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A Knife in the Dark,
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I own the region 1 release, which is identical in content.
In this volume, “The Firing Chamber”, the plot starts to thicken. To this point, between contracts Mirielle and Kirika have been following up leads that might help them find the elusive Soldats. But the Soldats do not act as one, and when both factions begin to take an interest in Noir’s activities it only serves to deepen Mirielle’s confusion – and possibly some of her suspicions… because when the pair find one of their targets already dead with a throwing knife buried deep in his back, it becomes clear that another highly skilled killer is in town. But word in the underworld is that Noir carried out the hit. Who is this killer staying one step ahead of our two women, and what does she mean when she claims she is the “true Noir”? And why does she frighten Mirielle so badly?
And so the show introduces us to possibly the most popular (if least understood) character of the series – Chloe. Why is it that she seems to delight in baiting Mirielle, never directly answering her questions, yet seems to relent a little when Kirika solemnly asks her for the truth? If you watch and listen carefully you may catch subtle hints of what is to come, but you will be kept guessing right up to the end…
This is a strong DVD release, with an exceptional transfer of picture and sound because the series is still so new. As always the audio is brilliant, mostly due to the amount of work the developers put into research and the deep feeling of mood instilled by the show’s top quality soundtrack (see review). This is definitely one of ADV’s best releases this year.
This volume only contains three episodes. I should warn you that there will be another two volumes like this. The reasons for it are fairly simple; There are twenty six episodes altogether in the show. It just doesn’t divide through very well. Some episodes belong together, being either two-parters such as the “Intoccabile” and the “Cold-Blooded Killer”, or episodes that are very closely linked – such as these three are, with their introduction of Chloe to the series. So ADV took a bold decision and broke up the overall story to read like seperate chapters. You could argue that it’s a devious marketing ploy, but it certainly helps the narrative along. You shall just have to trust me on this because I have already seen them all…
Overall this is a very powerful DVD release, though its relatively low episode count will only be understood by those who have already watched and enjoyed the series so far. As such, I simply cannot justify awarding full marks for this title, but will have to settle for a very respectable Four Stars.
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|Mad Teaparty,
ADV provides another excellent set of episodes from the Noir series. I shall get my technical complaint out of the way first: Three episodes per DVD, for around twenty pounds. It is extortionate that they do this, when they could put at least two more on each disk. On the other hand, these are three particularly fine episodes.
On to the review:
The shadow of the Soldats raises itself once again in the lives of Mirielle and Kirika. Finding half of a job completed by another, Mirielle is suspicious as to who would possess skills equal to her own. The pair’s next victim is a corrupt judge, whom we see threatened/forewarned by the aforementioned unknown killer. This assassin has motives of her own and her eyes on the so-called ‘Noir’.
‘The True Noir’ is indeed the episode where we are introduced to Chloe, the mysterious, cloak-wearing shadow to Mirielle’s and Kirika’s operations. Like many previous episodes, there is something of a 50/50 split between the mystery/story side of the episode, and the ‘action’ side. The latter in this case is quite impressive, though not the best (if you enjoy fight scenes of stylish implausibility, then just watch any with Chloe in…)
‘Moonlight Teaparty’ – Mirielle receives a phone-call from a man claiming to possess a copy of the book containing information on the Soldats. They meet, but when Mirielle and Kirika arrive later at an exchange point, they are engaged in a fight by – presumably – Soldats operatives. Yet it is when they return home that the real drama and intrigue of this episode begins. They are visited by Chloe, and…have a tea-party, a, as Mirielle puts it “Mad Teaparty”. The scene borders the absurd and the tense, as the trio of assassins drink tea. But there are layered threats behind each action and word. Even Chloe’s comment about the beauty of the moon comes, in one sense, back to haunt them all in a later episode.
‘Assassination Mission’ – this simply titled episode is rather unique in being the only one (to my knowledge) which contains neither of the main characters. Instead, we are introduced to some of Chloe’s work, as she hunts down an exiled soldier for assassination. Similar to Mirielle and the woman in ‘Assassination Play’, Chloe forms something of a relationship with her target, and even saves his life from others intending to kill him (if this seems odd, you have to wait until the end of the series to find out why). In the end, however, an assassin must do her job, and ‘the True Noir’ is no exception.
Overall, these episodes function closely together as an introduction to the character of Chloe, and as a further understanding behind the mysteries of the Soldats.
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