Anime Review: NieA under 7

Not much to say this week. Things are starting to wind down a bit, I don't have as many things going on this week. My testing is still two weeks away as well as the wedding I'm to be attending, but I don't have anything due for the week. Yeah, not much going on, so time for an anime review about aliens and mundanity.

Yeah, that doesn't look weird at all.

A little over 20 years ago, an alien ship crash landed on Earth along with several alien survivors. Now-a-days, those aliens have adapted to life on Earth and, well, no one really cares anymore. There is just aliens who came from a spaceship that everyone can still see, and it is still a mystery even to the aliens who where aboard it, but it's just that no one cares anymore. Nothing has really changed in the world. Things have changed for a poor cram student named Mayuko Chigasaki however. Not only is she living at an old bath house that isn't doing well and working at a European restaurant that also isn't doing well (and doesn't serve European food), but her financial situation is further deteriorating thanks to an alien named NieA, who lives in her closet, doesn't do anything to make money, eat all of Mayuko's food, and keeps making UFOs out of junk that ultimately half destroy their room. What is Mayuko suppose to do?

"Yeah, I mean aliens they are like, totally boring and stuff."

NieA under 7 is kind of a slice of life comedy. I say "kind of" because there are aliens running around and strange plant monsters that appear in one episode, but for the most part it is just the strange mundanity of normal life, which seems to be the thesis of the series: that even the extraordinary can be dull and ordinary. The aliens are just running around living their normal lives, the humans are just running around living their normal lives, and nothing of any kind of consequence really happens. The comedy mostly comes from either the normal characters treating extraordinary situations with mostly apathy, or the exaggerated characters getting all worked up about things that everyone else treats with apathy. There is a whole lot of apathy going around.

What the hell is that?

Unfortunately, the series is just weird. There isn't anything overtly wrong with it, it's just there is so much that doesn't make sense or just doesn't work which gives an overall "huh?" impression. NieA creates UFOs out of junk. Huh? There is an alien ranking system including numbers and the word "plus" or "under" but is never explained AT ALL. Huh? Character's personality go from exaggerated to normal with no rhyme or reason. Huh? There is an alien who looks like an Indian with a gigantic head. HUH!? Who has a convenient store sign popping out of his head. Whaa.....? The next episode previews are live action sequences of some Indian dude talking to the camera. The hell...? And there is this whole mystery about NieA, the mothership, and a weird voice only NieA can hear but while all of it is presented front and center in the final few episodes, NONE OF IT IS ANSWERED. What the Hell!? It doesn't help that the localization isn't the best. The series is pun heavy which leaves a lot of the gags lost in translation, and the voice acting ranges from rather dull to just passable. Honestly, I just don't get the series.

And that's it. NieA under 7 is a series I just don't get. There are some funny moments, even with a below average localization job, but the entire series is just... weird. So many things just don't make sense, so many things are ill explained, and so many things are left frustratingly unresolved. It may be a fun series to some people, but I'm definitely not one of them. NieA under 7 is only limitedly recommended.

Until Next Time.

 -Crescent, What is this doing in my anime?