Print Review: Gunslinger Girl volumes 1-5

Review Gunslinger Girl volumes 1-5Written by warp shadowRating very good

Guns and little girls are usually a bad combination in real life but in manga they can make for a dark and introspective action story.

In Italy there is an organization called the social welfare organization which is known for helping the disabled. In truth it is an anti-terrorist group which turns seriously injured girls into cyborg as assassins. Each girl undergoes psychological conditioning and is paired with an older agent to whom is fanatically loyal to. Working in the anti-terrorism business is a deadly and stressful way of life but when you are unsure of your own humanity every day can be a walk on the edge of madness.

Usually an action story is about the conflict between two or more parties. In Gunslinger girl the conflict between the social welfare agency and the antigovernment groups takes a back seat to the psychological effects of the conflict on it’s participants. The choice of using young girls for the majority of the main cast is an interesting one as it creates a fascinating disconnect in how odd and frankly disturbing their behavior is especially given their age. In later volumes the focus shifts but still maintains it’s dark atmosphere. If you like action stories without having to resort to giant robots or shonen adventures with tournament arcs this is the manga for you.