Bojový anděl Alita 3: Cesta ke svobodě

銃夢 新装版 [Gunnm Shinsōban] #3

by Yukito Kishiro, Anna Křivánková (Translator)

Alita má problém. Po katastrofě spojené s pokusy šíleného doktora Desty Novy se vrací její starý nepřítel Zapan, silnější než dřív - toužící po krvavé pomstě. Alita chce ochránit své blízké před Zapanovým řáděním, ale ocitá se v pasti - povstane-li na svou obranu, může se dostat do křížku s krutými zákony továrny.

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

452 pages, Paperback

First published January 19, 1994

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

[Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well my hardback looks like this one but there isn’t but this one available on GR. Don’t feel like adding this alternate hardback! I wish they would get with the program!! Anyhoo, here’s my hardback pic!



I love Alita and they get better and better! Sad, but good!



Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾

[Sud666 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This third volume of Battle Angel Alita covers the two books of "Lost Sheep" (Book 5) and "Rain Maker" (Book 6).

The first part details Alita's life after she leaves the racing circuit. She decides to take some time off and become a musician at the Kansas Bar. But, an old enemy, Zappan, has undergone some serious modifications and is on the hunt for revenge. Meanwhile, Dr. Ito runs into an infamous Zalemite Doctor who has plans for both Ido and Alita. The destructive fight between Zappan and Alita will change her life.

The second book deals with the aftermath. Alita is now working for the Zalemite doctor, so she can save Ido. She has a whole new body and is spending some time as a mercenary guard on a Zalmetie transport train. There she encounters a violent bandit gang that raids the trains. The outcome of this conflict will cause Alita and her new friend, Figure, to join together to fight the bandit gang.

This is a part of the story that I was not familiar with, as it exceeds the episodes of the anime I've seen. It's still a very odd and interesting dystopian world filled with strange cyborgs and technology. At parts, touching and poignant, while at other times it is viscerally violent. An interesting mixture that Japanese anime seems to excel at.

Are you looking for a cool new world? An exciting and violent story? Fascinating new technology and a good background on the world as it exists in this reality. If you consider yourself a sci-fi or anime fan, then you will appreciate this series.

[Lashaan Balasingam · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can find my review on my blog by clicking here.

Alita might have had some fun encounters that led to some deadly moments in the past story arcs, but this is where the character is pushed to her limits and explored with immense depth. This third volume in these beautiful and robust deluxe editions by Kodansha Comics puts together both volume 5 and 6 of Alita’s original classic run. Taking place after the big showdown during the motor ball game, the story kicks into overdrive and brings back a character from the past in order to tackle some fascinating ideas through the eyes of a cyborg that is still trying to understand her place in this world as well as trying to piece together the past life she once had that she still can’t remember to this day.

What exactly do we have in this volume? The first story arc explores the whole concept of karma by drawing upon all the events that Alita has lived through so far in her life. While it isn’t the most clean and gore-free life she could’ve lived, she has had moments of epiphany and self-discovery that truly overshadowed all the destruction that she inevitably brought upon the citizens of the Scrapyard. It’s however upon the realization that her incredible killing instinct has carried around a lot of harm in her shadow that a whole rhetoric on karma is unveiled. The re-introduction of one of the greatest threats in her life pushes her into a desperate and depressing state that ultimately leads her to reevaluate herself and her impact on the lives of others.

The second story arc serves as a depressant compared to the stimulant that was the previous event. Alita finds herself having to bargain with the devil in order to get another chance at finding her purpose and satisfying her vengeance upon certain key characters. This is where she truly embraces her identity as an Angel of Death and finds herself discovering the very essence of what freedom is all about. Themes of betrayal, power and fate are also brilliantly interwoven within the action. The new allies she also forms a bond with serve as great catalysts to the lessons she is bound to learn. It’s amazing how her character keeps on having kind-hearted people gravitate around her, yet her actions always end up pushing and pulling them in and out of her life.

What especially made this volume stand out from the previous two is the author’s fearlessness in dragging Alita into some of the toughest challenges in her life. For a cyborg that is only able to taste happiness in small doses and who has yet to understand where she fits into the whole puzzle that life is, the events in this volume really puts everything she knows into perspective and forces her into introspection. Yukito Kishiro’s grasp on the dialogue in this volume was also remarkable. There was a much finer touch to it, giving us a poetic flair to everything that was said by everyone. The artwork also improved and seemed much more refined and powerful. With a blend of kindness and violence, there isn’t a moment throughout this volume that you didn’t see the uniqueness behind this original cyberpunk classic.

This was definitely the highest peak in quality, both in artwork and story-telling, for Battle Angel Alita. Where things will go from here on out is beyond anyone’s knowledge. If anything, Alita still has plenty to learn about life, but also about herself.

Yours truly,

Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: https://bookidote.com/

[Diz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume has the saddest stories of the series so far. After a large battle with an old rival, the people of the scrapyard blame Alita for the death and damage that was caused. This pushes Alita outside of the city. Now that she is out of the city, some proper Mad Max kind of adventures can begin. As always, the deluxe edition is a pleasure to read.

[[Name Redacted] · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a bleak, horrifying entry...right up until the final act.

Then it suddenly turns into action-slapstick-romance.

And yet I still love it.

[Alexander Engel-Hodgkinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.8/5

The emotional weight behind this volume is monumental. From an old foe returning after a traumatic event sends him into relapse to a fantastic desert battle in the wake of a desperate ultimatum, this series has reached a new peak in both emotional storytelling and its intensity. While the story itself has only marginally progressed, its character development has been advancing at near lightning speed without feeling too rushed. There's a bit of a romance in the second half of this deluxe edition that feels a little undercooked, but there's still plenty of time for that to develop further.

Really excited about this series. I can't believe I sat on this boxed set for so long before really diving into it.

[Francesca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, suddenly it gets pretty dark.

Alita loses a lot in this volume, and she already went through tough times before now, so its a natural progression that this would all build on her and lead to this darker, deadlier persona.

The scenes of her friends and found family are heartwarming and really uplift the mood but unfortunately she has made many enemies and Zalem now has her on its radar.

I really enjoyed the plot in these two stories. It was great to see a bit more about how this world works, get away from the city and also see the life Alita has made for herself. I think having a time jump was really important so that she could get some space from her confused feelings about her (re-)birth and relationship with Yugo.

I'm looking forward to seeing where this goes now. There is unfinished business, a new enemy, a new ally, a mysterious organisation trying to pull her strings. There was a lot of progression in this book and it opened up many possibilities for the remaining volumes.

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

[Matty Dub · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alita is just too damn good. Similar stakes in play in this volume but the series’s scope is greater and the scale of the action just gets huge, like Michael Bay movie huge and I’m here for it. The exciting pace and beautiful art made me forget the plot conveniences and cheesy 90s tropes scattered throughout. GOAT level manga.

[Alden Barron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Both volumes in this one were definitely still better then volumes 1 & 2 in the first deluxe hardcover but they did get a little too ridiculous for my taste. Volume 5 in particular was really good though.

[Eric Van Den Top · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

Definitely my least favorite so far.

I'm at the point where I kind of want more with the story.

Alita still an awesome kickass character and this manga still fun and easy to read.

But I don't really see the point of the plot?

[Kim Nguyen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume is the most emotional one in the series so far.
Alita has been casted out of the scrapyard and goes through even tougher hardships with those around her and herself.

[Anniken Haga · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5 stars

This book was a little all over the place. The first half was really good and got to me. I liked how human Alita had become, how much she'd grown, and I thought the story was interesting and relevant.
It was also relevant to the current political climate. I noticed a lot of victim-blaming going around - that it was Alita's fault that someone she defeated in battle went crazy and killed a lot of people, and not the crazy ones fault. I wonder, if the crazy one had been a woman, would it still have been Alita's fault? - which was really interesting. Also interesting that the only one NOT blaming Alita were women. There was also a lot more at stake here.

Then came the second half, and in the beginning of that, I felt I lost what I liked in the first half. We didn't get any clear stakes, and Alita had lost all humanity and feeling - again. She feels a little manic, tbh - but this thankfully changed toward the end. The ending was well written and it bumped the book up another half star. Now, I'm also interested in seeing what happens next!

Just a note on characters: I like that we get to see a lot of different minor female characters, but I wish the male characters were a little more different. They all seem to want to control Alita in some way - even Ido - and have Alita fit into their image of what she should be. Sure, it ads a little more struggle for Alita as the MC, but I wish at least one male character OTHER than Ido would be more brain than brawls.

Also, this book is clearly longer than 400 pages! Around 435, I think, but oh well...

[Darjeeling · Rating 5 out of 5]

'It's always the smallest men who make the biggest show of their pride'.
Based.

[Simone Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked that this volume had more comedic moments and fun new characters. The lightheartedness of a lot of the scenes towards the end of this volume was a nice change of pace.

[Zack Clopton · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's evident that Yukito Kishiro saw "Battle Angel" as a world in which he could tell many different types of stories. The two halves of Deluxe Edition 3 are wildly different in setting, execution, and tone. The first half follows a time jump from the end of the Motorball saga, where Alita has gone from having nothing to loose to having everything to loose. It brings back a previous enemy in a far more bizarre form, while introducing what can be considered the villain of the entire series. Kishiro indulges in a lot of super weird body-horror here, creating by far the weirdest and most extreme adversary for Alita. (Which is no small feat.) The personal stakes are heavy and our heroine looses almost everything that matters to her in the process.

The second half, meanwhile, totally shifts gears. "Battle Angel" morphs from a cyberpunk series to a post-apocalyptic action saga, with "Fist of the North Star" seeming like a likely influence. Following another time jump, Alita has changed into someone who enjoys combat a little too much. Yet the mangaka's imagination remains irrepressible. The post-apocalyptic wasteland is as vividly created as the Scrapyard was. There's plenty of imaginative touches here - a kaiju-sized centaur warlord, human heads that are screwed into battle-ready bodies, the random appearance of a sea serpent. We meet another oddball set of supporting characters, including a lovably goofy love interest for Alita. This section also features maybe the best action sequence of the whole manga, thus far, where Alita takes out an entire squad of cyborg commandos with her bare hands.

If nothing else, this manga remains a lot of fun to read.

[Raj · Rating 4 out of 5]

At the start of this volume of Alita's story, she's given up the motorball arena and is enjoying having family and friends, as she continues her hunter-warrior work. But the hunter Zapan can't forgive past slights, and returns to wipe out everything she holds dear. The second arc sees Alita being given a new life as an agent of Zalem and on a private mission to search out her lost father-figure, Ido.

I think there's a quite intelligent story questioning what it means to be human at the core of Battle Angel Alita. This was mostly buried under sport and angst in the last volume, but it's closer to the surface here (although the huge amounts of violence do distract from it). In the first arc, Alita has earned a family, and this is torn away from her, while she struggles to retain her humanity. At her weakest point, she's offered a deal with the devil and gives in to it, leading to the second arc, where she tries to abandoned all thought and revel in killing. But this isn't her either, as her encounter with Figure Four shows. The larger story is also foregrounded more here, especially in the second arc, as Zalem starts to play more of a part in the affairs of the surface.

The art style is pretty consistent with what has come before, with all that that implies, including the fact that fight scenes aren't always easy to follow.

So an enjoyable story in and of itself, and also expanding the world for the future as well.

[Nolan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartwarming to watch after a full volume obsessed with sports and pride, we find Alita has settled down as the house musician at her second home, the bounty hunter dive, Bar New Kansas. I've been a house musician and I'm so glad to see it. The good times aren't meant to last, however, and are quickly stripped away as the story moves towards a Mad Max-style conflict on the outskirts of the Scrapyard, with Alita's psyche being pushed to its limits after losing everything she's known, yet again.

The issues I had with the translation of previous volumes are cleared up, the artwork is as beautiful as ever, and this continues to be one of the most entertaining comics I've ever read, with big philosophical and theological questions bubbling under the surface. Of course there's also robots being blown into bits and weird (often disturbing) visions of technology packed into every corner. A total classic that I'm excited to continue discovering for the first time.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this volume more than volume two for the simple fact that Alita has moved beyond her rebellious teenage spat. I’m still enjoying the world, the characters and the art and it’s well worth continuing the story as more unfolds with each arc and Alita grows and changes as she moves through it. I can see why it is such a popular manga and why it deserves its popularity. Well worth a read!

[Risa (Clazzi) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Figure is my son. I love him so much 😭

[John Funderburg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is where the series ratchets up the crazy. I'm truly enjoying the insanity.

[Paulo Vinicius Figueiredo dos Santos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Por conta de vários compromissos acabei tendo uma longa distância entre as leituras dos vols. 2 e 3 e tinha esquecido de o quanto o roteiro de Yukito Kishiro era veloz. Alita é um mangá que fala de uma série de temáticas como uma garota buscando o seu lugar no mundo, um regime opressor e uma cidade da sucata ao mesmo tempo em que coloca questões existenciais como o bem e o mal e o ciclo de violência. Se posso dizer uma coisa, Kishiro resume a própria essência da narrativa oriental em que ele soma ação, entretenimento e temáticas importantes. O leitor vai ter em mãos um mangá de mais de quatrocentas páginas que pode ser lido em pouquíssimas horas. E mesmo tendo uma narrativa que pode ser meio melancólica em alguns momentos, ela consegue manter o aspecto diversão em alta.

Terminamos o volume anterior descobrindo que o dr. Desty Nova e seus lacaios estão com os restos do dr. Ido que foi morto por Zapan, segundo ele. Tudo o que restou a Alita foi uma caixinha com pedaços de seu corpo. Isto deixa a nossa menina-robô desesperada e ela entende a participação direta de Nova em toda a tragédia e parte para o ataque. Só que vemos que se livrar do esquivo médico fugitivo de Zalem é mais complicado do que parece e seus lacaios são duros na queda. Nova oferece a Alita uma possibilidade de se vingar de Zapan que está com um corpo cibernético extremamente avançado e poderoso. Um berzerker assim como ela e que consegue fazer frente mesmo aos Deckman que patrulham a Cidade da Sucata. Zapan se revela um oponente formidável e está matando e destruindo um por um todos aqueles que se envolveram com Alita em uma maré de vingança, sangue e morte. Como Alita fará para se livrar de um adversário tão poderoso?

Desde a segunda edição pudemos ver Kishiro destruindo todo o núcleo afetivo e familiar de Alita. Retirando um por um todas as bases que a fizeram mais humana e levando-a a se tornar uma guerreira sem alma. Primeiro tirando sua possibilidade de uma vida feliz e pacata, depois transformando seu corpo em uma máquina de luta e por fim matando aquele que lhe ensinou o que é o amor de um pai para uma filha. No começo deste terceiro volume Kishiro parte para sua tacada final na queda do anjo de combate que é destruir sua própria vontade de viver. Alita fica sem chão com a perda de Ido e isso a leva ao seu limite. A guerra contra Zapan também é uma guerra contra si mesma. Indiretamente Alita é responsável pela transformação do mercenário. Então tudo o que Zapan faz acaba recaindo em uma noção de responsabilidade da parte dela. Sem falar no fato de que Alita enxerga em Zapan uma espécie de espelho de si mesma. Sem remorsos, sem moral, apenas matando porque assim pode fazer. Desde o volume anterior que Alita se questiona se seu destino é sempre estar no campo de batalha, principalmente por causa do seu treinamento e de suas habilidades ocultas. Matar Zapan se torna o último fio que a prendia ao mundo material. E depois que ela perdeu Ido tal postura se reforça ainda mais.

A arte de Kishiro para essa edição está muito boa apesar de confusa em alguns momentos. Sabe quando você gosta, mas tem sempre margem para fazer uma ou outra crítica? A abordagem de Kishiro é bastante voltada para a ação e ele tem problemas quando são cenas mais intimistas ou contidas. O leitor sente uma dificuldade do autor em ser mais sério, e ele sempre quebra o ritmo da cena com alguma tirada humorística ou momento fofo da personagem. Em determinadas cenas, isso faz com que a situação em si perca a força narrativa que ela teria se Kishiro mantivesse a estabilidade do que estava falando. Isso se repete em pelo menos quatro ou cinco situações dignas de nota. Uma quando Alita se encontra próximo ao bar conversando com Shumira e outros conhecidos; outra quando ela está ao lado de Fogia (tem repetidas situações) e mais adiante quando ela está se preparando para o combate contra Barjack. É preciso dosar esse tipo de interações porque causa impactos na maneira como o leitor encara a situação. Se tiramos o peso do que está sendo realizado, o acontecimento se torna bobo e sem importância. Não há problema em quebrar uma cena mais pesada; mas é preciso saber o timing certo.

Algo em que Kishiro é insuperável é nas cenas de ação. Uau, o domínio que ele tem de tudo o que diz respeito ao sequenciamento de como coisas explodem, corpos se movem. Os golpes do panzer kunst da Alita são simplesmente belos. Não há como dizer como ela se move com beleza e letalidade. Por outro lado temos Zapan sendo uma força brutal pura e simples. Tudo o que ele faz é com extrema violência, arrancando membros e usando rajadas energéticas poderosas. Quando ele abre asas para voar é algo maravilhosamente terrível; imagine um tipo de borboleta com um sorriso maníaco no rosto. O emprego que ele faz de passagens de ação para ação e das linhas cinéticas é eficiente. E Kishiro faz isso parecendo ser simples, mas ele precisa levar tantas variáveis em consideração que é assustador.

Alita também é criticada por aqueles a quem ela tanto se esforçou para defender como o pessoal do bar e a Shumira. Eles a renegarem foi uma dor profunda em seu coração dado os sofrimentos pelos quais ela passou nos últimos tempos. O quanto ela precisou sacrificar. Alita se questiona sobre os motivos que a levaram a lutar tanto se as pessoas entendem que ela é a real culpada por tudo aquilo de ruim que aconteceu na Cidade de Sucata. Nova brinca com a ideia de karma, de que tanto ela como Zapan precisam superar suas devidas questões: Zapan por ter incorporado em seu íntimo uma noção de inferioridade, principalmente em relação a Alita e Alita de ter estado presente na morte de pessoas queridas. Sempre volta ao íntimo de Zapan a morte de Sara, cuja responsabilidade foi dele mesmo em um momento de explosão. Para Alita, Ido sempre volta como alguém que está em seu coração. E a responsabilidade pelos fatos que se sucederam na Cidade da Sucata.

Conhecemos um pouco mais do mundo criado por Kishiro e que está do lado de fora da Cidade da Sucata. Claro que ainda é pouco e se parece mais com uma paisagem desértica e parcamente habitada. É dentro dessa região tão cruel que habita uma organização chamada Barjack que se coloca contra a dominação vinda de Zalem. Voltamos àquela discussão do primeiro volume de uma cidade no céu que é vigilante e voltada apenas para pessoas privilegiadas. E que com seus punhos de ferro e tecnologia avançada, conseguem manter os povos da superfície em rédea curta. Algo feito através dos guardiões na ponta da cidade celeste que destroem aqueles que ousam alçar voo sem autorização e pelos Deckman que criam um rígido sistema de vigilância. O surgimento de um ser cibernético chamado Den (que se parece com um enorme centauro) coloca tudo em xeque. Primeiro porque ele consegue derrotar facilmente todos aqueles que Zalem enviou para destruí-lo. Mas também porque Den é carismático o suficiente para conseguir até mesmo atrair seus inimigos para o seu lado. Seu discurso é fácil de ser entendido e visa uma igualdade social que ninguém mais consegue prometer. Mesmo os mais covardes, preocupados com sua própria sobrevivência se apoiam no poder de Den.

Esse terceiro volume tem seus altos e baixos e é voltado para trabalhar a personalidade de Alita. Tirá-la de suas raízes e levá-la a um novo ponto onde ela precisa amadurecer e questionar qual é o seu papel no mundo. Entender se ela é realmente uma máquina de combate ou se ela se importa com aqueles que a cercam. Se Alita deseja se tornar uma pessoa solitária e não ferir ninguém no processo ou se ela se fere porque está sozinha em uma atitude pouco produtiva. Sem falar no dr. Desty Nova que ainda é um belo mistério para nós. O fato de ele ter muito conhecimento sobre Zalem e pouca ética o coloca como um wild card nesse momento da trama. Digamos que esse foi um volume de preparação para o explosivo quarto volume, o último.

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

After running headlong into melodrama and a fair bit of consequential action, it's Daisuke Ido who needs the help and support of his young charge, rather than the other way around. A tech scientist with less than favorable inclinations snatches Alita's old berserker frame for himself, thus throwing into question Ido and the girl's newfound quotidian life in the scrapyard. Thus enters Desty Nova, a former Zalemite nanotech researcher with a lust for unethical experimentation.

BATTLE ANGEL ALITA #3 sets off roughly, pitching and heaving through its inciting incident, until all of the and pieces are in place for the next, extended chapter of Alita's life. Ido's role as Alita's surrogate father was never particularly persuasive, so perhaps its best Kishiro eventually pushed their relationship more in the direction of close friends with too much to lose. As such, when Ido falls into a spot of trouble upon confronting his fellow Zalemite scientist, it's clear Ido's optimistic and naïve disposition could well spell his demise.

The collected chapters in this volume span a good deal of time; Alita is forced to grow up fast. She loses a lot of friends, is forced to confront old enemies, and must learn to fend for herself. It's not easy, and the young woman earns a reputation for being wild dog, hungry for battle, or as an angel of death, raining destruction from every angle imaginable. The return of Zapan, for example, shoves into the narrative not only another revenge-fantasy gone awry, but also an opportunity for Alita to learn the ethos of self-sacrifice -- the hard way.

The manga's action scenes and battle staging are in better shape here than in the previous volume, privileging expert the angular perspective, quick-hit violence, and selective gore that contributed to the title's first volume being so legendary. The level of visual detail is sharp, and while some of the author's more novel approaches to composition and application of white space are less common, the manga doesn't skimp on the kinetic action and its resulting carnage. A fight to the death on an uneven field of concrete rubble? Yes. Sneak attacks from heavily armed paramilitary groups in an abandoned city sector? Yes. Hand-to-hand combat opposite a martial arts expert? Yes.

BATTLE ANGEL ALITA #3 is an interesting turning point, offering readers a good taste of what they know Kishiro is capable of delivering: clever sci-fi violence, funny characters with ulterior motives, gritty environments with a wealth of personality, and a protagonist or two whose motives are constantly blending and blurring with those of others.

[Zare · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a feeling that with this volume (originally two books - Zappan's revenge and Rain Maker) Alita becomes a more serious book. We see Scrapyard as a true fiefdom of Zalem, people working in factories and crime rampant in the streets.

After leaving the deadly sport arena Alita is living more or less normal life as bounty hunter and singer/dj in the bar New Kansas, until, by sheer accident, enemy from the past (Zappan) comes back. What happens is that Alita faces a perfect storm that culminates in confrontation with Zappan (who got few updates again by sheer accident), confrontation with citizens of Scrapyard who just want her to leave so they can go back to normal life (since every lowlife with the grudge destroys everything in order to get to Alita) and very very hard loss that will leave our heroine in total shambles (and I mean, this part was bruutal in a way of "Seven").

Finally, crazy doctor (Mengele and he would make good buddies) Destiny Nova comes on stage .... to stay until the very end of story.

Second part of the book finds Alita working as Zalem undercover agent in the wastelands. Here she will find her love but also encounter mysterious organization called Barjack Army that threatens the Zalem by wreaking havoc on factory outposts outside the Zalem.

Without going any further into details (because it is truly worth the read, story is amazing) Alita will find herself in the epicenter of several events. Here enemies she will know but also she will need to figure out who are her friends.

Art as always is just beautiful. Entire wasteland outside the Scrapyard is so reminiscent of Mad Max and (at least for me) of W40k/Unification Wars - filled with crazy megalomaniac warlords and armies that have found old weapons and technology and try to carve their path in this post-apocalyptic world.

With that being said I truly hope new movies get made, but considering that story becomes very mature I am not sure it will be happening soon (although I will always keep hoping, first movie was a gem imho).

Highly recommended to all fans of cyberpunk and good ol' fashion SF action.

[Oswaldo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me encuentro en conflicto hasta éste punto, y es que sigo disfrutando mucho la historia de Gally y el mundo que Kishiro es capaz de construir, más con sus ilustraciones que realmente contándolo, pero a estás alturas no puedo negar que tiene muchos problemas al escribir a sus demás personajes.

Priorizar tanto el desarrollo de Gally puede ocasionar que algunos de tus personajes secundarios tiren el volantazo para ocasionar dicho desarrollo, y es algo que pasa constantemente en éste tomo, junto con ciertas decisiones que toma Gally que si son medio salidas de la nada. Si, estoy hablando de todo el tema de volverse música y lectora de literatura clásica, que no tendrían nada de malo al aportar otros gustos al personaje, pero que realmente si salen de ningún lugar y con una justificación medio estúpida sobre la relación entre la música y la pelea. Entiendo que Gally esté rebotando entre gustos para buscarse un camino en la vida, pero si está muy wtf.

Pero del pero, también es cierto que Kishiro entrega momentazos espectaculares. Definitivamente se le da mejor la imágen que la palabra, pero cuando se inspira j ambos se combinan, no tiene quien le contenga: La pelea entre Gally y Jasugun, ése último golpe es tan bello y tan hermosamente dibujado que es una de ésas cosas que se han quedado conmigo durante todo éste tiempo. Gally luchando por Ido aún si tiene que vender su alma al diablo, o Gally teniendo que decir que Ido está bien, y pronto lo volverán a ver.

Insisto, Gally es el mejor personaje de la obra, el que más cariño y mimo tiene, pero todxs a su alrededor son bastante planos y solo sirven para impulsar a su protagonista, lo cual decepciona teniendo en cuenta personajes como Ido, Yugo o Jasugun. Inclusive Zapan tiene un momento tan bello hablando sobre la responsabilidad de tus actos y el apoyo que necesitamos para afrontarlos, pero al final Gally tiene que impulsarse sobre todxs.

No es un mal volúmen, es bastante grandioso en muchos aspectos, pero a Kishiro le falta más práctica con la escritura, cosa que esperó ver mejorar en los siguientes tomos.

[Joseph B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Battle Angel Alita's third deluxe hardcover proves this series has plenty of steam left. As an old threat emerges once more before we venture beyond the Scrapyard.

Two years have passed since Alita dominated the motorball racing circuit. Alita has settled into domestic life as a musician for the Kansas Bar. This peace is shattered when Zapan returns to claim vengeance. Things go from bad to worse when Zapan gets his hands on the old berserker body, the one Alita once used. Scrapyard is threatened with annihilation; and only Alita can stop Zapan. Meanwhile, Dr. Ido is on the hunt for the elusive Desty Nova. When he finally finds him, Ido's life is altered forever.

The second storyline sees a 10 year timeskip. Alita is a TUNED agent, spec ops working on the surface for the Zalem government. In that time she has become an extreme loner, as well as a bloodthirsty savage during battle. Alita finds herself protecting a Factory train that is imminently under threat from Knucklehead, a bandit who commands an army of criminals hijacking trains and their cargo. This second arc has some great art. Kishiro really dials up the action and cyborg elements. It is a delight to see. We also get to see Alita continue to grow and evolve as so much time passes. We are introduced to a new character, Figure Four. An unmodified human mercenary who serves as a fun foil to Alita.

Overall I am delighted that Battle Angel Alita continues to maintain a high quality this many chapters in. 5 out of 5 stars.

[Robert Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Zapan arc (original book 5) is without a doubt where Alita peaks. There are meaningful calls back to characters and events from past stories, and it all has substance and connection to the world that's been built. There's also the final, true introduction of Desty Nova, who immediately proves to be the mad scientist only implied at up to that point. I think maybe the Zapan arc and the volumes that precede it, the Scrapyard stories, are the reason why Battle Angel is considered the classic it is, and rightly so. If it had ended with Zapan, it would have ended well.

Unfortunately, there are four more tankōbon volumes to go in the original Battle Angel run, wherein Alita literally wanders around the wastelands for ten years, doing pretty much nothing of note. The second half of this deluxe volume begins that trudge. The second half is the introduction of Figure Four, Alita's intended post-Yugo romantic interest -- a character written about as far away from Yugo as one can get, really. The second story in the volume is horrific violence mostly presented as comedy to serve as a sort of meet cute for Alita and Figure (who *SPOILERS* never returns to the story after this one book, so who knows the original intention Yukito had for him before turning his attention elsewhere.) The story isn't great, and it really doesn't get better from here on out.

The high star rating is for the Zapan arc.

[SullyIsReading · Rating 4 out of 5]

(THIS REVIEW IS ORIGINALLY FROM STORYGRAPH, FROM 20TH MAY 2023.)

Considering it took somewhere around half a year to finish volume 2, which had a strong start but a slow middle, with a decent end that gave me enough confidence to buy another volume - volume 3 assured me that I made the right choice.

The motorball sequences were wonderfully intense and fast-paced; this was sometimes to the point of detriment, and I was sometimes unsure of exactly what was happening. For the most part though, I found it very welcome compared to how slow the previous volume had felt. Everything culminated in a rewarding way, and the return of Zapan was both interesting and exciting, although short-lived.

The introduction of Desty nova was great, he's a straight up mad scientist with a desire to see chaos brought to the universe - a polar opposite to the orderly, calm but determined science that Ido represents. Learning more about the greater scene and universe of Alita is very rewarding; flashbacks to Mars, learning more about Zalem and the Berserker body are all great!

A solid four out of five, as although there were some moments where I felt the story lacked, the action and continuation of the plot were excellent. The two year jump was sudden, as well as the fact Ed sold Alita's body... maybe I forgot when that happened, as it seemed to me like it was retroactively told to the reader instead of shown. Nonetheless, you won't go wrong with reading this volume.

[Larissa Cezana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eu já tinha por mim que não faria review de obras deste gênero, mas Alita tem um lugar reservado em meu coração e, principalmente, foge muito do padrão dos similares. Esta edição deluxe não é cansativa, pois a leitura de Alita é muito fluida.

Das minhas coisas preferidas em Alita são suas expressões de raiva. Acho da arte das expressões dela incríveis, principalmente seus olhos. A arte no geral é muito boa, detalhada, o que é necessário para obras com temas cibernéticos.

A trama: personagens sempre buscando redenção de alguma forma, o que é bom e ruim, pois cada vez que aparece um vilão que acaba se tornando secundário você fica a imaginar se ele irá se redimir depois. Terminar sempre com uma lição de moral, para mim, é até bom porque você leva alguma coisa daquilo que acabou de ler e não termina com a sensação de que “é só mais um livro do gênero”. Alita é uma personagem impulsiva e teimosa, mas está se redescobrindo com o passar do tempo. E chegamos ao ponto que me deixou um pouco desapontada neste volume, a passagem de tempo. Num mesmo volume são passados 10 anos, sem mais nem menos e para os leitores, depois que essa informação é compartilhada, fica um espaço gigantesco vazio, pois conforme se vai lendo não tem como saber que os anos passaram assim.

Gunnm Hyper Future Vision Volume 3 é uma boa leitura de verdade.

[Casey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly, 4½ or 4 3/4s. Not quite the 5, but definitely worth rounding up. We're past the Motorball story which just didn't do anything for me, but without it I wouldn't know a lot of what is going on now, or who is who or why I should or should not feel their plight.

Vol. 3 of the Deluxe edition brings Alita back to some the questions of cybernetics and humanity rather than just being an all out sports entertainment brawl. Which lends itself to some actual story and plot. There is plenty of the visceral action that you see throughout all of BAA, however it seems there is often some other reason for it and just because it can be there. It even brings up the question of the reason for it. BAA is more than just a story about a Cyborg girl. There are deeper issues and I for one have really enjoyed exploring them in this world (vol. 2's Motorball aside!)

Verdict: Read it! If Motorball turned you off like it did me, pick this one up as fast as you can and get back into the GOOD stuff.