Gunslinger Girl, Episode 3: Young Boy - Ragazzo

So my friend Tommy texted me the other night asking me if I watched this anime called Gunslinger Girl. If I did not, he suggested I watch it, but he did warn me that it's pretty f'ed up.


Now, if there's one guy I trust out there when it comes to what to watch in terms of anime, it's Tommy --- even though he usually does not tell me until it's at least 5 episodes deep into the series already and I either have to find a way to catch up through the internet or read up on it via Wiki. And once in a while, he completely f'es up and suggests something to watch and next thing you know I'm on the phone with him asking "Did you know there was Samurai guy love in that show?" (and for the record, he claims he did not).


Anyways, I DVR this past Friday's Gunslinger Girl, and I decide to watch the anime for the first time ever. I, however, made the egregious mistake of watching it right before I went to bed. Tommy was not kidding when he said this was pretty f'ed up (but very watchable). To recap, this anime is basically about young girls who are either orphaned or have had some sort of physical issues being cybernetically enhanced into killing machines. They still look like little girls though, which is the disturbing part. Seeing these girls just kill anybody and everybody that the mission dictates...

What was the most disturbing scene for me: this character, Rico, they send her out on a scouting mission to case the hotel where they are planning to assassinate a target. While on said mission, she meets a young boy, Emilio, who works as a bellhop in the hotel. This poor little sap is clueless about a lot of things but you can't help liking him, and he tries to be friends with Rico who seems to want to return the sentiment. Fast forward to the mission, and Rico assassinates the targets in the hotel. As she leaves the room, who sees her but Emilio. Emilio is all flustered because Rico is there and dressed up as a hotel maid as well. He asks her what she's doing, and then Rico, in that little girl voice of hers says: "What are the words I am looking for? Oh yes. I am sorry." Then pulls out her gun and then kills him.

Disturbing. But I can't wait for Episode 4 now.