REVIEW: ‘Noblesse’ Episode 6 – “Great Power/Raizel”

A little over halfway into the Fall anime season, Raizel finally has more than two lines in Noblesse Episode 6. The Crunchyroll Original anime from Production I.G. is based on the webtoon of the same name. The series follows immortal noble Raizel, who has awoken from centuries of slumber and begins attending high school. As he observes humanity’s progress, a mysterious organization called The Union is also searching for him.

Similar to the issues with last week, this episode doesn’t have much in terms of story. The majority of the first half of the episode is wrapping up the fights from before. That isn’t to say there is zero substance, but a fair amount of the critiques from episode 5 carry over here due to the continuation. There are multiple moments in the first fifteen minutes of Noblesse Episode 6 that clearly are intended to have an emotional impact within the action. These just don’t land very well. After six weeks, a consistent problem is that the show often moves too fast in character relationships. The found family doesn’t land.

It isn’t that the show is “bad.” It just doesn’t leave this reviewer wanting more in a positive way. Regis and M-21 bicker, but no scene prior has suggested a close friendship. Also, aside from master and servant, not much has been done for Frankenstein and Raizel’s relationship besides comedic side scenes. What is Frankenstein, and what are his powers?  We see Frankenstein absolutely lose it over the slightest threat to Raizel this week, but it would be nice to see more of where that devotion comes from.

There are positives as well! Raizel has a fantastic scene with Manabu and Tashiro. Tao is torn between the revelation that his purpose is to be fuel for Crans and the glimmer of friendship from Manabu. When Manabu pleads with Raizel to save Tao, Raizel doesn’t just agree, he tells his friends that they do not need to beg him. This is something about nobles, and more specifically Raizel, that the Noblesse anime should lean into more. Raizel is an incredibly overpowered main character, but he is far from arrogant. He doesn’t see himself as “better than” humanity, he just happens to have more power. It is a really interesting take and allows for interesting character moments such as the reassuring scene between him and M-21 towards the end of this episode.

The second half of Noblesse Episode 6 focuses more on the aftermath of the battle. Takio and Tao are debating their role now that they have defected from the Union. The bizarre found family is growing, which would be exciting if the show didn’t have a rough track record of character and relationship development. The Union seems to be solidified as the likely endgame “big bad.” A reveal from Tao to poor Takio illustrates just how cruelly manipulative the organization is.

The other positive this episode is the animation. If earlier episodes and fights felt a little stiff or flat, it looks like that was because most of the animation budget went to “Frankenstein vs. Takio” this episode. The Crans vs. Raizel fight as well, although that was more for the blood effect viewers also see in the opening credit sequence.

All in all, for a show that has struggled for average, Noblesse Episode 6 delivered decently animated fights and the start of a broader narrative. The main cast just keeps getting bigger. That is a little worrisome considering the show tends to struggle when it comes to the interpersonal relationships between characters. That can be felt this week in some moments not feeling earned. Episode 6 was a high point for the anime series, for sure. Whether that came too late will be determined by where it goes from here.

Noblesse is streaming now on Crunchyroll.