Noein: Mô hitori no kimi he

I found this while searching Anime features on Crunchyroll for a long Holiday Weekend...and the short synopsis about a girl, her friends and Quantum Dimension travelers was so off the beaten track I had to give the first episode a try.

It blew me away. Other posters have noted the series delve into Quantum Theory and such, and while there is usually a bit of Handwavium science in most Sci-Fi anime, Noein differs from the usual in that it 'lightly' swings the viewer thru actual light Quantum Theory.

As for the Story itself, it's a Sci-Fi adventure that is one part young adult/Pre-teen coming of age that doesn't dive into the usual anime school age 'soap-opera' formulas. Light hearted and funny at times, and yet it can go into some of the dark raw issues of Growing-up. This part makes it very watchable for kids.

But what makes this story a masterpiece in my eyes, is how the story can appeal to adults. An Adult can watch this story and root for the kid characters while trying to understand where the other adult characters are coming from and why they are the way they are: Yuu's Mother is one poignant case in point. And last, there is the question of the Dimension Travelers themselves.

As for the rest of it, what makes this series work for me is the fact that I could NOT figure out what was going on. WHO were the Dimension Travelers? WHERE or WHEN do they come from? WHO or WHY are they fighting? And WHO is actually on WHOSE side? There is no Prologue explanatory of everything. The Viewer is given bits and glimpses of Who, Why and What as the story progresses, and the Viewer is tasked with putting the puzzle together as things move along. Because this story doesn't follow the usual anime tropes, even a jaded anime watcher can't run thru half an episode and say to themselves: "Okay, I already know what Happens from this point on..."

Oh...and just one artistic shout: The Theme Song/Sequence is simply Beautiful to watch.

This is an amazing story. Yes the artwork isn't all that much to my taste, though I got used to it after a few episodes, yes there are plot holes, yes it starts slow. I don't care about the above to be honest. The story is gripping, the characters really well developed, I cared for them, though I'm old and cynical. And there are more twists in the plot than in the local roads in county Kerry! Nearly all an entertaining surprise.

It's not a tale for cretins though, it can get nerdy and convoluted, and something which nobody mentioned, it's fairly deep philosophically as well. You can just watch the story and run away with it but there are questions all along the way, important questions. Who or what are we, what is reality, what is illusion, what is perception and what link has it on reality ....also there are great lessons in life: we CAN change, for the better or the worse, regretting the past or fearing the future will ruin your life, be brave, don't give up, so on. I have the feeling there are some references to Buddhism in there but I'm not familiar enough with it to say more. This series I thought was very intelligent, and is not necessarily aimed at teens, on the contrary there is something in it for every generation.

As usual I thought the American dubbing was a disgrace, (what I heard of it, I always watch in Japanese - excellent voice acting there, if clearly shaky subtitle translations) and only Crispin Freeman who dubs Karasu appears to make some sort of effort and have a clue on how it should be played. I'm not sure I could have stuck with more than one episode in English.

Oh yes, and the soundtrack is brilliant.

8 out of 10, and I will watch it again, knowing what I know now, I need to watch it again. Besides I miss the characters already. Minus some bad art IMO in places, this is one of the better series out there, right up with the better known usual ones. I can't recommend it enough if you like to use your brain while watching entertaining TV.

GONZO did it again! Noein, which was created following the success of GONZO's retelling of Gankutsuou, is a truly mind-altering experience. Kazuki Akane is the creator, he is well-known for his directorial work on the brilliant Vision of Escaflowne series.

Noein is a beautiful series. The plot leans heavily upon principles of Quantum Physics. There are billions of versions of yourself in alternate dimensions. Haruka, a tween girl, finds herself pulled into a battle between the dimensions of Shangrila and Lacryma as Shangrila pursues the destruction of all existence and Lacryma tries to stop them. The key to this is the Dragon's Torque and it is Haruka's good fortune to find out that she's it. Emotions run high as characters meet future alternate versions of themselves as well as confronting images of themselves in the past.

I just can't hype this series enough. The music is beautiful... running from heavy chants for the battle scenes to light-hearted music for the children in the present day scenes. GONZO also pushed their animation to make some of the battles almost completely RAW in how the line work is animated. The characters are interesting in their realism in such unfortunate circumstances... but good as GONZO is, they always have that one blonde crazy guy like usual to entertain the viewer.

If you liked Gankutsuou you will like Noein as well... get the first DVD, you won't be disappointed!

To me Noein (Pronounced 'no-ay-een', sounds a little like "No Pain" but with the 'P' dropped, spelt in Japanese as ノエイン no e i n) is Undoubltably the Greatest Anime Series Ever!!! Yes you heard me! "The Greatest Anime Series Ever!!!", better than cult classics like Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Camploo, Ergo Proxy, Afro Samurai. Bettar than ever popular favorites like Fullmetal Alchemist, Claymore, Bleach, Naruto, Love Hina, Death Note (Only the Manga could top this), Ghost in the Shell, Fruits Basket, D. Gray Man, Code Geass, etc.

It also happens to be one of those series I'm self obsessed with, while everyone else around me doesn't really know about it much, so I'm the only person that loves it. I myself may sound self obsessed but I still hold true to this belief. Everything about this series is just wonderful, it pretty much outshines anything you may of ever seen. I remember on my first viewing of this series I was hooked and just couldn't wait until the next episode came. Primarily a Science Fiction Series, its also got a lot of Action, Adventure, Drama, Romance, Mystery, Humour and Charm. Viewers are just pulled in to this unique and amazing story across time, space and dimensions.

The Story has two settings; One is in the distant future where a violent battle between the two dimensions La'cryma (Protector of Humanity) and Shangri'la, bent on the annihilation of all time and space. It is here a group of time travelling soldiers known as Dragin Knights are dispatched through space and time searching for something called the "Dragon's Torque", which holds the key to stopping the invasion of Shangri'la.

Now onto the present, or in most cases the mid-noughties, in the town of Hakodate located on the southern tip of Hokkaido, Japan (Yes a real city). Lives a young 12-year-old girl named Haruka, she lives quietly with her divorced mother; who makes her living as a comic artist, while Haruka's father is a Quantum Physicist in Tokyo. For a while she and her best friend Yuu are contemplating on running away from home. But while its their last year of Primary School and the Summer break is looking bright, Yuu must prepare for a high school entrance exam and won't be able to see or play with his friends. It is on one fateful night that the both of them come across one of the members of the Dragon Knights named Karasu (crow in Japanese). He believes that Haruka is the Dragon's Torque and claims that he is in fact Yuu 15 years in the future.

Thus begins the mysteries and battles across time and space. The Sci-Fi elements of the series are the core to the series, how it works? and what roles does it play? Its incredibly thought provoking; the mysteries, the scientific ideas of time travel and philosophical elements destiny, choice and existence. That is the driving power of the series, viewers will be incredibly rewarded if they keep up with every episode, facing full on twist and turns.

Viewers spend a lot of time with the main characters that you can also think of them as your old school friends or best friends. I should mention a few more from Hakodate; along side Yuu and Haruka the gang also includes Miho; a smart, nerdy and passionate young girl whose obsession with paranormal phenomena like Ghosts and UFOs seems to drive them mad even if they don't really think she is. Ai; Haruka's most respectable friend, tall, very athletic, and head strong at times, she's also very caring and has a crush on Isami. Isami can be seen as 'the-cool-kid' very good at sports, charismatic but also dim witted at times, he cares a lot for his friends and has a crush on his teacher Miss Yukie; whose also surprisingly close to the gang helping them out in times of need. Yuu's mother; Miyuki plays a key role along with Haruka's mother; Asuka. There's also common appearances from Tokyo physicists Uchita and Koriyama investigating Hakodate for particle and quantum signs. The rest is for the viewer to discover.

The Animation is Superb, The settings are richly detailed with colorful and eye catching visuals that really draws viewers into the world. Some of the battle sequences have a combination of traditional anime techniques and CGI, incredibly unique in every way for a full scale impact.

Voice Acting is good, I've mostly watched it in English which was pretty impressive, its got several names other anime viewers will recognise; Melissa Fahn (Ed from Cowboy Bebop), Yuri Lowenthal (Suzaku from Code Geass, and others. etc) and Crispin Freeman. However I didn't like their pronunciation of Noein (as no-ween, pretty lazy and uncool if you ask me), that aside the voice acting is watchable on both sides. Check the DVD for some Hilarious random funny English out-takes.

The Soundtrack almost sounds like something you'd expect from a Studio Ghibli film. Its really that with a mix of epic orchestral scores and harmony. The Soundtrack is definitely one of my favourite anime scores, an unusual mix for something like this but aces it perfectly to capture the mood and drama of the of the entire series.

I highly recommend this Gem of Noughties anime, It shall never be forgotten and remain a cult classic for years to come and will always hold a special place in my heart. If Donnie Darko was a big mystery beyond its time, you haven't discovered the marvel Noein has to offer. Get your asses round to buying this and I'm sure you'll never forget it. Whether your a Sci-Fi fan or not Noein is for You.

This Anime is very enjoyable! The only problem was that I probably wouldn't watch it again because it was confusing and hard to follow.

I also would have liked to learn more about the original characters, and I wish they spent more time developing them, in their own reality.

I also felt like the artwork started to get sloppier on the forth disc...might even get worse haven't finished it. I liked the computer animation but it didn't make up for this. A little bit more detail would have been nice.

Also it seemed like everything was taking place in a really small world. I didn't get the feeling that they lived in the same world as me, and they did. I had a slight claustrophobic feeling.

Overall though it's still one of my favorites.