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Does Noir have to do with Madlax, and which did you prefer?

Although I liked Madlax as a character, did generally like the series, and thought it finished strong, Noir is the better series. It starts much stronger, paces itself better, makes more sense, and more consistently and effectively establishes its mood for most of the series. Madlax does catch up in its final half-dozen or so episodes, but it took too long getting there. It's also hurt in the comparison by not escaping the shadow of Noir until its final few episodes and not having the byplay between its main characters from the very beginning.

The action scenes in Madlax are more realistic in comparison to the predictable, Hollywood-style gunfights in Noir where Mireille and Kirika mow down dozens of machine gun-wielding assassins who always manage to shoot near their feet.

Madlax herself and Margaret Burton are rounded characters who undergo development in the series while Mireille and Kirika remain one-dimensional killing machines throughout, and unlikeable ones at that.

Madlax also has interesting and sympathetic male characters, which Noir entirely lacks.

I agree with the last thing Key said, anyone who likes one will definitely like the other.
others.

bonbonsrus wrote:

I agree with the last thing Key said, anyone who likes one will definitely like the other. others.

That is not really true when I saw first episode of Madlax the fact it was so similar to Noir turned me off. It looked like I got almost the same story and characters and the only change was that it took place somewhere else and characters had a new look.

Then there is the soundtrack. Don't get me wrong, I think Noir's soundtrack is great too, but the songs were repeated so often that I grew sick of them by the end. While the music in Madlax is repetitive as well, its slower and moodier sound did a better job of establishing the atmosphere of the series and helped to convey the more brooding and introspective nature of the characters.

In Noir, we were not given a satisfactory explanation for what made Mireille and Kirika so great apart from their spoiler[membership in the secret society.]

Madlax does a better job with its secondary characters: Limelda immediately comes to mind. Her motivation for pusuing Madlax is made clear at the beginning, yet she is also a flawed character who shows vulnerability toward the end of the series. In Noir, we get Chloe who is essentially a third Little Miss Terminator facing off against the other two Little Miss Terminators.

IOW, Noir's characters, despite the whole Soldats stuff, are much more grounded in reality. From what you're saying, perhaps the more fantastical aspect of Madlax is part what makes it appeal more to you?

The supernatural aspect of Madlax appeals to me more in the given context, yes. By remaining grounded in reality, Mireille and Kirika's abilities, not to mention Chloe's knife-throwing skills, come off as less convincing because no plausible explanation is offered.

Madlax's abilities actually appear less superhuman than those of Mireille and Kirika because the body count is much lower than in Noir.

Although I liked Madlax as a character, did generally like the series, and thought it finished strong, Noir is the better series. It starts much stronger, paces itself better, makes more sense, and more consistently and effectively establishes its mood for most of the series. Madlax does catch up in its final half-dozen or so episodes, but it took too long getting there. It's also hurt in the comparison by not escaping the shadow of Noir until its final few episodes and not having the byplay between its main characters from the very beginning.

Regardless of which you like better, though, the two series are similar enough that anyone who likes one of them will almost certainly like the other.
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Really, the only major advantage Madlax has over Noir for me is a much better set of Extras in its DVD releases. The "Conversations With SSS" bits are often a riot, and the sock puppet Easter Eggs are priceless.