Reviews for Gunslinger Girl

I once heard this manga described as having a cruel premise, and it does indeed tend to rip your heart out at every opportunity. Unlike many stories in this genre the focus is not so much on fanservice but on the condition of the girls themselves. This is not a nice story. Adults and children are shot up, dismembered, turned into killing machines and go through every imaginable horror, and Yu Aida pulls no punches in portraying the violence and psychological damage inflicted on the girls and their handlers. But nonetheless, I find myself on the edge of my seat waiting for each new volume,and it's precisely because it pulls no punches that I find myself drawn to it. The characters as soul crushingly human, and can go from pulling at your heart strings to making you want to slap them within the course of a few pages. If you're ready for this type of reading experience I would highly recommend this series, but if you're anything less than able to deal with this type of violence I would advise caution.

Gunslinger Girl manga was one of the first manga to be translated into the English language under the newly launched ADVManga in 2002, and due to a 2 year hiatus between 2005 and 2007, only 10 volumes of this popular manga have been released thus far. One thing that I can really say about Gunslinger Girl is that is has a pretty dark edge to it, especially when you take the actual content and the plot into consideration. It can quite easily give you very mixed emotions at times (sometimes getting a little too heavy). The fragmented, yet detailed, storyline is actually pretty uniqueas it often makes you re-read earlier chapters and even volumes, and it really makes you think about things. Especially things that are going on in the manga, and about life itself. This is especially true when you read about each individual girl's experiences. And due to the linear - yet not linear format, the series (I feel) has quite a high re-reading value.

Quite simply put, this is a bittersweet series, often exploring the darker side of human nature, as well as the girl's drive to rediscover what it means to be "human". Accompanied with very lovely artwork, Gunslinger Girl is definitely a must read in my humble opinion.

Gunslinger Girl is a flawed masterpiece. There are plenty of things about this manga that rub me the wrong way. Ultimately, though, it's one of the deeper stories I've read, and it's stuck as one of my favorites. Oh! And I want to say right at the beginning: if you're thinking this is one of those stories where a bunch of older creepy guys have inappropriate relationships with children - it's not at all! So don't let that turn you off. I'm going to start with the bad. -The ending is AWFUL. It's weird and it comes out of nowhere. - Why are at least twovolumes dedicated to the story of Petrushka, the least interesting cyborg in the series? Any of the other cyborgs would have been better suited to an in-depth focus.

- Jose goes through a bizarre art shift for a couple volumes where he is briefly transformed from an intimidating military man to a slight, cute fluffball. Needless to say, the new look is jarring and it doesn't align with his personality at all. Luckily it seems the author realized that, as it's a temporary makeover. :)

- There's the trope of a villian (just one, luckily!) who fits the "I'm a bad guy just because I want the world to burn, and I'm insane" mold.

- There's the trope of the annoying haunt who plagues a certain character's mind. Ugh.

With that out of the way, I can focus on why I love this series so much! To be honest, I find the plot a little hard to follow in places. But I very much enjoyed the story's focus on politics and terrorism, and some of the nuanced reasons behind terrorrism. I haven't read a lot of series that have a focus on such themes, and I feel that these topics were well integrated into the plotline. Generally, the terrorist factions and the terrorists we meet in the series are understated and their reasons for what they do make sense personally and as part of a larger national issue.

The portrayal of human emotions and longing blew me away. Those of you that have even read the first volume know that the cyborgs are all chosen because they have no other options. Some of them are suicidal. Some of them have terminal illness. Some of them have been in trafficking rings. Whatever the reason, they are chosen because they have a vulnerability. Well, with this dynamic (even though the memories of such events have been erased, sort of), it's no wonder they would seek solace in those around them - who are not equipped at all to fulfill those voids. This particular aspect of the relationship between handlers and cyborgs made the story for me. Maybe I'm a sadist, but the state of wanting affection from someone so much even though they can't or won't deliver it - and vice versa - is an aspect of people that I like exploring. If any of you have read this series, there's a certain scene where a character lights up a cigarette that gives me chills. They don't even need to say anything - the shift in feelings and the relationship is apparent just with that one action. Ah! It's moments like that that make this series what it is. Without giving the plot away too much, everyone in this story is "trapped" somehow. Whether it's the handlers or the cyborgs, everyone has their own trauma that they can't really deal with, and the means they seek out to comfort themselves due to that trauma ultimately leave them hollow. It's not uplifting, but it's realistic, and I feel it makes the story much more relateable.

The story's interpretation of cyborgs is unique. Usually, cyborgs are very machine-like and super-human. You wouldn't even be able to tell that the cyborgs in this story are different from people, and they get injured all the time. Yes, they're faster, stronger, and all that good stuff, but not so much so that they're ridiculous. One of them even goes through special training because she can't take down a target. They also very much have their human heart, feelings, and vulnerabilities intact. (Some people might argue with me on this point because of the drugs the cyborgs are all on, but as a side-note I thought that didn't detract from their emotions. It made them even more compelling, because through this fog of brainwashing and drugs, they still recalled things from the past now and then and they still had obvious emotional voids they tried to fill with various means.) Rather than being long-lived and invincible, the cyborgs lead short, compressed lives, and their mental abilities decrease with their time out in the field. Watching them break down is a bit like watching someone with Dementia deteriorate. It's so sad, but there's nothing you can do about it. In other words - it's perfect.

Finally, I loved the art style. The style of characters in particular appealed to me, as they are a bit more....box-y? than one would typically find in manga. They had weight and impact, they weren't airy with magically flowing hair and ridiculously long limbs. Even the ladies looked realistic and not over-accentuated. No one's drop-dead gorgeous or a bombshell, male or female. They all look like children, former police, or former military personnel - which they are.

In essence, if you like stories with a more nuanced plot and special attention to inner human struggles, you might enjoy this one. But if you're the type that doesn't like depressing stories, I'd avoid this like the plague. There's not a lot of personal triumphs, just a lot of setbacks. Oh, and for all of you that have read it, I'm just going to gush and say that Triela and Hilshire are the best! They're the adorable bright spot in this series both together and individually - y'all know what I'm talking about. :)

This is a manga with a very silly premise, but it addresses that silly premise so earnestly, in a way that only manga really does. Troubling implications are taken seriously, and disturbing aspects evolve towards their natural conclusions. Violence is never shown as uncritically "good". It's a bit of a stretch to imagine how Italy got to the point of using cybernetically modified little girls as assassins, but aside from that—and a few other details—this is a realistic story about something that could actually happen (and in some ways, something that really did happen in Italy in the 1970s, and in many other places continuingto this day).

At some point in this manga, a character quotes the poem Horatius at the Bridge. Here's part of it: "And how can man die better, than facing fearful odds, for the ashes of his fathers, and the temples of his gods". All of them, terrorists and secret police alike, believe they are defending something sacred from the barbaric horde at the gates. And many of them are willing to commit any atrocity that they think would aid their cause. To me, that encapsulates this story. It's a story about violence, escalation, and how morality falls away in conflict. But it's also a story about the reasons why people fight. The girls fight because they are programmed to love, protect, and obey their handlers. The way the handlers treat the girls in their charge shows their own ambivalence, and how they cope with the dehumanization of their violent lives. Ultimately, the escalation of violence is driven by the tit-for-tat desire for vengeance, but many of the characters are shown fighting for some of the same reasons as the girls, out of love or loyalty for their comrades. Some of them could even be considered brainwashed themselves.

In a different story, quoting that poem would come across as laughable or passe, but here, it actually made me cry.

This series makes you feel all sorts of confused. On the one hand, the "Social Welfare Agency" is a counterterrorist governmental organization. On the other hand, they brainwash young girls and turn them into assassin cyborgs. On yet another hand, those same girls would've died without the SWA's interference. You'll have mixed feelings reading this series, especially with some of the "bad guys." There are, for the most part, no clearly defined black-and-white good and bad characters. This book also has a different setup than a lot of other books. There is no central, overarching plot that the book is focused on (apart from the generalthemes of terrorism, the SWA, and the girls themselves). This doesn't make it any less of an interesting read though. To me, this setup made the book feel more like real life (life doesn't always have a clear central quest/journey). The real story is with the girls though--what happened to them before the SWA, what they're currently going through, their mentalities, their lives in general.

Overall, it's a very interesting series: The characters are deep and complicated and it is really well-written and well-drawn (The art is beautiful! Gorgeous drawings of Italian architecture and landscapes). I keep reading this series again and again, and I can never wait for new volumes to come out. This is one my favorites. I'd definitely recommend it (though not to children or to the faint of heart--it's quite gritty and violent, and has some complicated and mature themes).

I once asked my friend “why don’t you like Dragonball Z” and he replied “because back in primary school (when it was very popular) I thought the aliens were creepy and disgusting.” That is how I feel about this manga, I just really dislike the idea of turning people into mechanical beings and on top of it trying to produce a drama manga out of it, simply because is cruel and they’re only expressing feeling programed into their heads, and hence I found it very hard to connect with cyborgs especially Henrietta and Rico. Well, at least that’s how I felt half the time, butI can’t say that the manga is bad because most of the drama concerning the REAL HUMANS was pretty good.

The manga also felt really slow at times, especially when it’s introducing new characters or attempting to add more depth to existing characters by giving more background info. Some of the intended drama was really boring simply because I couldn’t connect with the cyborgs, or maybe is just me not being used to the writing style but to give you an idea of how I felt while read the manga, imagine playing a video game where it took twice as long to kill your enemies and your enemies took twice as long to kill you than the game’s original intention, that’s what it felt like.

Because of the slow pacing many of the drama wasn’t memorable and made the over arcing story disjointed, also the full impact of the parts I enjoyed was taken away because of how bored I was at times. In fact the most memorable part of the story was the irony at the end of a chapter where Franca looked at Henrietta thinking she was a rich girl and said “Is girls like her we’re fighting to protect.” I mean there is something wrong when the most vivid memory of a story is a language technique used.

Overall I can’t say that it is a bad manga because some of the drama is pretty good. Lots of people seem to like it and I can understand why. To people thinking of reading this, I would say it might take a while for you to get used to the slow pace and writing style especially if you’re used to more childish themes such as Shounen like me.

Story It flowed nicely even sometimes it got little bit boring when it was stuck on some problem. But whole idea was surely great. I like the fact that it's about characters, their problems and relationships even it's very action driven. Art Definately awesome, nice details, action scenes were just top Characters Probably a biggest plus of this manga. I loved so many of them and even I soemtimes wanted to smacked some because they did something stupid it was all reasonable because characters here acts like normal human beyings. Everything they does is beliavable, the good things, the bad things. Enjoyment I enjoyed this manga a lot even at the startI thought it's bit boring so I had like three years break but then I came back and still don't believe that it was soo awesome. So give it a time it goes better and better

Overall

Must read, it's deep and bitterweet...

(I haven't read the entire manga yet, I'm only up to the end of Vol. 5) This has to be my favorite series. Ever. The art is beautiful. It flows really well, and it's just pleasing to look at. The story is really what drew me in. The characters have just enough back story for you to connect with them, but there are also things that you kind of have to figure out for yourself. The characters are all so tragic, but it's not out of control. It's believable tragedy. The characters are really likable (I even kind of sympathized with the antagonists at certain points...)All the characters are at least a little likable.

I prefer the manga to the anime myself. The anime left out a bit of the story, so I would rather read the manga (but don't get me wrong, the anime is just as amazing)

So i finished Gunslinger Girl and there is really only 1 way to describe this series. Beautiful. I thoroughly enjoyed this series alot more than i thought i would especially in the later parts. The anime underwhelmed me so the manga kinda too me by surprise. The series about Cyborgs and handlers is just incredible. The emotional depth between these two called a fratello is just immense. The author does a fantastic job in making you sympathize with the characters. The entire series is a ticking time bomb. On which you can do nothin but slowly watch the cyborgs waste away. Henrietta put it verywell. That the cyborgs are lucky to be alive so don't pity them. And its emotion and experssions like this where i have to stop reading and just think. Each page becomes harder and harder to read. However the series is not without its flaws mainly its action and its story. Now the characters and there personal story is amazing. Each handler and cyborg brings a lump to my throat. However the whole main terrorist plot was poor. This is a story about the girls who sling guns. And its very well done. I do wished the author would be a bit more dramatic but at the same time there is the reality of being simple. In the end i very much enjoyed this series. Its emotional depth was the best part. But the action though well choregraphed didn't really suit the series. As well giamaca or whatever the main villain name was he was weak. But yeah emotions and stuff. there good. Also the last chapter (epilogue) though was random. The ending itself was fantastic. The underlying romance was as well written very well. Not too strong to give you hope but enough to be torture for both you and the cyborgs

8/10

~Tried my best not to mention spoilers~ I started reading Gunslinger Girl because of its (frankly) ridiculous premise. I was kind of looking for something to kill my brain with. I mean, Italian cyborg assassin girls working for an agency that fronts as a charitable organization -- it certainly isn't a cliche, but I got the impression that this would be a hefty action story with a poorly chosen setting and with story elements that didn't make sense. But in the end, I was way off the mark and I found myself almost in tears after I had finished this short 100 chapter gem of amanga.

Gunslinger Girl is a very character driven story. Sure, there's a lot of action, and peaks that excite and leave you afraid (but desperate) to turn the page, but for the most part, it's an evocative piece that tackles serious themes of the loss of innocence, crime, terrorism, revenge, etc. Each character gets the time they need to develop in order to feel like they're actually a part of the story, and none of them stick out or feel out of place. The manga has a shocking amount of depth -- the kind that demands a deep breath before you move page to page. But where Gunslinger Girl shines so much brighter than a lot of manga is in its pacing. The pacing and the use of flashbacks is well-thought out -- it's clear the author took the time to actually think about the story rather than cram it between chapter releases (believe me, it's incredibly refreshing to see this for a change).

Now, let's address what is arguably the most random setting choice ever in a manga: Italy. I still smirk and chuckle a bit thinking about it. Not that there's anything wrong with Italy, but it's certainly a first for me in a manga. Still, Gunslinger Girl does not cease to amaze me. The setting choice was actually an interesting change for once and there are no sacrilegious Japanese tropes carried over from the genre. Without going into detail, the author definitely did his/her research (there are literally dozens of footnotes for every detail, musical piece, cultural reference, monument, etc. scattered throughout the manga to aid the setting) and to that end, I completely respect this setting choice -- the way it is presented makes it feel real rather than something the author thought of on a whim.

Gunslinger Girl also feels unbelievably realistic despite its unbelievably unrealistic premise. And it does this with a good implementation of its setting (as I already mentioned) but also with plot points that are historically informed, though I cannot reveal any more than that as it would give away some story points.

The only thing I would really take issue with in the story is the epilogue... or should I say epilogues? Don't get me wrong, Gunslinger Girl was perfect up to the very end, but I suppose the author just wanted the whole thing to end on a relatively happy note and without any open ends. In other words, the ending/epilogue just feels pretty extended and a little bit out of place, but it's still a nice addition and it doesn't harm the story in any way.

Overall, this is a beautiful manga with a premise and title that may do it disservice to those who aren't willing to look beyond them. It feels real, it's emotional, it's exciting, it may even teach you a few things about life, and the best part: no fan service, inappropriate relationships, or anything of the sort. Be prepared for violence and heavy crime themes though, and don't expect any humor. Go ahead and read it already.

(P.S. With regards to the anime adaptation, don't bother.)

Gunslinger Girl is not a title you pick up offhandedly; it is a hard read. The characters go through unspeakable trauma, the political machinations (of which there are many) are complicated, and the action is brutal. Still, if you do find yourself reading it, you'll be in for a good ride. First, because Gunslinger Girl has very strong writing. The characters are its greatest strengh, with each protagonist coming across as a complete and true person. Their inner worlds are never absent, making each interactions fascinating. The story is also more than good, with a smart plot and gripping pacing. The only problem exists in thepolitical intrigue behind the scenes, with long, dialogue-heavy scenes of often nameless bureaucrats discussing the events of the past, present, and possible future. These people don't feel real, they're stilted and aloof, which may be realistic for political animals, but doesn't make for particularly interesting characters.

Then, there's the art. The grain is realistic, with subdued character design and beautiful, often melancholic composition. The action packs a punch in more ways than one, with its vivid movements that jump off the page.

In short, there's a lot of good to be found in Gunslinger Girl, but you should only pick it up if you're willing to put in the effort.

Triela is best girl, best cyborg, with Hillshire best fratello and best character of the series Beatrice underrated af should've gotten more screentime Rico became likeable halfway through the series, she was my least favorite in the first half Petrushka - great couple, honestly ship them but I call BS when they met, Sandro didn't picked up on her suicidal behavior when he's supposed to be amazing in cold reading Angelica - the feels bro, I didn't expect to cry, damn you MarcoClaes - everyone dead muh garden

Henrietta never liked her idk, i get why ppl like her she indeed adorable, og P90 user not that pink bootleg but she boring added when I found out Jose is not genuine in his kindess towards her after I went for the manga coz season 2 of the anime went total moe crap, was surprised he's a fake, regardless they're boring and the least interesting fratello, and that double suicide was dumb af, Henrietta could've for at least another year making her latest conditioning that made her emotionless a waste, Jose needn't take Henrietta with him there's no enemy anymore

Would've gave it a 7/10 but that damn cop out, ass pull, seriously all it takes was the Pope's statement? Calling massive BS

6/10

I don't know what was it with 2000s japanese fiction that wanted to see girls suffering the most unimaginable pain in existence. Anyway: same, girl. This is not a full review or anything. Just wanted to put out some loose thoughts and address some criticisms after finishing reading it: - GG is a bleak choral piece of these girls. First third of the manga (roughly what happens in S1 of the anime) serves as an introduction of each individual part of this girl choir, culminating in that beautiful stargazing scene where, accordingly, they sing Beethoven's 9th. I find this first arc (?) one of the most endearing,showing how Aida really can portrait the inner life of someone. Most of these chapters ended with simple but beautiful one-liners, most of them carrying a lot of reflection behind their simplicity

- What comes after tries to deepens the political aspect of the story, that was also slowly introduced during that first part. I have to say I definitely started to get a bit lost here, not because it was not interesting on its own, but more because we lose most of the quiet calmness and intimacy of the first part that served as a counterpart to the rest of the action.

- When Petra was introduced in the middle of everything I had my doubts, but again, Aida shows how they can slowly build and humanize characters, and made her and Sandro as compelling as the rest by the end. My BIG issue here: their fratello felt like a parallel story to the rest of the main cast. There are very VERY few interactions with the previous characters, which is so weird to me, it really feels like a lost opportunity and a dissociative narrative experience. They don't talk and don't react to what happens to each other. Even in the final arc, where they are in the same f mission and forced to work towards the same, they go for separate routes, which at that point is honestly kinda funny.

- The ending for Henrietta and Triella was... something. Henrietta case is one of the bleakest, dying the way she did after being virtually killed as a character by Jose just before the last mission. Triella got the big revelation before that too. I think both were thrown to their last mission without having enough time for them, the rest of the characters, and us, to process the implications of those experiences.

- One thing I want to commend is the improvement in the art. The first couple of volumes are kinda rough ngl. Aida's particular kind of art style persists during the whole manga, but at the beginning the composition and overall flow felt really boring and stiff. Then at some point you can see that really starting to kick off. The panelling!!! It actually starts to flow so much better, building expectation and release from page to page, particularly in action scenes. Well done there.

- Oh yeah and the final chapter is goofy. Oh well.

TL:DR Not pervy despite the premise. Confused, slightly meandering plot but great characters, thought provoking, utterly baffling ending. Mixed recommendation, if you like the psychological implications to the premise and don't care for the rest then read this. Story: 5/10 Firstly, I would like to point out the unique setting, Italy during the "Years of Lead", that’s setting up for something good. Or so I though, it didn't live up to expectations (or the MAL score). The whole plot feels disjointed. The start meandered for a while, introducing the characters and there dynamic while hinting at the antagonists. Those antagonists is swiftly and suddenly discarded, it's quite jarring.Then we get a new antagonist that comes out of nowhere.

There's a few volumes dedicated to a side character who is suddenly introduced and then is largely ignored throughout the rest of the manga.

The ending is… disgusting? Baffling? I have no idea but it is awful, it rise to send a message but it's so utterly bizarre and creepy that it actually makes me angry.

It makes me angry because the last arc is actually pretty enjoyable, it was quite good and gave endings the arcs of most characters.

Art: 7/10

Nothing to say really, it's good art

Characters: 8/10

The characters are so well written, from the cyborgs to their handlers. It really sells the psychological impact of the trauma the characters experience. From the brainwashed cyborgs to the messed up people who train and command them, these characters are excellently depicted.

Overall: 6/10

Great characters combined with a poorly executed plot. I can only recommend this if you only care about the psychological aspect of this manga, because the plot brings this down.

I spend a lot of time reading manga at a local Barns & Noble. After reading what I wanted to read, then reading what I didn't think I would hate, then reading what they had just because they had the whole series, I started reading Gunslinger Girl. I admit, I did not have high hopes for it, having flipped through the pages often and always putting it back on the shelf, but today I decided to read it. The first thing that drew me in was the art. With a lot of works having pretty shoddy graphics, even after being serialized into amanga, I was relieved that the mangaka for Gunslinger Girl was pretty good. Often, in battle manga, scenes can have chaotic effect drawings, making it hard to distinguish whats going on, but I never lost track of what was happening. The characters are all drawn similar, but not clones of each other, nor do they fall into obvious stereotypes. However, even characters from different countries seem to look like they came from the same basic mold, and it gets old pretty quickly. What also doesn't help is that none of the characters have unique personalities. What I mean is, try reading a chapter of GG imagining that every line is coming from the same character. Nothing would be out of place. No one on screen seems to have any characteristics that differentiate them from anybody else.

As far as the plot, I can't help but think the story focuses on the bad guys. We see things from their perspective, but that doesn't seem to justify their actions in my mind. Without giving away too much, Gunslinger Girls is about a section of the Italian government that takes elementary-school-aged girls who've suffered fatal wounds and makes them into cyborgs, who're trained assassins. There are a few different teams the story follows around, and all they do it kill different factions of "terrorists" that oppose the current regimen. I don't think I've seen them yet spare an innocent, and in fact, for whatever reason, one of the first kills is an innocent boy who was shot just because he's spoken to one of the Girls in an earlier panel. By contrast, some of the "terrorists" were put into the exact same situation and let their child live. With so many (at least six) different "terrorist groups" trying to take down the current government, and the lack of demonstrated morals by the protagonists, one wonders who is the oppressor.

I'll probably keep reading it, until new volumes for the manga I'd prefer to read come in, but it just seems to drone on and on, a bunch of boring handlers telling lifeless dolls to kill enemies of the state chapter after chapter. In order for GG to be serialized, I know that more of a plot has to show up eventually, but for now, it's just plain.