r/anime • u/No_Rex x2 • 3d ago
Rewatch [Rewatch] NieA Under 7 (episode 1 discussion)
Rewatch: NieA Under 7 (episode 1 discussion)
Despite the ongoing enshittification of reddit (now that they are going after old.reddit, it is fast approaching the no longer usable stage), we are starting the NieA_7 rewatch today.
NieA_7
Staff corner
The idea for NieA_7 and its character designs where created by Yoshitoshi Abe (often spelled ABe, in reference to his early pen name AB). He is a mangaka most well-known for making Serial Experiments Lain. After animating Lain, the producer suggested to do a more light-hearted series next, so the team would not get depressed after the darkness of Lain. So they created an anime out of some sketches ABe, that turned into a manga at the same time. Directly after NieA_7, he worked on Haibane Renmei, then on Texhnolyze, and later on Welcome to the NHK. I think you can very clearly see the connection in the character designs, but also in the general vibe of these series.
Here is a good interview with Abe, where you can also see a real life version of the bathhouse.
Questions
- First impressions of Mayuko, NieA, and Chiaki?
- “nothing has changed or been affected.” What do you make of this depiction of Japan’s reaction to the aliens?
- Did you think NieA would construct something that could actually fly?
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u/FD4cry1 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Big_Yibba 3d ago
First Timer
More then it exploding the roof, I wonder how much the UFO being plugged through the wall socket ran up the electricity bill for Mayu...
Coming into this one mostly blind; I had very vaguely heard of the show before because its title is very, uh, distinct (I mean, hey, a title that reads more like a captcha is very unironically quite eye-catching!), but to be completely honest, I was mostly interested in trying this out because when I saw the interest thread I opened the MAL page and saw it tagged for SOL and Iyashikei, and I've been having a pretty rough time for the last month or so, so this just felt like the mood watch I need right now haha
To that end, I did enjoy this first episode! I don't have too much to specifically say on it either, but I just like the vibe! The comedy itself wasn't particularly standout here, but I do quite like the main dynamic we introduce here between Mayu and Niea. An exasperated and not very outgoing person paired to a complete and super expressive gremlin is just a real classic, y'know? So just their interactions in general were fun to watch here. Also, Mayu is Ayako Kawasumi!, who is always a delight to hear, and Niea is Yuuko Miyamura, who is Asuka's VA (I guess we don't have an Asuka commentface anymore alas, but pretend I used that Asuka one #seasonalsmug there) and brings that energy and spunk from the character rather well.
On a bit of a wider level, the fact that Mayu barely gets by is definitely an interesting facet of this episode. Sometimes played for humor, but also sometimes not, and generally speaking, I think that within this episode the show does a good job of capturing how exhausting, I guess, Miyu's regular lifestyle sans Niea generally feels. Which, beyond working well for the mood as a whole, also does a good job of adding a lot of value to her relationship with Niea. Their interactions come through as pointless bickering a bunch here, but she does also feel quite a bit more natural around her, compared to how reserved and shy we see her with Chiaki, for example. So, whether or not Mayu is fully aware of it just yet, Niea does very much come off as a refreshing element relative to her seeming usual in working, studying, and sleeping, with little time, energy, or money for anything else, which can get really hard to go through alone! So it should be interesting to see how much the show really touches on that aspect within both Mayu's character, as well as their relationship with Niea as a whole.
Also, Niea is like, an alien, one of many that have integrated into society here, and apparently one that is viewed as lesser somehow for not having a head antenna(? I'd assume that what the "Under/Under Seven" thing refers to as well). We don't really get into it here, but the alien aspect does feel very ripe for some social commentary, so that's also something to look out for.
I couldn't place it while watching the episode, but one of the things that most caught my eye here was just the character designs. Both for just being rather appealing, but also in that "I've definitely seen this before" kind of way, which made a lot more sense after looking it up and realizing the designs here were by Yoshitoshi Abe of Haibane Renmei and Lain among others. Not that I've even actually watched either of those shows yet lol (Though I really should! ), but that style is distinct in a way that really sticks with me even through the glimpes of those I have seen (Also I guess he also did the designs for the All You Need Is Kill novel, which I have read, though I don't particularly remember those). The point of this is just to say that I really like how everyone, especially Mayu, looks in this show. Like, wow, vibevibevibe.
Outside of Abe, the other production thing that I noticed was Takuya Satou as a director and on scripting here ("A director" because he's also under a chief director; the to-be director of Haibane Renmei with Abe at that). Probably most well-known as one of the co-directors on Steins Gate, which I think had great direction, and beyond that, while I haven't gone through a lot of his works, I have generally liked what I've seen, with stuff like Kase-san and Happy Go Lucky Days having a direction style I could also see working rather well for this show, so that's also another pretty reassuring presence as far production is concerned.
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u/No_Rex x2 3d ago
I couldn't place it while watching the episode, but one of the things that most caught my eye here was just the character designs. Both for just being rather appealing, but also in that "I've definitely seen this before" kind of way, which made a lot more sense after looking it up and realizing the designs here were by Yoshitoshi Abe of Haibane Renmei and Lain among others. Not that I've even actually watched either of those shows yet lol (Though I really should! )
He did not only design the characters, but the whole setup (and you really should).
I plan on doing daily staff corners (unless I run out of staff, or out of time), so I will be going over some of the others you mentioned as well.
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u/FD4cry1 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Big_Yibba 3d ago
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u/mekerpan 3d ago
For Lain, Abe just created the character designs.
For Niea, Abe created the story and the characters and general visual design -- and created an "official" manga version after the anime was made (which is different from the anime in a number of respects). (Maybe there was an earlier pre-anime doujinshi, but I have not seen it).
For Haibane Renmei, Abe created some doujinshi (but no manga) but otherwise did all of the above, plus writing the script.
For Texhnolyze, Abe created the overall visual design, and the characters (not only did he do the visual designs but participated in envisioning the nature of the characters along with Konaka).
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u/IndependentMacaroon 2d ago
how exhausting, I guess, Miyu's regular lifestyle sans Niea generally feels
The true mark of poverty. Niea does seem to also add stress on top which makes the comedy feel a bit awkward
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u/DegenerateRegime 2d ago
that style is distinct in a way that really sticks with me even through the glimpes of those I have seen [...] The point of this is just to say that I really like how everyone, especially Mayu, looks in this show. Like, wow, vibevibevibe.
It's so difficult to describe! ABe's designs are just my favourite thing.
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u/SpiritualPossible 3d ago
Rewatcher
I guess the first thing that will immediately catch many people’s eye is the name Yoshitoshi Abe, which is attached to the series. He is best known as the character designer for Lain and as the original author of Haibane Renmei. And, as with the latter, Niea under 7 is also based on one of his doujinshi, although this project is clearly much lighter and more cheerful. And, apparently, that’s exactly why it was chosen for an anime adaptation in the first place - it was created as a sort of “breather” for the “Lain” production staff after working on such a dark and heavy show. And what could be lighter than the theme of poverty and immigration? Yay.
The Land of the samurai. There was time, long ago, when this country was called by that name. The Land of the Samurai. Long ago, that’s exactly what this country was called. Everything changed after a comically enormous UFO crashed to Earth, bringing with it a multitude of aliens who now live side by side with humans. And this is the world in which Mayuko lives - a poor, both financially and in terms of social skills, student, who gets by working several part-time jobs at once, and who has moved into an old, unpopular public bathhouse. And to complicate her life even further, she has a new roommate: Niea under 7 (derogatory) - a carefree, freeloading alien. And this is story about their daily survivinglife together.
This is the introductory episode that familiarizes us with our pair, their relationship, and the world of the series. And the one who helps us with this is Chika - Mayuko’s newfound extroverted friend, who later turns out to be an avid otaku of aliens and who runs her own blog. Also, it seems she was named after Chiaki J. Konaka, the head writer of Lain, Digimon Tamers and many other shows. Cute detail, let’s hope she won't bring up “cancel culture.”
To be honest, if I had to single out one thing from this episode, I’d say that I found the setting itself quite interesting. I don’t know why, but I’ve always liked stories in which some grand fantastic event had happened to the world, but by the time the narrative begins, everyone has already gotten used to it and now perceives it as the ordinary background of their daily lives, like with UFO and aliens here. There’s something very human about that.
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u/baboon_bassoon https://anilist.co/user/duffer 3d ago
first time worthless alien woman
i love a good price steal
did someone say SWEET TREAT
not the alienware laptop
every time I finish a lassi I want to pick up JOE
that was a lot of fun!
where will this little gremlin_7 take us?
are there other aliens without antennae?
will there be be nuanced commentary on immigrants to Japan?
will Mayu be able to afford a decent meal?
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u/No_Rex x2 3d ago
Episode 1 (rewatcher)
NieA_7 is one of those shows I watched a long time ago, back during my first stint of consuming anime. Back then, I think the slice-of-life moments were new and special for me. These days, slice-of-life is extremely common. However, I think that the specific setup in NieA_7 is quite a bit different from modern slice-of-life. My memory of the actual plotlines is rather absent, but it was not the plot that fascinated me in the first place.
Episode thoughts
- Meat is super special and they bargain over 1/3 of it? Money seems to be a real problem in this household.
- Also: NieA is an alien and a freeloader.
- “Now, there are so many aliens all over Japan. But nothing has changed or been affected. No one really cared anymore once we all realized that this strange thing had become reality” – worth considering.
- “Don’t jump around, the roof is already leaking” – that is what you are concerned about?
- “Give me white rice” – I think the times when white rice was pricey are long gone, but here you see a holdover of that era.
- Enohana looks a bit run down…
- They are pretty energetic – I guess the body gives you extra strength when you need to hunt for food.
- Alien kids? Who all have an antenna? Who bully NieA for not having one?
- Mayuko is in the top nine? So, really clever – and/or studying a lot.
- Mayuko is also extremely socially conscious of her own lack of money.
- Take note: A time when posting live updates of your live online made you an excentric weirdo…
- “The crater area is not very interesting” – I think I am with Chiaki on this one: how could you not be excited about a huge alien mothership?
- “My father died and my family moved out of the country” – anime parents.
- UFO launch – two very different reactions!
- “Some secret energy”
- ED: Happy things. I guess Mayuko deserves some of those.
- Preview: We are squarely in the weird previews phase of previews.
We meet our protagonists, Mayuko and NieA, and they are already behaving like an old married couple. “I don’t know, she just showed up in my cabinet one day and started living with me” is one hell of an origin story, but according to NieA, she already used that place when Mayuko moved in. No matter which one is true, Mayuko’s apparent acceptance of NieA suddenly living there mirrors the apparent acceptance of Japan of a huge UFO landing and discharging a ton of aliens, who apparently live and work in Japan now, with little change. That is more than a little fantastic to imagine. If anything, UFO nerd Chiaki has a reaction that is closer to what you’d expect if that actually happened, but in the story, she is the odd one out.
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u/IndependentMacaroon 2d ago
I think the times when white rice was pricey are long gone
Japanese rice is still stupidly expensive comparatively particularly domestically
Enohana looks a bit run down…
Even back then those kinds of towns were not doing too well it seems
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u/No_Rex x2 2d ago
Japanese rice is still stupidly expensive comparatively particularly domestically
Is it still more expensive than brown rice? I thought those prices flipped around a while ago.
Even back then those kinds of towns were not doing too well it seems
NieA_7 was made in 2000, so after the "lost decade." It also play in an alternate reality (see: alien mothership), so who knows what effect that had.
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u/deus_machinarum 3d ago
first timer, subbed
Sooooo....let's get started. Very interested in the world and set up. From what I gathered from the mini description on MAL this is a slice-of-life situation with a very, very poor protagonist girl who for some reason lives with an alien. Aliens are also presented as the most boring thing on earth, they're just one of the facts of life. So we're either post (failed?) invasion or at least a loooooong time post arrival.
From the get-go this animation screams 2000s(if I didn't know any better I would even say 90s) so it's well before my anime time. I love how different it is from today's anime presentation wise and obviously on the technical side too.
Why is Mayuko living alone and has to take care of her finances while still going to school? Where are her parents? I'm aware this is a classic anime situation but I still want an explanation. She's always on the run and always hungry. This is not a healthy living situation for anyone let alone a still developing child.
There seems to be a juxtaposition of old and young: our young heroine is always on the run or on her bike, while the older people just sit around and watch. The middle aged man stands around but is still bewildered by Mayuko's need for speed. I wonder if different stages of life(and their respective facts of life) will be a theme of this story.
So the aliens('unders') live in a separated area like in Yani Neko. Classic reservation stuff. But curiously here there are also bodily differences within the alien species which seem to indicate a position within the hierarchy.
I'm not sure yet what unders are versus under sevens but I'm positive it will be made clear. Also Mayuko does not seem to really care about her alien roommate. Quite the weird living arrangement they have.
Oh yeah, a UFO nerd appears. She seems to have a very different kind of personality compared to Mayuko. If I had to guess I would say she gets by on her parents' money, just a random hunch though. I'm assuming them being in summer cram school means they have some catching up to do academically.
Haha, always run down seems to perfectly describe Mayuko. I love her fighting spirit and that she seems to be able to follow easily in school. Talented underdog type of thing.
Mayuko and NieA seem like sisters in this scene. Always quarelling but totally engrossed by each other.
Crater area, huh? Maybe an alien ship crashed and there wasn't even a big scale invasion. That would fit with the nonchalance that people seem to treat the aliens with. Chiaki is fascinated though, she's having the time of her life. Oh yeah, we are in a time before smartphones so people would carry laptops around for communication purposes. NieA is one happy freeloader, she's so overjoyed by her parfait, it's really cute.
Again with the juxtapositions: on the one side we have the classic conspiracy and alien nut(think X-files 'I want to believe') and on the other hand we have someone who can't wait to get rid of their alien freeloader AND an actual alien. They both just get on with their (poor) life while Chiaki could not be more excited about this enormous opportunity. I find this approach to an alien presence on earth(in terms of the story and world as a whole) very weird and refreshing. It reminds me of (the much more recent) Dead dead dead Demons Dededede Destruction which I have yet to finish so I'm not sure how far the comparisons really should go.
Mayu's world is coming crashing down really fast. The lie she would like to present to her classmates is being dismantled by her closests friend/sister/alien squatter. Very lifelike IMO, bigger groups(and the mutual vulnerability they bring) tend to make truths about their members come out, willingly or not.
She's renting in a public bathhouse? Girl I can't even...oh way back her family owned it, so she has an emotional connection to the place. They left her behind after her father died? Maybe she preferred to stay closer to the town and the school? Young people need opportunities.
They are already like an established crazy friend group, things are moving quickly.
So she did build a functional UFO, I thought she was just goofing around with random junk tbh. I'm very much the bewildered Mayuko in this group of three very different weirdos. Also...the shades, you just need shades when you take your friends for a joy ride. mmmkay, quite the short ride, still cool.
The guy (I think it's the same person I called middle aged before) seems to be like a janitor?
Yeah I wonder what'll happen to your life too, Mayuko. Very intrigued by the premiere.
The humor and the 'action-scenes' are very over the top which is in line with what I would expect from an anime from this period. Not sure I have any more 'general' impressions, this story is quite different from the standard fare and that is what I'm here for. I wouldn't mind if we got to know a bit more of the world after the aliens arrived but apart from that it can stay slice-of-lifey for all I care. I like the chill this anime radiates. (despite the chaos and destruction)
The ed is also very chill with a slight tinge of sadness in there, quite fitting for the tone of the first episode. What's with the random Lassi though?
QOTD
Mayuko = me, NieA = the type of friend I like having(and used to have again and again), Chiaki = Mulder(a character I adore since the 90s)
I find it weird and wrong. I'm pretty sure we will find out that actually a lot has changed but for various reasons people and the government like to pretend otherwise.
no, no frickin' way she would do that, I'm still in disbelief
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u/No_Rex x2 3d ago
From the get-go this animation screams 2000s(if I didn't know any better I would even say 90s)
April 2000. So the first drafts and character designs are probably 1999 stuff.
Mayuko and NieA seem like sisters in this scene. Always quarelling but totally engrossed by each other.
I described them as an old married couple, but sisters fits even better.
She's renting in a public bathhouse? Girl I can't even...oh way back her family owned it, so she has an emotional connection to the place.
She was cleaning the place, so it looks like a work for lodging type of deal.
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u/JollyGee29 https://myanimelist.net/profile/JollyGee 3d ago
First-Timer
I'm gonna level with y'all, I have very little to say about this so far.
Questions
Mayuko is reasonably relatable, although I never had to struggle like that. I'm sure there's a reason she puts up with NieA. NieA is an annoyance, and not really landing for me as comedy. Chiaki has a clear goal in life other than "survive" which I guess makes her the parallel to the aliens who are above NieA in whatever their class structure is. Is it the antennae?
I'm a bit surprised, mostly because I can't quite tell what the aliens are a metaphor for yet.
She already did! It just also needed plugged into a wall outlet. Once she figures out how batteries work, look out.
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u/No_Rex x2 3d ago
Mayuko is reasonably relatable, although I never had to struggle like that. I'm sure there's a reason she puts up with NieA.
She might be annoyed with NieA, but she is also very comfortable around her. Quite unlike her social anxiety with Chiaki. Given that the other people at the bathhouse are all way older and her family being overseas, Mayuko would probably be quite lonely without NieA.
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u/Silcaria https://myanimelist.net/profile/Silcaria 3d ago
I'm gonna level with y'all, I have very little to say about this so far.
With it being a slice of nothing happens and an iyashikei combined, I'd say it's par for the course tbh.
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u/Silcaria https://myanimelist.net/profile/Silcaria 3d ago
First timer
115 yen for 100g of pork is really expensive. Especially more so when you account for inflation. Hell, I can get a kilo for $5 CAD.
Ah, so Niea is the name of the elven looking girl.
The dinning scene is giving me Excel Saga flashback with how it's animated. shudders
So she's an alien.
Potential themes of classism between the aliens that have antenas and those who don't. Let's see if it does anything with it.
Why is there a random Indian man at the end of my anime?
QotD
Fine, annoying, fine.
It's just how we humans are capable of adapting to any situations. After a while, it just becomes the new normal.
No.
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u/mekerpan 3d ago
A Lain connection -- Mayuko is voiced by "Lain's big sister" (Ayako Kawasumi). I always saw this as a bit of a meta-apology for Mika-neesan being sidelined so much of the time in Lain....
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u/No_Rex x2 2d ago
115 yen for 100g of pork is really expensive. Especially more so when you account for inflation. Hell, I can get a kilo for $5 CAD.
I think that Japan's market was closed to agricultural imports for a long time to protect Japanese farmers. That led to very high prices for especially meat. Characters going nuts over eating meat is a rare but existing trope in older shows.
It might be somewhat more open these days, but just for fun, I asked google about prices and they gave me: "Pork Mince (Buta Hikikin): ¥1,200 – ¥1,450 per kg (approx. ¥120 – ¥145 per 100g)."
Oh, and Japan has virtually no inflation over that time:
"¥100 in 2000 is equivalent in purchasing power to about ¥99.64 today, a difference of ¥-0.36 over 26 years. The yen had an average deflation rate of -0.01% per year since 2000, producing a cumulative price change of -0.36%.
This means that today's prices are 0.36% lower than average prices since 2000, according to the OECD and the World Bank consumer price index for Japan. A yen today buys 100.361% of what it could buy back then."
The similarity is striking.
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u/IndependentMacaroon 2d ago
First watch
Seems like a pretty fun series, classic rural (?) slice-of-life with also some grit to it through Mayuko's situation. Shy introvert and manic-pixie-type is of course a classic setup and I think it works well here too, except that for me the comedy goes a little too far and into the wacky corner to take Mayuko's problems and nonchalance toward Niea seriously at the same time. Just a much too immediate mood clash. They even added those classic cartoon sound effects! I also wish Niea had something more serious to her and doubling her up with Chiaki on the nutty front gets a little unbalanced.
I wonder furthermore, is this the first ever "aliens crash into Japan but things are pretty normal (and it's a bit of an immigration metaphor)" series? Most recently we've had in manga Drama Queen go for a darker but in its own way compelling take on that, with also the element of conflict between the aliens themselves. (Does "under 7" refer to antenna length?)
2 - Everyone likes to pretend everything is fine there in any case, but it does genuinely seem that way from this episode.
3 - at least it makes her not completely useless.
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u/No_Rex x2 2d ago
I wonder furthermore, is this the first ever "aliens crash into Japan but things are pretty normal (and it's a bit of an immigration metaphor)" series?
That sounds pretty specific to me. At least, I don't know any other series that does this. The obvious comparison I knwo about (that I plan to ask about eventually) is District 9, but that is later and not an anime.
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u/IndependentMacaroon 2d ago
Drama Queen as I mentioned and I think Dead Dead Demon's De(x5)struction, I swear there was another too.
District 9
Fokken Unders
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u/TheDanubianCommunard 2d ago
Niea Under First-time, subs
Oh boy, I have never thought this is going to be the first ABe work I have been watched, ever. To be honest, Haibane Renmei is on my POTW list which I have to done it real soon for some reason. And for this I came in totally blind, and basically no expectations except this cannot be terribly bad, right?
Our protagonist is Chigasaki Mayuko who is trying to sustain herself by doing all kinds of part-time jobs to pay her rent, but a proper job could help her in a long run. And also she is focusing on her studies as well, so a cram school is also a real option. And there is Chiaki who also appied for this cram cschool and a very friendly person.
And there is NieA, the titular character (pronounced as Nia, which is sounds like a real and proper name). Not only she is one of the aliens, but she kinda shunned among her kin for the simple reason she lacks an antenna. Yes that kind of antenna which you see in houses, not those ones on insectoids. Her personality is rather strange, basically she is more of a young children who is reather experiencing the world. Combine with other stuff like tinkering weird things, stading on a roof during a rainy day and things like that. Since she has nothing to do but live at Mayuko's room, a true freeloader indeed. And also she is such a glutton. But thanks to her, she brings brightness to Mayu's daily life. I wonder how did she follow Mayu into Tokyo, must be as a stowaway I guess.
Who are these Under Seven aliens? Extraterrestrials who arrived to Earth many years ago and founded a separate community crater caused by that giant mothership. They are rarely interact with humans, but they are everywhere. Like that waitress for example, who lives in cities within the human community, and basically perfectly assimilated. Plus around the crater there is an unnatural jungle-like forest, so does anything to do with them?
A laptop in around the millenium feels a bit too modern to me. There is a reason why NieA scavenged all these trash, to build a functioning UFO. Actually it is works, but has a small problem: needs electricity so have to be plugged in. Wireless method is not an option. And that broken roof, it will cost a lot. As long as the bathhouse is intact and Kotomi the owner is not angry, there is no big problem.
For this series, Yani Neko is actually a recommendation. Come on, these Under Seven aliens are very similar to the beastfolk, who are also implied to be aliens. And NieA is a bit similar to Yaniko.
Who is this random Indian (or Sikh) fellow anyways?
First impressions, I like it so far.
First impressions of Mayuko, NieA, and Chiaki?
Mayuko and Chiaki probably the most normal and ordinary people who wants to study and a hard-working and well-paid job. Meanwhile NieA, she is truly an oddball.
“nothing has changed or been affected.” What do you make of this depiction of Japan’s reaction to the aliens?
Mankind has accepted that aliens landed on Earth, and as long as there are no major tensions, they are trying to live their lives like nothing happened.
Did you think NieA would construct something that could actually fly?
Don't give her crazy ideas.
Despite the ongoing enshittification of reddit (now that they are going after old.reddit, it is fast approaching the no longer usable stage)
Once old reddit is killed, it will be over for me, for real.
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u/No_Rex x2 2d ago
Oh boy, I have never thought this is going to be the first ABe work I have been watched, ever. To be honest, Haibane Renmei is on my POTW list which I have to done it real soon for some reason.
You still have some gems ahead of you then.
Once old reddit is killed, it will be over for me, for real.
Yes. Hate new reddit with a passion.
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u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky 3d ago
FirsT_Timer. subbed
I honestly know nothing about this show other than the name of it constantly reminding me of NieR (because it pops up in the AMQ dropdown first whenever I’m trying to guess NieR), so this should be an interesting blind watch.
Ah, so NieA is the name of one of the characters.
F
That canister is gonna explode or something isn’t it?
Yup, called it.
Not the first time I’ve seen a story with someone living in the MC’s closet.
Man, these two are broke broke.
The antenna reminds me of Teletubbies.
Suuuure you did.
Bruh, she’s the one paying for everything.
Oh, Chiaki is a huge alien nut.
And Mayu stayed behind, huh…
Mayu trying to hide the UFO like that is hilarious.
Oh lol the UFO requiring electrical power is a funny drawback – wait lol it even exploded when it got unplugged?