Forum - View topicREVIEW: Gunslinger Girl DVD 1
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Cloe
Moderator
 Posts: 2728 Location: Los Angeles, CA |
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My goodness; this is the first time I have seriously disagreed with an ANN review. I think the premise of Gunslinger Girl has great strength in the realistic and cruel depiction of what happened to these girls. It carries an emotional impact that I rarely feel when watching 95% of anime, and especially in the girls with guns genre. I would argue that Gunslinger Girl is not weakened by its concept, but stengthened by it. If anything, it avoids many of the clichés that plague the genre. Anyway, that's how I feel about it.
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Sir_Brass
 Posts: 476 Location: Prescott, AZ |
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This is exactly how I feel. This is a VERY emotional anime, even if it is only 13 episodes, and the premise, IMO, is just brilliant. Sure it's "girls with guns", but it's so different from the usual girls with guns series that it is entirely unique and I don't think it's been done before. If anything, I'd warn people away who are too sensitive because this series will make them weep. The quietly stated real world cruelty is very well played out and done with much taste. This series carries no gratuitous violence and absolutely NO oversexing of the characters, and handles everything with a real grace and dignity befitting of this series serious nature. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED to anyone who can control their emotional reactions at a decent level (if you're college age and still weep when bambi's mom dies, then you might not want to get this series  ).
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Tony K.
 SubscriberModerator  Posts: 11293 Location: Frisco, TX |
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I also disagree with the degradation of the premise.
Having seen just this first volume, I already find it to be a worthwhile series in terms of characterization, something that usually lacks from a few of the other "gun girl" anime I've seen (though, I actually haven't seen too many  ).
While you could use the arugument that there are several other series that use the cliché of: little girls + guns = violence, there was something about the overall presentation of this series in particular that made it more enjoyable, in my opinion. I don't know if it's the music, the art, the actual use of blood (*cough* Noir), or something else, but even if it weren't another "gun girl" series, I suppose I just like seeing those "hang in there" kind of stories with characters that never give up (a la, all those shounen shows I like), only I'm not use to seeing girls go through it. Bleh.. it's late, I can barely concentrate on what I want to say. Hope that made a little sense..  ...
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Dachande
 Posts: 89 Location: Savannah, Ga |
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I too have to say that I strongly disagree with the review when it coems to the story. I felt that the way the girls act when in battle and then when out of battle was realistic in terms of how they act. They are trained to be effective killing machines when in a fight and it shows.
Personally from reading the first bit of the review it seemed, to me at least, that the reviewer had a grudge against it or something. |
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Strategos
 Posts: 91 Location: Ohio |
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Wow. I was almost in pain reading that review. It seemed the reviewer can't get over the fact that these girls aren't being treated (some of them at least) like humans. One of the biggest aspects of the show is how the handlers treat their cybernetic counter-parts and how they differ and the relationships and problems this creates. I really enjoyed this series, and it sounds like the reviewer has a serious grudge against it for no appearent reason. Even when praising it, he seems to bring up insignificant detail to detract for the part he just praised. To each his own, but based on the other reviews on ANN, this one seemed very slanted.
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Penfold1999
 Posts: 18 Location: New York |
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Like everyone else so far on this thread, i too have enjoyed Gunslinger Girl, it transcends the normal "girls with guns" genre to give something far more mature than almost any other "girls with guns" series. I would posit that Gunslinger Girl is not properly a "girls with guns" series or even a take upon it.
For a change, this is a series that portrays the use of violence as something other than positive and the effects of the conditioning upon young people and how they struggle to cope with what they are and how they are treated by their "brothers". This is very much a series for adults. It looks like the creators have to gone to some length to portray the use of weapons in a fairly accurate manner, and they have done an excellent job in showing the loneliness of the girls and their need for approval from their "big brothers". |
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Cloe
Moderator
Posts: 2728 Location: Los Angeles, CA |
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Seriously, though, I really like to be emotionally affected by animation and hold any series or film that can make me cry in the highest regard. On a side note, I've seen a few responses here attack Key (the reviewer) himself. I don't think the review was slanted; it's just a matter of clashing opinions. It's just Key's opinion happens to be in the (extreme) minority. I do agree with everyone's consensus of the excellent characterizations and emotional story. Like I said before, the de-humanizatin and tragedy in those girls' lives carries with it a sadness that touched me and made me feel personally involved. Any story that can do that deserves to be prasied. |
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kusanagi-sama
 Posts: 1723 Location: Wichita Falls, TX |
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I also think that if someone is going to do a review, it needs to be a person who is neutral to the anime. He should not like and not hate the anime.
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Strategos
Posts: 91 Location: Ohio |
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Agreed. Emotionally affected by anime = good. I've straight up blubbered during some anime, I'm such a pansy wansy guy
 , although Gunslinger Girl was not one of those titles if I recall correctly.
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kusanagi-sama
Posts: 1723 Location: Wichita Falls, TX |
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It is my belief that since animation of any kind is not real, there is no need to get emotional over it.
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Jadress
 Posts: 807 Location: Seattle. It purdy and nerdy! |
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Well, live actions movies and fiction novels aren't real either, then you shouldn't get emotional over those too? To me, any story that conveys realistic characters with realistic reactions to their situations (whether they're drawn, acted, or exist only in text) creates an emotional connection. If there's no emotional connection, for example, sympathizing for these mistreated girls, how do you still stay interested? To me if there's no emotional connection, the story has failed to draw me in. In terms of this review, I don't think people are being quite fair to Key. I haven't seen this anime, so I don't have an opinion of my own on it, but to say that he's unqualified to review it because he didn't like it is unfair. He still gave it a B after all.
So every review on ANN should be "This anime was okay. B+" ? That doesn't make much sense to me, and I don't see people ripping on Carlos for writing seethingly hateful reviews of fan service anime, even when many forum members love fan service anime. Anyway.. just my two cents.. didn't mean to pick on you, kusanagi! Didn't realize both those quotes were from you. ^^;
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Battousai89x
Posts: 1 |
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Great series. Sure it's messed up. But i think it was meant to do that. Kind of like Gantz, watching the series makes you uncomfortable and i think they meant to do that and it hooks the viewer in that sense, that's if you got the stomach for it.
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Key
Moderator
 Posts: 18175 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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I have to strongly disagree with you on this one. I have seen several anime titles that are just as emotionally involving as some live-action titles. The medium isn't what matters when it comes to emotional qualities, it's the storytelling and acting - and those factors apply whether a movie/series is live-action or animated. As for other comments made so far, I knew when I wrote this review that it was going to provoke a strong reaction. I thought about toning down the wording a bit, but wanted to see what people would say. Others have commented about finding this to be a very emotional title, and I can see why, but I found the premise digusting and exploitive, rather than tragic, and so could not get emotionally involved. Although my reaction might be in the minority, I doubt I'm the only one who's going to watch this first volume and have that reaction. I do agree that this is a series for adults despite the youth of its cast, however, and that's something that probably should have been mentioned specifically in the review. Actually I did end up somewhat liking the series after a second view, and those who think I was horribly slanted should note that I did make an honest effort to give the series its props; quality-wise, this is a good series, and I did give it a B overall grade. I hadn't seen the series, or heard much about it, prior to seeing this first volume for the review, so I most certainly did not come in with a grudge against it. (Why does that comment always seem to pop up when someone strongly disagrees with a review? Hmmm. . .) Heck, I am generally a big fan of the genre, so if anything, I should have been biased in favor of the title instead of against it. Consider that when thinking that I had something against the series. And do keep in mind that we do reviews here at ANN, not promos, despite what it might look like sometimes.
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Kiriath
Posts: 23 |
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I read the reviews to get an opinion afore I buy/watch it, and to get a feel for the series. The review did pretty well, for that. A brutal and gritty take on the girls with guns? Iy.
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Tony K.
Subscriber Moderator Posts: 11293 Location: Frisco, TX |
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So what was so disgusting and exploitive, the fact that they used 10-12 year old girls, put cybernetic implants in them and brainwashed them, or something else? Or, since you said you hadn't heard or seen any of the series prior to your first viewing, you just thought the premise sounded a little cruel? In any case, I agree with your overall rating for this volume. This is the only exposure I've ever had to the series as well and I've given it a B+ (Very Good) thus far, so it's not like I'm in total disagreement with your take. It's just that your use of the word "repugnant" kind of threw me off. I don't about you, but in my vocabulary that's a pretty strong word. I never meant to scold you for the review, as a lot of it is pretty accurate. It's just that one word that I disagree with a little and a bit of the tone you used seem to make me think you might've given the title a lower grade than you did. But, your letter grade at the end kind of cancelled out the effect, so it's all good (do people still say that... ).
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