Madlax

"Is this the truth that I've been searching for?!"
"No, this is reality."

Madlax is the second installment of Bee Train's Girls with Guns trilogy, following Noir and followed by El Cazador de la Bruja. As arguably the most striking innovation in action-adventure anime since Noir, Madlax incorporates many supernatural aspects and concepts associated with psychological thrillers and surrealism, which the audience must often interpret without further explanation. The title is a portmanteau of English words "mad" and "relaxed", playing on the prominent theme of batshit insanity vs. outright catatonia in the story. (It isn't supposed to sound like Mad Max.)

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 eponymous 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 led 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 one word: "Madlax". With this thread linking the two girls, they both independently start investigating the powerful crime syndicate Enfant and its Diabolical Mastermind who, for some reason, shows interest in both of them.

Although originally dismissed as yet another Noir rip-off by many a viewer, Madlax was universally praised for its complex yet comprehensible plot (which successfully blends Mind Screwing mysteries, over-the-top Heroic Bloodshed action, and heavy doses of existentialistic symbolism in later episodes), an ingenious soundtrack on par with Noir‍'‍s, and memorable characters. Nevertheless, the initial resentment and the three years between the two series' air dates left Madlax forever in its predecessor's shadow, much to the discontent of a small number of extremely dedicated fans.

The show was licensed by ADV Films in America and Europe.

Tropes used in Madlax include:

Achilles in His Tent: Madlax, episodes 20 and 23.
Action Girl: Madlax, of course.
All There in the Manual: Creator comments on the DVD inserts contain a great deal of background information about the characters, partly explaining the big Mind Screw this series is.
Alternate History Counterpart Culture: Gazth-Sonika is somewhere in the vague vicinity of Pakistan but is Southeast-Asian in culture; Nafrece shows some English influence but is mostly France; parallels with the Vietnam war are obvious (and clearly intentional).
Amnesiac Dissonance: Carrossea discovers that he is actually dead, episode 21; Margaret finds out that she killed her own father, episode 25.
Ancient Tradition: Quanzitta.
Anti-Hero: Madlax.
Anyone Can Die: Less than half of the main characters survive the series' duration.
Arc Words: "The Gift", "True Nature".
Asskicking Pose: Madlax loves doing it.
Awful Truth: Margaret killed her father. A truth so awful that she created two alternate personalities to escape it and doesn't admit it to herself until the penultimate episode of the anime.
Badass Adorable: Madlax is oh so very sweet and cute for a mass-murderer, and Margeret in the final episodes.
Badass Normal: Limelda, a mundane, albeit elite, soldier able to combat the supernatural Madlax.
Bad Boss: Monday, especially later in the series.
Battle Butler: Implied about Mr. Baker, Elenore's grandfather.
Battle Royale With Cheese: Vanessa, Carrossea, and Elenore are implied to have been resurrected at the end but, in a subversion, don't actually assist in the battle with Monday or show up again at all.
Beach Episode: Sort of, 9.
Bi the Way: Madlax.
Big Damn Heroes: Madlax, e.g. in episodes 5 and 11.
Big Fancy House: Burton Manor.
Blade Reflection: Nakhl.
Blood From the Mouth: Madlax, episode 26.
Bloodless Carnage
Bloodstained-Glass Windows: Final shootout.
Bodyguard Crush: Vanessa, on Madlax, mutual.
Brainwashed and Crazy: Nearly everyone after being subjected to the Holy Words of Saruon.
Brown Note: The Holy Words of Saruon.
Bullet Dodges You: Margaret does this in the final episode.
Cartwright Curse: Every single person who is or attempts to be romantically involved with Madlax dies with the sole exception of Limelda. Most of them of them die in the time period between her agreeing to go on a date with them, and the time the date was supposed to happen.
Character Title
Children Forced to Kill: Has this as part of the Backstory: the entire plot basically stems from the fact that Margaret killed her own father (in self-defence) when she was 5 years old.
Code Name: "Madlax", has a back-story.
Cold Sniper: Limelda, in the first third of the series.
Colonel Badass: Col. Richard Burton, Margaret's dad: not only was he able to enter the Sanctuary without possessing the Gift, but he also confronted the Big Bad Monday, mutilating and stripping him of most of his powers, a feat only surpassed by Madlax who actually killed him... Did we mention that "Madlax" originally was his callsign? Too bad he wasn't immune to the Words of Awakening.
Cool Big Sis: Elenore and Vanessa to Margaret.
Corrupt Corporate Executive: Vanessa's superiors.
Cozy Catastrophe: The curiously intact airliner and overturned military vehicles that resemble scattered toys more than the shredded wreckage typically found at crash sites and battlefields. Heck, the two plane crash survivors don't even get dirty.
- Their Gift did it.
Creepy Child: Laetitia, Poupee.
Criminal Amnesiac: Implied about Madlax, Carrossea.
Cursed with Awesome: Madlax, "the woman who cannot die", episode 24.
Curtain Camouflage
Day of the Week Name: Friday Monday.
Dead All Along: Carrossea.
Death by Flashback: Carrossea.
Diabolical Mastermind: Monday.
Died Happily Ever After: Vanessa is reunited with her parents after saying goodbye to Madlax.
Dissonant Serenity: Madlax.
Disturbed Doves: In episode 12, when Madlax shoots at Limelda.
Dragon with an Agenda: Carrossea.
Dramatic Gun Cock
Dramatic Wind
During the War
Easy Amnesia: Madlax, Margaret, Carrossea.
Enemy Without: Subverted with Margaret and Madlax.
Enigmatic Minion: Carrossea.
Evil Costume Switch: Dark Margaret.
Evil Laugh: Carrossea pulls this off in episode 19 when burning down Enfant's base; Monday does this all the time in the later episodes.
Evil Overlord: Monday.
Extraordinarily Empowered Girl: If Kirika is a witch, that makes Madlax a goddess.
Eyepatch of Power: Monday.
The Faceless: SSS; Friday Monday, until later in the series.
Faceless Goons
Fan Service: Madlax's more memorable fights include her killing a tank while wearing a skimpy dress and heels (Link), and dispatching a group of Mooks after distracting them by throwing off her dress in front of them and subsequently wreaking havoc while completely in the buff (Link). Also, Madlax runs around in tiny leather hot pants in jungle combat.
Finger Damage: Do not lay your hands upon Margaret while Elenore is less than four hundred kilometers away.
Firing One-Handed: Madlax, Limelda.
THE Flash Back
Flung Clothing: End of episode 16.
Foe Yay: Limelda vs. Madlax; yeah, right.
Forgot the Call: Madlax, episode 14.
Gag Dub: The original English releases from ADV included a hilarious series of extras called "Conversations with SSS", where SSS is shown partaking in some extremely random, outlandish, and just plain weird dialog with the rest of the cast of the show.
Gainax Ending: It's hard to distinguish a Downer Ending from Earn Your Happy Ending when there are vague implications both ways about the eventual fate of three supporting characters.
Gun Fu
Gun Kata: Madlax, e.g. episode 26.
- Episode 1 as well. Madlax picks up a FAMAS and it's implied she shoots the pilots of a helicopter that came after her... while she's cuddling the rifle like some teddy bear.
Guns Akimbo: Madlax.
The Gunslinger: Madlax.
Healing Factor: Madlax, in later episodes.
Heel Face Turn: Vanessa; although she wasn't aware of what her company was up to at first, she was too complicit for it to be a Mook Face Turn. And Limelda, playing up her and Vanessa's role as the other's Foil.
Here We Go Again
Heroic Bloodshed: LOTS.
Heroic Sacrifice: Episode 22 Poor Vanessa! Though the fact that Madlax didn't need to be protected like that at that point any more makes it somewhat of a Senseless Sacrifice, too..
She's Back: Madlax, episodes 16, 20, and 23.
Hidden Agenda Villain: Monday.
Hidden Eyes: Dark Margaret; Madlax, episode 23.
I Have the High Ground: Madlax, e.g. episode 23, shooting a bullet out of midair.
I Just Want to Be Normal: Verbatim, Madlax in episode 16.
Idiosyncratic Episode Naming
Idiot Hair: Margaret.
Immune to Bullets: Madlax, in the last episodes.
Improbable Aiming Skills: Madlax.
Impossibly Cool Clothes: The cocktail dress.
Innocent Fanservice Girl: Madlax.
Innocuously Important Episode
Insert Grenade Here: Madlax blows a tank up like this in her very first big action sequence.
Jigsaw Puzzle Plot
Just Friends: Madlax and Vanessa; yeah, right. Same could be said about Elenore and Vanessa.
Karma Houdini: Limelda, accepted by Madlax in the end, despite killing her romantic interest, Vanessa. Can be seen as Fridge Brilliance, though: check the anime section for it.
Karmic Death: Monday is killed by Madlax, whom he indirectly brought into existence himself.
Killed Off for Real: Carrossea in episode 21, Vanessa in 22, and Elenore in 24.
Knife Nut: Nakhl.
Lady in Red: Madlax in the first episodes.
Last Of Her Kind: Lady Quanzitta.
Let's Get Dangerous: Elenore, episode 6.
Light Is Not Good: Friday Monday.
Love Makes You Crazy: Limelda, episode 20.
MacGuffin: Holy Books, the Gift.
Mad Artist: Monday.
Mask Power: Monday, too.
Meaningful Name: Madlax.
Meganekko: Sometimes Vanessa as well.
The Men in Black: Chasing Vanessa in episode 11.
The Messiah: Madlax, especially, towards the end.
Messianic Archetype: Madlax, but Elenore even more so.
Mexican Standoff: Madlax and Limelda do this all the time, and the latter apparently genuinely enjoys it.
Mind Control Eyes: The brainwashed Margaret, during episodes 22 to 25.
Mind Screw
Mysterious Parent: Colonel Richard Burton, obviously; SSS, father figure to Madlax.
Mysterious Past: Tons of it.
Nietzsche Wannabe: Monday.
No Body Left Behind: Carrossea.
Number Two: Carrossea.
Old Retainer: Elenore's grandfather and herself, though she isn't old by any measures.
Ominous Latin Chanting: Not Latin but totally ominous.
One Last Job: Luciano.
Only a Flesh Wound: Madlax in the final episodes.
The Only One Allowed to Defeat You: Limelda's relationship to Madlax, evident in episode 17.
Only One Name: Madlax, Nakhl.
Out of the Inferno: Madlax in the very first episode.
Parachute in a Tree: In the first episode, Madlax paradrops into the middle of a jungle and, unsurprisingly, gets stuck on a tree. Instead of dangling there, however, she simply unstraps herself and lands gracefully on the ground.
Parental Abandonment: Sort of, Madlax's "father".
Posthumous Character: Richard Burton.
The Promise: Madlax's to Vanessa and vice versa.
Psycho Lesbian: Limelda.
Rare Guns: Madlax's SIG P210s.
The Reveal
Romantic Two-Girl Friendship: Madlax and Vanessa, albeit mostly in Subtext.
Schrödinger's Cat: Vanessa, Elenore, Carrossea.
Shout-Out: Early in episode 1, Madlax uses Spiritual Predecessor Kirika's Catch Phrase "There we go" ("Yoishou").
- Also, the red shoes.
Sleep Cute: Madlax and Vanessa pull this off twice, in episodes 12 and 14.
Slow-Motion Pass-By: End of episode 17.
Small Girl, Big Gun: Margaret.
Sniper Rifle: If there's one aspect where the writers have Shown Their Work, it's guns.
Spiritual Successor: Madlax to Noir, El Cazador de la Bruja to Madlax.
Split Personality: Margaret, Laetitia, and Madlax; Carrossea and Poupee; possibly, others.
Stalker with a Crush: Limelda.
Suicide by Cop: Limelda's boss, an old and seasoned general, hires Madlax to kill him in public since he's that sick of the war. It does NOT suit Limelda well, becoming Madlax's rival.
Synchronization: Pasta and rain.
The Syndicate: Enfant.
Taking the Bullet: Vanessa.
Teach Me How to Fight: Vanessa asks Madlax to teach her to shoot.
Theme Music Power-Up: Yanmaani!
The Three Faces of Eve: Margaret is the Mother, Laetitia is the Child, Madlax is the Seductress.
To Create a Playground For Evil: This is essentially the Big Bad's goal, since he sees all humans as evil deep inside and actively tries to bring out their "true natures".
Tomboy and Girly Girl: Madlax and Margaret Burton ( who are actually the same person)
Tome of Eldritch Lore: Holy Books.
Trademark Favorite Food: "Yeah, pasta!"
Undying Loyalty: Elenore, towards Margaret. Sadly, she isn't as undying herself...
Unperson: Maclay Marini.
Urban Fantasy: All right, it's set partly in a European city, partly in a South Asian city, and partly in the jungle (including most of the last twelve or so episodes). Its contemporary (if Alternate History) setting still qualifies.
The Voice: SSS.
The Voiceless: Poupee, except for a single flashback in the beginning of episode 6.
Villainous Breakdown: Margaret! What happened to you?! YOU BITCH!!!
War for Fun and Profit
Weird Moon: It's either red or blue (and in the Sanctuary, there are both at once).
Where The Hell Is Gazth-Sonika: Signs point to somewhere around where Pakistan should be.
- Word of God I believe stated Gazth-Sonika was loosely inspired by the Gaza Strip.
What Do You Mean It Wasn't Made on Drugs?: Actually, it was, if you count alcohol as a drug. The director came up with many of the plot twists while drunk. Surprisingly, they still make sense if you watch it while sober.
With Great Power Comes Great Insanity: implied: Monday, after acquiring the Holy Books for the first time.
Woman in White: Madlax and Margaret in the final episodes.
Words Can Break My Bones: The Words of Awakening can be used to drive (almost) anyone insane.
Zettai Ryouiki: Part of Margaret's schoolgirl outfit.