Rating: 
Summary: Fantastic
Review: A beautiful end to the series... The only problem is that it ended... *sigh*
Rating:
Summary: Final Book
Review: After working in the field of comics, I can truly say this is the the greatest manga tale written to date. Great storytelling and art with a cast of colorful characters. A must buy for any manga or sci-fi fan.
Rating:
Summary: Closed Circuit
Review: Alita finally encounters the man responsible for so much of her misery in "Angel's Acension." Kaos would also see his father pay for his sins and crimes, but only Alita is possibly strong enough to capture him. After surviving the many manifestations of human ugliness that surrounds Nova, Alita is ensnared in the Ouroboros, which forces her to face the most difficult and painful trials of her life....
Rating:
Summary: Beyond the Cyborg
Review: All good things must come to an end, at least temporarily. With this volume, Yukito Kishiro lifts ramps Alita's story up to a surprising new level, as the final stages of her battle with Desty Nova unfold. Nova, surprised that Alita has broken free of his mental trap, uses the truth about the citizens of Tiphares to cause enough confusion to escape. Alita follows, and is trapped again in Nova's mental coils. This time the Doctor seeks to sap her will to live. As the struggle develops, we get flashes of what might have been parts of Alita's past and future, which are in many ways the only explanation we will ever get.At the scrap yard, Lord Den and Koyomi have arrived for the final assault on Tiphares. In a last dramatic gesture, Den challenges the might of the sky city on his own, little realizing that the real struggle for the city's survival was happening elsewhere, as Alita challenges Nova and the city for the last time. Suffice it to say, the book becomes one incredible series of images after another, as Alita transcends her limitations in an entirely mind-boggling and innovative fashion. I always feel slow on the uptake when I completely miss a mystical reference. Until I was staring at the final imagery of the series, I failed to realize that the names Tiphares (and Ketheres) are drawn from the Sephiroth of the Kabalah. Tiphares means beauty, and Ketheres is the crown. These have a natural explanation in the story, so it is hard to decide how deep this metaphysical layer runs. I'll leave it for readers to judge for themselves. It is curious how often such symbolism works it's way into Japanese anime as a metaphor for the mysterious. Of course Evangelion comes to mind, and recently, X (the series) has made such references. A surprise addition to an already complex tale. In any case, this phase of Alita's story comes to an end with a complete transformation of the order of her world. We know there is more, because a new volume is promised. This is a special manga, combining an intensely violent action story with an underlying theme of the nature of humanity and love. One can find material to think about while watching the parts fly, all beautifully illustrated by an artist who should be considered one of Japan's best. 'Ascension' is a unique work of art in an already outstanding series. I hope that Kishiro will keep the series alive for further incarnations.
Rating:
Summary: Beyond the Cyborg
Review: All good things must come to an end, at least temporarily. With this volume, Yukito Kishiro lifts ramps Alita's story up to a surprising new level, as the final stages of her battle with Desty Nova unfold. Nova, surprised that Alita has broken free of his mental trap, uses the truth about the citizens of Tiphares to cause enough confusion to escape. Alita follows, and is trapped again in Nova's mental coils. This time the Doctor seeks to sap her will to live. As the struggle develops, we get flashes of what might have been parts of Alita's past and future, which are in many ways the only explanation we will ever get. At the scrap yard, Lord Den and Koyomi have arrived for the final assault on Tiphares. In a last dramatic gesture, Den challenges the might of the sky city on his own, little realizing that the real struggle for the city's survival was happening elsewhere, as Alita challenges Nova and the city for the last time. Suffice it to say, the book becomes one incredible series of images after another, as Alita transcends her limitations in an entirely mind-boggling and innovative fashion. I always feel slow on the uptake when I completely miss a mystical reference. Until I was staring at the final imagery of the series, I failed to realize that the names Tiphares (and Ketheres) are drawn from the Sephiroth of the Kabalah. Tiphares means beauty, and Ketheres is the crown. These have a natural explanation in the story, so it is hard to decide how deep this metaphysical layer runs. I'll leave it for readers to judge for themselves. It is curious how often such symbolism works it's way into Japanese anime as a metaphor for the mysterious. Of course Evangelion comes to mind, and recently, X (the series) has made such references. A surprise addition to an already complex tale. In any case, this phase of Alita's story comes to an end with a complete transformation of the order of her world. We know there is more, because a new volume is promised. This is a special manga, combining an intensely violent action story with an underlying theme of the nature of humanity and love. One can find material to think about while watching the parts fly, all beautifully illustrated by an artist who should be considered one of Japan's best. 'Ascension' is a unique work of art in an already outstanding series. I hope that Kishiro will keep the series alive for further incarnations.
Rating:
Summary: Angel's Conclusion
Review: Angel's Ascension is a stunning conclusion to Yukito Kishiro's gritty cyberpunk masterpiece. Alita finally discovers the ghastly secret of Tiphares, but to shatter the myth of the paradise in the sky, she must first _save_ the floating city from destruction! Kishiro's ending is an incredible conclusion to this deeply psychological, highly technical, yet also action-packed (and romantic?!) series. Alita's search to find her true self is one that is mirrored in each of us. I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for Alita, as she finally finishes her heartbreaking path to discover what it means to be human. For after all, if even a cyborg can experience the human emotions of love and pain, what does that say for the rest of us?
Rating:
Summary: An undeniably satisfying conclusion of this 9 volume series!
Review: Despite the degree of excellence found within the entire "Battle Angel Alita" series, I never thought any of the later volumes managed to meet the quality of the brilliant first two volumes (although some came close). But Yukito Kishiro surpassed my wildest expectations by giving us "Angel's Ascension", the final volume in his post-apocalyptic masterpiece, and it's a volume that not only meets the standards of volumes one and two, but also surpasses them in some ways. In short, "Angel's Ascension" is a masterpiece in itself. By now, my stance on the artwork and the recommended reader's level is cliche: the artwork is beautiful and superb, and the blood and violence and minor nudity makes this a mature series. But my take on the storytelling isn't the same as in my other reviews. Why? Because "Angel's Ascension" is on a level all its own. The story in volume nine defies simple description. At its basic level, "Angel's Ascension" reveals the secret of Tiphares and finally cues us in on Alita's long forgotten past. But the story is anything but basic. It is so beautiful, so powerful, so moving, so captivating, that to just read it would be a downright shame. A reader has to not only read it, but practically drown himself in it! Yukito started the series with two near-perfect volumes ("Battle Angel Alita" and "Tears of an Angel"), and I'm overjoyed that he decided to end the series on the same note. After reading and reviewing all nine volumes of "Battle Angel Alita", I can honestly say that the series is one of the greatest manga series I've ever read, on par with classics such as "Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind" and "Galaxy Express 999". The only disappointment? That the ride is over. Or is it? Believe it or not, Yukito Kishiro has created another "Battle Angel Alita" series, called "Gunnm: Last Order" ("Gunnm" is the Japanese name for "Battle Angel Alita"). Apparently, before he could complete the first series, "an affair" happened to Yukito and he went through a physical and emotional breakdown that caused him to end "Gunnm" in a way he hadn't planned. Since then, he felt guilty about how he ended the series...so much that in 2000 he suspended his new series, "Aquaknight" (all three current volumes are available by VIZ), so he could write a new "Gunnm" series! Will we learn new things about Alita we had never dreamed of? Will Yukito create another masterpiece? And the big question: will VIZ bring "Gunnm: Last Order" to the United States? We can only hope. Until then, this nine volume collection should more than keep us entertained!
Rating:
Summary: An undeniably satisfying conclusion of this 9 volume series!
Review: Despite the degree of excellence found within the entire "Battle Angel Alita" series, I never thought any of the later volumes managed to meet the quality of the brilliant first two volumes (although some came close). But Yukito Kishiro surpassed my wildest expectations by giving us "Angel's Ascension", the final volume in his post-apocalyptic masterpiece, and it's a volume that not only meets the standards of volumes one and two, but also surpasses them in some ways. In short, "Angel's Ascension" is a masterpiece in itself. By now, my stance on the artwork and the recommended reader's level is cliche: the artwork is beautiful and superb, and the blood and violence and minor nudity makes this a mature series. But my take on the storytelling isn't the same as in my other reviews. Why? Because "Angel's Ascension" is on a level all its own. The story in volume nine defies simple description. At its basic level, "Angel's Ascension" reveals the secret of Tiphares and finally cues us in on Alita's long forgotten past. But the story is anything but basic. It is so beautiful, so powerful, so moving, so captivating, that to just read it would be a downright shame. A reader has to not only read it, but practically drown himself in it! Yukito started the series with two near-perfect volumes ("Battle Angel Alita" and "Tears of an Angel"), and I'm overjoyed that he decided to end the series on the same note. After reading and reviewing all nine volumes of "Battle Angel Alita", I can honestly say that the series is one of the greatest manga series I've ever read, on par with classics such as "Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind" and "Galaxy Express 999". The only disappointment? That the ride is over. Or is it? Believe it or not, Yukito Kishiro has created another "Battle Angel Alita" series, called "Gunnm: Last Order" ("Gunnm" is the Japanese name for "Battle Angel Alita"). Apparently, before he could complete the first series, "an affair" happened to Yukito and he went through a physical and emotional breakdown that caused him to end "Gunnm" in a way he hadn't planned. Since then, he felt guilty about how he ended the series...so much that in 2000 he suspended his new series, "Aquaknight" (all three current volumes are available by VIZ), so he could write a new "Gunnm" series! Will we learn new things about Alita we had never dreamed of? Will Yukito create another masterpiece? And the big question: will VIZ bring "Gunnm: Last Order" to the United States? We can only hope. Until then, this nine volume collection should more than keep us entertained!
Rating:
Summary: Moved me to tears.
Review: I can only admire Kishiro's way of ending so magnanimally a perfect series in the critical condition he was in. Talk about inspiration. The series could only end in Gally finding happiness or Gally dying, and I was surprised by the ending, my imagination was not prepared for the mental and heart blow he delivered. Do I recommend it? More than that, I urge you all to get the whole series, a must have, a Bible for some of us.
Rating:
Summary: A beautiful ending for an extraordinary heroine
Review: I fell in love with this series when I first saw "Battle Angel", the animation. Although it was only an hour long, it left me dying for more. I decided to find out what happened next by buying and reading the manga, and I was not at all disappointed. The drawings are beautiful, and the story gets even more intense and compelling as the series progresses. If you loved the series up until the last volume, you will not be disappointed by the last volume. Without spoiling any of the details, let me just say that this volume gives a fitting ending for one of the strongest and most admirable heroines I have ever found in fiction.
|
