Gunslinger Girl (TV)

In the episode "Gelato", when Henrietta asks for ice cream, it is a reference to an Audrey Hepburn movie, "Roman Holiday", in which she ate ice cream in front of the steps.

The song heard at the beginning of Episode 7 is Woke From Dreaming, from the same Delgados album (Hate) as the OP.

Epiosde 7 contains a joke of sorts that doesn't quite work in English. Jean gives Rico the alias "Florence," inspiring Filippo Adani to remark that "Florence" is also the name of the city they're in. It seems like a rather stupid thing to say, unless you know that it's called "Firenze" in Italian. You pronounce that "fee-REHN-zuh." Japanese speakers (and the show's Japanese dialogue) usually employ the original Italian name, probably because it's easier than pronouncing the consonant blend at the beginning of "Florence."

Henrietta and Rico's violin cases bear the brand name "Amati." That's the name of a real-life manufacturer of instruments...but not stringed ones. Amati, a Czech company, only produces brass and woodwinds. Instead, the name is probably a reference to the Amati family, three generations of Italian luthiers (makers of stringed instruments) who perfected the design of the modern violin in the 16th through 18th centuries.

The sub-machine gun Henrietta carries in her violin case and seen in the opening credits is a FN P90.

Claes' weapon seen in the opening credits is a H&K VP70 burst fire pistol.

Angelica's weapon seen in the opening credits is a Steyr AUG A1.

Episode 9: the title "Lycoris Radiata Herb" (Cluster Amaryllis) refers to the Red Spider Lily. In Asian countries, this flower has strong associations with death, separation, and an inexorable fate.

Episode 13: Italian schoolgirls, even cybernetic ones, spontaneously singing "Ode to Joy" in German? That would seem less far-fetched in Japan, where the choral movement of Beethoven's ninth symphony has been widely popular for decades and is heard annually during the December holiday period.

Henrietta's pistol that was given to her in episode 1 and shown in the ending credits is a SIG Sauer P239

The assault rifle used in episode 3 by Triela during training is a H&K G3A3.

Rico uses a silenced CZ 75 for her hit in episode 3.

In episode 5, we find out that Claes' original name was Fleda (possibly they meant Freda?) Claes Johansson.

In episode 7, Jean asks Filippo Adani if he refused his mandatory military service. Up until very recently, Italy conscripted all able-bodied men at a certain age for a period of service in the army. In this particular regard, though, Gunslinger Girl failed to predict the future quite accurately. In 2004, a couple of years after creator Yu Aida wrote the original story, the Italian government abolished the draft and instituted an all-volunteer army.

In episode 9, during the classroom scene, the numbers that are on Rico's German Language worksheet are 5:56, 7:62, and 2:23. The 5.56x45mm round is the standard ammunition size for countries under NATO, while the 7.62(and it's variants) is the round mainly used by countries and allies of the Former Soviet Union. The .223 caliber is identical to the 5.56x45 round except that it fires at a lower pressure and velocity.

The painting on the wall of the corridor in episode 12 is "The Annunciation" by Fra Angelico where the archangel Gabriel is telling Mary she is to be the mother of god. This parallels the announcement taking place that the location of Claes has been discovered. The name of the artist also reflects the name of one of the girls - Angelica. The picture is a print, of course, as the original is in the convent of San Marco in Florence. Many other famous paintings are featured in the anime.