Gunslinger Girl - 5

If you haven't seen Gunslinger Girl yet, or you dismissed it as lolicon gun-porn, you need to go see it now. Watch at least through the third episode, although 4 and 5 are terrific too. Yes, it looks at first glance like lolicon gun-porn, but it's actually a terrific Godardian rebuke to the Sister Princess vein of crap that's been inflicted on us anime fans over the last few years. (Jean-Luc Godard famously wrote that "the best way to criticize a movie is to make another movie.")

So go see it. At least to episode 5, if you want to avoid spoilers. Don't read the manga; it's not as good. And don't worry, this entry will still be at the top of the page when you get back.



Okay?

Now, watch this scene towards the end, carefully.





Triela's eyes widen a moment before Jean reveals that Ravallo is dead.

She must have known what he was going to say. Which means she must have already known about Ravallo's death. Her line that began the scene - "Ravallo's been gone a while, hasn't he?" - looks, in this light, like an attempt to gently prepare Claes to accept the news, and adds another dimension to her anger at Jean for just saying it bluntly. He blew her setup.

But wait a minute - how the hell does Triela know Ravallo's dead? There's no particular reason to tell her before Claes. (Well, maybe, if they were going to try to let her break the news gently, but, um, clearly they aren't.) There's only one other way I can think of that she'd know.

Of course, we know Section 2 had Ravallo killed rather than let him talk to the press. And, since killing people is their job, and they're very good at it, they'd have done it themselves rather than hire someone else. So, all things considered, I have very little doubt that Triela killed Ravallo.

Gunslinger Girl is a show that rewards repeat viewings like few others I've seen. It's incredibly careful, and incredibly detailed. There's a whole other track I've been off on over whether Ravallo knew he'd be killed (probably, I think) and how he felt about it (there's an off chance, I think, that he might have committed intentional suicide - but I think it's much more likely that he decided to make the attempt and accept whatever the outcome turned out to be.)

When the last episode gets released, I'll explain why it's exactly the right way to end this show, and why its interaction with the overall structure is completely brilliant.