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Movie or Show Details

Gunslinger Girl
Television; Anime
8 Oct 2003 - 19 Feb 2004
Bloody Violence; Bad Language
Japan
Japanese
Fratello - Big Brother Little Sister
Stella Cadente - Shooting Star
I saw a preview of this on my Tenchi Muyo Ryo-Ohki 3 DVD and it looked interesting.  So I put it in my Netflix queue...
Anime
See Description
Gunslinger Girl (ガンスリンガー·ガール Gansuringa Garu) is an ongoing manga by Yu Aida, which was later adapted as a 13-episode anime television series, produced by Madhouse and Bandai Visual, which premiered in Japan on Animax and Fuji TV between October 8, 2003 and February 19, 2004.

Set in modern-day Italy, the story of Gunslinger Girl revolves around a corporation called the Social Welfare Agency (SWA, or the Agency, as it's often called), sponsored by the Italian government. Publicly, the mission of the SWA is to save and rehabilitate human lives, but in reality, the SWA is a public front for Section Two of the Political Warfare Section, a subdivision of the Italian intelligence responsible for counter-intelligence, counter-terrorism and a series of experiments designed to create the perfect government-commissioned assassin. While Section One conducts their operations with normal human operatives, Section Two employs the use of young cyborgs on the fringe of technology.

A male agent hired by the SWA chooses a young girl from a near-death experience or who is in critical condition. Section Two then redefines her body in a surgical operation to be refitted with artificial body parts, such as synthesized muscles and carbon fiber frames (80% of their bodies are carbon frame, fiber, and muscle). As a result, the girl gains incredible strength (at least peak human strength), quick reflexes, and a high resilience to damage and pain.

After the operation, the male agent is assigned as the girl's handler, forming a pair called a "fratello" (Italian for 'brother'). The first task of the handler is to choose a name for the girl. While refining the young girl, she undergoes brainwashing and becomes subject to conditioning: a watery drug injection that allows the girl to use her newly-enhanced body with maximum efficiency, as well as heighten her perceptions (such as sight, hearing and overall instinct) of the world around her. These enhanced senses would generally be used to anticipate danger, whether to the handler or to the girl herself, almost by a sixth sense. However, extensive use of the conditioning also shortens the girl's long-term memory, as well as her life span, since the conditioning strains the girl's mental and physical endurance.

The handler is directly responsible for his girl's training, conditioning, field performance, development and overall welfare. Once the handler takes charge of his assigned girl, he is free to use the teaching methods he considers best suited for his character. These methods tend to vary with each handler, although they have the option of using greater amounts of drugs and brainwashing. Some handlers prefer to treat their girls more humanely with minimal conditioning (as Giuseppe and Hilshire did) while others prefer to rely more heavily on conditioning their girls, treating them like machines (as Jean and Lauro did).

The end result is usually the same: a deadly assassin who is unquestioningly loyal to her assigned agent. Once they are officially sanctioned by the Italian government, these fratello are sent on controversial government missions, such as assassination and infiltration. For those who would oppose the Italian government, a young girl is often the least considered threat, much to the sorrow of those who encounter a fratello.

Currently, the Political Warfare Section is working to take down the Padania Republic Faction (PRF), a group of nationalistic radicals dedicated to the independence of northern Italy, as well as opposing globalization.

The story focuses primarily on the various relationships of the girls and their handlers, whether loving, abusive or neglectful, and their reactions. Gunslinger Girl also seeks to paint a contrasting portrait of its characters — the girls are cybernetically enhanced assassins, yet they are still just young adolescent girls at heart.

The young girls that are synthetically rebuilt and conditioned to kill instinctively without remorse are often coldly referred to as "machinery" or "dolls" by the SWA and their handlers (Jean refers to his as a tool). Yet, even though the bodies are reconstructed and the memories of a past life erased, the young girls have a soul, a sense of humanity towards each other, and still enjoy some simple things in their sheltered life.

From Wikipedia
English
Laura Bailey as Henrietta
Luci Christian as Rico
Caitlin Glass as Triela
Alese Watson as Claes
Monica Rial as Angelica
John Burgmeier as Jose
Brina Palencia as Elsa
Troy Baker as Alfonso
Dameon Clarke as Hirscher
Eric Vale as Jean
Jim Foronda as Marco
Cynthia Cranz as Ferro
Mark Stoddard as Lorenzo
Bill Flynn as Captain Raballo


Japanese
Yuuka Nanri as Henrietta
Kanako Mitsuhashi as Rico
Eri Sendai as Triela
Koshimizu Ami as Claes
Hitomi Terakado as Angelica
Hidenobu Kiuchi as Jose
Mamiko Noto as Elsa
Masami Iwasaki as Alfonso
Masashi Ebara as Hirscher
Mitsuru Miyamoto as Jean
Norihiro Inoue as Marco
Rie Nakagawa as Ferro
Kenyuu Horiuchi as Captain Raballo
FUNimation - Licensed by
Bandai Visual - Production Company
Madhouse Studios - Production Company
Marvelous Entertainment - Production Company
Media Works - Production Company
Links
Songs
Opening Theme
Title: The Light Before We Land


Lyrics:

In cases such as these I'd like a hand
Don't wake me up without a master plan
With black & white instead of colour
Don't you understand?
When things that once were beautiful
Are bland

And when I feel like I can feel once again
Let me stay awhile
Soak it in awhile
If we can hold on we can fix what is wrong
Buy a little time
For this head of mine
Haven for us

In truth there is no better place to be
Than falling out of darkness still to see

Without a premonition
Could you tell me where we stand?
I'd hate to lose this light
Before we land

And when I feel like I can feel once again
Let me stay awhile
Soak it in awhile
If we can hold on we can fix what is wrong
Buy a little time
For this head of mine
Haven for us

Before we let euphoria
Convince us we are free
Remind us how we used to feel
Before when life was real

And when I feel like I can feel once again
Let me stay awhile
Soak it in awhile
If we can hold on we can fix what is wrong
Buy a little time
For this head of mine
Haven for us
Ending Theme
Title: Dopo Il Sogno


Lyrics:

ascolta, dolce Maria Ridonami, ti prego il mio sorriso
Ah! si, del mio cammino sii la propizia stella. pervenir teco, bella sera la morte a me.
ascolta, salve Maria
suo duol suoi tristi accenti oda il tuo pietoso cor.
A te, che benedetta fra tutte sei, Maria.
voli la prece mio, pura sinnalzi a te.
ascolta, santa Maria Ridnami, ti prego il mio calma.
Allanima che anella di ricovrarti in braccio,
deh! Rompi, Maria, il laccio che le impedesce il voi.
ascolta, dolce Maria
suo duol, suoi tristi accenti oda il tuo pietoso cor.
Added: 09-Feb-2007     Last Update: 15-Feb-2007







Presented: 13-Jun-2024 10:40:25

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