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Henrietta, Claes, Triela, Angelica, and Rico, the adolescent heroines of the broadcast series Gunslinger Girl (2003), are orphans who have been turned into petite assassins through cybernetic implants and brainwashing. Each girl has an older, male “handler” from the Social Welfare Agency, a covert branch of the Italian government, who oversees her training and takes her on missions. The miniature murderers travel through Italy, dispatching criminals, right-wing terrorists, and uncooperative police officers with a cold-blooded efficiency Scarface might envy. The girls remember a few scattered fragments of their past lives, and the only feeling they express is a mixture of affection and adoration for the handlers. This lack of emotion makes them singularly unappealing as characters and robs Gunslinger Girl of the pathos of Saikano. None of them feels a shred of regret for their murderous actions: In episode 8, Henrietta complains that’s she’s only killed four people in the last month. The results suggest Key the Metal Idol re-made by Sam Peckinpah. Although Gunslinger Girl was one of the first examples of the “murderous moppet” genre of anime, it ranks among the grimmest series of recent years. (Rated TV 14: considerable violence, alcohol use) –Charles Solomon

Product Description

The Social Welfare Corporation is a secret military force that has been “saving” orphaned girls by making them more machine than flesh. No longer children, they are assassins? and an even more frightening truth will change everything. Box Set Features: ? Exclusive collector?s box ? 13 Episodes ? 325 Minutes of Content ? Audio commentary ? 16:9 widescreen ? 5.1 English audio