Rating: 
Summary: Alita wakes up to the harshness of her world
Review: Alita falls in love with Hugo, only to be huanted by the fact that she has an artificial body. When Hugo appears on the bounty list, Alita must choose between helping him and becoming a bounty herself, or killing him.
Rating: 
Summary: Amid a stream of violence, this book has heart.
Review: Alita, a resurrected android girl-turned bounty hunter, falls in love with Hugo, a boy whose greatest dream is to leave the dreary Scrapyard and live in the floating utopian city Tiphares above. He's willing to do anything to buy his way into it, which puts him on the wrong side of the law, and up against Alita. Since he's not evil, just misguided, Alita tries to convince him of another way, while at the same time confronts her own humanity (or lack thereof) and struggles with the question of "how IS right and wrong defined in this savage world?" How far will Alita go for Hugo? Will Hugo even notice her interest in him? How does the serial killer Zapan fit in to all of this? Read the book, before I ask any more soap opera-like questions!!!! This book would get 5 stars, but I found the ultraviolence to be a turnoff (and sorta unnecessary), and skimmed those parts. But the rest, from the tortured romance, to the musings on humanity, to the humor, is BEAUTIFULLY told by the terribly underrated Yukito Kishiro.
Rating:
Summary: "Tomorrow is useless to a dead man"
Review: As is true of almost any tale of cyborgs the question of the difference between mechanical consciousness and mechanized humanity is one of the driving forces behind the Battle Angel Alita series. At what point does a combination or brain, spinal column and hardware gain or lose its human nature. In this second stanza in the series, Alita, who was brought back to life in the first volume, re-finds her capacity for love when she meets Hugo, a human boy. Hugo's goal is to make his way from the traps of the Scrapheap to the upper city of Tiphares. Hugo and Alita seem made for each other, despite the gulf of artificiality that separates them. But Hugo, despite being a complete human is willing to steal the spines out of their original possessors if it brings him closer to the day he can go to Tiphares. This gruesome sideline, and the ghouls he works for gradually eat away at his own humanity until it is clear that he and Alita are really going in opposite directions. Alita will discover her spirit as Hugo gradually loses his soul. In the meantime, we get a close introduction to the grim nature of life below the city in the sky. Hunter Killers take heads for bounty, people feed on scraps while anything good is sent to Tiphares, and black market ops farm the neighbors for profit. For such as Hugo and Alita there is really no escape, only a dark struggle that can only lead to insanity and death if the dreamer refuses to waken. Balancing what is almost a post-apocalyptic vision, is Yukito Kishiro's wonderful artwork. He has the same eye for detail that made 'Ghost in the Shell' such a compelling spectacle. The cover art made me wish, for the second time that this series had made it as a feature film or OAV series. If you have been feeling drawn deeper into the world of manga, Alita is a great introduction to Japanese science fiction.
Rating:
Summary: "Tomorrow is useless to a dead man"
Review: As is true of almost any tale of cyborgs the question of the difference between mechanical consciousness and mechanized humanity is one of the driving forces behind the Battle Angel Alita series. At what point does a combination or brain, spinal column and hardware gain or lose its human nature. In this second stanza in the series, Alita, who was brought back to life in the first volume, re-finds her capacity for love when she meets Hugo, a human boy. Hugo's goal is to make his way from the traps of the Scrapheap to the upper city of Tiphares. Hugo and Alita seem made for each other, despite the gulf of artificiality that separates them. But Hugo, despite being a complete human is willing to steal the spines out of their original possessors if it brings him closer to the day he can go to Tiphares. This gruesome sideline, and the ghouls he works for gradually eat away at his own humanity until it is clear that he and Alita are really going in opposite directions. Alita will discover her spirit as Hugo gradually loses his soul. In the meantime, we get a close introduction to the grim nature of life below the city in the sky. Hunter Killers take heads for bounty, people feed on scraps while anything good is sent to Tiphares, and black market ops farm the neighbors for profit. For such as Hugo and Alita there is really no escape, only a dark struggle that can only lead to insanity and death if the dreamer refuses to waken. Balancing what is almost a post-apocalyptic vision, is Yukito Kishiro's wonderful artwork. He has the same eye for detail that made 'Ghost in the Shell' such a compelling spectacle. The cover art made me wish, for the second time that this series had made it as a feature film or OAV series. If you have been feeling drawn deeper into the world of manga, Alita is a great introduction to Japanese science fiction.
Rating:
Summary: One's blindness to another's love
Review: Hugo spent all his time dreaming of Tipheries, totally blind of Alita's love for him, and he gets killed in his attempt to find a perfect world, breaking Alita's false heart. I like this one a bit better than volume 1, it has more depth.
Rating:
Summary: A small treasure...
Review: I don't want this to become another plot summery. There are too many of those anyway. When I found this book I was happy to find a graphic novel that does not present women in as sexual objects. Alita is a girl who can beat up any guy. Why I gave this book 4 starts is that author Yukito Kishiro is lacking something from her writing. I know that it was probably lost in translation. Yet I can't deny that it is a bit dry. Aside from this minor flaw the story is quite interesting.
Rating:
Summary: Read This!
Review: I _really_ liked this book. Manga or otherwise, this is probably the most realistic fiction I've ever read (so much better than the average 'sex, guns and violence' type stories that seem to be so abundant) If you ever read another book in you life, make sure it's this one.
Rating:
Summary: The perfect follow-up to a perfect start in a series!
Review: If "Battle Angel Alita" merely introduced us to the amazing cyber world of Yukito Kishiro, then "Battle Angel Alita: Tears of an Angel" builds upon that world and, more than likely, sets in motion the plot. After her victory over the all-powerful "King of the Maggots" in the first manga volume, Alita now faces her toughest challenge yet: love. Yes, love. While that phrase usually sounds cliched, it applies perfectly in this second manga volume. Alita has it tough to begin with, but when things start to spiral down even further, she must make a choice that could end up destroying her. Like before, the artwork is beautiful and very detailed. And, like before, "Tears of an Angel" is riddled with violence and blood and gore that sticks it in the section of mature readers who have very strong stomahchs. The story is a superb, miniature masterpiece, and it undoubtedly adds to the internal conflict of Alita trying to find her identity. This second volume is also featured in the "Gunnm" two episode OVA anime series ("Gunnm" is the original name of the "Battle Angel Alita" series.) Like before, I advise you to read the manga before watching the series, as comparisons will most likely decrease the enjoyment of the manga. But with that said, enjoy "Tears of an Angel". Along with the first volume, the second volume is a superb triumph.
Rating:
Summary: Not All Demons Come From Hell...
Review: In a struggle that pits adults against children the residents of Tiphares act out the age old questions of whether an imitation can replace human nature. Of course, the answer is no - the adults, who have had their brains replaced with tiny computer chips, have become compliant, but that does not mean they are not jealous of their prerogative. For the youth, who now understand the deeper meaning of freedom, the fight is for survival as individuals - as true humans. Yet, when pressed, they too will stop at nothing, and it is the children who unleash a monster so deadly that only Alita can stand up to it, But even the super-powered cyborg is dangerously outclassed. As Yukito Kishiro's new series unfolds, the reader learns that this story is far larger that the limits of the city in the sky. Kaos, who lost almost everything in the first series has returned - ruined, but determined to make amends. And by the simple, age-old mechanism of a paper plane a bond is re-forged and a faint, slightly cynical glimmer of hope appears to light the way. For all the this series is still a vehicle for Alita's spectacular fighting skills the story reveals more depth and a finer sense of rhythm than the first series. Too often sequels seem to suffer from weakness, but Kishiro seems to have husbanded his strength. As complexity and character develop the story grows stronger as well.
Rating:
Summary: Amid a stream of violence, this book has heart.
Review: In the second volume, Alita has by now shown the strength neccessary to survive in the Scrapyard. But upon meeting a boy by the name of Hugo, she finds her fighting skills are nothing in the face of matters of the heart. Enamored with this boy, Alita soon finds herself on the wrong side of justice with him. Alita must decide whether to follow her heart and Hugo, or to do what is right. In this volume, Alita finds, holds, and loses her first love. Find out how this changes her and sets her upon the road to becoming the hard, cybernetic woman of the later volumes.
|
