Noir

I was apprehensive about Noir at first. It did have an interesting plot, and I found the mysterious significance of "Noir" intriguing, but it lacked something more that would really get me hooked. The action was nice, actually quite awesome for a 2001 anime (for example, the stairwell shootout scene made me smile by reminding me of the latest John Wick), but it lacked stronger emotions, intensity (to make it seem like something major was happening), and I found the first half awfully drawn out. It didn’t help that the series kept repeating certain shots. Seeing little Mireille winking for about the fifth time in six episodes having just found her parents, I couldn’t help thinking "Why?". These shots, which were meant to set the mood and remind us of important moments from the first half, worked in the opposite way. Since I was binge-watching the show, I found them annoying. It robbed me of my time, the atmosphere suffered, and the story was unnecessarily prolonged. Similarly, the quality of some of the "cases from the ordinary life of hitmen" was fluctuating, Sometimes I enjoyed them when they had a significant connection to the main plotline or there was an especially good villainess (yes, a villainess – most of the male characters in the series are hardly worth mentioning, except for maybe Mireille’s uncle and Miloš Havel). However, there were also episodes that I could have skipped, and it wouldn’t have made much of a difference. The unraveling of all the mysteries felt really drawn out. Sixteen episodes into the show, the heroines didn’t seem to know much more about the enemy than the name. The last issue for me is the lack of blood. Considering how many people die in the series, it seems weird and unnatural that only two scenes feature actual blood. It’s as if the characters weren’t even human beings. Whether that was the creative intention, as with the repetition of scenes and the attempt to keep emotions to a minimum because the story is about hitmen, I have no idea, but none of it really worked for me. Fortunately, there were also some great episodes in the first half. It might seem weird but the most interesting and powerful one for me was the one about the nighttime tea party. What really improved my overall impression was the second half, or rather the very last third (from the return to Corsica). That’s when everything gets going, all the secrets start to unravel, and the emotions and even the flashback scenes start to work, making Noir a five-star show. Another thing that makes it outstanding is the soundtrack by Yuki Kajiura. Just like in .hack//SIGN, the music is striking and unforgettable. It fits perfectly with what's happening on the screen. I admire the wide variety of musical themes. There are epic chants, sometimes there’s a bit of electronica or even bagpipe music. There’s even a track that will make you think of Italy. The amazing diversity is something to appreciate about Yuki Kajiura's work. Both the opening and the ending theme are also amazing. In terms of the music, Noir is a clear 11/10. All in all, I enjoyed Noir, literally devouring every episode towards the end. I understand why it’s so highly rated, but I have to factor in that it failed to draw me in at the beginning. 7.5/10 (04/27/2023) (less) (more)