Welcome to the NHK (Novel) (Welcome to the N.H.K.)
by Tatsuhiko Takimoto
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Book Summary Information
Author: Tatsuhiko TakimotoEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2007-10-09
ISBN: 1427802564
Number of pages: 248
Publisher: TokyoPop
Book Reviews of Welcome to the NHK (Novel) (Welcome to the N.H.K.)
Book Review: An Enthralling Novel on an Important (Anti)Social Issue
Summary: 5 Stars
*
Tatsuhiko Takimoto's Welcome to the NHK is a lot of things: dark, dreary, hopeless, depressing, deviously humorous, shocking, and disturbingly amusing. It is also a fascinating read, one that delves into a largely misunderstood social problem and backs it up with a solid, albeit strange, "love" story.
In a "tiny, six-mat, one-room apartment," Satou Tatsuhiro has holed himself up for four years straight, stepping outside his walls of solitude only as necessary to obtain food. He has no job, no girlfriend, and no life. He is a hikkikimori, a social recluse who is absolutely terrified of all social contact. Out of the blue, a missionary knocks on his door, and with her is a beautiful girl. Misaki Nakahara, as she soon reveals herself to be, wishes to enlist Satou to join her special project, a project through which she hopes to rid Satou of his reclusive ways. Eventually, Satou stumbles upon his next-door neighbor Yamazaki, an otaku who has made sexy hentai games his primary ambition in life. In order to impress Misaki, Satou desperately tries to develop a hentai game to show her in order to prove that he is not a useless hikkikimori. As the story progresses, Misaki's darker side emerges, and Satou begins to find a bit of hope.
What makes this book so interesting is Takimoto's ability to make something so ugly into something absolutely beautiful. He turns his own experience of being a hikkikimori, or NEET, into a brilliant "downer" novel, a sad yet overall charming look at what a fear of social situations can do to a person. I constantly found myself identifying with Satou, even if his dramatic failures were merely severe magnifications that people like you and I face every day. Misaki, no perfect character herself, is made all the more appealing in how she wants to help Satou work his way out of his miserable existence.
Now that you know that at least I thoroughly enjoyed the content of the story, I must help you to decide whether or not to shell out what could be over a hundred dollars to buy one of the few remaining copies of this printing of the book. In order for you to know whether this purchase is right for you or not, you need to understand what you're getting and how this representation of Tatsuhiro Takimoto's vision compares with the anime and manga versions of the same name.
For your hard-earned cash, you get a Tokyopop paperback, 230-some pages of novelization, two afterwords by the author which are well worth reading despite their short length, and a glossary detailing some of the terms that may be difficult for the prototypical Westerner to understand. I am lucky enough to have a well-maintained copy of the book, but considering the quantity of this title left available on the Internet, the condition should not factor too much into your decision on whether or not to buy a "reasonably" priced listing.
Compared to the anime and manga, the novel is less fleshed out in terms of character development and far shorter. You could read through this in a short two hours if you're a quick reader but, after all, it IS a "light" novel. However, the novel maintains the author's original and authentically gritty account of hikkikimori life, with all the drug references and Lolicon intact. The manga is far more comedically grounded, and the anime serves as a middle ground between the two printed mediums. Thus, one should only get the novel if they either a.) Loved the anime, b.) Adored the manga, c.) is extremely interested in the subject matter, or d.) is simply addicted to reading Japanese light novels.
Overall, despite the inflated prices online, what you see is what you get- a book. But, if you enter into it with an open mind and a willingness to understand the plight of a young man so like and so unlike ourselves, you will thoroughly enjoy it. Although rough around the edges, it shines on the inside like the potential Misaki sees in Satou. Welcome to the NHK is not a flawless work, but if taken for what it is- a truly original, modern-day pioneer on an important issue that provides a frankly beautiful love story to boot- it succeeds dramatically.
Summary of Welcome to the NHK (Novel) (Welcome to the N.H.K.)
The novel that inspired the manga and anime!Twenty-two-year-old Satou, a college dropout and aficionado of anime porn, knows a little secret--or at least he thinks he does! Believe it or not, he has stumbled upon an incredible conspiracy created by the Japanese Broadcasting Company, N.H.K. But despite fighting the good fight, Satou has become an unemployed hikikomori--a shut-in who has withdrawn from the world.... One day, he meets Misaki, a mysterious young girl who invites him to join her special "project." Slowly, Satou comes out of his reclusive shell, and his hilarious journey begins, filled with mistaken identity, Lolita complexes--and an ultimate quest to create the greatest hentai game ever!Literature & Fiction Books
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