Madlax: Connections, Vol. 1

I'm quite happy to be swept away by good anime spy stories, especially anything featuring strong female leads, cool spy technology, amoral villains and, of course, action-packed, jet-setting assignments. Madlax, in most ways, fulfills all of those requirements. The Madlax of the title is a female mercenary: intelligent, charming, a woman of few words, she works for whoever pays the most, dispensing information and punches with equal aplomb. In the opening two episodes (on the screener I saw; the final version contains four), Madlax is meddling in a civil war in the jungle, while in another city a young teenage girl named Margaret Burton goes about her day in a suspiciously empty house (with only a maid), plagued by spotty memory--hints of some secret past (a government experiment, perhaps?). Soon, Margaret will embark on a path that is both mysterious and suspenseful, and though Madlax seems a world away, it's clear that these two characters are destined to meet. This title is from the creators of Noir, which--to be honest--it mimics in almost every way, from the duo of female characters to the brutal action to the hints about secret societies. Although it's still early, Madlax--rated 14-up and presented on a dual-language disc--promises to be a slowly revealed but complex and compelling tale for fans of smart action thrillers. Recommended. [Note: Madlax, Vol. 2 is slated for release on June 7.] Aud: P. (R. Brenner)