 | | ▪ | RELEASED BY: | | ADV FILMS | | | ▪ | ASPECT RATIO: | | 16:9 ANAMORPHIC WIDESCREEN | | | ▪ | AUDIO: | | ENGLISH AND JAPANESE DD 2.0 | | | ▪ | RUNNING TIME: | | 100 MIN | | | ▪ | RATING: | | TV PG | | | ▪ | RELEASE DATE: | | 03/18/2008 | | | ▪ | REVIEW DATE: | | 03/26/2008 | | | ▪ | REVIEWED BY: | | SCOTT CAMPBELL |
Welcome to the NHK is a welcome addition to the small, but increasing number of anime series that directly deal with anime fandom itself. One of the best recent examples would be Genshiken, a very enjoyable anime all about a University anime club and the adventures that the members have throughout the school year and beyond. Welcome to the NHK is a slightly darker look at a different angle of fandom, and perhaps even how to turn that dark side around and make it into something amazing! If you liked Genshiken, Welcome to the NHK is the next level! It’s certainly very funny, but often in a more mature way than other anime of similar subject matter.
Continuing on where volume two left off, volume three is still very psychologically interesting in a variety of ways, and even dives deeper into the subconscious problems of the two boys, Yamazaki and Sato. Girls, girls, girls – all their troubles are seemingly caused by girls (just like any other average male - haha) or by their own lack of motivation or understanding of what they want to be doing with their lives. This show continues to be a semi-realistic, and then also often a very realistic look at the human psyche, especially from inside the mind of males in their mid-twenties. These guys are just trying to figure themselves out often then not, and it’s always either very interesting or very funny to watch them try. Yamazaki’s bitter past comes out more in this volume – we can really start to see and understand more of why he is the way he is, and why he is so untrusting of other people, and especially girls. He has always had really bad luck with girls – the problems stem all the way back to when he was much younger. He really wants to prove to the world that he can do something right and win the girl in the end. The sexual frustration of the male characters, and perhaps even that of one of the female leads, is getting more hilarious with each episode. It just builds and builds, and it’s awkwardly funny to watch. Sato and Yamazaki continue with the production of their Hentai video game, and it becomes more and more apparent that the main female character is actually a representation of the girls that the two guys have crushes on. Both are embarrassed to realize that their subconscious thoughts are being played out in their work, and they yell at each other and get into various arguments about it, but they always seem to make up. Yamazaki does plenty of woman hating and ranting – at least until the girl he likes calls him up and invites him out to watch the fireworks with her. This show is a rollercoaster of changing emotions and ideas – it’s as crazy as the mind of anyone who’s just not quite settled. It’s really great to see the animation staying totally up to par with what we’ve seen already from the series – and it’s getting better in some respects too. The backgrounds, including everything from the scenery to the general mess on people’s shelves and in their rooms, are certainly getting more detailed and interesting to look at. This becomes especially true when the setting of the story ventures outside more, rather than always in the dank, dark rooms that these two social misfits call home. The animation as always is so colorful and bright – it’s such a high point of goodness for this series. The physical comedy is also completely worth mentioning again – it’s just great, and there were some especially funny moments in this volume. A favorite was seeing Sato attempt to climb half way up a shelving unit with just his toes while he tried to wrestle an open lap top away from Yamazaki. He of course ended up losing and falling and almost breaking his back! Welcome to the NHK is a crazy mix of a lot of things, but it all boils down to being a show about confused young adults trying to make their way in a world that doesn’t fully accept them, while they change their minds over and over again about a variety of angst-ridden subjects. It’s as mentally arresting as it is hilarious! EXTRAS:
Clean Closing, Clean Opening, DVD Credits, ADV Previews. IN SUMMARY:
Welcome to the NHK has a lot of what makes Genshiken so good, but takes it to a higher level with a very stylistically cool look to the animation, and a more advanced sense of maturity and issues in general. It’s a story/comedy with so much to offer – a true human drama that will still make you smile in amongst the disbelief.
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