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''"The ultimate battle strategy: To avoid battle by removing an enemy's will to fight."'' -- Empress Tenshi

'''a.k.a.:''' ''Grenadier ~The Senshi of Smiles~''

Based in an alternate version of Japan's civil war period, this is the story of the travels of Tendou Rushuna, a buxom young woman with astonishing skill with a revolver. Known as a senshi, or firearms expert, Rushuna is on a personal journey to bring peace to the land. Uncomfortably aware that shooting people is not the best way to accomplish this, Rushuna is struggling to master the peaceful teachings of the Empress Tenshi. Accompanying her is Kojima Yajiro, a.k.a. Yatchan, a skilled samurai who has grown weary of battle and sees value in Rushuna's goals. Also along for the ride is Kurenai Mikan, an orphaned balloon artist who has painful memories of her own to deal with.

Learning that there is a price on her head, Rushuna journeys back to the Capital to clear her name. Pursued and watched by a mysterious man in a clown mask, Rushuna must battle the Juttensen or Ten Heavenly Enlightened one by one, each armed with strange and deadly weapons. She gains allies as she travels, beating her enemies with her skills and winning them over with her purity, trying to learn more about the mysterious Jester and to understand the Empress's strange actions.

Though there are only 12 episodes, Grenadier manages to explore each character and many of the foes in depth. The anime is very well suited to the incredible ballistics and improbable weapons of the show, easily switching speeds to let the viewer see what is happening during combat. Featuring high quality animation, the show also is known for its ample eye candy. Rushuna's impressive bosom gives her a signature method of reloading her revolver in combat that must be seen to be believed. It was for good reasons that the popular anime collection AMVHell played the song "Dark Chest of Wonders" as accompaniment to Rushuna's eye-popping gymnastics.

There's also a manga version with a plot far differing from that of the anime, with Rushuna trying to find her homeland, editing the backstories of some of the major characters (including turning her evil counterpart into an adoptive sister, and the Jester into a nutjob [[BeyondTheImpossible capable of making Hitler look sane]]), and quite possibly turning the world they live in into a post-apocalyptic scenario, except it's been so long after it that the [[LostTechnology ancient super weapons]] are buried deep and the world is somewhat flourishing.

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This show provides examples of:

* AnAesop - Conflicts are best solved with a smile--and preferably a soft hug to the chest. The big soft chest.
* AlternateHistory - Giving us a new version of Japan's civil war period.
* AnimeAnatomy - Although Rushuna is rarely ''completely'' naked, there are situations where you'd think that at least her nipples would be exposed...
* AnimeThemeSong - Since it aired on two different networks, there are two theme songs.
* BlastingItOutOfTheirHands - This is Rushuna's primary method of disabling opponents, leaving them moaning and clutching their wounded hands.
* BoobsOfSteel - Rushuna is the best marksman in the show, and the most endowed female. Unfortunately, so is her EvilCounterpart and [[TheRival rival]].
* BottomlessMagazines - Subverted: Rushuna can only fire six shots at a time, and even after reloading repeatedly she still runs out of bullets in at least one episode. That cleavage of hers can only hold so much, you know...
** Still, at the end of the last episode, it is shown just how many rounds her cleavage can carry as they are spilled out in a shower.
* BrokeEpisode - Rushuna and Yajiro have to resort to street performances in order to get money in one episode.
* CallingYourAttacks
* CharacterDevelopment - It's amazing how much exploring of each character is fit into twelve episodes without steering away from the plot.
* ChivalrousPervert - Teppa
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass - Rushuna
* CrowningMomentOfAwesome - Rushuna's crazy GunKata duel in the final episode is a shining example, although Yajiro gets one when he deflects a massive cannonball with a ''frickin' katana.''
* {{Darwinist}} - The Jester.
* DoesntLikeGuns - Yajiro
* DoubleEntendre - Removing the enemies' armor. Some of those enemies would probably prefer that, in place of being shot to disabled...
* DramaticWind - With Mikan's forgiveness, Rushuna's skirt is blown in the wind.
* EverythingsWorseWithBears - Part of [[spoiler:Setsuna's HeroicSacrifice]] in the manga.
* EvilCounterpart - [[spoiler: Setsuna the Tenshi impersonator.]] This is reflected quite well visually, with her outfit, hair, and skin being stark contrasts to Rushuna's brighter colors.
* FanService - One of the figurines actually came with two different detachable bosoms.
* FiringInTheAirALot - Win a weekend at the Peach Blossom Tower!
* FirstNameBasis - Yatchan
* FuroScene - Rushuna is constantly searching for her next hot bath.
* {{Gainaxing}} - Like you wouldn't believe. Actually used for a practical purpose, though.
* GeckoEnding - The anime and manga deviate quite a bit after the appearance of Suirou and Teppa.
* GodivaHair - Rushuna fashions a ''swimsuit'' out of her hair in one chapter of the manga, when her [[FridgeBrilliance hydrophobic swimsuit melts.]]
* GunKata - Rushuna and Setsuna in episode 12
* HighSpeedMissileDodge
* HotSpringsEpisode - Seen in the closing credits.
* HyperspaceArsenal - Mikan manages to produce an inflatable boat, costumes, a glider, even fully colored doubles of herself on demand. And her 50 gallons of water balloons vanishes without a trace. Apparently Mikan is carrying an inflatable portable hole!
* IHaveTheHighGround - While the Jester can stand on air, he favors high vantage points such as tree tops and cliffs.
* ImplausibleFencingPowers - Yajiro uses his katana to fend off bullets, [[StarWars jedi-style]].
* ImprobableAimingSkills - Rushuna is the queen of this, and is often considered to be [[{{Trigun}}Vash The Stampede's]] DistaffCounterpart because of it.
* ImprobableWeaponUser - Basically every member of the Elite Imperial Guard. Aizen Teppa uses a special, nigh-invincible cloth, another uses sound, and the Jester uses what appears to be FrickinLaserBeams.
** Actualy the Jester uses blasts of focused air
* InASingleBound - Rushuna can pull this off, but so can others.
* LuminescentBlush - Kasumi gets the hots for Teppa.
* MagicBullets - Every blessed one of them.
* MagnificentBastard - The Jester, who is more proactive than most.
* MarshmallowHell - Done humorously, but also practically and for emotional effect as well. Rushuna hides Yajiro from enemy troops in a hot spring with it, but also uses it on a couple of her defeated enemies in a form of the CooldownHug.
* MaskPower - The Jester.
* MostCommonSuperPower - The three best women fighters in the series all have this. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] in manga by Mikan during an {{Omake}}, where she asks Rushuna how she got so big, and Rushuna has no idea.
* MsFanservice - Rushuna. ''Yes.'' If it weren't for Mai Shuranui, she'd be the queen of this.
* OddCouple - Straight-headed gun-hater Yajiro with off-beat gunslinger Rushuna.
* OnlyAFleshWound - Rushuna shoots dozens of people but never kills anyone.
* {{Samurai}} - Yatchan.
* RevolversAreJustBetter - The two best marksmen in the show both use revolvers, and Rushuna's is not only a custom job, but also considered very outdated by the standards of the setting.
** Seeing how she reloads her gun during battles, it is by far the best choice for her though.
* ScaryShinyGlasses - Though not very scary, when Aizen Teppa hides his emotions, his lenses go shiny.
* SchizoTech - Robots, machine guns, and missiles, right next to swords and samurai armor.
* SheIsAllGrownUp - With the use of balloons, Mikan briefly appears to be older than she is, and even does MarshmallowHell to Yajiro at one point.
* SignLanguage - Suirou
* SoftWater
* TakeMyHand - Yajiro and Fuuka, episode 9
* TeamShot
* TechnicalPacifist - Yatchan believed that only with a sword could you feel the weight of a human life.
* TheGunslinger - Rushuna and [[spoiler: Setsuna]].
* ThisIsSomethingHesGotToDoHimself - Yatchan versues the Jester.
* TwelveEpisodeAnime
* UnorthodoxReload - Rushuna loads her gun by ejecting bullets [[VictoriasSecretCompartment from her cleavage]].
** The most amazing feat though is that she then [[BeyondTheImpossible fetches them with her open revolver]].
** It apparently was part of her training, since [[spoiler:Setsuna pulls this off as well]].
* VictoriasSecretCompartment - See above.
* WeirdMoon
* WendeeLee - Rushuna's English voice.
* WhatMeasureIsAMook - Averted: Anyone Rushuna meets is offered a hug and a smile, and if they try to kill her, she'll stick to her ultimate strategy.
* WronglyAccused
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair - Every Japanese character has black hair, and Rushuna's blonde hair immediately marks her as a foreigner.
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