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Gunslinger Girl: Teatrino
Gunslinger Girl: Teatrino is the continuation of Yu Aida’s anime
Gunslinger Girl. It might also lead to some confusion or complete
ignorance based on the cover image and an insufficient explanation. It
is the tale of the Social Welfare Agency, a secret military organization
that fights terrorism using cybernetic implanted school girls. For those
thinking that this means lots of violence and gratuitous shots of
panties mashed into digestible 22 minute chunks, keep walking, as
Gunslinger Girl is a serious and thoughtful meditation on
humanity... There is also a little bit of violence if for those that
need it.
The
girls working for the Social Welfare Agency have all at one time
suffered grave misfortune, whether it is through birth defects,
accident, or even abuse. They are given a second chance at life by the
agency, but the cybernetic implants given to the girls rids them of
their humanity and turns them into cold blooded killers, who eventually
will lose all the memories they once had of their past life. They are
then paired with a male handler, and together the team are referred to
as a fratello. The main arc of the series centres around the agency’s
conflict with the Padania Republic Faction, and Agency member Triela’s
rivalry with an assassin named Pinocchio. Like the girls of the agency,
Pinocchio is also a child assassin, but unlike them he has no cybernetic
implants yet is just as powerful if not more so. The conflict between
Triela and Pinocchio is well played out and Pinocchio is given enough
screen time to feel fully fleshed out, as opposed to a one dimensional
villain.
The
debate of whether the agency has done these girls a favour or
essentially kidnapped them is a central theme to the series. Through
flashbacks we see elements of the girls and the handlers past lives and
what led them to becoming part of the agency. Most of the stories are
rife with tragedy and offer no easy answers, and gives the series an
emotional impact that one would not predict it had at first glance. It
should also be mentioned that the first series does not need to be seen
to enjoy Teatrino, but those who have the first series will understand
the goings on a lot quicker. Those who check this out first will be
bound to check out the first volume eventually, as Gunslinger Girl is so
well done that many will not be able to resist delving deeper into the
universe.
The
special features on the disc are rather light, containing a standard
interview with one of the Japanese cast members, some commercials and
textless openings and closings. Some insight into the making of the show
or some input from Yu Aida would have been nice, as the series deserves
some extra features to shed light on it.
Gunslinger Girl will defy expectations. It is no simple action
series, and no simple schoolgirl series. What is presented here is a
complex work of morality wrapped into a well told story arc of good
versus bad. Anime fans should immediately take note of Gunslinger Girl,
as it is a very special series, and I would also recommend that those
who are not into anime check this out regardless. Look past the rather
odd idea behind it and find an anime series that is very unique and very
rewarding. |
