Is it wrong to escape when an entire culture seems devoted to escapism? The Japanese phenomenon of the 'NEET' male - the acronym means 'not in employment, education or training' - is explored here in an anime series with an unusually grim and uncompromising tone. The emphasis of the show is on the dark inner psychology of the main character, a typical porn- obsessed 'otaku' who lives in such denial of his 'NEET' status that he sees himself as a victim of a TV network conspiracy to keep him idle and home-bound, while he lies about having a home office business to anyone who asks what he does for a living. A neighbor of his is not fooled however, and seeks to 'rescue' him from his strange social-anxiety riddled existence. The twist is that his strategy for coming back to normalcy requires him to create porno computer games! What follows is not the usual boy-girl zany comedy or way-out fantasy typical of anime series and this may put off anime fans who are looking for more of the same. This is an anti-escapist drama devoted to recovery and re- assimilation into a culture that casts out the unproductive, which casts a harsh and unblinking light upon the world of its main character. His apartment is cramped and dark and littered, and his mind wanders off into unsavory fantasies about the people around him. He may be harmless and part of a growing sub-group, but he is not living a healthy or sane existence by any means and this series pulls no punches in its portrayal of this particular social phenomenon.
Review of Welcome to the N.H.K.
