Opinions: Noir ?

[Galant]

I've heard a bit about this series but not seen any myself. I was wondering what your opinions might be about this series. Professional reviews seem a bit dubious but it seems to have a solid fan base.

[kazekami]

It's ok. Not as good as Madlax. I loved Noir the first time I saw it. Probably cause I had the flu and was depressed at the time. But rewatching it I didn't like it as much. It's an intresting series. But I recommend Madlax instead which has similar music, and charachter desgin but a better story.

[eva-boy7985]

I thought it was great! Starts out a little slow, but by the second or third disc things are pretty much in full swing. Well drawn, cool music, intriguing plot, and sweet action. One message or question that I think was the central theme of the series was "Just how much does your past determine or bind your future?" Madlax is also good, though I've only seen the first DVD of it. If I were you, try to watch the first DVD of each and decide which one you want to get into. They're going ot be releasing the entire Noir series in a thinpak set sometime this summer, so economically speaking, that'd be the way to go, but it's up to you!

[Sephiroth]

its a good anime, especially if you like mystery, conspiracy animes / storylines. with a god soundtrack and interesting characters.

[true_noir_chloe]

I thought Madlax was a poor attempt to copy Noir, but that's just my opinion. Since the Madlax fan spoke first, I just had to counter.

When Noir came out it was the first of its kind in this type of genre with two female assassins, and it was made on a whim with no previous manga to go by. It has one of the best OST soundtracks that have been produced, IMO and it has a very complete story line with well-developed characters. There is no language ( maybe a brief bit) and no fan service. The guys who put it together placed intricate detail in the weaponry and considered the countries they would be from. Overall, it's a well-thought out anime with nice art and a simple message.

Anyway, I gave a complete review on "Noir" at the Anime Reviews section here on CAA. If you go there you'll find it.

EDIT: Here's the link to the review:
http://www.christiananime.net/showthread.php?t=6507&highlight=Noir

[Shao Feng-Li]

There is language in Noir, but it's very little. I've been watrching it on Anime Network. Noir is awsome.

[Yojimbo]

I've just started getting into it and I'm loving it.

[kazekami]

I thought Madlax was a poor attempt to copy Noir, but that's just my opinion. Since the Madlax fan spoke first, I just had to counter.

There were a lot of simillarities. Music and things in the plot. But everyone has different taste. =)

[Warrior 4 Jesus]

Noir is great. There could be a bit more movement in the animation (at times no frame animation at all), flashbacks could be repeated less often and the music could be played a bit less too but other than that its great! Its not really your typical girls and guns anime. Its quite sad, deep and more pyschologial thriller than action. There are some heartwarming moments but they are few and may even go un-noticed. I highly recommend Noir!

[Yojimbo]

I've pretty much decided to buy the boxset. You guys should Froogle it I've found complete boxsets for around $50.

[Orange Kitten]

Good series, but it could have been told in 13 episodes. It's also good with the fact its good for all ages basically (assuming you can understand death). There's almost no blood, and the blood that's in it does not even look like blood.

To best enjoy it, you must understand this series has the "Die Hard action" syndrome, where all enemies have the worst aim in the world and only the main heroe(s) can hit their targets every time.

The main thing I disliked about it was how every episode repeated itself so much with little plot advancement. It got very predictable. the middle episodes could have been thrown out. We only needed the first couple and last couple episodes.

Just my 2 cents.

[Kagan]

I liked it, but I disagree with the fact that its good that theres no blood. By doing this it makes light of death and the fact that these 2 girls are seen as heroines (and not anti-heros) because of their killings. They justify murder and assassination with the underlying undertone that says "it's alright, this guy is a mafia boss" or "he was a war criminal" They display the two as goddesses of death, worshiped by everyone. While it might not convince people to go about killing people, by showing death so light-heartedly it creates a sort of desensitizing effect when it comes to death and murder.

[kazekami]

There was a lot of violence in the series. One of the reasons I liked Madlax better is the fact that killing is not seen as ok. It's actually seen as a sin. Plus I prefer the themes of Sin and Redemtion over what i saw in Noir.

[waffo_chick1]

as far as fan service goes I was shocked at how little there was. Yes, there was some, but considering that it was about two female assasians it did pretty well on the whole

[Warrior 4 Jesus]

Hmm. I saw themes of Sin and Forgiveness in Noir, quite plainly. Yes, its quite violent but only one person bleeds (and not badly). I would recommend it for 15 years and over.

[Kisa]

Iv'e heard ots good and its on my list to see.... looking forward to it too ^^ the artwork looks great and the story is different from most.

[MorwenLaicoriel]

I've been watching Noir On Demand, and I think it's great. It's a bit slow-moving for my tastes, and I prefer anime that's a bit more wacky and off the wall (like Azumanga Daioh and Princess Tutu), but it's a REALLY good series.

Truthfully, although the killings could have more weight to them in the show, it doesn't seem to be totally glorified in it, either. Many of the people they're assigned to kill are shown as humans, and the show sometimes seems to imply that they maybe made the WRONG choice in taking on some jobs. For example, showing one target of theirs as a father slowly trying to gain his daughter's trust again, showing another target as an old man working to repay for the sins of his past by doing good to others...the show doesn't bluntly pass judgement, but at the same time, it seems to bring up a question--"Is this REALLY okay?"

Or maybe that's just me watching the show with rose-tinted shades.

[SwordSkill]

There are a number of slower "hit of the week" episodes, but I do like them in the way that they expand character development and bring up minor but interesting subthemes. And I agree with Warrior 4 Jesus; I saw Sin and Forgiveness (I think Redemption's more fitting) all over the place. I agree with Morwen Laicoriel as well (love your avatar and the caption, btw...and anyone who takes the name of Morwen Elfsheen can't be bad) that Noir doesn't glorify killing; what it does is it puts the business of killing on the spotlight and shows its unpleasant ramifications. These ramifications, however, are shown subtlely, meaning you'll have to go beyond the clicheic sight of blood to see the trauma it causes.

What you do need to know, however, as a watcher of Noir, is that you'll have to practice a kind of suspension of disbelief when it comes to Mireille being able to do all that kick-butt stuff in high heels.

[MorwenLaicoriel]

Not to mention that miniskirt that she normally sports. It even has a slit on the side. ^^;; (Although, that is, thankfully, about the closest I've ever seen to fanservice on the show).

(And thanks for complimenting me on my avatar and stuff. ^^ I've considered changing it every now and then, but people are always complimenting me on it so...XD And, actually, I can't take the credit for the name. My friend gave me it as my 'elvish name', I only discovered more about the character I was named after later. It just made it all the better. ^^)