Welcome to the N.H.K., Volume 3

by Tatsuhiko Takimoto and Kenji Oiwa

Satou may have survived his mom and the urge to put an end to it all, but now he's taking his battle online When Satou gets caught up in the MMPORPG craze, will hours of play help him escape his shell... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1598166808
• ISBN13: 9781598166804
• Release Date: January 2007
• Publisher: TokyoPop
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.46 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.6" x 7.4"

Customer Reviews

Want to cut yourself off from the real world a little more?

How about joining a massively multiplayer online roleplaying game (MMORPG)? That's just what Satou does after almost losing his life to a suicide pact last volume. In yet another get rich quick scheme, this time by trying to become a gold/item farmer in a fairly obvious parody of Final Fantasy XI, Satou finds himself unable to disconnect from the virtual world where he's not only a hero, but also the center of attention of a very cute catgirl (be still my fanboi heart). As such, he's even MORE of a hikikomori, deteriorating both physically and mentally at a rate that scares Misaki so much she tries anything to snap him out of it... even so far as cosplay and moving in with him. Of course, her attentions and certain revelations as to the identity of his online flame only lead Satou to escape and meetup with yet another old aquaintence from his school days... one who has a get rich plan that can't fail and is willing to share it with him. For a price. Yes, welcome back to the conspiracy, as our not so fair hero and far too focused heroine do their best to fight their own worst natures as well as each other and are making very slow and painful progress... if any. The sordid sides of MMORPGs and pyramid-style resale groups are given light along with more depressing details and depictions of hikikomori living. No suprise that this is a dark book from a dark series, but it still manages to strike a cord with my otakuesque heart... wow, I almost wanted to say "kafkaesque" there as well... glad I supressed that urge. The art is the standard viceral fare we've grown accustomed to in NHK and is none too flattering to our characters (save that it looks like Class Rep-san has a great new hairdo in comparison to her schooldays look). I can't really say "enjoy" here as NHK is a painful read, no doubt about it, but definitely absorb it and reflect well on how isolated and despairing we've become in the modern age. Cheers and, standard fair warning, this book is NOT for kids.