Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Noir: Complete Series Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman April 9, 2015

Memories of music evidently reside in a different corner of the brain from regular speech, as years of research with stroke patients or those suffering from such ailments as Alzheimer’s Disease has readily proven (the relatively recent documentary Alive Inside is an often emotionally involving story showing how music can “reach into” minds previously thought closed off from the outside world). Perhaps that’s one reason why Noir utilizes a haunting music box theme to evoke some element from the distant past (somewhat similarly to a gambit in another animated offering, the 1997 feature film Anastasia). Even those without any mental afflictions can attest to how viscerally music can impact one’s memories. I, for example, am instantly taken back to the time and place that I first heard a song that has become important to me if it shows up on a playlist queue from a streaming service or just wafts across the airwaves. Perhaps unexpectedly, then, it’s the character not experiencing amnesia in Noir who is summoned almost ineluctably by a melody that is first presented to her via email and then, later, in person when she finally meets up with the young girl trying to make contact with her. The woman called by the tune is a professional hit woman named Mireille Bouquet, and the girl using the tune to call Mireille is a young amnesiac named Kirika Yuumura, though it turns out that Kirika does remember how to shoot her gun, as she, too, has certain “talents” that mark her as a professional assassin. These two unlikely compatriots join forces as a sort of mercenary killing machine, something that plays out against the intrigue of Kirika’s mysterious past and exactly how she and Mireille are linked.

Noir was one of the first anime I reviewed (on DVD) when I first starting writing for online sites back in the Dark Ages, and as I reported then, my then quite young son, who had been traipsing in and out of my home theater room during any number of more outré anime offerings (like Hare and Guu, to name just one), turned to me and said, “Wow, Dad, this one actually makes sense!” It probably doesn’t hurt that Noir, while intentionally slow (even languorous) at times, trades on several now common tropes about high powered if forgetful hit (wo)men, playing in the same general sandbox as such live action fare as La Femme Nikita or even The Bourne Identity.

Fans of the Luc Besson film or The Bourne Trilogy may be somewhat surprised, though, at how laconic Noir often is. While the series certainly does exploit action elements, with quite a few gun fights and killings breaking out with a fair degree of regularity, there’s a surprising calmness to this series that may catch some action junkies off guard. Long swaths of this show flit by without one word of dialogue (something one of the commentaries included on this Blu-ray actually addresses).

Once Kirika and Mireille team up, taking the name “Noir” as their new duo (even though Kirika “remembers” it as part of her past), the series gets into a somewhat convoluted conspiracy scenario that has the two battling a super secret organization called Les Soldats (The Soldiers). Along the way a third major character named Chloe enters the fray, along with a high powered operative in Les Soldats named Altena. All of this plays out against the enigma of Kirika’s shrouded past and how exactly she’s connected to Mireille.

The series’ attempts at mythologizing its characters only goes so far, and may in fact be one of the minor shortcomings this generally bracing anime encounters. While some viewers may be slightly taken aback at long sequences consisting of things like little more than silent shots of faces, those with a certain degree of patience will be repaid with a generally compelling story of two wounded (and wounding) souls who work together to overcome rather formidable odds. The series is quite stylish, at least by early millennial standards, and it boasts an extremely eclectic and often times brilliant score by Yuki Kajiura, an element which turns several quasi-montage sequences in the series into something akin to frenetic music videos.

Noir: Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Noir is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of FUNimation Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. While there's no question that this is a generally solid upgrade from the standard definition release, especially with regard to color saturation and overall densities, as well as to impressively deep black levels, there are niggling issues which may bother some fans. This is "old school" anime, and while there is still a fairly organic looking grain field, it's rather fine at times, suggesting some high frequency filtering has been applied to the release. Banding is also a recurrent issue, though this tends to be in lighter gradients, an issue that is perhaps less prevalent here than in other recent anime releases due to the fact that Noir is so (appropriately) dark so much of the time. Line detail is generally quite crisp and consistent, but in keeping with the "old school" look of this series, Noir doesn't exhibit contemporary levels of sharpness and clarity, and in fact this is a fairly soft looking presentation much of the time. For the record, there has been some concern voiced that FUNimation may have opted for single layer discs for at least one of the discs in this new set, but all three of the Blu-ray discs sent to me (admittedly check discs) were BD-50s.

Noir: Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Noir features Dolby TrueHD 5.1 tracks in the original Japanese and an English dub (the pre-existing ADV dub). While the mixes are largely identical, to my ears the Japanese version is just slightly brighter sounding. Surround activity is a bit spotty, though erupts quite forcefully in some of the action sequences, where elements like the pop of gunfire offer some boisterous moments. LFE is occasionally forceful as well, though this is not a nonstop "slam bang" sonic presentation and so action junkies will need to make reasonable allowances. Dialogue is presented very cleanly and clearly with no prioritization issues. Kajiura's fantastic score fills the surrounds quite convincingly and is one of the standouts of the audio experience. Fidelity is excellent and dynamic range fairly wide.

Noir: Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Note: FUNimation typically sends check discs for review purposes, and sometimes those do not match final retail. This shipment included 3 BDs (no supplements are on the first Blu-ray disc) and 1 DVD. I have an email into FUNimation asking if this "mixed media" approach matches final retail and will update the review once I hear back from them.

Disc Two:

• Episode 15 Commentary features Matt Greenfield, Shelley Calene-Black, Hilary Haag, Tiffany Grant, and Monica Rial.


• Episode 16 Commentary features Matt Greenfield, Shelley Calene-Black, Hilary Haag, Tiffany Grant, and Monica Rial.

Disc Three:

• Mireille Music Video (1080i; 1:49)


• Chloe Music Video (1080i; 2:31)


• Textless Opening Song (1080p; 1:32)


• Textless Closing Song (1080p; 1:31)

Disc Four (DVD):

• Interview with Houko Kuwashima (480i; 4:43) features the Japanese voice actress playing Kirika.


• Interview with Kotono Mitsuishi (480i; 6:33) features the Japanese voice actress playing Mireille.


• Interview with Tarako (480i; 5:53) features the Japanese voice actress playing Altena.


• Interview with Aya Hisakawa (480i; 6:20) features the Japanese voice actress playing Chloe.


• Kirika Music Video (480i; 1:18)


• Interview #1 with Shelley Calene-Black (Mireille) and Monica Rial (Kirika) (480i; 2:09)


• Interview #2 with Shelley Calene-Black (Mireille) and Monica Rial (Kirika) (480i; 24:16)


• Interview #3 with Hilary Haag (Chloe) and Tiffany Grant (Altena) (480i; 15:02)


• Interview with English Cast (480i; 25:31)


• Noir: The Unsoled Story (480i; 7:45) is a silly piece featuring sock puppets.


• Original Japanese Promos (480i; 3:44)

Noir: Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Noir is an unusually involving anime that may not tick every "action adventure" box it might have, but which provides a tantalizing mystery within a compelling character piece. Unapologetically slow and even quiet a lot of the time (while admittedly bursting into frenetic activity at the veritable drop of a hat), Noir takes a bit of patience to really become completely immersed in, but offers a generally intriguing storyline presented in a very stylish and intense way. While this isn't a perfect high definition presentation, fans will probably find enough here to warrant an upgrade. The series itself comes highly recommended, while the Blu-ray (and evidently DVD) set comes Recommended.