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Feature Presentation:
Special thanks to ADV Films for sending a copy for a review for this site. There is a strange series, not actually one main character, but with two. One with the cool assasin babe, Madlax & a girl, Margaret Burton, who seem to have very strange & scary dream that she doesn't understand the meaning of it. During each episodes, it switch between both of them one episode with Madlax & the other with Margaret. However, there is some connection between them. We started of with Madlax, on the mission to recover an important disc in the middle of a cival war. Boy, she does fight like a professional, yet beautiful & polite. Never estimate with a female with a gun. Switching to Margaret, we see the life that she has, a lonely life. Confusing, mysterious, what is the connection? Though, even with a slow pace, the music when Madlax get ready for action is really catchy.
Video:
ADV Films did a very great job. I found no problem, the image are clear & the color looks perfect. To top things off, the series is feature on Widescreen format. If you got a Widescreen TV, you're going to enjoy this even more. The episodes are on a different track, so there will be a small loading time when you move on to the next episode. Each episodes are separated into 5 parts: the introduction, part A, part B, ending & the preview for the next episode! Also, at the very end of the last episode, you will get to see a preview on what is to come on the next volume. I do note that you can skip all those warnings & logos when you first load the DVD by just pressing the "Menu" button on your remote control.
Dubbing: English:
The dubbing is really great. It's about 85% of the original Japanese.
Audio 01: English 5.1:
Unable to test it, since I don't have a 5.1 surround system, I can't really say much.
Audio XX: English 2.0:
Just letting you know, there isn't an English 2.0 audio track on this DVD. This is artificially made from the 5.1 audio track, that's why I noted it as "XX". I found no problem with the audio, but I bet it would be alot more interesting with the 5.1.
Audio 02: Japanese 2.0:
No problem found.
Subtitle:
ADV Films have selected a great font, very easy to read. They use yellow for the introduction, ending themes & the Japanese dialogue & white for Japanese signs & text, also for the vocal in during the episodes. There are two tracks of subtitling. One track is for the sign subtitling & the other one is for the Japanese dialogue. I might note that every odd numbered episodes, the intro & ending subtitles are in English, while the even numbered episodes are in Japanese on this volume.
Menu Option:
The menu is also in widescreen format, but if got just a regular full screen TV, it will display in that format with no problem. The menu is really simple. I'm not sure what's the background is, maybe a gun? You can see some clips from the episodes in this volume, along with the opening theme. There isn't a "Play All" feature, just the selections of the 4 episodes on this volume, "Screen Access", "Set Up" & "Extras". There is also a "Preview" for the next volume of this series. There isn't any special effects if you select any options. The background music is one of the background music from the series.
DVD Extras:
There is the standard a non-credit opening & ending, along with an prduction sketches & original Japanese promos. I don't know why, but I find the unused Opening sequence useless, as it's just the non-credit opening. It's nothing really special! Last, which isn't listed, is a parody dubbing of some clips taken from the episodes in this volume. Some are faunny, others aren't. I do suggest to watch the episodes first for the full effect.
Packaging:
If you have purchase Noir, you might see some similarity between the design, even both of the series are made from the same team. You get to see Madlax & Margaret on the cover with a mysterious book in all out white background. In the back, there are many screenshot from the episodes in this volume. The decriptions only give information on the two main characters, but not a summary of the episodes. The insert have the same picture as the cover, along with the list of the episodes. Inside the insert, it's an interview with the Japanese producer & screenplay, which give more in-depth information about the series, which is cool to read. On the DVD disc itself, it's pretty plain, with the title in large!
PC Viewing:
Watching it on the PC is the same as watching it on the TV. Very clean, no problem at all, very little pixel (little squares popping in & out), both normal mode & full screen mode. The sound is just great. Since the episodes are on different tracks, it will take time to load when you move on to the next episode. Like on your regular DVD player, you can skip the warnings & logos when you load the disc, just use the "menu" option to go to the menu screen.
Overall DVD Rating:
If you have seen Noir, you might not have noticed many similar theme. Honestly, I love it when females kicks butt. It's a slow pace, so you might need some patience. However, if you like drama & suspense, this series is just for you.
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