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Gunslinger Girl: The complete First Season [Blu-ray]

Monica Rial (Actor), Alese Watson (Actor) Rated:
NR
Format: Blu-ray
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 137 ratings
IMDb7.3/10.0
Additional Multi-Format options Edition Discs
Price
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March 16, 2010 		—
2
—
$98.95 $51.01
Genre Anime & Manga
Format Color, Multiple Formats, Box set, Blu-ray, Widescreen
Contributor Alese Watson, Laura Bailey, Monica Rial
Language English, Japanese
Number Of Discs 2
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Product Description

Product Description

Officially, the Social Welfare Agency is a government sponsored corporation that's in the business of saving lives. In reality, it's an agency on the fringe of technology. They give terminal patients another shot at life using cybernetic implants. This conditioning process then shapes the patient into an efficient machine for handling all of the government's dirty work. Having survived the brutal slaughter of her family, Henrietta awakens to her new life at the Agency with a re-built body and no memory of the past. She has been teamed with her handler Jose, who is responsible for her training and conditioning, turning her into the perfect killing machine. Henrietta strives to find her place within the Agency, doing her best to win Jose's affection. But can Jose control her? can he balance the needs and desires the assassin and the developing adolescent? Who are these girls? They've been given a second chance at life... But at what cost?

Amazon.com

Henrietta, Claes, Triela, Angelica, and Rico, the adolescent heroines of the broadcast series Gunslinger Girl (2003), are orphans who have been turned into petite assassins through cybernetic implants and brainwashing. Each girl has an older, male "handler" from the Social Welfare Agency, a covert branch of the Italian government, who oversees her training and takes her on missions. The miniature murderers travel through Italy, dispatching criminals, right-wing terrorists, and uncooperative police officers with a cold-blooded efficiency Scarface might envy. The girls remember a few scattered fragments of their past lives, and the only feeling they express is a mixture of affection and adoration for the handlers. This lack of emotion makes them singularly unappealing as characters and robs Gunslinger Girl of the pathos of Saikano. None of them feels a shred of regret for their murderous actions: In Episode #8, Henrietta complains that's she's only killed four people in the last month. The results suggest Key the Metal Idol re-made by Sam Peckipah. Although Gunslinger Girl was one of the first examples of the "murderous moppet" genre of anime, it ranks among the grimmest series of recent years. (Rated TV 14: considerable violence, alcohol use) --Charles Solomon (1. Fratello (Siblings), 2. Orione (Orion), 3. Ragazzo (Boy), 4. Bambola (Doll), 5. Promessa (Promise), 6. Gelato (Frozen), 7. Protezione (Proection), 8. Il Principe del Regna della Pasta (The Prince of the Kingdom of Pasta), 9. Lycoris Radiata Herb, 10. Amare (To Love), 11. Febbre Alta (High Fever), 12. Simbiosi (Symbiosis), 13. Stella Cadente (Falling Star)

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; 3.2 ounces
  • Item model number ‏ : ‎ 29200047
  • Media Format ‏ : ‎ Color, Multiple Formats, Box set, Blu-ray, Widescreen
  • Run time ‏ : ‎ 5 hours and 25 minutes
  • Release date ‏ : ‎ March 16, 2010
  • Actors ‏ : ‎ Monica Rial, Alese Watson, Laura Bailey
  • Dubbed: ‏ : ‎ English, Japanese
  • Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ English
  • Language ‏ : ‎ Japanese (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), English (Dolby TrueHD 5.1)
  • Studio ‏ : ‎ Funimation Prod
  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B002KYIAJM
  • Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 2
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 137 ratings

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
137 global ratings
Very happy purchase
5 Stars
Very happy purchase
Very happy to have added one of my top 10 favorite anime 😊 .. Came in perfect condition and was decently priced. 10/10
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Top reviews from the United States

Puppy Pug
5.0 out of 5 stars Great story line, character build up and action.
Reviewed in the United States on April 28, 2021
Verified Purchase
Gunslinger Girl is one of those anime that rarely come across in our lifetime, great story line and character build up. The animation is top notch, in my opinion, it's the best I've watched to date and I've watched a fair amount of them, no CG animation that along make this anime great. The second season is good but the animation not as great but good and worthy to have it too as complement to this one. Unfortunately, This season one and the season two only cover first five volumes of the fifteen from the manga which is very good read too.
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KevinB
5.0 out of 5 stars Great anime
Reviewed in the United States on October 15, 2012
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Gunslinger Girl is a great anime. I won't explain the story, but I'll tell ya what makes the series so great. The animation in this series is amazing. This is to be expected from a newer anime, but the coloration and backgrounds are very beautifully drawn. Much of the time you would think that you saw the characters superimposed onto a painting in an art gallery or something. The voice acting is also very good. The music in this series is also very beautiful. The relationships built between the characters are very well written and also pretty touching. The morality of saving a child's life but using them for a dark purpose is also explored pretty deeply.

All in all I can't think of a single bad thing to say about Gunslinger Girl. I am very glad I tried this one out, and I hope you get the chance to enjoy it too. If you like it the 2nd season, Il Teatrino, is even better in my opinion.
4 people found this helpful
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AJR
5.0 out of 5 stars A study in subtle horror
Reviewed in the United States on April 28, 2010
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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.
11 people found this helpful
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Mercenair001
4.0 out of 5 stars Not for everyone
Reviewed in the United States on August 11, 2012
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I liked this anime but it's not for everyone. Having childs and young teens used as war machine and often only seen as weapons, it's kind of hard. I mean, the girls still act as child when they are not fighting and they seem to suffer to be treated as weapon. It's the kind of anime that will make you think.... If you are looking for something different, something that will make you feel something for the characters, that anime may be for you. Lots of violence, be aware.
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James E. Lindsey
5.0 out of 5 stars Saving lives or making things worse?
Reviewed in the United States on September 21, 2009
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An organization helps young girls on the brink of death, but the cost is a hefty one. While they do save the girls lives they are used as assassins and put in high risk situations. Each girl is put into a group of two people which they use the italian word for brother and sister to call them by. These girls though have stronger feelings for their "brother" than any family relation. It's a sad and complicated story with action scenes, but they are not the main focus. It's short being only 12 to 13 episodes, but it is very good. The art work gives a plain feel which fits to the story and helps draw you into the characters. It's also fairly depressing so be prepared for that. This is a must have for my anime blu-ray collection and is better than the second series. I do recommend this title to anyone who is interested in story driven animes.
6 people found this helpful
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ken-752
5.0 out of 5 stars Teddy Bears and Bullets
Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2011
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Do the ends justify the means? Apparently, in this animation, the Italian government believes so as they secretly programming young adolescent girls to become killers. The series never glorifies what is being done to these girls, it just tries to explore the many consequences and paradox between innocence and bullets.

The storyline is well thought out, the drama and action scenes are good, and the character development is so well done that it could bring you to tears for the situation these girls have to go through.

This animated series went on for two seasons and I wish they continue to do more, although it doesn't seem likely. As of this writing, the original manga is only now coming to a conclusion and it looks like it's going to be a tragic one.

Although it's sad and has no comedy relief I think this is one of the best dramatic animated series I've ever seen.
5 people found this helpful
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C. Chen
1.0 out of 5 stars Terrible quality
Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2010
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I waited months for this to be released and was sorely disappointed by the video quality of this blu-ray. Generally love videos on blu-ray. When a blu-ray release is done well, the clarity and video is literally breathtaking. I can only assume that this is a DVD upscale since it is absolutely terrible.

Had I known this I would have never bought this blu ray. There is no point in buying this when the DVD release is readily available. You essentially bought a DVD that cant be played on DVD players.
6 people found this helpful
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Relyat08
5.0 out of 5 stars an awesome series
Reviewed in the United States on July 22, 2013
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This is one of my favorite anime series ever. It may not get the attention of a lot of the bigger ones, but this is a really well done anime. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes action oriented anime with a great story. This is the first 13 episodes by the way. If you want the rest of the series buy Il Teatrino. It is also just as good as this first season. In fact I think its better in a lot of ways. Particularly the animation.
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Top reviews from other countries

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ロチ
5.0 out of 5 stars やっぱり、1期は面白い。
Reviewed in Japan on January 28, 2023
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アクションシーンも、凄く良い。最終回も感動した。
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Esteban N-D
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on April 13, 2015
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LOVE IT!!!
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A. J. Holt
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 23, 2016
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Very good
One person found this helpful
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マツオカ
5.0 out of 5 stars この値段で、この内容なら文句なし！
Reviewed in Japan on June 11, 2012
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内容的には以下の通り。

Disc1
　1.fratello
　2.orione
　3.ragazzo
　4.bambola
　5.promessa
　6.gelato
　7.protezione
　8.il principe del regno della pasta
　9.lyoris radiata herb
Disc2
　10.amare
　11.febbre alta
　12.simbiosi
　13.stella cadente
　a.Building Henrietta
　b.Building Rico
　c.Meet the Real Gunslinger Girls
　d.Production Commentary
　e.Voice Director Commentary
　f.Dossiers
　g.Textless Songs
　h.Trailers

収納ケースは、中古を新品と言われても見分けがつかない位、安っぽい。
なのでコレクターには耐えられないかもしれない＾＾；

Blue-ray の大容量ディスクに詰め込めるだけ詰め込んだ感じなので、画質的にはＤＶＤに相当すると思う。
高画質、高音質で数話しか入っていない Blue-ray と比べると、品質的には落ちるだろうが、
ＶＨＳやベータで録画していた時代から見ると、画質的には文句はない。
外国版のＤＶＤでは、国産の再生機で見ることができない場合があるが、
北米版 Blue-ray では、国産の Blue-ray レコーダとＰＳ３で再生できる事を確認した。
コストパフォーマンスの面から見ても、こちらの方が断然いい。
Gunslinger Girl は好きな話なので購入できて、本当に良かった。
11 people found this helpful
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ふにゃっしー
4.0 out of 5 stars 北米版BDのレビューです
Reviewed in Japan on November 9, 2023
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SONYのBDP-S1500で特に設定等変更することなく見られました。
ディスク1に1～9話、ディスク2に10～13話+英語版声優へのインタビュー等各種特典が入っていて、英語字幕や音声はリモコンの切替ボタンやトップメニューのset upから簡単に切り替えられて便利です。
特に、日本アニメの海外版BDは字幕消せないのがある中、英語字幕を消せるのは大変ありがたい。

そして本編ですが、原作約2巻分の内容を全13話のアニメにしているので、結構オリジナルの尺稼ぎシーンがありますが、個人的には気にならない改変でした。ただ、1話が原作のヘンリエッタ関係の話を時系列シャッフルで継ぎはぎした内容、そして13話が天体観測の話にオリジナル展開を少し混ぜた内容なので、その辺は評価が分かれそうです(特に13話はアンジェリカが死んだように演出される)。
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