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NOEIN (VOL. 3) [ADVANCE REVIEW] |
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Thursday, 08 February 2007 |
 | | ▪ | RELEASED BY: | | ANCHOR BAY / MANGA ENTERTAINMENT | | | ▪ | ASPECT RATIO: | | 16:9 ANAMORPHIC WIDESCREEN | | | ▪ | AUDIO: | | ENGLISH AND JAPANESE DTS & DD 5.1 | | | ▪ | RUNNING TIME: | | 125 MIN | | | ▪ | RATING: | | NR | | | ▪ | RELEASE DATE: | | 04/17/2007 | | | ▪ | REVIEW DATE: | | 02/09/2007 | | | ▪ | REVIEWED BY: | | HOLLY ELLINGWOOD | | |
In the latest volume of this incredible sci-fi series, old friends battle to the death as desperate enemies, time loops unveil treacherous secrets and all of reality as Haruka knows it is about to unravel. With her power as the Dragon Torque, is she the key to salvation, or the catalyst to oblivion?
As engrossing as ever, this series reaches some climatic revelations and deeper, more dangerous mysteries. It also has a much more fragmented feeling than the previous volumes as the reality of Haruka’s world threatens to be destroyed. There are some episodes heavy in exposition that details the theories on quantum existences and the physics surrounding Noein. Another disjointed episode has Haruka battling a time loop that threatens to unmake her family and perhaps her mind. These more surrealistic episodes are interspersed with ones that are far more action oriented and suspenseful such as Karasu and Fukuro facing off in a deadly battle while their young counterparts of this dimension, Yu and Isami, are seen with a nostalgic sense of best friends in a calm and peaceful life. This juxtaposition does an excellent job of showing how the two battling adults have changed since those idyllic days of youth, while at the same time adding to the tragedy of their fight and present circumstances.
The show sees Atori finally succumbs to his madness and a host of revelations follow. This volume ends with a bang with the appearance of Shangri-la, the revelations of what it and La’cryma are and Noein, the masked one who is the true evil that wishes to capture Haruka finally shows himself. But for what purpose does he want Haruka?
The story gets more immersing with this latest set of surprising revelations. The science fiction is compelling and the greater story proves suspenseful, edgy and dramatic. It’s anyone’s guess where this is going next. The series is powerful both visually and emotionally. The only criticism is that in this volume the first episode with the heavy exposition seems unnecessary and forced. One of the delights of this show so far has been that it hasn’t spoon-fed its viewers. But in this latest episode there was obviously a need felt to explain many of the concepts. This seems unnecessary as the story does a strong enough job of giving viewers the gist of what is going on and the clues and concepts to grasp the basic overall theories at play here. Science fiction enthusiasts will find it interesting nevertheless despite its ability to draw the person out of the main story a little bit.
Another surprising aspect of the show is that underneath the edgy sci-fi, this is also a story about 6th graders growing up. It is a story about the innocence of youth and its loss. The young heroine and her friends represent the idealism of childhood with the immediacy that all children live life with and from a rather single-minded state. The Dragon Knights of La’cryma represent the loss of that innocence and they are people as adults who cannot think of themselves, but most focus on the greater goal of trying to save dimensions. As Haruka comes to think and grow beyond her years due to her powers as the Dragon Torque and her relationship with Karasu, we see her shedding her innocence bit by bit and seeming less and less like the child she first appeared to us as.
Another compelling facet is the overall lack of a true villain (until perhaps the end of this volume). The La’cryma knights at first seem like the enemy and certainly to the children of this dimension they would be. But as the story unfolds we see that their goals aren’t evil but for a greater good. Whether the same can be said of their actions is debatable. This inclusion of the characters all being flawed and sympathetic makes for a fascinating story and complex characterizations as the story and the people in it show more layers with each episode.
The larger concept of Time as a trap and Destiny as a frightful enemy are both provocative and intriguing. Each character must decide if they consider their lives in any dimension to be a trap that they cannot escape, laid out with no deviation. Or if it is in fact a cage one can break free of and set out a new, unknown future.
The amazing music keeps standing out. The dramatic score will seem very familiar in style to fans of Escaflowne and the opening theme song is simply beautiful. The animation has some arresting scenes, especially with the battle of the Shangri-la beings and the appearance of Noein. The background animation is flat out stunning.
EXTRAS:
Bonus features include an image gallery, Noein: Storyboard to Screen, previews of other Manga Entertainment titles, and there is the third part to the Hakodate trip behind the scenes documentary with Japanese voice actor Haruka Kudo and director Kazuki Akane. This final installment of their trip to Hakodate where the animation is set sees them taking a ride on the rail car seen throughout the anime series, the cemetery where Karasu appeared before Yu, and the tea shop where the friends had sat and talked over green tea. This installment also has some more personal interviews with both the director and the voice actress in regards to their personal experiences when they were the same age as the characters of Noein (6th grade elementary) and their thoughts on the anime and Haruka.
IN SUMMARY:
Noein takes a shocking turn in this latest volume as the Dragon Knights face annihilation and the true enemy appears. It is edgy sci-fi done with arresting suspense and superb animation. |
