I have to agree with this comment on the main article. Though I am sympathetic to some of the article's main points--i.e. disgust at seeing young girls being exploited because they are seen as the prime subjects for being controlled by the agency, I think the author has missed the messages that Gunslinger is trying to send out. Gunslinger is a drama/pseudo-political/psychological genre series that more or less is about exploring the idea of using children as weapons for the cause of the greater good. The agency that piloted the cyborg fighter program choose the girls with the thought that females tend to be less psychologically prone to aggression and would therefore make better subjects for training and being controlled. Is isn't a nice or just way of thinking but it does make sense, does it not? In fact, Gunslinger--made for an older audience as the above commentor mentioned-- portrays drama that is oddly "realistic" and plausible given the premises of the show. The girls are hardly likely to rebel and fight their way out of the agency anytime soon because that would make it into a different type of anime. The manga that the anime is based off has been written with overt emphasis on the girls' missions while quietly weaving in the subtle character developments. Rather than telling a story about a renegade troop of ex-government tools escaping into free society and ruling their own lives while fending off the evil agency that created them and want them back (a tale told once and many times before) Gunslinger is a surprisingly quiet drama about the girls coping with their unusual and bleak experience.
Of course, by coping and living the way that they are told to live, the girls of Gunslinger certainly aren't exactly fighting the feminist cause. But then again, the manga and the anime aren't really talking about feminism. The emphasis is on ethics. The agency that the "siblings" work for fight terrorists and mafia organizations...by exploiting young children. This brings me to another point-the girls are awfully young. With the exception of Triella they are all preteens. Triella is the oldest and has the most matured personality, whereas the others are still being subtly developed. Henrietta may be the one with the least brainwashing done on her but she is also the newest member of the team--therefore she is like a clean slate with very little memory of her past life.
It is true that the sibling pairs are all male handlers commanding young female assassins. So yes, the girls are dominated by males. But the relationships (while admittedly not without obvious romantic tension-especially in the case of Henrietta and her "brother") can also be seen as paternal in some cases. The girls are all orphans with little memory of their parents (with the exception of Rico) and get partnered with men that could who more or less make sure that they are taken cared of, get educated and trained. Some of them get stuffed toys for holidays and birthdays.
This brings me to how the article mentioned the girls were willing to die rather than disappoint their brothers. I didn't find this part surprising or disgusting given the premises of the show. The girls seem to get very little social interaction other than between themselves and their handlers--who seek approval from as paternal figures and adults (they appear to be looking for love too...which may to the minds of some of the girls be the same thing as approval). Besides, the Japanese (i don't want to generalize but historically speaking) are not strangers to a honor code that emphasizes failure as shameful.
I have to agree with this comment on the main article. Though I am sympathetic to some of the article's main points--i.e. disgust at seeing young girls being exploited because they are seen as the prime subjects for being controlled by the agency, I think the author has missed the messages that Gunslinger is trying to send out. Gunslinger is a drama/pseudo-political/psychological genre series that more or less is about exploring the idea of using children as weapons for the cause of the greater good. The agency that piloted the cyborg fighter program choose the girls with the thought that females tend to be less psychologically prone to aggression and would therefore make better subjects for training and being controlled. Is isn't a nice or just way of thinking but it does make sense, does it not? In fact, Gunslinger--made for an older audience as the above commentor mentioned-- portrays drama that is oddly "realistic" and plausible given the premises of the show. The girls are hardly likely to rebel and fight their way out of the agency anytime soon because that would make it into a different type of anime. The manga that the anime is based off has been written with overt emphasis on the girls' missions while quietly weaving in the subtle character developments. Rather than telling a story about a renegade troop of ex-government tools escaping into free society and ruling their own lives while fending off the evil agency that created them and want them back (a tale told once and many times before) Gunslinger is a surprisingly quiet drama about the girls coping with their unusual and bleak experience.
Of course, by coping and living the way that they are told to live, the girls of Gunslinger certainly aren't exactly fighting the feminist cause. But then again, the manga and the anime aren't really talking about feminism. The emphasis is on ethics. The agency that the "siblings" work for fight terrorists and mafia organizations...by exploiting young children. This brings me to another point-the girls are awfully young. With the exception of Triella they are all preteens. Triella is the oldest and has the most matured personality, whereas the others are still being subtly developed. Henrietta may be the one with the least brainwashing done on her but she is also the newest member of the team--therefore she is like a clean slate with very little memory of her past life.
It is true that the sibling pairs are all male handlers commanding young female assassins. So yes, the girls are dominated by males. But the relationships (while admittedly not without obvious romantic tension-especially in the case of Henrietta and her "brother") can also be seen as paternal in some cases. The girls are all orphans with little memory of their parents (with the exception of Rico) and get partnered with men that could who more or less make sure that they are taken cared of, get educated and trained. Some of them get stuffed toys for holidays and birthdays.
This brings me to how the article mentioned the girls were willing to die rather than disappoint their brothers. I didn't find this part surprising or disgusting given the premises of the show. The girls seem to get very little social interaction other than between themselves and their handlers--who seek approval from as paternal figures and adults (they appear to be looking for love too...which may to the minds of some of the girls be the same thing as approval). Besides, the Japanese (i don't want to generalize but historically speaking) are not strangers to a honor code that emphasizes failure as shameful.