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I just finished watching the first Hellsing Boxed set.  Man that shit is awesome.  Alucard is the man!!!!!

Witch Hunter Robin > Hellsing

True, Alucard is definitely a stylish character but as a whole Hellsing was a disappointment for me. The other characters were paper-thin and the plot was way too rushed and shallow. WHR was made by the same people who made Hellsing and they seem to have learned from their mistakes. The first 11 episodes are there mostly for introducing the characters and the story feels a bit shallow but after ep12 it picks up pace. If there weren't a few bad ideas and one total anticlimax (episode 16) in the series WHR would be the best anime I've seen. Even with the screw-ups I'd give it an A-.

bah you guys are your substance in characters... its only anime  ;).  I only watch anime for the badass action.  Though if anyone has Warriors Of The Wind... I WILL KILL TO GET MY HANDS ON IT!!!!!

I hyped Noir once before here and it's worth doing again: it successfully combines great characters, stylish action and a very good story. If you ever get your hands on it don't be scared by the first few episodes - they are probably too slow-paced for your taste.

Noir, whats its premise? Is it action based or suspense based?  Is it futrustic or more modern era?

It's an anime series and tells the story of two female assassins Mireille Bouquet and Yumura Kirika who call themselves Noir. Kirika is only maybe 15-16 years old and she doesn't even know her real name or age; she just woke one morning in a apartment without any other memories than that she is called Noir. She also found a japanese student ID card with her picture and the name Yumura Kirika in it. Despite her age, she also is a highly trained killer - even better assassin than Mireille.

Mireille is a daughter of the leader of a Corsican crime syndicate. When her family was killed and the syndicate destroyed her uncle took her to Paris and trained her in his profession - killing people. She took the name Noir that already was a legend in the underworld but seemingly wasn't used at the time by anyone.

The story begins when Kirika contacts Mireille and asks her help in finding out who she really is. Mireille's interest is captured by a pocket watch Kirika has; she obviously recognises it but I don't start spoiling why. Throughout the series they have to find the answers to questions like:

Who is Kirika?

Who are 'Soldats' and why do they chase Kirika?

What is the origin of the name Noir?

What is 'Le Grand Retour'?

Does the murder of the Bouquet family have anything to do with all this?

Despite the amount of violence and action in the story (the main characters are professional killers, after all) the pace is very calm most of the time. Unlike in some other anime shows I've seen in Noir people don't exaggerate their emotions and also the dialogue is usually slow-paced. This together with an excellent sound track gives a very nice, thoughtful atmosphere to the whole series.

I think I will have to look into aqcuiring some eps. Thanks for the info-tel.

i watched part of it, its pretty good

I got ep 1 last night but have yet to watch it.  Hopefully I can get time later tonight to watch it.

For me Cowboy Bebop will always be king (and ed teh queen :D)