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by Jodi Heard
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Episode 6: Lost Kitten
Mirelle and Kirika face one of their more difficult targets; a man who has faced the horrors of the world and in return tries to do good for others, a man who will care for even the smallest of creatures. But the contract has been made, and must be fulfilledEan Kirika, who has volunteered, able to pull the trigger?
Episode 7: The Black Thread of Fate
Mirelle must rescue Kirika after a clumsy assassination. The target was hit but so was Kirika. Mirelle must now realize what makes her attached to Kirika, and must ask herself if she wishes to continue to be with Kirika on the long road to discovering their shared past.
Episode 8: Intoccabile Act I
Long ago, two little girls played in a field, crowning each other with wreaths of flowers. One has no fear, one fears. To secure a part of the missing past, Mirelle must face the girl with no fear and win...
Episode 9: Intoccabile Act II
Two girls playing in a field long ago stand on that field again, but the hands that held flowers are now stained with blood. Killer and killer stand face to face; one who fears, one who does not fear. Mirelle failed the last time to eradicate her target, filled with the memory of long ago. But when the truth is dangled before her, it will take everything in her to grab it and not let go.
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Noir is one of those titles that show some of the great aspects found in Anime; poignant timing, quiet pauses, deep drama and yet fast paced action in one show. This is yet another title that stretches the boundary of what serious drama can be done animated. Mirelle and Kirika arent your typical cute girl heroine duo. They do not giggle or swish skirts, nor make jokes about boys. In a sense Mirelle and Kirika are anti-heroes of a sort, finding out who they are at the cost of spilt blood than the typical anime female traits of compassion and understanding. This is made much more poignantly by the very first episode on the DVD, where Kirika has to complete a contract on a man who now feeds the poor. Kirika may not seem to feel, but in evidence of the kitten she half adopts, this is not the case. With such a simple act her pain is exposed at the loss of self she suffers. Kirika admits her circumstances by being shell-shocked, and almost deals with them better that way than her cant be helpedEpartner Mirelle. Mirelle seems on the outside to deal with her fate, but at times this shows to be only so deep, expressed by her irritation at Kirikas moments of introspection. Mirelle's own crisis when faced with an opponent who seems more deadly than herself also shows that her horror is there, but buried deep inside under a well maintained frosty exterior.
In this series there is music that makes the title worth it alone. Although not on the scale of greats such as Yoko Kanno there are moments where the music is more than appropriate and carries itself beyond sheer background music. The use of various versions of the pocket watch theme and other reoccurring mood tunes carry the plot upward and onward, signaling the arc of this highly charged story. The animation has the earmarks of a high quality series, with elegant yet standard looking character designs that have notes of El-Hazard and Dual. However, there are times that the designs could be a bit more elaborated on, or are sometimes a poor choice, such as the purple robed assassin in Act II. The DVD itself is set up well, however, there is little in the way of goodies other than the anime DVD standard of character designs for each episode, clean opening and ending.
This is a good example of a standard anime series that is worth the time and money to collect, with a serious plot and compelling storyline. There is no need for fancy explosions or fluffy scenes, everything is accomplished in deep dramatic shades that do not go overboard. Truly this isnt more of the sameEwhen it comes to Noir.
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Love it? Hate it? Buy it from Akadot Retail.
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