Gunslinger Girl

Wow. I wanted to see all the reviews before I wrote my own to see if others had the same inklings about it as I did - and most of them did. As I watched this series, I wasn't quite sure what I was watching or why I continued to watch it, but somehow this essentially plot-less, story-less, moderate action-filled epic drew me in and captivated me. When it was done, I knew I'd have to see it again.

First of all, the title is misleading if not outright terrible for this almost documentary style feature. The concept of prepubescent to pubescent young girls being "conditioned" to be ruthless assassins sounds kind of boring on the surface, but it's not when you see it. The girls are recovered from near-death experiences, being given artificial body parts and turned into cyborgs, but not quite! They work for the social welfare agency part of the government, but it is not about that. They are conditioned to be assassins who kill terrorists, but it is not about that. They have these powerful relationships with their fratello male partner, their handler, whom they essentially love, but it is not exactly about that either. There is enough action in the gory, bloody combat scenes we are privy to, where the girls coldly eliminate their targets, but it is not about that either. That was what flummoxed me.

What this series is about is a noir study in humanity, that humanity represented by these young girls who are part mechanical and part human. And both of these parts are explored and examined in detail, as we see them go through their everyday lives. These days and these lives are brutal, chilling, emotional, thought-provoking, and filled with pathos, as we see little girls battle their dual egos, human and conditioned machine, and find that ultimately their human side manages to have the stronger hold and is what keeps one riveted to watching everything that happens with rapt attention. I've never seen anything quite like it, but it was certainly an experience worth having.

This outstandingly well drawn and beautifully set anime is centered on very peculiar fetish (or fantasy if you prefer) in the spirit of La Femme Nikita only ten years younger. In this variation, martially dominant men literally own very attractive young girls who have been altered with cyborg technology to be selfless, efficient fighting machines. They undergo "conditioning" that makes them totally dedicated and obedient to their handler, willing to defend them at any cost, and they will never grow old because their life spans are shortened to a few years. But they're working on that.

Although the title style has the phrase "… still an adolescent child" in fact it seems none of the girl-cyborgs except Triela has reached puberty. The rest of them seem to be 10 or less, and when Henrietta first sees that Triela is suffering from menstrual cramps, she un-resentfully explains that her own uterus had been removed during conditioning. Oy.

Disregarding any cases out there of full-blown misogyny, I suppose any male who has ever been even slightly frustrated by the female of the species should find something to like here in an ambivalent way.

Anyway, the point of all this is to create an urban combat force (you didn't think there was a peaceful reason did you) comprised of "fratellos" (or handler/girl-cyborg pair) to fight terrorism. To further shore up the shaky moral basis, supposedly all the altered girls were otherwise terminal patients if not fully willing participants in the process. It seems many of the missions they go on could have been carried out by the handlers themselves, and it would not be hard to argue that the "good guys" are a bigger societal problem than the bad guys are, but that doesn't matter because the fighting scenes are not the story.

What are interesting to watch is the differences between the handlers, the cyborg-girls, and the effect on their fratello relationships. In spite of the official line that the girls are now altered to the point where they are no longer human, and need no more human consideration than any other piece of combat equipment (well cared for, valuable, but expendable), some handlers subscribe to this and some do not. There is Jose, who dotes on his Henrietta and rewards her when she is not on mission, and at the other end there is Helsa's handler who is all business and is brutally dismissive of his charge. And there are steps in between.

Even more beguiling is how the girls act when they are together, which is usually hanging out around their dorm room. Aside from the weapons-maintenance tasks they do, they do normal things like laundry and hobbies and chat. Although they are supposed to be conditioned against having any emotions, they clearly do. Further, they discuss themselves and their conditioning in dispassionate but fully self-aware terms. They may suffer, but they do not resent. They may disagree, but they don't disobey. It is hard to describe.

One of the reasons to watch anime is that it can illustrate certain points of drama in ways that no other form of performance can. Gunslinger Girl manages to do this, and that makes it worth adding to any collection, and I hope there is interest in continuing the series.

A lot of people were misled by the anime entitled "Gunslinger Girl" mainly due to the fact that these girls are armed to the teeth. The show isn't so much about the fact that these girls ARE killers, but about how they deal with being given a new life, being trained to kill and still having to live vastly shortened lives as little girls. Henrietta has to deal with not being able to act as most little girls should. Rico just wants to please her abusive fratello "brother". Triela just wants to be respected as a person and not a tool. Claes suffers from the severe emotional trauma of losing her fratello "brother". And Angelica is losing her memory and usefulness fast from her "conditioning". Very well done and well written and acted in the sub AND dub. Overall kind of depressing, but it's worth the purchase and stands up to repeat viewing.

Well the name is misleading, this series is more about relationships between people than Gunbunny action. It is however an awesome series, and when the actions shows up prepare to be made happy, for it is cool. The series is pretty messed up however, the whole concept of bringing girls back from the brink of death and then giving them cybernetic implants and making them fight brainwashed is quite sad.

As I said though, this series is more about relationships. Relationships between the girls and between their partners who they are made to think of as an older brother. The 'brothers' train the girls using conditioning, which is basically brainwashing and through discipline. Different 'brothers' use different amounts and approaches towards their girls, leaving them with radically different personalities. Jose treats Henrietta like a little sister for example, buying her presents, taking her places, and spending quality time with her, while his brother hit his Artificial girl.

Anyway I think that quote in the title, 'The Girl has a mechanical body. However, she is still an adolescent child.' Sums up the anime quite well, it is brutal yet beautiful. 10/10 It takes a lot to make me cry.

To the outside world, the Social Welfare Agency is a benevolent organization dedicated to helping children with life threatening injuries and severe disabilities. However a darker secret lies behind the compound walls. The young girls the Agency claims to save are in fact fitted with artificial body parts, chemically brain washed, and trained in the art of killing. They are the girls of Section Two. An elite squad of deadly assassins charged with doing the Italian Governments dirty work.

Each girl is paired up with a Handler – a male agent who is responsible for training and caring for his partner. The two together are called a fratello. The "conditioning" the girls are put through emotionally bonds them to their handler, making them fiercely loyal. The relationship within each fratello is different. Jose is very kind to Henrietta, treating her like a little sister. Hilshire and Triela seem to have a dysfunctional father daughter thing going on, while Jean treats Rico as nothing more then a tool to be used up and discarded.

Even though they kill without remorse, they still have all of the emotional ups and downs of normal adolescent girls and it's these internal conflicts that make this anime so fascinating. You truly feel for these girls as they struggle to hold on to their humanity under very inhumane circumstances.

If nonstop action is what you are looking for, then this is probably not for you. Yes there is plenty gunplay and copious amounts of blood and gore, but that is not the main focus of the series. What it concentrates on is the relationships between the girls and their handlers and each other.

I'll admit that at first I found the subject matter of this series disturbing; children being turned into ruthless killers in the name of Italian national security. However, the longer I watched, the deeper I was drawn in. It becomes a story of how the girls survive a situation that would break most adults. It becomes a story of their inner strength and perseverance.

Whether or not you are an anime fan, (I am not) you definitely should give this one a watch. I highly recommend it.