Gunslinger Girl

Jan 11, 2008

AthenAltena

Recommended

Preliminary (30/100 chp)

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, ...

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Aug 18, 2008

Akaike

Recommended

Preliminary (17/100 chp)

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 ...

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Dec 6, 2018

MOOMONSTER

Recommended

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 two ... volumes 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. :)

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Oct 28, 2018

schuyguy

Recommended

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 continuing ...

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Dec 19, 2011

Cicie

Recommended

Preliminary (Unknown/100 chp)

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 general ...

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Oct 9, 2013

I_Am_Awesome

Recommended

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, but ...

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Aug 13, 2010

iTriela

Recommended

Preliminary (Unknown/100 chp)

(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...) ...

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Dec 12, 2020

Haunt88

Mixed Feelings

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 Marco

...

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Aug 25, 2016

Nagadir-chan

Recommended

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 start ...

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Dec 21, 2021

Bararaq_Saiqa

Recommended

~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 a ... manga.

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.)

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Jun 13, 2020

Shellshock123

Recommended

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 very ...

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Oct 21, 2021

teraphIl1000

Recommended

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 the ...

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Jan 2, 2013

ElanMorin

Not Recommended

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 a ... manga, 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.

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Nov 8, 2022

darkpixelftw

Mixed Feelings

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. ...

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