Bee Train's first independent project was "Noir". Aired in 2001, the series was produced at the same time as "Sign" and became the first installment of Bee Train's "girls-with-guns" trilogy. After "Noir" had become widely successful in Japan, France, the United States, Germany, and other Western countries, the second series, "Madlax", was produced in 2004 and the third, "El Cazador de la Bruja", went on air in April 2007. Although the "girls-with-guns" series are considered Bee Train's and, particularly, Mashimo's signature works, the original idea belonged to their common executive producer Shigeru Kitayama.