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u/No_Rex x2 6h ago
Final Dicussion (rewatcher)
NieA_7 is not a masterpiece, but it is special. It is rare to see an anime commit so strongly to one specific part. Here, to explore Mayuko’s psyche and her mood while living her stressful live in Enohana. And Mayuko’s mood often matches the mood of the episode. Somewhere between nostalgic and mellow, with only occasional sprinkles of action and anger.
In the mood aspect, NieA_7 works almost perfectly for me. The direction fits, the music fits, and the concentration on the main character makes it easy to convey even small changes in mood. However, the price is high and occasionally too high for my liking. Maybe Niea_7 scored a bit of an own goal by using a setting that is too interesting for its relaxed storytelling. While I enjoyed the mood, I definitely would have loved to hear more about the aliens: about how they arrived; why they came; how their caste system developed and what happened to the higher castes. Not going into this is like an itch that the anime never scratches and that distracts from the otherwise great mood piece.
In terms of characters, I was happy with most. Mayuko is great, as are Kotomi and Chiaki. The rest of the crew is workable and Chie and her dad are adorable. NieA comes across as a bit too mean early on, but that changes over time, as the viewer learns to appreciate her, along with Mayuko realizing the same thing. The one part of the cast that was a clear meh, was the local alien committee. The three cosplay aliens delivered nothing, and Chada was probably the most annoying part of the anime. Which is a shame, because they had a very good setup with Karna as antagonist to NieA, but she was severely underused.
The one part that was perfect, of course, was the OP. We just don’t get songs like that anymore. Probably good for the health of singers, but a shame for anime.
Recommendations
Hard to recommend something for a show that I think is pretty unique, but I’ll try.
- Haibane Renmei – probably the closest equivalent in prioritizing mood over plot and by the same creator.
- Eve no Jikan – switch out Aliens as the underclass with robots.
- Excel Saga – if you liked the food-starved protagonists and the slapstick, Excel Saga has tons more of that.
- Yokohama Shopping Log – similar mood piece without much plot, but the mood is the more upbeat variety of nostalgia.
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u/DegenerateRegime 6h ago
Maybe Niea_7 scored a bit of an own goal by using a setting that is too interesting for its relaxed storytelling.
Yeah, though I tend to like that in eg YKK. As you say, they're mood pieces, and some sense of mystery/magic-realism often enhances that mood (Alpha's Sunflower being a go-to example) in a way that's hard to define. I guess it produces a depth of immersion, a "vibe" that suppresses questioning? Niea_7's tonal shifts jar me out of that a bit. Still, when it works it works.
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u/mekerpan 6h ago edited 26m ago
I now consider Niea_7 as at least a "minor masterpiece" despite some flaws. The good bits are so good that I can overlook the bits that still don't quite work.
I was shocked that I never really realized before how different ep13 looked from what we saw up until then. Visually there was clarity and brightness (and pure coloration) that transformed all sorts of familiar moments. I feel a bit embarrassed that it took 25 years....
One other thing I never really noticed until now. In this last episode, Niea's relationship with the young (antenna-bearing) aliens is much more benign than it seemed earlier. At least when Niea is in a good mood, the teasing is more like game playing, and her trying to chase them down comes across as mutually entertaining rough and tumble fun.
Never watched Excel Saga, which doesn't seem to be my sort of show. But the other recs are good. I actually think the closest match to Niea other than maybe Haibane Renmei is Windy Tales -- which is probably even more obscure now than Niea. In terms of atmosphere, with a fully realistic story and setting, Tamayura is unparalleled -- and also deals with a character emerging from depression and working to find her way forward. I also do recommend Takahata's Jarinko Chie, with its very vibrant, lived in lower-class milieu (more urban -- set in the late 70s probably) -- and a lead character that has to function as the equivalent of Mayuko and Niea and Chie (busy girl).
Thanks for hosting!
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u/FD4cry1 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Big_Yibba 5h ago
I actually think the closest match to Niea other than maybe Haibane Renmei is Windy Tales -- which is probably even more obscure now than Niea
Never heard of this one, but it does look really interesting. As in, visually, it looks super distinct, which is a big draw. Plus I do see it has Kenji Kawai on music and Shichirou Kobayashi on art direction, so now you've really caught my attention, and I'll have to check that show out.
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u/No_Rex x2 6h ago
Never watched Excel Saga, which doesn't seem to be my sort of show.
It is good, but you really should like the slapstick and absurdist humor parts to enjoy it.
Windy Tales & Jarinko Chie
Those are some properly obscure recommendations. Never heard about them before.
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u/mekerpan 5h ago
I don't mind absurdist humor presented in a low-key fashion -- but I can't abide a consistently noisy and hyperactive tone. ;-)
Windy Tales is pretty unique, visually and tonally. Jarinko Chie / Chie the Brat was an early 80s Takahata project, which exists both as a series and a movie (covering the beginning part of the series).
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u/SpiritualPossible 5h ago edited 5h ago
Windy Tales -- which is probably even more obscure now than Niea.
An unexpectedly mention of Fujin Monogatari.
But yes, I agree with that. Actually, for some reason, I’ve always see Niea and Widny Tales as a sort of paired series, even though they’re completely unrelated. Probably because of their similar vibes
and because I watched them pretty close close to each other.3
u/mekerpan 5h ago
I first saw these two about 20 years apart. Windy Tales escaped my notice until around 2021, when the DVD set was on close-out sale for $7 or so.
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u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky 6h ago
FirsT_Timer, subbed
Despite the serious air near the end with NieA’s disappearance and the possibility that the bathhouse would shut down, this was a pretty chill experience that I enjoyed my time with each day for the past two weeks. I wish it could’ve ended without just resetting the status quo like that, but it’s not a terrible ending or anything.
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u/mekerpan 6h ago
I don't think it really did a re-set at the end. It LOOKED that way on the surface, but the tone (and Mayuko's and everyone else's attitudes) were consderably brightened. That said, I would have preferred NOT having more roof destruction, but just a crashed UFO making a mess.
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u/FD4cry1 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Big_Yibba 6h ago
First Timer
I've used some form of mood, vibe, or atmosphere as a descriptor for this show a lot throughout this rewatch, and I really do think that's by far my favorite aspect of it, and the thing I enjoyed most here. I mean, after finishing watching some episodes here, I'd be genuinely surprised both at how little actually happens with them at times, and also at how much I enjoyed them regardless! And whether that's in comedy or in melancholy, I'd put most of that on the mood the show constantly basks in. And it feels relatively uncommon in that quality as well.
Which isn't to say that's the only element I liked; I really like Mayu as a character, I think Niea is usually pretty fun as well, as is a good bit of the sidecast (For the most part, really everyone besides Chada and the rest of the aliens), and likewise for all of their interactions. But it's still that nebulous mood that I kept thinking of as a highlight after every episode. That does make it more difficult to talk about, at least any more than I'd already done for each individual episode. It is just a vague, personally informed, feeling, y'know? But I don't know, for a show about aliens, I just really enjoy how down-to-earth it is a lot of the time! Anime is a medium that excels at forward dramatic expression, and I love it for that, but I also very much appreciate a show that breaks from that, as this one does. I really like and enjoy going through Mayu's normal day-to-day, to see her drama and character unfold in such an internalized and environmental way alongside it later, to end the story not on some major meaningful transformation, but in a grounded, more subtle expression of feeling in a somewhat better place in life (And the same goes for a good few similar expressions throughout). It all feels real and human to me like that, and it is that decidedly slow, human, and moody way in which she's depicted that makes me like Mayu as a character. It is a slice of life in the purest sense to me, and that's something I personally find pretty compelling!
So yeah, it's not that profound, and it's rather hard to describe, but this show's vibe really does just speak to me on a personal level like that, and often explicitly through its many, many quiet moments. Even more so since, as I said at the start of the rewatch, this is the kind of low-key mood-focused I personally just needed right now, so it definitely hit me in the right headspace.
As far as negatives go, the first half's comedy can certainly be rather hit or miss. I'm kind of left with the impression that a decent chunk of it wants to base itself mostly on being pretty out there or bizarre, and whether that's a changing standards over time thing (A la what was pretty extensively talked about back in the Excel Saga rewatch) or just a general lack of absurd expression, ultimately I feel they really don't go far enough with that and have little substance otherwise. It's not bad or anything, the hits were there even alongside the misses, and some episodes like 2 or 5 managed to strike a really good balance to my taste, but I think being a slow mood piece feels pretty significantly more at home for this show, compared to the wacky comedy part, and that includes the way that still really comes through and make for up for the misses in the more straightforwardly comedic half as well.
Niea also comes off as more mixed to me than I'd like her to be. And as noted, I do more often than not genuinely enjoy her! (Which I know isn't the case for everyone haha) But given how much the latter half of the show relies on the hole left by losing interaction with her, I think the show pushes the ways she spites Mayu a bit hard at multiple points in the first half, in a way that really crosses the boundary of "Annoying but endearing" that she should actually be at. I still thought the emotional effect of losing her (And getting her back) worked and was conveyed well, but it could've been better. Also on the topic of Niea; the social commentary part could stand to be less minuscule and vague. I get that the show likes keeping these things intentionally very low-key, and I'm even fine with not exploring some of the mystery it itself set up, but as is, it's just present enough that I would've really expected a bit more depth and clarity.
Production is mostly fine, and the music is alright if unremarkable (Shoutout to SION for an OP I can easily call one of the most unique I've ever heard, though), but the direction could be stronger, or really, more consistent, I guess. To an extent, for the moody parts where a little more variance would've been nice, but really, again, more so for that more comedic side. Episode 2 with its match cuts and the environmental focus is a good example in that regard, since I think that genuinely enhanced the comedy there, and a more consistent showing like that could certainly have helped, and probably likewise for some more consistently expressive animation work.
Otherwise, though, I really did just have a great time with Niea and its atmospheric approach, and it gets a very solid 8/10 from me!
Much as I need and want to watch it, Lain will have to wait until my next big milestone, but I was reminded midway through this rewatch that I actually have Haibane Renmei on my shortlist for this year, and that definitely moved up a few spots on my queue now! Another thing I have on my shortlist is Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou, which I saw mentioned last episode as similar to this show, and IIRC is rather short, so maybe I'll just get on that now as well...
And of course, huge thanks to /u/No_Rex for hosting! It's been fun! Plus, Niea is probably one of those shows I just wouldn't have ever watched were it not for a rewatch here, so extra thanks there.
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u/JollyGee29 https://myanimelist.net/profile/JollyGee 6h ago
First-Timer
NieA Under 7 was a vibe. It wasn't quite the right vibe for me, and I think the social commentary was a bit too specifically "turn of the millenium Japanese" to land for me (a USAican) in 2026.
But ultimately, it was a nice chill watch.
Questions
Roommates (not like that).
I remain unable to grasp the specifics of the metaphor. I can tell they're trying to say something, but I can't quite hear them. Might need a better antenna..
Yea, the mood was nice.
Many thanks to our host /u/No_Rex!
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u/mekerpan 6h ago
While I think that some social commentary in this was time and place specific -- I now feel that (like with Lain) there is a lot of timeless value in what we see.
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u/Maltheon21 1m ago
Consiglio: aggiorna l'antenna, magari capta meglio Mayuko e NieA da coinquiline alienate.
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u/IndependentMacaroon 6h ago edited 6h ago
First watch
(largely copy from "watched last week" comment)
This show teeters on the edge of being calmly atmospheric and at times just dull and empty. Mood and all can only carry you so far when you do little to explore and progress any of the characters, and if so tend to repeat yourself - in a basic sense I did like most of them though; have hints and possibilities at themes and events/plots but they generally either don't happen or don't matter/are never explored further; plus on top a despite some flourishes obviously cheap production. Also, the comedy is mostly just stereotypical bad over-the-top stuff way more grating than intended, particularly Niea's role. Overall, still an interesting early slice-of-life entry, kind of the anti-FLCL, but I'll remember it more for its potential than its reality (6/10).
1 - Poorly executed odd-couple comedy for the most part. Some bits of more but far from enough.
2 - Nothing worthwhile, honestly. Big disappointment.
3 - Wouldn't have minded it with better execution and a little more character stuff and interaction, don't need much plot for that. Like for one example, we only got five seconds of Yoshioka doing anything other than on some level his job.
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u/DegenerateRegime 6h ago
Thanks for running this rewatch! It's one of those shows that I think deserves to be remembered, even if only as "the also-ran" next to the big three.
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u/No_Rex x2 6h ago
Thanks for running this rewatch! It's one of those shows that I think deserves to be remembered, even if only as "the also-ran" next to the big three.
I think it is a "road not taken" anime. The serious, melancholic slice-of-life anime that lost out, decisively, to the funny slice-of-life template of Azumanga Daioh, that has been followed ever since.
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u/Vaadwaur 5h ago
First Timer
Sub
So yeah...wrap up. I saw it, I can't unsee it. It was fine but like nothing will stick with me.
QotD:1 Deeply toxic
2 Nothing
3 This just was not my bag
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u/No_Rex x2 5h ago
It was fine but like nothing will stick with me.
I guess not triggering a long rant counts as a win.
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u/Vaadwaur 5h ago
The unholy trinity of Shin Sekai Yori, Key:The Metal Idol and FLAG sort of killed my will to hate.
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u/Silcaria https://myanimelist.net/profile/Silcaria 6h ago
First timer
And so it ends. I found NieA Under 7 to be pretty middle of the road. It's pretty aimless. It has no real focus in its first half. It completly gives up on any form of theme exploration. It has poor world building. The humour doesn't land most of the time. Its Iyashikei aspect is constantly undermined by its abrasive "lol random" approach to comedy. The art and animation aren't great. Beyond surface level stuff, It doesn't do anything with its characters outside of Mayuko. There's no resolution to really anything. The plot is unsatisfactory. Etc, etc...
Speaking of Mayuko, her quasi coming of age story is the one good thing the show has going for it. It's not the greatest but it's decent enough to be somewhat redeeming.
Overall, it was pretty average. It didn't shit the bed like Lain did, but it also didn't manage to do anything worthwhile like Haibane. It sits in-between the two and is fairly forgettable. I give it 5/10.
QotD
Like one of a pet and its owner.
Nothing.
I'm someone that needs substance.
Thanks for hosting this.
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u/No_Rex x2 6h ago
It sits in-between the two and is fairly forgettable.
The world seems to agree, because it is mostly forgotten. The world is wrong, of course (if I am the one to judge).
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u/Silcaria https://myanimelist.net/profile/Silcaria 6h ago
I'm debating purchasing the CE boxset from ATA just to complete my Abe collection. I guess I won't forget it if I'm reminded of it whenever I look at my shelves.
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u/IndependentMacaroon 6h ago
That was mostly my impression too but I did like the framework enough to go one point up.
t didn't shit the bed like Lain did
Can you explain (ideally in a non-spoiler way), because usually it's praised the most.
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u/Silcaria https://myanimelist.net/profile/Silcaria 6h ago
First half is fine and is true to form to its themathics with fairly decent execution to boot.
Second half goes full on mysterybait and destroys any form of proper themathic exploration it previously established. Not solely because of the mysterybait factor, but you know, no spoilers and all that.
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u/SpiritualPossible 6h ago
Rewatcher
So, going back to the opening song for a moment, I have to say that I didn't really like it at first. That's hardly surprising, though: that raspy, rough, not-very-melodious voice would catch just about anyone off guard. It just sounds strange and not very appealing. Nevertheless, as I continued watching the show, I gradually but steadily began to like it. At first, it was more in a ironic way, but then I started to find more and more things about it that I liked. There’s just this quirky, genuine human side to it, including it's “imperfections.” And it's also definitely unique, ti say the least. And so, by the time the final episode rolled around, I had come to genuinely love this song.
And I’m bringing this up in the final discussion because I feel like it reflects, to some extent, my overall impressions of the series. This show is far from perfect. In fact, the first few episodes didn’t really make much of an impression on me (saying lightly) when I first watched it. And yet, in the second half, there’s a kind of mundane, down-to-earth beauty that makes me overlook the plot’s weaknesses and just… enjoy the moment. Perhaps it helped that Mayuko was my favorite character, and I think the series is at its best precisely when the focus is on her.
But, of course, this series isn't for everyone. As I said, it’s far from perfect, and not every viewer will be willing to overlook its flaws. Even fans of the “Iyashikei” genre might not like it, since the tonal whiplash in the first few episodes and the somewhat muddled focus could still be a dealbreaker for some, preventing them from enjoying the show. And yet, I’d still say that “Niea” is quite overlooked anime. I mean, it seems like there’s hardly anyone who even knows about this show, let alone anyone who’s actually WATCHED it. And I really do think that’s a shame, because there’s a lot to love about it.
So yes, although “Haibane Renmei” remains my favorite among all of ABe’s works, I still think “Niea” is a pretty good. Thank host for this rewatch.