NieA under 7
Encyclopedia
, also known as NieA under 7, is a 13 episode anime
series about Mayuko, a poor, introverted student who lives above a Japanese bathhouse
, and NieA, a freeloading, freewheeling alien
who lives in her closet and eats her food. The series begins on a light comedic tone (most of the early episodes are about schemes to rejuvenate the bathhouse), and deepens somewhat as it explores the evolving relationship between Mayuko and NieA, but the overall ending is upbeat.
The series touches lightly upon issues of discrimination
, stereotypes, alienation
, city life
vs small town
life, and assimilation
. Mayuko, who attends a cram school
, is a young girl living away from her family and expresses a lot of melancholy. NieA, who is apparently placed in an inferior class by her fellow aliens due to being a physical minority
among them, immediately accuses anyone who calls her a "stupid no-antenna" or the like, of discrimination. Other aliens adopt various stereotypical cultural styles, one chooses India
n dress and opens a convenience store, another chooses to associate herself with the Chinese Revolution
. This theme of the outsider alien is carried through in the brief comic live-action sequence which ends each episode, "Dalgit's Tidbit of Indian Information."
NieA_7 is based on a doujinshi by graphic designer Yoshitoshi ABe
and published by Kadokawa Shoten
. Much of NieA_7s staff was made up of people who had worked on Serial Experiments Lain
(director
Takuya Sato
was the storyboard artist for Lain, Yoshitoshi ABe was the character designer for Lain, etc.); it is commonly supposed that they chose to do this light-hearted series to cool off after the dark and psychologically intense Serial Experiments Lain. This idea is further supported by the character Chiaki, a UFO
fanatic who shares a name with Chiaki J. Konaka
, the script writer for Lain.
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
series about Mayuko, a poor, introverted student who lives above a Japanese bathhouse
Sento
is a type of Japanese communal bath house where customers pay for entrance. Traditionally these bath houses have been quite utilitarian, with one large room separating the sexes by a tall barrier, and on both sides, usually a minimum of lined up faucets and a single large bath for the already...
, and NieA, a freeloading, freewheeling alien
Extraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
who lives in her closet and eats her food. The series begins on a light comedic tone (most of the early episodes are about schemes to rejuvenate the bathhouse), and deepens somewhat as it explores the evolving relationship between Mayuko and NieA, but the overall ending is upbeat.
The series touches lightly upon issues of discrimination
Discrimination
Discrimination is the prejudicial treatment of an individual based on their membership in a certain group or category. It involves the actual behaviors towards groups such as excluding or restricting members of one group from opportunities that are available to another group. The term began to be...
, stereotypes, alienation
Social alienation
The term social alienation has many discipline-specific uses; Roberts notes how even within the social sciences, it “is used to refer both to a personal psychological state and to a type of social relationship”...
, city life
Urban culture
Urban culture is the culture of towns and cities. In the United States, Urban culture may also sometimes be used as a euphemistic reference to contemporary African American culture.- African American culture :...
vs small town
Small Town
Small Town is a song written by John Cougar Mellencamp and released on his 1985 album Scarecrow. The song reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.-Content:...
life, and assimilation
Cultural assimilation
Cultural assimilation is a socio-political response to demographic multi-ethnicity that supports or promotes the assimilation of ethnic minorities into the dominant culture. The term assimilation is often used with regard to immigrants and various ethnic groups who have settled in a new land. New...
. Mayuko, who attends a cram school
Cram school
Cram schools are specialized schools that train their students to meet particular goals, most commonly to pass the entrance examinations of high schools or universities...
, is a young girl living away from her family and expresses a lot of melancholy. NieA, who is apparently placed in an inferior class by her fellow aliens due to being a physical minority
Minority group
A minority is a sociological group within a demographic. The demographic could be based on many factors from ethnicity, gender, wealth, power, etc. The term extends to numerous situations, and civilizations within history, despite the misnomer of minorities associated with a numerical statistic...
among them, immediately accuses anyone who calls her a "stupid no-antenna" or the like, of discrimination. Other aliens adopt various stereotypical cultural styles, one chooses India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n dress and opens a convenience store, another chooses to associate herself with the Chinese Revolution
Chinese Revolution
The Chinese Revolution in 1949 refers to the final stage of military conflict in the Chinese Civil War. In some anti-revisionist communist media and historiography, as well as the official media of the Communist Party of China, this period is known as the War of Liberation .- Historical background...
. This theme of the outsider alien is carried through in the brief comic live-action sequence which ends each episode, "Dalgit's Tidbit of Indian Information."
NieA_7 is based on a doujinshi by graphic designer Yoshitoshi ABe
Yoshitoshi ABe
is a Japanese graphic artist who works predominantly in anime and manga. He received his Master of Fine Arts from the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music. His works have an edgy style due to, among other things, his not using a ruler while drawing as is usual for most anime-style art....
and published by Kadokawa Shoten
Kadokawa Shoten
is a well-known Japanese publishing company based in Tokyo, Japan. Kadokawa has published both manga novels and magazines, such as Newtype magazine...
. Much of NieA_7s staff was made up of people who had worked on Serial Experiments Lain
Serial Experiments Lain
Serial Experiments Lain is an anime series directed by Ryutaro Nakamura, original character design by Yoshitoshi ABe, screenplay written by Chiaki J. Konaka, and produced by Yasuyuki Ueda for Triangle Staff. It was broadcast on TV Tokyo from July to September 1998...
(director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
Takuya Sato
Takuya Sato
' is a Japanese script writer and director of anime.-Works:*Street Fighter II V Assistant Director*Harimogu Harry Storyboard, Episode Director*NieA 7 Director, Script*Princess Tutu eps. 6,11 Script...
was the storyboard artist for Lain, Yoshitoshi ABe was the character designer for Lain, etc.); it is commonly supposed that they chose to do this light-hearted series to cool off after the dark and psychologically intense Serial Experiments Lain. This idea is further supported by the character Chiaki, a UFO
Unidentified flying object
A term originally coined by the military, an unidentified flying object is an unusual apparent anomaly in the sky that is not readily identifiable to the observer as any known object...
fanatic who shares a name with Chiaki J. Konaka
Chiaki J. Konaka
, born April 4, 1961) is a Japanese writer and scenarist best known for Serial Experiments Lain, and later for the Digimon season, Digimon Tamers....
, the script writer for Lain.
Episodes
The episodes are:- Alien & Launching UFO Bath
- Alien & Violence Cosmic Bath
- Alien & Radio Noise Bath
- Alien & Beginner Waitress Bath
- Alien & Dried Up Amusements Bath
- Alien & Rival Hot Spring Bath
- Mothership, Go-Con & Cloudy Skies Bath
- Melancholy & Cast-Off Summer Bath
- Close Encounter & After The Rain Bath
- Glow Of The Firefly & Nocturne Bath
- NieA_7 Bath (Former Part)
- NieA_7 Bath (LatterPart)
- Time Flows By In Enohana Bath
Releases
- 2001-08-14 (USA Vol. 1 Poor Girl Blues)
- 2001-09-04 (USA Vol. 2 Funky Water Blues)
- 2001-12-11 (USA Vol. 3 Sayonora Blues)
- 2002-02-12 (USA Vol. 4 Under Seven Blues)
Theme Songs
- Opening Theme:
-
- "Koko Made Oide (Come On Over Here)" by SIONSion-In geography:*Sion, Switzerland, the capital of the canton of Valais*Sion, Gers, a municipality in France*Sion, Mumbai, a suburb of Mumbai*Sion, Netherlands, part of Rijswijk in South Holland*Sion, Czech Republic, a castle in the Czech Republic, near Kutná Hora...
(except first episode, which had no opening)- Ending Theme:
- "Venus to Chiisana Kamisama (Venus and a Small God)" by Maria YamamotoMaria Yamamotois a Japanese voice actress and singer.-Voice actress roles:Maria Yamamoto's roles as a voice actress include the following.* Amazing Nurse Nanako, as Nanako* Cinderella Boy, as I Lyan Rain* Chance Pop Session, as Nozomi Kaihara...
and Seikou Kikuchi (except last episode, which had a different closing)
- "Koko Made Oide (Come On Over Here)" by SION
Characters
- Mayuko Chigasaki
-
- Mayuko "Mayu" Chigasaki lives in a room at the Enohana Bathhouse. She is hardworking, polite, honest, and very self-conscious. Mayuko spends all of her time and energy just making ends meet. She shares an apartment with NieA who she often refers to as a "free loader".
- NieA
-
- NieA is a lower-class or "under-seven" alien; she has no antennae. She lives with Mayuko and builds spaceships out of junk. She shares an apartment with Mayu who she often gets into arguments with about money and food.
- Genzo Someya
- Chada
- Momo Enoshima
- Chiaki Komatsu
- Shuhei Karita
- Chie Karita
- Kotomi Hiyama
- Geronimo Hongo
- Nenji Yoshioka
- Karna