouldn't it be scary? And human relationships are even more complicated and dumb. But what can you do? All of this is shown through the set of main characters, who all have issues centered around those themes, but approached from different angles. They're both good people and horrible people, all having moments where they show great kindness, selflessness, or something to that extent, but also all having moments where they show themselves to be scum. Misaki I found especially interesting, as her character felt like a yandere that was terrible at her role. Ultimately, this is very much a story about the journey and not the end, because the ending quickly rushes something together, but in the end the entire point of the manga felt like it was "there is no point, deal with it", so I have no clue how they could have ended this in a way that wasn't completely weak, so I can't fault them for it to much. The art was decent.

While the Manga is still funny and has some of the same Humor it's definitely the weakest of the 3 versions of the story. If I can even call it a story - that is. The plot is a complete mess. Characters from the novel are butchered and the ending provides no resolution to the plot.

The characters are so badly written it feels like I'm reading Rick & Morty rather than NHK. The subtlety of the Novel and Anime are nowhere to be found. It over-exagerrates everything and the characters are impossible to take seriously.

For this kind of story to work it has to ... feel like it can actually happen, instead of being so goddamn absurd that you feel disconnected from it. This is something both the Novel and the Anime exceed at. Which is why they feel real and get you to give a sh*t.

If you want to read it, don't expect much from the story. The Novel is the best version of the Story and the Anime is fantastic in it's own right. The Manga fails at story and characters

overall: 6/10 (it would've been lower if it weren't for it's humor)

[Spoilers Section]

Misaki who is both in the Anime and the Novel: a tragic character who's selfishness comes out of a real genuine misery is reduced to a cartoonishly crazy character and manipulative evil psycho for no apparent reason. The changes are jarring and serve no purpose. Satou - who does become a freeter by the end of both the Novel and the Anime - in the Manga he uses Freelance as an excuse at the end, the same way he uses the Ero-Game as an excuse - so basically nothing changes. The Entire Manga is a waste of time when it comes to the story and characters.
The portions of the Manga the Anime adapts it improves on significantly. For example, Suicide Island Pact isn't in the Novel, but the Anime improves on it significantly, not only does the changed setting of the mountain instead of the tent make it more realistic and believable, the way each character quits is done so superbly that you never question the characters intentions on if they wanted to kill themselves to begin with. In the manga, this is not the case, it is done so abruptly and without explanation that it doesn't feel realistic at all. In the Anime, the inclusion of the characters coming to rescue them adds significantly more to the stakes. And not to mention, Satou's Class Rep's Story is also handled much better in the Anime. In the Manga I was physically cringing when they tried doing a fucking love triangle between Misaki and the Class Rep's brother. It was so incredibly cringy! I have no idea WHY they inserted that shit into the story. And his conclusion in the Manga doesn't make much sense either. Whereas, in the Anime he provides to reinforce the theme that was ever so present in the Novel & Anime that in order for you to break the cycle of being a NEET you have to be FORCED off your ass to work. Which was the point in both the Novel and the Anime. This entire theme is completely dropped from the Manga despite being one of the central themes for the Novel and Anime and being realistically grounded in the real world serving the intent of the author. The Manga pretends to adapt the Story but completely forgets the intent of why the Author wrote the story of Welcome to the N.H.K. to begin with. Which is why it comes across as Pretentious when compared to the Anime and Novel.

[Spoilers^^^]

The Manga is narratively a Mess and the Characters are completely butchered and are made bafflingly shallow and unrealistic.
The only thing that saves this Manga is the Humor. It was funny enough which is why it still gets a 6/10. If it didn't have the humor, on it's own merits it would fail.

Story: 5/10
Characters: 4/10
Art: 7/10
Humor: 10/10

I have heard a lot about the NHK and decided to read it as such. I understand why it is popular. The emotion I felt the most reading this piece of work was disgust. Disgust at the characters, disgust at the story, and disgust at myself. I guess people really do hate things that remind them of themselves.

I honestly have to say kudos to the author. He did such an excellent job creating a manga that makes you feel so repulsed by the characters in it. A manga that shows you a very real but dark part of our modern society. The depressive, self-deprecating, and ... immature behavior that a lot of today's youth experience; especially otakus and anime-lovers.

In fact, the story was so well written and the characters were so broken that it caused me to evaluate where I am currently in my life and what I want to do with my future. It made me hate myself. It made me not want to end up like those useless, fucked up, hopeless garbage in the manga. The most frustrating thing about the characters in the manga is that their misfortunes are caused by none other than themselves. Whether it is becoming a social recluse, quitting school, being unemployed, being addicted to drugs/sex/porn/masturbation, being depressed, etc. It is all their fault. In fact, multiple times throughout the story, some event happens that clears some of the fog and show them that they can escape their current reality; instead of following that light, they just run deeper into their darkness. They just regress instead of progressing. Just when you think they have hit rock bottom, they go lower.

I was hopeful. So many times throughout the story, I would think that they finally realized their faults and they have finally woken up, only to find them purposefully degrading themselves even further. So many opportunities come their way to help them out of the shit they are drowning in; instead of grabbing that rope and pulling themselves out, they just dive deeper. It really captures the emotions, thoughts, and perspective of broken, depressed, societal filth; I know that because I have went through some of what the characters went through.

So why am I giving such a low score to something I am praising? That is because of the ending. Throughout the story, it is emphasized how hopeless the main character is. People try to help him a lot; By a lot, I mean a lot. He has a loving family and caring - but messed up - friends. His family and friends tried to help him many times. They took care of his needs, provided him food and shelter, didn't rush him, and provided him with love. But he was an ingrate.

That's not the issue. In fact, it's a perfect trait to convey how hopeless the protagonist is. The issue is why he decided to be better. The author could have used all those failed attempts to help him as a way to drive the message that no body can help him except himself. The story had the potential to drive the protagonist into such a low place that he finally realizes that his life will not change unless he takes action. That no matter how many people help him, nothing will change as long as he is resisting change. That even though a rope from heaven has been thrown to him, he will not be pulled up unless he takes the action to grab it and hold on.

Instead, the protagonist decides to become better on a whim. No realization, no painful truth, no hard work, no change, nothing. He just decides that "oh, I think I have to change". It really leaves a bad taste in your mouth. All the realism the author built up, all the despair, all the moments of weakness, and all the moments of sadness are wasted on a whim. This is an insult to all the people who went through tough times; to all of those who were in an bad place in life and got better; to all who worked hard to get out of the shitty circumstances they were in.

Another thing that I didn't like was that we didn't get to see how the protagonist improved his life. How he got rid of his bad habits, how cleaned his act up, how he finally became a respectable, responsible, mature man. How he pulled himself up. All we see is a fast forward to a better version of him. We don't even get to see how the other characters are doing. The characters who were fleshed out very well and developed excellently. The characters who had a huge impact on the story and the protagonist are just discarded and forgotten. It just leaves a horrible taste.

Overall, the story and characters and art were so well done only to be ruined by a rushed ending; just like an expensive meal ruined due to an extra spoon of salt.

I can't tell if this series is trying to be serious, or just over the top. There's an amalgamation of random crap going on at a breakneck pace, with random encounters, introduction of new characters, and plot happening at breakneck pace. In the end, there's a lot of unrealistic scenarios and happenings that happen, and I don't think you should take this series as a serious dive into a person like Satou's psyche.
In the end, the story has a cast of misfit characters, each with their defects, all of them struggling to pull themselves together. These cast of characters use each other, have each ... other as companions in their conquest towards something that they don't even know themselves. Satou is socially and mentally unstable at all times, and to a certain degree, it's a tale about a guy who can't do anything right and his encounters with people with problems. Misaki needs someone to act as a "project," Yamazaki is afraid of change, taking that step forward and uses all sorts of escapism in order to combat it. Hitomi is unsatisfied with her married life.
For Satou to save them is impossible; after all, he can't even pull himself together. It's a story about people wanting change, struggling to do something, and also standing in despair when you can't make that change.
But it's also a story with wacky humor, random aims at doing something stupid, like a "political revolution "of sorts, and an overall bizarreness to everyone's goals.
I can't say I really liked this series a lot. There's perhaps an element of truthfulness to the people in the story, but it's more a of a elaborate fabrication of "misfit individuals" that doesn't delve too deep into someone's psychological happenings. It tries to be deep, edgy, and in the end, giving hope, but all I see is a failed story about the ramblings and stupid events circling around Satou. Rather than empathizing with Satou or any of the other characters, I think "oh, that just happened." It's because there's a disconnect in terms of how the characters act, and their actual personalities to make for a wacky comedy that doesn't take itself too seriously. I never really thought I knew the thought process behind honestly, anyone. There's a lack of focus in the characters' emotions, and all you get is nonsensical plot and dialogue, self deprecation, or motivation towards the new weird thing that Satou or his friends are doing.

*CONTENT DISCLAIMER -- this manga depicts sensitive topics like suicide, self harm, bullying, incest & child abuse*

TL;DR: the story talks of a neet whos trying to better himself. the story is funny, looks amazing, has some solid characters and the concept has legs BUT the plot doesnt really DO much with them. the story loses steam halfway through and has a rushed ending. what would be a great manga to talk about real issues like self isolation & mental health, japanese working culture, and otaku culture where not expanded upon and thats a darn shame

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SYNOPSIS: Tatsuhiro is your run of the mill NEET, down on ... his luck because his parents threaten to cut off his allowance until he gets a job. in an attempt to distract himself from his miserable existence he takes drugs and has a psychotic break where he comes to the conclusion that the reason why he is a shut in is because the japanese entertainment companies have a complex conspiracy to create otakus & keep them in that social status forever. he reunites with his friend from high school and meets a girl name Misaki in an attempt to "defeat" the entities keeping him a NEET.

ART (9/10): the art was very good! each character looked unique and super expressive. there were quite a few scenes that were beautifully composed and was able to evoke a lot of feeling just with visuals alone. the mangas quite funny and i think the visual gags really sold a lot of the jokes.

CHARACTERS (6.5/10): both main and secondary characters have deep and complex backstories that really impact the main plotline. each character has their own issues and obstacles that they need to overcome and you are able to watch all of them evolve in an attempt to do so.

STORY (5/10): a major positive is that the characters are introduced in a really clever way where initially they appear to be random but all of their stories and subplots intersect at some point. whats cooler is that they will reference characters at the very beginning and then you are formally introduced to them later in the story and it isnt until the end that you realize who's who and i really enjoyed that. another major positive is how funny it is! i had some pretty good laughs (some that made me actually LOL) i think the concept is great and the beginning started off strong BUT it definitely lost some steam midway through. i REALLY liked the initial idea the manga had where they talked about this consumer conspiracy to keep people complacent and dependent on vapid media but i felt like they didnt finish that thought. it seemed like that took a back seat to their second message about self-forgiveness, the idea of being "normal" or "one with society" and what the looks like, and about finding your way but that too didnt feel complete at the end. the ending seems rushed and forced -- cobbled together to give some faux sense of satisfaction that everything ended up "ok" but really nothing was shown. we got a super quick "im doing slightly better and everyones doing ok! THE END". there was potential to make a bigger statement on NEET culture, or japanese working culture & expectations, or mental health and personal resilience and we got................. nothing! nothing but a bunch of toxic characters being kinda awful to each other for 8 volumes.

OVERALL (6/10): the manga looks beautiful and the characters are really rich and diverse, but the story seems underdeveloped. there is a point the manga wants to make but its muddied by all of the other themes and how the characters behave with each other towards the end of the story. it fell kinda flat at the end and theres an extra layer of disappointment knowing how much potential there was here.

It's kind of strange seeing a series go for realism in the way these books touch upon it, this indifferent world full of anxious, insecure and a lot of the time just plain horrible people makes for some of the most interestingly written characters I've ever had the pleasure of coming by. The lows are depressingly low and the highs are short and sweet in a story full of characters that you will suffer with and for. I believe that packing a story so full of conflicting emotions is something that takes nothing less than genius even if it is paced a bit all over ... the place it's still a story i will come back to, and until then. I'll wait.

Welcome to The NHK is a darkly funny, sad and sometimes disturbing manga.

The characters are well thought out and you genuinely grow to care for them even with all their flaws. I know most people would compare this to Palahniuk’s (writer of Fight Club) work, but I beg to differ. Whereas Palahniuk romanticizes the underworld and outcasts, this does the complete opposite. Most of the humor is found at the expense of the characters and their sad, absurd situations.

The story tends to drag every once in a while, but the characters and overall story get you through those couple of moments.

This would be ... difficult for me to recommend, because I would think only people of a certain niche would enjoy this. If you are planning on reading this you must have a dark sense of humor. Overall I enjoyed this it was a lot of fun to read.