Synduality: Noir

This take on the 'robot friend' trope left me in a bit of a mixed bag. The storyline isn't exactly groundbreaking; it had me yawning in the first half, but things took a turn for the better in the latter half. The authors managed to squeeze out what little there was to offer, and surprisingly, it worked. The animation and music were right up my alley. Even the use of 3DCG for the large robots and monstrous Enders didn't bother me much; while it wasn't as charming as traditional animation, it didn't detract from the experience. As for the characters – Mystere hit the nail on the head - Kanata is essentially a hack, gradually turning into a lesser hack. Noir is a dud, an adorable robotic puppy that eventually starts to show some personality. Then we have Ellie, Kanata's die-hard fan, who thankfully realizes that it's not enough to build a personality around. The singing doll Ciel, with her secret mission, discovers she wants to be more than just a doll on a mission. And let's not forget the few mysterious characters (the man with a black mask, and the man with a white mask), who turn out to be not-so-mysterious after all. And a very cliché villain who didn't really throw anything unexpected my way. Overall, the first half lands at a solid 6/10, while the second half edges up to a 7/10, giving us a rounded 6.5/10, a weak 4 stars for me. (03/26/2024)