Noein

[Cloud500]

I recently started watching Noein and have really enjoyed it so far. I came to the 5th(?) episode and was bothered by a scene where characters are using a ouiji board and chant to spirits. For those who have completed the series, does anything like this occur in other episodes?

[Mithrandir]

Welcome! I had not seen this before, but a quick look at Wikipedia piqued my interest. I'm interested to see what others have to say.

[Chrysolite]

I haven't seen past the point you have, but I know what you mean. I was a little bothered by that scene too. But I got the feeling that it was intended to be just a silly-gone-serious little scene that isn't supposed to have much bearing on the rest of the story. You have to understand that in Japan they're really into horoscopes and astrology garbage, and whether they believe in the stuff or not, they just don't consider it as gravely as we do. Not that that makes it okay, by any means, but it's good to understand the reasoning behind their culture. It really depends on your convictions, but personally, I wouldn't write off the series on account of that. Do what you think is right, though. Romans 14!

[Cloud500]

Thanks. I had a feeling that that scene was just intended to further ellaborate on Miho's obsession with that type of stuff.

[Chrysolite]

Exactly. You always have to have that-- 'funny' character, right? I just wish they didn't have the psycho voodoo stuff accurately predict things. -_-

[Maledicte]

There's no other "voodoo" type things in the story as far as I'm aware. The bulk of the anime has to do with science, not anything supernatural.

...

I'd love for someone to post Mark Twain shouting "SCIENCE!" I'd do it myself but it just seems tacky.

[MasterDias]

Miho and her mother are weird. That's really all it was ever supposed to convey.

It was a really enjoyable sci-fi series. I recommend it. It's not every day they make an anime based on quantum physics.

Alternate dimensions aside, I'm unsure how accurate any of the science actually was however. There were some wordy exposition scenes that sounded strangely understandable, even when I was expecting it to be technobabble.
Maybe I should have majored in physics...

[rocklobster]

Noein rocks. Keep watching it. It has a great positive message at the end that I won't spoil.

[ilikegir33]

Noein is awesome, and yes, rocklobster's right. It's got a great and inspirational ending. I won't spoil it for you either.

[EricTheFred]

Exactly. You always have to have that-- 'funny' character, right? I just wish they didn't have the psycho voodoo stuff accurately predict things. -_-

[Spoiler]I'm not so sure that isn't supposed to be some form of interference from other dimensions. Remember, other dimensions involved in the storyline are farther along than the MCs dimension, so 'predictions' are just history for them. [/spoiler]

Anyhow, Noein is one of the best actual Sci-Fi stories to be released in TV Anime in recent years. The only other ones I would say compete for it in quality are Dennou Coil, and maybe Tetsuwan Birdie Decode (the latter still being more science-fantasy adventure than actual Sci-Fi, just much higher quality than the usual fare.)

There haven't been many really good entries into the true Sci-Fi genre in TV Anime, in comparison to the science-fantasy and super-robot mindless fun stuff. A lot of second-rung shows, with good concepts and high-points raising them above mediocre (examples: Chaos Head, Ghost Hound). IMHO, the last really good Sci-Fi before these recent entrants was Now and Then, Here and There. You have to go to the theatrical releases, like Paprika, to get good Sci-Fi.

And just as a solid story, Noein stands above most recent anime, Sci-Fi or otherwise. Even Dennou Coil couldn't avoid throwing in a couple ridiculous filler episodes. In Noein, there is literally no fluff or filler, just solid story from start to finish.

Its only negative is that it is by no means an easy story to follow. Like one of the old greats, Boogiepop Phantom, you can't really get how it all fits together until you have watched nearly the entire series.

[Blitzkrieg1701]

Darn Eric, you pretty much stole every intelligent thought I have on Noein

[EricTheFred]

Darn Eric, you pretty much stole every intelligent thought I have on Noein

That's me. Lupin III of anime chatter.

So was I breaking the 7th commandment if I just gave away what you were going to say, anyway? Intriguiging theological riddle, that....

(Er... I think that's '8th commandment' to all you non-Catholic/non-Lutheran types. The 'stealing' one, not the 'adultery' one...)

[Blitzkrieg1701]

Actually, since you still technically said it first and therefore have a better claim of ownership than me, you COULD say that I'm coveting your post.

...and no, this isn't a totally irrelevant tangent at ALL.