Description
Gunslinger Girl is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yu Aida. Set in modern Italy, the series focuses on young cybernetic girls and their adult male handlers who use them as assassins under the directions of a government organization. The manga series is licensed for an English language release in North America by Seven Seas Entertainment. A thirteen-episode anime adaptation aired in Japan from October 2003 to February 2004. The series follows the exploits of the Social Welfare Agency, a military organization specializing in counter-intelligence and counter-terrorism. It is composed of two independent branches: Public Safety and Special Ops. Special Ops employs young girls fitted with cybernetic implants as agents. Each girl is paired with an adult male trainer, and together they are referred to as a fratello. The handler is responsible for the training, welfare, and field performance of his charge. The manga series was completed in September 2012, and as of December 2012, it had over 3.9 million copies in circulation. Gunslinger Girl received the Excellence Award in the Manga Division at the 16th Japan Media Arts Festival in 2012.
