Ranked #453

Gunslinger Girl (Manga)

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. read more

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 unique as 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. read more