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Author Topic: Girls-with-guns  (Read 28946 times)

Koveras

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Girls-with-guns
« on: June 20, 2006, 04:00:50 PM »
Some time ago, I was kinda naively sure that Noir was the first anime in this genre. As it turns out, the story goes back to '95 when there was an OVA directed by Takeshi Mori and adapted from a manga by Kenichi Sonoda called Gunsmith Cats. It tells about two (!) young girls (!!) who own a gunshop (!!!) and take on dangerous missions involving bullets being shot. I don't know the details and don't wanna spoil it either. So I was wondering, maybe there was something even before that?

So, if you know any other examples of this genre (no matter, pre- or post-Noir era), share your knowledge with me. :) For I have only watched Gunslinger Girl and, of course, Madlax (loved them both). =)
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FallenAngel

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Re: Girls-with-guns
« Reply #1 on: June 20, 2006, 04:26:45 PM »
There is "Dirty Pair" back from 1985/86. In one of the "Dirty Pair" productions was even Koichi Mashimo involved. One of their outfits has a slight resemblence to the Noir ceremonial dresses.
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Koveras

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Re: Girls-with-guns
« Reply #2 on: June 20, 2006, 05:28:42 PM »
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Section_8

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Re: Girls-with-guns
« Reply #3 on: June 20, 2006, 11:38:03 PM »
Ah, Gunsmith Cats....manga is so very much better.

And yes, Kei and Yuri were probably the first girls-with-guns, or at least the most famous. Queen Emeraldas was a girl-with-a-gun-and-a-pirate ship, if that counts. Oh, and there's Burn Up!, with Maki "Inhumanly Huge Chest" Can'trememberlastname and the crazy lady with her computer. Ignore Burn Up W and its bretheren completely. Although they both play up the comedic angle.
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Koveras

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Re: Girls-with-guns
« Reply #4 on: June 21, 2006, 02:43:02 AM »
Quote from: Section_8 on June 20, 2006, 11:38:03 PM
Queen Emeraldas was a girl-with-a-gun-and-a-pirate ship, if that counts.

Oh, I have even watched that once... A long, long time ago. %) Well, maybe not the OVA, but definitely the Captain Harlock series. %)

Quote
Oh, and there's Burn Up!, with Maki "Inhumanly Huge Chest" Can'trememberlastname and the crazy lady with her computer. Ignore Burn Up W and its bretheren completely. Although they both play up the comedic angle.

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=533 :)
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Fellini 8.5

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Re: Girls-with-guns
« Reply #5 on: June 28, 2006, 08:55:24 PM »
If you want to see an old-skool "Girl-with-tank" show, there's "Dominion Tank Police" from back in the '80s.  2 episodes of the first OVA were directed by Mashimo, as well.  I think the newer 2nd OVA sucked, but I actually remember watching the 1st one way back when it was first released in the US, and commented "these Japanese animators are really f*'d up".  Little did I know I'd obsess over the director some 20 years later.... :D
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Ross

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Re: Girls-with-guns
« Reply #6 on: June 30, 2006, 05:52:01 AM »
There's many strong female leads, many of whom are hevily armed as well, that pre-date the current crop of Noir/Madlax/Gunslinger Girl/etc.

"Ghost in the Shell" "Magic 66" "Appleseed" and the already mentioned "Dominion Tank Police, etc"

If you look at more sci-fi leanings, there's "Battle Angel" "Iria" "Sol Bianca" "Bubblegum Crisis" etc. though they may be stretching the definition of "girls with guns" some.

If you go back the other direction of time there's plenty of "girls with swords" anime as well.

"Riding Bean" is the OVA that spawned "Gunsmith Cats" and features a blonde Rally Vincent in a supporting role.  Fun, but buy it cheap.
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Section_8

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Re: Girls-with-guns
« Reply #7 on: June 30, 2006, 11:14:52 PM »
Actually, I'd say that GUNNM probably comes closest to the Gw/G definition. Amnesia, strong female lead, world against her, unshakable will, tender heart, badass combat, dynamic relationships... so long as you ignore the terrible Last Order manga, it's perfect. Oh, except Kirika doesn't

Spoiler: show
 turn into a giant sweet pea and save the world


GitS, remarkably, has too much socialization and stable relationships in it to count as Gw/G, I think. And is that Black Magic M66 you mentioned? Man, gotta love that scattershot self-destruct.
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artent

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Re: Girls-with-guns
« Reply #8 on: July 01, 2006, 11:42:30 AM »
I find last order to be highly entertaining, just because it's so over-the-top and absurd.   Granted I wouldn't care anything for it were it not for the original series' awsomeness as it would just be stupid, but as it is I find it's subtle parody style worth the read.
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Koveras

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Re: Girls-with-guns
« Reply #9 on: July 01, 2006, 11:58:43 AM »
Wait, are you talking about this Last Order?..
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artent

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Re: Girls-with-guns
« Reply #10 on: July 01, 2006, 06:01:48 PM »
oops sorry, I was reffering to Battle Angel Alita: Last Order, a manga.   Should have been more specific.
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Section_8

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Re: Girls-with-guns
« Reply #11 on: July 01, 2006, 08:14:25 PM »
My gripe? My big, BIG gripe? It ret-cons the last volume of the first series out of existance and undoes all of Alita's character growth. And heaven help us if the manga follows the plot of the Last Order video game novel, in which it is revealed that
Spoiler: show
Alita is actually sort of a sentient cancerous growth that was surgically removed from this other freaky lady and given a cyborg body.
I mean, she
Spoiler: show
makes the ultimate sacrifice, finds true love, gets back together with Figure "Beats Up Mecha With Canned Goods" Four, AND becomes human, and now she's got NOTHIN!
Plus the fact that all these young punks nowadays probably don't remember the original manga. It's become a shonen action gorefest instead of a gorefest spiritual journey of a young girl. It's abandoned any GwitG roots it might have had. Baaah!

Sol Bianca was hilarious. Monomolecular wires! Ramming speed! Weight-sensitive cloaking device! Sniping from orbit! Although the sequel series was a bit odd.
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artent

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Re: Girls-with-guns
« Reply #12 on: July 01, 2006, 11:31:49 PM »
eh, I don't take anything that happens in it seriously.   He wasn't gonna top the original series in any of the aspects you mentioned so he's just taking it off in a completly different direction and having some simple-minded fun.

They also re-released the original series not to long ago so lots of new ppl. can get into it.   But enouph of Gunnm.


Is anyone aware of older girls with guns like stories, I don't mean just anime.   One of the oldest characters that might fit..if you replace gun with spear would be the Greek Goddess Athena, though she might not count since I'm not aware of any real stories about her that seem to fit the genre at all.   Saint Joan of Arc seems to work with the added benefit of actually being a real person.   Anyone think of anything even older?
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Section_8

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Re: Girls-with-guns
« Reply #13 on: July 03, 2006, 10:43:27 PM »
Well, contemporary-wise, there was Wonder-Woman during her '70s phase.

Queen Victoria might qualify as a "girl with guns and warships."
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Three a.m. is a wonderful time / when the terrors of sound come alive.

I know not whence that came.

Fellini 8.5

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Re: Girls-with-guns
« Reply #14 on: July 03, 2006, 10:58:34 PM »
Calamity Jane.

Which reminds me; I still haven't watched this week's "Deadwood" yet.  Hooray for swearing in iambic pentameter!
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Fellini 8.5
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