/jp/ - Otaku Culture

What are your thoughts on Noel as a side character and her development throughout the story?



I feel like saying Ciel is pure and innocent is missing the point of Noel and Ciel’s character arcs. Ciel is a good personal absolutely but the game does not shy away from the fact she has done some morally reprehensible things, not just with Roa but through her “inhuman” ways of taking out various Dead Apostles. She was inhuman and unfeeling before the events of Tsukihime, it is because of Shiki that her heart thaws and she regains much of her humanity. That is not to say she was evil before meeting Shiki, but she was a person who buried her emotions in order to do what had to be done. And she was on a suicidal war path anyway.

Noel acts as the character to highlight that as she is the person Ciel hurt the most, intentionally or not, and Ciel’s attempts to make it up to her throughout their years as partners (through constantly bailing her out like taking her as an apprentice). Noel is the representation of Ciel’s trauma, she is the outside voice who corroborates Ciel’s internal voice of self-hatred, she is a representation of Ciel’s bad traits. Noel has already become something inhuman just like Ciel, and her heart was shattered back during that incident. As Noel says, her frustration with Ciel comes from her leaving her behind as Ciel became human. Noel does not have anyone like Shiki in her life, and seeing Ciel reach it frustrates her for various reasons.

Ciel IS NOT free of sin, Ciel’s character arc is about her being able to accept herself and live on, to try and learn to love herself even despite her sins. It is NOT about Ciel being blameless, Ciel is absolutely a good person and the game makes that clear but she was never supposed to be a completely blameless person, it is about her struggle for redemption that defines her. The ability to work the path to forgiveness thanks to Shiki who gives her confidence.

The final battle with Noel is the epitome of that, Ciel recognizes that Noel is a victim and somebody she couldn’t save, but still fights her and takes her down realizing she is a threat to herself, society, and most importantly Shiki. This hurts Ciel inside, of course she wanted to save her, to make it all right, to bring back everyone she killed, but she cannot. She must just move forward, carrying the weight.

Acting like the game is just trying to say Ciel is cool and Noel is lame is a vast oversimplification of both their characters

Why is she so cool and cute