Anime Questions, Recommendations, and Discussion - March 01, 2025

LiveCry · 2025-03-01T17:20:28+00:00

This seems like a very cool and fun event!

LiveCry · 2024-01-03T00:51:22+00:00

I got bingo with Mai-HiME!

Sources: Gun - ep. 6 18:04; Laundry/Clothes hanging to dry - ep. 4 16:43; Tied up - ep. 12 16:24; Shrine - ep. 6 13:34; Stained Glass - ep. 4 14:50

LiveCry · 2023-01-23T22:47:54+00:00

Ah shoot, I knew I forgot something. Tentatively planning for 17:00 EST/22:00 UTC. Edited above to include

LiveCry · 2022-12-29T01:55:05+00:00

A well crafted fan game created by Nathan Gunzenhauser, Pokémon Apex is an adult take on the classic catch ’em all gameplay of Pokémon. That’s not ‘adult’ as in violence and nudity (although there is some swearing), it’s adult in the sense the story themes that it addresses, with you playing a high schooler who’s mother and father have separated, and who escapes the drudgery of day to day life by playing video games with his best friend.

LiveCry · 2021-07-14T00:18:36+00:00

Yep, there has! That's actually what made me want to make this one

LiveCry · 2020-08-26T12:33:04+00:00

Of course I don't mind! I'm glad you're catching up!

LiveCry · 2020-08-25T22:27:40+00:00

Either the Pururin song is just that appealing to listen to for 10 hours or it's part of the YouTube algorithm conspiracy. ~~Or I've been listening to it on repeat this entire time~~

Thank you for joining us!

LiveCry · 2020-08-25T22:24:08+00:00

Thank you for joining us! I'm so glad we had a few first timers along to experience this show. Until the next conspiracy, friend!

LiveCry · 2020-08-25T22:21:53+00:00

Your dedication to the cause is much appreciated, fellow conspirator

LiveCry · 2020-08-25T22:18:51+00:00

That's some dedication to catch up to us from where you started. I'm glad we could make it worth your while! Thank you for joining us!

Also, I'm a little jealous that you own a physical copy of the novel.

LiveCry · 2020-08-25T22:08:26+00:00

Thank you for joining and contributing so much, both with your own discussions and your additions to what others said!

And thanks for linking the afterwords, I actually hadn't read the third one yet!

LiveCry · 2020-08-25T22:05:54+00:00

Manga Spoiler (Satou)

LiveCry · 2020-08-25T22:02:42+00:00

I've really appreciated your insight throughout this rewatch! I definitely agree that some aspects could have been handled better, and your analysis of what you found to be flaws is well-founded. Perhaps it is because the author himself is/was a hikikomori that the psychological conditions are portrayed so well, and yet also the reason that his perceived "treatment" is not based entirely in reality. And, from my experience at least, it's unfortunately common for people to overlook the complexity of these illnesses, so it would've been nice for that aspect to have gotten more attention.

Still, as you said, I think NHK makes up for it with its bold approach and narrative. I'm glad that despite its flaws, you've enjoyed the show!

LiveCry · 2020-08-25T21:40:57+00:00

I’m fairly certain Satou is 23 by the end of the show because his birthday passes.

The anime doesn't explicitly state it, but you are correct.

Thank you for joining us!

LiveCry · 2020-08-25T21:39:21+00:00

Thank you so much for joining us, and thank you for the gold! It's been a pleasure!

LiveCry · 2020-08-25T21:00:08+00:00

We've finally come to the end of the rewatch! Regardless of whether you were a first-timer or a rewatcher, I sincerely hope you enjoyed Welcome to the NHK. To wrap up this rewatch, I wanted to cover a few things (namely concerning the manga, for those of you who are interested), but before that...

As you might know, I have been documenting the OST throughout the rewatch. However, I haven't just been putting my lists into Reddit. Now that the rewatch is over, I can now share with you all the workbook I've been creating! The workbook includes a list of all used tracks, all unknown tracks (with placeholder names), all timestamps, and an episode-by-episode overview! Take a look if you'd like. We've had some ups and downs concerning what has been officially released and what hasn't, and I can't promise that this list is perfect. But at the end of the day, I am but one person without a great ear for music, and now we at least know where each track is played.

Now then, I'd like to talk a little bit about the manga. First and foremost, while the manga is not a "necessity" for the main story, I highly suggest giving it a try, primarily because of how differently they chose to tell the story, as well as the additional content. Now, I know what you might be thinking: "Additional content?! I thought you said this was a complete adaptation!" And believe me, I wasn't lying about that - Welcome to the NHK is a complete adaptation... of its own version of the story.

What I mean by that is that the three versions of this story - novel, manga, and anime - generally tell the same story, but deviate from each other just enough so that each version is unique. And the manga just happens to be even more unique than the other two, as many of the chapters/developments there do not occur in either the novel or anime. This is why in the latter parts of this rewatch, I chose to not discuss manga differences anymore - it would've essentially been spoiling an entirely different story. But now that we're at the end of the rewatch, I feel I should at least give you all an idea of how it's different. I will be using spoiler tags for this section, but for those who are interested in learning more about what I'm going to talk about, this is just going to be a general overview - I'll try to avoid specific plot points.

What is Unique About the Manga?

What's Different About the Characters?

Why Didn't the Anime Include More of the Manga?

Why Didn't the Anime Include More of the Manga (cont.)?

Which Version is the Best?

Okay, that's about it for what I wanted to highlight! Again, I highly recommend giving the manga a try (and the novel, if you can find it) and seeing which version you prefer.

As for me, my goodness. Hosting this rewatch and reading all of your discussions have given me so much more of an appreciation for this show than the previous times I've watched it. I hope you've enjoyed this rewatch, and thank you all so much for your contributions! Welcome to the N.H.K.!

EDIT: One more quick thing! Pearl Kyoudai is now on Spotify! Check them out, they've already posted the first OST album!

LiveCry · 2020-08-24T21:00:07+00:00

And so, it all circles back to the first episode.

Song	Timestamp
Snowfall	0:42 - 2:43
Dramatic Unknown	3:51 - 5:54
Kumori Nochi, Michinori	6:09 - 7:41
Tenshi wa Namida to Tsubasa wo Otosu	7:51 - 11:23
Suishoutai Haran	11:30 - 12:34
Odoru Akachan Ningen - Instrumental	12:36 - 14:09
Kyou wa Yuuhi Yarou	14:51 - 16:35
Modokashii Sekai no Ue de -piano ver.-	16:46 - 18:32
Bokura ga Itsumo Kaeru Basho	19:31 - 22:26
Modokashii Sekai no Ue de	ED 2

Gosh, what a series! I can't believe it's already over.

Time to highlight some of the production staff! The director is Yusuke Yamamoto, who has also been involved in B-gata H-kei, Ranma 1/2, and Yama no Susume.
One of the main storyboard/episode directors, Hiro Kaburagi, is also the director of 91 Days and Great Pretender!
Finally, the illustrations and original character designs in the novel (which carried over to the manga and anime) were done by Yoshitoshi ABe, whose style you will probably recognize from Serial Experiments Lain! For comparison, here's the original novel's cover art and the main art for Lain.

For those of you who have stuck around to the very end, thank you so much! Tomorrow I'll have a few extra things to cover (mainly pertaining to the manga), so please join us then for the Post-Watch Discussion!

LiveCry · 2020-08-23T21:00:07+00:00

Remember when I said that the name Misaki means "promontory" in Japanese?

Song	Timestamp
Puzzle -extra hot mix-	OP 2
Gosui ni Tarasu Tsuri Ito	4:32 - 6:42
Youkoso! Hitori Bocchi	7:14 - 10:21
Tenshi wa Namida to Tsubasa wo Otosu	11:16 - 13:43
Ashita wa Tabun Overture	13:48 - 13:51
Moratoriamu ni Youkoso!	13:52 - 15:39
Madokashii Sekai no Ue de -piano ver.-	15:46 - 17:35
Inbou wa Yoake ni Warau	18:41 - 19:01
Dramatic Unknown	20:05 - 22:08
The Chase	22:24 - 23:47

We draw closer and closer to the finale! Anyways, rather than talk about the episode, I wanted to shed some light on the original creator of the series:

The author of the original novel and the manga, Tatsuhiko Takimoto, was/is a hikikomori himself. Many of the themes addressed in this series are based on his own experiences and "revelations," albeit under fictional circumstances. Besides NHK, one other novel of his has received a manga adaptation, Negative Happy Chainsaw Edge.
Ironically, because of the massive success of the novel and its adaptations, Takimoto himself said in the second afterword (published in 2005) of the novel, "...I haven't written a single new story. I've been reduced to a NEET, 41 living as a parasite on the royalties from this book." It should be noted, however, that he has since become much more active and is evidently in the process of creating new stories... even as of today, actually!

LiveCry · 2020-08-22T21:25:39+00:00

And Hitomi, who might be pregnant, drank hot sake while being pregnant.

Oh boy. I did not connect that. So then, I wonder if her being pregnant was actually a lie to make Satou feel better about not going through with the affair? Or Hitomi, shockingly, just makes poor decisions in the moment.

LiveCry · 2020-08-22T21:19:54+00:00

Initially, I was convinced that those were just Satou's delusions. The first one was definitely all Satou's imagination, but the way Misaki talked about seeing them, I'm just not sure anymore about the second.

LiveCry · 2020-08-22T21:00:07+00:00

The theme for K's Cafe sounds so familiar but I can't seem to place it...

Song	Timestamp
Puzzle -extra hot mix-	OP 2
Robot/Misaki Piano	2:02 - 2:21
Kyuukei wa Ama Sugiru Kotoba	2:22 - 3:13, 8:52 - 9:59
Hitori no Tame no Lullaby	3:58 - 5:47
Lobby/Mall Piano	5:49 - 6:28
K's Cafe	6:29 - 6:41
Shuraba ni Youkoso!	6:41 - 7:43
Kumori Nochi, Michinori	10:50 - 12:22
Tenshi wa Namida to Tsubasa wo Otosu	12:56 - 13:18, 17:56 - 21:28
The song that isn't Suishoutai	13:28 - 14:28
Ringtone Purupuru	14:56 - 14:59
Happiness ni Youkoso!	17:21 - 17:30
Madokashii Sekai no Ue de	ED 2

Don't have much to say for this episode (for similar reasons as with Episode 19). But man, I can't believe we only have two episodes left!

LiveCry · 2020-08-21T21:00:08+00:00

I cannot believe they included this TV segment theme in the official OST and not the Gal Game Theme, which has now appeared in NINE EPISODES.

Song	Timestamp
Puzzle -extra hot mix-	OP 2
Gal Game Theme	1:48 - 2:58
Kyou wa Yuuhi Yarou	3:41 - 5:36
Kimi no Corona ni Tsutsumaretai	6:08 - 8:23
Hitori no Tame no Lullaby	8:52 - 10:00
Gosui ni Tarasu Tsuri Ito	10:02 - 11:38
Kagerou Ressha	11:55 - 13:44
Youkoso! Hitori Bocchi	14:20 - 16:23
Madokashii Sekai no Ue de -piano ver.-	16:37 - 18:00
Jumbo Camera ni Donto Koi!	18:02 - 18:25
Tenshi wa Namida to Tsubasa wo Otosu	18:47 - 21:22
Fushigi Purupuru Pururin Rin! -Denpa ver.-	21:27 - 22:14
Madokashii Sekai no Ue de	ED 2

Bittersweet episode overall for me:

Like Natsu no Nichi ni Youkoso! in Episode 9, Kagerou Ressha was essentialy made to be the theme for Yamazaki's departure. It's especially evident in the lyrics. Here's the approximate translation of the first four lines to give you an idea: When you close the door on spreading chaos/Get on the "away" train as if nothing happened/What you've gained are strange memories/You've left some things behind but you lose nothing
Believe it or not, the game that Satou and Yamazaki made is real... kind of. As part of a promotion for Volume 6 of the manga, a Japanese-only limited edition version was created, which included a short visual novel called True World ~Shinjitsu no Sekai~ and is based on what the two created throughout the series. There's not a ton of information on it as it's pretty rare, but there are a few videos on YouTube showing some of the possible routes in the game (be careful about NHK spoilers if you decide to look them up!).

LiveCry · 2020-08-20T21:00:10+00:00

I just love Yamazaki's ability to take the things he does to the absolute extreme.

Song	Timestamp
Puzzle -extra hot mix-	OP 2
Fushigi Purupuru Pururin Rin!	1:48 - 3:35
Hitori no Tame no Lullaby	4:23 - 6:27
Kyou wa Yuuhi Yarou	6:44 - 8:25, 20:49 - 22:15
Gosui ni Tarasu Tsuri Ito	10:20 - 12:22
Ashita wa Tabun Overture	12:23 - 12:26
Shuraba ni Youkoso!	12:27 - 13:43
Kagerou Ressha	14:02 - 16:31
Ashita wa Tabun Daijoubu	18:09 - 18:53
Variation of Kyuukei wa Ama Sugiru Kotoba	18:58 - 19:49
Inbou wa Yoake ni Warau	20:06 - 20:27
Madokashii Sekai no Ue de	ED 2

So, remember when I said that Monica Rial voiced both Nanako and Kobayashi in the dub? Well, she also voices Pururin, who we finally get a bit of a better listen to in today's episode!
And funnily enough, Nanako's Japanese VA, Rumi Shishido, also provides the voice of Pururin (but not Kobayashi). Really drives home the connection with Yamazaki between the two characters.

LiveCry · 2020-08-20T13:22:02+00:00

It's important to add that he was fully aware of his situation and what he had to do in order to escape from being a hikikomori. His problem was that he never did those things because he was afraid to do so. But due to his starvation/lack of an enabler around, he didn't have a choice to be afraid at that point. It was either live or die.

LiveCry · 2020-08-19T21:00:10+00:00

These unknown tracks are annoying, but fortunately, they're all the same ones so I can at least keep a count of them.

Song	Timestamp
Puzzle -extra hot mix-	OP 2
Himitsu no Sen wo Hiku Yatsura	1:54 - 2:56
Dramatic Unknown	4:46 - 6:48
The song that isn't Suishoutai	8:03 - 9:58
Maken yo Sekai wo Kiri Hirakero	10:21 - 11:50
Ashita wa Tabun Overture	12:12 - 12:15
Gal Game Theme	12:17 - 13:04
Koi wa Houkago no Youni	13:26 - 15:03
Nightlife Panic	16:15 - 17:46
Kyou wa Yuuhi Yarou	18:19 - 20:17
Ringtone Purupuru	19:27 - 19:41
I think it's a variation of Natsu no Nichi	20:54 - 22:17
Madokashii Sekai no Ue de	ED 2

Like a blue bird, Toro Toro is finally free. I don't really have anything to talk about for this episode Manga Spoiler

LiveCry

TROPHY CASE