Like the fig and the wasp, Noises' sweet premise leads to the disappoint of the reader. Right off the bat Noises' biggest issue lies in attempting to create a crime drama with only 23 chapters. It is doable but difficult when you introduce multiple characters and parties. The premise is simple: a new disruptive face comes to a peaceful town that is seeing a revitalization, mishaps ensue, and the scene is set. Character motives and actions are mostly understandable, however my suspension of disbelief can only go so far in a crime drama-- considering forensics would easily wrap up the mystery at a certain point ofthe story. The motif of the fig is reoccurring and it plays well into the premise, it's an object of motivation and leads to some different twists I've not seen in genre. The symbolic nature of it isn't rubbed into your face which is rare for manga.

There's a lot to like in Noise, especially the characters, but in the end the biggest fault for Noise is the pacing. Situations are amped up and move quickly from one scenario to the next. There's potential for a great memorable crime drama here, it's a shame the manga doesn't fully realize it. It's a short read so I would recommend it if you like crime dramas, but you'll probably be left unsatisfied.