Battle Angel Alita 1 (Paperback) (Battle Angel Alita (Paperback))

I purchased the series after watching the film. I wanted something different for our young son. However presented on the Kindle paper white addition, it didn't come across very well & was difficult to master the controls / including being very fiddly to blow up the writing .. Yet once transferred to the I pad kindle app ,, it works great .. ;) The story is good & my son loves the interaction ... he can't wait for bed time .. Had it crossed over well I would of given 5 stars ... but because it's only iPad friendly it gets a 4 star rating from me ..

I've read through the entirety of Battle Angel Alita (including Last Order and what's currently released of Mars Chronicle). It's one of, if not my favourite comic/manga series (though Jojo is good too...Bah!). Seeing as I read it 'for free' and loved it, as with anything else, I threw down some cash on physical copies. In terms of story, I can't recommend this series enough. Without wanting to spoil anything and a synopsis being easily available elsewhere (other reviews right here for example), just know it's a huge tumbs up from me. As for this specific release? It's great. An issue I ran into when reading the series..."for free" was that there was a lot of inconsistency with names of people and places. In the English release a lot of stuff got renamed, such as Alita being named Gally in the original release, or the series originally being named Gunnm in Japan. Regardless, it's great that I now own a consistent set of books where I don't have to constantly keep in mind the 'other' names for people/things for risk of getting confused. The presentation of the book themselves? They do look really nice. They come in larger "A4" print rather than the smaller format manga is often released in, glossed pages. They have all of the 'fluff' content such as diagrams of how the city or transplants work, content that isn't always included in such releases. Most importantly, they look beautifully uniform on my shelf. It also includes the now non canonical original ending (book 4), something I really didn't think would be included. For those who don't know, the original ending basically got retconned out with 'Last Order' continuing on from events before the original ending. I personally still like the original ending, so it's nice that it's there. Not to mention the 'other stories' being released as book 5, something I didn't get a chance to read before purchasing this collection. It isn't often a manga series gets a nice physical release, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure still being my standard for what a 'proper' release should look like. Whilst I still prefer the presentation of Jojo's physical hardback releases, I am not disappointed with Alita at all. I'm holding out hoping that Last Order will get some sort of hardback/'proper' release that is at least this standard of quality.

OK so if you are looking to buy this hardcover volume of manga, you are most probably already a big fan of the series. If not, then here's a short rundown: This volume of the manga will only be flashback in the upcoming film as it's going to jump right into vol2 of this omnibus. Alita is a strong, compelling protagonist yet a relatable individual who just happens to be a girl. The story could be summed up as: "A cyborg gets rescued by a robot-doctor who's able to restore her. Upon awakening she can't remember anything but realizes she possesses some super powerful ancient martial arts skill so she sets out on a quest to rediscover herself." Which is as cliche as it gets but is very well executed. Has some philosophical undertones and very good human drama. Get prepared to shed a tear or too for the baddies as well! Now the volume is very high quality. It's nearly twice as big as the original manga, printed on glossy paper for maximum detail but Yukito Kishiro's art is up to the challenge. As for the only downside, expect some reflective shiny blacks. The originally color pages are preserved and the volume covers (which are front-to-back spreads) are inserted horizontally which is a bit weird. The original format is preserved, so read from right to left. This translation does a very good job so far balancing the original Japanese names with the westernized ones most people who read the story so far got accustomed to. Sound effects are left in with English their expressions written beside them. It even has the little volume extras such as sketches and short strips or explanations from the original so you are really getting the best version possible. tl;dr Get this if you are a fan, asap!

Whether or not the Alita film will be any good, we can at least say it brought form this new edition of the manga. Which for people unfamiliar with the source material like me is a very good thing. The story is quick and energized yet gives enough time for moments to sink in, letting the plot and characters breath. Characters are also fun to read about. With a 70/30 mixture of murderous/ insane or nice/ indifferent. I especially enjoy the dynamic between Alita and Vash the Stampede.....wait....i mean Dr Ido, who disovers and rebuilds her. She wants to protect and do right by him, but doesnt want to be his object. She wants to be her own person while still having a connection. Really drives home the parent-child metaphor The book itself is high quality, with great glossy pages and an exquise hardcover. While personally i would prefer a normal papaerback omnibus, a more economic choice usually, i dont regret getting this. In fact i'll probably be getting the rest too

I've been waiting for a re-release of this series for nearly ten years, since it was so difficult to get a hold of the paperbacks in a decent condition and at a fair price. After getting this book in the mail and seeing what it had to offer, I'm so glad I waited til now to buy the manga! The book is gorgeous; the hard cover is nice and sturdy and the image is nice and crisp. The pages on the inside are on nice glossy paper and the color pages that were added in are beautifully made. The re-translation is an improvement as well, the content is still the same but the lines from the characters now feel more authentic and the dialogue flows much more smoothly and coherently than previous versions. Just a heads up though, this does read from right to left like a traditional manga. Also the book ends just one chapter away from the conclusion of the second story arc, which is odd but my guess is it was done on purpose to entice people to get the second book. But with this high level of quality and an already great story to boot I HIGHLY RECOMMEND that you get this if you're a fan of the series, a fan of anime/manga, a fan of cyber-punk/post apocalyptic stories, or just want some new that's printed in high quality. Can't wait for book two next year!