The Hypernatural and Supernatural in Madlax -- Episode 14

Episode 14: Gift and supernatural power
"Forgotten Thoughts ~memory~": 忘想 (Boso)

note: "忘想"
This is a coined set of words string. “忘”=forget, and “想”=thought, it reminds of a Japanese words string “妄想“ (Moso: delusion).

In the avant, Madlax is shown deranged, affected by the words “Elda Taluta”. The figures of Madlax as a small girl with a gun in her hands and Laetitia are also shown without any explanation. The screen shifts and shows Margaret waking up out of sleep sensing abnormality. “A dream… Was that a dream?” The window of her room is left opened and shows the intruder’s traces.

Madlax gives a caution to Vanessa trying to press the enter key of the computer, “No. Don’t look.” Vanessa asks, “What happened? …You looked at this, screamed. And the…” Madlax returns a rambling answer, “Shoes. The red shoes went somewhere. I wonder where they went?” She seems as if she has returned to a small child.

At that time, Limelda is confirming her mission. “You’re calling off the search for Madlax? What’s this about?” Carrossea answers her, “We took care of her on our end. We don’t need to recover the data, either. …Even if she’s alive, she’s not the Madlax you know anymore.” Limelda mutters, “That girl is supposed to be dead? That’s unthinkable. Even if she is… I won’t acknowledge it.” In contrast to Carrossea’s words, Limelda’s line indicates the course of the story proceeding in quite unexpected way to the viewers. This character functions as a decisive key person who is going to materialize latent perspectives in this show.

Lady Qwanzitta is receiving a report from her attendant. “I see, so Secondari has been found?” The attendant continues her report, “That is what Miss Nakhl reports. …A maiden named Margaret Burton, who lives in Nafrece. …Miss Nakhl reports that she has made one failed attempt at its recovery. …In addition, apparently Enfant has made contact with the maiden.” It seems this attendant has got information from the country far away, through some supernatural means. Qwanzitta mutters, “Twelve years… that’s the time when it begins to move again.”

Carrossea is starting a talk to Margaret, “What I have to say is very important.” There Elenore gets into the talk between them. “Then we’d by all means like to hear it.” Carrossea mutters, “I know when I’m beat.” Though it seems that this efficient maid is always watching her mistress kindly, one gets the impression she is also obsessively following around Margaret. Elenore keeps watch on Margaret like a stalker in constant vigilance against Carrossea, who tries to approach her mistress. Nakhl is watching the three of them from a distance. “Carrossea Doon… Margaret Burton…” Nakhl is recollecting the occurrence of the last night. Carrossea tells Margaret about her approaching danger. “I’ll come straight to the point. You should get rid of that book. …There’s someone who’s after that.”

In Gaths-Sonica, Vanessa is astonished to find Madlax remembering nothing about the abnormal occurrence that had fallen on her. “You don’t remember…” Vanessa tries to reorganize what happened to Madlax. “Madlax looked at the screen. And then something happened to her. …But she said that she was being targeted. She can’t go outside carelessly.” Madlax says to Vanessa dropping self-consciousness, as if she were a small girl. “Vanessa. Say… Can I sleep with you?” Madlax asks Vanessa lying in a sofa side by side, “What are you thinking about?” Vanessa answers, “I was just remembering a time when I bought a friend of mine red shoes.” They start to talk about Margaret. “A friend?” “Yeah. My friend Margaret. …She looks completely different from you, but she’s a little like you.” “I wonder if I can become one too.” “Yes, you can.” “Then I’ll have to dress up nice and go meet her.” Madlax seems to have lost her usual ability of judgment, but on account of this, she is now able to begin to construct an intimate friendship with Vanessa.

Elenore is in doubt of the sincerity of Carrossea, but Margaret answers her, saying, “What Carrossea said was the truth. …I think it’s the truth.” Margaret’s intuition must be telling truth. Margaret seems to be endowed with a conviction more secure than the viewers were able to collect out of his actions.

Carrossea approaches Nakhl from behind and points his gun to her, who has been watching the inside of Margaret’s apartment. “Which one is on your mind? The book, or that girl?” But Nakhl is not agitated at all. Carrossea interrogates her again, “Who are you?” Nakhl asks back to him sedately, “I’ll ask you one thing. Why don’t you steal the book?” Carrossea answers, saying, “I can’t steal it from that girl, I think perhaps you understand that.” Carrossea is aware of Margaret’s superiority to him in being protected by some power that rules the occurrences of events. Nakhl seems also to be aware of the same thing. “Given this and the way you acted in Gaths-Sonika, I don’t think you’re operating under Enfant’s orders.” Carrossea asks her, “I see, so I was the one being watched? …Tellme what you’re after.” Nakhl senses something in the man standing in front of her. “You have the gift. Nakhl. My name is Nakhl.” Nakhl disappears with an air of composure from Carrossea. It seems the word “gift” must work as a clue to understand the hidden relationship between Madlax and Margaret. But Nakhl has acknowledged it in Carrossea also, who is the member of Enfant.

Madlax had disappeared from the room when Vanessa has awoken. Madlax is wandering in a dress in the night town. With the inserted song “I’m here” in the background, Vanessa goes around the town in search of Madlax. Madlax is muttering as if she were demented, “Shoes, …Red shoes… I have to go. I have to say it.” Limelda is watching Madlax. “There’s no way she wouldn’t notice me. She is not that girl anymore. Madlax…” Muttering this, Limelda’s face seems to wear an expression of sadness. Madlax is muttering by herself, without noticing Limelda, “I have to say it. Say what?” Vanessa finds out Madlax in the night at last. Just then, Limelda appears in front of them. Limelda points her gun to Madlax. At the sight of the weapon, Madlax recalls something. But the words came out of her lips were “I’m scared”. Vanessa faces against Limelda. “Stop it. Get away. If you don’t, I’ll shoot.” Limelda replies not a bit being startled, “It’s no use. If you’re shaking that badly, you won’t hit me even at close range like this.” Her next words are especially impressive ones, that indicate the peculiar phase of her existence in this show, exceptionally loaded with particular concrete details. “You’re in the way. And you really irritate me.” The elements that afford hyper-realistic details in the anime Madlax in order to make this work gain innovative expressions are charged in the lines of Limelda. Madlax recalls the back figure of a man in military uniform and the book fallen on the ground, at the sight of Limelda holding a gun. As if triggered with this, Madlax regains her true self, and snatches the gun away from Limelda’s hand, exercising a tremendous battle skill. “Get lost. …I just don’t want to kill someone when I don’t know what’s going on.” Madlax doesn’t try to kill Limelda and let her go. “You’ll regret this, you know.” “Yeah, I probably will.” Madlax has fully recovered her usual self.

In a street in Nafrece, Margaret comes across Nakhl. On a sudden, Margaret looks back and says to Nakhl, “Hey… Please don’t take the book. Please don’t take it.” Margaret tells Elenore, who is not able to understand the situation. “Yeah. Definitely. I’m sure.” Nakhl seems to have understood something. “She has the gift. In that case, I will merely flow with the course of events.” It seems Nakhl has acknowledged something in Margaret as she had done in Carrossea. But the detail of the “gift” is not yet disclosed to the viewers.

Madlax doesn’t remember her abnormal state that had occupied her person. Two girls utter the same words, in foreign countries divided by long distance, “I want to have some pasta.”