Product Details

• Format: Animated, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: Funimation Prod
• DVD Release Date: May 17, 2005
• Run Time: 125 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0007LXOPK
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #131,094 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fairly standard story told interestingly, May 22, 2005

By 

B. Ackley "jumpstudios" (Douglasville, GA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gunslinger Girl Starter Set (DVD)

The "chicks with guns" anime genre is a rather crowded field often loaded with shows that are either plotless action driven affairs or shows crammed with mindless fan service and stupid jokes. "Gunslinger Girl" is one of the few shows that rises above these conventions with its focus on the young cybernetic girls and their relationships with their handlers.

The basic premise for the show is that a special agency in the Italian government has used a new scientific technique to brainwash and condition people to train them into killers. The technique is more successful the younger the recruit. Using young orphans girls to under "conditioning" the girls are then handed off to agent who are called "handlers" who will oversee that the girls become trained killers.

The show has its share of particularly violent and graphic action sequences stemming from various missions the girls undertake. However the missions are more of a backdrop to exploring the relationship each girl has with her handler. Henrietta has a father figure type handler in Joze who is very kind to her. In contrast another character Rico has a very abusive handler, Jean who is critical of her performance and very rarely gives the praise she so desires.

The episodes on the fisrt disc devote one episode to each character to introduce to their personality and tell us about their past. The storytelling is slow but really pulls you in with its characterization and the beautiful piano heavy background music.

Its unclear if the future discs are building up to a major story arc or if the pacing will stay self contained episodes. Fans looking for non-stop action heavy on the jokes and fan service may need to look elsewhere. Anime fans who are looking for something a bit introspective done beautifully might want to consider adding this to their collection.

THe starter set is particularly a great buy. Coming packaged with a nice box and a BEAUTIFUL silk screened banner makes this a worthwhile purchase.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A lot has already been said..., June 26, 2005

By 

Michael Valdivielso (Alexandria, VA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Gunslinger Girl, Vol. 1: Ragazzine Piccole, Armi Grandi - Little Girls, Big Guns (DVD)

I think the artwork and sound is great. A lot of thought and time has been put into this anime. For those of you who are a fan of the manga, the first five episodes DO seem to be following the first two books. Some stories have been skipped but as most are stand alone they could show up in later discs. The extras include a dossier on each of the main female characters, opening and closing songs, trailers and more.
This is what I would call a serious anime - a work of art. A few series try to reach the level of Gunslinger Girl, but while reaching greatness they fail to understand that the greatest mystery, the greatest part of the story, is the relationship between characters. Lain, Cowboy Bebop, Witch Hunter Robin and Noir are up there, but they're all in a different class - they had different goals to set, to reach. I can't wait to see where Henrietta and her friends end up.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Girls With Guns Genre At Its Best, September 13, 2005

By 

C. Chow (Leesburg VA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gunslinger Girl Starter Set (DVD)

The girls with guns genre has been used so many times in anime cynics might think it'd run out of good stories. In fact here we cannot even get away from having the words "gun" and "girl" in the title.

The plot: `Gunslinger Girl' is not about originality. The cloak and dagger "Agency" finds crippled girls whom undergo "6 Million Dollar Man" surgery to become assassins, and eliminate Europe's crime bosses. Apparently the process only works with children.

The episode plots are not too complex. `Gunslinger Girl' is light on actual action but is NOT slow moving or boring is any sense.

`Gunslinger Girl' is 100% dependant on style. I've seen few anime recently that have evoked this type of emotion through artsy style. The animation and music are very unique. Most of the score are renditions of well know gangster or action film themes. The closing credits play to `Scareface'.

Most anime fans are comparing this to `Noir' in that they have similar themes and focus heavily on the splendor of their settings in present day Europe. True it's similar to `Noir' the same way `Cold Mountain' and `Gone With the Wind' are both about the Civil War, but there's really no comparison.

`Gunslinger Girl' honors the best elements of Luc Besson's `La Femme Nikita' and `The Professional' while focusing heavily on the color white the way `Point of No Return' did.

This is a must for anyone whom likes anime.

Another girls with guns series that was recently exceptionally great was `Najica Blitz Tactics.' Same theme but it was a comedy and it moved at a much faster pace. All 12 episodes are now being sold in 1 pack at bargain basement prices.

See `Najica Blitz Tactics' if you want to laugh and be thrilled. See `Gunslinger Girl' if you want your jaw to hit the floor in total amazement, and end up in a week long daze like I am as I write this review.