mugennomajo 's review for:

Welcome to the N.H.K. by Tatsuhiko Takimoto

5.0

dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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 Welcome to the NHK – A Masterpiece in Light Novel Fiction 

The story starts with a conspiracy and ends with a conspiracy. 

The story starts with human failure but ends with hope. 

This is a story about human failure and hope. That even if you’re a failure, that even if you’re scum or a complete degenerate, someone who’s messed up over and over again. Even if your life will never amount to much or anything else. You have to try to go on living anyways. Cheer the little victories in life, don’t look down on others who are trying their hardest to get by. 

While the road of Welcome to the NHK is depressing, it’s a story about looking towards to the future. 

It makes light of the world, masking bitter truths in biting and hilarious black comedy that is both painful and lovely. 

The build up towards the climax uses the full force of the cynical pessimism found in Osamu Dazai’s No Longer Human. The dark beliefs that humanity and the self are worthless. 

Yet as we arrive at the climax, we reach the all-encompassing human optimism and deep hope found in seminal works like the Strugatsky brother’s Roadside Picnic.

The world isn’t fair, it’s not a nice place. People who deserve to suffer don’t. Those who don’t, do. 
And yet we still try to survive, we still want to believe that there is a better day for us out there. 

We try, perhaps in vain, but we try…
to fight against the personal conspiracy that looms over our lives.