This review was taken from the old reviews system and was originally submitted by true_noir_chloe.

Main Review
Two women bound by a promise, their destinies intertwined by a melodic time piece with a music box melody. This music is where we begin. Kirika Yumura finds Mireille Bouquet, a young killer for hire, who has been wandering with a broken past and an uncertain future. She is the cool, confident, loner, who is very good at what she does - killing. Fate brings Kirika and Mireille together as Kirika is running from the Soldats, who seem to want her dead. She has no idea where she came from or who she is. All she has is the locket with the lulling melody and Mireille’s phone number. They meet and their lives are forever changed.
A journey ensues and a puzzle, one piece at a time, is put together, as Mireille and Kirika join together as a killer for hire duo called, Noir – a name Mireille remembers from her past which represent "two women with hands as black as sin."
At first, it is a partnership of convenience; a bond of one using the other to get answers. Through each hit job we watch a vulnerable, sweet young Kirika who can kill with no remorse and quite easily, growing more attached to her older friend, risking her own life to save her many times. There’s an innocence to Kirika that Mireille had never experienced, herself never really knowing innocence, it having been stolen away from her years ago when her parents were murdered, almost before her eyes. Mireille’s shield, cold as ice, begins to melt, as she begins to care about this younger… sister? Friend? They have a bond that keeps drawing them one to another.
This journey begins in Paris, France, and then travels through the Middle East, China, Japan, the Alps, Corsica and Italy, not necessarily in that order. Special care and detail was placed on drawing these countryside’s of each locale. The same realistic detail followed throughout the series with all the settings and equipment. All to bring realism and a feeling you are on an exploration to find something.
Many nefarious characters, including the Soldats, who come in droves, at Kirika and Mireille, and other references to groups like the mafia and Yakusa, are brought up against the two young women. In Episode 10 we meet Chloe, who becomes a player in the background, supporting and vying for hit jobs alongside Kirika and Mireille. She is the child-like adopted progeny of Altena, a character who is constantly in the background, and we, the viewer are never sure how she plays in this puzzle. We never find out until the sixth disc.
Chloe’s enamored affection toward Kirika puts a kink and another question before Mireille and Kirika. Is Chloe for them, or against them? She seems to stay in the background and help them out, saving their lives multiple times from the Soldats and others, bent on killing them as they get closer to the truth of their past.
Throughout we start to question, why are Kirika and Mireille so drawn one to another? Why does the music box melody stir up such strong memories, emotions, or both? We find out at the end, how the music is that part of their past which brings about memories of love. Something of which neither have had cultivated in their upbringing. The kind of love only a mother could show for her daughter. It is the only thing which brings about the salvation of both Kirika and Mireille in the end. Whether it’s a physical, emotional, or spiritual – maybe all three – salvation, you’ll have to find out by watching this drama to the end.

Everything in Noir is subtle. It is a production of style and mood, where even the music helps construct the work of art it becomes. The writer, Ryoe Tsukimura; director, Kouichi Mashimo; and the female artists had decided this would be a collaboration of something different. It wouldn't have mechas, super human beings, magic, robot maidens, or dumb fan service. It would be a realistic piece unlike any anime out there. And, I think they followed through perfectly. They sought to produce an intelligent "film noir" - a work of visual art and that is what I found myself completely enveloped by.

Music
The music makes Noir – simply put. It feeds this atmosphere of choreographed fighting and shooting, which is artistically woven in a story that doesn't end up as it was supposed to. The opening piece, "Coppelia's Casket," is so catchy it will be pounding in your head for a day; it was performed by Ali Project and reminds me of the era of spy thrillers in the late 60s and early 70s. Fantastic sweeping violins, cellos, accordions combine with male chorals and beautiful female solos in a mix of classical and European pop. Kirika's theme song, "canta per me" makes your heart beat a little faster, whenever it plays. The closing theme, "Beautiful Emotion," done by Akino Arai, is a sweet and beautiful piece, like its title. The animation and music are so well adapted one to another that Noir would not be Noir without the music of Yuki Kajiura. In fact, it's the first anime soundtrack I ever bought for myself.

Sub vs Dub
I couldn't help but prefer the dubbed version because I have such great respect for the four ADV voice actresses who did the four lead characters. I would warn, however, for some reason on the first disc, they were so enthralled with the song, "canta per me" that it constantly overpowered Kirika's soft-spoken voice. During the first three episodes I had to watch it in Japanese just to find out what she was saying. *hehe* I think they must have figured this out by the following discs, because I didn't notice this problem later.
A word about the ADV actresses: Hilary Haag is the voice actress who plays Chloe, walking on the edge of psychopath, with a calm delivery. She said it was the easiest, yet freakiest, character she had ever done. Altena is voiced by Tiffany Grant, a sage of voice acting, and she said it was the creepiest character she had read for. With a maternal calm she had to deliver lines like, "Love can kill, could not hate save someone?" She really liked to mess with these young girls heads. Kirika is done by Monica Riel, the ADV soft-spoken gal. She is one of my favorites at ADV. And, Shelley Calene-Black rounds out the cast as Mireille. She can always be counted on to play the confident, self-assured voice types. Another great turn of voice acting by ADV.

Manga
Noir was an original idea started as an accident by the writer bouncing ideas off the producer's head. It was just some notes jotted down and grew into something more. Thus, there was no precursor manga, and I don't know of ADV bringing a manga out at this time.

Related Movies
For realism it's hard to find anything like Noir. I would say for mood, the ones which come close are Read or Die, Witch Hunter Robin, Wolf's Rain and Raxhephon.

Violence Details
This is an interesting thing about Noir. The only thing gratuitous is the amount of bullet shells left on the ground; however, they never show blood, only darkened areas where blood would be. This is due in part because it had to be kept clean for the television audience. There has been talk of doing a bloody version – but, it’s only talk. For now, this version has no blood. [goldy's note: The version referred to here is the original version released in 2001.]

Language Details
Possibly a few words throughout the series

Nudity Details
A bath scene, mainly in silhouette in episode 24 and then a pond scene in episode 25.

Sexual Content Details
There is an unwanted kiss from one character to another character for around 10 seconds in episode 25.

Religious Material Details
I actually liked the message of Noir. The only reason I rated it a 2 is because the ritual of passage for the two women to be considered Noir. It was really a good message about how only in love can someone be saved, never by hate. Mercy, forgiveness and love are always stronger than judgment and hate.