Il Teatrino(2008) is the belated sequel toGunslinger Girl(2003), one of the the series that introduced the "murderous moppet" subgenre of anime. Badly injured adolescent orphans are brainwashed and given cybernetic implants that turn them into pint-sized assassins for a covert branch of the Italian government. The new adventures for the expanded cast involve plenty of mayhem, which Henrietta, Rico, Triela et al. perform with knives, pistols, machine guns, garrotes, martial arts--and cold-blooded good cheer. Their primary foe is Pinocchio, an equally icy but completely human assassin who is the adopted son of an underworld kingpin. Assisted by "freelance terrorists" Franco and Franca, he aids his father in nefarious schemes the girls must foil. The battle turns into a grudge match between Pinocchio and Triela that features such macabre howlers as, "How dare he shoot me with a gun Hilshire gave me!" Even more grotesque than the child-assassins themselves are the wistful boyfriend/daddy/big brother relationships they doggedly pursue with their "handlers." At times,Gunslinger Girl: Il TeatrinosuggestsNinja Scrollrestaged by the cast ofChobits, but these deadly dollies apparently have a fanbase in Japan, where an additionalGunslinger GirlOVA appeared in late 2008. (Rated TV MA: suitable for ages 16 and older: considerable violence, violence against women and children including torture, grotesque imagery, profanity, alcohol and tobacco use)--Charles Solomon(1. Distance between Two: Brother and Sister, 2. Pinocchio, 3.   Simulacra, 4. Angelica's Return, 5. Evanescence and Reminiscence, 6.   The Retirement of the Tibetan Terrier, 7. Caterina and the Circel of Revenge, 8. A Day in the Life of Claes, 9. Clever Snake, Simple Pigeon, 10. Flowers of Good Will, 11. Budding Feelings, 12. The Fighting Puppet, 13. And So Pinocchio Becomes Human)