Noein

Noein: To Your Other Self
	; A promotional poster for Noein.
	ノエインもうひとりの君へ; (Noein: Mō Hitori no Kimi e)
Genre	Adventure, Romance, Science fiction
TV anime
Director	Kazuki Akane, Kenji Yasuda
Writer	Hiroshi Ōnogi
Studio	Satelight
Network	Chiba TV
English network	SCI FI; ABC2
Other networks:
	TV5
Original run	October 12, 2005 – March 29, 2006
Episodes	24
	Anime and Manga Portal

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Noein: To Your Other Self (ノエインもうひとりの君へ ,Noein: Mō Hitori no Kimi e^?), also known simply as Noein, is a science fiction anime television series directed by Kazuki Akane and Kenji Yasuda and produced by Satelight. The series is 24 episodes long.

The English version was produced by Manga Entertainment. In North America, the series was released on five Region 1 DVDs, the last released on September 18, 2007. In the United Kingdom, the first three volumes were sold individually, while the last two can only be purchased as part of a series collection.

SCI FI began airing Noein in the United States as part of its Ani-Monday programming block on June 18, 2007. The Australian Broadcasting Company's digital-only channel ABC2 started broadcasting the series on August 21, 2007, and concluded on January 29, 2008. In the Philippines, TV5 started its broadcast on November 10, 2008.

[edit] Plot summary

[edit] Concept

Noein employs a conception of time as a dimension that resonates with other "timespaces." Haruka's Dragon Torque, which affects this relationship, takes the shape of an Ouroboros.

Noein makes use of several interpretations of quantum physics, particularly Hugh Everett's Many-Worlds Interpretation, which views the universe as branching off into an infinity of possible states of varying probability. It also draws from the Copenhagen Interpretation, which suggests that an observer or measurement is important in determining the decoherency of the probability. In the anime, Haruka possesses "supreme observer" status in the multiverse, thus enabling her to determine the sole outcome of an event just by "observing" one of the possible futures of the event. These themes also underpin an existential ideology that permeates the anime.

In one episode, Uchida candidly explains to her bodyguard Kōriyama the paradox of Schrödinger's cat, whereby a cat is ambiguously suspended (exists in a "superposition") between life and death until observed. This act of measurement forces the cat's existence to "collapse" into one of the two possible states. She also mentions Albert Einstein's famous remark, "God does not play dice."

While the Many-Worlds Interpretation implies a divergence of timespaces, the anime also includes a possible future in which timespaces converge, an end the series' chief antagonist, Noein, works to accomplish.

[edit] Characters

Main article: List of Noein characters

Haruka Kaminogi (上乃木ハルカ ,Kaminogi Haruka^?): Voiced by: Haruka Kudō (Japanese), Melissa Fahn (English); In the present timespace, Haruka is one of the protagonists of the anime. In this timespace, she was a typical elementary school student in Hakodate before a ghost hunting trip led by Miho led her to meet Karasu for what she believed to be the first time, although she had previously seen him on a church steeple.

Initially unaware of her status as the Dragon Torque, Haruka realized this when she was threatened by Atori, activating her powers. She was attacked several times by the Dragon Knights, but was rescued by an angered, almost crazed Karasu. The two of them were whisked back to La'cryma, where Karasu was tortured and Haruka was imprisoned. She was horrified to find that that timespace's Earth is a post-apocalyptic wasteland, and that the scientist presiding over her was her former best friend.

When Shangri-la attacked, Haruka was almost drowned to harness her powers, but she was rescued by an exhausted Karasu, who returned her to earth. With his help, she continued to evade the remaining Dragon Knights, but later willingly went with Noein if he spared Yū and Karasu.

Haruka was horrified to find that Noein is yet another version of Yū, who still loves and longs for her in a very warped, insane manner. Along with Yū, she denies that Noein is the same as Yū or Karasu, and destroys his power. She and Yū return to Earth together, after Karasu promises her that she'll see him again – in fifteen years, when Yū is grown.

Some months later, we see that Haruka is anticipating Yū's return on vacation, and that she regularly emails him. But she glances over at the church steeple, remembering Karasu.

Haruka has a deep, almost supernatural bond with the Yūs from both Earth and La'cryma. Both of them can apparently hear her when she is in distress, even when she is in another timespace. Yū is initially angry that Haruka is so fond of the blunt, tormented Karasu, unaware that this is because both of them are her beloved Yū, and that she loves them in the same way.

Yū Gotō (後藤ユウ ,Gotō Yū^?): Voiced by: Fujiko Takimoto (Japanese), Yuri Lowenthal (English); In the present timespace, he is Haruka's classmate and one of the protagonists of the anime. He, unlike other students, is being forced by his mother to go to cram school in order to pass a provincial enrollment test and go to a Tokyo junior high. As a result, he has little time for anything but studying. He initially tries to run away with disastrous results, and later has a blowup with his mother. Once the pressure is relieved, he realizes that he needs to take the exams because he has no special talents.

Yū initially doesn't want anything to do with La'cryma and the Dragon Knights, because of Karasu's contempt for him and Atori's crazed behavior. But he reluctantly gets involved, eventually teaming up with Karasu to save all timespaces – and Haruka – from Noein. When confronted by the monstrous version of himself, he disowns Noein and destroys his power.

As the series ends, we learn that Yū is in Tokyo, having passed the exams. He comes home for vacation sometimes, and talks to Haruka constantly over email.

He appears to be physically weak and isolated, and he has the same angsty, doubting personality as Karasu – a fact that seems to irk the older version of himself. But he does have a very deep friendship with Haruka, and eventually realizes that he's in love with her. They even seem to have a psychic bond, since Yū hears Haruka thinking of him in another timespace.

There are other Yūs in other timespaces, some of whom lose their Haruka. Some of them remain as they are, but others changed radically because of Haruka. One of them, Karasu, becomes depressed and nihilistic, but is recognizable as Yū; Noein, on the other hand, is crazed and evil to the point that Yū disowns him.

Ai Hasebe (長谷部アイ ,Hasebe Ai^?): Voiced by: Saeko Chiba (Japanese), Dorothy Elias-Fahn (English); In the present timespace, she is another of Haruka's classmates, and one of her best friends. She is an expert in soccer, and she has a crush on Isami that doesn't initially seem to be reciprocated. When Isami gives Haruka the same gift he gave Ai, Ai becomes briefly angry that she's shown no special affection.

In one future timespace, she is a successful high school soccer player, but she has to have her left leg amputated ending her soccer career. After becoming depressed, she almost commits suicide by jumping off of the hospital roof, but is saved by Isami. In La'cryma, Ai is a respected scientist – Lady Amamiku – who attempts to use Haruka to save La'cryma, and still close to Isami.

Isami Fujiwara (藤原イサミ ,Fujiwara Isami^?): Voiced by: Kōki Miyata (Japanese), Bryce Papenbrook (English); He is another one of Haruka's friends in the present timespace. He lives with his brother and grandmother, as their parents both died. He appears to be tough on the outside but has a fear for ghosts, and he is constantly nagging Yū about being a "mama's boy" and never doing anything but study and go to cram school. Yū and Isami are very close, with Yū's angsty, doubting nature offset by Isami's laid-back personality.

Isami is also friends with Ai, who has a hidden crush on him. Isami doesn't seem interested at first, since he seems to prefer older women like his teacher. However, there are some hints that he may be growing interested in Ai by the end.

In one future timespace, Isami becomes a delinquent after his grandmother dies and is separated from his brother. After a fight with another gang, he ends up losing an eye while trying to protect his friends, who consequently abandon him. With not much to live for, he was about to put a knife in the guy who slashed his eye, before the present timespace's Yū came along and told him he was the only one who could save Ai from killing herself. In Karasu's timespace he is a Dragon Knight by the name of Fukurou, who decides to help Karasu protect Haruka just before he is killed by Noein.

Miho Mukai (向井ミホ ,Mukai Miho^?): Voiced by: Kaori Nazuka (Japanese), Lara Cody (English); In the present timespace, she is a close friend of Haruka, Yū, Isami and Ai. Even though she believes in aliens, ghosts and the like, a surprising fact is that she is sometimes right in her theories of alien abduction. She develops a bond with Atori when he loses his memories, who at first thinks she is his sister. When Atori shows signs of relapsing into his prior psychotic behavior, Miho starts sobbing and threatening to not speak to him, which restores him to normal.

In one potential timespace Miho is depressed as she has no friends; everyone hates her because she is rich. After spending two weeks locked in her room she develops some sort of psychosis, and does not even recognise her own mother. In the end it is Atori who saves her, and brings her back to reality. Apparently this future is not ahead for Miho.

In the La'cryma reality Miho has gone blind (possibly as a result of the magic circle program) and is revealed to have a daughter named Lilly.

Ryōko Uchida (内田涼子 ,Uchida Ryōko^?): Voiced by: Sayaka Ohara (Japanese), Cindy Robinson (English); She is a quantum researcher for the Magic Circle Project. Initially, her research involves a lot of chasing after quickly-disappearing phenomena and seems fruitless, but after she and Kyouji meet the Dragon Cavalry, she discovers that the Magic Circle Project, if successfully activated, would annihilate all of existence; she is then determined to stop it at all costs.

She initially is irritated by Kōriyama's attitude and occasional sexually-charged joke. But apparently she grows to find him attractive, and in the final episode she rushes to embrace him after he is shot.

Kyōji Kōriyama (郡山京司 ,Kōriyama Kyōji^?): Voiced by: Keiji Fujiwara (Japanese), Richard Epcar (English); He is Ryōko's partner, acting as her driver and bodyguard while she researches quantum phenomena. He doesn't understand the bulk of Ryōko's work, asking for simplistic explanations here and there, but he sticks around her anyway.

He does get to shine at the very end of the series, when timespaces are converging and a corrupt corporate leader refuses to let Ryōko stop it. He shoots Kōriyama, only to find that he's unaffected because "apparently there's a me that doesn't get shot!" Kōriyama remains unhurt after the timespaces separate.

Karasu (カラス ^?): Voiced by: Kazuya Nakai (Japanese), Crispin Freeman (English); He is Yū in a future timespace, La'cryma, and is one of the protagonists of the anime. However, though his mission was to find the Dragon Torque, Haruka, Karasu had an alternate reason as he removed his pipeline to remain in our timespace as Haruka's protector. In his timespace, he failed to save Haruka from death, and thus swore to protect the Harukas of other timespaces from anyone or anything. His devotion is such that even torture and mortal injuries cannot stop him; he even briefly goes mad when she is about to die, triggering his memories of Haruka's death. As a result, he brutally kills one of the other Dragon Knights and smashes open a dam, screaming "Go! Hell calls you!" He even fights his oldest friend, Isami/Fukurō, almost to the death rather than allow Haruka to be harmed.

He is also irritated by the Yū of our timespace, seeing him as weak and indecisive, although it seems that he despises Yū for his own inability to save his Haruka. They are actually very similar, with a psychic bond to Haruka, a desperate need to keep her safe, and a tendency towards angst and doubt. Karasu apparently still whittles.

After invading Shangri-la with Yū, Karasu destroys several of Shangri-la's ships, but is horrified to find that his nemesis Noein is actually another version of him and Yū. He assists Yū in disowning Noein's existence, destroying his power and freeing La'cryma.

It is not entirely clear what happens to Karasu after Noein's destruction; by disconnecting himself from the pipeline early in the series, he condemned himself to fade out of that dimension, which would kill him. In the final scenes, he transforms into Yū after speaking to Haruka, suggesting that he may have merged with Yū.

Like all Dragon Knights, Karasu's body has been radically altered on a quantum level – when he is injured, the inside of his body shows silver, and he bleeds blue raizu particles (though as shown in at least one fight, he still contains red blood). His spin weapon consists of several black whip-like threads that he can control. With them, he is able to create shields, grab distant objects, and cut through most anything. He has also been seen using blasts of built up energy. The spirals on the arms of Dragon Knights can also become swords, Karasu and Fukurou are seen using this weapon while fighting in episode 12 for a short while. Karasu is the Japanese word for crow.

Due to the fifteen years that have passed, and the strain of his life in La'cryma, Karasu is not immediately identifiable as Yū. While Yū looks like an ordinary young boy, Karasu has pallid skin, silver hair that falls over his face, and dresses in a huge black cloak. Despite these differences, his eyes are the same as Yū's, and Haruka sees the resemblance between them.

Karasu has somewhat rectangular eyes and short, silver hair with long, evenly cut bangs that are swept off to one side. He also almost always harbors an intense expression which is at least once commented on by his peers.

Atori (アトリ ^?): Voiced by: Ken'ichi Suzumura (Japanese), Eddie Frierson (English); A Dragon Knight of Middle Eastern descent, he resembles a tall, skinny man with bulging purple eyes, dark lips, and a long point of blond hair that hangs over his face, as well as gray/silver spirals that almost resemble the bolts on the neck of Frankenstein's Monster. Al, as he was originally named, witnessed his sister Sara die from traumatic injuries caused by stepping on a mine while he was a child. The incident left him deeply scarred, becoming bizarrely homicidal and violent over time.

Though Atori seems to be fighting against the other Dragon Knights, he actually prefers using entirely different, but extreme methods to ensure the job is done. After betraying the Dragon Knights in an effort to destroy the Dragon Torque, he cuts his pipeline and becomes trapped in Haruka's timespace. When Atori intervenes in Karasu and Fukurou's fight, he loses his memory and becomes completely innocent and seemingly harmless. When he first meets Miho, Atori believe she is his little sister. This initially frightens Miho; when she denies that she is Sara, Atori lapses into confusion. Deprived of his prior hatred, he even admonishes his former enemy, the fatally injured Karasu, for sleeping when "the little girl is crying," and defends all of them from Kosagi's attacks. Miho and Atori develop a very deep bond, which seems to influence his personality once he regains his memories, as he fights to protect the children in Haruka's timespace. Ultimately, Atori dies whilst trying to protect Haruka's friends in Haruka's timespace during the second Shangri'la raid.

Atori's spin weapon seems to be based in lightning attacks. He can charge and release large blasts. In the final battle, Atori assumes the form of large quantum beast to fight the invaders from Shangri'la; blocking the circle that allows Shangri-la ships to enter our timespace; he apparently dies when the circle collapses on itself. Atori is Japanese for finch.

Due to his build and facial features, as well as his cold-blooded sadism (which is directed at Karasu with a particular hatred), Atori retains a particular reptilian appearance, perhaps a mix between a frog and a snake.

Tobi (トビ ^?): Voiced by: Ryoko Shiraishi (Japanese), Lara Cody (English); Tobi is a Dragon Knight who mastered the technical side of the future timespace. Although weak in combat, Tobi proved to be an invaluable member of the knights. He was one of the Dragon Knights who left La'cryma with Atori, but allied with Karasu. Tobi remained in our timeline and eventually faded away once the danger ended.; Tobi has not shown any spin weapons, though it is assumed he has one. Tobi is Japanese for kite.

Tobi is quite petite, most likely the youngest of the Dragon Knights, and has relatively dark skin. He is adorned by purple hair worn in a style similar to a bowl-cut, though at both sides in the back it is tied into short braids bound by what appear to be wide, tight-bound rubber bands, or some form of clasp or ribbon. He has brown eyes with nearly stick-straight eyelids, resulting in a somewhat feline appearance.

Kuina (クイナ ^?): Voiced by: Rikiya Koyama (Japanese), Richard Cansino (English); He is the leader of the Dragon Knight Squad and was the only member to remain on La'cryma. He had feelings for Kosagi, but his affections were not returned. Eventually, his body decayed to the point of using mechanical prosthetics and a face mask to cover his eye and later most of his head. Prior to the series, Kuina realized La'cryma was a lost cause and had decided to ally himself with Noein to enter Shangri'la. However, due to Haruka's power increasing and Kuina's own body disintegrating, Noein refused to fulfill his end of the bargain. Kuina's obsession with reaching Shangri'la prompts him to take Haruka there and attempt to force Noein to honor their deal. However, his body is rejected by the timespace and he disintegrates. Kuina has not shown any spin weapons, though one may assume that, as a Dragon Knight, he possesses at least one. Kuina is Japanese for rail.

Noein (ノエイン ^?) – pronounced /ˈno.iːn/ in English and /no.ˈe.in/ in Japanese: Voiced by: Kazuya Nakai (Japanese), Richard Epcar (English); He is the eponymous antagonist of the anime, initially appearing as a floating mask over a spectral body, occasionally revealing himself to "rescue" Haruka and eliminate anyone who interferes. But in reality, Noein is another Yū from a different timespace where he survived the car crash that killed Ms. Yukie, Isami, and Ai, and in which he had to endure watching a bloody Haruka be killed in the ensuing explosion. Unable to bear the pain of losing her, Noein decided to look for a new Haruka in a different timespace only to find that every Yu in the other timespaces suffers the similar pain of losing their respective Haruka, and that each timespace was filled with pain, death and sorrow. As a result of this, Noein decided to converge every timespace to stop all the pain and sorrow, creating Shangri'la as the first step of his plan: To use the Dragon Torque's power to erase all existence and start things anew.

In the process of this, Noein loses his own humanity to the point of resembling an emaciated albino version of Karasu, upon removing his mask and emerging from his spectral covering. Though he is still clearly in love with Haruka, Noein's feelings are warped in a twisted love/hate for not only her but his other selves. As a result, though he was once Yu, Noein is no longer the same as his other selves as he lacked the ability to truly remember his past. He is even more nihilistic than his La'cryma counterpart. In the end, Noein's existence was denied by Haruka and his other selves. Unable to cope with this as the dimensions recreated themselves, Noein lamented "Who am I?" as his minions emerged from his body and hovered over his dying form, with only his mask and vow that his vision will be realized remaining.

When Noein removes his mask, he is voiced by Crispin Freeman in the English version, just as with Karasu. His Japanese voice actor is the same both ways.

[edit] External links

Official Noein website (English)
Official Noein website (Japanese)
Noein (anime) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia

Noein

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[edit] Plot summary

[edit] Concept

[edit] Characters

[edit] External links

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