Noir – Vol. 1

Serge

at 6:45 pm

I’m around 40, I guess older than the average anime series watcher. I’ve been impressed with various Japanese animated films (Perfect Blue, Princess Mononoke, Metropolis, Spirited Away) and wondered about branching into Japanese anime series. But my impression is that they are typically undemanding, all action, low plot, aimed at teenagers – nothing wrong with that, but not what I’m after.

I bought the first DVD of 3 anime series – Neon Genesis Evangelion, Bubblegum Crisis, Noir. The animation is less ‘dynamic’ than in films with more still shots, more so in Noir than the other 2, but it is Noir that has grabbed me.

Sure, it’s pretty young women with guns, but it’s not all action, sexy and glamorous. It’s set in the real world and concentrates on the characters and their relationship for large sections. They have an ordinary side to their life, you see them in their apartment and shopping. Mireille dresses attractively but is cold and professional. Kirika dresses unflatteringly and hardly ever smiles. There’s a sad side to the series, and it does touch on the fact that their job is morally questionable. But don’t get me wrong, you engage with the characters. And the action is definitely there, it’s good and pretty realistic. It’s important but is only one part of the series. As for the plot, it’s not watertight but it’s good enough.

The music is a strength, very atmospheric. Another Amazon comment says the credit music lets it down, but I like it and feel it sums up the series – its calm slow pace while slowly panning across their apartment, with earrings, a teddybear, their guns and ammo all mixed together.

One last thing, I usually prefer subtitles to get the original inflection, but the dubbing on this is OK.
Rating: 4 / 5

Mikeyr101

at 9:45 pm

I own the region 1 release, which is identical in content.

“Noir”, rated at A- by AnimeonDVD.com, is a very special production which will raise the standard expected of a series from this point onward. Most love it, some hate it. Why is the series so contentious?

Mirielle Bouquet is an accomplished killer – one of the best in the world. So when a mysterious email carries a cyptic message and a chiming melody from her nightmares, she has no choice but to follow it to the source. And the sender is no less unusual, a young girl who knows who Mirielle is, and who carries an antique pocket watch – which Mirielle last saw by the hand of her murdered father, many years ago. But more astonishing still, when a large group of men interrupt their meeting, Mirielle is awed by the incredible skills Kirika seems to have, as she almost effortlessly takes down a dozen well-armed killers on her own.

However, there are no answers to be had from Kirika, because she has no memory of who she is, or of anything she has ever done. But the two women make a pact – to team up to find out who killed Mirielle’s family, and who Kirika is. But there is one last thing – Mirielle promises she will kill Kirika when it is all over… and so “Noir” is open for business.

The first DVD volume contains five half-hour episodes, mainly focusing on the life as a professional hired killer. What makes the show really work is its depth. Using excellent sound cues, reaction shots, well researched weapons, well-realised characters, and generally employing everything that’ll give you the right mood for the piece, this production is what you would get if Luc Besson did anime. I can almost guarantee that if you watch the first volume all the way through, you will end up buying the rest of the series. And it gets better as it goes along.

This is an excellent start to the series, on a good quality DVD. ADV hasn’t been too generous with the extras, though there are some hidden omake on the disc if you’ll check out the net on how to access them. Overall the sound and picture quality is what you would expect from an almost brand new show. The asking price is fair and the five episodes included makes this a very good deal indeed. Overall, an excellent series with an excellent first DVD. Easily worth Five Stars, and possibly the best UK anime release of 2003.
Rating: 5 / 5

J. Q. W. Bayes

at 12:49 am

This series is one that shows what anime is all about: a blending of two things, a half-way point between film and comic strip, between action and drama, between the minutely detailed realistic and the unfilmably fantastic, between artistry and entertainment. Designed, as the name suggests, to homage Films Noir (among other things), this is a long (26 eps) and quite complex story of Femmes Fatale, amnesia, assassination, mystery, conspiracy and betrayal, all in a classical Anime style that delivers great action and detail. There are those who say that this series is repetitive, and in a way it can be, but to them I say 1) watch it one episode per day or at a longer interval and not as a back-to-back fest, and 2) there are so very many series that are more repetitive, less engaging and more dull.
One thing of real note that I noticed about this series was the music. So far Noir has 3 OSTs and it deserves them all for the classy and supremely invigorating music it contains.
Overall I can’t recommend Noir too highly.
Rating: 5 / 5