Is Noblesse good? Complete Review

Based on the hugely popular webtoon, the anime Noblesse came out in two movies, which have also become quite popular. Another anime adaptation is being planned by Production I.G, which has produced critically acclaimed anime like Psycho-Pass and Ghost in the Shell.

Originally written as a web manhwa by Son Jeho and illustrations done by Lee Kwangsu, it was wrapped up last year, more specifically on 7 January 2019 after a long stint of more than a decade. During that time, it has had a dedicated fan community and earned widespread popularity.

1. Quick Review

The anime Noblesse is a great vampire, supernatural anime. Even when it is obviously utilizing a lot of clichè vampire anime tropes, it doesn’t get boring or tedious.

Rather, it employs all these tropes and still refines them further, enhancing the plot. Even the art of the anime displays and exudes a sort of manhwa/webtoon feel.

The characters, especially led by Cadis Etrama Di Raizel, are unique, well-drawn and good looking. Also, it has a lot of extremely violent fight scenes, which can get a bit overwhelming for the squeamish.

2. Is it worth watching?

The anime Noblesse is definitely worth watching. It has an exceptional plot, fight scenes, unique characters and enough action to get you hooked to it.

Noblesse trailer

The anime is ongoing and still has many episodes left. One may be compelled to read the webtoon version, which is already completed.

I. Plot

The plot of the anime revolves around a legendary noble- Cadis Etrama Di Raizel who has been asleep for 820 years sealed away in a coffin in the ocean. He wakes up after such a long time with no idea of what developments have taken place in human society.

As he is not aware at all about the technological advancements that have taken place, he decides to get help from his trusted friend, Frankenstein in getting used to the modern world.

 He enrolls himself at a school, makes new friends, plays video games even though he sucks at it and decides to protect his group of friends from looming threats.

Meanwhile, Raizel’s past is slowly unraveled, to help us comprehend why he went into oblivion for almost a millennium.

The pacing feels a little too fast and too rushed at times. You will notice this especially if you have taken time to read the manhwa as well. Many scenes that are long and elaborate in the manhwa, have been compressed into very short episodes or thirty minute movies.

Those short movies are packed with a lot of fight scenes that are extremely bloody, violent and gory. For instance, there is one scene where a guy literally tears another guy’s head off from his body, which is shown in disturbing levels of detail.

The fight scenes are spectacular and intense. They serve as the main attraction for the entire movie. While the character of Raizel is too overpowered making the fight scenes very unbalanced, they are nonetheless satisfactory.

II. Characters

The character of Cadis Etrama Di Raizel is very serious, quiet and is extremely strong. His past and reasons for why he went to sleep are not revealed. It is also not revealed why he finally decided to come out after a whopping 820 years. He is a character, shrouded in mystery.

Since he is overpowered, it makes his fights with other characters quite boring as the balance of power is too tilted in his favor. He has the ability to bend other people’s bodies against their will and can even make people fall asleep with his hands.

Though the tone of the anime is to a large extent serious and dreary, it does have a few moments of humour. For instance, when he is offered Kimchi, he suspects them of trying to poison him because of the garlic smell and feels proud that he noticed their ‘attack’. 

While Noblesse does a pretty good job at entertaining and succeeds in many aspects, it is a little too short to be portraying elaborate character growth. This aspect can only be commented upon when more episodes are released.

3. Final Thoughts

I would definitely recommend Noblesse to anyone, even though it is very similar to many popular vampire movies and anime I’ve watched. For example, Raizel exudes the same vibe of Kaname of Vampire Knight.

However, overall, it does not turn out to be a revised anime of overused cliches and tropes. It still proves to be an exciting watch because it adds its own flavor and authenticity to the plot.

4. Grade

5. Info Card