During their last summer of elementary school, four friends decide to undertake a test of courage at their local graveyard. Before the test begins, Haruka Kaminogi makes a last effort to pull Yuu Gotou away from his controlling mother. While doing so, Haruka suddenly has a strange vision of blue snow followed by the appearance of an imposing silver-haired man. Later, a similar vision occurs at the graveyard to both Haruka and her friends before they try to escape what they assume are ghosts.
Unbeknownst to the children, the people who appeared before them are Dragon Soldiers: an elite military group from a dimension known as La'cryma. The soldiers have traveled to this dimension to secure the "Dragon Torque"—an entity they believe to be their last hope for survival. However, both the Dragon Soldiers and Haruka are shocked to learn that the Dragon Torque is Haruka herself. She attempts to escape from the Dragon Soldiers as she finds her own last ray of hope—the strange silver-haired man who claims to be another version of Yuu himself.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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Comentários
Alexius
After completing Noein, I was left with the sensation you rarely get after finishing a series or movie where you personally think almost every little thing was done just right. There's very little else to say to try and express my tremendous respect and appreciation for this series. I personally believe it was orchestrated magnificently and its message carried across powerfully. Most of all, what I truly respected in this series was its character-driven action, as opposed to plot-driven action. The characters were so fleshed out and their relationships and backgrounds so completely delved into, I had grown to feel like they were real people Iknew. This was further effective in the juxtaposition that was utilized between future and present selves of these characters (which I will refrain from spoiling further about). The development of relationships between and of the numerous characters in this series, Yuu most of all, was unimaginably compelling and convincing, giving the series an overall true feeling of completion and purpose.
Haruka, most of all, pulled me into the series more and more with the further displays of her distinctive features. Having the ferocity and absolute concern of Hermione from Harry Potter, and the curiosity and strength of Lyra of The Golden Compass, the pleasant down-to-earth character of Haruka was one that you would simply be honored to be friends with. Despite her rough upbringing, her inner strength and selflessness were clear and well-presented in a realistic manner. Yuu, too, was a realistic character suffering from a harsh upbringing and from the effects of strained familial relationships. The relationship found between Yuu and Haruka, and their development, is what I truly believe to be the defining point of this series.
The story, too, gives this series what I believe its distinctness and genius. Carrying across a story filled with Quantum Mechanics, and a great deal of everyday storytelling in a little town in this mix, I believe that the timespaces and parallel universes shown in this series to be an absolutely interesting and entertaining interpretation of Quantum Physics and many of its theories. The unique settings and conflicts only help to improve upon this story.
The only problem I had with the story was the sometimes slow pace of it in the middle of the series. Whereas a lot of information and details given were important, I believed that if I wasn't motivated enough to finish the series, I might have stopped just because of that slowness.
In terms of art and sound, I believe that Noein also delivers. The art was particularly special (even though there were some parts I believe the CGI to be sort of distracting) with its mix of CGI and line art, and the classical music used was clearly appropriate.
Overall, this was one of the most enjoyable, if not the most, anime series I've ever watched. If given the opportunity to watch this series, I suggest and strongly recommend to not let it pass.
mahoganycow
I briefly considered starting this review by summarizing the show's plot, but it's my opinion that Noein should win an award for “hardest plot to summarize,” so at the risk of making an idiot of myself, I decided against it. I then considered describing the concept in popular science that is behind Noein's plot, but that's almost as complicated as the plot. I'll spare myself some embarrassment. Noein definitely has a unique look to it, albeit one that's fraught with inconsistency. The character designs are far from typical, being thinner and slightly more realistically proportioned than the norm. Although it eventually becomes clear that action wasnot intended to be the core of the series, the animation does have some strong moments, and, particularly in the first half, there's no shortage of creative futuristic combat. It's also a CGI-heavy show, with the invading ships from Shangri-La as well as many of the backgrounds being the most noticeable examples. The CGI looks good in general, but there are some painful hiccups. In particular, the model for Haruka's house sticks out like a sore thumb. In fact, it's pretty clear that visual quality control is a big issue across the board for Noein—when everything's working and the show is at its best, it looks fantastic, but the art quality varies on an almost minute-to-minute basis, and at its worst, it looks absolutely dreadful. When I think of the show's lovely backgrounds and its unusual use of deep, electric reds and blues in its color palette, I want to sing its praises...but then I recall a couple of action sequences that are reduced to stuttering gray messes by lapses in art and animation, and a multitude of moments where the character designs fall noticeably in quality, and it makes me think twice.
The music is acceptable, though lacking finesse. Noein's plot is an amalgamation of everyday content (like going to school and messing around with friends) and epic sci-fi content (like preventing the universe from disappearing), and the soundtrack strains to accommodate both of these aspects. The former is usually accompanied by tracks in which a recorder is used as the lead instrument, providing a distinctly childish and carefree sound that works well in this context. The more serious content is normally paired with fast-paced orchestral songs and chanted vocals. Both sides of the soundtrack are guilty of going a little over the top at times, and none of the individual songs are particularly memorable, but within the show the score suffices to build the mood.
When it comes to audio track language, I'd choose whatever your preference is, as they're both more than passable. The English dub contains a nice array of veteran voice actors. Crispin Freeman in particular sounds right at home as the haunted Karasu, his voice carrying his trademark dark edge of emotion and power, but that's not to leave some others out—Richard Epcar lends a genuinely creepy touch to Noein's booming, disembodied voice, and Melissa Fahn plays Haruka with conviction. Some secondary characters are not handled quite as well, with some unnatural sounding line deliveries being present. The dub's script also inexplicably changes a supporting cast member's gender from male to female, though that's more of a head-scratcher than a genuine problem. Overall, it's a very serviceable dub. The Japanese audio doesn't have a single hiccup that I can note, and if forced to choose at gunpoint I'd probably say that it's the better track, but it's a close enough race that you should be fine whether you go with the sub or the dub.
Despite all of the elements of sci-fi and action, it's evident that character drama is a little closer to the heart of the series. The main cast consists of Haruka, Yuu, and Karasu (who is Yuu, fifteen years in the future). Haruka is the kind of protagonist that's easy to get behind—kind, level-headed, trustworthy and above all, balanced, not leaning towards any extreme. She's a pretty open book, not written with a whole lot of complexity, but she projects enough likeability and believability to scrape by with a pass from me. The same can't be said of the male lead, Yuu, who is neither complexly written nor likeable. He spends most of the series switching schizophrenically between impotently wallowing in self-pity, and courageously risking his life to try to protect Haruka, and his changes in mood aren't very tactful—you never really know if the Yuu onscreen is the brave, devoted Yuu or the woe-is-me Yuu. Even worse, we don't know anything about his motivation for going to such great lengths to protect Haruka. A few flashbacks show that the two were childhood friends, but it's not elaborated on to any significant degree; the show presents their history in the visual equivalent of about three sentences, which makes it tough to give them a lot of thought as a couple, much less the couple that is supposed to be the centerpiece of the show.
Much to its detriment, Noein also has a colossal number of supporting characters. It has a habit of casting one of them into the spotlight for a portion of an episode, then discarding them and never mentioning them or the importance of their actions again. The show struggles to explain even the basic motivations of some of the characters—we never do learn what exactly drives antagonist Atori's deep hatred of Karasu, why the kids' elementary school teacher is cool with their dangerous encounters with futuristic beings, or the purpose of the awkwardly introduced love triangle between three members of the Dragon Cavalry. Most of these characters' pasts and personalities ultimately end up being explained away with a brief flashback detailing a traumatic moment in their lives, and there's simply no excuse for that. The cast could have been halved, and not only would the series not lose anything, it would probably be better off.
The story, while good on paper, ends up dragging on, and on, and on. I watched intently, but to be honest, that was completely unwarranted; I could probably have slept through a third of the series and still understood the overarching plot, which says a lot about the lack of stringency in the writing. Much as with the characters, the sheer number of subplots that have, at best, a tenuous connection to the story is rather staggering. The show is dangerously lacking in focus, and to quantify that statement a little, I'll point out that Noein contains no less than two doomsday plots and four love stories, which are all occurring simultaneously in three different dimensions. Sadly, all of those dimensions feel like empty stages rather than worlds worth caring about. In theory, it could be done, but it's a tall order that the writers here just couldn't fill, and Noein all but implodes under the workload. The story still has enough interesting content and continuity to be deemed acceptable, but the way that it's organized and presented is decidedly less than good. Perhaps the worst side effect of this is that some great ideas end up getting buried. I think that a character drama in which children encounter their future selves is a superb concept, but many of the cast's “future selves” end up being throwaways—one small aspect of a massive conglomeration of plots.
To give credit where it's due, I actually think that, taken as a whole, Noein is a little bit closer to succeeding than it is to completely failing, and given the amount of elements that it tries to patch together, that's a pretty big compliment. By all indications, Noein should be an utter disaster, but it isn't. It's just not everything that it could have been. In addition, the show feels genuine, and while that's a pretty vague thing to say, I have to imagine that it counts for something. Though it doesn't stand up very well to close inspection, Noein has real heart, a lot of outward likeability, and a lot of ambition. It might be a bit of a mess, but it's definitely not lacking in creativity or artistic vision, and it has at least a couple of powerful moments. So if any aspect of the show interests you, I'd give it the benefit of the doubt and try out a couple of episodes. If you end up disliking it, at least you'll have satisfied your curiosity, and there's always the chance you might get more out of it than I did.
Isariru
Overall, I thought this anime was really good. It's fairly hard (for me anyway) to find an anime I really like, to where I start watching the first ep, and before I know it the suns rising and I just finished the last ep. This anime was one of the few. It's very hard to try and review this anime and not spill out any spoilers, but I will. Story - 8 I found the story in Noein to be very entertaining, maybe thats because I just love the concept of separate dimensions, different futures with time, and quantum theories in general. This anime revolves a lotaround that, and it does it quite well.
Art - 7
The art style is fairly nice, at first its kind of like "man, this stuff looks quite sloppy" but once you learn the purpose of the drawing style you will understand. I found some of the house models to be a bit too FMVish at times, but they did blend in really well.
Sound - 9
The soundtrack of Noein is really good. The music goes in well with whats going on screen, and it blends into the anime really well. Sound effects weren't bad, and voices weren't too low, just right.
Character - 10
Character development in Noein is really good, in order not to spoil a single thing, thats all I can really say.
Enjoyment - 10
Noein really had me sucked in the entire series, and I really feel bad for the people who watched this anime weekly. If you're a sci-fi lover who likes different time-space dimensions chances are you'll love Noein. If you're someone who likes good action with a good storyline to support it, chances are you'll love Noein. If you're someone who likes character growth and watching characters change due to the storyline, chances are you'll like Noein.
Overall I slap a 9 onto this anime. It has its moments, and its definitely worth a look into if you fit into any of the categories above.
Master10K
Just like most anime series with a weird concept, this anime is very confusing to begin with. It starts of with an amazing action-sequence, in some weird world, and then it goes to the sort of world we are all familiar with, which is where most of the story takes place. The story follows a group kids and also some adults, which are related to those kids in some way. The characters of the story are pretty stale with only a few decent ones however the main bad point is how easily the character's personalities change. There isn't much that is clearly explained and it isn'tuntil a couple episodes into this series that anyone watching this will have some idea. The pace that the story develops is fairly slow, for a series with only 23 episodes and it would have been better if it developed faster.
Just like the concept for this show's plot, the animation concept is pretty weird and wonderful as it mixes CG with drawn characters. It's odd how so much detail is put into the CG but the characters have the "Fooly Cooly" look, which doesn't suit. Overall the animation is great however a lot of corners were cut, in the character designs, especially during the action sequences.
The music for the show is fairly decent with an okay amount of symphonic tunes, unlike in some great anime series with music that you simple can't forget, Noein doesn't really have memorable tunes. Although during the action sequences the music does make it all more exciting to watch, with the help of the incredible Sound FX.
Overall this is a steadily paced anime with a confusing yet interesting plot about infinite futures, time spaces and quantum physics however the main emphasis of the story is to do with friendship and bonds. The show did do well in gaining some momentum, halfway into the series but it didn't do much with that, which led to a not so great ending. There could have been ways to make the show end better but the show was forced to end in an unrealistic and lacklustre way. So this anime is meant for the open-minded anime fan.
^_^
inoneoutheother
I just finished watching this series so I figured I'd write a review while it's all still fresh in my mind... Story: Noein's story revolves around a 12 year old girl and her friends and their role in the future(s) of the universe and its many dimensions. The main dimension involved in the story is set in present-day Japan, and all seems relatively normal for the kids until strangers from the future show up. There's a great deal of traveling through space and time involved here. You could say that it's an apocalyptic series--you have your villain out to destroy the universe--but Iwon't get into it because I don't want to give anything away. At times the plot can be a bit confusing, but once we reach the end there are no major holes to be filled [just plenty of interesting twists]. The idea of innumerable dimensions where we live out every possible future is something that appeals to me personally, and the idea is explored in this series in a very intelligent and relatively easy to understand manner. To take such a complex idea revolving around quantum physics and to manage to not turn it into something hokey and dumbed down or something too confusing to relate to is quite the feat. The story becomes very convincing and vivid and I couldn't imagine a more compelling plot or conclusion. Good stuff=]
Art:
I guess I can understand what might turn some people off to the animation, but this is one of my favorite things about the series. The character designs are pretty original, and even though they may look a bit rough or scratchy at times [same goes for the battle scenes] it flows so well with the feel of the series that I honestly couldn't imagine it any other way. In one scene the details will be incredibly rich and fluid and in another scene the animation might look a bit on the simple side. But trust me on this one, it just plain works for Noein. The battle scenes especially. They remind me of Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. They seriously hold your attention and sometimes it reminds me of comic art.. really similar to Gainax stuff--and it rocks!! If you can get past the fact that the characters aren't animated in your typical neat and clean and cute anime fashion then you just might love it as much as I do.
Sound:
Nothing in particular stands out, but there was absolutely nothing I disliked. The opening and closing tracks worked just fine for the series. The soundtrack throughout was very fitting, eerie when it needed to be and nostalgic when the story called for it. The sound effects are also pretty sweet--your ideal futuristic noises I suppose. I especially liked the music during the intense scenes--some of it reminded me of Escaflowne's soundtrack [that Gregorian chanting stuff that gives me chills].
Character:
There's nothing better than a series that doesn't skimp on character development. I can't stand it when characters are neglected and you end a series with that empty feeling--when you know they could have done so much more with a character and their relationships. Noein does a perfect job of rounding out the characters and making them memorable, and all of this without fillers to drag down the story. Everything was well-paced and I never once felt that I couldn't relate to the characters. There isn't a ton of comic relief, but the series has some very amusing characters and enough light-hearted scenes to keep you from being too upset by the sad parts. The entire thing is well-rounded: characters, story, pacing, the works. And for those of you looking for the love stories, yes there's plenty of that as well. The relationships are very believable though--so no cheesy love scenes to be had, thank god. You will definitely become attached to these characters--I know I did.
Enjoyment:
Uh.. what can I say? I enjoyed the hell out of it.
watch this one!!
onegai<3
Uriel1988
What if the Axis powers had won World War II? What if penecillin had never been invented? What if your parents had never met? 'Noein' is set in a a universe consisting of a nigh infinite number of dimensions in which every 'what if', no matter how big or small, must have occured in one dimension or another. The focus of the story, however, is limited to two dimensions: one closely resembling the world we live in (which will henceforth be referred to as 'our world') and 'La'Cryma', a dimension which is a possible future of 'our world' in 15 years where humans are forced underground dueto a calamity that has befallen the earth.
It was a wise decision on the creators' part to keep the amount of dimensions limited seeing as excessive 'dimension hopping' could have lead to a huge mess of a plot; though I do feel it prevented the series from feeling as 'epic' as it tried to be. I think the focus ended up being too limited especially in the series' finale in which only 3 dimensions matter even though things are happening that involves each of the nigh innumerable dimensions. This in turn severely undermines the 'epic' interdimensional conflict the series is insistently trying to portray.
All this is a real pity seeing as the series had a strong opening-act featuring impressive action-sequences and an excellent balance between tender drama of the kids' lives in our world, personal and dimensional intruige between the characters (the most important being an organization called the 'Dragon Knights' in La'Cryma and suspenseful clashes when Dragon Knights come down to our world. The creators sadly fail to keep it engaging and the whole plot is ultimately all but ruined by inconsistencies, contrivances.
The characters are sufficiently entertaining: the kids in 'our world' are a collection of rag-tag clichés (the tomboy, the sweet girl, the quiet boy with mommy-issues, the ditzy girl, the wannabe though-guy) while the Dragon Knights also consist of some well-known archetypes (the gruff guy haunted by his past, the smart girl, the hacker, the psychopath). Most of the character play their roles well and are fleshed out in a satisfying manner. Special mention goes to a particularly engaging and poignant subplot involving a boy's difficult relationship with his mother.
Not all of it is good, sadly. 'Our world' also contains two adult side-characters who feel incredibly tacked-on and add nothing to the overall plot. They serve as a connection to a laughably clichéd evil coorporation overlooking the dimensions (though their influnce is barely felt within the series) to try and use them for their own sinister ends; but the whole plot-thread ends up being rather insignificant and yet it still hogs up a good chunk of screentime especially towards the end. Another huge weakness is the main antagonist, who remains an enigma until the show's finale and never manages to be a convincing threat seeing as he mostly pops up to give ominous warnings every so often. One last issue I want to adress is that the female lead's abilities end up negating any possible tension one is supposed to feel when she's in danger (and the makers actually try to make you worry for her safety); but in her defense: she's a likable and reasonably well-developed character.
The visuals are also a mixed bag. Fight scenes generally look stunning and art-direction is pleasantly distinctive without being excessively bizarre but normal motions like walking or running are often choppy and the amount of detail put in characters and backgrounds wildly fluctuates. The soundtrack is the only aspect of the series I have no major complaints about seeing as the music does a good job setting the mood of each and every scene though they could have cut back on the 'epic' choir track a bit.
All in all, 'Noein' is a series that is crushed under the weight of its own ambition while further suffering from sloppy writing and inconsistent animation. I applaud its many attempts at trying to be something genuinely distinctive and engaging but feel that the series failed to captivate me all the way through.
I still recommend anyone intruiged by the premise to give it a try seeing as there are those who are able to overlook the show's problems to enjoy its stronger aspects. Who knows? Maybe you, like them, will end up enjoying the series more than I did.
marusamarento
Noein has the dubious honour of being the first thing I ever bought when I opened my current account several years ago. I first heard of it when reading about Crispin Freeman on Wikipedia (we've all had inexplicable moments like that, right?). Seeing as I hadn't heard of it before I decided to exercise my right to participate in the capitalist structure of our society and bought it from Amazon. Noein is quite a surprising choice to get licensed and dubbed for Western consumption. I can think of many other titles that are perhaps more commercial (or even more deserving). Noein starts out unremarkably, inthe typical anime fashion: group of friends encounter mysterious mysteriousness. More specifically, while doing a test of courage, twelve-year-old Haruka and her group of friends run through a reportedly haunted part of the city when Haruka sees something her friends can't - blue snow falling from the sky. This leads to Haruka and her friend Yuu's quest to save the universe from imminent destruction, as the evil alternate dimension Shangri-La attempts to destroy all of space-time. So - the usual.
What initially drew me in to Noein was the sci-fi plot, which is actually based on the Many World's Interpretation of quantum mechanics. Shangri-La, the 'evil' dimension, and La'cryma, home to the Dragon Cavalary seeking to put an end to Shangri-La's machinations, are not simply enemies vs enemies. In fact, it could be said the Dragon Cavalry are fighting themselves - their evil doppelgangers, to be exact, versions of themselves that diverged at some split in space-time. This is an interesting commentary on the nature of development, especially juxtaposed with the adolescent uncertainty our protagonists grapple with - what school to go to and ultimately what to do with their lives. To equate the choices we make everyday with the principles of quantum ambiguity is a very clever move on the creator's parts, making the scientific theory approachable and the seemingly-normal choices of our characters full of suspense.
While the plot is has an overarching theme and direction, the action is mostly character-driven, coinciding with the series' themes of ambiguity and alternate realities. Unfortunately I would say the characters are probably the weakest point of the series. As twelve-year-olds, they are irritating, as I'm sure is true to life. Yuu is pressured by his over-bearing mother to get into the best school despite being tortured by doubt over his own future, while Haruka is more adjusted though pretty much ignored by her own mother. Their group of friends have various problems, such as unrequited love, which are explored in subsequent episodes. Personally, I would have preferred the protagonists to be a little bit older, as I don't think much is gained by having them be so young, as they act high-school aged anyway.
Of course, their present-day manifestations are quite different to their future selves. Without giving too much away I can definitely attest that the changes between how we see our protagonists in the present day and how we see them in Shangri-La and La'cryma is fascinating and is the catalyst for some of the most shocking twists of the entire series.
The art is a mix of CGI and line-drawing, and I think for the most part it looks great, though there are a few moments where the CGI wobbles a bit before finding its balance. The colours used are bright and vivid, though in La'cryma they are notably more subdued. Remarkably, there were only two animators for the entire 24-episode series, and changes in their style as they alternate episodes are noticeable, but not distressingly so.
The music used throughout is perhaps a questionable mix of more ethereal j-pop and classical scores. The opening song grew on me over the course of the series, though I do think it's forgettable, it has a melancholic feel. Tangentially, I love the shots of snow in the opening.
I watched this in the English dub, which I would describe as adequate to good. I found that the protagonists (Haruka voiced by Melissa Fahn, Yuu voiced by Yuri Lowenthal, and Kurasu voiced by Crispin Freeman) were very expressive and their voices fit the characters believably, whereas the side-characters (Ai voiced by Dorothy Elias-Fahn, Isami voiced by Bryce Papenbrook, and Miho voiced by Lara Cody) are less convincing, though they are on the periphery of action for most of the series.
At 24 episodes, the series does deliver a consistently entertaining and suspenseful plot with a satisfying conclusion. However, if that doesn't leave you sated, the DVD does contain some extra material, most notably a gag reel. I have to say, while maybe not suitable for children, it's obvious the dubbing team had a lot of fun and the results are extremely amusing and almost worth watching the show for on their own merit.
Overall, Noein is a gem of a series with themes of isolation, friendship, personal responsibility, fate and quantum mechanics. Noein consistently delivers a fantastic sci-fi story that looks great and provokes the tantalizing, torturous question: who will you be if you take a bad turn or make the wrong decision?
RRP: £14.00
Format: Animated, Box set, PAL
Languages: English, Japanese
Number of discs: 5
Classification: 15
Studio: starz home entertainment uk ltd
DVD Release Date: 22 Oct 2007
Run Time: 604 minutes
Originally posted at marusamarento.wordpress.com
RyanSpring
My wife and I had been meaning to watch this for many months but for various reasons other anime just kept jumping in front of it. When we finally got around to it, both very interested in the premise and confident we'd like it, we were both highly underwhelmed and disappointed. The art is super inconsistent. The show has flashes of beauty, but those moments are few and far between, and for every one truly beautiful moment there are a dozen ugly cringe-worthy ones. The way characters are animated is really inconsistent as well. Sometimes they'll be super tall and thin. Other times they're overweight andoddly shaped. The inconsistencies with the art are really noticeable and absolutely detract from the show. Often times the show looks older than it is, which is rarely a good thing.
The voice acting is below average. There are zero standout performances in a positive way, though the two best, keeping in mind that best merely means passable, in the dub belong to secondary characters Toby and Koriyama respectively. The voice of Atori is over the top and impossible to take remotely seriously and the voice of Uchida is absolutely terrible. The actress can't decide where her accent is from. Sometimes she's from the southern part of the USA and other times she's British even though her last name is very Japanese.
The character development is PUTRID. These are among the most shallow, undeveloped, one dimensional, cookie cutter characters you'll ever see. Basically every single character has one role or purpose in the bigger picture story and that is the long and short of who they are as a person. The anime also wastes entire episodes on characters that are completely unimportant to the story, such as Yuu's mother, which only exasperates the anime's clear pacing issues and multiple slow, dull stretches.
Karasu is repetitive and has a five line vocabulary. He's like one of those toy dolls with a string where you pull it and it says one of five possible lines. From him you get Protect Haruka, Save Haruka, Haruka is in danger, I love Haruka and Haruka. He's not the only one though- the writing as a whole is really basic and crappy. It could have been written by a middle school student. Cheesy, bare bones lines are everywhere in this anime.
The music during fight scenes was actually really epic and badass. It was too good for the rest of the show, honestly. I tip my cap to the composer and only wish their work had a better anime around it.
All things considered, while this wasn't the worst anime I've ever seen in my life, objectively this show is just bad. I'll not be watching it a second time any time remotely soon and I honestly cannot recommend you watch it at all. It's just not good enough in any way to be worthy of your time.
+Epic fight scene music
+Cool, original premise (completely wasted by horribly botched execution)
+Semi-realistic/believable scientific concepts
-Inconsistent art/animation
-Some of the most underdeveloped, shallow characters ever
-Terrible writing
-Below average voice acting
-Pacing issues/dull stretches
OBJECTIVE RATING- 4
PERSONAL ENJOYMENT RATING- 4
-redux
Noein is one of those shows, that after watching, feels like it has excelled in every aspect known to anime. You might think I'm exaggerating, but truly- Noein IS a masterpiece, not just in terms of animation, music, character development or storytelling- it is a masterpiece because it manages to weave all of these things together so fluidly you don't even realize it until the credits roll. Where do we start? I'll skip the basic summary and get on to the point- Noein is a delight to watch. It breaks all the basic tropes that comes with science fiction. We first have a widely diverse castof characters- very basically, divided into kids, and into adults. That said, these characters actually act their age. The kids will act immature and impulsive at times, but it are those qualities that lead to a lot of character development, more than anything else. The most amazing thing is that each character- and I mean every one of them- is fully fleshed out and given their own story to tell, despite the entire series being 24 episodes. Which, is something very very hard to do when you have this large of a cast, and this intense of a plot. This brings me to talking about Noein's finest achievement- its balancing and pacing. Noein manages to integrate the stories of the characters into its plot; you can't have one without the other. While the plot is slowly being revealed, time is used to flesh out these characters and make them real, accessible, and relatable. At the same time, the consistency is kept, without any real dips in narration. You care for these characters, and at the same time, you're not too into them to forget about the plot, nor are you too into the plot to remain stubborn about the characters. None of them are too stereotypical- each one has their own faults and weaknesses, and Noein explores these weaknesses through the idea of choice- what if this had happened differently? How would this person grow? How do people actually change over time, and what motivates them to do so? Noein realizes and does a wonderful job of understanding these concepts.
As much as this is weird to say, another fantastic thing about Noein is its villain, who is probably one of the most bizarre but wonderful ones out there- it is completely original, fresh and human, nevertheless. You are almost compelled to care about the villain of Noein, in a way.
The story is actually quite simple- not simplified, as to say, as it is just a very well-laid out plot. Especially considering the very confusing things that could have gotten in the way, Noein makes sure to sell its plot and make it easy to understand, but not boring at the same time. Concepts like time travel and parallel universes are actually accurate, but are not complicated to the point where they bog down the audience's interest. Don't assume that just because a story is simple, however, makes it uncreative- Noein's plot is one of the most creative ones out there, twisting and turning and still maintaining a smooth, consistent narrative. Nothing feels rushed at all, which is rare to find in anime.
I won't do this show a disservice by forgetting about the animation and sound however; Noein is equally amazing with these. The fight scenes are lovely to watch, and the stark contrast between the future and the present is amazing. Details are poured everywhere, whether it be the villain's creations, or the towns themselves. This show really knows how to use color properly, adding streaks of bright, vivid blues and greens and reds when needed, and then really shadowing the place with dull browns and soft hues of blue. The show is literally an eyecandy. The soundtrack for Noein is one of the greatest I've heard- there is so much variety, ranging from fast paced electronic styled music, to slow, piano-based tunes.
Truly, Noein really pushes the boundaries of anime, and I hope that in the future, more shows like this will be created. It will take your breath away, make you laugh, make you cry, and make you smile. If you're a lover of sci fi or well paced character development narratives, Noein is a must watch.
bloodless08
'Noein' was an anime that took me some time to sit down and watch. If you've watched the first episode then you know how obscure the contents of this anime may seem hehe. Let me start with this, this is a good anime that I think the vast majority will want to finish once they've sat through the first 4 or 5 episodes. I promise. It has FANTASTIC character depth and some really interesting concepts loosely based on actual science (theories on quantum mechanics that is). The characters in this anime tend to be sensible as well (always a plus). The action isn't bad either, butit's not so great as to draw the audience away from character relationships (kinda like a 'good' balance between these two aspects). It really will catch your interest.
On the downside, if you're someone like me who notices discrepancies in plot, you might not be able to put up with some of the loose ends and unanswered questions throughout. In my opinion, these loose ends are answered well enough by the end of the series though (just a heads up).
If you like Steins Gate (my favorite anime), or other time traveling based anime, this one is sure to interest you. Even if you simply just 'plan to watch' it you definitely won't regret it (honto ni!) It's not your usual 'time only moves in a linear fashion' anime either (may be a little confusing for younger audience members!).
It's available in both sub and dub too! (I'm a 'sub' man myself hehe).
Overall I give this anime an 8.5-ish out of 10
It was most enjoyable, but I wasn't momentarily crushed by it's completion like with other anime (I know: 'What a sap!') The plot could have been a little bit more established in my opinion, but that uncertainty is probably what the anime needs for newcomers.
This is supposed to be a positive review, I highly suggest you watch this when you have some time between anime. This is my first review, so thanks for reading!
--AWS
lonehunter88
The best thing about watching anime, or appreciating any form of art or entertainment is the possibility of finding a diamond among all the sand, and i have to say without a doubt that Noein is one of those gems which are becoming so rare in a world overflowing with information. If you thought Evangelion or Tsubasa Chronicles was IT, then Noein is ALL of IT. Story: 10 It is very rare for fiction to be so extensively researched, but it is a one in a million chance for fiction to be able to apply known scientific theories so perfectly and even use those theories toits advantage in plot development.
One of the best things about Noein is that it doesn't try to explain more than what has already been explained about the many theories of quantum physics. It gives you the freedom to think and figure it out and imagine beyond the plot which it presents to you.
Another thing that impressed me is that Noein successfully utilizes the many uncertainties and theories about the science and put it to good use in plot development. Most science fictions tend to be based on one popular paradox and engages into an endless loop in which the story gets entangled in the maze itself, but this is not the case with Noein.
Art: 8
You should know beforehand that the setting of this anime is a real place in Japan, in Hokkaido. The city Hakodate is famous for its night view from the mountain which is portrayed many many times in the anime, and also takes pride in its many Western architectural legacies from its lucrative sea trade in the past. This is depicted beautifully in the anime, and the frequent use of 3D assimilation is also very commendable. The only thing I wished Noein could improve on was the character art.
Sound: 8
The OP and ED aren't really worth listening, but the BGMs are strong and complimentary, giving the series an aura of mystery and innocence.
Character: 9
The characters are probably one of the strongest uncertain element of the story. The makers made a great choice of characters, in that they are very much normal, not special entities which nobody is able to relate to. The reason is probably so that the theories and paradoxes illustrated can be contemplated from a first person point of view. and understood and delved in by the viewers. Consider you were told that you've been chosen to be the savior of the universe, not because you are special or have any supernatural abilities, but just because you were chosen out of the unlimited probabilities available.
The character development is also amazing. As said before, the scientific theories and paradoxes are fully utilized in the plot as well as the characters' development.
Enjoyment : 10
There are 3 types of joy in watching anime. First, is to not be able to stop watching till the last episode. Second, is to be able to watch an episode at a time and enjoy every single moment of each episode. Third, is to be interested in the subjects discussed and can't help to learn about it deeper. This anime satisfies the first and the third.
Overall: 9
One of the best SF i've seen so far, but it's sad that very few notice its bright glimmer. I'm so glad i stumbled upon this diamond, and hope more people will find it too.
LunaWingz
I enjoyed myself tremendously while watching this anime. It features a storyline that I find extremely fascinating and not to mention unique. Despite the fact that the art style did not appeal much to me, it captured my attention right to the end of the series. For those who lament that many animes do not have a decent storyline, this is a must watch. Animation ---- Though its art did not appeal to me at first,it's fightning scenes varied from bold lines to American comic styled drawings in its fighting scenes. While the ships of the enemies had been in detail, I found it lacked severly. It seemed tome that the artist of the anime had been tired drawing and while the drawing of characters had improved, certain parts of the presentation had been a let down.
It combines a mixture of 3d and drawings which seemed strange at first but it blended very well.
Sound
----
The soundtrack of this anime was pleasant to listen to by itself. It was able to convey emotions without much support from the animation. This helped the anime to convey the emotions it could not achieve.
Character
----
As for character development wise, this anime had not clearly or may not even have development some of its main characters. However this is pretty common for most animes. It did however make an effort to develop some of its characters which in the end result makes the characters more likable and more realistic. I even found myself liking a character that I had disliked in the first half.
Character Design wise, it had been overall simplistic, allowing its plot and unique storyline to shine.
Story
----
Noein's storyline is fantastic. Its depth of research is obvious. On first impressions, it was hard to understand the theories that brought the story about, but the anime slowed down to explain repeatedly in easy terms for its viewers to swallow making the anime easy to watch. The base line of the story is matchless even when compared to other Sci-Fi animes.
While general plot, save the world, exists, it is hidden by its many subplots, making the anime appearingly less cliche than others. The story twists and turns unexpectedly making you constantly wonder what would happen next and making you get shocked at an unexpected twist.
A general amount of anime has cliche, lame, bad or <insert descriptive word here> endings. However for Noein I found the ending was pretty decent. It was not fantastic but definitely above average. The only lamentable thing is that the ending was too aburpt. The end effect nevertheless makes you crave to know more and possibly the effect the creators had tried to create.
Value
-----
Its enjoyable to watch and re-watching. However after its plot is revealed, it leaves you wanting to know more.
Brottoy
Noein: To Your Other Self or Noein: Towards Another You is a character-driven science fantasy that still leans more to the analytical science. Noein deals with quantum parallel world intertwined with teleological thinking, set in a complex inter-dimensional conflict. While it concerns a complex and very thought provoking theme, Noein delivers it with a very accessible presentation which makes it easy to understand. This anime refrains from presenting any superfluous convolution. It can be quite confusing at a few points, but they are crucial for the storytelling and are explained later on. Noein’s specialty lies in its detailed and extremely well orchestrated character interaction. It isvery well written. The subtle execution makes these interactions feel genuine. It’s as if the viewers are looking at real people interacting. The emphasis on details is splendid!
The delicate interaction wouldn’t amount to anything if the characters weren’t worth caring for. Noein introduces its characters perfectly. It establishes their traits, relations and lives wonderfully. So the viewers get along with the characters very well and can relate to them properly. Each character is well written and their natural interaction with each other makes it easier to like them.
Speaking of characters, Yuu’s mother falls in an archetype, seemingly. She does seem to be one of those mother characters that falls in the ‘I know what’s best for you’ category that we see often in the recent anime, but honestly speaking, this archetype is one of the better written ones. Not to mention, Noein is from 2005, so it wasn’t an archetype to be precise. Having said all that, Yuu’s mother has much more traits to her and she has her reasons. And she develops really well throughout the show as well.
Noein’s world building is rich and insightful. Shangri La is a depiction of utopia, while Lacryma is a dystopian dimension. Both of them have great buildup and are really well fleshed out. And these two worlds portray ‘life’ and ‘death’ in a very interesting way, thus enriching its conceptual value. It also contains a number of interesting messages and subtexts as well.
Noein’s story is a bit slow paced and can be dragged at times. But that’s due to the vague knowledge of the characters at that time. In other words, it’s part of the narrative. It can be quite predictable as well. But the fascinating execution and the interesting character interaction (which takes a lot of its time) make up for these complaints.
Noein’s depiction of parallel multiverse is really quite interesting. The exploration of existentialism and the concept of Reizu, the source of the power is amusing. It has vagueness but they play along well with the series. While it’s heavily thought provoking, it is still an excellent slice of life and holds its ground as a drama strongly. Its emotional aspects are very refined.
The art of Noein is quite unique and compliments the story well. It’s a good example of visual storytelling. The brilliant use of color enriches the atmosphere and makes it visually very appealing. The superfine animation is spectacular and enhances the awesomeness of the action scenes. It has some of the most well animated and brilliant fights I’ve seen in anime.
The cinematography of Noein is one of the best I’ve seen in anime. The camera angle always captures the best aesthetic view it could deliver. The movements and distortions are so well proportioned that it gives a clear idea of the position of everything in the frame. The choreography is just fantastic! It was visually gorgeous!
The background music are just as amazing. Noein has some ecstatic OSTs that sets the atmosphere as profoundly as possible. Both the OP and ED of this anime are simply wonderful. They’re really soothing to listen to and delivers some superb visual exposition. I loved them both.
Watching Noein was a great experience. It’s intense actions were enthralling. The slice of life aspects were amusing. It was intimidating all through. A really enjoyable ride overall.
Noein is thematically sound and esoteric. It has elements that I believe can satisfy all sorts of viewers to an extent. I’d specially recommend it to those who liked Serial Experiments Lain because it does somewhat similar (keyword, ‘similar’, not ‘same’) things. Overall, I rate it an 8 out of 10. This anime is awfully underrated and deserves a lot more recognition.
So, what are you waiting for? Start watching it, ASAP!
ex0
This is going to be a very short review, and it's going to be directed at the people who have seen the first episode or two and wondering whether they should continue. If you were like me, and were totally blown away by the first episode or two and the awesome matrix type fighting style/action(you'll know what i'm talking about when you see it), well.. here's some advice(or rather, a warning) for you. Don't expect to see anything like that ever happening in the whole series. I was waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting and... nothing. It's like getting cock teased so bad by areally beautiful woman, and then waiting to orgasm, and it never finishes you off and then your excitement turns into frustration and you get a bad taste in your mouth and resentment starts to kick in. Such a letdown/disappointment, and that is why i rated it a 6 overall. If it had more action like in the first episode, i would of easily given it 8/9's, especially with the funky quantum physics and multi dimensional world theme/setting, which i'm usually a sucker for.
You have been warned.
Caraniel
Exciting, if sometimes mind-bending, Sci-fi series with a ton of action. PLOT: Noein is a series that while it contains many clichéd elements, still manages to be highly original and memorable. It tackles complex ideas like the multiple-world theory and the fluidity of the future and wraps them up in a very accessible and human story. There is always the danger when dealing with sci-fi that its all going to get very talky and incomprehensible and the characters will get caught up techno-babble and end up feeling aloof and unapproachable – such is thankfully not the case in Noein. Even the scientist characters remain human andmostly likeable. The character development is superbly done – Noein has a large cast, but all are given adequate time and are fairly well rounded at the end. Haruka is a great heroine – very grounded and believable, and her friends in all their incarnations are also well developed. The only character I have issue with is Yuu – he’s such a whiney brat for most the time that by the time he actually stops his emo-ness and does something I just no longer cared about the character. His alternate future self, Karasu, on the other hand; is a wonderful and complex character and the central figure of most the action scenes in the series.
There is so much I’d like to ramble about as Noein provides great food for thought, but if I go on much longer this will turn into an essay rather than a review! So I’ll just say that Noein’s plot was great with lots of interesting ideas and a well developed world and likeable characters – it looses some marks for slightly odd pacing and an end that’s a touch too neat with a couple of plot-holes, but those are minor quibbles and don’t really much affect my overall enjoyment.
ANIMATION: Unorthodox and experimental, Noein makes for a unique visual experience. The character designs are definitely not the norm and the animation is almost messy in its execution. However this style works very well for the subject matter – the action scenes are jaw-dropping as the messy, sketchy style allows for a lot of freedom of movement. Its not pretty, but it is eye-catching. I have issues with the CGI though – a lot of it is poorly done and doesn’t mesh with the other animation at all, the only place this actually works well is with the Shangri-La things as it enhances the feeling that these objects really are from a different time-space. Plenty of recycled animation too, notably shots of Haruka’s house and her activation of the Dragon Torque. The animation quality is also very inconsistent; at times it’s striking, detailed and has lots of movement and at others its completely bland, static and the characters look deformed! Still I appreciate that Noein offers something different and quite visually striking.
MUSIC & VOICE ACTING: The score is excellent – all the BGM is wonderful and has lots of variety. It’s a really rich soundscape. The OP was pretty and I didn’t skip it all that much, the ED was quite forgettable though. Voice acting was excellent – Karasu, Haruka and Atori stand out in my mind as particularly well acted as these are the characters that have the biggest range of expression over the run of the series. However as a whole the cast is wonderful.
So all in all Noein is one of the better and more original sci-fi anime I’ve seen, I’d definitely recommend it.
natsuocosplay
Noein was one of the first anime on TV that I watched every week obsessively. It also is one of those anime that I do not feel has gotten enough love from viewers. STORY - It's soooo unique! I mean, quantum physics, time warps, different dimensions? It's very sci fi if you ask me. If you like all those gadgets and technological advances in science, grab this and watch it right away! But if you get confused by big words and fancy science lingo, you may get slightly lost in this. I did have to ask my sister what a couple things meant while we watchedthis, BUT they do try their best in the anime to explain things and make it less confusing. It just may take awhile for the viewer to understand. And the conclusion of this series is TO DIE FOR!
ART - okay, so it's not that great. But good art does not make a good anime. It's not that the art is BAD, it's just a very different style. It's a tad sloppy and I think that it is a very positive thing for this anime. It's all about dimensions and traveling though time and space, so I just think that the art represents that concept SO well. :) It's like reading a comic book, except... watching it. haha.
SOUND - The OP and ED were both... good to say the least. They weren't songs that I would listen to over and over again, but it's not like I couldn't stand to sit there and listen to them. There were really amazing sound effects when the members of Lacrima battle. The sounds are very tech-ish and futuristic. Throughout the anime, when there were sad moments, they found great music to fit. But as I said, nothing really jumped out as unforgettable.
CHARACTER - The memebers of Lacrima had VERY unique and well thought out characters. Karasu was my favorite major character. His hair is just so awesome! haha. But really, he is a great character who changes the ENTIRE story with his actions. I can't say much more without giving away huge spoliers. Haruka (yes it's where I got my screename) is a cute girl character with a good voice actress... thank goodness. I really didn't think she was a very good MAIN character, but she is the most important element to the story. The cutest couple ever, is Haruka and Yuu. It's so cute... best friends who fall in love. It doesn't get much better than that. But I promise, it's not a romance story at all. The lesser "human" characters give the humor element to the story. Miho, Ai, and mostly Isami are cute characters who effect the main characters but they really don't do much except make you laugh. The Lacrima minor characters are some of my favorite. Tobi and Atori are my favorites personally. Without them there would be no story! (Gosh, it's so hard not to add spoliers...)
ENJOYMENT - very very very enjoyable. It's got science, humor, fighting, and even a very small amount of romance. I mean, really, if you like ANY of those elements in an anime, this one is a great one to watch! (oh, and by the way, after you watch it, which I'm hoping you will, there are funny deleted voiceovers on youtube. They made me laugh so hard!)
Noein gets a 9 from me!!! :)
Cespar
Don't be fooled with the action sequence in the first episode. It's more into a slice-of-life based on a time-travelling aspect with some fighting scenes along the way. Noein: to Your Other Self is a fairly older anime from 2005-2006. Directed by Kazuki Akane and made by often collab scriptwriter Hiroshi Oonogi, I realized certain elements from Akane’s and Oonogi’s Birdy the Mighty: Decode and The Vision of Escaflowne (that one only was done by Akane.) All have used a sci-fi/fantasy background, incorporating genre-bending along with multi-layering story lines as well a somewhat simple premise that slowly builds up. Many themes are quite similar, but itsfocus is quite different. In Noein’s case, it focuses a lot more on its sci-fi concepts compared to the other two.
** It’s a clean anime devoid of a lot fan-service; just expect some standard shounen violence and some disturbing disfigurement. I believe that I need to explain some of its concept of quantum mechanics or else many ideas will blow over your head, especially in the middle of the series. So please bear with me with spoiling the techno babble. The technobabble is strong in this one. **
Characters, Concept, Story-
The concept revolves around a multiverse theory filled with limitless possibilities and dimensions, but this anime limits to three main dimensions: one called Shangri-la, another called La’cryma, and one on present-day Earth in the port of Hakodate located in Japan. There are also jumps to other dimensions, having variations here and there along with some manipulations of space-time (e.g. stopping time and reconstructing matter or energy called Reizu.)
However, what unfortunately happens is that the anime doesn’t go leaps and bounds to fully explain this to an audience without prior knowledge of quantum mechanics. While that also means it doesn’t hold the viewer's hands, it means that much of its well thought-out ideas do not come to fruition.
** It's not entirely necessary to enjoy this anime. But it might help in clarifying Schrodinger's cat .**
With that being said about its multiverse theory, it basically means that in one hypothetical situation, you can forget you to take out the trash in one dimension, and in another almost identical one, you actually go outside and take out the trash. Considering all the different factors that make our universe, there will be endless combinations and possibilities of dimensions with you just trying taking out the trash. However rather than these dimensions simply being a hypothetical “what if,” its existence becomes more tangible and practical because of the observer’s perspective who validates its existence. An “observer” - like you, myself or somebody else, for example. So much of the outcome is derived on how and what the "observer" witness, but before that happens, the event just becomes an uncertain possibility (either the trash is out or not or some random thing). This is basically more on the lines of a variation of Schrödinger’s cat.
tl;dr: Observers affect the outcome by seeing it. Otherwise what they don't see beforehand, are the other potential possibilities that could be true. (That's as simple as I can describe it.)
Things become a bit more complicated when there are “observers” from different dimensions, but the “illusion” is or the hypothetical “what if,” would be more likely to be the one separated from their original dimension. That's why the Dragon Calvary need to attach long cables tethered to their original dimension or else they would disappear. They can't exist in Hakodate for too long because they are an "illusion" of that dimension and shouldn't exist in children's world in the first place. However, the same thing would happen is true if one of the kids go to La'cryma. That's why from the Dragon Calvary's perceptive, when they traveled to the other world, they often call Hakodate and the children (especially Haruka) the "illusion."
In the case of this show, the power of the Dragon Torque becomes the ultimate observer. Because of this, it’s quite OP and used for many deus ex machina as it can travel to other dimensions and affects the outcome of reality, but it’s limited due to Haruka’s character.
Rather than solely geared to be another fighting shounen as shown in the first couple episodes, it displaces the concepts towards more slice-of-life factors. It becomes a refreshing take on our events on our everyday lives, and how it reflects our actions and beliefs in transforming our future selves. Also, the multi-layered usage of children and adults becomes an interesting manner that’s not presented in many anime, having children going through normal societal issues, such as having parental problems, caring for friends, and going to cram school, while also having some action pack scenes and more life-or-death situations from the Dragon Calvary. In fact, it can be quite endearing or gripping at many moments.
However, because of a large cast, the story collapses from its main objective, (boiled down to capturing Haruka) going on with various tangents, and bogged by its confusing concepts (that I hoped clarified). Also, don’t expect the big bad villain to be seen behind the shadows because he’s mostly there at the end when it sort of loses its end-game pieces. But overall, it executes the intertwining storylines quite well (albeit over-ambitiously).
Art, Animation, Sound-
Done by the animation studio, Satelight, the art style has been consistently inconsistent. Certain fights appear surrealistic when time stops and are more similar to the Naruto vs Pain fight. The Dragon Calvary wear long cloaks for obvious reasons to be animated easier but character designs are a bit blobby and are off model quite often. However if aren’t the one bashing your head from Naruto’s animation, you can actually notice that the attention in the background- studied to resemble the real Hakodate. CGI isn’t too jarring and fits surprisingly well probably because of the eccentric art style. Also, you can see the weight to some of its chaotic movements and energy blasts.
Just be more open-minded to it, especially when fights and visuals are more in the lines of experimental.
As for the sound, it is quite well done. Certain OST composed by Nanase Hikaru (Itou Masumi) are hauntingly beautiful and orchestral at times while some are a bit whimsical. The opening and ending are more polyphonic and quite cheerful, unlike its unreleased opening track. Voice acting from Karasu and Yuu, done by Cripsin Freemen and Yuri Lowenthal, respectively, from the English track, are a bit hard to get used to comparing to Kazuya Nakai’s (Roronoa Zoro) and Takimoto Fujiko’s (Suguru Misato) take in the Japanese voices.
One thing to note: I always hear the Dragon Calvary’s movements sound like some high pitch vinyl scratches. It wasn’t irritating as I described it but really grew on me and something to take note.
Personal Enjoyment
8/10 first 6 eps (Very Good)
10/10 next 14 ep (Outstanding)
8/10 last 4 eps (Very Good)
I will say straight off the bat, this is one of my favorite anime and that my enjoyment has been rooted since I saw this on Ani-Mondays from the SyFy channel (when it was called the “Sci-fi” channel almost a decade ago.) However, I watched it a lot more recently and still enjoyed the mixed genres and great tonal usage. For me, it was not whimsically juvenile, but never staunchly adult and knows how to treat their characters with more respect compared to other anime. It's a refreshing take that I usually don't see quite often with some truly heart-warming moments that so many other shows tend to discard. While the beginning was quite hard to grasp and the ending a bit anti-climatic, in-between, it knew how to build up slowly with its content.
Btw, Tobi is a boy. Just need to point that out if you're looking at subs. In the dubbed version he's a girl.
Overall, a high 7/10 (Good)
Or a mid 8/10 (Very Good)
It's structurally flawed but wonderfully done.
Given pacing issues, somewhat messily presented concepts (such as those seahorses), and a fairly non-centralized story, I will have to objectively give it a 7. However, if those problems were easily overlooked (which they can be), it goes well into an 8 in my book for implementing much of its unique concepts and its great usage of genre-bending that I’ve seen from Akane and Oonogi. If you brush up a bit on Schrodinger's cat and appreciate the inner working efforts taken for this anime, I highly recommend this hidden gem.
KaraTenshi
I finished this anime in two nights. I think, and you can see it from my rateing, this anime has a great storyline, from the begining to the end you can't figure it out wath will happen next. And this is not characteristic non for much animes or films this times. The characters are not simple, aspecial Karasu(main) and Atori. Each one of they have a good and a bed side. But the main point in this anime is the graphic! By the fightscenes it's totali different than by the other scenes. Dynamic ineation like in a manga, strong colors. And pay attention to the robotsof Noein, they look alike an Indian godsculpture.
I can just recommend this anime for every one who likes a perfect mixture of sci-fi, fantasy and drama.
Enjoy it!!
Purjoloek
Noein: Mou Hitori no Kimi e is a lovely little show revolving around a group of children who have their world changed by invaders from a foreign dimension. The easiest parallel I can give you is that it's basically an anime cousin of Stranger Things. The series focuses on the relationship between Haruka and Yuu. Both come from more or less broken families and have been friends since they met. Haruka is outgoing and friendly, while familial circumstances and social pressure has turned Yuu into a loner who wants nothing more than to grow up and leave town. Haruka is also a being called the DragonTorque, which grants her certain (limited) reality-bending powers, that make her the target for a group of foreign invaders from the world of La'cryma - invaders that have surprisingly strong ties to them and their group of friends. Haruka forms a quick and deep connection with one of them called Karasu, who seems intent on protecting her.
Noein shines when it focuses on the kids and their reactions to the wild events of the story, as well as Haruka and Yuu's relationship with Karasu. Haruka struggles to connect with Yuu on a deeper level, and Yuu finds it hard to measure up to the fully grown and capable protector that is Karasu. The kids are all likeable and have relatable struggles with their connections to each-other and growing up.
The series starts to struggle a bit when it opens up the wold a bit more and showing you different vantage points of the whole story. While parts of them are interesting - that is, the parts that aren't complete pseudoscience gobbledegook - they take away from the heart of the series which is the children themselves. Similar to how a horror villain/monster often gets less scary the more is revealed about them, here the story gets more and more bogged down with uninteresting detail that isn't directly relevant to the children (as in, they don't need to know about quantum bullshit to progress the story) and takes more and more screen time away from the actual interesting parts of the story, which are mainly the relationships.
There are several adult characters that show up and explain the circumstances of the setting to the viewers, but they are rarely very interesting and their stories are often more than a bit disconnected from the core of the show. There's also a fair bit of politics about capitalism in the series that aren't exactly bad, but just feel like they come from a completely different show. There's even a sort-of Elon Musk stand in, who initially feels to cartoonish - until you realise it's a pretty accurate caricature of a childing billionaire who wants to the THE GUY without knowing his stuff. Ultimately he's such a tonal mismatch to the show that he feels wasted. The stakes that are attempted to be raised by the adult storyline doesn't really matter when positioned next to the central storyline and its events.
Speaking of adults, it's plain to see the effects that Haruka and Yuu's mothers have had on their lived. Yuu's father is abscent and Haruka's father lives in Tokyo so they both have single mothers. Yuu's mother is presented as the bad one, and she certainly is horrible. She wants him to study hard so he can go to a prestigious school in Tokyo, while struggling with her past and taking things out on Yuu, pressuring him to perform and isolating him from his friends. Haruka's mum is framed as the better parent, but this falters a bit when you shine a light on her behaviour. She basically locks herself away and works from home all day long. She sleeps in and doesn't take care of herself that well, to the point where Haruka has to cook and clean for her. In a way, it's not too bad for Haruka to develop some independence while young, but it's plain to see that being on her own without real limits and parental teaching has affected her emotional intelligence and she struggles to understand many of the relationships around her, and is reckless with her own personal freedom and self-sacrificing to a fault. It's especially evident how unreliable Haruka's parent is during one event where Haruka is missing and her friends are out searching for her together with their teacher. At no point during that event is Haruka's mother contacted to assist in the search or even be informed of her daughter's disappearance. The assumption lands at nobody really trusting her with auch responsibility.
Onto the aesthetic stuff: The voice acting is mostly very good, and has to do a lot of heavy lifting. Some performers are a bit miscast, such as the very recognisable Nakai Kazuya as Karasu who doesn't work very well with that part, imo. The music in the show in general is lovely and services the story well. The sweeping, orchestral score gives the exciting scenes way more of an impact. The art is generally pretty horrible, I'm sad to say. At times the barebones animation can work well, but the show is honestly quite ugly a lot of the time. Especially a few episodes in as the production quality takes an absolute nosedive.
All in all, I think it's certainly a show well worth watching, and one I recommend.
