Product Details

• Actors: Monica Rial, Alese Watson, Laura Bailey
• Format: Widescreen, Color, Box set
• Language: English (Dolby TrueHD 5.1), Japanese (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Funimation
• DVD Release Date: March 16, 2010
• Run Time: 325 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B002KYIAJM
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #12,592 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
  • #78 in Movies & TV > Blu-ray > Anime & Manga
• For more information about "Gunslinger Girl: The complete First Season [Blu-ray]" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

GUNSLINGER GIRL - SEASON 1 - BLURAY (DVD)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars For the Blu-ray enthusiast who loves to watch anime in their definitive form, April 1, 2010

By 

R. Caymo (California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Gunslinger Girl: The complete First Season [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)

Near the end of 2002 I lost interest in collecting and watching anime as a whole; Berserk, Cowboy Bebop (Perfect Collection) to name some were the last in my collection. After that, more new releases of anime just be became a drawn out cliche of animation and story telling. While most were good, they were nothing like those classics before them, and so I lost touch in this area of the Otaku world. However, come 2005, I came across GSG by chance, somewhat seeking to renew my interest in anime.

The rest is history, what I got from GSG is great story telling, slick animation, characters you can really feel for, and a fantastic and yet touching soundtrack. While the story is cruel and morally gray, it is more thoughtful than any drama-thriller on the market. That is saying a lot especially for an anime; this is where I realized that I had found a gold mine.

I will not get into the story of GSG because well, in this day and age you can Wiki anything. I will however discuss the quality of this newest edition to Funimation Blu-ray and if it is a worthy upgrade if you are a DVD owner already.

VIDEO:
To be upfront about it, this visual upgrade is not fantastic nor terrible. It is an upscale if anything, but unlike most recent releases of Funimation titles it is presented in 1080p24 rather than 1080i30. As you would expect coming from the DVD version, gone are all the compression artifacts and a plus for the clean lines. Appraised for being beautifully animated, GSG really does make its presence more than it used to from its SD form, both in color and detail. In the directors eyes, GSG is intentionally made to look at bit drab in terms of color to insinuate the bleak outlook to the film, but in this blu-ray edition the color pops and is much more vibrant while maintaining the bleak look. Detail on the other hand is somewhat inconsistent, clean lines in some areas then a bit soft in others. Not a deal breaker, but it is apparent. Overall I am certainly pleased with the results though it is by no means an Evangelion Rebuild caliber, GSG has certainly never looked this good.

AUDIO: JP/ENG Dolby 5.1 TrueHD
Like most Funimation titles, the benefits from upgrading is the audio. Encoded in both JP/ENG Dolby 5.1 TrueHD (fantastic!), GSG sounds terrific unlike its Lossy counterpart. GSG is not an action heavy type of film, but when it happens, the gunshots exploding along with the shells dropping come as clear and crisp than ever before. If that is not enough, you can actually feel if not hear the Cello's LFE in the constant soundtrack "TEMA". Most will agree that the soundtrack to GSG is as a whole, sweeping and heartfelt and yet mysterious and suspenseful. Hearing it in Dolby TrueHD fashion this time around is definitely more pleasing to the ears. Though if I had to pick something out of the whole thing it would probably be the song "The Light Before We Land" by the Delgados; it still sounds a bit thin and tinny.

EXTRAS:
Trailers, Commentary by the ENG dub actors, pretty standard stuff.

All in all, while not a huge upgrade, you have to realize that this is definitive version of GSG and it probably will not look and sound this good ever. Any fan will love it, newcomers will appreciate it either way, but any blu-ray enthusiast would have mixed feelings about this one. I would say check out this anime; it is unforgettable, told well, and the price is right.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A study in subtle horror, April 28, 2010

By 

A. Rogers "cynical" (Melbourne, Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Gunslinger Girl: The complete First Season [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)

This is the story of some little girls. Girls who were about to die, and were given a new life, but the cost of that new life is to become inhuman. They become cyborgs; a little bit human, and a lot machine. The reason these girls were rescued from certain death was not altruism. Their new life is as assassins under the direction of their "big brothers". The series is set in Italy, so the "siblings" are referred to as "fratelli".

They may be the most lethal little ladies around, but they are still little girls. Their emotions and reactions are those of young girls.

Strongly recommended if you want a series that mixes masses of gunfire with some thought-provoking moral questions.

The series is beautifully animated (something that sadly declines in the second season). This Bluray version shows off the beauty of the animation. I liked the DVD version, which was a good clean transfer, but the Bluray transfer is superb.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best "Little Girl With Guns" Show You're Ever Going See, June 1, 2010

By 

Elias L. Blondeau "Atlanta Fried Otaku and Ha... (The Big ATL (Atlanta)) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gunslinger Girl: The complete First Season [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)

"Gunslinger Girl" may ooze creepiness, what with the almost panty shot right on the front cover, but I urge you not
to be thrown off by whatever possible apprehensions you may have about the content. Give it one or two episodes, and
you'll realize that Marvelous Entertainment was trying to craft true art using a very inartistic subject.

The Social Welfare Agency is, in the public eye, a somewhat docile area of the Italian government which specializes in
helping out the community in various ways. But their true purpose is something much more sinister. Finding little girls
who are on the brink of death, then giving them cybernetic implants for the purpose of turning them into heartless killing
machines, the SWA uses the girls in order to hunt down dangerous criminals and murder them for the safety of the people.
By altering these girls, they cut short their lifespan by countless years, and rewire their entire brain so they
have no memories of their prior lives. However, the latter of those two is probably for the best, considering the circumstances
the girls came from.

It's a fairly offbeat and absurd concept, but the way the writers wove the story around focusing on the characters themselves,
as opposed to the action they engage in, takes the show in a very gripping and emotionally kinetic direction. By the end of
the final episode (of this first series, at least), you will have formed a bond with almost every character, both adult
and child. You laugh with them, and you will cry with them. You will feel genuine compassion for the cast, forgetting that
they are only animated characters. This is one of the few anime I've watched that I literally forgot I was viewing animation
and not live-action cinema.

As for the high-definition transfer in this Blu Ray set: I own the Viridian Collection DVD of the anime, and viewed this
particular set at my friend's house over the course of a Saturday. While the image IS noticeably crisper, there is also
a major flaw which has plagued other Blu Ray anime releases, and that's the fact that EVERY LITTLE IMPERFECTION is
exposed. The animation is great, don't get me wrong; it's just that Blu Ray is sometimes too crisp for the picture
in anime, and even the tiniest off detail can rear it's ugly head in high definition.

Other than that, though, there should be nothing that dissuades you from purchasing this anime. This is one you'll
remember years down the line, and will be a point of comparison to other shows of it's type that you'll watch.
Don't pass up this anime, especially at this price.

Plot: A+ (Heartwarming and heart-wrenching, emotionally charged and action-packed.)

Animation: A+ (Beautiful. You'll forget you're watching animation.)

Dub: A (Every V.A. did a fantastic job with this series; nothing is half-assed.)

Sub: N/A (I didn't watch the subbed version. Sorry!)

Music: A (Beautiful orchestral sets, coupled with traditional Italian music, and sandwiched between two
amazing opening and ending themes.)

HD MASTER: B+ (Looks good, but exposes little imperfections you may not want to notice.)

OVERALL GRADE: A+ (Must-See)