Gunslinger Girl
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Gunslinger Girl | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| ガンスリンガー·ガール (Gunslinger Girl) |
|
| Genre | Seinen, Drama, Sci-Fi |
| Manga | |
| Authored by | Yu Aida |
| Publisher |  Media Works Asuka EMA |
| Serialized in | Dengeki Daioh |
| Original run | – |
| No. of volumes | 7+ |
| TV anime | |
| Directed by | Morio Asaka |
| Studio | Madhouse |
| Network | Animax, Fuji Television    Animax |
| Original run | 8 October 2003 – 19 February 2004 |
| No. of episodes | 13 |
Gunslinger Girl (ガンスリンガー·ガール Gansuringa Garu?) is an ongoing manga by Yutaka Aida (name shortened to Yu Aida in the manga publications) that was also adapted as a 13-episode anime television series, produced from 2003 to 2004 by Madhouse and Bandai Visual, which was broadcast by the anime television network, Animax, across its respective networks worldwide, including Japan, East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia and other regions.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
Set in modern-day Italy, the story of Gunslinger Girl revolves around a corporation called the Social Welfare Agency (SWA, or the Agency, as it's often called), sponsored by the Italian government. Publicly, the mission of the SWA is to save and rehabilitate human lives, but in reality, the SWA is a public front for Section Two of the Political Warfare Section, a subdivision of the Italian intelligence responsible for counter-intelligence, counter-terrorism and a series of experiments designed to create the perfect government-commissioned assassin. While Section One conducts their operations with normal human operatives, Section Two employs the use of young cyborgs on the fringe of technology.
A male agent hired by the SWA chooses a young girl from a near-death experience or who is in critical condition. Section Two then redefines her body in a surgical operation to be refitted with artificial body parts, such as synthesized muscles and carbon fiber frames (80% of their bodies are carbon frame, carbon fiber, and carbon muscle). As a result, the girl gains incredible strength (at least peak human strength), quick reflexes, and a high resilience to damage and pain.
After the operation, the male agent is assigned as the girl's handler, forming a pair called a "fratello" (Italian for 'brother'). The first task of the handler is to choose a name for the girl. While refining the young girl, she undergoes brainwashing and becomes subject to conditioning: A watery drug injection that allows the girl to use her newly-enhanced body with maximum efficiency, as well as heighten her perceptions (such as sight, hearing and overall instinct) of the world around her. These enhanced senses would generally be used to anticipate danger, whether to the handler or to the girl herself. She becomes fully aware of any danger in the presence of her handler, almost by a sixth sense. However, extensive use of the conditioning also shortens the girl's long-term memory, as well as her life span, since the conditioning strains the girl's mental and physical endurance.
The handler is directly responsible for his girl's training, conditioning, field performance, development and overall welfare. Once the handler takes charge of his assigned girl, he is free to use the teaching methods he considers best suited for his character. These methods tend to vary with each handler, although they have the option of using greater amounts of drugs and brainwashing. Some handlers prefer to treat their girls more humanely with minimal conditioning (as Giuseppe and Hilshire did) while others prefer to rely more heavily on conditioning their girls, treating them like machines (as Jean and Lauro did).
The end result is usually the same: a deadly assassin who is unquestioningly loyal to her assigned agent. Once they are officially sanctioned by the Italian government, these fratello are sent on controversial government missions, such as assassination and infiltration missions. For those who would oppose the Italian government, a young girl is often the least considered threat, much to the sorrow of those who encounter a fratello.
Currently, the Political Warfare Section is working to take down the Padania Republic Faction (PRF), a group of nationalistic radicals dedicated to the independence of northern Italy, as well as opposing globalization.
The story focuses primarily on the various relationships of the girls and their handlers, whether loving, abusive or neglectful, and their reactions. Gunslinger Girl also seeks to paint a contrasting portrait of its characters — the girls are cybernetically enhanced assassins, yet they are still just young adolescent girls at heart.
The young girls that are synthetically rebuilt and conditioned to kill instinctively without remorse are often coldly referred to as "machinery" or "dolls" by the SWA and their handlers (Jean refers to his as a tool). Yet, even though the bodies are reconstructed and the memories of a past life erased, the young girls have a soul, a sense of humanity towards each other, and still enjoy some simple things in their sheltered life.
The true name of the Agency is the "Public Corporation of Social Welfare", which is comprised of several sections, one of them, specifically, the SWA, or the Social Welfare Agency as the English interpret (detailed in Episode 8 of the anime, but more so in the manga).
[edit] Characters
[edit] Child Assassins
- Henrietta - Left for dead after the brutal murder of her family, Henrietta is the newest addition to the Agency as the story begins. It says that she was assulted after her parents were killed and she wanted to die. Her struggle is the most developed of all the girls as she adjusts to her new life. Henrietta's favorite activity is to spend time with her handler, Giuseppe. Whenever Giuseppe seems to turn his attention to other women (including the other girls of the SWA), Henrietta becomes slightly jealous. This is due to Henrietta's strong romantic feelings for Giuseppe, as a result of her conditioning and the care he gives her. Her name is, in all actuality, derived from "Enrica", the name of Giuseppe's late sister. Henrietta's preferred weapons are the SIG Sauer P239 Tu-Tone and the Fabrique Nationale P90 SMG. In the manga, her heavy weapon is the FN FAL. With the exception of her introductory pistol (and the Walther WA 2000 sniper rifle, and Giuseppe's Ingram MAC-10 in the anime), the Henrietta/Giuseppe fratello use exclusively Fabrique Nationale weapons (Giuseppe uses the FN Five-seveN).
Voiced by: Yuuka Nanri (Japanese), Laura Bailey (English)
- Rico - Born with severe birth defects confining her to a hospital since birth, Rico's parents signed her over to the SWA on her eleventh birthday, where she was given a new lease on life due to her cybernetic operation. Rico loves her new body and her new life at the SWA, viewing each day as a blessing. She maintains a happy disposition, despite her treatment as a machine by her handler, Jean. With the exception of a statement Angelica made in the anime, Rico is only one who clearly remembers her past, remembering that she was in a hospital, that her parents fought, and where her father works. Her name, like Henrietta's, is derived from "Enrica" (Enrica = Enrico = Rico). Rico's preferred weapons are the CZ 75 Model 2 and the Dragunov SVD. She appears on occasion with the Beretta SCP-70/90 and Galil MAR carbines which only appears in the anime. Her heavy weapon is the MG3 multipurpose machine gun, which has only been used twice thus far.
Voiced by: Kanako Mitsuhashi (Japanese), Luci Christian (English)
- Triela - A former victim of a Mafia child smuggling group based in Amsterdam, Triela was one among many who regularly suffered abuse in the form of drugs, torture, rape and mutilation. She was rescued by a pair of Europol detectives, one of whom was her future handler, Hilshire. After being mortally wounded in a gunfight, Hilshire's partner bravely used the last of her strength to perform CPR on Triela, enabling Hilshire to save the child's life. Extremely pragmatic with just a hint of rebellion, Triela has a sarcastic wit and prefers to wear masculine clothing. She serves as a sort of mentor to the other girls of the SWA and, of them all, she retains the most realistic outlook on their situation in the SWA. She is given a minimal of conditioning, like Henrietta. There has been much speculation on the origins of Triela's name; some say it is a brand of German wine, while others believe it is a rearranged spelling of "Ratiel", Hilshire's former partner. Triela's preferred weapons are the SIG-Sauer P230 SL pistol (after later losing her P230 on a mission, she is given the new SIG-Sauer P232 SL) a newer version since the older one is no longer in production, the M1897 Trench Shotgun, the H&K G3A3 assault rifle (only seen in the anime), and the H&K P7M8 pistol. In the manga, she also uses the H&K UMP submachine gun and a HK MP7 PDW.
Voiced by: Eri Sendai (Japanese), Caitlin Glass (English)
- Claes - Once known as Fleda Claes Johansson, this girl has undefined origins. In the beginning, Claes is thus confined to the Agency, unable to participate in missions with the other girls because she lacks a handler. She is used as a test subject by the cyborg engineers, who use controlled situations and equipment to monitor the usefulness of her implants. Claes wears glasses from her life before her cybernetic operation as a visual reminder of the promise she once made to Raballo and is knowledgeable and mature for her age. In volume four, she trespasses into the indoor shooting range and is promptly told off by Giuseppe, although it is too late and her memory is sparked by the scent of gunpowder and watching the other people shoot at targets. Another notable moment was in volume seven, where, despite only knowing hand-to-hand combat rather than how to use a gun, Claes was allowed to attend a mission carried out by Alessandro and Petrushka, but due to her pact with Raballo, she was afraid of actively harming another person and did not fire the pistol she was given. She is deeply troubled by her dreams as well, because she sees Raballo in them, but does not know who he is. Claes's preferred weapons were the H&K VP70M and the MP5K. On the mission in volume seven, she carried a Taurus Millennium Pro PT138 pistol.
Voiced by: Ami Koshimizu (Japanese), Alese Watson (English)
- Angelica - Some time ago, her fathers business was about to declare bankruptcy. In desperation, her father decided to cash in on the large life insurance policy he had taken out on his daughter, Angelina. While getting groceries with her dog, Perro, Angelina had no warning when her father "accidentally" hit her with his car. After the incident, Angelina was chosen by the SWA to be the first girl to undergo the cybernetic augmentation and conditioning process. Now known as Angelica, the girl later became a model for the refinement of the child assassin program. Unfortunately, Angelica was also the first to experience the problems of the conditioning process, especially long-term memory loss. Angelica does not understand the disinterest of her handler, Marco, and the conditioning process left her with an overwhelming desire for his approval. Angelica, unlike the others, was not chosen by her handler, and did not at first receive brainwashing. Angelica's preferred weapon is the Steyr AUG A1, after previously using the Beretta 84. In the manga, she also uses the Steyr TMP compact submachine gun and the Steyr M-1A pistol. Her heavy weapon is the AUG H-BAR LMG. The Angelica/Marco fratello use exclusively Steyr-Mannlicher weapons (Marco uses the Steyr M-GB pistol).
- Note: Angelica possibly dies at the end of the anime. It is uncertain, but several people, including herself, mentioned that she had very little time left to live. The scene that suggests her death is not present in the manga and she is included in several later storylines, even appearing to make progress in her training as well as her relationship with Marco.
Voiced by: Hitomi Terakado (Japanese), Monica Rial (English)
- Elsa - Elsa deSica was another girl whose origins are unclear. She did not wish to associate with anyone except her handler, Lauro, whom she was deeply in love with. Elsa's attitude towards others, even among the other girls, could be described as aloof and impersonal. She would live, and die, only for Lauro. When Elsa finally realized that Lauro did not return her feelings, she asked him to take her to the park where she first received her name. There, Elsa shot Lauro in the back of the head and then shot herself in the eye to die with him. Elsa's actions demonstrated the potentially tragic drawbacks of the fratello relationship and prompted Section Two to prove the worth of the child assassins to the Italian government. Elsa's preferred weapons were the SIG 550, SIG 551, and SIG P229.
- Note: Elsa never appeared alive in the manga (exceptions being flashbacks), and was only introduced after her death. The anime, however, devoted an entire episode to her relationship with her handler as a prelude to her committing murder suicide with Lauro.
Voiced by: Mamiko Noto (Japanese), Brina Palencia (English)
- Beatrice - Featured in volume four of the manga, she has a very strong sense of smell, and is handled by Bernardo. Beatrice is primarily apathetic, showing little emotion at all. She only speaks to Bernardo. Despite this, not much is known about her. Beatrice's preferred weapon is the IMI Micro UZI machine pistol.
- Petrushka - Elizabeta Baranovskaya was once a Russian-born ballerina. She went to Italy to see about curing a tumor and her foot was amputated. Because of this, she attempted suicide. That was when the Agency stepped in. Her handler, Alessandro Ricci, renamed her Petrushka (for the Russian puppet Petrushka, which suits her personality), and she underwent the physical augmentation process. Unlike the previous first-stage cyborgs, Petrushka's entire body was replaced, so she is not a natural redhead, nor are her eyes naturally green. She is a second-stage prototype and debuts in volume six, where she is also featured on the cover. As a second-stage cyborg, Petrushka already had everything she needed to know about her life at the Agency pre-programmed into her brain; she knew where she was, that she would be trained for combat, and that she "must follow Alessandro's and the Agency's orders without hesitation", but nothing about her past life. As a consequence, any order that she is given she is forced to see out despite her own wishes. Petrushka's preferred weapons are the Spectre M4 SMG and Taurus PT92 pistol.
[edit] Handlers of the Social Welfare Agency (SWA)
- Giuseppe - Also spelled in some translations as Gioseffo. An agent of Section Two, Henrietta's handler and Jean's younger brother. Unlike the other fratello, Giuseppe truly lives up to the name, caring for Henrietta like a protective brother and showing a good deal of interest and concern for her welfare. As such, he attempts to minimize Henrietta's conditioning as much as possible. Years ago, Giuseppe had a younger sister who adored him and wished to follow in his footsteps by joining the Carabinieri. She resembled Henrietta somewhat and died in a terrorist attack. Due to his sister's death, Giuseppe gained a deep appreciation for life and a hatred towards terrorism. Henrietta may represent Giuseppe's attempt to bring his sister back into his life somehow, as evidenced by her name's origins, as well as the fact that she is seen wearing one of Enrica's dresses in volume six. In the anime, Giuseppe is called "José", which is not short for "Giuseppe", the Italian version of the name "Joseph". The shortened form of Giuseppe is Beppo, while José is the Portuguese or Spanish form of Joseph.
Voiced by: Hidenobu Kichi (Japanese), John Burgmeier (English)
- Jean - Also spelled in some translations as Gian. An agent of Section Two, Rico's handler and Giuseppe's older brother. Whereas Giuseppe shows genuine care and concern for Henrietta's welfare, Jean adopts a cold and impersonal attitude, viewing Rico as a tool and keeping her on heavy doses of conditioning. This fundamental difference in their attitudes towards their charges is often a point of contention between the brothers. When his younger sister was killed, possibly by terrorists, Jean learned to hate terrorism. As a result, Jean became driven, hard-hearted, ruthless and sometimes cruel, especially when dealing with terrorists. Jean could have specifically chosen Rico because she would not mind his cold-hearted personality, no matter what happens. Perhaps due to his extreme rationality, Jean is the most trusted unofficial advisor of Lorenzo, the chief of Section Two of the Political Warfare Section. As of volume six, Jean does appear to care somewhat about Rico, when he saves her from drowning in a misguided sniping attempt.
Voiced by: Mitsuru Miyamoto (Japanese), Eric Vale (English)
- Hilshire - Real name Victor Hartmann; also spelled in some translations as Hillshire, Hilscher, or Hirscher. An agent of Section Two, Triela's handler and a former Europol detective. Hilshire prefers a hands-off approach to Triela and, like Giuseppe, he dislikes heavy use of conditioning. During his earlier days as a Europol detective, he was denied engaging a child-torturing group in the frontline, as commented by his superior being "too naive" and will not be able to handle the pressure. True to his boss's description of his personality, he could be seen whimpering excessively over a live footage of the torturing session, and became mentally depressed. Soon after, he was approached by a concerned female coroner (who was responsible for the bodies of the child victims), tipped by her friend regarding the location of the torture group. The pair then carried out an unofficial mission to raid the hideout, resulting in the death of Hilshire's possible love interest and the rescue of the would-be Triela. After the ordeal, Hilshire received information concerning the child smuggling ring from Mario Bossi, a Mafia leader who experienced an attack of conscience. In exchange for the information, Hilshire allowed Mario to escape before Europol could arrest him. When Europol learned about Hilshire's part in Mario's escape, Hilshire was dismissed. Shortly afterwards, Hilshire was employed by the SWA, in no small part due to his existing connection to Triela, who became one of the SWA's experimental subjects.
- Raballo - Also spelled in some translations as Raparo, Ravalo, or even Lavarro. He was an agent of Section Two, Claes's handler and a former member of the Carabinieri. After forced retirement due to a leg injury, Captain Raballo was approached by Jean, who offered Raballo a chance to join Section Two as a handler for a child assassin. In return, Raballo would be able to return to the Military Police within three years. During his period within Section Two, Raballo spent a great deal of time with Claes outside the SWA, showing her a normal life, especially fishing. He also taught Claes the value of patience and encouraged her prior love of reading. Ultimately, however, he was unable to deal with what had been done to the girls of the SWA and of what was expected of him and Claes as a fratello, so Raballo left the SWA. Due to the strong bond developed between a girl and her handler, this act made Claes useless as an assassin, since it was effectively impossible to assign a new handler once a fratello have bonded. Before he left, Raballo gave Claes her old glasses from a previous life with the promise that she'll be good whenever she wears them. A few days after he left the SWA to talk to a reporter friend (who was a reporter by profession), Claes was informed that Raballo died in a hit-and-run incident, possibly at the hands of the Italian government or even the Political Warfare Section.
- Marco - Real name Marco Togni. An agent of Section Two and Angelica's handler. After being suspended from military service due to an injury to his left eye, Marco was recommended by his friend Dr. Bianchi to be the handler of Section Two's first child assassin, Angelica. While taking care of Angelica, Marco told her impromptu stories of "The Prince of the Land of Pasta", a fictional prince who ate only pasta. He spent much time looking for ideas for the story. This fascinated his girlfriend at the time, Patricia, who later wrote and published the storybook "The Prince of the Land of Pasta", a copy of which Marco bought and read for Angelica. As time went on, Marco witnessed Section Two's development as an effective combat unit and Angelica's tremendous potential as an assassin. Unfortunately, Angelica also was the first girl to experience the side-effects of the conditioning process, particularly long-term memory loss. Disgusted with the many setbacks that resulted afterwards, Marco felt that any further effort was in vain, and had no desire to continue, and takes an impersonal and critical approach to Angelica's training.
- Lauro - A former agent of Section Two and Elsa's handler. His attitude towards Elsa was similar, if not worse, to Jean's attitude towards Rico; he viewed her as nothing more than a tool and treated her as such. Except when conducting missions, Lauro paid little-to-no attention to Elsa. Unfortunately, this attitude proved to be his undoing when Elsa fell deeply in love with him, to the point of obsession. When Elsa realized that Lauro did not return her feelings, she shot him from behind and then killed herself immediately afterwards.
- Bernardo - Beatrice's handler. Both him and Beatrice are featured in Gunslinger Girl volume four. Bernardo seems to be very outgoing, in sharp contrast with his emotionless cyborg Beatrice.
- Alessandro - Petrushka's handler. Alessandro spent most of his childhood overseeing the Spain Square in Rome on the fourth floor of the building he lived in, and soon developed a keen eye for observing people, earning him a job at the Public Italia. He was set to infiltrate Padania headquarters at one time, but due to the political upheavel, he joined Section Two instead. Alessandro initially seemed very intrigued by the idea that Petrushka is a "weapon". Later on, his relationship with her becomes considerably questionable in nature and is debated about between fans of Gunslinger Girl.
[edit] Other Members of the Political Warfare Section
- Lorenzo - Chief of Section Two of the Political Warfare Section. He is responsible for overseeing the overall development of the child assassins, as well as the conduction of their missions. When looking over sensitive issues, Lorenzo often confers with Jean.
- Alfonso - A male agent for Section Two.
- Ferro - A female agent for Section Two who has a no-nonsense personality.
- Olga - A female agent for Section Two who is originally from Russia.
- Priscilla - A female agent for Section Two who loves and genuinely cares for the girls. She has a chirpy personality when not on duty.
- Dr. Bianchi - The head doctor in charge of the child assassins's surgical operations and conditioning processes. Dr. Bianchi also observes the medical diagnosis and physical development of the girls.
- Louise - Technician officer, works on designing outside of the cyborg's body.
- Belgonchi - Technician officer, expert on artificial organs and the vascular system.
- Dr. Gilliani - The head doctor in charge of developing artificial arms and legs of the cyborg's body.
- Pietro Fermi - A male agent for Section One. He was called in to investigate the deaths of Elsa deSica and Lauro, as well as find information on Section Two's child assassins.
- Elenora Gabrielli - A female agent for Section One. She often kept track of minor details for Section One and kept a Moleskine pocketbook with everything she needed written inside, which Henrietta referred to as a "magical notebook".
- Draghi - Chief of Section One of the Political Warfare Section. Jealous of the tremendous initial successes of Section Two's child assassins, he once attempted to cast doubt on the future feasability of the assassins by investigating the death of Elsa deSica.
[edit] Padania Republic Faction (PRF)
The Padania Republic Faction (PRF) is a covert radical nationalist group dedicated to the independence of northern Italy, as well as the opposition of globalization in Italy. Named after a valley in northern Italy, the PRF engages in terrorist activities throughout Italy. Since the Italian government in Gunslinger Girl is hinted to be corrupt, the support for the PRF amongst the Italian public is considerable, ranging from civilians and businessmen to government officials and special forces elite units. As an example, the PRF commander in charge of overseeing a PRF weapons convoy was a captain of the Italian paratroopers. He also happened to be a long-time friend of Giuseppe. The PRF also has some influence with the local Italian police forces, resulting in the police overlooking some of the crimes of the PRF. The known methods of aggressive actions by the PRF include the rousing of angry mobs, terrorist bombings, drive-bys, and assaults carried out by heavily armed militants (wearing gas-masks and using tear-gas canisters and flash-bang grenades).
- Pinocchio - The "devoted son" named after the popular story book character, Pinocchio. A ruthless professional assassin, Pinocchio started his career at the age of ten. Pinocchio is rumored to have murdered many prominent people in Europe throughout his career. During his service to the PRF, he was killed in a fierce duel of guns and hand-to-hand combat with Triela, stabbed through the throat with Triela's fingers.
- Franco and Franca - A pair of specialists in demolitions and explosives. Franco (a dark-haired man) and Franca (a blonde-haired woman) have been employed by the PRF to produce high-quality explosives for use in terrorist bombings. Franco is a quiet person who often lets Franca talk for him, while Franca herself is a believer in the noble goals of the PRF. Both Franco and Franca are unwilling to harm innocent people, especially children, during their missions. Although they have similar names, they are not siblings, and actually chose their matching codenames because they would be working together. They are both missing in action after attempting to escape a blockade set up by Section Two. Franca sustained several gunshots during the escape, though her current condition is unknown.
- Bruno - Known within the PRF as "The Fixer", this man is usually sent to destroy unwanted corpses the PRF leaves behind. Bruno works closely with his apprentice, Vincenzo, in this job. A family man, Bruno only does his job for the money offered by the PRF.
- Vincenzo - Bruno's apprentice in the odious job of corpse disposal. As with Bruno, Vincenzo does his job only for the money.
- Enrico Beldini - A former anarchist who joined the PRF for money offered. A man who believed that the ends justified the means, Enrico once planned to blow up Piazza di Spagna in a terrorist plot with a bomb designed by Franco and Franca. He was arrested by Section Two after he was followed to his hideout and currently remains imprisoned.
- Pirazzi - A well-known Italian billionaire who secretly funds the activities of the PRF. He was betrayed by his former accountant, Flippo Adani, who gave Pirazzi's accounting records (including details of the PRF's finances and future plans) to the SWA.
- Cristiano - A mid-level agent for the PRF, Cristiano often coordinates the PRF's missions on the field. He once organized the mission to kill Flippo Adani before he could give away information about the PRF.
[edit] Other Characters
- Emilio - A bellboy at an Italian hotel. When Rico was conducting a scouting mission around the hotel, she met Emilio while he was taking a break. Emilio liked Rico quite a bit and showed signs of developing a crush on her. Later on, Emilio witnessed Rico just after she had killed a radical Italian senator. To preserve her secret, Rico shot Emilio at point-blank.
- Patricia - A former girlfriend of Marco Togni. Shortly after Marco joined Section Two, Patricia ended her relationship with him. Afterward, she became a writer, her first book being a picture book titled "The Prince of the Land of Pasta", based on the stories Marco told to Angelica.
- Mario Bossi - A former Mafia leader. During his time as a leader within the Mafia, after his daughter was born, Mario experienced an attack of conscience and decided to inform Hilshire, a Europol detective, about a child smuggling group in Amsterdam. When the Mafia learned about Mario's involvement with Europol, Mario was marked for death. Designated as a witness to the crimes of the European Mafia, Mario was a prime target for the Italian government (who wanted Mario to testify against certain criminal elements in Italy) and the Mafia (who wish to kill Mario before his confession).
- Mimi - Mario Bossi's daughter. She and Triela met briefly in volume four.
- Luciano Barrachi - An Italian police detective. He was called in to investigate the deaths of Lauro and Elsa, before he was reassigned by his superiors, whom were most likely under pressure from the Political Warfare Section.
- Flippo Adani - The former accountant of the Italian billionaire Pirazzi. After learning about his employer's involvement with the PRF, Flippo decided to run away, along with Pirazzi's personal financial records, including details of the future plans of the PRF. While on the run from PRF agents, Flippo was rescued by Rico and Jean.
- Roberto Dandini - A reporter and a friend of Raballo's. A few days after Raballo left the SWA, he made contact with Roberto, likely to talk to him about Section Two's activities. Roberto's fate after Raballo's death is uncertain.
[edit] Anime
Gunslinger Girl was adapted into an anime series, which spanned 13 episodes and premiered in Japan from October 8, 2003 to February 19, 2004. The series was produced by Madhouse and Bandai Visual, and was based on the first two volumes of the manga. It was aired across Japan by the anime television network, Animax, who have also broadcast the series across its respective networks worldwide, including Japan, Southeast Asia, South Asia, East Asia, and other regions.
[edit] Episode list
| No. | English Title | Japanese Title |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Big Brother, Little Sister - Fratello | 兄妹 - fratello - |
| 02 | Astronomic Observation - Orion | 天体観測 - orione - |
| 03 | Young Boy - Ragazzo | 少年 - ragazzo - |
| 04 | Doll - Bambola | 人形 - bambola - |
| 05 | Promise - Promessa | 約束 - promessa - |
| 06 | Payment - Gelato | 報酬 - gelato - |
| 07 | Protection - Protezione | 守護 - protezione - |
| 08 | Fairy Tale - Il Principe del Regno Della Pasta | 御伽噺 - Il Principe del regno della pasta - |
| 09 | Spider Lily - Lycoris Radiata Herb | 彼岸花 - Lycoris radiata Herb - |
| 10 | Fever Love - Amare | 熱病 - Amare- |
| 11 | Tender Emotions - Febbre alta | 恋慕 - febbre alta- |
| 12 | Symbiosis - Simbiosi | 共生 -simbiosi - |
| 13 | Shooting Star - Stella Cadente | 流星 - stella cadente - |
[edit] Theme songs
| Opening Theme: | "The Light Before We Land" by The Delgados. |
| Closing Theme: | "Dopo il Sogno ～夢のあとに～" by Op.. |
[edit] Trivia
- Henrietta and Rico's violins bear the brand of Amati, a famous Italian family of violin makers, who flourished at Cremona from about 1550 to 1740.
- In episode 6, several references are made to the iconic film Roman Holiday starring Audrey Hepburn, including the scene of a scooter ride involving two lovers, and Henrietta's wish to eat an ice cream in Rome's Piazza di Spagna.
[edit] Image album
On December 21, 2005, an image album for Gunslinger Girl was released by Delfi Sound Inc. It contains various songs for each of the girls (sung by their respective Japanese seiyuu), as well as an instrumental for Pinocchio and extra songs by Josefa, and instrumentals by Revo. Revo additionally wrote the lyrics for each song. The cover art was drawn by Yu Aida.
[edit] Tracks
1. "La ragazza col fucile" - Josefa
2. "Il fratello" - Revo (instrumental)
3. "Lui si chiama..." - Yuuka Nanri (Henrietta)
4. "La principessa del regno del sole" - Kanako Mitsuhashi (Rico)
5. "Biancaneve bruno" - Eri Sendai (Triela)
6. "Pinocchio" - Revo (instrumental)
7. "Claes tranquillo" - Ami Koshimizu (Claes)
8. "La principessa del regno della pasta" - Hitomi Terakado (Angelica)
9. "Io mi chiamo..." - Mamiko Noto (Elsa)
10. "La ragazza" - Revo (instrumental)
11. "La ragazza col fucile e poca felicita" - Josefa
[edit] Publishing and distribution
The ongoing Gunslinger Girl manga series has been serialized across Media Works's Dengeki Daioh magazine, while the anime series is distributed across Japan by Bandai. The series has also been broadcast across Japan, East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Latin America and other regions by the anime television network, Animax.
The manga is published across North America in English by ADV Manga, and is composed of three volumes thus far. ADV Manga has put the series on "indefinite hold" with no mention of whether they would continue translating any time soon. Many fans of Gunslinger Girl have become distraught over this fact, as well as fans of other series with the same status. Volumes beyond three are still being published in other countries such as France.
In late-2004, FUNimation licensed the rights to release the Gunslinger Girl anime series across North America via a three volume DVD series, releasing the last volume on September 6, 2005. On September 19, 2006 the entire Gunslinger Girl series was released in a box set containing all three DVDs.
[edit] Video games
A set of video games has also been produced for the PlayStation 2, released only in Japan. They are shooting games in where you control one of the girls on her missions. It is composed of three volumes, running under the Resident Evil game engine. There is an additional rogue fratello in these games, whom go by the names Arnester (handler) and Pia (cyborg). Arnester and Pia do not appear present whatsoever in the manga or anime, nor are they ever mentioned.
[edit] External links
- Yu Aida's personal website (Japanese)
- Yu Aida's Official Web Blog (Japanese)
- Official Gunslinger Girl website (Japanese)
- Bandai's official Gunslinger Girl website (Japanese)
- Animax's official Gunslinger Girl website (Japanese)
- Animax East Asia's official website for Gunslinger Girl (English)
- Animax South Asia's official website for Gunslinger Girl (English)
- FUNIMation's official North American website for Gunslinger Girl (English)
