Gunslinger Girl, season one, is by far my favorite anime series. I think it is a profound work of art. Yet it is also an unusually dense series, one that does not entirely reveal itself on first viewing. I recognize this is a high barrier to entry, especially as it is not widely considered worth it, and to this end I have been working these last few months on a project to bring its subtleties and core ethos to light.
The approach I have taken can be most closely described as a narrative-analysis: a retelling of the story in literary form that explains itself as it proceeds. It is designed to be accessible, with descriptions and supporting imagery that do not require familiarity with the series to follow. It has been a labor of love, and it is my honor to now share it.
I've begun to post it in pieces on reddit, and will do so over the next few weeks every Saturday, and figured I might as well put it on MAL as well. I know this isn't a particularly busy subforum, but it seemed the most appropriate (the GSG discussion forum is basically dead) and I thought a few people might find it interesting.
Episode 1: Fratello
Episode 2: Orione
Interlude 1: Foundation
1) Is this a fanfic?
No. It is the first season of Gunslinger Girl in text and images, designed to highlight its inner workings and explain it as best I can.
2) What about the manga?
Gunslinger Girl, the anime, has little to do with the manga. They share names and setting, but are in essence the creations of entirely different people (Yu Aida vs. Morio Asaka). In fact, I would go so far as to say that familiarity with the source material hampers understanding the anime. And I pretend Il Teatrino doesn't exist. I will address this topic at a later date.
3) Isn't this self-promotion? Why don't you just post it here?
Because I originally produced it elsewhere, and the way I have built it the images are crucial. Unfortunately, it simply doesn't work in reddit format.
4) These are long! Do you really expect people to read all this?
No, I expect most people to ignore them. But I hope that I have intrigued at least a few into trying this series out. I promise, it is worth it.
Thank you for your time. I hope this may spark some discussion and welcome all comments as long as they are in good faith. |