Henrietta and Jose are fratello (siblings), but not in the conventional sense of the word. A terminal patient ‘saved’ by the Italian Social Welfare Agency, Henrietta was the recipient of cybernetic implants, along with mental conditioning that erased all memory of her past. Jose is her handler, the man in charge of overseeing not only her welfare, but the training required to transform her into a top class killing machine.

Jose and Henrietta are just one of several fratello pairs working for Section 2 of the Social Welfare Agency, hunting down radical factions and carrying out any other undercover work the government requires. Each handler approaches his task differently; some favouring a free rein, others preferring excessive conditioning, but no amount of brainwashing can change the fact that these cyborg assassins are still adolescent girls, with all the growing pains that implies.

‘Girls with guns’ and ‘brainwashed child soldiers’ may be concepts that have been used several times before, but Gunslinger Girl is far from generic. The moral issues associated with turning children into cyborgs and using conditioning that shortens their lifespan are interesting in themselves, but they are far from all that is on offer on here. The real crux of the series lies with the fratello pairing- a fascinating bond between the handlers, men who are themselves far from perfect but are nonetheless responsible for almost every aspect of their charges’ lives; and the cyborgs, a curious mixture of adolescent emotion and formidable assassination skills- eager to please, yet almost dangerously devoted to their ‘big brothers’.

With a strong ongoing story neglected in favour of a more character driven approach, these opening episodes serve to explore the specifics of this pairing whilst introducing us to the majority of the cast by giving us a look into the development of four different fratello. Every extreme is explored- from the pragmatic Jean who treats his cyborg as nothing more than an obedient tool, to Jose, who adopts a firm but fair approach whilst inwardly struggling with the morality of what he is doing. All of these characters have well defined personalities, and watching their development is an intriguing if sometimes bittersweet experience.

Presentation-wise, Gunslinger Girl is very much grounded in reality, with an incredible attention to detail that touches everything from the stunning backdrops and accurate weapon designs, right down to minor elements such as the clink of spent shells as they fall to the floor. The lack of flashy and over-the-top sequences does not detract from the action scenes in any way, which are well executed and often emotionally charged. Background music is used sparingly but to good effect, with predominantly piano-based tracks enhancing the atmosphere at just the right junctures.

In Summary

With its compelling cast and satisfying depth of emotion, Gunslinger Girl provides an initial instalment that never fails to deliver. Add in the top notch job done on the presentation front and you have a quality package that could quite possibly be one of the best series to hit the UK this year.