5.1 Englsih and 2.0 Japanese are you usual ADV choices.
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- Conversations with SSS
- Production notes
- Clean opening
- Clean closing
- Japanese promo spots
- Design sketches
- Unused opening sequence
There are more extras than given credit for, not listed on the back of the box, the conversations with SSS that runs for short of ten minutes is hilarious with some great improvised spoofing going on.
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From the creators of Noir comes another tale of Assassins and characters who’s mysterious pasts are inextricably woven together which will undoubtedly be revealed over the course of the series, lots of camera pans across the eyes, hints of mysticism and another amazing soundtrack by the skilled Yuki Kajiura, when they said “from the creators of Noir” they meant it!
Set in the war torn nation of Gazth-Sonika which could be anywhere in the world, parts middle-east and parts south American jungle with a highly unstable political climate they have been wrapped in a guerrilla civil war for 12 years.
With this setting these first four episodes alternate between focusing on Madlax and Margaret Burton, our two very different main characters and their lives that have yet to cross.
Extremely skilled at what she does, Madlax is a mercenary for hire, receiving jobs over the phone from the enigmatic SSS, Madlax herself is much more feminine than I would have first believed, softly spoken and a bit care-free at times, with unusually big eye’s for an anime character of her profession giving her a warm yet somehow very sad expression.
The opening episode plays more as world building Madlax is sent into the jungle to retrieve data on disc, thrown into the deep end it wasn’t all that easy to even pin down the name of the setting while watching much less who’s side everybody was one.
For the third episode Madlax is hired to take out the commander of the armed forces who has bizarrely taken out a hit job on himself as a final defiant act of self-control. Madlax before the assassination pays him a visit at night for a little talk, in one of the best scenes of the volume I’m reminded of the “moonlight tea part” from Noir (see comparing again).
Margaret Burton is the young high school student, said to be an aristocrat Margaret lives in a large house with just her maid Elenore, somewhat flighty, she doesn’t mind turning up late for school, forgetful to the point of forgetting the name of her neighbour Vanessa who only moved out two weeks previous, and yet is a troubled girl haunted by visions of spooky looking children who would look more at home in Children of the Corn, Vanessa and Elenore through some sly comments appear to have a separate agenda “watching” Margaret as it’s her episodes that bring fourth more of the blossoming underlying mystery of the series.
For the final episode on the disc, In a bizarre act of murder a daughter kills her father and then herself, those elements of Children of the Corn resurface as the secret organisation of Enfant flexes it’s muscles, the detective investigating the murder/suicide gets a little too close to then find he entire life erased, even his mother doesn’t remember him when he tries to phone home.
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Comparisons with Noir will undoubtedly have to be drawn and so your attitude towards Madlax may wax and wane depending on your attitude towards Noir, I loved Noir for it’s mood and that indefinable “cool” it permeated right the way through, Madlax vol#1 isn’t quite up to those standard yet – but it’s quickly getting there. "
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Volume 4 ends on a light note, which has me wondering if the proverbial is well and truly going to hit the fan in volume 5.
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