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Gunslinger Girl Review and Trailer




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totalgeek



Joined: 23 Jan 2005
Posts: 307
Location: Raleigh, NC
PostPosted: Mon Jul 04, 2005 12:36 pm Reply with quote
I just finished reading the Gunslinger Girl Review on ANN. I've also seen the Trailer for it that was added to the FMA Disc 3 (Equivalent Exchange).

The trailer for the series looked very impressive and intense. It lured me in enough to start researching the series. On the other hand, the Review gives a mixed bag of praise and scorn. For instance, while the reviewer gives GG credit for having beautiful artistry and detail regarding weaponry and girl designs, he/she also argues against the series saying that the subject matter goes too far.

So, I thought I'd ask you guys if anyone has seen at least part of the series and, if so, what are your impressions? Please remember not to spoil too much, or at least to use Spoiler tags, since I haven't seen the series yet and may decide to get it depending on what you guys say.
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final sage of fantas



Joined: 01 Jul 2005
Posts: 235
Location: New Jersey
PostPosted: Mon Jul 04, 2005 12:55 pm Reply with quote
I would like to know to, because I never saw the series either.
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Keonyn
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Joined: 25 May 2005
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Location: Coon Rapids, MN
PostPosted: Mon Jul 04, 2005 2:27 pm Reply with quote
The subject matter definetely brings up issues of morality, but does it go too far? I don't think so, I think it accomplishes what it sets out to do. It's somewhat of a dark storyline and it pulls that off well.

Might want to check out the Talkback discussion on it here for some feedback on the review by other posters.
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angel_lover



Joined: 22 Apr 2005
Posts: 645
Location: UK
PostPosted: Mon Jul 04, 2005 3:19 pm Reply with quote
Don't be put off by one somewhat negative review, the ANN Shelf Life column rates it as a worthy purchase after all. The anime and the manga tread a very fine line between pedophilic exploitation and poignant storytelling, and in my opinion the anime at least always stays the right side of the line.
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.Sy



Joined: 11 Mar 2005
Posts: 1266
PostPosted: Mon Jul 04, 2005 5:58 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
The trailer for the series looked very impressive and intense. It lured me in enough to start researching the series.
I've been interested in the series for some time now, and if you're not sure, why not go to the local bookstore and check out maybe a chapter or so of the manga? It's what I usually do, although I understand the manga/anime contrasts a lot for some titles. I'm waiting for the entire series to come out on DVD, so I can get an idea of the anime as a whole before buying.
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totalgeek



Joined: 23 Jan 2005
Posts: 307
Location: Raleigh, NC
PostPosted: Mon Jul 04, 2005 10:19 pm Reply with quote
Keonyn wrote:

Might want to check out the Talkback discussion on it here for some feedback on the review by other posters.


Yeah, I checked that out right after I posted this thread. Most of the talk seemed to be about the validity of the reviewer's comments and not on the series itself. Although, it did seem as though quite a few people really liked Gunslinger Girl.

I'm pretty liberal as things go and I was surprised how the series seemed to raise the ire of several people in the feedback thread. One guy went so far as to practically call the series pedo porn! The fact that GG would upset conservatives that much actually made me want to see it more! Very Happy
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Keonyn
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Joined: 25 May 2005
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Location: Coon Rapids, MN
PostPosted: Tue Jul 05, 2005 12:52 am Reply with quote
Yeah, you really need to filter some things out in threads, sometimes people go off the deep end.

Not sure how someone equates the series to pedo porn, from what I understand he might have a case with the manga but the anime doesn't really get into that. I think most peoples problem with the anime is the morality of it. The show definetely isn't for everyone and the reviewer demonstrated that well at least.
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joel_s95387



Joined: 29 Jun 2005
Posts: 1804
Location: California... The Village Hidden In The Porn
PostPosted: Tue Jul 05, 2005 3:18 am Reply with quote
i didn't really understand the question because im watching FMA but i purchased volume one before the shelf life thing went up and i really liked that series i cant wait for the next two volumes and its very story oriented and a bit but awesome gun scenes which i think is the reason the anime may only be recommended to some.
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totalgeek



Joined: 23 Jan 2005
Posts: 307
Location: Raleigh, NC
PostPosted: Tue Jul 05, 2005 4:29 am Reply with quote
joel_s95387 wrote:
i didn't really understand the question because im watching FMA but i purchased volume one before the shelf life thing went up and i really liked that series i can't wait for the next two volumes and its very story oriented and a bit but awesome gun scenes which i think is the reason the anime may only be recommended to some.


If you didn't understand the question, maybe you shouldn't post until AFTER you're done watching TV... Shocked
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dormcat
Encyclopedia Editor


Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 9902
Location: New Taipei City, Taiwan, ROC
PostPosted: Tue Jul 05, 2005 9:47 am Reply with quote
Keonyn wrote:
Not sure how someone equates the series to pedo porn, from what I understand he might have a case with the manga but the anime doesn't really get into that.

The original manga has no such scene either, but there are quite a lot in the form of erotic doujinshi.
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joel_s95387



Joined: 29 Jun 2005
Posts: 1804
Location: California... The Village Hidden In The Porn
PostPosted: Tue Jul 05, 2005 4:24 pm Reply with quote
hey instead of pointing out me watching tv maybe you should point out something useful like the fact that yes the girls do look like girls but you dont see anything that would make you feel like a pedafile. the only reason i think he migh have wrote that is because (i dont consider this a spoiler) two of the girls were talking about their "plumbing" and one of those girls claims she's on her period. thats all that was said in the anime and i mean nothing was actually shown it was just part of the show. personally i dont like nudity in my anime it makes me feel like a pervert and my gf looked at me funny when i was watching Elfen Lied (that series is so good i didn't mind the nudity). long story short, there is no child porn in gunslinger girl volume 1
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angel_lover



Joined: 22 Apr 2005
Posts: 645
Location: UK
PostPosted: Wed Jul 06, 2005 6:49 am Reply with quote
I don't want to speak on behalf of people such as Key who found GSG deeply distasteful as I don't entirely agree and they are perfectly able to speak for themselves. However, as I understand it, their view of the potential CP aspect is not so much in any one specific visual (at least in the anime) but the whole attitude of the series towards young girls, which they find exploitative. I don't happen to agree with this view of the anime, but I do wonder if the manga pushes things a little too far sometimes. Again, there's no explicitly sexual imagery (at least in the volumes I've read so far), but there are images which could be accused of being intended to evoke a sexual response.

For example, take the drawing of Henrietta in a wheelchair before she was 'rebuilt'. In the context of the words describing the brutal ordeal she suffered, this image could have come straight from the darkly fetishistic kowasareta ningyo ("broken doll") works of erotic artist Romain Slocombe. Slocombe is very popular in Japan and has worked and exhibited there from time to time, so it's not unreasonable to suppose that Slocombe could be a direct influence on the GSG project.

Anyway, I don't want to reopen the discussion, I'm just trying to explain why more people see the manga as borderline CP than the anime.
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kainzero



Joined: 08 Jun 2004
Posts: 309
PostPosted: Wed Jul 06, 2005 3:43 pm Reply with quote
i thought it was pretty good, the anime.

the story isn't too continuous, so i find myself liking certain episodes. rico had a good early episode, i think. there's also another arc later on that i really enjoyed... unfortunately i don't remember the name of the character. but a lot of variable quality, the last half really picks up.

spoiler[too bad it didn't have a proper ending, as the manga is still being written and the anime finished off before the manga did.]
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totalgeek



Joined: 23 Jan 2005
Posts: 307
Location: Raleigh, NC
PostPosted: Fri Jul 08, 2005 3:44 pm Reply with quote
Well, I just got finished watching the first DVD of GSG. I bought the starter set and got the little banner, which is pretty cool. Just have to iron out all the wrinkles! Very Happy

So far, the series is incredible! From the melancholy "The Light Before We Land" by the Delgados, which I'm going to have to go out and buy, now, to all the sadness endured by the girls in just the first few episodes, this is definitely a series worth owning!

While I could see how someone might see some insinuations of mild pedophilia (assuming they were actually trying to read into things), overall I just saw the girls' stories as tragic. Episode 3 (Ragazzo) saddened me, in particular. You just had to see that ending coming from a mile away, and yet there was nothing you could do to stop it!

I can't wait to see how this series ends.
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