Welcome to the NHK

ADV films has the first episode of Welcome to the NHK up at their site - to stream for free until 9/19. Also they have a preorder deal to get the first volume for $19.99. Downright reasonable.

Please be warned that this show would probably get an R rating if it was in theaters. There's lots of profanity (although it was awesome to hear the phrase "Turn that s**t down, you f**king otaku!" in English. I smell custom ringtone :) But I digress. In addition to the profanity, theres a scene of what looks to be a nun (Spoiler - She's not. Not even close.) having a fine old time getting herself off. (Technically, this never happened)

The theme of this show goes from a dark comedy to a serious social commentary, with a tearjerker in the last two episodes. I really enjoyed watching it and am happy to see that it FINALLY made it to the US.

You'll need to know a tiny bit of vocab before watching this show.

Hikikomori (ひきこもり or 引き篭り, Hikikomori, lit. "pulling away, being confined", i.e. "acute social withdrawal") is a Japanese term to refer to the phenomenon of reclusive individuals who have chosen to withdraw from social life, often seeking extreme degrees of isolation and confinement due to various personal and social factors in their lives. The term hikikomori refers to both the sociological phenomenon in general as well as to individuals belonging to this societal group.

N.E.E.T. - "Not currently engaged in Employment, Education or Training.
In Japan, the classification comprises people aged between 15 and 34 who are unemployed, unmarried, not enrolled in school or engaged in housework, and not seeking work or the technical training needed for work.