Subject: Anime, MADLAX
Wow, that was great. Totally.
Okay, so I really disliked the "Conversations with SSS" this time. Except for the "Star Wars" gag -- that one was LOL funny; but the rest... even the "yuri.com" jokes... Sucked. Big time. It's time to give it up. Save the disc space on the rest of it for interviews or something. Bleh.
There's a couple of things that struck me this time through it. First, waaaaay back in episode 4, with the detective. I think I need to work this through further, but I think he's Chris Krana's real father. There's a quick shot of a picture of the detective's family; and in the crazy montage with all the soundbites, there's the one phrase "I lost my wife in the civil war 12 years ago" (or something close to that). And he kind of looks like the "doesn't exist in the information" "Ming Dulc". But I think this theory needs some work. Still, seeing it this time around made it seem really obvious. Real evidence notwithstanding.
Finally, the one scene where Madlax and Vanessa are... *ahem*... snuggling on the couch... going back to the contradictions in the fansub translations I was complaining about last year... it turns out that Ayu pegged it. At least as far as the "official" version is concerned. That's a huge surprise, seeing as ANBU/Lunar and Sugarcube had a different interpretation, which I was more inclined to believe. But the ADV translators went with Ayu's version of that particular line.
I'm not 100% convinced that the subtitle translations are that great, though. There's a few places that seem like they should have been different. Part of that is due to the fact that I've watched the fansubs too many times, but another part of it is that I think the translation I have in my head really would work better, knowing what I know. That said, there's things about this "official" translation that really bring out a lot about the show that I've missed with the fansubs. I guess it's a big trade-off overall.
I'm still dissappointed that the next disc won't show up until December. That's a long time from now. And it means that I won't get to the end of the matter until next spring. *Sigh*. I suppose I could keep rewatching what I have ("Noir" included), but I'd rather have this over and done with so I could move on. Without a proper resolution, I'll be drifting aimlessly, wondering just what the heck those last turn of events really meant.