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Noir is a pretty cool anime, which had the potentially to be totally flipping sweet. Unfortunately there isn't really enough plot or thematic variation for a 26 episode series, and after a while the show begins to feel repetitive. Some gruff-voiced crime boss guy will be introduced, and then Kirika will look all forlorn and be like watashi wa...dare???, and Mireille will be like ooh look a pocket watch, this really takes me back to that time when--and then this awesome song with operatic vocals will start playing which is their cue to start shooting dudes, and at the end there will usually be a standoff wherein two parties point guns at each other and lock eyes for a long time while the camera pans slowly across their inscrutable gazes, and those are pretty much the basic ingredients for an episode of Noir. Don't get me wrong, Noir does all of these things well, with a nice sense of style. There's generally a lot of thought put into the framing of the action sequences so they don't get too redundant, and the vibrant international locales (brought to life with lovely background artwork) provide a rich atmosphere.
But despite these surface touches, the actual substance of each episode doesn't vary a whole lot. The few episodes which attempt to introduce new ideas stand out as highlights, like that one with the Russian KGB guy trying to atone after being responsible for an ethnic cleansing. If all of the episodes had been as layered and complex as that one, Noir would be the aforementioned "totally flipping sweet" masterpiece it could have been. But ultimately the show plays it safe, content to strike the same notes and cover the same thematic ground repeatedly. As much as I like what Noir does, I would have liked to see it do more, to reach farther and go deeper.
The ending still managed to give me the chills though. I didn't realize how invested in Mireille and Kirika's friendship I'd become until the last few scenes, which are pretty gut-wrenching. Their relationship is the heart of the show and the reason why it succeeds as more than just an exercise in style. They really do make a good team.
