for the anime conoisseur

First I must state: nother reviewer said 'the animation could ruin it for some'. Um, what??? Gunslinger Girl is one of studio Madhouse's most gorgeous productions - dark and beautiful, with some eye-poppingly fluid CGI; oh yes, from the moment docile Henrietta suddenly kicks off and slams a guy so hard with her violin she sends him arcing through the air within the firs five minutes, you know you're in for a visual spectacle. The colour palette is quite sombre at first, but it is supposed to be to reflect the tone of the show.

It is admittedly slow-paced, and the daft idea to recap the first episode in the second - for at least 3 minutes - was seriously stupid and might put some fans off, but trust me...keep going. This is a gem, and one of the loveliest, most emotional anime I've ever seen. It always surprises me to hear others talking about the 'creepy and disturbing' premise. Is it that strange? Maybe I've just been desensitized, but I think there are plenty of anime far more disturbing and 'out there' than this. Gunslinger Girl goes along quietly and with grace, interspersing amazing action scenes with the sweet, confused lives of five little girls as they are slowly turned into weapon-wielding tools, and as it unfolds it throws a hook into you that won't let go.

Each of the girls was my favourite character in turn, all of their tales sad yet tender in their own way, and finding out how they learn to live with themselves, and interact with their handlers, is the true backbone of the show. Some, like Henrietta, are lucky enough to have a kindly handler like Jose. Some, like Rico, who adores her cold partner John, are not so fortunate. And for Elsa, in love with her cruel handler, the tale can only end in bloody tragedy...

The ending was stirring and epic, and the music throughout (mostly strings) is the finest soundtrack I've heard outside of Yoko Kanno and Yuki Kajiura. I've never felt the need to look into Gunslinger Girl 2. I felt this special little 13 episode show perfectly encapsulated everything it wanted to say.