Noir - episodes 11 to 13

Episode 11, wherein there is some dissent among the Soldats, featured some very nice action sequences. In fact, on the whole there are becoming more and more shots where Noir appear logically as if from no where. A flash which reveals them is always so exciting.
The thing is that as Chloe comes to the fore, it seems that Mireille is becoming the outsider - as if she has nothing to do with Noir at all, just that she has borrowed the concept. Chloe and Altena have a wonderfully strange and disturbing relationship, and Kirika has been able to relate to her on a base level. Neither Chloe or Kirika experience awkward moments. Only Mireille loses her cool in these times - but Kirika has been learning something of humanity from Mireille. In this way it's very nice.

The episode where Chloe stands alone was great in that it showed her own ethics and code of honour, also raising the question of just what is Noir. It's a very worthy question indeed.

To counter that, however, comes the episode Season of Hell, which has no Chloe at all and proves just how strong Kirika and Mireille alone can be. Kirika starts to understand the happiness of human companionship - and more importantly the sorrow of human death. She has been allowed to grow, because of her contact with Mireille, and this is the most significant step so far.
Kirika always looks so sad, and it's weird to see her look happy - but when she's happy, you know that her cheer is going to be washed away with blood.
Was Kirika better off before she started to grasp human emotion?

Worthwhile questions and increasingly pertinent plotlines make Noir a forever improving series.