Old-Ass Anime Cast #3: Welcome to the NHK

[@EscapeJam]

i love when people talk about Welcome to the NHK

[@GrubworldLinearMusicChannel]

Yeah, me too. There are so many opinions, theories about it.

[@francskgp]

me too

[@howtheworldworks3]

Funny. That episode with the hikikomori that left his room after starving for 3 days was also my favourite but only for one reason. The part where he started working and looked actually happy, hit me like a freaking truck with emotions. It freaking made me cry.

[@AstroNotTheBoy]

Always loved that scene. It really shows that if you can someone just put yourself out there it can really workout.

[@OFLO22]

Yeah i love that class leader brother episode too

[@getestar8964]

The best thing about Welcome to the N.H.K is the fact that that it doesn't glamorize being a shut in, they make it very clear that being in the same situation as the main character is not ideal. Sad part about it though is it's not very realistic and most shut ins know this. In real life, there is no Misaki. You're on your own.

[@mysttale7893]

Like digi said the girl was probably put in just to market the story. The original novel sounds quite realistic

[@Toliman.]

Or, you can watch the show as if Misaki is entirely a fiction of Sato's deteriorating mind and he's just sitting outside, talking to himself in a park, etc. like Mr Robot. His delusion /waifu come to life. Of course, the series does shift gears when they get to the island, and from that point on, you could take the whole thing as a spiralling dream fantasy, just as the show does.

[@WhackashitCollaborations]

Misaka is best grill tho, so I don't want to hear your bullshit about realism. I just wanna protect her before I kms.

[@constraintautomaton9547]

In fact Misaki haven't really help Sato in a meaningful way it was more Yamasaki .

[@drifter402]

With the way Misaki is and the way Sato treats her, I can't buy into that theory

[@joeimjoe]

"I'm already a failure at society, so let's go all in... If I can't be normal then I'm going to be the weirdest guy in the world" too real.

[@stradify1]

NHK: the show that simultaneously got me into anime AND made me want to kill myself. Well done.

[@Amin-fj1lx]

Himitsu what's stopping you? JUST DO IT!

[@jarpyr6791]

Amin edgy

[@stradify1]

True. That's one of the reasons I wrote "AND" instead of "BUT"

[@stradify1]

Y'know, I wasn't going to, but your thoughtful rationale pushed me over the edge. See you in the vast abyss of nothingness, guys

[@mynameisnobody454]

Himitsu Please say something :o

[@LiquidShamanMan]

If you like NHK you might also like an anime book called Notes from Underground by the Russian mangaka Fyodor Dostoyevsky

[@earnraku1226]

this is a good rec

[@ДмитрийКончаков-п5ы]

Well, another Russian mangaka Goncharov wrote Oblomov. I recommend it as well.

[@winterx2348]

NHK is a show that I relate to the main character because I can see me becoming him if I'd given into my weaknesses at the time that I was watching it. The ground dropped out from under me, I was failing to keep myself afloat while attending college, struggling to have any form of human contact and maintaining it, and forcing myself to do things I didn't even really understand for a future I was entirely uncertain of. A lot of it felt like a conspiracy or that the world was out to get me and I really wanted to lock myself in my room and never come out, but I managed to keep going and power through it, and because of that, I learned that I'm much stronger than I thought I was. NHK kind of helped propel me to escape the path my life was taking that would ultimately make me miserable. What I learned from my experiences is exactly what this show preaches: There's no perfect self help book or miracle drug that fixes all of your problems, there comes a point when you can't put the blame on your parents or people who might have wronged you. In the end it's all about what you DO, and if you choose to do nothing, then that's all you'll amount to in the end.

[@Warr1on]

Ahh, Welcome to the NHK! This and OreGairu are my favourite and most relatable titles. Still remember the first time i watched it - after i finished i just laid on my bed and cried. And the very next day i rewatched it. Not only i was deeply touched by the great story, but it just made me reflect hard on my own life through deep emotional connection with Satou and his lifestyle. At the time i watched it, i was on my way to become a shut-in, i lost connections to society and was rethinking my whole life, so this was a bull’s eye hit. I can’t even express the feeling i’ve got - it’s just like you’re watching a mirror reflection of your own life struggling, like the story is written by an alternative universe you and just especially for you. For now, i’ve watched it 5 times. My life changed alot through this time, but i never felt less related to it. It happened at my second year in university. Right after the first semester began, i got ill, and i was ill for over a month. All that time i spent home doing nothing, and when the time came to return to my daily life and go back to university, something went wrong. I just couldn’t. Every time i came to this place, i got sick of it. I got sick of my dumb fellow students, i got sick of poor educational standards, i got sick of half-assedness of everyone (including university staff) towards the educational process. I hated this place. And not only university, literally almost everything i did and every place i went started to look wrong. It was like when i was engaged in all of these daily activities, i turned a blind eye on a silliness and meaninglessness of it all. Life is built that way so a man would never have time to think. But when i got rid of my daily routine, i just started to look at things and at my own life from a third-view point, i started to reflect on my life alot, and it’s just like i dropped my rose-tinted glasses of my own obliviousness towards life. So i couldn’t stand this daily routine lifestyle anymore and soon i was dropped out and became a shut-in. Some time had passed since then, now i have a work (i work from home, but nonetheless), bought a car (old, but still), and though i still remain mostly as a shut-in, in past year i started to go outside of my room more frequently. But you know what - i never got rid of my depression. In fact, now it’s much worse than when i was a complete shut-in. Now i miss those days. I really miss the times when i’ve got no responsibility, no obligations to do anything, when i could just lie back and stare at the ceiling for hours, or watch a 50-series anime in one go. Now, even though my workload is very small in fact, i feel everyday like i’m a slave. A slave to society. A slave to my own physical needs. A slave to my own instinctual desire to live. I hate it. But i can do nothing about it. And month after month, year after year, it becomes more and more unbearable. I wonder if killing your mind with medications is the only way to get rid of this feeling. I can’t talk to anyone about this. In my country, if you're having problems like that, then everyone will just scorn you for «being lazy». I can’t ask for medical help. In my country, if you’re having mental problems, people’ll treat you like a piece of garbage - all i’d achieve is i’d being thrown into an asylum and i’d be socially stigmatised for the rest of my life. And life is going to become a lot harder than this in next years. I think, i’ll never come to terms with this life, and that’s why i probably will never stop to relate to things like Welcome to the NHK.

[@nowiecoche]

+, to bump up the comment.

[@chiefgrizzy3366]

Warr1on thank you for sharing

[@chiefgrizzy3366]

Warr1on thanks for sharing

[@Warr1on]

grant lindros, thanks for reading. I always loved comment sections on NHK ni Youkoso videos. In these, it's a common sight to see random people open their hearts to others, telling their personal stories, being compassionate towards people they don't even know. Every time i read stories like this, every time i read replies to them and sudden conversations between people in similar situations, i feel a strong sense of unity. Even though i don't know these people, even though all we have in common is our problems, that is more than enough to make me feel better, to make me feel that i'm not alone and not the only one who has to deal with this. And i think that many others are feeling that way too. So i wrote this in hope that maybe someone will read it and will feel a little bit better knowing that there are other people like him, dealing with similar problems. P.S. Sorry for my (possibly) bad english, i'm not a native speaker. Hope that it's not painful to read.

[@dbh1cibai]

I recommend you to read "The Power of Now" by Eckhart Tolle if you haven't done it yet.

[@AfterimageTV]

On a side note, I really love the OST for this anime.

[@moahammad1mohammad]

The Hunter × Hunter OST is better but this one is crazy catchy and bingeable.

[@dylathered]

my memory is foggy but if ur referring to puzzle by round table, i also agree that that song is amazing

[@basedhalcyon]

I dropped out of high school and was a hikki for about a year and a half before college. That is when I read/saw NHK for the first time. I read and watched it again after college when I was in the same position because finding a job was really, really fucking hard. Now, I have worked a few jobs, but the ending of that story was true. I'm still a massive fuckup, but now I can fund it on my own instead of relying on my mom. I still feel the same way in the sense that I feel really uncomfortable being outside. As of right now, I'm back at my mom's house because I'm inbetween jobs. Sunrise means it's time to go to sleep, and there is not Misaki to bail me out after I've blown the rest of my savings on cigarettes and plastic anime girls.

[@basedhalcyon]

I went to a very small, shitty private school. You could try a community college as well, they'll take anyone. Even with a bachelor's degree, it was hard to find a job because the industry (IT) is super competitive and full of both autistic savants and guys twice my age who have been experienced for longer than I've been alive. It's really all about persistence. Fill out those dozen applications every day, someone will get back to you eventually. Eventually.

[@drifter402]

Find a goal and work towards it.

[@Biouke]

I guess people who love that anime all have a similar story, eh ;) Still you guys make me feel old, I was already between my second and third (first) year(s) of college when it came out XD

[@basedhalcyon]

Hell, I feel old at 25. It's okay, though.

[@Biouke]

Well, to be fair I was already feeling old by twelve. I must have a mental case of Benjamin Button syndrome (sounds sexier than chronic depression, thank you Brad Pitt) :x Anyway, I remember another one of my "classics" was out around the same time: Black Lagoon. Did anyone else also enjoyed the blues-y moments in that one and had that similar feeling of tranquil and monotone tiredness of life? Oh, and listening Youkôso! Hitori Bocchi in loop for hours while crying, too. Did that a lot. Good bad times.

[@wallruss5850]

HENTAI GAMES

[@TheLouis6555]

I got one! Uh... ... -insert thing from Gigguk's review of the anime here- Funny, right? :D

[@WhackashitCollaborations]

oh you dub watchers lmao. It's "Gal-Games" in the original. If you've never seen the original, rewatch it subbed. The acting is so much better.

[@wallruss5850]

b-but I watched it subbed

[@TheLouis6555]

-.- They call it Gal-Games in the dub too. Shows what you know.

[@Ds4u2]

ero geimu

[@kisudesu2.078]

I just finished the anime last night. now I have a huge hole in my soul.

[@nowiecoche]

Felt the same when I finished the show for this podcast.

[@awesome420ication]

but the finale is excellent though.

[@TEMMERS0N]

did you had a live wall paper of it

[@adrenochromejoe7448]

Anime gave me autism

[@nuke8191]

The ending made me feel like something was missing from it... I dunno

[@levobertus]

It holds up incredibly well even if you can't relate to it because it presents fucked up people in a very realistic way.

[@TheStormthehedgehog]

Levobertus pretty much, "relatable characters" are so overrated.

[@quinson93]

If I'm not in the story, it's not worth my time. After all, that's the purpose of a story, right?

[@ArilandoArilando]

The anime original parts were shit though.

[@drifter402]

Also it's fucking funny as shit

[@Asehpe]

I beg to differ. You're entitled to your opinion... but you're not necessarily right.

[@brandonvogel6352]

Lately I've been nostalgic for this era

[@untrustworthybagel]

Yeah

[@echizenryouma3503]

Tatsuhiko Takimoto's stance to religion: “What I’m saying is, you guys should be sure not to make the mistake of joining up.” He sounded serious. “Everyone made a fuss over you today, right? Everyone seemed happy, right? You probably thought something dumb like, ‘maybe I could get along with nice people such as these,’ right? You’re wrong. That’s their trick. They’re not acting out of any kind of selfless love. It’s a way to get you to convert. “Once you’re on the inside, it’s just like any other normal society. Everyone wants to be the leader. Everyone wants to go to the holy land.”

[@theblackswordsman9951]

Echizen Ryouma from what Digi said about the guy and having watched the show I'm not surprised he has a bitter outlook on religion.

[@basedhalcyon]

Plus I really enjoyed how the novel was written with such an attention to detail that could have only come from personal experience.

[@Wigure]

this was really entertaining and interesting to listen to. thanks for the great content Digi!

[@ThePlofadi]

I never knew my life was made into an anime.

[@KatekyoKen]

LostMujahid lol that's basically me

[@sahinattila2754]

Yeah it is exactly as my life, except for the cute girl

[@KOWAL19898]

"Life"

[@r-i-n-n-e-r]

>lostmujahid a mujahid hikkikomori? is this a meme?

[@tenaciousrodent6251]

No show ever "represented" me, except this one.

[@ChilliDuck]

12:40 made me check out the NHK ed's. And look what I found, the voice and melody I thought i knew after hearing the first few seconds of the Ano Hana ending! thanks digi :)

[@5oulcrusher]

I remember watching Welcome to the NHK in school. It kind of washed over me and now looking back I can see how parts of my life have been and are like what is described in the show. This definitely made me want to check out the novel someday.

[@nfmaster4851]

*ABABA ABABA ABABA ODORU AKACHAN NINGEN*

[@abcdefghilihgfedcba]

*odoru

[@nfmaster4851]

ALAKTORN Thx

[@distortioncharizardalive]

lol

[@nuke8191]

That thing scares me no joke xD

[@stenohero]

I used to listen to puru pururin on repeat when I was doing homework... ha. really like the relaxing chill vibe of these podcasts!

[@GibFMV]

I will never understand why Sato did not end up working at the manga cafe...

[@WalkingGirlKoi]

Oh, yes. Welcome to the NHK is that one anime people have came to me about that understand Sato's plight. People who do not have more introverted tendecies or have been pushed into being self-isolation probably won't get it.

[@mysttale7893]

WalkingGirlKoi Similar to Shinji from Eva, they're a niche character. Always the most interesting to me

[@ataraxia7439]

That's really great that you got better and become this cool person that makes all these insightful videos on anime and video games and get to hangout with like minded cool people.

[@LimeyLassen]

I can describe multiple chapters of my life as "3 days from eviction, out of food but still got internet, in the mood to finish an AMV". For real, a Digi video has never brought me to tears before. NHK is deeply important to who I am.

[@SirNightmareFuel]

Man, this anime touched me so deep when I watched it a few years ago. Right near the top of my favourites.

[@tatsuhirosato8646]

This was a documentary on my life :/

[@hvnman_f4]

I've been looking for this for ages.

[@Holasoyunurl123]

me too man, i thought she deleted it.

[@moahammad1mohammad]

NHK: The one anime that makes you realizd watching anime and playing games in your room all day is ruining your life.

[@Young_BZ]

NHK when I came across is really moved me and I am glad I got out of that part of my life but I will always hold it in a special place in my heart.

[@sebuktegin4403]

This is really the best summary and review of the story, both in the anime and novel form.

[@BothHands1]

Boogiepop Phantom is AMAZING!! I actually just rewatched it a few days ago. Hope you do a Serial Experiments Lain one too. I know you've seen Lain, as I've seen you put images of it in some of your other vids. Texhnolyze is another one I'd love to see a vid about! And Haibane Renmei!

[@SaberStash]

Welcome to the NHK is a really special series, glad you had the chance to talk about it in some form. Now I want to really read the novels as well.

[@arthasmenethil9605]

>tfw no misaki to save you

[@KOWAL19898]

Great, and I mean GREEAT podcast, keep it up, I love these 00's gems. These shows are deep and have a special meaning for me.

[@lupermattroid]

I've always been interested in picking up the novel for NHK but this is pushing me over the edge so I can finally read it and check it out. Loved the anime, loved the manga and loved this video. NHK is a really polarizing show and you nailed exactly why. It does so much to show how a person can get to that point but if you've never experienced a lot of the things Sato has, you might just not relate at all and think he's a shitty dude, whereas if you CAN relate, you relate all too well. it's also dangerous to watch as someone mentally vulnerable because it can make you fall back into self destructive patterns.

[@8Quietscheente]

"It's simple... Be kind to me... In return, I'll be kind to you."

[@DesMondesBlut]

The manga elaborates much more on the theme of self worth and how people search for others of lower status than one self (basically why Misaki needs Satou) to confirm their self worth. Remember the scene how Satou sits in the game developement class and the teacher asks him, why Satou can't respect people of higher status or more talent than him? This is a HUGE theme in the manga... On the other hand the manga pretty much sucks compared to the anime or novel. Though i have to say, that the answer to get out of the hikikomori lifestyle being: "Go to work." is insulting for people who go through psychological trauma/illness and totally lacks any kind of psychological insight.... Hikikomori is a result of people being rejected by or rejecting society or rather social expectations. Especially in a society like the Japanese, where society stands above the individual, loosing your connection to it results in a downward spiral. Why do we work? Why do we strive for status? I hate to take another show as a reference, but it's a perfect example here: In episode 6 of NGE, when Shinji sits next to Rei before the battle, he asks her, why she risks her life all the time. She answers "Because of bonds." (jp: Kizuna dakara - i hate the official translation butchering this line). Shinji of cause doesen't understand her dedication because he has no bonds, or rather because he is unable to form those. He has no reason to do anything that goes byond self preservation. So a Hikikomori who'd be forced to work would end up doing just the bare minimum to stay alive and shut himself up for the rest of the day.

[@constraintautomaton9547]

But still whiout psychological help it's thr best one can do. Plus i felt that one of the point was that "normalcy/being responsable" is more a necessity then the result of being well ajusted.

[@haldir108]

i estimate that there is a 15% chance that i would have commited suicide if not for NHK. Even if i rationally knew i was not alone, i didn't understand it before watching the show. Nowadays, i can't think of NHK without thinking about anything good that has happened in my life since then. If 15% of all your happy and fulfilled moments have become entvined in a piece of media, there is no way to not think of that piece of media as the best thing in existence. I'm sure that even if i would have been to chickenshit to actually go all the way with my suicide, i still would have taken at least a year longer to recover if i didn't came to understand that the safety of my parents' basement was strangling me from growing, and i wouldn't, if satou didn't get cut off, and came out better for it. a minimum of a year's worth of happiness, and a healthy mind. that's what this show is to me. 12/10.

[@alexandercasey563]

Bøø9 eh 15% is pretty good odds, I'd take 15% to die

[@haldir108]

I was at the point where i gathered tools, and had a note ready, but the fact that i didn't, kinda makes it unlikely that i would, you know? and you'd take 15% odds to die? in exchange for what? not watching NHK? it's not quite as bad a series as to put watching it on equal footing as 15% chance to die. I'm just doing the math on how much of life i can atribute to it.

[@drifter402]

The last time I watched it, It actually had the opposite effect and I didn't finish it. I just couldn't think of a reason for Sato not to kill himself. Like I just thought, "yea he should jump off that cliff, what reason is there for him not to." Sorry if that's rather dark.

[@haldir108]

I can't entirely explain it, but satou, who has been close to suicide, and is about ready to give up, and is now put in a situation where doing nothing WILL end his life. In that place, he still choses to do the more difficult thing: he swallows his pride, and says "this is not who i am". He adresses his anxiety, and talks to a stranger. And again, he swallows his pride, by giving up on not being a nobody, by becoming a traffic cop. Each of those were mountains to climb, and it doesn't make sense for him to climb them, UNLESS he rather wants to live than to die. That wish to live rather than die resonated incredibly strongly with me. Where before that moment, i was actively, consciously self-sabotaging, in order to drive myself off the proverbial cliff. After watching it, i decided i was going to take all the steps and hardships to climb out of the hole of lethargic depression. I'm currently employed and paying my own bills, and even if it's an entry-level position, it feels like standing pridefully on top of a mountain, because it's been such a long (4 years) road that i walked, because i'd rather be alive than dead. And maybe i wouldn't, if it wasn't for satou.

[@drifter402]

Nah it's not that I didn't get that. It's that I just straight up stopped watching after the suidcide storyline because it was too crushing for me. I've seen it before years ago but I'm a different person now. I don't think I can stomach watching that type of thing anymore, mostly because of the mindset described in that last comment.

[@kueller917]

This has been and still is one of my favorite anime so I can talk a lot about it. I also watched it during high school when I was reclusive and anxious but unable to become a full hermit. I could relate but not to the point where any one character would be "literally me". But it was still enough to draw me into this cast even if our problems were not the same, and even if our solutions were vastly different. This will always hold up for me. That and few works have impacted me more than some of those scenes in the novel, even with the very dry writing (no idea if that's translation or not). I liked how it was able to draw out those aspects that since then very few works of media have been able to do. I liked that nothing resolved, but instead life went on without much of a conclusion or even prediction. It always annoyed me people wanted a romantic ending. And while it wouldn't work for the novel I think the anime having some goofy moments gives it its own tone that works as something more SOL. Kind of like what you praised 3-gatsu for. Another note: your remembrance of wanting to just leave and make life difficult to force yourself out were very relatable, and I've never heard someone else describe thoughts like that. Also Takimoto has gotten into some spiritual shit and was selling a way to spiritually communicate to Misaki for self help.

[@DanielXiao]

I think this might be my favorite review that you've done! It made me feel like you were really excited about all the memories you've had over your favorite medium of which you've now made into a living. Hope you keep finding things that make you happy to talk about!

[@gomiakayo]

I actually watched NHK on a downward slope a few years AFTER breaking out of the hiki lifestyle, and it hit so close to home that it brought a lot of my depression, that mindset, that reclusiveness back to me. Fucked me up far more than any other show I've watched, no matter how sad. But I still love it lol

[@urbanjahts]

I loved NHK so much! As soon as i saw it ... I clicked

[@oudomkosaketh40]

I dont know why. But whenever I start feeling like I'm sinking in life, I come back to this video. I'm not sure why but I just love your story of your past with the show. I felt similar when i was in highschool. Thank you Digibro.

[@AceBurn90]

I feel the same. This is about the 3th or 4th time ich watch this Video in the last couple of years... ... ... I am still so fucked up...

[@lookingforsmalldads7588]

I just finished Welcome to the NHK yesterday and watching this after already knowing who you are and being deep into both anime and the community around it feels so weird like I'm in a time machine

[@alexdavis2661]

NHK ni Youkoso is, always has been, and probably always will be my favorite anime of all time. I watched it for the first time about six years ago and I have probably thought about it atleast every other day from then on. I really don't even know how to explain how much NHK means to me as a person. The podcast made me teary-eyed with how much I relate to Digi and Satou.

[@beymaster923]

man im enjoying these way more than i thought i would, for someone who really dove into the medium fairly late, listening to this is intresting af.

[@ProxyDoug]

When I watched that anime I had recently rewatched FLCL and the song that I really felt represented how I felt was The Last Dinosaur.

[@moving9071]

I loved anime as a little kid via Toonami, but Welcome to the NHK is what got me back into it as an adult. Still one of my favorite animated series of all time, any genre or language.

[@elbarletta]

I literally finished watching this show earlier this morning and it's now one of my favourite shows! Timing!

[@Анастасияпокров]

My favorite show of all time, relatable in just about every way to me. I got the pururin ringtone for my phone :) never changing it

[@Yunotchi]

18:48 "A moment or two of serious self-scrutiny, and you might observe that you no more decide the next thought you think than the next thought I write." ― Sam Harris, Free Will

[@AstroNotTheBoy]

I always related to the other Hikki in NHK. Ever since leaving highschool and then entering a bit of a dark time it has almost become impossible for me to make friends. I've read the books and watch the videos but just I never seem to go further than an acquaintance with people. I do quite a lot of social activities like sports and the like and despite getting along well with everyone it just never develops. Can't remember the point of this rant. Good review Digi, loved this anime!

[@alvaromag419]

I was trying to write the script for a comic that shares some similarities with "Welcome ...", and was kinda lost on where to begin. But thanks to this video now I have a clearer idea of how to start and where to head with the story. Thanks.

[@wanderinglana8292]

I loved the anime back when I first saw it back in like '09. I didn't know about the novel--I'm excited to check it out now. Loved this episode of the podcast, just like the ones that came before.

[@Cybershell13]

How many times do you reckon you've told this meeting Dang-san with the Lucky Star fanbook story, cause I've lost count of how many times I've heard it lol. Not a complaint or anything, it's a good story and totally relevant for this video.

[@GigaDonk99]

At least fifty thousand times. Every channel Digibro appears on has that story somewhere. This was probably the time it was most relevant.

[@DAVU_RetroGaming]

Very insightful analysis, I feel like I need to listen to this more than once.

[@_Slypi]

I miss this type of content :(

[@tiffii5706]

The NHK novel sounds a bit like Dovstoevsky's Notes from the Underground.

[@ben76326]

welcome to the NHK is my favorite show, I'm so glad digi covered it.

[@lennydotdotdot5580]

Wow that got real. I am literally in that situation right now. I'm autistic, I've been in therapy for anxiety since about middle school and I've been medicated several times. Of course because I'm autistic and autistic people are actively excluded from psychiatric drug trials, nothing has helped (go figure, if you only test a drug on neurotypical people you end up not knowing how to medicate atypical people). I also know how therapy is meant to work because I have taken psychology classes so I already know my therapist is just "active listening" at me in hopes I'll figure everything out on my own. I don't think it's ever going to get any better at this point and I'm trying to figure out ways I can work around it so it doesn't have to get better. It's hard. At this point in addition to being autistic I also have PTSD, and literally in every moment while I'm drawing or watching TV or playing video games I'm probably also contemplating death. (Nothing like seeing "you died" in Dark souls and thinking, "If only") Weekly-updating manga and anime and webcomics basically keep me from killing myself. I can't kill myself because I can't read the next chapter of Boku no Hero Academia if I'm dead. I can't see what my roleplay partners are coming up with if I off myself. I can't conceptualize myself living past 25 but I can at least conceptualize myself living to next Thursday. What I'm trying to say is I should probably watch this anime.

[@DanielAnchondo]

I enjoy these types of videos a lot, of course I relate being a hermit as well.

[@ScottOrKaze]

This anime, as well as the novel No Longer Human, helped me to get myself out of my depression, whilst simultaneously spiralling myself into crippling anxiety and suicidal thoughts. I would both relate my depression and suicidal thoughts to Hitomi, but also see the spiral of Sato as to where my life would go if I kept down this path. I eventually pushed myself to be social by working a retail job, where I learned how to build relationships and speak to others, and I'm in a more stable period of my life now. I relate with what Digi says about embracing the negativity of this show, but I'm happy I was able to push myself to find a way out.

[@skeletor8951]

When I watch these sorts of videos it reminds me how close I've been to falling into that pit... I've managed to walk the line for a large portion of my life, but thankfully never quite reached that point.

[@c.hughes4943]

"You're a destructive force. We can't just let a destructive force run rampant." The way Digi said this made me laugh even though this was a pretty somber video. I should read NHK, I saw the anime and I really liked it.

[@bluejuiceable]

the old-ass anime cast is my favorite thing on this channel now

[@Ersanven]

I've been a hikkikomori for three years now. I related to it back when it came out. I was going to college and just going to class without doing much else. After nabbing a two year degree in eight I live with my mom at 31 years old and I'm unemployed. I feel more like an expensive housepet than a human being. I've become Black Sato. I hole up in my room most of the day to play video games or fap to porn. I've been working on the same novel for over ten years. (Okay, I've attempted like five different novels over this time but I've only stuck to like one. ) When I'm at home I'm Sato, when I'm out in the world I'm Tomoko. I am a complete mess.

[@solomonterrell3051]

Awesome video, i agree with all your statements and can relate with you, and the show on many different things here. This is your first video I've watched and i think i just might subscribe.

[@nyarlathotep1223]

Watched it a couple days ago surprisingly, would massively recommend, even if you don't think you could relate to such a character

[@theDinosorcerer]

I remember reading this book in one sitting while sitting on my roof. by the time I finished, I had become sunburned and was pretty delerious from dehydration 10/10, no regerts.

[@jd-py5nm]

this was an emotional show for me i could relate and saw even more of my bro in it the show was amazing however painful it can be to watch

[@frawding9438]

I don't really relate to these characters, but I enjoyed it a hell of a lot, and is one of my favourites. I think it's because that's how I think I will turn out in the future, but I'm not sure.

[@arecipeforhate193]

Don't read the manga as a kid in middle school and think " this won't happen to me". I've basically went full Satou San.

[@BagTalking]

The op is amazing

[@PasserbyP]

Finally someone talk about Welcome to the NHK! One of the most matured use of a theme in anime i've seen.

[@TrueKivan]

I kinda used to be this for a few years, only that some friends would come over and I organised parties, but a shut-in otherwise. This story resonated with me. It was not untill my best friend died in my room and my father kicked me out of the house that I turned my life around. Now I work hard, train hard and have passion and a drive. Not the same person anymore.

[@snazzygagagigo524]

I remember back when I was 15, I bought welcome to the NHK on DVD. I would have normally streamed it on a website but at that time I was becoming more conscious of the Anime industry. Anyway, there was a lot about that show that I found perplexing, I could relate to the main character somewhat, as I was fairly anxious socially, but it wasn't as bad as he had it. I'm 19 and a half now and I relate to Sato much more, as my problems have gotten worse. When I was fifteen I couldn't imagine shutting myself away like Sato did, now it is my goal to do so (except not leach off my parents) Now I relate to Sato on a spiritual level. I couldn't imagine that a person could think everyone was laughing at him when I was 15, and now I experience it myself. It's very strange.

[@tomwhipp3245]

I finished college about 3 months ago. while going to college i only ever did the bare minimum, and while all of my old friends have started university, i decided not to go thinking i'd just get a job, as i knew that at university i'd just repeat the same bad habits as i did at college. Well, turns out that when you have a lack of motivation to do anything in academia, that translates to the rest of your life too. After being rejected from an apprenticeship that i applied to out of necessity at he end of college, I've made no further attempt to go into work. I'm in a constant cycle of gaming, then sleeping at sunrise, and waking up to have dinner with my family. diner as in the evening meal. I just don't know what to do, where to go from here, and what i do know to do, I just never do it. I really hope i get a grip soon, because i'm about to be 19 in 6 days, and it is hurting that I'm doing nothing with my life when this should be the start of it if i were like every one else.

[@IHasIdea]

Think carefully about your next steps. Do you want to continue education or do you want to find a job now? Either way your goal should be do become independent of your parents. Don't be like Satou, his dependence on his parents' money and a lack of self-reliance is what allowed him to continue his hikikomori lifestyle. We give our best and feel our best when we have goals and a purpose to work for. Follow your dreams, do whatever it takes to get there, go full into it. The comfort zone is an illusion, life is so exciting and worth it once you put yourself out there, for yourself.

[@TheoneandonlyDrops]

I just imagined Forest Gump saying "and that's all I have to say, about welcome to the NHK." XD 28:23

[@chizzle2632]

I think I whats good about "Welcome to the NHK" (the manga don't know about the anime) is that even if you don't relate to it at all like me it makes you understand what these people are like and even makes you reflect on its morals and apply it to yourself. After finished the manga I seriously contemplated my attitude towards life and its affects is still present in me after a year after reading it.

[@Matias-ub9pz]

This Anime has the best ending song ever.

[@Анастасияпокров]

Right??

[@xDenomic]

God fuck why did this video alone have to bring tears to my eyes

[@majicnamie8440]

Man, I watched this show when I was in the hight of my fucked up-ed-ness and I really hated it then. My sister told me to watch it because she thought it was hilarious, but it just upset me so much. It showed me my worst parts, and what upset me even more is that I was actually /worse/ than him. I was crazier, and dirtier, and lonelier, and it just fucked me up. if I remember correctly I turned off all the lights in my house for about a week after watching this show because it really hit me where I lived, triggered this whole depressive episode. I eventually did get better though, and looking back on it this is a really honest look at what it's like to be in that situation. That's probably why it burned me up so badly back when I watched it the first time. It almost physically hurt to watch it was so true to my situation at the time. Even to this day I still have really complicated feelings towards this show. I respect it a lot, but watching it is like pulling teeth. I have grown oddly affectionate towards it though, even if I still refuse to watch more of it.

[@Shemaforash]

NHK is my favorite anime

[@Biouke]

... on Citadel.

[@Shemaforash]

no idea what that means

[@royal9743]

It's a Mass Effect reference. To get a discount at stores the main char records a endorsment for EVERY SINGLE store. The endorsment is always the same and says: "I'm Commander Shepard and this is my favourite store on the citadel!"

[@Shemaforash]

k

[@pooly5280]

Nerd.

[@lodevijk]

Youkoso Hittori Bocchi is really the best song ever.

[@metalniro1]

I couldn't finish this series, it made me realise just how much i despise? myself and everybody else. maybe despise is to strong a word. i can't quite out my finger on it still but it makes me just loath life in general.

[@hollythompson8343]

For the last five years, I've struggled with crippling depression and anxiety, to the point where it severely affected my health. But I always wanted to have a normal life, so I forced myself to talk to people, practiced conversations, joined a ton of extracurriculars, played three sports (two varsity), and made myself go to parties, even though I would throw up and have panic attacks after doing so. Even though I'm not still not completely comfortable in social situations, and even though I still have really bad days where I just lay in bed all day, I've gotten better. So for me, its hard watching things like WthNHK, because it drags me back into that dark place, and even though I can empathize with their anti-social tendencies, I can't do so with their inability or unwillingness to help themselves. I honestly just get angry, seeing people waste their lives when there are solutions to them. I don't think I'll ever understand how people can allow that tragedy to happen to themselves.

[@recoveredpixel]

The sound track for this show is so good.

[@Chimera-man-man]

The most depressing part of the afterword is that its almost too autobiographical for Takimoto to read at times, its so true to his life and in a way such a failure since nothing has changed for him that he hates reading it at times. It's almost like the book has two endings that happen to the main character, the ending in the fictional part of the book is the good ending but in reality the bad ending is what actually happens. Takimoto has never quite managed to escape his lifestyle (finding escapes through spirituality from it apparently) and has never managed to write another book to rival NHK's success. Also if anyone wants something similar to how NHK presents a main character that's an outsider to society (with a weird tinge of Evangelionness kind of) they could try Hesse's Steppenwolf. It's fucking difficult to get through though...

[@abcdefghilihgfedcba]

I don’t get what the fuck is the deal with having to go out and having friends and shit and if you don’t you’re “a failure”. A failure is the person who lets society or others in general dictate how they live their life.

[@Chimera-man-man]

Yeah but even by his own standards he's a failure, if you're happy without friends then you do you but if you want friends but are so crippled by your social anxiety to make them then you're not exactly winning are you?

[@purplechimkin3404]

22:00 Woah Digi! I literally thought the same thing for my life when I passed grade 11 to grade 12. I thought that I'd study more if i failed. So relating with you rn man.

[@whiteflagstoo]

I have a copy of the book and at the time, I was convinced I must have snagged the last one off of Amazon because it went out of print. Seems some people are selling theirs. You'll have to pry my copy from my cold, dead hands.

[@Elven.]

when I think about old-ass anime I think about Rurouni Kenshin, Inuyasha, BtX, Escaflowne, Evangelion, Sakura CC, Cowboy Bebop, Orphen, Slayers, Slam Dunk.... after that everything is just a blur of bright colors and characters I can't relate or take seriously, of course there are beautiful gems too every once in a while

[@quinnv.3499]

Gotta love how he said hikikomori

[@ShenSeiken]

The note on Misaki in the novel is interesting. I felt like in the anime an unlikely person like Misaki could exist with those interests. Though the odds of such a relationship even starting would be crazy, and much less having the persistent desire to keep interacting with each other to get where they finish. Still, NHK was a great look at troubled characters. It used just 3 main characters(and a couple recurring side ones) with little extraneous interactions to span a 24 episode series in enough detailed perspective to find very successful and enjoyable.

[@lloydasplund4187]

Purupurupururin is my "depression moments" song too. It's probably not good for mental health, but damn is it fun to listen to

[@kendog84bsc]

Your mentioning this show in Weebcast on Re:Zero made me watch it and brought me here also. Knock knock knock Liked this vid

[@worldofpayne]

Sounds like you are a lot like me. Can't wait for an episode on ef a tale of memories.

[@enkiimuto1041]

23:00 - YES, you need the fear! You really need to put effort and the only way you put effort is when you put yourself at risk! people: then why don't you do it? me: HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAhahaha because I'm too afraid.

[@Versailles-fi]

Man I watched this anime in high school when I was at my most depressed and it literally made me feel suicidal it was so depressing. I felt like the anime didn’t end on a hopeful note at all in fact I took it as a message that nothing ever gets better lol. I liked the book just as much and yeah the music from the anime is absolutely amazing hitori bocchi really is such an emotional song for me.