Gunslinger Girl takes a decidedly creepy concept and pushes it to increasingly uncomfortable limits. The government-sponsored Social Welfare Agency is able to save lives thanks to cutting-edge technology by implanting new cybernetic devices into terminal patients, especially young girls, a process that results in longer lives for the patients—albeit as government assassins. The central character here is Henrietta, a killing machine who survives a vicious attack, but has no memory of life before the Social Welfare Agency put a gun in her hand. Henrietta's peers include Angelica, who does not adapt to assassin life so easily, and Elsa, the icy newcomer on murderer's row. The theme of young girls shooting adults in cold blood might sound like ideal fodder for a sick comedy, but Gunslinger Girl wisely avoids the obvious temptation of camp, playing across its 13-episode narrative arc with steely precision. The storylines are uncommonly mature and focused, particularly regarding the relationship between the girls and their adult handlers, and the moral issues shaping those twisted situations will make viewers squirm. Rated TV-14, Gunslinger Girl—presented on a dual-language three-disc set—boasts strong and stylish animation, as well as DVD extras that include commentary tracks, cast interviews, and character sketches. Highly recommended. Aud: P. (P. Hall)
Gunslinger Girl: The Complete Series
(2007) 3 discs. 325 min. DVD: $39.98. Funimation (avail. from most distributors). ISBN: 1-4210-1156-5. Volume 23, Issue 2
Gunslinger Girl: The Complete Series
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