Forum - View topicANN Book Club: NieA_7.
|
Goto page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 Next |
| Author | Message | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
EvanUnisil
 Posts: 48 |
|
|||||||||||
|
NieA_7
Welcome to the NieA_7 edition of the ANN Book Club! Sorry for the delay in posting this up, I went away for the weekend but I'm back and ready to roll. 
After some longwinded and lengthy democratic discussions we're finally getting this show on the road. Some of you may not have all the discs yet but I hope it won't be too hard to catch up! I think we've waited long enough to start the series
I've decided that a disc a week seems like the fairest way of watching this series for everyone involved, which means: 4 episodes for the first week 3 episodes for every week thereafter. The old rules still apply (taken directly from Aromatic Grass' Texhnolyze thread): 1) You may skip ahead of schedule, but please do not discuss episodes ahead of time. All participants are to discuss the episodes listed for the given week ONLY. Slight foreshadowing is allowed, but absolutely NO SPOILERS. 2) Don't be afraid to speak up about anything and everything you notice in the show, so as long as you find it interesting or meaningful. Your opinions and participation will make this thread memorable and hopefully give rise to more series discussions like this one, so everyone is encouraged to speak their mind. Ask questions if necessary. And one new rule: For each episode, please answer the following questions to help with the discussion. If you feel that doing this for each episode is too much try to do it at least once a week. If you're watching the episodes in bulk, try to stop after each episode, answer the questions and then continue with the next. This way the facts will be fresh in your mind: 1. What did you think of the episode(s)? 2. What parts (if any) did you dislike about the episode(s)? Why? 3. Did you notice anything that others might not have noticed? 4. What was the most memorable moment of the episode(s) for you? 5. What do you think was the point of the episode? And that's it! So get started on those first four episodes. Let's get this discussion going! 
The first four episodes: Episode 1: Alien & Launching UFO Bath Episode 2: Alien & Violence Cosmic Bath Episode 3: Alien & Radio Noise Bath Episode 4: Alien & Beginner Waitress Bath |
||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
|
EvanUnisil
Posts: 48 |
|
|||||||||||
|
Allow me to get this discussion started!
Episode 1: Alien & Launching UFO Bath 1. What did you think of the episode? It was lots of fun. Great introduction to the characters, with little bits of background info being thrown in for good measure about spoiler[the different aliens. What is an under seven, and why don't they have a little antenna? What is Mayu's relationship with her father, is he dead or is he still alive? What's the significance of the watch?] NieA is already a great character and (her?) relationship with Mayu has already been setup really well. The episode gave equal parts to Mayu and NieA and I found both characters are already very amusing to watch. Their new friend was hilarious too
2. What parts (if any) did you dislike about the episode(s)? Why? None so far  The episode flowed smoothly from scene to scene without a break in pace of information or character development.
3. Did you notice anything that others might not have noticed? One thing The song that starts at about 07:09 of the episode... it sounds a lot like an Eric Clapton song... when I figure it out I'll edit my post
EDIT: Got it! "Hey Hey" on the album Eric Clapton Unplugged. There's no denying it either, it must be a homage or something... far too similar! 4. What was the most memorable moment of the episode(s) for you? NieA jumping on the roof in the rain. Absolutely not what I was expecting when Mayu looked up and the roof was shaking so much but when we see her up there her character became complete in my eyes. Also the way that Mayu didn't seem that aggravated about it meant a lot to me too and spoke wonders about their relationship and what she puts up with. 5. What do you think was the point of the episode? As with all first episodes, to build up the main characters. Seeing as how this is a 13 episode series I feel they dropped in a lot of hints already about potential plot points, as mentioned in my answer to the first question. I'm really happy with it so far, and only one episode in! Last edited by EvanUnisil on Mon Jun 01, 2009 4:21 pm; edited 1 time in total |
||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
|
HellKorn
Posts: 1669 Location: Columbus, OH |
|
|||||||||||
|
Question: Are the five questions mandatory for posting? They can work as enticements for discussion, definitely, but considering I and some others were able to pump out some substantiative posts in the previous thread.
I'll get to re-watching the first volume in the next few days, but I will say that NieA_7 is a slow-burner. Themes are somewhat casually (if also bluntly) dropped in the opening episodes -- particularly episode three -- before they become a bit more nuanced in the latter half of the series where the staff find their stride. Also want to mention how distinctly Japanese the show is. Both in setting (over a decade after the bubble burst, distinguished between a rural neighborhood and the bustling city) and the presentation (loud, exaggerated actions usually for obnoxious comedy contrasted with more quiet, reflective moments). Not surprisingly, it's also the least-appreciated and underrated of the four yoshitoshi ABe shows.
The main character's name is Mayuko. NieA's pronunciation(in both languages, I think) is oddly stressed. |
||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
|
EvanUnisil
Posts: 48 |
|
|||||||||||
There's nothing stopping you from providing significant posts after answering the questions. You can just give one sentence answers if you feel that you want to spend as little time as possible on them. I just think it really helps if everyone can see each others opinion on these different subjects and will encourage debate as we have a point of reference. If you find that it's too much for you feel free to not do it, I'm not going to force it down anyone's throat. And thanks, I fixed my typos.
|
||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
belindabird
 Subscriber Posts: 134 Location: Minneapolis |
|
|||||||||||
|
Thoughts on Episode 1:
1. What did you think of the episode(s)? I would say that I have mostly positive feelings towards the episode, and thus the show, so far. With a show like this which appears to be more character-based than plot-based, not a lot of major "stuff" seems to happen per episode, so it's difficult to say that I definitely buy into it or not. I think I'll have more overall impressions as things develop. 2. What parts (if any) did you dislike about the episode(s)? Why? Personally, and I might be in the minority here, but I'm not a huge fan of characters like NieA, by which I mean loud obnoxious characters who appear to be there just to cause trouble and be goofy. I'm sure that the dynamic between NieA and Mayu will develop more as the series goes on, but I got really sick of NieA's obsession with food and her complete disregard for common sense. 3. Did you notice anything that others might not have noticed? Probably not so far, but I haven't ruled out a re-watch of the episode yet since I wasn't entirely focused on it 100%. 4. What was the most memorable moment of the episode(s) for you? I would have to say the first view that NieA, Mayu and Chiaki get of spoiler[the Mother Ship] from the roof of the bath house. The scene itself is pretty wacky, but the mostly-obscured and barely-visible object is both intriguing and kind of ominous at the same time. 5. What do you think was the point of the episode? Like most good introductory episodes, the main concepts and characters of the show are introduced while enough questions are left unanswered so that there's enough of an impetus to keep the viewer watching. So far one of the things that I'm liking about this show is the atmosphere. Things seem very relaxed overall, and certain aspects that, in other series might become huge dramatic issues spoiler[(the existence of the aliens and the background of their arrival on Earth, for example, or Mayu's poverty and family history, which seems to be unfortunate in some way)] are treated very matter-of-factly, which I like. I think, looking forward, what I'm hoping for is to learn more about the spoiler[apparent caste system within the alien part of society, and what's up with the antennae some of them have.] I'm also hoping that NieA will become a more nuanced character. Wackiness is fun to a point but after a while it just seems to become tiresome. |
||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
eyeresist
 Posts: 995 Location: a 320x240 resolution igloo (Sydney) |
|
|||||||||||
|
It begins... yayyyyy!!! First, I must say I hadn't realised that watching a show "seriously" takes more time than regular viewing. I can now see why Blood- said he wanted to watch each episode several times. I managed to watch the first episode once, but got some good notes on what I think are important moments and themes.
I think the key themes are made clear from this first episode: poverty, alienation (pun intended?), and nostalgia. There is an important note in the disc extras: the red logo on the bath house buckets (and the sign under the clock) is "Kerorin", a headache pill brand from the 1960s. Right there is your nostalgia (presumably from the show creator's childhood) as well as an instance of deprivation, in that the bath house can't afford to update. Of course, the bathhouse also has a tall chimney, whereas I think most bathhouses now would be electric, so this place really is "a relic from the past". (That's a phrase I think I'll use more than once.) Niea_7 episode 1 (Japanese audio, Eng sub) [Note: first episode does not have opening theme music/animation] The very first scene of the show sets the tone: Mayuko (our heroine) is alone in the dying sunlight. The trivial voice of the butcher seems to be for comedy value, but then it is revealed that Mayuko has been alert to his falling prices. Before she actually buys, she asks if the price includes tax - now we begin to understand how poor and necessarily penny-pinching she is. Caption: Dinner time: sometime in the 21st century A humourous mocking of futuristic-ness, via an emphasis on the importance of food (this is bathos). The dinner scene is the first time we learn Niea's name (we only learn Mayuko's later). Mayuko calls her "Niea" without a suffix (e.g. -chan, -san) indicating lack of respect, and also puts Niea down as an "under", though we don't know what this means yet. The struggle over the meat again shows their impoverished circumstances. The gas canister is the first of Niea's dangerous inventions that we see. Mayuko mops the bathhouse (first time we see the Kerorin logos), and catches sight of her reflection in the tiles. She makes a feeble attempt to adjust her hair. She is looking tired and very unglamourous. Solo guitar music plays, and we see a view of the town. The town is very old fashioned, unmodern and small in scale, with the bathhouse chimney towering in the background. This town view is another instance of setting the background of nostalgic feeling. We hear Mayuko's narration over shots of her room late at night. She is the only one awake (studying), and there is a mysterious pile of junk in the corner, the nature of which will be revealed later in the episode. Niea bites the cat in her sleep because she's hungry. Mayuko (voice over) talks about the arrival of the aliens, and concludes, strikingly, that nothing has changed. Is this true? Or is there a tension as new things arise and meet the old? Mayuko dreams of her father. This is when we learn her name, when her father says it. In the dream/memory, she focuses on her father's watch. Then we see it in her room, present day. The implication is that her father has died, and this watch is all she has left. It is an object of nostalgia, and a memento mortuorum (momento of the dead). The episode title appears on a panel of rusting metal and peeling paint. In the morning, Niea demands breakfast, although she already knows there is nothing to eat. They are poor, but Niea is a child who doesn't understand - or is her demand for food a way of maintaining communication with Mayuko? We briefly meet Mr Yoshioka, the maintenance man at the bathhouse. Mayuko runs to the bus stop: through an overgrown field with junked cars; through a thick tropical jungle (!); past a curious crater, where children with various antennae on their heads mock Niea for being an "under" without an antenna - now we understand more fully Niea's low social position. Mayuko runs across a bridge over a river that has been concreted into a canal, and catches her bus. Mayuko thinks about her tight budget on the bus, She may have to eat tofu: we are shown what I think is a nostalgic image, with the tofu seller's traditional cry of TO-FU! and the slogan "I can also get it cheap at the tofu shop (happy)". Tofu is the poor man's meat. Mayuko looks out the window and says "Miserable." That's her mood and her situation. At the school, we see the contrast between other students fashionable summer clothes, and her plain sweater and long skirt. Mayuko obviously feels uncomfortable. Chiaki introduces herself, and we learn that Mayuko has no friends in class, looks run down and sleepy, but is always in the top nine of the class (is "top nine" a thing in Japan?). Mayuko is an outcast, poor and overworked, but diligent. Chiaki says, admiringly, "You have time for a part-time job?" She is privileged middle class, has money, doesn't have to work, and has a funky wireless laptop. She is simply unable to understand the seriousness of Mayuko's situation. Mayuko is embarassed to be asked out, as she is so poor she can barely afford one drink. Niea makes herself known, and gets lavish treats from Chiaki, especially when she says she can see the "mothership" from her roof. Mayuko tries to cover their poverty, saying "I gave you a desert just the other night!" (They are served by an alien with an antenna spoiler[who may reappear later on].) Mayuko shows Chiaki the bathhouse and we learn that her family owned it, until her father died and they had to move to the country (presumably to live with relatives). Chiaki notes some strange cuts in the wood at the top of the stairs, but Mayuko says she doesn't know what they are spoiler[(only much later do we learn this is a lie)]. She seems embarassed as much by her past connection to the bathhouse, as by its old-fashioned nature - curious. Chiaki observes Mayuko's room is "rare, a room of Japanese tastes." There's more nostalgia for you; nostalgia and poverty together - to be "Japanese" is to be poor? Niea wrecks the roof, and Mayuko is worried about being evicted, but Mr Yoshioka is kind. He says he'll temporarily repair the roof (though it may leak a bit), and tells her to go bathe with the other two girls. Niea notes the different breast sizes of Chiaki and Mayuko, and says, "The difference is nutrition!" Could Mayuko be any more humiliated by the combination of her poverty and Niea's crassness? Mayuko lies in bed worrying about her future, especially since the roof has been wrecked (worried about eviction and upcoming cold winter). She says "Please keep an eye on me," while looking at her father's watch. She is scared and wishing for the help of her father, who she loves, but who is dead. Maybe her father is yet another thing of which she is deprived, or maybe her memory of him is her only remaining treasure. End credits (nostalgic): Stills of the bathhouse in its "heyday", and Mayuko as a child. We see the river she crossed to catch the bus, but here in the past it was not yet concreted over. Mayuko and her father watch the fireflies at the river's edge; her father gestures towards the stars - is he telling her about the aliens? Final shot of Mayuko and Niea on the bathhouse roof looking at the mothership. Maybe the mothership is for Niea what her father's watch is for Mayuko? Nostalgia: we are constantly shown things that are anachronistic: the Kerorin buckets, the old-fashioned town and bathhouse (and Mayuko's "Japanese tastes"), and indeed it seems poverty itself is part of that anachronism in which Mayuko is caught. Alienation: Mayuko feels herself an outcast, being geographically isolated in the old town, but more importantly too poor to be fashionable or even have friends (so she thinks). Niea's outcast status has yet to be fully developed. Poverty: it seems every decision Mayuko considers is bound by her acute lack of money. Money makes the world go round, so for her it doesn't. Sorry this post was so long. I promise I'll be more succinct in future! Last edited by eyeresist on Mon Jun 01, 2009 10:26 pm; edited 4 times in total |
||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
Blood-
 Bargain Hunter Posts: 23802 |
|
|||||||||||
|
Episode 1
Overall comments: I have to say that so far I'm not lovin' it. I am going to stick with the series because of the book club, but if I had sampled this first episode via streaming, I'm far from convinced that I'd watch the second. However, even an anime noob like me knows you can't judge a series by one episode. HellKorn referred to NieA_7 as a "slow-burner" and I can already see what he means. I'm not crazy over the character designs and some of the simplistic animation. I know these are quite deliberate and mesh with the series's low-key and goofy tone, but I don't find much of visual interest. As belindabird indicated, I can see the "wacky alien - long-suffering human" dynamic wearing a bit thin after a while. 1. What did you think of the episode? As Lisa Simpson might say, I'm kinda "meh." I found the humour simplistic and not particularly funny. The dialogue doesn't particularly sparkle. The whole current of financial and social anxiety that the lead character, Mayuko, experiences is kind of a bummer. This is something personal to me, of course, but it wasn't that long ago that my own financial affairs were a bit of a mess, so her situation is not bringing back fond memories, I have to say. 2. What parts (if any) did you dislike about the episode(s)? Why? I'm not a big fan of flashbacks in any case, so I didn't groove on the flashback of Mayuko with her father, but at least it was pretty brief. Watching her deliver newspapers in the rain wasn't much of a party, either. 3. Did you notice anything that others might not have noticed? Nothing jumps out at me. 4. What was the most memorable moment of the episode(s) for you? One of my favourite moments was when Niea_7 was chewing on the cat's leg as she was sleeping in the closet. I also enjoyed Niea_7's (unfavourable) comparison of Mayuko's breast size with Chiaki's. Mocking a character's breast size is virtually a guaranteed way to get an easy chuckle out of me. Actually, I enjoyed almost every second that Chiaki was onscreen. Her relaxed, enthusiastic nature is a nice counterpoint to Mayuko. I loved when, after the UFO diaster on Mayuko's roof, Chiaki had to instantly update her blog about it. 5. What do you think was the point of the episode? To me the key statement of the episode was when Mayuko says in voice-over, "It's a funny thing to see...the moment the extraordinary becomes ordinary." She is referring, of course, to how the aliens have integrated so fully into everyday life that there is nothing "special" about them anymore for a lot of people (Chiaki excepted, of course). Chiaki picks up on the theme later on in the episode when she notes that her father says the view of Tokyo has barely changed since the aliens arrived. As has already been pointed out, the idea of using aliens as a way of examining racism has already been introduced. In some ways, Mayuko's view of Niea_7 as an unemployed freeloader is representative of how some people view immigrants as a whole. However, Mayuko doesn't strike me as racist, of course...Niea_7 actually IS an unemployed freeloader. eta: don't apologize for the length of your post, eyeresist. I hope people take as much or as little space as they want. I feel my own comments are pretty brief and superficial, which is mostly a result of the fact that I wasn't terribly engaged by the episode. However, I always appreciate when somebody makes the effort to examine something in greater depth. |
||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
|
Zalis116
Moderator
 Posts: 6868 Location: Kazune City |
|
|||||||||||
|
Well, I vowed to myself that I'd participate this time, so here goes. This is my second time through NieA_7, after first watching it in March of 2006. I did a random mix of audio tracks the first time, but for the sake of consistency, I'm going with the rather good New Generation Pictures English dub. Considered to be the dub that put NGP "on the map," you can read some AoD users' thoughts about it here. (Spoilers may be possible.)
NieA_7 was the last of the so-called "ABe shows" that I saw, after first seeing Haibane Renmei, Serial Experiments Lain, and Texhnolyze in late 2004 and mid-2005. While it's more cheerful and less serious than any of those other three, it's certainly not lacking for profound statements and messages. Episode 1 1. What did you think of the episode(s)? Slow-moving but generally fun first episode that does a good job establishing the characters and the world they inhabit. The main personalities and dynamics between Mayuko and Niea are front-and-center, and it's fun to watch the constant power struggle between them. Mayu's efforts to rein in NieA are partially successful, but NieA's only willing to obey to the extent that it keeps her fed. One of the defining characteristics that I saw on this viewing was "locus of blame." Simply put, Mayu has a very internal locus of blame, where she considers anything and everything her fault. NieA, being a polar opposite, has an external locus of blame -- nothing's her fault, even when it is. Neither of these extremes is good. The episode and the series hit some personal notes for me, as it did for Blood-. Especially since when I first saw it in spring 2006, I was in graduate school doing an almost-respectable job of teaching, lived "on my own" (rental house with roommates), ran 4-digit balances in savings and checking accounts, and allegedly had a future of stability and progress ahead of me. But after disgracefully leaving graduate school that same semester, I've lived 3 years of un- and underemployment, racked up credit card debt, and became a freeloader in my mom's basement. 2. What parts (if any) did you dislike about the episode(s)? Why? I also didn't like the "Mayuko delivers newspapers in the rain" bit. It felt too much like "twisting the knife," as if they thought we didn't feel Mayu's plight enough already. Especially since there are no effects or consequences shown for it. NieA's antics were also a bit annoying, but IIRC they diminish as the series goes on and more characters are introduced. 3. Did you notice anything that others might not have noticed? * In looking up staff information, I found that NieA_7 was written by Takuya Sato, who was also heavily involved with Strawberry Marshmallow, another show featuring an endearingly annoying young girl who lives in her own reality. Granted, SM was manga-based... *Judging from Chiaki's camera, this series is supposed to take place in the vaguely near future. At least if I'm reading the date right, it's May 6th, 2011. *Take note of those scratches on the wall... *I can't remember if this was from the opening scenes of ep 1 or the actual OP in ep 2 (which I also re-watched), but the AuthorAppeal symbolism of crows is present. As it is also in Lain and Haibane Renmei. *More of a release tidbit, but I'd forgotten just how much hardsubbing took place on these DVDs. This was Pioneer's first DVD-only release, from back in mid-2001. I hate to say it, but I remember the DVD subtitles as being among the worst I've seen, among professional subtitles anyway. Not the hardsubbing, but just the sheer amount of wonky grammar, spelling, punctuation, and mistiming. Maybe I'll watch some eps on the PC and take screenshots. *NieA does the Doraemon-style "presenting object in hand" routine with the Cosmic Gas, a parody so common it's almost a stock shout-out. Still, I don't think I noticed it the first time around. 4. What was the most memorable moment of the episode(s) for you? NieA's sleep-gnawing of the cat was good, but I think I have to look to the first interactions between Mayuko and NieA, which truly set the tone for the character types, the kinds of conversations they'd be having, and the comedic style of the series. Also, explosions. 5. What do you think was the point of the episode? Mainly, to introduce the normal, yet strange world that the characters inhabit. The character introductions of Mayuko, NieA, Chiaki, and the others were certainly important, of course. But the big picture is one of a world and a Japan stumbling hesitantly into the future while grasping for the past. The poverty is another key, not just Mayuko's but also of the bathhouse, the Under Aliens, and the greater Enohana "backwater" area. Eyeresist raises an interesting point about the equating of poverty with "Japanese-ness." I want to take that a step further and say that NieA_7 introduces competing notions of Japanese-ness (now there's a grad-school concept for ya  ) One notion is Mayuko's lifestyle -- hard work and toil, living and working in a "traditional" setting, barely making ends meet, isolation from those around her and the world at large, struggling to get adequate food and nutrition (especially the meat, an idea that's been driven home in other poverty shows like Poor Sisters' Story; meat as a luxury food is a foreign concept to those of us raised on McDonald's Dollar Menus). The other notion is Chiaki's -- treating money as no object, wearing trendy clothes, primarily being concerned with escapist entertainment (UFO mania), thrill-seeking, owning the latest technological gadgets, and being heavily interconnected with the world. Given that Serial Experiments Lain tried and failed to ignite a "culture war" between Japanese and Western culture, I can see the NieA staff aiming to show the pluses and minuses of the traditional and modernized/Westernized sides of Japan.
|
||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
|
eyeresist
Posts: 995 Location: a 320x240 resolution igloo (Sydney) |
|
|||||||||||
|
Sorry you're not liking it so far, Blood. Both you and Zalis found the character Niea annoying, which makes me wonder if she's actually less irritating in the original Japanese (which I watched). From the audio comparison I did ages ago, I just remember I found the US actress playing Mayuko to be lacking, and since she's the core character...
I didn't mind the early-morning delivery scene - it made me admire Mayu for her hard work and courage (plus I find the sound of rain refreshing).
I think this relates to what we've said about Japanese-ness, and experiences on the economic fringe. In Japan, shame seems to be a way of life, which makes being poor doubly awful. Niea, on the other hand, is that Japanese fantasy of being "wild and free", not bound by family or social expectations, and expressing one's feelings openly (when she's at the school, Mayu wishes she could be "natural" like the people in Tokyo, specifically Chiaki in this instance).
I don't remember crows from ep 1, but then I wasn't looking out for them.
I like how this little moment has been cited so often! Very curious...
I like the chopstick battle over the (can't remember its name) pot - there's your passionate shonen action right there.
I think this is right. Chiaki matches well with our image of modern Japanese youth, while Mayu is "traditional", more from necessity than preference. Chiaki has the choices and opportunities, but Mayu's sparse lifestyle and hard work seem somehow "purer". I guess, anywhere in the world, you see people ready to throw off old customs for the sake of cheaply produced modern comforts, which represent a kind of paradise. Neither side is "right", but perhaps something important is lost. |
||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
|
Blood-
Bargain Hunter Posts: 23802 |
|
|||||||||||
|
Episode 1 (Continued)
Great stuff, folks. This kind of meaty discussion is exactly what I was hoping from the book club. I am particularly interested in anything that touches on how the show may be reflective of Japanese issues, attitudes and conditions. Unfortunately, that's an area I can't contribute to because my own knowledge of Japan is pretty slight. Some random things I forgot to mention during my first post: The very first image of a show can be significant because often creators deliberately choose an "image system" that encapsulates the series. I'm not sure this was the case this time, but the first image we see is a low angle shot of what I think is the bus stop post. Because this post is a rectangular object with a round thing on top and because of the low angle, it seems to be suggestive of a rocket. A rocket suggest space travel, obviously, and obviously aliens who have travelled through space are a big element of the show. It also fits that an ordinary object (a bus stop post) would be linked to the extraordinary (space travel) which is one of the key juxtapositions of the show. The sky has sort of a mournful, end of day light which, again, fits in with one of the key moods of the show. The first words we hear are, "Hey, come, take a look!" Seems like it could be an on-the-nose exhortation to watch the show. Something else that interests me is the discrepancy between Mayuko and Niea over who occupied the room first. Mayuko claims she was there first and Niea appeared in the closet, whereas Niea tells Chiaki that she was there first (and therefore Mayuko is actually the "freeloader"). Obviously, at this stage, Mayuko has to be considered the more reliable reporter of the two, but I'll be interested to see if we ever learn how these two actually met. It's also interesting how Mayuko is a boarder in an establishment that her family used to own and manage. She's reduced to the status of a renter and laborer in it now. I'm sure this has larger overtones that somebody else may be able to comment on. |
||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
Mike On Top
 Posts: 298 |
|
|||||||||||
|
Episode 1:
1. What did you think of the episode? A smooth and meaningful introduction of the main heroines and part of the supporting cast. Basically, the first episode take us into Mayuko's hard and unjoyful everyday routine, while outlining the settings of a semi-deserted provincial town, housing below middle class Japanese humans and immigrant-aliens. At the year 2010, the town's infrastructure is reduced to basic functioning activities, with more of the extras (Enohana's theater, for example) crumbling away. The town has little to offer but a shelter for its inhabitants' modest income. Not surprisingly, Mayuko rents a room in her former family property (the public bath-house), working several part-time jobs, separated by short sleeps and spastic bickering for food with NieA, her freeloader roommate - an alien falling out even the under alien ranks, notably by not having antenna on the top of her head as the other aliens do. 2. What parts (if any) did you dislike about the episode? Why? The choking feeling that Mayuko is all alone in struggling for her living and the little to zero fair retribution for her efforts to have a decent dinner, if nothing else like a big wardrobe with fashionable clothes, high-tech toys, and a chance for having positive fun that won't wreck her finances and nerves. 3. Did you notice anything that others might not have noticed? "The Alien Chada Image Consultant - Dalgit's tidbit of India Information from New Delhi, India - via sattellite" after the episode ending (omake?) As far as I understood, Dalgit was speaking in Japanese with accent and told some joke, for the life of me, I would never understand => spoiler["Alien!!!"]
4. What was the most memorable moment of the episode for you? The revelation that the UFO took off supplied by electrical cord, which for NieA has nothing to do with anything
5. What do you think was the point of the episode? Gee, did I try to summarise the points since yesterday, quite a few times. I guess, I'll just say what comes to mind. It certainly deliniates the particularities of social stratification. It is questionable if this is solely Japanese related though, since I found myself perfectly capable of understanding Mayuko's difficulties. Well, perhaps a Somalian kid would never understand the half of it, because even for poverty there are different standards. The striking realism paired with aliens seems awkward at a first glance. Gradually, however, less and less differences between the aliens and the humans are connoted. Chiaki, who is an UFO freak, doesn't seem to be satisfied with an alien waitress, just because she has antenna. The aliens naturally intermingled with the humans and doubtfully so their appearance is connected to any changes in the world. On the contrary - perhaps the most vivid example of classic discrimination in the episode was how the alien kids laughed at NieA's lack of antenna, revealing primitive racism and its sources ("The Under Sevens are unimportant!", "My mom says so!"). Nothing new, right.
Well, I think it would become more understandable in the later episodes spoiler[in the light of Mayuko's ways of coping with reality and stress]. |
||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
|
Blood-
Bargain Hunter Posts: 23802 |
|
|||||||||||
|
Some Recommendations About Process (Feedback Welcome):
Okay, we know we have 4 eppies to discuss this week and 3 in each of the succeeding three weeks. So how does this sound? This Week Wed. morning EST discussion of Ep. 2 begins. Fri. morning - Ep. 3 Sun. morning - Ep. 4 Next Week Tues. morning - Ep. 5 Thurs. morning - Ep. 6 Sat. morning - Ep. 7 Now at this point we have a choice. We could stick to the roughly 48 hour period as outlined above which means discussion of Ep. 8 would begin on Mon. morning or we could take a bit of a break and push it to Tues. morning and then just stay on that Tues. Thurs. Sat. schedule for the rest of the series. Other recommendations: a) Assuming there is sufficient interest in continuing the book club, it might be nice to announce what the new selection would by the end of next week at the latest. That would give people more time to get the title in question if they don't already have it. b) Again, assuming there is another book club after this one, I would recommend taking a break of not less than a week (maybe even two) before starting up the next title. What do y'all think of these suggestions? Last edited by Blood- on Tue Jun 02, 2009 10:31 am; edited 1 time in total |
||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
|
Mike On Top
Posts: 298 |
|
|||||||||||
|
I would like to avoid the Monday discussion as much as possible.
If not, I'll just catch up as much as I can. |
||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
|
EvanUnisil
Posts: 48 |
|
|||||||||||
|
I like your idea Blood- and I don't see anything wrong with starting on a Tuesday if it's more convenient for everyone.
As long as everyone is Ok with this setup, I'm more than happy to make our schedule like that. Regarding the next Book Club, again, it's up to everyone else if they have the interest in doing another one after this. I don't have to be the one doing it either, if someone wants to take over feel free to, just make sure to communicate with me so we don't have like three threads going. I'm liking the discussions so far as some people are reminding me of things I forgot to mention in my post (the mothership as an example, and the scratches on the wall). I haven't read through everything yet though but plan to get that done now
EDIT: eeeh I'm about halfway through eyeresist's first post... dude do you think you could let us know if your spoiler is a spoiler for the episode we just watched or a future episode? I know some people don't mind learning about 'what's to come' before they've watched it but I like the element of surprise, I like realizing myself that this is the same character from that first episode, instead of already knowing they are going to reappear. I thought that might've been the only one but I almost read your spoiler on the scratches on the wall and now I'm worried about reading your post at all. Maybe if at the top of your post you could say that this contains spoilers for future episodes (or "contains spoilers up to episode 6") then I would know when I could read it, but as it stands I'm just going to have to avoid it which sucks as I was engulfed reading what you had to say but now simply seeing where you have marked spoilers around a topic to me means that I know there is more to it than meets the eye (which, again, I find is part of the enjoyment of watching a series for the first time). If nobody else has any problems with it then ignore my post, I will simply avoid yours (and the others with spoilers of future episodes) until I've watched the whole series. |
||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
murph76
 Posts: 3291 Location: Akron, OH |
|
|||||||||||
|
Compared to some of you, this will be brief.
Episode 1 1. What did you think of the episode(s)? Like others have said, a good introduction to the characters and their universe. Mayuko seems most energetic when reacting to NieA, the rest of the time she's in a funk about her circumstances in life. The DVD is titled "Poor Girl Blues" and I think that's apt. Mayu really seems to have the blues. 2. What parts (if any) did you dislike about the episode(s)? Why? NieA annoys the hell out of me. Why Mayu puts up with NieA living in her room is beyond me. Chiaki's UFO mania is a bit more tolerable, because she's normal most of the time. NieA's behavior is irritating because it's constant. 3. Did you notice anything that others might not have noticed? I doubt it holds any significance, but this is the first time I noticed the sign for the Enohana Theater while Mayu was delivering papers. It's written in English and missing a few letters. I guess it's one of those things that let you know how hard the series' recession is. 4. What was the most memorable moment of the episode(s) for you? Mayu's dream, and the significance of her watch. Holding onto a moment from her father, who she can barely remember. Also, Mayu getting the meat dirt cheap. It shows how poor she is and what lengths she'll go to to get a bargain. 5. What do you think was the point of the episode? To introduce the characters, and show us their contrasting personalities. Random thoughts: * There's no joy in Mayu's life. She's going through the motions, giving it her best but not enjoying anything. Apart from the rare, good meal. Again, she has the blues. * She seems ashamed of her circumstances, moreso than another person in her situation would be. She apparently doesn't interact with her classmates, and is loathe to show Chiaki her room. She's smart, near the top of her class at the cram school. Not getting into college is a blow, maybe she took it harder than most?
I've posted a screencap of the camera display here. The numbers in the upper right of the screen are camera f-stops -- 1:2.8/5.6/11 -- not a date. Though I'm not sure why a point-and-shoot digital camera like that would display such information. It's taken care of automatically, and the user probably doesn't care.
That's a good way to put it. This will be my third time watching the show. I've noticed this too, but could never sum it up quite as neatly as you. |
||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
 |
All times are GMT - 5 Hours |
|
|
|
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group