Noir  Recommended
Publisher
ADV
Director
Koichi Mashimo
Production
Production IG, TV Tokyo, Victor Entertainment
Country of origin
Japan
Format
Series
Running time
26 episodes
Year
2001
Noir Volume 4: Death Warrant
By John Huxley
20th May 04  There's something I've been meaning to get off my chest for a good while now. For the most part I have found Noir to be a comparatively realistic anime with no eye lasers, magical powers or fireballs in sight. The main protagonist's apartment is no exception - it's merely a simple Parisian loft apartment with a kitchen, lounge, bedroom and presumably a toilet and bathroom; not a single piece of high-tech gadgetry to be seen bar the i-mac lookalike sitting on the pool table from which they get all the photographs and info they need to carry out their latest hit (how do they get all that info, anyway? Is there a www.killerhitlist.com? Or do they mail order the CD from amazon?). However, my trouble isn't with the i-mac or its fabulous database of potential targets for hitmen such as Kirika and Mireille, my trouble lies with the pool table on which it sits. This flagrant misuse of an excellent pool table has gone on long enough! Every time I watch Mireille place a mug of coffee on that poor, abused pool table my heart sinks - there are thousands of people on the streets of Paris who would put that lovely green cloth to much better use than a simple coffee table. If the resolution of the plot doesn't involve liberation of this pool table I'll be highly disappointed. Pool table aside for one moment, I should probably review the fourth collection of Noir. The previous volume saw the introduction of the mysterious Chloe, sent by Altena to watch over Kirika and Mireille's activities. With her minimal dialogue and simple character design she was not the most entertaining addition to Noir considering the already staid cast of characters. Thankfully she doesn't show her face for the first half of this DVD, leaving the action to the infinitely more likeable duo of Mireille and Kirika. The first episode, number thirteen in the series, follows Kirika as she becomes friendly with an older man who teachers her how to paint. Warning the young girl not to get involved, Mireille can only stand by and watch the inevitable tragedy unfold. Potential love interest out of the way, the second episode introduces us to Mireille's long lost uncle, bringing a little intriguing background information along with him. With Chloe no where to be seen, these two episodes will be familiar territory for any Noir fan - Mireille and Kirika back doing that which they do best: killing people for money. While I couldn't be happier that my two favourite assassins are back on form, it's disheartening to see them involved in some fairly unimaginative action sequences that don't compare to the earlier, less contrived set pieces that lent some excitement to Noir. That's not to say that the action is unwatchable or even a detriment to the series, it isn't, it simply can't match the high standards set by itself during the early episodes. Where before Kirika and Mireille would carefully plan their actions and kill their unsuspecting prey one after the other with a believable amount of realism, now they simply waltz in all guns blazing and miraculously shoot every man in the room regardless of the odds against them. I would expect this of a more cartoony title and think nothing of it, yet its appearance in Noir is an unwelcome surprise. Although the action may not be up to standard, there's still plenty to enjoy. The plot is slowly beginning to take shape as Kirika uncovers a few clues as to her identity and Mireille is visited by ghosts of the past, and there's an excellent new two-part story to enjoy which takes our heroines to the far east (the locations are excellently realised as ever) and sees the introduction of a rival assassin (female, of course) who looks a little too much like Chloe for my liking. Speaking of which, the purple haired Chloe does make an appearance towards the end of the volume, albeit in a less pivotal role and one which will hopefully see the three rivals working together. Despite my reservations I can still happily recommend Noir to those viewers who are looking for something a little different to the usual staple of giant robots and magical girls.
R2 DVD Notes
Features: English and Japanese 5.1 audio, English subtitles, interview with Kotono Mitsuishi, production sketches, clean open/close, original Japanese promos, ADV previews
Release information: UK release date: 17th November 2003, ADV
Notes: What can I say? While the show suffers a downturn, these DVDs keep on getting better and better! We're treated to an interview with Mireille's Japanese voice artist, the usual collection of production sketches, the clean open/close and some original Japanese adverts. If that doesn't keep you busy for long you can always take a peek at the highlight of the package - a six page leaflet containing some excellent articles from the cast and crew of Noir. With the episode count back up to four and the image and audio quality as good as ever, this is one neat little package.
-- John Huxley 20th May 04
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