[G. Zeus]

The announcement of the new anime adaptation/continuation got me into the series again so I did some sort of character assessment for the first-stage cyborgs because I had nothing better to do (while procrastinating).

Angelica

Spoiler:

Handler: Marco
Type of relationship: father and child
Degree of conditioning: moderate to severe
I guess the degree of conditioning depends on which version we're talking about.

Spoiler:

In the manga, she dies due to physical injuries from a bomb blast but in the anime, it is implied that her death was a direct result of the conditioning taking its toll on her mind and body.

Rico

Spoiler:

Handler: Jean
Type of relationship: master and servant/tool/instrument
Degree of conditioning: severe
Rico's case appears to be exceptional in that she appears to have been conditioned to the point that her emotional development is stunted. She can feel emotions but these seem to be shallow and these do not affect her actions and her performance. Unlike the other girls who are desire praise, rewards, and acknowledgment from their handlers, Rico's training is based on negative feedback and physical punishment is not uncommon for her.

Henrietta

Spoiler:

Handler: Giuseppe/Jose
Type of relationship: elder brother and younger sister (and perhaps a little more?)
Degree of conditioning: moderate
Among the girls, Henrietta's the one with the highest requirements in terms of emotional maintenance and with the most questionable relationship with her handler. Her solution to Elsa's case showed that Jose would have been a dead man as well had circumstances been different.

Triella

Spoiler:

Handler: Hilshire
Type of relationship: colleagues (and perhaps a little more?)
Degree of conditioning: low
Her snappy replies and her slightly rebellious nature may lead some to think that the conditioning has almost no effect on her but her scene after defeating Pinocchio suggests otherwise. Despite this, she is pragmatic and able to act on her own without instructions from her handler. She wears masculine clothing during her missions yet her feminine side also shows with her concern for the "younger girls", her prized collection of teddy bears, and her possible crush on Hilshire.

Fleda Claes Johansson

Spoiler:

Handler: Raballo
Type of relationship: mentor and pupil
Degree of conditioning: low
At first, she only followed orders due to her conditioning. Her training under Raballo, along with her exposure to books, eventually enabled her to function independently after her handler's death. She's knowledgeable, taciturn and somewhat distant from the other girls. She only discloses her thoughts to Triella, her roommate and only peer.

Elsa de Sica

Spoiler:

Handler: Lauro
Type of relationship: unrequited love
Degree of conditioning: moderate
Devoted to her handler to the point of obsession. If only he had given her more attention, perhaps her life would have been not much different from Henrietta's.

Hooray for boredom.