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by Luis Reyes |
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Episode 1: "Alien and Launching UFO Bath"
Set sometime in the twenty-first century, aliens have settled down on Earth and, though not fully integrated, humans have been used to having them around. Mayu, the protagonist of this tale, describes the situation as "when the extraordinary becomes ordinary." There are two breeds of alien, one with antenna, and one without. The obnoxious freeloader NieA belongs to the latter, which makes her the target of abuse … abuse that she answers with even more abuse. Mayu works three jobs to make ends meet while she attends cram-school. She hardly has enough money to feed and cloth herself, a situation exacerbated by the presence of NieA, who suddenly decided one day to take residence in Mayu's closet. Working as hard as she does, Mayu has little time for a social life, so when Chiaki -- a classmate obsessed with alien culture and technology -- befriends her one day at school, Mayu can't help but accept her company, however embarrassed she may be about her lack of funds … and her alien roommate.
Episode 2: "Alien and Violence Cosmic Bath"
Mayu rents a house in a public bathhouse with three other people, and they all have a responsibility to kick in some work to keep the bathhouse profitable. This effort is led primarily by the benevolent but hard-nosed Kotomi. The boiler man, Mr. Yoshioka, suggests that they can spur business if they offer something different to the customers. He has been experimenting with a way to use oil from the alien vessel crash site nearby to create a pleasant aroma in the bathhouse, which will in turn attract more customers. Kotomi comes up with a promotion scheme and sends Mayuko, Mr. Yoshioka, and, by default, NieA, to gather up some cosmic oil. It's application, however, produces some unforeseen effects.
Episode 3: "Alien and Radio Noise Bath"
An iconic Indian grocer with a ridiculously oversized head visits Mayu and NieA early in the morning to sign NieA up for an alien support group. In the world of "NieA_7" aliens long to attain "class five elite" status, which must be granted by the human government. The status makes it easier for aliens to achieve a normal life, to work, to live among humans, etc. The alien support group is designed to improve the alien image and to help other aliens achieve class five status. It turns out to be a collective of some of the geekiest aliens around headed by the fiery, stressed out, insecure Karna.
Episode 4: "Alien and a Beginner Waitress Bath"
NieA's stunt at a Chinese restaurant gets Karna fired. Chiaki complains to Mayuko about burning through her allowance early. NieA consumes Mayuko's emergency food supply. Insensitivity abounds in Enohana today.
Right before Mayuko goes to work at Karuchie, a European food restaurant for which she works as a bicycle delivery person, she receives a phone call from her mother about some family friends being in Tokyo. Genzo, the recalcitrant childhood friend of Mayuko, wanders Enohana in search of his former playmate with two large bundles of rice as a gift. Meanwhile, Karuchie's business is slow, which gives Mayuko plenty of time to get to know her boss's daughter, the precocious, eight-year-old Chie, who watches after her absent-minded, simpleton father. And when Karna comes in for a cheap meal and calls the restaurant shabby, Chie's the one who stands up for her family business.
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"NieA_7" succeeds on many levels, well-observed personal dynamics, bold social commentary, etc. What it lacks in originality, it makes up for in drama. But its touching sentimentality and politically abrasive themes have to withstand the eponymous NieA's torrent of insensitivity and utter rudeness.
Pensive, hard working, responsible, kind and obedient, Mayuko harbors all the qualities of a pleasant person. But Mayuko is also cast in a pathetic light, as if she allows herself to be abused. She plays into her own low self-image. Director/writer Takuya Sato textures his depiction of "NieA's" central protagonist, pacing her development slowly, defying the tempo of the anime schlock that erupts around her. Homely and abandoned, Mayuko's discipline drives her to better herself. But staying up all nights studying after long days of working two jobs, attending the bathhouse and enduring school is taking its toll on her. Sato makes it quite clear that if she continues this pace, she'll simply drop.
But no level of insecurity and self-worthlessness can answer why she would house an alien so absolutely parasitic as NieA. "NieA_7" is at its worst during the puzzling exchanges between NieA, who is always hungry, and Mayuko, who is always working to get food. Mayuko screams and yells and christens NieA a freeloader, but she does nothing to thwart NieA's consumption, teach NieA some manners, or even kick NieA out of the house. The image of the persevering girl in the big city that Sato so beautifully constructs contrasts sharply with the Mayuko who won't do a thing to put this leach in check. In these first four episodes, NieA is irredeemably bad, and certainly the weakest link in a cast of otherwise engaging characters.
Chie, who doesn't appear until episode four, resents her father for being so clumsy and forgetful and bad with money, yet she still loves him wholeheartedly. Chie at eight is everything that Mayuko should be at twenty -- harrowed without being discouraged, assertive without being rude, self-confident without being bombastic, determined without being obsessed. Near the end of episode four, Chie speaks about her frustrations to Mayuko, who says very little, not having it together nearly as well as this elementary school girl.
The bathhouse manager, Kotomi, the boiler man, Mr. Yoshioka, even the eccentric Karna have shape and depth. And "Lain" character designer Yoshitoshi ABe captures in simplicity and muted features the kind of emotional richness that Sato has written into his cast. NieA, on the other hand, simply injests (food and screen time), and distracts from the genuine drama and comedy of manners at work. She does, however, represent the "under 7s," the aliens without antenna that live on Earth and are looked down upon by the aliens with antenna, and this is where some of the most interesting social commentary bubbles to the surface.
Though the metaphor is transparent, Sato doesn't turn alien/human integration into slapstick like in "Urusei Yatsura," or potential for a volatile situation like in "Alien Nation." Sato treats it as if it's just a way of life -- as if a Cuban waiting for a work permit from the Japanese government had to deal with mild prejudice and alienation, but would still be involved with society. In one of the rare occasions NieA's outburst has any grounding in dramatic motivation, the non-antennaed alien runs into a group of alien boys antenna a-bobbing. She answers their taunts with equally childish zeal, never letting their digs get under her skin. Were she a more crafted character, this scene would have struck some resounding thematic chords. But as it stands, the incident blurs into the rest of NieA's highly irrational, irritating and irredeemable behavior.
In fact, with the exception of the frenetic, gastrointestinally driven NieA, the rest of the anime has a soft, delicate touch. The opening and closing themes defy high-pitched J-pop, and the score itself features a folk guitar playing old-style, Mississippi folk/blues, which suggests that there's going to be some kind of contrast in this title rather than the syrupy effulgence of slapstick that characterizes so much anime that includes someone in school.
So, extract NieA from the cast, bury her under seven feet of concrete, and "NieA_7" might very well be a great anime. To his credit, Sato has managed to create a lively series despite his titular heroine, so hope that NieA will rise above her role as petulant garbage disposal and take shape as someone worthy.
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