Noir English Sub & Dub

About Noir

If you are hunting for a new action series, Noir (ノワール) deserves a look (2001). The setup goes like this. The premise: Mireille Bouquet is a professional assassin, and a very good one at that. But when she follows up an e-mail from a young Japanese girl named Yumura Kirika, inviting her to take "a pilgrimage to the past", her life becomes even more dangerous than it already is.

Along the way, now, with a haunting melody invoking the memory of an event long past, Mireille and Kirika decide to work together to find the truth about a thousand year old organization that has controlled both of their lives since before they. The only clue in their search, the only thing Kirika remembers about herself, becomes their working codename: a name designating an age-old fate, of two maidens who reign over death--Noir.

In an action series like this, fight choreography, pacing and sound design carry much of the weight. Voice work is led by Houko Kuwashima as Kirika Yuumura and Kotono Mitsuishi as Mireille Bouquet. This one is best suited to viewers who like fast, high-impact fights. At 26 episodes in total, it is easy to plan a viewing schedule.

Production & Appeal

Bee Train is the studio behind Noir, and its direction shapes everything from character design to motion. Within the action category, fight choreography, pacing and sound design carry much of the weight. A 7.1/10 score points to a dependable, well-liked series. On the casting side, Houko Kuwashima voicing Kirika Yuumura gives the lead role a recognizable voice. It aired in 2001, which makes it easy to place in the wider anime calendar.