S5E6 - WELCOME TO THE NHK Review: The Paranoid 2006 Anime by Gonzo

This week, our Grand Tour takes us to one of the most unique series we’ve ever covered: Gonzo’s 26-episode cult classic Welcome to the N.H.K.! Based on the 2002 novel by Takimoto Tatsuhiko, this 2006 series explores Japan’s hikkikomori (social withdrawal) phenomenon, modern Otaku culture, internet-era suicide pacts, and many more contemporary issues, doing it all with startling clarity, immense empathy, and a whole lot of very wacky humor. It’s a finger-on-the-pulse series for Japan in the mid-2000s, but one with many resonances for viewers all over the globe, leading to a rich and engaging conversation between our hosts. There is no other show out there quite like Welcome to the N.H.K. – it almost feels like a conspiracy… Enjoy, and come back next week as we watch the Yu-Gi-Oh! series The Man doesn’t want you to see: the original 27-episode Toei anime from 1998 (a.k.a. “Season Zero”). Time Chart: Theme Song: 0:00:00 – 0:01:15 Intro and History: 0:01:15 – 1:09:15 Eyecatch Break: 1:09:15 – 1:10:01 Welcome to the N.H.K. Review: 1:10:01 – 3:43:42 End Theme: 3:43:42 – 3:45:12 Subscribe to our YouTube channels! Japanimation Station: https://www.youtube.com/c/japanimationstation Purely Academic: https://www.youtube.com/@purelyacademicpodcast Read Jonathan Lack’s movie reviews and stay up to date with all our podcast projects at https://www.jonathanlack.com Subscribe to PURELY ACADEMIC, our monthly variety podcast about movies, video games, TV, and more: https://purelyacademic.simplecast.com Read Jonathan’s book 200 Reviews in Paperback or on Kindle – https://a.co/d/bLx53vK “Welcome to Japanimation Station” – Music by Thomas Lack, Lyrics by Sean Chapman, featuring Hatsune Miku. “ice” – Music & Lyrics by Thomas Lack, featuring Hatsune Miku & Megurine Luka. https://www.thomaslack.com