Title:  Gunslinger Girl vol 3 - The Silence of the Stars UK distributor: MVM BBFC Certificate: TBA Suggested Retail Price (SRP): £19.99 Episodes: 10 - 13 (of 13) Audio Options: English 5.1, Japanese 2.0 Subtitles: English Reviewer:  Tom (Webmaster)

For me, Gunslinger Girl has been the series of the year so far.  Dramatic, moving, beautifully animated and intelligent, this series offered something different to the barrage of the standard 'girls with guns' anime by not being out and out action and instead focusing on characterisation.  This concluding volume ends the series brilliantly by surpassing all the strengths of the previous episodes. 
 

The opening episodes see the agency dealing with the murder of one of the girls and her handler, both found brutally gunned down.  The incident could expose potential problems with the cybernetic girls to fellow agencies and could even see the story going public.  This story highlights the greatest strength of the series - showing the girl's humanity - and is the peak of the series so far.  Seeing the reactions of the girls and their handlers to the murders is both touching and difficult to watch and prepares viewers for the conclusion. 

Has the agency become too much for the girls? 

The story continues to show that the cybernetic killers may not be as efficient as the handlers may think.  The agency becomes aware that there is a kidnap planned for the daughter of a senator and one of the girls - Claes - is similar in appearance to the senator's daughter.  The agency uses her as a decoy and then track the kidnappers to a mountain hideout which the girls must infiltrate and then eliminate the kidnappers.  Unfortunately one of the girls - Angelica - has been doing badly in training and may require more conditioning. 
 

At least the girls still find time to laugh
 

  This final volume does not just concentrate on the failures of the cyborgs though.  Against the backdrop of sadness though we see the affectionate relationship between Henrietta and her handler Jose in which they both treat each other as siblings.  Jose retains his resistance to condition Henrietta further and, compared to the lot of the other girls, that is definitely not a bad thing.  Henrietta still maintains hopelessly devoted to Jose however and this devotion shows she is still just a child.  When her friend Angelica loses faith in her handler, Henrietta faces truths that are hard to face. 
 

If you are reading this review then it is likely you have already seen the previous volumes of Gunslinger Girl and are aware of the drama, exquisite animation and story that they contain.  The final volume surpasses the previous two by showing the dark side of the series like never before as well as the touching relationship that has developed between the girls and their handlers.  The concluding episodes feature less violence then before as the onus is clearly on the characters and it does just as brilliantly as before.  The ending to the series is excellent and well-executed, leaving the viewer to feel what emotions they choose rather then be told how to feel. 

Bringing an end to one of the best series of the year, Gunslinger Girl is essential viewing and another triumphant release for MVM. 

Extras

Textless versions of the excellent opening and ending sequences are included again as well another small artwork video which shows the development of an artwork piece for the series.   Thankfully a commentary has been included this time and not just one but two!  Firstly a production commentary featuring the head writer of the English script and the designer of the English packaging among others.  Also included is a voice director commentary.  Although it is disappointing a commentary of the original Japanese director or of creator has not been included, the commentaries do at least offer an interesting insight into the series nonetheless.  An impressive range of extras, given the lack of extras most MVM releases usually contain. 

Ratings

Feature: Extras:
___________________________________________________________________________

Back To Reviews Archive