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.
