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| THIS IS AN ANIME ONLY DISCUSSION POST. DO NOT DISCUSS THE MANGA BEYOND THIS EPISODE. ---------------------------------------- Apart from the fact that since a couple of previous episodes Madlax has become transparent to bullets I didn't get a thing! why did Carrosea died again? And why is Madlax older than Margaret if they are the same person? No sorry I didn't get a thing here. silly plotline yeah. |
meneopeMar 6, 2012 1:49 PM
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| You can't understand it because it is the stupidest plotline ever. I fell asleep during almost every episode. Madlax is Japan's sleeping aid and it only costs you 30 dollars! |
| I want my money back. And I didn't even pay anything for it! |
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vinnispinni said: Wow... Interesting that none of you guys really liked it. I think this series isn't based around action and stuff like that, but more around philosophy, which not everyone is a fan of, but if you don't like it, don't watch it. (to the person who reads this that might actually like Madlax as well I loved how this series kept a few elements of other 'girls with guns' series but also blazed its own trail. Definately well done!) We already watch it - that's the problem. Perhaps u could shed some light on some of the questions I asked earlier since u have understood the thing apparently. |
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| Quite the interesting tale. Very confusing in parts but in the end it came together. Even if it only came together in symbolism and not reality. I do believe that this is an interpretation of of our own power over ourselves, and our lack of understanding in how things really work. Thus we live in a world that we know no better than the lies of Friday-Monday. Truly some deep thinking is involved in the overarching plot. Lots of subplots that run from ep to ep. Art was generally very good. the 2d flowing hair thing was really out of place sometimes. Kind of annoying really. At the very worst Yuki Kajiura still produced an awesome soundtrack! 8/10 series overall. |
TasolthFeb 28, 2010 9:23 PM
We will never forget those that have fallen for our freedom! |
| Noir was waaaaaay better. Having said that, even knowing spoilers (not char. death spoilers, though) through the whole thing, it was pretty confusing. But to understand the plot line, you first have to understand that this is a story about a girl experiencing Dissociative Identity Disorder/DID (Formerly known as MPD). Margaret experienced extreme trauma after having to choose to kill her father or be killed by her father. She ultimately pulled the trigger first and to escape the guilt of sin of her actions, she split into at least three parts (if Vanessa, Eleanore, blond wise chick, and even Friday Monday were alters also), one being Madlax, the alter who carried the sin so she could be disassociated from knowledge she could not cope with. In the end, Margaret is able to accept the reality of what happened and merged the alters. I even suspect the long blond haired tan lady with the mystic hand thing was the host, being the 'all-knowing' aspect which is central to the whole alter-splitting thing. I don't know what Friday-Monday represented, though philosophically speaking, he just served as the ideal that morality is only a human construct and that sin does not exist. Though in the end, Madlax who embodies sin or is proof of sin and thus proof of morality and so contradicts his ideals, kills him, ironically. Madlax, as an alter, obviously wasn't so much a physical entity as she was a disjointed part of Margaret's subconscious. Hence why she could be shot a bunch of times by Margaret and not die (as well as by creepy stalker chick she apparently hooks up with), though I think that was more symbolic of Margaret trying to destroy the truth without being aware of the truth of how her father died. After realizing and accepting she killed him and that Madlax was her sin, then she could have killed Madlax, hence why Madlax offered her the gun to make her vanish. This part about not dying before realizing and accepting the truth is why Vanessa and Eleanore died when they did. So: Margaret=Madlax Eleanore=Vanessa (probably) mystic hand lady=Friday Monday? You would probably have to read up on DID including some literature and findings by clinical psychologists to really get half of it even if it's pretty obvious that this is about DID to most viewers, I would think. But a lot of gun action, I suppose, was used to market this anime to a wider audience, seeing as Noir, its predecessor, appeals to a very narrow audience as seems to be the case with Bee Train's better titles, imo. But Noir has apparently had a lot of not-so-great reviews by a lot of people. I was personally so impressed with the title that I wanted to rate it a masterpiece. I see Madlax as using similar concepts of sin and some similar characters (Margaret and Kirika and Vanessa and Mirielle), France, and girls being awesome with guns, but with a very different scenario. But while I am itching to re-watch the predecessor, I don't see myself re-watching this out of any particular craving. |
aixelsydSep 4, 2010 12:37 AM
| I didn't hate it... I didn't love it either, but I didn't hate it. I suppose that may be because I was so scared that it was going to run down the cliched "Everything goes back to normal" route. Which makes watching anything past the first episode stupid. In the end, not the best ending, but certainly not the worst. Now I just have to watch El Cazador de la Bruja and I'll be done with these. |
net_nomad said: Having said that, even knowing spoilers (not char. death spoilers, though) through the whole thing, it was pretty confusing. But to understand the plot line, you first have to understand that this is a story about a girl experiencing Dissociative Identity Disorder/DID (Formerly known as MPD). Margaret experienced extreme trauma after having to choose to kill her father or be killed by her father. She ultimately pulled the trigger... I don't know what Friday-Monday represented, though philosophically speaking, he just served as the ideal that morality is only a human construct and that sin does not exist. Though in the end, Madlax who embodies sin or is proof of sin and thus proof of morality and so contradicts his ideals, kills him, ironically. Madlax, as an alter, obviously wasn't so much a physical entity as she was a disjointed part of Margaret's subconscious. Hence why she could be shot a bunch of times by Margaret and not die (as well as by creepy stalker chick she apparently hooks up with), though I think that was more symbolic of Margaret trying to destroy the truth without being aware of the truth of how her father died. After realizing and accepting she killed him and that Madlax was her sin, then she could have killed Madlax, hence why Madlax offered her the gun to make her vanish. This part about not dying before realizing and accepting the truth is why Vanessa and Eleanore died when they did. So: Margaret=Madlax Eleanore=Vanessa (probably) mystic hand lady=Friday Monday? You would probably have to read up on DID including some literature and findings by clinical psychologists to really... But while I am itching to re-watch the predecessor, I don't see myself re-watching this out of any particular craving. I think that's more like doing a detective work trying to fill in the gap where the producers or writters clearly failed to provide a meaningful plotline. That doesn't still answer my question though: why did Carrosea have to die? What did he represent (symbolically?)? |
meneopeMar 6, 2012 1:49 PM
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Greyskulduggery said: In the end, not the best ending, but certainly not the worst. Now I just have to watch El Cazador de la Bruja and I'll be done with these. It's funny u should mention El Cazador I started watching that, but it felt so much like Madlax that I put it away. I think it was done by the same people. |
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| So we still don't know the explanation for the age difference... There's another thing I didn't get: How come Margaret was able to open the door using the three books with Carrossea without the page that Madlax had, but when Friday-Monday tried to do the same thing he failed O.o Also, is Friday-Monday a symbolic name? |
If you are a fan of (or simply interested in) Japanese films then please join the Cinema of Japan club! Thank you (: |
bloodlover said: So we still don't know the explanation for the age difference... There's another thing I didn't get: How come Margaret was able to open the door using the three books with Carrossea without the page that Madlax had, but when Friday-Monday tried to do the same thing he failed O.o Also, is Friday-Monday a symbolic name? The thing is they tried to make it looked interesting by building up as much expectations as possible in the viewers about an empty plotline, adding some kind of super-natural touch to it but it is basically empty and non-sensical! |
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Fasces349 said: I'm disappointed about the lack of discussion towards this anime given how awesome it was. Oh well :( About the age: both Margaret and Madlax were 17 iirc. If not then Madlax might have been wrong when she said she was about 17, remember she had no memories of her as a kid, how could she know her exact age? Margerate might have been able to open the gate because the paper was with madlax (aka herself) given that she technically had the additional page she was able to. I dunno this is just a theory. Like I said the scenarists could have done a better job. The truth is the story is poorly structured and is organised and executed with creating suspence or expectations in mind rather than anything substantial in content. |
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| Great series tbh. Not as good as Noir imo but still enjoyable. Lovely soundtrack and psychological themes that expands beyond just the typical shounen gun action. |
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| After watching Noir's epic ending, I had very high expectations about this one's too. Sadly, those expectations weren't fulfilled. While I liked the concept of the split personality and all that stuff, I thought that the last few episodes were executed rather poorly, and left a few issues unresolved. Still, it was an enjoyable show overall, though I liked Noir better. 8/10. |
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aixelsyd said: Noir was waaaaaay better. Having said that, even knowing spoilers (not char. death spoilers, though) through the whole thing, it was pretty confusing. But to understand the plot line, you first have to understand that this is a story about a girl experiencing Dissociative Identity Disorder/DID (Formerly known as MPD). Margaret experienced extreme trauma after having to choose to kill her father or be killed by her father. She ultimately pulled the trigger first and to escape the guilt of sin of her actions, she split into at least three parts (if Vanessa, Eleanore, blond wise chick, and even Friday Monday were alters also), one being Madlax, the alter who carried the sin so she could be disassociated from knowledge she could not cope with. In the end, Margaret is able to accept the reality of what happened and merged the alters. I even suspect the long blond haired tan lady with the mystic hand thing was the host, being the 'all-knowing' aspect which is central to the whole alter-splitting thing. I don't know what Friday-Monday represented, though philosophically speaking, he just served as the ideal that morality is only a human construct and that sin does not exist. Though in the end, Madlax who embodies sin or is proof of sin and thus proof of morality and so contradicts his ideals, kills him, ironically. Madlax, as an alter, obviously wasn't so much a physical entity as she was a disjointed part of Margaret's subconscious. Hence why she could be shot a bunch of times by Margaret and not die (as well as by creepy stalker chick she apparently hooks up with), though I think that was more symbolic of Margaret trying to destroy the truth without being aware of the truth of how her father died. After realizing and accepting she killed him and that Madlax was her sin, then she could have killed Madlax, hence why Madlax offered her the gun to make her vanish. This part about not dying before realizing and accepting the truth is why Vanessa and Eleanore died when they did. So: Margaret=Madlax Eleanore=Vanessa (probably) mystic hand lady=Friday Monday? You would probably have to read up on DID including some literature and findings by clinical psychologists to really get half of it even if it's pretty obvious that this is about DID to most viewers, I would think. But a lot of gun action, I suppose, was used to market this anime to a wider audience, seeing as Noir, its predecessor, appeals to a very narrow audience as seems to be the case with Bee Train's better titles, imo. But Noir has apparently had a lot of not-so-great reviews by a lot of people. I was personally so impressed with the title that I wanted to rate it a masterpiece. I see Madlax as using similar concepts of sin and some similar characters (Margaret and Kirika and Vanessa and Mirielle), France, and girls being awesome with guns, but with a very different scenario. But while I am itching to re-watch the predecessor, I don't see myself re-watching this out of any particular craving. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. For this post. Because this is literally the only way the last few episodes of this show makes any sense. While this doesn't necessarily explain away some of the show's finer plot points, but because we know Margaret and Madlax are the same person, on some level the show obviously does involve emotional trauma and dissociation on some level. The only thing that's not 100% clear is: How deep does the rabbit hole go? Are any of the events or characters in the show "real", or are they 100% inside Margaret's head? If so, who is Margaret and what is her life actually like outside her own imagination? Mind boggling stuff. |
| Pretty interesting. I'd go with what this guy said. vinnispinni said: Wow... Interesting that none of you guys really liked it. I think this series isn't based around action and stuff like that, but more around philosophy, which not everyone is a fan of, but if you don't like it, don't watch it. (to the person who reads this that might actually like Madlax as well I loved how this series kept a few elements of other 'girls with guns' series but also blazed its own trail. Definately well done!) I liked it and since I just finished Madlax then that means I have completed the Girls With Guns Trilogy and personally I thought El Cazador de la Bruja was my favorite, then Madlax, then Noir. I liked them all though. Really interesting. |
| This was just a sad imitation of Noir. |
| Even when I was in crowd, I was always alone |
| Bee Train pulls through for me again. Although I ultimately prefer Noir, Madlax still delivered a very enticing mystery. I do wish it had more action like Noir, but the atmosphere was just as fascinating and I'm glad it wasn't just a rehash of a prior project. This final episode certainly managed to provide food for thought up until the last minute. I like how Margaret ultimately decided not to merge with Laetitia and Madlax, recognizing both of them as individuals with their own life experiences. Rather, Margaret wanted to release Madlax from her role as the "kind killer", taking on some of the malice that comes with taking a human life. A very unorthodox decision for a main character considering how often times compassion and good nature is emphasized instead. I'm glad that the ending doesn't rewrite all of Margaret's experiences for a happily ever after, but rather allows her, Laetitia, and Madlax to continue their journeys through life free of the burden of their pasts. Friday-Monday dies, I celebrate. He comes back with his creepy hentai villain talk, I roll my eyes. He dies again, I celebrate. He comes back with his--It felt like a huge burden was lifted when he was finally gone for good. Easily the weakest aspect of this show, but his continuous emphasis on conscience vs urge and desire were fascinating. I'm sure there's some sort of theme to be had in what "Essence" really was, but I'll have to ponder on that in my own time. Still, he felt like some wacky ass hentai dude so I couldn't help but laugh at him. And hey you know what, props to Laetitia. The creepy little girl ends up becoming the most adorable one by the end. Laetitia really is a doll (oh lord...). Overall this certainly made me glad that Bee Train came out with a trilogy of these "girls with guns" series and I'll be keeping an eye out for El Cazador in the near future. 8/10 Edit: Thinking about @Danton post above, I'd say the point was more or less for Margaret and Madlax to accept the essence of who they are. I'm sure bringing the Civil War to a close is only a matter of time at that point now that Enfant is no longer orchestrating it, but that became less relevant as they focused on how these characters were trying to reaffirm their existences. |
ZekkenshinMar 6, 2016 10:55 PM
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| This was somewhat enjoyable series. Liked some of the characters and their relationships. Music was definitely a hit in my book. It sucks that Vanessa and Elenore died. I was hoping for them to be revived through the door, oh well. [If it can throw a country into chaos/civil war for twelve years, reviving one or two persons should not be a problem really] Last few episodes were a flop and the ending sucks. It could have been better. 6/10. |
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| This episode really had me hoping they would revive Elenore and have a happy slice of life ending but of course not. They had the supernatural element to do that but meh. The whole "door of the era" thing did fuck all. Just Elenore's death brought the ranking for the series down for me and I'll never re-watch it. Would have if they let her live. |
| Yuritopia FTW!!!!!!!!! BANZAI TO YURI !!!!!!!!!!!! |
kbeeney said: like madlax herself you sholld foget this everyone dies bodycount too high felt cheated best charter was the maid but she bought the farm too!! I know how you feel. Best girl died and I came for the yuri so seeing this was devastating. Wildflame said: After watching Noir's epic ending, I had very high expectations about this one's too. Sadly, those expectations weren't fulfilled. While I liked the concept of the split personality and all that stuff, I thought that the last few episodes were executed rather poorly, and left a few issues unresolved. Still, it was an enjoyable show overall, though I liked Noir better. 8/10. Funny cause Ive literally just came off Noir as well and really thought that this series could really do without the supernatural element. I agree with the last few episodes being rushed as well. |
| Yuritopia FTW!!!!!!!!! BANZAI TO YURI !!!!!!!!!!!! |
lolwut. Now that's bullshit. If you're going to needlessly mesh people together remember there are two characters with purple hair who also end up shooting each other... Taking the dissociative identity stuff too far is going to lead the viewer astray. The show is really about human culture's attempt to obscure the violent nature that lies in all people, and Friday Monday's goal is to plunge humanity into a unifying state of perpetual violence. Vanessa and Eleanore died when they did because they satisfied their reasons for living: promises, wishes. This story deals with some pretty profound, and dangerous, stuff which might be why it's so unnerving to watch unravel in animated form. I liked it a lot but after episode 20 it started to feel overly long, like it was just filling time until the end, and the spectacle of violence became incredibly absurd. Am conflicted how I feel about it as a piece of entertainment though because I can understand it as an allegorical journey, but having to see good characters (like Vanessa) die to get a 'do you want to be my little sister' ending to a doll is kind of...unsatisfying. But there's some really cool stuff in here. Every battle Madlax had with Limelda ended up being a ton of fun to watch. And while the mystery was still mysterious, the anime did a really great job of fitting the different perspectives of the story around each other, and ultimately connecting them. I feel like I could write a decently long paper on all of the subtext in this one. A very dense, yet really tight, narrative. Also, his name was Poupee. Fucking Poupee. |
syncrogazerApr 2, 2019 7:05 AM
| @syncrogazer "Poupée" to be exact. (I suppose everyone knows the meaning of this word) |
| As much as I enjoyed the whole series, the ending is absolute ass and a letdown. I don't care for Monday Friday's mad ramblings - we've had the whole show full of that. Him dying is an asspull too - he should be immune to wounds, same as Madlax. Madlax not disappearing after learning the truth about herself is another asspull. That shootout scene was the most camp thing in the whole anime and totally out of place. Madlax going back to her old 'job' even though Margaret could easily forge her a new identity with her god-like power. She also abandoned Margaret, who has no close friends or family at this point and Madlax is indirectly responsible for that by not disarming Limelda when given the opportunity - some loyalty and a sense of responsibility she has... This is just cruel. Limelda was obsessed with killing Madlax this whole time, but all of a sudden she changes her mind after some DEEP, inspiring words from Madlax. In the end they both are pals driving into the sunset, literally WTF... Despite Margaret supposedly starting 'a new era', nothing really changed, apart from having two moons in place of one. Lastly, we never learn why Enfant kept the civil war going all those years. |
kari-yaJul 29, 2021 12:26 PM
| Confusing, how come madlax and that dool be alive but elenore and vannessa stay death, why doesn't she use her power to resurrect both of them, to much question that this anime left it be and that ending was the most confused one |
| Hmm, it started good. Halfway of the story it was rly interesting. But the end..... ugh.... they should have just make Margaret a filler character and let her die asap. I still gave this Anime a 'Good' rating. Limelda is now a 'partner' with Madlax is epic. Wouldn't mind if they made a spin-off with these 2 doing missions etc. Just skip Margaret. It still taste salty that Vanessa died.. |
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