REVIEW: ‘Synduality Noir’ Episode 7 — “My Dear”

Having successfully prevented Ciel from being taken during their battle at Baccarat Nest, the magus has opted to stay with Kanata (Takeo Otsuka), Noir (Aoi Koga), and Tokio (Yûsuke Kobayashi) for a while as she takes a break from her singing career. With Tokio out and Noir going in for routine maintenance, Ciel (Nagisa Aoyama) finds herself alone with Kanata for a couple of days. This gives the two new friends a chance to get to know each other in Synduality Noir Episode 7, “My Dear.”

This episode uses Noir’s time away to focus on Kanata, his past, and why his goals center on finding the fabled city of Histoire. It explores these elements through Ciel as she seeks to repay his recent kindness to her by helping around the garage while everyone else is out. These interactions provide a ton of important insight into Kanata and why his attitude towards magus has been notably different from many of those around him. There is a lot of sweetness here, as the story looks back into his past, particularly in his relationship with his parents.

It is revealed in Synduality Noir Episode 7‘s flashbacks that, along with his father, who was a drifter himself, he was raised by his father’s magus, whom he viewed as his mother since his birth mother was never present. This deep connection to a magus so early in life explains why he doesn’t see the difference between the two groups the way many do.

While the sentimental side of this story fills the viewer with warmth, the biggest element of the episode comes with Ciel. After learning of Kanata’s dream of finding Histoire, Ciel is seen covertly reporting back to an unidentified group who appears to be interested in anyone searching for the fabled city in general, as well as Noir in particular. There is a reference to her being “the key,” and bearing some connection to Histoire itself. Like so many other reveals in this series, lots of key details are left out, making the reveal almost more confusing than enlightening, but in the best of ways.

Kanata notices after their talk about his past that Ciel suddenly feels more distant and somber than she did before. After having a chat about it with Tokio and Ellie, he comes to the conclusion that she missing performing and takes her to the ruins of an outdoor amphitheater so she can sing on a stage again. Leading to a sweet moment for the duo and a catchy pop song performance by Ciel. Alas, the moment is soon interrupted by an unexpected storm and the arrival of a group of Enders that force the duo to team up to pilot Kanata’s coffin.

This brief action sequence manages to stand apart from others in the series thanks in part to its musical accompaniment. Following suit to Ciel’s previous musical performance, this battle is animated to the beat of a pop song Ciel performs as the duo zips around the battlefield, making short work of their targets. The shift in music changes the energy of the battle and helps it feel like a natural continuation of the previous sequence, as opposed to an interruption of the moment.

While the movement and mayhem the pair reaps are captured well, the actual fight clearly isn’t the focus of the moment here. Sharing the connection with Kanata through the coffin and his previous kindness in bringing her to the amphitheater has a clear effect on Ciel. The pair of events leaves the magus with new feelings towards the young drifter that promises to create complicated issues for the magus as the core narrative moves forward.

On the whole, Synduality Noir Episode 7 delivers an enlightening story that reveals a lot about its main protagonist while also laying new groundwork for the core plot. What part Ciel will ultimately play in the narrative also has me intrigued, as the series manages to set another plot hook in me that only furthers my need to continue watching.

Synduality Noir Episode 7 is streaming now on Hulu.