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IchigoK90



Joined: 13 Aug 2005
Posts: 1634
Location: Scarborough, Ontario
PostPosted: Sat Feb 23, 2008 11:55 pm Reply with quote
I doubt there'd be many a topic on this manga series so I'll just start my own.

Now I own the first 2 volume of the series and I've managed to read the rest of the series and to say the least, it was a most enjoyable read. Sure there are a bunch of things that are disturbing to most people (in my mind the most disturbing would be the spoiler[lolicon fetish Satou develops]) but overall I found it a dark but humourous look at a bunch topics not many people would like to talk about.

I enjoyed every aspect of this manga series from start to finish. Every scene, every character and every situation were gripping. It wasn't until volume 3 though that this series picked up for me. Character interactions became more interesting to read about (though at times I could tell when characters were lying and when they were telling the truth). Another aspect I enjoyed was that even though I could tell what was lying ahead in the certain situation right at the last moment a surprise came up that I didn't expect (as was the case when spoiler[Nanako said she was only into bishoujos over the phone with Yamazaki, I never saw that coming after what had happened before]). The sheer unpredictable nature of this series is what I found alluring.

However from the parts I did find enjoyable I think a lot of people would be turned off by. To all those who have read this and enjoyed it or been turned off by it, please comment.
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Moomintroll



Joined: 08 Oct 2007
Posts: 1600
Location: Nottingham (UK)
PostPosted: Sun Feb 24, 2008 6:08 am Reply with quote
The manga series is great - I have the first five volumes - but the novel it's based on is a fair bit better in my opinion. The novel isn't quite as comedic but you really get inside the protagonist's head (it is semi-autobiographical after all) and, if anything, it's even more disturbing (the protagonist's head is a scary place to be). The plot is also somewhat different than the manga.
It's well worth trying.
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IchigoK90



Joined: 13 Aug 2005
Posts: 1634
Location: Scarborough, Ontario
PostPosted: Sun Feb 24, 2008 10:43 am Reply with quote
To my dismay I checked if it was available in Canada and sadly its not. If I wanted to get the novel I'd have to go state side to get it or I'd have to order online.

Besides I've always found going inside someone's head is like entering the world's most dangerous prison.
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marie-antoinette



Joined: 18 Sep 2005
Posts: 4136
Location: Ottawa, Canada
PostPosted: Sun Feb 24, 2008 11:30 am Reply with quote
What? The novel is 100% available in Canada, I've seen it in stores.
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IchigoK90



Joined: 13 Aug 2005
Posts: 1634
Location: Scarborough, Ontario
PostPosted: Sun Feb 24, 2008 11:34 am Reply with quote
Well, I guess I really shouldn't trust wiki.
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8JF



Joined: 02 Nov 2007
Posts: 88
PostPosted: Sun Feb 24, 2008 12:39 pm Reply with quote
IchigoK90 wrote:
To my dismay I checked if it was available in Canada and sadly its not. If I wanted to get the novel I'd have to go state side to get it or I'd have to order online.

Besides I've always found going inside someone's head is like entering the world's most dangerous prison.


Chapters has it. Click here
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violented16



Joined: 19 Sep 2007
Posts: 81
PostPosted: Sun Feb 24, 2008 1:25 pm Reply with quote
8JF wrote:
Chapters has it. Click here


That is the manga. There is an actual Novel that was around before the manga & anime and that is what both are based on. That original Novel may not be available in Canada. Here is the wiki page it clearly shows the order of things.

I've never read the series but I plan to try it out sometime soon.
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8JF



Joined: 02 Nov 2007
Posts: 88
PostPosted: Sun Feb 24, 2008 1:35 pm Reply with quote
violented16 wrote:
That is the manga. There is an actual Novel that was around before the manga & anime and that is what both are based on. That original Novel may not be available in Canada.

Sure it is: Chapters link
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blind_assassin



Joined: 07 Aug 2006
Posts: 755
PostPosted: Sun Feb 24, 2008 1:52 pm Reply with quote
I've bought the novel and I live in Canada. Grabbed it right off the shelf at my local Chapters.

I like the manga better though. The novel left me feeling scared and confused. There were some funny parts (mostly involving him and Yamazaki being on drugs) but a good portion of the story is just really sad and sometimes it's just frightening. The manga is considerably more lighthearted.
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marie-antoinette



Joined: 18 Sep 2005
Posts: 4136
Location: Ottawa, Canada
PostPosted: Sun Feb 24, 2008 2:05 pm Reply with quote
IchigoK90 wrote:
Well, I guess I really shouldn't trust wiki.


You needed this to happen to know that? Razz
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IchigoK90



Joined: 13 Aug 2005
Posts: 1634
Location: Scarborough, Ontario
PostPosted: Sun Feb 24, 2008 5:39 pm Reply with quote
Well its really hard for me not to trust stuff like wiki. The world is only as accurate as the general consensus says it is.
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stuckinfresno



Joined: 21 Aug 2007
Posts: 223
Location: Fresno, CA
PostPosted: Mon Feb 25, 2008 12:04 pm Reply with quote
Just to drop a note on the "is it in Canda" issue: it is available on amazon.ca ISBN-10: 1427802564 or ISBN-13: 978-1427802569. Easiest way to find any book is using the ISBN. As for price shopping that's up to you.

Back onto the posted topic, I too enjoy the novel quite a bit more because of the intensity of the novel. With the manga there are breaks in the storyline and you have to wait until the next vol is released. With the novel, I read the entire work in one sitting. Especially towards the end, I was reading with a "No Way!" look. For those interested in the spolier I was glued to: spoiler[ it is when Satou seems to attempt suicide and then we find out a net saves him ]. And yet I have collected both.

The manga is good because the horror struck faces of Satou are so wonderful. They are so grotesque in nature. Also, by vol 3 three (as IchigoK90 stated) the story begins to tighten up. Moreover, it is nice to see the darker side of otaku obsession. While I liked Genshiken as well, everything was glossed over and happy. With Welcome to the N.H.K. everything is amazingly dark giving a sharp contrast. BTW, both are fun to read at the same time just due to this contrast.

However, I find that the manipulations that the characters undergo in N.H.K. are not easy to discern without reading the novel. Once I had the background with the novel the manga made so much more sense. At the same time, the novel sort of spoils the manga because you know where the storyline is going. It's kinda a toss up. (Perhaps this is just me).

Since this might be preceived as a spoiler I'm going to be safe. This is my question to those who have read both the novel and up to vol 5 in the manga: spoiler[what happened to the N.H.K.? It was mentioned in vol 1 and then stopped. At least the N.H.K. conspiracy was solid in the novel. ]
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IchigoK90



Joined: 13 Aug 2005
Posts: 1634
Location: Scarborough, Ontario
PostPosted: Mon Feb 25, 2008 4:08 pm Reply with quote
The spoiler[topic of NHK comes back around volumes 6-7 (I read it online)]. Thats another thing I liked about this series, the dark look at otaku obsessions. It really helps to put things in perspective.
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stuckinfresno



Joined: 21 Aug 2007
Posts: 223
Location: Fresno, CA
PostPosted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 11:25 am Reply with quote
IchigoK90 wrote:
The spoiler[topic of NHK comes back around volumes 6-7 (I read it online)]. Thats another thing I liked about this series, the dark look at otaku obsessions. It really helps to put things in perspective.


Ooo, another reason to await the sixth vol! Thanks for the update because I was beginning to wonder if the manga was going off track.
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8JF



Joined: 02 Nov 2007
Posts: 88
PostPosted: Wed Mar 19, 2008 5:36 pm Reply with quote
I was thumbing a copy of NHK volume 4 in the store yesterday when I noticed something about the art style. Why does Satou look younger than Yamazaki in this volume? I thought Satou is older by at least a year or two.



Typos...


Last edited by 8JF on Wed Mar 19, 2008 6:05 pm; edited 1 time in total
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