Anime Pilgrimage RTT

Noir – episodes one to ten

March 24, 2004 on 12:58 pm | In Noir | 1 Comment

I gave up watching Noir last year after the third disc, when it became too good to wait two months between each set of episodes. One year after the first disc’s release, the seventh and final came out last week and I decided to watch it all.
I’m still in the episodes that I’ve already seen.

Noir is a series that has an intense sense of atmosphere. Kajiura Yuki’s music is undoubtedly a major contributing factor, but more so are the intensely detailed scenes and incredible colour. The thing about Noir is that it gives the impression of being slow, but the episodes are over in no time at all.

While Kirika and Mireille’s uneasy relationship is a great source of tension and ambiguity – it’s always unclear whether Mireille hates, resents or admires Kirika – Noir is at its best when Chloe comes in. Episode ten offers the first major appearance of Chloe, and she is the series’ greatest push.
Kirika and Mireille’s partnership is tested upon the discovery that there’s another pair of assassins calling themselves Noir. Chloe is a great character, and from rewatching just that one episode featuring her, motivation to complete the series sparks strongly.

There was a particularly striking scene towards the end of episode nine, as Chloe walks away from Mireille and Kirika, and they draw their guns on her. Kirika and Mireille were designed by one character designer, Chloe by another. This greatly emphasised the contrast between the two parties and their potential rivalry.
Hisakawa Aya’s childish performance of Chloe is wonderful and lends a lot to the character.

Noir is a series steeped in mystery that I will endeavour to have finished by next week.