Welcome to N.H.K.



Wow…. That’s all I can say….
So I finished the book some weeks ago and for some reason I want to talk about it.

But before I go on…. If you haven’t read this book which inspired the Manga and the Anime…. Um… that’s good then….but if you have read or knew about it please don’t get the wrong idea about me.  I got that book before I even realize the content.

The illustration in the front was interesting when I saw it.  behind me at that time was the female Sakura Hater* rushing to get out of Borders since she’s going to take a test and so she grabbed all the books in my hands and went to the cash register. (I was surprise she let me have them.) She paid for them but I did pay her back.  When I got home… and of course read the mangas I bought when I got to “Welcome to N.H.K.” I wanted to go back to Borders and exchange the book!!!
I didn’t want to read it after I read the content of the back… but I couldn’t since I don’t have a ride to go there and the Sakura Haters are too busy.  A week later… I couldn’t give the book back anymore… since they might not let me exchange it after having it for a week.   So I had it and ignored it for some days… then I got bored… and decided to read it…

(If you want to read the book and doesn’t want spoilers Don’t read ahead, but go ahead if you feel like it.  I just want to write warnings and the content of the book.)

This book is the most depressing book I’ve ever read… except for 1984.  I didn’t really want to read the book because it says “Twenty-two years old Satou, a college dropout and aficionado of anime porn….” I’m hate those. But really, the book doesn’t even talk about him liking anime porn.  Okay… he did become a lolicon* for a brief time but the book doesn’t go to details about it. I skipped a 2 page with offensive words on it but that’s all I encountered in the book. Going on… Satou is a Hikikomori, a person who shut themselves from the world.  You can say Satou has psychological problems because really…. It’s really really sad what’s going on in a Hikikomori’s head.  The story is told in first person.  The story is really depressing, stupid, dumb, outrageous but in all it’s Hilarious.  Yes… it’s hilariously sad!!

Here’s one that I found funny and just weird in the beginning of the book. This happened when a two solicitor knock on his apartment door giving pamphlets about “Help people not to become a Hikikomori.” Of course Satou is paralyzed since he is one. Anyway Here’s whats going on in his mind during that time. Oh btw, when the lady said “I’m handing out these pamphlets” it took Satou… a 6 page before he actually answered her back… It was sad…

“An idea suddenly hit me.  If everything I surmised was accurate, then in that way, the existence of religion might not be such a bad thing after all.  In fact, surprisingly, it might not even be an exaggeration to call it quite wonderful, instead.
Oh yes, it was actually obscene. Mulling it over carefully I saw that its obscenity  made it extremely wonderful indeed.
For example, an image popped into my mind of a young girl being spanked by a strict, older nun.  This image was followed by Salacious scenes from the witch trials that would later occur.  And finally, a violent torture session took place in a stone-floored basement.  The inquisitor would say, ‘I’ll find out if you are really a witch,’ and then he’d prepare the triangular punishment horse! ‘With a whip?’ Smack! Smack! Smack! ‘Not yet?! Not yet?! Not yet?!’ Smack! Smack! Smack! ‘AHHHHHHH!!!! I beg your mercy!! Spare me!! Please, forgive me!!” However, no one listens to her appeals, and this seemingly endless banquet of indignities keeps escalating and escalating without end
Fantastic!
Satisfaction!
A standing ova-
‘um…’” – Welcome to N.H.K, page 26

Lol and there he realize he’s mind wander in front of the two ladies.  The book is really funny. XD I actually thought it’s going to be about a guy who’s conflict will be man vs. men but really it’s man vs. himself. He just wanted one thing… to get out of the Hikikomori lifestyle.  It’s a depressing book since he didn’t get any happy ending.  This is not a Shojo book. And I’d rather not read the manga or watch the anime since I don’t really want to visualize some images. XD

The book is about how Satou trying his hardest to get out of the hikikomori life but since he’s gone some psychological problem (he’s not completely crazy) it’s rather hard for him to do so…

Anyway… the book is not that bad but I’d rather not read it again… I do regret buying it. I do want to shoot my self.

Sakura Hater* - people who hates Anime, mangas or anything related to Japanese… Sadly for me I live with them.

Lolicon*-  Lolita Complex
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lolicon

I read the manga--I'm looking for volume 2, but commercial bookstores rarely sell it because of the parental advisory > <. It really is a funny manga, and the scenes aren't bad at all--note that I bought volume one along with M.P.D Psycho volume 1, which contained a nude woman who was scalped, had  a flower growing out of her brain, had one eye gouged out, (which, upon further inspection, was found where one of her nipples was supposed to be) so in comparison N.H.K wasn't bad at all--and I recommend the manga.
I like how even though the protagonist is a pretty bad person (how does one accumulate 30GB of porn?), you still rally behind him. It's not exactly the thing to show your momma, but it's better than some of the other stuff Tokyo-pop has been spewing out (I love how they equate "shojo" with "loli" XD).
I haven't seen the anime, but a review for it said that it didn't go as far as the manga goes with the perversion (it said that this was a bad thing, but you might prefer that XD). I'll probably pick up the book , though.

I do agree with you that the story is not that bad at all. It's just that, it does contain some you know what. Usually when I get mangas I look at the art. Like Vampire Knight has amazing art and a really good story. Death Note goes to that also. oh and yes I did see M.P.D Psycho, and I wanted to buy it but they only have 2 and 3. The art is really interesting but now that you told me about.....  that scalped nude woman.... I don't think I'd bother. XD lol I did see some images of the Manga of N.H.K in some volume and what was funny is that he's imagining himself as some kinda alien... idk.. pretty weird. I mean I don't go agains't the story or anything It's just that it wasn't really comfortable reading it.