Alien Nine: Emulators

Alien Nine #4

by Hitoshi Tomizawa

The girls have finally graduated 6th grade and are now in Junior High...but are they really prepared for the challenges that await them? There's a new girl in town and she seems to be hosting an entirely different kind of alien. Is she a new ally, or will she be Earth's latest threat?

Genres: Manga, Science Fiction, Aliens, Horror, Fiction

Paperback

First published February 4, 2004

Reviews

[D.M. Dutcher · Rating 3 out of 5]

It explains a few things, and the creatures are even more grotesque if that's even possible. But it's missing the subtext and the "adjusting to adolescence and sex" part, and plays it a bit more straight horror.

The three alien fighters are in seventh grade. They are joined by a fourth, Monami, who seems to have fused with her borg all right. Unfortunately, things are about to get really bad. You see, there are previous generations of borgs on the planet. They seem to be older races of aliens that fused with the drill clan before they came to earth, and they aren't happy about being forgotten. They capture Yuri, and the three others come to the rescue.

But among them is one of them with a special past to Kumi, and in rage she becomes something completely horrifying. Kasumi has plans to save her, but they involve Yuri...

Yeah, this is pretty hardcore. The previous generation borgs are some of the most hideous aliens I have ever seen. It's hard to even describe them. They aren't hideous in a Giger or Parasyte, Volume 1 sense, but are just unnerving.

I'm not sure how I feel about the plot, though. It explains how Kumi died in the first book, and after the ending credits of the anime, and it somewhat explains why in God's name this is happening, if obliquely: The drill clan seems to evolve by the host they select. Humans are the 9th generation, and the program might be trying to find the tenth. But it doesn't really fit, and the subtext of the first books that made it so chilling isn't there.

What is played straight can feel a little disjointed, and asks as many questions as it answers. What was up with Kasumi and the milk? Or the last story with Megumi? The explanation, and ending don't make much sense either. Kind of disappointing.

There's some good minor scenes though. Kasumi in particular stands out. If you didn't like Megumi in the first three books, you might be satisfied with her treatment here. Unfortunately it doesn't rise up to the standard of the first series.

[John Ronald · Rating 3 out of 5]

The girls are in Junior High and there's more alien vs. alien "gangland" warfare....the alien designs are even more grotesque. Even in Junior High the trio are expected to continue fighting aliens as a matter of course, they really have no say in it. There's a new Third year that is ostensibly their team leader and she seems more violent and prone to kill than the original 3. The teachers get in on the action directly, too...not the new Junior High teachers but the same Elementary School teacher advisor and principal because they're in the same neighborhood. The plot is honestly a bit of a mess and the story gets ever more complicated and honestly hard to follow. I can see why the anime adaptation only went as far as the middle of book 2, since the story just devolves into confusing nonsense going forward from there. This manga is notable mainly for the action scenes and the drama between the girls but good luck understanding the wider story or getting any sense of where this story is supposed to be going.

[Trip · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a sequel, when the girls are in junior high, but it does not add enough new creepy doom to get more stars.

[Zach]

Excellent. Wish it would get animated. The amount of new information makes this required reading if you like Alien Nine.