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Noir (anime)
Encyclopedia
is a 26-episode Japanese anime
television series produced in 2001 by the Bee Train
animation studio. Kōichi Mashimo
directed Noir, it was written by Ryoe Tsukimura, and the soundtrack
was composed by Yuki Kajiura
. The DVD
version was released by ADV Films in North America and the United Kingdom and by Madman Entertainment
in Australia and New Zealand.
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
).
Noir was followed by two spiritual successors, Madlax
and El Cazador de la Bruja
. Together, these series constitute a trilogy
exploring the "girls-with-guns
" genre.
n Mireille Bouquet and the Japanese amnesiac Yumura Kirika, who embark together on a personal journey to seek answers about mysteries concerning 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 is more going on behind the scenes than at first glance.
In their journey to learn more about Yumura's lost memories and her connection to Bouquet, the two form an alliance and begin performing assassinations under the code name "Noir." 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
). Les Soldats are a secret organization that has been a part, yet separate group of humanity. It is this hidden group that created and once completely controlled the deadly duo "Noir." Each time that Les Soldats soldiers are sent to kill Bouquet and Yumura, it is considered a test as to whether or not the young women are suitable to carry the title "Noir."
is a teenage girl with amnesia
; the only things she remembers are the word Noir and her killing skills. When creating the characters for Noir, its producer Shigeru Kitayama
wanted the image of Kirika to be "sweet and fragile". In the Japanese version, she is voiced by Hōko Kuwashima, and by Monica Rial
in the English dub.
is a Corsica
n woman born into a powerful crime family, Mireille and her uncle are the sole survivors of a brutal attack on her family, whereafter he trained her to become an assassin. When creating the character for Noir, Kitayama imagined Mireille as "a lithe female panther". According to producer Shigeru Kitayama
, Kotono Mitsuishi
's voicing of Mireille was a continuation of the working relationship they had from creating Excel Saga
, where Mitsuishi voiced the protagonist Excel, while the first thing she was told was that Excel and Mireille are completely opposite characters. When creating their English dub
, wherein she is voiced by Shelley Calene-Black
, ADV Films decided against giving Mireille a Corsican
accent to avoid confusion in viewers unfamiliar with the language.
is a skilled assassin who uses throwing and handheld knives instead of guns. Like Kirika and Mireille, Chloe is a candidate to become Noir. Chloe idolizes Kirika for her exceptional killing skills, and believes that she and Kirika are destined to become Noir together. She is the personal favorite character of Noirs composer Yuki Kajiura
. Her Japanese voice was provided by Aya Hisakawa
. In the English version, Hilary Haag
performed the part.
is the high priestess of the Soldats. She believes that the Soldats have been corrupted by power and greed, and attempts to return the Soldats to its "original state" by reviving Noir. She lives a medieval lifestyle in a place the Soldats consider as their holy site called "The Manor", located somewhere on the border between France and Spain, where she raised and trained Chloe. Voiced by Tarako
in the Japanese version, her English voice was provided by Tiffany Grant
.
, Noir is mainly about reality's
criminal underworld while Madlax is about supernatural
events. Mireille and Kirika, in episode four, check the profile of a fifteen-year-old student
named Rosaly Hammond, discovering that she was born in 1994. As Rosaly would be turning sixteen, Noir thus takes place approximately between 2009 and 2010.
) is a mysterious organisation in Noir.
According to Altena, a thousand years ago, a group of people who had survived a bloody war that cost a numerous lives, formed a group called Les Soldats to protect the weak and take revenge on the world
. When Kirika travels to a Soldats' village, she finds out that during the late tenth century, Les Soldats has taken place in every social part of humankind. For example, Soldats were witnessed the birth of the Greone's mafia family
which was created 200 years ago from the time the series began. Near the end of the series, Altena states that "Les Soldats" has been consumed by the very greed they once swore to undo, and thus had become like the world itself.
Although the Soldats were founded by a united group, in Noir its members were separated into two groups: Altena's followers and her opposers, the Soldats' Council members. For easy identification, Altena's followers are mostly people who dress up as nuns and common villagers who are skilled at fighting while her opposers are mainly men in black suits. The Soldats' Council are the people who disagreed with Altena's opinions; while Altena and Chloe are trying to protect Mireille and Kirika, the Council is trying to do the opposite. It contains five members, and one of them, Remy Brefford, invites Mireille to join their ranks, and he has his own building in Paris
. The Council perhaps ironically has the power and force to punish those who fail them, even Altena.
Altena's followers are mostly nuns and priestesses; though they often appear to be ordinary, petite women, they are capable of using guns and other lethal weapons. Altena lives in a manor not located on any map but is near the border
of France
and Spain
. It is known by name "the place which has been forgotten by time." The manor's structure is similar to those of Ancient Greece
and Rome
. Separated from the manor by mountains, there is a village which belongs to Altena, and their ancient task is to guard her manor.
word for "black". In Noir, it is known as the name of the two maidens who govern death. Pictures and sculptures of the two maidens can be seen on Mireille's father's watch and on Soldats' churches. To the underworld
, it is known as the "One Thousand Year" darkness of Europe
. According to Altena's story, when the Soldats went under, two hands were left on the surface, so their ancient task is to retrieve the two maidens known as "Noir". The ritual to become Noir takes place under Altena's manor, an underground temple in the style of ancient Greek ruins.
Throughout the series, the only three candidates for "Noir" are Mireille Bouquet, Kirika Yuumura and Chloe. Of all the three, Mireille was the only who was predicted to be neglected, and Kirika probably is the only who can turn into True Noir. When one has fallen, the remaining two shall become Noir.
genre, and soon after the release of the latter, he confirmed having plans to produce the third installment, which would later become El Cazador de la Bruja
.
For Mireille's personal sidearm, Mashimo wanted a gun with "a more modern image", therefore the production staff decided on the Walther P99
. After considering several compact pistols, including the Walther PPK
and the Glock 26, for Kirika's personal sidearm, the Beretta M1934
became the weapon of choice, because of its "classic, European feel" that suited the premise of the series' story. Because of the organization's premise, European guns were chosen for the members of Les Soldats. The assassins in black suits that are sent after the protagonists throughout the series all carry the SIG Pro 2340, which at the time of production was the newest model of its line, while other members were given increasingly older weapons, depending on the member's rank.
According to producer Shigeru Kitayama
, Kotono Mitsuishi
's voicing of Mireille was a continuation of the working relationship they had from creating Excel Saga
, where Mitsuishi voiced the protagonist Excel.
in Japan and was released on DVD and VHS in 13 compilations, each containing two episodes, by Victor Entertainment
between July 25, 2001 and March 21, 2002. After giving hints, announcements, and retractions for almost a year, ADV Films released the series in English in seven DVD compilations, the first containing five episodes, the others containing three or four episodes, between February 18 and October 28, 2003. Prior to that, the first episode was included on the DVD insert of the January 2003 issue of Newtype USA. As of November 1, 2010, the series is now licensed by Funimation Entertainment
., which will re-release the series as a part of their Anime Classics line on August 9, 2011.
The series makes use of two pieces of theme music
. by ALI Project is used as opening theme, while by Akino Arai
serves as ending theme.
, accompanied by primary vocalist Yuriko Kaida, secondary vocalist Yuri Kasahara
, and Kajiura's band See-Saw
.
Victor Entertainment
published a single and three original soundtrack albums for the series. The single, by Ali Project
, was published on May 23, 2001. The first and second soundtracks, called Noir: Original Soundtrack I and Noir: Original Soundtrack II, were released on June 21 and October 3, 2001, respectively. The third soundtrack, called , was released on November 7, 2001.
and Rob Tapert (Xena: Warrior Princess
, Legend of the Seeker
) are the executive producers for the project. Stephen Lightfoot will also serve as executive producer and writer.
In June 2011, Starz gave a greenlight to the show with a straight to series order. The number of episodes of the first season has yet to be determined, though some speculated it will likely be in the 8-13 episode range.
, Noir was voted by the magazine's readers onto a shared 10th place in the best 20 new anime of 2001 in Japan.
Josh Mohs of Active Anime comments that "Noir doesn't fail to deliver mystery, action, and drama." Though he laments "some pacing problems, especially towards the beginning of the series," he lauds the character interactions as well as the series' "job of tying together all its inherent sub-plots" and the director's "bold move" in leaving "the ending open to viewer interpretation." In a review of the first DVD compilation by ADV Films, Jeremy Conrad of IGN
lauded the series for being "stylistic", stating that "It oozes style", and for its "extremely cool" fight choreography and "great" shootouts, saying that "What Noir does right is its action." He also noted the series' character design as being "solid" and the series' soundtrack as being "excellent", reminiscent of "Eric Serra
's stuff in movies such as La Femme Nikita", but lamented about the slowed pace at the end of the volume, stating that "some of the story stuff they were trying to do [in the fourth and fifth episodes] was snooze inducing."
Josh Mohs of Active Anime comments that Noirs "strong character interactions are usually enough to pull you through" the pacing problems he saw with the series and further states that, along with the series' "unique twists", the "intriguing character dynamic definitely elevate[s] it above the rest of the competition."
Kirika had been voted with Mireille as two of the top ten female anime characters by Newtype Japan
in 2001.
Anime News Network
's Theron Martin, ten years after the show's original run, commented that Noir "was at least to some degree an influential title" and "is still recognized as one of the preeminent titles of its type because it redefined what a 'girls with guns' title could be." He went on to praise the show for its "sleek, elegant story" and called it "anime's most pronounced homage to classic film noir". He named Mireille and Kiraka "one of anime's most iconic female teams" along with the Dirty Pair
and credited Kirika as "a precursor of the moe craze that came along later in the decade." He named "The Lost Kitten" as the series' episode with the best story content, and the double episode "The Intoccabile" as having the worst, noting its "hackneyed look into the Cosa Nostra". He lamented repetitiveness in action sequences and excessive reuse of scenes especially in early episodes as well as the absence of blood in light of the show's high body count. He showed himself unimpressed with the animation quality, but lauded the show's good looks, in particular those of the environments. He named the "tendency for repetitiveness" of its first half as the soundtrack's "only real flaw" and praised the pieces "Salva Nos" and "Canta Per Me" as "stand[ing] among the all-time great anime themes". About the English version, he commented that the "casting choices fit and match up well against the original performances" and that the "script stays tight enough to avoid garnering any accuracy complaints". In conclusion, he said "the series works in the ways that it is supposed to work and should keep viewers thoroughly involved through to the end."
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
television series produced in 2001 by the Bee Train
Bee Train
, commonly referred simply as Bee Train, is a Japanese animation studio founded by Kōichi Mashimo in 1997. Since their involvement with Noir, .hack//Sign, and Madlax they have a strong following in the yuri fandom for being involved in series portraying strong female leads with speculatively...
animation studio. Kōichi Mashimo
Koichi Mashimo
is a well-known Japanese anime director and the founder of the animation studio Bee Train. Since the creation of the studio, Mashimo directed or otherwise participated in all its works, for example, as a member of art or sound department...
directed Noir, it was written by Ryoe Tsukimura, and the soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
was composed by Yuki Kajiura
Yuki Kajiura
, born August 6, 1965 in Tokyo, Japan, is a Japanese composer and music producer. She has provided the music for several popular anime series, such as one of the Kimagure Orange Road movies, Noir, .hack//SIGN, Aquarian Age, Madlax, My-HiME, My-Otome, .hack//Roots, Pandora Hearts, Puella Magi...
. The DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
version was released by ADV Films in North America and the United Kingdom and by Madman Entertainment
Madman Entertainment
Madman Entertainment is an Australian company that distributes international films as well as Japanese anime and manga in Australia and New Zealand. The company is owned by Funtastic Limited and is one of the major entertainment companies in Australia. It employs 130 people and has an annual...
in Australia and New Zealand.
The series follows the story of two young female assassins
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
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
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
).
Noir was followed by two spiritual successors, Madlax
MADLAX
is a 26-episode Japanese anime television series produced in 2004 by the Bee Train animation studio. Kōichi Mashimo directed Madlax and the soundtrack was composed by Yuki Kajiura...
and El Cazador de la Bruja
El Cazador de la Bruja
, is an anime television series directed by Kōichi Mashimo and animated by Bee Train studio. It is a spiritual successor of Noir and Madlax and the final installment of Bee Train's "girls-with-guns" trilogy. The series was aired on TV Tokyo from April to September in 2007...
. Together, these series constitute a trilogy
Trilogy
A trilogy is a set of three works of art that are connected, and that can be seen either as a single work or as three individual works. They are commonly found in literature, film, or video games...
exploring the "girls-with-guns
Girls with guns
Girls with guns is a sub-genre of films and animation, especially Hong Kong action films and anime, with a female protagonist in a strong lead role, set in a modern context. The genre involves gun-play, stunts and martial arts action...
" genre.
Plot
The series follows the story of two young female assassins, the CorsicaCorsica
Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
n Mireille Bouquet and the Japanese amnesiac Yumura Kirika, who embark together on a personal journey to seek answers about mysteries concerning 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 is more going on behind the scenes than at first glance.
In their journey to learn more about Yumura's lost memories and her connection to Bouquet, the two form an alliance and begin performing assassinations under the code name "Noir." 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
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
). Les Soldats are a secret organization that has been a part, yet separate group of humanity. It is this hidden group that created and once completely controlled the deadly duo "Noir." Each time that Les Soldats soldiers are sent to kill Bouquet and Yumura, it is considered a test as to whether or not the young women are suitable to carry the title "Noir."
Characters
Amnesia
Amnesia is a condition in which one's memory is lost. The causes of amnesia have traditionally been divided into categories. Memory appears to be stored in several parts of the limbic system of the brain, and any condition that interferes with the function of this system can cause amnesia...
; the only things she remembers are the word Noir and her killing skills. When creating the characters for Noir, its producer Shigeru Kitayama
Shigeru Kitayama
is a Japanese anime producer.-Works:Staffed in* Ninja Scroll , Assistant producer* 801 T.T.S. Airbats , Producer* Trigun , Producer* Geobreeders , Producer...
wanted the image of Kirika to be "sweet and fragile". In the Japanese version, she is voiced by Hōko Kuwashima, and by Monica Rial
Monica Rial
Monica Jean Rial is an American voice actress, ADR Director, and Script Writer who works for Funimation Entertainment, ADV Films, Seraphim Digital, and OkraTron 5000...
in the English dub.
is a Corsica
Corsica
Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
n woman born into a powerful crime family, Mireille and her uncle are the sole survivors of a brutal attack on her family, whereafter he trained her to become an assassin. When creating the character for Noir, Kitayama imagined Mireille as "a lithe female panther". According to producer Shigeru Kitayama
Shigeru Kitayama
is a Japanese anime producer.-Works:Staffed in* Ninja Scroll , Assistant producer* 801 T.T.S. Airbats , Producer* Trigun , Producer* Geobreeders , Producer...
, Kotono Mitsuishi
Kotono Mitsuishi
is a prolific Japanese voice actor from Tokyo. As a young girl, Mitsuishi lived in Nagareyama, Chiba. Mitsuishi graduated from high school in 1986, and entered the Katsuta Voice Actor's Academy. While attending the academy, she began working part time as an elevator girl in the Sunshine 60 building...
's voicing of Mireille was a continuation of the working relationship they had from creating Excel Saga
Excel Saga
is a manga series written and illustrated by Rikdo Koshi. It has been serialized in Young King OURs since 1996, with individual chapters collected and published in tankōbon volumes by Shōnen Gahosha. The series follows the attempts of Across, a "secret ideological organization", to conquer the city...
, where Mitsuishi voiced the protagonist Excel, while the first thing she was told was that Excel and Mireille are completely opposite characters. When creating their English dub
Dubbing (filmmaking)
Dubbing is the post-production process of recording and replacing voices on a motion picture or television soundtrack subsequent to the original shooting. The term most commonly refers to the substitution of the voices of the actors shown on the screen by those of different performers, who may be...
, wherein she is voiced by Shelley Calene-Black
Shelley Calene-Black
Shelley Calene-Black is an American actress and voice actress who has worked for Funimation Entertainment, ADV Films, Seraphim Digital, and OkraTron 5000...
, ADV Films decided against giving Mireille a Corsican
Corsican language
Corsican is a Italo-Dalmatian Romance language spoken and written on the islands of Corsica and northern Sardinia . Corsican is the traditional native language of the Corsican people, and was long the vernacular language alongside the Italian, official language in Corsica until 1859, which was...
accent to avoid confusion in viewers unfamiliar with the language.
is a skilled assassin who uses throwing and handheld knives instead of guns. Like Kirika and Mireille, Chloe is a candidate to become Noir. Chloe idolizes Kirika for her exceptional killing skills, and believes that she and Kirika are destined to become Noir together. She is the personal favorite character of Noirs composer Yuki Kajiura
Yuki Kajiura
, born August 6, 1965 in Tokyo, Japan, is a Japanese composer and music producer. She has provided the music for several popular anime series, such as one of the Kimagure Orange Road movies, Noir, .hack//SIGN, Aquarian Age, Madlax, My-HiME, My-Otome, .hack//Roots, Pandora Hearts, Puella Magi...
. Her Japanese voice was provided by Aya Hisakawa
Aya Hisakawa
is a Japanese voice actress and J-pop singer born in Kaizuka, Osaka. In addition to releasing various solo CDs, she is well known for her anime voice roles, and has also done some work in video games. She is best known for her role of Sailor Mercury of the Sailor Moon fame and also Cerberus from...
. In the English version, Hilary Haag
Hilary Haag
Hilary Haag Scarborough is an American voice actress who worked for ADV Films and Seraphim Digital and currently lives in Houston, Texas. Attended Lamar Consolidated High School and went on to study English Rhetoric at Texas A&M University...
performed the part.
is the high priestess of the Soldats. She believes that the Soldats have been corrupted by power and greed, and attempts to return the Soldats to its "original state" by reviving Noir. She lives a medieval lifestyle in a place the Soldats consider as their holy site called "The Manor", located somewhere on the border between France and Spain, where she raised and trained Chloe. Voiced by Tarako
Tarako
, known simply as Tarako, is a Japanese voice actress and singer-songwriter. Her debut role was as a preschooler on Urusei Yatsura. Tarako is currently employed by the talent management firm Troubadour Musique Office.- TV :...
in the Japanese version, her English voice was provided by Tiffany Grant
Tiffany Grant
Tiffany Lynn Grant is an American voice actress and script writer who is known for her English-dubbing work with the former ADV Films on such anime films and television series as Neon Genesis Evangelion, in which she voiced the character Asuka Langley Soryu...
.
Setting
Unlike its spiritual successor MadlaxMADLAX
is a 26-episode Japanese anime television series produced in 2004 by the Bee Train animation studio. Kōichi Mashimo directed Madlax and the soundtrack was composed by Yuki Kajiura...
, Noir is mainly about reality's
Reality
In philosophy, reality is the state of things as they actually exist, rather than as they may appear or might be imagined. In a wider definition, reality includes everything that is and has been, whether or not it is observable or comprehensible...
criminal underworld while Madlax is about supernatural
Supernatural
The supernatural or is that which is not subject to the laws of nature, or more figuratively, that which is said to exist above and beyond nature...
events. Mireille and Kirika, in episode four, check the profile of a fifteen-year-old student
Student
A student is a learner, or someone who attends an educational institution. In some nations, the English term is reserved for those who attend university, while a schoolchild under the age of eighteen is called a pupil in English...
named Rosaly Hammond, discovering that she was born in 1994. As Rosaly would be turning sixteen, Noir thus takes place approximately between 2009 and 2010.
Les Soldats
Les Soldats ("The Soldiers" in FrenchFrench language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
) is a mysterious organisation in Noir.
According to Altena, a thousand years ago, a group of people who had survived a bloody war that cost a numerous lives, formed a group called Les Soldats to protect the weak and take revenge on the world
World
World is a common name for the whole of human civilization, specifically human experience, history, or the human condition in general, worldwide, i.e. anywhere on Earth....
. When Kirika travels to a Soldats' village, she finds out that during the late tenth century, Les Soldats has taken place in every social part of humankind. For example, Soldats were witnessed the birth of the Greone's mafia family
Mafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
which was created 200 years ago from the time the series began. Near the end of the series, Altena states that "Les Soldats" has been consumed by the very greed they once swore to undo, and thus had become like the world itself.
Although the Soldats were founded by a united group, in Noir its members were separated into two groups: Altena's followers and her opposers, the Soldats' Council members. For easy identification, Altena's followers are mostly people who dress up as nuns and common villagers who are skilled at fighting while her opposers are mainly men in black suits. The Soldats' Council are the people who disagreed with Altena's opinions; while Altena and Chloe are trying to protect Mireille and Kirika, the Council is trying to do the opposite. It contains five members, and one of them, Remy Brefford, invites Mireille to join their ranks, and he has his own building in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. The Council perhaps ironically has the power and force to punish those who fail them, even Altena.
Altena's followers are mostly nuns and priestesses; though they often appear to be ordinary, petite women, they are capable of using guns and other lethal weapons. Altena lives in a manor not located on any map but is near the border
Border
Borders define geographic boundaries of political entities or legal jurisdictions, such as governments, sovereign states, federated states and other subnational entities. Some borders—such as a state's internal administrative borders, or inter-state borders within the Schengen Area—are open and...
of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. It is known by name "the place which has been forgotten by time." The manor's structure is similar to those of Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
and Rome
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
. Separated from the manor by mountains, there is a village which belongs to Altena, and their ancient task is to guard her manor.
Noir
Noir is the FrenchFrench language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
word for "black". In Noir, it is known as the name of the two maidens who govern death. Pictures and sculptures of the two maidens can be seen on Mireille's father's watch and on Soldats' churches. To the underworld
Mafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
, it is known as the "One Thousand Year" darkness of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. According to Altena's story, when the Soldats went under, two hands were left on the surface, so their ancient task is to retrieve the two maidens known as "Noir". The ritual to become Noir takes place under Altena's manor, an underground temple in the style of ancient Greek ruins.
Throughout the series, the only three candidates for "Noir" are Mireille Bouquet, Kirika Yuumura and Chloe. Of all the three, Mireille was the only who was predicted to be neglected, and Kirika probably is the only who can turn into True Noir. When one has fallen, the remaining two shall become Noir.
Production
According to the director Kōichi Mashimo, he envisioned Noir and Madlax as part of a trilogy exploring the girls-with-gunsGirls with guns
Girls with guns is a sub-genre of films and animation, especially Hong Kong action films and anime, with a female protagonist in a strong lead role, set in a modern context. The genre involves gun-play, stunts and martial arts action...
genre, and soon after the release of the latter, he confirmed having plans to produce the third installment, which would later become El Cazador de la Bruja
El Cazador de la Bruja
, is an anime television series directed by Kōichi Mashimo and animated by Bee Train studio. It is a spiritual successor of Noir and Madlax and the final installment of Bee Train's "girls-with-guns" trilogy. The series was aired on TV Tokyo from April to September in 2007...
.
For Mireille's personal sidearm, Mashimo wanted a gun with "a more modern image", therefore the production staff decided on the Walther P99
Walther P99
The Walther P99 is a semi-automatic pistol developed by the German company Carl Walther GmbH Sportwaffen of Ulm for law enforcement, security forces and the civilian shooting market as a replacement for the Walther P5 and the P88...
. After considering several compact pistols, including the Walther PPK
Walther PPK
The Walther PP series pistols are blowback-operated semi-automatic pistols.They feature an exposed hammer, a double-action trigger mechanism, a single-column magazine, and a fixed barrel which also acts as the guide rod for the recoil spring...
and the Glock 26, for Kirika's personal sidearm, the Beretta M1934
Beretta M1934
The Beretta model 1934 is a compact, semi-automatic pistol which was issued as a standard service firearm to the Italian armed forces beginning in 1934...
became the weapon of choice, because of its "classic, European feel" that suited the premise of the series' story. Because of the organization's premise, European guns were chosen for the members of Les Soldats. The assassins in black suits that are sent after the protagonists throughout the series all carry the SIG Pro 2340, which at the time of production was the newest model of its line, while other members were given increasingly older weapons, depending on the member's rank.
According to producer Shigeru Kitayama
Shigeru Kitayama
is a Japanese anime producer.-Works:Staffed in* Ninja Scroll , Assistant producer* 801 T.T.S. Airbats , Producer* Trigun , Producer* Geobreeders , Producer...
, Kotono Mitsuishi
Kotono Mitsuishi
is a prolific Japanese voice actor from Tokyo. As a young girl, Mitsuishi lived in Nagareyama, Chiba. Mitsuishi graduated from high school in 1986, and entered the Katsuta Voice Actor's Academy. While attending the academy, she began working part time as an elevator girl in the Sunshine 60 building...
's voicing of Mireille was a continuation of the working relationship they had from creating Excel Saga
Excel Saga
is a manga series written and illustrated by Rikdo Koshi. It has been serialized in Young King OURs since 1996, with individual chapters collected and published in tankōbon volumes by Shōnen Gahosha. The series follows the attempts of Across, a "secret ideological organization", to conquer the city...
, where Mitsuishi voiced the protagonist Excel.
Anime series
The 26 episodes of the Noir anime series initially ran from April 6 through September 27, 2001 on TV TokyoTV Tokyo
is a television station headquartered in Toranomon, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Also known as , a blend of "terebi" and "Tokyo", it is the key station of TX Network. It is one of the major Tokyo television stations, particularly specializing in anime...
in Japan and was released on DVD and VHS in 13 compilations, each containing two episodes, by Victor Entertainment
Victor Entertainment
is a subsidiary of Japan Victor Company that produces and distributes music, movies and other entertainment products such as anime and television shows in Japan. It was formerly known as...
between July 25, 2001 and March 21, 2002. After giving hints, announcements, and retractions for almost a year, ADV Films released the series in English in seven DVD compilations, the first containing five episodes, the others containing three or four episodes, between February 18 and October 28, 2003. Prior to that, the first episode was included on the DVD insert of the January 2003 issue of Newtype USA. As of November 1, 2010, the series is now licensed by Funimation Entertainment
Funimation Entertainment
Funimation is an American entertainment company. Originally founded in 1994 by Gen Fukunaga, the company became a subsidiary of Navarre Corporation on May 11, 2005...
., which will re-release the series as a part of their Anime Classics line on August 9, 2011.
The series makes use of two pieces of theme music
Theme music
Theme music is a piece that is often written specifically for a radio program, television program, video game or movie, and usually played during the title sequence and/or end credits...
. by ALI Project is used as opening theme, while by Akino Arai
Akino Arai
is a Japanese singer, song-writer, and lyricist, best known for her works in anime such as Outlaw Star, Noir, Macross Plus, and many others....
serves as ending theme.
Soundtrack
Like with many of studio Bee Train's other works, the entire Noir soundtrack was composed by the acclaimed Yuki KajiuraYuki Kajiura
, born August 6, 1965 in Tokyo, Japan, is a Japanese composer and music producer. She has provided the music for several popular anime series, such as one of the Kimagure Orange Road movies, Noir, .hack//SIGN, Aquarian Age, Madlax, My-HiME, My-Otome, .hack//Roots, Pandora Hearts, Puella Magi...
, accompanied by primary vocalist Yuriko Kaida, secondary vocalist Yuri Kasahara
Yuri Kasahara
Yuri Kasahara is a Japanese opera singer.Kasahara is a graduate of Tokyo's "Star Woman High School of Urawa", with self-education in the Toho Gakuen School of Music, majoring in singing, minoring in piano. During university attendance, she debuted in A Midsummer Night's Dream in the Samita Hall...
, and Kajiura's band See-Saw
See-Saw
See-Saw is a Japanese pop duo originally from Tokyo, Japan. Its members include Chiaki Ishikawa and Yuki Kajiura; former member left the group in April 1994 to pursue a writing career...
.
Victor Entertainment
Victor Entertainment
is a subsidiary of Japan Victor Company that produces and distributes music, movies and other entertainment products such as anime and television shows in Japan. It was formerly known as...
published a single and three original soundtrack albums for the series. The single, by Ali Project
Ali Project
Ali Project is a Japanese band with a strong Japanese Aristocrat-style image, consisting of and .In the band's earlier days, their musical style tended towards light, cheerful and/or refreshing songs. However, the sound has changed in recent times to take on a darker and more mysterious tone...
, was published on May 23, 2001. The first and second soundtracks, called Noir: Original Soundtrack I and Noir: Original Soundtrack II, were released on June 21 and October 3, 2001, respectively. The third soundtrack, called , was released on November 7, 2001.
Live-Action Remake
A possible live action feature based on the anime series has been planned for development by the cable television network Starz. Sam RaimiSam Raimi
Samuel Marshall "Sam" Raimi is an American film director, producer, actor and writer. He is best known for directing cult horror films like the Evil Dead series, Darkman and Drag Me to Hell, as well as the blockbuster Spider-Man films and the producer of the successful TV series Hercules: The...
and Rob Tapert (Xena: Warrior Princess
Xena: Warrior Princess
Xena: Warrior Princess is an American–New Zealand supernatural fantasy adventure series that aired in syndication from September 4, 1995 until June 18, 2001....
, Legend of the Seeker
Legend of the Seeker
Legend of the Seeker is a television series based on The Sword of Truth novels by Terry Goodkind. Distributed in U.S. by Disney-ABC Domestic Television, ABC Studios produced the series, which was its first foray into broadcast syndication, with Sam Raimi, Robert Tapert, Joshua Donen, Ned Nalle and...
) are the executive producers for the project. Stephen Lightfoot will also serve as executive producer and writer.
In June 2011, Starz gave a greenlight to the show with a straight to series order. The number of episodes of the first season has yet to be determined, though some speculated it will likely be in the 8-13 episode range.
Reception
The Newtype Magazine ranked Noir second in its top 10 list of anime of the year 2001. Noir also made a top three place in the top 20 anime in Japan chart by Anihabara! in October 2001. In the June 2002 issue of AnimageAnimage
is a Japanese anime and entertainment magazine which Tokuma Shoten began publishing in July 1978. Hayao Miyazaki's internationally renowned manga, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, was serialized in Animage from 1982 through 1994...
, Noir was voted by the magazine's readers onto a shared 10th place in the best 20 new anime of 2001 in Japan.
Josh Mohs of Active Anime comments that "Noir doesn't fail to deliver mystery, action, and drama." Though he laments "some pacing problems, especially towards the beginning of the series," he lauds the character interactions as well as the series' "job of tying together all its inherent sub-plots" and the director's "bold move" in leaving "the ending open to viewer interpretation." In a review of the first DVD compilation by ADV Films, Jeremy Conrad of IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
lauded the series for being "stylistic", stating that "It oozes style", and for its "extremely cool" fight choreography and "great" shootouts, saying that "What Noir does right is its action." He also noted the series' character design as being "solid" and the series' soundtrack as being "excellent", reminiscent of "Eric Serra
Eric Serra
Éric Serra is a French composer. He has often worked on the movies of Luc Besson.- Biography :Éric Serra's father Claude was a famous French songwriter in the 1950s and '60s, and, as such, Éric was exposed to music and its production at a young age. His mother died when he was just seven years old...
's stuff in movies such as La Femme Nikita", but lamented about the slowed pace at the end of the volume, stating that "some of the story stuff they were trying to do [in the fourth and fifth episodes] was snooze inducing."
Josh Mohs of Active Anime comments that Noirs "strong character interactions are usually enough to pull you through" the pacing problems he saw with the series and further states that, along with the series' "unique twists", the "intriguing character dynamic definitely elevate[s] it above the rest of the competition."
Kirika had been voted with Mireille as two of the top ten female anime characters by Newtype Japan
Newtype (magazine)
is a monthly magazine publication originating from Japan, covering anime and manga . It was launched by publishing company Kadokawa Shoten on March 8, 1985 with its April issue, and has since seen regular release on the 10th of every month in its home country...
in 2001.
Anime News Network
Anime News Network
Anime News Network is an anime industry news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, Japanese popular music and other otaku-related culture within North America, Australia and Japan. Additionally, it sometimes features similar happenings throughout the Anglosphere and elsewhere in the...
's Theron Martin, ten years after the show's original run, commented that Noir "was at least to some degree an influential title" and "is still recognized as one of the preeminent titles of its type because it redefined what a 'girls with guns' title could be." He went on to praise the show for its "sleek, elegant story" and called it "anime's most pronounced homage to classic film noir". He named Mireille and Kiraka "one of anime's most iconic female teams" along with the Dirty Pair
Dirty Pair
is a series of sci-fi comedy light novels written by Haruka Takachiho and illustrated by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko that was later adapted into anime and manga versions....
and credited Kirika as "a precursor of the moe craze that came along later in the decade." He named "The Lost Kitten" as the series' episode with the best story content, and the double episode "The Intoccabile" as having the worst, noting its "hackneyed look into the Cosa Nostra". He lamented repetitiveness in action sequences and excessive reuse of scenes especially in early episodes as well as the absence of blood in light of the show's high body count. He showed himself unimpressed with the animation quality, but lauded the show's good looks, in particular those of the environments. He named the "tendency for repetitiveness" of its first half as the soundtrack's "only real flaw" and praised the pieces "Salva Nos" and "Canta Per Me" as "stand[ing] among the all-time great anime themes". About the English version, he commented that the "casting choices fit and match up well against the original performances" and that the "script stays tight enough to avoid garnering any accuracy complaints". In conclusion, he said "the series works in the ways that it is supposed to work and should keep viewers thoroughly involved through to the end."
External links
- Official website of JVCJVC, usually referred to as JVC, is a Japanese international consumer and professional electronics corporation based in Yokohama, Japan which was founded in 1927...
- Official website of Funimation EntertainmentFunimation EntertainmentFunimation is an American entertainment company. Originally founded in 1994 by Gen Fukunaga, the company became a subsidiary of Navarre Corporation on May 11, 2005...
- Official website of ADV Films