Worst. Cover. Ever.
I just finished reading Welcome to the NHK by Tatsuhiko Takimoto. Great book, very dark story that tells it like it is. The main problem is the presentation. This novel was released under Tokyopop’s Pop Fiction line. As usual, Tokyopop made a mess of everything. The cover is a watercolor by Yoshitoshi Abe (I think… there aren’t any credits for the illustration) of a cute (?) anime-styled girl. The back cover says, “[…] his hilarious journey begins, filled with mistaken identity, Lolita complexes - and an ultimate quest to create the greatest hentai game ever!”Whoah. Did the copy writer even read the book? Yeah, there are all of those things in the book, but its anything but hilarious. Is it funny when a 20-something year old is in the bushes outside an elementary school, waiting to take pictures of little girls? No! (in case you didn’t know the answer) It’s disgusting, and that’s the point of the book, Satou (the main character) lowers himself to be as horrible as possible. Not hilarious, not one bit.In general, the tone of the book is very, very dark and sad and real. But reading a book with a cover like some fan-service anime really messes with your mind. I think a black cover, or maybe a picture of some poor, underfed hikikomori sitting in the corner of his room crying would be a much more suitable cover.Of course, it’s all about marketing in the end. Tokyopop released the manga and novel, and ADV released the anime, so they were obviously putting money behind the title. Unfortunately, this meant all the formats needed the same look, and the novel got completely ruined in the process.Well, at least it got published in English. Make sure to check it out if you can find a coverless version!
Posted: September 4th, 2008 under Reviews.
Comments
Comment from Versiani
Time September 7, 2008 at 5:35 pm
Don’t think. It is Yoshitoshi Abe. He make the covers to the novel, and Tokyopop just copypaste the original. And, if you can’t guess by yourself, the girl in this cover are Misaki.
Anyway, NKH are really funny. To me. Is just a book, you see.
Comment from Rizzah
Time September 7, 2008 at 10:34 pm
I guess that’s one of the differences. Recently I read a book about the real hikikomori problem, and it’s terribly serious. It’s a debilitating mental illness infecting Japan, and their society seems unwilling to confront it. Books like this definitely bring the situation to light in a slightly romantic manner, but this might make it easier for people to swallow.
Still, the book is extremely melancholic and depressing. I don’t want to give away the ending, but it does not end well.
Yes, I assumed the girl on the cover was Misaki, and I also noticed that in all the Japanese publications, the artwork is the same. Looking further, I noticed that the book description was similar in japanese. Not exactly “ultimate quest to create the greatest hentai game ever,” but it did say “non-stop hikikomori action.”
I guess the presentation on both continents seemed inappropriate, or perhaps the book was translated with too much of a serious tone and the original was more comic.
Comment from roy
Time September 6, 2008 at 9:37 pm
relax asshole… if you pay too much attention to all of the shitty things tokyopop does, then your head will explode… but this was good in all formats… long live hikikomori… and loli-porn…