NHK ni Youkoso! (Welcome to the NHK!)

[Shiryuu]

Search didn't show anything except for the manga.

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=6357

I was just wondering when is this supposed to come out?

edit:
More info in this post (http://forums.animesuki.com/showpost.php?p=589600&postcount=21).

[shadowplay]

Probably Fall or Winter season. NHK is my favorite manga atm, even though I doubt anime will be as good can't wait to see it.

[Keitarou]

Probably Fall or Winter season. NHK is my favorite manga atm, even though I doubt anime will be as good can't wait to see it.

Yeah, no definite date so far anywhere to find but I think a late fall release would be most likely, like shadowplay suggested. :)

It's also my most favourite manga currently. It beats any other comedy I've seen so far, it's by far more hectic than Sukuran, the otaku related stuff isn't as lax as in Genshiken and it does actually go out to show the whole thing in a negative context and not in an unlikely happy-go-lucky way. The drama level is also quite high but what I like the most are the characters. All of them are in a way or other broken down freaks but you just have to like them and their attempts to change something, though it mostly only backfires to make everything even worse.

And also here I wonder whether they'll actually animate all of the manga's stuff. There are a few scenes scattered over the first volume which are somewhat over the top. But then again it'll air late in the night anyway so I guess (or rather hope) they can just make it a 1:1 conversion. :)

Anyway, that's the anime I was looking for the most this year (until the recent Kanon remake announcement) and I hope they'll be able to capture the highlights of the manga which make that one outstanding in its category.

Oh and if I may wish for a next comedy manga conversion, it would be Hayate no Gotoku! (Hayate the Combat Butler) or alternatively Soldier of Wishful Thinking. :D

*edit

By the way, nice signature you have there, Shiryuu. Kotona wins. :)

[Ramen89]

Its a great manga, definetly one of my favourites, it balances comedy and drama so well, better than any other manga I've read, I heard the anime is being animated by GONZO which makes me slightly un-nerved, they have a tendency to take good manga's and make bad adaptations of them in my opinion, I would have thought it would be more suited to Gainax to be honest but oh well, time will tell I suppose.

[shadowplay]

Actually as the chapters go by I think it's getting more depressing, even comedy scenes are somehow sad, like the one of getting caught 'in the act' in ch.23.
Gonzo? I hope that's not true.

[Ramen89]

Gonzo? I hope that's not true.

According to here (http://matthew.animeblogger.net/archives/2006/03/25/saturday_notes.php) it is :( It says its summer aswell.

[shadowplay]

According to here (http://matthew.animeblogger.net/archives/2006/03/25/saturday_notes.php) it is :( It says its summer aswell.Noo...
According to http://d.hatena.ne.jp/moonphase/20060324
> 監督：山本祐介
> シリーズ構成・脚本：西園悟
> キャラクターデザイン・総作画監督：吉田隆彦
> アニメーション制作：GONZO If I got it right, Yusuke Yamamoto is director (or supervisor?), he was directing Keroro Gunso according to ANN (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=678). Still... Gonzo... :mad:

[Ramen89]

If I got it right, Yusuke Yamamoto is director (or supervisor?), he was directing Keroro Gunso according to ANN. Still... Gonzo...

Gonzo - Bad
Keroro Director - Awesome
Things are starting to look up... slightly :D

[CaiSter21]

what does everyone here have against Gonzo?
i think that they are pretty good in terms of animation.

i mean they did make full metal panic and speed grapher
2 of my all time favorite anime

[Ramen89]

I have nothing against Gonzo persay, I think Gankutsuou and Speed Grapher were excellent, but they seem to take manga and make bad anime adaptations of them in my opinion (i.e. Gantz, Black Cat and Hellsing).

[shadowplay]

what does everyone here have against Gonzo?
i think that they are pretty good in terms of animation.

i mean they did make full metal panic and speed grapher
2 of my all time favorite animeThey made some ok stuff here and there (Yukikaze. LastEXILE...), but mostly they produce badly directed hack jobs whose script and animation falls apart after first few episodes....like SpeedGrapher for instance :heh:

[CaiSter21]

wat was wrong with speed grapher?
i think it had a really good story line
and the animation was really well done
then again, this is coming from a person who isn't really good at either drawing or writing.

but thats just my opinion

[Thelastguardian]

the otaku related stuff isn't as lax as in Genshiken
Genshiken is the exact opposite of NHK.
Genshiken tries to present otaku in a normal fasion. Not so for NHK.
(If I said any more, I would ruin the surprise XD. The wtf factor is going to be as high as Poni Poni Dash or Excel Saga.)

The manga is one of the most differcult stories to follow I have ever read. I had to re-read each chapter three times to understand what was going on.

[Ramen89]

I wonder if theres really enough chapters for the anime to cover, Im reading them scanslated so I'm not sure what number there up to in japan, does anybody else know?

[Shiryuu]

It says its summer aswell.
Thanks for the info.
I have nothing against Gonzo persay, I think Gankutsuou and Speed Grapher were excellent, but they seem to take manga and make bad anime adaptations of them in my opinion (i.e. Gantz, Black Cat and Hellsing).Those shows were pretty good, so I'm not really worried if it isn't exactly a complete conversion.

[Ramen89]

Those shows were pretty good, so I'm not really worried if it isn't exactly a complete conversion.

Each to his own I guess :D

[SWPIGWANG]

The manga is one of the most differcult stories to follow I have ever read. I had to re-read each chapter three times to understand what was going on.
That only shows that you are not otaku enough muhahahahahahahahahaha......

It is petty scary to understand everything that when on in it though...it means you skim tooooooo close for comfort.
-----------------
I don't think it is something for people looking for comedy however....the sistuation is just too messed up unless one loves black humor..... especially from the spoilers I've read.......

----------------
Still, HIKIKOMORI ACTION ANIME FTW!

[shadowplay]

I wonder if theres really enough chapters for the anime to cover, Im reading them scanslated so I'm not sure what number there up to in japan, does anybody else know?
Should be at 26.

[Thelastguardian]

That only shows that you are not otaku enough muhahahahahahahahahaha......

It is petty scary to understand everything that when on in it though...it means you skim tooooooo close for comfort.
-----------------
I don't think it is something for people looking for comedy however....the sistuation is just too messed up unless one loves black humor..... especially from the spoilers I've read.......

Yeah, maybe I am not otaku enough XD. I get most of the jokes though, and that scares me (especially the kiddie porn joke in the first chapter). Yikes

Black humor, shiploads of them. Enough to make you have goosebumps on your back.
In a I-hope-I-don't-know-these-people-in-real-life sort of way.

25 or 26 chapters are out. I haven't check yet.

[Dural]

Anyone else think that this would be more suited for the an OVA release than a television release?


I think it would.

[monir]

http://imagesocket.com/images/image024.jpg

Genre: Comedy, Parody, Action and Drama

Expected Release Date: July 11, 2006

Website: ??

According to my anime watching experience I've noticed that most of the anime adapted from novel turns out to be great, not just good, i.e. FMP, Scrapped Princess, Sujumiya Haruhi and so on. The good news is this series is also will be adapted from a novel. What makes me a bit cautious and makes me want to curve my enthusiasm is the production company, as it is none other than Gonzo. Nontheless, I will give them the benefit of the doubt by the virtue of the type of show this is supposed to be, an action-comedy with a touch of drama. Anyway, the synopsis is as taken from AniDB (http://anidb.info/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=anime&aid=4121):The existence of the evil organization of "NHK", I happened to find it. All the reasons why I dropped out from the university, being unemployed and a "Hikikomori" - homicidal young person - are due to NHK`s conspiracy. I`ll keep fighting till the day I will beat the vice organization.

But one day, an assassin from a religious group, shows up to kill me. She is a neat and beautiful girl, Misaki-chan, with a parasol. Who is she? What can save our future contaminated with eroticism, violence and drugs? Love, courage, or friendship?
The show is based on a novel by Takimoto Tatsuhiko. It was later illustrated in manga by Ooiwa Kenji.

[YoshiZumi]

I've been following the manga and I am enjoying it alot. Some people might say, "Hey, it's just like Genshiken." Wrong, I own both NHK and Genshiken and they're not even close. Let's just say that NHK deals with more serious issues just like the description states. As Genshiken follows people dealing with being an otaku, NHK deals with a socially with-drawn man. I am looking forward to seeing this being animated and how they portray some of the really looney scenes.

[CaiSter21]

YAY!!!
an anime adaption of one of my favorite mangas!
lets just hope that they dont screw it up

[Keitarou]

Considering it's GONZO, let's remake 80% of the original stuff so nobody will ever recognize it again, I would staple low. Then again NHK is sheer brilliance in its whole existence, so they would need to pull off a Yume Tsukai to completely destroy it and even GONZO wouldn't go as far and one thing we can be sure of is that it will have high technical values.

Anyway, I'm still looking a lot forward to it as it's one of my most favourite works and was the anime I was waiting the most for after hearing the announcement of an adaption. I'm really curious at how they will handle all the "hard" stuff which the manga has enough off, if they really decide to let most of it untouched it will be definitely this year's winner. ;)

As for the comparison with Genshiken, true, Genshiken is by far not on the same level concerning the people and their issues it depicts, but some of the comedy aspects and the pacing of the story are kinda similar.

In the beginning NHK has a lot of otaku related in-jokes etc. and the mood is despite the prerequisite quite light and funny, but from episode to episode it just gets worse and you can't help but laugh and be saddened by the happenings at the same time. The manga has hit an all-time low as of now and while the last bit somehow shows a bit of progress, it's just impossible to make an 180° turn now and any further implications would lead straight into hell.

So despite the different issues and the far more serious tone there are a few things where you can draw a parallel to Genshiken. I wouldn't go as far and disregard it as just some copy, that it is most certainly not. On the contrary it's definitely a quite original piece of work and a must read because of its many facets.

*edit
Took a look on new infos regarding the anime adaption. Seiyuu cast is rather unknown, Tsubasa Sakura is Misaki...hmm.... Opening by Round Table feat. Nino, ouch, I simply dislike most of their stuff. Oh well, one month to go, let's just hope for the best. ;)

[yamikage]

By the power of Gankutsuou, I pray that this series does not suck. It's the only series I'm actually expecting right now and I seriously hope that it will not disappoint. Having seen the some of the anime character designs, I'd say that it's quite good. The characters, especially Satou, look more appropriate for their age.

I do wonder how they'll handle the sensitive parts in the manga, though. Heck, the main character already shocked the hell out of me in chapter one. First time I saw a main character doing "talking to appliances". I guess episode one will be a sign of things to come, for better or for worse.

[NeoSam]

Kadokawa's site for the anime has opened:

http://www.kadokawa.co.jp/hikky/

Kadokawa: the publisher of the shounen manga NHK ni Youkoso!

[shadowplay]

New character designs are truly awful, die gonzo.
Ok on second thought, designs on character page are not that bad, though seeing it for first time on splash image was too surprising...in a negative way.

[Eleutheria]

Considering it's GONZO, let's remake 80% of the original stuff so nobody will ever recognize it again,

Nope. It will be very amazing for the first oh, three episodes, deteriorate by episode 5 or so and only become unrecognizable in the final few episodes. And the ending will leave you with a WTF that is strangely familiar with Gonzo.

[bluemist]

For what it's worth, GONZO is at its prime whenever they adapt a manga series, so I'm holding on to that side of GONZO.

[eggplant]

Just came back from a screening of episode 1 of N•H•K ni Youkoso!.
Let me start off with the songs. The opening theme Puzzle by ROUND TABLE feat. Nino is a catchy, uptempo song, uncharacteristic of their works featured in the ARIA series.
Whereas, the ending song Odoru Akachan Ningen by Outsuki Kenji and Kitsutaka Fuimihiko is a hard rocking rendition of Outsuki Kenji's song during his Kinniku Shoujotai days.
The music is guitar oriented, done by Pearl Kyuoudai, another remnant from the 80s, and can't deem whether or not it fits the atmosphere yet.

The art is more or less similar to that of the manga, and the animation is pretty smooth. However, already with the first episode, Gonzo is quite dependent on overseas outsourcing, which can mean that they are tight with budget and time, warranting concern on the quality of future episodes.

The story basically covers volume 1 of the tankoubon, except that Yamazaki is yet to be introduced and Kashiwa-senpai only makes a cameo appearance by way of a flashback. Episode 1 is dialogue-heavy, especially with Satou's monologue, which can be a turn-off for those who have not read the manga, due to the lack of action, compounded with the emphasis placed on psychological factors. This is somewhat offset with the introduction of the Mahou Shoujo Pururin anime character that Satou (and Yamazaki) is obssessed with, similar to what Kujibiki Unbalance was to Genshiken. By the way, the limited edition of volume 6 of the tankoubon will include a PC game (quasi-ero game) of the story Satou and Yamazaki will work on in N•H•K.

The voice for Satou was different from my image, rather deep-set. He also mumbles alot, often incoherently, which makes it difficult to hear what is being said. Misaki (Makino Yui) is exactly what I imagined her to be.

As for potential censorship qualms, NHK was pronounced exactly as it is letter for letter, so there probably aren't any legal problems with the national broadcasting station of the same name (although the title is N•H•K). The portrayal of Satou's delusions of Misaki was toned down for sure, so I wonder how far they will cover the ero aspects, including the loli story.

All in all, a good start, especially for those who have read the manga. My concern is that N•H•K replaces Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu time slot-wise, so there are bound to be plenty of comparisons to it, perhaps disappointing a few, but the two titles are totally different.

http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/9441/nhkep019yv.th.png (http://img140.imageshack.us/my.php?image=nhkep019yv.png)


------------------------------------------------
Edited for fixed typos and clarity.

[tugatosmk]

New character designs are truly awful, die gonzo.
Ok on second thought, designs on character page are not that bad, though seeing it for first time on splash image was too surprising...in a negative way.

Looking at episode 1 screenshots, the character designs look very nice. :) You didn't like these? :confused:

BTW, according to you, what are the series that Gonzo screwd up? :confused:

[Emil Scherbe]

This program attracts my attention because of musicans of ED.
Kenji Ohtsuki(vo) and Fumihiko Kitsutaka(gr) are reunion
after practically breaking up Kinniku Shoujotai in 1998(or so).

Sound sample for their pieces can be heard at
http://www.jvcmusic.co.jp/-/Discography/A004578/VICL-36098.html

track 1 is Odoru Akachan Ningen (Dancing Babyish Humans)
track 2 is Nippon Hikikomori Kyokai no Theme (Nippon Hikikomori Kyokai's Theme)
track 3 is Odoru Dame Ningen 2006 (Dancing Useless Humans 2006)

Odoru Dame Ningen is Kinniku Shoujotai's piece back in 1991, IIRC.

Kinniku Shoujotai's vidoes at youtube.
http://youtube.com/results?search=%E7%AD%8B%E8%82%89%E5%B0%91%E5%A5%B 3%E5%B8%AF&sort=video_view_count

ETA:
筋肉少女帯 (Kinniku Shoujotai) is abbreviated to Kin Sho and they write themself in alphabet as King-Show.
They might be known as Eat-Man's OP Chiisana Koi no Melody (Melody of Little Love) for oversea anime fans.
And/Or
CM piece for the SFC version of Street Fighter II Batoru Yarou -
Hyakuman Nin no Aniki (Battle Rogue - Elder Brother Of A Million Men).

[Mr. Guy]

http://dat.2chan.net/18/res/3189942.htm

Screens up on 2chan. The character designs look a bit better then what my first impression was of them. They still don't look as good as the manga but they're still pretty good. Looks like a few things were changed though... GONZO... :frustrated:

[Omniscient]

Episode 01 Screencaps (http://randomc.animeblogger.net/2006/07/09/nhk-ni-youkoso-01/)

That was really freaky, and the words "on crack" come to mind when describing the episode, mainly the first half. I have no complaints about production quality, which was pretty good, but Sato's voice did take a little getting used to (it felt a bit too deep at first).

[Keitarou]

The character designs look a bit better then what my first impression was of them. They still don't look as good as the manga but they're still pretty good. Looks like a few things were changed though... GONZO... :frustrated:

Well, it's pretty much impossible to retain the original traits of a manga's character design and the anime version in this case is really nice and quite close to the original designs. Satou's usual self is almost the same, his freak-out phases look quite different though. On the other hand Misaki is just too cute in every scene and imho just as cute as she was in the manga. :D

http://xs303.xs.to/xs303/06281/Misaki_Charadesign.jpg.xs.jpg (http://xs.to/xs.php?h=xs303&d=06281&f=Misaki_Charadesign.jpg)


Things that were changed:
- Drug abuse toned down
- Misaki's sex scene toned down
- Suicid attempt was cut (well, almost)
- Yamazaki's appearence was cut (will be the main theme next episode, I guess they'll combine both his appearences to one)
- Flashbacks to high-school and the day when he snapped were already shown (it took quite a few chapter of the manga to show all of them)
- He was never pwned by those thugs
- And most importanly, the third meeting with Misaki was cut (because of missing Yamazaki), that was really a "lol" moment in the manga

Other than that, I liked the opening (the song itself but also the animation and style), same goes for the ending, which was quite surprising. Voice-acting was pretty good, I had a hard time at first to get used to Satou's voice, just like Omniscient and eggplant, I had a different image of him, but it works out quite well throuout the episode. And Misaki's voice (Makino Yui - Sakura in TRC) fits perfectly, there's no flaw, Misaki alone is pure awesomeness and win in this first episode. =P

Animation and style were quite good and I actually liked the expanded scenes of Satou's soliloquies. The dialogues of the remaining scenes were left like they were, with additions.

So overall there is not much to complain about, I guess next episode will be important to see whether it'll be able to keep up with the source despite some toning down or not, after all "Welcome to the Lolita!" is one of the most disturbing parts due to the topic.


Oh, one last thing I wonder about is the pace, seems quite slow. There's not enough time to show some really great parts. :(

[MrProphet]

It's fairly good, but, honestly, I am not a fan of series that show you how fucked up people are in order to make you feel good about yourself.

People must be thinking: "Hey, I have a weird side, but at least I am not like that guy." And then they feel good, cozy and not in a hurry to shape up. To me, this is idiotic. Not my kind of entertainment.

So, as a general comment: the animation is good, the show raises interesting issues, but the plot is way too surreal and self-serving for my taste. The main character, Sato, seems to have a perpetual hang-over.

I seem to have read that the whole hikikkomori thing is some kind of a social problem in Japan, yet through out the whole episode I had a feeling that the guy would certainly benefit from some more fresh air and a healing visit to a neuropathologist.

All in all, it seems like a fine show, but I have a feeling that people's mileage will definitely vary as to the issues presented.

[froinlaven]

Hmm, opening is by Round Table feat. NINO, so I pretty much have to watch this.

The first episode was kinda confusing, what with the hallucinating and all... I really like the designs for Misaki though, simple yet cute. I'll keep watching this since so many people seem to like the manga that it's based on.
Full impressions here (http://www.basugasubakuhatsu.com/blog/2006/07/09/nhk-ni-youkoso-welcome-to-the-nhk-anime-first-impressions-preview/#more-519).

[dxgarten]

Episode 01 screencaps and review (http://www.designchronicle.com/memento/archives/welcome_to_the_nhk_ep1.html)

As a major fan of the manga, it's a bit disheartening to see the subpar animation. But I'm hoping it's mostly just the raw that I got or maybe Gonzo failed to do their QA check. The story, however, is still interesting although I think it'll be hard to watch this if you can't at least sympathise with Satou.

[domino]

This show looks really good (good character designs, and I love GONZO ~ )

How long is this manga? It looks like it would be better for a short series than a long one.... And only 1 episode is out?

I'll look forward to this sub. ^_^

[Thelastguardian]

It's fairly good, but, honestly, I am not a fan of series that show you how fucked up people are in order to make you feel good about yourself.
That is one out of the two main thoughts when I read it. The other one is "Hey I do that too! Oh my god I am as nut as him hahaha!"

PS In case you think I am kidding- no I am not.

Anyway I have my expectation for the anime tuned very low. Nothing can surprise me now.

[shadowplay]

Wow 1st episode was surprisingly good, I liked it a lot, even new designs were somehow fitting. OP is great too.
It's fairly good, but, honestly, I am not a fan of series that show you how fucked up people are in order to make you feel good about yourself.You can look at it that way but then lot of folks will be able to identify with or feel close to some of the NHK characters including Satou, well in Japan at least.

[yamikage]

Wow, your first impressions sound good. I can't wait for the subs.

BTW, check out the novel's cover drawn by Yoshitoshi ABe for comparison with the anime and manga art:

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j79/superlazybum/Welcome%20to%20the%20NHK/th_NHKniYOUKOSOnovelcover.jpg (http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j79/superlazybum/Welcome%20to%20the%20NHK/NHKniYOUKOSOnovelcover.jpg)

IMO each have their own charm, but I'm a bit biased with the novel version since I'm a bit of an ABe fan.

[wao]

It's kind of funny how there are really very adverse reactions to the show. Is it really because they didn't draw the female characters as cutely as they did in the manga? I'm almost wondering if the show is poking fun at people like you :p (but of course, I can't say a single thing seeing that I have never read the manga)


What I can't understand is why people hate the OP :( I guess they prefer something cutesy and normal-coloured like Haruhi's OP. It's really YMMV with this show... I think it'll be interesting to watch just to see the viewer reactions - especially the difference between the manga fans and those who haven't read the manga.

[shadowplay]

How can anyone hate OP? OP is awesomah! ;D.
I was sceptic because of Gonzo production just like everyone, but that Keroro Gunso director (Yusuke Yamamoto) obviously knows whats he's doing. The only possible problem with future episodes might be budget limitations and then we'll probably see animation quality suffer cause of it.

[wao]

Yeah. Considering how he piles in references to so many things in Keroro and still makes it funny enough for what, 3 years in running - he should be quite familiar with "what fans want".

I wonder if he'll actually make sure the lead guy gets portrayed as seriously, realistically screwed up as possible knowing very well in mind that there are many lonesome otaku/near-hikkis/hikkis (?) watching this very show.

Perhaps there's a reason behind them going for a less faithful and more er... "unbeautified" rendering of the characters. Not just less pain for the animation supervisors, maybe. Guess it's all speculation...

Edit: WHY didn't I notice this very glaring detail earlier in the OP? I love following animation production politics!!

The thing with this anime is that for the credit of character designer, there is the cryptic name 右湊具央 - which doesn't make any sense, but as it has been pointed out by people elsewhere earlier, this is really a clever twist on kanji-lookalikes, which makes it obvious that it's a penname for 石濱真史 - Masashi Ishihama. Anyone who looks at the penname from far and knows about (and recognizes) Masashi Ishihama, would be forgiven for assuming it really said Masashi Ishihama.
Especially when you look at that well-passed-around copyright drawing (also known as hanken) - the small version is here (http://animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=6357). The drawing is very characteristic of Ishihama - especially the hair, the eyes, and the hands. He likes outlining spaces between things (I don't know how to explain it verbally, except by saying he likes using negative space).

But the fact that he's using a penname - and that he's not the only one doing character designs, and furthermore isn't an "overall character designer", strongly implies that he doesn't really awnt to get involved. The nature of the project? Maybe, but I think he likes shows that are critical about people. But anyone who has watched Speed Grapher would probably attribute it to that. Speed Grapher was a project he tried to put in a fair amount of effort into - entirely storyboarding and directing the good, real OP (just like for NHK), coming up with subcharacter designs and drawing the character models, and the thing is what Gonzo gave him was a really shit deal. I think most animators would be very pissed off if the show they were working on as a main staff, got outsourced almost every episode and was made on such an absurdly rushed schedule that many things were left uncorrected. If Ishihama did the whole "Overall Animation Director" thing he'd be certainly dead by now.

It also helps that he likes to work with stubborn independance now. I suspect this is a result of his earlier years at J.C. Staff where he had to do animation character designs for shows like R.O.D. (I think he did not like the original designs) and much worse, Eiken. I think he eventually got fed up doing what they told him to do and left.... to the Gonzo project, where he got screwed over again.

So why is he in this? Perhaps he found the idea interesting, or he was asked to participate while he still wasn't too pissed with Speed Grapher. I won't be surprised if they asked him to do the OP considering how good the Speed Grapher one was. But perhaps not long after he joined and did some of the character models, he decided he had had enough, and wanted to do the OP and then leave the project.
He probably didn't want to show that he was still concerned with them which is why he switched to a penname - anyway, I think it's a good move since it obscures things, and it won't be on his CV, and people will not immediately associate it with him, neither is he officially linked with it.

And the interesting thing in the OP - which he directed and storyboarded and all - is that when it comes to the scene showing the character designers' names and the overall aniamtion directors, the boxes fall and knock off his penname from the screen. I don't think it's a case of reading too much here, especially when you consider that animators by this stage usually aren't afraid of doing things like that anymore!

Edit: And what is he doing now? Well most recently he was doing animation directing for Mamoru Hosoda's latest film that was just released, Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo - Hosoda's aesthetics are in line with some of Ishihama's, for example the de-emphasis on character shadows in order to bring out the full range of digital colour available; and using + drawing lines and characters in a particular, slightly thin way.

[Kaoru Chujo]

I had trouble getting into the manga, but I liked the first ep of the anime quite a bit. It seemed like quality work all 'round to me. The serious portrayal works for me, as do the character design, the script and the voices, and the simple yet rich overall look. And Misaki is great, in character design (moe but not too moe), character, and voice acting (Makino Yui (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=38425)).

[Sakuya]

I think episode 1 has been subbed by ADTRW. Can anyone make sure it's a sub?

[Kaoru Chujo]

I think episode 1 has been subbed by ADTRW. Can anyone make sure it's a sub?Yes, it is. Check the ADTRW home page (http://www.adtrw.org/).

[stevency]

Let's face it, OP is way better than ED. This good OP song is made me remindered summer.

Since Gonzo have the dark history, I have to worry the quality afterwards.

[Shiryuu]

The ED was hilarious. :heh:

[physics223]

I don't want to be burned by GONZO again. They are, for the most part, a bunch of gonzo bozoes. :)

[stevency]

I don't want to be burned by GONZO again. They are, for the most part, a bunch of gonzo bozoes. :)

Get yourself some sets of "fire resistant gears" like Zero no Tsukaima, Akazukin, Ouran and such before watching this show directed by some Anno wannabe.:D

[Yotsuba]

I heard hikikomori is no longer a Japan-only phenomenon. We just don't call it that over here, but there are cases of teens shutting themelves away in their rooms for months and even years at a time.

I can really relate to Misaki in the manga, so I'm going to watch this. I love Satou.

[Noodlehead]

Hm, this may be a little random, as I'm not sure if anyone's mentioned it...

But wasn't Jun from Rozen Maiden also a sufferer of hikikomori? I think that's when I first heard of the condition. His character was withdrawn from society and he spent all his time in his room ordering stuff online... anyway, not to get off topic, since Rozen Maiden is a different anime altogether.

On a more topic-oriented note, the premise of this series interested me. The thought of "Genshiken, but more serious" is promising. (By the way, is there going to be a second season for Genshiken?) Oh, and the opening theme is very nice. :D But can GONZO really pull this one off? Most of their recent works aren't exactly their "best". I wish they'd make more series like Last Exile and Gankutsuou...

~ Noodlehead

[Kordox]

Where can i buy the manga?

[Sakuya]

Where can i buy the manga?

I believe Tokyopop is releasing it.

[Mr VacBob]

It won't be out until October.

[DaFool]

Wow this is surprisingly good. At first I thought, WTF is this (not seen the manga btw), but then the way they portray things no-holds-barred (i.e. annoying bishoujo anime / game music, the way Satou constantly has ero flashbacks of Misaki --- the tissue box: GENIUS!!! :P, the undiscipline that rules Japan's public schools)

I really like the animation character designs...so people said they don't compare with the manga (I haven't yet read all comments), but its still moe, and moreso because of its beautiful simplicity...this is definitely the soft digital style I was looking for. I thought at first Misaki = loli and Satou=lolikon but then later realized she's the one with the job, after all.

This is definitely a grabber for me, hopefully like how REC and Genshiken were so satisfying as fandom/industry-related shows. Now I won't too worry about Gonzo pulling this through the shits because
1.) This isn't a CG-intensive show
2.) It isn't an adventure show where visuals matter that much.
3.) The designs are simple enough that they shouldn't screw it too badly later on (well Speedgraphers designs were the simplest in the industry and yet they f-ud that one...oh well)
Anyways, I like Gonzo, they were the fan-driven studio that weren't ashamed to pull the punches. Granted, I was surprised to see them doing this and not JC Staff.

I'm a near-hikki myself, so I can identify with a lot of the things mentioned. I actually prefer the night shift with fewer people around because people don't energize, they drain. Though psychology tests proved otherwise, I dislike other people in general, usually mainstream people. Geeks and goths I can tolerate because I know that they know that society is a load of BS. I'm really questioning if it is indeed true that animation-->otakus-->unsocial. But I also realized I am very idealistic and just cannot tolerate a lot of the masks culture imposes, especially in the more conformist asian societies. I've read people do use female friends to get hikis out of the house. I feel sorry then for any female hikis, but perhaps there are none just like there are no goth girls where I live because women are socialized more. Sometimes I wish I were born female so I could be that caring friend that gives hope to low-social-status males who were intimidated by the patriarchal system of overachievement...but then I realize if I were born female I would have been socialized very differently and would probably have not been permitted to see the nether regions of society--so that I wouldn't gain the experience and realizations to have had such a desire in the first place.

Rozen Maiden was the first anime I believe that directly addressed this condition of hikikomori. Western societies because of their individualism should have less of this problem, but then you wonder...if there are 60%+ girls in schools (check the statistics), and the population is just slightly more boys...if those boys are not in school, just where the fuck are they and what are they doing.

Enough ranting...this is a good show. I understand now why adtrw speed-quality-subbed it.

[physics223]

Seeing that the general comments are good enough, I think I'm going to watch the first episode sometime later.

[Emil Scherbe]

Are there anyone who loves ED outside Japan?

Overseas anime fans dislike rock?

[Shiryuu]

Are there anyone who loves ED outside Japan?

Overseas anime fans dislike rock?
I like it. Its funny. Wasn't expecting it in the beginning though, I thought it was going to be another soft\slow music because of the beginning part.

[lavielove]

I saw this in wiki (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otaku) and eager to watch for a long time.dan .. it's like a bomb .Just came out and blew up in animesuki. look at all those posts.I watched it.Honestly I saw a part of me in Satou.I hate to think in this way but I can't help it.Being hikki is not that you want to be,it is just the situation drove you to be.yeah... GONZO rocks to the core this time.

[Mr. Guy]

I'm really questioning if it is indeed true that animation-->otakus-->unsocial.
I'm inclined to believe there is some truth to that statement. If you watch a lot of anime you're being constantly shown ideal versions of people in ideal situations. With enough of that, real life people will start to look drab, boring, flawed, and horrible in comparison. Combine that with other pressures (such as getting bullied in school or having too much acamdemic pressure) and it's not surprising that some people decide to take the road to being a hikikomori.
Are there anyone who loves ED outside Japan?

Overseas anime fans dislike rock?
I loved it, better then the OP in my opinion. Though I prefer the animation of the opening (minus naked Misaki and Kashiwa-sempai :heh: ).

The episode was actually better then I thought it would be. For the most part the animation was very good. Fluid movement and drab colors really added to a few of the moments. The first scene with Misaki holding the umbrella in the snow was amazing. Though the animators seem to like severely shortening Satou's forearm. It gets extremely small and loses a ton of detail in a few scenes. The character designs are okay for the most part. Satou is a pretty good transition and so is Misaki. Though I think Misaki's face is a little bit too long. Kashiwa-sempai I think actually looks better in the anime.

As for the things they cut... bleh. The suicide concoction was my favorite part of the first chapter and was extremely funny. And the whole scene with Satou talking with furniture must not have made sense to the anime only watchers because they left out him snorting drugs.
All in all, a decent first episode. I'll continue watching it through the end just to see how they adapt it.

[Deathkillz]

wow wht a start...the theme is soo messed up its gona be impossible to predict whts gona happen next...kinda like suzumiya haruhii ;)
haha i think ill go mad too if i was living next to a person who listens to that purpurin song every day :heh:

i thikn its gona be a realistic show that gives us a glimpse into a person who had mental/social problems cause the main chara has clear lost his marbles in the world of conspiracy XD gona love more of this series...

[Kisuke06]

First episode was very good. Main character is... you know, an odd guy. XD

I think this is going to be as great show. It has a very interesting theme(hikikomori problems, and I suppose they will show how the mais character will become again a normal person). And is a really funny show.:heh:

I liked the OP song, but I think Ed song is way better.

[Ddadain]

This series has potential.

As for myself, I liked the opening and ending themes. I DO love ROCK!

The only downside is that the fansubbers didn't do the show justice. They have off timings and the subs are not really presented well AT ALL. That's what you get from MKV format >_> But maybe it's just me being biased an all (I HATE MKV!).

The story in itself is really interesting. The apparent idiocies and of course the arrows shot at those who watched the anime is all so amusing. Besides those, the WTF factor as per described is really brilliantly presented.

Although, I've to say that the animators didn't give the female protagonist the "angel-like" look she had in the manga. Well, this also might be a case of me being over-expectant, but oh well - I enjoyed it.

[Clarste]

I dislike the OP. The animation's interesting, and the music's not horrible, but it's kind of boring and doesn't really fit the show at all. It's not emphasizing the depressing or the crazy, which are pretty much the main themes of the show. I guess it's emphasizing the feeling of alienation through the faceless people running by, but it's too upbeat to really capture that. The ED on the other hand is perfect.

I'm wondering who that purple guy is though. Is he the mascot for the NHK TV station or something? Or a fake mascot for the anime? Or just nothing in particular?

This probably isn't the best comparison to make, considering that they're both different interpretations of the novel, but I've only read the manga, so whatever...

First, they toned down some craziness, and therefore some humor, while re-emphasizing his hikkikomori-ness. In the manga, he's really kind of social if you think about it. A slightly more serious take?

Second, they cut out the casual drug use. Is this censorship, or trying to keep focus on his main problem instead of having the audience see him as a drug-addict or something? I guess it'll become clear when they introduce his Sempai, for obvious reasons.

Third, they took out a lot of Misaki's emotional reactions. She looks kind of... calm, instead of overly playful. One might be tempted to believe that she knows what she's doing! I guess we'll have to see where her character goes from here. Plus they made her look younger, but I think that was mostly her dress in her first appearence.

My favorite show of the season so far.

[howzitboy]

looks like another awesome series to me. very interesting topic for an anime. making fun of your viewers lol.
and the ending song was like wtf lol.

[giu_2]

i really likd the first episode:)

[sANDEKERU]

Just saw the first episode, and i can totaly relate to this shit(except this beeing a worst case scenario).. Voices, paranoia, depresed, lack of sleep and dropping out of school halfway trough the year. I still have problems, but it's only gotten better since i started going to school again, and stopped putting all my time into computer games and such.

After seeing this show, I realised something.. It's time to get a part time job (atleast in some not to distant future :S)

You hear about shit like this all the time, like people having gambling addictions loosing their marriage, jobs and houses.

Dont think it's that uncommon tbh.

[Mephisto2k]

I think the anime is ok, but i still like the manga better. Maybe episode 2 will show improvement, i dont know. But on the other hand anime companies allways try to make episode one very good because depending on ep1 people will decide to continue watching it.

[Deathkillz]

:heh: NHK is caused by ppl watching anime...dam your soo right :D its the biggest conspitacy...

[Sinestra]

intresting show i am not sure how i feel about it though i cant see this being a series though the premise just doesnt make for a very strong story line

[Truth-kun]

I have no idea about NHK ni Youkoso at first, but when I watched it I was amused about the premise. Though some friends are telling me just to read the manga.

The art isn't so bad (I was expecting worse since most of the reviews thought it was a disappointment), and the girl's drawing is pretty cute if I say so myself :D

[Mr VacBob]

The only downside is that the fansubbers didn't do the show justice. They have off timings and the subs are not really presented well AT ALL. That's what you get from MKV format >_> But maybe it's just me being biased an all (I HATE MKV!).

Unless you watched it in VLC it should have looked fine... it certainly did when I made it. Anyway, I'm making a hardsub version now. You'll have to keep seeding it yourself, though, I don't have enough upload bandwidth for more than one torrent at a time.

[Muir Woods]

I read the NHK manga eons ago, but for some reason my interest in it waned, and I stopped following it. My original interest in NHK mainly lies in its exhibition of an unsound mind, Satou's psychological delusions and behaviours. I never thought NHK was that disturbing, just curious enough to raise an eyebrow. But then again, I have to remind myself that I also possess a slightly tainted mind. The first episode captured well of Satou's abnormal mentality. But even with my fuzzy recollection, I felt the manga was a bit more hardcore than the anime, which is congruent with what more faithful manga readers' comparisons above. While casually strumming my Washburn, I inadvertently figured out the chords to the song that was playing when Satou decided to out to get a job. In the key of C Major (or A Minor), the fundamental chord progression is: Dm-Fmaj7-C. Quite simple actually. If strummed with open chords, I think the high E string is muted with all three chords. Anyways, my disposition for this beginning episode is, overall, good. With respect to this hikikomori phenomenon, I eagerly await to take Psychology 300A&B - Behaviour Disorders (https://courses.students.ubc.ca/cs/main?pname=subjarea&tname=subjareas&req=3&dept=PSYC&course=300A), where I can then truly dissect people like Satou, and consequently, of myself.

[arias]

Haha, I'm a fourth year Psychology Major and I don't think you should place much hope of "dissecting" ill people from just reading texts and such. I'm also not sure whether that kind of intention is any good in the first place.. But studying abnormal psychology does seriously give you alot of sympathy for them and, if you really take in the course and text, understand the importance of the biological contribution to such disorders.

My vote on the NHK anime awaits on its future episodes. I don't really like Gonzo, but in some ways they give a nice shape to this anime and fit well with its more psychedelic themes. I'm still relatively unimpressed by this episode.. we'll see.

[Muir Woods]

Haha, I'm a fourth year Psychology Major and I don't think you should place much hope of "dissecting" ill people from just reading texts and such. I'm also not sure whether that kind of intention is any good in the first place.. But studying abnormal psychology does seriously give you alot of sympathy for them and, if you really take in the course and text, understand the importance of the biological contribution to such disorders.
Maybe the word "dissect" was too aggressive. Perhaps "understand" would be a better word. To gain some light on why such behaviour disorders exist, how it occurs, symptoms and effects, environmental and/or like you said, biological factors that affect it...etc. Queries akin to those. I've always wanted to know a bit more about things regarding this aspect of psychology.

[Mr VacBob]

OK, here's the AVI version, for people with boring players:
http://raspberryheaven.net/~adtrw/torrents/NHK_01AVI_ADTRW.torrent

[Maids! Maids! Maids!]

Unless you watched it in VLC it should have looked fine... it certainly did when I made it. Anyway, I'm making a hardsub version now. You'll have to keep seeding it yourself, though, I don't have enough upload bandwidth for more than one torrent at a time.
I downloaded the subtitles and used them with a raw. Everything looked just fine with Media Player Classic. Thank you very much.

[Maids! Maids! Maids!]

And here's an image.
http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/8880/060711a9bg.th.jpg (http://img213.imageshack.us/my.php?image=060711a9bg.jpg)

[physics223]

In opposition to a some posters, I loved the OP while I disliked the ED. While the ED felt more befitting to the mood of the series, the OP was a great start, just because it seemingly preluded something sane and normal - while all the time seemingly precluding something abnormal.

The first episode was so-so. I don't mind if I drop the show, but I think I'm going to keep on watching it. Though I do have some of Satou's qualities, I definitely don't have his dementia (yet), and I'm not anti-social at all. Sadly, I didn't find much enjoyment in seeing a grown man who could act but is unwilling to. I'm a weakling; I often fail what people expect of me, but I think that just by having a paradigm shift you'd avoid falling apart in the first place. For me, I totally think it's the hikkikomori's fault. Who else can you blame? Society? Society is a vague, inchoate idea ... it can be good or bad, depending on the person dealing with it. In the end, it's up to the person, and Satou's simply an idiot for not dealing with it correctly. To be totally honest, I've been bullied and I'm somewhat of a geek (though unconscious, that is, I don't really study a whole lot, I just read a whole lot and the knowledge that I glean from what I read converge and aid me later on in serious study [school]) but I didn't turn into something fearing society to the extent of Satou. In the end, he's just borderline between a sane idiot and an insane shithead.

[lavielove]

Society? Society is a vague, inchoate idea ... it can be good or bad, depending on the person dealing with it. In the end, it's up to the person, and Satou's simply an idiot for not dealing with it correctly. .....In the end, he's just borderline between a sane idiot and an insane shithead.

Partially agree with you on that physics.But the people who want to supress their feeling and not good in socializing with the others have a full potential of being hikkikomori.I even had a chance to met some hikkikomori cut thier own skin to supress their loneliness.Even one become hikkikomori,addicting to manga and anime is still far more better than those acts and wrong doing. Satou's life is pitiful.

[physics223]

This may be a misconstrued concept, but for me, I consider addiction to be better than the cure. If the cure is a life of discontentment and suffering, of always wanting to grasp that goal of higher grades (which I give a damn about just as your average student, but not as much), I'd rather fall back on my addiction, underachieve, but live contentedly. If I can be happy being an addict of something inexpensive and non-destructive, I'd rather be happy than sad. Being a hikkikomori is sheer idiocy. What's different from me or you (a self-proclaimed addict, lavielove) to them is the will to NOT being one. It's so enticing to live lazily, but that's not our style. In the end, it's still up to the person himself, so it's really hard to sympathize with Satou's plight, because he was the one who brought it all to himself.

[Itlandm]

I liked the first episode somewhat. It is not a favorite of mine, but I would like to give it a chance. The sympathetic girl is a large part of that. If she turns out to be as crazy as he is, I'll probably drop it. Watching psychiatric cases gradually grow worse is not something I enjoy, and if the semi-spoilers from the manga people here bears out, I will probably stop watching at some future time.

But for now, it was kinda interesting and thought-provoking. I like that.

I hate the ending song. But then again my mind is a harmonious and tranquil place generally.

[physics223]

Similarly, the only redemptive factor of the show was an altruistic human willing to reach out to a son-of-a-bitch. Were it not for Misaki's existence, the show would have been too whiny and too heavy to bear. I certainly don't want to watch the life of a jerk; I have a lot of problems on my own, thank you very much. This is like watching Big Brother: you can observe lives as it revolves inside the house, but I didn't see the merit in that, and I can't see the merit here. The only good things about the show are its wonderful OP and Misaki.

[The Technical]

So, is the girl supposed to be a Jehovah's Witness or something?

[physics223]

Welcome to the NHK - 01 Insights (http://animeotaku.wordpress.com/2006/07/13/pururin-puru-pururin/)

The title was based on the background song that irritated Satou.

No, the girl isn't. She's supposed to be someone torturing Satou, I think.

[Itlandm]

So, is the girl supposed to be a Jehovah's Witness or something?
That was my first thought too. The magazine grandma was pushing would be the Japanese version of "Awake", which tends to cover various social trends without being too heavyhanded on the theology.
Satou seems to mentally place her in a classic Christian church or even dressed as a nun (when dressed at all), but this could be his ignorance rather than that of the director or the mangaka. In any case, Christianity is very much a minority religion, so keeping track of the different versions would be hard for most Japanese.

[shadowplay]

Don't put too much hope in Misaki, you'll regret it later.

[Clarste]

Nevermind.

Hmm... I'm think about all this Satou hate, and really, it's justified. He's a failure of a person, sort of by definition. I guess this makes people wonder how they're supposed to sympathize with him.

Well, if you're not anti-social, obviously you can't identify with him. That's his entire problem. You have to realize, he's not actually an otaku or any other sort of escapist, he just doesn't know how to communicate with people. He hasn't been bullied, except insofar as he's not strong enough to stop bullying from happening to other people, and he's not a geek. We have no idea what kind of grades he was getting; the given reason for him dropping out of school was him not being able to handle being around other people. Basically, he's nothing at all like most of us here. The very fact that we post on a forum puts us lightyears ahead of him in sociability, and people who keep blogs are practically the opposite of him.

I actually kind of identify with him. Being close to one or two good friends in high school, but then going to college and realizing that your friends have gone to other places and you don't have the social skills to make new ones. Thereby leading a life of complete solitude. Plus, since you can't really talk to people, you can't get a job, even though you know it'd make your life infinitely better in several ways. Okay, I'm extremely unlikely at this point to quit school, or lock myself in my room, but that's not really the root of his problem. Personally, I fail to see how graduating from college will make me any better at applying for a job, and that scares me a lot.

And remember, this is fundamentally a story about "curing" him, whether or not that actually succeeds. Honestly, he's a pretty good case. When he's not hallucinating, he knows he has a problem, and knows what he should do to solve it. He clearly wants to escape what he's become, as is evident by him attempting to apply for a job and accepting Misaki's invitation for her "project." He's kind of an inspirational figure, in that sense.

[Muir Woods]

Whoa there physics223, I sense great animosity towards Satou with your denigrating words there. While I understand the origin of your disapproval, let me play the devil's adovate a bit. From what I read of your posts, you're implying that Satou has the choice, the freedom to make a paradigm shift. What if he doesn't? What if his hallucinations and delusions are against his will? Not everyone has a crystal clear, or "healthy", mind. If his brain is intrinsically faulty, where his every thought process is, in a sense, unavoidably affected/restricted by such limitation, like a mental "handicap" (I detest that word, as it possesses such a strong negative connotation. I prefer the more neutral word "different". But I'm only using "handicap" for clarity.), can you still blame him with such zeal? This question is hitting very close to home for yours truly. And the line "Perhaps this is only my perspective..." is redundant. There is no perhaps, it is.

As for me, watching this show isn't about sympathy, its about curious observation. As such, I'm reserving judgment, even if I've become more learned about these kind of psychological quirks. The reason why I want to take that psychology course is because I've always been fascinated by people, real or fictional, with more unusual minds (eg. Humbert Humbert, Louis Wain...etc, and to a lesser extent, Satou here), and taking that course may enable me to understand these characters better in some way.

[physics223]

I'm glad that my insights have at the least generated (incited?) some discussion. :)

Personally, I fail to see how graduating from college will make me any better at applying for a job, and that scares me a lot.

You'll have a degree. That enhances your chances of getting a job at least 50%.

And remember, this is fundamentally a story about "curing" him, whether or not that actually succeeds. Honestly, he's a pretty good case. When he's not hallucinating, he knows he has a problem, and knows what he should do to solve it. He clearly wants to escape what he's become, as is evident by him attempting to apply for a job and accepting Misaki's invitation for her "project." He's kind of an inspirational figure, in that sense.

I've seen more sociable nutcases in the real world. I don't want to see more in anime - there are some much more drastic 180s in real life than Satou, and I think I've seen some of them, in the news or whatnot. What I mean is, if you want inspiration, take some from the people around you.

Whoa there physics223, I sense great animosity towards Satou with your denigrating words there. While I understand the origin of your disapproval, let me play the devil's adovate a bit. From what I read of your posts, you're implying that Satou has the choice, the freedom to make a paradigm shift. What if he doesn't? What if his hallucinations and delusions are against his will? Not everyone has a crystal clear, or "healthy", mind. If his brain is intrinsically faulty, where his every thought process is, in a sense, unavoidably affected/restricted by such limitation, like a mental "handicap" (I detest that word, as it possesses such a strong negative connotation. I prefer the more neutral word "different". But I'm only using "handicap" for clarity.), can you still blame him with such zeal? This question is hitting very close to home for yours truly. And the line "Perhaps this is only my perspective..." is redundant. There is no perhaps, it is.

As for me, watching this show isn't about sympathy, its about curious observation. As such, I'm reserving judgment, even if I've become more learned about these kind of psychological quirks. The reason why I want to take that psychology course is because I've always been fascinated by people, real or fictional, with more unusual minds (eg. Humbert Humbert, Louis Wain...etc, and to a lesser extent, Satou here), and taking that course may enable me to understand these characters better in some way.

There always is a choice, Muir. Life is one big choice. For Satou, he can choose to get well, or he could choose to stay stuck in the mire of his unwillingness to move on. Everyone, not only Satou, encounters illusions in his or her life. I don't have a healthy mind, but I can still choose. (I consider healthy those who have balanced lives in such manner that's worthy of accolade [Jesus Christ, Buddha, Mohammed] I'm fucking far and away from these guys. My mind is as defiled, as full of inquination as a puddle of piss, snot, and puke.)

I used perhaps, because I myself haven't congealed my perspective yet. It hasn't been set in stone, in other words. I don't think it's redundant in any way.

I'm going to take a course in literature. It's entertainment, psychology, exegesis - all in one. You should enjoy Mr. Quentin Compson. :D

[Clarste]

You'll have a degree. That enhances your chances of getting a job at least 50%.

It'll increase my chances of being accepted, not my chances of applying successfully. If I walk into a company and start, say, rambling about bikes, no one will care if I have a degree.

I've seen more sociable nutcases in the real world. I don't want to see more in anime - there are some much more drastic 180s in real life than Satou, and I think I've seen some of them, in the news or whatnot. What I mean is, if you want inspiration, take some from the people around you.

Not inspirational to me in particular (except maybe as a motivation to avoid certain behaviors), but... I don't know. Well, he's not as bad as he could be anyway.

[Mr. Guy]

There always is a choice, Muir. Life is one big choice. For Satou, he can choose to get well, or he could choose to stay stuck in the mire of his unwillingness to move on.
Life is most certainly not that simple. There may always be a choice but that doesn't mean that choosing the correct choice is easy. You've seen one episode, I'd hardly say that you have an in depth view of his mind already. Maybe he really did have an extremely painful past that justifies the way he is. Satou has a weakness and faulting him on that is frankly, cruel.
Just because these guys don’t have it great in life doesn’t mean they can’t view the world positively.
Viewing the world positively...? Hikkikomori's usually have good reasons for isolating themselves from society. Chief among these reasons is the lack of ANYTHING good coming from their life. Chances are that whatever exprience they had with society was not a good one. It's extremely difficult to view the world positively when you've known nothing but sorrow from it. And because they've known nothing but sorrow it's a rather difficult choice to return to a world that doesn't really care about them in the least.
They can do like I do and underachieve
Just quoting this because this is brought up and examined, just need to wait a bit :)

Simply, what I believe is that you're taking this issue personally and it's clouding your judgement. You're throwing out sage statements that hold a lot meaning but are simply not pratical for most people. All a matter of perspective? I may think the world's a nice place but I'm still going to be bummed out when I fail at something and people laugh at me because of it. Reality is so very much more complex then a few statements can explain.

People like Satou may be cowardly, they may be loathsome (and Satou recognizes this; but you need to wait a few more episodes), but hating them because of it solves nothing. So all in all, take a step back from it all and just laugh like you're suppose to do. Wait and see what happens! Don't like Satou? Well, there's still Misaki and a plethora of other characters (one in particular that shares your views!). Besides, Satou is not such a horrible person. Seriously, if you really can't wait, read the manga and you'll see that Satou is not nearly as bad as you think ;)

[Itlandm]

I don't pass a crash site an extra time to look at the body parts. I don't laugh when people slip on a banana peel or get a pie in the face. So maybe this show just isn't for me, once we come to the point where it turns out the good characters are bad. Until then I'll probably watch it.

People have actually very limited free will, as observation and introspection will reveal over time. And some have even less than others. The key is to use what little one has, exercize it regularly, and use it ahead of time to leverage it. Plan for one's own weakness and arrange ahead of time to minimize the self-created problems. But there is no point in me telling a cartoon character that.

[physics223]

Life is most certainly not that simple. There may always be a choice but that doesn't mean that choosing the correct choice is easy. You've seen one episode, I'd hardly say that you have an in depth view of his mind already. Maybe he really did have an extremely painful past that justifies the way he is. Satou has a weakness and faulting him on that is frankly, cruel.

I didn't say anything about having an in-depth view of his mind. Serial killers have a weakness (they can't cherish life). Does faulting them on their misdeeds seem cruel? I don't think so, and that's what I'm doing with Satou.

Viewing the world positively...? Hikkikomori's usually have good reasons for isolating themselves from society. Chief among these reasons is the lack of ANYTHING good coming from their life. Chances are that whatever exprience they had with society was not a good one. It's extremely difficult to view the world positively when you've known nothing but sorrow from it. And because they've known nothing but sorrow it's a rather difficult choice to return to a world that doesn't really care about them in the least.

There are people, like Maximilian Kolbe for example, who were worse off than Satou in ways more than one. Yes, it's extremely difficult to see society in a good light whenever it doesn't do you good, but it's possible. If Kolbe did it in a state even worse off than Satou was, why couldn't he? It's not only Satou who got it bad in life, it's just that he can't look above and forward. I've had my share of shit, and almost flirted with being Satou-ish, but believe me, I thought it through, and it didn't take me four years to figure the right way out. Society doesn't like unconformity; but I've had managed through the years.

Simply, what I believe is that you're taking this issue personally and it's clouding your judgement. You're throwing out sage statements that hold a lot meaning but are simply not pratical for most people. All a matter of perspective? I may think the world's a nice place but I'm still going to be bummed out when I fail at something and people laugh at me because of it. Reality is so very much more complex then a few statements can explain.

People like Satou may be cowardly, they may be loathsome (and Satou recognizes this; but you need to wait a few more episodes), but hating them because of it solves nothing. So all in all, take a step back from it all and just laugh like you're suppose to do. Wait and see what happens! Don't like Satou? Well, there's still Misaki and a plethora of other characters (one in particular that shares your views!). Besides, Satou is not such a horrible person. Seriously, if you really can't wait, read the manga and you'll see that Satou is not nearly as bad as you think ;)

It's hard to laugh through it at all. I wouldn't laugh at people being impaled, or people being slashed to death. I see the same with Satou's soul, and I CAN'T laugh. I don't enjoy laughing at people for the most part; I enjoy laughing with them. Laughing at somebody's who's worse off than you is evil, honestly.

[Idle Eve]

And so I can now firmly say with confidence, "This is why I come to animesuki."
You guys advocate what I enjoy so much, intelligent conversations. There's talent here and your strong opinion, your firm backing and the precision of your words and beliefs are but a few defining characteristics of the individuals here. Please bare with me, but I've always taken an interest into understanding people and in the process, understanding my own faults. One such fault of mine is the inability (for the moment I believe) to express a strong opinion. For an aspiring writer, this could be deadly, but up until now, I've done well on my essays. However, onto my point...

Thank you to:
Muir Woods
Psychics223
Mr.Guy
Bahamut89
(and anyother I may have missed)

for bringing to my attention a thoughtful topic. Humans, conformity, society, and acceptance.

--- I'll also place my insights into the anime, but I'll wait until the 3rd episode to do that. I'll be back of course to say a view words here and there, but, however, here's a little on what I think. Thus far, I enjoy the show for its artistic opening and intepretation of an... anti-social... for a lack of a better word. I guess I have to admit, I'm rather ignorant of the college life and struggling that Satou has to go through. Perhaps I should slap myself for that, but in all honesty, I think that's what attracts me to Satou. He's something I don't know much about. Sadly though, I should know more about Satou. It's not like I don't know someone who isn't in his position... Geesh. I actually feel guilty, but that topic aside, I'm going to watch this series until the end.

[Itlandm]

It's hard to laugh through it at all. I wouldn't laugh at people being impaled, or people being slashed to death. I see the same with Satou's soul, and I CAN'T laugh. I don't enjoy laughing at people for the most part; I enjoy laughing with them. Laughing at somebody's who's worse off than you is evil, honestly.
I agree to this. However, there is an ancient dispute about the effects of letting loose evil feeligns against imaginary characters. Already the ancient Greeks considered this when they set up their tragedies. One theory (prevalent among those Greeks) is that letting your feelings out will cleanse you ("Katharsis"). The other theory says that getting used to negative emotions and actions will make it easier to live them out in real life.

It is hard to find this out simply from statistics. A murderer who has watched violent movies, for instance, may have watched them precisely because he already liked violence. Perhaps a non-violent person watching the same movies would have become even more disgusted by the violence and so even more peaceful. It is hard to find out unless you perform experiments on random people, and this is not allowed in any civilized nation.

Actually some point to Japan as such a social experiment. Japanese manga and anime contain more hentai - sexual perversity - than their American counterparts, but in real life Japanese sexual morality is far above the west. This does not necessarily say that hentai manga prevents rape, for instance, but it seems unlikely to be a direct connection at least. I would assume the same to hold true for other strong emotions, like anger or contempt.

But as for me, I am probably in the same situation as you here: I am physically unable to laugh at shows like this. That's not why I watch it.

[lavielove]

It's about 1 year ago,I changed my job and unfortunately I was unenployed.The bills were kept coming in even though I was broke like hell.In that time I was the greatest consumer for all kinds of entertainment.Slept the whole day, woke up at night and watching anime all night.Since I was living alone, my room was like a junk just like Satou lived.But lucky enough, the electricity was not cut off.

That's the reason why I sympathize Satou.When someone is depressed, it's natural to find a way to cure himself whatever way possible.Satou made a choice once and Misaki is now giving him an another option.Actually not even an option since I can guess his choice in the next episode.

[Anime Online]

Satou scares me. Not so much as being a hikikomori that hasn't socialised with the outside world for 3-4 years, but he actually seems mentally unsound. Harboring a paranoia of people talking about you or conspiring against you, receiving messages from television, halluciations, social isolation. These are all telltale symptons of schizophrenia.

Or maybe he smoked alot of really bad weed.

[physics223]

I agree to this. However, there is an ancient dispute about the effects of letting loose evil feeligns against imaginary characters. Already the ancient Greeks considered this when they set up their tragedies. One theory (prevalent among those Greeks) is that letting your feelings out will cleanse you ("Katharsis"). The other theory says that getting used to negative emotions and actions will make it easier to live them out in real life.

It is hard to find this out simply from statistics. A murderer who has watched violent movies, for instance, may have watched them precisely because he already liked violence. Perhaps a non-violent person watching the same movies would have become even more disgusted by the violence and so even more peaceful. It is hard to find out unless you perform experiments on random people, and this is not allowed in any civilized nation.

Actually some point to Japan as such a social experiment. Japanese manga and anime contain more hentai - sexual perversity - than their American counterparts, but in real life Japanese sexual morality is far above the west. This does not necessarily say that hentai manga prevents rape, for instance, but it seems unlikely to be a direct connection at least. I would assume the same to hold true for other strong emotions, like anger or contempt.

But as for me, I am probably in the same situation as you here: I am physically unable to laugh at shows like this. That's not why I watch it.

I definitely agree to your statements, and those in bold are given emphasis. We actually talked about it (some of my friends and I) in real life, and they agreed with me when I said that the reason that crime rates aren't really high in Japan is that they could vent out their emotions into a lot of harmless things (watching pr0n, masturbating [we're not going to be picky here], or some other forms of channeling emotion safely that the Westerners more often than not do not possess). The Greeks weren't exactly the smartest people back then, but this was offset by the presence of undeniably perceptive and insightful people (Aristotle, Socrates, Plato, Anaximander ... ) who weren't perfect but for the most part spoke correctly about life in general. Anime may be one of those channels, though I still can't get myself to laugh at people worse off than me (unless they made it in a blatantly funny way, which I didn't perceive when I watched the episode).

It's about 1 year ago,I changed my job and unfortunately I was unenployed.The bills were kept coming in even though I was broke like hell.In that time I was the greatest consumer for all kinds of entertainment.Slept the whole day, woke up at night and watching anime all night.Since I was living alone, my room was like a junk just like Satou lived.But lucky enough, the electricity was not cut off.

That's the reason why I sympathize Satou.When someone is depressed, it's natural to find a way to cure himself whatever way possible.Satou made a choice once and Misaki is now giving him an another option.Actually not even an option since I can guess his choice in the next episode.

Granted, it's hard to find an instant solution to depression. I totally accept that and know that it takes time. However, although it may take time, it certainly doesn't take four years does it, for even an (ab)normal guy like me or you to get over his hump? You must have made a choice sooner and stuck with it to have your life the way it is now - and it must have taken you a choice where you stuck to your guns to get over that hump. It's that lack that I'm castigating Satou for, because I believe four years is enough time for anyone to reflect and gather balls to break free.

[lavielove]

@physics Yes, four years is too much.

Anime Online I think that's because of the figurine he collects.That figurine is the worst figurine I've seen ever ^^;;

[Yotsuba]

Satou scares me. Not so much as being a hikikomori that hasn't socialised with the outside world for 3-4 years, but he actually seems mentally unsound. Harboring a paranoia of people talking about you or conspiring against you, receiving messages from television, halluciations, social isolation. These are all telltale symptons of schizophrenia.

Or maybe he smoked alot of really bad weed.


In the manga he's a drug-addict, too.

As a hikikomori myself, I can say that years of isolation does crazy things to your mind.

[jiv]

I have been reading some of the comments people have about this series, not only here, but in some blogs and other forums as well. From the last few pags, I think most of the people here undestand What im trying to say, but not everybody does.

A very common reason people don't want to watch the TV series it's because they can relate to the characters. THey are pathetic, disgusting, grotesque, utter losers, whatever. On the other hand, some people love it beacuese they can relate to them.

I'm going to make an extreme comparison here. I wont try to say that NHK is as good as that book, but that they just share common things. Take Crime and Punishment, by Dostoievski. That is one of the greatest novels ever written. But the main character is a complete and absolute fucked up guy. He kills an old woman just beacuse he has some strange theorical ideas about superior people, but like Satou, he has problems when it comes to his own self-esteem and sociability. Just until the last two pages of the book is when the guy thinks that MAYBE he CAN change.

I know have oversimplified a very complex book, and that NHK has a lot of melodrama and dark homour. The first is a masterprice of literature, and the other is a pop culture work. But they may have similar goals. I mean, in Crime and Punishment, the protagonist changed until THE VERY END. But the exectution was great. Maybe the same will happen with NHK.

My point here is that we can't always expect to sympathize with the characters. I mean, in most anime series, even the most despicable characters have some characteristics that the creators put in them so you can like them. I think NHK is interesting beacuse this time you are not supposed to like them, but to analize them. Someone said before this is a show about watching a big loser to say "I maybe a geek, but not like these". I don't think so.

As pretentious as it sounds, I think this anime is about asking "can humans really go up, even when they are in their deepest? why are they like that? and how can they recover?". Maybe they will fail in making it interesting or with some meaning, but at least the manga has reached its goal in its own limits.

I really didn't like this episode a lot, mainly because they took away all the weird humour, but even if the animation drops its quality, I'll keep watching.

All in all, what I was trying to say was "Don't just hate the series because you don't like Satou. Things can get very, very interesting, if the writing is good"

[Muir Woods]

Arg, the Animesuki forums were iffy yesterday. I couldn't access the forums as I kept getting this gateway connection (504) error. I wasn't the only one right?

I used perhaps, because I myself haven't congealed my perspective yet. It hasn't been set in stone, in other words. I don't think it's redundant in any way.

I'm going to take a course in literature. It's entertainment, psychology, exegesis - all in one. You should enjoy Mr. Quentin Compson.
When one makes a judgment, one's biases comes into play while making that assessment. It is unavoidable (re: TOK). So it's always your perspective, regardless if that particular piece of judgment has cemented or not. Here I'm seperating perspective from an assessment. An opinion will always be contained within a point of view. And we'll see, on page 672 of Ulysses (it has been a strenuous read), I only have about a quarter of the book left. Then I'll move on to The Sound and The Fury.


There always is a choice, Muir. Life is one big choice. For Satou, he can choose to get well, or he could choose to stay stuck in the mire of his unwillingness to move on. Everyone, not only Satou, encounters illusions in his or her life. I don't have a healthy mind, but I can still choose. (I consider healthy those who have balanced lives in such manner that's worthy of accolade [Jesus Christ, Buddha, Mohammed] I'm fucking far and away from these guys. My mind is as defiled, as full of inquination as a puddle of piss, snot, and puke.)
I am wondering if we are using the same definition for a(n) (un)healthy mind. I am defining an unhealthy mind as a mind that is truly mentally ill or faulty (eg. Patient HM, who's implicit memory is normal, but his explicit memory only last two minutes. He constantly relives his life over and over in two minute intervals.), not merely an extreme of usual traits like nastiness or malevolence. If Louis Wain had severe depression, do you think he could easily make a choice to look on the bright side? No, he will probably be too busy worrying about how lightbulbs are stealing his soul to power it. So I have to disagree, as choices is still an act of the mind, and when one's thought process does not listen to common reason or wisdom anymore, when one's mind belongs at a different dimension, those "choices" you speak of becomes meaningless. And I notice you keep drawing comparison to yourself, as if suggesting that Satou should've done what you've done. Be careful, when using yourself as an example, realize that you and your surroundings are but one case, one instance. It is not a standard. Do not expect any amount of people, large or small, to do the same.

After reading jiv's post, I am content in knowing that there are others who share a similar point of view as I do.

[jiv]

Arg, the Animesuki forums were iffy yesterday. I couldn't access the forums as I kept getting this gateway connection (504) error. I wasn't the only one right?
Nop, I couldn't get in too.

After reading jiv's post, I am content in knowing that there are
others who share a similar point of view as I do.
Oh, thanks for that. I'm from Mexico and visit spanish forums very often. But due to my somewhat crappy english, I have never decided to post her, until now.:heh:

Reading my post again, I think I didn't said EXACTLY what I wanted. Anybody can have their own criteria to select what kind of anime they like. So maybe some people can say "I don't like Satou, so I won't be watching this". It's fine, but I don't think its ideal, for the reasons I said before. They should give NHK a try, though... It's not the case here, but it would be VERY wrong if someone said "I can't stand Satou, so this series sucks".


mmm... I think you are right when you say that IF Satou had a mental illness that would affect his judgement, his problems would be exactly ALL his fault. It's like having schizophrenia, it's not your fault, but it affects you beheavor. Judging only from the anime version his alucinations would lead you to believe Satou has a similar desease, but, the manga makes me thing that he is actually taking drugs.

Anyway, I don't think anybody should try to JUSTIFY Satou, since actually the anime isn't justifying him. And always remarking that its his fault won't lead us to anything. In some point of the manga, when certain person leads Satou to believe that his problems are others' fault, it's only to easily gain his trust and then swindle him.

Think of it as if you were trying to help Satou (yep, just like Misaki, lets help her :p ). It's certainly important that you try to make him realize how he screwed up things, and that it was HIS fault, obvioulsy considering enviromental factors that lead him to it. And reading about the Japan social problems, there are plenty. BUT that would be just the beginning. For example, his parents are also important characters in the series. It's true that they also weren't good enough in Satou's youth, but in the end, it all comes to everyone working together to help him, or just deny the truth. Anyway it's not about faults, it's about solutions.

I would compare Satou to an alcoholic and say that it's not esencial the help of other to cure, but it's relatively easier to see an alcoholic person moving on on his/her own, while a hikikomori is a much weaker person. I just remembered reading a case of a hikki going out of his room after spending years listening to Radoihead (no, not Creep, the good OK Computer songs :p ) until he realized that he wanted to go out. But in most cases, when maybe not even the family knows what to do, they need the help of "Guardian Angels" (Im talking about this article: http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/01/13/news/shutins.php ). I would call Misaki that but.. wait and see. And when there is no family, well, they most likely become homeless.

Oh shi---- I ended talking about hikikomoris, not about the series. mmm Maybe I would just say that all that I'm saying right now seem to be considered in the manga, and that's a good point about it. I know I'm talking with people with psichology studies here, while I'm just a common actuary/mathematics student... but hey, if I said some stupid stuff, just say it!

[physics223]

When one makes a judgment, one's biases comes into play while making that assessment. It is unavoidable (re: TOK). So it's always your perspective, regardless if that particular piece of judgment has cemented or not. Here I'm seperating perspective from an assessment. An opinion will always be contained within a point of view. And we'll see, on page 672 of Ulysses (it has been a strenuous read), I only have about a quarter of the book left. Then I'll move on to The Sound and The Fury.

Meh. I haven't even read Ulysses yet - I honestly got out more, got addicted to DotA, kicked caring for school out of my head ... and read nothing for the past few months. I'll give you that. Okay. Reading my post once more, I think that I meant that although it was only my perspective, I didn't want to observe the lives of depraved men. But take it as you want ... :)

I am wondering if we are using the same definition for a(n) (un)healthy mind. I am defining an unhealthy mind as a mind that is truly mentally ill or faulty (eg. Patient HM, who's implicit memory is normal, but his explicit memory only last two minutes. He constantly relives his life over and over in two minute intervals.), not merely an extreme of usual traits like nastiness or malevolence. If Louis Wain had severe depression, do you think he could easily make a choice to look on the bright side? No, he will probably be too busy worrying about how lightbulbs are stealing his soul to power it. So I have to disagree, as choices is still an act of the mind, and when one's thought process does not listen to common reason or wisdom anymore, when one's mind belongs at a different dimension, those "choices" you speak of becomes meaningless. And I notice you keep drawing comparison to yourself, as if suggesting that Satou should've done what you've done. Be careful, when using yourself as an example, realize that you and your surroundings are but one case, one instance. It is not a standard. Do not expect any amount of people, large or small, to do the same.

In relation to NHK, however, Satou's mind is NOT inherently faulty, as we can see from the hints peppered throughout the episode. I was talking about that in the discussion of my blog post as well. His mind was made, by him, to be faulty. So it's his fault. If he didn't take drugs or smoke in the first place, he wouldn't have been like that. Unless proven otherwise, I think the proof of going to school would have at the least given him borderline sanity (not really faulty).

In my book-reading binge once, Crime and Punishment was among the first ones I've read. It took me three stutters before I managed to read the book, but it wasn't as difficult as The Sound and the Fury: it only was quite heavy, and I didn't have the mental fortitude in those tries before to persevere throughout the book. It's a very potent psychological analysis by one of the greatest masters of literature. However, Raskolnikov was plagued by hunger and poverty that strengthened his isolation from society. It wasn't that he was anti-social; we often see him fall asleep anywhere, and that's because he was poor - the poverty was a factor that led him slowly (as I saw it) to what he did (murder a miserable old lady). He acted for what he believed was right. I'm not condoning his actions, but he made a lot of choices, and it wasn't simply a non-motile one. The bottom line is, I'm much more sympathetic to a person who did what he believed was right - and reformed because it was wrong to many (to society and to God). I'm also much more sympathetic because of the background that he has. He swam in the mire of poverty, not unlike Satou who enjoyed living a comfortable life.

Bah. It's hard to explain a tome with such pastiches of meaning in it; I've only gone understood the psychology partly, but there is also religious suggestion and nationalism (if I remember correctly, a raskolnik is a religious schistic). I'll stop there.

[jiv]

That's why I said my comparison was very... crude. I would say some of my own thoughts about the book, as much as I believe Raskolnikov actions were somewhat irrational. He was poor and alienated, and I sure know that leads some people to crime and murderer but there are other poor characters in the book that don't do what he does. He believed in something, but it turned out to be a rather meaningless reason for killing, and that lead him to despair.

*sigh* Next time I will just make an example, with, I dunno, something less deep. :p I was just trying to say that a non-likable character doesn't make an anime bad, or less interesting. Sorry.

[Mr. Guy]

Arg, the Animesuki forums were iffy yesterday. I couldn't access the forums as I kept getting this gateway connection (504) error. I wasn't the only one right?
Was happening to me too. Took forever to load (and only in Opera) and then 504'd every time I tried to login.

I didn't say anything about having an in-depth view of his mind. Serial killers have a weakness (they can't cherish life). Does faulting them on their misdeeds seem cruel? I don't think so, and that's what I'm doing with Satou.
I think you missed what I was saying. I'm not excuses Satou for his 'misdeeds' but for his weakness. And yes, I think it is cruel to fault serial killers for not being able to cherish life. Circumstances surrounding most serial killer's background generally show things like physical and emotional abuse. They were made to be what they are. Pity is something that should be given in those circumstances because it really wasn't their fault to begin with. Also, my comment about not having an indepth view of his mind was a way of saying, "you can't judge a person from watching 20 minutes of their behavior."

There are people, like Maximilian Kolbe for example, who were worse off than Satou in ways more than one. Yes, it's extremely difficult to see society in a good light whenever it doesn't do you good, but it's possible. If Kolbe did it in a state even worse off than Satou was, why couldn't he? It's not only Satou who got it bad in life, it's just that he can't look above and forward. I've had my share of shit, and almost flirted with being Satou-ish, but believe me, I thought it through, and it didn't take me four years to figure the right way out. Society doesn't like unconformity; but I've had managed through the years.
That's not really that good of an example. Kolbe had religion throughout his struggles, and thus, he had something to turn to in his times of need. Religion is something many people turn in times of need. As you've seen, the woman that Misaki was with also was tooting religion as a form of treatment. Satou, for what we've seen in the first episode, doesn't have anyone like that in his life. So enters Misaki-chan...

That's also a rather unfair example. Kolbe a real person and is about as selfless as they get. Can't get any higher moral ground then that! Satou's a character from a light novel that has delusions of talking furniture :heh:

It's hard to laugh through it at all. I wouldn't laugh at people being impaled, or people being slashed to death. I see the same with Satou's soul, and I CAN'T laugh. I don't enjoy laughing at people for the most part; I enjoy laughing with them. Laughing at somebody's who's worse off than you is evil, honestly.
You wouldn't laugh at them but you'd condemn them as 'jerks' and 'trash'? I don't know, but I'd rather laugh at them then do that. But in all seriousness, Satou's actions are obviously exaggerations. They're taken to an extreme in order to make it something to laugh at. The facial expressions match this obvious exaggeration (see chopping the beer bottle).

I would compare Satou to an alcoholic and say that it's not esencial the help of other to cure, but it's relatively easier to see an alcoholic person moving on on his/her own, while a hikikomori is a much weaker person.
Exactly. I very much doubt that hikikomori's have sane thought processes. Expecting them to make such difficult choices on their own without any stimulas is something that shouldn't be done. And honestly, who could really blame them? They're life styles must seem fine to them. Staying at home, watching TV, surfing the web, no fear of the outside world, no pressures at all, etc. It's a tempting lifestyle. What they really need is someone to show them that living like that isn't okay.

In case my point in everything hasn't been clear enough, I'm trying to say is wait a few episodes in. Honestly, formulating intense hatred or intense love is not something that can really be done with only seeing the character for less then a half an hour. What about that girl he had a crush on? What happened with that? What's up with that class rep? They all had connections to Satou. Wouldn't it make more sense to see what happened with them when condemning/exalting Satou? ;)

[Muir Woods]

In relation to NHK, however, Satou's mind is NOT inherently faulty, as we can see from the hints peppered throughout the episode. I was talking about that in the discussion of my blog post as well. His mind was made, by him, to be faulty. So it's his fault. If he didn't take drugs or smoke in the first place, he wouldn't have been like that. Unless proven otherwise, I think the proof of going to school would have at the least given him borderline sanity (not really faulty).
Then we have come full circle. My initial post posed a plausible what if situation, what if Satou was fundamentally mentally ill, partially or fully. And I went about proving my point within that context. While you have a judgment outside that context, I don't. And it is only the first episode (manga notwithstanding); it is still hard to discern accurately of Satou's mind. If his mind is partially instrinsically awry, however light or severe, it would at least alleviate some of his blame. Ah well, let's us await episode 02.

[npal]

Well, I just watched ep 1. I can understand how can someone get to Satou's condition, and I concur with what some previous posters said that once a mind starts functioning in a certain counter-productive way, it can't change on its own, it needs help and stimulation. Plus, we should refrain from passing judgment to mental patients as being "trash", "at fault", etc. And just for the record, no, preferring staying home to whatever other means of entertainment is ok as long as you can still function effectively in society (be efficient at work, be able to socialize successfully, be able to attend to your own needs -food, sleep, whatever, etc).

I haven't read the manga, but I'll be watching this.

[physics223]

I think you missed what I was saying. I'm not excuses Satou for his 'misdeeds' but for his weakness. And yes, I think it is cruel to fault serial killers for not being able to cherish life. Circumstances surrounding most serial killer's background generally show things like physical and emotional abuse. They were made to be what they are. Pity is something that should be given in those circumstances because it really wasn't their fault to begin with. Also, my comment about not having an indepth view of his mind was a way of saying, "you can't judge a person from watching 20 minutes of their behavior."

If laws followed your statement of not faulting serial killers, the world would be a darker place to live in. Yes, I'll watch more - note that I didn't say I'd stopped watching, rather, I said that I was very negative about the first episode.

That's not really that good of an example. Kolbe had religion throughout his struggles, and thus, he had something to turn to in his times of need. Religion is something many people turn in times of need. As you've seen, the woman that Misaki was with also was tooting religion as a form of treatment. Satou, for what we've seen in the first episode, doesn't have anyone like that in his life. So enters Misaki-chan...

That's also a rather unfair example. Kolbe a real person and is about as selfless as they get. Can't get any higher moral ground then that! Satou's a character from a light novel that has delusions of talking furniture :heh:

It's an example, nevertheless. I'd say that Kolbe's as human as you or I, so if he could do it, why can't they?

You wouldn't laugh at them but you'd condemn them as 'jerks' and 'trash'? I don't know, but I'd rather laugh at them then do that. But in all seriousness, Satou's actions are obviously exaggerations. They're taken to an extreme in order to make it something to laugh at. The facial expressions match this obvious exaggeration (see chopping the beer bottle).

I'd rather let them face with the problem at hand rather than circumambulate around them by laughing at them. It's better to be frank. They are jerks. Rather than laugh at them, at least letting them know that they are can probably make them change rather than passively just making fun at them.
Does laughing behind other people's back aid solve their problems?

In case my point in everything hasn't been clear enough, I'm trying to say is wait a few episodes in. Honestly, formulating intense hatred or intense love is not something that can really be done with only seeing the character for less then a half an hour. What about that girl he had a crush on? What happened with that? What's up with that class rep? They all had connections to Satou. Wouldn't it make more sense to see what happened with them when condemning/exalting Satou? ;)

I never said I'd stop watching.

[hi no ken Jebus]

Cute episode as Misaki kept hounding Sato about the contract. His elaborate lies to get out of it were just awesome:heh:. Kaoru is probably my favorite character thus far for his short temper and annoying tastes in music:heh:. Looking forward to ep 3 when him and Sato start making their ero game:heh:

http://img417.imageshack.us/img417/6308/nhkep2gi4.th.jpg (http://img417.imageshack.us/my.php?image=nhkep2gi4.jpg)

[Dorfl]

Hoo, a remix of Odoru Dame Ningen? I love that song.
*listens to it*
Boo, they changed the part I like most. Fail.


This program attracts my attention because of musicans of ED.
Kenji Ohtsuki(vo) and Fumihiko Kitsutaka(gr) are reunion
after practically breaking up Kinniku Shoujotai in 1998(or so).

Sound sample for their pieces can be heard at
http://www.jvcmusic.co.jp/-/Discography/A004578/VICL-36098.html

track 1 is Odoru Akachan Ningen (Dancing Babyish Humans)
track 2 is Nippon Hikikomori Kyokai no Theme (Nippon Hikikomori Kyokai's Theme)
track 3 is Odoru Dame Ningen 2006 (Dancing Useless Humans 2006)

Odoru Dame Ningen is Kinniku Shoujotai's piece back in 1991, IIRC.

Kinniku Shoujotai's vidoes at youtube.
http://youtube.com/results?search=%E7%AD%8B%E8%82%89%E5%B0%91%E5%A5%B 3%E5%B8%AF&sort=video_view_count

ETA:
筋肉少女帯 (Kinniku Shoujotai) is abbreviated to Kin Sho and they write themself in alphabet as King-Show.
They might be known as Eat-Man's OP Chiisana Koi no Melody (Melody of Little Love) for oversea anime fans.
And/Or
CM piece for the SFC version of Street Fighter II Batoru Yarou -
Hyakuman Nin no Aniki (Battle Rogue - Elder Brother Of A Million Men).

[Aidan]

I'd rather let them face with the problem at hand rather than circumambulate around them by laughing at them. It's better to be frank. They are jerks. Rather than laugh at them, at least letting them know that they are can probably make them change rather than passively just making fun at them.
Does laughing behind other people's back aid solve their problems?

The only way to help such people is to extend a hand and actually help them, laughing behind their back won't help them or hurt them. It will only make the person laughing feel better about themselves at the expense of someone else. But telling them that they are jerks? How will that help someone who is trapped in a negative spiral of thought? Such frank comments to their face will only reinforce their behavior, the same as laughing right in front of them. They will end up worse then they were before.

I personally pity Satou and people like him, they are so disconnected from those around them that they miss out on being the social being that is man. Don't think too much and do more. Mind you that solitude is not a bad thing, but I'd have to go into spiritualism, things like self-reflection, inner growth, humbleness as a human and stuff like that (read: not necessarily religion)

[physics223]

Some guys don't even know they're like that ... so telling it to them can work.

[npal]

^ Depends on the person but we can all feel free to assume that most will just either dismiss you or get hostile.

[physics223]

At least most dismissing you is better than all being pissed off. From my experience (yours will definitely differ), people prefer others saying stuff direct to their face than being laughed at behind their backs.

[Aidan]

Some guys don't even know they're like that ... so telling it to them can work.

Your statement is true for people that haven't realizes that they have a problem. The thing is, Satou already realizes that what he's doing isn't good for him and he knows he has a problem. But even though he realizes this, he's incapable of changing by himself. Which is just how he thinks about things, he sees himself too much as a victim. So Just telling him isn't good enough, because he won't be able to change on his own, he needs to be helped through the process.

[npal]

Eh, that's an unfair comparison. I prefer this one : People prefer others being empathic than saying stuff directly to their face. It's not what you say really, it's the way you say it and ultimately how the person perceives you. The best of intentions won't reach someone in depression with just this : "you're depressed, life is tough, get over it on your own." Even if you sincerelly care, you won't accomplish anything if you can't reach the other person, and direct confrontation can work on some occassions but it's best to try more indirect approaches. Direct confrontations more than usually invoke defensive mechanisms and it's the last thing you want.

[DarknessTear]

I like this show because I can relate to Satou a lot. Of course I don't do drugs though. And I also know what I'm doing isn't good for me.

[Clarste]

Nevermind.

[silverfire]

http://silverfire.isadouchebag.net/pdf/nhk01_[AnimeAssassinsQC].pdf

Was bored, so I QC'ed the A-A release. Not affiliated with any groups releasing the series. Emphasis on translation, editing, and timing.

Read it with the consideration that I QC for groups such as Nanashi and Static-Subs and I apply the same level of detail as with other groups, and may not be representative of the level of quality that this group was striving to provide.

[Deathkillz]

ep 2 was refreshing :) why cnt sato just admit that he is a NEEt and sign the contract >.< now he has to make an ero-game to continue his lie that he isnt one :p

[chrno]

I heard about this show and I decided to take a chance to check it out. I have to admit it's very clever in a very somewhat disturbing kind of way. And even though it does hit on a very true aspect of Japan's society I still couldn't help but laugh at some of the things going on in the show. I guess the creator wanted to bring the issue to light but also try to poke at it in some comical way but not demeaning. It's been awhile since I've seen shows that hit on some social issues with a surreal twist to it. Last one I saw was 'Paranoia Agent'. Another one from 'Gonzo's studio. Y'know the guys that manage to f**** up shows. :P

I'll be sticking close to this show this season. Even the ED is very interesting. I like the music but the imagery is pretty "trippy". Now all they got to do is start marketing the T-shirts. LOL.:)

[Kisuke06]

Episode 2 was a very good one. Hell, now I think that the purupuru song is finaly over. At least I hope so.

I thought that Satou would enter in "the project" and that he would admit that he is a Hikikomori. But now he is even going to make an ero-game to show that he is really a creator.

[Jaruromania]

Anyone else notice that Misaki is portrayed significantly more innocently in the anime than the manga? In Episode 1, Misaki's "Kochira de bai...nani?" (We're taking jo-what?)was said with a sly smile, while in the anime, was said in a sincere tone. Also, the scene at the beginning of Episode 2 as well.

Well, with Makino Yui doing the voicing, what can you really expect...

[physics223]

I think that ep2 was significantly better than ep1. I don't know why, but I laughed throughout in a very sarcastic tone. It wasn't at Satou, I just laughed. Perhaps it was because of how much he loved lying, I don't know - but I had fun. Puzzle had a very big thing to do with it. :)