Gunslinger Girl is a flawed masterpiece. There are plenty of things about this manga that rub me the wrong way. Ultimately, though, it's one of the deeper stories I've read, and it's stuck as one of my favorites. Oh! And I want to say right at the beginning: if you're thinking this is one of those stories where a bunch of older creepy guys have inappropriate relationships with children - it's not at all! So don't let that turn you off.

I'm going to start with the bad.

-The ending is AWFUL. It's weird and it comes out of nowhere.
- Why are at least two volumes dedicated to the story of Petrushka, the least interesting cyborg in the series? Any of the other cyborgs would have been better suited to an in-depth focus.
- Jose goes through a bizarre art shift for a couple volumes where he is briefly transformed from an intimidating military man to a slight, cute fluffball. Needless to say, the new look is jarring and it doesn't align with his personality at all. Luckily it seems the author realized that, as it's a temporary makeover. :)
- There's the trope of a villian (just one, luckily!) who fits the "I'm a bad guy just because I want the world to burn, and I'm insane" mold.
- There's the trope of the annoying haunt who plagues a certain character's mind. Ugh.

With that out of the way, I can focus on why I love this series so much! To be honest, I find the plot a little hard to follow in places. But I very much enjoyed the story's focus on politics and terrorism, and some of the nuanced reasons behind terrorrism. I haven't read a lot of series that have a focus on such themes, and I feel that these topics were well integrated into the plotline. Generally, the terrorist factions and the terrorists we meet in the series are understated and their reasons for what they do make sense personally and as part of a larger national issue.

The portrayal of human emotions and longing blew me away. Those of you that have even read the first volume know that the cyborgs are all chosen because they have no other options. Some of them are suicidal. Some of them have terminal illness. Some of them have been in trafficking rings. Whatever the reason, they are chosen because they have a vulnerability. Well, with this dynamic (even though the memories of such events have been erased, sort of), it's no wonder they would seek solace in those around them - who are not equipped at all to fulfill those voids. This particular aspect of the relationship between handlers and cyborgs made the story for me. Maybe I'm a sadist, but the state of wanting affection from someone so much even though they can't or won't deliver it - and vice versa - is an aspect of people that I like exploring. If any of you have read this series, there's a certain scene where a character lights up a cigarette that gives me chills. They don't even need to say anything - the shift in feelings and the relationship is apparent just with that one action. Ah! It's moments like that that make this series what it is. Without giving the plot away too much, everyone in this story is "trapped" somehow. Whether it's the handlers or the cyborgs, everyone has their own trauma that they can't really deal with, and the means they seek out to comfort themselves due to that trauma ultimately leave them hollow. It's not uplifting, but it's realistic, and I feel it makes the story much more relateable.

The story's interpretation of cyborgs is unique. Usually, cyborgs are very machine-like and super-human. You wouldn't even be able to tell that the cyborgs in this story are different from people, and they get injured all the time. Yes, they're faster, stronger, and all that good stuff, but not so much so that they're ridiculous. One of them even goes through special training because she can't take down a target. They also very much have their human heart, feelings, and vulnerabilities intact. (Some people might argue with me on this point because of the drugs the cyborgs are all on, but as a side-note I thought that didn't detract from their emotions. It made them even more compelling, because through this fog of brainwashing and drugs, they still recalled things from the past now and then and they still had obvious emotional voids they tried to fill with various means.) Rather than being long-lived and invincible, the cyborgs lead short, compressed lives, and their mental abilities decrease with their time out in the field. Watching them break down is a bit like watching someone with Dementia deteriorate. It's so sad, but there's nothing you can do about it. In other words - it's perfect.

Finally, I loved the art style. The style of characters in particular appealed to me, as they are a bit more....box-y? than one would typically find in manga. They had weight and impact, they weren't airy with magically flowing hair and ridiculously long limbs. Even the ladies looked realistic and not over-accentuated. No one's drop-dead gorgeous or a bombshell, male or female. They all look like children, former police, or former military personnel - which they are.

In essence, if you like stories with a more nuanced plot and special attention to inner human struggles, you might enjoy this one. But if you're the type that doesn't like depressing stories, I'd avoid this like the plague. There's not a lot of personal triumphs, just a lot of setbacks. Oh, and for all of you that have read it, I'm just going to gush and say that Triela and Hilshire are the best! They're the adorable bright spot in this series both together and individually - y'all know what I'm talking about. :)