Italy’s Social Welfare Agency is well known for going all over Europe and rescuing young girls on the brink of death. Italy’s government graciously grants these girls new cybernetic bodies and a second lease on life, but at a price. Each girl is then paired with an older male handler, who oversees her well being and training. These teams are known as “Fratella” (Italian for “siblings”) and are highly skilled assassins. The girls remember little to nothing of their past lives before joining the Agency, and are paired with specially trained “brothers” who act as their handlers and implement the brainwashing that keeps the girls obedient to the SWA.
The girls would lay down their lives for their brothers and strive to be the most lethal assassins for that cause more often than the purpose of their missions. It’s that unique dynamic that each team has that sets Gunslinger Girl apart as more than just a show where you see cute young girls waving guns about. Il Teatrino perfectly illustrates the fact that, at the end of the day, these cyborgs are just adolescent girls. They are powerful and deadly, but they still have the minds (as well as bodies) of children who feel love, adoration, and want the attentions of those they hold special to them. And for the case of some handlers, such as Jose, they are aware of the girls’ feelings and can be quite fond of them.
It really as a subtly elegant anime that strikes all the right empathic chords. The animation is lovely and retains the same soft feel that the manga cover illustrations have, adding a sense of fragility in combination with the soundtrack to the story as it progresses. It’s even got extra tidbits thrown into the DVD release in the form of original Japanese TV commercials and cast interviews. Funimation usually skimps on a huge amount of frills, but a series like GG: Il Teatrino doesn’t need extra bells and whistles to be enjoyable.
Gunslinger Girl is a lovely mix of action and emotion. It stands on its own tier in the anime and manga world and can’t really be compared to any other series. It’s a little disappointing that the anime series, overall, is so compacted and really only compiles a fraction of the manga’s ongoing storyline. Il Teatrino really outshines the first series in bringing the cyborg girls into the forefront as people and human in spite of their alterations. It’s such a bizarre combination of bloodshed and innocence, that it really leaves you wondering how such a contradiction could even be possible. It’s an anime that is worth the price tag, but might not be for everyone because there is a lot of violence spattered throughout the thirteen-episode series. But, if you love action and you love emotive stories then Gunslinger Girl: Il Teatrino is right up your alley.