Welcome to the NHK (Manga) - Tatsuhiko Takimoto

by Harbinger

Exams are finished, half the stress this year has been trying to get into Hallam Uni with the snow, ice and such. I hope you missed me, if not......you smell! Right now that the plesanteries are dispensed with down to buisness. I would like to make it clear that this is the one and only time I will steal Manga Cat's thunder (please don't beat me!). I would not do this under ordinary circumstances as I do not feel I have enough knowledge on what makes a good Manga. However this one is special to me, it is not often I come across any form of fiction where I feel I know the charachters, as if they are based on myself and people I have knowen. I know it sounds melodramatic, like a drunk girl at a party exclaiming 'This song is all about ME.' Prehaps it is that some of the charachters have a universality. Any way enough of my ravings and droolings, this is a review.

Welcome to the NHK, was originally a book by Tatshuiko Takimoto (which I want but try as I might I can't find any where), which has become an anime and obviously a Manga drawn by Kendi Oiwa. It tells the story of Tatsuhiro Satō, a 22 year old college drop out. He is a NEET (Not in Employment, Education or Training) and what is worse a hikikomori. A hikkikomori is an extreme social recluse, who makes every attempt to avoid contact with other people. He has been living this way for the past 4 years and is living off what little savings he has, only daring to venture out at night to buy food. After taking some drugs (he just has a hallucination in the anime) Satō suffers a hallucination in which his TV tells him that the NHK (A Broadcasting company in Japan), is part of a major conspiracy to create hikikomori so society has some one to look down on. One day he is visited by a young girl Misaki Nakahara a mysterious girl who claims she can cure his hikikomori nature. However, Satō is understandably suspicious as she knows so much about him and he knows little of her.

This is ultimatly a charachter driven plot, with only 3 or 4 regulary reoccuring charachters appearing. I am going to stear clear of talking about the artwork (as I don't have any understanding of it. It looks good enought to me?) and focus on the plot. I was not sure what to make of the Manga at first. It has an interesting upredictability, Dark humour can give way to seriousness with out any warning and vice versa. I found myself laughing, at the most inappropriate times. I giggled during an attempted suicide and then qickly all seriouness returned. This is definatly for people who like twisted humor. This Manga will have you crying when you should be laughing and laughing when you should be crying. Finally seeing as the plot is charachter driven I would like to examine the charchters.

Tatsuhiro Satō, as I mentioned earlier is socially reclusive and at times shows examples of social anxiety and paranoia (he often feel s people are laughing at him). However, despite the seriosuness of his situation his odd persoanlity provides you with plenty of humour. He has a tendacy to lie (very badly) without thinking about it to avoid facing up to problems. Often Misaki, pretends she does not realise he is lying just to see him dig himself into holes. Something else that amuses me is how easily Satō becomes addicted to things. Throughout the Manga he bounces form one addiction to another. He becomes addicted to, online computer games, anime, erotic computer games and at times becomes worse than he was before leaving Misaki and Yamazaki (another friend) to pick up the peaces.

Misaki Nakahara, mysterious and secretive Misaki is an enigma to Satō. She also has a tendancy to lie which makes Satō suspicous of her. She is quick witted and has sarcastic elements which are played down in the anime (to its detroment in my oppinion). Without ruining the plot for you I can say that she has her own problems and is not as emotionaly together as she likes to pretend.

Kaoru Yamazaki, is Satō's next door neighbour and an otaku (and anime geek). He has an unhealthy obsession with anime and dreams of creating his own erotic computer game, roping Satō in at one point. He is a little bit socialy akward but no where near Satō's level and emerses himslef in these erotic games, as a defense against reality. He feels that girls are out only to intentionally hurt him. Most of his humour comes from the fact that he looks like a pushover but will unpredictability flip and usually ends up beating up Satō.

Finally Hitomi Kashiwa, an old school mate of Satō's. She is a total conspiracy nut and feels that evrything bad that happens to her is the result of a conspiracy (possibly where Satō got the idea from). She felt sorry for Satō and befriended him when she found him sitting alone in the Litrature club at school. Satō caonstantly refers to her as Senpai (a term of respect for some one older, like some one a year or two above youself). He clearly fancies her, however her dependecy on drugs to stabalise her moods makes her a bad influence.

I apolgise for the length of this review. I advice people who like somthing very charachter driven to examine this story about a group of seriously troubled people. I am not sure wether this is dark comedy or tradergy or what, but it strikes a cord, also if you like psychoanalysis your on to a winner. Only draw back is you may need some help understanding the occational Japanese slang word that sneaks in.

Oh yes and WELCOME TO THE NHK MWHAAAAA!

TTFN