The score by Yuki Kajiura excels at filling the world of hitgirls and conspiracies with tense, unspoken feeling. I recall the animation being described as a Hollywood movie turned anime; everything is realistic in form, and a range of items from felines to potplants suggest hidden meaning cinematically. The many fight scenes, ranging from good to excellent, are distinguished for creativity and tension; their strong pace contrasts effectively with the slow buildup of each episode. The absence of blood evokes a cold world, where human bonds are destroyed, and life is cheap. The animation occasionally drops in quality, but key visuals are almost always very strong. Guns, of course, are rendered in great detail, though not so lovingly crafted as our murderous leading ladies.
On first sighting of the assassin duo, Yuumura Kirika and Mireille Bouquet, I thought of Rei and Misato from Evangelion; the emotionless waif and mature hard-luck woman. The difference is that I believe Anno had no idea what to do with Rei from ep 6 onwards, but Kirika never stops growing. We quickly see that she has emotions, twisted and deeply repressed by the existence of a child assassin. She is completely convincing as the strongest fighter, the decisive actor and the lost, pitiful soul of the series. Her co-lead Mireille is very much worthy of her; while Kirika’s heart hides under her blank exterior, her blonde partner’s affable manner hides a hardened heart. Kirika has amnesia, and is enmeshed in a mysterious plot; Mireille is driven by her past, and makes her own choices. As for the villains, Chloe is effective and very sympathetic, while Altena’s enigmatic plottings and sinister calm create a growing ultimate threat (albeit slowly). Four cold, driven and highly developed characters, working perfectly with each other and the tone of the series.
The pacing will probably be the most divisive aspect of this show, with a long slow burn of stand-alone assassination ‘cases’. Slow, ominous panning shots and flashbacks are the norm, particularly to a certain tragedy in a lead character’s childhood, while even hints at the ancient conspiracy opposing her are very slow to come. But the creation of a world where death is the daily routine and brave girls are trapped by crimes of the past was well worth the journey for me. The lingering shots of streets and sunsets suggest that everything in the assassins’ world must be analysed for meaning or threat; or perhaps appreciated as the last sunset ever seen. Apart from possibly ep 4 and the Triad episodes, almost every ‘case’ subtly develops the relationship between Mireille and Kirika; it really is worth pushing through the flashbacks. The plot is complex, ambiguous in its details, but thoughtful, strongly revealed and very well conluded, as the battle for the fate of the world becomes a struggle for the soul of a single girl.
