Korean Title: Noblesse
Related: Noblesse: The Beginning of Destruction (prequel – included in review)
Similar: Hellsing Ultimate
Watched in: Japanese & Korean
Genre: Supernatural Action Fantasy
Length: Two 30-minute movies
Positives:
- Makes you want to read the manhwa.
- Well-choreographed action.
- Bloody good powers.
Negatives:
- Awakening is just the opening chapter.
- Production issues in Beginning of Destruction.
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Noblesse (French for nobility), based on the popular manhwa webtoon of the same name, has received two short film adaptions, seemingly as a test for the reception of a full series. The first film, Noblesse: The Beginning of Destruction, tells the story of Raizel the Noblesse Vampire and werewolf lord Muzaka in medieval Europe as humans wage war around them, ending in the tragic falling out of these two friends. I assume this is a flashback volume from the manhwa selected as a self-contained story. Noblesse: Awakening is the proper start of the saga, where Raizel awakens from an 820-year slumber to find an unfamiliar modern world. He seeks out Frankenstein, loyal servant and current school principal, for help and ends up attending the school to learn modern life from his human classmates, who soon come under threat from other supernatural entities.
I have good and bad news about Noblesse. The good news? What we have of the series here is strong – I am excited for more. The bad news? That’s all there is in anime form (for now, hopefully) and we have to turn to the manhwa for the rest, which isn’t complete either.
While Awakening is a strong start, it truly is the mere first 2-3 episodes rushed to fit in as much as possible in 30 minutes. We see a bit of every key scene in setting up a larger story. Raizel awakens, meets Frankenstein, goes to class, makes friends against his will in a hilarious scene believing chopsticks are stakes and the garlic in kimchi is to poison him, and then the other vampires capture his friends for the climactic fight. Without having read the manhwa, I would wager it takes more time with these scenes. Still, they do work fine in the anime.
I like Raizel. He is the definition of a Korean drama protagonist. Let me tell you about Korean dramas one day – they’re plenty of fun. For now, the first rule is that the male lead must be tall, slender, handsome, and even a bit effeminate (middle-aged Korean ladies go nuts for that). Bonus points if he is emotionally reserved. Raizel barely speaks throughout both films with maybe 10 lines in Beginning of Destruction. However, he isn’t dull like Kaname, the aloof vampire of Vampire Knight – at least, not in what I’ve seen so far. His inner monologue, as present in the lunch scene, and his imposing manner give him character. When he has to make a hard choice in Beginning of Destruction, you can feel his pain conveyed in few words and facial expressions.
He’s overpowered as hell, though not without consequences. His blood magic looks great, particularly in the prequel.
Speaking of, Beginning of Destruction is the better of the two films when watched as is, owed due to the completeness of the arc. It does have lower production values, however, and I could only find it in Korean, which did work well. This story takes its time with the scenes, giving us enough to connect with the werewolf lord and the human girl he protects before the action starts. The action itself is well choreographed in both films and has a surprising amount of story weight for such little runtime.
Noblesse needs more episodes to deliver its potential, which I hope to see very soon. This is one of few anime adaptions I desire.
Art – High
The prequel may have average production values, but Awakening looks great and oozes style that is classically manhwa. Good animation for the engaging action.
Sound – Medium
The acting is solid. However, the music in Awakening feels generic, as if it not made for this anime but bought from a stock library. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn the budget is responsible.
Story – Medium
An ancient vampire awakens to a modern world he doesn’t recognise and must learn of society and technology. The prequel shows his final moments before sleep over 800 years ago. Noblesse sets up a promising story that demands completion.
Overall Quality – Medium
Recommendation: Hmm…I don’t like recommending incomplete work. If you fall in love and have to suffer the agonising wait for more, was it worth starting at all? Either wait or watch Noblesse and begin the manhwa.
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Awards: (hover over each award to see descriptions; click award for more recipients)
Positive: N/A
Negative:
Nefarious Reviews 
I love Nobless. The manhwa that is. The anime isn’t bad, but as you say, it’s a bit rushed and you wish for a more. At least a few more episodes. But the manhwa is just amazing. It’s still ongoing. Chapter 493 was updated on Webtoon on January 16 so it’s regularly updated. I recommend it to anyone.
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I am reading it now. Like it so far!
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I actually haven’t read Noblesse yet, but I was so happy to see that a manhwa/k-manga got an anime adaption. I think it really opens the door to the possibility of other good stories getting adapted. One series that I would really love to see get an adaption is Freak-Quency. It’s another action manga that has some of the best drawn fighting scenes that I’ve ever seen in manga. There’s also a lot of interesting characters, and the main character’s so relateable that you can’t help but cheer for him through the entire series. It is a complete series, so I definitely recommend checking it out if you’re looking for another great action series.
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I will check it out. The Breaker is another action manhwa with adaptation potential. Read that one if you want another action series with a likeable protagonist.
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