For awhile, I’ve heard numerous raves about this series. I didn’t believe a single one because it looked like an excuse to see lolis with guns. I ended up marathoning it anyways to see if it was good for my anime club and now I’m going to force it upon them whether they like it or not. Why? Because it’s just that good.

Despite the title, Gunslinger Girl is not all about lolis shooting the freaking shit out of people. It’s not even all about the shady Italian government and the works behind the scenes. Instead, Gunslinger Girl gives a glimpse into each of the girls’ lives and truly develop them into characters that you can hold a strong affection to. Added to the mix is the “boom” “boom” action of guns that the girls use for assassinations.

There’s also plenty of moral issues that surround the series such as whether the government has a right to give “conditioning” (brainwashing) and mechanical limbs to turn the girls into assassinations. In particular, I was surprised that they truly showed both sides of the issue instead of portraying them in a purely antagonistic light. Which brings me to another point about the characters. None of these characters seem truly “evil” nor do all of them seem truly “innocent”, just as real life people are. It’s hard to blindly hate the handlers and government yet it’s also hard to fondle over the girls when they talk so happily of taking people’s lives. There is no clear border between good and evil, instead the moral values are twisted around in many directions.

The production values of Gunslinger Girl also helps bring this series to life. The animation is top-notch and is definitely one of the better efforts from Madhouse with it’s clean animation and soft tones of colors. The backgrounds of Italy are also extremely well done and realistic enough to be appreciated. I can’t say the music was a knockout in the particular. However, it perfectly fits the mood of this series and is something that should be appreciated.

All in all, I think of this series as a more modern and character-centered version of Claymore. While Claymore focuses more on the fights and power levels, Gunslinger Girl focuses on giving the term “gunslinger girl” a real sense of purpose to. It’s a series that starts off slow, but it’s definitely a rare gem that should not be missed. Now I’m looking forward to the second season that should start this January.

P.S: While we’re on the subject of lolis, I’ve officially dropped blogging Shion no Ou. It’s impossible for me blog this series accurately unless I wait for fansubs. Go hound psgels if you really wanna see blog posts.

Tags: Gunslinger Girl

Category: Animation

I believe myself~