From "silliness" to "storytelling"...

...but ultimately ending the series back in "silliness" -- that would be "NieA Under 7" discs 3 & 4, which I finished up this evening.

Back with disc 2 I was getting a little frustrated with the super-deformed comedy reaction shots, and the cliche bickering that punctuates the story quite often. Tonight I was a little more forgiving of it; the silly moments are kind of integral to the way it turns out. Particularly with regards to how they contrast with some of the more "realistic" moments. Because those "real" moments are really quite well done. Like with "Haibane Renmei", there's an unknown set of rules in a world that surrounds a bunch of interesting characters, and it all plays off of each other. And it really doesn't answer a lot -- and it's okay that it doesn't because the story is in what you feel rather than what you know.

Unlike "Haibane Renmei", it doesn't get particularly deep about any of it. And that's okay, too. Once you get past the silliness and accept it, there's more to latch on to underneath. And when it's done, there's still some things to chew on and think about. Not bad. I'm glad I stuck with it.