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NieA_7 Vol 4: Under Seven blues

(return to disc)

Content rating: 7
Posted 2002-02-26 by StupendousMan
Endorsed by CmdrTaco on 2002-03-13 18:44:00

My review of the earlier episodes in the NieA series warned the viewer that the plot of this show moves slowly. Well, the three episodes on this disk aren't just slow -- they're positively glacial. I'm not sure that there's enough payoff to reward the viewer for his time ...

This disk picks up the cliffhanger from the previous disk: where is NieA? After acting a little bit less strange than usual, and claiming that the alien mothership was trying to talk to her, she goes off one day and doesn't return. Mayuko becomes more and more worried about NieA as the days pass. Despite her claims that she's better off without "that freeloading, lazy bum," Mayuko falls into a blue funk. Now, given Mayuko's less-than-sunny natural disposition, when she starts to become depressed, she REALLY gets depressed. To make matters worse, it appears that Konami-san may sell the Enohara bathhouse, which will rob Mayuko not only of her apartment, but also of some old but powerful memories of her childhood.

To sum things up, the episodes on this disk focus on Mayuko's increasing unhappiness. We see very few other events of any interest or importance. After thirty or forty minutes of slowly, slowly, slowly increasing tension, I found myself starting to look at the time counter on my DVD player: "when is something going to HAPPEN?!" Not a good sign.

Then, in the episode 13, we finally see that little smile on Mayuko's face ... and I found myself smiling, too. She's so cute... No, not like that! I mean, she's so nice, and good at heart, and her life is so tough, that I just want to wave my magic wand and give her the simple comforts (regular meals, a dry place to sleep, a little reassurance every now and then) that she deserves. She needs a long-lost uncle to show up and help her through this difficult time, and I'm just the man for the job :-)

You may feel a little cheated at the end of the disk, as the lives of our characters end up pretty much just as they were at the beginning of the series; nothing really changes or advances very far. Still, it appears that Mayuko's life may be a little bit easier, so I guess it counts as a happy ending. I don't know if the show ends at this point; I guess it would be in the spirit of the show for the viewer to be left unsure.

My package included another set of cardboard cutouts: this time, it features Chia, her father, and their restaurant. The menus are functional and less annoying than some. I didn't notice any cases of the soundtrack dropping out, as I did on a previous disk in the series.

Equipment used when writing this review:
Panasonic 19-inch TV set, no separate speakers.

Content: 7 Video: 7 Sound: 7 Packaging: 9 Menu: 7

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Other reviews of this disc:
NieA_7 Vol 4: Under Seven blues by CmdrTaco (Rating: 7.60)
The conclusion of Niea_7 is here. This strange show from the creators of Lain has been a mixed deal for me. So many interesting elements, but I'm still not able to decide how I feel about the sum of all the parts.

This is the...(continues)

Content: 7 Video: 8 Sound: 8 Packaging: 7 Menu: 8

NieA_7 Vol 4: Under Seven blues by KingDead (Rating: 8.60)
Live in the present, don't obsess over and cling to the past, and don't worry too much about the future.

Essentially, that's theme noticable in the last batch of episodes. Big changes occur in this disc (one that is a spoiler): the...(continues)

Content: 8 Video: 9 Sound: 8 Packaging: 9 Menu: 9

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