Synduality: Noir

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Alternative Titles

Japanese: SYNDUALITY Noir

Information

Type: TV

Episodes: 12

Status: Finished Airing

Aired: Jul 11, 2023 to Sep 26, 2023

Premiered: Summer 2023

Broadcast: Tuesdays at 00:00 (JST)

Producers: Bandai Namco Entertainment, Bandai Spirits, Bandai Namco Filmworks, Bandai Namco Music Live

Licensors: None found, add some

Studios: 8bit

Source: Mixed media

Genres: Action, Sci-Fi

Theme: Mecha

Duration: 24 min. per ep.

Rating: PG-13 - Teens 13 or older

Statistics

Score: 6.80¹ (scored by 10,576 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #5217²

² based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #3530

Members: 39,753

Favorites: 156

Available At

Official Site

@SYN_noir

Resources

AniDB

ANN

Streaming Platforms

Disney+

Hulu

6.80

Ranked #5217Popularity #3530Members 39,753

Episodes: /12

Synopsis

In 2242, the remnants of humanity are forced to live in scattered bubble-like cities across devastated lands. Hiding from toxic rain and hostile lifeforms known as Enders, they survive thanks to a new source of energy from AO crystals. Those tasked with risking their lives to collect AO crystals are called drifters, piloting versatile bipedal tanks with the support of combat androids named magus.

While exploring remote ruins with his exceptionally gifted drifter friend Tokio, prospective drifter Kanata uncovers Noir, a seemingly intact magus in stasis. Although she wakes up by herself, Noir has lost her memories and is of no help in Kanata's work. However, amid an Enders attack, Kanata discovers that Noir possesses remarkable combat abilities. The pair now embarks on a journey to not only shed light on Noir's past but also to uncover the location of Histoire—the mythical city harboring secrets of the world that Kanata has always dreamt of visiting.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Background

Synduality: Noir is part of the Synduality mixed-media project by the Bandai Namco Group.

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Related Anime

Adaptation:	Synduality: Ellie
Other:	Synduality: Kagaku Kouza
Sequel:	Synduality: Noir Part 2

More characters

Characters & Voice Actors

Noir

Main

Koga, Aoi
Japanese

Kanata

Main

Ootsuka, Takeo
Japanese

Ellie

Supporting

Inagaki, Konomi
Japanese

Ciel

Supporting

Aoyama, Nagisa
Japanese

Ada

Supporting

Ishikawa, Yui
Japanese

Claudia

Supporting

Yuzuki, Ryouka
Japanese

Tokio

Supporting

Kobayashi, Yuusuke
Japanese

Kurokamen

Supporting

Ban, Taito
Japanese

Mouton

Supporting

Komatsu, Fuminori
Japanese

Alba

Supporting

Hirose, Yuuya
Japanese

More staff

Staff

Matsuda, Hiroshi

Producer

Moroguchi, Kazunari

Producer

Futami, Yousuke

Producer

Yamamoto, Yuusuke

Director

Edit

Opening Theme

"RAYTRACER" by STEREO DIVE FOUNDATION

Edit

Ending Theme

"Eureka (ユリイカ)" by ARCANA PROJECT

Reviews

Sep 26, 2023

Reviewholic

Recommended

Right after the season when Gundam: Witch from Mercury brought back mecha hype yet again, we get Synduality: Noir, a brand new mecha title of opposite values.
While WfM was a little revolutionary for its big old franchise, Noir is just dead ass generic. No yuri or yaoi in space capitalism, just good old harem with a dense MC in a post-apocalyptic world invaded by aliens, a setting that plagues the mecha genre. The only new stuff that Noir brings to the mecha genre is borrowed from other works. Magus, a humanoid assistant who is bound by contract, is obviously inspired by Fate's Servant and ...

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Oct 2, 2023

i-like-this

Mixed Feelings

Darling in the Coffin.

Synduality: Noir is a futuristic sci-fi anime where the mechs are small and chunky and also require an R2-D2 shaped like anime waifu’s or a butler or even a black guy, in order to function properly. Drifters use these mechs to scavenge a post-apocalyptic setting for treasure and resources to bring back to their human colonies called Nests whilst fighting off weird alien bug things called Enders.

There's not much about Synduality: Noir’s premise that you can point to as original. In fact, now that the season is complete I can say that it's honestly a bit derivative. However, that doesn't change ...

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Nov 30, 2023

Deago

Not Recommended

Preliminary (3/12 eps)

Set in a futuristic cyberpunk setting, where humanity struggle against giant man eating insects using their advanced manned mecha. Kanata, the novice pilot, in a cave, stumbles upon a silver-haired red-eyed sleeping Ayanami Rei-clone, who then wakes up with the classic 'I-can't-remember-anything'.

The premise appears intriguing on paper and filled with potential for mystery, intense action against scary giant insects, and -even if overdone- the exploration of themes like human-AI relationships or ethical dilemmas in science. However, upon watching, it becomes apparent the official site's synopsis is merely a facade.

Starting with the positives, Synduality Noir diverges from the conventional dark and gritty tone commonly linked with ... such premises. Instead, it offers humour, employing elements of misunderstanding and situational comedy, and, controversially, some sex jokes that might not be for everyone.

Ignoring the CGI, the anime also features vibrant pretty colours and detailed backgrounds. The cityscapes during daylight and the cluttered indoor settings contribute to a lively backdrop.

As for the story, if I were to describe it in one sentence, it's an incohesive, directionless mess of a narrative.

The protagonist, Kanata, is a pathetic loser with skewed priorities. He is mainly concerned about his self-esteem and image. His pursuit of acceptance among his peers as a skilled pilot, despite having many supportive friends, makes him an annoying character to watch. Furthermore, Kanata is indecisive and often relies on his mentor figures, Tokio or Maria. For instance, although the audience is anticipating Noir to regain her memories, Kanata shows no interest in her memory recovery. The idea of returning to the cave where Noir was found and searching for possible clues and leads wasn't Kanata's; it was Maria's. Maria, who didn't even need to feel responsible for helping Noir, did so regardless, while Kanata remained unmotivated, leaving the weight of that mission on the shoulders of his friends.

Instead of aiding Noir, Kanata is content with her being amnesiac. He even explicitly states that, portraying a wish-fulfilment attitude as the protagonist is content to leave the amnesiac android waifu that calls him 'master'. The show doesn't call him out for his lack of responsibility. Kanata, rather than helping Noir, is more concerned about his image and reputation as a pilot (which isn't even bad or negatively affecting his life), and maintaining his kuudere android in her broken state. The show doesn't discuss or draw attention to Kanata's pathetic nature, and the only reason he has low self-esteem is that he isn't a skilled pilot, not because he is selfish and irresponsible.

Even Noir herself, whose personality is as dead as a doll, is more proactive than the protagonist. She is more interesting and deserved more screentime. In the second episode, she goes out by herself to search for clues to regain her memory, such as trying to fix the camera found near her place of slumber. Due to her being autistic and socially inept, she gets into trouble, being caught by a discount Team Rocket that steal precious androids. After a long rescue mission, the camera turns out to be empty, what a complete waste of airtime!

By episode 3, I was confident to conclude the anime doesn't regard its own premise as important. The episode starts with the main character visiting the Red Light City (yes, that's how they referred to it) to boost his self-esteem and manhood by losing his virginity to a brothel's prostitute (and yes, also wasn't his idea). What about the protagonist's goal to find Histoire, the Legendary City he mentioned in episode 1? What about helping his emotionless android partner? Nah, let's dedicate a whole episode about the MC going to fuck a hooker.

Oh, did I forget to mention this show has supposedly dangerous man-eating insects of doom attacking the cities from time to time? They are treated like nothing more than a simple earthquake; humanity is still strong, living their lives normally, with no fear of possibly dying at any moment. There's no tension, no anguish from the victims' friends and relatives because there are no victims! It's fake tension; the premise is a lie. While the premise, on paper, sounds similar to popular titles such as Attack on Titan and Evangelion, don't expect a gloomy atmosphere and a constant sense of desperate struggle. The existence of these so-called dangerous monsters is treated merely as a decoration. The focus of this anime is the protagonist proving himself to be as skilled as his peers. Noir is merely a mystery box the show barely draws attention to, and the monsters are just plot devices that show up at the most convenient times but barely pose a threat, even to a newbie pilot like Kanata.

The disconnect between the advertised premise and the actual content leaves viewers with nothing but a comedy filled with sex jokes and soulless CGI action. Synduality Noir is a deceptive disappointment, a yet another shameless, low-effort video game promotion.

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Poll: Synduality: Noir Episode 7 Discussion AkeZZZ - Aug 21, 2023	27 replies	by Satan_A »» Mar 23, 3:31 AM
Poll: Synduality: Noir Episode 10 Discussion IzanaSolos - Sep 11, 2023	15 replies	by parzxval »» Mar 7, 6:30 AM
Poll: Synduality: Noir Episode 3 Discussion AkeZZZ - Jul 24, 2023	39 replies	by KURAIKEN63 »» Jan 22, 6:45 AM
Poll: Synduality: Noir Episode 12 Discussion KANLen09 - Sep 25, 2023	27 replies	by tohka_eugen »» Dec 19, 2023 12:07 AM
Poll: Synduality: Noir Episode 11 Discussion Marinate1016 - Sep 18, 2023	19 replies	by Archean-Return »» Nov 29, 2023 7:37 PM

Synduality: Noir

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Characters & Voice Actors

Noir

Kanata

Ellie

Ciel

Ada

Claudia

Tokio

Kurokamen

Mouton

Alba

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Synduality: Noir

Alternative Titles

Information

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Available At

Resources

Streaming Platforms

Synopsis

Background

Visit MALxJapan MALxJapan -More than just anime-

Related Anime

Characters & Voice Actors

Staff

Opening Theme

Ending Theme

Reviews

Interest Stacks

Recommendations

Recent News

Recent Forum Discussion

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