Welcome to the NHK is one of the most talked-about anime out there, and there are already plenty of people who can attest to its quality. I don't expect that my review will add anything particularly new or profound to the general discussion of this show. Rather, I just want to put my own thoughts into words about a show I enjoyed on a deeper level, something I don’t often do here.
Is this show worth your time? Absolutely. Would I recommend it to others? Yes and no. I don't imagine NHK will work for everyone. It's wacky and absurd yet grounded, serious and dark at
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the same time. Like Evangelion, Frieren, or Silver Spoon, it’s a series you’ll only fully appreciate if you’ve been, or still are, in a specific headspace that lets you relate to the characters and their struggles.
That doesn’t mean you won’t enjoy it if you can’t personally relate, but I believe the deeper meaning behind NHK becomes clearer only when you can see yourself in these characters and look beyond the surface. It can hit you like a truck, get unexpectedly meta, and it doesn’t offer the kind of wish fulfillment you might expect as you watch the characters face their hardships. It’s no surprise that NHK served as a wake-up call for many viewers. If you’re feeling stuck in life for whatever reason and can’t seem to find a way forward, this show might be for you. It won’t necessarily feel comforting or pleasant, but if you’re like me or other fans of the series, you’ll keep watching anyway and maybe come away from it with something meaningful.
I'm not interested in summarizing the plot, but instead want to share my thoughts on NHK’s themes, some of its characters, and the ending. So, spoilers ahead.
NHK is, as mentioned before, realistic and sometimes painfully relatable. It doesn’t shy away from showing the “trash” of society, how people end up falling into this pit, and how difficult it is to get out. Everyone has goals and dreams, things they’d rather be doing, but according to them, society prevents them from reaching those dreams. It’s all part of some conspiracy, a secret organization working in the shadows to keep you stuck in limbo. Maybe you don’t believe in those kinds of conspiracies and instead you tell yourself that the reason you’re failing is because people around you hate you. Maybe you think you can’t get a girlfriend because women are unfair and never give you a chance. Whatever the excuse is, it’s never your own fault. Deep down, you know that isn’t true, but you can’t admit it.
Satou is a shut-in because he got used to a lifestyle of laziness and isolation, made possible by the support of his family and friends. He’s afraid to challenge the status quo. Yamazaki moves to Tokyo because he rejects his family’s plans for his life. He’s afraid of losing control and runs away, yet still doesn’t achieve anything meaningful on his own. Other characters face similar struggles, though it would take too long to go through them all.
Yet one thing connects them all: they’re afraid to get better. They know they need to change in order to survive, but what if it doesn’t work out? Instead, they wait and hope for a miracle, something that saves them from their situation without any real effort on their part. But reality doesn’t work that way. Every character’s story ends the same: they are forced to change. Yamazaki moves back home and finds a sort of happiness in his new life. Hitomi is still depressed but finds some peace in her marriage. Satou and Misaki keep each other in check, leaving their old lifestyles behind and slowly working their way toward something better. Will any of it last? Nobody knows, but it’s hopeful at least. Life goes on and as long as you have the will to live, it pushes you to move forward too.
So what can the viewer take away from this show? Satou was lucky to have met Misaki. Having someone like that to help you would certainly be life-changing, but would it be realistic? Most people don’t have a Misaki to support them in their darkest moments. Does that mean NHK is actually unrealistic? Does it betray the themes it established? Let’s bring back a certain statement that both Satou and the viewer are confronted with multiple times. Early on, Yamazaki says that girls like that don’t exist in real life. He’s talking about the video games, but Satou imagines Misaki. The anime isn’t real life for us. Misaki exists in there, but for us, “girls like that don’t exist in real life.” Ultimately, we need to move forward without a Misaki to help us. Even Satou, while lucky to have her around, didn’t get his final push from her. It came from his own desperation, his lack of money, and his instinct to survive. The world forced him to move, and he decided that for himself.
Now in the end, while I went into this show with barely any expectations, I came out with a connection to the story and characters that I don’t feel often. It takes some time to get used to, but once NHK grabs you, you’ll have a hard time putting it down.
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Oct 25, 2025
NHK ni Youkoso!
(Anime)
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Welcome to the NHK is one of the most talked-about anime out there, and there are already plenty of people who can attest to its quality. I don't expect that my review will add anything particularly new or profound to the general discussion of this show. Rather, I just want to put my own thoughts into words about a show I enjoyed on a deeper level, something I don’t often do here.
Is this show worth your time? Absolutely. Would I recommend it to others? Yes and no. I don't imagine NHK will work for everyone. It's wacky and absurd yet grounded, serious and dark at ... 
Oct 23, 2025
Kotoura-san
(Anime)
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It honestly annoys me a little that I can only give "Kotoura-san" a 6. The potential was certainly there: Fantastic first episode with a premise and tone that made this show stand out among others in the genre. While the the first few episodes after the Ep1 didn't reach the same high, I would still consider them good. Characters started off interesting, somewhat layered, with more than one side to them. Honestly a weirdly good mix of comedy and drama.
This is sadly where the good points end. As soon as the main cast is fully established, it just turns into a generic rom-com, giving us ... 
Jul 3, 2022
Futsuu ni Kiite Kure
(Manga)
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Overall not as good as Fujimoto's previous One-Shots but still pretty good. Very meta if you interpret this work as a way of him showing his experience with CSM's success and how people interpret too much into it. But then again I might just be interpreting too much into this one already ironically.
Quick and short read. A little bit funny but feels grounded and real. Recommend checking this one out if you have 5 minutes to spare. At this point Fujimoto can't do anything wrong judging from how he decided to make this one-shot to basically troll his readers but we'll see what happens ... 
Dec 11, 2021
This is by no means a revolutionary piece of art but it also doesn't try to be. I watched this anime with my friends after we randomly came across it while looking for a good anime to binge. We started off just joking around, thinking this would be one of those badly made kids shows that make you fall asleep after a few minutes. Though luckily this couldn't have been farther from the truth. A simple but yet interesting story, great voiceacting performance and phenomenal animation all around. This anime is the best example of a hidden gem I have ever seen. I would implore
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