La'cryma's desolate landscape testifies to its suffering.

Such bizarre creatures are one source of this turmoil.

Feeling as though imperceptible hands grip your legs, shrouding all paths before you in a thick, stifling haze, is hardly a state of being that one would welcome. I find myself wondering to what extent reality is merely an illusory reflection of the caverns of our consciousness. Perhaps the only true reality is that our heartbeats synchronize with a perpetually ticking clock as we sense the frigid, stinging breath of time against our necks. As though to address these reverberating concerns comes Noein. The 24-episode anime, first aired in 2005, relies heavily on sci-fi elements, lapsing into dense discussions of quantum theory that both strengthen and detract from its appeal. Yet composing its core is a simple, beautiful truth: we may not be able to dictate circumstances bequeathed by fate, though by our willingness to purposefully live, to cherish the past and brave the present, we realize that fate’s abrasive grip is little more than a self-imposed illusion.

Rewind to the present, where the only struggle Haruka confronts is adolescence.

Yet she finds herself within the center of La'cryma's fierce battle.

A place submerged in the torrents of war and destruction. A place of cold efficiency and urgency that defies imagination. This is La’cryma, an alternate dimension 15 years in the future, one of many possible futures. Embroiled in a heated battle with Shangri’la, a dimension seeking to extinguish all dimensions, La’cryma begins a pressing search for the Dragon Torque, a legendary entity upon which the fate of all dimensions hinges. Their search leads them to present-day Hokkaido, where Haruka, a high-spirited 12-year-old girl, and Yuu, her forlorn childhood friend, contend with the trials of adolescence. Following a fierce confrontation between Karasu, a central member of La’cryma, and Yuu, it is revealed that Karasu is Yuu from a distant future. Finding he must reside in the present timespace for an indefinite amount of time, Karasu initially displays nothing more than a fervid desire to protect Haruka from Shangri’la’s advances. As the story unfolds, so do Karasu’s motivations and intimate friendships among Haruka, Yuu, and their companions Isami, Ai, and Miho. Echoing La’cryma’s and Shangri’la’s epic battle is the rivalry between childhood and adulthood, both of which reveal the true significance of Haruka and her existence within an ethereal world populated by multiple dimensions and parallel selves.

This sullen look is one that Yuu often wears. It's usually Haruka's willful task to dampen his sorrows.

Karasu's fierce gaze also masks a deeper pain. Don't expect a dazzling smile from him.

Much of Noein’s appeal finds its source within the children and their blossoming relationships, who defiantly suffuse a resounding optimism through the show’s dark and brooding overtones. From the despair and somber urgency that motivates La’cryma to the conflicts that ravage the emotional states of Haruka’s parents and Yuu’s mother, Noein seems to subtly antagonize adulthood itself, rendering the innocent joys and moving sorrows of Haruka and her companions as a visible buffer against this. Yuu, Isami, Ai, and Miho, Haruka’s closest friends, are given ample attention, retaining significant roles as their distinct traits, adolescent conflicts, and nascent relationships conduct the story’s emotional development. The intersecting adult and adolescent relationships and conflicts among Karasu, Yuu and Haruka are Noein’s nucleus, with Haruka’s spirited optimism the antithesis of Yuu’s cynical self-doubt. The show faithfully orbits their intuitive bonds and impassioned desire to rescue one another from others and from themselves; there are certainly precedents for an anime that rests a storyline’s complexities upon the frail shoulders of adolescents, though Noein does so with tender consideration, forging an intimacy that serves it well. Forced by his mother to devote his life to school, Yuu in particular longs for the freedoms of adulthood, unaware that he has already relinquished his childhood. His will and affection for Haruka are tempered by tendrils of self-doubt and cowardice that cloak his every action but allow him to outshine Haruka in complexity. His wavering, gradual ascension from weakness to courage alone is a journey worthy of notice.

Haruka, Miho (center), and Ai (right) enjoy each other's company.

La'cryma's residents, however, scarcely enjoy frivolous moments.

With Haruka and her friends leading vastly different lives within various dimensions, we are invited to wonder whether we are simply manufactured products of our circumstances, or whether our most trivial decisions gradually cumulate to potentially trigger drastically different futures. Within many timespaces exists a form of inescapable sorrow pertaining to Haruka; through Shangri'la, Noein, the antagonist, seeks to create a transcendent place bereft of pain, sorrow, and limitation, one that converges (and thus destroys) all dimensions and resists the human condition in every sense. The concept of melding individual realities to establish a sterile, fetal, uniform state of being is reminiscent of Evangelion’s Instrumentality Project, though there are consequential differences. Regardless, on some level, I sympathized with Noein’s quest for utopian absence and numbing bliss. Can one really be condemned for coveting a world in which sorrow is exiled, where one would never have to be herded into irrationality by the throbbing ache of loss?

Fukurou from La'cryma is quite close to Karasu. He's a bit more inclined to smile now and then.

Tobi, another member, grows in importance as the story progresses.

According to Noein, the answer is both yes and no. Noein’s actions, however misguided, are humanized rather than belittled; yet both Haruka and Yuu demonstrate the essentiality of sorrow in our lives. Haruka exists as an outsider linking various dimensions through her ability to penetrate them, briefly able to view herself and others within these timespaces with a persistent impulse to rewrite the sorrows that encapsulate them. The show is careful not to liken the frivolities and convictions of Haruka’s childhood with Shangri’la, for it is through her desires and sorrows that she seeks to realize her own vision of a worthy future. The ashes of past regrets are often the muses of our present, a simple truth that Haruka, Yuu, and Karasu all impart to viewers patiently willing to observe their emotional progression. Too often do we become spectators of our own lives, requiring validation and affirmations from others who are likely as jaded as we are. Rather, as Noein suggests, our memories of sorrow and joy should be our intimate motivators and tools of rebirth, cocoons sheltering us from the trials of the present and impelling us to ensure that our futures aren’t by-products of recycled mistakes.

Atori, yet another member, is one of the most intriguing and erratic characters.

Nevertheless, his traitorous actions cause immense destruction.

Noein’s enticing charm also lies in its unpredictability as it can shift precipitously in tone within moments. Giving careful attention to the human condition, our quest for contentment as well as the rusted shackles of our own weaknesses, the show equally privileges trivial yet intimate occurrences, swiftly exchanging pleasant moments among friends for melancholy contemplations of war, anguish, and defeatism. Take the first few minutes of the first episode, which commences with an epic battle followed by a cheerful, quirky Haruka waking her mother as she dashes off to school. I was also drawn to the ways in which the members of La’cryma, having traveled to Haruka’s dimension, gradually assimilate into her own life, cultivating friendships among themselves and Haruka’s companions.

Isami seems determined to get Yuu to smile.

Karasu and Fukurou also enjoy a rare conversation.

Yet I don’t seek to camouflage the show’s flaws with my genuine enthusiasm. Never would I expect an anime to appeal to all audiences, and those such as Trinity Blood often enjoy little success in their attempts. While Noein’s scientific and existential discussions were a beneficial addition to the intricate storyline, it may progressively lose viewers due to its execution. Think of a student whose intelligence the class cannot appreciate since he/she insists on conveying ideas through inflated, esoteric language. Noein is a bit like this; it's not at all condescending, but takes for granted our ability to follow its complex discussions with its own rapid understanding. In other words, it would have benefited from making these concepts more accessible to audiences, particularly casual viewers who enjoy a complex story but are not inclined to invest their attention in every dialogue that is spoken. I can also appreciate the mystery and intrigue that emanate from La’cryma’s members and their quantum-based abilities, though a little more time could have been spent nurturing their backstories (particularly Karasu’s). And while Haruka’s innocent, undaunted optimism has a magnetic allure, at times it bordered on naiveté and airiness.

Haruka and her mother Asuka share many quirky moments. Who exactly is the parent here, anyway?

Yuu's mother, however, shares a strained relationship with her son. To her, Yuu's future depends on his academic performance.

Visually, however, Noein is striking. There is an endearing innocence to the designs of the principal characters, though the artwork’s true resonance rests within La’cryma’s members. I was initially taken aback at the eerie awkwardness and almost caricature-like quality of their designs, as though they clashed with the bewitching detail of their surroundings. And these environments are truly breathtaking; the show recreates Hokkaido beautifully and with lush, vibrant detail, infusing crystalline realism that complements the harsh, unearthly intensity associated with La’cryma. The show effectively exploits color schemes as well, with bright or soft tones often marking joyous or reflective moments and shadowed hues of red or black designating scenes of somber intensity and intrigue. Character designs have an almost chameleon-like quality, able to adapt to various environments and colors while retaining their distinctiveness.

Haruka is far more significant than she realizes.

Her power allows her to revisit moments of her own past.

Yet it was the soundtrack by which I was truly enraptured. Poignant instrumentals, like the show itself, barter pleasant joy for epic, suspenseful urgency and wistful melancholy when necessary. Regardless of what emotion it articulates, the music manages to be both intensely moving and commanding precisely through an incredible, haunting subtlety. Able to project multiple sentiments through a single melody, beckoning us to interpret the situation it narrates, the music was vaguely reminiscent of that found in Haibane Renmei, if only for its ability to project complexity and depth through unassuming simplicity, like soft, intimate whispers. The effervescent opening theme “Idea� by eufonius (of Clannad fame) and ending theme “Yoake no Ashioto� by solua didn’t quite grasp the same ambivalence for me, though the silken, spirited vocals fittingly evoked the pleasant trivialities and optimism of childhood, enough so that I enjoyed viewing them before and after each episode.

Koriyama (left) and Uchida (right), quantum researchers fascinated by Haruka and La'cryma.

But I was pleasantly surprised to see Haruka's friends perceive and interact with La'cryma's members.

This was also one of few shows that I viewed in English (on the Sci-Fi channel) and Japanese as often as I could. Aside from the infuriating fact that Sci-Fi seemed to have shortened various episodes, ostensibly to fit their allotted time slots, the aforementioned themes emerge in both versions. I found the Japanese version a bit more nuanced, and though the English VAs suited their characters wonderfully, the only exceptional performances were Crispin Freeman’s Karasu and Yuri Lowenthal's Yuu, who emerged stronger in the dub. But God knows how much irreparable damage my jaw has suffered from all the moments I clenched my teeth at the grating “Ha-ROO-ka� I had to hear from others.

Haruka's home in Hokkaido boasts beautiful colors and detail.

It's easy to tell when La'cryma is near. The details and colors are just as striking.

Admittedly, much of Noein’s appeal concerns my own personal perceptions and emotional discordance as I was driven to probe for some comforting message of redemption. It is, like all else, not without its flaws, and the plot unfolds slowly, my curiosity reaching its crescendo only around episode 11 or 12. However, patient viewers who appreciate both heated, fast-paced action and emotional resonance without exaggeration should give Noein a try. Regardless of the threads of despondency that glisten dully throughout the story, there remains a more lustrous glint of optimism. Our unique footprints, left in the soft ground of a world in perpetual motion, may be worn by stoic tides that leave no residue of our existence. But somewhere in the ocean drifts this soil that once bore our imprints, now assimilated into something much larger than itself. To borrow words from the English dub, there exists a vast “future of infinite choice�; if you’re like me, Noein might bring this future a few inches closer to your grasp.

Despite his despair, Yuu would give his life for Haruka.

So would Karasu. They're more alike than they realize.

Scores

Yuu detests and grudgingly admires Karasu. Wouldn't it be nice if we could converse with our own futures... .

Though our present friendships and the security they provide are equally rewarding. These two make such a cute couple. ^_^

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Published on: 2007-12-16 (3183 reads)