Putting the bite back into vampires.
Written by Jeho Son and illustrated by Kwangsu Lee, Noblesse is a webtoon/manwha that centers on a powerful noble named Cadis Etrama Di Raziel (his friends call him Rai). After 820 years Rai awakens in South Korea and is amazed at the scientific advances mankind has made over the centuries. After meeting up with his servant Frankenstein, Rai enrolls in Ye Ran high school in order to get closer to humans and learn more about the modern world. Rai makes friends quickly, but it isn't long until they are attacked by a secret organization trying to harness the power of the Noblesse for themselves. Rai must protect his friends and keep the secrets of the Noblesse hidden at all costs.
And he don't sparkle.
If you follow me on Twitter or if you've visited my blog then you know I'm a big fan of Korean comics. Whether it's Veritas, Immortal Regis, Cavalier of the Abyss, or The Breaker I've never known Korea to disappoint. Paradoxically enough I'm most critical of the things I enjoy and so I was always hesitant to read webtoons because of their non-traditional style and its ever-increasing appeal to the mainstream. I gave the animation a shot on a whim and I was pleasantly surprised, maybe even astounded by its quality. The animation is superb as you would expect from Production I.G. and the score combines music from several genres. Rai's appearance is heralded by a brief, but noteworthy orchestral track while smooth jazz plays during the show's opening which takes aesthetic cues from Ergo Proxy.
The voice acting is quite good, although Rai's voice actor is particularly noteworthy. Tarusuke Shingaki does a great job of portraying the nuances in Rai's personality. Rai doesn't talk much so Shingaki makes each line count as he expresses Rai's kindness toward his friends and cold detachment from his enemies. During the fight scenes Rai is so calm it's almost creepy and he speaks with the authority of a god. The anime is pretty dark, but not without its bright spots. Noblesse is known for being quite funny when it wants to be and Noblesse: Awakening had several laugh out loud scenes. In one scene Rai is trying Korean food and when he smells garlic he immediately thinks his classmates are trying to kill him. He even carries a "If lost please call this number" card on him at all times. Because Rai is a fish out of water, he's somewhat inept in everyday situations like finding his way home.
Oh that fish out of water.
Noblesse: Awakening was intensely entertaining and you owe it to yourself to watch it. It's almost unprecedented that a Korean manhwa/webtoon has not only been animated, but has actually been released online for FREE. That's right action aficionados. Line Webtoon hosts Noblesse: Awakening on their website and Youtube page and they encourage you to share it with as many people as possible. "Worshiped by humans they were sometimes known as nobles, sometimes as rulers, and sometimes as gods."
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