niea

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		NieA_7 is a quirky combination of wacky farce and slice of life, with a pinch of social satire thrown in. Mayuko is an impoverished cram student boarding at an old Japanese bath house that her parents once owned. Cram students are a peculiarly Japanese phenomenon, who study incessantly and attend difficult cram schools in order to get into a career enhancing university. The series chronicles a few months in the hapless young woman's life as she scrimps and saves, getting by on a few hours sleep while working two jobs and making a long commute to school. As if grappling with a grueling workload, the loss of a parent, and a rocky transition to adulthood were not enough, she also deals with an alien named NieA who lives in her closet. NieA came with a wave of outer space immigrants some years before the start of the series. Most of the aliens have tried to settle into Japanese life with varying degrees of success. They are categorized numerically, the "Overs" being the elite, and the Unders the lower class. As an "Under 7," NieA is the lowest of the low, a fact which bothers her not in the least. The polar opposite of the hard-working Mayuko, this Under alien is a lazy, whining moocher who spends her day collecting junk to build miniature UFOs and scam the credulous natives. In this bizarre domestic comedy, Mayuko and NieA trade insults as they ponder how to get their next meal. Yet beneath the sitcom surface are two very complex and interesting characters. The past haunts Mayuko despite her best efforts to embody the hard working, get ahead ethic she champions. There is a brooding, softly sad, autumnal quality to the show, both in the look, music and pacing. A sense of loss characterizes the series, a sensitivity to the painfully sweet, fragile nature of things that the Japanese call "mono no aware." The electronic journal Michi Online defines the term as, "A Japanese aesthetic and spiritual concept relating to a desolate poignancy and an acceptance of impermanence." Mono no aware is at the heart of much anime, and particularly the work of Yoshitoshi Abe, the doujinshi creator of Serial Experiments Lain, and the haunting Haibane Renmei (Charcoal Feather Federation), as well as this series. In the world of NieA_7, the ordinary becomes extraordinary. There are leisurely shots of raindrops gathering on warm concrete, little bells tinkling in the breeze, and leaves dappling the late summer sun. These images are infused with life, with a wonder and marvel that belies their mundane nature, but also a sadness that they, like all things, will pass. Somewhat perversely, the series then makes the extraordinary ordinary. What matters to Mayuko is not the presence of an honest-to-God outer space alien in her room, but the fact that NieA has stolen her last can of mackerel. The mysterious shadow of the Mothership which years ago brought the aliens to Earth dominates the sky, but is now regarded by people as just part of the scenery. The miracle of extraterrestrial intelligence has become just another social problem in post-bubble Japan. In most ways, NieA is what she appears to be: free. Free of the social ties that bind, of the suffocating conformity and masks that hide true feelings and desires. Mayuko resents her for this; not that the alien cares, which irritates the long-suffering student all the more. Yet there is more to NieA than this, though to say more would spoil the show's surprises. In addition to the two roommates, there are also several charming and bizarre characters who add depth and interest. What might have been, should have been, just a wacked out comedy turns out to be a subtle, delicately nuanced story about the shimmering dream world we call life. The past lingers in the present, and a surprising future awaits us. Sometimes frantically funny, sometimes quietly reflective, NieA_7 is a series to watch in wonder.
		Studio: Pioneer Format: DVD Episodes in series: 13 Series Completed: Yes Number of DVDs: 4	Audio Tracks: English, Japanese Subtitles: English Genre: Comedy Ages: 13+ Cautions: Language, occassional nudity Reviewer: George Core Collection: High School, Comedy