Gunslinger Girl, written and illustrated by Yu Aida, is a shonen, political thriller. It tells the story of the Social Welfare Agency, an Italian government agency that converts damaged young girls into cybernetic assassins. Given handlers known as fratello (Italian for brother), these girls must find new purpose in a world that would use them as weapons.
We currently have Volumes 1-6 of this manga (15 total).
Gunslinger Girl is, ultimately, a story about young girls being turned into killing machines. While cybernetic enhancements aren't currently practical in our world, there exist places in the world where children for one reason or another are forced into military service. This collection of essays, edited by Candice Mancini for the Global Viewpoints series, offers valuable real world context.
Gunslinger Girl doesn't shy away from the effects of violence and warfare on its child characters. In this ebook, Kendra E. Dupuy and Krijn Peters discuss war's effects on children, whether simply witnessed or experienced first hand as a child soldier, drawing from history, philosophy, and psychology.
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Gunslinger Girl's opening theme, "The Light Before We Land", was originally performed by The Delgados for the album Hate. Though the track was written and performed independently of the series, it was chosen to represent its themes of lost innocence and humanity, and establish the bittersweet tone that the series is known for.
ENGLISH LYRICS AVAILABLE ON ANIMESONGLYRICS.COM
Gunslinger Girl has had a wide variety of adaptations ever since its original release back in 2002. This video, uploaded by the Bellman for his YouTube channel, examines the franchise as a whole, from its multiple anime adaptations, to its original manga and tie-in video games. It also explores the themes behind the work, along with a few criticisms.
TvTropes is a wiki dedicated to cataloging "tropes" (or "reoccurring story elements") as they appear in various forms of media. It allows users to read summaries of each trope, compare and contrast them with similar tropes, and even seen which tropes the community has identify within specific works or franchises.
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Gunslinger Girl doesn't shy away from the emotional toll inflicted on girls who are converted into assassins. In this article from the Ohio Nurse, Laura K. Wood lists the various forms of human trafficking that affect children all over the world, from the perversions of sex slavery to their cruel use as child soldiers.
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