Welcome to the NHK is social commentary at its most disquieting and illuminating. It is a show that skillfully avoids moralization and clumsy allegory and instead makes a dramatically satisfying and personal story out of a widespread but largely unacknowledged occurrence. In spite of the occasional comic moment it is, for the most part, also an uncompromising piece whose unvarnished realism can sometimes make it difficult to watch. But if one can put this reservation aside, I think that anybody who enjoys biting critiques and fascinating character studies will find it to be a worthwhile view.

The show’s greatest strength lies in its characters, whose various quirks make the story all the more affecting. Satou himself (voiced by Yutaka Koizumi) is quite likeable, for underneath an outward shell of cynicism and skepticism, he’s a complex person: good-hearted but also somewhat obsessive, socially inept to the point where little occurrences have driven him into his current state but still salvageable as a person, and, thankfully, devoid of arrogance. He’s the rare anime character whose failings are truly what make him relatable, but these failings also make him something of a frustrating character to watch, which is exactly what the show wants. He grows as the series progresses, but it takes us through so many ups and downs that we become convinced he will never change and hardly notice it. Watching him hit nadirs repeatedly is infuriating and yet, by the end, we do see the sort of subtle but tangible progress in his behavior that a therapist might observe. In truth, there is no easy cure to any problem, and his slow and frustrating progress makes the show especially satisfying to watch by the time it finishes. I wanted to see him succeed, I cheered for him when I saw him recover via his struggles and even unconsciously begin to help other people, and his quirks ultimately made him into an excellent protagonist.