Fandom Overview: Noir
Noir
- Noir, it is the name of an ancient fate.
Two maidens who govern death.
The peace of the newly born,
their black hands protect.
And so begins Noir, a twenty-six episode anime series. Noir is part mystery, part female bonding, and a whole lot of firefights and ass-kicking. It’s the first anime I fell in love with on it’s own terms, and not just because of the fandom surrounding it--which isn’t to say, of course, that there isn’t some excellent fanfic for this series.
A note of caution before we begin: Noir is a difficult show to talk about, without spoiling various plotlines. Many of the fics I’ll be rec’ing take place after the end of the series, or deal with major backstory issues. If you like going into a series unspoiled, and are planning on watching Noir at some point, you may want to avoid this overview and the upcoming recs until a later date.
The Plot
Assassin Mireille Bouquet is invited to take “a pilgrimage to the past” with Kirika Yumura, an amnesiac teenage girl with incredible and deadly talents. Together, they take the name “Noir” and act as killers for hire while at the same time, trying to piece together the fragments of their linked past.
They are at turns helped and opposed by the mysterious Altena, her young charge Chloe, and the organization of which they are a part, the Soldats.
Mireille Bouquet (played by Mitsuishi Kotono (Japanese); andShelly Calene-Black (English))
The Bouquet family was a powerful syndicate in Corsica, one which had dominated that land for generations. When Mireille--daughter of Laurent and Odette Bouquet--was still a child, her father, mother, and elder brother were murdered. She fled her homeland for Paris in the company of her uncle Claude, her only remaining relative. Mireille learned her trade from her uncle, and by the time the series begins, she is considered a first-rate assassin.
Kirika Yumura (played by Kuwashima Houko (Japanese); and Monica Rial (English))
She awakens, not knowing who she is. Her only clues: a student id card naming her Yumura Kirika, a pocket-watch, a gun--and the fact that she kills easily, efficiently, and instinctively. She contacts Mireille, asking her to “take a pilgrimage to the past, with me.” Reluctant to work with a partner, Mireille finally agrees to help Kirika, with the understanding that when everything becomes clear, she will kill the younger girl.
Chloe (played by Aya Hisakawa (Japanese); and Hilary Haag (English))
Chloe is formally introduced in episode ten, where she claims the title of the true Noir. Devoted to Altena, Chloe shares the older woman’s mysterious goals--and is often seen acting in accordance with these goals as a killer of immense talent. While rather dismissive of Mireille, Chloe is eager to interact with Kirika.
Altena (played by Tarako (Japanese); and Tiffany Grant (English))
Altena is a high-ranking member of the Soldats, whose exact goals remain undefined until late in the series. While she remains far from the action for most of the series, Altena is very much involved in the events unfolding around Mireille, Kirika, and Chloe.
The Fandom
Noir is quite a small fandom, and doesn’t have any fanfic archives devoted solely to it (so far as I know--please, do correct me if I’m wrong!) The fandom is dominated by femslash stories--primarily Mireille/Kirika, with a good showing of Kirika/Chloe. Because of the strong bonds between these women, even the gen fic can be pretty intense--it’s actually hard to differentiate a subtle slash story for one intended as pure gen.
Project Noir: ADV’s official site for Noir. Character profiles, episode summaries, and image galleries.
Le Noir. Character profiles, episode summaries, and character image galleries.
Entrance to Eden. Character profiles, episode summaries, wallpapers.
Innocent Crusader. Chloe fansite with character information, relationships, and multimedia.
Noir. Character profiles, summaries, image galleries, soundtrack.
Les Mains Noir. Character profiles, multimedia, fanworks.
noir_black. General Noir community.
MediaMiner.org. General anime fanfic site, with a Noir subsection.
Yuriville. Anime f/f site, with a small Noir subsection.
Shoujo-Ai Archive. Anime f/f archive, with a Noir subsection.
Fanfiction.net. FF.net’s Noir subsection.
Anime Visions. An anime/manga image gallery, with some nice Noir pics.
Anime Galleries. Screencaps from the anime, and promo pics.
I also have a personal rec site at ireadthat; the Noir fics are tagged.