Dryden-san
06-05-02, 07:17 AM
In the final analysis, I liked the ideas behind Noir more than the show itself. However, if there is one aspect I am interested in discussing, it is the thoughts and motives of Altena. I'm aware of her unpopularity around here-at least among certain people who shall remain nameless because we all know his name already-but pound for pound, she is by far the most interesting character in the series. I've found this is usually the case, the 'villains' being far more interesting to analyze than the 'heroes.'
Now, the most basic question is, just what was Altena trying to do? Her motives and goals can not be examined out of context. This is especially true when those goals involve a conflict of ideals, in this case between Altena's ideals and those of the 'old men' of Soldats. Despite having a common goal-namely, 'Le Grand Retour'-their factions are clearly in opposition. Why? Call it a difference in philosophy: a major one. Their 'common goal' is nominal at best. Anyone could draw that conclusion from watching the series, but where does the conflict originate? It was born of corruption, the kind brought on by power which has remained in one pair of hands for too long. I do not refer to a specific individual, but Soldats itself. Since the beginning of human history, every organization which possesses power to be used for a certain purpose has eventually faltered in carrying out that purpose, using the power purely to further its own self-interest. At least, in the eyes of some. Inevitably, the parting of ideals leads to competing factions if not an outright schism.
Sometimes these partings are a result of purely political motivations. Other times, the difference is more about philosophy and ideals. Compare the Great Schism of 1378 to the Lutheran Reformation of 1517, the latter a result of different interpetations of scripture and disagreements over church practices, while the former was purely the result of political maneuvering. Both kinds of internal conflicts can result in death and suffering on a massive scale, but I feel it is the second kind, a clash of ideals, which ultimately changes the world. The conflict between Altena and the 'old men,' is such a struggle. Indeed, it is very similar to the Lutheran Reformation.
Soldats was founded more than a thousand years ago in order to deal out justice in a sinful world. So we are told, and it is an entirely credible origin. The Dark Ages were savage, and even the refinements of Middle Ages meant nothing to the vast, suffering masses. With all the talk of heaven's retribution for humanity's sins, is it not plausible that a cabal of enlightened souls decided they could placate the wrath of God by hastening His divine justice? And two maidens, pure in the eyes of God, would be the messengers that carried His judgement to the wicked, no matter where they tried to hide, be it under stones or under a crown... But their purge eventually left Soldats itself in the position of power, and Noir became a tool to destroy their enemies instead, and in time they weren't needed at all. Why use virgin assassins when simple killers will suffice? In time, the true meaning was all but forgotten, and the name 'Noir' became a petty trinket for those crude murderers who replaced the black maidens to fight over. Soldats had become the opressor, dedicated to nothing more than maintaining its own existence and expanding its power. Even so, the name 'Noir' kept a glimmer of its old meaning and it was whispered through the ages by those sickened by the rot they saw taking hold. This is the origin of Altena's faction.
We can not be certain how long the attitude existed within parts of Soldats, but I feel it probably assumed its present form, the one we see during the series, in the aftermath of World War II. I believe Soldats had at least a minor role in that tragedy, you see. Some of them saw the atrocities committed, or experienced them firsthand as Altena did and decided this was not 'justice;' that Soldats had forgotten its true mission. The majority of Soldats was content with the status quo, but to pacify potentially rebellious elements, they proposed 'Le Grand Retour,' a return to the origins of Soldats. There was no more potent symbol for this than 'Noir.' For the first time in hundreds of years, the priest would perform the blessing that sanctified the maidens in the eyes of God, and destined them join the Inner Tree, the group of candidates which would eventually yield a True Noir.
No doubt that's the spin the ruling faction of Soldats put on it when they proposed it. In truth, they cared nothing for a return to a state of purity and used the so-called ressurection of Noir to prevent a schism while hoping to turn it to their advantage at the same time by gaining a pair of super-elite assassins. Unfortunately, it was Altena who was chosen to raise them. Here is the origin of the conflict between Altena and the 'old men:' Soldats would have been perfectly content with emotionless killers who wore the guise of adorable schoolgirls.
Altena wanted assassins who hate.
Infused with hate, Noir would not be content to wait idly for Soldats to provide them with targets whose deaths would further the old men's interests. They would seek out evil under their own initiative because they hated it, and destroy it to ease their self-hatred. More, because it would be Altena who taught them the definition of good and evil, they would turn on Soldats itself, cleansing it of the elements they believed were evil. Which means elminating the elements Altena thought were evil since she would raise them to think as she did. Before the Ceremony, neither Kirika nor Chloe had any hatred in them; they simply killed who they were ordered to, without any malice. The purpose of the Ceremony, and everything that led up to it, all the way back to the murder of Mireille's parents, was to ignite that hatred.
Three different girls, all of them capable of feeling hate, if they were given a focus. And each of them who could be made to hate themselves under the right circumstances. Not all combinations were equally likely, however. I don't believe anyone, even Altena, seriously considered Chloe and Mireille as a possibility. Either Kirika and Chloe or Kirika and Mireille were possibilities, but in her heart I think Altena considered Chloe to be a failure, which is why she kept her close at hand and used her to manipulate events and create the most likely of the True Noir pairings. Chloe was a partial failure because of her fanatical devotion and love for Altena. Altena wanted them to hate her. She was to be killed out of hatred by the True Noir. Her death would be the seal on the ceremony which would simultaneously fan the flames of hatred and taint the participants with guilt. The guilt would grow to self-hatred and the hatred of the world and hatred of self would feed off each other and drive the True Noir to kill again, and again, and again.
Neither Altena nor the old men got what they wanted in the end. Yet the ressurection of the True Noir succeeded. How could both these things be true? Because Altena was mistaken. Her experiences twisted her just enough that her idea of a True Noir was distorted by a desire for vengance against the world, whether concious or not. Noir was never meant to drown the world in death as it would have done if she succeeded. They were meant to be martyrs, not an instrument of retribution. By vanquishing the evils of the world, they destroyed sinners and in turn took the vast sin of all the murders they committed upon themselves. In effect, they exchange one sin for another, but they would bear the burden of the new sin themselves instead of visiting it on the world. Mireille's ability to forgive and Kirika's ability to love unlocked the True Ressurection of Noir.
...Comments?
Now, the most basic question is, just what was Altena trying to do? Her motives and goals can not be examined out of context. This is especially true when those goals involve a conflict of ideals, in this case between Altena's ideals and those of the 'old men' of Soldats. Despite having a common goal-namely, 'Le Grand Retour'-their factions are clearly in opposition. Why? Call it a difference in philosophy: a major one. Their 'common goal' is nominal at best. Anyone could draw that conclusion from watching the series, but where does the conflict originate? It was born of corruption, the kind brought on by power which has remained in one pair of hands for too long. I do not refer to a specific individual, but Soldats itself. Since the beginning of human history, every organization which possesses power to be used for a certain purpose has eventually faltered in carrying out that purpose, using the power purely to further its own self-interest. At least, in the eyes of some. Inevitably, the parting of ideals leads to competing factions if not an outright schism.
Sometimes these partings are a result of purely political motivations. Other times, the difference is more about philosophy and ideals. Compare the Great Schism of 1378 to the Lutheran Reformation of 1517, the latter a result of different interpetations of scripture and disagreements over church practices, while the former was purely the result of political maneuvering. Both kinds of internal conflicts can result in death and suffering on a massive scale, but I feel it is the second kind, a clash of ideals, which ultimately changes the world. The conflict between Altena and the 'old men,' is such a struggle. Indeed, it is very similar to the Lutheran Reformation.
Soldats was founded more than a thousand years ago in order to deal out justice in a sinful world. So we are told, and it is an entirely credible origin. The Dark Ages were savage, and even the refinements of Middle Ages meant nothing to the vast, suffering masses. With all the talk of heaven's retribution for humanity's sins, is it not plausible that a cabal of enlightened souls decided they could placate the wrath of God by hastening His divine justice? And two maidens, pure in the eyes of God, would be the messengers that carried His judgement to the wicked, no matter where they tried to hide, be it under stones or under a crown... But their purge eventually left Soldats itself in the position of power, and Noir became a tool to destroy their enemies instead, and in time they weren't needed at all. Why use virgin assassins when simple killers will suffice? In time, the true meaning was all but forgotten, and the name 'Noir' became a petty trinket for those crude murderers who replaced the black maidens to fight over. Soldats had become the opressor, dedicated to nothing more than maintaining its own existence and expanding its power. Even so, the name 'Noir' kept a glimmer of its old meaning and it was whispered through the ages by those sickened by the rot they saw taking hold. This is the origin of Altena's faction.
We can not be certain how long the attitude existed within parts of Soldats, but I feel it probably assumed its present form, the one we see during the series, in the aftermath of World War II. I believe Soldats had at least a minor role in that tragedy, you see. Some of them saw the atrocities committed, or experienced them firsthand as Altena did and decided this was not 'justice;' that Soldats had forgotten its true mission. The majority of Soldats was content with the status quo, but to pacify potentially rebellious elements, they proposed 'Le Grand Retour,' a return to the origins of Soldats. There was no more potent symbol for this than 'Noir.' For the first time in hundreds of years, the priest would perform the blessing that sanctified the maidens in the eyes of God, and destined them join the Inner Tree, the group of candidates which would eventually yield a True Noir.
No doubt that's the spin the ruling faction of Soldats put on it when they proposed it. In truth, they cared nothing for a return to a state of purity and used the so-called ressurection of Noir to prevent a schism while hoping to turn it to their advantage at the same time by gaining a pair of super-elite assassins. Unfortunately, it was Altena who was chosen to raise them. Here is the origin of the conflict between Altena and the 'old men:' Soldats would have been perfectly content with emotionless killers who wore the guise of adorable schoolgirls.
Altena wanted assassins who hate.
Infused with hate, Noir would not be content to wait idly for Soldats to provide them with targets whose deaths would further the old men's interests. They would seek out evil under their own initiative because they hated it, and destroy it to ease their self-hatred. More, because it would be Altena who taught them the definition of good and evil, they would turn on Soldats itself, cleansing it of the elements they believed were evil. Which means elminating the elements Altena thought were evil since she would raise them to think as she did. Before the Ceremony, neither Kirika nor Chloe had any hatred in them; they simply killed who they were ordered to, without any malice. The purpose of the Ceremony, and everything that led up to it, all the way back to the murder of Mireille's parents, was to ignite that hatred.
Three different girls, all of them capable of feeling hate, if they were given a focus. And each of them who could be made to hate themselves under the right circumstances. Not all combinations were equally likely, however. I don't believe anyone, even Altena, seriously considered Chloe and Mireille as a possibility. Either Kirika and Chloe or Kirika and Mireille were possibilities, but in her heart I think Altena considered Chloe to be a failure, which is why she kept her close at hand and used her to manipulate events and create the most likely of the True Noir pairings. Chloe was a partial failure because of her fanatical devotion and love for Altena. Altena wanted them to hate her. She was to be killed out of hatred by the True Noir. Her death would be the seal on the ceremony which would simultaneously fan the flames of hatred and taint the participants with guilt. The guilt would grow to self-hatred and the hatred of the world and hatred of self would feed off each other and drive the True Noir to kill again, and again, and again.
Neither Altena nor the old men got what they wanted in the end. Yet the ressurection of the True Noir succeeded. How could both these things be true? Because Altena was mistaken. Her experiences twisted her just enough that her idea of a True Noir was distorted by a desire for vengance against the world, whether concious or not. Noir was never meant to drown the world in death as it would have done if she succeeded. They were meant to be martyrs, not an instrument of retribution. By vanquishing the evils of the world, they destroyed sinners and in turn took the vast sin of all the murders they committed upon themselves. In effect, they exchange one sin for another, but they would bear the burden of the new sin themselves instead of visiting it on the world. Mireille's ability to forgive and Kirika's ability to love unlocked the True Ressurection of Noir.
...Comments?