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Last edited by belvadeer on Sat Nov 26, 2011 6:56 pm; edited 1 time in total

Noir was pretty good for what it was in its time. This was also an anime I fully watched with the dub. I can't remember when I actually finished it (must have been over three years ago) but I can honestly say I didn't waste my time on it.

Great review, as usual, Key. A hole at ANN has finally been filled. As one of the series' cheer captains, I have to say you've really nailed it, faults and all. Thanks.

One typo: the song is Salva Nos, not Solva Nos.

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and one kiss that could reasonably be interpreted as having lesbian overtones.

Not sure how else one could interpret that scene. I thought the subtext had been pretty much hinted at throughout the series.

spoiler[This show came out before Lord of the Rings, but I watched it afterwards. That climax where the villainess falls into the magma, and the two girls cling onto each other from that cliff--I thought it was so scaringly reminiscent of the Mt. Doom scene as it was shot in Return of the King. Does anyone else? ]

Lately I'm starting to have a greater fondness for older series over the newer ones, because ironically they feel fresher than the most current series. And Noir is definitely one of the classics that is better than most similar series today, especially before the moe trend officially started taking over.

@pachy_boy,

Noir may have been released prior to the film of Return of the King, but that scene from RotK follows the original book that was first published in 1955 (except for one important detail that I think the film does better). Even before the film, the scene was well known, so I expect that Koichi Mashimo was consciously adapting it in the series.

Wait, so...did they re-dub parts of the series or something for FUNimation's re-release?

Yet another review of Noir? But this one I couldn't have wrote better myself. This series is one of the best that prominently sits on my shelf as one of the reasons I enjoy anime so much. I still play Kajuria's music when I'm giving Miku the day off. Laughing

Forte-sama wrote:

Wait, so...did they re-dub parts of the series or something for FUNimation's re-release?

No, it's entirely the original dub. Why would you think otherwise?

I'd probably count Avenger as a fourth entry into Bee Train's girls-with-guns lineup. Granted, it is scifi and lacks guns, but otherwise it bears strong similarities. It is also the worst of the four.

errinundra wrote:

@pachy_boy,

Noir may have been released prior to the film of Return of the King, but that scene from RotK follows the original book that was first published in 1955 (except for one important detail that I think the film does better). Even before the film, the scene was well known, so I expect that Koichi Mashimo was consciously adapting it in the series.

I was specifically referring to the movie, sorry for not being clear enough, and Peter Jackson executed the scene differently from how it was in the book, and here is what I was talking about. spoiler[In the book, Gollum bites Frodo's finger, Frodo collapses, Gollum dances and then falls into the magma by mistake. In the movie, Frodo gets up, tussles with Gollum, which causes them both to fall over the cliff, Gollum falls into the magma, Frodo hangs onto the cliff and Sam reaches down to save him, begging for him to not give up. In Noir, Altena faces off against Mireille and Kirika, Kirika gets off the ground and rushes to tussle with Altena which sends them both down, Altena falls into the magma, Kirika hangs onto the cliff and Mireille reaches down to save her, begging for her to not give up.] It would be totally crazy to even think that the creators of Noir and the LOTR movies knew anything about each other's scenes, I was merely pointing out how interestingly if coincidentally similar they were (also, I'm in full agreement that Peter Jackson's rendition of that same scene is better than the book for a few reasons).

Key wrote:

No, it's entirely the original dub. Why would you think otherwise?

Quote:

The English script stays tight enough to avoid garnering any accuracy complaints, even including giving Kirika's name in traditional Japanese order – and no, this is something that ADV dubs almost never did, even back in 2003.

I also read it as though ADV didn't give the name proper pronunciation, alluding to the fact they originally dubbed Noir.

On topic now.
Here's a surprising plot twist! I managed to read this entire review and it didn't put me to sleep once, unlike the series it's reviewing.

I laughed at the mention of the VAs, especially Monica's character. I don't recall a single speaking line of her character throughout the series. Just grunts. Either Monica's voice is so distinctive, it's recognized in grunts or someone cheated and read the credits.
:funny:

Noir is one of the very first series I've ever watched, and is one of the main reason I got into anime back in 2004. To this day, the soundtrack is still my favorite of all time... Canta per me is such an incredible track. Another great review by Theron, and it confirmed that it's his opinion I trust the most among all reviewers at ANN (we seem to have very similar tastes).

It's been a very long time since I have seen the show but I think I will give the series another go sometime in the future. The soundtrack is beautiful to listen to and I happen to enjoy all of the times that Mireille and Kirika been through together and plus, any moments with Chloe and Altena is good in my book

Noir is the only Bee Train show that I actually liked or at least tolerated and don't get me started on .hack/SIGN or Tsubasa because they just suck at pacing but at least Noir kept my attention and interest thanks to the beautifully done action scenes.

One last thing to say is that will any of the ANN staff going to review the upcoming live action TV series once it comes out? We hardly got any good live action adaptations and Noir is pretty simple to adapt. If we could ignore the changes made, will the live action series be good at all? Can't wait for that day to come.

PetrifiedJello wrote:

Key wrote:

No, it's entirely the original dub. Why would you think otherwise?

Quote:

The English script stays tight enough to avoid garnering any accuracy complaints, even including giving Kirika's name in traditional Japanese order – and no, this is something that ADV dubs almost never did, even back in 2003.

I also read it as though ADV didn't give the name proper pronunciation, alluding to the fact they originally dubbed Noir.

Ah. I definitely wasn't meaning to imply by that that the dub used isn't the original one. I was just pointing out that the original dub did something extremely unusual.

Lycosyncer wrote:

One last thing to say is that will any of the ANN staff going to review the upcoming live action TV series once it comes out? We hardly got any good live action adaptations and Noir is pretty simple to adapt. If we could ignore the changes made, will the live action series be good at all? Can't wait for that day to come.

I'll probably add Starz to my cable service for a month or two just to see if it's any good or not. It will almost certainly get a review.

Hey, look! It's that other guy who always shows up when somebody mentions Noir! I hear that if you say the title three times fast, I appear in front of you. In light of this fact, please do not say Noir thrice in rapid succession between 6:50 AM and 7:10 AM EST on weekdays.

I'm pleased to see an approving review of Noir, but then again, excepting the controversial first review of volume one, ANN has usually been kind to it with volumes 1, 2 and 3 all being pretty well received and every volume but the antepenultimate and penultimate being deemed Shelf Worthy. In light of certain qualities of Kirika's, I think that it's safe to say that ANN has long been pro-moe and arguably pro-lolicon!

This review is pretty well within the range of my own opinion. The passage construing its approach to girls-with-guns as novel in its time is a nice touch. I was surprised to learn how many of the special features from the old releases are available with this one. I think of Noir: The Unsoled Story as funnier more for its ridiculous audacity than how funny it really is, but that's still appreciating it, from a certain point of view.

Noir is one of my favorite series, but I keep my fondness for it tempered by being well aware of the things that it does less-than-superbly, so to speak. I've always wondered why there were so many flashbacks in the first third of the series, but few thereafter. Perhaps it was some weird front-loaded budget-saving strategy or maybe Koichi Mashimo took that long to realize that he had gotten carried away. I actually don't think all that highly of a lot of the action scenes; Kirika executes some awesome tricks and a few have nice shots, but have in retrospect found a lot of them confusingly directed and a little unsatisfying, although those aren't what I'm really watching it for, so I've never really minded. Well, except perhaps for how ridiculous the big battle in "The Cold Blooded Killer, acte 2" is.

Still, I do like it plenty. The pretty fine music, gorgeous backgrounds and finely-tuned stylishness of it do a lot to elevate its quality in my eyes. I also like its languorous pacing, which I'm sort of glad the review didn't take time to moan about, because I think it adds to the mood and atmosphere of the series. What lies at the heart of the series appeal to me is, of course, the lead duo, who are far more appealing than any pair of freelance murder's ought to be. It might just be the byproduct of some inexplicable, arbitrary X-factor (one without Simon Cowell) inducing me to generate illusions, but every time I watch Noir, I see more subtle signs of how their relationship is changing and maturing. I also seem to get a better grasp of Mireille every time, so I've ended up seeing an interesting and very sympathetically human character in her. So I naturally think that how well one takes to Mireille and Kirika and their relationship, whether one sees yuri in it or not, is the decisive factor in how well one will like the series.

I was surprised by the complaints against "Intoccabile" since I know that I considered that the turning point in the excitement of the series when I first watched it and I still like it, especially as part of defining Mireille's character.

One of the most refreshing things to me about Noir is that it really doesn't bother with fanservice, especially not the drastic, laser-guided cobalt-thorium G(-cup) loaded weapons of mass exploitation that we have today. Mireille in a bikini is just about it and that's something that would very plausibly happen within the context of the episode that's not shot in some excessively lurid manner that makes one feel obliged to attend a sexual harassment seminar afterwards. I appreciated it back then and by now, I find it relieving.

It's a little strange that there's as much cause to banter about a decade-old series right now as there is, but I'm all for it, even if the live-action series doesn't turn out so well.

(I wish that I still had the 'reviews' of the last two volumes that I wrote back then; it would be interesting to read how I reacted to the series the firs time and probably gut-wrenching to see what I considered acceptable writing back then)

Lycosyncer wrote:

One last thing to say is that will any of the ANN staff going to review the upcoming live action TV series once it comes out?

Alongside Key's intentions, there's also the precedent set by things like the review of Dragonball: Evolution. An eventual review seems likely and I hope it has cause to be more favorable than that.

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even including giving Kirika's name in traditional Japanese order – and no, this is something that ADV dubs almost never did, even back in 2003.

Didn't RahXephon's dub and sub (also produced in 2003) randomly switch between "Ayato Kamina" and "Kamina Ayato"?

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REVIEW: Noir DVD