Noir

On a sunny afternoon in her Paris apartment, assassin-for-hire Mireille Bouquet receives a strange email from Kirika Yuumura, a young student from Japan, inviting her to "make a pilgrimage to the past" together. Initially thinking the email is nonsense, she changes her mind when it begins playing a song that she recognizes from her youth.

Upon first meeting each other in person, the two are suddenly ambushed by gun-wielding men. While Mireille is capable of fending off the assault, she discovers that Kirika is quite adept in combat situations after she takes out several gunmen on her own. Despite her proficiency at killing, Kirika laments her inability to feel remorse for her victims. In addition, Kirika apparently has no memory of how she came to acquire the skills she possesses or even of her real identity.

Sensing shared history between them, Mireille agrees to team up with Kirika, and together, they embark on a journey to uncover the mysteries of their pasts. Operating under the codename "Noir," the duo's fragile alliance is tested as they begin accepting jobs, each one bringing them closer to the truth of who they really are.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Yuumura, Kirika Main

Kuwashima, Houko Japanese

Bouquet, Mireille Main

Mitsuishi, Kotono Japanese

Chloe Supporting

Hisakawa, Aya Japanese

Altena Supporting

Tarako Japanese

Gleone, Silvana Supporting

Touma, Yumi Japanese

Havul, Milosh Supporting

Seki, Toshihiko Japanese

Belladonna Supporting

Oosaka, Fumiko Japanese

Minister Song Supporting

Tanaka, Kan Japanese

Galle, Christian Supporting

Arakawa, Tarou Japanese

Shutong, Yun Supporting

Ikeda, Masaru Japanese

Kitayama, Shigeru Producer

Mashimo, Kouichi Director, Sound Director, Episode Director, Storyboard

Kawatsura, Shinya Episode Director, Storyboard

Tachibana, Masaki Episode Director, Storyboard, 2nd Key Animation

Reviews

Aug 12, 2023

Lionasad

Recommended

Note: I am writing this review several months after completing the show.

[i]Noir[/i] is a difficult anime to review, much less discuss. It appears to have had a small budget, been released into obscurity, and hardly remembered in the 22 years since it started airing. The title makes it somewhat difficult to research as well, since searches tend to return results related to Chat Noir for some reason. In fact, I consider myself rather blessed that I happened onto the show at all.

To cut to the chase, yes, I recommend this show. It's fun, intelligent, and soulful. It has a number of flaws that I'll get ... to, but what a prospective viewer should really consider is that this show is [i]dated[/i]. I don't know much about anime, but from what I've seen, I get the general sense that action anime released pre-2010 were given much more of a license to wander and to be much more thoughtful (see the works of Shinichirō Watanabe and Hideaki Anno, for instance). [i]Noir[/i] takes this to the extreme. Not only is the main plot neglected for many episodes, but within each episode there are often shots that linger for no specific purpose and very stiffly animated fight scenes that indicate to me a small budget or rushed production time. In any case, it is worth noting that the rather intriguing premise of this odd-couple assassin duo does not get fully explored until halfway through the show.

Onto some other cons. As I said, the animation can be very rigid. The fight scenes are carried a lot by the music, as the combatants will use illogical tactics in fighting one another and a lot of the action is obscured or conducted out of frame. There is the sense of drama, but if you aren't immersed in the characters, story, and setting, then the action will not excite you at all, because without those elements to support it, the action falls rather flat - aside from some cool moments. The story itself is... rough. I actually prefer a lot of the earlier standalone episodes because they have simple but emotional plots, usually involving the targets that Kirika and Mireille, the protagonists, are contracted to kill. The overarching plot of the show honestly makes very little sense, and although it offers an interesting conflict, the execution is drawn out and ham-fisted to say the least.

But oh [i]man[/i] did I [i]feel[/i] this anime. The soundtrack really is phenomenal, and the art style often lends itself to some pretty shots. The people who worked on this show understood companionship and loneliness really well, and it shows in the way that individual scenes and even entire episodes are crafted. There's an overwhelming sense of melancholy that pervades throughout the show, even in the happy moments, as the protagonists try and fail to establish human connections. It's something that I think is explored really well in the era of visual media at the turn of the millennium: a feeling of isolation, of the end of history.

So, all this being said, I do recommend [i]Noir[/i] to the vast majority of viewers, as, despite its faults, it offers something I found to be very unique and memorable. Go in with low expectations and allow yourself to slip into the world of the Noir duo. It's a special one.

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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Jan 3, 2024

Joe_Devaney

Mixed Feelings

Overview:
"Noir" is the first of a trio of action anime created by studio Bee Train. Known together as the "Girls with Guns" trilogy, these well-liked but obscure anime series helped to popularize the genre of the same name. Out of the three, "Noir" has aged considerably poorly in comparison to its younger sisters, with most of the things that set it apart being either superficial or just plain outdated. The good news is, however, is that "Noir" does succeed in more traditional ways, with a complex, if confusing story, good action scenes and great music, all of which combine to make an entertaining, if ... not exactly memorable start to the trilogy.

Story (7.5/10):
Much like all the "Girls with Guns" anime, the story centres around two very different girls. In this case, those girls are a pair of assassins- a Japanese amnesiac girl named Kirika Yuumura and a Corcisian woman named Mirielle Bouquet, who is haunted by a painful past. After meeting each other via strange circumstances, the two form an assassin duo known as "Noir" and embark on a personal and increasingly dangerous journey to uncover the mysteries behind their pasts, with Mirielle vowing to kill Kirika once she remembers who she is. Along the way, they encounter all sorts of strange individuals, many of whom are connected to their pasts, including the assassin Chloé, who quickly takes an interest in the duo and claims to be the true "Noir".

The story starts off simple enough, being a mostly episodic affair where Mirielle and Kirika accept jobs from unknown contracts and assassinate various targets. However, while their first targets prove to be no challenge at all, it's not long before they start encountering figures who are worthy of their skill and last for more than just one episode. And while it may seem rather annoying at first that the series is showing you flashbacks of what happened EARLIER IN THE SAME EPISODE, the reasoning behind this quickly becomes clear i.e. the story is casting those particular scenes in a different light due to what has been revealed since. The series in general is very good friends with the word "clarity", with the flashback to Mirielle's past in particular becoming more and more detailed as time goes on, with the most crucial detail not being revealed until towards the end. The story does a fine job at keeping the viewer guessing, and by the time the big twist finally comes, I was more than a bit surprised, in spite of all the hints I was sure the series had given up until then.

Unfortunately, as the series becomes more complex, it also becomes highly convoluted, a problem it shares with its sister series "Madlax", only to an even greater extent. This is due to the fact that it heavily depends on the viewer's knowledge of things like hamartiology (the study of sin) and the history of the Mafia, things the series doesn't even bother explaining to the viewers. As such, I was left confused on several occasions since I have little knowledge of either of those things, especially since I outgrew religion before I even exited my teens. In addition, the episodic format of the series tends to work against it at times, with a good few of the episodes being pretty forgettable and adding little, if anything, to the story. Even "Cowboy Bebop" succeeded in making almost all of its episodes feel important to some extent. "Noir", on the other hand, has no such strength. Nevertheless, the story does manage to hold itself together surprisingly well, especially when the primary plot takes over completely, which is a good thing since quite a few other categories fall pretty short.

Art & Animation (6.5/10):
"Noir" first aired in 2001- exactly two decades ago at this point- and in that time the series has aged VERY poorly. Not only does the art have plenty of rough edges, but there are many shots where the colors are very dull, with the character models having often minimal detail. And, much like "Madlax", there isn't a scrap of blood to be found during combat, which in a neo-noir story about assassins and corruption is absolutely jarring. In short, this series looks even worse than "Madlax", which is already a fairly low bar to clear.

Sound & Dialogue (8.5/10):
While "Noir"'s soundtrack is definitely good, it is unfortunately one of Yuki Kajiura's weakest efforts, if not her weakest full stop. While there are some great tracks to be found, you may find you've heard it all before if you're familiar enough with her work. The opening "Coppelia no Hitsugi" is good enough and fits the tone of the show well, but the ending theme is very forgettable and I skipped it every time after listening to it once. On the other hand, the voice acting is very good. Monica Rial's performance as Kirika starts off fairly wooden and one-dimensional, which probably isn't helped by her not having many lines, but she does improve as the series goes on, especially towards the end. That said, my favourite performance would have to be Shelley Calene-Black as Mirielle, who manages to do every part of the character very well from start to finish.

Characters (6.5/10):
I'll start with Kirika. At the start of the series, she knows pretty much nothing about herself, with her entire journey being a quest for identity. All that's really known about her is that she's got terrifying assassin skills and is able to kill a lot of people without ever feeling sad, something that deeply disturbs her. She was obviously designed to be a moe character, and while the series does a good job at keeping her sympathetic, there are times when her innocence is more annoying than adorable, which probably isn't helped by the fact that a good chunk of her dialogue is limited to saying Mirielle's name. Seriously, she barely speaks, especially during the early episodes, and yet she says "Mirielle" so often I practically lost count. On the flipside, she's a total badass, being able to take on scores of enemies without breaking a sweat, not only with guns, but with seemingly harmless items too, almost like a female Jason Bourne. Overall, I can say that I liked her overall, but I do wish that she could have been developed a bit more, since I felt she didn't really change much even after gaining her memories back.

The other of the main duo is Mirielle, who I actually found myself preferring over Kirika. Unlike Kirika, Mirielle's skill is on the level of normal person, albeit one who is very good at her job. What she lacks in skill compared to Kirika, however, she makes up for by being the brains of the duo i.e. she's the one who researches their targets and makes the strategies during their assassinations. While she's not likable at first, given her threats to kill an amnesiac girl once she remembers who she is, she does soon prove herself to be a lot more warm-hearted than she appears. This becomes especially evident when we meet a figure from her past, who represents what Mirielle would be if she truly were a heartless killer. In fact, considering everything she suffers both before and during the series, I actually found myself feeling more sympathy for her than I did for Kirika. To top it all, while their relationship starts off as purely professional, Mirielle does eventually grow to care for Kirika in her own way. Just don't expect her to ever admit it, or at least not to the person herself.

Besides the main duo, another noteworthy character is Chloé, who is an assassin like the protagonists and claims to be the true "Noir". Sadly, she's a lot more difficult to talk about, being one of those mysterious types. Pretty much the only things I can say about her without spoiling anything are that she's got a connection to the protagonists, she's of similar skill to Kirika and that she fights with knives instead of guns. One problem I had with pretty much all of the characters, however, is that they tend to be slaves to their occupation, with their actions almost never being brought into question, which is particularly odd for a series that tries so hard to force grey and gray morality. I couldn't help but feel that the characters would be a lot more compelling if they were ever to stop to think that maybe, just maybe, they DON'T have to kill this old man who has long since paid for his crimes and is no longer a threat to anyone just because they were told to! Out of all the characters, only Mirielle outgrows this fatalistic mindset, and even that's only to a certain degree.

Enjoyment (6.5/10):
As you might imagine, "Noir" is not only a dark series, but a seriously bleak one too, given that the protagonists are assassins who kill people on a regular basis, sometimes those who don't even deserve it, and many episodes tend to have very bittersweet or tragic endings, even more so than "Madlax". There are a few moments of genuine happiness or humour sprinkled throughout, but they are few and far between, and overall the series pulls no punches in regards to how unglamourous the life of an assassin is.

Overall:
"Noir" may have been the most successful of its trilogy upon initial release, but after watching all three anime, I would consider it to be the worst, largely thanks to the dated visuals, somewhat underdeveloped characters and superficial morality. It's overall aged pretty poorly, which I consider a testament to film noir in general going out of fashion over the decades. Overall, I would say that if you're a fan of film noir or girls with guns, you should give this one a go, but if you're not, you're better off staying away.

Score:
7.5+6.5+8.5+6.5+6.5+6.5=35.5/50=7.1/10

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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Aug 18, 2021

Dionkeykong

Not Recommended

It's been too long since i last saw Noir and for some reason my taint was itching to have a go at it for a 2nd time after 19 years and if i'm honest i shouldn't have made this fatal mistake cause what i watched with my innocent eyes and rose tinted galsses back then....Let's find out, shall we?

Noir, for starters, is part of a trilogy of animes themed as Girls with Dild.....Oh it's not that kind of deadly device...Girls with frying pans then? No not that either..Oh yes of course, silly me. It's Girls with Guns (and Roses)..And as was the case with band ... this anime is also overrated. Sure the members look cool and smoke and have flashbacks from drug use and managed to get a hit or two here and there but the deeper workings are quite a different story...And if that story was interesting or even deep i think i could manage but a big fat "fuck you" was in the air.

Deep in the dark pits of the kingdom of Hades 2 girls and a cup...Oh i can go on all day with that shit and it will be more interesting that what's about to follow. So for real now ok? The story starts with Mireille Bouquet who is a killer cook in Paris.

-What does she cook then, Dion?

-Her special dish is cheese with wine and surrendering to the enemy like any Frenchman would do! That and pasta garnished with bored blood of her enemies.

But her peaceful days in Paris watching lame French movies and hanging garlic on the walls were about to end.....As a Japanese girl named Kirika Yumura appeared from the TV set wanting her memories back..Nah just fucking with ya..She sent a Tinder request..Ok ok don't hit me in the head mate i'm gonna be more retarted than usual...She sent a weirdly worded email and for the life of me i can't fathom how and why after reading that email she decided to meet with Kirika but she did and the music cued and they danced to the end of love with some other assasins who tried to kill them?! and that's how this holy alliance was born..With pain, blood, sweat and bullets.

Sounds interesting doesn't it? I mean girls, guns, Paris...What could go wrong?

Let me start with the opening song cause that's what hits you first in every episode after all. It's a bizzare one this..It's like whoever wrote it was described how "Arthur's Farewell" sounded through the phone and the end result was some techno beat mixed with Japanese pop mixed with French fries and espresso. And if you sit there and think that this unholy mix shouldn't be here...You're dead right, i too was waiting to hear some epic sort of orchestral track or at the least something that would insinuate adventure and murders not fluffy dogs and candles in the shower. But in all honesty this song fits the series like a glove, in the sense that expectations from reading the story or from the 1st episode quickly turned into a boring trash can fire instead of a full blown collapse of the civilization as we know it....And that's not all as the song ends IN EVERY FUCKING EPISODE we get a little narration about some occult stuff (Imagine the opening narration from Iron Maiden's Number of the Beast track but way more boring and with way less emotion in delivery).

But we'll get to the songwriting later on, but for now let's move on to the actual series and what you should expect after a very enthralling 1st episode.

And what you should expect is massive amounts of yawn and saliva hanging from your dirty cheeks. Every single episode is the same formula of 2 girls meeting bad guys, boring action scenes happen, everyone dies a miserable death except for our main duo rinse and repeat and there you have the first 10 or so eps of this anime. GOT THAT? 10 eps full of mostly watered down Hollywood action scenes and when i say watered down i mean right down to the last detail. I mean people get shot so logic dictates that some blood should poor from the dead asshole's....Holes...Don't hold your breath waiting for that to happen as this series with assasins and whatnot is as soft as toilet paper with bears on it. Good for your dirty ass cheeks not for your entertainment.

And this was standard practice for Bee Train studio at the time. Nice looking anime with superbly sounding stories full of glamour and style let down by horrible execution. The characters themselves are as dry as the vagina of a whore who's as coke'd up and drunk as Charlie Sheen. Sure some lube will do the work but the fact remains that after 5 mins your dick will look like you dipped it in a woodchipper and it was ugly to begin with. And if that wasn't bad enough they made the monumental decision to take it slow with the story. So slow in fact that it reminded me of the time i drove a Zastava and if you don't know how slow or dangerous that car was google it and experience the horror. And some may make the point that in these first 10 or so eps the main duo formed a bond or some shit...Even Romeo and Julieta's bond didn't take that long to develop and that was back in the dark ages for fuck's sake..Are you honestly gonna sit there and tell me that in the span of 10 filler eps they couldn't cram anything else or even tell the story in a tighter way in half the amount of eps?

Enough of that let's talk animation VA music etc. Animation for the most part was solid with good use of dramatic lighting and shadows. The constant change of enviroments made for some very nicely animated backgrounds, cities, mountains and whathaveyou. The characters themselves were pretty standard -if not low par- apart from moments where things got a bid dark and the faces looked like i drew them but there were definitely some corners cut. 3 words for ya,Panning, stills and flashbacks galore. Flashbacks alone made for 10% of each episode and if that doesn't scream repettitive and saving a penny or 2 i don't know what does. Flashbacks do play a role here, mind you, but not when you use it 40 times more than you should.

Which leads me to the fight scenes...And oh boy do they look and sound rubbish..Every fight has the same epic song throughout the series and after the first 3 times it becomes so tiresome that at some point i found myself muting the scenes and playing Spice Girls in the background which instantly made it 70 times better..Also the series draws inspiration from the worst Hollywood films and drags the hell out of the fight scenes. Imagine every scene where the bad guy aims at the protagonist shouting that he will kill him..KILL THE FUCKER what are you waiting for? And what the hell is this with all the "dramatic" looooooooooooooong pauses? How many dramatic pauses are enough before you actually come out and say that this shit is ridiculous..But the worst Hollywood sin of all..Bullets flying but not one seems to find shelter anywhere near the protagonists and that was made worse by the fact that the blond hot chick who is an assasin of the highest caliber....Pretty much stands around getting shot at, getting surprised she is shot at and pretty much being useless and Kiriko the ugly midget does all the hard killing. If you weren't told she was a pro you'd think she was there by accident!

The second half at least was a tad better but that's like saying bleeding from the abdomen is better than bleeding from the neck. It was also faster than a Zastava but not by much and there are some big reveals about the girls' past and a secret organization called "the Soldats" who are like an ancient mafia like thingy..But even with these revelations the story itself combined with these bland characters did no good at all for the greater picture. And if speedy was what i thought about the 2nd half you should watch the end and be amazed at how this 26 FUCKING EPISODES MARATHON managed the 4 last eps were shit was hitting the fan. Honestly the ending was so rushed it was like watching Nascar on meth and i have to wonder why? Why the fuck have 10 filler eps going on about absolutely nothing and when it mattered the most fuck it up on a galactic scale?

All in all this anime that impressed my young dumb self 19 yrs ago, now bored the fuck out of me. I can't stand here in good faith and tell you that for nostalgia's sake this anime was great cause it wasn't in the least. Animation on a strict budget, music that while was nice-ish was overused to the point of mental breakdown, story that could be but never was, boring and almost non existent dialogues between the characters and characters bland and paper thin..So no sorry, i'm not gonna suggest in the least that it was something better than broderline mediocre.

Wanna watch it? Go ahead and do just don't say i didn't warn ya.

Reviewer’s Rating: 3

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