Synduality: Noir

In 2242, the remnants of humanity are forced to live in scattered bubble-like cities across devastated lands. Hiding from toxic rain and hostile lifeforms known as Enders, they survive thanks to a new source of energy from AO crystals. Those tasked with risking their lives to collect AO crystals are called drifters, piloting versatile bipedal tanks with the support of combat androids named magus.

While exploring remote ruins with his exceptionally gifted drifter friend Tokio, prospective drifter Kanata uncovers Noir, a seemingly intact magus in stasis. Although she wakes up by herself, Noir has lost her memories and is of no help in Kanata's work. However, amid an Enders attack, Kanata discovers that Noir possesses remarkable combat abilities. The pair now embarks on a journey to not only shed light on Noir's past but also to uncover the location of Histoire—the mythical city harboring secrets of the world that Kanata has always dreamt of visiting.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Ellie Main

Inagaki, Konomi Japanese

Noir Main

Koga, Aoi Japanese

Kanata Main

Ootsuka, Takeo Japanese

Tokio Main

Kobayashi, Yuusuke Japanese

Ciel Supporting

Aoyama, Nagisa Japanese

Ada Supporting

Ishikawa, Yui Japanese

Claudia Supporting

Yuzuki, Ryouka Japanese

Maria Supporting

Itou, Miku Japanese

Ange Supporting

Ohashi, Ayaka Japanese

Kurokamen Supporting

Ban, Taito Japanese

Moroguchi, Kazunari Producer

Futami, Yousuke Producer

Matsuda, Hiroshi Producer

Yamamoto, Yuusuke Director, Storyboard

Reviews

Sep 26, 2023

Reviewholic

Recommended

Right after the season when Gundam: Witch from Mercury brought back mecha hype yet again, we get Synduality: Noir, a brand new mecha title of opposite values.
While WfM was a little revolutionary for its big old franchise, Noir is just dead ass generic. No yuri or yaoi in space capitalism, just good old harem with a dense MC in a post-apocalyptic world invaded by aliens, a setting that plagues the mecha genre. The only new stuff that Noir brings to the mecha genre is borrowed from other works. Magus, a humanoid assistant who is bound by contract, is obviously inspired by Fate's Servant and ... JoJo's Stand. Then it hit me, this is literally Takt Op. Destiny but mecha. Luckily, Noir isn't off-the-rails like Takt Op. Destiny for now.

Cliche done right is no worse than unique done wrong. Despite the generic premise, characters tropes and fanservice, I still enjoy Noir a lot. The character designs are nice. The animation is surprisingly high quality. Every episode comes with mecha action scene that is 3D CG. The characters although tropey, acts mature for their young age and often have humorous banters, making them easily likable.

Noir follows an episodic formula, most of the showtime is used to introduce characters rather than progressing the plot. It's hard to tell if Part 2 can pick up the pace and switch to a serious tone, but for now, Part 1 serves well as a lighthearted introduction.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Oct 2, 2023

i-like-this

Mixed Feelings

Darling in the Coffin.

Synduality: Noir is a futuristic sci-fi anime where the mechs are small and chunky and also require an R2-D2 shaped like anime waifu’s or a butler or even a black guy, in order to function properly. Drifters use these mechs to scavenge a post-apocalyptic setting for treasure and resources to bring back to their human colonies called Nests whilst fighting off weird alien bug things called Enders.

There's not much about Synduality: Noir’s premise that you can point to as original. In fact, now that the season is complete I can say that it's honestly a bit derivative. However, that doesn't change ... the fact that Studio 8bit did a fantastic job of making the look alive and colourful for a post-apocalyptic setting. The animation is solid and CGI mechs and alien bug creatures look surprisingly good thanks to the combat choreography along with dynamic camera angles and 8bit’s fantastic sound design. I love how each mech has been decked out to reflect the personal tastes of the Drifter, it’s very fun. The drifters and their androids called Magus are also fun. The author of Bunny Girl Senpai manages to squeeze a lot of personality and charm out of a semi-large cast of characters who all have their own things going on and with not a lot of screen time thanks to his efficient screenplay.

Unfortunately, efficient screenplay writing doesn't mean constantly being good. Synduality:Noir has constant problems with pacing and tone. This is usually the fault of protagonist Kanata who can flip from likeable and funny to dense, indecisive and annoying at the drop of a hat. He can be made more bearable with Noir whose kuudere personality compliments him, but whenever he's by himself or with any other character I find him eye-rolling at times.
The story is a bit all over the place. Sometimes it's focused and interesting, other times there's an inappropriate pool episode, in the apocalypse setting. The show also has its own Team Rocket who blasts off after every appearance and were introduced as scary android traffickers… There were some episodes where I genuinely asked out loud “What's the point of this story?”
The show also tends to lean on that sci-fi writing trope “What if androids had feelings like people too?” and I don’t need to explain to you how vapid and overplayed that trope is.

I have mixed feelings about Synduality: Noir. I did enjoy most of it. When it's good it's good but I’m not sure I'm invested enough to recommend it. Despite the highs of the show, it has a lot of baggage holding it back.

6/10 It's Okay.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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May 20, 2024

Deago

Not Recommended

Preliminary (3/12 eps)

Set in a futuristic cyberpunk setting, where humanity struggle against giant man eating insects using their advanced manned mecha. Kanata, the novice pilot, in a cave, stumbles upon a silver-haired red-eyed sleeping Ayanami Rei-clone, who then wakes up with the classic 'I-can't-remember-anything'.

The premise appears intriguing on paper and filled with potential for mystery, intense action against scary giant insects, and -even if overdone- the exploration of themes like human-AI relationships or ethical dilemmas in science. However, upon watching, it becomes apparent the official site's synopsis is merely a facade.

Starting with the positives, Synduality Noir diverges from the conventional dark and gritty tone commonly linked with ... such premises. Instead, it offers humour, employing elements of misunderstanding and situational comedy, and, controversially, some sex jokes that might not be for everyone.

Ignoring the CGI, the anime also features vibrant pretty colours and detailed backgrounds. The cityscapes during daylight and the cluttered indoor settings contribute to a lively backdrop.

As for the story, if I were to describe it in one sentence, it's an incohesive, directionless mess of a narrative.

The protagonist, Kanata, is a pathetic loser with skewed priorities. He is mainly concerned about his self-esteem and image. His pursuit of acceptance among his peers as a skilled pilot, despite having many supportive friends, makes him an annoying character to watch. Furthermore, Kanata is indecisive and often relies on his mentor figures, Tokio or Maria. For instance, although the audience is anticipating Noir to regain her memories, Kanata shows no interest in her memory recovery. The idea of returning to the cave where Noir was found and searching for possible clues and leads wasn't Kanata's; it was Maria's. Maria, who didn't even need to feel responsible for helping Noir, did so regardless, while Kanata remained unmotivated, leaving the weight of that mission on the shoulders of his friends.

Instead of aiding Noir, Kanata is content with her being amnesiac. He even explicitly states that, portraying a wish-fulfilment attitude as the protagonist is content to leave his android waifu that calls him 'master' amnesiac. The show doesn't call him out for his lack of responsibility. Kanata, rather than helping Noir, is more concerned about his image and reputation as a pilot (which isn't even bad or negatively affecting his life), and maintaining his kuudere android in her broken state. The show doesn't discuss or draw attention to Kanata's pathetic nature, and the only reason he has low self-esteem is that he isn't a skilled pilot, not because he is selfish and irresponsible.

Even Noir herself, whose personality is as dead as a doll, is more proactive than the protagonist. She is more interesting and deserved more screentime. In the second episode, she goes out by herself to search for clues to regain her memory, such as trying to fix the camera found near her place of slumber. Due to her being autistic and socially inept, she gets into trouble, being caught by a discount Team Rocket that steal precious androids. After a long rescue mission, the camera turns out to be empty, what a complete waste of airtime!

By episode 3, I was confident to conclude the anime doesn't regard its own premise as important. The episode starts with the main character visiting the Red Light City (yes, that's how they referred to it) to boost his self-esteem and manhood by losing his virginity to a brothel's prostitute (and yes, also wasn't his idea). What about the protagonist's goal to find Histoire, the Legendary City he mentioned in episode 1? What about helping his emotionless android partner? Nah, let's dedicate a whole episode about the MC going to bang a hooker.

Oh, did I forget to mention this show has supposedly dangerous man-eating insects of doom attacking the cities from time to time? They are treated like nothing more than a simple earthquake; humanity is still strong, living their lives normally, with no fear of possibly dying at any moment. There's no tension, no anguish from the victims' friends and relatives because there are no victims! It's fake tension; the premise is a lie. While the premise, on paper, sounds similar to popular titles such as Attack on Titan and Evangelion, don't expect a gloomy atmosphere and a constant sense of desperate struggle. The existence of these so-called dangerous monsters is treated merely as a decoration. The focus of this anime is the protagonist proving himself to be as skilled as his peers. Noir is merely a mystery box the show barely draws attention to, and the monsters are just plot devices that show up at the most convenient times but barely pose a threat, even to a newbie pilot like Kanata.

The disconnect between the advertised premise and the actual content leaves viewers with nothing but a comedy filled with sex jokes and soulless CGI action. Synduality Noir is a deceptive disappointment, a yet another shameless, low-effort video game promotion.

Reviewer’s Rating: 3

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	Poll: Synduality: Noir Episode 2 Discussion AkeZZZ - Jul 17, 2023	34 replies	by Nurguburu »» Nov 18, 2:37 PM
	Poll: Synduality: Noir Episode 1 Discussion ( 1 2 ) MegamiRem - Jul 10, 2023	52 replies	by Nurguburu »» Nov 18, 12:44 PM
	Poll: Synduality: Noir Episode 12 Discussion KANLen09 - Sep 25, 2023	28 replies	by 28012001 »» Nov 18, 4:31 AM
	Poll: Synduality: Noir Episode 7 Discussion AkeZZZ - Aug 21, 2023	28 replies	by 28012001 »» Nov 17, 6:48 PM
	Poll: Synduality: Noir Episode 5 Discussion KANLen09 - Aug 7, 2023	31 replies	by Lanz »» May 17, 5:39 AM