About Welcome to the NHK

"About Welcome to the NHK"
Welcome to the NHK first began as a single novel, published by Kadokawa Shoten which was released in Japan on January 28, 2002. Later, the story was adapted into a manga series written by the same person, though the art this time was done by Kendi Oiwa. An anime was also created which aired in Japan between July 9, 2006 and December 17, 2006, containing 24 episodes.

In real-world Japan, NHK refers to the TV channel and broadcasting corporation Nippon Hōsō Kyōkai, but within the series, NHK also stands for Nippon Hikikomori Kyokai which means "The Japanese Hikikomori Association", a reference to the protagonist's claim of a subversive conspiracy led by NHK (the broadcasting corporation) to create NHK (the hikikomori group). While it mainly deals with the reclusive phenomenon of hikikomori, the plot also explores many other Japanese subcultures — for example: otaku, lolicon, and internet suicide.
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Welcome to the NHK revolves around the lives of several young-adults all living in or around the city of Tokyo. Many different lifestyles are shown though most of the time the story focuses on the concepts of being a hikikomori, anime otaku, and having most of the characters experience intense feelings of depression and loneliness.

The main protagonist is Tatsuhiro Satō, a university dropout entering his fourth year of unemployment. He leads a reclusive life as a hikikomori, ultimately coming to the bizarre conclusion that this happened due to some sort of conspiracy. One day just when his life seems entirely unchanging, he meets Misaki Nakahara, a mysterious girl who claims to be able to cure Tatsuhiro of his hikikomori ways. She presents him with a contract basically outlining that once a day they would meet in the evening in a local park where Misaki would lecture to Tatsuhiro in an effort to rid him of his lifestyle. During these outings, many subjects are discussed, though they almost always pertain in some way to psychology or psychoanalysis. One of their first meetings in fact deals with interpreting Tatsuhiro's recent dreams.

Both Tatsuhiro and Misaki, however, have a tendency of over-doing things, such as hiding the truth, especially from each other and themselves. Despite Misaki's offer and pressing attempts at salvation, it is Tatsuhiro's neighbor and high school friend, Kaoru Yamazaki, whom Tatsuhiro often turns to in moments of need and support. Also, despite his own idiosyncrasies, Yamazaki is one of the more stable characters in the story.

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