Gunslinger Girl

Brief review of Gunslinger Girl, the haunting anime where young cyborg girls are turned into deadly assassins by a secretive Italian agency.

A so called non-profit welfare corporation involved with the government has recruited young girls who, after being on the brink of life and death, have been trained in the advanced use of firearms to become top assassins.  This girls don't have any relatives or any place to go so they accept their fate without questioning.

They are always accompanied by their brothers (fratelli in Italian) or handlers, so to speak, but as they spend time together, they become companions and friends. This is how the story begins for Agent Gioseffo (Joseph) Croce of Section 2, who is the handler of Henrietta, the most promising girl in the corporation.

Joseph shows concern and interest and is a little overprotective over Henrietta, as she reminds him of his younger sister, and he always tries to look out for her. He is somewhat bothered by the situation and Henrietta's lack of emotion or the ease with which she picks up a weapon and kills people, because deep down he feels that what she is doing is wrong.

But all of this is because the corporation has been erasing the memories of the gunslinger girls, even replacing parts of their bodies with mechanical components that make them stronger and faster. With these modifications, they can kill anyone without hesitation, but they still occasionally retain their personalities and feelings, remaining human to some extent.

This is how Henrietta, Triela, Rico, and Claes are introduced, always in the eyes of her fratellos or handlers but as the story goes they become closer friends, on their apparent mission to fight the Italian mafia. Each of girls has their own problems (some mental), with Triela being the oldest of the group, as she is entering adolescence, but her handler still treats her like a child.

Personal comment:

I really like the series and the character development (especially Henrietta's), the situations they face, and the relationships that develop between them. The animation is refined and of good quality, as is the sound. The anime is short, as it only has 13 episodes.

Usually you would think the girls are too serious but they are very compromised with a job where the plan B its not to kill a suspect.  I think Henrietta is very cute and probably the most sensitive of all the gunslinger girls but general opinion is toward Triela. Henrietta has a very special relationship with Joseph-san.