Rating: 
Summary: Battle Angel Alita (Gally) best of the Best.
Review: Yukito Kishiro is easily one of the best artists of this decade. I have read a great deal of Manga-style literature, and nothing I have read can compare with the world Kishiro has created in words and images for the reader. A Perfect 10!
Rating:
Summary: Landmark book.
Review: This is only the first of a projected ten graphic novels, and already the series shows promise. A cybernetic doctor who lives in a dark and harsh world finds the remains of a cyborg with the brain still intact. He repairs her and believes that she can be perfect and unsullied. But that is not her path. Suffering from amnesia, and armed only with an amazing fighting style, Alita sets out to discover who she truly is. Don't miss the first step of her amazing journey!
Rating:
Summary: To be honest, this G-N should get 20 out of 10
Review: Growing up in Asia, I was exposed to thousand of comics and graphic novels... known to the world as Manga. Well, having said that, I've come across a series that just blew me away!!! Yup, you guessed it!!! I think what makes this manga so special is the fact that characters are so likeable, and you can't help but to care about them. Also, the heroine Alita is... what can I say... unstopable! In this one memorable scene, Alita loses her left arm, and lower torso, and still manages to fight.. What other superhero does that??? Take a look at it, you won't be disappointed!!!
Rating:
Summary: A terrific action manga that's not for the faint-hearted!
Review: Do you ever wonder if there's a manga series out there that's filled with gut-wrenching violence yet actually has a plot? Then look no further than "Battle Angel Alita", a perfect hybrid of a killer story and plenty of blood & gore action.With all the magic-girl and alternate-world and mecha-oriented manga/anime out there today, "Battle Angel Alia" is quite a breath of fresh air. The story focuses on Alita (Gally in the Japanese version) and her quest to find her lost past, with only a powerful fighting instinct as her clue. This concept alone draws the reader into the story, and the enjoyment factor is quickly heightened by the well-fleshed out characters. Even the bad guys seem to have motives behind their actions! Of course, it's not "Princess Mononoke" morality, but it's still very believable. The art is beautifully drawn and always serious, meaning characters don't use chibi-like ways to express their emotions (ex: tear drop on head for embarrasment, wide eyes for surprise). But that doesn't mean there isn't humor found in this book; it's just not one of the main focuses. One of the main focuses in undoubtedly the blood and gore, which is more than enough to make this for a mature audience only. This manga isn't afraid to show people getting sliced, diced, impaled, shattered, and all the other terminology that applies. Scenes of this nature include a criminal ripping a man's scalp off and drinking the man's brain, and that same criminal placing another man's brain on his tongue with an eyeball still attached to the brain before eating it. Trust me, it's enough to make even those with iron stomachs squirm. The plot? Excellent! The story might seem to lag a little near the end of the book, but it all comes together beautifully, in my opinion. And besides, this first volume is merely the introduction to the world Alita will face. The next eight books in the series will undoubtedly steer towards Alita's quest to find herself. All in all, "Battle Angel Alita" is a must-have for any serious manga fan. Word of warning, however. There is a two episode anime OVA series that focuses on the first two volumes in the manga. I advise you to watch it only after reading the manga, because expectations might not be as high when done vice versa. But with all that said, enjoy entering the world of "Battle Angel Alita"!
Rating: 
Summary: Innocence and Lots of Fighting
Review: Battle Angel Alita takes place in the technologically advanced future. The story starts when Daisuke Ito, a doctor, finds a human brain in a cyborg head in the landfill beneath his floating city. As a doctor in the future world Daisuke frequently treats cyborgs and so he builds a body for the abandoned girl. She has been in a landfill and so has no memory of her past. Chance gets her involved in a fight and she is really good at it. So for the rest of the book we follow Daisuke souping up her cyborg bodies and Alita trying to "find herself" by fighting. The fighting got a little tedious for me, but it was well drawn and introduced lots of crazy weapons technology.
The book is kind of a mix of innocence and violence. Alita has no memory so she comes off as very innocent and gets into scrapes. But she also really really likes fighting.
Battle Angel Alita is very well drawn. This is good because there are some interesting environments. For example, a good chunk of the story takes place in the underground sewer system, which has huge pipes and lots going on. From the cover art I was expecting more pin-ups etc. I was happy to find not so many and no nudity (well there is one scene but drawn vaguely and not at all suggestive). Its still sexy but in the form of tight black garments. The art style is realistic but more cute. It fits the feel of the story well.
This is an all around cool anime comic book. If you like action and sciencey comics (this one has footnotes to describe the technology in place) or you want to try one out then this would be good. This is also a really good selection for public libraries, because it has no nudity and is totally clean and that is rarer for this genre.
Rating:
Summary: GRIM GRITTY AND SEXY
Review: Well, for fans of Ghost in the Shell, there is another beautiful cyborg toughgirl and her name is Battle Angel Alita. Below the floating city of Tiphares, where the elite live, lies the Scrap Yard. It is composed of a massive junk heap of robot parts and other castoff machinery and a city serving as a junk heap of humanity. There is no longer a police force patrolling the streets so law enforcement, or more correctly, the killing of criminals is done by bounty hunters out to make a buck.
Daisuke, a robot scientist, is sifting through the scrapyard and comes across the battered head of a cyborg with its braincase still functional. He gradually rebuilds her body but her mind has been wiped clean of memory. So he gives her the name Alita to give her an identity she can call her own. During an encounter with a rogue mutant, Alita instinctively displays fighting skills only found in the top warrior cyborgs.
Failing to have any other role model than Daisuke, who moonlights as a bounty hunter, Alita too wishes to hunt criminals. Even though Daisuke forbids it, Alita chooses to do it because she wants to prove she has her own freewill. Plus, she feels as though she were made for the job. She will have her first great challenge in the form of the hulking, brain-eating, and insane Makaku, a cross between the Hulk and Satan.
Yes, Battle Angel Alita is beautifully drawn and has lots of action. But it has deep underlying themes under its skin. Alita has a lot of sass and does the things she does to show that she has freedom. She fights to have a purpose. She says that being a bounty hunter lets her search for her identity through battle. I doubt that in the end this method of inquiry will yield anything. At least she's making choices, be they wrong or right. Kishiro does a good Shakespearean twist by making all of the characters complex and never really judging them for good or evil. Even Makaku has some sympathetic traits even if he is a murdering monster. This is not to say that the action isn't handled well. In fact, Kishiro draws the most coherent action sequences that I've ever seen in a manga. I highly recommend Battle Angel Alita to mature readers and those readers who like a little brains with their brawn.
Rating:
Summary: First experiance with Manga
Review: I am still in the process of completing the series of Battle Angel Alita....I was loaned the books by a friend who wanted to expose me to manga, and knew I would love the character. Well, from the moment I started reading , I personally, was completely engrossed in it all. I find that there are many layers to the story which explore parts of our own present culture. I love the fact that this is mostly an "underground" "underworld" story. I am almost done with the series and I am completely amazed. I am also on planning on reading the alternate ending to the series. There is a 3 book alternate ending. Knowing a bit of the writers personal story made this all the better for me. There is alot of foreshadowing on this book, which sometimes bothers me, but it nonetheless keeps you reading. I might have stopped reading if it weren't for that. It keeps your attention. I really suggest this book for anyone who likes something with psychological, philosophical, and cultural undertones. LOVED IT!!!!! :)
Rating:
Summary: Awakening and Compassion
Review: There are several manga series that enjoy popularity in the US, but have never completely broken through to best-seller status here. We seem to be too much influenced by the availability of a corresponding anime film or series. With manga like 'Battle Angel Alita,' this is a particular shame since I think the comic would make a perfect transition to automation. Yukito Kishiro's art is graphic and finely detailed, there is a tremendous amount of action, with plots that are full of unique twists. The story opens with Ido Daisake, part time hunter-warrior, part time humble repairman, pawing through piles of technological super junk for robot parts. Unexpectedly, he finds the head and torso of an attractive cyborg and sets out to rebuild her. After some work collecting what he needs, Alita (named for his dead cat) is up, about, and in trouble. Alita, it turns out, has surprising battle skills, and sets out to become a hunter-warrior herself. The second half of the manga tells the story of Alita's first major conflict - with Makaku, another cyborg who is all head and tail (except when he is 'borrowing' what parts he pleases). All of this takes place in the ground level (and sewer) of a Bladerunner-esque under-city called the Scrap Yard. It is the industrial plant and trash can for Tiphares, the upscale city in the clouds where jury-built cyborgs never get to go. Most residents are at least partly artificial and many are like Alita, a brain and central nervous system inside a mechanical contrivance. Despite all this dehumanization, Alita manages to be more than a machine operator. Somehow, her ethics and humanity have survived the fall to make this series much more than a choreographed hack and disassemble story. This is a manga with exceptional artistic and narrative values.
Rating:
Summary: Greatness in a book
Review: Battle Angel Alita is one of the best manga I've ever read. The art is incredible. Ignore any reviews that say it's not great. It's very violent, though. Not quite as much in the first as in some others, but the first is still really violent. The art is some of the best I've seen, by the way. I would DEFINITELY suggest this book for anyone who likes a good action anime or manga. However, it's not just action. It has a really great storyline along with everything else.
Basically I can sum it up by saying this: Great art, great story, great everything.
Rating:
Summary: Good storyline and even better art
Review: After reading the first book in the Battle Angel Alita series all I can say is WOW! From the moment it starts you are drawn into the futuristic heap of a city known as the Scrap Yard. It is located under the floating city of Tiphares, and is an opposite of the gleaming, floating structure, full of brothels and endorphine junkies (you'll find out about that later on in the series), where there is no police force and crime is enforced by bounties placed on criminals. The book opens as Dr. Ido, a loveable scientist with a dark side, stumbles upon the remains of a cyborg while digging through garbage for parts. She remembers nothing of her past, so he takes her under his wing, naming her Alita.
There's not many bad things to be said about this book. It draws you into to its futuristic yet strangely realistic world with its dark, grungy atmosphere and keeps you convinced in its realism with characters that are so well developed you'll be questioning who are the real heroes and villains. It does rely a lot on the battle scenes(pointed out by the title and by the fact that the chapters are called battles) which leads me to think that anime might be the better medium for this story, and it also is extremely gory, featuring decapitation, blood, and sadistic villains. These drawbacks aside, Battle Angel Alita is one of the best manga I've read and I would strongly recommend going out and buying it.
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