Welcome to the NHK brings to mind
The clichéd (the usual and more):
Dreams / Ideals / Companionship / Loneliness / Guilt / Happiness / Romance / Fear / Thrill of an adventure / Job (or rather lack thereof) / Courage / Conspiracies (yes, yes) / Following the path paved for you / Self-esteem / Obsession / Moving on in life / Depression / Addiction / de2 guo4 qie3 guo4
The more subtle or the less clichéd (I do them such a big disservice by simplifying it):
Camaraderie / Ennui & melancholy / Blame / Ideality in people / Self-psyching / Contrived self-esteem / Self-preservation + Survival (in the modern world) / Imagination / Existential Crises / Being cornered / Pragmatism / Realism vs Surrealism / Delusions of grandeur / Repetition / Consumerism / Minority / Lack of permanence / Permanence (last part of the story) / What defines a ‘relationship’ (? most people don’t consciously think about this) / Social needs
Societal Phenomena (the Japanese context):
Suicide cults / pyramid schemes / MMORPGs / hikikomori NEETs / Otakus & anime
Miscellaneous (useful tools):
Psychology / Psychoanalysis / History / Philosophy / Education
Briefly:
Despite what most reviewers say, the plot on the whole is still rather incredible, although it is very easy for most people to identify with what the characters are going through. Welcome to the NHK seeks to provide a more personal insight into the social problems which plague the urban world, and brings some comfort to those who feel that they are left behind. Nonetheless, the anime does not really offer any real solution or inspiration for our daily problems, but rather ends off on a rather unresolved “Que Sera Sera” note.
Whatever happens, we’ll be fine, righto? That’s the general consensus of people like me who don’t have any plan.
