I know what you're thinking...

Another girls-with-guns anime. But don't categorize it and forget it quite yet. Yes there are girls with guns, hence the title Gunslinger Girl. But this particular anime digs deeper than most. It doesn't glorify the lifestyle by presenting a team of hot busty fems riding around in mecha. Gunslinger Girl tends towards the melancholy and tries to deal with the psychological wrongness that spawns from underage girls who play with semi-automatic weapons instead of dolls.

Synopsis:
Children are orphaned every day. It can be due to foul play or a terrible accident, but it happens every day. When a child loses its family, the Social Welfare Agency is there to help select children start a new life. Henrietta is one such lucky child. Awaking in a strange hospital bed to a kindly face, she has no idea what her new life will be like.

A handsome young man has been assigned to take care of her. His name is Jose. Jose treats Henrietta with a strange mix of tenderness and distance as if he is worried about caring too much. In fact according to his collegaues, Jose does care too much. After all, why get attached to a young girl who will only be used as a weapon for assassination?

After deep mental conditioning (A.K.A. brainwashing), and cybernetic enhancement, each young girl becomes completely and totally loyal her "handler". If it is within her power, Henrietta will never let violence towards Jose go unanswered, and she follows his orders without question, even the order to kill, totally trusting in the correctness of his judgement.

Henrietta isn't the only underage assassin at the false agency. Four other girls, Triela, Claes, Angelica, and Rico all must learn how to adjust to their new lives and the unique personalities of their handlers.

Storytelling:
Gunslinger Girl is very much a character driven anime that chooses the psychological over the physical in determining what is really important. While we are treated to a routine mafia-style hit and a sample of Henrietta's devastating abilities, these killings take a back seat to the relationships of the girls and thir handlers. When you take a closer look, it's obvious that this anime is less about watching people get capped in new and interesting ways and more about the effects of such a lifestyle on pre-pubescent girls.

Henrietta seems to be the youngest of the group of little girl assassins, and although she has become frighteningly proficient in her work, she still has the tendency to over do it in her attempts to please Jose. Jose, perhaps the most compassionate and guilt-ridden of all the handlers, looks upon Henrietta as more than a tool of the trade. He tries to treat her as he would a little sister. And Henrietta responds by thinking the world of him.

The other girls aren't quite so lucky. Since every handler is clearly free to treat his girl as he sees fit, as you might imagine, not all of them are what you would call nice people. Triela, who is the oldest girl (nearing puberty in fact), has problems connecting with Hirscher, the handler to whom she is so devoted. Hirscher is purposely outwardly cruel, but in truth, he has no idea of how to really talk to Triela. Like many dads who are somewhat horrified to realize that their little girls are starting to grow up, change, get somewhat cheeky, and be prone to sudden bouts of depression, Hirscher is at a complete loss. He cares enough to buy Triela gifts, but is too confused by her behavior to be able to be the father-figure that he thinks he should be.

Little blonde Rico seems to have it the hardest, even though her constant and eternal gratitude for a chance at a new life won't let her admit this fact to herself. Jean, her handler, has zero compassion for these girls. They are tools to be used up, undeserving of even the slightest kindness. Rico is reguarly beaten for mistakes, and her conditioning only makes her idolize her handler more with every new beating.

As you can see, Gunslinger Girl's all-important characters are extremely well-defined, unique, and quite believeable. It also must be said that it's nice to see an anime about a group of girls that doesn't sport slightly pedophilic undertones. As of yet, there is no overall plot as the first disc deals with properly introducing the girls and their circumstances. The action is sparse, but the story more than makes up for the lack of gunfire.

Art/Animation:
At first glance, Gunslinger Girl is somewhat plain. But that's exactly what it needs to be. Since the story is set in modern Europe, people with purple hair or outlandish costumes would be completely out of place. But however plain the designs may be, the animation is executed fluidly and flawlessly with high attention to detail.

Soundtrack/Voices

Opening Theme: The Light Before We Land by the Delgados
Closing Theme: Dopo il Sogno by Opus

Both the opening and closing songs on Gunslinger Girl are wonderfully moody, mysteriously sorrowful, and definitely beautiful. Two very fitting pieces for such a show. No bouncy J-pop to be found here, thank god. The remaining music that plays through the episodes gently lilts and provides perfect companionship for a thoughful anime.

Japanese Cast:
Claes: Ami Koshizumo
Triela: Eri Sendai
Henrietta: Hitomi Terakado
Rico: Kanako Mitsuhashi
Angelica: Yuuka Nanri

English Cast:
Claes: Alese Watson
Triela: Caitlin Glass
Henrietta: Laura Bailey
Angelica: Monica Rial

I am continually stunned by how far the competency of English dubbing in anime has come over a few short years. And Gunslinger Girl only adds to my surprise. If you like English dubs, then this anime is a priceless find. The entire cast is strong, without a single poorly chosen voice. Young girls tend to be the stumbling blocks in many English dubbed titles, but the five ladies who bring Henrietta and co. to life are good enough to easily rival their Japanese counterparts. American fans will miss nothing in hearing Gunslinger Girl in their native toungue.

DVD Extras:
Building Henrietta: A unique but short step by step visual presentation of the many layers needed to create a piece of Henrietta artwork.
Songs (Opening and Closing)
Dossiers: Files containing character art, background info, and gun specifications for each girl.

Gunslinger Girl is a breath of fresh air for anime, and presents some of the strongest storytelling in a series this year. An excellent choice for those looking for atypical and very solid anime.