Select delivery location
See All Buying Options

Gunslinger Girl: Il Teatrino [Blu-ray]

Luci Christian (Actor), Caitlin Glass (Actor), Mike McFarland (Director) Rated:
NR
Format: Blu-ray
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 146 ratings
IMDb7.3/10.0
Additional Multi-Format options Edition Discs
Price
New from Used from
Multi-Format
March 16, 2010 		—
2
—
$40.00 $19.98
Watch Instantly with Per Episode Buy Season
Gunslinger Girl II Teatrino Season 2 — $22.99
Genre Anime & Manga
Format Color, Box set, Multiple Formats, Blu-ray, Widescreen
Contributor Luci Christian, Laura Bailey, Caitlin Glass, Mike McFarland
Language Japanese, English
Number Of Discs 2
Add a debit or credit card to save time when you check out
Convenient and secure with 2 clicks. Add your card

Product Description

Product Description

The girls of the Social Welfare Agency are no ordinary children. They are the grizzly remains of human wreckage pieced back together with cybernetic implants and trained to kill by the government. The oldest, Triela, pursues her targets with a ferocious enthusiasm - unwilling to settle for less than total annihilation. Her mirror in this bloody stalemate is Pinocchio - a shell of a boy raised as an assassin by the FRF - a terrorist faction at war with the SWA. Cold and cruelly efficient, he wields sharpened steel as though it were his own hand. Once human, these shattered souls have become murderous machines with only vague recollections of what it meant to be real - and a brutal compulsion to be the last killer standing.

Amazon.com

Il Teatrino (2008) is the belated sequel to Gunslinger Girl (2003), one of the the series that introduced the "murderous moppet" subgenre of anime. Badly injured adolescent orphans are brainwashed and given cybernetic implants that turn them into pint- sized assassins for a covert branch of the Italian government. The new adventures for the expanded cast involve plenty of mayhem, which Henrietta, Rico, Triela et al. perform with knives, pistols, machine guns, garrotes, martial arts--and cold-blooded good cheer. Their primary foe is Pinocchio, an equally icy but completely human assassin who is the adopted son of an underworld kingpin. Assisted by "freelance terrorists" Franco and Franca, he aids his father in nefarious schemes the girls must foil. The battle turns into a grudge match between Pinocchio and Triela that features such macabre howlers as, "How dare he shoot me with a gun Hilshire gave me!" Even more grotesque than the child-assassins themselves are the wistful boyfriend/daddy/big brother relationships they doggedly pursue with their "handlers." At times, Gunslinger Girl: Il Teatrino suggests Ninja Scroll restaged by the cast of Chobits, but these deadly dollies apparently have a fanbase in Japan, where an additional Gunslinger Girl OVA appeared in late 2008. (Rated TV MA: suitable for ages 16 and older: considerable violence, violence against women and children including torture, grotesque imagery, profanity, alcohol and tobacco use) --Charles Solomon

(1.Distance between Two: Brother and Sister, 2. Pinnochio, 4. Angelica’s Return, 5. Evanescence and Reminiscence, 6. The Retirement of the Tibetian Terrier, 7. Caterina and the Circel of Revenge, 8. A Day in the Life of Claes, 9. Clever Snake, Simple Pigeon, 10. Flowers of Good Will, 11. Budding Feelings, 12. The Fighting Puppet, 13. And So Pinnochio Becomes Human)

Product details

  • Aspect Ratio ‏ : ‎ 1.78:1
  • Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
  • MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ NR (Not Rated)
  • Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 0.7 x 7.5 x 5.4 inches; 3.68 ounces
  • Item model number ‏ : ‎ 35302390
  • Director ‏ : ‎ Mike McFarland
  • Media Format ‏ : ‎ Color, Box set, Multiple Formats, Blu-ray, Widescreen
  • Run time ‏ : ‎ 5 hours and 20 minutes
  • Release date ‏ : ‎ March 16, 2010
  • Actors ‏ : ‎ Luci Christian, Caitlin Glass, Laura Bailey
  • Dubbed: ‏ : ‎ English
  • Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ English
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English (Dolby TrueHD 5.1), Japanese (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)
  • Studio ‏ : ‎ Funimation Prod
  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0030ZOYJU
  • Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 2
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 146 ratings

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
146 global ratings
Keep it going Gunslinger Girls!!
5 Stars
Keep it going Gunslinger Girls!!
Once you get used to the slight character design changes, there is nothing else keeping you from enjoying this action-packed yet heart-warming anime series. The only drawback is that the series IS going to end sometime :(Get it if you've got the first one. If you don't got the first one, god bless YOU!
Hide
Thank you for your feedback
Sorry, there was an error
Sorry we couldn't load the review

Top reviews from the United States

Charles Stuckey
5.0 out of 5 stars Another thought provoking Gunslinger Girl Series!
Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2011
Verified Purchase
Ratings are a guesstimate, usually on the "safe side".

Genre: Action Suspense

Situations: PG+
Language: Probably PG
Nudity: PG or less
Violence: PG, maybe R

Language options: Separate Language and Sub-title enable. (Yay!)

Another Funimation series that commits the cardinal sin... you can't skip or fast forward through the load ads at the beginning.

Special Features: Japanese TV interview #2 of 5... (Why bother if you're not going to put them all in?). Textless Songs. Original TV Commercials. And, of course, Trailers: Most are done well (they actually give you enough info about the show to decide if it's worth looking into) but a couple are vague and one is for a live action movie. (I dislike this. I want anime ads in my anime).

This is the story of cybernetically enhanced children assassins and their handlers used by the State (Italy in this story) to remove "threats to national security". It deals with questions of ethics and morality vs. convenience (or "necessity" as governments would call it). They also go a little further in this second series to add the weight of the advancements the girls cybernetic testing are providing to the medical community. The "bad-guys" this time are more developed adding the question of "are they really bad?". There is more, but I'll leave something for you to enjoy...

This is the sequel series to Gunslinger Girl and mostly lives up to expectations. It is thought provoking and well written. This series explores the girl's relationships with their handlers and the reasons their handlers came to their jobs. It also interestingly goes into the girl's target's past and their motivations and reasons as well. Don't get the idea this is nothing but sentimental flashbacks though, there is an active "present" story line and plenty of action. While I still prefer the original series slightly, I'd say this is a worthy sequel to a great series.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Robert S.
4.0 out of 5 stars Colorful action tragedy
Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2010
Verified Purchase
When I watched the first season of Gunslinger Girls a few years back, I was really drawn to the story of these cybernetic enhanced little girls who are used as assassins in a fictional Italy. The series had a somberness and humanity to it that I hadn't seen much in anime. Although the plots usually revolved around a mission, the series strength was that it would explore relationships of young girls to themselves, the world, and the men they were partnered with. Finding encouragement, nurturing, and direction in a difficult world were the common themes. Unusual stuff, Gunslinger Girl.

When I saw the initial art designs for season 2 I pretty much avoided it outright. The show had abandoned it's gothic realism in favor of a less expensive, more colorful and cartoony look. More jarring sitting thru the first episode, which recaps the essential info of season 1, with some really uninspired art and animation, and the music had descended into a pretty generic synth heavy score. However, as the action concluded, the story shifted to the girl's dormitory and Henrietta's discovery of a present her handler Jose has bought for her. All of a sudden, all the strengths of the show were back. I can't help feeling that the first episode was a test for the animators to see if they could pull off an episode with a smaller budget and a shorter schedule. That's how I look at, and in that way, it's forgiveable, because Il Teatrino delivers the goods when it comes to narrative and emotion.

***minor spoilers***

The main story arc revolves around the FRF assassin boy Pinocchio, his relationship with Franco and Flanca (the bomb makers from season 1), his encounter with Triela, and the bombing of an important civil project in southern Italy. The show once again makes no clear stand about the morality of any of it's characters, but does steep us in their backstories, and they're quite good. Rather than center on Jose and Henrietta, whose relationship is fairly well established in 1, it is Triela and Hillshire who are the focus of Il Teatrino. Her origin backstory ('Flowers of Goodwill, ep 10) is very powerful, and Hillshire is no longer this stern man in a grey suit of season 1, but a an ex-cop, learning to be more compassionate to the coming of age angst of his "sister". Other standout episodes include 'A Day in the Life of Claes' (ep 8), which uses the song 'Scarborough Fair' as a wonderful subtext for her feelings of loss, 'Caterina and the Circle of Revenge' is amazing drama, as Flanca recalls her motivations for becoming a terrorist, and facing some angry victims, and 'Clever Snake, Simple Pigeon' where the girls must assassinate a target at a showing of the opera 'Tosca'.. which is the spiritual center of this season, the opera's meaning and it's associations with the social politics of Italy...

Where season 1 was a slower, more deliberate pace, season 2 goes for action and high emotion, and in this reviewers opinion, succeeds on all counts. I was interested in all the characters, and couldn't wait to see what happened next.

Like others are saying, if you liked season 1, give it a chance. It's a different flavor, but it's still Gunslinger Girl. And it's still a great dramatic niche-anime.
4 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Reza Pahlavi
5.0 out of 5 stars Great, now I'm obsessed!
Reviewed in the United States on May 18, 2012
Verified Purchase
The 5-year time frame between the first and second season, not to mention the different studio, has caused totally different voice actors/actresses for almost all the characters. The same issue however, is not very much applicable in the English version.

At first I have problem playing it at my computer using Cyberlink PowerDVD 9.5 (is it a good Blu-Ray player software to begin with?) and I have to resort to download so many trial version of other Blu-Ray player software, because the series in this Blu-Ray is at 29 fps (others such as trailers and 'root menu' are at 23 fps). I can only watch it smoothly after updating the Cyberlink software.

The series cover volume 3-5 of the manga (for the 13 episodes) and 2 chapters of volume 6 for the OVA, with plenty of addition/edit/removal/improvement/restructuring of scenes. Fans of action-packed scenes can enjoy the improvements on how the gunfights/CQB/ambushes are conducted, and fans of lolis can watch Henrietta in party dress and 'mizugi'.

The discrepancies of names between the Japanese and English versions are retained and kept in the ending credit, such as Guise/Jose, Franca/Flanca and most notably Hirscher/Hilshire.

Only 2 disappointments: absence of textless second opening and capturing frame in Blu-Ray is disabled, plus the unnecessary textless ending, as if the very reason of having textless opening and ending is not obvious. Oh yes, the 29 fps caused me to spend additional time to solve the problem, and after finished watching it, the soundtrack that refuses to get out of my head is out-of-stock at major online stores.

I'm treasuring this Blu-Ray as if it's my second Haibane Renmei (hontouni arigatou gozaimasu to Kou Otani for the music), and can't figure out why this Blu-Ray doesn't cost my arms and legs.
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
H太
5.0 out of 5 stars 噂のガンスリ
Reviewed in Japan on April 4, 2023
Verified Purchase
原作者のテコ入れでズタスタと噂のガンスリですが、
別観点で見れば面白いと思います。片手で倒れ込むタンスを戻す彼女たちを素手て殴り倒す殺し屋…。
うん、楽しい２階から投げ出され窓から現れるスパイダーマンか！楽しいです。
Report
Esteban N-D
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on April 13, 2015
Verified Purchase
LOVE IT!!!
Report
A. J. Holt
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 23, 2016
Verified Purchase
Excellent!
Report
Alice Bluegown
4.0 out of 5 stars Way better than you may have been told...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 14, 2020
Verified Purchase
'Il Treatino' seems to have been slated by many reviewers, and there's no doubting it's an inferior effort compared to the first series of Gunslinger Girl. The character design is much cruder, and the animation is frequently downright static. That said, the presence of an overreaching story arc - plans by the FRF to destroy a new bridge - gives this series a more holistic feel, and there's a serious effort to delve into the characters of the girls and their handlers a little more, not to mention freelance bombers Caterina & Franco. The introduction of the unfortunately-named boy assassin Pinocchio provides a logical nemesis. Best of all, though, is how the first series' relentless amorality is seamlessly carried over: the 'good guys' routinely torture detainees and eliminate undesirables, while the 'terrorists' fret about civilian casualties. Like its predecessor, a compelling, uncomfortable, thought-provoking watch.
Report
Robert M.
4.0 out of 5 stars Good, but Not as Good as Season One
Reviewed in Canada on August 20, 2015
Verified Purchase
While not as good as the first season/series, it still holds up as an enjoyable enough show. Granted I haven't had a chance to finish it yet, but I'm not sure that a good conclusion would boost my rating to five stars or that a bad one would lower my rating to three stars. Anyway, if you're a fan of the first season, you'll have trouble adjusting to some art/animation differences as well as a slightly different way of telling their story, and if you're not really a fan I wouldn't recommend grabbing this season because it's definitely not quite as good as the first one.
Report