Noien: To Your Other Self

Hello fellow ESPV readers I thought I would start to review some new anime for a while. For those of you that were waiting for me to review Boogiepop phantom and Paranoia agent I still intend to review them but later.

Noien: To your other self is a science fiction anime that is 24 episodes long it was directed by Kazuki Akaen and Kenji Yasuda. Noien first aired on Japanese TV in October 2005 and was released in the West in September 2007. I need to point out that in the US you can buy all five volumes separately BUT in the UK you can only buy the first three separately the last two you will have to buy it as part of the series collection to you have been warned.

Noien jumps from present time to fifteen years in the future. In the future a violent battle is taking place between two dimensions: La’cryma which from the main characters perspective is the future, and Shangri’la a dimension intent on destroying all other dimensions. In La’cryma a group of warriors known as the Dragon Knights are sent through space and time to other dimensions to find the Dragon Torque; a mysterious object that will stop Shangri’la destroying La’cryma. In the present, Haruka, Ai, Isami and Miho (all friends aged 12) go out to see the “ghosts” that have been seen throughout their town. When they run into one of the Dragon Knights; scared they run away and are chased by the Knights. In an attempt to save her friends Haruka runs in a different direction from her friends. She ends up in a graveyard with Yu (also a friend in their group). When they meet Karasu a member of the Dragon Knights, he believes that Haruka is the Dragon Torque. Karasu taunts Yu about him being very weak and how he is disgusted by Yu, we then find out he is Yu only fifteen years in the future. In a strange twist Karasu decides to save Haruka at all costs and turns his back on the Dragon Knights and La’cryma.

This is a very good series and there is something for everyone if you like lots of fighting and action this has it and if you like a love story this has is as well. The animation is not the normal animation you get in most anime out these days. The character design is simple (but it really works) and in the fast action fighting scenes the animation looks hand drawn and very unfinished. This rough animation works because it gives you the feeling that things are happing very fast so everything gets blurred. The storyline is really well thought out and the writers explain multi dimensions and what is going on in both the past and future without confusing you. I would really recommend Noien to anyone that wants something different you will really enjoy this anime.

Photos via Photobucket