Another week, another episode of Gunslinger Girl, and another new cast member is introduced. This week we get another Brother/Sister pair, a deeper look into the Agency and just a bit of tragedy. So without further ado, lets dive in!
Starting off I want to explain where I am at with Gunslinger Girl. Because you see, I think I’ve had the wrong idea of what exactly this show is. After the first episode I was expecting a crime thriller of some kind, a character driven pew pew shootemup with morally questionable children. And so as we worked through these last 4 episodes I ended each one thinking “Great, when does the plot start?”. As many of you have told me, this was clearly a mistake. That isn’t what Gunslinger Girl is about, shooting guns is just a consequence of the setting. Rather Gunslinger Girl is about… well, the girls and those watching over them. About their relationships and how they interact with each other. I want to say its almost episodic in nature, but who knows where it will go. As for me, I’m just along for the ride now.
Moving on to the episode, this week is again another character introduction. This week we meet Claes and her handler Rabalo, a former MP. At the start their relationship is very similar to Rico and Jean’s, where Rabalo doesn’t care much for her. He keeps a professional distance and seems to do the bare minimum in his role. However over the course of the episode we see him transform more into Hirscher, coming to care for Claes. They bond over their fishing trips, their time away from the Agency, and he seems to start to see the little girl in her. So much so that, by the end, he was willing to quit and even expose the Agency. Before we move on to Claes I want to say right here, I am pretty sure Rabalo was killed for betraying the Agency, and I really hope that gets revealed later on.
Speaking of Claes, she did not take Rabalo’s death well. Throughout Gunslinger Girl we have seen how attached these girls get to their handlers. Whether it be in a romantic or familial sense, part of their conditioning ties them together. Jean himself says its a side effect of their programming and something they are working on resolving. So it makes sense that losing said handler would… upend them. In Claes’ case she seems to just not care anymore. She doesn’t care about living, about the other girls, or anything that wasn’t previously connected to Rabalo. She even keeps the glasses he gave her despite having perfect vision. It’s all a rather straightforward and clearly presented, Gunslinger Girl did a good job of laying it all out.
The only question I have about Claes is this: Rabalo told her to “be gentle” when handing her those glasses and she seems to have taken it to heart, but what happens if she takes them off? We see shes been relegated to more stress testing duties, figuring out the limitations of the cyborg bodies rather than any kind of combat missions. Is this because she isn’t willing/able to do combat missions anymore, and if so is it because of the glasses? Or is it continued from Rabalo’s death, such that she can’t bond with another handler anymore? Either way it’s something I hope Gunslinger Girl explores more in the future. I want to like this series, and individually each episode has been good. And since accepting that its more episodic than I initially expected, I have enjoyed it more. But I cant help but wish for something… greater.
All in all, it was another solid character focused episode. Gunslinger Girl has been a decent time so far, what with each individual episode being good. The characters themselves are interesting looks at the shows setting, with each one commenting on in a new way. Its just that for all that I enjoy them individually, I can’t shake the desire for more. The desire for progress, for these girls to be challenged in some way. It’s a consequence of the emotionless/doll-like state Gunslinger Girl has forced on them I suppose. It makes for an interesting discussion on the Agency and free will, but it doesn’t exactly make them proactive characters. It doesn’t give them a goal or anything to work towards. Instead it makes them reactive. So until Gunslinger Girl throws something at them to make them react, its going to feel like they are treading water.
Still, nothing wrong with a calm swim now and then. So long as it picks up all this set dressing later and runs with it, I think I will enjoy it quite a bit. See you next week!
