Madlax was produced by Bee Train in 2004 as part of Bee Train's 'girls with guns' trilogy but I felt it explored a lot more than simply the 'girls with guns' genre and is a high underrated series.
Details
Producer: Bee Train
Season: Spring 2004 (April 4 - September 27)
Genre: Action, Drama, Supernatural, Psychological, Mystery, Military/War, Girls with Guns
Demographic: I'm not too entirely sure on this but I'd say seinen.
Producer: Bee Train
Season: Spring 2004 (April 4 - September 27)
Genre: Action, Drama, Supernatural, Psychological, Mystery, Military/War, Girls with Guns
Demographic: I'm not too entirely sure on this but I'd say seinen.
The plot was very intricate in the way the sub plots all tied in with the main plot in the end. The initial episodes are often accused of being too slow-paced but I think it was important in establishing the characters in a certain depth and also the contrast between the war-torn Gazth-Sonika and the peaceful Nafrece. The first part of the series pretty much consisted of self-contained episodes that uncover bits and pieces of the puzzle.
The story on the surface is essentially about people who are searching for answers. Answers for why things happened, answers about who they are and answers about their past. On a deeper level, it brings up a lot of ideas about human existence, emotion and desire, and that was one of the reasons I really liked this series. An idea that is as well though out and meaningful as this is a rare find in anime these days as most of them simply aim to please the audience with unnecessary fan-service, rather than to incorporate any meaning into their story. Speaking of fan-service, it was present, but it was very subtle.
In terms of characters, this is one of the rare anime where I grew to like all the characters over the course of the series. They are really unique in their personalities, from the kind killer to the naive amnesiac. They were from all different walks of life but they were all searching for something and the way they were all connected in the end was really quite profound at the time. It kind of made me think of how as humans, we are all different and yet we are really all the same. I also liked the implied yuri undertones in the relationship between Madlax, Vanessa Rene and Limelda Jorg.
The art and animation in Madlax really weren't the best although it wasn't all bad. The character designs were rather plain and simplistic. None of them really stood out and in all honesty, some of them were really quite strange. The lush backgrounds created a somewhat dreamlike atmosphere which contrasted with the civil war that was going on but really made all the supernatural elements seem very natural rather than unrealistic. What I did have a problem with here was the actual animation sequences. Action scenes were really lack-lustre but I guess the focus was more on Madlax's graceful movements that accompanied her almost superhuman ability than fast-paced action. It made what should've been fun, exciting fight scenes become a little boring and no longer entertaining. The animation also looked unnatural at times when hair was moving in the wind. It was strange to see a few 3D strands flowing amongst the rest of the 2D hair.
The soundtrack also had a powerful effect on the series. It really added to the haunting, dreamlike atmosphere of the whole series and went well with all the scenes. The compositions really accentuated the emotions conveyed and made it all the more memorable for me. I'll never have enough praise for all of Yuki Kajiura's compositions though.
To sum it all up, Madlax is not something for everyone. It's very heavy content-wise and it requires a little faith to get through the first few episodes. If you're looking for a straight up series and some light entertainment, you're looking in the wrong place. However, if you are looking for something deeper, this is something I would recommend this and as a general viewer, I'd score it an 8/10. This is after taking into consideration much more than simply how much I enjoyed it.
On a more personal note, I found Madlax to be a really touching and emotional experience. Even though it took a little effort to get stuck into, it was thoroughly captivating in the final few episodes. At times, I wondered if the story was even going anywhere but it turned out to have real depth that I wasn't expecting. I also noticed that a lot of people seemed to compare Madlax to Noir, as Madlax was its spiritual successor, and seemed to think Madlax was the inferior of the two. I watched Madlax first so I could avoid comparing it and I really loved Madlax. In my opinion, I would give it a 9/10 out of pure enjoyment and not much else.
The story on the surface is essentially about people who are searching for answers. Answers for why things happened, answers about who they are and answers about their past. On a deeper level, it brings up a lot of ideas about human existence, emotion and desire, and that was one of the reasons I really liked this series. An idea that is as well though out and meaningful as this is a rare find in anime these days as most of them simply aim to please the audience with unnecessary fan-service, rather than to incorporate any meaning into their story. Speaking of fan-service, it was present, but it was very subtle.
In terms of characters, this is one of the rare anime where I grew to like all the characters over the course of the series. They are really unique in their personalities, from the kind killer to the naive amnesiac. They were from all different walks of life but they were all searching for something and the way they were all connected in the end was really quite profound at the time. It kind of made me think of how as humans, we are all different and yet we are really all the same. I also liked the implied yuri undertones in the relationship between Madlax, Vanessa Rene and Limelda Jorg.
The art and animation in Madlax really weren't the best although it wasn't all bad. The character designs were rather plain and simplistic. None of them really stood out and in all honesty, some of them were really quite strange. The lush backgrounds created a somewhat dreamlike atmosphere which contrasted with the civil war that was going on but really made all the supernatural elements seem very natural rather than unrealistic. What I did have a problem with here was the actual animation sequences. Action scenes were really lack-lustre but I guess the focus was more on Madlax's graceful movements that accompanied her almost superhuman ability than fast-paced action. It made what should've been fun, exciting fight scenes become a little boring and no longer entertaining. The animation also looked unnatural at times when hair was moving in the wind. It was strange to see a few 3D strands flowing amongst the rest of the 2D hair.
The soundtrack also had a powerful effect on the series. It really added to the haunting, dreamlike atmosphere of the whole series and went well with all the scenes. The compositions really accentuated the emotions conveyed and made it all the more memorable for me. I'll never have enough praise for all of Yuki Kajiura's compositions though.
To sum it all up, Madlax is not something for everyone. It's very heavy content-wise and it requires a little faith to get through the first few episodes. If you're looking for a straight up series and some light entertainment, you're looking in the wrong place. However, if you are looking for something deeper, this is something I would recommend this and as a general viewer, I'd score it an 8/10. This is after taking into consideration much more than simply how much I enjoyed it.
On a more personal note, I found Madlax to be a really touching and emotional experience. Even though it took a little effort to get stuck into, it was thoroughly captivating in the final few episodes. At times, I wondered if the story was even going anywhere but it turned out to have real depth that I wasn't expecting. I also noticed that a lot of people seemed to compare Madlax to Noir, as Madlax was its spiritual successor, and seemed to think Madlax was the inferior of the two. I watched Madlax first so I could avoid comparing it and I really loved Madlax. In my opinion, I would give it a 9/10 out of pure enjoyment and not much else.
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