Battle Angel Alita : Angel Of Redemption (Battle Angel Alita)

Rating:
Summary: Not for the faint of heart...
Review: As a fan of the series, I'd have to say that this is the best of the bunch. Without a doubt. Reasons? Well, you have the sudden death of Ido, and Alita's reaction (quite possibly the most painful moment in her entire life), the introduction of human cynicism, cruelty and madness incarnate Desty Nova, some excellent New characters and, of course, Zapan. For those of you who remember, Zapan is by no means a super villain. At the most, he's just a tough thug who suceeded (to his detriment) in pushing Alita too far. He lost a face, nearly his life, but here he almost seems to have regained what he has lost...and he has found love. But Kishiro, ever the fatalist, will remind us that no one, be they cyborg Alita or the warrior Zapan, can escape from the past and the scars it leaves on us. Alita will learn that the price of invincibility is saying goodbye to the ones you love, and Zapan will learn that revenge often is just another way of committing suicide. Excellent reading.

Rating:
Summary: The Hunter and the Hunted
Review: It seems that Alita has put Zapan through too much than he can handle. Zapan becomes a little on the insane side. Alita is now an entainer for the second Bar Kansas ( the first one was destroyed in the graphic novel: Battle Angel Alita). Alita finds herself being hunted by Zapan, and a strange man has come to hunt Zapan. Zapan gets hold of the Berserker Body and reigns terror on the Scrapyard. Can Alita defeat the new and improved Zapan? Can Alita live with the loss of her "father"? find out what happens to Ido and the battle between Alita and Zapan!!

Rating:
Summary: Two thumbs up.
Review: Now that the fractured psyche brought on by Hugo's death has been healed by the truths she found on the Motorball circuit, Alita begins to enjoy life in "Angel of Redemption." It would seem that this is not for her though, as her past, which lives on despite the fading of memory, seeks to return the pain it suffered at her hands. Zapan, which as one character states, is Alita's karma, seeks her out demanding recompense for all the pain that seems to flow from her and into the lives of all that she touches. Handicapped with the loss of her father resulting from Zapan's retribution, she must now face Zapan and life alone. This confrontation reveals to Alita the reason and the source of the suffering that surrounds her.

Rating:
Summary: An excellent return to where the story should be!
Review: Of the earlier "Battle Angel Alita" series, volumes one and two were excellent in all areas, and volumes three and four were still good but a step down in the quality of story-telling. This volume, number five, "Angel of Redemption", raises the quality of the plot back to where it should be.

The story of "Angel of Redemption" takes place two years after Alita's motorball stint, when she has gotten over her loss of Hugo and has regained her life with Ido and other friends. But as we all know, Alita's past won't let her live in peace for long. With teriffic pacing and use of an exceptional story, Yukito Kishiro creates beautiful scenes where an old enemy of Alita resurfaces and where she ultimately discovers loneliness and abandonment.

Kishiro's art is still as good as ever, filled with spectacular atistry that immediately draws the reader into the story. The high violence and gore factor is also still here, so this is still a series for mature audiences. The pacing and quality of the story returns from the slight slump of volumes three and four, back to the level of volumes one and two.

There is, however, one thing that makes volume five totally unique, and in a few ways better, than volumes one and two. The first two volumes don't have very powerful cliffhangers, so while the stories in these volumes are teriffic, they don't give the reader something to look forward to in the next volume. Volume five does have a powerful cliffhanger (although it's not a major plot twist kind of cliffhanger), and the reader will desperately want to know what will happen in volume six.

If you've read the first four volumes, you won't be disappointed by volume five. If you haven't read the first four volumes but enjoy beautiful art, beautiful story-telling, and can stomach high levels of violence and gore, then "Battle Angel Alia" is for you.

Rating:
Summary: An excellent return to where the story should be!
Review: Of the earlier "Battle Angel Alita" series, volumes one and two were excellent in all areas, and volumes three and four were still good but a step down in the quality of story-telling. This volume, number five, "Angel of Redemption", raises the quality of the plot back to where it should be.

The story of "Angel of Redemption" takes place two years after Alita's motorball stint, when she has gotten over her loss of Hugo and has regained her life with Ido and other friends. But as we all know, Alita's past won't let her live in peace for long. With teriffic pacing and use of an exceptional story, Yukito Kishiro creates beautiful scenes where an old enemy of Alita resurfaces and where she ultimately discovers loneliness and abandonment.

Kishiro's art is still as good as ever, filled with spectacular atistry that immediately draws the reader into the story. The high violence and gore factor is also still here, so this is still a series for mature audiences. The pacing and quality of the story returns from the slight slump of volumes three and four, back to the level of volumes one and two.

There is, however, one thing that makes volume five totally unique, and in a few ways better, than volumes one and two. The first two volumes don't have very powerful cliffhangers, so while the stories in these volumes are teriffic, they don't give the reader something to look forward to in the next volume. Volume five does have a powerful cliffhanger (although it's not a major plot twist kind of cliffhanger), and the reader will desperately want to know what will happen in volume six.

If you've read the first four volumes, you won't be disappointed by volume five. If you haven't read the first four volumes but enjoy beautiful art, beautiful story-telling, and can stomach high levels of violence and gore, then "Battle Angel Alia" is for you.

Rating:
Summary: Please Remember Me
Review: With the conclusion of the battle with Jashugan two years elapse in which Alita builds a different life entirely, as a musician at the Bar New Kansas. Even though she protests to Doc Ido that music and fighting have much in common, it is obvious that this time of peace and growth has been important to Alita. She has friends, things to do, and a sense of belonging that has eluded her before. It is a precious time, but one not destined to last.

Perhaps this manga should have been titled Angel's Karma. A moment in Alita's past, her shaming of Zapan that is coming back to haunt her. The hypersensitive hunter killer is unable to move beyond his hatred of Alita, and in a fit of rage accidentally kills his girlfriend. Now insane, carrying Sara's head around in a jar, Zapan is heading for Alita. She joins forces with Sara's father, and the two confront the killer and take him out. Kind of.

Reality, even manga reality, is too harsh to allow such a simple solution. A berserker body that Doc Ido discovered at the same time he found Alita has fallen into the hands of Desty Nova, a Tipharian like Doc, but a lunatic as well. Nova has decided to restore the shredded functions of Zapan's brain hand install him in the berserker. He has equally ugly plans for Ido and Alita finds herself facing a one-cyborg apocalypse.

This story is a tragedy with a grain of hope life a mustard seed held in its core. The fate of everything Alita cares about is at risk, and the beautiful cyborg is called on repeatedly to may incredible sacrifices. Ending Zapan will be, at best, a Pyrrhic victory, and Alita will gain a flash vision of a height that she may never be able to attain. And yet, almost within reach, is a promise of things to come.

Rating:
Summary: Please Remember Me
Review: With the conclusion of the battle with Jashugan two years elapse in which Alita builds a different life entirely, as a musician at the Bar New Kansas. Even though she protests to Doc Ido that music and fighting have much in common, it is obvious that this time of peace and growth has been important to Alita. She has friends, things to do, and a sense of belonging that has eluded her before. It is a precious time, but one not destined to last.

Perhaps this manga should have been titled Angel's Karma. A moment in Alita's past, her shaming of Zapan that is coming back to haunt her. The hypersensitive hunter killer is unable to move beyond his hatred of Alita, and in a fit of rage accidentally kills his girlfriend. Now insane, carrying Sara's head around in a jar, Zapan is heading for Alita. She joins forces with Sara's father, and the two confront the killer and take him out. Kind of.

Reality, even manga reality, is too harsh to allow such a simple solution. A berserker body that Doc Ido discovered at the same time he found Alita has fallen into the hands of Desty Nova, a Tipharian like Doc, but a lunatic as well. Nova has decided to restore the shredded functions of Zapan's brain hand install him in the berserker. He has equally ugly plans for Ido and Alita finds herself facing a one-cyborg apocalypse.

This story is a tragedy with a grain of hope life a mustard seed held in its core. The fate of everything Alita cares about is at risk, and the beautiful cyborg is called on repeatedly to may incredible sacrifices. Ending Zapan will be, at best, a Pyrrhic victory, and Alita will gain a flash vision of a height that she may never be able to attain. And yet, almost within reach, is a promise of things to come.

Rating:
Summary: Not for the faint of heart...
Review: Wonderfully written, and beautiful artwork. Truly Yukito Kishiro is a master at his work. Not for the faint of heart though, for the book is gory and touches the inner reaches of the soul. As the series progesses, Alita must go through many challenges and question the human spirit. Kishiro is very intelligent and explains all the aspects of his work in scientific detail. A must-read for all anime lovers!