 In 2008, the anime became one of over 30 ADV titles acquired by Funimation.In Japan, NHK refers to the public broadcaster Nippon Hōsō Kyōkai, but within the series the main character believes it stands for , which is a reference to the protagonist's claim of a subversive conspiracy led by NHK (the real-life broadcaster) to create "hikikomori".While it mainly deals with the phenomenon of "hikikomori", the plot also explores many other Japanese subcultures—for example "otaku", "lolicon", and Internet suicide pacts.