Welcome to the N.H.K.

Welcome to the N.H.K. or NHK ni Youkoso is an odd and eccentric anime. Satou Tatsuhiro is a young hikikomori, which is a lonesome person with a preference for absolute solitude. He lives in a small apartment, rarely leaving because he is terrified of the outside world. Satou is convinced everything that happens is due to a conspiracy. The N.H.K. are a tyrannical company, leading everything from the shadows. This story is about how a young and upbeat girl manages to bring Satou back into society.

Satou Tatsuhiro is a cynical and brilliant protagonist.

You get to meet a few different characters in N.H.K, including a rather humorous Otaku. However, the plot mostly centers around Satou and Misaki working together to solve their problems. You can tell the creators have tried to be controversial with this Slice-of-life anime. The characters are eccentric, some strange psychology and philosophical questions are discussed in length. It's a shame that both the anime and the manga try not to offend anyone. Some of the more scandalous yet interesting aspects of the manga such as drug taking have been completely removed in the anime.

Satou is an extreme introvert.

I feel Welcome to the N.H.K was just a little lacking. It had a lot of potential, and while the anime is a good watch overall it ends up just mediocre. If you're depressed or lonely, I believe the anime or manga would be greatly worth your time. A lot of the discussions are topics that introverts and lone people will usually ponder.

Misaki is adorable at times.

The graphics and sound are all passable and it's not bad to watch. Without fight scenes or extensive movement the animation is nothing out of the ordinary. While it tries to be different, N.H.K just seems very similar to dozens of anime that I've seen in the past.

Ultimately, I enjoyed this anime because of the place I was in when I initially watched it. However, I don't think I would ever watch it again. N.H.K is quite slow paced, and whilst it tries to break barriers and go against tried and tested anime conventions- it just doesn't go far enough to be special and stand out.

Great Teacher Onizuka

Great Teacher Onizuka, or GTO is an amazing anime. I can't believe I haven't reviewed it yet. Comedy and Slice-of-life is not a combo I like. When it involves a crazy ass kicking ex-mobster however, I can dig it. I spent most of my time smiling whilst watching Onizuka and his antics. There isn't really an overlying arc, or even a particular lesson to be learnt aside from the usual- stay in school. What you will get watching GTO is plenty of amusement, and some really inspiring moments.

The facial expressions are just priceless.

Eikichi Onizuka was a delinquent, but not just any average ruffian. He used to be a biker gang leader- with a terribly fearsome reputation. His dream has always been to become a reputed teacher. Not only does he want to inspire students, he's also perverted and wants to meet some hot schoolgirls. You will find Onizuka a very hyperactive main character with surprising amounts of optimism.

The story begins with Onizuka applying for the teaching job at a private school. Although his initial application is shot down because of his attitude and lack of qualifications, eventually he is hired to teach the unteachable class. His superiors expect him to fail along with the previous attempts to break through to this particular classroom of insolent punks. However, Onizuka begins his own brand of education, and begins to almost literally beat the kids into submission one by one.

People always make the mistake of messing with Onizuka.

It's rare to see such a great premise behind a show, even if it is a little generic. A teacher trying to break through to unruly students using life lessons is something we've all seen before and a very common concept. But an ex-gangster with a short temper, prone to violence and a dirty mind trying to school teenagers? Well, I haven't seen that before. Furthermore, Onizuka actually manages to do a pretty good job at helping the pupils learn practical knowledge in the real world. I'd want him as my teacher, I wish my education had taught me some of Onizuka's lessons instead of me figuring them out the hard way.

The only thing most people have an issue with is the art style. It is a little outdated. It even put me off watching the anime for a week or two. But a little outdated imagery should never stop you watching a good anime. Besides, with facial expressions like this who the hell wouldn't watch it?

This image alone is enough to make me watch GTO.

I spent the majority of the time watching this anime smiling. Onizuka steals the show, in a fantastic way. When one of the little shits does something to try and make him quit or get him fired, you will always wonder what he's going to do. He never lets you down.  And if you think he'll go easy on his class because he's a teacher; you thought wrong.

GTO is a stellar anime. Aside from the graphics, I found the only problem to be that it got a little repetitive towards the very end. Regardless, both of these drawbacks are no reason to avoid watching Great Teacher Onizuka. If you want a good laugh, check it out.

He's also a ninja.

Spice and Wolf

Spice and Wolf, or Ookami to Koushinryou is an anime about a merchant, trying to make his way in the world and earn a tidy profit. Lawrence is nothing special, except for his incredible business sense. One night in a quiet town, a beautiful girl appears in his cart. She is Holo (or Horo); a wolf god. Her role is to ensure a good harvest for the villagers. With her job completed, she commandeers Lawrence to travel home with her. Despite how uninteresting this anime may sound, it's actually pretty good if you can wrap your head around the first few episodes and get into it.

Probably the only time you will see her without clothes.

Lawrence is a smart peddler, and his goal is to earn enough to start his own shop. While Holo doesn't know much about trading, she's incredibly intelligent and often provides advice and thinks of solutions nobody else could. Learning about the intricacies of buying and selling goods for a tidy profit can be fascinating at times, and the bond between Holo and Lawrence makes their conversations easy to listen to.

For a god, Holo is surprisingly childish at times. On the other hand, she has a tail, wolf ears and also transforms into a giant doggy. I like her character, she's not much of a tsundere. She picks up everything Lawrence throws at her without trouble, and is incredibly loyal. Oh, and she eats enough apples to kill a whale.

Lawrence, just your average guy.

Lawrence is nothing special. But that's part of his charm. He's spent years traveling and mastering his craft. He knows how to make money, although he has the worst luck and ends up losing his profit due to unforeseen circumstances. With Holo at his side, they make a great team. With the church after Holo for unspecified reasons, you can see the dangers they encounter slowly taking a toll on Lawrence.

As their journey continues, you will find yourself more ensorcelled by the plot. Lawrence encounters endless amounts of setbacks on his journey, yet he struggles onward and always has a solution to make the most out of his losses. Holo gives him the strength to carry on, and pulls them out of a bind or two herself.

Holo enjoys disguising herself in fancy clothes.

I know stocks, insider trading, loans and every kind of economic you can imagine sounds boring. But if there was ever a time it was bearable; Spice and Wolf is that time. You might start watching it for the adorable Wolf girl, but you'll be starved from fan service- and fed with knowledge and witty profiteering. Fuck fan service anyway, it kills good anime.

The anime is painfully short, even with the second season. It's a shame, because for once it's very original. However, the plot did dip at times and the only reason I continued was because I knew it would pick up again. That, and I'm a sucker for romance which seems to be budding between the couple. That aside, I felt really smart when I finally grasped some of the trading concepts and tricks employed by Lawrence after listening to his explanation a few times. Just don't bother watching this anime if you don't like the sound of it. Because it's nothing more than what I've explained so far.

Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei

Our protagonist and sensei.

I've recently been watching this school comedy anime at my girlfriends insistence. It's actually not bad. The premise is based around a depressed teacher and his innocent class of often eccentric yet lovably optimistic girls.

I haven't finished the anime yet, but it's fairly predictable and episodic in nature. Itoshiki Nozomu, our protagonist and sensei, spends his time living in 'despair'. He carries a noose wherever he goes, just in case the need for suicide arises. He rants a lot about the injustices of the world to his young and optimistic class- explaining the futility of life and encouraging them to give up. This always has the opposite result, the girls find a way to take his speech to heart and find a way to see it as inspirational.

The main girls in Itoshiki's class.

Each episode typically introduces you to a new student in his class, showing us their personality and flaws. As you progress through the show, you learn new things about them and they often give the suicidal sensei a new outlook on life.

As you come to understand more of his students and they establish a rapport together, it's easier to appreciate the show. Their interactions are often amusing or cute. I got annoyed that this anime plays into so many stereotypes, but it does it intentionally and usually makes light of it by making fun of the standard genus. 

There is a lot of hidden meaning and often subtle writings in the background of every episode. This aspect provides a certain amount of depth to the program, giving you the option to watch it again and pick up on parts that you missed.

The best thing about this anime is anyone can enjoy it. For me it acts as a buffer between watching anime, because I don't think it quite stands out from the rest. However, I can see plenty of people loving it. Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei represents a fair amount of different genre stereotypes, such as a small harem factor; and the common school element. The most prominent category would be slice of life, backed up with comedy.

The black overly is frequently there to indicate his pessimism.

Although I somewhat enjoyed it so far, it didn't pull me into the fray, forcing me to empathise with the characters and feel involved. I can see how some people would relate to it on many levels; just not me. It's not got that cocaine pull that I've experienced from so many anime.

The anecdotes that are often brought up from the students antics are very natural, and it's entertaining enough to inspire a laugh or two from anyone.

If anything, give the sensei a try because there are only 12 episodes, without counting the second season. If you like pessimistic yet charming protagonists, with an obsession with conspiracies (Welcome to the N.H.K. anyone?)- This anime should certainly be on your list.