A Brief Glimpse Into “Welcome To The NHK!”

In the grand tradition of the media using social and political problems as a concept for their work comes the Japanese anime “Welcome to the NHK.” As a show that delves into the life of a person suffering from such social anxiety that he needs to shut himself off from as much contact as possible, the show presents the problem in both dramatic and comedic ways.
The willingness to deal with even unpleasant aspects of one's culture in a humorous-yet-serious manner is something that has been ever-present in the media. Social issues, along with the occasional political issue, can suddenly be the focal discussion point of episodes of popular shows, with some more prominent ones becoming the focus of entire series. The Japanese hikikomori problem, along with the standard social anxiety and hints of schizophrenia that being a hikikomori entails, has become the premise of a fairly recent franchise consisting of an anime, comic, and novel series known simply as “Welcome to the NHK.”