noir anime 1Present day Europe. Mireille Bouquet is Noir, one of Europe’s most deadliest assassins. However, her life is uprooted when she comes into contact with a young girl named Yuumura Kirika. She has no past, but she has knowledge of Noir. And she knows how to kill.

But it is the clock that she possesses that binds Mireille to her. Both have dark histories that shouldn’t be remembered. Mireille needs to find the truth of hers, while Kirika needs to discover just who she is. Together, they must make a pilgrammage to the past.

But they are being watched. There is an organisation so secretive, so powerful, that to know their name is to invite death. They control the world. And they hold the key to Mireille and Kirika’s search. They hold the knowledge of the true Noir.

They are… Soldats.

Noir is one of those must see anime titles. Set in Europe, Noir follows the story of two assassins who team up to uncover the secrets of their past. A mysterious and powerful organisation appears to be pulling the strings, and Mireille and Kirika find themselves going up against it.

The story builds up to a crescendo, the action is intense and the drama sublime. Always keeping you guessing, Noir is indeed a superbly crafted story.

The characters are all interesting, with both the villains and the heroes getting enough motivation and characterisation.

The animation is very good – stylish and fluid. Although there is a lot of death in this title, there is almost no blood. In an effort to keep the age restriction down, Noir depicts very little bloodshed, despite the massive amounts of violence. However, this is done in a way that doesn’t detract from the title at all. The backdrops of all the locations are beautifully rendered, with each country or location depicted perfectly.

The music of Noir is awesome. Keeping with more emotional and evocative music, Noir’s soundtrack draws you into the show. One song in particular is always used for the action sequences and when it starts, you can’t help but get goose-flesh of excitement.

Overall, Noir is a solid package. An intriguing mystery story, great action, brilliant animation and superb music, Noir is one of those classic anime titles that you simply can’t miss. A powerful piece of work indeed.

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(Historical Note: This was written back in February 2004. Thankfully my writing has improved greatly since then.)

Related Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noir_(anime)