Gunnm Mars Chronicle - Tome 1

銃夢火星戦記 [Gunnm Kasei Senki] #1

by Yukito Kishiro

Les trombes de la guerre dévastent les étendues rouges de Mars. Qui aurait pu prédire qu'une petite rescapée de ce paysage d'apocalypse deviendrait un jour la plus terrifiante des guerrières. Les récits de la Yoko du passé et de la Gally du futur se superposent pour nous fournir les clés de son mystère. Que le rideau se lève sur l'ultime chapitre de la saga Gunnm !

Genres: Manga, Science Fiction, Comics, Graphic Novels, Cyberpunk, Seinen, Comics Manga

193 pages, Paperback

First published May 22, 2015

About the author

Yukito Kishiro (Japanese: 木城ゆきと) is a Japanese manga artist born in Tokyo in 1967 and raised in Chiba. As a teenager he was influenced by the mecha anime Armored Trooper Votoms and Mobile Suit Gundam, in particular the designs of Yoshikazu Yasuhiko, as well as the works of manga artist Rumiko Takahashi. He began his career at age 17, with his debut manga, Space Oddity, in the Weekly Shonen Sunday. He is best known for the cyberpunk series Battle Angel Alita.

Reviews

[Doc · Rating 5 out of 5]

Battle Angel Alita Mars Chronicle is rated Older Teen and not only has violence but some death scenes even in the first volume as we get a chance to peek into the past of one of the most kick@$$ android fighters in one of the greatest sci-fi mangas ever created.

The Martian world is full of hostility and with the ensuing violence there is prone to be casualties resulting in Orphanages dedicated to children mislocated from their parents or who have lost their parents all together. Two particular orphen girls (Yoko and Erica) are saved by a traveling medic and left in one such orphanage to be taken care of but trouble is over the horizon even as the new girls establish themselves into the hierarchy of the Mamiana orphanage. Answers to Yoko's (aka Alita) past as we see her growing up with her strange companion Erica as they strive to survive a cruel word. Only time will tell how they will survive or even who will survive.

My fave part of the book might just be when Erica turns the tables on Ninon for trying to make her make Yoko eat bugs. Turnabout is fair play after all. :)

[Rosibel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Battle Angel

"Don't worry. I know Yolo can do it.
As long you believe in yourself... Your feet will take you anywhere you want to go.
Anywhere?
Anywhere... And as long as you wish for it...

[Mouthful Of Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, einfach nur der Wahnsinn. *-*

[Villain E · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, this just dives right in. We open with Erica and Yoko as little kids. They're war orphans, and Yoko is already a cyborg. So there's still some story we're missing. The two of them are sent to an all-girl orphanage. The town they're in gets invaded. The art strong. The story is brutal.

[ダンカン · Rating 4 out of 5]

Origins are stories people are curious about. When Battle Angel Alita was released, there are more curiosity surround on the main title character of where she was from, who she was and why she is the way she is. In Last Order, more was revealed on the origin of Alita and finally, Mars Chronicle is released for fans of this cyberpunk science fiction manga.

An undated year many years back, two childhood friends are bound together on Mars. Erica and Yoko are friends in a war-torn planet. They were rescued after the incident in the minefield from Gerda and soon, as if by fate, might be the saviors (or savior) for the future of mankind.

I am excited to read the prequel of this incredible series and finally, its here in all its glory. As always, the artwork is done in a way that supports what was meant to be in the past but in any thing, magnificent. The first volume doesn't show much about the origin of Alita but it does built the world of Alita as how it is. The right tone and atmosphere is just as always, one prequel series I am looking forward to follow in the next couple of years.

[Justin Abdallah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting start to a new Alita

So far so good. Nothing spectacular. However seeing Yoko’s backstory on mars is most interesting. I like that Yoko has been a cyborg for most of her life. The interaction between Erica and Yoko is cute as well. One thing about LO that I wasn’t too keen I. Was all the phalic humor and the constant hyper violence. Here, the reader gets to take a break and just read in about interesting characters.

[Mary Anne]

3.5 STARS

How this book ended up on my TBR: I'm working on The StoryGraph's Genre Challenge 2024, where one of the prompts is to read manga. I've read my share of graphic novels before, but I've not read manga. I perused the offerings at my local library and wanted something that wasn't school-related. This one seemed interesting!

Interesting is a good word for it. The book is certainly action-packed. My understanding, such that it is, is that this is a prequel to work that explores Alita, a human-cyborg warrior. The story focuses somewhat indirectly on Yoko, the child version of Alita, and her friend and protector, Erica. The backdrop is a war-torn Mars, which Earth colonized when it realized Earth didn't have enough room for everyone. Erica and a quiet, small Yoko are taken to an orphanage. We learn that Yoko (and possibly Erica, who herself part cyborg) is the subject of a great prophecy and of interest to quite a few powerful people, and after going through even more trauma, they are off again with a doctor who gives them Vegemite/Marmite on toast.

I liked Erica and enjoyed the interactions at the orphanage. The author really doesn't hold back on the violence that they get swept up in. Even Ninon, a girl who intimidates Erica at first, eventually tries to take charge and save the girls. That last part was tragic and really quite beautiful.

I'm mildly interested in reading more of this series, so we'll see how it goes.

--

PS. If you all ever go to The StoryGraph, let's be friends there! Here's my profile.

[Alex E · Rating 4 out of 5]

So this is... quite a change from the Last Order series.

So the first series, Battle Angel Alita, had alot of action and cool fight scenes, but also alot of heart and mystery. Who was Alita? Where did she come from? ...and what exactly is she? human? android? These types of philosophical questions were peppered into the great fight scenes and tension filled battles of the first series. The second series was less philosophy and feeling, and more fighting. Which is cool in it's own right, but when reading it, you could feel something missing.

In this third series, Yukito Kishiro really returns to a approach that is very much more like the first series - well, at least this volume so far. The whole book takes place with us following toddler Alita, and the horrible trials she had to go through right from the start. I was kind of shocked at how dark this book got, but man it really amped up the drama and tension right from the start.

I think this is Kishiro coming back better than ever after the Last Order - as it already feels more grounded and much more emotional than 19 volumes of a fighting tournament. If you jumped off during the second series, give this one a shot, as it seems we are on a interesting path now.

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a prequel/sequel to the original Battle Angel Alita series. This book takes place when Alita and her friend Erica are kids on Mars who became orphans during a civil war. They are taken by a doctor to an orphanage where they must fit in with the other children. Meanwhile, a strange group is searching for Alita and war threatens to come close to home.

I liked this okay. In the original Alita series, her past was a mystery, so it’s good to get an origin story. This volume does a lot of world building as well to show life on Mars. It’s a strange juxtaposition to see child characters try to survive in the middle of war, and there are some disturbing scenes/panels.

[Zachary · Rating 4 out of 5]

The latest and final part of the Battle Angel saga begins here. Something of a prequel sequel, this first volume details the earliest days of Alita's life during the Martian civil war as she struggles to survive the chaos and carnage with the help of her friend Erica. This volume is mostly set up for what's to come but the set up is a good one as the world and primary characters are established and the plot gets moving just in time for volume 2.

[Fran Ryougi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Prima di tutto non si può dire di no a una piccola Alita così dolce!
Ma, parlando seriamente, da appassionata delle Cronache Marziane di Bradbury e di Alita, non posso non leggere questo nuovo arco narrativo.
Sono rimasta piacevolmente colpita da questo primo volume. Il forte legame di amicizia tra due bimbe così piccole, la crudeltà che sono costrette a vivere, la guerra che non risparmia gli innocenti, l'ingenuità che porta alla morte... sono davvero curiosa di andare avanti!

[Lynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am not familiar with Battle Angel Alita but this Mars Chronicle about an apocalyptic war on Mars with two children robots who are expected to save the world and hope to grow up into leaders. The girls suffer violent abuse I found upsetting and too graphic to stand. The story confused me and I did care for it. This is book 1 but I wouldn’t want to read further. Nor for me.

[Taylor Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am new to this series and I am hoping to get a feel for this series before watching the movie. I can tell it is an older manga but only because of the art style. I think I am in for a very violent manga. But I am wondering if it is a spinoff or prequel to the original and that reading the original will be a must toward getting any enjoyment out of this series.

[Jan-e · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mars Chronicle is an (anti-)war novella that gives an unflinching look at the trauma inflicted by armed conflict. Even if read as a stand-alone book instead of a chapter within a larger story, it works surprisingly well. As the opening to a new series revolving around cyborg Yoko/Alita, it is off to a good start.

[Maeve]

Endlich ist Kishiro satt, mit der DBZ-Kämpfe. Jetzt können wir anfangen, zurück in die Ödland-Cyberpunk-Umgebung zu springen und mehr über die Geschichte der Panzerkünstler und Yoko/Alita erfahren. Viele mehr Kinder und andere Menschen werden wahrscheinlich sterben, bevor den Manga am Ende ist (lol).

[Lord · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yukito Kishiro is back in back on track! Last Order was getting worse and worse and later volumes (where Alita was mostly missing) were awful but this volume is amazing and I have high hopes for continuation.. :)

[Thurman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the battle angel Alita books I kinda forgot how they could get though it's pretty great though

[Edelgard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful masterpiece

[Yuiko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it way more then the main series

[Carolina Gonzalez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Después de tantas emociones, empezar una saga obviamente baja el ritmo... pero necesito avanzar más en este manga para ver como se desarrolla.

[Gareth Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

A more character driven origin story for Alita set before the original that is touching and introduces more characters and tells a good story instead of just non stop crazy martial arts

[Leah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Compared to the original books, this one is very all over the place and confusing to follow.

[Nat · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is great to learn about Alita's life on Mars. It pushes the teen sticker. It is for for those who read read all previous sections.

[Terry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting backstory

Fun to return to this universe and get learn a little bit of Yoko/Gally/Alita’s past. Very nice to see more of Yukito Kushiro.

[Dine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Irgendwie alles schonmal dagewesen.

[David Doel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this. Unfortunately, I only have volume 1 so I only dipped my toe into the story. I may look around to see if later volumes are still available.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Sean Patterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A welcome return to the world of Alita! A bit dark but nice to see the past and future story coming together.

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good to revisit the Battle Angel Alita world. Gritty cyberpunk with children this time. Hoping for an interesting rest of the series

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

More Alita insanity. Just one of the bet characters with wild characters, unpredictable plots and the very definition of bad-assery