Because the anime only adapts the first two volumes of the manga, this does lead the anime to create a good deal of anime-exclusive material to either expand on stories from the manga or create its own story developments to help pad out its 13-episode length. In cases of story expansion, the additions work to add some more dimension to the fratello relationship dynamics that the manga doesn’t get into. For example, the anime’s first two episodes are each shown from the perspectives of the fratello pairing of Henrietta and Jose, in how each regard their partnership and the handling of busting a local terrorist cell. But in regards to adding anime-exclusive plotting as seen in the show’s final two episodes, it adds nothing new to the story, creates unnecessary drama, and makes the fate of one cyborg go in a direction that it didn’t actually go in the manga at that point. For the last point in question, the anime’s sequel, Il Teatrino, disregards the development in question to stay faithful to the manga source material.
A few other issues arise due to elements of the anime’s storytelling. One episode drops possible hints of the cyborg, Triela’s, origins that the series doesn’t thoroughly explore until Il Teatrino later comes out, though this would be a minor complaint. A major complaint that would vary depending on a viewer’s tastes would be the lack of an ongoing plot. Due to the anime being more character-focused, there isn’t actually an ongoing plot for the series to properly follow and it can seem like the series would be going nowhere for those that care more for plotting with anime they follow.
For visuals, Madhouse’s animated talents go very well in depicting Gunslinger Girl’s animation throughout its run. The series has detailed scenery, character, and firearm designs shown throughout its run, with setting designs being very faithful to the European locales that characters visit and firearm designs being very faithful to the real life guns used by characters for those who are gun enthusiasts. The series also comes with great action choreography depicted through careful camera editing and shot use to convincingly create the illusion of fluid animation, one notable highlight being the first action scene in the series when Henrietta is dispatching a terrorist cell.
Music for the series is depicted with classical musical pieces that fit in well with the show’s Italian setting and help enhance the drama of a number of key scenes throughout the anime’s run. The show’s OP and ED musical choices are hauntingly beautiful and do very well at complementing the mood seen throughout the series.
Overall, Gunslinger Girl works great as a character-driven series exploring the relationship dynamics of each of the fratellos and exploring how each cyborg regards their work with the SWA. The series may not be everyone’s cup of tea due to its lack of an ongoing plot and there are some story elements to it that don’t work well in the show’s ongoing developments due to anime-exclusive content that doesn’t always mesh well with the title’s intended focus. But if character-driven titles with a good deal of action are up your alley, Gunslinger Girl offers up solid enjoyment throughout its run.
