NieA Under 7 - Sayonara Blues (Vol. 3)

Rating:
Summary: Whoa.. This is getting: Good; Deep; Interesting; (Pick one!)
Review: I bought the first DVD in this series on a whim and I am glad I did. This series started out innocently enough as a silly quirky little show, portraying the interactions of a poor college cram student and her troublemaking, selfish, freeloading alien "roomate". Needless to say this was very different from most other animes. I really liked the slower pace and the more realistic portrayal of everyday Japanese life, as opposed to the sword-swinging, gun-toting, psi-battle, epic-quest-taking approach all the while hurling goofy, physical, large-sweatdrop jokes a mile a minute that most animes are known for. Yet despite its difference, NieA under 7 still seemed on the silly, jokey side, and yet somewhat hard to grasp. You had no idea where this little show was trying to take you, that is. Was this just some docu-drama about interactions between two people who hardly belong together in the first place? Was there going to be some ancient giant space sea-turtle that would appear and NieA would find ultra-special elemental powers inside herself in order to battle it? Or was this just some life lesson teaching you not to be selfish, and no matter how hard things are, always be a nice person?? Well, at any rate, it was very different. And at the end of the first DVD you're left with this unusual urge to see more of this different, slow paced, more realistic look into these, pretty much normal, lifestyles. That is, of course, if you're not ready to strangle NieA because of her blatant selfishness.

If you bought Disc 2 and got to the end of it, surely you're somewhat clenched. The end of Disc 2 takes this casual, silly, and even downright funny series and slams it with some real seriousness! Seemingly out of nowhere things get really deep and you see the personal inner struggles of our main characters. Mayuko's lashing out at NieA really shows that there is some real hurt inside, and growing tension between the two externally. And what really sells it is the authenticity of the actions and reactions. Yes, by now the series is really starting to grow on you and you can almost even see yourself in the characters.

If you went on to buy Disc 3 and watched it, there is now absolutely no doubt at all, ever, that you are now completely hooked on the series and, like myself, are definitely preparing to buy Disc 4 (probably the final disc in the series) to see how things end up! Wow, what drama! Mayuko is really struggling here, and if that's not all, selfish little NieA is becomming a bit concerned about her, for once! She is also struggling herself because of the voices she's hearing from the mothership. This all showcases what makes this whole series so great! Metamorphasis. The series starts out silly and lighthearted, firmly establishing its characters and creating realistic interactions between them. The "rules", so to speak, are established. And then suddenly, out of nowhere, things change; getting a little darker, and deeper. The "rules", so to speak, are broken, and characters powerfully display true genuine emotional growth, highly unusual in an anime. It still manages to throw a gag in once in a while to sort of break up the silence and those gags usually wind up being quite funny. You really start to see and appreciate the intelligence and masterminding behind this series here which, at first, sold itself short; and are left really wanting to see how things end up! 90 foot tall ion-flux core super-robots generally don't care about shows like this, but still I cannot wait for Disc 4! =P
[SUPERMECHA]

Rating:
Summary: Interesting... seriousness abounds
Review: I don't know about any one else, but this series has me hooked! I purchased the first one because it was the same designer as the "Lain" series, but this one caught my attention better. Frankly, it is a random comedy that has brilliant moments of "Monty Python-esque" humor. Not the WHOLE thing, mind, but there are always moments.

This volume is very serious in comparison to the other two, although perhaps that's what makes the funny so funny; the mood of this series tends to be very depressing, with everyone having money problems, and no one being able to escape the centrifugal force of their present life. Oy veh, am I familiar with that!

Here, NieA is forced to be very serious because no one believes her that the Mother Ship is talking to her. This is such a big event, she even manages to think about Mayuko for once. Also, Genzo makes another appearance and reminds Mayuko of her childhood habit of telling stories, possibly derailing her later plans. I mean, she has NO idea what she wants to do.

I suspect that this series is about to wind up pretty quickly now. NieA's hearing the Mother Ship has some nasty connotations, and the bathhouse's owner looks like she's going to have to fold. Mayuko may even realize to what degree Genzo likes her (although I'm not counting on it). Heck, I'm not sure, which is part of the charm. I suppose I'll have to wait and see...

Rating:
Summary: Interesting... seriousness abounds
Review: I don't know about any one else, but this series has me hooked! I purchased the first one because it was the same designer as the "Lain" series, but this one caught my attention better. Frankly, it is a random comedy that has brilliant moments of "Monty Python-esque" humor. Not the WHOLE thing, mind, but there are always moments.

This volume is very serious in comparison to the other two, although perhaps that's what makes the funny so funny; the mood of this series tends to be very depressing, with everyone having money problems, and no one being able to escape the centrifugal force of their present life. Oy veh, am I familiar with that!

Here, NieA is forced to be very serious because no one believes her that the Mother Ship is talking to her. This is such a big event, she even manages to think about Mayuko for once. Also, Genzo makes another appearance and reminds Mayuko of her childhood habit of telling stories, possibly derailing her later plans. I mean, she has NO idea what she wants to do.

I suspect that this series is about to wind up pretty quickly now. NieA's hearing the Mother Ship has some nasty connotations, and the bathhouse's owner looks like she's going to have to fold. Mayuko may even realize to what degree Genzo likes her (although I'm not counting on it). Heck, I'm not sure, which is part of the charm. I suppose I'll have to wait and see...

Rating:
Summary: Interesting... seriousness abounds
Review: I don't know about any one else, but this series has me hooked! I purchased the first one because it was the same designer as the "Lain" series, but this one caught my attention better. Frankly, it is a random comedy that has brilliant moments of "Monty Python-esque" humor. Not the WHOLE thing, mind, but there are always moments.

This volume is very serious in comparison to the other two, although perhaps that's what makes the funny so funny; the mood of this series tends to be very depressing, with everyone having money problems, and no one being able to escape the centrifugal force of their present life. Oy veh, am I familiar with that!

Here, NieA is forced to be very serious because no one believes her that the Mother Ship is talking to her. This is such a big event, she even manages to think about Mayuko for once. Also, Genzo makes another appearance and reminds Mayuko of her childhood habit of telling stories, possibly derailing her later plans. I mean, she has NO idea what she wants to do.

I suspect that this series is about to wind up pretty quickly now. NieA's hearing the Mother Ship has some nasty connotations, and the bathhouse's owner looks like she's going to have to fold. Mayuko may even realize to what degree Genzo likes her (although I'm not counting on it). Heck, I'm not sure, which is part of the charm. I suppose I'll have to wait and see...

Rating:
Summary: Interesting series. Almost everyday life adventure.
Review: My earlier reviews are about the same. I see no difference between the series 1-4. Except the Alien starts to show respect for others #4. And the Alien ship falls apart.

Rating:
Summary: NieA and Mayuko are the everymen of the new age
Review: You could tell something was coming when NieA slyly challenged Mayuko to try life as an Under 7 Alien. The petulance, the flakiness was absolutely gone from her voice. You could hear a pin drop in the time that Mayuko considered the offer. Clearly, somewhere deep inside Mayuko, this prospect caused something to snap.

I could barely stand to turn off the DVD player. I had to try to find some hint of what is coming.

Don't get me wrong, the same plodding pace marks this disc just like the others, the same lame jokes, the same "Domestic Poor Animation." But, this series has gripped me. I don't know if I'll make it till February to see what happens next.