NieA 7

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Mayuko & Niea

The aliens have landed! But that was many years ago, and no one really cares any more. All the fuss and excitement over the arriving UFOs has, for the most part, settled down, and people have returned to everyday life. Aliens, too, are gradually integrating into normal human society. Our story follows one Mayuko Chigasaki, a hard-working, self supporting cram-school student, who also works multiple part-time jobs simply to pay for school and feed herself. Niea is the lazy, selfish, freeloading alien who lives in her cupboard, eats all her food, and generally drives her nuts.

Niea_7 is an Anime series created by Yoshitoshi ABe, produced with the same team that worked on Serial Experiments Lain. Despite being a typical Yoshitoshi ABe product it is ostensibly a comedy series, though the comedy itself rarely rises above the level of, say, The Three Stooges. It holds much more interest as a Slice of Life series following everyday life in the sleepy district of Enohana, and tracking Mayuko's struggles to come to terms with herself and the world around her.

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Tropes:

• Aliens Speaking English: Japanese, actually, but you get the idea.
• Anime Chinese Girl: Karna dresses and behaves like a stereotypical Chinese girl, even though she is actually an alien.
• Balloon Belly: Niea and Karna in episode 8.
• Bare Your Midriff/Stripperiffic Niea's torso is covered by what amounts to a vest with a single button in the middle keeping it closed.
• Berserk Button: Don't make fun of Karna's antenna. Just ... don't.
• Big Eater: Niea. About the only thing she does is eat, sleep and build UFOs.
• Blush Sticker: Niea sports two perpetual ones. Karna too, so it's likely an alien thing.
• Catgirl: Niea is not really one, but she gives off the vibe with her ears, fangs and mannerisms.
• Closet Sublet: Niea.
• Cloudcuckoolander: Chiaki manages to even outdo the titular character at times.
  • Karna also tends to have a tenuous hold on reality.
• Coming of Age Story: Definitely for Mayuko--but also for Niea, to some extent.
• Cranial Eruption: Niea receives quite an amount of abuse from Mayuko. Deservedly.
• Cute Little Fangs: Niea.
• Everythings Better With Pandas: Karna loves panda prints, in line with her "Chinese Girl" shtick.
• Fantastic Caste System: The aliens seem to have one.
• Fantastic Racism: A common theme throughout the series, also dealing with the sudden immigration of the aliens.
• Fauxreigner: Chada, the Indian-stereotype convenience store owner who is actually an alien.
  • Also Kana, who is anything but a Chinese Girl.
• Foot Focus: Niea's feet get quite a lot of emphasis. Really.
• Furo Scene: Quite a few. Not surprising, considering Mayuko lives above a public bath.
• Genki Girl: Niea, albeit more of the agressive type.
• Homemade Inventions: Niea's makeshift UFOs.
• Human Aliens: Human plus antenna and pointy ears. Never really addressed
• Jerkass: Niea has to be the worst possible person to live with.
  • Jerkass Facade: It is hinted that Niea's attitude is a way of coping with the rejection by her own people.
• Large Ham: Karna.
• Loners Are Freaks: Niea never socializes much with anyone, human or alien. She has her reasons, though.
• Noblewoman's Laugh: Karna.
• Odango Hair: Karna.
• Odd Couple: Mayuko and Niea almost exactly.
• Only One Name: Niea and the other aliens don't seem to have a last name.
• Ordinary High School Student: Mayuko.
• Otaku: Chiaki, of UFOs.
• Perpetual Poverty: Mayuko suffers from this, which isn't helped by Niea's freeloading.
• Power Levels: The aliens rank themselves as "Plusses" and "Unders". Niea is a rare, ultra-low Under 7, since she even lacks an antenna.
• Pretty Freeloaders: Niea (although whether she's pretty is up for debate).
• Psychic Powers: The aliens seem to possess them, or at least the ones having antennae--which Niea suspiciously lacks.
• Romantic Two-Girl Friendship: Only hinted at lightly, but a likely explanation as to just why Mayuko puts up with Niea.
• Sitting on the Roof: Niea loves doing this. Mayuko too, at times.
• Tomboy and Girly Girl: Niea and Mayuko. Sort of.
• Unusual Ears: Niea and the other aliens.