visually stunning animation is based on a real place

Glad to see that there are many other Noein fans out there!

One of the things that I've been enjoying the most about Noein, aside from the story, is the way the animators show the city of Hakodate, on the northern Japanese island, Hokkaido, which is where all the characters live (in this dimension!). I'd been to Hakodate for a brief visit about 10 years ago, and when I started watching the show, I kept feeling that the city looked so familiar. Turns out that I was right!

For anyone who's interested, this is the website for the Mt. Hakodate ropeway, which has some views that I think you'll recognize: http://www.334.co.jp/en/index.html