Noir Volume 1

Reviewed By:  Andrew Kaplan

DVD (Single Disk) ADV Films

What it’s (basically) all about: Mirielle Bouquet, an assassin, receives a mysterious email inviting her to make a “pilgrimage to the past.”  Following it up, she finds a mysterious schoolgirl with an unusual, familiar watch.  The girl is attacked, and she and Mirielle fight them off.  It transpires that the girl, Yuumura Kirika—also calling herself Noir—has no memory of her past.  She and Mirielle agree to team up, taking assassination assignments under the codename Noir, as they work to uncover the secrets of Kirika’s past.

Nitty Gritty: Noir is an action-adventure series about a pair of killers for hire, and that, in itself, makes this series unsuitable for younger children.  Having said that, while the series features a great deal of action/violence, it isn’t particularly graphic.  Because the two main characters are women, who get into fights with the antagonists, it stands to reason that it features a certain amount of violence against women.  However, the two main characters are never treated as helpless victims, and the violence against them is never prurient or gratuitous.

The series also does not feature gratuitous sex or sexual imagery, beyond the character’s general appearances.  (Kirika is initially dressed in a schoolgirl’s uniform, and Mirielle has a penchant for short skirts revealing her long, shapely legs.)  However, while the characters are drawn as attractive and sexy, they aren’t constantly being dressed in swimsuits or underwear, nor is the camera constantly looking up their skirts at their panties.  We don’t see them taking baths or showers.  We also don’t see them relying on men for assistance, and all these pieces come together to create a pair of strong heroines whose adventures it is possible to enjoy without feeling dirty.

The fact remains, however, that they are assassins, and it is difficult to admire that.  The series, at least in this first volume, sidesteps that moral quandary somewhat by making sure that their targets are always evil, corrupt individuals who deserve what is coming to them.  Alternatively, the episodes focus on the quest to uncover Kirika’s past, and how it ties into Mirielle’s mysterious childhood.  However, the layers of moral ambiguity and complexities of storytelling—flashes backward and forward—still mark this as a series for teens and older.

Extras include:

Clean opening and closing animation

Japanese promos

Trailers for other ADV releases, including:

FarScape

Zone of the Enders

You’re Under Arrest Theatrical feature

Devil Lady

Colorful (a compilation of short films about sexual fetishes, whose trailer includes panty shots, close-ups of women’s cleavage, and a topless woman seen from behind)

Excel Saga (which includes a shot of men urinating in a rest room, and, for more sensitive communities, a woman eating a banana in a fairly suggestive manner)

Survey says: Because of the violence and subject matter (killers-for-hire), as well as the sophistication of the storytelling, this is recommended for YA or adult collections.  There is no explicit imagery—with the possible exception of the Colorful trailer—but this is still not a series for younger children, and I agree with the 15+ rating that ADV has given it.

Personal Ad: Combining exciting action with a compelling mystery storytelling, with just a touch of The DaVinci Code, this first disk is an impressive debut.  The strong female characters and a good balance between the ongoing story and more self-contained missions makes me definitely want to come back for more.