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Classics of Anime - Gunslinger Girl

Classics of Anime - Gunslinger Girl

Written by A. H. on 12 Aug 2010



If there's one thing that I'm sure has attracted many of us to anime and the rich and subtle story-telling that it can offer at its very best, it's the ability of a good writer and production team to eschew the traditional black and white concept of good versus evil and instead portray a far more recognisable world where every individual and event can be examined and viewed in shades of grey.  In terms of this ability to pose questions as to what is right and wrong without influencing or judging the viewer's own moral compass, surely the original anime series of Gunslinger Girl can only be hailed at one of the greatest examples of its craft?  We certainly think so here at UK Anime, and that's why this show has been cherry-picked as the next highlight of our occasional Classics of Anime series.

Of course, like so much anime Gunslinger Girl began its life in manga form, first appearing courtesy of creator Yutaka Aida (who is assumed to be male on account of his name, although his gender has never been confirmed) back in November 2002, with the series still going strong twelve volumes later at the time of writing this.  Yu Aida's original work is certainly a key component to the anime we're talking about here, containing all of the moral and ethical dilemmas which makes the series so compelling, bonded with characters that are sufficiently deep and complex in their own right to make the scenario it illustrates so believable.

Gunslinger Girl tells the story of the Italian Social Welfare Agency - A government entity that outwardly appears to have been designed to take in and help incapacitated children, but in fact makes use of these children for their own ends.  In short, these girls with a traumatic past and no family to speak of are turned into cyborgs, brainwashed (or "conditioned") to remove the memories of those traumas and to breed into them the requirement to follow orders and protect their "handlers", intelligence agents poached to come and work for this undercover group in counter-terrorist operations and the like.

The Italian setting of the series is not only a breath of fresh air from the usual Japan-centric fare of many anime but also serves a purpose in its own right, thrusting the Social Welfare Agency (otherwise known as Section 2) into a murky political world where terrorism is also on the increase as right-wing groups seek to oppose the country's globalisation while fighting for independence for the North of the country.  This setting somehow feels far more plausible in Europe, and particularly Italy, while also giving the series itself some sumptuous backdrops to work with in terms of both the landscape and the wealth of art and culture available to be mined to add a little gravitas and class to the series where required.

Gunslinger Girl doesn't focus solely on its child assassins, but also frequently delves into the lives of their handlers who also have their own varied stories to tell.  In a sense a number of these individuals are as mentally damaged as the girls in their care, as many of them have been aside from other law enforcement jobs for a variety of reasons to leave some of them cold, cynical and detached while others can barely contain their anger at the working world which cast them aside, forcing them to operate in this unsettling undercover environment with little hope for a normal life outside of work - a problem also demonstrated during the course of the series, while the behaviour of the various handlers also impacts markedly on the girls under their care.

That said, it's undoubtedly the girls themselves who steal the show - there's something unceasingly chilling in watching them go about their grisly business, and this unsettling feeling is only enhanced as we grow to know them and their individual personalities that have been left unsullied by their conditioning.  One moment we're watching them collecting teddy bears or tending to a simple garden, and the next we're watching them unflinchingly taking a bullet for their handler who ruthlessly sniping their targets without so much as a flinch of remorse.  There can be little doubt that Gunslinger Girl makes for uncomfortable viewing at times once you're immersed fully in its world.


A. H.

Author: A. H.


A. hasn't written a profile yet. That's ruddy mysterious...

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