There is a peculiar intersection between moe, gun enthusiasm, and the action genre in animation that has created a vibe so distinct that each new iteration brings to mind another show that scratches a particular itch. The “Girl with a Gun” anime brings to mind shows likeGunslinger Girl, parts ofMadoka Magica, or the recent smash hitLycoris Recoil, to say nothing of female-ledshows with adult gunslingers likeBlack Lagoon.
These shows aren’t quite frequent enough to really solidify themselves as a genre, yet the number has been sufficient to give anime fans a unique kind of excitement when they happen. So what are the elements of this kind of show, what is the appeal, why does it leave such an impact, and how have these stories evolved over the years?
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Why Girls?
Every once in a while a show comes along that caters to gun action in places where anime wouldtypically opt for swords or martial arts, and more than a few of these shows are led by teenagers or young adults. The main question one might ask, especially if they’re new to anime or this particular niche within the medium, is why that is.
The obvious answer is that a lot of anime are written about young leads to begin with, considering they are targeted at young adult audiences. But in the case of these gun-oriented shows, the treatment of weaponry can be very gratuitous on a mechanical level. you may tell just by watching these shows how much effort was put into weapon designs, weapon animation, and general tactical choreography and consulting.
Airsoft is big in Japan because there are strict gun laws but plenty of otaku who will geek out over weapons and military fiction, and a lot ofthat love for “tactic-cool” gunplayis felt in these anime. But the same dedication to realism makes it more than a tad amusing when a middle-school girl carrying a P90 shoots a room full of grown men to smithereens.
Something about the slight-to-severe humor of that imagery no doubt has contributed to shows like these being so well-remembered. Fans will never forget the first gunfight inGunslinger Girl, Homura’s stockpile of arms inMadoka, or even just the opening scene ofLycoris Recoil. It all speaks to a demand for gun-oriented action that tends to be catered to more by these “Girl with a Gun” shows than by other anime.
For more mature takes on the trope, Revy fromBlack Lagoonis practically the gold standard for anime gun girls, with icons like Motoko Kusanagi following close behind. Additionally, the action of Masahiro Ando’sCanaanhad moments of genius, and it’s likely the reason Ando was tasked with directingUnder the Dog, the failed OVAthat was practically the final form of this genre.
Why (NOT) Girls?
At first glance, this niche seems like the clash of two disparate elements producing unforgettable results, but there is some symbolic weight behind the imagery. For starters, people tend to look at youth as a sign of innocence, so by taking a young girl and giving her a gun, you subvert an icon of innocence in a way that carries inherent weight.
Narratively, stories with young gunslingers tend to capitalize on this notion. The girls aren’t just any girls, butorphans trained from birth to be killers, because what better way to blend into a crowd than to make people assume you’re “just an average girl”? However, as some reading this might imagine, this is the kind of draw to a story that can all too easily be fetishized.
1998’sKitefrom Studio Arms is an unfortunate example of when a “Girl with a Gun” anime can be done with such a lack of tastefulness as to sap any enjoyment out of its few cool ideas. It’s a standard “orphan girl assassin” premise, where she seemingly exclusively kills sexual predators, which alone would be fine if not for her adult handler also sexually preying on our underage lead.
It’s a fairly poorly written story and one not worth reflecting on for much longer. Thankfully, it’s just one very bad example, but the damage is already kinda done once you see how this premise can be warped. Generally, though, these showsaren’t bogged down by such fetishization, and most times, it seems like fans of this niche are more interested in the gunplay than anything else.
How The Niche Has Evolved
Whenever these kinds of shows appear, they always make an impression - though arguably one that targets a very specific audience who is hungry for it. But perhaps the reason it has continued to be so niche is that these stories don’t always reach their full potential. This isn’t a genre, so only a few of these shows encompass these qualities throughout every facet of their stories.
Madoka Magica’s gunplay, as memorable as it is, is only a fraction of the experience. Some, like Canaan, had their charms, but the appeal of cute girls and guns won’t always yield an entertaining story. The “Girl with a Gun” anime is a vibe to be certain, but great stories are hardly built on vibes alone.
Perhaps that’s whyLycoris Recoil’s success is such a big boon to this suggestion of a genre. It wasn’t just successful compared to the other examples offered - it was one of the most acclaimed shows of 2022 and one of A1 Pictures' best original series in years. Any time an original anime hits big like this is a joy,but even more impressive, it was a director debut.
LycoRecowas Shingo Adachi’s first time directing a full TV series, though he was far from a novice. He has been working in the industry as an animator and designer for years. He’s been the chief animation director and character designer on almost every season ofSword Art Onlinefrom the beginning of the series to 2019’sWar of Underworld, and even the filmOrdinal Scale.
In a staff interview, Adachi talked about his “Outside the box” thinking while creating the series and how the opportunity to direct was the culmination of years of ideas he had as an animator. He wrote the story alongside the series' original creator, Asaura, and stressed his intention to make a storythat viewers could truly engage with, beyond the exterior appeal.
The original story that was created lacked the intensity and entertainment of a story that I would aim for. There’s been so many different genres and stories produced of “cute girls and gun action” before us, so it was challenging to think of any “innovation from the story”… So from the very beginning I set in place our main thought of “how can we get the viewers to follow us to the final episode?”
-Shingo Adachi, From “Lycoris Recoil: Heroine Archives”
Where projects likeUnder the Dogfailed to get off the ground,Lycoris Recoilkept gun enthusiasts properly fed, all the while succeeding as a narrative on its own. Anime is full of niches that become genres in themselves.Perhaps just asJohn Wickrocked the foundationsof action films, all the “Girl with a Gun” anime needed was just one chance to show what it was capable of. And hopefully whatever comes out of this genre next will be even better.
