REVIEW: ‘Noblesse,’ Episode 13 Season Finale – “Noblesse/Take Her Hand”

After two weeks of exciting build-up, Noblesse Episode 13, unfortunately, doesn’t go out with a bang in the season finale, even with Raizel’s power on full display. The show ties the politics of Lukedonia up in a rather nice bow but does still leave the possibility of more adventures since The Union is still out there. The anime from Production I.G. is adapted from the webtoon of the same name and is part of the Crunchyroll Originals lineup.

Raizel has entered just in time to stop Raskreia from putting Gejutel and Seira into a forced eternal sleep. The young noble leaders step in to block Raizel but are quickly overpowered. Apparently, knowledge of just how powerful the Noblesse is wasn’t passed down. The animation in the fights here is a step down from the last two weeks. It harkens back to the more uncomfortably stiff movements of earlier episodes, which is a shame. Raskreia’s fight with Raizel is supposed to be dramatic, but it is hard to take seriously when a lot of it doesn’t make sense. Raizel is a man of few words, but the fact that the only words he utters during the fight are used to egg Raskreia on rather than proclaim that this is all a misunderstanding is an odd choice. The misunderstanding itself is explained away later in a rather frustrating way. It is hard to believe that there were no other possible choices than the ones the characters made.

Because of the rushed revelations, many dramatic moments in Noblesse Episode 13 felt almost comical. Granted, some were supposed to use the blend that the show excelled at in the premiere, but far from succeeded here. The best example is when Regis is literally chucked across the room by his mentor to make a bold declaration to Raskreia. It caught this reviewer so off guard that she was still laughing during his serious speech minutes later.

Once again, Seira is just there; another disappointment. The Lord’s revelation of the true reasons behind his death makes sense, but the decisions to not tell anyone are eyebrow-raising. It also fails to explain why Raizel left Lukedonia and leaves the audience to assume it was due to loneliness. Many questions are still unanswered, and overall leaves the show feeling robbed of closure at the end. All of the supporting cast stands by as the episode’s portion not devoted to fighting is given to Raskreia’s father. The character moments they had in the many fights aren’t given the final endnote they deserved.

Overall, Noblesse Episode 13 wasn’t bad, but it was a lackluster ending for a show that had its ups and downs. It is a shame because it showed a lot of promise and potential but ultimately tried to put too much into too few episodes. Eyebrow-raising explanations and a lack of closure for characters that the last two weeks build up robbed viewers of satisfaction. The finale tying everything up into a bow often felt more silly than serious, making the resolution seem more like a shrug.

Noblesse is streaming now on Crunchyroll.