All Rise...

Just as Judge Mitchell Hattaway is getting the hang of spelling all the names in this show, it starts to near the end.

The Charge

The Gift is freedom, but only for a chosen few.

The Case

This penultimate volume of Madlax answers a whole lot of questions and sets the stage for the series' climax. There is a lot going on in the three episodes included on this release, and I am going to attempt to give you the gist of each without giving away too much.

• Episode 21: "Cruel Confession"
Using the power of the Red Book, Margaret and Corrossea Doon journey to the realm of true human essence. The answers they both seek lie on the other side of a massive wooden door. Laetitia speaks to Margaret, telling her not to open the door. Doon, ignoring Margaret's warnings, opens the door. Margaret immediately collapses and returns to the human realm. Doon finds the clues to his past, but he pays an unexpected price for his newly-acquired knowledge. Friday Monday finds the unconscious Margaret and picks up the three components of the Red Book. Margaret has a vision of the final moments of her father's life

• Episode 22: "Violent Feelings"
Madlax, who had been injured while protecting Vanessa, wakes up and sets out to find Margaret, who has wandered off into the war zone. Limelda once again shows up and attempts to gun down Madlax. Friday Monday reveals to Vanessa what really happened to her parents. The episode climaxes with the death of a major character.

• Episode 23: "Lost Hearts"
Friday Monday takes Margaret back to his headquarters. Nakhl guides Elenore and Madlax to the edge of Enfant-controlled territory. Madlax and Elenore continue on, determined to rescue Margaret, little realizing that Friday Monday has set a trap for them.

Revealing anything else about these episodes would ruin them for you, so I will just say that the quality here continues to exceed expectations, on both a technical and artistic level. 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. Both the plot and the execution of said plot have had me hooked since the first volume, and I eagerly await the final three episodes.

As far as the disc itself goes, you get another topnotch transfer and two very good audio options. Extras include the usual clean opening/closing credits sequences and previews, as well as a music video. You will also find a montage of footage devoted to the principal character who is slain during these episodes, another installment of "Conversations with SSS," and a sketch gallery.

Madlax once again earns an unqualified recommendation. Unless they really blow things at the end, this will go down as one terrific series.

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