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Jun 20, 2010 Web Exclusive By Adrian Chandler

The idea of a government-supported group called The Social Welfare Agency that creates and trains enhanced bio-cyborg little girl assassins may seem comical, but the moment protagonist Henrietta drops to one knee and fires round after round from her personal bullpup design FN P90 into encroaching baddies, pure awesomeness ensues. An elite group of these young female agents are used to carry out various missions, always accompanied by an adult male counterpart called a "sibling." Jose, Henrietta's sibling, does not agree with the biomechanical enhancement and other questionable practices that the agency carelessly inflicts on the young agents-such as using girls who are terminally ill and erasing their memories, giving them a chance to live as long as they stay assassins. The agents struggle to hold on to their humanity while being used as hired guns.

Gunslinger Girl gives an interesting look at the emotional scarring that would result from such extreme training. The gunslinger girls' relationships both to each other and to their handlers are affecting, but they may at times leave you longing for the next striking shootout sequence. Still, the sympathetic characters give you good reason to care about the extremely well choreographed set pieces, and the epic classical soundtrack will draw you into the drama and action so completely it will have you unknowingly gnawing at your new French manicure in no time.  This hybrid of Gunsmith Cats and Ghost in the Shell is a good choice if you are looking for a thought-provoking show that also provides some good thrills. (www.funimation.com/gunslingergirl)

Author rating: 8/10