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 Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2007 4:42 am
Noir (ノワール, Nowāru?), is a 26-episode anime television series produced in 2001 by the Bee Train animation studio and was licensed for American distribution by ADV Films. In Japan, Noir was broadcast on TV Tokyo, which is known for strict guidelines, including not allowing blood to be shown. Noir circumvented this rule by stylizing the gunfights.
The series follows the story of two young female assassins who embark together on a personal journey to seek answers about mysteries from their past. While at first they seem to be only vaguely related to each other, there are clues and hints given throughout the series that there are more than meets their eyes. During the course of the series, they are lured into more and more traps by a secret organization named Les Soldats ("The Soldiers" in French). The anime draws inspirations and influences from two prominent films by French director Luc Besson, Léon and Nikita. The amnesia suffered by one of the main characters resembles the story of the protagonist from Robert Ludlum's novel The Bourne Identity. Also, the acrobatic scenes of gun-battle also have clear allusions to the Heroic bloodshed films of John Woo.
Noir is also the French word for "black", and noir is a genre of film. Noir takes its title from both of these; it mostly takes place in France and is a fairly serious, dark and violent anime. It is worth to note that the production team stated that their goal with Noir was to make it as realistic as possible. Noir has almost no funny or comic relief scenes, save for some sarcastic remarks. No character is never animated with super deformed or over-exaggerated style. Despite the presence of female lead characters, Noir features almost no fanservice. In Noir, characters' non-verbal expressions play such a significant role that it is quite difficult to come to a common understanding of the show.
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Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2007 4:48 am
The series
Noir title screenNoir begins as a fairly generic action anime, but later becomes more psychological.[citation needed] The series has a very small recurring cast, all women. It has been interpreted as having been influenced by the novel Foucault's Pendulum, but it is unknown if this was intentional on the part of the series creators.
In the beginning of each episode, after the opening, a short sequence appears, where Kirika reads a prayer-like poem:
Noir… it is the name of an ancient fate
Two maidens who govern death
The peace of the newly born their black hands protect
The original promotions and DVD covers of the anime has this poem written in French
Le noir, ce mot désigne depuis une époque lointaine le nom du destin
Les deux vierges règnent sur la mort
Les mains noires protègent la paix des nouveaux-nés
In some of the later episodes slightly different versions of this poem are read by each of the other protagonists. Mireille and Chloe each have their own version of it.
Mireille's version:
Noir… it is the name of an ancient fate
Two maidens who govern death
To ward the darkness from the nursing babes their black robes serve as shields
Chloe's version:
Noir… it is the name of an ancient fate
Two maidens who govern death
To the depths of hell's fire their black souls lure the lost children
In the last episode though, the first poem is recited by two of the main characters, signifying the phrase Two maidens who govern death.
Despite the gunplay and a sizeable body count, Noir features no gore and very little blood. Originally a simple consideration for network TV, the DVD release remained bloodless.[citation needed] It is said this makes the death of many suited agents less troubling, becoming faceless "stormtroopers", popularly termed 'mooks'. However, in limited instances, main characters such as Kirika display blood, perhaps to show their humanity.
The plot unfolds in an almost organic way, with different storylines interweaving much as does the botanical imagery which pervades the series. These horticultural subtexts develop throughout the series to match the sparse script's intriguing references to 'saplings,' 'seedlings' and to cultivation in general.
Outside Japan, Noir has been well-received, due to its unusual plots and stories which have a strong European style and flavor.[citation needed] It has been broadcast in France (by Canal+), Germany (by VIVA Television), Latin America (by Animax) and Spain (by La Sexta), dubbed in French, German and Spanish respectively.
A particular aspect of Noir which warrants attention is the painstaking effort taken by the production crew to realistically portray and describe the real world.[citation needed] In animated filmwork, realistic portrayal of the real world is something very difficult to achieve.[citation needed] Noir production crew successfully achieved this feat: the sightings, sceneries, landscapes and landmarks of Paris and other places around the world (Corsica, Sicily, New York, Middle East, Taiwan), various models of firearms and the sounds of them being fired, facial and non-verbal expressions of the characters, background music, dress and costumes, and many more.
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Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2007 4:51 am
Characters
Kirika Yuumura(夕叢霧香, Yūmura Kirika?) is a schoolgirl who has lost all memories of her past, knowing only that her true name is Noir. It is not known whether her real name is Kirika Yuumura, as the only thing that links her to this name is a student ID card with her photo and that name on it. She meets up with Mireille in the first episode with an offer to make a pilgrimage to the past. Before dying, Mireille's mother asked Kirika to take care of Mireille. She is an excellent markswoman and uses a Beretta M1934, but can also use a great variety of mundane objects as well. Kirika's theme music is 'Canta Per Me', Italian for 'Sing for Me'.
Voiced by: Houko Kuwashima (Japanese), Monica Rial (English)
Mireille Bouquet (ミレイユ・ブーケ, Mireiyu Būke?) is a Corsican woman born into a powerful crime family, Mireille and her uncle are the sole survivors of a brutal attack on her family. The reason behind the murder of her family was that her parents refused to have Mireille raised by the Soldats to become Noir. After her family's murder, she would later be trained by her uncle to become an assassin. Already a well-established assassin, she receives an email from Kirika with an attachment of a familiar melody. She agrees to work with Kirika because of a watch that Kirika has which is identical to one her father had. However, she tells Kirika that once the truth is revealed, she would kill Kirika. Ironically, the codename Mireille chooses to work under, after teaming up with Kirika, is Noir, assuming the role that her parents wished for Mireille not to have. Mireille uses a Walther P99, a modern firearm developed in the 1990s. Mireille's theme music is 'Corsican Corridor' and 'Salva Nos'.
Voiced by: Kotono Mitsuishi (Japanese), Shelley Calene-Black (English)
Chloe (クロエ, Kuroe?) is a mysterious figure that appears about halfway through the series, she claims to be the True Noir (her name may be significant, given the similarity in pronunciation between "Chloe" and "Kuroi", the Japanese word for black.) Though she is about Kirika's age, she is extremely skilled as an assassin, a quite remarkable fact since she uses throwing knives instead of using guns. Chloe is very faithful to Altena and works for the Soldats, enjoying a position of considerable authority. She was witness to the murder of the Bouquet family by Kirika, an event which caused her to look up to Kirika. There are also strong suggestions later in the series that Chloe's feelings for Kirika are actually romantic. Chloe's theme music is 'Secret Game' (in addition to the instrumental song 'Chloe').
Voiced by: Aya Hisakawa (Japanese), Hilary Haag (English)
Altena (アルテナ, Arutena?) is a motherly figure who is high-ranking in Soldats, who seems to be working for "Le Grand Retour" (The Great Return). She resides in a place called "The Manor" which is a vineyard run with medieval technology. The Manor is between the border of France and Spain, and is a "forgotten place" to the world. (This is possibly inspired by the microstate Andorra.) She was orphaned during a war and was raped by a soldier. This trauma led her to believe that if excessive love could destroy, excessive hate could perhaps save. Altena's theme music is 'Lullaby'.
Voiced by: Tarako (Japanese), Tiffany Grant (English)
Les Soldats (French for "The Soldiers") are an organisation which has a central role in the story. According to Altena, "Les Soldats" was founded by a group of people about a thousand years ago. They had survived a great war which had cost the lives of numerous people. The first members of "Les Soldats" swore to protect the innocent and defeat evil. Both Altena and Chloe are members of this organisation.
It is revealed in the anime that "Les Soldats" was responsible for the killing of Mireille's family, and also for the chase attempting to kill Mireille and Kirika during their quest. It proves that the organisation is striving for an event known as the "Grand Retour" ("The Great Return"), however, a conflict has arisen between Altena and the very core of "Les Soldats", apparently about how to initiate the plan of realising the "Grand Retour". Altena states that "Les Soldats" has been consumed by the very greed they once swore to undo, and her goal apparently is to revert this situation.
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Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2007 5:03 am
Episode list
E# Title Original air date
01 "Maidens with Black Hands" (黒き手の処女たち) 04/06/2001
The assassin Mireille Bouquet is contacted by the young girl Kirika Yuumura to "make a pilgrimage for the past". After meeting and fighting against mysterious men in black suits, they decide to work under the name "Noir."
02 "Daily Bread" (日々の糧) 04/13/2001
Kirika now lives with Mireille in her Paris apartment. Their first job together is to assassinate two men behind a terrorist bombing.
03 "The Assassination Play"(暗殺遊戯) 04/20/2001
A mysterious woman hires Mireille and Kirika to assassinate a businessman who she believes killed her husband. However, the reality of the matter is much different.
04 "The Sound of Waves" (波の音) 04/27/2001
Kirika and Mireille travel to Ulgia to assassinate conspirators preparing for a violent revolution. Later, Kirika meets the young daughter of one of her targets.
05 "Les Soldats" (レ・ソルダ) 05/04/2001
One of Mireille's contacts and his family are murdered. Troubled that the information he was investigating for her got her friend killed, Mireille seeks out answers to unlock the identity of his murderers.
06 "Lost Kitten" (迷い猫) 05/11/2001
Traveling to Russia, Noir is tasked with the assassination of Yuri Nazarov, a former KGB Agent who now lives as a kindly old man. Kirika struggles internally with the notion of carrying out her mission after seeing how much the old man means to the refugees he helps.
07 "The Black Thread of Fate" (運命の黒い糸) 05/18/2001
For their next mission, Mireille and Kirika fly to the Middle East. While there, Kirika is seriously wounded and loses her student I.D. card. Now a burden to Mireille, Mireille considers killing Kirika to save herself.
08 "Intoccabile Act 1" (イントッカービレ acte I) 05/25/2001
A powerful Mafia member is assassinated by Mireille and Kirika. In response to this, the Don’s father, Don Salvatore, summons his granddaughter Silvana (known as Intoccabile), with whom Mireille has a past connection.
09 "Intoccabile Act 2" (イントッカービレ acte II) 06/01/2001
Returning to Sicily, Silvana researches the contract which Noir seeks to obtain. Following her to Sicily, Mireille continues to be haunted by memories of her childhood encounter with Silvana.
10 "The True Noir" (真のノワール) 06/08/2001
The target is a corrupt judge who allows certain cops to get away with crimes. When Mireille and Kirika find him at his courthouse, they find that somebody else has already killed him,
11 "Moonlit Tea Party" (月下之茶宴) 06/15/2001
A new assassin, Chloe, calls herself the "True Noir." She tracks Mireille and Kirika down to their apartment, and while under an awkward atomsphere, the three of them have tea.
12 "Assassination Mission" (刺客行) 06/22/2001
Chloe is sent to Switzerland to assassinate a retired general named Dieter Reimann. He was once affiliated with the Soldats, and when he meets Chloe, well aware of her intentions, he decides to invite her along on his hike through the Swiss Alps.
13 "Season of Hell" (地獄の季節) 06/29/2001
Mireille gets a haircut and her secret source tells her that an old enemy by the name of "Galelio Christian" has returned to take Mireille on. Meanwhile, Kirika meets Milosh, a former Czechoslovakian soldier who served in the Foreign Legion, and is now retired as a carefree painter.
14 "A Bouquet of Flowers for Mireille" (ミレイユに花束を) 07/05/2001
Mireille's uncle Claude shows up. Mireille is quite happy to see him again, as her uncle is the only one of her family that she has left. In flashbacks it is shown how Claude had escaped from Corsica with little Mireille and had raised her after the murder of her parents.
15 "The Cold-Blooded Killer Act 1" (冷眼殺手 acte I) 07/12/2001
Returning home from the death of Mireille's uncle, she and Kirika arrive discovering that their apartment has been invaded. They find a contract signed by an usual client: the Soldats. Confused, they arrive later in Taiwan as assigned by the Soldats to complete a mission. There, they are to eliminate a traitor who killed a member of the Soldats. When they arrive, they encounter Shao Li, "the Cold-Blooded Killer", a Taiwanese assassin sent by a former organization that once worked with the Soldats — simply known as the "Triad" or "Three-eyed Clan".
16 "The Cold-Blooded Killer Act 2" (冷眼殺手 acte II) 07/19/2001
Mireille and Kirika meets with the Soldats messenger but their meeting is shortly cut off by Shao Li's incoming squad that has been tailing the messenger all along. After knocking Mireille off a building several feet, Shao Li and her group of gunmen take Mireille into custody to lure Kirika.
17 "Return to Corsica" (コルシカに還る) 07/26/2001
Mireille decides to return to her homeland island, Corsica, the place of her family's murder. Mireille finds George, her father's righthand man, who only responds to her with fright. She manages to get to him, and in the Bouquet's family court garden he tells her the truth about the origins of her family's power.
18 "The Darkness Within Me" (私の闇) 08/02/2001
Mireille and Kirika are seen target-practicing in their usual underground sewers. Recalling what Chloe told Mireille, Mireille, confused and traumatized, forces Kirika to get out of her sight, calling Kirika a disturbing enigma. Kirika leaves, obviously distressed about Mireille's words and her own mysterious past.
19 "Two Hands of the Soldats" (ソルダの両手) 08/09/2001
Together, Mireille and Kirika research for any other information on the Langumal manuscript, the "Bible" of the Soldats. They eventually find out that the last person to own such a book that supposively does not exist is still present. They contact a meeting with him, but he says that his share of the Langumal Manuscript was destroyed during a housefire of his own.
20 "The Sin Within the Sin" (罪の中の罪) 08/16/2001
Chloe returns to the Manor. She receives Altena's blessing and a mission to explain everything to Mireille and Kirika. Meanwhile, Soldats opposing Altena's plan of Le Grand Retour decide to prevent Chloe from contacting the girls by killing them.
21 "Morning Without Dawn" (無明の朝) 08/23/2001
Chloe's actions force Kirika to remember most of her past and Mireille learns the truth about herself as well. Kirika then forces Mireille to remember the initial promise to kill her after all of the truth is revealed.
22 "Journey's End" (旅路の果て) 08/30/2001
Kirika unconsciously travels to a Soldats village. The village head explains to her everything about Soldats, Noir, and Le Grand Retour. However, opposing Soldats members attack the village in an attempt to stop her journey forever.
23 "Sentiments for the Remaining Flower" (残花有情) 09/06/2001
While the piligrimage for Kirika is finished, Mireille tries to return to her usual, pre-Noir routine. She is confronted by Soldats commanders who try to convince her to join their ranks.
24 "Dark Return" (暗黒回帰) 09/13/2001
Chloe and Kirika prepare themselves for the ritual of Le Grand Retour.
25 "The Depth of Hell's Fire" (業火の淵) 09/20/2001
Mireille enters the Manor to claim her Noir title. Chloe is not satisfied with this fact, and thus the fight between the three Noir candidates begins.
26 "Birth" (誕生) 09/27/2001
Two maidens unite to complete the Ritual.
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Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2008 7:33 pm
i might not have picked this up on my own
vampires are one thing but assassins are quite another
however, my dad for some completely random reason, decided to buy vol. 1 for me
i had never heard of it but watched it to make him happy and was pleasantly surprised
with good art, a intrigued plot, and complex characters this is definately something to keep an eye out for
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