There are only a few anime on the market that set out to screw with your mind right from the very beginning. With a wildly different art style and a plot rife with dimensional shifting and time travel, Noein weaves an astounding tale that leaves you bewildered. Right out of the gate this show is about as surreal and unique as it gets. Fortunately this befuddlement gives way to amazement because all around this is a top-notch show.

Directed by Kazuki Akane and Kenji Yasuda this 24 episode series uses a breathtakingly original art style filled with dramatic sketchy marks and wild animation to tell its story. While the series is complex the plot can be summarized simply by saying that it focuses on the lives of some children. Warriors from a futuristic parallel dimension come back to nab one girl in particular in an effort to save their world from being destroyed. That's kind of it in a nutshell but to be fair that summary doesn't do Noein justice.

Haruka is basically the normal school girl she is insinuated to be when the series starts. Unfortunately things are about to get weird for her very soon. A shadowy figure appears one night while her friends are looking for a ghost and a mysterious person tries to kidnap her. We soon learn that these black-clad visitors are explorers of sorts from a different timeline and dimension. They have come back in time to capture Haruka because she is something called The Dragon Torque and has the power to save their timeline. It would seem that a creature known as Shangri-La is threatening their world and this unwitting little girl is the key to redemption.

In the previous volume Haruka managed to escape back to her own reality though she was pursued by a pack of Dragon Knights. Karasu stands in their path and puts his life on the line to defend the girl he knew when he was younger. We also got a nice little lesson in quantum mechanics as Ryouko and Kyouji went through an explanation of the root of everything happening in the show. With something called the Magic Circle and Haruka's father being at the center of quantum related research it's not a shocker that she has turned out to be the Dragon Torque. Karasu and Fukurou also fought to the death and a shadowy figure emerged to pile on more mystery and questions.

This time around the fourth volume offers five more episodes and catapults the series forward in dramatic fashion. So much happens in this volume that left me awestruck and solidified my feelings about Noein. Things start out with Haruka traveling between a multitude of dimensions. This really brings quantum reality, her very existence, and role as the Dragon Torque into perspective. She defies the entity known as Noein and has grown adept at deciphering differences between realities.

Through this journey of personal discovery she really begins to question whether or not she ever truly existed. Back in her own time she justifies her being with a video about her grandmother from when she was younger. She also learns that as time goes on people tend to forget about things for one reason or another. It's all a part of who we are and not entirely about being erased from memory by quantum singularities.

Karasu continues to survive thanks to Haruka's intervention and special powers. His role as her protector remains strong as Dragon Knights continue to travel to this dimension to capture the Dragon Torque. An interesting development springs up as we learn that Kuina, another Dragon Knight, has been using his influence and power to capture Haruka as a peace offering, or ticket through the door of Shangri-La. He has betrayed La'Cryma for his own personal gain though he continues to fool his superiors.

One thing that will have some sway over the future involves Atori and his memory. If you recall this blonde-haired freak was a villain towards the beginning of the series but lost his memory while remaining in this reality. Towards the end of this volume he begins to regain it but his exact motives aren't easy to figure out. It will be interesting to see what happens with him in the next volume. In the last episode here there is another interesting thing that happens that I don't want to completely spoil. Let's just say that it involves Yu, La'Cryma, Shagri-La, and the Dragon Torque.

I truly cannot say enough good things about Noein. In so many ways this series is visionary and it breaks the boundaries of what you'd expect from anime. It raises the bar in every conceivable way and will shatter your expectations. If you're in the market for a new show to check out you'd be foolish not to consider this one.

There's just something about seeing anime in anamorphic widescreen that makes the experience seem like so much more. With the recent production date Noein is truly a work of art both in design and presentation on DVD. The wildly different style that it's presented with makes an impression but it's the virtually flawless transfer that seals the deal. The color palette is vibrant with great contrast and very little grain to cloud things. Despite some slight aliasing here and there thanks to the computer generated effects this is one of the most impressive shows that I have seen in a while.

The standard in anime seems to include stereo version of an English and Japanese dub. Noein goes beyond that and includes a 5.1 selection for both languages as well. The quality is top notch with a decent channel spread and use of the appropriate speakers when need be. The sense of immersion during Karasu and Fukouru's fight scene was particularly impressive. While the previous installments presented some fine audio this was by far the crowning achievement to date.

There are plenty of points where Noein gets cerebral and somber and it's these moments that the show maintains itself on the front channels with dialogue. Both the English and Japanese 5.1 selections offer this immersion while the 2.0 stereo offerings obviously offer a much more limited experience. English and Spanish subtitles are included on this disc.

The previous volumes of Noein offered bonus material that was decent for anime. Unfortunately this fourth installment merely brings clean animations and an art gallery to the table.

It's rare when an anime is released and every volume makes the series better and better. Noein is one of those exceptional gems. The story is so well-crafted and presented that you'll want to watch it again and again just to let everything seep in. Once every volume is available I plan on revisiting the show for a marathon which is something I haven't done for a very, and I mean VERY, long time. It may sound opinionated of me by saying so but Noein is one of the top three shows currently being released. You'd be hard-pressed to find a better use of your anime dollar. Highly Recommended

Check out more of my reviews here. Head on over to my anime blog as well for random musings and reviews of anime, manga, and stuff from Japan!