GunslingerGirl

This series makes no bones about it: Gunslinger Girl is about young girls with big guns.

BUT … Gunslinger Girl is an amazing vehicle for examining the human heart. I am a 55 year old man with two grown kids … and Gunslinger Girl made me cry at the end.

The series opens with a quick outline of the situation: a government agency takes children who are near death due to some accident or trauma and gives them new cybernetic bodies and perfect health. Their minds are “conditioned” … erasing their memories and instilling the essentials needed for their new lives as... high-tech assassins!

Yes … It seems stupid. Maybe it is … but … taking that awful situation as a “given” … the series begins to examine everyone’s role in the very personal business of operating these cyborg children/weapon systems. The men are professionals ... and these cyborgs are little girls. Nothing sexy, here … no perverts in this series. The men, the “handlers”, learn to treat the girls as children … or as weapons … depending on the man. The girls know most of the situation. They are glad to be alive. They understand that they have been rebuilt and conditioned. They know that they are not ordinary children and will never have that life. They know that cyborgs have only a short time to be alive and that rebuilding, reconditioning, and repairs shorten their life spans. Still … they live to please their handlers. “It may be the conditioning, but I will gladly die to protect my handler.”

We watch as the kids and their handlers go on assignments … cold bloodedly killing the enemies designated by their organization. The kids are tough … with strong bodies and super-fast reflexes … sensitive hearing that allows them to eavesdrop on conversations across a crowded restaurant. They shoot as directed without hesitation or afterthought.
 
During the 13 episodes (3 DVDs), we really get to know the girls … Henrietta, Rico, Angelica, Triela, Claes, and Elsa. They are each devoted to their handlers … but each is treated differently by their handlers. Henrietta is treated like a little sister. Her handler tries to let her experience the joy of life while still keeping her sharp on her marksmanship. Claes had a handler who just couldn’t take the tragic pressure of it all. He had tried to show Claes the simple pleasures of  sunshine and the outdoors and gardening … tried to bury the brutal fact that she was a killing machine. He went away … leaving Claes confused and unusable as an assassin. Her duties have been modified so that she has become a test unit. The organization puts her through trials of strength and endurance until she breaks. She is repaired and allowed to recoup before each series of tests. She rarely  goes on assignments. She is a stabilizing influence on the home life of the other girls.

Angelica has a trainer, Marco, that has given up on her. He started out as an enthusiastic trainer and "parent" for Angelica. But Angelica is fragile and suffers from periodic memory losses. Each time she goes into the hospital for repairs or for more conditioning, she looses some memories ... and Marco gets the feeling that there is no point in teaching her anything ... no point in getting close to her. Angelica becomes simply a tool in his eyes. We can see the child's emotions as she tries to win his affection ... or even some recognition ... but she goes unrewarded. She works hard but she often stumbles and fails. Marco hardens and shuts her out even more. Angelica cries quietly to herself.

Triela has a great relationship with her handler. She is trained for her job ... and rewarded with praise as she succeeds in her tasks. Her handler ... being just a young guy ... doesn't know what to buy for a kid like her when he is out shopping for a present. He buys her teddy bears. She names them after the Seven Dwarfs ... and once stayed up all night trying to think of a name or her 8th one. Finally ... they are out together and he asks her what she would like as a reward ... what can he buy for her? She chooses ... another bear.

Elsa's handler treats his situation as a 9-to-5 job. Elsa is nothing to him but a piece of unreliable equipment ... some "thing" he has to deal with as he gets through his work day. Like Angelica, Elsa vies for her handler's admiration .... but ... unlike Angelica ... Elsa burns inside. She twists her devotion until she snaps!

Every episode tugs at your heart while the bullets fly and the blood splashes.

The episodes do not really build to a climax, but, as you watch, you know that this tragic situation must be resolved. In the final episode things DO compound and seem to be heading for a solution … but … the plot takes a twist and tears your heart out a little more.

Violent, sweet, dumb, intriguing … full of a strange love … interesting music, nice art (not toooo cute) … this is a wonderful anime. As always ... watch it in Japanese with subtitles. English dubbing just doesn't make it. Also ... be sure to listen to the music in the various set-up and option screens. There are full songs there. Some of the music is "happy Italian" and some ... sounds like it came from "The Exorcist".


Enjoy GunslingerGirl!


3/14/07