Madlax

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Madlax

The central characters of the series
マドラックス
(Madorakkusu)
Genre Action, Mystery, War Drama
TV anime
Director Kōichi Mashimo
Writer Yōsuke Kuroda
Studio Bee Train
Licensor Flag of the United States Flag of Canada Flag of the United Kingdom ADV Films
Flag of Australia Flag of New Zealand Madman Entertainment
Network Flag of Japan TV Tokyo
Original run 5 April 2004 – 27 September 2004
Episodes 26

Madlax (マドラックス Madorakkusu?) is a 26-episode Japanese anime television series produced in 2004 by the Bee Train animation studio. Kōichi Mashimo directed Madlax and the soundtrack was composed by Yuki Kajiura. The DVD version was released by ADV Films in North America and the United Kingdom and by Madman Entertainment in Australia and New Zealand. According to the director Mashimo, the title is a portmanteau of two English words: MAD and reLAXed, mirroring the authors' intention to portray the two extremes of human being.[1][2]

The story revolves around two young women who seemingly have little in common and do not know of the other's existence, at first. The titular Madlax is a legend amongst the mercenaries and assassins of the fictional civil war-torn country of Gazth-Sonika. "Madlax" is a code name and a substitute for her real one, forgotten along with the rest of her past before 1999, when the war started. The other protagonist is Margaret Burton, the sole heir of a wealthy aristocratic family in the peaceful European country of Nafrece. Twelve years before the story begins, an airliner her mother and she were on crashed over Gazth-Sonika, and its passengers, as well as Margaret's father who lead the rescuers, have been missing ever since. Margaret managed to travel back to Nafrece on her own, though how she made it remains a mystery considering that she too has lost her memories prior to her return; the only thing she recalls is a single word, "Madlax". With this thread linking the two girls, they both independently start investigating the powerful crime syndicate Enfant and its enigmatic mastermind who, for some reason, shows interest in both of them.

Multiple similarities between Madlax and Noir, an earlier work by Bee Train, have been pointed out.[3][4] According to the authors, these two series are the first installments of a trilogy exploring the so-called girls-with-guns genre,[1][5] with the third title being El Cazador de la Bruja.[6] Still, Madlax differs considerably from its predecessor in its less episodic and more plot-driven style.[7] In particular contrast to the predominantly realistic Noir, Madlax incorporates many supernatural aspects and concepts associated with psychological thrillers and surrealism, which the audience must often interpret without further explanation.[2][8][9][10]

Contents

[edit] Story

[edit] Characters

Clockwise from top-left: Vanessa, Madlax, Margaret, Elenore, Carrossea, Monday, and Limelda
Clockwise from top-left: Vanessa, Madlax, Margaret, Elenore, Carrossea, Monday, and Limelda
Main article: List of Madlax characters

Madlax features a large cast of distinctive characters which, according to the composer Yuki Kajiura, serve as the milestones for Margaret Burton's (マーガレット・バートン Māgaretto Bāton?) inner growth, one of the main topics of the show (see Themes of Madlax).[11] At the beginning, Margaret is a sleepy, clumsy amnesiac, who lives under the care of her devoted and sometimes overprotective maidservant Elenore Baker (エリノア・ベイカー Erinoa Beikā?), a child prodigy who graduated from school years ahead of other students to spend all her time caring for her "Miss". Elenore helps keep the absent-minded and alienated Margaret out of trouble, which Margaret seems able to find even in tranquil Nafrece.[12] Also caring for her is Vanessa Rene (ヴァネッサ・レネ Vanessa Rene?), a soft-spoken but strong-minded corporate executive in her early thirties[3] who was once her tutor.[13]

It is also Vanessa who links Margaret to the other female lead in the second half of the series — Madlax (マドラックス Madorakkusu?), a beautiful and kind young woman who happens to be the most efficient operative and assassin in the war-torn Gazth-Sonika.[14] When Vanessa travels to Gazth-Sonika, she hires Madlax as her bodyguard. Just like Margaret, Madlax remembers next to nothing of her life before twelve years ago, except the word that she accepted as her code name and a vague image of her father, whom she hopes to meet one day. Madlax's supernatural battle skills prove increasingly useful when Vanessa's investigation of the Gazth-Sonikan casus belli, which until then had been unjustly thought to be her own father's diplomatical incompetence,[15] draws the attention of a powerful criminal intelligence network named "Enfant" (French: "Child") to them.

The mysterious masked head of Enfant, known as Friday Monday (フライデー・マンデー Furaidē Mandē?), is shown single-handedly controlling all information channels on the planet[16] and commanding an army of agents to pursue his obscure goals that involve, among others, Margaret and Madlax. One of these agents is his right-hand man Carrossea Doon (カロッスア・ドゥーン Karossua Dōn?) who often plays his own game under Monday's nose. Carrossea attempts to gain the trust of Margaret Burton, whom he is assigned to observe, yet he also feels himself mysteriously drawn to her. Another agent of Enfant in the series is Limelda Jorg (リメルダ・ユルグ Rimeruda Yurugu?), an officer of the Gazth-Sonikan royal guard and excellent sniper who develops a bitter rivalry with Madlax.

[edit] Plot summary

See also: Fictional setting of Madlax

The first half of the series alternates between the two leads. Madlax works as a special ops agent for hire in the war-torn Gazth-Sonika, while Margaret enjoys the tranquility of Nafrece, a country apparently styled after France.[17] When a "picture book", presumably given to Margaret by her late father, attracts the attention of international crime syndicate Enfant, she starts researching the book's origins and discovers that they lie in Gazth-Sonika. Enfant's top operative, Carrossea Doon, tracks Margaret down but tips off his superiors in the wrong direction — towards Madlax, who has been causing Enfant trouble in Gazth-Sonika for some time. Meanwhile, Vanessa Rene, Margaret's former tutor, discovers that her employer, Bookwald Industries, covertly supports the civil war in Gazth-Sonika by supplying both sides with firearms and decides to find more about the true cause of the war. Her investigation brings her to Gazth-Sonika, where Madlax is assigned as her bodyguard, and together, they uncover data that proves that Enfant orchestrated the entire conflict. Enfant intercepts and forces them into hiding. Back in Nafrece, Margaret decides to travel to Gazth-Sonika to help Vanessa and is accompanied by both her maidservant Elenore Baker and Carrossea Doon.

Eventually, Madlax and Margaret encounter each other and embark on a search for Quanzitta Marison, a Gazth-Sonikan mystic who is suggested to know about Margaret's book, Enfant's involvement with it, and Enfant itself. Lady Quanzitta does indeed tell them about Enfant and its plans to plunge the entire world into a total war, starting with Gazth-Sonika. She reveals that Friday Monday (Enfant's leader) possesses supernatural powers connected to the three ancient books, one of which belongs to Margaret. Margaret uses her own supernatural abilities and that of her book to return her lost memories. Carrossea, who has been aiding Margaret, requests that his memories be restored as well despite warnings not to do so; he discovers that he in fact died 12 years ago, and held on to life only by sheer force of will to protect Margaret. Carrossea disappears, and Margaret is captured by Monday who intends to use her abilities to complete his own goals.

Three personae of Margaret Burton
Three personae of Margaret Burton

While Margaret and Carrossea perform the ritual, Madlax is attacked by her arch-nemesis throughout the show, Limelda Jorg. Limelda accidentally kills Vanessa while targeting Madlax, sending the latter into clinical depression. Elenore and Lady Quanzitta's servant Nakhl manage to restore Madlax's will to live and persuade her to save Margaret, and the three storm Enfant's headquarters together. During the assault, Elenore is killed and Margaret, now under Monday's control, shoots Madlax. Believing her to be dead, Monday commences a ritual to unleash people's inhibitions and trigger worldwide anarchy; but Margaret's memories return and she snaps out of his mind control. Only now does the audience learn the truth: back in 1999, Monday drove Margaret's father insane with his powers and she was forced to kill her own parent. To escape the horrible truth of her patricide, Margaret split herself into three personae: the "memory keeper" Laetitia, the sinful Madlax, and the innocent Margaret herself. After the revelation, Madlax reappears and guns down Monday, followed by Margaret fusing the three personae to undo the ritual she previously performed with Monday, saving the world from insanity. Upon accomplishing that, she once again splits herself in three, judging that after twelve years, she no longer has the right to make decisions for her other personae.

[edit] Themes

Among the most prominent recurring themes in Madlax is war, its causes and the destructive effects it has upon the characters' lives.[18] The first episodes contrast the tranquil Nafrece with the war-torn Gazth-Sonika;[19] later, the story moves completely to the combat zone, focusing on the central characters, such as Limelda Jorg,[20] and their suffering. The second half of the series discusses the true nature and desires of humankind: Friday Monday, while playing the role of a mad villain,[21] expresses the belief that the intrinsic nature of humans carries only destruction, death and chaos.[22] To support his views, he attempts to grant "people's intrinsic wishes" by starting an irrational world-wide war.[23] His plans are thwarted by Madlax, whom Margaret Burton defines as a "kind murderer".[24][25] Despite her bloodsoaked line of work, Madlax stays a kind and empathetic person and represents a living denial of Friday Monday's beliefs,[25] embodying an alternate "true human nature."[26] In the end, Margaret draws the conclusion that the world and everyone living in it carry both good and evil within them and are free to embrace either side.[25]

Madlax also plays as the story of Margaret Burton's search for her psychological identity.[11] Based on the available to her Mashimo Menu theme titles,[27] Yuki Kajiura has suggested that while searching for her memories, Margaret meets the other characters ("Gatekeepers") one after another and gets to know the lifestyles ("Gates") they represent. In the end, she finds her own "Gate", which is the new identity that finally replaces the one she lost twelve years ago.[11]

Madlax and Vanessa
Madlax and Vanessa

Madlax has gained fame among the shōjo-ai fandom for its implied lesbian content.[28][29] The main source of such speculations in the series is the relationship between Madlax, Vanessa Rene and Limelda Jorg,[30][31] that partly mirrors the "love triangle" in Noir between Kirika Yuumura, Mireille Bouquet and Chloe.[32] The relationship between second lead character Margaret and Madlax, which is ambiguously hinted at in the final shots of the opening animation, never progresses past acknowledging each other's right to exist.[33] On the other hand, multiple allusions towards a heterosexual mutual attraction between her and Carrossea Doon are scattered throughout the story.[34][35]

[edit] Production

Staff
Director  Kōichi Mashimo
Series composition, screenplay  Yōsuke Kuroda
Planning  Shiro Sasaki
Producers  Shigeru Kitayama
 Tatsuya Hamamoto
Assistant producer  Hiroshi Yoshida
Music producer  Keiichi Nozaki
Original music  Yuki Kajiura
Theme songs performance  FictionJunction YUUKA
Art director  Yoshimi Umino
Character animation director  Satoshi Ohsawa
Character design  Minako Shiba
 Satoko Miyachi
 Satoshi Ohsawa
Mechanical animation director  Yasuhiro Saiki
Mechanical design  Kenji Teraoka
Color coordination  Makiko Kojima
Editing  Seiji Morita
Special effects  Masahiro Murakami

According to the director Kōichi Mashimo, he has always envisioned Noir and Madlax as part of a trilogy belonging to the girls-with-guns genre,[5] and soon after the release of the latter, he revealed that the third installment was already being planned (later revealed to be El Cazador de la Bruja).[1] In late 2002, Mashimo invited Shigeru Kitayama, the producer of Noir who once came up with its original idea, to discuss a new series entitled Madlax. Kitayama greatly expanded Mashimo's original screenplay plan, but it was not until Yōsuke Kuroda was put in charge of the script that the series took its final appearance. It took Kuroda around one year to finish the screenplays for all 26 episodes, during which he was constantly encouraged by Mashimo to add his own original ideas to their initial plan. Kuroda has admitted that at the time he received Mashimo's invitation, he felt frustrated after his first project has been canceled by the publisher, so he decided to make Madlax "really extravagant", blending as many genres at once as he could. Kōichi Mashimo, furthermore, admitted that the most unusual plot twists, like Margaret and Madlax's connection to each other, were invented by Kuroda and him while drunk.[1]

By comparison with Noir, Madlax features a much larger primary cast, including multiple recurring male characters, an element nearly absent in the former. It was not so in the original screenplay draft written by Mashimo and Kitayama: for example, "Madlax" was Margaret's own nickname and Charlie (Vanessa's colleague at Bookwald Industries) had one of the central roles similar to Speedy's in Avenger. Only the "draft" characters' names remained of them when Kuroda has rewritten the script. A total of three character designers collaborated on Madlax cast: Satoshi Ohsawa (who also worked on Noir cast) created the central heroines Margaret and Madlax; Minako Shiba drew the agents of Enfant led by Friday Monday and Carrossea Doon; and Satoko Miyachi was entrusted with the "mysterious" characters, Laetitia and Poupee.[36][37]

Seiyūs who voiced characters in Madlax have participated in earlier projects by studio Bee Train, for example, Houko Kuwashima and Aya Hisakawa who played Kirika Yuumura and Chloe in Noir also voiced Margaret Burton and Limelda Jorg.[38][39] Kotono Mitsuishi (Mireille Bouquet in Noir), on the other hand, has received only a minor role (Margaret's mother in episode 21),[40] while the titular lead of Madlax was voiced by Sanae Kobayashi, previously involved with .hack//Liminality (Mai Minase).[41] Masashi Ebara (Friday Monday) also had a major role in Liminality (Junichiro Tokuoka).[42] Monica Rial (Kirika Yuumura in the English translation of Noir) worked on the translation of the screenplay for the ADV Films release,[43] which earned praise from the critics.[21]

[edit] Releases

Boxed set (all volumes) released by ADV
Boxed set (all volumes) released by ADV
Main article: List of Madlax episodes

Originally, Madlax was broadcast in Japan by TV Tokyo from 5 April to 27 September 2004, from 1:30 to 2:00 a.m. every Tuesday (formally, Monday night).[44] Shortly before the series finished airing, it has been licensed in North America and Europe by ADV Films,[45] which has previously acquired distribution rights for Noir and has long had plans to license its successor, as well.[46] The official English dub has been released in the United States under the trademark MADLAX on a total of seven DVDs from 12 April 2005 to 28 March 2006 and received a TV-14 rating, though it has been lowered to TV-PG for the consequent cable network broadcast.[47] A complete collection was released by ADV on 17 July 2007.[48] Madlax has become the first series on which ADV Films' director and producer David Williams tested the technology of distributing promotional materials via P2P network BitTorrent.[49]

The North-American DVD release contains extras available in English only, such the controversial self-parody Conversations with SSS[19][50][51] and Sock Puppet Theater, an Easter egg live action about Madlax going after Chris Patton, Badgis' voice actor and an annoying womanizer (accessible during the second transition of episode 21 by pressing "Up", "Down", "Left", and "Right").[21]

Since 7 February 2006, Madlax airs on Anime Network (which is, like ADV Films, a subsidiary of A.D. Vision). On 4 April, shortly after the last DVD volume has been released, the consequent broadcast was put on halt and until 27 June, only the first 8 episodes were repeated. Since then, the series has been relaunched multiple times.[52]

Madman Entertainment, who previously licensed Noir in its region, has acquired rights for distribution of Madlax in Australia and New Zealand and released it on seven DVD volumes between 20 July 2005 and 26 July 2006.[53] A complete collection was released on 4 April 2007.[53]

[edit] Music

Main article: List of Madlax albums
The cover of the first Madlax soundtrack album
The cover of the first Madlax soundtrack album

Like with many of studio Bee Train's other works (including Noir, her first collaboration with them), the entire Madlax soundtrack was composed by the acclaimed Yuki Kajiura, making it her and Kōichi Mashimo's fifth project together. Kajiura and Yuuka Nanri's duo FictionJunction YUUKA recorded the series' opening and ending themes, "Fragments of an Eye" (瞳の欠片 Hitomi no Kakera?) and "inside your heart", respectively, as well as two insert songs: "nowhere" and "I'm here". Aside from the opening sequence, "Fragments of an Eye" is featured in the series itself: at the end of episode 18 and in the episode 24, when Margaret is humming its tune (along with another song called "Cradle") to herself in the flower field.

The entire OST has been released on two albums in 2004 by Victor Entertainment. Two singles, Hitomi no Kakera and inside your heart, were published in the same year by FictionJunction YUUKA, each containing an opening/ending theme and one insert song, as well as their respective karaoke versions.[54] In an interview Kajiura recalls having written the score in a hotel high-rise to save studio costs, and that this change in location helped her to explore different styles of music.[55]

In the insert song "nowhere", there is a frequently repeated background refrain "Yanmaani" (ヤンマーニ Yanmāni?), which is meaningless chanting rather than an actual word. Since the song usually plays when Madlax is fighting, "Yanmaani" has become something of a joke to Madlax fans: its loud singing has come to symbolize Madlax's apparent invincibility - some see it as a kind of "magic word" that powers Madlax up for battle, in accordance with the magical girl genre canons.[56]

[edit] Franchise

Madlax the Bible cover
Madlax the Bible cover

MADLAX the Bible (ISBN 4-89425-375-5) is a 95-page artbook that was published in Japan on 21 May 2005 by Hobby Japan.[57] Aside from illustrations and artworks for the series, it contains interviews with its authors and seiyū, as well as diverse additional information about the show in Japanese.[58] The artbook has never been published outside of Japan. Since the word "Bible" is derived from Ancient Greek: "τὰ βιβλία τὰ ἅγια", meaning "holy books", it is likely that the artbook's title is a reference to the Holy Books that play an important role in the series' plot.

A resin model kit known as "Madlax with Guns" has been produced, featuring a figurine of Madlax dual wielding her signature SIG P210s.[59] Another, a polystone figurine entitled simply "Madlax", was launched in August 2007.[60] In Japan, a T-shirt with Madlax logo has been added to the limited edition of the first DVD volume,[61] and the "first press" of the OST albums came with logotype mousepads.[62]

[edit] Reception

Madlax was often accused of being secondary and reusing Noir's stylistic solutions, such as the story premise, the two heroines' appearance, and the musical style.[4] Nevertheless, some sources praised the story for being more monolithic and consequent than its predecessor's, owing to all its episodes and subplots being tightly intertwined and held together by the primary A-Plot.[51]

The majority of reviewers perceived the early episodes of Madlax as boring and too slow-paced,[3] but some of the same critics later remarked that the prolonged exposition is crucial to the unusual finale of the series, which fully establishes the series' own identity and sets it apart from other works.[2][21][51][63] According to them, after the initial volume, the story gets better and better with every new episode,[34][64] though some have been dissatisfied with its "pseudo-existentialistic" ending.[50] Erica Friedman, the president of Yuricon, highly praised Kuroda's script, naming it "the best writing that Bee Train has done".[8] Professional reviewers welcomed the increased number of sympathetic characters,[10] especially the distinguishable male ones (Friday, Carrossea, Colonel Burton), as opposed to stormtrooper-like operatives of Soldats in Noir,[3] but the female character designs were still said to be much more detailed (to the point of fanservice in case of Madlax) than the more generic male characters.[21]

The high quality of the animation in Madlax was generally acknowledged.[4][51] On the negative side, the episodes that involve computer use and hacking received criticism for their lack of realism.[30] In terms of soundtrack, Madlax has not become as innovative as Noir,[65] with critics suggesting its OST to be a blend of Noir and .hack//Sign styles.[66] Nevertheless, the reviewers acknowledged its superiority over the majority of contemporary works.[3][4] The English translation released by ADV Films was praised for preserving most of the series' original stylistic aspects and inviting veteran voice actors for the dub.[34] Reviewers went as far as to suggest that several English voices (especially Mike Kleinhenz's) match the characters better than the Japanese ones.[21]

The initial slow pacing, especially compared to the first episodes of Noir,[4] became a main reason why the audience often dropped watching Madlax before it could present its later story turns which eventually resulted in the moderate success of the series.[4] Among other suggested reasons behind the mediocre popularity of the show were: the market saturation, which resulted from other anime series attempting to repeat the success of Noir since 2001; the expectable disinterest against a "Noir remake", found among the fans of the first series;[3] the over-the-top action scenes that some felt to be ridiculous;[67] and its unconventional genre, which straddled Madlax uncomfortably between fans of mystical science fiction and those who prefer Noir's strict realism.[10]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d Wong, Amos (March 2005). "Inside Bee Train". Newtype USA: 8–15. 
  2. ^ a b c Houston, Don (2007-07-17). Review: Madlax: Complete Collection. DVD Talk. Retrieved on 2007-12-31. “The title of the show was a combination of two English words (mad and relaxed) that director/writer Kouichi[sic] Mashimo used to portray the duality of human nature he was going for with the themes of the show. [...] Looking past the metaphysical pondering that was the main way in which this show deviated from Noir, there was a tightly scripted story that took a lengthy time getting to where it was going but it did so in such a satisfying manner that I honestly can't imagine anyone interested in the genre finding fault with it.”
  3. ^ a b c d e f Carter, Jason (2005-07-20). Madlax DVD #1 review. AnimeJump.com. Retrieved on 2006-11-08.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Martin, Theron (2005-05-06). Madlax DVD #1 review. Anime News Network. Retrieved on 2006-11-08.
  5. ^ a b See also the article about the girls-with-guns on Bee Train Fan Wiki.
  6. ^ January 3–10 News. Anime News Service (2007-01-06). Retrieved on 2007-01-19. “Following Noir and Madlax, this [El Cazador] will be the thrid[sic] installment in a series of what Director Koichi Mashimo has referred to as his girls-with-guns genre trilogy.”
  7. ^ Hattaway, Mitchell (2005-09-01). Madlax DVD #2 review. DVDVerdict.com. Retrieved on 2006-11-08. “...every new twist only strengthens the plot. Yes, the story is quite complex, but it doesn't appear to be complex just for the sake of being complex. The plot is a big puzzle, but I have a feeling all of the pieces will eventually fall into place.”
  8. ^ a b Friedman, Erica (2007-07-03). Madlax DVD #7 review. Retrieved on 2007-10-25. “It's a magic with no roots in our world, so we have to take everything we're given at face value,.. [...] I still maintain that Madlax is the best writing that Bee Train has done. It has the mystery of the .hack series, without the endless meaningless chatter that goes nowhere, the yuri and violence of Noir, the despair and love of Avenger and a story that resolves, unlike all of them.”
  9. ^ Dyer, Ann Marie (2005-03-26). Madlax DVD #1 review. ActiveAnime.com. Retrieved on 2007-07-27. “Madlax is an action series wrought with surrealism and brimming with mystery.”
  10. ^ a b c Beveridge, Chris (2006-01-26). Madlax DVD #6 review. AnimeOnDVD.com. Retrieved on 2006-11-09.
  11. ^ a b c Madlax Volume 3: The In-Between, (2004), Kōichi Mashimo, notes from: insert leaflet Staff Talk #5 (Yuki Kajiura). ADV Films, Houston, Texas: DMAD/003,  (2005).
  12. ^ Madlax, episode 6 (summary).
  13. ^ Elenore: "Miss Vanessa, as her tutor you gave her culture and education. Thanks to you, since then she's come so far that she can lead a normal school life". Madlax, episode 6 (9:44).
  14. ^ Galza Lieutenant: "What'll be a big deal is when THAT one shows up. [...] A super-skilled agent named Ma..." Madlax, episode 1 (3:23).
  15. ^ Vanessa: "My father was a diplomat in Nafrece, you see, and at the time that the threat of civil war here was coming to a peak, he was in charge of relations with Gazth-Sonika. Then the civil war broke out, and my parents were detained by the Gazth-Sonika army under suspicion of inciting the war". Madlax, episode 13 (8:21).
  16. ^ Maclay Marini's investigation of Enfant and its consequences. Madlax, episode 4.
  17. ^ Madlax, episode 14: The Eiffel Tower can be observed at approx. 6:25.
  18. ^ Pete's life story (Madlax, episode 1); Guen McNichol's life story (episode 3); Luciano's life story (episode 9).
  19. ^ a b Hattaway, Mitchell (2005-04-28). Madlax DVD #1 review. DVDVerdict.com. Retrieved on 2006-11-08.
  20. ^ Beveridge, Chris (2005-12-22). Madlax DVD #5 review. AnimeOnDVD.com. Retrieved on 2006-11-09. “[Limelda's] decision [...] sets her on a path that isn't quite easy to understand but makes a twisted sort of sense. The kind of sense that someone who's grown up in a country torn apart by civil war and bloodshed might be able to come up with.”
  21. ^ a b c d e f Martin, Theron (2006-04-05). Madlax DVD #6 and #7 review. Anime News Network. Retrieved on 2006-11-08.
  22. ^ Friday Monday's explanation of his ideals. Madlax, episodes 25 (17:01) and 26 (9:51).
  23. ^ Conversation between Friday Monday and Colonel Burton. Madlax, episode 21 (16:56).
    Madlax: "Why do you continue a meaningless war?" Madlax, episode 16 (19:15).
  24. ^ Madlax and Margaret's first prolonged conversation. Madlax, episode 20 (5:12).
  25. ^ a b c Final conversation between Madlax and Margaret. Madlax, episode 26 (20:38).
  26. ^ Final stand-off between Madlax and Friday Monday. Madlax, episode 26 (16:56).
  27. ^ See also the article about Mashimo Menu on Bee Train Fan Wiki.
  28. ^ Shoujo-Ai Archive: Madlax Fanfiction. ShoujoAi.com. Retrieved on 2007-06-14.
  29. ^ Friedman, Erica (2004-06-29). Okazu: Madlax. Retrieved on 2007-06-14.
  30. ^ a b Morton, Bryan (2006-07-24). Madlax DVD #3 review. AnimeOnDVD.com. Retrieved on 2006-11-08.
  31. ^ Limelda confesses her love for Madlax. Madlax, episode 20 (13:12).
  32. ^ Mangaminx (2006-03-17). Madlax DVD #7 review. Blogspot.com. Retrieved on 2006-11-10. “The ending is of course similar to Noir to have two characters heading off into the sunset together, but seeing as one is the "Chloe" character this time I liked it a lot more [...] After all her obsessing Limelda needs a happy ending.”
  33. ^ In the depicted scene, there are no romantic topics raised. Madlax, episode 26 (21:12).
  34. ^ a b c Morton, Bryan (2006-09-28). Madlax DVD #4 review. AnimeOnDVD.com. Retrieved on 2006-11-08.
  35. ^ Margaret and Carrossea's dialogue before setting off for the Door of Truth. Madlax, episode 20 (16:40).
  36. ^ Madlax Volume 1: Connections, (2004), Kōichi Mashimo, notes from: insert leaflets Staff Talk #1 (Shigeru Kitayama) and #2 (Yosuke[sic] Kuroda). ADV Films, Houston, Texas: DMAD/001,  (2005).
  37. ^ Madlax Volume 2: The Red Book, (2004), Kōichi Mashimo, notes from: insert leaflet Staff Talk #4 (Minako Shiba and Satoko Miyachi). ADV Films, Houston, Texas: DMAD/002,  (2005).
  38. ^ Houko Kuwashima. Anime News Network. Retrieved on 2006-11-09.
  39. ^ Aya Hisakawa. Anime News Network. Retrieved on 2006-11-09.
  40. ^ Kotono Mitsuishi. Anime News Network. Retrieved on 2006-11-09.
  41. ^ Sanae Kobayashi. Anime News Network. Retrieved on 2006-11-09.
  42. ^ Masashi Ebara. Anime News Network. Retrieved on 2006-11-09.
  43. ^ Monica Rial. Anime News Network. Retrieved on 2006-11-09.
  44. ^ Program lineup (PDF). TV Tokyo (April 2004). Retrieved on 2006-10-29.
  45. ^ ADV Films makes acquisition announcement at Anime Weekend Atlanta: MADLAX licensed. ADV Films (2004-09-28). Retrieved on 2006-10-29.
  46. ^ Luther, Katherine (2004-10-02). ADV Announces MADLAX. About.com. Retrieved on 2007-03-14. “'We've been waiting for this show ever since Noir ended,' co-founder Matt Greenfield said.”
  47. ^ Madlax at the Internet Movie Database. Retrieved on 2006-10-29.
  48. ^ Coulter, Bryce (2007-11-29). Madlax Complete Collection (Thinpack) review. AnimeOnDVD.com. Retrieved on 2008-02-08.
  49. ^ ADV Bittorrent Test. Anime News Network (2005-07-14). Retrieved on 2006-10-29.
  50. ^ a b Hattaway, Mitchell (2006-04-20). Madlax DVD #7 review. DVDVerdict.com. Retrieved on 2006-11-08.
  51. ^ a b c d Beveridge, Chris (2006-04-13). Madlax DVD #7 review. AnimeOnDVD.com. Retrieved on 2006-11-09.
  52. ^ Anime Network program lineup for 7 February, 27 June, 1 August, and 7 November 2006, retrieved on 2006-11-15.
  53. ^ a b Madlax. Madman Entertainment. Retrieved on 2008-01-21.
  54. ^ See also the complete track listings for OST 1, OST 2, OP-single, ED-single on Bee Train Fan Wiki.
  55. ^ "Yuki Kajiura's interview with Keiichi Nozaki and Satoko Miyachi" [CD booklet]. Album notes for Madlax OST I by Yuki Kajiura. Geneon (VICL-61319). Madlax OST I at MusicBrainz.
  56. ^ Madlax Volume 2: The Red Book, (2004), Kōichi Mashimo, notes from: insert leaflet Staff Talk #3 (Satoshi Osawa[sic] ). ADV Films, Houston, Texas: DMAD/002,  (2005).
  57. ^ Madlax the Bible. Otaku.com. Retrieved on 2006-10-29.
  58. ^ Madlax the Bible (Japanese). Hobby Japan. Retrieved on 2006-10-29.
  59. ^ Madlax with Guns. HomeMedia4U.com (2006-08-19). Retrieved on 2007-02-11.
  60. ^ Madlax. HobbyLink Japan. Retrieved on 2007-12-05.
  61. ^ Madlax DVD #1 with series box and T-shirt (Japanese). Amazon.co.jp (2004-07-21). Retrieved on 2007-02-11.
  62. ^ Madlax OST I. CDJapan.co.jp (2004-07-21). Retrieved on 2007-02-20.
  63. ^ Hattaway, Mitchell (2006-02-07). Madlax DVD #6 review. DVDVerdict.com. Retrieved on 2006-11-08. “Sure, at first glance Madlax appears to be nothing more than another run-of-the-mill girls-with-guns anime, but this series goes a long way to proving that the devil's in the details. [...] Unless they really blow things at the end, this will go down as one terrific series.”
  64. ^ Hattaway, Mitchell (2005-09-15). Madlax DVD #3 review. DVDVerdict.com. Retrieved on 2006-11-08. “This series keeps getting better and better. [...] I keep waiting for Madlax to implode, but it somehow manages to keep on chugging along.”
  65. ^ Salandanan, Rommel (2005-11-14). Madlax OST I review. ActiveAnime.com. Retrieved on 2007-07-27.
  66. ^ Martin, Theron (2005-06-28). Madlax DVD #2 review. Anime News Network. Retrieved on 2006-11-08. “The musical scoring, which sounds like a mix of Noir and .hack//SIGN[sic] ,..”
  67. ^ Ross, Carlos. Madlax (first two episodes) review. THEM Anime Reviews. Retrieved on 2007-01-10. “Usually, a show like this is saved by its dramatic themes and its action sequences. Noir was. Madlax is not... The "action" is so over-the-top as to cross the line between cool and stupid... Maybe future episodes will prove me wrong, but for now, Madlax is frustratingly mediocre and extremely difficult to find the motivation to continue.”

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[MADLAX]
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