The themes are almost identical I think, but Welcome to the NHK does a better job of illustrating the concept that "everyone has their fix"... the anime doesn't even have to show an arc involving junkies to get that point across, where as the movie revolved primarily around them.
Just a random thought.
Hmmm, thats very thought provoking.
shareRequiem for a Dream was a very weak movie and had no points to conclude. Welcome to the NHK is way better in every aspect. It is ridiculous to compare these two.
God is the brat who rings the doorbell and runs away
The film Requiem for a Dream tries to beat it's audience over the head with the same camera tricks over and over to get it's point across. In this story the life of an addict (whether it's anime, heroine, videogames, porn etc) is shown with respect and the viewer can actually emphasize and understand and feel connected to the subject, rather than be distanced from him with repetitive gimmicks.
shareFinally one person who thinks like me. We are surrounded by Requiemfor a Dream lovers, friend, we need to unite.
Hey, Soldier. Do you know who's in command here?
I think you may be viewing "Requiem for a Dream" a little too metaphorically.
Requiem for a Dream is about people (with nothing in their lives) who become junkies. Having nothing in their life is the link to "Welcome to the NHK" which I understand and agree with wholeheartedly, BUT, at the end of the day Requiem for a Dream is still about heroin addicts.
It plays to an American audience where drugs are a serious issue, so comparing it to Welcome to the NHK has its limitations, and you certainly can't say that Requiem fails because it delivers the same message with less subtlety.
The core ideas are similar, but the problems are very different because they deal with two very different cultures. I have lived in the US and Japan and think both works are very important for their respective cultures. Certainly, the amount of drug-users/enablers I met in San Francisco is as shocking as the hikkokomori I taught english to in Tokyo.
We are living in a world where loneliness is very prevalent, yet both the US and Japan (and other cultures) deal with the same phenomena in different ways. I think both works are very truthful. Maybe Requiem felt "over the top" / "cheesy" to you because Requiem attempts to show not only the horror and despair of drugs BUT also the fun of drugs (this is why so many scenes in Requiem play out like music videos). Requiem was a disturbingly truthful film.
I bench press all of Shakespeare whilst reading them.