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sigh...I'd really like to check this out, but I can just imagine the strange looks a girl like me would receive for picking up a DVD with a cover like that!
(...seriously, the cover makes it look like a porno)

Last edited by PantsGoblin on Mon Oct 08, 2007 3:06 am; edited 2 times in total

Key, you did a great review on this, I enjoyed it a lot. Thanks.

Key wrote:

ADV's advertisements for this one are a little misleading. Those who go into Welcome to the NHK expecting it to be something wacky like Excel Saga or playfully funny like Full Metal Panic! Fumoffu? are in for quite a shock, as anime comedies don't come any darker than this. Sato's actions, behavior, and situations certainly do have some humor inherent in them, but at times laughing at Sato feels as dirty and distasteful as laughing at the “special needs” kid you knew in school, the one stuck with the mentality of a 3-year-old. Think about the first volume more as a sociological and psychological case study which generates the occasional laugh and its true value and appeal appears.

I could not agree with this more. ADV's advertising on this series was downright horrible. This isn't limited to the summaries either, which are misleading enough, there's also a statement that is completely false on the cover as well.

animenewsnetwork.com/thumbnails/200x300/releases/9755.jpg

You see right down there at the bottom? It says "Based on the best selling manga". This is false, the anime is based on the original novel. The manga actually deviates from the novel, where the anime is in fact a closer adaption... Oh, the outrage that would ensue if they were to say on Haruhi's DVD cover "Based on the manga"... Meh. Although none of this really surprises me, ADV has had false statements on their DVD covers before. Not to mention credits (save the English names, which are always correct, what a surprise), but I'm not going to get into that.

Quote:

Worse, the quality of the character artistry and animation suffers an atrocious breakdown for a while starting about nine minutes into episode 4.

Thankfully, the series goes back to normal quality in the next episode and ones to follow... Mostly. There's one (only one) more episode where the quality drops again. I can't remember the number off the top of my head, but it's closer to the end. Gonzo mostly did good on this, save those two hiccups. It could've been worse.

Quote:

No fault can be found with the musical score, which never strikes a wrong note and flawlessly sets and enhances the mood of every scene. Most impressive in its light guitar, piano, and harmonica themes, it also offers nice rock, J-pop, and synthesized numbers and ratchets up the tension and anxiety of the more demonstrative scenes. This is a soundtrack worth listening to as an OST. An unremarkable J-pop number fronts each episode, while the thoroughly bizarre closer “Dancing Human Baby” (just try following the lyrics) mixes piano with heavy metal guitar, drum beats, and lyrical styling,

I'm in love with the OST of this anime. I bought all of the OSTs, which is something I very rarely do (I generally buy only OP/EDs, something has to really stand out to me to buy the OSTs). Although I find it sad that you find "Puzzle" "unremarkable", since I love it so much...

Quote:

The first few episodes hit all of the major points which typify the hikikomori lifestyle: sleeping 16 hours a day; reluctant to leave one's room; rarely associating with other people; devoting all waking time to some combination of Internet porn, hentai games, TV, manga, or anime; not bothering to maintain personal hygiene; and withdrawing from society in general. So self-absorbed and limiting is this lifestyle that it can hold a grip akin to drug addiction on a subject, and like with drug addicts, an outside intervention is often required to drag a person out of it.

Not only the show itself, but even that description hits too close to home for me.

For whatever flaws the art holds, the story and content still rings true, and that's what's more important in a series like this one. It's definitely a "dark comedy," although I did find episode 4 outright hilarious when they were doing "character-building" for their H-game -- is it wrong that I could identify source games for most of the character traits Satou wanted to use Question

I did enjoy the OP and ED -- the OP lures you in with high-energy pop, and the ED truly captures the dementia and insanity of the series. (Too bad the second ED is utterly generic.)

championferret wrote:

sigh...I'd really like to check this out, but I can just imagine the strange looks a girl like me would receive for picking up a DVD with a cover like that!
(...seriously, the cover makes it look like a porno)

That's what online stores are for Wink

-- buying things that are too awkward to buy in public. And like I said in another thread, many so-called "normals" already misassociate anime with porn and other deviant works, so buying one with a racy cover isn't much different than buying one with an innocent cover. Though I guess it's different as a guy, since it's part of social expectations for guys to buy perverted/pornograchic material. suppose marketing to the perv crowd is a sound idea, but it's really misleading for Welcome to the NHK!. Anybody expecting a series full of hot babes and good times will be sorely disappointed.

PantsGoblin wrote:

You see right down there at the bottom? It says "Based on the best selling manga". This is false, the anime is based on the original novel. The manga actually deviates from the novel, where the anime is in fact a closer adaption... Oh, the outrage that would ensue if they were to say on Haruhi's DVD cover "Based on the manga"...

I dont think this is as bad as Madman advertising the Fruits Basket manga as being 'based on the hit anime', though... Rolling Eyes

I'm reeeeally starting to be interested in checking this anime out...it's kind of giving me a Paranoia Agent vibe in the reviews, in the sense that it gives a unflinching view of some of Japan's biggest social problems. It sounds like it'd be really interesting to see.

I really liked this series and it is on my BUY list.

But what is up with the packaging? The misleading aspect has been dealt with by the other posters already, but I would like to add two things:

1. I pity anyone that buys the DVD based on the packaging....are they in for a rude awakening.

2. Where is the girl on the cover from? She doesn't look like any of the characters (certainly not in that outfit) and the galgame was high school (almost lolita) based so the girls would not have been that "developed."

lhernan02 wrote:

I really liked this series and it is on my BUY list.

But what is up with the packaging? The misleading aspect has been dealt with by the other posters already, but I would like to add two things:

1. I pity anyone that buys the DVD based on the packaging....are they in for a rude awakening.

2. Where is the girl on the cover from? She doesn't look like any of the characters (certainly not in that outfit) and the galgame was high school (almost lolita) based so the girls would not have been that "developed."

1. I know that the covers are very misleading, but they are the same as the original R2 ones (which don't let up on the sleazy any bit). Perhaps the reason they are like this is to draw a parallel with the way sexuality is viewed in the series. ADV could have used alternative designs, but there aren't that many other promo pictures of the anime and it is eyecatching, without a doubt.

Usually I have an issue with ADV's advertisements, especially their action-clipfests called "trailers." However, this time they did a great job with NHK's, making it a more descriptive (via voiceover) and more professional trailer that gives you a very good idea of what the show is about.

2. I believe that would be Hitomi. spoiler[It won't be the only time the viewer gets a warped presentation of her like that in the series.]

As for the animation quality as critqued in the review, I thought that was pretty good considering how more mainstream and un-GONZO-esque it was (more reminicent of cel animation, no shiny visuals...good to see the studio expand its creativity on this front). There are a few muck-ups, especially in Ep. 21 (IIRC), but it remains overall consistant. The OP theme, on the other hand, instantly became one of my favorites and the accompanying animation fit it so well (same goes for the ED).

championferret wrote:

sigh...I'd really like to check this out, but I can just imagine the strange looks a girl like me would receive for picking up a DVD with a cover like that!
(...seriously, the cover makes it look like a porno)

Don't feel too bad. The store clerk gave me funny looks when I picked up Saiunkoku Vol .1 (I'm a guy)

I loooooved this series, watched the entire thing in two sittings. Would have been one but real life intervened (Quite ironic...)

But, yeah, the show can get pretty... eh, due to the main character's warped visions. The nun masturbation in the first episode almost made me skip the series.

And I hate that DVD cover...

Sam Murai wrote:

2. I believe that would be Hitomi. spoiler[It won't be the only time the viewer gets a warped presentation of her like that in the series.]

Thanks, I saw the series when it came out in fansubs and had forgotten how fan-servicey it was. I guess since the fan-service is either natural (the bathtub scene) or delusional (some of Sato's "visions") it did not register much with me and only on further thinking did I remember it.

I still think it is a great, if rather harsh series, but spoiler[the happy ending, well far happier than it could have been] makes the series stomachable and purchaseable.

Two random comments, having only seen the first volume.

1. The music is really good, I'm digging it.

2. I wonder if the sudden poor animation was a budget choice or an artistic one. Probably some combination of the two. But it seems like we're getting lousy animation at points where Sato's facing his delusions and losing, or maybe barely winning. I could be making that up, or imposing my own pattern on something that doesn't exist.

Also, having been slightly bewildered by the cover myself, I wonder if it's meant to be ironic, since the series is (so far at least) essentially making fun of the people who would buy movies or games with covers like that that meant it. Or did everybody else know this and I'm just catching up?

Keep in mind I have only seen the first episode.

review wrote:

It offers some laughs but its first volume works far better if one regards it more as a drama piece.

This right here seems to be the best advice to give. Even though I thought the first episode was very funny, I could tell right off the bat that there were some very dark undertones and that this would not be a happy go lucky series.

With that said I also thought it was very good, and I will be looking forward to this series and I can't wait till it comes in the mail. Anime hyper

Gah..now I have to explain to my parents why the anime isn't what it seems to be on the cover. >.<

I've already seen the series already and it was so awesome, loved the musical store, the plot, the characters, and yeah. xD

Wow..o-o How could ADV mess up on the "best selling manga" thing..?

Though does anyone know why the artbox is coming in the next volume instead of this volume?

championferret wrote:

sigh...I'd really like to check this out, but I can just imagine the strange looks a girl like me would receive for picking up a DVD with a cover like that!
(...seriously, the cover makes it look like a porno)

I really hate that cover, and to make matters even worse it's not reversible! Evil or Very Mad

But, that's only minor annoyance when it comes to owning this great, great series. Quality issues aside, what really makes NHK great is the dramatic elements of the story. It's great to see that Key made a note of this in the written review and he also gave the story the highest grade along with the music. He even mentioned that the soundtrack is worth listening to as an OST. That's something with which I wholeheartedly agree.

championferret wrote:

sigh...I'd really like to check this out, but I can just imagine the strange looks a girl like me would receive for picking up a DVD with a cover like that!
(...seriously, the cover makes it look like a porno)

PantsGoblin wrote:

Key wrote:

ADV's advertisements for this one are a little misleading. Those who go into Welcome to the NHK expecting it to be something wacky like Excel Saga or playfully funny like Full Metal Panic! Fumoffu? are in for quite a shock, as anime comedies don't come any darker than this. Sato's actions, behavior, and situations certainly do have some humor inherent in them, but at times laughing at Sato feels as dirty and distasteful as laughing at the “special needs” kid you knew in school, the one stuck with the mentality of a 3-year-old. Think about the first volume more as a sociological and psychological case study which generates the occasional laugh and its true value and appeal appears.

I could not agree with this more. ADV's advertising on this series was downright horrible. This isn't limited to the summaries either, which are misleading enough, there's also a statement that is completely false on the cover as well.

Yeah, ADV's false advertising to try to suck people in has long pissed me off. Seriously, I avoided Those Who Hunt Elves for a long time due to ADV's making it seem like some almost hentai title. Granted the series and its sequel aren't much, but I would have missed out on some of the funniest episodes in all anime had it not been for people telling me to just rent it because while it had some fanservice for sure, it was no worse on the nudity front than say Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-ohki.

On the other hand, if I had bought something of ADV's expecting something like Excel Saga or Fumoffu and didn't get it, I'd likely be pissed enough to not purchase any more DVD's. Of course ADV is hoping that you'll like what you see enough to forget the false advertising, but that's not how I role. But its crap like that which makes me glad I have pre-screened an entire series before I buy it.

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REVIEW: Welcome to the NHK DVD 1