This is the second time in the life of this column I've praised a dub after thoroughly trashing the company responsible for the dub in a previous column. The first time was when Central Park Media's dub of Shamanic Princess pleasantly surprised me after utterly hating Maze and just about everything else they'd ever dubbed. This time, I'm happy to say New Generation has finally produced a dub I enjoy.

That said, I'm not sure whether to give the credit to the studio or the anime. If you'll recall, my major complaint with New Gen's dub of 3X3 Eyes was that the acting was too subdued ("flat," to quote me). I honestly can't say overall that the acting in NieA_7 (pronounced, "Nee-ah Under Seven") is much more lively. However, NieA_7 is a much more subdued anime, and the acting fits.

More importantly, the dub cast knows how to produce a non-subdued role when necessary. The best and brightest example of this is the titled character, NieA, played by J-Ray. NieA doesn't know the meaning of the word "subdued". She's a hyperactive wad of energy who divides most of her time between two moods: silly tantrums about not having food and silly displays of contentment and pleasure when she finally gets food. J-Ray provides a memorable voice for "Little NieA," as she calls herself, and is the single best reason to watch the dub. Her NieA is perky and energetic, every line she delivers is that of a character who truly believes she's the star of the scene.

The truth, however, is that NieA is not the star. On a certain level, the anime isn't even about her. It's a coming-of-age story, one summer in the life of Mayuko, a poor girl working two jobs as she finishes cram school and faces hard decisions about the next phase of her life. Mayuko is played by Tricia Dickson in what had to be a difficult role. When Mayuko shares the screen with NieA, the atmosphere is pure slapstick, as Mayuko bursts out in comic rage at whatever it is NieA has done this time. When NieA is gone, the atmosphere is completely dramatic, with Mayuko often delivering narrative monologues as she struggles to understand herself. Dickson does a bit better with the dramatic side than she does with the slapstick, but both come off very well. "Dramatic Mayuko" is subdued, but not flat, her voice giving an air of introspection to the scene, while "Comic Mayuko" is intentionally over-the-top, Dickson's screaming voice matching the silly facial artwork that accompanies Mayuko and NieA's arguments.

The supporting characters are for the most part well-acted, if not distinctive. Zarah Little is Mayuko's lively, optimistic, UFO-nut friend Chiaki. Little is especially good in bringing out the humor in the scenes interacting with NieA, overflowing with fangirl enthuasiam. Robyn Nolting is both managerial and motherly as Kotomi, the owner of the Enohana Bathhouse where Mayuko both works and lives. Eric Dare is believable as Nenji, the keeper of the bathhouse furnace, but is at his best in those scenes where we see that Nenji likes burning things a little too much. Momo, an old lady who works at the bathhouse, is played soft-voiced and quivering by Linda Bendik. And Casey Strand does well as Karna, the bitchy elite alien who faces off with NieA a couple of times, but sadly doesn't appear as often as I'd like.

I wasn't as happy with Josh Phillips's performance. He plays Genzo, Mayuko's childhood friend with an obvious crush on her. I'm not sure what he's trying to do with his voice. Genzo dresses like a "slacker" and constantly has this, well... stupified expression on his face. Phillips does his best to act to Genzo's appearance, but comes off as a very tired or bored snowboarder. In fairness to Phillips, perhaps that's an appropriate portrayal. I just felt that the character was duller than he needed to be.

New Generation has a well-known policy of casting children to play children, and that policy continues in NieA_7. Chie, the young daughter of the owner of the restaurant where Mayuko works as a waitress, is played by Lauren Bendik (perhaps Linda's daughter?), an actress clearly in the same age range as Chie. She does a passable job. Unfortunately, Chie is portrayed as one of those little girls that only exist in stories: wise beyond their years and more on-the-ball than her father. Bendik had trouble portraying that maturity believably. I couldn't help but feel that the part would have been played better by an actress who was slightly older.

One of the least important, yet most fun characters is Chada, the obnoxious alien who insists on pretending he's Indian. Chada is voiced in a gleefully stereotyped fashion by Wil Castillo. My only worry is that Indian viewers might be offended by the voice, but they should remind themselves that Chada isn't Indian, he's just an idiot alien pretending to be. In that context the voice is dead-on.

Overall, the pluses outweigh the few minuses. Director Taliesin Jaffe has crafted a truly enjoyable dub I fell in love with by the time the series was over.

Rating: *** (out of 4)

(review based on episodes 1 - 8)

Released by: Pioneer

Dub by: New Generation

Director: Taliesin Jaffe

NieA - J-Ray

Mayuko - Tricia Dickson

Kotomi - Robyn Nolting

Nenji - Eric Dare

Genzo - Josh Phillips

Chiaki - Zarah Little

Chie - Lauren Bendik

Karna - Casey Strand

Chada - Wil Castillo

Momo - Linda Bendik

Agree? Disagree? Have a comment about a dub, or just about dubbing in general? Let me know!