Review of Madlax

The second of director Koichi Mashimo's girls-with-guns trilogy, with Noir being the first and El Cazador de la Bruja the third but none sharing any of the same characters--only a similar tone. This is not the snappy, fun kind of girls-with-guns like Grenadier or Burn Up! Like Noir, Madlax relies heavily on a dreamy atmosphere (which often goes over better than a more harsh series like Gunslinger Girl) but the characters are less compelling--actually, they end up seeming rather vacuous, even though there always seems to be hidden depths yet to be revealed--and atmosphere can only sustain you for so long, no matter how cool it is. (See the extras for the amusing send-ups where the English voice actors fill the long, moody shots with their own stories.) The Japanese voice of Kirika in Noir, Houko Kuwashima, returns as a different character here--another plus--and the animation and music is similarly good as Noir. If you loved Noir, you'll probably find Madlax of interest--if less satisfying. The third of the trilogy, El Cazador, is hard to recommend. It has a somewhat lighter tone in places, but I found it really dragged as it went on. Look for another series called Requiem for the Phantom by the director that also has similarities to Noir. DVD/Blu-ray release in 2011 but the subtitled version is complete and available to stream legally for free from Funimation's website.