Welcome to the NHK

Hi Guys,
I completed the anime "Welcome to the NHK" a few weeks ago. Here is a little background information as taken from The Nihon Review.

Title: Welcome to the NHK! aka NHK ni Youkoso!
Genre: Drama
Company: Gonzo
Format: 24 episodes
Date: 9 Jul 2006 – 17 Dec 2006

Synopsis: Satou Tatsuhiro is a NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training) and a social recluse, also known as hikikomori, for almost four years. He believes that everything around him is one big conspiracy created by a secret organization called Nihon Hikikomori Kyoukai, or NHK. He also thinks that NHK’s goal is to create a world filled with hikikomori, and that he is just one of the many people who have fallen victim to their plans. Wanting to get away from their evil clutches but not knowing how, Satou is increasingly becoming desperate… until a innocent-looking girl by the name of Nakahara Misaki showed up in his life and claims to have a cure for his problems.

I watched the English version, actually. I did not mind the English acting as much, though I cringed whenever certain characters said the word "hikikomori". It sounded like they were really butchering it. But that being said, this anime comes across as really light-hearted. It doesn't appear to have much of a story at all at first. Then it kind of slams into you out of no-where. Then it gets light again and then kind of smashes you a little bit once again. Overall, it wasn't a very long anime. It only took me a couple days to get through it. I'm sure a lot of people could get through it in a shorter time frame.

Overall, I wouldn't say that the plot is anything special. The characters themselves aren't very special to me. BUT. That being said, I did enjoy the fact that it really introduces people to different things (MMO's, for example). And creates hilarious scenarios that also make a person wonder. it handles a lot of the current social worries that people have, and the anime tries to present it in this comedic way. Still, the seriousness always comes out in the end. But I really liked the delivery and how it was placed in there. It gives an insight into these kinds of things, so it's really good for people that don't know a whole lot about "nerd/geek/loser" problems.