The Hypernatural and Supernatural in Madlax -- Episode 26

Episode 26: The world of separated shards of shadows

Broken Shards ~pupil~: 欠片 (Kakera)

Quanzitta says, “It’s a fork in the path of the destiny people weave together. The point where the era changes. The door of truth. Many people come to this place and try to open the ‘Door of the Era’ that’s hidden deep within the truth. Some people love battle. Some people are blinded by greed. And some people seek peace. My name is Quanzitta Marison. The onlooker who watches the eras. An existence only permitted to go on watching, and to hand down the story in the time to come”. The region of “Essence” Friday mentioned may suggest unrestricted energy lurching in the ambiguous domain full of inconsistencies, where any perspective can be set up to be grasped by an arbitrary convergence of concepts. It may be the primordial unconscious state of psyche Jung suggested, that is capable of materializing in the form of both Good and Evil.


Laetitia appears and says, “I can see the truth.” Quanzitta responds, “The era will change.” Laetitia and Quanzitta say alternately. “Even if as a result…” “Even if destruction awaits.” “Even if the existence that is ‘me’ were to disappear.” Madlax joins their dialogue. “Twelve years ago, dad heard you chant the mystic words from the books.” Friday joins too, “He certainly awakened to the truth.” Madlax says, “He tried to kill Margaret Burton, his own daughter. …in order to live, Margaret picked up a gun. And that moment came.” Margaret mutters, “No, I… I…” Madlax talks to her, “I know. You didn’t want to kill him, right? But you didn’t want to die, either. Even if you had to kill your father.” Margaret and Madlax alternately continue their words, “The desire not to die…” “I am Margaret Burton’s crime.” “The desire to live.” “I am Margaret Burton’s urges.” “You’re me.” “I’m a shard of Margaret Burton’s heart.” “A shard of my heart…” Laetitia takes over their words, “And I’m what was born in the moment you split into two, what stayed in that place. That’s Laetitia. The tie of truth that binds the two of you. Margaret Burton, this is the truth.”


Original personality that constructed Margaret had split into three, generating two other fragments that came to be Madlax and Laetitia. This is one of the many instances of the disintegration of the psyche, which is capable of producing various forms, that also applies to the case of Christian dogma “trinity”.


note:
In Oscar Wilde’s fairy tale “The Fisherman and His Soul” (1891), the psychical structure of the protagonist fisherman was divided in body, heart and soul; each of which represented Hellenistic freedom, modern existential mind and restrictions of Hebrew creed. There may be various forms of division of personality. For instance, John Ruskin, who had taught Wilde his doctrine of Aesthetics at Oxford University, conceived a spiritual model in which human existence is classified in three divided parts; body, soul and reason, in order to consider the function of “morality” which is supposed to contemplate “theoria”. As existence, phenomenon and personality are essentially inseparable notions closely linked in the same continuum, and being able to be converted to each other, still more processes and phases of fragmented modes are to be acknowledged, if the true nature of God and man is to be perceived out of the supreme viewpoint, freed from the restricted preoccupation in which everything had to be grasped as physical “existence”.
This idea has been applied into the argument of fictional existences such as figurines and game characters, exploring the possibility of phase shifts between existence, phenomenon and personality, in my study of meta-identity of fictional beings; Existence, Phenomenon and Personality: Individuality in Figurines, Anime and Game, Bokka-sha (2014).


The appearance of Laetitia, a derivative personality, can be understood as following the same process of the generation of a god, a sort of peculiar materialization of the latent element of archetype. Persuasive precedence may be found in the systematic structure of Greek mythology, where gods were identified as personification of abstract concepts such as death, anger, jealousy etc.… It must be some psychical field where god and man form a continuum and are capable of exchange description, which produces one of the characteristics of the “ordinary place.” The peculiarities of personality or spiritual phase of Madlax, Friday Monday and Carrossea are to be understood in this sort of metaphysical phase shifts in semantic application.


note:
Each of the ideas that describe the subject of the action, the object that receives the action, and the manner in which the action is produced as a phenomenon can likewise be grasped by applying the transformation description as each of the aspects of the inseparable unity. The sensation of looking back at the psychic aspect of beings as a continuum containing consciousness or concepts in relation to the totality of the universe is found in various mythological accounts. An impressive example of such a transcendental relationship between beings is discussed in the following essay by the author, “Red Bull: The Shadow of Ignorance and Blindness”, included in Fantasy as Antufantasy 2, which examines the relationship between the unicorn and the bicorn depicted in Peter S. Beagle’s The Last Unicorn:
According to the logical reasoning advocated by the Western tradition that rules the formation of contemporary worldview, the entity that is able to cause phenomenal influence must be presupposed, and the procedure of event generations is supposed to be practiced by each independent entity, working influence unto the other independent entity. Local chain of actions between the active and the passive, following one-way time order, is strictly ordained in event generations in the domain of scientific world-view. In contrast to this, in ancient worlds or in traditional Eastern belief, generation of phenomena has been understood as just some of the temporary phases of impression, that the universe affords to a subject of consciousness in its ever-shifting, ever-changing mode of holarchy. The distinction between the persecutor and the sufferer had not been entertained in the ideas that serve the thought of overall wholeness.


Friday talks to Margaret, “Congratulations, Margaret Burton. The consciousnesses you yourself cut away have appeared in front of you once more. The time has come for you to become one again. Once you’ve become one, you’ll be even closer to the Essence…” But Madlax shoots him; saying severely, “Don’t interfere.” Friday’s body is dragged out of the door. Madlax says, “This is the crime on my conscience. The act that can never be forgiven. I’m a killer.” Margaret cries, “Madlax.” Madlax says, handing her gun to Margaret, “Decide, Margaret. Decide whether to accept me or erase me. Laetitia too, of course.” Margaret asks back, “Erase? What will happen when we go back to being one?” Laetitia answers saying, “You’re the one who will open the Door of the Era.” “The ‘Door of the Era’?” Margaret asks back. Laetitia answers, “If you open the Door, what you desire will come to pass.” “What I desire?” “Decide, Margaret.” “But this is too sudden.” “Decide.” “I don’t want to. I’m scared. I mean, if we become one, I’ll go back to being the me who killed Father. What kind of girl will I become?” These are very human like utterances, filled with mean selfish egotism, that were rather rare to be expressed by this character. Margaret is now betraying ruthlessly the sordid ways of humankind’s actual behavior, even though she has been depicted as possessing an aloof type of personality who does not have any fetters to restrain or control the feelings. What makes human are hypocrisy that tries to justify oneself, and thoughtless anger against anything that threatens it. Laetitia talks to Margaret, “It’s because you’re frozen in place like that without deciding anything that I’ve had to stay in this place for twelve whole years. Even Poupee isn’t here anymore. I don’t want to be alone anymore.” Madlax cuts in, “Margaret, if you’re scared then shoot me. Erase me. It’s fine, I won’t mind.” Margaret asks, “Why?” Madlax answers, “Because my friend, Vanessa Rene, wanted it. And Elenore Baker did, too. It’s okay, you can run from the truth. It’s fine.” A glimpse of Madlax’s kindness Margaret had mentioned is manifested here. The specific quality of the one, who kills not out of hatred but in order to survive, is neither ruthless nor relentless. Madlax, the shadow generated from the division of personality, never have tried to threaten the original unlike the precedences of shadow literature. Margaret asks once again, “But you’ll disappear, you know. You’ll die!” Madlax answers saying, “I don’t mind. Because I can still exist even then. Because I have people who care about me.” Hearing that, Limelda cries unintentionally, “Madlax!” Madlax continues, “I exist within her. She’ll keep on watching me. So I’m okay with disappearing.”


An innovative principle concerning the judgment on the identity of individuality according to the relationship of consciousness and phases of psyche is suggested here, not defined by coordinated points and mass of matter that are supposed to cause dynamic action; but perceived as something constructed in the interaction between other subjects of consciousness, following the mechanism of meaning construction of pure conceptualization. Together with the phenomenon Laetitia embodies as an independent personification of one of the abstract concepts that depict the relationship of existential property of others, we have to reconsider the relationship of mutual dependency between existence, phenomenon and personality.


note:
In Jun Mochizuki’s manga Pandora Hearts (2006-2015), a purely abstract being is personified out of a conceptual phase of human existence endowed with a shape and materialized body, in the similar manner as Laetitia had been personified in Madlax. But the first season anime series of Pandora Hearts have not completed the description the story of the original manga, up to the point this meaningful subject is introduced. It is expected that second series of the anime should be produced following the completion of the original manga, in 2015.
The anime Aquarion Evol (2012), a sequel to Aquarion Genesis (2005), introduces a set characters of a brother and a sister, which has been generated as the reincarnation of the original character divided in two sexes and each gaining independent personality, 12,000 years after the primordial phase of psyche was revealed in the prequel story. In similar manner, the protagonists in Sola (2007), planned by Jikki Hanada and directed by Tomoki Kobayashi, reveal their true nature as artificially created pseudo personality. This peculiar theme is also detected in Chaos; Head (2008), produced as collaboration project with a video game, by 5pb. and Nitro Plus. The subject of a personality constructed with non-human elements is also shared by the video game Fate/stay night. In the magical mechanism adopted in this visual novel, fictional beings attain their personae as human existences, demanding the expansion of our concepts concerning the nature of individuality and personality.
William Blake’s speculative poem Four Zoas will be referred to, as one of the original enterprises that explored the design of the metaphysical speculation on the stages of transitional modes between god and man, that depicted the division of the primordial being in which no distinction between god and man had been detected, and the farther psychical phases the split pieces assumed in various attitudes. Concerning the relationships of psychical phases personality may exhibit as conceptual existence, I have explored the metaphysical motif in the argument on the individuality of fictional characters, in “Identity of Summoned Heroes: Aspects of Psyche and Phases of Persona in Fate/stay night”, which forms the chapter 3 in my study of fictional existences; Existence, Phenomenon and Personality: Individuality in Figurines, Anime and Game, Bokka-sha, (2014).


After the quantum physics’ discovery of “observational effect”, which presupposes the event generation being caused by subjects of consciousness, interactive function performed by consciousness is not to be ignored any more in the generation and acknowledgement of a personality.


“Madlax,” Margaret steps forward to Madlax, and takes hold of her hand covering the gun with her hands. “Please become part of me.” Madlax asks, “Why?” Margaret answers, “Because you’re Madlax.” Madlax questions, “If I become part of you, you’ll end up suffering forever. You’ll live with a crime on your conscience.” Margaret answers saying, “I don’t want to run away. Because I ran away from the truth, Vanessa and Elenore… So I don’t want to run away anymore.” Madlax says, “I’m a killer, you know.” Margaret answers, “But that’s another part of me.” “I might eat at your heart.” “I don’t want to make you bear that sorrow by yourself.” Margaret’s decision does not waver. “Please give me the truth that is Madlax.” Margaret offers her hand to Laetitia, too. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry all I did was run away. I’m sorry for passing off all the things I didn’t like onto you. Will you become one with me?” Laetitia answers, “If that’s really what you desire.” Laetitia takes hold of the hand of Margaret. Quanzitta says, “Now the Door of the Era will open.” Margaret draws Madlax and Laetitia on both sides of her with her hands. Margaret kneels down in front of the door. She is wearing the same dress as Madlax had worn. This scene seems to depict the integration of selves Jung posited as the process of discovering one’s own truth by choosing the process of unification with the shadow. But it is the peculiar characteristic of the anime Madlax, which will not adopt the conclusion with the attainment of self-integration, in order to converge the perspectives that have constructed the fictional world.


Friday once again appears then. The mask on his right eye is missing. “Wonderful! Magnificent! Are you awake, Margaret Burton? How does it feel to have returned to your true self?” It seems he has revived, following the same process as he did from Carrossea’s bullet. “Like a great work of art, you’ve taken back yourself and your essence.” But Margaret answers, “The truth is, I knew. Father tried to kill me that day. So I pulled the trigger.” “You haven’t done anything wrong. What’s wrong is this warped world. And that’s the reason your father was warped too. People just don’t realize it, that’s all. …Let’s tell that to the world, shall we? There’s no need to raise your voice. You can just tell them softly, as if you’re whispering.” Friday speaks gently like a kind adviser who knew everything. “It’s not that they don’t understand. It’s just that they don’t realize.” Margaret says determinedly, “Then I have to help that realization along. Right, Laetitia?” Friday says following her, “That’s right. That’s good. Oh now is the time when my wish will come true! Margaret Burton, you killed your own father?” “Yes, I killed him. Because I wanted to live. That’s okay, right? It’s something everybody’s doing. You can kill someone without a thing like this. That’s right you can kill them easily even just words or letters.” Now Margaret is aware of her peculiar ability that can affect the principle of event generation at the base of the world. It is the power of conviction, which generates meanings by forming qualia or mental images overcoming the physical restrictions of phenomenal world. It was by this power that she was able to overcome Carrossea and even Nakhl, and realized her purpose without even fighting. On the other hand, Madlax had been exerting this kind of ability in the restricted situation of gun fighting.


This mechanism that causes events generation conforms to the understanding of Post Quantum Mechanics, which enterprises the explanation of the first cause of the universe, that had been once described as God’s stroke, because there had been no other means to describe the event horizon of the tremendous energy generation that caused the Big Bang; introducing the metaphysical notion of “universal consciousness”, and depicting the process of the universe as autonomous evolution of it. Many physicists are now trying to assert the existence of original consciousness called “Fundamental Awareness”, as the necessary factor, which allows the construction of the unified theory that is able to describe the holarchy of universe where time and space are all united. This hypothesis that bears some similarity to “universal life force”, embraced by ancient Chinese philosopher Mencius, seems to be a significant enterprise to be able to integrate ancient wisdom and scientific attainments, in its design to depict the development of the universe as an autonomous evolution of the ubiquitous consciousness or “panpsyche”. After the superstring theory has come to the dead end in its attempt to set up an integral theory that would be able to unify the description of four strengths of nature, the research of awareness often called as “consciousness study”, is now taking over the rank occupied by that theory as most promising hypothesis. Representative one of these theories is Neurocosmology, posited by James Beichler in his paper “The Emergence of Neurocosmology” (2016) and other series of research documents. Jack Sarfatti and Federico Faggin and others are similarly attempting to promote the reconstruction of new cosmology through the philosophical study of intuition and qualia. These Physicists’ attitude interestingly overlaps the metaphysical contemplation Romantic philosophers had adopted, endeavoring to describe the essential truth of the universe through the notion of a nerve extending into space. The fact that many of the ancient philosophers such as Lao Tzu and Parmenides were able to develop cosmological ideas long ago that share the similar insight to the ones modern post quantum physicists have discovered, espouses the basis of the metaphysical design that demands reexamination of the relationship between the holarchy of the universe and the peculiar function of consciousness, which is supposed to be able to grasp the meaning of everything through the ability of intuition.


Friday says, “Tell everyone that for me, Margaret.” Confusion devastates both the cities and forests. Margaret answers, “That’s right, I have to tell. I have to tell about how this world is warped. And about living in it.” Margaret takes hold of the gun, and aims at Friday. “Yes, I want to tell that to Madlax.” Friday asks, “So you point a gun at me? Is that your essence?” Margaret answers, saying “Yes. This is Margaret Burton.” Friday interrogates, “Do you desire to kill me? Or do you hate humanity itself? Either way, that action is close to the Essence. This is the way I should desire you to be.” But Margaret cries, “It’s not like that. ...I’d realized that this world was warped. And that people had malice inside of them. I think everybody else probably realizes too. There’s no need to go out of your way to tell them. But there’s just one person who doesn’t get it. So I want to let Madlax know... Let her know that she doesn’t have to be so kind. Right now, what I can do for her is to kill you, out of the malice inside me. To have a crime on my conscience.” Friday responds, “A crime? What’s criminal about it? The very word “crime” is an illusion created by human morality. You mustn’t be led astray by this warped world. You’re all right just as you are.” Margaret responds, “Mother and Father, and Vanessa, and Elenore... A lot of people have died. So I hate you. Wanting to kill you is my crime.” Friday cries, “I’m not seeking that kind of way of thinking or that kind of world! Don’t aver your gaze because of insincere kindness or antiquated conscience! Look only at the Essence!” There is something like the severity of an ethical explorer in Friday’s attitude, where he will not permit any humane compromise in the judgment and the choice of deal against the actuality of the real world. It is a lofty will, denying any mode of spiritual degradation, never surrendering to any emotion caused by resentment. Margaret stands up. Her posture is that of Madlax pointing a gun. “I am looking at it.” “No, You’re not!” Friday fires the gun. But the bullets don’t hit Margaret. “What I couldn’t do twelve years ago, what I ran away from... I can do it now. And that’s to kill someone out of malice. To kill someone with her kindness. I’m a bad girl.” Margaret shoots Friday. Friday bends back receiving the bullet in his chest. Margaret kills Friday out of her own malice, the man who sought for the place beyond the boundary of good and evil trying to overcome human frailty; and it was also in order to protect the kindness of Madlax, who is her own shadow. This is one of the phenomenal instances of the subversion of animus performed by anima Jungian psychology advocates.


Friday is now removed to his mansion. Friday has revived again out of the gun shoot caused by Margaret just as he did out of Carrossea’s and Madlax’s attacks. This procedure makes accurate repetition with the revival Madlax performed from Margaret’s gun shoot in the 23rd episode. Friday mutters, “Why? The girl who was so close to my ideal... Why did she do that? Did that woman change her? The same existence...” Friday is here expressing doubt, in spite of his conviction on the workings of the Essence on the phases of psyche. Then, the doors of the mansion are flung open, revealing the figure of Madlax. Friday falls into panic for the first time, “Why? There’s no way you should exist in this world. Why are you here?” Now a new information is being told by Friday, though limited, that makes it possible to understand the difference of the phase space between the headquarter of Enfant and the place in front of the door, where those who were endowed with true quality had gathered. Madlax says, “I told you I was going to kill you, didn’t I?” Friday asks, “That’s incomprehensible. You should have been assimilated into Margaret Burton.” “But I’m here. That alone is the truth. And I’m going to erase your existence in this reality.” Madlax here has appeared for herself, not as a separated shadow which attempts to be reorganized with her original self. Now Madlax is proclaiming her intension to kill Friday following her natural character as a shadow in this real world, which is far different from the space of “Essence”.


Following the order of Friday, subordinates of Enfant start attacking Madlax. But Madlax, dodging skillfully the bullets, continues shooting down her enemies. Friday ejaculates, “Madlax, you are so... You are just so...” Here Madlax utters some mysterious words, “Don’t be cruel. In the end, your existence is the same as mine. Isn’t it?” These words indicate there are still more undisclosed secrets hiding behind the story, corresponding to the words Friday uttered just before, at the end of the last episode where everything had seemed to be explained away. The mechanism that should consistently explain both their revival from their death, and the existential relationship between Madlax and Friday Monday is not allowed to be extracted from the course of the story. Again, one bears the impression that it is some restricted results of accidental occurrences caused by each descriptive trial only, which is arbitrarily given unto the audience. It is the peculiarly hypernatural directing method that characterizes the creative concept of this anime.


note:
In anime works true tears and glass lip, directed by Junji Nishimura and produced by P. A. Works, similar directing method to the one adopted in Madlax is pointed out, sharing the peculiarity that basic perspective of the work is concealed so as to dislocate the meaning axes that will determine the work’s comprehension, derivative detailed descriptions being given priority in the story telling of the work, where as a result, most effective “hypernatural” presentation is accomplished. Also in Canaan, series composition undertaken by Mari Okada and produced by P. A. Works, a revolutionary presentation of fictional reality is accomplished by the introduction of many-axes perspectives filled with abounding contaminants. But the intentional directing method where “dislocated” perspectives are juxtaposed in order to attain the definite impression that no axis would function as the integrating center is the one peculiar to Madlax.


Madlax destroys Friday’s computer with her gun shoot. “I love Margaret Burton.” Friday asks crying. “The woman who cut you out and threw you away?” The bullet Friday fired hits Madlax. Like as Limelda did previously, Friday seems to have been able to injure Madlax. Bleeding from between the lips, Madlax says, “I’m Madlax. That’s the pain of when we touched truth.” Friday asks back, “This is the Essence? What I desired? That’s the truth?” “No, this is reality.” Madlax seems to have chosen neither truth nor Essence but the reality in front of her, affirming its meaning. Madlax shoots Friday. A moon, neither blue nor red is hanging in the sky. Friday is lying on the floor. “What I was seeking was... My... Right there, right in front of you there are lies... There’s falsity, and yet... Why? Why can’t you see? Why don’t you try to learn the truth? When it’s right here...” Here, Friday Monday at last expires. Madlax has destroyed Friday who had sought for the ultimate truth in the act of recursion to Essence, which lies beyond the limit of human beings; and she has chosen reality that is filled with inconsistencies and contaminants.


Qwanzitta says, “Friday Monday. I have been watching existences like yours, as have my predecessors. Existences that disappear into history. There will be a new era soon. I predict Margaret Burton will open the Door of the Era of her own will. Please let me watch over you just a little longer, Margaret Burton.” Margaret is standing on the ruins and walks towards the door. “The Door of the Era. What I desire… What I desire from the era… That’s a given.” According to the words told by Qwanzitta, who is the one to watch over the eras, existences like Friday have several times appeared in the history. Margaret presses the Door of the Era, in order to open the gate and start the revolution of the world.


Margaret raises Madlax in her hands, who is lying on the ground. “Madlax. When we became one, I understood. It’s not true that you’ve been killing people without thinking anything of it. All along, every time you killed a person you wailed with pain. You kept on suffering. Your pain is your own kindness. You’re a kind killer. There’s no need for us to become one. I mean, the time that you lived as Madlax was unmistakably your time and no one else’s. I’m fine with staying this way. Knowing the truth, and feeling my crime… Staying that way is something I’m okay with. Yes, this world is definitely warped. Just like there’s both good will and bad will inside me… But I want to try living in this warped world.” Margaret once again declares that Madlax’s true nature is kindness, here at the closing scene of this anime. That is unmistakably her own characteristic trait as a human being, though a shadow of someone else’s, who has had no “qualification”. She has both destructive quality and compassion, not alike Friday Monday’s case. The new phase of the world Margaret has chosen to begin is an era where fragments of a personality keep living, maintaining the quality of shadow just as they are.


Madlax asks, “You feel your crime?” “Yeah.” “Aren’t you sad?” “Thank you. I’m sorry.” Noticing Laetitia, Margaret talks to her, “Want to go with me?” “Me?” “Will you be my little sister?” “Can I? I mean, I’m…” “That’s what I want.” “Yeah, I will!” The human existence that had been Margaret had to be divided in three in order to survive, generating the shadow existence Madlax, and as a derivative phase that should record the moment of their split memories, Laetitia had been produced. But in Madlax, the fictional perspectives will not be converged with the psychical integration of these three characters. Like Gaea in Greek mythology, or the Goddess Amaterasu in Japanese Shinto myth, Margaret is going to fulfill the role of the creator of a new world, by choosing each three of the split personalities go on living separately. It seems to mean that this psychical process has accomplished the phase shift from god to humans.


The ending scene of this anime shows the figure of Margaret by the river, together with Laetitia now grown to be a human girl. Laetitia is standing close by Margaret, as an independent existence without being assimilated into Margaret. On the other side of the river, a car is running. Limelda talks to Madlax, driving the car. “I’m going to keep on watching you.” “You’re stupid.” “Am I?” “Yes, you’re stupid.” “What do you mean to do from now on?” “I don’t really know exactly. But for right now…” “For right now, what?” “For right now, I’d like pasta. Yes, pasta.” There, a call from SSS comes. “Madlax, I’ll going to get right to the point. I want to contract you for job.” “We haven’t spoken in so long, and you jump right into the business talk?” “Was there ever more of a connection between us than that?” Madlax answers saying, “There is one… I’m sure of it. Because there’s a me inside of you.” There are blue and red moons hanging in the sky.