Niea Under 7, Volume 1: Poor Girl Blues (Episodes 1-4)
Many of the artists who worked onNieA Under 7were also involved inSerial Experiments Lain, which explains the disjointed narrative and self-absorbed characters here. Mayuko, the heroine of this offbeat comedy set "sometime in the 21st century," is an impoverished student attending cram school, apparently unnecessarily, as she was ranked among the top 10 high school students in Tokyo. She rents a room over a public bath in a rundown section of the city and ekes out a living working odd jobs. NieA, an infantile "under seven" alien who has taken up residence in Mayuko's closet, sleeps, sponges off her diligent hostess, builds "UFOs" out of junk, and throws tantrums. Despite the grasshopper-and-ant setup, numerous explosions, and eccentric supporting characters, the comedy fails to gel. Mayuko comes across as a pathetic drudge; NieA's endless demands for food quickly cloy. Rated 13 up: nudity, minor profanity, racial stereotypes.--Charles Solomon